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Indonesia will deploy 14,178 officers to beef up security during the fifth summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) starting in Jakarta this Sunday.
Convened under the theme "United for a Just Solution", the summit is a response to the worrying situation in Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif, which affects not only the Palestinian people, but also the world's Islamic Ummah, Xinhua reported.
"Our objectives include preventing any possibilities of traffic accident, violent rally, clash, terrorism activity or misuse of gun fire, bomb and explosives, road blocking, holding hostage, kidnapping and other trans-national crimes," Colonel Czi Berlin, a spokesman for the Indonesian military, said on Tuesday.
The extraordinary OIC Summit on Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif will be held in Jakarta from March 6 to 7.
"This high-level summit has an international scale. Therefore, the success of holding this event will affect the dignity and credibility of Indonesia," the official said.
Some 57 OIC member nations will explore approaches and strategies to counter the continuous illegal occupation and apartheid policies of the Israeli government, as well as to advance the peace process and to resolve the situation in Al-Quds Al-Sharif.
The summit is expected to come forward with a resolution, which will reaffirm the principled positions of the OIC member states on the issues of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and a Jakarta declaration, which will present commitments of the leaders of the OIC member states to pursue concrete steps in support of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif.
Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai attended the ongoing Raisina Dialogue 2016, which began in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Karzai was invited to the conference by Observer Research Foundation (ORF), an Indian think tank, which is the organising partner of the Raisina Dialogue 2016 with the Ministry of External Affairs.
Besides the Afghan delegation, over 400 personalities from 40 countries and organisations have been invited to the March 1-3 event, Khaama Press reported.
Envisioned as India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, the Raisina Dialogue 2016 is designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration as well as Asia's integration with the whole world.
It is predicated on India's vital role in the region and how India along with its partners can build a stable regional and world order.
The 2016 conclave will focus on Asia's physical, economic, digital connectivity and fostering common global spaces with an emphasis on Asia.
Actress-filmmaker Lakshmy Ramakrishnan's next Tamil directorial will be based on the experiences of people during the devastating Chennai floods which left the city ravaged last year.
"Since the beginning of this year, I have been working on the script. My film will not be about the floods, but it will be based on the experiences of people who stood by each other and broke all barriers during the time of crisis," Lakshmy told IANS.
Busy with the pre-production work, Lakshmy plans to begin the set work on the project from July.
"The story will be about the aftermath of the incident on an emotional level. I want to explore the humanistic angle. I could have roped in a star and made this a heroic story, and in order to do that I didn't want to exploit the natural disaster angle," she said.
"This is not about one man or a hero saving hundreds of people. This story is about human bonding and how it evolves against the backdrop of an incident of this scale," she said.
Lakshmy was inspired to make this film after getting intrigued by real-life experiences that she heard from close family members and people from different walks of life.
The project will be facilitated by high-end visual effects (VFX) work.
"I'm already in talks with a big VFX company and they are kicked about the idea. Although they haven't worked on films so far, they are excited to partner with me on this project," she said, adding that she has already begun her casting process.
Lakshmy is in talks with Ashok Selvan, Priya Anand and veteran actor Nasser.
"Ashok is quite excited about the project but he is yet to come on board. Although I discussed the idea with Nasser sir, I'm yet to pass on the script. But I am sure he will be interested to be part of the film," she said, adding that she has also approached actor Vijay Sethupathi, besides a few popular stars.
While she plans to go on the floors soon, she hopes to shoot the flood scenes during monsoon later this year.
"Even if we were to create the rain, it would make sense to shoot during the monsoon climate to make it look authentic. In the interim, we will shoot some scenes in the set and hand over the material to the CGI department," she said.
The rest of the cast and crew will be finalised soon.
On the acting front, she is busy with a slew of Tamil and Malayalam projects.
London mayor Boris Johnson on Monday slammed Britain's pro-EU campaigners for fear mongering, saying the risks of a Brexit had been "wildly exaggerated", Xinhua reported.
Writing in a column for the Daily Telegraph on Monday, Johnson said the so-called Remain camp had made a series of "questionable assertions" about the possible threats to Britain if it were to leave the European Union (EU), and accused the movement of intending to evoke fear amongst the British public.
"In every case, the message is that Brexit is simply too scary and the reality is that these threats are so wildly exaggerated as to be nonsense," he said.
In the article, he rebuffed the argument that leaving the EU would jeopardise Britain's economy, police, judicial and intelligence cooperation.
"It is not Brexit that presents the economic risk, it is the euro and the federalising attempts to save it that are the real long-term threat to security and stability," he claimed.
Describing the euro as a "nightmare," Johnson said the single currency was "an economic doomsday machine that is still causing low growth, high unemployment and real misery in some European countries."
He also rejected the notion that the EU was the military guarantor of peace in Europe, citing the EU's inability to sort out security issues of former Yugoslavia and Ukraine.
"It is Nato and the Atlantic alliance that underpins our security... EU pretensions in the area are at best, confusing, and at worst, likely to encourage American disengagement," he asserted.
He also indicated that EU institutions were hampering Britain's security services.
"On the contrary, it is the European Court of Justice, with its vast new remit over the Charter of Fundamental Rights, that is making it harder month by month for the security services to get on with their job -- whether it be expelling murderers or monitoring terrorist suspects," he said.
In the article, he called for "a new partnership and a new deal with our friends in the EU based on trade and cooperation, but without this supranational apparatus that is so out of date and is imitated nowhere else."
The mayor, who has recently announced his decision to campaign for a Brexit, called on Britons to "screw up our courage and go for change".
Johnson is among a number of high-profile politicians who have openly expressed support for a Brexit, but a majority of British cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister David Cameron, prefer staying in the EU.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his wife Amruta Fadnavis will be the guests of honour at the success bash of actress Sonali Bendre's book on parenting.
The actress turned an author last year with her book "The Modern Gurukul - My Experiments with Parenting", in which she shared her personal experiences of raising her son Ranveer.
Considering the positive response the book has generated, especially among young mothers, in Delhi and Chandigarh, Sonali and the book publishers have decided to celebrate the success on Thursday.
"My book has been a wonderful journey. I'm grateful to Devendra Fadnavis and Amruta Fadnavis as they have agreed to grace the event. As working parents, they could also relate to the problems couples face while raising their children. I'm glad people have appreciated the book, especially mothers, who could relate to it."
"It has also raised my confidence as a writer, and encouraged me to explore different topics," Sonali, who is married to filmmaker Goldie Behl, said in a statement.
Passenger automobile manufacturer Maruti Suzuki on Tuesday reported a marginal decline of 0.9 percent in its total sales for February 2016.
The company sold a total of 117,451 units during the month under review -- down from an off-take of 118,551 units in the corresponding month in 2015.
"During the month, the reservation agitation had disrupted component supplies, causing a temporary suspension of production by the company," the company said in a statement.
"Total production loss due to this was over 10,000 units."
The automobile major resumed production at its facilities in Gurgaon and Manesar on February 23.
The company had to temporarily suspend manufacturing of vehicles at its flagship facilities in Manesar and Gurgaon on February 20, due to the transport and other disruption caused by the Jat community's violent agitation for reservation in jobs and educational institutions.
Domestic sales during the month under review inched up by 0.2 percent to 108,115 units from 107,892 units sold in February 2015.
Exports plunged by 12.4 percent during the month under review with 9,336 units being shipped out -- down from 10,659 units sold abroad in the corresponding month of last year.
The sales of passenger cars fell by 3.9 percent to 87,149 units sold during last month - from an off-take of 90,728 units in the like period of 2015.
The company's passenger car segment comprises of brands like Alto, WagonR, Swift, Ritz, Celerio, Baleno, Dzire, Dzire Tour, and Ciaz.
On the other hand, sales of utility vehicles which comprises of brands like Gypsy, Ertiga and S-Cross augmented by 44.7 percent at 8,484 units from sales of 5,863 units during February, 2015.
Off-take in the van segment, which includes Omni and Eeco, grew by 10.5 percent to 12,482 units from 11,301 units in the corresponding month of 2015.
The company's scrip at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) rose by 7.85 percent to Rs.3,497 (at 3.20 p.m.) from its previous close of Rs.3,242.60.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the first World Sufi Forum (WSF) - an event that will highlight India as the "global centre for moderate" Islam - to be held here this month, organisers said.
Over 200 renowned Sufi scholars from 20 countries, including Pakistan, will attend the event. Muslims constitute the largest minority in India.
Organisers have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the March 17-20 meeting organised by the All India Ulema and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), its founder president Syed Muhammad Ashraf told IANS on Tuesday.
AIUMB is India's apex body for Sufi shrines. The event is focussed on finding constructive ways to spread the Islamic message of peace and tolerance as a counter to rising global violent extremism, Ashraf said.
"We believe it is high time for us to create a platform to seriously ponder over the radical interpretations of Islam by terrorist groups for political gains. The spread of terror and tyranny by jihadist forces in Syria and other parts of the world has damaged the image of Islam more than ever before."
He said: "Indian Muslims can provide a real alternative to all the bloodshed across the world in the name of Islam by promoting their rich history of Sufism."
Those invited include Tahirul Qadri from Pakistan, Shaykh Hashimuddin al-Gaylani and Shaykh Afeefuddin Al-Jailani from Iraq, and Stephen Suleman Schwartz and Sheikh Mohammad Bin Yahya Al-Ninowy from the US.
The event will be inaugurated on March 17 at Vigyan Bhavan, followed by a two-day session at India Islamic Cultural Centre here.
The concluding session will be held at Ramlila Maidan on March 20 where a huge number of participants is expected from across India.
Foodies in the country have a new reason to cheer for! Drawing inspiration from the culinary trend in India, a 10-day multi-city food extravaganza called 'Beyond Flavours Dining Festival' will start March 11.
Brewfer.com in association with HSBC is presenting the festival, which will be held between March 11-20, and will have as many as 100 gourmet restaurants across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune and Kolkata participating in it.
The event provides customers with an opportunity to explore the fest that mainly consists of three- or four-course meals at one's favourite restaurants across the host cities for Rs.1201.
Foodies in each of the cities can take their pick from several eateries.
In Mumbai, one can choose among eateries like the Sofitel, Salt Water Cafe, Terttulia, Hard Rock Cafe, Burma Burma, TGIF, Harry's Bar and more.
In Delhi, on offer are Hard Rock Cafe, Smoke House Deli, Garage Inc, Oasis & Paranda by Vivanta by Taj, Singh Sahib and more.
At Bengaluru, places like Smoke House Deli, the Glass House, the Big Kahuna, the Solitaire and Italia at The Park have made it to the list; while in Pune, one can head to Hard Rock Cafe, the Little Door, Euriska, TGIF, Prem's, the Ship Grill and other options.
For foodies in Kolkata, places like Gharana, Multi Cuisine, Fluid at the Big Boss, the Gateway Hotel, TGIF, Aura, Serafina & Bombay Brasserie are part of the gala, and from Chennai, food afficionados can indulge in menus from places like Hard Rock Cafe, Kipling Masala & Cafe at ECR, Tangerine, Tuscana Pizzeria, Teppan and more.
Reservations will go live on Wednesday on Brewfer.com.
Fashion designer Namrata Joshipura will showcase creations inspired by the creativity and vibrancy of New York City -- a mash-up of fascinating street style juxtaposed with the most innovative ideas in fashion, art and technology -- at the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Autumn-Winter 2016 edition here later this month.
Joshipura's show will be held in association with Maybelline New York on March 19 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, read a statement from the beauty brand.
The designer, who is known for global aesthetics and contemporary silhouettes with modern interpretations, will display creations which embody high-fashion New York style, complementing Maybelline's latest innovations in make-up this season.
Talking about the new collection, Joshipura said: "Taking inspiration from the various hues of Color Sensational Lip Gradation by Maybelline New York, the collection has deep reds, berry tones, grape and wine used in ombre gradation in dresses, embellishments and other techniques."
Joshipura is a fit for the association as she resonates the spirit, style and energy of the brand, says Pooja Sahgal, general manager, Maybelline New York - India.
"We are looking forward to creating stunning ombre beauty and fashion looks on the runway. Through the show, we hope to inspire young girls and women to express themselves, define their beauty and make it happen with make-up," Sahgal added.
Sunil Sethi, president of Fashion Design Council of India, is also excited about the collaboration and he is confident that the show "will see a resplendent amalgamation of the best in beauty and fashion, and create trendsetting statements that will capture the New York panache".
US space agency NASA announced that it is planning to build a supersonic passenger jet which will be as quiet and efficient as possible, the media reported on Tuesday.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on Monday said that it has awarded a first contract, worth $20 million, to the US company Lockheed Martin to develop a preliminary design of an aircraft which surpasses the speed of sound, EFE news reported.
Despite using a jet engine, which traditionally causes loud noise, the sound levels produced by the new aircraft would be minimal.
The new design would also meet the requirements for reduction of pollution as it would optimize fuel consumption.
"NASA is working hard to make flight greener, safer and quieter," said Bolden.
The design and the construction of the new supersonic aircraft will take several years and NASA estimates that first flight tests would start around 2020.
Commercial supersonic flights were cancelled when British Airways and Air France ceased their Concorde operations in 2003. The Concorde aircraft was capable of travelling at a maximum speed of 2.180 kph, more than twice the speed of sound.
The safety and profitability of the aircraft, known as the "White Bird", became questionable following the crash of a Concorde in Paris in 2000, which killed all 113 people on board.
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to visit China next week to participate in the annual Boao Forum for Asia conference, a media report said on Tuesday.
According to his personal aides, Prime Minister Dahal has started internal preparations to fly to China on March 24, My Republica daily said in the report.
"The Prime Minister has received an invitation to address the conference. We have just started internal preparations on the visit," said the premier's press advisor Gobinda Acharya.
Although the visit is being made to address the Boao conference that is themed "Globalization and Free Trade-Asian Perspectives", Dahal is likely to make a brief trip to Beijing from Hainan province and sign some major bilateral deals.
The 2017 annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia is being held from March 23 to 26 in Boao, Hainan province.
The official opening of the ceremony that is divided into four modules-globalization, growth, reform and new economy -- is scheduled to take place on March 25.
--IANS
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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday adjourned till Wednesday the hearing on a plea against an event being organised by the Art of Living foundation, headed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, for violating environmental laws.
The tribunal said it will carry out day-to-day hearing from Wednesday. The matter, which came up before the tribunal on Tuesday, was postponed for a day on technical grounds.
Environmental activist Manish Mishra has moved the NGT against the event.
The Art of Living is organising world cultural festival in the national capital between March 11 and 13 that is expected to be attended by 35 lakh people from 155 countries, a statement released by the foundation said.
HRD Minister Smriti Irani's controversial comments on Durga and Mahishasur appear to ignore the varied folk traditions in which the latter is adulated as a king and an ancestor, experts say.
The minister sparked a fierce row when she read out in parliament last week contents of a pamphlet purportedly printed by the "SC, ST and Minority Students" of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to mark the Mahishasur Martyrdom Day.
"May my God forgive me for even reading this out," she said in opening remarks.
Irani was explaining the rationale behind the police crackdown at the JNU after "anti-national slogans" were allegedly raised on the campus.
Dalit scholars and experts on tribal lifestyle say Irani's comments may have originated from the dominant Hindu understanding of Goddess Durga which views Mahishasur as a demon.
Dalit apart, tribal communities spread in at least five states, including West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand, revere Mahishasur as a great king and some like the Asur tribe believe they are his descendents.
In traditional Hindu scriptures, the word Asur is used almost synonymously with demon. Some anthropologists say Asurs were among the proto-Australoid groups inhabiting areas like Jharkhand and the western part of West Bengal.
The Asur tribe is now found in Gumla, Latehar, Lohardaga and Palamu districts of Jharkhand and in north Bengal's Alipurduar districts. Asurs believe they are descendants of 'Hudur-Durga' -- the Santhal name for Mahishasur.
Sections of Dalit and tribal communities have been asserting these alternative narratives of their belief systems while refusing to subscribe to mainstream versions.
"Mahishasur is revered in Asur and Santhal rituals. The Korku tribe of Madhya Pradesh also worships Mahishasur. The folk songs of Santhal tribes of Jharkhand are about Mahishasur. In Purulia (West Bengal), a big fair is organised to mark the worship of Mahishasur," said Vandana Tete, who has studied the practices of the Asur tribe.
Nityananda Hembram, the head of the Bharat Jakat Majhi Madowa, a Santhal organisation, told IANS that his community was long opposed to the mainstream representation of Mahishasur. The Madowa has a presence across West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Chhattisgarh.
"Mahishasur has been revered as a hero traditionally by Santhals in West Bengal. We have been opposing the way Mahishasur is portrayed in Durga Puja where he is shown kneeling before Durga who kills him. It is unfortunate Mahishasur is considered a demon and a mythological character when he was a hero who fought valiantly against invaders Aryans," Hembram told IANS.
While Santhals have for long revered him, for the past 12 years they have been conducting a public puja much like others perform Durga Puja. "One such puja is organised in Kashipur village in Purulia district on Navami (ninth day of celebrations of Durga Puja)," Hembram told IANS.
The mainstream narrative of Hinduism considers Durga one of the major deities who bestow protection. As per Vedic literature, Durga was created by the joint forces of divinity, including the holy trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh to slay Asur king Mahishasura, who, empowered by a boon from Brahma, was on a rampage.
The Devi Mahatmya relates the story of Durga, mounted atop a lion, fighting a pitched battle with Mahishasur who scoffed at her for being a mere woman. In the final stages of the fight with Durga, the Asur king is said to have changed his form to that of a buffalo (Mahish in Sanskrit) -- hence the name Mahishasur.
"Asur tribes in Jharkhand believe they are descendents of Mahishasura and consider him their kulguru (clan teacher). At present, Mahishasura is not worshipped in Jharkhand but considered Kulguru (by Asurs)," Vasvi, a Jharkhand-based social worker, told IANS.
The worship of Mahishasur is not limited to tribal communities. The name of Mysuru in Karnataka is said to be derived from Mahishasurana Ooru (Mahishasur's country). After Irani's speech in parliament, photographs of the Mahishasur statue in Chamundi temple circulated on social media.
In West Bengal, where Durga Puja is the biggest festival, it is not uncommon for 'pushpanjali' (flowers) to be offered to Mahishasur along with the Goddess and her lion before the idols are immersed in water.
The Goddess is believed to descend on earth every year in autumn to visit her maternal home. She is shown spearing the chest of Mahishasur who is half buffalo and half Asur.
The only way left for Taliban militant group is to join the peace process in Afghanistan, Russian Special Envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov has said.
"Taliban don't have any ways other than going through this address; they have many internal problems and are divided into different groups," Kabulov said on Monday.
Kabulov made the remarks during a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul. Ghani thanked Russia for its cooperation and recent military assistance, Tolo news agency reported.
Kabulov said that "the message of Russia is that the only address for peace talks is the government of Afghanistan."
He believes that the Taliban has internal issues and is split into different factions. He said the Taliban is not a capable force despite its show of power.
Kabulov said that President Vladimir Putin was concerned over the activities of Islamic State in Afghanistan, but Putin has also praised the Afghan government's efforts in fighting this phenomenon -- especially in eastern parts of the country.
A week ago, Russia delivered 10,000 AK-47s as the part of its military assistance to Afghanistan.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday that Pakistan has decided to send a team to India to help investigate the terror attack on an air force base at Pathankot.
He also said the details of the proposed visit are being chalked out.
"India has handed over all the evidences collected to Pakistan in relation to Pathankot attack. They have registered a case and decided to send a team to India. For the first time Pakistan has initiated action" after evidences were handed over by India, Rijiju informed the Lok Sabha.
He, however, said that Pakistan has not yet given details such as the date or the size of the team.
"We are waiting for the details. India is ready to cooperate," he said while responding to a query from BJP member Ashwini Kumar.
Kumar, who represents Karnal parliamentary constituency in Haryana, said: "We all know that Pakistan government plays in hands of its army. So what is the point of handing over the evidences. They are not even in favour of good relations with India."
Earlier, while responding to another query, Rijiju informed the house that the government is taking all measures to stop infiltration from the border areas of Punjab.
"After Pathankot and Dinanagar terror attacks, we are taking all the measures to stop infiltration from the border areas of Punjab. There is no fencing around 12 km of the border area. With the help of BSF (Border Security Force), we are trying to make these areas more safe," he said.
He also said the central government is in touch with Punjab police and all efforts are being made to stop infiltration.
Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz said the strategic dialogue with the US has further strengthened bilateral relations, the medi reported on Tuesday.
Aziz made the comments along with US Secretary of State John Kerry after the sixth round of ministerial level Pakistan-US strategic dialogue in Washington on Monday, The Nation daily reported.
At the start of the talks, Pakistan said that a contentious sale of F-16 fighter jets would strengthen the South Asian nation's ability to mount counter-terrorist operations and promote regional stability.
The US government this month approved the sale of the aircraft, radar and electronic warfare equipment to Pakistan in a deal worth nearly $700 million.
However, the sale has been criticised by India and also by some US lawmakers.
Aziz said he appreciated the US leadership's public assessment that Pakistan uses F-16s effectively against terrorists.
Kerry did not mention the F-16s sale in his remarks on Monday, but he commended Pakistan's counter-terrorism operations, including in North Waziristan, a tribal area from where militants have launched cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.
The last strategic dialogue was held in Islamabad in January 2015.
The strategic dialogue process started in 2010, but it was interrupted in 2011 when a US midnight raid in Abbottabad killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The process resumed in 2014.
The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for 15 and 10 minutes respectively on Tuesday.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned when the opposition demanded action against Minister of state for Human Resource and Development Ram Shankar Katheria over his speech during a condolence programme following a Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader's murder in Agra.
The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned for 10 minutes after an uproar over the same issue.
Non-state actors from Pakistan were involved in the Pathankot terror attack but they could not function smoothly without state support, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
"All details will come out in the National Investigation Agency probe. In this (attack), non-state actors from Pakistan are certainly involved; that is (for) sure... And any non-state (actor) can't function smoothly without state support," Parrikar said in reply to Shiv Sena member Sanjay Raut's queries.
"Does the government believe it was just a terror attack or done with the help of the Pakistan Army?" Raut asked.
The January 2 terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in Punjab left seven security personnel dead. Six terrorists, who attacked the base, were also killed in the gun battle lasting almost three days.
Asked by a parliamentarian whether important defence force bases like in Pathankot should be shifted far from the border areas, Parrikar said: "There are bases strategically located within the country. Pathankot is equally important because it is closer to border and there is a lot of investment which has been carried out in Pathankot. It will be costly to shift (from) Pathankot."
He informed the house that intelligence on the possibility of an attack on the airbase was received in advance.
"We have now done a security audit in addition to the normal security. We are in the process of ensuring all installations are properly secured," the minister said.
On a query on the Pathankot terror attack in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said that Pakistan had decided to send a team to India and details of the proposed visit are being chalked out.
"India has handed over all the collected evidence to Pakistan in relation to the Pathankot attack. They have registered a case and decided to send a team to India. For the first time, Pakistan has initiated action after evidence was handed over by India," Rijiju said.
He, however, said that Pakistan has not yet given details such as the date or the size of its team.
"We are waiting for the details. India is ready to cooperate," he said, responding to a query from Bharatiya Janata Party member Ashwini Kumar.
In response to another question, Rijiju said the government was taking all measures to stop infiltration from the border areas of Punjab.
"After Pathankot and Dinanagar terror attacks, we are taking all the measures to stop infiltration from the border areas of Punjab. There is no fencing around 12 km of the border area. With the help of the BSF (Border Security Force), we are trying to make these areas more safe," he said.
Parrikar said the central government is in touch with Punjab Police and all efforts are underway to stop infiltration.
A notice to bring a privilege motion against Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani was submitted to Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari on Tuesday, a day after a similar notice was submitted in the Lok Sabha.
"We have given a privilege motion against the HRD minister. The other day, HRD minister misled the house while discussing matters related to Hyderabad university. The minister has misled the nation through this parliament so we have moved a privilege against her," Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the opposition had no response to the HRD minister's reply.
"I want to tell the leader of opposition, the discussion that happened, the reply was given with facts. You have no answer to that. You do not have any valid arguments so you ar giving invalid arguments," Naqvi said.
Azad was backed by other opposition members, and Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav said: "This is a serious issue, and we support it."
Rajya Sabha's Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien then said the notice is under consideration of Chairman Ansari.
"The notice has been received. It is under the consideration of honourable chairman," said the deputy chairman.
Naqvi hit out at the opposition saying: "It is not right that you are trying to suppress someone's voice through privilege (motion)."
The opposition members wanted to debate the issue, but the chair pointed out that it cannot be done unless the notice is admitted.
With AIADMK members protesting near the chairman's podium over former finance minister P.Chidambaram's son Karti, the house was soon after adjourned till 3 p.m.
Only select officials knew about the plan to execute Mumtaz Qadri, the self-confessed killer of then Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer.
Qadri, trained as an elite commando and who was a bodyguard to Taseer, was on Monday morning executed at Adaila Jail in Rawalpindi.
Qadri shot dead Taseer in Islamabad on January 4, 2011 for supporting a blasphemy accused. An anti-terrorism court condemned him to death, a ruling upheld by the Islamabad High Court and Supreme Court.
Right till Sunday night, only a few officers knew of the plans to execute Qadri. Those who did were told not to tell others, Dawn online reported.
Expecting trouble, senior officers from the police and prisons departments had chalked out a strategy to cope with the fallout from the execution.
More than 30 members of his family were summoned for a final meeting with the prisoner late at night. They included his father Mohammad Shabir, wife and a brother.
Informed sources said a police team was sent to his residence to fetch his family after Sunday midnight. They were taken to the jail on the pretext that Qadri was ill and wanted to see them.
Officials had expected protests after Qadri's mercy plea was rejected.
"We were committed not to disclose plans for Qadri's execution before the process was completed," a senior police officer said.
Similarly, the officers tasked with transporting Qadri's body to his Sadiqabad home communicated with their seniors in code till it was handed over to his family.
Once this was done, police began efforts to convince the family to bury him without wasting time to avoid street protests.
Another property of Rashtriya Janata Dal legislator Raj Ballabh Prasad Yadav, who has been accused of rape, was attached here on Tuesday, police said.
Two days after the legislator's house at Englishpar Pathra village was attached, his flat in Patna was attached. "A joint police team of Nalanda district and Patna attached his flat," police official P. Bharti said.
"Though the flat was empty as there were no household goods, police team uprooted door, windows and basins and seized them," he said.
According to police, the rape accused legislator's property was attached in compliance with Additional District and Sessions Judge Rashmi Shikha's order.
Police officials said the legislator's 13 bank accounts have been sealed and police are likely to begin auction process of his plots at different places.
The licences of legislator's rifle, pistol and a double-barrel gun have already been suspended by the district administration, police said. He has also been asked to deposit arms with the concerned police station, failing which his licences would be cancelled.
An exhibition of the works of the late Mumbai-based artist Nasreen Mohamedi was launched at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or simply The Met, here on Tuesday, supported by Nita Ambani-led Reliance Foundation.
The exhibition, which will be open to public from March 18 to June 5, is part of The Met's new series of modern and contemporary programmes, hosted at the landmark building designed by Hungarian architect Marcel Breuer here.
Inaugurating the "historic!" exhibition, Ambani said Mohamedi had been an inspiration to her as "in a patriarchal culture she created strong and assertive works".
"It is a proud moment for every Indian, especially so, for Indian women," she said expressing her strong belief that Indian art needs wider global appreciation.
"The richness and diversity of Indian art is truly brilliant," she said. "Over the years, I have come to share a very special bond with the arts."
Ambani said her love for art started at the age of 5 with Bharatnatyam, and her training in the Indian classical dance form "has helped me develop a deep appreciation for all forms of art, leading to what we do at the Reliance Foundation today".
Her husband Mukesh Ambani and she believed that "social sector development is most important for India as its economy grows. It is integral to building an inclusive India".
That is why they established Reliance Foundation in 2010 with the vision of sustainable development and economic growth.
Working in the areas of rural transformation, health, education, sports, arts and culture, and disaster response, the Foundation has already transformed the lives of over 6 million Indians, she said.
Sheena Wagstaff, the chair of the Met's modern and contemporary division, apparently got Nita Ambani interested in the whole project.
"One of our goals with The Met Breuer is to present thoughtful exhibitions that posit a broader meaning of modernism across vast geographies of art," Wagstaff said.
"The poignant story of Mohamedi, a relatively little-known but significant artist, reveals a highly-individual artistic quest, drawing on historic sources from across the world, alongside her evocative photography as an unexpected form of visual note-taking."
The exhibition is being co-hosted by the Queen Sofia Museum of Spain and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art.
"One of the most significant artists to emerge in post-Independence India, Nasreen Mohamedi (1937-1990) created a body of work that demonstrates a singular and sustained engagement with abstraction," The Met said.
What has come for praise is her minimalist practice, which not only adds a rich layer to the history of South Asian art, but also enrages the scope of the narratives into international modernism.
Mohamedi's inspirations came from poetry of Bohemian-Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke and French philosopher-author Albert Camus, as also classical music and the modernist architecture of Le Corbusier's Chandigarh.
Mohamedi is also believed to have had an exposure to Western and Eastern philosophy, poetry and literature, which can be seen in her diaries that include quotes by Rumi, Ghalib, and Mohammad Iqbal.
The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) on Tuesday threatened to walk out of the Left Front in West Bengal in protest against the coalition's proposed electoral arrangement with the Congress.
"Suddenly this tie up is being imposed on us. Just for the sake of discipline we have to keep quiet, but this is creating resentment among our party activists at the grassroots. They are unable to explain this arrangement to the masses," RSP state secretary Kshiti Goswami told a television channel.
He said the RSP was not only not consulted on the matter, but was discouraged from airing its opinion.
"We have not been consulted on the issue in any way... In fact, we have been reprimanded for voicing our concerns," he said.
Goswami, a former West Bengal minister, said the RSP might even leave the Left Front.
"There is no compulsion for us to stay like this. We can come out and continue our struggles for the masses."
Goswami's protests come even before formal talks begin on the proposed tie-up between the Congress and the Left Front for the state assembly elections which are likely to be held in April or May this year.
He said the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the dominant partner, might have their own reasons, but the RSP had not been told the rationale of the proposed tie-up with a political foe.
A meeting of Left Front constituents on February 11 put its stamp of approval on holding alliance talks with the Congress.
The coalition is scheduled to meet again on Wednesday to discuss the proposed tie-up.
Earlier last month Communist Party of India (CPI) veteran Gurudas Dasgupta too had lamented that the issue was not being discussed with his party.
Both the Congress and the CPI-M have favoured the need for an electoral arrangement to take on the ruling Trinamool Congress in the coming assembly polls, but the talks are yet to start formally.
A Congress leader has conceded that there were "difficulties" in the way, particularly on the issue of seat sharing.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Tuesday said that Sadhvi Prachi, who is described as a leader of the outfit, is neither a leader, nor a spokesperson or any office bearer.
"The VHP again clarifies that Sadhvi Prachi is neither the leader, nor its spokesperson or any office bearer of our organisation," VHP's joint general secretary Surendra Jain said in a statement.
He also said that the Sadhvi has been active in and had fought elections in the past too.
"Sadhvi Prachi has fought election on the symbol of a political party and is active in . Those active in can't be an office bearer of the VHP," Jain said.
"So, Sadhvi Prachi should not be described as VHP leader," he added.
The Supreme Court will hear a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking suo motu contempt action against former home minister P. Chidambaram for perjury and misleading the apex court and the Gujarat High Court on alleged LeT links of Ishrat Jahan.
The PIL has also sought contempt against the then Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director for misleading and holding back information about Ishrat Jahan being a LeT operative from the apex court.
The PIL has sought direction that all criminal proceedings and actions taken against Gujarat Police personnel and others involved in the 2005 killing of Ishrat Jahan be declared unconstitutional.
"Have you filed the petition," a bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit asked petitioner, advocate M.L. Sharma. When he said he had, the bench directed that the petition be listed in due course.
Basing his PIL on the deposition of Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley that Ishrat Jahan was an LeT activist, Sharma also sought "proper compensation" to the Gujarat personnel who were prosecuted for her killing.
Seeking contempt against Chidambram, Sharma has referred to the union home ministry's affidavit in the Gujarat High Court wherein it had stated that Ishrat Jahan was not an LeT operative. Sharma said that it the dilution of its earlier affidavit which had pointed to her LeT links.
The position taken by the home ministry in the subsequent affidavit was in sharp departure from the position taken by it in its earlier affidavit where in it had described Ishrat Jahan and her associates Javed Shaikh, Zeeshan Johar and Amjad Ali Rana as Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives.
Seeking initiation of the contempt against the then CBI director, Sharma has said that the CBI too had concealed this fact in the Supreme Court in its affidavit. CBI filed a charge sheet and supplementary charge sheet declaring Ishrat Jahan as an innocent Muslim student and prosecuted various police officers.
Raising a question of law, Sharma, in his PIL, asked if the protection of life and personal liberty that is guaranteed under constitution's article 21 to Indian citizens was also available to the LeT members. He also asked if the killing of a terrorist in any manner was an offence under the penal code and police personnel involved are liable to be punished.
Police shot dead six Maoists on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border on Tuesday, police said.
A gun battle erupted in the Chintavadu forests in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh near Khammam district in Telangana.
It happened when Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), anti-Maoist force Greyhounds and police launched combing operations in the forests of Khammam following a tip off about the presence of Maoists.
The Maoists, numbering about 30, escaped in the deep forests into neighbouring Chhattisgarh. In the fighting that ensued, six Maoists were killed.
A Palestinian student was shot dead and 10 people were wounded on Tuesday in clashes with Israeli Border Police in a West Bank refugee camp.
A military spokesman said the clashes erupted after a jeep with two Border Police soldiers entered the camp in Jerusalem, and came under attack with rocks and firebombs being hurled at them, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to Israeli media, the two soldiers accidentally drove into the camp after they lost their way.
A large Israeli force arrived at the camp to rescue the soldiers and opened fire at the rioters, the spokesman said.
Five Israeli soldiers were injured in the violence, he added.
Eyad Omar Sajadiyeh, a 22-year-old Palestinian student was shot dead, according to the Red Crescent.
The incident was the latest in the five-month-old violent Palestinian conflict. At least 170 Palestinians and 28 Israelis have been killed since last October.
Tata Communications said on Tuesday that its plans to sell majority stake in its Neotel to Vodacom, the South African subsidiary of Vodafone, has lapsed due to regulatory complexities in concluding the transaction.
"Vodacom, South Africa and Neotel have now confirmed that the agreement between the parties has lapsed due to regulatory complexities in concluding the transaction as well as certain conditions not being fulfilled. Accordingly, the parties have agreed that the proposed restructured transaction can no longer be progressed," the company said in a regulatory filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange.
"The company remains committed to its investment in Neotel and its commitment to focus on customers, partners and employees in South Africa and providing the highest levels of customer service," it added.
The company on December 10, 2015 had said that Neotel and Vodacom have concluded a modified transaction and the transaction documentation relating to the restructured deal was submitted to the Competition Tribunal.
Vodacom had reached an agreement to buy Neotel, controlled by Tata Communications, for 7 billion rand (around Rs.3,200 crore), in a deal that was originally signed in May 2014.
For Babita Sharma it was a nightmarish experience on February 22 at NH-1 when, at around 3 a.m., a mob pounced on her family and others, beat them up, damaged their car and compelled them to chant "Jai Jat".
Babita beseeched the hooligans with folded hands to spare their lives. "Burn our car, but please for god's sake don't harm us," she implored.
The incident took place at Murthal in Sonipat district while Haryana was convulsed for over a week by the Jat community's agitation for reservations in education and jobs.
The violence that took place during the agitation claimed the lives of at least 16 people and is estimated to have caused property losses of Rs.20,000 crore ($3 billion).
Babita is now at Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital here, looking after her injured husband Satish Kumar Sharma who has multiple fractures in his hands. He is now awaiting surgery.
Her nephew Harjinder received 25 stitches in his head. Her son and another nephew were traumatized by what they experienced but were, thankfully, unscathed, she said.
Babita also sustained injuries due to broken glass.
The Delhi-based family was returning home after a pilgrimage to Naina Devi in Himachal Pradesh. They knew about the Jat agitation and would have avoided taking the route through the troubled areas.
"We decided to take that route after being told that the Jats' demands have been heeded and the agitation has subsided," said Satish, Babita's husband.
Passing the "Sukhdev Dhaba" near Murthal at about 3 a.m., the family saw cars halted due to a protest.
"There were men in blue uniform, so we felt safe. Suddenly they (security personnel) started chasing a violent mob and we were left unguarded. It was then when scores of armed youth came out of fields and started attacking everyone and misbehaving with women," Satish recalled.
They were trying to drag people out of their cars and command them to chant "Jai Jat," which the family shouted repeatedly, Satish said.
"My wife pleaded with them to spare our boys. They replied in abusive language. They tried to open the door to attack my wife, but thankfully couldn't. They did get my door opened and attacked me. They were all young men," he added.
There were many cars on the highway at that time and the rioters kept targeting them as they moved on, Satish said.
"By the time they were finished with us, my nephew was bleeding, my wife was injured and we were all very scared. They went on attacking others and we didn't know what to do. That's when my nephew, who was bleeding, ran to hide in the paddy fields," he said.
The rest of the family followed him and stayed hidden for about an hour.
"From the fields we kept hearing terrible noises. People were screaming and shouting. The mob was also setting some vehicles on fire and poking the tyres to deflate them," he said.
They then moved towards a farmhouse, where a farmer, Master Om Singh, helped them, gave them some painkillers, got their car fixed, accompanied them to the police station and then escorted them out of the area.
Om Singh is, interestingly, a member of the Jat community.
"These people were very frightened and stayed hidden in a field until one of them approached our house for help. I called them in as it was not safe out there; we too feared that the mob might attack our house," Om Singh told IANS.
Asked about the reported incidents of rapes in Murthal, Om Singh said: "Lots of things were going on out there. I didn't see anything as terrible as rape. I also heard that some miscreants from other communities might have been involved."
Satish said the police in Murthal, when approached, asked them to "collect a copy of the FIR later". The police also did not bother to arrange for any medical aid for the victims of the violence.
"Only after this matter was highlighted by the media did the police contact us. We had to go in this condition back to Murthal Police station on Wednesday. Then they inquired and registered FIR," said Babita.
She said she was doubly thankful to god about her family's safety after looking at the deluge of media reports that said gang-rapes and other terrible things might have taken place at Murthal.
"After we learnt about rapes and other incidents that went on near Sukhdev Dhaba, we thanked god that we made it out safe. Their intentions were clearly not good. But what happened since then has not been good either," said Babita.
Her husband started to receive proper medical treatment four days after the incident, on Saturday, only after Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Mailwal arranged to get him to admit to GTB hospital, she said.
Earlier, the family also suffered the insensitivity of the Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) hospital, where they first went for medical treatment. The officials of the city-based hospital told them not to divulge the actual incident as the cause of their injuries.
"At emergency ward of Shastri hospital, they advised us to say that we were injured in a bike accident and keep quiet about the violence in Murthal," Babita said.
The family was received with neither sensitivity nor urgency at LBS hospital, even though the doctors did their part, she said.
"My husband with multiple fractures and injuries stood in the queue for hours waiting for reports, which are yet to come. It seemed like they didn't care; we had to take our nephew to a private hospital where he received 25 stitches on his head," she said.
Asked about Babita's experience, official of the LBS hospital refused to believe it.
"I can't believe it. Why will the staff say that? Staff in not the politician, why would they give this type of advice. These things are always distorted and told to journalists. I'll just find out about the medical aspects and let you know," Amita Saxena, LBS Hospital Medical superintendent, told IANS.
(Kushagra Dixit can be contacted at kushagra.d@ians.in)
Three civilians were killed and two injured when militants fired a rocket towards Pul-e-Khumri city of Afghanistan on Tuesday morning.
"The rocket fired by Taliban militants struck a house in Pul-e-Khumri, killing three members of a family and injuring two others," Xinhua quoted police spokesman Zabiullah Shoja as saying.
The injured were shifted to a hospital in the city, he said.
Several rockets and mortar shells have hit the city since fighting began between security forces and Taliban militants in Dand-e-Ghori and Dand-e-Shahabudin districts in the past one month.
More than 3,540 civilians were killed and over 7,450 injured as violence spread to different parts of the war-torn country last year, according to a report released by the UN mission in the country on February 14.
The report attributed 62 percent of the casualties to the Taliban and other insurgent groups, 17 percent to security forces while the rest 21 percent of civilian casualties were unattributed or caused by explosive remnants of the war.
Three people have been arrested for possessing 150 kg marijuana valued at Rs.15 lakh in the international market, police said on Tuesday.
Vijay Kumar Jha, 23, Guddu Kumar Jha, 24, and Bijay Ghosh, 28, brought the contraband in a car from Cuttack in Odisha to supply it in Delhi, the police said.
The trio, belonging to an interstate gang, was arrested near the Vijay Ghat bus stand on the Ring Road ndear the Red Fort in Delhi on Monday night.
"Five white plastic bags were found inside the car they were travelling in. On checking, ganja (marijuana) weighing 150 kg was seized. Efforts are on to find out about the supplier from Odisha," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ravindra Yadav said.
Vijay and Guddu are from Bihar while Bijay belongs to West Bengal.
Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai on Tuesday said his country had told Pakistan many times that using militancy and extremism in the country's policies would boomerang.
Speaking at the inauguration of the three-day Raisina Dialogue, a global conclave on geo-politics and geo-economics, Karzai said that use of militancy and extremism for geo-political gains would never succeed.
"We have told Pakistan many times that this policy of using militancy and extremism will boomerang," he said.
Stating that there was tremendous goodwill between the Afghan and Pakistani people, he said it was relations between the two governments that were strained.
"I tried very hard (for better ties with Pakistan). I visited Pakistan around 20 times," the former Afghan president said.
"We must not encourage state entities in harbouring terrorist elements," he said.
Karzai said that Afghanistan wanted to be a bridge between south Asia, central Asia, India and China.
"Afghanistan provides the shortest route between China and Iran, India and central Asia, and Russia and south Asia," he said.
He also said that "we must seek a coordinated approach for connectivity between India and China".
"Afghanistan fully supports India policy on Central Asia and China's one road-one belt policy."
Karzai described the deep-rooted, centuries-old relationship between India and Afghanistan as "exemplary".
He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at the Afghan parliament in December last year was greatly appreciated by the people of his country.
With the theme of "Connecting Asia" this year, the flagship conference called Raisina Dialogue 2016, organised by the external affairs ministry and the Observer Research Foundation, is designed to explore and examine the prospects and opportunities for Asian integration as well as Asia's integration with the larger world.
Over 450 participants from around 40 countries are participating in this year's conference.
It may not sound as music to the ears of the powers that be, but catchy numbers are being thrown up amid the controversies surrounding student politics and concerns over growing intolerance in India.
From the multi-lingual rap song "Jai Bheem - We Want Justice" by Hyderabad's popular hip-hop group DeathRap in solidarity with University Of Hyderabad student Vemula Rohith's suicide - to Chandigarh-based music producer Dub Sharma's catchy "Azadi", the social media is certainly crooning a new variety of songs.
Students and youth across campuses of universities and colleges and other places are lapping up the numbers which try to give a musical angle to the students' protests.
Dub Sharma's (real name Siddharth) "Azadi" picks up JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar's azadi (freedom) speech and converts it into a catchy number - in all of two minutes.
"I do not belong to any political ideology. My style of composition is very idea-centric. And I support the idea of freedom, of true freedom," Sharma, an audio engineer who has also produced music for Bollywood films, told IANS.
"This very part of the chant talks about certain types of freedom that I connect with; so I built a song around it. The rest my music talks for me," Sharma said, adding that Kanhaiya Kumar's speech related to the ills that most of us have to suffer from.
"My production process includes sampling something that "inspires" me. And then, I build the song around it. I picked the "Gall Kariye" (Let's Talk) track because I personally feel that people in their busy lives don't really have time to talk or to have a conversation. So I made that track," he said.
Hyderabad-based DeathRap came out with "Jai Bheem - We want Justice" to highlight Rohith's plight that led to his suicide and how the fight must go on. The song and its message became an instant hit.
Many people, especially students and youth, are reacting to the tracks and making their own views heard on social platforms.
"Not everyone agrees with what the central government, the Delhi Police and the BJP, ABVP and other 'right-minded' people think about the students and affairs of JNU or other university campuses. The youth wants freedom to speak and to be heard," Gagan Randhawa, a student in Chandigarh, told IANS.
Delhi-based DJ MojoJojo (Akshay Johar) created a "Yeh Ladai" (This fight) from the "anti-national" speech of another JNU student, Umar Khalid.
A German student at JNU has also composed a track, "We are JNU", highlighting the right to free speech.
(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at Jaideep.s@ians.in)
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday that Greece is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis as disunity and inconsistency continue to mar European response plans.
"For us, there is no plan B. Relocation is one of the important solidarity measures vis-a-vis Greece. Solidarity can't be just financial transfer to Greece," Xinhua cited UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) director of the bureau for Europe Vincent Cochetel as saying.
"Greece needs a safety valve, and that safety valve is the orderly intake of refugees through the relocation process," he added.
The EU member states agreed in September last year to a relocation scheme to alleviate the refugee and migrant crisis mainly affecting Greece and Italy, the two top EU destinations for migrant arrivals.
The UN refugee agency revealed that despite commitments to relocate 66,400 refugees from Greece, states have but pledged 1,539 spaces, while only 325 relocations have actually taken place.
"Countries have to wake up, there is no other plan," said Cochetel.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) figures show that 120,369 refugees and migrants, many of them Syrians fleeing conflict, have reached Greek shores since the beginning of the year.
Over one million migrant arrivals were recorded in Europe in 2015, with over 850,000 in Greece.
Union minister Ram Shankar Katheria on Tuesday said that he did not target any community in his speech in Agra in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
"I did not take the name of any community. I said the culprits, who murdered a VHP leader, should be given death sentence. I also said that the Hindu community should unite for their safety," the minister of state in the human resource development ministry told reporters here.
"What has been published in one newspaper is false. I will send a (legal) notice to the newspaper," Katheria said while referring to a news story published in an English daily.
"This is a conspiracy hatched against the Hindu community; we have to be be alert to recognise it and strengthen ourselves. We will have to fight it because if we do not do it now... today we have lost one Arun, tomorrow it could be another Arun... the killers should also go, we have to set such an example," Katheria claimed to have said in his speech.
Katheria and Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Fatehpur Sikri Babu Lal had attended a condolence meeting held for local Vishwa HIndu Parishad (VHP) leader Arun Mahaur, who was killed by some youths allegedly belonging to another community in Agra on Thursday.
Ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit here, the US has asked Pakistan to reduce its nuclear weapons arsenal as a responsible nuclear power, while Islamabad has sought greater US understanding of its security concern.
"It's important for Pakistan to really process that reality and put that front and centre in its policy," Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday, noting that the US and Russia were seeking to further reduce their nuclear warheads.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue here, Pakistan Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz, however, sought greater US understanding of Pakistan's security concern and its desire to contribute actively to non-proliferation.
"Our engagement on non-proliferation and strategic stability will continue, and Pakistan hopes to see greater US understanding of Pakistan's security concerns and its desire to contribute actively," Aziz said.
As a mainstream nuclear power, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is looking forward to attending the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on March 31, he said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to attend the summit.
Earlier, welcoming Aziz, Kerry said: "Non-proliferation, nuclear safety is of obvious concern to both our countries, and I expect that we will continue to discuss the obligations of being a responsible state with nuclear weapons in the coming year."
He noted that once both the US and the then Soviet Union had 50,000 warheads pointing at each other, but today, Russia and the US are operating under a treaty that has about 1,500 or so nuclear warheads.
"And we are seeking to reduce that. So we're moving in the other direction," he said. "And I think it's important for Pakistan to really process that reality and put that front and centre in its policy."
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
The US commended Pakistan's commitment not to differentiate between terrorist groups including those targeting India, as Pakistan assured it had reached out to India as part of its policy of peaceful neighbourhood.
"We commend Pakistan for its whole-of-government approach to implement the National Action Plan and eliminate the ability of militant groups to recruit, to finance, and to incite violence," Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday.
"And we welcome Pakistan's commitment not to differentiate between terrorist groups in the implementation of this strategy," he said at the inaugural session of the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue here.
"Groups like the Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Taiba (that) seek to undermine Pakistan's efforts to foster strong, positive relations with its neighbours," Kerry said.
"In the end, a group like the Haqqani group or Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad - all of these groups are literally stealing the sovereignty of a nation," he said.
"And they're stealing the future of a nation. And it is important for us to stand up to them."
While Haqqani Network is active in Afghanistan, Lashkar-e-Taiba is held responsible for the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and Jaish-e-Mohammad is blamed for the attack on an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in January.
Pakistan Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz said, "As an all-important part of our policy of peaceful neighbourhood, we have reached out to India."
"We believe the resolution of all outstanding issues, including the Kashmir dispute, is possible through resumption of full-scale and uninterrupted dialogue with India."
Pakistan "would also propose a mechanism to address our respective concern on terrorism", he said.
He described the Indian participation in the Heart of Asia conference in Islamabad last December and announcement to start the comprehensive dialogue as "positive developments that augur well for peace and stability in South Asia".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Islamabad in December was welcomed by most in Pakistan, Aziz noted.
He expressed Pakistan's gratitude to Kerry and President Barack Obama "for your consistent support to the revival of the Pakistan-India dialogue".
"It is unfortunate that the agreement on resuming the dialogue process was disrupted by the attack on Pathankot airbase on 2nd January," he said.
Pakistan has taken some very important steps in the aftermath of this incident, he said. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had called Modi immediately after this attack and assured of Pakistan's support in the investigation.
Since then, national security advisors are maintaining frequent contacts, Aziz said. A case has been registered, and the special investigation team is likely to visit in the next few days.
"We, therefore, hope that the foreign secretary-level talks will be scheduled very soon," Aziz said.
Referring to the contentious sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, Aziz thanked the US for endorsing its position that the planes would strengthen its ability to mount counter-terrorist operations and promote regional stability.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
The body of a young woman was found in an open field near the Gomtinagar railway station here on Tuesday morning, police said.
Police said she had been gagged and strangled. A piece of cloth was found stuffed into her mouth and a scarf tied around her neck.
Police officer Satyasen Yadav told IANS that the woman was yet to be identified.
The many initiatives unveiled in the Union Budget for 2016-17 on Monday are now being subjected to closer scrutiny. But a significant initiative that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched well before he presented the Budget has not received as much attention as it certainly deserves. This is the manner in which he went about conducting pre-Budget consultations and allowing the flow of communication about the process of framing the Budget.
A meme featuring the just-retired Delhi Police Commissioner, B S Bassi, is doing the rounds on social media these days. It shows him saying, "We are probing Kanhaiya Kumar's role in World War II." The sedition case against Jawaharlal Nehru University student leaders Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya has taken many a bizarre turn. After purportedly doctored videos were circulated showing Kumar praising Afzal Guru - executed for his role in the 2001 Parliament terrorist attack - a case of contempt was lodged against Kumar. But the Supreme Court declined to hear the plea seeking criminal contempt proceedings against him and five others on Monday. While hearing Kumar's bail plea on the same day, the Delhi High Court is said to have asked the police whether they had any idea what sedition was.
What to do with public sector banks (PSBs), particularly weak ones, is a major concern of recent times. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) requires Indian banks to fully conform to the strengthened Basel-III capital ratios by March 31, 2019. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, according to the 2016-17 Budget, will continue with the Indradhanush Mission to revamp PSBs. Mr Jaitley has announced that he will operationalise the Bank Board Bureau soon, strengthen the Debt Recovery Tribunal, amend the SARFAESI Act, and provide Rs 25,000 crore for recapitalisation in 2016-17.
Western banks' forays into China offer a cautionary tale. Citigroup is the latest to sell its stake in a Middle Kingdom lender and, like most rivals, will make a decent return. But hoped-for strategic benefits have proved elusive. If the sector's current bets on financial technology play out the same way, that could prove more life-threatening.
Citi is ending an almost 10-year involvement with China Guangfa Bank by selling its 20 per cent stake for $3 billion. That yields an internal rate of return, excluding any dividends, of some 17 per cent, according to a calculation.
Other investments by peers have done even better. Compare Citi's return to the 25 per cent, ex-dividends, that Morgan Stanley's 15-year-long involvement with China International Capital Corp (CICC) yielded when it sold in 2010. Or the 28 per cent Goldman raked in from its seven-year flutter on Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. Bank of America, meanwhile, enjoyed a 32 per cent return on China Construction Bank (CCB).
And all those returns look positively earth-shattering when lined up against how poorly each bank has performed for its own shareholders. Over the past 10 years only one, Goldman Sachs, has managed a positive total return - including dividends - and that is just four per cent.
Trouble is, most Western banks expected more than just a financial payoff. Bank of America, for example, wanted to parlay its stake in CCB into a longer-term relationship - the two launched a co-branded credit card in 2007, for example. Morgan Stanley embarked on its CICC adventure in 1995 pretty much in full control. None panned out as planned: partly because the banks misread China's willingness to open up, but also because of problems back home, and infighting between partners.
Where as a decade ago China was the big story, nowadays it is technology: investments in payments systems, the blockchain, big data and new trading tools. But where failure to establish a bigger presence in China may mean forgoing profits, fintech presents a fundamental threat to the traditional way of banking. This won't be about misunderstanding the political context so much as picking the right technologies. But the wrong bets could make the difference between remaining competitive, becoming a utility or going out of business. Choose wisely.
On his very first day as editor of The Boston Globe in 2001, Martin Baron suggests to the Spotlight team that they might want to look into allegations of a cover-up of child sexual abuse cases by the Catholic Church. Spotlight, the investigative unit of the newspaper, works for months - at times even a year - on stories. Soon after the edit meeting, Baron meets the publisher. He tells him he is planning to file a motion for access to sealed documents that could reveal the Church's involvement. The publisher just points out that a majority of the readership of the paper is Catholic, then okays the lawsuit.
After sharp criticism of a Budget proposal to tax 60 per cent of the amount withdrawn from the Employees' Provident Fund, the Union finance ministry will consider suggestions for partially withdrawing it.
A finance ministry statement issued on Tuesday afternoon reiterated that 60 per cent of the amount, accumulated through deposits after April 1, 2016 would be taxed, if withdrawn as a lump sum, but also said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will have a look at it to assess if the tax would be limited to returns on the corpus and take a decision in due course.
Read more from our special coverage on "EPFO, BUDGET 2016" EPF tax: Its a healthy proposal
The statement went on to say there would, however, be no tax, if the sum is invested in an annuity. The ministry also clarified there would be no tax on Public Provident Fund (PPF). Also, if the annuity sum is withdrawn by the heirs of the contributor, there would be no tax.
The Employees' Provident Fund, or EPF, is a retirement corpus, in which employees and employers contribute equally over the years of one's employment. Till now, the contributions to EPF provided tax redemptions and withdrawals from it were not taxed either.
According to the proposal, 40 per cent of the total corpus withdrawn at the time of retirement will be exempt from tax. The remaining 60 per cent of the contributions made after 1 April 2016 and returns earned on that would be taxed if withdrawn at one go.
The move, the finance ministry said, was aimed at encouraging private sector employees to go for pension security after retirement instead of withdrawing the entire money from the fund account.
After the finance minister's Budget speech on Monday, there was a spontaneous outflow of outrage, in the media and social media, with pension fund investors claiming that the government was gnawing away their retirement savings. In fact, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), also criticised the move.
The ministry, in the clarification, also pointed out that those with an income limit of Rs 15,000 per month would also not be taxed on withdrawing their collected amount. A bulk of the EPF subscribers is in this category.
"Out of around 37 million contributing members of EPF as on today, around 30 million subscribers are in this category. For this category of people, there is not going to be any change in the new dispensation," the statement said.
The Budget proposal had evoked widespread adverse reaction. Suggestions from various quarters started pouring into the ministry, with some asking for only the interest earned on 60 per cent of the withdrawn amount to be taxed - and for the principal to be left alone. By Tuesday morning, there was some confusion, with some sources claiming that this proposal had been accepted by the finance ministry. The finance ministry was abuzz with Employees' Provident Fund Organisation employees meeting Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia. However, the ministry issued a clarification later: now, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will have a look at it and take a decision in a due course of time.
The Budget has also proposed a ceiling - Rs 1.5 lakh a year, or 12 per cent of the employee's basic pay, whichever is lesser - for employers' contribution to the EPF.
Suggestions from different quarters asked for it to be not implemented. Amit Maheshwari, managing partner, Ashok Maheshwary & Associates, said the clarification has given a partial sigh of relief to EPF subscribers. The move is aimed at bringing parity between EPF and National Pension Scheme (NPS). In the latter, all withdrawals were taxed till recently, making them uncompetitive among investors.
During the Budget speech, Jaitley had said: "I believe that the tax treatment should be uniform for defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans. I propose to make withdrawal up to 40 per cent of the corpus at the time of retirement tax exempt in the case of National Pension Scheme."
The Pension Fund and Regulatory Development Authority had requested the finance ministry to have parity between the NPS and the EPF, as far as taxation was concerned. Shiv Sena did not attend the National Democratic Alliance parliamentary part meeting on Tuesday, ostensibly because of a communication gap. It has also demanded a roll back of the government's decision to tax the EPF corpus.
COURSE CORRECTION
Budget proposal
Fears & reassurance
Clarification
Clarification
"It is proposed that 40% of the pension wealth received by an employee from the National Pension System Trust shall be exempt [from tax]. It is also proposed that the exemption under the recognised provident fund and superannuation fund will be limited to 40% of the accumulated amount arising out of contributions made in such funds on or after April 1, 2016"On Tuesday, the finance ministry issued clarifications to some of the major concerns:60% of the money withdrawn would be taxed, irrespective of whether it is put into an annuity or notTo be taxed if withdrawn at one go; no tax if the sum is put into an annuityPPF withdrawals also to be taxedNo tax on PPF withdrawals
After the brief truce observed for the presentation of the General Budget on Monday, the government and the Opposition parties today resumed with what has now become normal service for the last two sessions.
Members of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) disrupted proceedings in both Houses to demand "action" against Congress leader Karti Chidmabaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, for his alleged involvement in Aircel-Maxis issue. Later in the day, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad held a press conference to highlight how the then Home Minister P Chidambaram had made UPA 2 government change its affidavit in the Ishrat Jehan encounter case.
Today, the two Houses were slated to discuss the 'motion of thanks on the President's address.' Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as also Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, are likely to speak on the motion on Wednesday.
The Rajya Sabha was also scheduled to take up a calling attention motion on the "inflammatory speech" allegedly delivered by junior Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ram Shankar Katheria last week in Agra. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that the AIADMK protest was "being organised by the ruling party" so that the House is unable to discuss Katheria's "inflammatory speech" against a minority community. A senior minister later retorted that the entire world knows the Congress and AIADMK were together in their opposition to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) constitution amendment Bill. In the morning, Katheria told reporters that he didn't make comments attributed to him in some media reports.
AIADMK MPs, in both Houses, waved copies of a newspaper that had today published a report on the alleged involvement of Karti, son of Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, in the Aircel-Maxis issue. In the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy said that the matter was already being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and it was incorrect for the AIADMK members to accuse the government of not having taken any action. Some weeks back, ED teams had carried out raids at offices of one time associates of Karti.
Meanwhile, both the Opposition as well as ruling alliance members moved reciprocal privilege motions accusing each other for "misleading" Parliament. Opposition MPs have filed a privilege motion against HRD minister Smriti Irani for "misleading" Parliament on some of the facts relating to the suicide of Dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs have filed a privilege motion against Janata Dal (United) Rajya Sabha member KC Tyagi for his claim that never before has police entered the campus of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The BJP has pointed out that Delhi Police, apart from the Emergency, had entered the campus in 1983, 1999 and 2009.
Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has also moved a privilege motion against Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia. The Congress MP from Guna had alleged during his speech in the Lok Sabha last week that Dattatreya in his letter to HRD Minister had called Vemula "casteist, extremist and anti-national". Dattatreya has said Scindia misled the House as the letter had no specific mention of Vemula, but complained of "casteist, extremist and anti-national" in the Hyderabad Central University campus.
While senior BJP leaders now agree that Irani shouldn't have made public letters from Opposition MPs requesting admission to central government run schools for children of their constituents or even the comments posted on social networking sites on Goddess Durga and Mahisasura, the party plans to defend the minister in Parliament. The BJP will maintain that all documents that Irani read out from were duly authenticated.
After the barrage of complaints that they were being taken for granted, the government reached out to alliance partners - Shiv Sena, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Akali Dal and assorted alliance partners from the North Eastern states - to take the message of the farmer-friendly budget 2016-17 far and wide. The message was especially aimed at the Akali Dal, which has been grumbling about the political issues including incarceration of political prisoners in Punjab jails.The Budget at least partially addresses many of their complaints including FDI in retail. The Akali Dal was not for blanket rejection of FDI in multi-brand retail and 100 per cent FDI in food processing of food produced and marketed in India is seen by the party as a foot in the door in opening up India's retail trade.
At the meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wants to bring the largest possible number of farmers under the new crop insurance policy while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asserted that the scheme will address agriculture distress.
Sena MPs did not attend the meeting, saying they were not 'informed' about it. "There was some communication gap," its MP Anandrao Adsul said. Jaitley told the MPs that the government was making all out efforts to create an "insured and pensioned" society and highlighted steps like health insurance and life cover announced for the masses, sources said.
BJP and its allies expect that the budget will help them blunt the opposition's charge that the government had an"anti-farmer" bias at a time when assembly polls are due in five states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal, in April-May. The crucial UP elections are scheduled for next year.
The over one-hour meeting saw a brief intervention by Modi when he asked MPs to work towards taking the benefit of newly announced 'Pradhan Manti Fasal Bima Yojana' to farmers. He urged NDA MPs to take this as a challenge in their constituencies, the sources said.
BJP chief Amit Shah, who was also present, lauded the Budget for its pro-farmer and pro-village thrust.
The JNU row and the debate in Parliament over it also found a mention with Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu giving an account ofdevelopments in JNU and Hyderabad Central University and urging the members to counter Opposition's charges.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has voiced hope that a French initiative to hold an international Middle East peace conference could lead to a solution like breakthrough talks on Iran's nuclear deal.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in April 2014 and since then, the situation has deteriorated, with the prospects of fresh dialogue appearing more remote than ever.
A wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories since October has killed 178 Palestinians as well as 28 Israelis, an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, according to an AFP toll.
In January, then French foreign minister Laurent Fabius announced plans by Paris to revive plans for an international conference to "bring about the two-state solution" to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Abbas said he hoped the proposal "would allow the creation of a mechanism for a political solution on the model of what happened between the Europeans, Americans and Iran".
Last year Iran struck a historic deal with world powers, that agreed to provide Tehran relief from crippling sanctions in exchange for limits on its atomic programme.
The July 15, 2015, accord concluded in Vienna ended 12 years of crisis and was reached after 21 months of protracted negotiations.
Should efforts to breathe life into the moribund peace process fail, France would move to unilaterally recognise Palestine as a state, Fabius said in January.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed France's proposal, describing it as "mystifying" and counterproductive, arguing that it gives Palestinians no incentive to compromise.
Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Tiruchirapalli, a constituent college of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, has signed an MoU with Chennai-based tractor makers Same DeutZ-Fahr India (P) Ltd to offer training to the students in repair and overhauling of engines and tractors.
The MoU signed as part of Agricultural Skill Development Programme envisages strengthening training facilities for rural youth and farmers, in repair and overhauling of stationery engines and tractors.
Faculty exchange for training at factory premises and sending skilled personnel from the factory to the college to impart basic practical skills on operation, repair and maintenance of Agricultural machinery is the basic focus of the programme, TNAU Vice Chancellor, Dr K Ramasamy said in a release.
Trained technicians will be created as human resource development as part of Agricultural mechanization which is the immediate necessity for development of Agriculture sector.
The staff and students of Agricultural Engineering College will also benefit with the practical exposure and hands on training, through this programme, he said.
Congress today accused AIADMK members of disrupting the proceedings of Rajya Sabha at the behest of the ruling BJP, with Deputy Chairman P J Kurien also terming the turn of events in the House as "murder of democracy".
AIADMK members created ruckus in both Houses of Parliament by holding noisy protests seeking action against former Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti over the Aircel-Maxis issue, leading to several adjournments during the day.
"There has to be an order in the House to discuss this," Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said as the House took up discussion on a Calling Attention motion regarding inflammatory speeches by a Union Minister and other elected representatives violating the Constitution and oath of office.
Azad, who was to move the motion, also said that the disruption was "organised by the ruling party" so that the calling attention on the "serious" issue, listed in the agenda today, is not taken up.
"A serious issue is not discussed like this. This is a deliberate attempt by the AIADMK. Otherwise, never before has AIADMK behaved like this," the Congress leader said.
Deputy Chairman P J Kurien, who was in the Chair, too slammed the noisy protests, saying the behaviour of the AIADMK MPs was "very bad".
"You can approach the government for appropriate action. Why are you disrupting the proceedings of the House? This is irresponsible behaviour. This is murder of democracy," he said.
Even though Kurien first said he would not adjourn the proceedings, he finally did it till 3 PM as the sloganeering continued unabated.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today announced Rs 5 lakh assistance to the kin of a person killed in a fire incident in Alambagh area and Rs 50,000 each to 122 families affected.
An official spokesman said here, new cycles and rickshaws will be provided to those whose vehicles have been destroyed in the blaze yesterday.
The CM said if there is no land dispute, then permanent houses should be provided to the affected families on the same site.
The CM has directed the District Magistrate, Lucknow, to ensure adequate medical assistance to affected persons, he added.
In a fire in a slum near Mawaiya crossing, 122 dwelling units were gutted and one person, Sattan Saini, was killed.
Hollywood superstar George Clooney's wife Amal will be among the speakers at a conclave here later this month.
The British-Lebanese lawyer is one of the speakers at the India Today Conclave which will also see the attendance of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit, whose life was the subject of recent Hollywood film "The Walk".
The two-day event from March 17 will see some of the finest minds come together to discuss and debate issues from around the world.
The conclave will provide an open platform for communication among the global experts from politicians to actors, its organisers said.
"This edition of the India Today Conclave is firmly rooted in this millennium and looks ahead rather than at the past," said Conclave director Kalli Purie in a statement.
"The multi-sensory experience across two days will introduce new ways of communicating, interacting and debating. You will get an opportunity to listen to bright minds and discuss new ideas with old hands."
Nobel laureate William Henry 'Bill' Andrews, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will attend the discussions.
Shabana Azmi, Varun Grover, Javed Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar and Gul Panag will also speak at the event.
Americans began voting today in the crucial Super primaries and caucuses, with front-runners Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump hoping to finish off their rivals in the US presidential election.
A total of 12 states from Alabama to Alaska are holding primaries or caucuses today. Virginia was the first state to open its polling stations at 6:00 AM (16:30 IST).
A new nationwide poll released yesterday said each of them were well ahead of their closest rivals on the eve of the 'Super Tuesday' showdown.
Trump has expanded his lead over the diminished field to capture the support of nearly half of Republican voters, while Clinton tops Bernie Sanders by nearly 20 points on the Democrat votes, according to a CNN/ORC poll.
The 69-year-old real estate tycoon tops his nearest Republican competitor by more than 30 points: 49 per cent back Trump, 16 per cent Marco Rubio, 15 per cent Ted Cruz, 10 per cent Ben Carson and 6 per cent John Kasich.
Trump's rivals, Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, were desperately trying to halt his march toward nomination.
If Trump wins the South, it could be lights out for his Republican challengers. Texas is the largest prize today.
Almost 600 Republican delegates are up for grabs today, nearly half the 1,237 needed to secure the nomination.
The 'Super Tuesday' is the biggest day of the 2016 US presidential primary primary season, with 12 states and one territory participating: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming and American Samoa.
On the Democratic side, 68-year-old Clinton tops Bernie Sanders 55 per cent to 38 per cent in the new poll, a slightly wider margin than she held in late January before any primaries or caucuses were held, the report said.
Some 865 Democratic delegates are at stake, 36 per cent of those needed to win.
The presidential election is scheduled for November 8.
Accusing Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah of turning a 'capitalist' for possessing a luxury watch, Union Minister Ananth Kumar today demanded a impartial probe into the "watch scam".
The senior BJP leader also asked Siddaramaiah to explain how he possessed the watch when he being a public servant cannot accept a gift valued more than Rs 400.
"It is very unfortunate that Siddaramaiah who comes from socialist background has become a capitalist. An impartial inquiry should be ordered in this watch scam," Kumar said.
He said the chief minister should explain to the people from where this watch came from or whether he had that much disposable income to purchase the expensive item.
"If yes, then he should also make public his income sources," he said, adding "If you are public servant you cannot take gift of more than Rs 400. Then how Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah can have this costly gift."
The six-time MP from Bengaluru also said that if it is a imported watch then it could also be a violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). At the same time it is a case for Enforcement Directorate (ED), he said.
Siddaramaiah is in a spot after the controversy that cropped up over him wearing a Rs 70-lakh diamond-studded Hublot watch, with JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy alleging that it could have been a "stolen" watch as the chief minister said it was not bought by him but gifted by a friend.
However, Siddaramaiah has said that it was gifted to him by his close friend who visited India last July.
The Allahabad High Court today directed Uttar Pradesh government to appoint judicial officers for speedy adjudication disposal of revenue cases pendency of which had assumed alarming proportions in the state.
The order was passed by a division bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Yashwant Varma while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation filed by Yashpal Singh, a resident of Bijnore district in western UP.
While delivering its judgement, the court noted with concern that the Chairman of the Board of Revenue of UP had stated in his affidavit there were "as many as 6.03,916 revenue cases pending before revenue courts" across the state.
The court also observed that in his report, the District Judge of Bijnore had said presiding officers of revenue courts tended to "give priority to executive work due to which judicial work suffers" and hence "a separate cadre for revenue courts must be created in UP, appointees of which should be from judicial background only".
The court said that the state government should appoint "within six months" judicial officers to the posts of Additional Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner and Assistant Collector for "speedy adjudication and disposal of revenue cases in the state".
Armed robbers today looted around Rs 17 lakh before shooting at and wounding four persons at the Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Deendayal bazar in Bihar's Siwan district, a police officer said.
ASP Arvind Kumar Gupta said that four armed robbers stormed the PNB branch at around 11.30 A.M and fired at four persons comprising three bank employees and a customer, leaving them injured before looting approximately Rs 17 lakh in cash.
Two robbers stood guard outside the bank while their four associates committed the heist, he said.
The injured have been taken to Sadar hospital for treatment, Gupta said.
A case has been registered in this connection and a suspect has been detained for questioning, the ASP said, adding raids are being carried out to arrest the culprits.
An army jawan lost his right leg as he sipped and fell while trying to alight from a moving train at Ghaziabad railway station today.
Government Railway Police (GRP) inspector Pankaj Lavania said the jawan has been identified as Pritam, a native of Haryana.
He was rushed to MMG District Government Hospital, from where he was referred to Delhi.
Army Postal Service Corps (APS), the lifeline for delivery of letters to the armed and paramilitary forces, today celebrated its 44th anniversary at Udhampur-based Northern Command, with GOC-in-Chief Lt Gen D S Hooda lauding it for proving its mettle during war and peace.
The General Officer Commanding-in-chief Hooda said APS has provided efficient postal services in the Northern Command zone and its spirit is reflected in its motto of 'Mail Milab'.
The corps has a record of outstanding contribution in all operations and has proved its mettle both in times of war and peace, he said.
"Over the past years, APS has made rapid strides in technological advancements thereby leading to a much more efficient system of communication. Army post offices in the Northern Command have been provided with multipurpose counter machines," Hooda said.
"To convert Field Post Offices into troops-friendly establishments, computers and peripherals have been incorporated and modernisation of offices has been undertaken, giving a facelift to the Field Post Offices (FPOs)," he said.
Many FPOs are also working as eMO/ePost Centres to transmit money orders and letters of troops through the internet which has resulted in reduction in time taken in delivery and remittance of money, he said.
He said that although the APS came into existence as a separate Corps on March 1, 1972, the FPO is more than 150-year-old.
The first FPO was raised in 1856 initially as a war-time organisation accompanying the Indian Expeditionary Force abroad, thereafter in Jammu and Kashmir operation of 1947-48, the organisation of FPOs was initially affiliated to Army Service Corps and APS personnel were finally declared combatants in 1950.
On July 1, 1969 the collection, transport and delivery of official mail (SDS) was entrusted to APS.
APS, the youngest Corps, is an integral part of the Indian Army and functions as an extension of Department of Posts (Ministry of Communication and IT) to meet specific needs of the armed forces, Border Road Organisation and para military forces.
One of the oldest static formations of the Indian Army in the region, Headquarter Bengal Area celebrated its 122nd Raising Day here today.
Lt Gen Rajeev Tewari, General Officer Commanding, Bengal Area, addressed all ranks of the formation at a special 'Sainik Sammelan' and conveyed his greetings to all ranks, civilian staff and their families on the occasion.
The Raising Day celebration included drawing competition for children, blood donation camp and 'Barakhana' (feast) for families of all personnel posted at HQ Bengal Area.
Bengal Area Headquarter was raised as Bengal Command at Fort William on March 1, 1895 by Lt Gen Sir W K Ells. It moved to its present location at AJC Bose Road in September 1995.
Bengal Area participated with distinction during the operations in World War-II, the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962 and the Indo-Pak War of 1971.
Besides operational war time task, the formation also supports the logistics requirements of fighting formations and units of Eastern Command in war and peace.
It is the 'local military authority' acting as a link between the state government and the Army, besides being the custodian of the 'Maidan' area and all Army land around Kolkata.
It also provides assistance to the state government in combating calamities, disasters in entire West Bengal and bordering districts of Bihar.
The Bombay High Court today asked the Maharashtra government to issue instructions on a war-footing to municipal commissioners and CEOs of zila panchayats to ensure sufficient water supply in drought-hit areas of the state.
Taking up suo motu the PIL on farmers' suicides in Maharashtra, the division bench headed by Justice Naresh Patil pointed out that in some areas such as Osmanabad district of Marathwada, one of the factors driving farmers to suicide was lack of water.
Funds under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) should be used for the benefit of farmers, it suggested, adding that the state government should come out with a proposal on what kind of help the private companies can give to the farmers under the CSR spend.
The high court also asked the government to ensure that polluted water was not allowed to flow to the drought-hit areas.
The government said it had asked the ministers concerned and guardian ministers of drought-hit areas to visit these places and collect first-hand information.
"We are launching schemes for the benefit of farmers and ensure that schemes are effectively implemented," said government pleader Abhinandan Vagyani.
Monitoring committees had also been appointed, he said.
Experts had been appointed under the Vasantrao Naik Swavlamban (self-reliance) Mission to provide assistance to people in drought-hit areas, the government pleader added.
Last month the state had told the court that 124 farmers had committed suicide in Maharashtra since January 1.
Ashutosh Kumbhkoni, appointed as amicus curiae (to assist the court), had cited a National Bureau of Crime Records' statistic that 15,978 farmers had committed suicide in Maharashtra in the past five years.
Interrupted by jeers from observers, one of Pope Francis' top advisers today denied an accusation that his testimony to an inquiry into child sex abuse was an attempt to deflect blame for the Catholic Church transferring Australia's worst pedophile priest from parish to parish.
Australian Cardinal George Pell was a priest in the 1970s in the town of Ballarat where he advised Bishop Ronald Mulkearns about the placement of priests within the diocese.
Pell, now the pope's top financial adviser, told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that he had no idea that priest Gerald Ridsdale was repeatedly transferred by the bishop for more than a decade because of pedophile accusations.
Pell rejected an accusation made by the lead counsel assisting the commission, Gail Furness, that his answers were designed to remove his own responsibility for Ridsdale's crimes.
"My answers were designed to answer your questions accurately and completely," Pell told the Sydney inquiry via videolink from a Rome hotel.
Asked if he accepted any responsibility of Ridsdale's repeated transfers within the Ballarat diocese, Pell replied: "No, I don't."
The royal commission which is Australia's highest form of investigation is investigating how Pell dealt with abuse allegations as a priest, educator and adviser to Mulkearns, as well as how the Melbourne archdiocese responded to allegations of abuse, including when Pell served as a Melbourne auxiliary bishop.
Today was the second day of evidence for the 74-year-old cleric, who because of ill health could not travel to Australia to give evidence in person at the inquiry into decades of child abuse.
Yesterday, Pell dubbed Mulkearns' handling of Ridsdale a "catastrophe for the church." He said Mulkearns was a prime candidate for the Vatican's proposed tribunal for negligent bishops, although there is no indication the elderly Mulkearns would stand trial by the time the tribunal is operational.
Commission chairman Peter McClellan asked Pell today whether it was surprising that he hadn't heard rumors about the scandal Ridsdale had created in the diocese.
"Not necessarily, given the work I was doing," Pell said. "I wasn't working full-time in the diocese."
Furness said that as an adviser to the bishop one of a group of Ballarat priests known as the College of Consultors Pell should have questioned why Ridsdale was frequently transferred.
Identifying the "strategic and conventional imbalance with India" as the topmost security threat to it, Pakistan today rejected America's call to reduce or cap its nuclear weapons arsenal, believed to be the fastest growing in the world.
"I think (Pakistan's top) security concern is strategic and conventional imbalance with India," the Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz told Defence Writers Group in a breakfast meeting this morning.
Terrorism comes only after that, he said.
"Terrorism is something our own domestic (concern). It is overflow of terrorism from Afghanistan that becomes the second (top security concern for Pakistan) within our borders, which hopefully we would be able to control it in the next few years," he said, responding to a question on what was Pakistan's top security concern or threat.
Aziz also ruled out America's desire that Pakistan reduce or cap its fast expanding nuclear weapons arsenal and put the onus for it on India.
"If India does (caps its nuclear weapons program) we would think about it," he said when asked at this point of time Pakistan is not thinking of capping or reducing its stockpile of nuclear weapons, as asked by the United States.
"But if India does not, how can we cap?" Aziz asked.
Citing the example of the US and Russia which are working to further reduce their nuclear arsenals, Secretary of State John Kerry had asked Pakistan yesterday to understand this reality and review its nuclear policy.
"I think, it is important for Pakistan to really process that reality and put that front and center in its policy," he said in an apparent reference to the reports that Pakistan has the fastest growing stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world.
The nuclear and non-proliferation issue is among the six topics that was discussed during the sixth US-Pak Strategic Dialogue co-chaired by Kerry and Aziz here yesterday.
"Our nuclear program is a deterrence. It is India which is expanding its nuclear arsenal at a much faster rate than we are," Aziz alleged.
"The concept of deterrence is a dynamic one. Deterrence has to be effective and our deterrence is India centric. If India would not have started its nuclear program, we would have never done this," he said.
"India is developing its nuclear stock. Its ability after the (civil nuclear) agreement with the United States to divert more stocks to it, more fissile materials to nuclear weapons has increased much more," he claimed.
Bangladesh today released a French aid worker, an official said, months after he was arrested in the country's southeastern resort district of Cox's Bazar for allegedly helping Myanmar's Rohingya refugees.
Police arrested Moussa Tchantchuing, also known as Moussa Ibn Yacoub, on December 19 on charges of "suspicious activities". He was later also accused of a "criminal breach of trust, cheating by personation and abetment".
"He was released from Cox's Bazar jail this (Tuesday) afternoon after he was granted bail by the High Court," deputy jail chief Arpan Chowdhury told AFP by phone.
French embassy press attache Shakhawat Hossain told AFP that he was freed "after 70 days in jail on condition that he cannot leave Bangladesh territory without the prior permission of the judge".
Tchantchuing had come to Bangladesh and neighbouring Myanmar to help the Rohingyas, according to the non-governmental organsiation he worked for, BarakaCity.
Rohingya, who are mostly Muslims, have long been denied citizenship in Buddhist majority Myanmar. In recent years, they have fled violence and persecution in Myamar's Rakhine province for Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh and other South East Asian nations.
BarakaCity confirmed on Twitter the release of Tchantchuing, 28, which came after a petition was launched demanding he be set free.
Although he was granted bail on one of the charges in January, his release was halted after he was accused of using a different name than that in his passport, court inspector of Cox's Bazar Jamal Uddin had said.
"His name in the passport is different from the name he now uses."
Once prisoners are freed on bail in Bangladesh, they are seldom called back to prison.
Bangladesh, which shares a long border with Myanmar, has discouraged local and international charities from aiding hundreds of thousands of unregistered Rohingya who have taken refuge in Cox's Bazar and other parts of the country's southeast.
As a controversy erupted over candidates being asked to strip down to their underwear for an in Bihar, the Union Government today sought a report from the Army Chief while the Patna High Court directed the Ministry of Defence to give a reply by April 5.
Defending the bare body recruitment test, Director, (Recruitment) at the Army Regional Office(ARO) in Muzaffarpur Col V S Godra told reporters that it was a preventive measure against cheating.
Pictures showed candidates, dressed only in their underwear, cross-legged at Chakkar Maidan, an open ground in Muzaffarpur, about 100 km from Patna, putting pen to paper in the hope of making it to the Army. The test, which was taken by 1,159 candidates, was conducted by the ARO Army Recruitment for various posts at different levels.
On the basis of photographs appearing in some newspapers, lawyer Deenu Kumar had filed a PIL yesterday which a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmad Ansari and Justice Chakradhari Saran Singh had converted into a writ and gave the order today to the Ministry of Defence to reply by April 5.
Col Godra claimed that because of the measures taken by the Army no complaint of smuggling of mobile phones and chits inside the examination venue were reported.
"We did not insult anybody or subject anyone to cruelty...No examinee complained, so why outsiders are making a hue and cry over the matter?" Godra wondered.
The pictures of the Army aspirants were in contrast to that defining freezeframe from Vaishali last year of people perched on the window shades of a multi-storey building, passing on answer chits to Class Ten students appearing for Bihar state board exams inside.
While Army officials in Delhi denied that they have received any order from Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, top sources confirmed that a file has been prepared and sent to Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag.
"A report has been sought on the incident as the matter has come to light through media reports," sources said in Delhi.
Army sources said the move to strip the candidates down to their underwear was a suggestion made by previous job seekers who had cleared the examination.
Pictures, apparently taken by officials themselves, leaked and made its way to the social media as well as mainstream media.
The written test was for candidates who had successfully completed their physical tests.
State-run power equipment maker Bhel has bagged an order worth Rs 5,600 crore for 1,600 MW power plant from Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO).
The company has bagged this major order for the coal-based power project with supercritical parameters, involving two units of India's highest rating 800 MW sets, Bhel said in a press release today.
"Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Selvi J Jayalalithaa, handed over the Letter of Award (LoA) for setting up of the main plant package for the 2x800 MW Uppur Supercritical Thermal Power Project (TPP) to Bhel Chairman and Managing Director Atul Sobti in Chennai," said the release.
That was followed by the foundation stone laying ceremony of the project.
The project is slated to be commissioned by September, 2019 and the power generated from this 1,600 MW power project will help foster growth in Tamil Nadu and provide easy access to electricity to the people of the state.
Valued at around Rs 5,600 Crore, the order for the main plant package for the greenfield 2x800 MW Uppur Supercritical Thermal Power Project, located in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, has been placed on Bhel by TANGEDCO.
This is the second 800 MW rating supercritical order awarded to Bhel by TANGEDCO in less than a month, reinforcing Bhel's position at the forefront of the power equipment industry in India.
Last month, the Main Plant Package contract for the 1x800 MW North Chennai Supercritical TPP Stage III in Tamil Nadu, was also placed on Bhel by TANGEDCO.
Bhel has a significant share of 83 per cent in TANGEDCO's cumulative coal-based generating capacity, including two 600 MW sets commissioned in 2013 at North Chennai TPP, comprising in-house designed steam turbines, the first of their kind for both Bhel and the state of Tamil Nadu.
Bhel's scope of work in the current contract involves design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection, commissioning & civil works for the Main Plant Package.
The key equipment for the contract will be manufactured at Bhel's Trichy, Haridwar, Bhopal, Ranipet, Hyderabad, Jhansi, Thirumayam and Bangalore plants while the company's Power Sector - Southern Region shall be responsible for civil works and erection/ commissioning of the equipment.
Bihar gets 3,017 MW from the central quota to cater to its electricity consumption, state legislative council was informed today.
Replying to a starred question by BJP MLC Rajnish Kumar, state Energy minister Vijendra Prasad Yadav said Bihar gets 3,017 MW from the central quota to cater to consumption even as the domestic production was less than requirement.
Besides receiving 3,017 MW central quota, Bihar procures 671 MW power from the private market, he said.
Yadav said the production of 220 MW power from thermal power plant at Barauni would start from the next fiscal, while 2,576 MW would accrue from various power plants under construction in the state.
The minister said more than 5,000 MW was proposed to be generated from three ultra power projects in the next six years to make Bihar a power surplus state.
The BJP-led government in Maharastra has decided to bring a bill in the coming budget session of the state Legislature to eradicate "unconstitutional" practices, including social boycott, pronounced by bodies like caste panchayats.
The legislation, 'Prohibition of Social Boycott Bill', will ensure stringent punishment to those indulging in unlawful practices under forums like caste panchayats.
"The bill aims to root out evil, outdated and unconstitutional practices of Caste Panchayats, Gavki, Community Panchayats, etc," Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said today after the Cabinet meeting here.
"Provisions for strict punishment have been made in this bill to end this sort of harassment and gives the right to live with dignity," Fadnavis tweeted.
The legislative initiative assumes significance as the practice of social boycott of a person or group of persons, and their family members, still prevails in various parts of the state and the existing laws have proved ineffective in tackling the social menace.
Social ostracism is practised at the behest of a 'Caste Panchayats' at the community level that regulates various practices, personal or social behaviour of the members and resolves disputes by issuing written or oral dicta, an official said.
The draft bill describes "Community" as a group, the members of which are connected together by reason or the fact that by birth, conversion or the performance of any religious rites or ceremonies, they belong to the same religion or religious creed, and includes a caste or sub-caste.
The Gujarat High Court today dismissed a plea of 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case accused seeking access to some of the documents related to the Union Home Ministry's approval for trying the accused under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Justice A G Uraizee, while rejecting the plea, took into account the argument by the public prosecutor that these documents carry sensitive information about the case and cannot be given to the accused at this stage.
The high court also noted that the documents are part of the charge sheet and carry names of some secret witnesses, which cannot be disclosed to the accused.
Further, the court also considered the state government's argument that UAPA gives it powers about non-disclosure of these documents.
These documents carry those reports which are submitted to the Home Ministry by the state government while justifying the need to invoke UAPA against the accused and subsequently received sanction from the Home Ministry for the same.
In their plea, one Shahid Nagori and 75 other accused of the 2008 serial blast case have sought access to these documents, claiming that these documents are needed to prepare their case as the trial is pending in the lower court.
They knocked the doors of High Court after a lower court had recently turned down their plea on the same grounds.
Twenty one serial blasts had rocked Ahmedabad city on July 26, 2008, in which 56 people were killed and several others were injured.
76 people accused in the case are behind the bars here. A special court has so far examined around 780 witnesses.
BMW's CEO introduced new versions of the company's big luxury sedan at the Geneva International Motor Show and cautioned that sales growth in Europe and China will only be modest this year.
Harald Krueger showed off a new plug-in hybrid of the 7-Series, saying customers who wanted to set an example were asking for a low-emissions vehicle.
For those wanting top performance, the company is rolling out a version with a 12-cylinder, 610 horsepower engine that can accelerate to 100 kph in just 3.9 seconds.
Krueger said today the company expected "moderate sales growth" this year after a record year in which the company sold 2.2 million cars.
He said he expected sales growth in Europe and China only in the lower single digit percent range.
A book of collection of humorous situations from the life of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy complied by his Press secretary P T Chacko was released here today.
Veteran Malayalam actor Madhu released the book 'Kunjoonju Kathakal-2; Oommen Chandyyude Narma Sandarbhangal' by handing over a copy to former bureaucrat D Babu Paul.
The book portrays interesting moments and humorous anecdotes from the life of the Chief Minister.
It also gives a peep into the life around Chandy who is fondly called 'Kunjunju' by his near and dear.
The book also narrates how the CM stays connected with the people of his hometown Puthupally in Kottayam district. He has been representing Puthupally constituency for the past four decades.
JD(U) State President M P Veerendra Kumar presided over the function. MLA M V Sreyams Kumar and others were also present at the event.
Following objection by Bhagat Singh's kin and uproar in
Parliament over the issue, HRD ministry had asked DU to consider the issue.
Delhi University decided to ban the sale and distribution of the Hindi version of the book which was published by it, while maintaining that it had no control over the English version as the varsity had not published it. Penguin India, which had published the original book, has already stated that they are working with the authors for a revised edition.
"The critics are forgetting that this (revolutionary terrorist) was really a term the martyrs had practically used for themselves. Their conception of 'terror' as a method of revolutionary action actually derived from a tradition that went back to the Russian revolutionaries' struggle against Czarist tyranny," the statement by the historians said.
"Now, however, in the last two or three decades, terror has come to mean almost all over the world the killing of innocent men, women and children. And it has thus assumed a heavily pejorative sense, not necessarily borne by it in the 1920s and 1930s," it added.
Brazilian police arrested the vice president of Facebook for Latin America today after the social media giant refused access to data the authorities said was important to a criminal probe.
Diego Dzodan was in detention in Sao Paulo after his arrest following "repeated non-compliance with court orders" to share Facebook data requested in a drug trafficking case, federal police said.
Moody's Investors Service has described the Budget as moderately credit positive for most sectors except public sector banks, but warned that deficit reduction will remain challenging.
"Budget is modestly credit positive for the sovereign, since it indicates a continued commitment to gradual fiscal consolidation by bringing down fiscal deficits to 3 per cent over the next two years," Atsi Sheth, a Moody's Associate managing director for the Sovereign Risk Group, said in a note.
However, she said that Budget proposals do not contain significant measures to address structural fiscal challenges, such as the government's low tax revenue base and the vulnerability of government finances to economic shocks.
This means, any deficit reduction will come from either cyclical upswings or tactical fiscal management, rather than a broad-based fiscal consolidation strategy, she said.
According to the report, the Budget is credit negative for public sector banks due to the insufficient allocation of capital for the sector, as the government has stuck to the capital infusion roadmap announced last year, budgeting just Rs 25,000 crore in capital injections next financial year.
According to Capitaline data, gross non-performing assets of 39 listed banks surged to Rs 4.38 trillion in the December quarter, up from Rs 3.4 trillion in the previous quarter. Most of this is contributed by state-run banks.
The only silver-lining in the Budget was that the government was open to infuse more capital into them as and when needed.
The report warned that the increased recognition and provisioning for NPAs will require a corresponding front-ending of capital requirements, which suggests that capital constraints will remain a key credit weakness for public sector banks.
On the changes in tax and duties, she said they are credit positive for energy and commodity producers, but negative for automakers, while changes to levies on crude oil will lower cash production costs for national oil companies, and will not compensate for the impact of lower oil prices.
The report further said infrastructure will benefit from a boost in spending, but not all are winners. For instance, the hike in Excise duty on automobiles to fund public infrastructure spending is credit positive.
The securitisation market is also set to benefit from the changes in the distribution tax for securitisation trusts, as this will improve investors' post-tax returns and make investments in such products more appealing, leading to new class of investors entering the market.
The government has presented a "pro-farmer" budget this year which will help in addressing farm distress and achieving 4 per cent growth in the sector, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said today.
The minister said the Budget has made fund provisions to speed up the implementation of various schemes initiated by the government in last two years.
"The government has presented a pro-farmer budget for the first time after the country's independence," Singh told reporters here.
Asked if the 2016 budget will help address farm distress and achieve 4 per cent growth, he said: "Definitely, we will be able to achieve".
The growth of agriculture sector has been projected at 1.1 per cent in 2015-16 fiscal as against decline of 0.2 per cent a year ago.
The government is already implementing schemes to reduce cost of production, raise productivity and provide better price to farmers besides raising the minimum support price (MSP), Singh said, adding that the budget has provision to speed up implementation of these schemes.
Simultaneously, the new crop insurance scheme and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana would also help, he added.
Yesterday, the government announced a major thrust for agriculture sector in the Budget by almost doubling allocation to Rs 44,485 crore and raising credit target to a record Rs 9 lakh crore.
Singh said the state governments will be ready with irrigation plan for 150 districts by next month and the work would be speed up.
"The launch of unified electronic agri-market from April 14 will also help in ensuring farmers get better price in the market", he said.
The country has received deficient monsoon rains for two consecutive years, resulting in lower foodgrains production and higher prices of pulses. Some cases of farmer suicides were reported in states like Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Of the Budget allocation for the 2016-17, a sum of Rs 15,000 crore has been provided for interest subvention on farm credit, Rs 5,500 crore for crop insurance scheme, Rs 815 crore to promote dairy and allied sector and Rs 500 crore to boost pulses output.
To fund agri-initiatives, the government also imposed a Kisan Kalyan cess at 0.5 per cent on all taxable services from June.
TheBudgetsessionof Chhattisgarh Assembly today started with GovernorBalramji Das Tandon's speech, while the opposition Congress alleged that the BJP government was ignoring the welfare of farmers and labourers.
During Tandon's address, Congress MLAs raised the issue of non-payment of wages under MNREGA and failure to hike MSP for paddy.
The Governor said the last year was challenging due to the country-wide drought; the state faced its first drought in the last 12years.
"For the first time, the state government included the word 'drought' in the list of natural calamities underRevenue BookCircular to ensure relief for farmers," he said.
"Under MNREGA, days of employment were increased from 150 to 200. Land revenue and water taxes were waived, relief was given on agricultural loan (repayment), free distribution of seeds for (the next season's) paddy crop,freepower supply upto9,000 unitsforagricultural pumps,special diesel aid and several other measures were undertaken," he said.
Under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana,the government hiked the financial aid for marriage of the daughters of drought-affected farmers from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000, he said.
In all, the drought-affected farmers were given help to the tune of around Rs 2,000 crore, Tandon said.
The Governor also hailed the security forces' efforts to root out Naxalism and said the state is marching towards "a decisive battle" against the rebels.
The Governor also mentioned the steps taken for
strengthening the police force, such as sanctioning of 1,226 new posts, establishment of cyber wing and anti-terrorist squad, construction of 3,000 houses for police personnel, 800 new posts in disaster management and fire-fighting-emergency services, etc.
The state can "never repay debt of martyrdom" of the personnel of Central and state security forces who died while fighting the Naxals, he said.
"The state is heading towards winning a decisive battle againstNaxalism," the Governor added.
During the Governor's address, state Congress Chief Bhupesh Baghel and other party MLAs raised the issue of non-payment of wages under MNREGA. Senior Congress leader Satyanarayan Sharma raised the issue of government's failure tofulfilits election promise of Rs 300 bonus and MSP of Rs 2,100 for paddy.
The Governor, however, continued with his speech, and after reading out some points he said the rest can be considered as read.
Speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal then announced that the discussion onmotionof thanks onGovernor'saddress would be taken up on March 4 and 8, and adjourned the proceedings till tomorrow.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), the apex body of the Catholic church in the country, will begin an eight-day plenary assembly here from tomorrow.
The CBCI holds the Plenary Assembly once in two years to discuss various aspects of life of the Church in India, especially the challenges faced by it.
The Assembly will also evolve a common action to revitalise the Church and to render it more effective in its service to members and to the society at large, according to CBCI.
180 Bishops from all the Dioceses of India would deliberate on the principal theme of the plenary 'The Response of the Church in India to the Present Day Challenges', CBCI said in a statement here.
They will be assisted by a group of 20 priests, who are responsible for various offices and centres of the CBCI, an expert team of the religious and a panel of resource persons from the laity and from other religions, it said.
The deliberations will also include the assessment of reports by various offices and national centres. The plenary assembly will also interact with Conference of Religious India (CRI) and Catholic Council of India (CCI), it said.
The 32nd CBCI plenary is expected to issue a Final Statement, a call to all the members of the Church in India, containing the main thrust of the deliberations and a way forward for the future course of action.
The Final Statement, which will eventually take the form of a Pastoral Letter, will be taken for deeper study by the members of the Church at different strata, it added.
CBI Director Anil Sinha today refused to be drawn into the issue of American-Pakistani terrorist David Headley's recent testimony in 26/11 case that was an LeT terrorist, saying the matter is subjudice.
He noted that the agency has already submitted the chargesheet in the alleged fake encounter case of .
"The matter is sub-judice. We have already submitted charge sheet in the case. Hence I would not like to comment anything on this," Sinha, who was in Mumbai for inauguration of the new CBI office in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), said.
He was asked by media persons if the revelation made by Headley before a special court here last month that was an operative of banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) would have any impact on the case.
Headley revealed this while deposing before a special court here, which is conducting trial against alleged LeT operative Abu Jundal in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case.
Headley told the court that LeT leader Zaki-ur-Rehman had told him about Muzammil Butt's botched up operation in India. "It was some shootout with the police. I don't know which part in India. But there was one female who was killed in the shootout," Headley said.
Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam then said, "If I give you three names will you be able to point out who was the female who was killed?". To this Headley replied yes.
Nikam then said, "Was it Noorjahan Begum, Ishrat Jahan or Mumtaz." Headley then said, "I think it is the second one." Headley had added that Ishrat was an Indian .
Ishrat, 19, was killed along with Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai from Kerala, and two alleged Pakistanis - Zeeshan Johar and Amjad Ali Rana - on June 15, 2004 on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
The encounter team was led by D G Vanzara, who was then Deputy Commissioner of Police in Ahmedabad Crime Branch.
The CBI, which was handed over the probe later, filed a chargesheet in 2013 against seven police officers and observed that it was a fake encounter.
Currently, all the seven officers are out on bail.
The Centre's green panel has given approval to the Rs 4,640.88-crore Kiru hydroelectric project to be developed on Chenab river in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Last month in a meeting, the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Environment Ministry had examined the proposal.
Based on its recommendations, the ministry will soon take a call on giving the final green nod.
"After detailed deliberations, EAC recommended the grant of Environment Clearance (EC) for the 623 MW Kiru HydroElectric Project with additional recommendations," as per the minutes of the meeting held on February 8-9.
The Kiru project will be developed by Chenab Valley Projects Pvt Ltd, a joint venture among NHPC, J&K State Development Corporation and Power Trading Corporation of India.
The project envisages construction of a 123 metre (from river bed level) high concrete gravity dam across river Chenab with four intakes, four pressure shafts, an underground powerhouse of four units of 156 MW each. The construction period of the project is 54 months.
While recommending the ministry for grant of EC to this project, the EAC suggested the company should raise the Environment Management Plan (EMP) budget to 3.5%.
"The total project cost is Rs 4,640.88 crore and Environment Management Plan (EMP) budget is Rs 147.32 crore i.E. About 3.2%. The overall EMP budget should be raised to 3.5 per cent of the project cost," the EAC said.
The EAC has recommended the company to use local people to meet skill requirements of the project.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today inaugurated a digital Library with over one lakh digitized pages of newspapers and magazines published centuries ago.
Speaking on the occasion, Chandy said the new facility would help research students in journalism.
The library was set up by Kesari Memorial Journalist Trust under the district unit of Kerala Union of Working Journalists with a governmentassistance of Rs 20 lakh.
"The attempt of media persons is a welcome step especially in the wake of Kerala became Indian's first digital state... The main objective of the government is to expand the usage of the new technology in more sectors," he said.
More books, periodicals and newspapers would be added to the Library, KUWJ District Secretary C Rahim said.
The digitized form of various periodicals, including 'Vidha Vilasini', published in 1897, is also part of the library.
Vijender said the revival plan fructified thanks to Rs 3
crore fund granted last year by the then Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.
"The fund would be utilised for restoration and digitisation of books, restoration of buildings. Meanwhile, we held festivals and event in December to popularise the library and bring the spotlight on the heritage landmark," she said.
A five-day (December 9-13) 'Delhi Literary Heritage Fest' was held at Shanti Desai Sports Complex, Chandni Chowk, which included musical, poetic, cultural and literary events and panel discussions.
"This library was the place where people congregated for cultural activities. When Gandhiji came here in 1948, he met cloth merchants at the Hardinge Library. And, so many memories are associated with this library. And, therefore, we have planned a cultural event on January 7, which would also include a mushaira," she said.
As part of heritage fest, an international conference on 'Protecting, Conserving and Preserving Literary Heritage Collection' was held from December 11-13 at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
"Around 300 participants and 23 speakers from all over the world participated in the conference, including from British Library and Germany," she said.
On December 7, the iconic building was lit up, enhancing its architectural elements.
"It was a sight to behold. And, one felt so proud to see it glitter. India has so many libraries. We must try to project them as cultural and tourism landmarks," Vijender added.
The library, bearing a European design, has a dome on top, with ornate bordering. The old name -- 'Hardinge Library' --embossed on one of its porches, has survived, besides a wrought-iron gate ('Clark Gate') near it.
The oldest book in the library is 'A Relation of Some Years Travaile Beginning in 1626' by Thomas Hardy Esquire, published by Willaim Stansby and Jacob Bloome in 1634
"A consortium of heritage public libraries has also been set up with IGNCA as its nodal agency. Besides, Hardinge Library, libraries at IGNCA and South Asian University (SAU) are also part of it, and we expect more to join it," she said.
Dozens of people turned out for a short concert Monday evening in Warsaw in support of a Chilean pianist and teacher who was recently beaten by skinheads who mistook him for an Arab.
The attack occurred amid a rise in Islamophobia in Poland. Dozens of Syrian Christians were granted asylum in Poland last year, though most left quickly for Western Europe. Last year, Poland pledged to take up to 7,000 migrants though only a fraction of them are expected this year.
Poland's commissioner for human rights, Adam Bodnar, urged people to attend the performance to show solidarity with Christiano Ramos, the Chilean who was attacked recently on a train near Warsaw.
Ramos, who has lived in Poland for many years, lost a tooth and sustained a head injury. He performed the brief piano concert himself.
Bodnar said he wants to convince Ramos and others like him that they "have many friends in Poland, that Polish society might be different, and that he should not decide to leave our country."
Bodnar says there has been an outpouring of hate speech against Arabs in recent months that has translated into violent incidents.
"Unfortunately, massive hate speech towards Arabs translates into hate violence incidents," Bodnar said.
"Basically every two weeks we can identify a situation when somebody is attacked, because he looks 'like an Arab.'"
Last year, a Syrian Christian was attacked in the Western Polish city of Poznan. A court yesterday sentenced one of his attackers to two years in prison, and a second to three months.
China aims to build 30 nuclear power units in countries involved with its Silk Road Initiative by 2030 as it looks to cash in its new 1000 mw nuclear reactor technology being built in Pakistan.
The China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) has reached bilateral agreements on nuclear energy cooperation with countries including Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Britain, France and Jordan, its President Sun Qin said today.
China is building two 1000 mgnuclearpower plants inPakistan's port city of Karachiat a cost of $6.5 billion.
More than 70 countries are now planning or are already developing their own nuclear power projects, and it is estimated 130 more nuclear power units will have been built by 2020, Sun was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.
The CNNC is willing to cooperate with countries throughout the wholenuclear power industry chain.
It will actively promote localisation of the technology and strive to establish an integrated industrial system for countries involved with the Belt and Road Initiative, the official name for the Silk Road Initiative Sun said.
Currently China has 30 nuclear power generating units with a capacity of 28 million gw and another 24 units are under construction, all of which are on land.
A court in eastern China today upheld a decision to slap $12-million fine on three chemical firms for disposing 26,000 tonnes of hazardous waste into rivers.
The Hangzhou Intermediate Court in Zhejiang Province said in a statement that it has upheld the ruling of a lower district court on the Second Chemical Plant of Jiande City, the Hong'an Cargo Company and the Rongsheng Chemical Company.
The Second Chemical Plant mainly produces weed-killer glyphosate.
From 2012 to 2013, it asked the Hong'an Cargo Company and the Rongsheng Chemical Company to help pour waste into rivers in Zhejiang provincial capital Hangzhou, the province's Quzhou City and in Jiangxi and Shandong provinces.
Neither of the companies was licensed to dispose of dangerous waste, according to the court.
The Zhejiang environmental protection research institute estimates that as much as 80 million yuan ($12.3 million) will be needed to repair the damage to the rivers.
Ten people, including heads of the three companies, were sentenced to jail terms ranging from nine years to one year and 10 months, and fined a total of 8.5 million yuan, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Chinese Communist officials will impose "severe" penalties on a property tycoon who criticised overbearing state control of the media to his tens of millions of online followers, an official agency reported today.
Ren Zhiqiang, nicknamed "the Cannon", developed a huge audience - he had 37 million followers on Sina Weibo alone - with his provocative opinions and blunt defences of economic inequality.
But he has been subjected to a barrage of condemnation in state-run outlets since he questioned whether public money should be spent on party propaganda following visits by President Xi Jinping to three major official media outlets.
Ren is himself a member of the ruling party but his Chinese social media accounts have been closed and Xinhua cited a circular from a Beijing party committee as saying he will be strictly punished and receive severe internal penalties.
The tycoon "has been releasing illegal information and making inappropriate comments online", Xinhua quoted the document as saying, "resulting in a vile influence and damage to the party image".
The announcement followed Beijing's closure of Ren's Sina and Tencent microblog accounts for "spreading illegal information".
The Cyberspace Administration of China said that its actions followed reports that the accounts had exerted a "vile influence".
China has criminalised certain types of online comments, including those that contain "rumours", a broad term that could include criticism of the ruling party.
Last week, Ren was the target of twin columns in the state-affiliated portal Qianlong.
One of the Qianlong articles - headlined "Who gave Ren the confidence to oppose the Party" - accused the businessman of making capitalist arguments and pursuing Western constitutionalism.
The other castigated him for failing to defend the interests of the party of which he is a member.
"When did the people's government change into the party's government?" Qianlong quoted Ren's since-deleted post as saying. "Is their money the party's? ... Don't use taxpayers' money for things that don't provide them with services."
China's Communist party tolerates no opposition to its rule and newspapers, websites, and broadcast media are strictly controlled. An army of censors patrols social media and many Western websites are blocked.
Ren has previously drawn flak for calling state-run broadcaster CCTV "the dumbest pig on earth" and for his blunt statements defending the high prices of real estate, once angering an audience member so much that they threw a shoe at him.
He retired from his Beijing-based property company in 2014.
The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has supported the hosting of Defence Expo in the state, arguing it will give a boost to the image of Goa.
"CII supports Defence Expo in Goa, which is an integral part of the 'Make in India' initiative. Defence Expo has really grown over the years and considered as most important on the calender of such events," CII's Goa Chapter Vice President Shekhar Sardessai told reporters here.
With the participation of more than 850 companies, DefExpo will give a boost to 'Brand Goa', he said.
"Goans should grab the opportunity to host this event and demand manufacturing industry related to Defence be set up in the state," Sardessai said.
CII is the second industrial body after Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry to pledge its support to the event scheduled between March 28 and March 31 at Betul village in the state.
Certain section of people, including Congress and local civil groups are opposing DefExpo, claiming the locals were not taken into confidence before finalising the site.
He said the fear about Defence Expo has been created out of ignorance.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has already assured the event would be a temporary one with no permanent structures built to host it.
The government yesterday began preparations for the event.
A day after the death of a male giraffe brought from Alipore Zoo in Kolkata to the Nandankanan Zoological Park here, the Odisha government today set up a three-member expert committee to probe into the premature demise of the animal.
The committee would be headed by former PCCF Saroj Patnaik and would submit its report within a week, said Nandankanan director Sudarshan Panda.
The committee would look into whether there was any negligence on part of the Nandankanan authority in handling the giraffe after its arrival here.
Meanwhile, the post mortem report revealed the male giraffe 'Joy' died due to heart stroke. Symptoms of jaundice and anaemia were also found in the body of the animal, the report said.
The animal was brought to Nandankanan from the Alipore zoo in Kolkata on February 24 under the animal exchange programme for mating with the lone female giraffe at Nandankanan here. The state zoo had swapped four of its tigers to get the long-necked animal.
Five-year old 'Joy' was brought here under the supervision of an eight-member expert team headed by Assistant Director of Nandankanan Dr Kamal Lochan Purohit.
A war of words broke out tonight over the alleged flip-flop on the affidavits in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, with BJP accusing the Congress of having attempted to frame Narendra Modi and Amit Shah in the sensational encounter killing and demanding a probe into the issue.
Hitting back, Congress charged the BJP with spreading flase propaganda merely to score political points and wondered if the Modi government was intervening in the case to block the prosecution of guilty policemen.
The trigger for the battle was the interview by R V S Mani, the then Under Secretary in the Home Ministry who had filed the two affidavits. In the interview, Mani alleged he was tortured to implicate senior IB officials in the case to project the encounter killing of Ishrat and other three LeT terrorists in Ahmedabad in 2004 as fake.
Mani suggested that Chidambaram was behind the decision to file the second affidavit. He alleged that the then SIT chief, a CBI official, was after him and an attempt was made to question the quality of professional inputs by the intelligence agencies on Ishrat and other terrorists.
It also came on a day when two former home secretaries claimed the second affidavit was filed in the Supreme Court at the behest of the then Home Minister P Chidambaram.
BJP called an emergency media briefing late in the evening and fielded Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who alleged that Chidambaram did it on the directions of the Congress high command to frame the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his ministerial colleague Amit Shah, who was then Minister of State for Home.
Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi accused BJP of spreading a lie about American-Pakistani terrorist David Headley and said it was very unfortunate that the ruling party was resorting to false propaganda.
"Congress has never supported or opposed the guilt issue of Ishrat Jahan if established in a court of law or any procedure known to law. If IB had intellignce inputs, Ishrat Jahan would have been prosecuted. Entire Congress stand was that irrespective of guilt, a guilty person cannot be assassinated or liquidated without due process of law which is what happened in Modi's autocratic rule in Gujarat," he said.
Congress workers today condemned Shiv Sena minister Vijay Shivtare's remarks in Latur district about its leaders, including former Maharashtra Chief Minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh.
A protest march was held at Latur by Youth Congress workers to condemn the Minister's alleged derogatory remarks.
"We strongly protest (against) the abusive language of the Minister, who insulted our leaders," Congress corporator Vikrant Gojamgunde said.
"This shows the level Sena leaders can stoop to," he said.
The Minister had made allegedly derogatory remarks at an event in Latur on Sunday when the Sena launched a free water tanker supply scheme.
"Two persons from Latur district occupied the CM's post. What kind of leadership did they provide? They could not solve the water scarcity despite being in power. They only cared about their self interest," Shivtare had said.
The Minister had also allegedly used a derogatory Marathi phrase to claim both the former CMs were incompetent.
The other person from Latur to occupy the CM's chair was Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar, who was Chief Minister from June 1985 to March 1986.
He had to resign after his name came up in a court case.
Deshmukh first became Chief Minister in 1999 and was serving his second term (from 2004) when he had to resign in the aftemath of the 26/11 terror attacks in 2008.
Congress legislators in the Rajasthan Assembly today boycotted the Question Hour, demanding action against two BJP MLAs for their alleged derogatory remarks against Rahul Gandhi.
As soon as the House assembled, Leader of Opposition Rameshwar Dudi raised the demand for action against BJP MLAs Kailash Choudhary and Gyan Dev Ahuja.
When there was no response from Speaker Kailash Meghwal, the Congress members trooped into the Well of the House. Ten minutes later, they boycotted the Question Hour and walked out of the House.
Delhi Government has directed schools in the national capital to consider banning sale of food items which are high in fat, sugar and salt content from their canteens and sensitize students about their ill effects.
"All the heads of government and private schools are directed to sensitize the students and parents about ill effects of food high in Fat, Sugar and Salt (HFSS) through morning assembly, teacher interactive period and parent- teacher meetings," the Directorate of Education (DoE) said in a circular sent to schools.
"The schools may also consider banning the sale of such foods from school canteen. Also ensure that the cafeteria sells fresh and healthy foods which are low in fat," it added.
The order also details the adverse effects of each of the constituents of HFSS, as prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Some of the suggestions by the government for sensitizing the students include, "maintaining a notice board for creating awareness; organizing drawing, painting, slogan writing activities and debates in a class wise manner with special emphasis on lower classes; and dedicating morning assembly once in a month for this purpose".
"Spread the word for healthy food options like vegetable sandwiches, fruits, paneer cutlets, khandvi, poha and low fat milk shakes with seasonal fruits, lassi and jaljeera etc," the DoE circular said.
The communication comes following a Delhi High Court judgment ordering the regulation of junk food consumption among school children through restrictions on the sale of foods high in fat, salt and sugar, such as chips, fried foods and sugar-sweetened beverages in and around school premises.
The court had also directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to implement its guidelines on making wholesome and nutritious food available to school children.
A constable of the Kolkata Police allegedly shot himself to death inside a police kiosk at the Shyambazar five-point crossing in the northern part of the city early this morning, police said.
Chandu Mandi (48), a constable of Shampukur police station, fired on himself from a revolver when a homeguard, who was on duty along with him, was away.
"We recovered a suicide note from the kiosk where the constable said he is committing suicide as he was suffering from a prolonged illness. We are verifying the handwriting. It seems he was suffering from depression," an officer of Shampukur Police Station said.
Police have spoken to the home guard to ascertain whether there was any foul play behind Mandi's death.
Mandi, a resident of Howrah, is survived by his wife and a daughter.
Demanding the clearance of dues owed to them by a ginning factory, around 400 growers from Seloo in Wardha district are planning a march on Wednesday to protest against the state government's failure to resolve the issue.
The growers said they were hoping that RSS leaders here might be able to help them with the recovery of their dues from the ginning factory owner.
Read more from our special coverage on "COTTON" Haryana, Punjab may cut Bt cotton sowing
The cultivators had planned a march to the RSS headquarters here three days back, but were detained by police. Afterwards the district guardian minister, Chandashekhar Bawankule, assured them of help in the matter.
The farmers, who spent Sunday night in the open, are planning another march on Wednesday with black flags to protest against the non-payment of their dues and the failure on the part of the government to resolve the issue.
"We were assured on behalf of the Chief Minister that cheques to nearly 400 cotton farmers totalling Rs 8 crore will be handed out," said one of the cotton farmers, Ram Narain Pathak.
The cotton growers said they had sold 20,000 quintals of cotton to the Agriculture Produce Market Committee between November, 2014, and May, 2015, which in turn was acquired by the owner of a ginning and pressing factory who allegedly failed to make payments to the farmers.
The farmers are hoping that top RSS leaders can intervene in the dispute.
CPI(M) Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Mohammed Salim today gave a notice of breach of privilege against HRD Minister Smriti Irani for "misleading" the House over Rohith Vemula's suicide and JNU episodes.
"The statement given by HRD Minister Smriti Irani in Lok Sabha during the discussion under rule 193 on the situation arising out of recent incidents in institutions of higher education in reference to Jawaharlal Nehru and Hyderabad University on February 24, 2016 have glaring inconsistencies.
"Using the opportunity to speak as a Minister during reply, she misled the entire nation by a statement which is far from truth and factually incorrect," Salim said in his notice.
"This is a clear case of breach of privilege. I would like to request you to take appropriate action by allowing this notice," he said.
The CPI(M) MP said the HRD Minister in her statement in Parliament on February 24 asserted that the February 9 incident was investigated by JNU and its various bodies and, after full deliberations, the students who shouted "anti-national" slogans were found guilty.
This assertion is "incorrect" as it relies on the reporting of an enquiry process which is not credible for several reasons, Salim said.
He noted that the high-level enquiry committee (HLEC) was formed by the University on February 11, 2016 "without any terms of reference and by superseding the Proctorial committee (which is the designated committee to enquire into any such incidents as per JNU statutes" on the same day.
"On Feb 12, 2016, the HLEC opined that 8 students were involved in one or more of the following four acts: misrepresentation of facts, forcefully holding a meeting, creating a law and order situation, shouting unconstitutional slogans/derogatory remarks about the nation. Following which it issued an order of academic suspension to these students.
"This decision was arrived at in less than 24 hours of the formation of the Committee. It did not fix any specific responsibility and based their claims on a video footage whose credibility is questionable," he said.
The CPI(M) leader, in his notice, also claimed the students against whom the decision of academic suspension was taken were not even given a chance to be heard by HLEC members.
On Irani's claim on Rohith Vemula's alleged suicide case
that "no one allowed a doctor near this child (Rohith), to revive this child. Instead, his body was used as a political tool", Salim quoted a student Zikrullah's Facebook post, which said that a doctor and police were present when Rohith was declared dead.
"I was the person who called health center immediately after learning that Rohith hanged in NRS hostel. Within 5 minutes CMO Health center Dr Rajashree P has reached the spot and she checked the pulses and declared him dead.
"There were Telangana police also present there. Today MHRD minister lied to entire nation that no doctor and police were allowed to check the dead body till 6:30 AM of next day.(sic)," Salim quoted Zikrullah's Facebook post.
The CPI(M) lawmaker noted that while Irani had said in the House that "the ones who passed judgment are not the ones appointed by the BJP-led NDA but by the Congress party", the fact is "the ones who passed the judgment were the sub-committee of the Executive Council. It is the Vice Chancellor, P Appa Rao, an appointee of the NDA, who had constituted this committee.
Writer-historian William Dalrymple's first book of photographs documenting pictures of landscape, which convey potent solitude and brooding strokes will be published this month.
He brings elegance, inquiry and grace to the photographic form in "The Writer's Eye," a suite of black and white photographs, shot over two years, publisher HarperCollins India said.
The author of acclaimed books returns to a visual medium he first worked with in collegiate days, armed now with over two decades of writerly composure and brilliance, a statement said.
Dalrymple said he was "completely thrilled that HarperCollins India is publishing my photographs - the realisation of a long held dream."
According to HarperCollins India CEO Ananth Padmanabhan, "We are incredibly excited; it's a rare moment when a celebrated writer chooses another medium of art. William's first book of photographs and we are delighted he chose to publish with us."
Curated by bestselling writer and Sensorium Festival co-founder, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi, "The Writer's Eye" opens at Sunaparanta: Goa Centre for the Arts on March 18 in Goa; Vadehra Art Gallery, March 29 here; and the Grosvenor Gallery in June in London.
This show is supported by arts patrons Dattaraj, Dipti Salgaocar and Isheta Salgaocar, gallerists Roshini Vadehra, and Conor Macklin.
Dalrymple is also one of the co-directors and founders of the annual Jaipur Literature Festival. He is the author of several bestselling books, including "Return of a King," "White Mughals" and "Nine Lives.
Veteran theatre personality M K Raina today decried as "opportunistic" and "absolutely dangerous" the present trend of artists, thinkers and writers who choose not to express their ideological and political stance.
"At the recent march by JNU students it was painful to see that except for a few theatre people and artists hardly any of the big names walked with them. That I think is a very dangerous trend for society," Raina said.
The director-actor referred to a march here taken out by students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, against the sedition law which the JNSU President was charged with.
Raina said he was unhappy that the students did not receive greater support from the liberal arts and social science community, which, he said, by its very nature encouraged critical thinking.
The director-actor pointed out that the artists community did not even extend support to a second procession, which supported an opposing ideology.
"What is worrying is that the artists community did not even march along with the other procession which came later. I find this position of riding under the carpet as the most dangerous opportunistic position. It is dangerous for any art and therefore to any society and country," Raina said.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi award-winning director said it was easy to teach theatre techniques like stage lighting and mounting productions but not critical thinking skills.
"The critical thinking that comes from liberal arts and social science is absolutely missing," Raina said at a curtain raiser event here for the 11th META theatre awards.
Deepan Sivaraman, theatre director from Kerala seconded Raina's opinion.
"I have the same feeling. If arts students cannot come out to voice their dissent or support (for an issue) then it is absolutely hopeless for an institution," Sivaraman said.
Delhi government has deducted half of salary of two senior DANICS officers working with its Home Department as they were suspended for defying a Cabinet order, a move which may trigger another round of confrontation between the AAP dispensation and the Centre.
The Union Home Ministry had revoked the suspension order.
On January 27, Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain had issued an order saying special secretaries Yashpal Garg and Subhash Chandra would only be entitled to a subsistence allowance instead of their full salary as they had been suspended by the Delhi government for allegedly defying a Cabinet order.
"The government has deducted the salary of Garg and Chandra by half for the month of February," sources said.
On January 29, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung had declared "illegal" the AAP government's order to slash the salary of two special secretaries in the Home Department.
In a letter to Chief Secretary K K Sharma, the Lt Governor had directed him to ensure full compliance with the Home Ministry's directive and declared that Jain's order to pay the two officials only subsistence allowance has no legal sanctity.
"The direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs makes it abundantly clear that no adverse action can be initiated against these officers based on the suspension orders since these orders were without authority of law, void ab initio and non est (does not exist).
"Therefore, the order dated January 27 issued by the Minister of Home, Delhi government has no legal sanctity and cannot be implemented," the LG had said.
The suspension of the officers had led to a major protest by bureaucrats as around 200 DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service) officers had gone on a day-long mass leave on December 31. The IAS officers had also worked half-day that day.
Controversial TERI Executive Vice Chairman R K Pachauri was today charge sheeted by the Delhi Police for allegedly sexually harassing and outraging modesty of a former woman colleague.
Pachauri has also been accused of stalking and criminally intimidating the victim with gesture or act intended to insult her modesty, said the charge sheet filed in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Shivani Chauhan who has fixed it for consideration on April 23.
Investigating Officer in the case, Pratibha Sharma, who submitted the over 1,400 page charge sheet, said the probe was also based on the SMSes and e-mails exchanged between the accused and the victim.
She said the complaint of the former TERI woman employee was thoroughly examined and statements of witnesses, many of whom are present and former employees of the organisation and friends were recorded.
The IO said 23 persons, including friends, present and former employees of The Energy Research Institute (TERI), have been named as prosecution witnesses in the charge sheet.
Investigators have also relied on the statement of the victim before the police and magistrate, besides the SMSes and emails exchanged between her the accused, she said.
She said based on the complaint of the victim, offences punishable under sections 354 (assault/criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354 A (sexual harassment), 354 D(stalking), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509(word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of IPC, are made out against Pachauri.
On February 13, last year an FIR was registered against Pachauri and he was granted anticipatory bail in the case on March 21.
Dutch intelligence services said today they were investigating reports that eight Dutch citizens have been executed in Syria by Islamic State (IS) after they tried to quit the jihadist group.
"We are investigating the signals from this open source to get further confirmation," a spokesperson for the Dutch AIVD intelligence sources told AFP, adding they had no further information.
Syrian activists on Monday said via Twitter that "Daesh executed eight Dutch fighters on Friday in Maadan, Raqa province, after accusing them of attempting desertion and mutiny."
Daesh is another name for IS, which is also known by the acronyms of ISIS or ISIL.
The tweet was posted by Abu Mohammad, a member of the citizen journalist group Raqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), and has not been confirmed by any other source.
The group said in a statement that the eight were "then buried... In the mountain in Aljerf area, after being accused of incitement against ISIS."
RBSS has been documenting since April 2014 abuses in Raqa, the group's de-facto capital in northern Syria.
Tension has boiled in Raqa over the past month between 75 Dutch jihadists -- among them fighters of Moroccan origin -- and IS intelligence operatives from Iraq, RBSS said.
Three other Dutch jihadists were arrested by Iraqi IS members who accused them of wanting to flee and one of the detainees was beaten to death during the interrogation, according to RBSS.
According to past estimates by the Dutch secret services, 200 people from the Netherlands including 50 women have joined IS in Syria and Iraq.
Villagers displaced by the construction of the Damodar Valley Corporation's Maithon and Panchet dams began a 'jal satyagraha' near here today demanding jobs and a CBI probe into employment given to fake "land-losers".
Over 250 displaced villagers from four districts of West Bengal and Jharkhand assembled on the Damodar river at Simpather, near here, demanding employment and a CBI probe into 9,000 alleged fake appointments in the name of those who lost their land to the project.
The displaced villagers from Dhanbad and Jamtara districts of Jharkhand and Purulia and Burdwan districts of West Bengal began the 'satyagraha' under the banner of 'Ghatwar Adivasi Mahasabha'.
Ramshyra Singh, president of the Mahasabha, said they want employment for genuine persons displaced and also a CBI probe into the appointment of "fake displaced villagers".
Mahasabha claimed that for the construction of the dams, over 38,000 acre of land was acquired in 1953-54 in which 12,000 families of 240 villages were displaced. Besides, the residential land belonging to 1,670 villagers of Dhanbad and Jamtara districts (then in Bihar) and 1,700 families in Purulia and Burdwan districts of Bengal had also been acquired, it claimed.
Singh said family members of these displaced persons had not been given employment till date.
Dhanbad sub-divisional magistrate said he had no information about 'jal satyagraha' being organised. "If it comes to my notice, the administration would take proper action," he said.
An Egyptian man has been beheaded and his teenage son shot dead in the Sinai, officials said today of the peninsula where Islamic State group jihadists are spearheading an insurgency.
The man and his 17-year-old son were killed late Monday in the North Sinai provincial town of El-Arish, security officials and medics said.
No militant group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
In the past, jihadists from the Egyptian affiliate of IS have beheaded several people and posted gruesome pictures online after accusing them of spying for the army in the Sinai.
"The man's decapitated body and his son's body were brought to hospital on Monday night. His son was shot in the head," a medic said.
The killings come weeks after Egypt's IS affiliate posted pictures online of two men it said were killed for spying for the military in the Sinai.
The IS affiliate -- "Sinai Province" -- is waging an insurgency in the restive peninsula that has killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
The group also claimed the October 31 downing of a Russian airliner carrying tourists over Sinai that killed all 224 people on board.
IS said it had smuggled a bomb onto the plane at an airport in the south of the peninsula.
The Sinai jihadists pledged allegiance in November 2014 to IS, which controls parts of Iraq and Syria and also has a presence in conflict-ridden Libya.
Vigilance sleuths today caught an accounts clerk of electricity department while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from Fatuha in Patna district.
Acting on a tip off, a flying squad of the vigilance department laid a trap and arrested Mohammad Asif, accounts clerk with the electricity department, while taking Rs 15,000 in bribe from his office at Fatuha supply sub-division in Patna
district, the release said.
One Lal Babu Mahto, a resident of Shekh Mohammadpur village under Khusrupur police station of the district, had lodged a complaint with the Vigilance Investigation Bureau stating that Asif was demanding a sum of Rs 15,000 for releasing his mother's pension and other arrears.
After verifying the complaint, the Vigilance department constituted a flying squad headed by Deputy SP Munna Prasad, the release said.
The accounts clerk would be produced before the Vigilance court in Patna after completing interrogation.
Altogether 22 persons have been arrested in 21 cases conducted by the department so far this year, the release added.
Having failed to get a response from them, Delhi government has now approached the wives of four Bollywood actors urging them to encourage their husbands not to endorse pan masala products as they contain areca nuts, a potential cancer causing agent.
Additional Director (Health), Delhi Government, Dr S K Arora has written to Kajol, wife of actor Ajay Devgn, Gauri Khan, wife of Shah Rukh Khan, Malaika Arora Khan, wife of Arbaaz Khan and Suneeta Ahuja, wife of actor Govinda asking them to persuade their husband not to endorse pan masala products in larger public interest.
"Humble appeal to you for encouraging Mr Shah Rukh Khan not to participate in advertisements of pan masala in larger public health interest.
"Earlier, a letter was written to Mr Khan for not to participate in such advertisements in public interest. Nonetheless I have not received any response till date nor he has plugged doing such advertisements," Arora said in his letter to Gauri.
He further said even if these pan masalas do not contain tobacco or nicotine, they surely contain areca nuts (supari) and now there are a lot of scientific evidences which prove that supari causes cancer.
"A similar letter was sent to Ms Sunny Leone and I am delighted to inform that I have received an affirmative response with the assurance of not to indulge in such promotion in future. Moreover, she is consulting the companies for the terms and conditions of present contract to stop advertising pan masalas," Arora said.
Delhi government also urged the actors and their wives to join its anti-tobacco campaign to save the lives of lakhs of people who die due to oral cancer every year.
In January, the Health Department had written to six actors--Shah Rukh Khan, Govinda, Saif Ali Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Ajay Devgan and Sunny Leone--urging them not endorse pan masala products.
Arora had said that they (actors) were role model for youngsters and should not participate in pan masala or any other similar advertisements as these attract the vulnerable population, especially, children and women and are directly and indirectly responsible for the increasing trend of tobacco use.
Leone's husband Daniel Weber, had called up to say that she will not sign any contract for such advertisements in future.
According to experts, areca nut, the main ingredient in pan masala, is in the league of caffeine, tobacco and alcohol when it comes to addictive properties and also leads to a high number of cases of submucous fibrosis, which can easily turn cancerous.
European and Asian stock markets rose today as fresh stimulus from the Chinese central bank lifted hopes for the world's number two economy, analysts said.
Frankfurt's DAX 30 index was the standout European performer, rising 1.7 per cent in midday deals, helped also by official data showing that German unemployment remained at historic lows in February.
"The major indices across Asia managed to post some fairly solid gains, helping Europe to lift its positive start to the week and push the major European stock markets towards monthly highs," said James Hughes, chief market analyst at traders GKFX.
Markets also were boosted today by merger talk, according to analysts.
US-based global markets operator Intercontinental Exchange said it was mulling a bid for the London Stock Exchange Group, already in merger talks with Germany's Deutsche Boerse, operator of the Frankfurt market.
ICE, which owns the New York Stock Exchange, said in a statement that it was "considering making an offer for LSEG", which owns the London and Milan stock exchanges.
China though was the key driver behind higher markets after its central bank cut the amount of reserves banks must set aside in Beijing's latest attempt at tackling the country's slowing growth.
After Chinese markets closed yesterday, policymakers cut the "reserve requirement ratio" for financial institutions -- the share of deposits that they must have available in cash -- by 0.50 percentage points, freeing up more funds for them to lend.
The announcement boosted the mood across Asian trading floors, with Shanghai jumping 1.7 per cent and Tokyo reversing early losses to close up 0.4 per cent today.
China's central bank move came after a G20 finance ministers' weekend meeting in Shanghai that stressed the use of all available policy tools to boost growth and settle wild volatility on global equity markets.
And it helped to offset more weak Chinese manufacturing figures. Official data today showed that February activity shrank at its fastest rate in four years.
India's main stocks index meanwhile posted its biggest rise since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power almost two years ago, after the government presented a budget expected to boost rural demand.
The United States regards the exodus of Middle Eastern refugees to Europe as a "global challenge," Secretary of State John Kerry has said, reassuring his German counterpart of US support.
"It is not somebody else's problem. It is a test for all of us," Kerry declared yesterday, at a Washington news conference with Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
"The United States considers the to be global. The impact first was felt obviously by Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. They've born an unbelievable burden in the course of these four-plus years of war."The European Union is reeling under a flow of hundreds of thousands of desperate refugees from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, and particularly from Syria, which is in the grip of civil war.
Washington boasts of being the biggest single donor to the refugee relief effort, having spent $5.1 billion, largely to support refugee camps in Syria's neighbours Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.
But President Barack Obama has only ordered that the United States itself resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees this fiscal year -- and managed to screen just 942 in the first five months of this period.
Some in Washington regard the crisis as the worst challenge to Europe since the aftermath of World War II and a threat to the survival of the European Union. The administration is under pressure to do more.
But Kerry has said the priority is to push for a political settlement in Syria that would end the war and stop the refugee flow at its source.
Parents of EWS category admission seeker students, who have been allotted North-East Delhi's East Point School in the centralised draw, are in a limbo as the administration had furnished wrong information about the number of seats to the Directorate of Education.
"All the schools were asked to provide us information about number of seats available for Nursery and KG in their respective institutions. The East Point School, Vasundhara Enclave, mistakenly furnished information about the total number of seats rather than vacant seats," DoE Director Padmini Singhla told PTI.
"Since more number of seats were shown available, more students were allotted the school in the computerised draw. The matter has been brought to our notice and remedial measures are being taken.
"After admissions to the first list are over, we will try accommodating the students in schools next on their priority list depending upon the distance range" she added.
The confusion has left parents in a fix with the school administration telling them the seats are already full.
"I have been going there for 10 days and we are turned away from the gate saying the seats are full. Daily there is a queue outside the school with parents having same problem. Why was the school allotted to my child if the seats are already occupied? ," said Sonpal, whose son has been alloted the school for admission to KG class.
When contacted, the school authorities said they cannot accommodate any more students as the seats are full.
"We have been telling any parent who approaches us that the seats have been already filled. The parents are wasting their time as well as of the school administration by queueing up outside the school premises. We advice them to contact the DoE," said Kanupriya, a senior school administration official.
Meanwhile, the department has yet again extended the last date for completion of admission.
"It has come to the notice that most of the private unaided recognised schools have not completed the admission process of EWS/DG category Students selected through computerised draw of lots at entry level classes in spite of granting extension of time up to February 29," DoE said in a circular issued to schools.
"The last date for granting admissions is hereby further extended up to March 18. All schools are directed to complete the process by then," it added.
The Centre's claims of doubling farmers' income are "hollow" because returns from farming are already in negative, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) said while dubbing the Union Budget as "anti-farmer".
"The Centre talks about doubling farmer's income by 2022. This statement is a total fraud because farmers are already in distress in the wake of negative returns then how can government double their income," BKU (Ugrahan) General Secretary Sukhdev Singh said today.
"To give remunerative returns to farmers, the Centre is required to implement Swaminathan Commission report which ensures 50 per cent profit over and above MSP," he said.
He also demanded that the government should also stress on reducing the input cost of growers which is possible by containing the profit of corporates, engaged in providing farm inputs.
BKU also termed the 100 per cent FDI in marketing of food products produced in India as a "trick to takeover" land of small and marginal farmers.
"Foreign companies have big resources and they can takeover the land of growers especially small and marginal ones under the garb of marketing and once they start earning profits, they will throw them out," he alleged.
Singh also said that raising credit for farming sector to Rs 9 lakh crore is unlikely to benefit small and marginal growers.
"The actual beneficiaries of bank advances are big, progressive farmers and commission agents who take bulk of loans, depriving small farmers who are in real need," he said.
In a bid to spread Islam's message of peace and tolerance as a counterpoint to the rising global violent extremism, the first World Sufi Forum is being organised here and will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the inaugural day on March 17.
The four-day event, being organised by All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), a non-profit institute, will have leading global Sufi scholars, academicians, social workers as participants from 20 countries including Pakistan, a release from AIUMB said.
"We believe it is high time for us to create a platform to seriously ponder over the radical interpretations of Islam by terror groups for political gains. The spread of terror and tyranny by jihadist forces in Syria and other parts of the world has damaged the image of Islam more than ever before.
"However, we are of the belief that Indian Muslims can provide a real alternative to all the bloodshed being spilled across the world in the name of Islam by promoting their rich history of Sufism," AIUMB founder-president Syed Muhammad Ashraf said in the release.
Asserting that any extremist organisation waving Islamic flags and misusing the holy Quran such as Daesh and ISIS have actually "no endorsement in the ambit of Islam", he said, they are nothing but terror outfits which are tarnishing the image of Islam.
"It is therefore important to realise and unearth the propaganda of such people and organisations that are funded by foreign entities to spread hatred and intolerance to disrupt peace and harmony in a country such as India," he added.
Sufism stands for peace, tolerance and unconditional love and AIUMB aims to promote these virtues of Islam through our World Sufi Forum event, he said.
"Through World Sufi Forum we intend to make India the global centre for moderate ideology in Islam," added Ashraf.
AIUMB, a Sunni-Sufi organisation is set up primarily to counter radicalisation of Muslims.
Five persons, including a minor, were arrested when they were allegedly trying to smuggle 30 bulls in a truck on Dholpur-Bari road here, police said today.
Acting on a tip off, police set up a barricade and checked the vehicle during which the bulls were recovered, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Singh said.
Five accused, identified as Ishaq Khan, Rahul Kumar, Feroze Khan, Mursalin and a juvenile, were arrested.
The accused told police that they were smuggling the cattle head to Bihar from Tonk district.
A case has been lodged against the accused.
Eight Maoists including a local commander and five women were killed in a fierce gun battle with police in a dense forest in insurgency-hit Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, close to Telangana's Khammam district in the wee hours today, police said.
The encounter took place between a team of Greyhounds -- Telangana's anti-Naxal force -- and the rebels in Sakler forests under Kistaram Police Station limits, nearly 500 kms south of Raipur.
Based on an information that ultras were planning to strike, police parties have been carrying out combing operations in the bordering areas for the last two to three days, Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Sharma said.
"At around 7.30 AM (this morning), our teams in joint operation with Chhattisgarh Police, were combing the area when one batch of the rebels fired on the security personnel and we also fired in self-defence in which eight maoists were killed," Sharma told reporters in Hyderabad.
All the eight bodies have been brought to Bhadrachalam in Khammam, he said.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, SRP Kalluri told PTI that out of the eight ultras killed, three have been identified as -- Gottimukkala Ramesh alias Lachanna (52), who was a special zonal committee member and belonged to Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, woman cadre Yosuf Bi alias Sony (40) from Medak district in Telangana, and Raju (25) from Chhattisgarh.
After the exchange of fire, bodies of eight rebels, including five women, were recovered from the spot, he said, adding, an AK-47 rifle, one SLR, three Insas rifles and a .303 rifle were also found at the encounter spot, he said.
Choppers were pressed into service to evacuate the security personnel from the area and shift the bodies of the rebels.
Following is the chronology of the
events in the sexual harassment case allegedly involving executive Vice Chairman of TERI R K Pachauri in which Delhi Police today filed a charge sheet against him.
*Feb 13, 2015: FIR lodged against Pachauri for alleged offence of sexual harassment, criminal intimidation on the basis of a complaint of a woman research analyst of TERI.
*Feb 17: Pachauri gives a complaint to police about hacking of his electronic devices.
*Feb 19: Delhi HC grants interim protection from arrest to Pachauri till Feb 23, asks him to move trial court for further relief.
*Feb 23: Delhi court extends Pachauri's interim protection from arrest till Feb 26.
*Feb 24: Pachauri steps down as Chairman of the Inter governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
*Feb 25: Lawyers and civil society activists demand Pachauri's resignation from TERI.
*Feb 26: Delhi court extends interim protection from arrest granted to Pachauri till March 27 but bars him from entering TERI office premises.
*Feb 28: Pachauri resigns from the PM's Council on Climate Change.
*Mar 21: Delhi court grants anticipatory bail to Pachauri while rejecting the request of police for his custody.
*Apr 17: Pachauri moves a Delhi court seeking permission to travel abroad to attend a global water summit in Greece from April 26 to 29.
*Apr 20: Delhi court refuses to hear Pachauri's plea to travel abroad after complainant questions its maintainability.
*Apr 22: Pachauri moves HC seeking permission to travel to Greece.
*Apr 23: HC denies permission to Pachauri to travel abroad after which he withdraws his plea.
*May 19: HC seeks response of Pachauri on the woman's plea seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to him.
*May 20: HC refuses to cancel Pachauri's anticipatory bail immediately.
*May 21: Pachauri fails to get an order on his plea for permission to enter his office from a Delhi court.
*Jun 24: Pachauri questioned by Police in the case.
*Jun 27: Delhi court allows Pachauri to travel to USA to attend last rites of his brother-in-law.
*Jul 12: Pachauri faces fourth round of police questioning.
*Jul 16: Police seeks cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to Pachauri in HC saying he was influencing witnesses and misusing the liberty.
*Jul 17: Delhi court allows Pachauri to enter his office premises except the head office here and a branch in Gurgaon.
*Jul 23: Governing council of TERI removes Pachauri from the post of DG.
*Sep 8: Woman files fresh plea in HC alleging no action taken by TERI against Pachauri on internal panel's findings.
*Sep 28: Woman moves fresh application in HC seeking Pachauri's immediate removal from office.
*Nov 21: Pachauri allowed to enter TERI headquarters and its Gurgaon office by a Delhi court after victim resigns.
*Jan 13: HC reserves verdict on woman's plea seeking cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to Pachauri.
*Feb 8: Pachauri appointed as executive Vice Chairman of TERI.
*Feb 10: Ex-TERI employees condemn appointment of Pachauri as Executive VC, demand deferment of his elevation till pendency of case.
*Feb 11: Amid outrage over his appointment Pachauri proceeds on leave after a group of students refuse to receive degrees from him.
*Feb 12: Former Competition Commission chief Ashok Chawla becomes new chairman of TERI.
*Feb 13: TERI alumni attacks the governing council's decision to send him on "paid leave" against their demand for his removal or suspension.
*Feb 15: A Delhi court allows TERI's executive Vice Chairman R K Pachauri to travel to Sharjah to receive Lifetime Achievement Award.
*Feb 20: Delhi court forfeits Pachauri's surety bond after he "deliberately" violates travel conditions imposed on him by overstaying abroad.
*Feb 22: Sessions court stays the order forfeiting the surety of Rs four lakh furnished by Pachauri, for overstaying abroad.
*Mar 1: Delhi Police files charge sheet against Pachauri, accuses him of offences of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, sexual harassment, stalking, criminal intimidation and word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman under IPC.
A court here today awarded life imprisonment to four persons holding them guilty of murdering a priest 40 years ago.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Pradeep Kumar also slapped on Mishri Lal Mandal, Sukhdev Sah, Vasudev Prasad and Ramdev Mandal a fine of Rs 10,000 each after finding them guilty in the murder of Anant Jha.
According to the prosecution, Jha, a native of Nepal, was murdered in Mehsi village in the Lokhi police station area on September 25, 1976, due to enmity between them.
The convicts have been sent to jail.
The court acquitted four other accused persons for want of evidence against them, while six others have died during trial of the case.
In a new chapter in Indo-Mauritian Defence co-operation, Goa government launched a Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV), 'MCGS Victory', designed and built in-house by Goa Shipyard Limited for Mauritius Coast Guard.
Chief MinisterLaxmikant Parsekar, while addressing a gathering at the launch here yesterday, lauded the work being done in the shipyard.
He said the awarding of Rs 32,000 crores MCMV (Mine Counter-Measures Vessel, also called as mine-sweepers) project is set to minimise the impact of mining restrictions, and will boost the state's economy by creating more job opportunities for the locals and setting up ancillary units.
Parsekar also complimented GSL's work force for their skills and positive attitude.
On the occasion, Mauritius High Commissioner J Goburdhan highlighted the important role of the vessels, being built at GSL, in safeguarding their vast maritime zone.
He said that based on the high professional capability and track record of GSL, the Mauritius government is confident of getting these high-quality ships within contractual delivery time.
GSL's Chairman and Managing Director Rear Admiral (Retd) Shekhar Mital said, "Contract of the vessel was signed on May 17, 2014, while the keel of the vessel was laid on Dec 18, 2014."
Launching of first of the series vessel within 14 months of keel laying is a record in itself, he said.
He assured that the vessel, as per the track record of GSL, will be delivered ahead of the contractual schedule of September 2016.
"This vessel is primarily designed for coastal patrolling, anti-piracy, anti-smuggling and anti-drug surveillance, anti-poaching, and search and rescue operations," he said.
The vessel is fitted with 30 mm CRN-91 gun, 12.7 mm heavy machine guns and 7.62 mm medium machine guns, besides state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment. It is capable of achieving a high speed of 35 knots, as per a GSL release.
GSL is the largest exporter of ships from Indian sub-continent and is presently executing export orders worth Rs 1,200 crore, the CMD said.
Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida was also present among other prominent dignitaries, at the launch.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today appreciated the re-energised efforts of the Border Raod Organisation (BRO) in providing high quality roads and connectivity in the state.
At the very outset at high level meeting, the Governor appreciated the re-energised efforts of the BRO projects in the state in providing high quality roads and connectivity in the region, Defence Spokesman said.
Vohra chaired a meeting which was attended by Parvez Dewan, Advisor to Governor, P K Tripathy, Principal Secretary to Governor, Rohit Kansal, Secretary R&B, Border Roads Organisation Director General Border Roads Lt Gen Suresh Sharma, BRO Chief Engineer, Project Sampark Brigadier B Bhattacharyya and other BRO officials.
The Construction of tunnels at Chattargala, Gurez, Tangdhar, Sadhna, Z-Gali and Fadkiyanwali Gali was emphasized to provide all round connectivity and in-built redundancy in the State road communication, spokesman said.
He said that the issues regarding taking over of some important roads by BRO commensurate to defence requirements were also discussed.
The monthly review meeting between State Government, BRO, NHAI and State PWD was stressed upon for sieving out grey areas and to provide impetus and synergy between all agencies involved in road infrastructure development.
Issues like land acquisition and forest clearance will be put on fast track, he said.
Lt Gen Sharma visited Project Sampark here and also toured extensively by air and road to assess the progress of various ongoing works.
Director General Border Roads held talks with Army Commander, Northern Command, Chief Secretary, J&K and other local formation commanders.
The government has taken various measures, including persuading states to reduce VAT on jet fuel and allowing Indian carriers to import fuel at cheaper rates, to revive the struggling civil aviation sector, Rajya Sabha was informed today.
In a written reply to a question on revival of aviation sector, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said the government has "persuaded state governments to reduce Value Added Tax (VAT) on aviation turbine fuel" and also "allowed direct import of ATF by Indian carriers as actual users."
However, the government, in the budget yesterday, proposed to increase the excise duty to 14 per cent from the current 8 per cent on jet fuel, which accounts for over 40 per cent of a carrier's operating expenses.
Highlighting other steps taken by the government to provide cushion to the ailing aviation sector, Sharma said the Centre has "permitted foreign airlines to participate up to 49 per cent in the equity of scheduled air transport undertaking".
He said the government has also "allowed External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) for working capital requirement of airline industry for a period of one year subject to a total ceiling of 1 billion dollars."
Besides, he said, the Centre has given tax concessions for parts of aircraft and testing equipment for third party maintenance, repair and overhaul of civil aircraft.
After a little over 5,930 villages getting electrified so far in this fiscal, the government has expressed hope that all the unelectrified villages in the country will be energized by 2017-end.
Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal has expressed hope that all the unelectrified villages will be electrified by the end of 2017 and every home will get power by 2018.
The Power Ministry in a statement today said that 305 villages have been electrified across the nation during the last week.
"Out of these electrified villages, 53 villages belong to Odisha, 48 in Jharkhand, 44 in Arunachal Pradesh, 42 in Bihar, 34 in Chhattisgarh, 34 in UP, 25 in Rajasthan, 14 villages in Assam, 10 in Manipur and one in Madhya Pradesh," it said.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech yesterday had said that as on April 1, 2015, a total of 18,542 villages were not electrified.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on August 15, 2015 announced that the remaining villages will be electrified within the next 1,000 days.
Modi has earlier asked the Power Ministry to target electrification of around 200 villages every week by holding regular follow ups with the state implementing agencies.
The villages are being electrified under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna (DDUGJY).
Outstanding issues relating to the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) are under negotiation between India and Mauritius through the mechanism of Joint Working Group (JWG), Parliament was informed today.
"India has proposed changes in the existing DTAA to address concerns relating to treaty abuse, around tripping of funds, double non-taxation and revenue loss. Both sides are working bilaterally to resolve these issues," Minister of State
for Finance Jayant Sinha said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.
The last JWG meeting between India and Mauritius was held from June 29 to July 1, last year in Delhi to discuss outstanding issues.
In a reply to a separate query, Sinha said the Income Tax Department has implemented the Non-Filer Monitoring System (NMS), which analyses and assimilates all in-house information as well as transactional data received from third parties including Annual Information System (AIR), tax deduction at source and Tax Collected at Source (TCS) statements.
"About 1.36 crore non-filers with potential tax liability have been identified under NMS amd more than 52 lakh returns have been filed by the target segments," the minister said.
Sinha said for the assessment year 2014-15, the number of taxpayers of income tax is 5.45 crore, which works out to be 4.36 per cent of estimated population of 125 crore.
The government today ordered "rebidding" of the strategic Rs 10,050-crore Zojila pass tunnel contract in Jammu and Kashmir, which was earlier given to IRB Infrastructure.
The decision to rebid the tunnel project was taken recently at a high-level meeting, chaired by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, official sources said.
At the meeting, officials informed Gadkari that IRB Infrastructure had approached the Ministry to expedite the contract as the project was being delayed, sources said.
"The Minister was of the view that if any doubts are raised in respect of any project concerning his Ministries, he would not hesitate to order rebidding. Gadkari said that since some doubts have been raised in respect of the project, rebidding should be ordered to maintain complete transparency and uphold probity in public life," a source told PTI.
The project is of strategic importance, rebidding should be done at the earliest, the Minister told officials, he added.
Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh had in January alleged that Gadkari had violated the CVC guidelines while awarding the contract.
Gadkari had rubbished the charges of corruption, saying that Singh's allegations were "completely false" as the ministry followed a transparent e-tender system.
Meanwhile, the developer in a regulatory filing to the BSE has informed that the company has received a communication from the government about the cancellation of the bid process.
"The Company has received communication from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways that it has decided to cancel the bid process for the project and cancelled the said letter of award without assigning any reasons," IRB infrastructure said.
The company had earlier intimated the BSE on January 3 about the letter of award for Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Zozila Tunnel including approaches on NH-1 (Srinagar - Sonmarg - Gumri Road) on Design, Build, Finance, Operate & Transfer (Annuity) basis.
Soon after the award, the Road Transport Ministry had said all due processes in line with the Cabinet approval were followed in award of strategic Rs 10,050 crore Zojila pass tunnel contract to IRB Infrastructure.
The statement had come a day after Congress had demanded sacking of Gadkari, alleging that the award was a "clear case of corruption at the highest level".
"The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways follows due procedure while maintaining complete transparency in the award of any contracts. In the instant case also, the contract was awarded after due diligence after the bid was found technically responsive. Financial bid was opened and the quoted Semi Annuity amount found in line with the approval of CCEA for award of the work," an official statement had said.
Biotech regulator GEAC has asked Delhi University's Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, which is seeking permission for environmental release of transgenic mustard, to "revise" the report following concerns raised by farmers' bodies and NGOs, Lok Sabha was informed today.
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has received representations from various NGOs and farmers' bodies, expressing concern over the safety of transgenic mustard and is following a case by case assessment of genetically modified (GM) crops taking into account the "safety, efficacy, stability and agronomic performance", the government said.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, in written reply in Lok Sabha, said GEAC has recently received the application for environmental release of transgenic mustard hybrid DMH, developed by Delhi University's Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, using barnase, barstar and bar genes.
Javadekar said the dossier submitted by the applicant includes detailed studies to assess the impact on environment and human health in accordance with the protocols prescribed by the review committee on genetic manipulation and Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee.
"These include expression studies, toxicity assessment, sub-chronic toxicity assessment, allergencity, compositional analysis and nutritional value, weediness potential, crossibility, pollen flow, gene flow studies, impact of soil organism etc.
"GEAC, in its meeting held on February 5, has directed the applicant to revise the dossier as per comments of the sub-committee constituted by GEAC and inputs received from the Department of Biotechnology," he said.
Government has not taken a decision on 5/20 norm, which requires an Indian carrier to have minimum 5 years of domestic flying and at least 20 planes for going overseas, Parliament was informed."No such decision has been taken," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply to a Member's question.Sharma was responding to NCP Member of Parliament Majeed Memon's question whether in the proposed new civil aviation policy, the Government is likely to favour removal of 5/20 rule to allow some private to fly on international routes.
As of now three private carriersJet Airways, SpiceJet and IndiGohave international operations besides the state-run Air India.
GoAir, which is into domestic operations since 2005, is still not qualified for flying overseas as the airline is one short of required number of aircraft (20) in the fleet.Besides, two Tata Sons invested airlines AirAsia India and Vistarawhich started operations only in June 2014 and January 2015 , respectively and have only six and nine aircraft in their respective fleet, also can't fly overseas under the 5/20 norm.Significantly, last week Sharma had reportedly said that the Government had firmed up three to four options on the 5/20 rule."5/20 is going. In place of that, we will have something like 0/10 or 0/20 or 1/10 or 2/20.
One of these options will be chosen very shortly. We are very close to the final decision," Sharma had said. Sharma's comments had come after chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons Ratan Tata lashed out publicly last month against the favouring continuation of the rule, alleging that the "incumbent (were) lobbying for protection and preferential treatment for themselves against the new airlines." The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which wants a status quo on the rule on the existing regulations, have in turn accused Ratan Tata and two airlines of acting in "self interest" and not in " interest." Significantly, the proposal to do away with the 5/20 norm was mooted by the erstwhile UPA government around the time Tata Group announced its re-entry in the domestic airlines industry in 2013.
The registration of India under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010, was cancelled for alleged violation of laws, including false declaration about foreign contribution, Lok Sabha was informed today.
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said inspection of accounts and records of India was conducted on the basis of inputs that provisions of FCRA were being violated.
During the inspection, he said, a number of violations were noticed, including transfer of foreign contribution to other than FCRA-designated bank accounts, under reporting and repeatedly mentioning incorrect amount of foreign contribution received, thus violating Section 33 of the FCRA.
Under Section 33 of FCRA, a person is liable for action if he or she knowingly-(a) gives false intimation under sub-section. (c) of section 9 or section 18; or (b) seeks prior permission or registration by means defraud, false representation or concealment of material fact.
The other violations by the NGO include incurring more than 50 per cent of foreign contribution on administrative expenditure, foreign NGO funding legal costs not only of bail but also of writ petitions of Indian NGOs and their activists, he said.
"After serving show cause notice and providing reasonable opportunity, registration of India was cancelled on September 2, 2015," Rijiju said in a written reply.
Replying to another question, the minister said registration of 4,138 NGOs was cancelled in July 2012 and those of 10,117 in March 2015 after issuance of show cause notices to such associations and giving them adequate opportunity.
After inspections and scrutiny of accounts for serious violations, 17 cases were referred to CBI and 10 to state police for further investigation and prosecution.
Accounts of 23 NGOs have been frozen and 20 NGOs were prohibited from receiving foreign contribution.
In 2014, penalty amounting to Rs 5.20 crore was imposed on 341 NGOs for late or non-submission of mandatory annual returns and Rs 51.99 lakh on 24 NGOs for receipt and utilisation of foreign contribution without obtaining registration of prior permission under the FCRA, Rijiju added.
A Saudi Arabian preacher was shot and wounded in a southern Philippine city today, police told AFP, adding security forces killed the gunman.
Sheikh Aaidh al-Qarni was in hospital but did not have life threatening injuries following the shooting in Zamboanga city, local police spokeswoman Senior Inspector Helen Galvez said.
The Madras High Court today permitted 10 persons, who contested for the post of Directors of Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank and got highest votes, to assume charge, subject to outcome of pending proceedings before it.
A division bench, comprising Justice V. Ramasubrasmanian and Justice N.Kirubakaran, then posted the matter for further hearing to March 7.
Litigations on the bank were posted for hearing before the bench as per the directions of the Supreme Court.
Justice R Balasubramanian (retd judge of Madras High Court), who was appointed Chairman to conduct the annual general meetings that were pending for a long time, submitted two sealed covers to the Registrar-Judicial of the Court, containing his own report and the report of the Scrutinizer relating to the results of the annual general meetings.
After perusing the contents, the bench said last time elections were held in 2009 following an earlier court order. After that, the AGMs could not take place, since the parties dragged the bank to various courts in a series of litigations, "some of which were proxy litigation fought by different groups to gain control over the bank."
As a consequence, the Board elected in 2009 continued for about 7 years till January 29 this year. Upon the AGM being held on that date, the directors elected in 2009 vacated their office, the bench said.
"Therefore, as on date, there is only one Managing Director and two Directors nominated by RBI. The Managing Director has virtually fallen ill, as could be seen from one of the resolutions passed in the AGM, sanctioning his medical bill."
The functioning of the Bank has actually been paralyzed by the litigation. If normalcy has to be restored, then a full- fledged Board should assume office, it said.
"This is possible either by declaring the results subject to the outcome of the cases or by nominating someone to the Board. The second option is ruled out since RBI is not agreeable to nominate anyone. They fear conflict of interest."
"Therefore, there is only one option, namely to declare the results and allow the elected directors to assume charge, subject to the outcome of the litigation pending in all these proceedings."
"....For the present, without pronouncing a final verdict on the question of validity of the votes polled by certain shareholders and without also recording a finding whether these votes have been calculated or not, we pass an order declaring the aforesaid 10 persons as having been elected. They are permitted to take charge subject to the ultimate outcome of these proceedings," the bench said.
The Patna High Court today directed the Ministry of Defence to reply by April 5 on reports that it had asked candidates for varied Army posts to appear for a test without clothes, other than underwear, at Muzaffarpur last Sunday to prevent cheating.
A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmad Ansari and Justice Chakradhari Saran Singh issued the order today on a petition.
On the basis of photographs appearing in some newspapers in which candidates were shown writing examination in an open ground without any clothes except underwear, lawyer Deenu Kumar had filed a PIL yesterday which the High Court had converted into a writ and gave the order today to the Ministry of Defence to reply by April 5.
Test was conducted for 1,159 posts at different levels in the Army at Chakkar Maidan in Muzaffarpur, about 100 km from Patna, by the Army Recruitment Office, Muzaffarpur.
Director, Recruitment at Muzaffarpur Colonel V S Godra told reporters today that the step asking candidates to sit for the examination bare bodied was taken as a preventive measure against cheating.
Because of this, no complaint of smuggling of mobile phones and chits inside the examination venue took place this time, he claimed.
"We did not insult anybody or subjected anyone to cruelty...No examinee complained, so why outsiders are making a hue and cry over the matter?" Godra wondered.
This is in contrast to photographs from Vaishali appearing last year showing people perched on window shades of a multi-storey building handing over answer chits to students appearing for exams inside.
A petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a probe into the recent murder of a prisoner allegedly by a fellow inmate in the Central Prison here.
When the petition by the widow of Senthil came up for hearing, Justice V S Ravi directed the prison officials to produce the case diary, the post mortem report and other relevant documents in the court on March 14.
Raising doubts over police's claim that her husband, a murder accused, was mentally ill and was killed by the fellow prisoner, Thirukammal sought a probe by a judge or competent officers, in order to unravel the truth.
Contending that her husband was a normal person, she said during the remand, they did not inform the judicial magistrate that he was mentally ill.
On February 24, the prison authorities informed her at 1.50 am that her husband was in a serious condition, and soon after, they called her and said he had died on the way to hospital.
The authorities who were bound to safeguard the lives of the prisoners did not even permit her to see the body of her husband at the hospital before the post mortem, she alleged.
No reason was given for the death, raising strong suspicion about the cause, the petitioner said.
She contended that in order to cover up the issue they had projected her husband as mentally ill and was murdered by another mentally ill person.
Unless an inquiry was ordered into the incident, the truth would remain unknown, she said and prayed before the court to direct the officials for the same.
The Calcutta High Court today nullified acquisition of 50 acres of land at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district for non-payment of compensation.
Justice Arindam Sinha nullified the acquisition on the ground that the non-payment of compensation violated norms stipulated in the Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
The erstwhile Left Front government had in 2006 acquired 500 acres of land at Baruipur for setting up a new district headquarter there, shifting the existing one at Alipore in south Kolkata.
Award of compensation for the acquisition was announced in 2007.
A private developer owning 38 acres and 350 individual plot owners having 12 acres out of the 500 acres acquired moved the high court in 2009, claiming they had not been paid compensation.
After hearing all parties, Justice Sinha passed the order today.
The Orissa High Court today restrained the State Election Commission (SEC) from filling up the posts of Councillors in Keonjhargada Municipal Council arising out of a disqualification order passed by the SEC last month.
At least nine former BJD councillors of the civic body were disqualified by the SEC on February 19 as they defied the party whip and voted for the no-confidence motion moved against the Chairperson of the civic body in December last year.
Adjudicating over a writ petition filed by the nine disqualified councillors, Justice S K Mishra ordered the respondents, including the SEC, not to go ahead with the exercise of filling up the vacancies until further orders.
Elected on BJD tickets, Sushree Sangita Nanda, Dileep Kumar Behera, Sunil Kumar Nayak, Kuna Nayak, Swarnalata Sahu, Prabhati Patnaik, Kumudini Nayak, Shatrughna Nayak and Sabita Sethy had defied the BJD whip and voted against the civic body Chairperson Meena Majhi after resigning from the party in the 21-member council.
However, on a petition filed by BJD, the SEC had disqualified the elections of these nine councillors invoking the provision of a freshly-amended anti-defection law.
Contesting the SEC action, the councillors had approached the High Court stating that the SEC order of disqualification was bad in the eyes of law as they had already resigned from the party before the anti-defection law was amended.
The Madras High Court today stayed suspension of a Muslim research scholar of a state-run unviversity, holding that the action was taken on a suspicious criminal case and it went against the government's push for inclusiveness of minorities and Dalits in higher education.
Passing interim orders on a petition by Mohamed Khan, challenging the action against him, Justice D Hariparanthaman also stayed a showcause notice issued by the Registrar of the Tirunelveli-based Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, seeking the student's explanation for his alleged criminal act.
The Judge held that the Registrar had passed the suspension order based on a "suspicious criminal" case.
The petitioner was a self-employed person who had come up the ladder working as a 'parota master' (cook), the Judge said, adding the action taken by the university was against the policy of the union government which wanted participation of members from SC, ST and minority communities in higher education.
The student, suspended on October 1 last year, claimed a "false" complaint was lodged against him as he had sought details about some funds transactions and alleged 'illegal' absorption of Assistant Professors.
According to the complaint, the student had entered the room of Assistant Professor Dr Jaishankar and allegedly abused him. He was also charged with closing and latching the room door while going out after Jaishankar and some of his colleagues questioned his behaviour.
The Judge said the alleged incident took place on September 1, 2015 while the FIR was registered on September 25. No reason was given for the inordinate delay, he said, adding "delay is fatal to the criminal proceedings".
The Judge also said the complaint was given by an Assistant Professor and not an illiterate. It had not been explained why did he lodge the complaint 25 days after the incident.
The petitioner said the delayed FIR should not be relied on to take punitive action against him.
The Judge said the showcause notice mentioned that the petitioner had threatened the Assitant Professor with a knife, but it was not stated in the FIR or in the complaint.
The Assitant Registrar, who was present in the court, said they had not enquired about the incident from other professors who were in the room of Jaishankar.
The hearing on the report of justifiability for handcuffing Dhalasamant brothers, allegedly mafia dons, in public filed by the investigating officer (IO) remained inconclusive in a local court today as the public prosecutor sought some more time to get instructions from the government.
Debendra Kumar Biswal, a sub-inspector of Chauliaganj police station and the IO in the case, had submitted a report to the SDJM court detailing the grounds for which the brothers were made to walk in handcuffs in a residential colony here on February 27 where they had been taken for the purpose of investigation during police remand.
Objecting to the grounds stated by the IO, the brothers' advocate Soura Chandra Mohapatra argued that the police action was in violation of settled principle of law of custodial jurisprudence as mentioned in various decisions passed by the Supreme Court earlier.
"The Supreme Court in a judgment in 1979 had said that indiscriminate resort to handcuffs is illegal and shall be stopped forthwith, save in a small category of cases where an undertrial has a credible tendency of violence and escape," he said.
He said the burden of proof of the ground is on the custodian as stated by Orissa High Court last week in its order while disposing of a petition filed by the State government.
The matter would be taken up again on Thursday.
In the meantime, apprehending law and order situation in Choudwar jail, where the brothers are currently lodged in judicial custody, the police have made an application to the SDJM court seeking permission to transfer the two brothers to separate jails in the State.
In another development, city police today arrested a wanted criminal Antaryami Sahu, brother of a BJD corporator, from Chauliaganj area alleging he is an associate of Dhalasamant brothers and has been involved in extortion cases.
Heart and lung diseases are the top killers in the country, Health Minister JP Nadda informed the Rajya Sabha today.
According to WHO, the top ten causes of death in India are Ischemic heart disease (12.4%), chronic obstructive lung disease (10.8%), stroke (9%), diarrhoeal diseases (6%), lower respiratory tract infections (4.5%), preterm birth complications (3.9%), tuberculosis (2.7%), self-harm (2.6%), falls (2.6%) and road injury (2.4%), Nadda said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.
"While some of these can be diagnosed at early stages and treated by qualified and trained MBBS doctors, diseases such as cancer, stroke, etc. Require services of specialists with postgraduate qualifications," the Minister said.
At present, there are 57,138 MBBS seats and 25,850 postgraduate seats in the country.
Home appliances manufacturers such as Panasonic, Whirlpool of India and Godrej are hoping that the microwave segment will see an uptick after two years of demand slowdown with the government waiving import duty on a key component.
Although the removal of customs duty on magnetron of capacity 1 KW to 1.5 KW from 10 per cent earlier will benefit mostly microwaves of industrial applications, Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) says the step will give a fillip to domestic manufacturing.
"The exemption of basic customs duty from 10 per cent to nil on Magnetron (of capacity 1 KW to 1.5 KW), which is used to manufacture microwave ovens, shall positively impact microwave oven manufacturing in the country," Panasonic India & South Asia Managing Director Manish Sharma told PTI.
The government impetus on 'Make in India' by providing tax and duty benefits will boost the manufacturing sector for a longer period of time for strengthening the manufacturing capabilities, said Sharma, who is also President of CEAMA.
Expressing similar views, Whirlpool of India VP Marketing Kapil Agarwal said: "This is a welcome move given the fact that the MWO industry has been declining in the past two years. This will enable not only growth as the products become more accessible but also spur India manufacturing."
Offering a different perspective, Godrej Appliances Business Head and EVP Kamal Nandi said the proposal announced in the Budget 2016-17 will be beneficial only for big microwaves used in industrial applications and not the ones for domestic purposes.
"They have dropped duty for magnetron of capacity 1 KW to 1.5 KW, which is for the higher end," he said, adding in domestic microwaves the capacity of magnetron is less than 1KW and import duty on these zero per cent last year itself.
Public sector lender IDBI Bank today said international institutions like CDC of England and GIC of Singapore have shown some interest in buying stake in the bank.
There were media reports that the government was in talks with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group member, to sell up to 15 per cent up stake in the struggling infra-lender- turned commercial bank.
"You are talking about IFC, but there are many others -- CDC is there, GIC is there, these investors are looking at buying stake, because they know IDBI is a very credible bank," managing director and chief executive Kishor Kharat told reporters here.
The government owns around 80 per cent stake in IDBI Bank and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while presenting the Budget yesterday had said the government was open to paring its stake in IDBI Bank below 50 per cent through a strategic stake sale.
"The process of transformation of IDBI Bank has already started. The government will take it forward and also consider the option of reducing its stake to below 50 per cent," Jaitley had said.
The bank today announced a three-year plan to revamp it by doubling its business to Rs 10 trillion by FY19 and also to reduce its gross non-performing assets to below 3 per cent, which is close to 9 per cent now.
In the December quarter, the bank had reported its worst numbers with a net loss of Rs 2,183 crore on a massive rise in NPAs, making it the second largest loss in the history of the nation's banking history after BoB's over Rs 3,342 crore in the same period.
International Finance Corporation (IFC) today launched its first Uridashi Masala Bonds (Japanese bonds) to mobilise Rs 30 crore from Japanese retail investors.
The proceeds will be used for promoting private sector development in India, IFC said in a statement from Tokyo.
The three-year bond builds on IFC's pioneering Masala Bond programme, which has raised the equivalent of USD 1.7 billion from international investors so far, said the World Bank Group member.
The bonds will be settled in yen and each bond is denominated at Rs 1,00,000, the IFC said, adding that the bonds will be issued on March 30, 2016 and mature on March 29, 2019 with an annual payout of 5.36 per cent.
Masala Bonds are rupee-denominated instruments sold only to offshore investors, while Uridashi bonds are sold to Japanese household investors.
"Thriving economies depend on efficient capital markets," said Jingdong Hua, IFC vice-president and treasurer.
"Our latest bond opens up a new source of local-currency finance for businesses in India while enabling Japanese household investors to participate in the development of one of the world's fastest-growing economies," Hua noted.
IFC has played a prominent role in developing capital markets in the country, rolling out a USD 3 billion worth of rupee-denominated Masala Bonds over the past two years.
The largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets, IFC has issued bonds in various maturities to establish a sound benchmark for rupee bond prices.
Huge overseas investor demand for rupee bonds prompted the
Reserve Bank of India to consider permitting local companies to issue rupee-denominated bonds in offshore markets.
Hua said India is the largest client country for IFC, which has a committed portfolio totaling over USD 5 billion as of June 2015. Out of this, USD1.4 billion of new investments came in FY15 alone.
Apart from strengthening local capital markets, IFC is also focused on boosting financing in infrastructure and logistics, promoting financial inclusion, and expanding access to high-quality and affordable healthcare.
IFC works with over 2,000 businesses worldwide. In FY15, its long-term investments in developing countries rose to nearly USD 18 billion.
While American i-banker JP Morgan was the sole arranger of the bonds, the Japanese brokerage Daisen Hinomaru Securities Co was the distributor.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has given in-principle approval for creation of four new tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Assam and Chhattisgarh, Lok Sabha was informed today.
"The in-principle approval has been accorded by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for creation of four new tiger reserves in Ratapani (MP), Sunabeda (Odisha), Guru Ghasidas (Chhattisgarh) and Orang (Assam)," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in a written reply.
He said the state governments have been advised to send proposals for declaring Suhelwa(UP), Mhadei(Goa), Srivilliputhur Grizzled Giant Squirrel/ Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuaries/ Varushanadu Valley (TN), Dibang (Arunachal Pradesh) and Cauveri MM Hills (Karnataka) as tiger reserves.
Javadekar said the assessment of status of tigers, co-predators and their prey in 2014, using refined methodology, has shown a country-wide 30 per cent increase in the number of tiger with an estimated number of 2226 (range (1954-2491) as compared to the 2010 estimation of 1706 (range 1520-1909).
He said NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have identified potential bottlenecks, obstacles and weak links within these corridors which are due to the presence of habitation, poor forest cover, encroachments, land use other than forest and geographical barriers.
India cannot afford to lose China's support by joining the US in patrolling the disputed South China Sea as it needs Chinese help for economic growth and for success of BRICS, a state-run daily said today.
In the second commentary within a week on the joint patrol issue, an article in the said: "The New Delhi government pursues pragmatic diplomacy and strives to reach a balance between the US and China. Some interpret New Delhi's refusal (to jointly patrol the SCS) as retaliation against Washington's approval of weapon sales to Islamabad last year."
"This may be true. Yet, the fundamental reason is that New Delhi understands the significance of a sound China-India relationship to the nation's development. India cannot afford to lose China's support, which serves as an economic engine for the nation's growth.
"In addition, New Delhi has officially taken over the presidency of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) from Moscow last month and will host the eighth summit in a few months' time. A friendly atmosphere is significant for the upcoming summit," the article said.
It said conducting joint patrols in an attempt to court the US in this backdrop is inappropriate. "By refusing the US proposal, India is taking a stand and showing goodwill to China."
The commentary is the second such article in the daily. On February 26, it said "any move by India to join the US navy for jointly patrolling the disputed South China sea will be against its interest and it would divide Asian countries and further escalate regional tensions."
Chinese media's reactions came after it was reported that the US and India talked about launching joint naval patrols in the South China sea to safeguard freedom of navigation. But soon India clarified there would be no such patrols and the US also subsequently denied having any such plans.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, where several other Asian countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei have overlapping claims.
Today's article also accused the US of attempting to drive a wedge between India and Pakistan.
"Wary of India's rise, US is attempting to instigate conflicts between New Delhi and Islamabad by approving the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. New Delhi is wise to say no to Washington.
"The White House is just manoeuvring India for its own interests, and will not stop supporting Pakistan as a repay to India. The US administration is following a 'divide and rule' policy," it said.
India and US could sign a key military logistics agreement as top officials from the two sides meet here in April to look at ways to deepen the bilateral ties in the critical sector.
Defence sources said one of the key area of focus during the visit of US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter to India in April will be three contentious agreements that Washington has been pushing for long.
Known as the "foundational agreements", these pacts are - Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).
"Discussions are on. Logistics agreement, tweaked as per India's interests, is doable and may be signed. However, some more discussions is to be held on BECA," sources said adding that CISMOA needs detailed discussions and clarifications.
The sources had earlier said that LSA, which enables cashless supplies to each other's armed forces on credit, is doable as it can be done on "case by case" basis.
"Of course no help will be extended in event of a war with our friendly countries," the sources had said.
CISMOA allows interoperability of Indian and US equipment, which can be critical in a multi-nation operation for rescue, disaster relief or any other such matters.
Indian defence establishment has concerns about this agreement as well as the BECA, which facilitates the exchange of geospatial information between governments for military as well as civilian use.
The US has been pushing India over these agreements arguing that by not signing them, India is itself blocking potential for defence and high-technology cooperation.
Kenneth Handelman, Deputy Assistant Secretary (Defence Trade Controls) in the State Department, had in February last year said that not signing of these pacts by India "are going to be an issue" at some point as both the countries work on high-end technology.
Even though the previous UPA government had refused to sign these, sources said Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has asked the US to address India's concerns over these agreements for holding further talks, particularly on CISMOA and BECA.
During his trip to US in December, Parrikar had indicated to the US that it may reconsider its stand on three contentious defence foundational agreements if its apprehensions about some of the issues in the pacts are addressed by Pentagon.
"The Indian side has expressed certain reservation/ apprehension about some of the issues (with regard to Foundational Agreements)," Parrikar had told reporters at the end of his US trip.
India today signed a loan agreement with multilateral lending agency World Bank for $300 million for Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Quality Improvement Project.
The objective of the project is to improve student outcomes especially of disadvantaged groups in selected Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and to increase the effectiveness of the Higher Education System in Madhya Pradesh, a finance ministry statement said.
The agreement was signed between Department of Economic Affairs Joint Secretary Raj Kumar on behalf of India and World Bank's Country Director Onno Ruhl on behalf of World Bank.
The project has three components that include grants support to higher education Institutions, State Level Initiatives and improving system management, the statement said.
India has told Pakistan to uphold the sanctity of the Line of Control and abide by the ceasefire commitment of 2003 along the International Border and LoC.
Minister of State for Home, Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said Tuesday ceasefire violation is taken up with Pakistani authorities through the established mechanism of hotlines, flag meetings as well as talks between the Directorate Generals of Military Operations.
"Government has repeatedly emphasised, including at the highest level, the need for Pakistan to uphold the sanctity of the LoC and abide by the ceasefire commitment of 2003 along the IB and LoC in Jammu and Kashmir," Chaudhary, in Lok Sabha, said in a written reply.
The minister said there were 253 instances of ceasefire violation along the IB in 2015, 430 in 2014 and 148 in 2013.
Chaudhary said there were 121 infiltration attempts along the border in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015 of which 33 were successful. However, 46 terrorists were killed by security forces.
He said in 2014, there were 222 infiltration attempts in the state of which 65 were successful. A total of 52 terrorists were killed by the security forces that year.
The minister noted that 208 terror incidents took place in the Valley in 2015 in which 39 security personnel and 17 civilians were killed.
There were 222 terrorist incidents in J-K in 2014 in which 47 security personnel and 28 civilians were killed, he added.
For the second time in a row, Indian Accent, New Delhi has been voted the 'Best Restaurant in India' at the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2016 event.
The award, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was announced at a gala ceremony here in the Thai capital yesterday.
Chairman, Old World Hospitality, Rohit Khattar, said getting the award for the second consecutive time as "encouraging".
"It is indeed encouraging. We are all thrilled with this award for the second consecutive year and would like to thank the jury as well as our diners for their continued support. We opened Indian Accent in New York last week and are now looking forward to New York embracing our inventive Indian cuisine", Khattar said in New York.
Chef Manish Mehrotra added, "We work 365 days a year towards this and are delighted with this recognition. These are exciting times for the food industry in India and we are glad to be contributing towards its evolvement. We hope to keep bringing the very best to our diners and look forward to many such achievements in future."
The award was collected by Sandeep Tandon, Managing Director, Old World Hospitality and Shantanu Mehrotra, Executive Chef, Indian Accent, the company said in a press release.
Indian Accent serves a unique interpretation of Indian food, featuring historic revivals, playful nostalgia, with an openness to global techniques and influence. The restaurant has been featured in the 2015 San Pellegrino list of 100 Best Restaurants in the World, the only restaurant from India on the list.
Indian Accent restaurant started functioning at Le Parker Meridian, New York last week.
Old World Hospitality operates two Convention and Performing Arts Centres, two hotels, a catering company and over 40 restaurants in India.
Huge suspicion, mistrust and tension between nuclear-powered India and Pakistan have been causing "devastating consequences" in South Asia, particularly halting its economic growth and exposing the region to the risk of a major conflict, former President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Kumaratunga said today.
In her address at the Raisina Dialogue, she said national security concerns should compel major players in the region to cooperate with each to effectively deal with challenge of terrorism and violent "politicised extremism".
Pitching for economic integration among SAARC countries, Kumaratunga, who served as Sri Lankan President for around 11 years, said why cannot "we see Chinese economic power as an opportunity rather than a threat for South Asia."
"Huge suspicion and continuing mistrust between the two large states of South Asia has caused devastating consequences to the entire region," she said speaking at the inaugural session of the three-day dialogue.
She said India is the world's fastest growing economy and it will have much to gain from regional economic integration.
In his address, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said terrorism is spreading in the region, threatening its stability. "We must not tolerate state entities supporting, harbouring, financing terrorist networks," he said.
Calling India Afghanistan's best friend, Karzai, without naming Pakistan, said states harbouring militant elements was not at all acceptable and that regional organisations like Shanghai Cooperation Organisation can play an effective role in dealing with the menace.
Karzai said he had visited Islamabad over 20 times during his 14 year tenure as Afghan President in an effort to improve ties but he did not succeed.
He said Afghanistan's relationship with China is comprehensive and Kabul has an important role as a transit hub for regional economic integration.
"Afghanistan wants best relations between India and China. There is a need for positive symmetry," he said, hoping China-Iran rail line would be extended to other countries.
Karzai also talked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the Afghan Parliament in December last year and said India has been helping the country to a great extent in the last few years.
Speaking at the conference, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said terror and lack of political will have impeded regional connectivity affecting economic growth of the region.
Talking about Indo-Bangla ties, he said relations between the two countries are at their "best" now.
In her address, Kumaratunga also said South Asia is today one of the two most violent regions of the world and cooperation was essential to ensuring regional security.
She said the paradox of South Asia is that the "very cultures we have shared for millennia have succeeded in dividing us."
"South Asian states expended time and effort in consolidating separate identities - causing inter-state tension," she said.
Backed by paramilitary forces and aerial support, Iraqi troops today launched a new push to retake a key area north of the capital, Baghdad, and dislodge Islamic State militants from there, officials said.
According to a statement by the Joint Operations Command, the "new offensive" began at dawn in a swath agricultural area northeast of the city of Samarra, 95 kilometres north of Baghdad, with the aim to cut IS supply lines and to tighten the grip around the IS-held northern city of Mosul.
The command says paramilitary forces, mostly Shiite militias, and the Iraqi air force were backing the push on the area, called Jazerat Samarra. The statement did not say if the US-led international coalition was involved in the operation.
Controlling the Jazerat Samarra area will not only restrict the IS militants' movements between the three provinces in the region, but willalso be essential for future operations to retake parts of Anbar province and Mosul, said Sabah al-Numan, the spokesman of the counter-terrorism forces.
Al-Numan told The Associated Press that two vehicles loaded with militants were bombed today, and that the security forces managed to hit a would-be suicide car bomber before he reached his target.
The offensive comes on the heels of two massive bombings in as many days by the Islamic State group in the area - in the town of Muqdadiyah and in Baghdad - that killed at least 110 people.
Shiite lawmaker and spokesman for the paramilitary forces, Ahmed al-Asadi, said the offensive "is in retaliation for the blood of our martyrs and to annihilate the terrorist gangs that have wreaked havoc."
IS still controls much of northern and western Iraq, but has been driven back in recent months in some areas, such as the cities of Ramadi and Tikrit. The government last month declared the western city of Ramadi, the Anbar provincial capital, "fully liberated" after it had been captured by IS last year.
Iraqi ground offensives - despite heavy backing from US-led coalition airstrikes - have been slow in scoring key victories against the Islamic State. A campaign to retake Mosul, the main city held by Islamic State in Iraq, has long been believed to be imminent but has not taken off the ground yet.
Four suicide bombers disguised as soldiers struck an Iraqi military headquarters in the western town of Haditha today, killing eight army officers, including a local commander, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.
Local councilman Khalid Salman said one of the bombers attacked the gate of the compound and the others struck after soldiers gathered to help the victims. He said eight soldiers were wounded in the attack.
IS claimed the assault in online statements issued on jihadi websites, saying it was carried out by two Syrian suicide bombers. The AP could not confirm the authenticity of the statements, but they resembled previous announcements issued by the group.
Haditha is some 240 kilometers (150 miles) northwest of Baghdad, near a key dam on the Euphrates. IS has attacked the town on a number of occasions, but has never been able to seize it.
Iraqi forces, primarily Shiite militias, meanwhile launched a new push to retake a sprawling desert area outside the central city of Samarra, home to one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines, officials said.
They hope to cut IS supply lines and tighten the noose around the IS-held northern city of Mosul -- Iraq's second largest -- according to a statement by the Joint Operations Command. The statement said Iraqi warplanes were supporting the mission. It did not say if the US-led international coalition was involved.
Shiite lawmaker Ahmed al-Asadi, a spokesman for the paramilitary forces, said the offensive "is in retaliation for the blood of our martyrs and to annihilate the terrorist gangs that have wreaked havoc.
Four Islamic State group suicide bombers infiltrated an army headquarters west of Baghdad, killing an Iraqi general and five other soldiers, army and police officers said today.
The bombers attacked a regimental headquarters in the Haditha area of Anbar province late yesterday, killing Staff Brigadier General Ali Aboud, Lieutenant Colonel Farhan Ibrahim and four others, the sources said.
Major General Ali Ibrahim Daboun, the head of the Al-Jazeera Operations Command, said one suicide bomber blew himself up inside Aboud's office, while the other three detonated explosives elsewhere inside the headquarters.
Seven soldiers were also wounded in the attack, Daboun said.
Colonel Faruq al-Jughaifi, the Haditha police chief, confirmed the attack, saying it took place near a major dam in the area, and that the bombers were dressed in military uniforms.
IS overran swathes of Iraq, including large parts of Anbar, in a sweeping offensive launched in June 2014, but has largely been on the defensive in the province since the middle of last year.
Iraqi tribesmen and security personnel defending Haditha, which lies near the country's second largest dam, have held off IS for more than 18 months with the help of air strikes by a US-led coalition.
The war with IS has taken a heavy toll on senior Iraqi officers in Anbar.
Two heads of the Anbar Operations Command were wounded in 2015, while the commanders of a division and a brigade were killed in Anbar in April of that year. The province's governor was wounded in 2014.
Senior army and police commanders have also been killed in other provinces.
Joining the debate, former Union Home Secretary R K Singh today claimed that the affidavit on the controversial Ishrat Jahan case was changed due to political reasons.
"The main question is who asked for a change and for what reason. Obviously politics was played," he told PTI.
Singh's predecessor G K Pillai said ex-Home Minister P Chidambaram had changed the affidavit, which originally described Ishrat and her slain aides as LeT operatives.
Singh, now BJP MP from Bihar, said what was the reason for the change of the affidavit when the Intelligence Bureau had said that Ishrat had links with Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists.
"She knew about her accomplice Javed Sheikh, that Javed had links with terrorists. She went to two places with Javed. She knew what was she doing with Javed," he said.
Pillai on Sunday claimed that as Home Minister during UPA government, Congress leader Chidambaram had recalled the file a month after the original affidavit, which described Ishrat and her slain aides as LeT operatives, was filed in Supreme Court.
"Only after the affidavit was revised, as directed by the minister, did the file come to me," Pillai is quoted as saying by a media report.
The then UPA government had submitted two affidavits - one that the four, who were killed in an alleged fake encounter, were terrorists and the second saying there was no conclusive evidence - within two months in 2009.
Chidambaram yesterday said the second affidavit in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case was "absolutely correct" and as minister then "I accept the responsibility".
Chidambaram also expressed disappointment over Pillai distancing himself from the affidavit issue despite being "equally responsible".
Ishrat, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an encounter with Gujarat Police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004.
The city crime branch had then said that those killed in the encounters were LeT terrorists and had landed in Gujarat to kill the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
The Supreme Court today agreed to hear a plea seeking quashing of criminal prosecution, suspension and other actions taken against Gujarat cops in the 2004 alleged fake encounter killing of in view of recent testimony of jailed LeT operative David Headley.
Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist, during his deposition told a special Mumbai court that Jahan was a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative.
"Let it be listed. We will see it then," a bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice U U Lalit said when advocate M L Sharma mentioned the matter for its urgent hearing.
Sharma said that the statement of Headley is significant as it conclusively establishes the fact that Jahan was an LeT operative.
Gujarat Police personnel, including the then DIG D G Vanzara, are facing trial in a Mumbai court for their role in the alleged fake encounter.
The plea, which cited the recent statements before a special court recorded by Headley, who allegedly conspired with LeT in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, said the facts are now undisputed that all four persons killed by Gujarat Police, including Ishrat Jahan, were terrorists.
"The judicial proceeding and statement of David Headley, who conspired with LeT in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, stated via video conference and recorded in the special court at Mumbai that four persons, including who were killed in June 2004 by Gujarat Police, were a part of LeT terrorist organisation belonging to Pakistan and they were assigned to kill then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi," it said.
The plea sought a direction to close criminal proceedings and action taken in FIRs lodged by CBI against the Gujarat Police personnel and others, saying it was unconstitutional within the judicial facts and evidences of Headley.
It also sought a direction from the court declaring that killing of a terrorist is not an offence under Indian law and proper compensation be paid to the state police personnel in the interest of justice.
It also wanted initiation of suo motu perjury/contempt proceedings against the then Home Minister and CBI Director for concealing true facts before the Supreme Court and the Gujarat High Court and for filing a false affidavit pertaining to facts about case.
Israeli prosecutors pressed charges today against four 17-year-old Jews suspected of a "racially motivated" assault on two Arab men in the coastal city of Netanya, the justice ministry said.
A ministry statement said the four had been drinking alcohol at a beach on February 17, when they saw the two Arabs heading towards a lift.
They allegedly began following them and insulted the Prophet Mohammed before throwing stones and empty bottles at the pair who fled to the lift, only to be trapped inside it where the attack continued.
One Arab was pulled from the lift and branded a "terrorist". He was beaten and choked until he lost his consciousness and was eventually taken to hospital.
The four were being charged with "racially motivated aggravated assault", the ministry's statement read.
Tensions between Jews and Arabs have risen during a five-month wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories which has cost the lives of 178 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, according to an AFP toll.
Most of the Palestinians who died in the violence were killed by Israeli forces while carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, the Israeli authorities say.
A number of Israelis have carried out revenge attacks on Arabs.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), hearing the Italian marines case between India and Italy, has fixed March 30 and March 31 for oral arguments by the two sides in the matter.
"In the arbitration concerning the 'Enrica Lexie' incident (Italy v.India), a request for provisional measures had been filed by Italy on 11 December 2015.... India responded in writing to Italy's request on 26 February 2016.
"The Arbitral Tribunal has now issued further direction regarding the schedule and the modalities for public attendance of the upcoming hearing on provisional measures... The hearing on provisional measures will commence on Wednesday, 30 March 2016," a PCA release said.
The PCA yesterday also said that according to the Rules of Procedure in this arbitration, the hearing is in principle open to the public.
"However, portions of the hearing may proceed in camera (confidentially), if the Arbitral Tribunal considers so necessary for the smooth conduct of the proceedings or for the protection of confidential information," it added.
Two Italian marines - Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone - on board ship 'Enrica Lexie' are accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 off the Kerala coast after mistaking them for pirates.
While Latorre is in Italy on medical grounds since September 2014, Italy has been seeking Girone's return as well.
Thirty years after her mentor late M G Ramachandran laid the foundation stone of his dream project World Tamil Sangam, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today declared open a Rs 25 crore building for the academy here.
Jayalalithaa inaugurated the World Tamil Sangam building, which has come up on 14.15 acres at Tallakulam, through video conferencing from Chennai.
Ramachandran, the founder of AIADMK, had laid the foundation stone for the project in 1986 and alloted the land for the purpose.
Tamil scholars in the city expected the Tamil Sangam to promote Tamil poets, thinkers and writers and uphold the legacy of the three ancient Tamil academies.
The members of the ancient Tamil sangams contributed to the classical language's growth immensely, which were based in Madurai.
Madurai has been known as the centre of 'Muthamizh' (the three-forms of Tamil language -- Iyal (prose), Isai (music) and Nadagam (drama) since the Sangam age. It is also considered the epicentre of Tamil development activities.
Jayalalithaa also laid the foundation of four laning of the ring road and two railway over bridges.
Recently-appointed Jet Airways Chief Financial Officer Amit Agarwal has been entrusted with the additional charge of Chief Executive Officer in place of Gaurang Shetty, the airline today said.
Shetty, who is senior vice president for commercial at Jet Airways, was given the acting charge of the post after the then CEO Cramer Ball quit the carrier in December last year.
"Jet Airways Chief Financial Officer Amit Agarwal is taking on responsibility as the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the company with effect from March 01, 2016," Jet Airways said in a regulatory filing today.
Agarwal, who was appointed as the CFO on December 22 last year, will function as the acting CEO in addition to his responsibilities as CFO till such time a new Chief Executive Officer is appointed, it said.
This is the fifth CEO level change in Jet Airways since April 2013 when the airline offloaded a part of stake to Abu Dhabi's national airline Etihad.
Jet Airways has seen a number of its senior executive departing from the carrier in the last almost three years with two top executives besides Ball having quit last year alone.
Before Ball announced his departure from the carrier, in September 2015, its vice president for fleet management Krishnan Balakrishnan had left the carrier to join budget airline GoAir as its chief financial officer.
Earlier in August, its then Chief Commercial Officer Raj Sivakumar also moved out of the Mumbai-headquartered airline.
Nikos Kardassis was the first CEO to part ways with Naresh Goyal after he signed the Rs 2,069 crore stake sale deal with Etihad in April 2013 on the ground that he was kept out of the negotiations.
Following Kardasis resignation, Jet Airways brought in Gary Kenneth Toomey as its new CEO in October, who too stepped out after serving the airline only for nearly six months despite a three-year job contract.
At this stage, the then CFO Gopalakrishnan was made acting CEO, who also quit the airline in March last year.
Come March 15, Jet Airways will start operating its domestic flights from terminal 2 (T-2) of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport here.
The relocation is part of the phase-wise transition plan of the airport operator - Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) - under which all the domestic carriers would be shifted to T-2 from the domestic airport at suburban Santacruz.
The move will significantly reduce the time taken in shifting the airline's international passengers to domestic flights and vice versa, Jet Airways said.
Following shifting of domestic operations to T2, transfer of Jet Airways passengers from domestic to international flight will take just 75 minutes as compared to an hour and 45 minutes currently.
International to domestic transfers will take just 90 minutes compared to two hours currently, the airline said.
International flights arrive and depart from terminal (T-2) of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) at Sahar in suburban Andheri, while the domestic ones from terminals 1A and 1B at Santacruz.
After Vistara and Air India, Jet Airways will be the third airline to operate its domestic flights from T2.
Vistara, which currently flies on domestic routes only, was the first Indian carrier to launch its services from T2.
"Flight 9W-484 from Mumbai to Kolkata departing at 0225 hours will be the first domestic flight of Jet Airways to operate from T2 on March 15. The airline's first flight will arrive from Kolkata (9W-628) at 0010 hours," Jet Airways said while announcing relocation of its domestic services to T2.
"The move to shift to Terminal 2 will significantly improve operational efficiencies, by allowing Jet Airways to transition a greater number of domestic fliers onto its international network and vice-versa," the airline said.
Jet Airways operates over 135 domestic and international flights daily out of Mumbai.
Jewellers across the country have decided to go on a three-day strike from tomorrow to protest the proposed re-imposition of 1 per cent excise duty and mandatory PAN cards for any transactions of Rs 2 lakh and above, an industry grouping today said.
"We had a meeting with our members as well as with other associations under our network. We have collectively decided to go on 3-day strike from tomorrow. More than 300 associations, including manufacturers, retainers, artisans among others across the country will participate in the stir," All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF) Chairman Sreedhar G V told PTI here.
Meanwhile, all jewellers associations and retailers in Kerala and Rajkot (Gujarat) went on strike from today.
Sreedhar said gems and jewellery industry is disappointed with the government's apathy towards the sector with the proposal of re-imposition of 1 per cent Excise Duty in the Budget 2016-17, presented yesterday by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
"We were already facing challenges and businesses have gone down by 25-30 per cent after the government's decision in January to make PAN cards mandatory for any transactions of Rs 2 lakh and above. Instead of increase the slab to Rs 10 lakh from the current Rs 2 lakh, the government has created more difficulties by the proposal to re-introduce 1 per cent Excise Duty," he rued.
He said, earlier, in 2005 and 2012, the government had introduced 1 per cent Excise duty in gems and jewellery sector but had to withdraw it as it was not practical with the industry comprising mostly under-educated but highly skilled people who are not equipped to handle the paper work required in it.
GJF, he said, is also planning to send a delegation soon with a representation to the Finance Ministry to explain the difficulties faced by the industry with these measures.
Jaitley yesterday proposed 1 per cent Excise duty on jewellery without input credit or 12.5 per cent with input tax credit on jewellery excluding silver other than studded with diamonds and some other precious stones.
Sreedhar said jewellers will take a call on future course of action after their meeting with Finance Ministry officials.
Stepping up their agitation against the arrest of JNU Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and two others in a sedition case, the students will march to Parliament today demanding the release of those jailed in the case.
"We are going to hold a solidarity march to Parliament tomorrow to protest the stifling of dissent in JNU, Hyderabad university and elsewhere through sedition charges," JNUSU Vice President Shehla Rashid Shora said yesterday.
The protest march which will be joined by academicians and students from various universities across Delhi, will begin from Mandi House area at 2 p.m today.
"We want to take up our issues with the PMO, MHRD and the Home Minister. We will also be approaching the NHRC and the Minority Commission to register our concerns at the functioning of the Delhi Police and the continuing threats of physical violence against Kanhaiya, Umar and Anirban," she added.
The students have been agitating on campus ever since Kanhaiya was arrested in a sedition case in connection with the organisation of an event against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
Following Kanhaiya's arrest- five students who were being searched by police in the case- Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, Ashutosh Kumar, Anant Prakash and Rama Naga- had gone into hiding fearing "mob-lynching".
They resurfaced back on campus 10 days later. While Umar and Anirban surrendered before the police, the remaining three refused to do so but maintained that they are open to questioning by police as and when needed.
"Our major demands include release of the three students, revoking sedition charges and the varsity suspension order," Shehla said.
The students are also demanding resignation of HRD Minister Smriti Irani allegeing that she "misused powers" and "peddled lies" regarding the row at JNU and Hyderabad University where a dalit scholar -Rohith Vemula- was found hanging in a hostel room.
"We want the government to enact a 'Rohith Act' to end caste based discrimination in universities and educational institutions," she added.
Meanwhile, Left-backed All India Students Association (AISA) alleged that some of its activists were attacked in Delhi University's Satyawati college when they went to paste posters of the march.
"Two activists were seriously injured when few 'goons' stopped them from pasting the posters and attacked them when they tried to resist," AISA said in a statement.
Former executive Sanjiv Kapoor today joined Vistara as its Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer.
Kapoor will be responsible for managing a wide portfolio of Vistara's commercial and planning functions, including strategy development, network planning, pricing and revenue management, sales and distribution, among others, Vistara said in a release.
Besides, he will also be responsible for in-flight services and ground operations of the carrier, it said.
Kapoor succeeds Giam Ming Toh, who is returning to Singapore Airlines on completion of his deputation with Vistara.
Tata Sons holds a majority 51% stake in Vistara - a joint venture with Singapore Airlines, which holds the remaining 49%.
"We welcome Sanjiv into the Vistara family. We are entering into a new phase of growth and Sanjiv's industry knowledge backed by rich Indian and global experience will be valuable in propelling Vistara's growth," Vistara Chief Executive Officer Phee Teik Yeoh said.
Kapoor joins Vistara with over 19 years of experience in the airline industry, in various leadership and consulting roles, it said.
"I am very pleased and excited to join an airline that has the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines as its parents. I look forward to working with Phee Teik and the entire Vistara team with great confidence," Kapoor said.
The third full service domestic carrier after state-run Air India and Naresh Goyal promoted Jet Airways, Vistara had yesterday said it will reduce business class by half and those in the premium economy by one-third across its nine Airbus A320 planes.
"Starting April 2016, Vistara will reconfigure its current fleet of nine aircraft to the new seating configuration of eight business class seats, 24 premium economy seats and 126 economy seats," the airline had said.
Vistara currently operates A320 planes with 16 business class seats, 36 premium economy and remaining 96 in economy class.
Post-reconfiguration, the total number of seats in the aircraft will go up from 148 to 158, it said.
Karnataka Legislative Assembly was today rocked by the controversy over a luxury watch gifted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, as the BJP pressed for an adjournment motion on the issue, triggering a war of words between the ruling and opposition sides.
As the issue was raised soon after obituary reference, Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa allowed Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Jagadish Shettar to make a preliminary submission to convince the chair to take up the issue as an adjournment motion, amidst resistance to it from the ruling Congress members.
In his submission, Shettar while calling the watch issue a matter of public interest accused Siddaramaiah of violating the code of conduct for ministers and Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and demanded discussion and response from the government on the issue.
After hearing the matter, the Speaker said it could notbe taken up as an adjournment motion and asked the opposition to discuss it during the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address.
Following this, BJP members entered the well of the House in protest, leading to adjournment for lunch. Defending himself, Siddaramaiah alleged that the Opposition was indulging in "character assassination". "I have already stated in public that I got the watch as gift in July from a Dubai-based NRI friend, by March I will declare about it in my IT returns. To Lokayukta I have to declare in June, I will be doing it. I have also said that I will deposit the watch to the state government," he said. "FCRA is not applicable to this case as the person who gifted it is not a foreign national, but an NRI," he added. Siddaramaiah has come under attack over his luxury diamond studded Hublot watch.
As the controversy erupted, he declared last week that the watch, claimed to be worth Rs 70 lakh, would be declared as state asset and handed over to the government. As Shettar questioned Siddaramaiah who claims himselfto be a "socialist" and "follower" of Ram Manohar Lohia for his conduct, Siddaramaiah in a rebuttal reminded BJP of Prime Minister Narendra Modi wearing a "Rs 10 lakh monogrammed suit".
When the House met after the lunch, BJP members continued with the protest by entering the well of the House demanding discussion on Siddaramaiah's watch issue. As Speaker's attempts to conduct the proceedings failed, he adjourned the House till tomorrow.
The controversy was stoked by JD(S) leader H DKumaraswamy after which the Chief Minister disclosed that theexpensive watch was gifted to him by his close friend DrGirish Chandra Verma who visited India last July.
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Earlier, as Shettar raised the issue, ruling party members led by Law Minister Jayachandra and Industries Minister R V Deshpande objected to it.
Shettar, hitting out at ruling party members, questioned why they were "scared" of discussing the issue, leading to heated argument between both sides.
Intervening, the Speaker said he will allow preliminary submission, despite objection from senior ministers.
As Shettar began to accuse the Chief Minister of violating the code of conduct for ministers and FCRA, ruling party members lead by Bengaluru Development Minister K J George objected to it and showed pamphlets containing pictures of BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister Yeddyurappa, with watches.
Responding to this, BJP leaders said they are ready to discuss it and government cannot scare them by showing pictures.
BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai said Yeddyurappa has declared about the watch to Lokayukta and the Minister was trying to misuse the opportunity as the former Chief Minister is not in the House to defend himself.
The issue of Kumaraswmay hinting that Siddaramaiah's 'gift' watch may be a 'stolen' one belonging to a doctor also found a mention during the arguments.
With Speaker directing the Home Minister G Parameshwara to find out about the stolen watch, the latter said that there was no connection with the case of the doctor's lost watch.
Kumaraswamy, who maintained silence during most part of the discussion, stood up to defend himself as the issue of him accepting a silver chair during his tenure as Chief Minister came up during the debate.
Clarifying, Kumaraswamy said he had never accepted the chair and had advised those gifting him to donate it to pontiff of Siddaganga Mutt, who is engaged in multifarious social activities.
Under attack over his alleged inflammatory speech, Union Minister Ram Shankar Katheria today claimed he did not target any community.
"What has been published in one of the newspapers is false. I had not taken the name of any community. I had said that the culprits, who had murdered the VHP leader, should be given death sentence. I had also said that the Hindu community should unite for their safety. I will send a notice to the newspaper," the Minister of State for HRD said.
Katheria, along with BJP MP from Fatehpur Sikri Babu Lal, had on Sunday attended a condolence meeting held for VHP worker Arun Mahaur, who was allegedly killed by some youths from another community in Agra on Thursday.
At the meeting, Katheria had said: "This conspiracy that is being hatched against the Hindu community, we have to be be alert to recognize it and strengthen ourselves. We will have to fight it because if we do not do it now, today we have lost one Arun, tomorrow it could be another Arun...The killers should also go, we have to set such an example".
Reacting to Katheria's remarks, Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that BJP and RSS had plans to divide the country.
"They speak whenever elections are nearing. They talk about dividing the country and not uniting. If they continue to speak like this, there will be repercussions across the country. Today we are raising this issue because Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh are silent on this issue," he said.
Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, said that he is not surprised by the remarks of the Union Minister.
"This has been the continuous, consistent and obnoxious behavior by the Modi government. I am sure that no action will be taken," he said.
Owaisi added that this "was good because the real agenda of the government is being exposed".
"Their real agenda is to promote Hinduvta. A Minister speaking such language clearly shows that he went to Agra not for condolence meeting but to create communal mayhem there," Owaisi said.
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Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said the Minister has clarified his remarks.
"Katheria has made it clear in his statement that he has said nothing wrong. And after this clarification, there is nothing to comment on.
"I have seen his statement in which he has cleared everything. The real issue is the deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh," he said.
Union Minister Ram Shankar Katheria was today slammed by opposition parties for his alleged hate speech at a condolence meeting of a VHP leader in Agra over which police lodged an FIR against three people for allegedly making inflammatory comments but he was not named.
The Congress alleged that the speech by Katheria showed that BJP and RSS resorted to divisive agenda, especially ahead of elections, while Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, said the real agenda of the NDA government is being "exposed".
As a group of social activists held a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against the alleged hate speeches of Katheria and fellow BJP MP Babu Lal, the junior HRD minister claimed he did not name any community at the Sunday meeting. Lal remained unapologetic and said Hindus cannot watch silently when they are being targeted.
"What has been published in one of the newspapers is false. I had not taken the name of any community. I had said that the culprits, who had murdered the VHP leader, should be given death sentence. I had also said that the Hindu community should unite for their safety," Katheria said.
"I never said anything against anyone at that meeting," Katheria told NDTV.
Katheria also ticked off saffron leader Sadhvi Prachi for her alleged inflammatory remarks at the meeting, saying she should not have made such comments.
"An FIR has been lodged against Prashant Chaudhary, Ashok Lavania and Kunduka Sharma at Loha Mandi police station in Agra," IG (Law and Order) Bhagwan Swaroop told reporters in Lucknow.
Asked whether the three belonged to BJP or VHP, Swaroop said he did not have any information in this regard.
He said Katheria's name was not in the FIR lodged by the concerned sub-inspector Anil Kumar.
Katheria, who represents the Agra Lok Sabha constituency, along with Lal, an MP from Fatehpur Sikri, had on Sunday attended a condolence meeting held for VHP leader Arun Mahaur, who was allegedly killed by some youths from another community in Agra on Thursday.
"They speak whenever elections are nearing. They talk about dividing the country and not uniting. If they continue to speak like this, there will be repercussions across the country. Today we are raising this issue because Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh are silent on this issue," Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said.
Rita Bahuguna Joshi, a senior Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh, alleged that the inflammatory speeches at the condolence meeting was a "defInite design" to create communal tension in Agra because the BJP was making attempts to divide the society "vertically on communal lines" in western UP. Assembly elections in UP are due next year.
BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said the Minister has clarified his remarks. "Katheria has made it clear in his statement that he has said nothing wrong. And after this clarification, there is nothing to comment on."
Union Minister Kalraj Mishra said the "tragic" murder of the VHP leader highlighted the poor law and order situation there but cautioned against "reactions which trigger violence and unrest".
: The Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) hospital here launched an awareness campaign on organ donation in association with the state government's Kerala Network for Organ Sharing (KNOS) today.
The campaign, titled 'Amrutham', is envisaged to create awareness for the need to donate organs to save lives.
The drive, inaugurated by film actor Anoop Menon here, has been taken up in view of hundreds of people in the state waiting for organs for transplantation, a hospital release said here today.
As part of the initiative, the awareness campaigns will be organised in schools and colleges, it said.
The function was attended by KIMS Vice Chairman Dr G.
Vijayaraghavan, KNOS nodal officer Dr Noble Gracious, Dr Praveen Muralidharan, Dr Shiraz and Dr Shabeer Ali.
The programme was initiated by the Liver Transplant Department of KIMS Hospital.
Amidst the controversy over slapping of sedition charges, government today said the Law Commission has conveyed that it has identified certain focus areas and formed subgroups to deliberate on allegations of abuse and arbitrary use of the law.
Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said in Lok Sabha that the Ministry of Law and Justice has requested the Law Commission of India to study the usage of the provisions of Section 124A (Sedition) of Indian Penal Code, 1860.
"On December 11, 2014, the Law Commission has intimated that they have identified certain focus areas and formed subgroups to deliberate on such issues," he said in reply to a written question.
The Minister was replying to questions on whether the government has taken serious note of allegations of widespread abuse and arbitrary use of sedition law by police in the country and whether the government proposes to bring reforms in the entire sedition law drafted in the colonial era.
The government's response came amidst the raging row over slapping of sedition law against president of Jawaharlal Nehru University students union Kanhaiya Kumar for allegedly raising anti-India slogans.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and six other persons were also booked under sedition charges at a police station in Telangana on Saturday.
The move followed a district court directive on a plea by a city-based advocate, seeking action for their extending support to Jawaharlal Nehru University students accused of sedition.
BJP today hit out at the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal over the alleged lack of industrialisation in the state, where, it said, nobody was safe due to the "lawless" situation.
"Not a single industry has come up in Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had not even fulfilled her promise of returning the land to the farmers of Singur. It was Singur land movement that had helped her to win the 2011 assembly elections," BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said.
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said the common people of the Bengal are "not safe in the lawless situation" of Bengal.
"In Bengal neither Maa nor Mati nor Manush is safe. The BJP has to change the situation for the development of Bengal," Vijayvargiya said at a rally here.
The BJP Yuva Morcha organised a march from Salt Lake to Singur demanding jobs for unemployed youths of Bengal.
Delhi government has recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in distribution of Letters of Intent for new autorickshaws at Burari Transport Authority.
In December last year, AAP government had suspended three senior officials in the Transport Department in connection with the case.
The government's vigilance department had probed the matter and found alleged irregularites in distribution of Letters of Intent for around 10,000 new autorickshaws.
"Government has written to CBI to probe the alleged irregularities in distributing Letter of Intent for new autos," sources said.
The Transport Minister had made preliminary inquiries in the matter and found out two types of irregularities. The LOIs were issued on pick-and-choose basis despite orders of the Transport Minister to follow chronological order and that the LOIs were being handed over to certain intermediaries/ unauthorised persons instead of the beneficiaries/applicants.
After Vigilance's probe report, one official was also suspended in connection with the case.
After the alleged irregularities came to light, the government had suspended three officials, scrapped 932 LOIs issued by the Transport department and put on hold the exercise of issuing LOIs.
George Miller's dystopian thriller "Mad Max: Fury Road", which won six Oscar trophies at the Academy Awards, is all set to re-release in India on March 11.
Warner Bros has decided to release the film in 3D & IMAX 3D.
"Fury Road", one of the most reviewed films of 2015, won maximum trophies at the Oscars on Sunday where it was honoured for Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.
Set in the post-apocalypse world, the film revolves around a female warrior (Charlize Theron) who decides to rebel against the warlord to rescue his five wives.
She is helped in her mission by film's titular hero, Max Rockatansky, played by Tom Hardy.
The Madras High Court has ordered the reinstatement of a State Bank of India employee who was dismissed from service for putting up the portrait of B R Ambedkar at the bank's branch office.
A division bench, comprising Justice S Tamilvanan (since retired) and Justice D Hariparanthaman, passed the order on the appeals filed by the dismissed employee of SBI, Gowri Shankar and the management.
Upholding the Central Government Industrial Tribunal's (CGIT) order awarded in April 2012, the bench said that "in our view, the award of the CGIT ordering reinstatement cannot be faulted with, since it has exercised its power under Section 11-A of I.D. Act in interfering with the punishment of removal."
"Hence, we are inclined to sustain the award of the CGIT agreeing with the reasons given by the CGIT, besides our reasons, as stated above," the court said adding that the appellant be reinstated withing 30 days with continuity of service and all other attendant benefits, but without back wages.
Referring to a circular issued by the Finance Ministry in September 2006, directing all nationalized banks to display the portraits of Ambedkar, the court said that "in our view, the entire issue was mishandled by the bank..."
The appellant Gowri Shankar had submitted that while he was working as a sub staff at the Adyar branch during 2004, he had put up a portrait of Ambedkar at the office on July 15, 2004.
Subsequently, the management issued a memo to him, which was objected to by various SC/ST Associations, as according to them, it amounted to disrespect to Ambedkar.
However, this led to the issuance of a charge memo to the appellant, containing as many as 11 charges.
The appellant was dismissed from service on December 2, 2005.
However, on April 30, 2012, the CGIT passed an award ordering the reinstatement of the appellant with continuity of service and all other attendant benefits, but without back wages.
Challenging the CGIT order, both the management of the bank and the employee had moved the High Court.
The Maharashtra government today decided to table the 'Prohibition of Social boycott bill' in the ensuing budget session of state Legislature, beginning on March 9.
"The bill aims to root out evil, outdated and unconstitutional practices of Caste Panchayats, Gavki, Community Panchayats, etc," Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said after the Cabinet meeting here.
"Strict punishment provisions have been made in this bill to end this harassment and gives the right to live life with dignity," the CM tweeted.
The development assumes significance as the practice of social boycott of a person or group of persons, and their family members, still continues in various parts of the state and the existing laws have not proved effective in tackling the issue.
Social boycott is practiced at the behest of a 'Caste Panchayat' at the community level that regulates its various practices, personal or social behaviour of the members and resolves disputes by issuing written or oral dictums, an official said.
As per the draft bill, "Community" means a group, the members of which are connected together by reason or the fact that by birth, conversion or the performance of any religious rites or ceremonies, they belong to the same religion or religious creed, and includes a caste or sub-caste, he said.
The Cabinet also approved transferring of 143 acre of land for IIM in Nagpur at a concessional rent. It also approved transferring of 150 acre of land for AIIMS in Nagpur at concessional rent.
A Malaysian state investment fund today insisted it did not provide any money to Prime Minister Najib Razak, rejecting a report that more than USD 1 billion was transferred into his personal bank accounts and that most probably come from the fund.
The Wall Street Journal reported today that hundreds of millions of dollars more than previously identified was transferred into Najib's accounts.
The 1MDB investment fund said in a statement said that it has never paid money into Najib's personal accounts.
It accused the Wall Street Journal of not offering evidence to back its claims and relying on anonymous sources.
Malaysia's attorney general said in January that USD 681 million deposited in Najib's accounts was a donation from Saudi Arabia's royal family and involved no wrongdoing by the prime minister.
Meanwhile, prime minister Najib rejected the report.
A statement issued by Najib's office did not comment on the larger amount reported by the newspaper, saying only that "the funds received were a donation from Saudi Arabia."
It accused the newspaper of "relying solely on anonymous sources that may not even exist" and of "choosing to omit key known facts."
"This is unethical and against accepted journalistic practice," the statement said.
The prime minister's office said Malaysian authorities have traveled to Saudi Arabia to review documents and interview members of the royal family and confirmed that it was the source of the money.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told reporters earlier today that there must be some truth to the Wall Street Journal's allegations because Najib has not taken any legal action against the newspaper.
Mahathir, a fierce critic of Najib, quit the ruling party yesterday, saying it has been hijacked by Najib to protect his own interests.
An unprecedented war crimes case brought against a Malian jihadist for allegedly destroying centuries-old shrines at the world heritage site of Timbuktu opens at the International Criminal Court today.
Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi will be the first jihadist to appear before the tribunal in The Hague, and the first person to face a main war crimes charge for an attack on a global historic and cultural monument.
A member of an Islamic court set up by the jihadists to enforce strict sharia law, Faqi is said to have jointly ordered or carried out the destruction of nine mausoleums and Timbuktu's famous Sidi Yahia mosque dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries.
ICC prosecutors say he was a leader of Ansar Dine, a mainly Tuareg group, which held sway over Mali's northern desert together with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and a third local group from early 2012 until being routed in a French-led intervention in January 2013.
Faqi will also be the first person to appear at the ICC on charges arising out of the violence which rocked the western African nation of Mali, where stretches of the remote north still remain out of government control.
"The people of Mali deserve justice for the attacks against their cities, their beliefs and their communities," ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said at the time of Faqi's arrest in Niger and transfer to the ICC in September 2015.
The charges he was facing were for "the most serious crimes," she said.
They concerned "the destruction of irreplaceable historic monuments" as well as "a callous assault on the dignity and identity of entire populations, and their religious and historical roots."
Founded between the 11th and 12th centuries by Tuareg tribes, Timbuktu was dubbed "the city of 333 saints" and added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites in 1988.
Despite having been a centre of Islamic learning during its golden age in the 15th and 16th centuries, it was considered idolatrous by the jihadists.
During the two-day hearing, prosecutors will be seeking to persuade a three-judge panel that they have enough evidence to put Faqi on trial.
Although this is not the first case in which someone has faced charges of destroying buildings, "this is the first time the war crime of attacking religious and historic monuments constitutes the main charge against an individual facing trial at the ICC," said Jonathan Birchall, a spokesman for the NGO Open Society
A trial will "set a precedent for trying individuals for this crime at a time when attacks on historic and cultural monuments as well as other cultural crimes have gained prevalence and attention in Syria and elsewhere," he said.
A court here has sentenced a school teacher to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl two years ago.
Second Additional District and Sessions Judge Sham Lal Lalhal, Srinagar, had convicted Parvaiz Ahmad Dar on February 26 for raping a ninth standard student at his home in December 2013.
Announcing the quantum of punishment yesterday, the judge also slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on Dar.
The court had on February 26 found Parvaiz Ahmad Dar guilty of raping the student in December 2013.
The fine amount will be paid to the victim.
The shameful act of the convict has not only spoiled the life of the victim but has shaken the conscience of the society at large, the judge said in his order passed yesterday.
The judge also sentenced Dar for two years for criminal intimidation of the victim and one year sentence for wrongful confinement.
All the sentences will run concurrently.
In the present case though the accused is a young man having no criminal background and he is the only male earning member of his family having aged and ailing parents and a small baby girl, he has at the same time committed the rape with an innocent and helpless student of 9th standard, the court said.
The offence committed by the convict was not merely a physical assault on the victim, but "it is restrictive of the whole personality" of the victim because by his act the convict "has degraded the very soul" of the victim, it added.
A man "frustrated" over unscheduled power cuts in his area has been arrested for calling Karnataka Energy Minister D K Shivakumar and allegedly using abusive words against him, with the arrest drawing flak from the Opposition.
Giridhar Rai, who the minister said was a BJP activist, was arrested from his house in Bellare in the Dakshina Kannada District, produced in a court and remanded to judicial custody yesterday, police said.
Upset over not getting any response from the electricity department, Rai allegedly expressed anger when he got the minister over phone and used "derogatory" words against him during the conversation.
"We have a call centre, he is a BJP activist. He cannot use filthy language against me. One day is ok, two days is ok, he has beenharassing all my engineers, my staff and lastly myself. Idon't want to say the words used by him," Shivakumar said.
"He can't threaten me, so it was my duty to enquire with my officers. I myself spoke to the police officers to take necessary action as per law," he said.
The arrest triggered a controversy with the BJP and JDS slamming the minister and questioning his conduct.
Former chief minister and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar said, "The entire government, Chief Minister, his ministers have lost patience. They are not ready to listen to ordinary citizens."
Stating that it was the duty of ministers and Chief Minister to answer the public, the BJP leader said, "They have to solvethe problem and not attack or aggressively act on citizens orfile cases. It is completely wrong. We condemn the PowerMinister's attitude."
Former chief minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy alleged that police machinery was being misused in the case.
"The way in which the Power Minister has directed the officers to arrest the man shows that this is not people's government. We will raise the issue during the discussion on the Governor's address (in the Assembly)," he said.
He alleged that the government had no capability to provide power supply to people and if someone makes a request, the person was getting arrested on the direction of the minister.
"Is there democracyhere? Is it elected government here?" he questioned.
"Police machinery is being misused to silence those who are discussing the government's functioning," he added.
A father shot dead his 18-year-old daughter in Lahore in the latest incident of honour-killing, on a day when a Pakistani filmmaker won an Oscar for a documentary film on such murders.
The accused, who is now on the run, killed his daughter Komal Bibi yesterday after she failed to tell him where she had been for several hours, police said today.
"It seems to be a case of honour-killing. We have launched search for the killer who ran away after the crime," a police officer said.
Ironically, the killing came when Pakistan was celebrating its second Oscar win when Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy's documentary on honour killings in the country won the prestigious award in Los Angles.
Obaid won her second Oscar for "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness", about an honour killing surviver.
Honour-killing is a big issue in Pakistan and every year dozens of women are killed.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said last week that there was no honour in honour-killing and promised to take measure to wipeout the practice.
The memorial of freedom fighter and dalit leader Ondi Veeran was formally declared open by the district collector M Karunakaran here today. remained shut without formal inauguration till date.
Various dalit organisations attended the function.
Hundreds of refugees on Tuesday tried to break through a border fence into Macedonia from Greece, where more than 7,000 people are stranded, as anger mounts over barriers to entry imposed on flooding into Europe.
In a sign of deepening divisions within Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel lashed out at Austria and Balkan states for introducing tight limits on migrant entries, leaving Greece with a growing bottleneck as refugee boats continue to arrive from Turkey.
And Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov warned that once Austria reaches its cap of a maximum 37,500 transiting through this year, the refugee route through the Balkans will have to close.
At Idomeni on the frontier, Macedonian police fired tear gas as some 300 forced their way through a Greek police cordon and raced towards a railway track between the two countries.
"Open the borders!" they shouted as a group of men used a metal signpost to bring down a section of barbed wire fencing, prompting police to fire volleys of tear gas and block them from crossing.
At least 30 people, many of them children, requested first aid in the stampede that ensued, the charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said. Authorities said a Macedonian policeman had also been hurt and had to be hospitalised.
The protest occurred several hours after Macedonia allowed just 300 Syrians and Iraqis to cross.
With Austria and Balkan states capping the numbers of migrants entering their soil, there has been a swift build-up along the Greece-Macedonia border with Athens warning that the number of people "trapped" could reach up to 70,000 in March.
The UN's rights chief criticised a "rising roar of xenophobia" towards migrants.
"To keep building higher walls against the flight of these desperate people is an act of cruelty and a delusion," Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said.
Amnesty International criticised the situation at Idomeni, branding it "the result of a shameful spate of discriminatory border closures".
As the bottleneck showed little sign of easing, Merkel slammed the restrictions and pointed the finger at Austria, whose clampdown on February 19 triggered a domino effect in the Balkans.
Greece must not be allowed to "plunge into chaos", she said.
The spate of border closures was sparked by Austria's announcement it would accept no more than 80 asylum claims per day and that a maximum of 3,200 migrants would be allowed to transit daily.
Facing flak over their alleged inflammatory speeches, Union Minister Ram Shankar Katheria today claimed he did not name any community while another BJP MP Babu Lal remained unapologetic and said Hindus cannot watch silently when they are being targeted.
"What has been published in one of the newspapers is false. I had not taken the name of any community. I had said that the culprits, who had murdered the VHP leader, should be given death sentence. I had also said that the Hindu community should unite for their safety. I will send a notice to the newspaper," the Minister of State for HRD said.
Katheria, along with BJP MP from Fatehpur Sikri Babu Lal, had on Sunday attended a condolence meeting held for VHP leader Arun Mahaur, who was allegedly killed by some youths from another community in Agra on Thursday.
At the meeting, Katheria had said: "This conspiracy that is being hatched against the Hindu community, we have to be be alert to recognize it and strengthen ourselves. We will have to fight it because if we do not do it now, today we have lost one Arun, tomorrow it could be another Arun...The killers should also go, we have to set such an example".
Addressing the gathering, Babu Lal said, "If the Muslims have something in their mind, then draw a line and you will see the strength of the Hindu community".
The BJP MP today justified his remarks saying, 'Tell me if we don't take revenge, should we worship them instead? Is the community only meant to worship others while the other communities come and shoot us down."
He demanded that Uttar Pradesh government take action to rein in such elements so that similar incidents do not recur.
Lal claimed that the VHP leader had lodged a police complaint that he was receiving death threats and his store was also set blaze. "When such an incident will take place, will the Hindu community sit and watch the drama, will it not take action.... Then such incidents will keep on happening."
Opposition parties reacted sharply to the remarks by BJP leaders with Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge alleging that BJP and RSS had plans to divide the country.
"They speak whenever elections are nearing. They talk about dividing the country and not uniting. If they continue to speak like this, there will be repercussions across the country. Today we are raising this issue because Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh are silent on this issue," he said.
Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, said that he is not surprised by the remarks of the Union Minister.
"This has been the continuous, consistent and obnoxious behavior by the Modi government. I am sure that no action will be taken," he said.
Owaisi added that this "was good because the real agenda of the government is being exposed".
"Their real agenda is to promote Hinduvta. A Minister speaking such language clearly shows that he went to Agra not for condolence meeting but to create communal mayhem there," Owaisi said.
BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said the Minister has clarified his remarks. "Katheria has made it clear in his statement that he has said nothing wrong. And after this clarification, there is nothing to comment on."
Union Minister Kalraj Mishra said the "tragic" murder of the VHP leader highlighted the poor law and order situation there nut cautioned against "reactions which trigger violence and unrest".
"The law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh is really bad, due to which neither the common man nor political leaders are safe. The murder of a VHP leader is tragic. People have reacted (to it). We certainly don't want reactions which trigger violence and unrest," Mishra said.
A group of social activists today held a protest at Jantar Mantar here against the alleged hate speeches BJP MPs.
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Shrikant Sharma said the real issue was the "worsening" law and order in UP and the statements of Katheria and other leaders were being played up to divert from the matter.
"The issue in UP is its deteriorating law and order. The issue is how a youth was murdered. But to diver from it, some people are playing up certain comments," he said and referred to the recent killings in the state to make his point.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi here later this month on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit, a top aide to Pakistan Premier said today.
"There are chances of meeting between the two (prime ministers)," Sartaj Aziz, the Foreign Affairs Advisor to Sharif, told PTI.
"There are possibilities, when they are here (in Washington DC). They would interact with each other. Whether there would be a structured meeting I do not know. Depends on...Chances are there (for a meeting)," Aziz said.
The top Pakistani diplomat is in Washington to attend the sixth US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue which he co-chaired with Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday.
Aziz said Sharif would be travelling to Washington to attend the Nuclear Security Summit at the invitation of US President Barack Obama.
Modi too has been invited to the Summit on March 31 and April 1.
No official announcement has been made yet.
Responding to a question on the status of India-Pak relationship after Modi came to power in May 2014, Aziz said in the first year the situation was "not good".
"But the last two months are better," Aziz said.
Ahead of the Modi-Sharif meeting, Aziz said there is likelihood of a meeting between the foreign secretaries of the two countries.
The timing of which has not been decided yet, he noted.
"We do not know (when foreign secretaries would meet). He (Indian Foreign Secretary) has to come to Islamabad first. We are hoping that now," Aziz said after the breakfast meeting with Defence Writers Group here.
In a major goof-up, the body of a mystery man has been mistakenly flown from India to the UK, believing it was that of a 54-year-old Indian-origin British hotelier who was allegedly murdered last May during a visit to the country.
The body was today handed over to UK social services.
Indian authorities had sent the body believing it was that of Ranjit Singh Power, allegedly murdered during a visit to Punjab 10 months ago.
Officials thought the corpse, one of five pulled from a river in Punjab, was the missing hotelier but dental records and DNA testing proved the body was not his.
"It remains unascertained. I can't be clear how he died. He was one of five males pulled from a river in Punjab. I have to give it an open conclusion. Sadly, that's as far as I can take this. No-one is coming forward," said Zafar Siddique, coroner for the Black Country region of West Midlands.
"In future, if family do come forward, we have the DNA. This will have to be referred to social services."
The body cannot be repatriated back to India and a funeral will be conducted by social services, although the DNA would be retained in case of further inquiries.
A post-mortem examination estimated the dead man's age as 50 plus, but was not able to ascertain the cause of death.
Power had been last seen at Amritsar airport on May 8, 2015, before his UK-based family launched a search for him.
Indian taxi driver Sukhdev Singh has been charged with his murder and is awaiting trial after police said he has confessed to the killing and divers found a body in a canal in Ropar District.
"Dental records confirm it is not Mr Power and DNA confirms that the body is not related to the family," Detective Constable Zahid Ahmed, from West Midlands Police, told the inquest this week.
Power's UK-based family, including his partner Angela Bir, have stressed that her family is "focussed upon justice" and are working with police in Punjab to help in any way they can.
They have since launched TheRanjitSinghPowerFoundation Trust to support orphans and children with cancer in his memory.
They had feared he may have beenkidnappedafter he uncharacteristically failed to stay in contact with them and did not catch his return flight from Amritsar on May 14.
Initially offering 10,000 pounds for information leading to their father's return, they had later raised it to 25,000 pounds.
Top NATO General Philip Breedlove on today warned US lawmakers that Russia is helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad turn the refugee crisis into a "weapon" against the West.
Breedlove, the supreme allied commander in Europe for the 28-member military alliance who also heads the US military's European Command, said the massive flow of migrants from war-torn Syria has had a destabilizing effect on European countries they are fleeing to, and that worked to Moscow's advantage.
"Together, Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately weaponizing migration in an attempt to overwhelm European structures and break European resolve," Breedlove told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Speaking of Russia's six-month air campaign in support of Assad, and the Syrian leader's use of barrel bombs in civilian areas, Breedlove said Moscow and Damascus are deliberately fueling the mass displacement of Syrians.
"These indiscriminate weapons used by both Bashar al-Assad, and the non-precision use of weapons by the Russian forces, I can't find any other reason for them other than to cause refugees to be on the move and make them someone else's problem," Breedlove said.
Breedlove, who was due to brief Pentagon reporters later Tuesday, is in Washington partly to drum up support for a proposed sharp increase in money available to US forces in Europe.
The coming year's budget includes $3.4 billion -- quadruple last year's amount -- for the so-called European Reassurance Initiative.
The four-star general also accused Russia of posing a growing threat to the United States itself.
With the budget underlining his government's rural pitch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked NDA MPs to bring maximum farmers under the new crop insurance policy while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asserted that it will address agriculture distress.
At a meeting attended by MPs of BJP and its allies, except Shiv Sena, Jaitley spoke in detail about the budget, underscoring that it also seeks to give a fillip to economic growth by improving infrastructure and business and investment climate.
Sena MPs did not attend the meeting, saying they were not "informed" about it. "There was some communication gap," its MP Anandrao Adsul said.
Jaitley told the MPs that the government was making all out efforts to created an "insured and pensioned" society and highlighted steps like health insurance and life cover announced for the masses, sources said.
BJP and its allies expect that the budget will help them blunt the opposition's charge that the government had an "anti-farmer" bias at a time when assembly polls are due in five states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal, in April-May. Crucial UP election is scheduled for next year.
The over one-hour meeting saw a brief intervention by Modi when he asked MPs to work towards taking the benefit of newly announced 'Pradhan Manti Fasal Bima Yojana' to farmers. He urged NDA MPs to take this as a challenge in their constituencies, the sources said.
BJP chief Amit Shah, who was also present, lauded the budget for its pro-farmer and pro-village thrust.
The JNU row and the debate in Parliament over it also found a mention with Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu giving an account of developments in JNU and Hyderabad Central University and urging the members to counter opposition's charges.
He praised HRD Minister Smriti Irani's "spirited reply" and members too joined in with "loud clapping", they said.
Irani's reply has sparked a row with opposition members giving notice for privilege motion against her, accusing her of "misleading" the House.
Briefing the NDA MPs on the business ahead in Parliament,
Naidu said Modi would reply to the discussion on Motion of Thanks on the President's address tomorrow in the Lok Sabha.
A presentation was also made by Naidu on various schemes related to farm sector, financial inclusion, social security, crop insurance, MUDRA Bank, Make in India, empowerment of Dalits, women, youth and rural development, the sources said.
He spoke about "significant outcomes" under 60 new initiatives of the government and added that the members would be briefed on another set of 60 such initiatives during the next meeting.
Referring to the opposition's criticism that a large number of accounts opened under 'Jan Dhan Yojana' were empty, he said 20.72 crore accounts were opened, of which over 10 crore accounts are in the name of women. They have total deposits of Rs33,379 crore, he was quoted as saying by sources.
Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters that the "MPs were very enthusiastic about the budget as it will empower villages, farmers and youth. It is dedicated to them and all-round development of the country.
"India has always been called an agrarian country but this is the first time the budget is being dedicated to farm sector."
"We have heard about 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan' and this budget is dedicated to 'Jai Kisan'," he said.
By 2019, he said, all villages will have electricity, water, irrigation and road connectivity, he said.
Asked about the opposition's notice for privilege motion against HRD Minister Smriti Irani, he said BJP members had also brought privilege motion against some opposition members.
"Some parties have been defeated in the debate in Parliament on the issue. Now they are crying in frustration," he said, in a dig at Congress and other opposition parties.
After choosing India as his first overseas destination, Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli will head to China beginning March 20, a source close to the premier said today.
The 63-year-old Prime Minister is expected to embark on a state visit to China starting from March 20 and preparations are underway for the same, the source said.
His maiden visit to China since he assumed office in October last year is taking place exactly a month after his visit to India.
During a press meet held in his office at Singhdurbar on the eve of his India visit, Oli had told reporters that he would pay a visit to Beijing within a month.
However, a detail programme of the visit is yet to be worked out.
Nepal turned towards its northern neighbour for essential supplies after its border with India was obstructed due to an agitation led by Madhesis, largely of Indian-origin, over the issue of the new Constitution.
Oli said during a programme on Sunday that he wanted to develop friendly relations with both the neighbouring countries, India and China on the basis of equality and mutual benefits.
He has also denied charges that his government was playing China card against India.
"We don't believe in playing card against any country," he said.
A meeting of Council of Ministers yesterday reviewed the premier's recent six-day India visit last month, describing it as a historic and productive one.
During the meeting, it was assessed that the India visit had helped resolve the differences with the southern neighbour and augment the multi-faceted ties shared between these two countries, Minister for Information and Communications and Spokesperson of government Sher Dhan Rai was quoted as saying in local media.
Oli had earlier said it would not be appropriate for him to visit New Delhi until the blockade of key trade points with India is lifted.
Some reports had said that Oli could visit China before India due to hiccups in Indo-Nepal ties over the Madhesi issue and China was being seen as getting closer to Nepal by supplying fuel to the crisis-hit landlocked nation.
Oli, in his remarks on Sunday, said that during his India visit he assured the Indian leadership that he would not allow the Nepalese territory to be used against any of its neighbours.
"We will definitely honour and respect India's genuine concerns and interests," he said.
After choosing India as his first overseas destination, Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli will head to China in mid-March, a media report said today.
A meeting of Council of Ministers yesterday decided on Oli's maiden China visit since he assumed office in October last year, My Republica reported but did not mention dates for the trip.
The government will start preparations for the visit, Minister for Information and Communications and Spokesperson of government Sher Dhan Rai said.
The meeting also reviewed the premier's recent six-day India visit last month, describing it as a historic and productive one.
Rai said that during the meeting, it was assessed that the India visit had helped resolve the differences with the southern neighbour and augment the multi-faceted ties shared between these two countries.
Oli had earlier said it would not be appropriate for him to visit New Delhi until the blockade of key trade points with India is lifted.
Some reports had said that Oli could visit China before India due to hiccups in Indo-Nepal ties over the Madhesi issue and China was being seen as getting closer to Nepal by supplying fuel to the crisis-hit landlocked nation.
But, the 63-year-old premier has rejected reports that he played the China card against India.
"I don't believe in playing cards for one against the other. We want to develop friendly relations with both our neighbours on the basis of equality and mutual benefits," he said on Sunday.
Oli said that during his India visit, he assured the Indian leadership that he would not allow the Nepalese territory to be used against any of its neighbours.
"We will definitely honour and respect India's genuine concerns and interests," he said.
As part of its initiative to prevent sexual violence against women, Breakthrough, a women's rights organisation recently launched an online campaign #MakeitSafer to create awareness about young girls being harassed on their way to school and back.
According to a study conducted by the organisation across six Indian states, almost 50 per cent school girls have faced sexual harassment during their travel between schools and homes.
Besides the trauma that follows the violence, the study also points out that often families and the society at large choose to turn a blind eye to the victims.
"Sexual harassment has severe ramifications on a girl's life that reflect in communities in the forms of school dropouts, early marriage and also early motherhood," says Sonali Khan, Country Director and Vice-President, Breakthrough.
The campaign, which has already garnered support from critically acclaimed actress Kalki Koechlin, advocates the provision of a safer ecosystem for school going girls by inviting public participation.
"The campaign aims at strengthening the resources required for on-ground action and community mobilisation. It seeks to build upon sensitisation of masses while addressing the challenge of lack of safeguards and sanctions," says Khan.
According to the study, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana are among the states that have recorded maximum occurence of the crime.
As a preventive measure, the organisation has installed video vans in the affected areas to train the youth, law enforcement agencies, auto drivers as well as students in schools.
"Via the video vans, we have been able to reach out to more than 150,000 people including 24,000 students and sensitise the masses about the need for safety of girl children in public spaces," says Khan.
Scientists have identified new genes that predispose people to the risk of ischemic stroke, an advance that may lead to a drug target to prevent the potentially deadly and often debilitating condition.
Researchers seeking to better understand how our genes contribute to stroke risk have completed what is believed to be the largest and most comprehensive review of the human genome to identify genes behind ischemic stroke, the cause of approximately 85 per cent of all stroke cases.
An international team of scientists including those from University of Virginia (UVA) in the US examined the genomes of tens of thousands of stroke patients and far more control subjects.
The research has confirmed the role of the handful of genes previously suspected, ruled out others and identified a new gene that may become a drug target for doctors seeking to prevent the potentially deadly and often debilitating condition.
Stroke is the number two killer worldwide, and risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol are well established.
Our genes, however, also play an important role in determining our stroke risk, but relatively little is known about the inheritable risk for ischemic stroke, researchers said.
To advance the understanding of ischemic stroke, a massive study was conducted by researchers with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke's Stroke Genetics Network (SiGN) and the International Stroke Genetics Consortium.
"We have started to alter the mortality from stroke, which is great and exciting. However, if you look at all the known risk factors, they are fairly poor at predicting an individual's risk," said Bradford Worrall from UVA.
"There is some statistics that suggest as much as 50 per cent of the residual risk is unexplained, which is why understanding the underlying genetic contributors is so important," said Worrall.
Ischemic stroke represents a collection of several different stroke subtypes, including strokes caused by blood clots that form in or near the heart and strokes that result from hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, in the head or neck.
The new gene identified by the study, for example, is thought to be associated with strokes that result from large-artery atherosclerosis, researchers said.
The study also sheds light on the only gene that has been linked to all forms of ischemic stroke. Researchers were able to show that the gene appears to have the strongest effect in strokes related to small vessel disease.
This suggests that each identified stroke gene so far is associated with a specific stroke subtype, researchers said.
The findings were published in the journal Lancet Neurology.
NASA scientists are closer to solving the mystery of how Phobos was formed, by using the spectral images of the Mars' moon captured in ultraviolet by the MAVEN mission.
In late November and early December last year, NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission made a series of close approaches to the Martian moon Phobos, collecting data from within 500 kilometres of the moon.
Among the data returned were spectral images of Phobos in the ultraviolet.
The images will allow MAVEN scientists to better assess the composition of this enigmatic object, whose origin is unknown, NASA said.
Comparing MAVEN's images and spectra of the surface of Phobos to similar data from asteroids and meteorites will help planetary scientists understand the moon's origin - whether it is a captured asteroid or was formed in orbit around Mars.
The MAVEN data, when fully analysed, will also help scientists look for organic molecules on the surface.
Evidence for such molecules has been reported by previous measurements from the ultraviolet spectrograph on the Mars Express spacecraft, according to the US space agency said.
The observations were made by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph instrument aboard MAVEN.
The Green Tribunal (NGT) in association with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), MoEF and Ministry of Water Resources, will hold a global conference to provide a new dimension to the environmental jurisprudence from a world perspective.
"This is for the first time that UNEP is holding a conference in India in which around 55 delegates from 30 countries especially South Asian countries will participate," Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.
The programme, to be held from March 4 to 6, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
"Around 1,500 people, including world leaders, judges and experts in fields related to environment like bio-diversity and waste management are likely to participate in the conference. Three members from UNEP will also participate in the conference," Justice Kumar said.
He said that the most important feature about the conference is that around 500 students from 14 educational institutes from all over the country, mostly from law colleges and environmental institutes, will participate.
"We want the young blood to be made aware about the environment and therefore along with experts, students from 14 educational institutions will participate in the event," he said.
He said representatives from bodies like pollution control boards, disaster management authorities and those related to environment have been invited for the three-day programme.
Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested 24 people for their suspected links with and the outfit's funding in India is mostly through self-financing mechanism, Lok Sabha was informed Tuesday.
Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said the Investigation Agency and police of some states have registered cases and arrested some active cadres affiliated to in the recent past.
"So far, NIA has arrested 24 accused (Jammu and Kashmir - 1, Karnataka - 7, Madhya Pradesh - 1, Maharashtra - 7, Tamil Nadu - 1, Telangana - 4 and Uttar Pradesh - 3) in the cases being investigated by the agency," he said in a written reply.
Chaudhary said funding in India is mostly through self financing mechanism, however, "hawala channel has also been used in one or two instances to raise funds."
The Minister said ISIS uses both positive and negative imagery to attract recruits from across the world but it has influenced or attracted very few youths from India.
Chaudhary said the dreaded terror group is using various internet based platforms for propaganda and to propagate its ideology. The intelligence and security agencies monitor the cyber space closely to identify potential recruits and keep them under surveillance and take further action if necessary.
In order to assess ISIS' threat and to devise a strategy to deal with it, "meetings have been held by the Ministry of Home Affairs with all the central agencies concerned and the state governments," he said.
Chaudhary said government has taken all necessary measures to counter the incipient threat posed by the ISIS and further details cannot be disclosed in the interest of national security.
North Korea will boycott the UN Human Rights Council, Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong said today, deploring the "politicisation" of the body.
"We shall no longer participate in international sessions singling out the human rights situation of (North Korea) for mere political attack," Ri told the council, charging it was plagued by "politicisation, selectivity and double standards."
The UN's top rights body has repeatedly slammed the situation in North Korea, with a massive 2014 report charging the country and its leadership were guilty of a wide range of crimes against humanity.
But Ri insisted Tuesday that the United States and others who have long yearned for the "elimination of the DPRK" (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) were using false allegations of human rights abuses to boost their cause.
He charged they were driving a "human rights racket" against the country.
They were offering more than $5,000 (4,600 euros) to "so-called North Korean defectors" to get them to "fabricate" shocking testimony about the situation in the country, Ri said.
He also claimed that Pyongyang's enemies were dangling promises of economic aid to entice UN member countries to adopt resolutions on human rights in North Korea.
"In other words, the voting process at the international human rights mechanisms is being commercialised," Ri said.
North Korea would no longer take part in the process, he said, stressing that from now on, "whether or not such resolutions are to be put to a vote will be none of our business and we will never be bound by them."
Later Tuesday, the UN Security Council in New York is due to vote on a US-drafted resolution imposing a raft of new sanctions on North Korea following its recent nuclear test and rocket launch.
BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav today said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's 'Saat Nischay' (seven resolves) as part of 2016-17 state Budget, was nothing "new" as they were part of 'Sushashan Ke Karyakram 2010-2015' of the previous government.
"They (grand secular alliance) are trumpeting 'Saat Nischay' as something which is new. Except one or two measures, all others announced in 'Saat Nischay' have already found place in 'Sushashan Ke Karyakram 2010-2015' during his (Nitish's) previous regime," Yadav said during a debate on Bihar Budget.
Be it providing electricity, pucca road and drainage, piped water supply and construction of toilets for all, Yadav said all measures were already mentioned in 'Sushashan Ke Karyakram 2010-2015'.
The Chief Minister's ambitious 'Saat Nischay' scheme aims at making younger generation self-reliant through skill development, providing wi-fi connection in colleges and universities, education loan, electricity connection to all villages, providing piped water supply to every household and road and drainage in urban areas.
'Saat Nischay' got cabinet approval on February 19 before getting a place in the state Budget, which was presented on February 26 in the Bihar Assembly.
The senior BJP leader alleged as per 'Sushashan Ke Karyakram 2010-2015', the state government was supposed to provide power connection to all by 2016, but now it has been extended to 2018.
Similarly, all households were supposed to be already connected with pucca roads and drainage system, he said.
The state government had set the target of constructing toilets in every household in five years, Kishore Yadav said, adding the government could have constructed 48 lakh toilets out of 2.13 crore till date.
"Almost all measures of Sushashan Ke Karyakram 2010-2015 have been announced as 'Saat Nischay' as the Government of India is providing money for electrification, toilets and a sum of Rs 80 lakh to every panchayat," Yadav said.
Taking a swipe at both JD(U) and RJD, Yadav, a former minister, asked what happened to the progress of 'Karpoori Thakur Chhatravas Yojana' under which one hostel was to be built in every district.
The scheme was started in 2008-09 and only four hostels have been constructed while construction for four others was going on, he added.
Stating that the government should not pat its back for presenting a Rs 1.44 lakh crore budget, the BJP leader said the credit for bigger size of Budget goes to the Centre which took a decision that money allocated for centrally sponsored schemes would now reflect in the state's Budget.
Accusing the state government for opposing the Centre
for the sake of opposition, Yadav asked what was its own revenue.
Out of Rs 1.44 lakh crore, the state government's own revenue was expected to be Rs 29,730 crore in 2016-17 and the rest would come from the Central government in various forms, he said.
Yadav who countered the state government's claim that Bihar got less amount in the 14th Finance Commission, said the state would get Rs 4.09 lakh crore in five years against Rs 1.65 lakh crore as recommended by the 13th Finance Commission.
"It is the Narendra Modi government which accepted 14th Finance Commission's recommendations and increased the states' share from 32 to 42 per cent. Neither Narendra Modi nor the Centre decided the criteria as to which state would get what amount of money," Yadav said.
After Uttar Pradesh, Bihar got the highest allocation, even three times more than Gujarat, he stressed.
Yadav said implementing a 'special package' was his party's commitment and modalities were being worked out for it.
The state government would give its reply tomorrow on the state's Budget 2016-17.
A federal judge has ruled that the US Justice Department cannot use a 227-year-old law to force to provide the FBI with access to locked iPhone data, dealing a blow to the government in its battle with the company over privacy and public safety.
The ruling, by US Magistrate Judge James Orenstein, yesterday applied narrowly to one Brooklyn drug case, but it gives support to the company's position in its fight against a California judge's order that it create specialised software to help the FBI hack into an iPhone linked to the San Bernardino terrorism investigation.
Orenstein belittled some government arguments, saying attorneys were stretching an old law "to produce impermissibly absurd results."He rejected government claims that was only concerned with public relations. He said he found no limit on how far the government would go to require a person or company to violate the most deeply-rooted values.
And he said claims that must assist the government because it reaped the benefits of being an American company "reflects poorly on a government that exists in part to safeguard the freedom of its citizens."
Both cases hinge partly on whether a law written long before the computer age, the 1789 All Writs Act, could be used to compel Apple to cooperate with efforts to retrieve data from encrypted phones.
"Ultimately, the question to be answered in this matter, and in others like it across the country, is not whether the government should be able to force Apple to help it unlock a specific device; it is instead whether the All Writs Act resolves that issue and many others like it yet to come," Orenstein wrote. "I conclude that it does not."
Apple's opposition to the government's tactics has evoked a national debate over digital privacy rights and national security.
On Thursday, the Cupertino, California-based company formally objected to the California order, accusing the federal government of seeking "dangerous power" through the courts and of trampling on the company's constitutional rights.
The separate California case involves an iPhone 5C owned by San Bernardino County and used by Syed Farook, who was a health inspector.
Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people during a December 2 attack that was at least partly inspired by the Islamic State group. The couple died later in a gun battle with police.
Orenstein, ruling with an eye to the California case, referenced it multiple times in a 50-page ruling and noted that the government request there was far more "intrusive."
The New York case features a government request far less onerous for Apple and its cellphone technology; the extraction technique exists for that older operating system and it's been used before some 70 times before to assist investigators.
Inviting National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) to establish its campus in the state, the Odisha Government said it is contemplating to set up a dedicated pharmaceutical cluster in the industrial estates around Bhubaneswar.
Chief Secretary A P Padhi informed the state's plan at a meeting with executive members of the Pharmaceutical Council of India (PCI) here yesterday.
The issues relating to establishment of pharmaceutical industries in Odisha, strengthening of pharmaceutical sector, capacity building of pharmacists and inviting NIPER to set up its campus in the state were discussed in the meeting, an official said.
The members of the council also proposed to run a bridge course for diploma pharmacist serving in government, particularly in rural areas. The training, they said, would result in better performance and service delivery to the people.
Padhi, on behalf of the state government assured the PCI members that the government would provide all support to the companies who would set up employment intensive enterprises in the state.
Secretary Industries Sanjeeb Chopra informed the PCI members about the facilities and incentives being provided by the state government for setting up pharmaceutical production units along with research and development activities.
Chopra said pharmaceutical industry has been categorised under priority sector in the IPR Policy, 2015 of the state government.
Provisions have been made for allotment of land under subsidised rate, capital grant to support quality infrastructure, interest subsidy, quick and easy power supply, reimbursement of value added tax, reimbursement of entry tax, financial assistance for technical know-how, entrepreneurship development subsidy, environment protection infrastructure subsidy, subsidy for patent registration and quality certification, he said.
This apart, other supports like anchor tenant subsidy, land for worker's hostel and capital subsidy for plant and machinery, online availability of the necessary clearances and certificates within stipulated time etc would also be available to the entrepreneurs coming up for establishment of new units.
"The state government has also planned for a dedicated pharmaceutical cluster in the industrial estates around Bhubaneswar," Padhi informed the members.
Crude prices rose today, boosted by China's latest stimulus measures and reports of falling oil production from the OPEC producers' cartel and the United States, dealers said.
At around 1230 GMT, the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in April climbed 52 cents to stand at USD 34.27 a barrel.
In London, Brent North Sea crude for May advanced 29 cents to USD 36.86 a barrel compared with Monday's close.
Sentiment was boosted further by China's decision yesterday to slash the so-called reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for banks, freeing up additional funds for lending.
The move stoked expectations for stronger demand in the world's largest energy consumer.
"Oil is being supported by the cut in China's RRR and signs of lower production around the world," PVM Oil Associates analyst Tamas Varga told Bloomberg .
"In principle, the cut in RRR should encourage lending, support the economy and therefore oil demand. At the same time, production seems to be slipping in the United States, Mexico and even in OPEC."
Prices had also risen yesterday as oil kingpin Saudi Arabia suggested it was open to a coordinated solution to market volatility while insisting it would not cut production.
The oil market has slumped by 70 per cent since mid-2014 on oversupply concerns at a time when global economic growth is faltering.
Crude prices were unstable in Asia today after weak Chinese manufacturing data pared gains from Beijing's stimulus measures and a fresh hint that oil producers could cooperate to stabilise the market.
Prices had risen yesterday as oil kingpin Saudi Arabia suggested it was open to a coordinated solution to market volatility while insisting it would not cut production.
Sentiment was also boosted by China's decision to slash reserve requirements for banks, freeing up additional funds for lending.
China's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data issued Tuesday showed manufacturing activity shrank at its fastest rate in four years in February, a fresh sign of sustained weakness in the world's second-largest economy.
At around 0445 GMT, the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for April delivery was two cents higher at $33.77 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In London, Brent North Sea crude for May was down three cents to $36.54 a barrel.
Both had fallen in earlier Asian trade.
Phillip Futures investment analyst Daniel Ang told AFP in Singapore that "you need to see stronger manufacturing PMI, stronger economic growth before you can be certain oil demand in China will increase".
Ang noted that while the Saudi comments could provide support for the market, it was only a short-term one.
"It goes back to the basics of supply and demand. Saudi Arabia does hold a very big weight but the truth is I don't really see a lot of concrete action coming from them," he said.
Slain Al-Qaeda leader had called for launching jihad against Pakistan and wanted to manipulate the tension between India and Pakistan to achieve this objective, according to newly declassified files seized from his hideout in Pakistan.
In a 42-page booklet originally in Arabic recovered from the Abbottabad compound of bin Laden during the raid by US commandoes in which he was killed, the al-Qaeda leader gives a detailed blueprint on how and where to launch the jihad against Pakistan and establish Islamic rule over the country.
Read more from our special coverage on "OSAMA BIN LADEN" Osama bin Laden wanted much of his fortune used on jihad
In the booklet, which was released by the Office of Director of National Intelligence today, bin Laden alleged that India was planning to attack Pakistan as part of the larger American game plan to divide Pakistan.
And then he sets his eyes on the entire of South Asia arguing that it is the British colonial rulers who divided the region, which in fact is one country.
"India plans to attack Pakistan," is one of the chapters of the booklet 'Jihad in Pakistan'.
In the booklet, bin Laden wrote, "India has embarked on many important initiatives, except that it is preparing for a decisive grand battle. Among those initiatives are India's bid to purchase 134 fighter aircraft from all over the world, this will be the largest military deal in the history of the whole world."
"India's military training with Britain on the highest fighting fronts, in the mountainous Siachen region on the Pakistani border. America's grand steps in nuclear cooperation with India, through the purchase of an Indian nuclear reactor on Indian soil. India's convening the largest "Strategic War Games" in Hyderabad region.
The booklet referred to India's launch of an Israeli satellite to spy on Pakistan and its alleged announcement of increasing its force size by a million, compared to its current 1,300,000 million soldier force.
"These giant steps predict an incoming storm. India has focused its attention on Pakistan's internal situation. Military analysts interpreted these steps through their statements that India will attack Pakistan, sooner or later," the booklet said.
Laying out his plan of action to wage a successful jihad against Pakistan, bin Laden proposed four-prong action plan.
"We have to launch raids against the Pakistani army that is deployed on the Indian border, because these are vast desert battlefields areas and it will be easy to target them. By these operations, we will realise that these border armies will not come to the rescue of armies that are present in Sarhad and Baluchistan; on the contrary, they will focus their efforts on strengthening their positions in their areas, as they are sensitive areas from the point of view of Pakistan's war with India," he wrote.
Therefore, every attack in these areas will constitute "an anchoring nail" in the foot of the army, impeding it from movement to these areas, he argued.
Then bin Laden called for weakening "law and order" through the waging of attacks against selected targets in Punjab, in a manner that the army will be compelled to intervene and control the situation.
"This will be another important success for us because Punjab army units will be compelled to remain there and will be unable to free themselves and devote energies to Sarhad region," he wrote.
"If we could achieve those two objectives, we will accelerate the departure of a large number of army in Punjab and Sindh. After that, we will have to focus on suffocating the army and isolating its eastern part from the western one. There are special passes that were used through the centuries, from Punjab and Sindh to Sarhad and Baluchistan, like Mianuwali Walih, and Khaddar and others," he wrote.
"If we can make these passes - which the government has shown no interest in maintaining - difficult for the army to pass, and close them operationally, we will be isolating the two corps located in Sarhad and Baluchistan region from the remaining corps in the Eastern part."
"After that, if we begin to pressure the remaining army in the western part by intensifying our Jihad and military call, we trust in God almighty, that this army which surrendered to India in Bengal when it was 90,000 thousand, will crumble in front of the Mujahidin for the sake of God in a much quicker manner; especially if they realise that they are besieged from all sides, and their link with Punjab and Sindh is severed," bin Laden wrote.
In the booklet, the Al-Qaeda leader appears to refuse to accept the partition of the sub-continent in 1947.
"Pakistan is not just Pakistan, but it is the Indian sub-continent," he wrote.
"The other important point is that the British divided Pakistan and India in the same weird manner that they divided Pakistan and Afghanistan," he wrote.
"Also, from the historical aspect, it is a given that a subcontinent is one contiguous region, and whatever happens on the western side (ie current Pakistan) echoes spontaneously in the eastern one (ie current India), and this echo does not stop except at the Bay of Bengal waves," the booklet said.
"Therefore, Mujahid leadership must consider in their minds the subcontinent as a whole before planning any future programme; otherwise we will harm ourselves by any planning that is based on incomplete analysis," he wrote.
Academy Award winning actor George Kennedy has died of old age in Boise, Idaho. He was 91.
The of Kennedy's demise was confirmed by his grandson Cory Schenkel on Facebook.
"For 14 years I took care of my grandparents. I have travelled on many business trips and movie shoots with my grandpa... I have created so many great memories and I will enjoy them for life.
"While I am extremely sad that they are both gone (my grandma in September 14 and my grandpa this morning) I am grateful for the life, memories, and knowledge they shared with me. They both lived amazing lives and I know they are resting in peace," Schenkel posted.
Kennedy won Oscar for his portrayal of a savage chain-gang convict in the 1960s classic "Cool Hand Luke," starring Paul Newman in the lead role.
Following the critical and commercial success of the film, Kennedy carved out a niche as one of Hollywood's most recognizable supporting actors and played important parts in several action movies in the 1970s.
One of his strongest supporting roles was in the hit 1970 film "Airport." The movie spawned several sequels, with him being in all of them, and landed Kennedy a Golden Globe nomination.
Kennedy, who was born in New York City in 1925, first began as a radio performer and then put a hold on his acting career to serve in World War II. After 16 years in the Army, he returned to Hollywood.
His other popular films include, "The Dirty Dozen," "The Naked Gun" and the disaster film "Earthquake," among others.
Kennedy last appeared in Mark Wahlberg's 2014 film "The Gambler".
He wrote multiple books, including the murder mystery "Murder on Location" and his 2011 autobiography "Trust Me."
Kennedy was also an advocate for adopted children. He had four adopted children, including his granddaughter Taylor.
More than 131,000 migrants and refugees have reached Europe via the Mediterranean this year, more than the total number in the first five months of 2015, the United Nations said today.
Out of a total of 131,724 people who have arrived on Europe's shores this year, 122,637 landed in Greece and most were fleeing the conflict in Syria, the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) said.
The agency said an estimated 24,000 migrants in Greece were in need of accommodation as of last night.
Huge blockages of people have built up in the country after European nations including neighbouring Macedonia set tight limits on migrants entries.
"Europe is on the cusp of a largely self-induced humanitarian crisis," the agency warned, accusing EU governments of fuelling the chaos and suffering by resorting to "inconsistent practices" in response to the migrant influx.
More than Rs 5 crore was collected by the government as fine under various provisions of tobacco prohibition law between April 2012 and September 2015, Rajya Sabha was informed today.
As per information provided by different states, a total of Rs 5,42,48,708 challan was collected for 4,81,730 violations between April 2012 and September 2015.
"These were collected under various provisions of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisements and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA) 2003," Health Minister J P Nadda said in a written reply.
At present, National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) is under implementation in 108 districts across 31 states in the country.
"The states governments/UTs of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Mizoram, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand have issued orders/notifications banning the sale of loose cigarettes," he said.
He said the government has taken measures, including enactment of COTPA, ratification of WHO framework convention on tobacco control, launching of NTCP in 2007-08, with the objective of creating awareness about harmful effects of tobacco consumption, reducing production and supply of tobacco products, ensuring effective implementation of the anti-tobacco laws and helping people quit tobacco use through Tobacco Cessation Centres.
At least 12 militants, including a Taliban commander, were killed today by Pakistan army during aerial bombing in the country's restive North Waziristan tribal area near Afghan border.
The attacks were launched since last night in Shawal valley, a mountainous and thickly forested region near Afghan border which is considered as bastion of militants.
A security official said that troops were steadily advancing towards the border and militants were on the run.
The jet pounded rebel hideouts, killing 12 of them including a Taliban commander known as Hezbollah, the official said.
Pakistan has already announced that the last phase of operation had started in the border region of North Waziristan.
The on going offensive is a part of Zarb-e-Azb operation launched in June 2014 by the army to eliminate terrorists. Army says so far over 3,500 militants have been killed.
For the "first time", Pakistan has taken action on terror strikes in India by registering a case to investigate the role of its citizens involved in the Pathankot attack, based on evidence provided by India, Lok Sabha was informed today.
"Case has been registered (by Pakistan). This is for the first time Pakistan has taken action," Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said in reply to questions, adding that India had given evidence to Pakistan on the Pathankot terror strike.
He gave the reply amidst din created by AIADMK members seeking action against former Home Minister's son Karti Chidambaram in the alleged Aircel-Maxis scam.
In response to another question, the other Minister of State in Home Ministry, Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary, said "based on intelligence inputs received prior to the attack, and the subsequent investigation into the Pathankot terrorist attack by the NIA, it has been disclosed that the terrorists belonged to the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist outfit based in Pakistan."
"There is also evidence on record that this terrorist attack was planned by JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and others," Chaudhary said in a written reply.
He said the Pakistan government had registered a case to investigate the "role of Pakistani elements involved in this terrorist attack."
Rijiju, while responding to a question, said border fencing at certain places is difficult due to terrain but BSF is keeping a strict watch to thrawt infiltration attempts.
The government said a multi-agency centre has been strengthened and re-organised to enable it to function on 24x7 basis for real time collation and sharing of intelligence with other security agencies and states which ensures seamless flow of information between the state and central agencies.
A Pakistani team probing the Pathankot terror attack may visit India in the next few days, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz has said and hoped that the Foreign Secretary-level talks will be scheduled very soon.
"It is unfortunate that the agreement on resuming the dialogue process was disrupted by the attack on Pathankot Airbase on January 2. Pakistan has taken some important steps in the aftermath of the Pathankot incident," Aziz said yesterday in his opening remarks to the US-Pak Strategic Dialogue.
"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called the Indian Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) immediately after the attack and assured of Pakistan's support in the investigation. Security Advisers are maintaining frequent contacts," he said.
"Case has been registered and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is likely to visit India in the next few days. We therefore hope that the Foreign Secretary level-talks will be scheduled very soon," Aziz said during the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue which he co-chaired with US Secretary of State John Kerry.
As an important part of Sharif Government's policy of peaceful neighbourhood, Islamabad has reached out to India, he noted.
"We believe that the resolution of all outstanding issues - including the Kashmir dispute - is possible through resumption of full-scale and uninterrupted dialogue with India. We had also proposed a mechanism to address our respective concerns on terrorism," Aziz said.
Pakistan last week set up a five-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase, a week after it lodged an FIR over the assault without naming Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar who India has accused of having masterminded the strike.
Earlier, a six-member SIT was set up by the government for the initial probe into the January 2 attack based on the leads given by India.
Three suspects arrested in the high-profile case were remanded in police custody by an anti-terrorism court in Gujranwala city of Punjab on Saturday.
The FIR by the Counter-Terrorism Department of Punjab police has been lodged on the basis of information provided by Security Adviser Ajit Doval that four attackers crossed from Pakistan into India and attacked the airbase.
The attack led to the postponement of a scheduled meeting between Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India in January in Islamabad. Since then, no date has been fixed for the talks.
Pakistan is "anxiously waiting" for the Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks, a top aide of Pakistan Prime Minister said today and asked India not to give the non-state actors "a veto" over bilateral ties.
Sartaj Aziz, the foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said that his government's policy direction with regard to fight against terrorism is "clear" but conceded that the "implementation is not very easy".
He said a Special Investigative Team (SIT) is scheduled to visit India to investigate the Pathankot terrorist attack and collect samples and evidences.
But the progress on the investigation depends on the co-operation from India, he said in response to a question at the Council on Foreign Relations - a top US think-tank.
"As our policy of peaceful neighbourhood, we have reached out to India. We are anxiously waiting for the dialogue to be resumed. The Pathankot incident disrupted the process of the two foreign secretaries' meetings," Aziz said.
"Once we begin the dialogue, I am sure we would be able to deal with some issues even if we are not able to solve all the issues at dispute. Our main purpose is that Line of Control should be peaceful, normal relationship should start, sporting links should resume so that tension decreases. That prepares the ground for dealing with more difficult issues," Aziz said.
Responding to a question on how Pakistan would manage the "ability of the spoilers" to take off track the peace efforts of the government in particular with that with India, he conceded that this is a tough task at their disposal.
"The question is obviously people who want to disrupt these talks, non-state actors of course. No country has totally controlled them. So for somebody to orchestrate an incident, with people on both sides of the border, these kinds of incidents would always take place. We have been urging India not to give a veto to these non-state groups.
"There is one incident and the whole relationship collapses," Aziz said.
Observing that a great deal of the problem being faced by Pakistan today is the result of fighting other people's war, including the war against Russia by Afghan Mujahedeen and the US.
"Should, we have done that in retrospect, I do not know. Look at the cost to us.. Both guns and drugs. We have destroyed our economic potential in last 20-25 years because of the one decision that we took," he said.
Ironically military rulers of that time took such decisions to stay in power.
"We have now decided enough to enough. We must look after our own borders, look after our own country, must develop our economy and not become part of anything that does not directly affect us," he noted.
Pakistan, he argued, has shown to India that it wants to strongly deal with terrorist groups.
"Terrorism is a common threat. In India they have one or two incident a year. We have an incident every week. Therefore, we have suffered much more from terrorism that anybody else. We have told them that in our relationship they have been interfering not through non-state actors but through state actors. So therefore, let's improve our relationship," he said.
Aziz hoped that India would provide Pakistan necessary evidence to carry the investigation of those involved in the Pathankot terrorist attack.
"In one interview in an Indian newspaper, what I said was that so far the information given is telephone call, is numbers which are linked to some. Out of those three-four (numbers), one was traced to one particular organization's head office. That persuaded us to take action against that (organisations) and preventive detention of their leaders and sealing (of its office)," he said.
"The next step is to identify the four people who carried out the attack. And there the photograph provided, finger prints provided are not enough to link with our database."
"The Special Investigation Team which is going to India soon, will try to get proper photograph of the face, because they are people lying underground and you can't match them with your database and proper finger prints which would also enable us to find out whether they are Pakistanis or not. That is step number one," he said.
"The link of those with the telephone number and the organisations would be the next step. Right now we can't pre-judge as to who is responsible.
"Anybody can dial that particular number from India. That is not very difficult. We know what the number of that organisation is. But to establish (the links), we require further evidence. Whether they were using the kind of communication...Because they were using the phone of someone who were murdered," he said.
"In a very short time we have prepared the requirement we have for additional evidence. It would depend on the visit of the SIT team to Delhi next week. As a result of that hopefully India would cooperate fully, give us provide us additional evidence, which would then enable us to proceed against whosoever is suspected," Aziz said.
Pakistan is on high alert as hundreds of Islamists today gathered for the funeral of Punjab governor Salman Taseer's assassin Mumtaz Qadri, who was executed for killing the liberal leader over seeking reforms in the country's controversial blasphemy laws.
Security forces were deployed at main junctions and sensitive buildings in Islamabad and the nearby Rawalpindi city, where Qadri's funeral procession will pass through.
"Police is on high alert and special measures have been taken to check any untoward incident. Nobody will be allowed to create any kind of disturbance," an official of the Interior Ministry said.
Former police commando Qadri, who shot Taseer 28 times in 2011 in broad daylight in an upmarket locality of Islamabad, was hanged in Adialia jail of Rawalpindi city yesterday, triggering protests by thousands of Islamists who called it a "black day".
Within hours of the hanging, street protests broke out in several cities by the supporters of Qadri, who considered him as a hero for defending the faith.
The supporters blocked roads and forced many shopkeepers to close down their stores.
The biggest protest was held in Karachi with around 8,000 people taking to the streets.
After the execution, Qadri's body was handed over to his family living in Sadiqabad area of Rawalpindi where hundreds of his supporters belonging to radical religious groups gathered to mourn his death.
Pakistan Sunni Tehreek, a Karachi-based group with countrywide following, has announced to organise a funeral prayer for Qadri at historic Liaquat Bagh ground of Rawalpindi.
Fearing violence by Qadri's supporters, most of the private schools in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have been closed.
Radical religious groups had been demanding that Qadri should be forgiven as he killed a "blasphemer".
Taseer, who died aged 66, had come out it in support of a Christian woman charged with blasphemy and termed the regulations as "black laws" drawing the ire of extremists.
Sunni Tehreek chief Sarwat Ijaz Qadri has condemned the hanging, saying, "It is black day in the history of the country. Those who executed Qadri have only spoiled their chances of success hereafter."
Meanwhile, a leading cleric and chief of Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Mualana Muhammad Khan Sherani endorsed the hanging of Qadri who he said had taken the laws into his hands.
"No one is above the law," he told journalists yesterday. I respect Qadri's religious sentiments but I respect Pakistan's constitution more," he said.
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, with even unproven allegations often triggering mob violence.
The controversial law was introduced by former military dictator Zia-ul Haq in 1980s and so far hundreds of people have been charged under them.
In a move aimed at initiating confidence-building measures ahead of Assembly election in West Bengal and to get a 'feel of the areas', four companies of paramilitary forces conducted route march in different parts of the city today.
The central forces conducted route marches in different parts of the city including Jadavpur, Gariahat, Ballygunge, Kiddperpore, Watgunge and Metiaburz.
According to sources in the Kolkata Police, six more companies would be reaching the city by Sunday (March 7).
"They will conduct route march as well as patrolling in areas which are sensitive. Police officers from the local police stations will have no role, but they will go to individual houses and urge voters to go out and vote," a senior police officer said today.
"These forces were scheduled to arrive today or tomorrow. But, they have reached in advance. We have made arrangements and the Officers In-Charge of all police stations in the city have been informed," the officer said.
According to a senior official in West Bengal Police, around 100 companies of central forces have already arrived in the state and by March 7, around more 200 companies were scheduled to reach the state to carry out "law and order duties".
"Today they have conducted route march in Howrah, Birbhum, Hooghly, Malda, Balurghat and it will continue for the next few days," the officer said.
The commanding officers of these forces in the districts would also crosscheck information provided by the SPs, he said.
Meanwhile, with 20,50,386 net addition in the number of voters, there has been a 3.23 per cent rise in the number of voters in West Bengal, additional chief election commissioner Dibyendu Sarkar told reporters here today.
Stating the population-voter ratio (at 0.68 per cent) as comfortable, Sarkar said out of the total number of voters, which was over six crore, 3.17 per cent were new voters (in the 18-19 year age group).
A 35-year old pastor was today sentenced to 40 years rigorous imprisonment by a court here for sexually abusing a minor girl at nearby Peechi two years ago.
Pronouncing the verdict, Judge K P Sudheer of Special Additional Sessions court, trying cases under Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, observed the accused deserved no leniency as he brutally raped a hapless school girl and deserved maximum punishment.
He also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on accused Sanil K James who had raped the seventh standard student in the Peechi church premises where he stayed.
The accused, hailing from Nedumkandam in Kottayam district, was sentenced to 20 years RI under IPC 376 and 20 years RI under various sections of POCSO. The court ordered that the sentences would run concurrently.
The Judge also ordered the government to pay Rs three lakhs to the 12-year-old girl from its Vicitm Compensation Fund.
According to the prosecution, the pastor, who then belonged to the Peechi Salvation Army Church, had raped the girl during summer vacation in April 2014.
It also said another case was pending against the pastor for raping another minor girl.
Police filed a case based on complaint received by Thrissur Child Welfare Committee.
The Pentagon is expanding its cyber war against Islamic State computer networks, senior defence officials have said as they claimed to have seized the momentum in the 18-month-old fight against the jihadists.
Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and the US military's top officer, General Joe Dunford, said the United States was determined to "accelerate" the anti-IS campaign, and indicated cyber warfare is playing an increasingly important role in doing so.
"The US-led coalition is working to disrupt IS' command chain "to cause them to lose confidence in their networks," Carter said yesterday.
He did not offer technical specifics but said the tactic was to "overload their network so that they can't function, and do all of these things that will interrupt their ability to command and control forces there, control the population and the economy."
Overloading a network is a common type of cyber attack known as a denial of service, but Carter hinted that other techniques are being used.
"The methods we're using are new, some of them will be surprising and some of them are applicable to other challenges... We have around the world," he said.
Carter and Dunford visited the US Cyber Command headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland in January and encouraged workers there to "do what they can" to intensify the fight against the IS group.
Nearly two years since it started bombing IS positions in Iraq and Syria, in a campaign that also included training and equipping local anti-IS forces, the US-led coalition is now focusing on cyber tactics.
While the IS group maintains a firm grip on vast areas of Iraq and Syria, the jihadists have suffered some serious setbacks.
In Iraq, coalition-supported Iraqi forces recaptured Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province west of Baghdad, in December.
And in recent weeks in Syria, a largely Kurdish group called the Syrian Democratic Forces, again backed up by commando training and US-led precision air strikes, encircled the town of Al-Shadadi in Hasakeh province, then moved in and recaptured it from the jihadists.
"Because of our strategy and our determination to accelerate our campaign, momentum is now on our side and not on ISIL's," Carter said, using an alternative abbreviation for the IS group.
Shah Rukh Khan says enacting a double role of a superstar and his young admirer in his upcoming film "Fan" was physically quite challenging for him.
In the film, to be released in April this year, Shah Rukh plays Aryan Khanna and his lookalike fan Gaurav Chanana.
"It was a very physically challenging film. It was physically challenging to do a double role. It was more challenging as at this age I had to play a 24-year-old boy, have his energy, and then I had another part to play of a superstar," the 50-year-old actor told reporters here at the trailer launch of "Fan" last evening.
"It was a difficult character to play. But the team helped me and made it easy for me. We have tried to keep it normal and simple," he said.
Shah Rukh revealed that he had to work hard on his look while getting into the skin of Gaurav's character.
"We had to put make-up and initially it used to take six hours. Later, after some practise, it took two-and-half to three hours," he said.
In real life, the "Swades" star says he has never put up an image in front of people and has always been normal.
"I am never bothered about how I am. I wear stardom like T-shirt, not like Tuxedo (suit)," he said.
Directed by Maneesh Sharma, "Fan" explores the bond between a superstar and a die-hard fan who looks like him. The film is not just a story of a fan's undying love and adulation, it's about how Gaurav's admiration towards a superstar slowly turns into a dangerous obsession.
"People keep saying that I do the same acting for the past 25 years, even the critics say that. But I have tried to be different with this film," he said.
"It's an unusual story. Some people may like it, some may not. I can't please everyone. We have tired our best to give something different and interesting. We hope people enjoy both the characters," Shah Rukh said.
"Fan" will be a song-less film, except for the promotional
track - "Jabra fan".
"I was injured and still did 'Jabra' song. There are no songs in the film, except one. I told Maneesh to put an item song, but he refused. It's a pure experience of story telling... It's a new way," he said.
Though Maneesh made his directorial debut with "Band Baaja Baaraat" (2010), he was toying with the idea of "Fan" with Shah Rukh for quite sometime.
"I felt it's the most difficult film as it's not a double role... He is a lookalike. I was working on 'Chennai Express', that time Maneesh and I met at YRF (studio) and thought of working on this film ('Fan')," Shah Rukh said.
"Initially we did not have the technology, but today we have... We have visual effects and all. First time when he (Maneesh) narrated me the story, I felt we can't make it as that time we did not have that much technology," he said.
According to the superstar, the story of "Fan" is quite amazing.
"The script is mind-blowing. It's a different story and we hope people like and enjoy it," he said.
A petition was today filed in the Delhi High Court seeking direction to the Ministry of Defence to withdraw the laptops and computers issued to its officials for working from home alleging that sensitive data may land in "wrong hands".
A bench headed by Chief Justice G Rohini fixed the matter for consideration on March 14 on the plea which claimed that "sensitive defence electronic datas continues to move out of the 'Defence Security Zone' through the laptops and the data transfer device of computers despite prohibition on such movement."
The plea was filed by Uttarakhand resident S K Gandhi, a retired senior auditor of the Defence Accounts Department.
The petition alleged that the ministry should be directed to withdraw the laptops and computers issued for doing office work at the residence to those officers of department headed by the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA), who have office situated in the 'Defence Security Zone'.
CGDA heads the defence accounts department which deals with audit, payment and accounting of all charges pertaining to the armed forces, including bills for supplies and services rendered.
In his plea, the petitioner said, "Respondents (Defence Ministry and CGDA) may kindly be directed to withdraw laptops and computers issued for doing office work at the residence to those officers of the department headed by the CGDA, who have office situated in 'Defence Security Zone'."
He claimed that he had written to CGDA on the issue but its reply was "false and evasive".
"With the suppression of the petitioner's represenation, defence electronic datas continue to move out of defence security zone and as such, remains at the risk of falling in wrong hands," it alleged.
The petitioner also urged the court to appoint an advocate as amicus in the matter after hearing him on the issue.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will be hosting a Women Legislators' Summit here this week with President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to address the two-day meet which aims to bring top women political leaders on a single platform.
The conference, 'Women Legislators: Building Resurgent India', will provide women legislators a platform to interact with their counterparts from across the country along with women Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, MPs, jurists and bureaucrats.
It will be inagurated on Saturday by Mukherjee. It is likely to be attended by more than 300 women MLAs, MLCs, MPs, Union Ministers and Chief Ministers.
The conference will feature a plenary session and three other sessions on 'Social Development', 'Economic Development' and 'Better Governance and Legislation'.
The Prime Minister will also be present at the inaugural session which will be addressed by the Lok Sabha Speaker as well as Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari.
Modi will address the delegates and other dignitaries at the valedictory session. Mahajan will deliver the closing remarks at that event.
There are some 100 women MPs, including ministers, along with 400 MLAs and ministers in various states. Women chief ministers as also former President Pratibha Patil are expected to attend the conference.
With Congress gunning for HRD Minister Smriti Irani with a Privilege Motion, BJP today hit back in Lok Sabha by pressing for similar action against the opposition party's Chief Whip Jyotiraditya Scindia for "defamatory" remarks against Minister Bandaru Dattatreya.
BJP's Chief Whip Arjun Ram Meghwal accused Scindia of "misleading" the House on February 24 by alleging that Dattatreya had called Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student of Hyderabad University who committed suicide, "anti-national, casteist and extremist".
Meghwal said he and many other members, including Dattatreya, had given a notice of breach of privilege against Scindia.
He raised the issue amid uproarious scenes in the House as AIADMK members were demanding action against former Union Minister P Chidambaram's son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis issue.
ALSO READ: Brief uproar in LS over privilege motion against Smriti Irani before Budget speech
At this, Congress members too rushed to the Well, demanding that the Speaker decide on their .
Dattatreya accused Scindia of "defaming him and tarnishing" his image by attributing such comments to him that he never made about Vemula.
"My mother used to sell onions. I have always worked for OBCs, Dalits... I have made sacrifices for Dalits," he said, recalling his humble background and work for the downtrodden.
He said his letter to Irani, over which he has been attacked by Congress, made no mention of Vemula's name. "I never made such charge against him."
Congress members continued to protest with K C Venugopal showing the rule book to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to which she shot back, saying "Don't show me the rule book. I know."
She repeatedly tried to pacify the members saying all the notices for are under her consideration.
With AIADMK and Congress members continuing to protest, she adjourned the House.
The issue of against Irani had created a brief uproar in the Lok Sabha yesterday before Finance Minister Arun Jaitely started presenting the Union Budget 2016-17 with opposition members seeking to know the status of their notices against Irani for "misleading" the House on the Rohith Vemula issue.
Tens of thousands of supporters of Mumtaz Qadri today attended his funeral prayers amid tight security, a day after the ex-police commando was executed for assassinating liberal Punjab governor Salman Taseer who sought reforms in Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws.
The supporters threw flowers at the casket as they shouted slogans like "Qadri, your blood will bring the revolution" and "The punishment for a blasphemer is beheading".
Pakistan remained on high alert as the garrison city of Rawalpindi witnessed a large number of Qadri's supporters converge for the funeral.
Security personnel were deployed at all main junctions and sensitive areas in the capital and the adjacent Rawalpindi to avoid any untoward incident as some supporters were also seen carrying sticks.
While a police official said that over 15,000 people were present inside the sprawling Liaquat Bagh ground in the heart of Rawalpindi, less than 20 kms from here, private estimate put the number of those attending the funeral at over 40,000.
The gathering was peaceful as the body was taken for burial at Qadri's ancestral village near Bhara Kahu in suburbs of Islamabad.
Roads around government buildings, the Parliament and diplomatic compounds were closed.
"Police is on high alert and special measures have been taken to check any untoward incident. Nobody will be allowed to create any kind of disturbance," an Interior Ministry official said.
Fearing violence by Qadri's supporters, most of the private schools in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have been closed for a second day.
Former police commando Qadri, who shot Taseer 28 times in broad daylight in an upmarket locality of Islamabad in 2011, was hanged in Adialia jail in Rawalpindi yesterday.
His execution triggered protests by thousands of Islamists who called it a "black day". Within hours of the hanging, street protests broke out in several cities by the supporters of Qadri, who considered him as a hero for defending the faith.
The supporters blocked roads and forced many shopkeepers to close down their stores.
The biggest protest was held in Karachi with around 8,000 people taking to the streets.
After the execution, Qadri's body was handed over to his family living in Sadiqabad area of Rawalpindi where hundreds of his supporters belonging to radical religious groups gathered to mourn his death.
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, with even unproven allegations often triggering mob violence.
The controversial law was introduced by former military dictator Zia-ul Haq in 1980s and so far hundreds of people have been charged under it.
Tens of thousands of Islamist supporters of Mumtaz Qadri chanting provocative slogans today attended his funeral, a day after the ex-police commando was executed for killing liberal Punjab governor Salman Taseer who sought reforms in Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws.
"Qadri, your blood will bring the revolution" and "The punishment for a blasphemer is beheading" were heard as supporters of Qadri threw flowers at the casket and flocked the historic Liaquat Bagh ground in the heart of Rawalpindi, less than 20 kms from here.
While a police official said that over 15,000 people were present inside the sprawling ground in the garrison city, private estimate put the number of those attending the funeral at over 40,000.
The roads to Liaquat Bagh were blocked off but thousands arrived on foot. Roads around government buildings, the Parliament and diplomatic compounds were also closed.
The gathering was peaceful as the body was taken for burial at Qadri's ancestral village near Bhara Kahu in suburbs of Islamabad.
Pakistan remained on high alert as security personnel were deployed at all main junctions and sensitive areas in the capital and the adjacent Rawalpindi to avoid any untoward incident as some supporters were also seen carrying sticks.
"Special measures have been taken to check any untoward incident," an Interior Ministry official said.
Fearing violence by Qadri's supporters, most of the private schools in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have been closed for a second day.
Former police commando Qadri, who shot Taseer 28 times in broad daylight in an upmarket locality of Islamabad in 2011, was hanged in Adialia jail in Rawalpindi yesterday.
His execution triggered protests by thousands of Islamists who called it a "black day". Within hours of the hanging, street protests broke out in several cities by the supporters of Qadri, who considered him as a hero for defending the faith.
The supporters blocked roads and forced many shopkeepers to close down their stores.
The biggest protest was held in Karachi with around 8,000 people taking to the streets.
After the execution, Qadri's body was handed over to his family living in Sadiqabad area of Rawalpindi where hundreds of his supporters belonging to radical religious groups gathered to mourn his death.
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, with even unproven allegations often triggering mob violence.
The controversial law was introduced by former military dictator Zia-ul Haq in 1980s and so far hundreds of people have been charged under it.
Racist speech has become "commonplace" in France including amongst some politicians, the Council of Europe said today, raising concerns over the growth of racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic violence.
"Hate speech, by becoming commonplace in the public sphere, remains a subject of concern," said Thorbjorn Jagland, the rights watchdog's secretary general.
He spoke as the group's Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) issued a new report showing a 14-percent surge in racist violence in France between 2012 and 2014, including a 36-percent rise in anti-Semitic attacks.
Politicians came in for criticism, including far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose National Front won a record number of votes in regional elections in December while failing to win any regions.
Jagland urged political figures to avoid "uttering statements which stigmatise groups which are already vulnerable and exacerbating tensions within French society".
The report said remarks by Le Pen and other politicians had fuelled Islamophobia, highlighting one occasion when the National Front leader compared Muslim street prayers to the Nazi occupation of France.
The watchdog warned some policies made under France's strict form of secularism could be "perceived as sources of discrimination", such as a move by the mayor of the eastern town of Chalon-sur-Saone last year to insist that pork must feature on all school canteen menus.
The report also said France must do more to tackle homophobia and discrimination against the Roma, citing the case of a deputy mayor who lashed out over agricultural land on which travellers were trespassing, saying: "Hitler had perhaps not killed enough" of them.
Gearing up for the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh scheduled early next year, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has convened a meeting of state party leaders tomorrow for a strategy session at which poll strategist Prashant Kishor is expected to be present.
Party sources said 30-35 state leaders have been called for deliberations being held at a time when the AICC has held consultations with DCC Presidents and block Congress Committee chiefs on candidates' selection.
AICC General Secretary Madhusudan Mistri has toured several districts for getting a feedback on ways and means to make the organisation fighting fit after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in which only party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi could get elected from the state.
Kishor was one of the key backroom players for Narendra Modi when he was the chief minister of Gujarat and also in the last Lok Sabha polls when he was BJP's prime ministerial candidate. Kishor was also the strategist behind Nitish Kumar's campaign strategy in Bihar assembly poll last year.
Congress has been out of power in UP for over 26 years. The state was its stronghold till 1989 but the the Mandal and Ram Mandir issues and the rise of BSP sharply eroded the party's base.
There has also been a buzz that the Congress could field
its top guns in the assembly polls, including some of its MPs, especially those who had been Union Ministers in UPA I and II governments.
Kishor, who is known for building his campaign strategy around strong personalities, is learnt to be keen that Congress should project a face in the state as it could galvanize the cadres.
Key pladers in the state-- Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati--are personality driven and have their strong vote bases, while Congress, which has been out of power in the state for nearly-three decades, suffers from a leadership crisis.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, Congress could win only in two places with party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul retaining their traditional Raebareli and Amethi seats.
A source involved in the planning for the state elections said the party will fight the polls as if it were fighting the 2019 general elections.
"We will have a Brhamin face backed by a combined support of some other upper castes, Muslims and non-Jatav dalits," the source said.
There are issues in the party at the grassroots level due to infighting and a demoralized cadre.
Kishor has tried to get feedback on the organisational shortcomings that led to poor show of the party in the 2012 assembly polls, barely three years after it had won 21 seats in 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
Railways today launched bar coding system for unreserved tickets to prevent revenue leakage and bring transparency in the ticketing system.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said bar coding of unreserved tickets, one of the rail budget 2016-17 commitments, will be launched in three stations of the city - New Delhi, Old Delhi and Nizamuddin.
The IT-based bar coding project has been introduced as a pilot project at nine ticket counters in these stations.
Railway Board Member (Traffic) Mohd Jamshed noted that there were cases of misuse of unreserved tickets by unscrupulous elements who used to get the tickets printed illegally.
"The circulation of unauthorised tickets was affecting Railways' revenue. The bar coding system will prevent such malpractices," he said.
The official stated that in order to check fraud, Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) has decided to print encrypted QR code on unreserved tickets through thermal printers.
The bar coding feature includes details like ticket number, stock number, fare, source station, destination station, number of adults, number of children, train type, class code and date of journey, that are printed in the form of encrypted QR code.
Jamshed explained that whenever a staff checks the ticket, he can scan the encrypted QR code and validate the information printed on the ticket to prevent any fraud.
In this technology, printing will be done through thermal printer on thermal stationery only. Therefore, fraud by taking out carbon copy of the ticket or erasing of data and printing of other information on it will be detected by scanning its QR, the official noted.
The bar coding will be extended to more stations and gradually it will cover reserved segment also, he added.
A Thai tuna processing factory has agreed to pay staff USD 1.3 million compensation for a litany of labour abuses, an official said today, a rare victory for migrant workers in the kingdom's scandal-stricken seafood industry.
Hundreds of Myanmar labourers at Golden Prize Tuna Canning, a processing plant in Samut Sakhon that sells fish to markets around the globe, have spent months seeking compensation for exploitative working conditions.
Thailand is the world's third-largest seafood exporter, but the industry is plagued with rights abuses and fuelled by trafficked labour from neighbouring Myanmar and Cambodia.
The sector has come under heightened scrutiny from foreign governments over the past year, with the European Union currently weighing an all-out ban on Thai fishing products.
The United States also passed a bill last week outlawing goods produced by forced labour that could see Thailand targeted with import bans.
Rights groups say Golden Prize workers had long been subject to unlawfully low salaries, supervisor abuse and a lack of compensation for machine accidents on the 25-acre processing sites.
Following a more than 1,000-strong worker strike last week, company representatives joined negotiations with military officers, government officials and migrant worker leaders, reaching an agreement late Monday evening.
"The company began paying 1,100 workers last night involving money of 48 million baht ($1.3m)," Boonlue Sartpetch, the head of the province's labour department, told AFP Tuesday.
He said 700 workers have been paid, with the rest expected to receive compensation Tuesday.
Golden Prize Tuna Canning, whose 2,000 workers hail mostly from Myanmar, declined to comment.
The junta that seized power in a 2014 coup has struggled to revive Thailand's flagging economy and is desperate to avoid any costly sanctions on the multi-billion dollar seafood sector.
It remains to be seen how Washington will enforce its new legislation on slave-produced goods.
But the US labour department currently lists Thai fish and shrimp as products the government has reason to believe are manufactured by slave labour.
Thai officials say they have moved fast to clean up the industry with new laws and crackdowns on traffickers and fish factories.
IDBI Bank's rating is not immediately affected by the government's announcement to lower stake in the lender to below 50 per cent, Standard & Poor's today said.
The US-based agency said the rating of the PSU lender could come under pressure if the government decides to lower its stake in IDBI either based on the recommendation of the Banks Board Bureau or of its own accord.
"It remains to be seen if the government will choose to privatise IDBI. For now, we see a very high likelihood that the government will provide timely and sufficient extraordinary support to IDBI, given the bank's majority government ownership," S&P Ratings Services said in a report.
Ratings on IDBI Bank are "not immediately affected" by the government's announcement that it could consider reducing its stake in the bank, S&P said.
The ratings will be reviewed following greater clarity on what the government ultimately considers, it added.
"IDBI's very strong link with and very important role for the Indian government underpin our view of the likelihood of extraordinary government support in the event of the bank's financial distress," it added.
The Indian government owns 80.16 per cent of IDBI as of December 31, 2015.
The US-based agency said it could downgrade IDBI if it feels the likelihood of extraordinary government support has weakened.
"We may even revise the outlook to negative if we see increased risk of privatisation," it added.
In his Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said that the process of transformation of IDBI Bank has already started and could consider the option of reducing its stake in the bank to less than 50 per cent.
Two Roman Catholic bishops who led a Pennsylvania diocese helped cover up the sexual abuse of hundreds of children by over 50 priests or religious leaders over a 40-year period, according to a grand jury report issued today.
The report on the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese was based partly on evidence from a secret diocesan archive uncovered through a search warrant executed last year, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane.
"These predators desecrated a sacred trust and preyed upon their victims in the very places where they should have felt most safe," Kane said in a statement.
No criminal charges are being filed because some abusers have died, the statute of limitations has expired and, in some cases, victims are too traumatized to testify, she said.
The report is especially critical of Bishops James Hogan and Joseph Adamec. Hogan, who led the diocese from 1966 to 1986, died in 2005. Adamec, who succeeded him, retired in 2011.
The report said Hogan covered up abuse allegations by transferring offending priests, including by sending one accused clergyman to a school for boys. It said Adamec or his staff threatened some alleged victims with excommunication.
One diocesan official under Hogan, Monsignor Philip Saylor, told the grand jury that church officials held such sway that "the police and civil authorities would often defer to the diocese" when priests were accused of abuse, the report said.
The report said Adamec created a "payout chart" to help guide how much victims would receive from the church. Victims fondled over their clothes were to be paid $10,000 to $25,000; fondled under their clothes or subjected to masturbation, $15,000 to $40,000; subjected to forced oral sex, $25,000 to $75,000; subjected to forced sodomy or intercourse, $50,000 to $175,000.
The right to practice law is a fundamental right for LL.B degree holder and introduction of the examination by Bar Council of India for granting advocacy license "negates" the very right, the Supreme Court observed today.
"The right to practice law is there in the Act (the Advocates Act). When (Bar Council of India) says that a person will not be able to practice law without clearing the exam, then you are taking away the same right," a bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice U U Lalit said.
"This is not only a statutory right but a fundamental right also," it said, adding that an amendment to the existing law was needed for effecting the change.
Apex bar body, BCI, conducts All India Bar Examination (AIBE) to examine an advocate's capability to practice the profession of law and it has been made mandatory.
The court was hearing a plea fo R Nagabushana seeking quashing of BCI's notification on AIBE on the ground that it takes away the statutory right, given to an eligible person to practice law.
The bar body claims that the AIBE "assess skills at a basic level, and is intended to set a minimum benchmark for admission to the practice of law; it addresses a candidate's analytical abilities and understanding basic knowledge of law.
After a brief hearing, the court said, "Heard. Post tomorrow i.E. Tuesday, the 1st March, 2016, higher up in the list."
The notification bringing the All India Bar Examination into force was passed by the Legal Education Committee and the members of the Bar Council of India in meetings held on April 10 and 30, 2010.
Iranian voters chose "the right and proper path for the country", moderate President Hassan Rouhani said today after final election results showed his allies had made significant gains.
Friday's twin elections - to parliament and to top clerical committee, the Assembly of Experts - were crucial for the president and a de-facto referendum on his administration after its nuclear deal with world powers.
In the parliamentary election, hardliners who vocally opposed Rouhani's diplomacy with the West and his moves to open Iran up to foreign investment were soundly beaten by reformists. Conservatives also lost seats.
"The owners of this country are the people... They determine the path and direction of this country," the president said.
"I thank our intelligent and brave people who have taken a step forward," he said at an auto industry conference in Tehran.
Buoyed by new backing from reformists supportive of the government, the president urged a spirit of cooperation among MPs from across Iran's political spectrum.
"If there are still some who think that the country must be in confrontation with others, they still haven't got the message of 2013," he said, alluding to his landslide presidential election victory on a pledge to end years of standoff over Iran's nuclear programme and crippling sanctions.
No single group won a decisive share of parliament's 290 seats, but tallies suggested the pragmatic Rouhani would be able to forge a working majority.
The main conservative list secured 103 MPs, reformists and moderates 95, and independents 14, while five seats went to minorities and four to candidates with no single affiliation.
While conservatives were wiped out by reformists in Tehran, they retained some seats in other cities and enjoyed strong support in rural areas.
Some 69 constituencies had no clear winner, meaning a second round runoff in April in a field that has more conservatives than reformists and moderates.
The outcome signalled strong public support for the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, an agreement steered by the president which saw the lifting of sanctions in January.
"Cooperation should be everyone's concern. Today the era of confrontation is over," Rouhani added.
Friday's second election for the Assembly of Experts also produced high-profile gains for Rouhani and his closest allies.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called today for the closure of Syria's border with Turkey to cut off outside supplies to "terrorists", including through humanitarian convoys.
"Of course, neither in ceasefire agreements, nor in the process of political settlement is there a place for terrorists and extremists," Lavrov told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
"A very special task is to cut the terrorists' supply from the outside. For this purpose it is important to close the Syrian-Turkish border, since across this border those gangs receive arms, including with humanitarian convoys," Lavrov said, according to an official transcript in English of his remarks.
He insisted that a "landslide defeat of (the Islamic State group)... Al-Nusra and those of their kind is a necessary precondition for securing the rights of long-suffering peoples of Syria" and the rest of the region.
His comments came after aid workers on Monday made the first delivery of desperately-needed assistance since the start of Syria's fragile ceasefire four days ago.
Moscow and Washington drafted the UN-backed cessation of hostilities deal, and the two countries are co-chairing an international task force evaluating how the ceasefire is holding.
At an earlier meeting in Geneva, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon thanked Lavrov for "his significant role in achieving recent progress on Syria," a UN statement said.
"They agreed on the importance of urgently moving forward simultaneously on implementing the cessation of hostilities agreement, providing vital humanitarian assistance to civilians, and returning to political negotiations," the statement further said.
The deal meanwhile does not apply to the vast swaths of territory held by the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.
It is meanwhile hoped that the flow of much-needed assistance could create a more favourable backdrop for peace talks that collapsed in acrimony in early February.
UN envoy Steffan de Mistura aims to relaunch negotiations on March 7 if the ceasefire lasts and more aid is delivered.
Dozens of Russian warplanes sat idle today on the tarmac at this Russian air base in on the fourth day of a cease-fire brokered by Moscow and Washington.
The apparent lull in action witnessed by the AP on a trip to the base, which was organized by the Russian defense and foreign ministries, contrasts with the hectic operation AP reporters saw here on a previous visit in January.
The ceasefire that began at midnight Friday has brought a notable reduction in hostilities for the first time in the five-year war that has killed more than 250,000 people, displaced half of Syria's population and flooded Europe with refugees.
But the truce has remained highly fragile with violations reported in many areas with the opposition and the Syrian government blaming each other.
The Islamic State group and al-Qaida's branch in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra, are excluded from the truce.
The Russian military said Monday that its warplanes struck al-Nusra targets north of Aleppo. It said that groups that have declared their adherence to the cease-fire are not being targeted.
During the five-month Russian air blitz that began on September 30, each jet flew several combat sorties on an average day, amounting to an impressive total of more than 6,000 missions.
The Russian Defense Ministry said late Monday that the ceasefire was largely holding despite sporadic violations.
Lt. Gen. Sergei Kuralenko, who heads the cease-fire coordination center at the Russian base in Syria, voiced satisfaction with what he described as a good level of coordination with his US counterparts in Amman, Jordan.
Russia and the US have agreed to exchange information about opposition groups abiding by the truce and jointly tackle any possible violations.
For President Vladimir Putin, the cease-fire deal offers a chance to capitalize on a successful air campaign that has helped Syrian President Bashar Assad's military reverse the tide of war and make significant gains near Aleppo and in several other areas.
The US-Russian-brokered truce agreement achieves Putin's key strategic goal of having Moscow appear as an equal partner of Washington in tackling the Syrian crisis.
North Korea must pay the price for its latest and rocket launch, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye said on Tuesday, vowing to pressure Pyongyang into accepting denuclearisation as its only viable option for survival.
In a televised speech to mark the anniversary of a key date in Korea's struggle against Japanese colonial rule, Park said failure to respond to the North's "reckless provocations" would only result in further nuclear tests.
"If we leave them alone, they will continue," said the president, who has significantly toughened her stance against Pyongyang in the wake of the North's fourth on January 6 and a long-range rocket launch last month that was widely condemned as a ballistic missile test.
"North Korea must clearly understand... That they can no longer maintain their regime through nuclear weapons," Park said
Her comments came as the UN Security Council heads toward a vote on a new US-drafted resolution that would impose the toughest sanctions yet on North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme.
The draft text would require countries to take the unprecedented step of inspecting all cargo to and from North Korea, impose new trade restrictions and bar North Korean vessels suspected of carrying illegal goods from ports.
Park said the draft, which has secured the approval of North Korea's main ally China, showed the collective will of the community to ensure that Pyongyang "pay the price" for its refusal to halt its nuclear weapons programme.
"My government will leave the door for dialogue open, but until North Korea shows they are willing to change and to pursue denuclearisation, we and the community will continue to pressure North Korea," she said.
"The ball is now in North Korea's court," she added.
The UN resolution currently under discussion at the Security Council, represents a compromise between the United States and China, who had been at odds over how to respond to North Korea's recent tests.
China wants its reclusive neighbour to halt its nuclear weapons program and return to six-party talks, maintaining that dialogue -- rather than sanctions -- is the best way to curb Pyongyang's behaviour.
Beijing fears too much pressure could trigger the collapse of leader Kim Jong-Un's pariah regime, creating chaos on its border.
Already elevated tensions on the Korean peninsula are likely to rise further next week when South Korea and the United States kick off annual joint military drills.
Woman IPS officer Sangeeta Rani, who was allegedly involved in verbal spat with Haryana Health minister Anil Vij last year, was today appointed the new Superintendent of Police of Rewari district.
Sangeeta was among nine IPS officers who were transferred today by the Haryana government after the Jat quota agitation.
Sangeeta Rani was appointed Superintendent of Police, Rewari replacing Balwan Singh, who will be DCP, West Gurgaon, an official spokesman said here.
Sangeeta, the 2010-batch-IPS officer was earlier posted as Commandant 4th India Reserve Battalion (IRB) at Manesar, Gurgaon.
As the then SP of Fatehabad district, she was shunted out by BJP government, a day after she was allegedly involved in a spat with Vij.
She had refused to leave meeting of the District Grievances and Public Relations Committee on being asked to "get out" by the Health minister at Fatehabad on November 27 last year.
Vij was irked with her response to a query on illicit liquor trade in the area. The minister then had stormed out of a meeting after the police officer had refused to follow his order to leave the venue following heated exchanges between them. The video of their spat had also gone viral on social media.
Saudi Arabia executed a Qatari and three of its own nationals today, bringing to 68 the number of people it has put to death this year.
The Qatari, Mohammed Jarboui, was executed in the eastern region of Al-Ahsa after his conviction for murdering a Saudi, the interior ministry said.
Sliman and Ahmed Messoudi were put to death in the northern Tabuk region for trafficking amphetamines, the ministry said in a separate statement.
Authorities also executed Kassadi Atoudi in the southern region of Jazan following his conviction for murder.
The 68 executions so far this year include 47 death sentences for "terrorism" carried out in a single day on January 2.
Most people sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded with a sword.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia executed 153 people, most of them for drug trafficking or murder, according to an AFP count.
Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year was the highest for two decades.
However, the tally was far behind those of China and Iran.
The kingdom has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah called on Saudi Arabia not to collectively punish Lebanon's people just because Riyadh disagreed with the Shiite movement's policies.
In a televised address on his group's Al-Manar network, Nasrallah said Saudi Arabia does not have "the right to sanction the Lebanese people because one particular party took a certain position".
Last week, Riyadh halted a USD 3 billion programme funding equipment for Lebanese security forces and urged Saudi citizens to leave Lebanon in response to "hostile" positions linked to Hezbollah.
The withdrawal of Saudi Arabia's financial aid has sparked a war of words between opponents and supporters of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"If there's a criminal, I'm the criminal, Hezbollah is the criminal," Nasrallah said yesterday.
"If you have a problem with us, you can continue doing so -- but what does the rest of the country have to do with it," he asked.
Nasrallah also accused Saudi Arabia of trying to spark "sedition between Sunni and Shiite Muslims" when it executed Shiite Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on January 2.
Saudi had been carrying out "crimes" in Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain "for the past 10 years, for the past 100 years, since the regime came into power," Nasrallah said.
"They can start wars and commit massacres... But no one can say anything for fear of sparking Saudi wrath," he said.
Nasrallah pledged Hezbollah would continue to speak out against what it saw as Saudi aggression in the region.
Riyadh backs the five-year uprising in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad, while Hezbollah has intervened militarily on Assad's behalf.
"We are happy with the truce and God willing it will persist and lead to a political solution," said Nasrallah.
Nasrallah said anyone who wanted to come visit Lebanon should feel reassured that "there is no security problem in the country".
The Supreme Court has sought the Centre's response in a plea challenging the constitutionality of Muslim practices of polygamy, triple talaq (talaq-e-bidat) and nikah halala.
Talaq-e-bidat is a Muslim man divorcing his wife by pronouncing more than one talaq in a single tuhr (the period between two menstruations), or in a tuhr after coitus, or pronouncing an irrevocable instantaneous divorce at one go (unilateral triple-talaq).
A bench comprising justices A R Dave and Adarsh Kumar Goel issued notice to Ministry of Minority Affairs and tagged the matter with the similar suo moto petition heard by the Supreme Court.
Petitioner Shayara Bano said in her petition she was subjected to cruelty, and dowry demands, from her husband and his family.
She claimed she was administered drugs that "that caused her memory to fade, kept her unconscious" and made her "critically ill" at which point her husband divorced her by triple talaq.
She challenged the constitutionality of Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 in so far as it seeks to recognise and validate polygamy, triple talaq and nikah halala.
The petitioner also challenged the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939 saying that it fails to provide Indian Muslim women with protection from bigamy.
Bano stated in her petition that the issue of gender discrimination against Muslim women under Muslim personal laws, specifically the lack of safeguards against arbitrary divorce and second marriage by a Muslim husband during currency of first marriage notwithstanding the guarantees of the Constitution, needs to be examined by the Supreme Court.
"Muslim women have their hands tied while the guillotine of divorce dangles, perpetually ready to drop at the whims of their husbands who enjoy undisputed power. Such discrimination and inequality hoarsely expressed in the form of unilateral triple-talaq is abominable when seen in light of the progressive times of the 21st century.
"Further, once a woman has been divorced, her husband is not permitted take her back as his wife even if he had pronounced talaq under influence of any intoxicant, unless the woman undergoes nikah halala which involves her marriage with another man who subsequently divorces her so that her previous husband can re-marry her," her plea said.
A 40-year-old government school teacher was today arrested for allegedly stealing a newborn from a hospital here, police said.
"Acting on a tip off, police recovered the baby boy from the clutches of the accused Shahina Shaikh," Crime Branch's Additional Superintendent of Police Vinay Prakash Paul said.
Shaikh stole the baby, just 20 minutes after he was born at the state government-run Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital on February 25, he added.
In guise of a nurse, Shaikh took the baby away saying he needed an injection. However, the CCTV camera captured her with the baby.
She then took the new born to her aunt's place in Dhar district saying that it was her child and left her there.
Shaikh returned here and changed her house in fear of arrest given that police had announced a reward of Rs 10,000 on her head, the ASP said.
During interrogation, Shaikh confessed that she stole the baby as she couldn't bear a child from her two marriages, Paul added.
The newborn is being treated in a hospital and further investigations are on, police said.
Noted science journalist Pallava Bagla was today conferred with an award for his efforts in science and technology communication on television.
The national award for "Outstanding Efforts in the Field of Science and Technology Communication on Electronic Medium", carrying a citation, memento and cash, was presented by Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan at a function here.
Speaking at a function, organised by National Council for Science and Technology and Communication, the minister said in order to inculcate interest among students in the field of science, his ministry is in the process of coming up with a book based on lives of renowned scientists of the country.
Vardhan said a team of experts is studying the lives of India's great scientists from Meghnad Saha to Srinivasa Ramanujan.
He said learning about the great Indian scientists could help inspire students to take up professional careers in the field of science.
"Our team of experts will study the lives of these men and compile all their inspiring qualities into a book which is going to be published soon. Our team is also interacting with their (scientists) relatives to find out more about their lives," Vardhan said.
He rued over the fact that India's is not able to produce a Nobel Prize winner in the field of science after CV Raman.
Commenting on the state of science journalism in the Indian media, Bagla said, "The next generation of journalism belongs to specialised reporters. Those who can communicate the in a simple manner will only succeed.
Capital markets regulator Sebi has sought clarification from merchant banker of infrastructure firm Dilip Buildcon regarding its initial public offering.
Without disclosing the details of clarifications sought, Sebi has said that it is awaiting response from Lead Manager for the proposed public offer.
According to the latest weekly update on the processing status of draft offer documents, Sebi has said clarifications were awaited on the company's IPO as on January 26, 2016.
The next update would be uploaded on Sebi's (Securities and Exchange Board of India) website on March 7.
Sebi said it might issue observations on draft offer documents within 30 days, after receiving satisfactory reply from the lead merchant banker regarding the clarification or additional information sought.
Dilip Buildcon filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with Sebi on February 1. The IPO comprises fresh issue of shares worth up to Rs 430 crore and offer for sale of 11.36 lakh shares held by its promoters -- Dilip Suryavanshi and Devendra Jain -- and private equity fund BanyanTree Growth Capital, as per draft papers.
The proceed of the issue will be used for repayment of loans to meet working capital requirements and for other corporate purposes.
This is the company's second attempt to hit the capital markets. Earlier, it had received approval from Sebi in June 2015, but the company decided to withdraw the DRHP in January and filed fresh papers. It, however, did not disclose the reasons for the withdrawal.
In March last year, the company had filed draft papers with the regulator in order to raise Rs 650 crore through an IPO.
Congress member Kumari Selja today sought a judicial inquiry into the reports of rape of several women in Haryana during the Jat agitation, saying "jungle raj" was prevailing in the state.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Selja said that the government has been a "mute spectator" to the large-scale violence during the agitation in the state.
She further said that the state government's enquiry team cannot be trusted on the reported charges of rape and molestation by Jat quota agitators near Murthal town, demanding that the High court inquire into it. "We demand a judicial inquiry," she said.
Haryana government has set up a three-member team of women police officers to look into the alleged incidents of rape and molestation of several women by Jat protesters.
Pramod Tiwari of the Congress also demanded a fair probe into the rape and molestation allegations.
T K Rangarajan of the CPI(M) condemned the lodging of a sedition case against party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D Raja and other political leaders in Hyderabad.
An FIR has been registered against Yechury, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, party leaders Anand Sharma and Ajay Maken, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Raja, JD(U)'s KC Tyagi, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid on the order of a Hyderabad court based on a complaint filed by lawyer Janardhan Goud.
Ranjarajan also wanted to know whether the Chair has received any notice of arrest for Yechury and Raja.
Shantaram Naik (Congress) raised the issue of proposed Defence Exposition to be held in South Goa and said the local people were agitated due to the proposed exhibition.
"Goa government has succumbed to the pressure of the Centre," he said, adding that such expositions used to be held at the Pragati Maidan in the capital.
KVP Ramchandra Rao (Congress) raised the issue of difficulties being faced by palm cultivators in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Sanjiv Kumar of JMM raised took up the issue of farmers affected by the Maithan Power Plant in Jharkhand. He said farmers whose lands were being acquired for the plant should be given permanent jobs and adequate medical facilities.
Shiv Sena's Wardha district chief Nilesh Deshmukh and five others were arrested today for allegedly assaulting a doctor at a rural hospital and hurling casteist remarks.
Deshmukh got into a row with Dr Sumit Ambade at the government rural hospital at Karanja yesterday, after complaining that a person, admitted for scorpion-bite, was not getting proper treatment.
He allegedly beat up the doctor severely and hurled casteist remarks against him. Ambade lodged police complaint against Deshmukh and nine others last night.
Inspector V M Chowdhury of Karanja police station said the police arrested Deshmukh and five other Sena activists today. Apart from assault, Deshmukh was also booked for offences under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
This is a third such incident of Shiv Sena members getting arrested for assault in public places in Maharashtra in the last few days. On February 26, a Sena man in Thane was arrested for attacking a lady traffic constable, while yesterday another party leader was arrested for beating up a shop assistant in Mumbai for refusing to give free snacks.
Sena is part of the BJP-led ruling coalition in the state.
Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant claimed his party was not invited to a meeting today of NDA allies in New Delhi and conveyed its displeasure over the same to Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu.
Another Sena MP, Sanjay Raut, blamed "miscommunication" on part of BJP for his party not attending the meet where Finance Minister Arun Jaitley spoke about the Union Budget that was presented in Lok Sabha yesterday.
"We were neither invited nor informed about the NDA meeting. We were naturally unhappy with this and conveyed our displeasure to Naidu. Since he (Naidu) accepted his mistake, we do not want to make a hue and cry over it," Sawant said.
Raut said "Naidu has clarified that there was some miscommunication on their (BJP's) part".
However, he declined to comment when asked about reports that Sena is opposing the budget proposal to tax Employees Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawal and contribution made by employers.
Sena sources said the party has opposed the proposal.
Another BJP ally in Maharashtra, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana, too, spoke against the proposal to tax EPF withdrawals.
"It is the hard-earned money of employees. It should not be taxed. I will raise the issue in the House," said Sanghtana leader and Lok Sabha MP Raju Shetty.
Shiv Sena today said it has sacked an office-bearer of its youth wing who allegedly assaulted a shop assistant for refusing to provide free 'vada-pavs'.
"That person was sacked yesterday itself," a source close to Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray told PTI.
The incident took place in suburban Vile Parle (West) on Saturday. The accused, Sunil Mahadik, allegedly hit Chetan Geveriya (28), who works at Trupti Sweet and Farsan Mart on D J Road, with a bamboo stick, police had yesterday said.
Mahadik had sent a person to the shop demanding 100 vada pavs, a popular street-food here, free of cost. Chetan told him that they didn't have so much stock, so the person left.
Irked, Mahadik then went to the shop and hit Geveria with a bamboo stick and threatened to kill him, they had said.
The incident was captured by the CCTV cameras in the shop and later an FIR was registered with Juhu police. The footage was also aired by some local channels.
The incident comes in the wake of another in neighbouring Thane where a Shiv Sena worker was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman traffic constable three days ago.
CCTV footage of the incident had gone viral.
Meanwhile, Swabhiman Sanghatana leader Nitesh Rane said his organisation today held a "free vada pav" distribution event to protest the assault on the shopkeeper.
"These people (Yuva Sena) are strong proponents of night life in Mumbai. This assault shows what will happen if what they call 'night life' is allowed," Nitesh, an MLA, said.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's vision of a friendly neighbourhood has been the driving force for normalisation of relations with India, parliament was told today.
Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan made the remarks while responding to questions in the Senate, the Upper House of bicameral parliament.
Pakistan wants to achieve the objective of friendly neighbourhood by resolution of all the outstanding issues, including Kashmir, with India, Radio Pakistan quoted the minister as saying.
He said that the two countries had agreed to restart the comprehensive bilateral dialogue to address all the outstanding issues but the progress is stalled because of the Pathankot terror attack.
To a supplementary question, he said Pakistan has objections to the design of Kishanganga project by India and efforts are being made to address the issue at the level of Indus Basin Commission.
Khan told the House that the government is taking the issue of security of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) offices in abroad seriously and it has taken up the issue of attack on its offices in New Delhi with the Indian government.
Responding to a call attention notice, he said response of the Indian government was positive and they have conveyed that security of PIA offices would be ensured.
The Information and Broadcasting ministry has issued show cause notices to two Community Radio channels last month, whose content was prima facie found to be in violation of the norms.
This information was shared by Minister of State for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
According to the Minister's reply, the content of the programmes broadcast by these Community Radio stations was found to be in violation of certain clauses of the Grant of Permission Agreement (GOPA) and also a provision of the AIR code.
"Therefore, show cause notices dated 10.02.2016 were issued to both the community radio stations," Rathore said in his reply.
In a written reply to anorther question, Rathore said that there are sanctioned posts of Special Correspondents of All India Radio and Doordarshan belonging to Indian Information Service Group 'A' in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and UAE only.
"Earlier there was another post of Special Correspondent at Kabul, Afghanistan which is proposed to be shifted at Beijing, China, subject to clearances from other nodal Ministries of the Government," Rathore said.
Forty one soldiers have lost their lives on the Glacier since 2013, Rajya Sabha was informed today.
In a written reply, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that in 2013, as many as 10 soldiers were martyred while guarding the Glacier, followed by 8 in 2014,
In 2015, 9 soldiers died on the Glacier, while until February 18, 2016, 14 soldiers have lost their lives.
Ten soldiers were killed in an avalanche on the Glacier last month. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who was rescued and later rushed to the Army's Research and Referral Hospital (R&R) here, could not be saved despite efforts taken to revive him.
In a response to another question, Parrikar said that in order to avoid casualties due to avalanche, a command and control set up is activated at Base Camp to monitor the incident and coordinate rescue team and equipment to the site.
"Rescue equipment like avalanche victim detectors, special mountaineering equipment, ice-drilling machine as well as avalanche rescue dogs are employed to locate and rescue the victims. Best medical facilities are provided to the casualties," Parrikar added.
Special Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Taj Hassan was today made the new chief spokesperson of Delhi Police, a day after Alok Kumar Verma took charge as the chief of the over 80,000 strong force.
Hassan (51) today replaced DCP (Crime) Rajan Bhagat, who served Delhi Police as its spokesperson -- an additional charge -- since 2006, in pursuance of an order by Verma.
Hassan, an 1987-batch IPS officer, has earlier served Delhi Police as the chief of traffic department and joint commissioner of security unit among other important positions.
This is the first major change in the force after Verma took charge of its reins.
When Verma was the Director General of Tihar, the prison authorities had accused Delhi Police of "misusing" media through their spokesperson in connection with the murder of two inmates in a jail van brawl last year which led to a blame game between Delhi Police and prison authorities.
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has revealed that before he joined the filmdom, he felt he looked like Bollywood actor Kumar Gaurav but at a later stage thought his looks matched that of Hollywood veteran Al Pacino's.
In his upcoming film "Fan", Khan will be seen playing two roles, one of a superstar Aryan Khanna and his fan Gaurav, who comes across as his lookalike.
"Initially I used to feel I look like Kumar Gaurav (son of Rajendra Kumar)...He was the first star I wanted to meet. I was happy that I looked like someone good like him (Kumar Gaurav). Then after some point, I felt I looked like Al Pacino (an American actor)," Khan told reporters here at the trailer launch of "Fan".
"Now at the age of 50, I feel I look like my father. I am hopeful a time will come when I would feel I look like myself," he said.
"Fan" is the story of Gaurav (Khan) a young man, whose world revolves around superstar Aryan Khanna (Khan) or God as he refers to him.
From the bylanes of Delhi, young Gaurav embarks on a journey to the city of dreams, Mumbai, in order to wish his God on his birthday. But when things don't go according to plan, Gaurav's love and passion for the superstar turns into a dangerous obsession.
When asked about playing a psychotic obsessive role like "Darr" again in "Fan", SRK said, "No not really... The role (of Gaurav) is different from what one saw me doing in 'Darr', 'Baazigar'. These are anti-hero."
"In this film, he is not a psychotic lover. It's the story of a young boy and his love for a superstar," he said.
The "Chak De India" star feels it is not right on his part to dictate or tell his fans how they should be.
"A fan can be like Devdas, Rahul or Gaurav (referring to
his popular roles). They have their own way of expressing ... At times it is so much. I just don't want them to write letter with blood. Today we have email system and social media," he said.
"I am a fan of films. I enjoy being in this space. I remember my first fans were two ladies... I was in Delhi and they looked at me and yelled Abhimanyu Rai. I am thankful to them for making me feel like that," he added.
In real life, if Khan comes across a fan like Gaurav, he said he would sit and make him understand.
SRK's admirers were seen in large numbers at the film's trailer launch.
"Today is February 29 and this date comes once in four years. For the first time Yash Raj Films (producers) allowed fans in their studio. Adi (producer Aditya Chopra) did this as he loves me and he knows I love my fans a lot," the 'Dilwale' star said.
Special arrangements were made for the trailer launch like an audio-visual sensor, fan-o-meter that detected the highest level of the sound (referring to people cheering at the venue), after which the trailer was launched.
Khan is thankful to his fans for being with him.
"Whenever I am happy, sad I look upto you. I thank you all for making me the star that I am today," he said.
"I feel a fan... Admirer should always take up good things. Like take up good things from Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Sania Mirza," he adds.
Before the trailer launch, SRK recited popular dialogues from his films like "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", "Devdas", "Don" and "Fan".
Directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Aditya Chopra, "Fan" releases on April 15.
Action star Sylvester Stallone's brother Frank, who slammed the Academy for awarding Mark Rylance with the best supporting actor Oscar, has apologized for his remarks on "Bridge of Spies" actor.
Rylance took home the best supporting actor Oscar beating the frontrunner Sylvester Stallone and like his fans, "Creed" star's brother Frank was visibly upset by the Academy's decision.
Sylvester, 69, appeared to be in fine spirits and thanked his fans for all the support captioning his Oscar red carpet photo "NEVER GIVE IN , NEVER GIVE OUT , NEVER GIVE UP! Thanks for the support." But Frank could not stop himself from slamming the Academy and calling Rylance's win a "Hollywood bullshit".
"The Academy should be ashamed of themselves. It's as clear as the nose on your face that Sly won. Mark who? It's total Hollywood bullshit," he tweeted.
The "Rocky" star later reacted to his sibling's comments.
"Sorry, didn't mean for this picture to go up before saying that I'm very happy and please understand my brother is so emotional because he is just very protective and only wants the best for me. Life is good!," he wrote on Instagram.
Following the post by his brother, Frank shared an apologetic tweet.
"I will always defend what right but I was wrong to put down Mark Rylance and I apologize. He is a fine actor but I thought Sly deserved it," he posted.
Sylvester was nominated in the category for his role in "Creed." Rylance won the Oscar for his role of KGB agent Rudolf Abel in the Steven Spielberg-directed Cold War-set drama.
The US State Department has made public the final batch of emails taken from a private server which former secretary of state controversially used during her time in office.
Clinton will hope the release will quiet the furor over her decision to spurn a government email account, but federal investigators are still probing whether her home-brew set-up posed a risk to national security.
The email scandal has been seized upon by Clinton's Republican opponents and is one of the few major clouds still looming over her otherwise very promising campaign to become the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.
State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the final batch of roughly 3,800 pages of mails brought the sum total released to more than 52,000 vetted and in some cases partially redacted pages of official correspondence.
When, last year, it emerged that Clinton had used a private server and non-official address for all her email while in her former post, her rivals cried foul, suggesting she may have been illegally covering something up.
Clinton protested that none of the mails had been marked "classified" when she sent them and, after her own lawyers had removed mails they deemed purely personal, submitted a 52,000 page document dump to the State Department.
Over recent months, government lawyers have combed through the stack, retroactively investigating whether any mail contained information that should have been classified -- and they found several that raised questions.
Some 22 have since been deemed to contain "top secret" information and more than 2,000 confidential information of a lower level of classification, prompting protests from Clinton's camp about excessive government secrecy.
Kirby said the final batch did not contain any top secret files and, indeed, that one mail about North Korea's nuclear program that US intelligence had argued should be deemed as such had finally been downgraded.
"Based on subsequent review, the intelligence community revised its earlier assessment," Kirby said, implying a tactical victory in the turf war between federal agencies over the sensitivity of the email trove.
"As we've noted before, the information available to diplomats and the judgments they form do not necessarily need to be classified just because there are parallel intelligence sources," he argued.
One more mail included in an email chain between Clinton and President Barack Obama was also removed from the final batch before publication, not because it was deemed secret but because it now forms part of the White House record.
Four Islamic State group suicide bombers infiltrated an army headquarters west of Baghdad, killing a senior Iraqi general and five other soldiers, army and police officers said today.
The bombers attacked a regimental headquarters in the Haditha area of Anbar province late last night, killing Staff Brigadier General Ali Aboud, Lieutenant Colonel Farhan Ibrahim and four others, the sources said.
Delhi Police has urged the director general (DG) of health services to form a medical board to examine test reports in connection with Sunanda Pushkar's death.
A letter was sent to the DG health services after the special investigation team (SIT) probing the case failed to draw any conclusion from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) medical board's opinion vis-a-vis the FBI report on Pushkar's viscera sample and other evidence in the case, a police source said today.
The SIT had earlier written to the AIIMS medical board seeking further clarification on their opinion, but the response of the board is still awaited.
Even a day before his retirement, Delhi Police chief BS Bassi had said the case will be taken to its logical conclusion.
The AIIMS medical board's opinion on the FBI report had suggested that Sunanda, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, died of poisoning with the presence of Alprax found in her stomach.
Last month, the police questioned Tharoor for the third time in connection with his wife's death.
51-year-old Sunanda was found dead in her room at a five-star hotel in south Delhi in January 2014. A case of murder was registered in the matter around one year later following which her viscera sample and some other evidence in the case were sent to an FBI laboratory in the USA.
Chennai-based fund house Sundaram Asset Management Company (or Sundaram Mutual) is looking to add 1 lakh retail investors to its fold by the year-end.
The company, which was set up in 1996, also plans to launch three funds by March, 2017.
At present, the company has 14 products in equity and 10 products in debt.
"As of now, we have 12 lakh retail investors, which include 1 lakh retail investors that were added last year. We are looking at adding 1 lakh more retail investors in the current calendar year and we have already added 15,000 new retail investors so far," Sundaram Asset Management Company's chief executive, Sunil Subramaniam told PTI here today.
The three proposed funds to be launched by Sundaram Mutual over the next one year include Equity Saving Fund, Credit Opportunities Fund and Large and Mid-cap Fund.
"We have filed for three products before Sebi and are waiting for the approvals and plan to launch them by March 2017," he said.
The company with current AUM at Rs 26,000 crore and which plans to cross AUM of Rs 50,000 crore by December 2019, claims to have trebled its systematic investment plan (SIP) transactions on a monthly basis over past two years.
"Sundaram Mutual has trebled its monthly SIP transactions over the past couple of years," he said adding, "The company's current AUM is at Rs 26,000 crore and we plan to cross the AUM of Rs 50,000 crore by December, 2019."
The company has 65 per cent of its funds invested in mid-cap companies.
Talking about their post-Budget strategies, he said, "We will concentrate on mid-cap firms for putting our money which may include industrial, construction and cement."
The company already has Rural India Fund.
"The Budget has proposed to impose tax on the withdrawal of PF money and it may see the release of Rs 3,500 crore worth fund to the MF industry. We are eyeing to tap 5-10 per cent of this flow to our company," he said.
Peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Syria will resume in Geneva on March 9, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura's office said today, announcing a two-day postponement.
"Intra-Syrian peace talks will resume in the afternoon of 9 March," de Mistura's office said in a statement.
"The 7th of March 2016 was initially set as the target date for the resumption of peace talks," but a short delay was needed "to allow adequate time to address logistical and practical matters."
"Mr. De Mistura looks forward to Syrian participants' engagement in serious discussions," the statement added.
A first round of talks which began early last month was cut short amid intensifying Russian airstrikes in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Warring parties, excluding the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, have agreed to a truce brokered by the US and Russia, which the United Nations has said is broadly holding despite isolated incidents of fighting.
The UN has said an extended commitment to the ceasefire by all sides would raise hope of the talks succeeding, after repeated diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have failed.
Tata Communications today said the transaction for selling majority stake in subsidiary to Vodacom, South Africa has lapsed due to regulatory complexities and non-fulfillment of certain conditions.
The company on December 10 last year had said that and Vodafone's South Africa subsidiary, Vodacom have concluded a modified transaction and the transaction documentation relating to the restructured deal was submitted to the Competition Tribunal.
"Vodacom, South Africa and have now confirmed that the agreement between the parties has lapsed due to regulatory complexities in concluding the transaction as well as certain conditions not being fulfilled," the company said in a filing to BSE.
It added that accordingly, the parties have agreed that the proposed restructured transaction can no longer be progressed.
The deal was originally signed in May 2014 wherein Vodacom had reached an agreement to buy Neotel, controlled by Tata Communications, for 7 billion rand (about Rs 3,200 crore).
In dollar terms, the value of transaction at that time was around $676 million.
Tata Communications owns over 68% stake in South Africa's largest fixed line telephone service provider Neotel.
Tata Communications said it remains committed to its investment in Neotel and commitment to focus on customers, partners and employees in South Africa and providing the highest levels of customer service.
Asserting that the tax demand against them has been "rightly generated", the CBDT today said like and Cairn Energy should promptly avail the one-time dispute resolution scheme announced in the Budget to close the issue by paying the principal tax and getting waiver on interest and penalty.
CBDT Chairman Atulesh Jindal said "as long as" the retrospective amendment of the IT Act passed by Parliament remains valid, the "demand (of tax against them) remains valid."
Jindal, in an interview to PTI, said apart from UK's Group plc and Cairn Energy plc, there are about a dozen more such which are facing similar demands due to the retrospective amendment of the Income Tax Act.
"They (companies) are basically challenging the retrospective amendment. Retrospective amendments have been passed by Parliament. They have not gone against passing of retrospective amendment before any court...So, as long as the retrospective amendment is valid, the demand (of the IT department) remains valid.
"Of course, it (demand) very much remains and this is a rightly generated demand," he said.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his Budget speech yesterday, announced a new dispute resolution mechanism for such who are in confrontation with the taxman's action.
"In order to give an opportunity to the past cases which are ongoing under the retrospective amendment, I propose a one-time scheme of Dispute Resolution for them," Jaitley had said while presenting the Budget for 2016-17 in Parliament.
The scheme entails paying up of the principal tax by the company that has been served with a tax notice and at the same time getting a waiver on interest and penalty.
The CBDT boss said government has always made it clear that tax disputes "are not" covered under the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPA).
"It is a different matter that they (companies) have gone under BIPA and our stand is that tax disputes are not covered under BIPA. That's the situation. Hence, a sort of opportunity has been given to settle these disputes (in the Budget)," the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman said.
He said the department cannot go back on the tax demand raised against these firms as assessment orders were "already passed" and "demands raised" before the IT Act was amended with a retrospective effect.
When told that the companies involved have not shown much initial enthusiasm to the proposal, Jindal said he is hopeful and thinks "they (companies) should come forward."
Commenting on the Budget proposal, Cairn spokesperson had said that "while international arbitration proceedings have commenced to seek resolution of the tax dispute, Cairn notes the efforts of the Government of India to resolve the retrospective tax issue and will study the text of the Budget speech."
A spokesperson had said: "We will of course study the details of what the Finance Minister has proposed today, while continuing to seek resolution of this matter through international arbitration.
"Vodafone has always maintained that there was no tax to pay at the time it completed its acquisition of Hutchison business in 2007... Vodafone was the acquirer in this transaction. The company made no capital gains whatsoever."
While Cairn Energy is facing a tax demand of Rs 10,247 crore on a 2006 business re-organisation it carried out in its India unit before getting it listed, Vodafone is facing tax liability over its $11 billion acquisition of a 67 per cent stake in the mobile-phone business owned by Hutchison Whampoa in 2007.
Jindal said a few of the other such cases of indirect transfer of assets coming under the ambit of the retrospective amendment where IT demands have not been raised but proceedings are pending due to reasons like 're-opening' of the case or some other procedure, will have to go through the "approvals" and "clearances" of a Budget announced committee which will be headed by the Revenue Secretary and have the CBDT Chairman as a Member.
When the Finance Minister was yesterday asked if government hopes to arrive at the desired settlement, when the involved companies are disputing the principal liability in first place, he had said: "They have two options - either to litigate or settle.
Central trade unions, including the RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), have opposed the Budget proposal to tax EPF withdrawal and contribution made by employers, terming it as "an attack on the working class and a clear case of double taxation".
"This is an anti-worker Budget proposal. Taxing PF means double taxation. PF is deducted from a salary on which workers have already paid tax," BMS General Secretary Virjesh Upadhyay said..
Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016 "Tax should be imposed on new income. PF accumulation is not generated or new income. The finance ministry has encroached upon the authority of the Central Board of Trustees, the apex decision making body of EPFO, which takes a final call on all issues related to EPFO schemes." The BMS is planning to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to lodge their protest against these proposals and demand a rollback.
All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said, "This is an attack on workers. It leads to virtual double taxation. It is an anti-saving move. It is unfortunate that emergency withdrawals by families have been subjected to taxation."
"While taxing workers, they have given relief to new start up companies by allowing them not to pay EPF contributions for three years. It is a violation of the EPF Act. On March 10, there will be a nation-wide protest against anti-labour policies of the government, including tax on EPF withdrawals."
As many as 11 central trade unions have planned to go on a nation-wide strike on March 10 to protest against the government's unilateral labour reforms and anti-worker policies, including tightening of EPF withdrawals and a proposal to tax them.
Dasgupta also said this issue will also be raised by left parties in both Houses of Parliament during the debate on Budget proposals.
Breaking from the long-held practice of exemption at all stages, the Budget for 2016-17 has proposed to impose tax on EPF withdrawal on 60% of contributions made after April 1, 2016, to EPF and other such schemes.
On Tuesday, however, the government clarified that PPF withdrawals will continue to be fully exempt from tax and only interest accruing after April 1 on 60% of the contributions made to Employee PF will be taxed.
At present, social security schemes run by retirement fund body EPFO are tax free 'Exempt-Exempt-Exempt (EEE)' scheme under which deposits, accrual of interest and withdrawals are tax free.
It is also proposed to tax employers' contribution of over Rs 1.5 lakh towards a worker's EPF account in a year. At present, there is no such limit.
Employers are mandated to contribute 12% of basic wages towards an employee's pension as well as PF account under the social security schemes run by EPFO.
Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria today told the state assembly an investigation team will be sent to Jaisalmer to probe alleged killing of bovine animals there.
Responding to the issue raised by Pokaran MLA Shaitan Singh during Zero Hour in the House, Kataria said two bovine animals were captured and killed near Ramdevra town in Jaisalmer on February 8 and a similar incident occurred in Pokaran on February 17.
He said it was a serious matter and the accused are still at large.
The Minister assured a team from Jaipur will be sent to Jaisalmer for an impartial investigation and accountability of officers will be fixed after they file a report.
Telecom PSUs such as BSNL have earmarked an investment of Rs 16,815 crore for the next fiscal in a host of projects, including setting up of Wi-Fi hotspots, enhancing network quality and expanding broadband coverage.
BSNL has earmarked capital expenditure of Rs 7,317 crore for 2016-17, while Bharat Broadband Network Limited, which is implementing the national optical fibre network, has investment plans of Rs 9,418.67 crore for the next fiscal.
"We have capex plan for Rs 7,317 crore. This includes setting up of 40,000 wifi hotspots, 10 times enhancement of core network capacity and Rs 2,000 crore of add-on equipment under phase 7 of network expansion," BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava told PTI.
Loss making PSU MTNL will spend Rs 649.03 crore and Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) will invest Rs 100 crore, according to the budget documents.
The budget indicates there will be progress in Rs 773.13 acre surplus land of government left with Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL), currently Tata Communications, after disinvestment in 2002. Special purpose vehicle Hemisphere Properties India Ltd (HPIL) created to resolve this issue will invest Rs 1 crore in 2016-17.
The government has decided to allocate Rs 18,413 crore to the Department of Telecom in 2016-17 which includes provisions for public sector units as well.
In the budget, government has decided to allocate Rs 2,200 crore as a refund for surrendering broadband wireless spectrum (4G) in six circles and CDMA spectrum in the coming fiscal.
MTNL surrendered 5 Mhz of CDMA spectrum that was put up for auction in Delhi and Mumbai and BSNL in around 8-10 telecom service area.
The Budget has provisioned for financial support of Rs 428.91 crore for loss making telecom firm MTNL in 2016-17. The support includes refund for minimum alternate tax (MAT), payment of interest on bonds and surrender of CDMA spectrum by MTNL. In current fiscal government has refunded Rs 492 crore as MAT to MTNL.
A three-member committee has been constituted by Delhi government to review the policy on aided schools in the city, citing "dissatisfaction" among the stakeholders including teachers, students, parents and "arbitrary" decision-making of its managements.
The committee has been set up by the Education Department following directions from Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. There are around 211 aided schools in the national capital.
The Committee will undertake a "fundamental re-examination" of the relevant provisions of Delhi School Education Act and Rules (DSEAR '73) and submit its report within two months.
A government official said that the city government provides grants-in-aid of around Rs 390 crore to these schools.
"However, even after spending such large sums of money in supporting aided schools, most stakeholders are dissatisfied with the outcome. Managements of these schools complain of a lack of autonomy, while the government feels it has no say in their management," said the official.
The schools not only receive a maintenance grant of 95 per cent of their recurring expenses from the government, non-recurring grants for contingency, rent, equipment, library, etc is also provided to them, the official said.
He said teachers complain of "arbitrary and ad-hoc" decisions made by managements and the absence of any grievance redressal mechanism.
Parents are "unhappy" with the infrastructure, quality of teachers and "poor" learning outcomes in these schools, the official said.
The committee will be headed by former Director (Elementary Education) of HRD Ministry Amit Kaushik, Special Director (Act-II), Education Department Shashi Kaushal and Hemanth Pothula, member of Education Governance Task Force of the Delhi Dialogue Commission.
Three Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporators in the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), a former mayor among them, joined Shiv Sena.
Former mayor Yatin Wagh, former standing committee chairman in NMC Ramesh Dhongade, and Arvid Shelke of joined the party yesterday in Mumbai in the presence of its chief Uddhav Thackeray, Sena official said today.
The move by these corporators of Raj Thackeray-led MNS comes ahead of the NMC polls scheduled for early next year.
Three Ukrainian soldiers were reported killed and two wounded today when their car hit a mine in the former Soviet republic's pro-Russian separatist east.
A military spokesman in Kiev said another three government troops were wounded in separate exchanges of fire near the front separating rebel-run parts of the industrial Lugansk and Donetsk regions from the rest of Ukraine.
The pro-Western authorities in Lugansk said the three soldiers died when a car carrying troops from Ukraine's 80th brigade hit a land mine about 75 kilometres west of the Russian border.
They provided no other details and warned the toll was only preliminary as an investigation was underway.
The insurgents in turn accused Ukraine's forces of wounding two of their soldiers in an overnight attack on the rebels' de-facto capital, Donetsk.
Two civilians were also reported killed on Saturday after one of them set off a trip wire in the Lugansk province.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the UN Security Council on Monday he remained "deeply concerned over the continuing violations of the ceasefire" agreed in February 2015.
A series of periodic truce deals that followed have been able to abate some of the violence but not put a full end to a 23-month conflict hat has claimed more than 9,000 lives.
Ukraine's emergencies ministry has reported special teams cleared the ravaged war zone of more than 44,000 explosive devices by mid-October 2014.
But the two sides and foreign monitors are struggling to estimate how many such indiscriminate weapons remain.
Kiev and its Western allies accuse Russia of orchestrating the uprising and supporting in with troops and weapons throughout the war.
Moscow denies the charges and claims that the United States was behind the street protests that toppled Ukraine's Russian-backed president in February 2014.
A tiger was shot dead by villagers at Medziphema, 30 kms away from here, a district administration official said.
The official said the villagers killed the tiger in self defense yesterday after it attacked one person inflicting serious wounds.
The tiger had killed two pigs and a cow after entering the village last Friday, the official said.
Later the carcass was handed over to the Wildlife department officials, he added.
Between the decades of 50s and 70s, the white tigers
even became an instrument of India's cultural relations with foreign nations, said Jairam.
"We can say that white tigers in a manner played the role of India's cultural ambassadors," he said.
He said that in 1960, the US expressed its interest in the white tiger following which a delegation visited Rewa and took one to their country.
"How intense was the fascination for this amazing creature can be gauged by the fact that when white tigress Mohini reached Washington from Govindgarh the then US President W D Eisenhower received her," he said.
Jairam also informed that another white tiger couple from Govindgarh was sent to Bristol Zoo in England in 1963.
Minister Rajendra Shukla recalled that when Mohan died on December 18, 1969, a holiday was declared in local schools and markets were closed as a mark of respect for the departed white tiger.
Later, Virat and Chameli was the last couple of white tigers that lived in Govindgarh till July 8, 1976.
But after Mohan's progeny Virat died, his companion Chameli was shifted to Delhi Zoo and that is how the Vindhya region, which is credited with introducing white tigers to the world, got deprived of the felines since then.
Later, relocating them back in the Vindhya region became a major political issue in many elections and when Shukla was the forest minister, he initiated the issue again which resulted in the creation of Mukundpur White Tiger Safari Zoo and Rescue Centre, he added.
Titan today said it is planning to foray into frame-making business beginning this year with an initial investment of Rs 40 crore, with a capacity to produce one million frames per year.
"We are planning to foray into frame-making business in two phases. The first phase begins August-September this year," company's CEO (Eyewear Division) Ronnie Talati said told reporters after inaugurating a Titan Eyeplus store here.
Titan would make an initial investment of Rs 40 crore and "...(we) plan to make one million frames per year at our Chikkaballapur (Karnataka) manufacturing unit," he said.
"We want to make our own frames to save money frombeing spent on imports, which will benefit consumers, cost-wise," Talati said, adding it would also help the company sell the end-product in smaller cities and towns.
On company financials, Talati said it had been growing 'handsomely' over the last five years. Last year, it grew at 17 per cent in April-December period doing a business of Rs 400 crore and would continue to grow at double digits.
He further said Q3 result of the company was bad due to unknown reasons, but January-February had been extraordinarily goodand it expects it would be good further.
During the course of next financial year, the company would unveil its detailed digital strategy for omni-channel platform including going online, he said.
On foraying into overseas markets, Talati said the company was actually testing the waters in markets like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which aresimilar to Indian market. "We have been misquoted that we would foray into overseas market. We are actually testing the waters."
He also said Titan was planning to set up two more satellite lens processing units in Noida and Mumbai shortly.
"We have set up a satellite lens processing unit at Madhyam Gram in West Bengal at a cost of Rs 5 crore. We will open such units in Noida and outside Mumbai, shortly," he said
The company plans to carry forward the same expansion plan of opening 60 to 70 Titan Eye Plus stores next year as it was doing this year, he added.
"This is an aggressive expansion strategy for the prescription eye wear products and sunglasses," he said.
At present, there are 395 outlets, both company's and franchisees.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has launched a series of initiatives under the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department totalling over Rs 1,200 crore.
Jayalalithaa recently inaugurated Rs 735.79 crore worth projects undertaken by the department including parks, official buildings, anganwadi centres, link-bridges and underground drainage system among others across the state, an official release said on Tuesday.
Read more from our special coverage on "J JAYALALITHAA" Jayalalithaa thanks opposition MLAs; lauds Speaker for being unbiased
She also laid the foundation stone for various other projects slated to be taken up at a combined cost of Rs 119.22 crore in different parts of the state, it said.
Solar powered concrete houses would also be constructed for 20,000 families presently residing in huts and mud-houses in certain local bodies.
A Bangladeshi court today granted bail to the editor of a leading newspaper facing 79 cases, over a dozen of them calling for bringing treason charges, for publishing reports alleging corruption against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during army-backed emergency rule in 2007-2008.
Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam was granted bail by the court in Rangpur in the Tk 100-crore (USD 1.3 million) defamation case.
Senior Judicial Magistrate Shafiul Alam granted the bail upon a bond of Tk 1,000 with two guarantors. The court fixed May 26 for the next hearing, the DailyStar reported.
The defence counsels had argued that the allegations against Anam in the complaint do not have anything defamatory.
Motahar Hossain Moula, ruling Awami League's Rangpur district organising secretary, filed the case on February 15, after which the court had summoned Anam before it today.
A total of 79 cases including 17 pleading to bring charges of treason have been filed against Anam in 53 districts across the country between February 9 and 22.
A total compensation of Tk 1.33 trillion (USD 16.6 billion) has been sought for the damages.
The barrage of cases against Anam began after he at a talk show last month discussed about a lapse in his editorial judgement in publishing some reports based on unverified leaks from the military-backed caretaker government that ruled Bangladesh until Sheikh Hasina become prime minister in 2009.
He had said running the reports fed by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) without verification was a "big blunder" in his career.
Several other major newspapers also carried identical reports supplied by the intelligence agency during the emergency rule but Anam's admission sparked a massive uproar.
Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy has demanded that Anam be tried for treason. Many lawmakers alleged that Anam conspired to bring an "unconstitutional government" and "destroy democracy throughout their life".
The cases however have drawn condemnation from local and international journalists and journalist unions.
(TKM) today reported 15.53 per cent decline in vehicles sales at 11,215 units in February as against 13,277 units in the same month last year.
The company sold 10,312 units in the domestic market compared with 11,802 units in the same month last year, down 12.62 per cent, TKM said in a statement.
Exports during the month declined by 38.77 per cent to 903 units from 1,475 units in the year-ago month.
"Ban on registration of diesel vehicles in Delhi and NCR still continues to affect our sales as Delhi & NCR market constitutes 8-10 per cent of our market share which comprises of both the Innova & Fortuner," said N Raja, Director and Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, .
Moreover, the unrest in Haryana has further impacted the company's business in that region with dealerships being closed for more than a week, he added.
A 52-year-old policeman was killed after being hit by a tanker on Gunnaur-Narora road here, police said today.
Lajpat Singh, head constable with Gunnaur police station, had signalled the tanker to stop for checking last night and it hit the cop leading to his death, ASP Kamlesh Dixit said.
Singh was on patrol duty at the Narora bridge.
The body has been sent for postmortem and the cleaner of the tanker has been arrested.
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12 persons were arrested in connection with the
incident, police said.
One firearm and two cartridges were also seized from them.
Three members of an inter-state gang were today arrested as police seized 150kg of ganja from their possession worth approximately Rs 15 lakh.
The accused have been identified as Vijay Kumar Jha, Guddu Kumar Jha and Bijay Ghosh. Delhi Police's Crime Branch nabbed the trio from outside a bus terminus here following a tip-off, a senior official said.
Around 150kg of ganja was recovered from their possession which police said was sourced from Odisha. The value of the contraband is estimated to be around Rs 15 lakh on the international market.
Police said it was Vijay who allegedly led the gang under the supervision of one Sonu. While Vijay roped in Guddu, Ghosh was an old contact of Sonu's Odisha-based associate, Prabhat, they said, adding that efforts are on to arrest the others.
Republican presidential front- runner Donald Trump stoked another controversy after he posted a 'quote' on social media by Mahatma Gandhi, drawing sharp reaction from the US media which questioned the authenticity of the words attributed to the Indian leader.
"First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win - Mahatma Gandhi," Trump wrote on social networking site Instagram yesterday as part of his effort to rally supporters.
The post included a picture of hordes of supporters rallying at a Trump campaign stop in Alabama.
Soon, the anti-Trump lobby was up in flames on the social media.
The Hill, a top US political website, said: "There's no record that Gandhi ever used the phrase, which has been widely attributed to him."
The quotation appears to be similar to words used in a 1918 trade union address by socialist leader Nicholas Klein, it said.
Christian Science Monitor has put this among the top 10 political misquotes.
There was no immediate response from the Trump's campaign on the issue.
"Gandhi did not say this," one Scott T Smith wrote on twitter.
Trump sought to quote Gandhi a day after he was criticised for re-tweeting Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini early Sunday morning.
"He got tired of quoting Mussolini and he's saving the Hitler quotes until he's really desperate," tweeted Brad Fraser.
Several popular websites have attributed the quote - First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win - to Mahatma Gandhi.
According to Wikiquotes, this is the quote which is often misattributed to Mahatma Gandhi.
"A close variant of the quotation first appears in a 1918 US trade union address by Nicholas Klein," it said.
Klein had said: "And, my friends, in this story you have a history of this entire movement. First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you. And that, is what is going to happen to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.
A Delhi court today sent JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, arrested in a sedition case over a controversial event in the varsity's campus, to 14 days judicial custody.
Khalid and Anirban had resurfaced in the JNU campus and surrendered themselves, following which they were first sent on three days' police remand and interrogated at R K Puram police station.
The police remand was extended by two days and the duo were confronted with jailed JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar. Later, the case was transferred to Delhi Police's Special Cell and their police custody was again extended by a day.
"Today the court sent them to 14 days judicial custody," a source said, adding that the proceedings took place in a makeshift courtroom set up inside a police station.
On February 9, an event was organised inside JNU campus to protest against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and anti-national slogans were allegedly raised in it. Two days later, Delhi Police registered a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy in connection with the event.
On February 12, the police arrested Kumar and around 10 days later Khalid and Bhattacharya resurfaced in the varsity's campus and surrendered.
The UN Security Council will vote today on a US-drafted resolution imposing a raft of new sanctions on following its nuclear test and rocket launch, US diplomats said.
The 15-member council will meet at 3:00 p.m (2000 GMT) to decide on the package of measures that the United States says will impose the toughest sanctions yet on .
The United States presented the draft resolution to the council last week after reaching agreement with China, Pyongyang's sole ally, on the new sanctions.
US Ambassador Samantha Power said that adoption of the resolution would send "an unambiguous and unyielding message to the DPRK regime: The world will not accept your proliferation. There will be consequences for your actions."
She was using the acronym for North Korea's formal name.
The measure "would break new ground and represent the strongest set of sanctions imposed by the Security Council in more than two decades," Power said.
The council decided to impose new measures on after it carried out its fourth nuclear test on January 6 and test-fired a rocket on February 7.
Both tests were in violation of a series of resolutions barring North Korea from developing nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The draft resolution would require countries to take the unprecedented step of inspecting all cargo to and from North Korea, impose new trade restrictions and bar vessels suspected of carrying illegal goods for North Korea from ports.
The measure provides for a ban on exports of coal, iron and iron ore from North Korea, except if that revenue is used for "livelihood purposes" and not to fund Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The draft resolution would also ban sales of gold, titanium and rare earth minerals from North Korea and would prohibit the supply of aviation fuel including rocket fuel to the reclusive country.
Banking restrictions would be tightened and governments would be required to ban flights of any plane suspected of carrying contraband destined for North Korea.
The draft resolution adds 17 individuals and 12 entities to the UN sanctions blacklist including North Korea's NADA space agency and its intelligence agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau.
The United States, France and Britain had pushed for quick adoption of the draft text, but Russia said it needed time to analyse its content.
The council has imposed four sets of sanctions on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006.
The Uttar Pradesh government would construct a memorial to Princess Suriratna from Ayodhya who had travelled to Korea in 48 AD and married King Kim Suro.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav during a meeting with a South Korean delegation today, said the proposed memorial to the princess would be constructed as per the Korean architecture from its own resources.
Yadav urged the delegation led by Kim Ki-jae, President of Central Karak Clan Society, to provide the design for the memorial at the earliest, so the government could proceed further.
The Chief Minister had a detailed discussion on bilateral cultural ties, mutual cooperation and issues related to development with the Korean delegation.
He said association of South Korean citizens with Uttar Pradesh would be made strong and extensive.
The US has deployed its elite counter-terrorism unit Delta Force for covert operations in Iraq to capture or kill high-ranking ISIS operatives and gather intelligence, according to a media report.
Army's elite Delta Force operations to target, capture or kill top ISIS operatives have begun in Iraq, after several weeks of covert preparation, an official with direct knowledge of the force's activities was quoted as saying by CNN.
The official said the group has spent the last several weeks preparing, including setting up safe houses, establishing informant networks and coordinating operations with Iraqi and Peshmerga units.
It is the same strategy that Special Operations forces have used in previous deployments to combat zones.
The Delta Force plans to replicate the strategy that Special Operations forces used for years in Iraq and Afghanistan, the report said.
It said the plan is to gather enough intelligence to stage raids on terror compounds and hideouts.
Then from intelligence gathered at those sites, such as laptops and cellphones, forces will try to learn more about ISIS networks and quickly attack additional related targets.
It is a strategy that worked in May 2015, when Delta raided a compound in Syria, killing ISIS operative Abu Sayyaf and capturing his wife, the report said.
The Expeditionary Targeting Force which numbers about 200 personnel -- has collected enough intelligence now about ISIS operations in Iraq in up to half a dozen locations that raids and field operations are ready inside Iraq, the report said.
Several Pentagon and military officials have declined to discuss specifics of the so-called Expeditionary Targeting Force.
But Defense Secretary Ash Carter seemed to confirm in comments made at the Pentagon yesterday that the Special Operations forces had begun missions.
"The only thing I'll say is the (Expeditionary Targeting Force) is in position, it is having an effect and operating, and I expect it to be a very effective part of our acceleration campaign," he said during a press conference.
According to Carter, the force will conduct raids, seize places and people, and free ISIS-held hostages and prisoners.
Carter also said that the force would cause ISIS "to fear that anywhere, anytime, it may be struck."
A US official said Carter's statement reflects that Delta operations have begun.
While the ETF is not yet operating in Syria, a separate group of about 50 US special forces have greatly expanded their initial operations there in recent weeks after the Pentagon announced they were going to Syria.
Vadodara police today introduced online FIR/complaint registration facility, a first in Gujarat.
Police commissioner E Radhakrishna said the citizens will also be able to check the status of their complaints online.
This will help achieve transparency, streamline the grievance redressal machinery and make the police stations paperless, he said.
"The idea is to spare the people repeated trips to the police station," he said.
The top 3 markets that have seen the maximum growth are:
Delhi-NCR (104%), Hyderabad (100%) and Pune (85%) - Delhi-NCR has seen a 104% growth in the searches for advocates and lawyers, with: -Court Marriage and Matrimonial Lawyers category witnessing a rise of 765% -Legal Consultants category witnessing a rise of 388% -Family Court, Divorce and Domestic Lawyer category witnessing a rise of 280%
- From the analysis of nearly 80 sub categories in the Advocates and Lawyers category, apart from the Court Marriage and Matrimonial Lawyers, Copyright Patent and Trademark Registration Lawyers and Traffic Violation, RTO and Transportation Lawyers saw a growth of more than 500% across all cities surveyed.
- Family Court, Divorce and Domestic Lawyers, is the most searched category across all cities surveyed.
- Consumer Protection and Dispute Lawyers, and Charitable Trust, Society and NGO Registration consultants are the categories that have seen a growth of close to 300%.
- Sexual Harassment Lawyers have seen a 148% rise across India, of which Bangalore, Delhi-NCR and Mumbai contributed more than 70%.
Commenting on the findings, Satya Prabhakar, CEO, Sulekha, said, "The study shows the increasing trust that Indians have started to show towards the law and judiciary system.
On one side, we see people seeking professional help in legal matters involving divorces and family disputes; the other side shows us an increasing number of searches for court and marriage lawyers, all showing us a picture of contemporary India.
A war of Privilege Motions has broken out in Parliament, with BJP today giving notice for such an action against Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, hitting back at the opposition party for a similar move against HRD Minister Smriti Irani.
In Lok Sabha, BJP's Chief Whip Arjun Ram Meghwal said he and many other members, including Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, had given a notice of breach of privilege against Scindia, the Chief Whip of Congress, for "misleading" the House on February 24.
Congress and Left have already given notice of Privilege Motion against Irani, accusing her of "misleading" the House over the suicide by Rohit Vemula, a Dalit student of Hyderabad University.
Meghwal said Scindia had wrongly alleged that Dattatreya had called Vemula "anti-national, casteist and extremist".
The BJP leader raised the issue amid uproar created by AIADMK members who were demanding action against former Union Minister P Chidambaram's son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis issue.
At this, Congress members too rushed to the Well, demanding that Speaker Sumitra Mahajan should decide on their notice of Privilege Motion against Irani for "misleading" the House on Vemula issue.
Dattatreya accused Scindia of "defaming him and tarnishing" his image by attributing such comments to him that he never made about Vemula.
"My mother used to sell onions. I have always worked for OBCs, Dalits... I have made sacrifices for Dalits," he said, recalling his humble background and work for the downtrodden.
He said his letter to Irani, over which he has been attacked by Congress, made no mention of Vemula's name. "I never made such charge against him."
Congress members continued to protest with K C Venugopal showing the rule book to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to which she shot back, saying "Don't show me the rule book. I know."
She repeatedly tried to pacify the members saying all the notices for privilege motion are under her consideration.
With AIADMK and Congress members continuing to protest, she adjourned the House.
In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad reminded that his Congress party had given notice of Privilege Motion against the HRD Minister and wanted to know its status.
"She (Irani) has misled this House and the nation through the House. Not only here, she has misled the country in both the Houses. It is a very very serious charge," Azad said.
Earlier, Bhalchandra Mungekar (Cong) sought to know the fate of his notice for Privilege Motion against Irani given yesterday and insisted on action against the Minister.
He raised the issue during Question Hour when his name was called for asking a supplementary question.
Chairman Hamid Ansari asked Mungekar not to raise any other issue during Question Hour.
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JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav expressed support to the Congress move.
"We all support the Privilege Motion. The Minister has misled the country," he said.
Deputy Chairman P J Kurien, "Yes, the Chair has received the (notice for) Privilege Motion. There is a procedure and we have to adhere to it. It is under the consideration of the Chair. The Chair will get back to you."
The issue of privilege motion against Irani had created a brief uproar in the Lok Sabha yesterday before Finance Minister Arun Jaitely started presenting the Union Budget 2016-17 with opposition members seeking to know the status of their notices against Irani for "misleading" the House on the Rohith Vemula issue.
Filmmaker Prakash Jha says he is open to directing a Hollywood film rooted in India.
Jha, who has helmed socio-political films like "Gangaajal", "Apaharan" and "Raajneeti", feels it is difficult to direct a movie which is based in a territory he is not familiar with.
"My films are rooted here. So, somebody has to give me a script which I feel comfortable with. It's difficult for me to write a script which is rooted elsewhere. Like, if there is a Hollywood kind of script rooted in India, I would definitely like to do it," Jha told PTI.
The director says if the characters are sub-continental, then it becomes easier for him to guide his script, unlike if they are entirely set in America.
"If there's an Indian story... Like the Hollywood film 'Gandhi', I could've done it. I did 'Rajneeti', which was as big as 'Gandhi' in terms of its scale. But to set a story in America? I don't know that society," he said.
"Even if I am living there, it's difficult for me to suddenly guide my scripts, actors and prepare them. But if there are characters who are sub-continental, then I feel very comfortable with the story," says the "Aarakshan" filmmaker.
Jha is ready with his directorial venture "Jai Gangaajal", set to release on March 4. The film stars Priyanka Chopra as IPS officer Abha Mathur, who takes on some powerful and influential men in her district.
"Jai Gangaajal" will also mark the acting debut of Jha in the role of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bhola Nath Singh.
The 64-year-old director said for a while he was talking to various DSPs for the character, and it was then the thought dawned on him that he could play it himself.
"I was looking for something more than what I usually had been doing, this was there on my mind, but when I started developing this character, I started feeling interested. I was talking to several DSPs as far as the character was concerned and I got so close to the nuances and everything, that I thought this probably is the opportunity to take a step and do something new," he said.
Jha is open to acting in more films as he would like to now "expand" his horizon.
"If there are good (acting) opportunities, then why not. I've already explored the territory of acting with this one, now I would like to expand," he said.
A 19-year-old youth allegedly strangled his elder sister and stabbed her body with a knife following an argument with her over a property in Shahbad Dairy area of outer Delhi this morning.
After the incident, the youth identified as Umesh walked to a nearby police post with the blood smeared weapon and admitted to the crime.
According to a senior police official, parents of the duo had gone to Rohini to resolve a property issue during which the victim, Vandana, got into an argument with her brother, Umesh, over the ownership of their office.
Vandana looked after the family business along with their father.
"As per Umesh's version, Vandana had refused to part with her share of the property and had asked him to resolve the matter with their father. This led to a heated argument following which Umesh strangled her with a dupatta and stabbed her 5-6 times with a kitchen knife," the official said.
"After killing her, Umesh panicked and tried to even hide the body. But then he left her on the bed and walked to the nearest police post. Policemen deployed there called the PCR and once the cops arrived he handed over the knife to them and narrated the incident. He was then taken to the police station," the official said.
The body was sent for post-mortem and the parents of the youth were informed.
The parents later staged a protest at the police station claiming a conspiracy in the incident. They claimed that Umesh has been framed to save the actual killers.
"A case of murder has been registered and further probe is on," the official added.
In view of the outbreak of Zika virus, the government has issued a travel advisory urging pregnant women to defer or cancel their travel to the affected areas, Rajya Sabha was informed today.
"The Union Health Ministry has issued travel advisory that pregnant women or women who are trying to become pregnant should defer or cancel their travel to the affected areas," Union Health Minister J P Nadda said.
He said that all pregnant women travelling to the affected countries or areas have been advised to strictly follow personal protective measures, especially during day time, to prevent mosquito bites.
He said that in case they fall sick within two weeks of return from an affected country, they should report to the nearest health facility.
"Advisory has also been issued that pregnant women who have travelled to areas with Zika virus transmission should mention about their travel during pregnancy check-up visits in order to be assessed and monitored appropriately at the health facility," he said.
The Health Minister said that guidelines for integrated vector management to prevent transmission by Aedes mosquito have been issued to all the states.
"These guidelines include vector surveillance, both for larva and adults, effective vector control through environmental management methods, personnel protection, biological control such as using larvivorous fish and using chemicals that kill adult and larval form of this mosquito.
"Vector surveillance and capacity building have also been done at international airports and ports," Nadda said.
Nadda had earlier said that till date, no case of Zika virus disease has been reported in India even as dengue-hit states of Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have been alerted as the same type of mosquito spreads both the viruses.
Zika virus is a member of the virus family flaviviridae and the genus flavivirus, transmitted by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes.
(REOPENS DES15)
Nadda said that states like Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil
Nadu and Puducherry where dengue transmission is prevalent, have been alerted.
National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Delhi has been identified as the nodal agency for investigation of outbreak in any part of the country.
"Fifteen international airports and nine major ports have displayed signages providing information for travellers on Zika virus disease and advising the travellers to report if they are returning from any of the affected countries and suffering from febrile illness.
"Immigration authorities at these airports have been sensitised. Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued instruction to all international airlines to follow the recommended aircraft disinfection guidelines," Nadda said.
He said that National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi and National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune have established the capacity to provide laboratory diagnosis of Zika virus disease in acute febrile stage.
He said that the National AIDS Control Organization has issued advisory for blood banks and potential blood donors to prevent transmission of Zika virus infection by blood transfusion.
"There is no specific treatment for Zika virus disease. People sick with Zika virus are advised to take plenty of rest, drink enough fluids, and treat pain and fever with paracetamol. They are also advised to take personal protective measures against mosquito bite.
"National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi and National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune are the identified laboratories to test clinical samples and to support the outbreak investigation," he said.
MANILA, Mar 1 (Reuters) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has backed the issuance of Asia's first climate bond, providing credit enhancement to a Philippine renewable power firm operating a geothermal plant in south of Manila.
In 2015, ADB committed to double its financing for climate change adaptation and mitigation by 2020, including playing a catalytic role to crowd-in private sector climate finance.
ADB said the 10.7-billion-peso ($225.61 million) bond was for AP Renewables Inc. (APRI), a subsidiary of AboitizPower Corporation for its Tiwi-Makban geothermal energy facilities.
"The successful use of credit enhancement for Tiwi-MakBan reflects our evolving strategy to make creative use of ADB's expanding balance sheet to support infrastructure investment in Asia and the Pacific," said Todd Freeland, Director General, ADB's private sector operations department.
"Credit-enhanced project bonds offer an attractive alternative to bank financing; mobilizing cost-effective and long-term capital can help close the region's infrastructure gap."
The local currency bond is in addition to a direct ADB loan of 1.8 billion peso ($37.7 million). The credit enhancement is in the form of a guarantee of 75 percent of principal and interest on the bond.
The Climate Bond, which has been certified by the Climate Bonds Initiative, is the first in Asia and the Pacific and the first ever Climate Bond for a single project in an emerging market.
AboitizPower is a power developer in the Philippines and a leader in renewable energy in Southeast Asia.
(Reporting By Manuel Mogato; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
BEIJING (Reuters) - A court in southern China has jailed 24 people for fraudulently raising nearly 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) in one of the country's biggest financial scams, the official Xinhua agency said.
The group was convicted of illegally raising funds during the decade to 2012 from more than 230,000 investors, mainly senior citizens who put in their life savings, it said, citing the court.
Guangdong Bangjia Leasing Co set up four firms in the southern province and many branches and subsidiaries across China, luring retail investors to buy memberships and fund nonexistent loans by promising returns of as much as 47 percent.
The case spotlights growing risks in a loosely regulated wealth management products industry, which lures millions of unsophisticated retail investors to high-yield products offered by opaque online finance firms and privately run exchanges.
In February, authorities arrested 21 officials of Ezubao, once China's biggest peer-to-peer lending platform, which collected $7.6 billion in less than two years from more than 900,000 investors.
Ezubao used savvy marketing, authorities said, to fund "a complete Ponzi scheme", that used investor funds to support a lavish lifestyle for company executives.
Last year, hundreds of angry investors also hit the streets in Beijing and Shanghai after losing $6 billion from the Fanya Metals Exchange, which offered investment products promising an annual return of up to 14 percent.
The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court on Monday sentenced the main suspect in the Guangdong fraud, Jiang Hongwei, to life in prison, while the others received terms ranging from 3 years to 14 years, Xinhua said.
The court has frozen and seized their assets, including 127 vehicles and 43 villas, but prosecutors said few victims might get their money back, since Jiang had squandered millions on luxuries, the agency added.
Some older investors who lost money in the Guangdong fraud said they were attracted by its fancy branding.
"Their grand exhibition occupied six halls," Xinhua quoted one elderly woman from Jiangsu province as saying.
"After attending it, I felt assured and decided to invest 700,000 yuan," she added. "It was all the savings my husband and I had."
($1=6.5397 Chinese yuan)
(Reporting by Shu Zhang and Matthew Miller; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By Swati Pandey and Brenda Goh
SYDNEY/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - President Xi Jinping's ambitious One Belt, One Road initiative is coming Down Under as China's hunger to secure global supply chains leads its giant sovereign wealth fund into the $6.4 billion battle for Australia's Asciano Ltd.
Australia, already a major supplier of commodities to China, is set to boost exports under a free trade deal signed last year. Asciano, the country's largest ports and rail operator, fits with Beijing's ambition to expand transportation linkages across a region it sees key to its economic growth.
"This is part of a process where China does want to control its logistics chains," said Harry Theochari, London-based global head of transport at law firm Norton Rose Fulbright.
"If you are a big emerging nation that's very heavily reliant on raw materials from other countries ... you'd want to have as much control over the transporting of those fundamental raw materials as you possibly can."
China Investment Corp (CIC), the country's $747 billion sovereign wealth fund, is part of a consortium headed by cargo handler Qube Holdings Ltd offering A$9 billion ($6.4 billion) for Asciano. Under the deal, which has been recommended by Asciano's board, CIC would take a stake in both Asciano's ports and rail operations.
A potential alternative proposal being discussed involving Qube teaming up with rival Canadian bidder Brookfield Asset Management Inc would leave CIC owning the railways, but not the ports, which Australia views as strategic assets that should remain in local hands.
A spokeswoman said CIC was working on its bid with the Qube consortium and declined to comment further.
CHINA DEALS
Beijing, through the country's firms, has been snapping up assets as part of the One Belt One Road project launched in 2013, undertaking a record 19 global infrastructure deals worth $6.8 billion in 2015, according to Thomson data.
The initiative envisions building a network of land, sea and air routes that will open new trade links and markets for Chinese firms as the domestic economy slows.
CIC, one of the sponsors of the $40 billion Silk Road Fund, has been active, but other Chinese companies are also involved.
CIC holds a 10 percent stake in London's Heathrow Airport and a 9 percent stake in the company behind the UK's largest water and sewage company. In the United States, CIC's investments include a 17 percent stake in power company AES.
China Merchants Holdings owns stakes in the ports of Morocco, Djibouti and France while Cosco Pacific has interests in terminals at the Suez Canal and Belgium's Antwerp.
"I think it is quite a smart move by them and it plays into the One Belt, One Road project because it means they are not just recreating the Silk Route but also owning the Silk Route," said a Sydney-based M&A lawyer who advises on investments by Chinese companies into Australia.
POLITICAL SENSITIVITIES
The China Australia Free Trade Agreement is set to help boost investment, with in-bound private Chinese proposals below A$1.08 billion no longer requiring Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval.
But political sensitivities remain around investments in areas such as agriculture and ports.
The sale of Darwin Port, used by a deployment of U.S. Marines as well as the terminus for a critical underwater data cable, to China's Landbridge Group, sparked a rebuke from Washington last year.
People familiar with the Asciano deal say the new proposal is being designed to alleviate some of those regulatory concerns as the critical port assets would remain with the Australian and Canadian companies.
M&A lawyers and bankers said Chinese state-owned funds and enterprises are also buying access to best practices via deals like the Asciano bid.
They are keen on engineering and infrastructure deals to replicate technology and know how back in China, ANZ Bank said in a December report titled 'What else is China buying in Australia?'
"I think we'll see them doing lots of investments into freight infrastructure, into agriculture," said the Sydney-based M&A lawyer, who declined to be identified because she was not authorised to talk to the media. "Also, I wouldn't be surprised if they start moving into healthcare, if they're not already and then technology. All of that is going to be of assistance to them in the building of their economy."
($1 = 1.3826 Australian dollars)
(Additional reporting by Matthew Miller in Beijing.; Editing by Jane Wardell and Lincoln Feast)
(Corrects $6.899 trln 2015 figure from $6,899 trln in final paragraph)
By Marc Jones
LONDON (Reuters) - The United States, China, Brazil and India are expected to keep world government debt rising this year, Standard and Poor's said on Monday, despite a small reduction in the annual global borrowing bill.
The rating agency released a new report saying the stock of global government debt was expected to rise 2 percent to $42.4 trillion, with new borrowing of $6.7 trillion set to continue to outstrip the amounts being repaid.
A number of major countries are behind the underlying trend.
U.S. borrowing is expected to increase 8 percent or $163 billion year-on-year, while world number two economy China is forecast to ramp its borrowing 18 percent or $51 billion.
The rise in China and in the likes of Brazil and India is set to drive year-on-year emerging market borrowing up 9.4 percent or $587 billion and lift the total EM total debt stock to $6.8 trillion by the end of the year.
S&P said it saw the biggest absolute increase in annual borrowing in Brazil, which it expects will borrow $14 billion more in 2015 an increase of 8 percent.
Poland and India are both forecast to see $12 billion increases which is an 38 percent rise for the former and 8 percent increase for the latter.
In contrast, Japan, the euro zone and others such as Canada, the UK, Mexico and Ukraine are expected to see year-on-year drops in headline borrowing numbers.
The euro zone is expected to see a near 6 percent drop, although its overall debt stock will also continue to creep up to just over 7 trillion euros as its countries borrow more than they repay.
Globally annual issuance is forecast to dip to $6.745 trillion from $6.899 trillion in 2015, though with $4.9 trillion maturing, the $1.7 trillion 'net' increase will keep the overall debt stock rising.
For full report click http://bit.ly/1LQ7wmI
(Reporting by Marc Jones; editing by Ralph Boulton)
China aims to lay off five-six million state workers over the next two to three years as part of efforts to curb industrial overcapacity and pollution, two reliable sources said, Beijings boldest retrenchment program in almost two decades.
Chinas leadership, obsessed with maintaining stability and making sure redundancies do not lead to unrest, will spend nearly 150 billion yuan ($23 billion) to cover layoffs in just the coal and steel sectors in the next two-three years.
The overall figure is likely to rise as closures spread to other industries and even more funding will be required to handle the debt left behind by zombie state firms.
The term refers to companies that have shut down some of their operations but keep staff on their rolls since local governments are worried about the social and economic impact of bankruptcies and unemployment.
Shutting down zombie firms has been identified as one of the governments priorities this year, with Chinas Premier Li Keqiang promising in December that they would soon go under the knife.
The government plans to lay off five million workers in industries suffering from a supply glut, one source with ties to the leadership said.
A second source with leadership ties put the number of layoffs at six million. Both sources requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media about the politically sensitive subject for fear of sparking social unrest.
The ministry of industry did not immediately respond when asked for comment on the reports.
The hugely inefficient state sector employed around 37 million people in 2013 and accounts for about 40 per cent of the countrys industrial output and nearly half of its bank lending.
It is Chinas most significant nationwide retrenchment since the restructuring of state-owned enterprises from 1998 to 2003 led to around 28 million redundancies and cost the central government about 73.1 billion yuan ($11.2 billion) in resettlement funds.
On Monday, Yin Weimin, the minister for human resources and social security, said China expects to lay off 1.8 million workers in the coal and steel industries, but he did not give a time frame.
China aims to cut capacity gluts in as many as seven sectors, including cement, glass-making and shipbuilding, but the oversupplied solar power industry is likely to be spared any large-scale restructuring because it still has growth potential, the first source said.
Debt overhang
The government has already drawn up plans to cut as much as 150 million tonnes of crude steel capacity and 500 million tonnes of surplus coal production in the next three to five years.
It has earmarked 100 billion yuan in central government funds to deal directly with the layoffs from steel and coal over the next two years, vice-industry minister Feng Fei said last week.
The Ministry of Finance said in January it would also collect 46 billion yuan from surcharges on coal-fired power over the coming three years in order to resettle workers. In addition, an assortment of local government matching funds will also be made available.
However, the funds currently being offered will do little to resolve the problems of debts held by zombie firms, which could overwhelm local banks if they are not handled correctly.
They have proposed this dedicated fund only to pay the workers, but there is no money for the bad debts, and if the bad debts are too big the banks will have problems and there will be panic, said Xu Zhongbo, head of Beijing Metal Consulting, who advises Chinese steel mills.
Factories shut down would have to repay bank loans to avoid saddling state banks with a mountain of non-performing loans, the sources said. Triangular debt, or money owed by firms to other enterprises, would also have to be resolved, they added.
Although China has promised to help local banks transfer the bad debts of zombie steel mills to asset management firms, local governments are not expected to gain access to the worker lay-off funds until the zombie firms have actually been shut down and debt issues settled.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's gold imports in January surged 62 percent compared with the same period last year, agency NewsRise Financial reported on Tuesday citing a government official, as the country's appetite for the precious metal continues unabated despite duties.
India, the world's second biggest consumer of gold, shipped in 93.3 tonnes of gold last month while overseas purchases of the metal surged 25 percent to 904.2 tonnes, in the ten months to January, it said.
New Delhi's gold imports are seen hitting a more than two-year low in February, as rising prices keep buyers away, industry sources told last week.
(Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath)
By Costas Pitas
GENEVA (Reuters) - Luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover will post lower fourth-quarter profit than a year earlier, its chief executive told Reuters, leaving its full-year pretax figure at around half of the 2.6 billion pounds ($3.6 billion) made in 2014/15.
The firm, owned by India's Tata Motors Ltd, has been hit by sliding sales in China, a blaze at the port of Tianjin and heavy spending on new sites and models.
In an interview at the Geneva car show, Ralf Speth said the Britain-based brand would fall short of the almost 400-million-pound profit posted in January-March 2015.
"It was a sensational quarter (in 2015) ... We will not achieve (that)," he said.
In the first three quarters of the current financial year, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) made a pretax profit of just under 1 billion pounds, meaning the annual total is set to come in at around half of 2014-15's level.
JLR had previously said it expected a lower profit this financial year, without giving details.
The firm took a 245 million pound charge in its second quarter after up to 5,800 cars were damaged or destroyed by an explosion at the Chinese port of Tianjin, though it has since recouped a small portion of the money in insurance and hopes to receive more.
Speth said China, once the carmaker's fastest-growing market but which has seen growth slow sharply as the economy cools, was showing signs of revival.
JLR's third-quarter retail sales fell 10 percent in the world's biggest car market, but January volumes were up 5 percent.
"China has seen the bottom and is bouncing back and therefore I am cautiously optimistic that we will see a stronger performance," Speth said.
Tata bought both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands in 2008 and has ploughed billions into the two marques, with Jaguar launching the F-Type SVR coupe on Tuesday, the latest in a series of new models to refresh and widen its line-up.
JLR, which built almost one in three of the 1.5 million cars Britain made last year, also warned there would be great uncertainty were Britons to vote to leave the European Union in a referendum on June 23.
"We will not have free and fair trade, or it will take years to come to new contracts and new tax schemes," Speth said.
($1 = 0.7150 pounds)
(Editing by Mark Potter)
In a victory for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a federal jury in Manhattan found former Euro Pacific Capital Inc brokers Daryl Payton and Benjamin Durant liable for engaging in insider trading.
The trial came after a 2014 appellate ruling limiting the scope of insider trading laws forced prosecutors to drop criminal charges against Payton, Durant and three others.
The SEC continued to press civil charges over trades the two men placed before IBM announced its $1.2 billion acquisition of SPSS Inc in 2009.
Payton, 39, and Durant, 40, conceded they traded on non-public information. But they argued that their trades did not constitute illegal insider trading, a position they adopted after the appellate ruling.
Scott Morvillo, Durant's lawyer, said he was confident the verdict would be reversed on appeal. Payton's lawyers declined to comment.
The trial came amid ongoing litigation over what constitutes insider trading, an issue the U.S. Supreme Court last month said it would review.
The trial followed a December 2014 ruling by a federal appeals court in New York holding that traders could be held liable only if they knew a tip's source received a benefit of "some consequence," not just friendship, in exchange.
After the ruling, which overturned two hedge fund managers' convictions, a federal judge threw out guilty pleas by Payton and three other men in the IBM case.
While prosecutors then dropped the criminal case, the SEC, facing a lower burden of proof, elected to move forward.
According to the SEC, in 2009, Michael Dallas, an attorney at IBM's law firm, told his friend Trent Martin that he was working on IBM's acquisition of SPSS.
While Dallas expected Martin, a Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc analyst, not to tell anyone, Martin bought SPSS stock and told his roommate, Thomas Conradt, a Euro Pacific employee, the SEC said.
Conradt then told four Euro Pacific colleagues, including Payton and Durant, who made $629,472 and $254,141, respectively, trading in SPSS before the deal's announcement, the SEC said.
Payton and Durant countered that Martin received nothing that would constitute an illegal benefit for his information, nor did they know about any benefit if it existed.
The case is Securities and Exchange Commission v. Payton et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 14-04644.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Chris Reese and Dan Grebler)
By Karolin Schaps
LONDON (Reuters) - Oil turned negative on Tuesday as a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin made no mention of any producer-coordinated output cuts, returning bearish sentiment to the market after prices had touched a two-month high.
Benchmark Brent crude futures were down 56 cents at $36.01 a barrel at 1451 GMT, erasing most gains made earlier in the session, when the contract reached a peak of $37.06.
U.S. crude futures were trading at $33.50 a barrel, 25 cents below Monday's close.
"People are hooked to the comments from key oil producers," said Abhishek Deshpande, chief oil analyst at investment bank Natixis.
"The slightest comment that suggests a solution to tackling overproduction or does not suggest any action seems to move the market right now," Deshpande said.
Putin said Russian oil companies had agreed not to raise oil production this year.
He added it was Moscow's task to ensure stability in the Russian oil industry and that weak oil prices had been a result of a global economic slowdown and speculative deals.
Discussions among major oil producers, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, agreeing to a production freeze are unlikely to reduce a global overhang in supply of well over 1 million barrels per day (bpd), analysts said.
A surprise monetary easing by China had propped up prices earlier in the session, stoking expectations for higher oil demand from the world's largest commodities consumer.
A cut in the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves frees up an estimated $100 billion for fresh lending.
Signs that a global supply glut is easing are beginning to emerge.
Exports from Iraq's southern fields dropped in February to an average of 3.225 million bpd, the country's oil ministry said.
This fed into a survey showing OPEC production had slipped from the highest monthly level in recent history. OPEC supply fell to 32.37 million bpd in February, the survey showed.
The International Energy Agency's oil division head, Neil Atkinson, said on Tuesday oil prices had "bottomed out" and were set to rise throughout this year and next.
He said a price rally would be limited in the medium term by U.S. shale production costs of $40 to $50 a barrel, however.
(Additional reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo and Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Louise Heavens and Dale Hudson)
OPEC is very unlikely to cut output at its next meeting in June, even if prices remain extremely low, according to OPEC sources and delegates, as it will be too early to say how fast Iranian output is rising.
The sources, which include officials from the Middle East, say OPEC countries such as Saudi Arabia also want to test Russia's commitment to freezing output before taking any further steps to stablise prices.
More than 18 months after prices began a steep slide due to excess supply, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Venezuela and non-OPEC Russia agreed last month to freeze output at January levels in the first global pact in 15 years.
Saudi Arabian Minister Ali al-Naimi said last week a supply cut was not on the cards although adding that the production freeze was only the first step to balance the market after prices fell to their lowest since 2003.
"Maybe by the end of the year (a cut could be possible) when it is really clear that Iran is actually producing the volumes they are talking about. But not in June," a source from one of OPEC's Middle Eastern producers said.
January was peak or near-peak production for Russia and Saudi Arabia, the world's two top oil exporters, but Iran - OPEC's No.3 producer - is the key supply uncertainty for 2016 as it is raising output after the lifting of Western sanctions in January, adding barrels to the already saturated market.
Over the past month, Iran has issued conflicting statements saying it could add up to 1.5 million barrels per day over the next year which would confound market skepticism that its fields were damaged by years of sanctions.
Meanwhile, its February exports have disappointed as European buyers were cautious to immediately boost trade amid remaining dollar clearance and ship insurance problems.
"No-one at OPEC knows what's going on with Iranian fields. So the Saudis want to see what happens in reality," a source in one of the OPEC delegations who is familiar with production freeze negotiations, said.
NO SPECIAL TERMS
Non-OPEC Oman and some OPEC sources have floated an idea of Iran being exempt from output freezes - as was Iraq in the past when the country was subject of sanctions - but so far Tehran has not been offered any special terms, according to OPEC sources.
Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said last week the production freeze was "laughable" while Iranian sources say the country would be prepared to discuss a production pact once its output reached the pre-sanctions level.
Analysts believe output and exports could rise by a maximum of 0.7 million bpd to around 3.5 million bpd in the next months but it will take time to understand where real figures stand.
Iran, for instance, has already told OPEC it was pumping as much as 3.4 million bpd in January - a much higher number than estimated by OPEC watchers.
By June, when OPEC holds it next meeting, the picture of Iranian exports will still not be clear, several OPEC sources said, adding that they might only have reliable numbers for April. The sources also said it will be too early to say in June if the world's record oil stocks have finally become to shrink.
Saudi Arabia and Russia have not said the output freeze would be void if Iran refuses to join in, leaving room for a potential compromise.
Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak plans to travel to Iran, Moscow's close ally, in March for more talks on the production freeze, which he said could last for as long as a year.
RUSSIAN COMPLIANCE
If Russia respects the output freeze, it would be a major departure from its former policies. The only time Russia agreed to cooperate with OPEC was in 2001 but it never delivered on its pledge and raised exports instead.
That was a big disappointment for Naimi, who orchestrated the 2001 deal, and is still wary of agreeing anything at risk of being cheated by Russia or fellow OPEC members.
"Even if they say that they will cut production they will not do it. There is no sense in wasting our time seeking production cuts," he said last week.
But in the opinion of OPEC watchers the output freeze deal signals a change of tone for Saudi Arabia, from a view that the market would rebalance itself to one where it might need a push.
"Eventually, we will have a cut in production," one OPEC delegate said, declining to be identified.
Others are urging swifter action. Qatar's former energy minister Abdullah al-Attiyah, who is still talking to producers inside and outside OPEC, said a cut was needed before the glut became unmanageable.
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's Petronas announced on Tuesday that the state-owned oil and gas company will see redundancies of under 1,000 positions and leadership changes after a strategic review of its business model.
The company said in a statement on its website that it was efforting to re-deploy employees affected by the redundancies.
"Petronas will further embark on a separation exercise for these employees as needed, which is expected to be completed over the next six months," it said.
The announcement was made after President and Group Chief Executive Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin addressed employees in a town hall meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
Under the review, leadership changes from within the organisation have been made, which will take effect from April 1. The statement also said some executives, whose service contracts have come to an end, are leaving the company.
The new leadership line up showed Mohd Anuar Taib as the new executive vice president & chief executive officer, upstream, replacing the former Wee Yiaw Hin.
(Reporting by Emily Chow, Writing by Praveen Menon; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
By Makiko Yamazaki and J.R. Wu
TOKYO/TAIPEI (Reuters) - A late hitch to Foxconn's takeover of Japan's struggling Sharp Corp <6753.T> brought simmering distrust between the two close to boiling point, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.
The two companies have eyed each other warily since Foxconn founder and billionaire Terry Gou pulled out of a planned capital tie-up and strategic partnership with Sharp in 2012.
Missteps in communication last week, when Sharp's board met and announced a decision to sell a two-thirds stake to the Taiwanese group, ratcheted up tensions, upsetting Gou and causing embarrassment at Sharp.
On the eve of that board meeting, Foxconn had asked Sharp to delay voting on a deal as it had just received "new material information" from Sharp that it hadn't seen before and needed to clarify.
"It seemed Sharp simply ignored Foxconn," said one individual familiar with Foxconn's take on the matter.
The information listed around 300 billion yen ($2.66 billion) in contingent liabilities at Sharp. The list was pulled together by working level officials at Sharp and forwarded, without top officials seeing it, to Foxconn as a goodwill gesture to make the buyer aware of worst-case scenario risks, sources said. They were not liabilities that required formal disclosure.
It didn't go down well on the Taiwan side.
"They felt violated," said a person briefed on the issue. Another person said Gou shouted at his team for not having discovered these liabilities in the first place.
By late Friday, the mood had calmed and the two companies' CEOs met in China to clear the air, sources said. Sharp and Foxconn have now agreed to extend a deadline for the takeover talks by a week or two, reflecting the importance of a deal, estimated to be worth nearly $6 billion, to both sides.
Sharp would have a much-needed financial lifeline, while Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co <2317.TW>, would get control of technology it needs to strengthen its hand with major client Apple Inc .
RUNNING DEEP
The hitch revives lingering ill-will from four years ago, when Foxconn agreed to take a stake in Sharp at 550 yen a share as part of a broader partnership. Then, Sharp warned of losses, and Foxconn walked away.
Sharp shares sank 74 percent over the next seven months.
Gou, however, personally bought a stake in Sharp's LCD TV panel plant in Osaka, and some at Sharp credit him with improving operations there.
A turning point in the latest deal came when Gou wowed Sharp's board, independent directors and creditors with his presentation of a takeover plan on Jan. 30, according to those briefed on the matter.
"Terry's a very convincing guy ... I've seen him use his magic," said a person familiar with how Gou operates.
Another person familiar with Gou said: "Sharp's blueprint, Terry is very clear about it and knows this stuff like the back of his hand."
But there were still nagging doubts in Japan.
"There are some doubts whether Hon Hai will really keep its promise," one official involved in the negotiations said on Feb. 4, when Sharp's 13-member board decided to prioritise talks with Foxconn over a competing offer from state-backed Innovation Network Corp of Japan. INCJ had been seen as strong favourite to take over Sharp and keep Japan's insular tech industry out of foreign hands.
The next day, Gou flew his team to Sharp's Osaka headquarters and emerged triumphantly waving a document, proclaiming Sharp had granted Foxconn preferred negotiation rights.
Sharp officials said the document actually referred to Foxconn's extension of a takeover offer for Sharp.
"This made (Sharp CEO Kozo) Takahashi and other executives rethink how trustworthy Gou would be," said one of the sources familiar with thinking in the Sharp camp.
That is now in the past.
"From these negotiations and from experience, Terry (Gou) has told his team time and again to be more respectful of and have more understanding of Japan's traditions and way of doing things," said one of the sources familiar with the thinking at Foxconn.
"Through the communication of the last 2-3 days, from the top level to the team level, I hope (the cooperation) will improve," the person said.
($1 = 112.8400 yen)
(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki and J.R. Wu, with additional reporting by Taro Fuse; Writing by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Ian Geoghegan)
GENEVA (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG is confident it may reach an agreement with U.S. regulators on a technical fix for diesel cars, vehicle buybacks and fines, Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said on Monday.
The U.S. Justice Department has sued Volkswagen for up to $46 billion for violating U.S. environmental laws?.
There is still no fix for nearly 600,000 affected cars in the United States more than five months after VW's emissions test-rigging scandal broke.
"In the U.S. we are working intensely with the respective authorities ?on a sustainable overall solution," Mueller said at a reception on the eve of the Geneva auto show.
"We continue to be in constructive talks," he said, adding that negotiations between both sides will resume on Thursday. Earlier on Monday, Mueller told TV that he did not believe that U.S. authorities were being too hard on the German carmaker, though they were pushing "very strongly" steps to clear up the scandal.
VW is "progressing well" in its efforts to investigate the circumstances of the manipulations and will draw "the right conclusions" from its findings, due to be published in the second half of April, the CEO told reporters.
Mueller also said in the interview that Europe's biggest automaker will succeed in winning back customers' trust after admitting to the cheating which it has said affects 11 million cars globally.
"We have started a lot of customer-relation programmes, I'm very convinced it will work very well," he said. The Wolfsburg-based manufacturer has pledged to increase electric-car offerings and is pushing new technologies and digitalisation as it aims to overcome its crisis.
VW will set up sites in Europe, California and China where specialists aim to align car design and connectivity matters more closely, and take steps "to massively promote" autonomous driving features, according to Mueller.?
"Digital transformation is moving right to the top of the agenda," he said.
(Reporting by Andreas Cremer and Ilona Wissenbach in Geneva; Editing by Jonathan Gould and Matthew Lewis)
A day after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented his Budget for 2016-17, major functionaries of the Narendra Modi government, led by the Prime Minister and the ruling party chief, went on a media overdrive to highlight what they termed its pro-farmer, pro-poor characteristics.
Modi himself urged all members of Parliament from the ruling coalition, at a meeting in the morning, to go to their respective constituencies to publicise the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and other central programmes which have seen a rise in outlay..
Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016
The crop insurance scheme got enhanced allocation of Rs 5,500 crore in the Budget. Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah lauded the PM and the finance minister for a pro-farmer and pro-village Budget. Festoons and banners commending the Budget donned the BJP head office.
Parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu gave a 60-slide presentation on the achievements of the government so far. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Budget was aimed at addressing rural distress, to improve infrastructure and the business climate.
He said they'd enhanced public spending in key areas to keep up the growth momentum, amid global economic challenges.
Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said the Budget would help address farm distress. Now, the road to development will begin from villages, he told reporters before highlighting all the pro-farmer measures announced. The Budget raised the total allocation for the ministry of agriculture by 94 per cent from the revised estimate of 2015-16, largely on account of an Rs 15,000 crore allocation for interest subvention, earlier part of the ministry of finance estimates and for the first time shown under the head of agriculture. If this is deducted, the actual rise in allocation comes to around 30 per cent.
A lot of things might have been done by the previous governments and we are not discounting that but no government had thought of putting vital items of farm growth like irrigation, soil health cards, etc, on a mission mode in the past 60 years, Singh said.
Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said the Budget would help in lowering the prices of essential commodities like pulses and oilseeds. Referring to the e-procurement announcement, he said many states had started procuring grain electronically and others would follow. Rural development minister Birender Singh hit back at the opposition Congress for accusing him of doing a U-turn on MGNREGA.
Beneficiaries of MGNREGA felt cheated due to the manner in which the UPA implemented the scheme. We have tried to alleviate that, Singh said.
MGNREGS, the rural job guarantee, got Rs 38,500 crore in the Budget, only Rs 3,800 crore more than last year. Rural development minister Birender Singh brushed aside criticism on this front, adding, Beneficiaries felt cheated due to the manner in which the earlier government implemented the scheme. We have tried to alleviate that. Water minister Uma Bhart said the overall allocation for her ministry had risen by 168 per cent in 2016-17. Groundwater recharging got 85 per cent more.
On the announcement of 100 per cent foreign investment to be allowed in marketing of food products made in India, food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said this would lead to creation of 'swadeshi infrastructure with videshi money'.
And, former agriculture minister Sharad Pawar termed the Budget lot of empty slogans and did not share the Centres optimism that farmers' income could be doubled in five years.
DIRECT TAX PROVISIONS
Proposals impacting start-ups
Proceeds from sale of property up to Rs 50 lakh are invested within six months from disposal of the property, in specified funds (for a defined period), and remain invested for a period of at least three years.
Proceeds on sale of residential property prior to March 31, 2019 are invested by an individual/HUF in shares of an eligible start-up. This is subject to the promoter holding at least 50 per cent of the shares, and the amount invested being utilised for acquiring specified 'new' assets.
No changes are proposed to section 79 (which imposes limitations on carry forward of tax losses where beneficial ownership of a company changes by more than 49 per cent). This would have been a welcome move, enabling divestment by initial investors in start-ups, without sacrificing the entity's tax losses.
Tax rates phase out and rationalisation of incentives
International tax
The Finance Minister's (FM's) third was based on a transformative agenda, founded upon nine distinct pillars. It was aimed at creating a simpler and friendlier tax regime, while funding infrastructure development, agricultural growth and various social welfare schemes.Some key tax proposals are discussed below.The Finance Bill proposes a new section, 80-IAC, providing a tax holiday on profits of start-ups incorporated prior to April 1, 2019, with revenues not exceeding Rs 25 crore. The benefit is available for any three consecutive tax years out of five years, upto March 31, 2021. In order to qualify, start-ups need to be innovators or deploy/commercialise new products/processes or provide technology-driven services. How beneficial this proposal will be remains to be seen, given that many start-ups do not generate profits in the initial years.To incentivise promoters investing in start-ups, it is proposed to exempt long-term capital gains tax if:To incentivise manufacturing, an optional reduction in corporate tax rate to 25 per cent for domestic manufacturing companies, set up and registered on or after March 1, 2016, is proposed (Table 1). In order to avail of this benefit, the company should not claim profit/investment-linked incentives or deductions other than the benefit under section 80JJAA.The Bill proposes to phase out several exemptions and deductions over the coming years. While these could prove to be a dampener for some industries, the introduction of a "patent box" regime, coupled with lower corporate tax rates in specified cases could compensate marginally for this move.The FM has not provided a road map for reducing corporate tax rates and retained the base rate at 30 per cent for now. However, a step in the right direction has been taken through reducing the base corporate income-tax rate to 29 per cent for domestic companies with turnover not exceeding Rs 5 crore in the financial year ended March 2015.The Bill expands the scope of section 80JJAA (deduction in respect of wages paid to new employees) to apply to all companies to which a tax audit applies (and not only manufacturing companies). Norms for minimum number of days of employment and maximum emoluments are prescribed.With a view to introduce a "patent box" regime, effective April 1, 2016, it is proposed that royalty income of a resident from exploitation of patents developed and registered in India be taxed at 10 per cent on a gross basis. Such royalty income will also be exempt from MAT. In order to avail of this benefit, the taxpayer must be the inventor with the patent registered in India.Further clarity on the application of this provision to other intangibles such as designs, copyrights, etc would be welcome.Acknowledging BEPS Action Plan 13, the has proposed the introduction of Country by Country Reporting ('CbCR') provisions. These are essentially intended to apply to taxpayers of Indian parentage with revenues exceeding a prescribed monetary limit (expected to be 750 million euros or about Rs 5,395 crore). Relaxations are provided in respect of Indian subsidiaries of foreign entities, where India can obtain the CbCR from the foreign parent's country, and other conditions are met.The contents appear to be aligned to requirements specified in Action Plan 13 and include the maintenance of CbCR, master, and local files. The requirements of the local file are likely to be subsumed in the transfer pricing documentation that the Indian entity will maintain. CbCR requirements must be complied with by the due date of filing tax returns.
Stiff penalties, on a graded basis, are prescribed for non-compliance with CbCR. Recognising tax challenges created by the evolution of the digital economy, the introduction of an Equalisation Levy ('EL') is proposed. EL will be imposed at six per cent on the consideration received by a non-resident from an Indian resident carrying on business, or from a non-resident with a Permanent Establishment ('PE') in India. The levy will apply to services in the nature of online advertisements, provision for digital advertising space and other notified services. EL will not apply in cases where the non-resident service provider has a PE in India and such services are effectively connected to the PE or where the aggregate consideration does not exceed Rs 1 lakh in the year. Receipts which have been subject to EL will be tax-exempt in the hands of the non-resident service provider. A tax deduction will not be available to the payor unless EL has been deducted and paid in time on the amount. While this provision could pose an additional cost for online companies (which tend to incur heavy losses), the eligibility of the EL to be credited through the use of tax treaties will require analysis. The FM has also proposed a deferral of Place of Effective Management rules by a year and these will now be effective from April 1, 2016. However, no further deferral of General Anti-Avoidance Rules has been proposed and these will take effect from April 1, 2017. Amnesty schemes/dispute resolution Effective June 1, 2016, opportunity has been provided to taxpayers to declare previously undisclosed income. Such undisclosed income will be subject to a 30 per cent tax rate, cess at 25 per cent of tax, and penalty of 25 per cent of the tax amount. The success of this scheme in its newest avatar remains to be seen.
The FM has proposed a Dispute Resolution Scheme effective June 1, 2016, covering situations where taxpayers have disputes pending at CIT (A) as well as situations where a dispute has arisen on account of retrospective amendments undertaken in the past (Table 4). In the case of disputes arising from prior retrospective amendments, the taxpayer will need to discharge the entire tax liability due in order to settle the dispute. Any pending appeals will need to be withdrawn in order for the dispute to be treated as settled. Several recommendations of the Justice Easwar Committee towards simplification have found their way into the Bill. An amendment to section 206AA is proposed, such that a non-resident taxpayer need not furnish a PAN to avail of the beneficial 10 per cent withholding tax rate on royalties/fees for technical services, subject to provision of prescribed details. The proposals demonstrate the government's goal of moving to a taxpayer friendly regime. Impact on individuals Resident taxpayers with income less than Rs 5 lakh will benefit from an increased tax rebate of Rs 5,000. On the other hand, the surcharge for individuals with income exceeding Rs 1 crore has been increased to 15 per cent.
Resident individuals/HUFs/firms receiving dividend income exceeding Rs 10 lakh in a financial year will be subject to 10 per cent additional tax over and above DDT that the distributing company pays.
Individuals not in receipt of HRA and incurring rental expenses will be eligible for an enhanced monthly deduction of Rs 5,000. First-time home owners will be entitled to Rs 50,000 interest deduction, subject to certain conditions, including a limitation of Rs 50 lakh on the value of the house property. The government has proposed to provide exemption on withdrawal from NPS up to 40 per cent of accumulated balance. To bring parity, taxation on withdrawal from other retirement schemes (PF/superannuation) is also proposed to be amended. One-time portability from PF to NPS on a tax-free basis is proposed. Discretionary powers of the tax authorities on levy of penalty for concealment of income are sought to be curbed through section 270A. The section levies a 50 per cent penalty in case of under-reporting of income and a 200 per cent penalty in cases of misreporting of income. Expansion of e-assessment facility to seven mega cities is proposed to simplify assessment proceedings for individuals. Other key provisions Effective June 1, 2016, buyback tax will apply to any buy-back of unlisted shares undertaken by a company, and not merely a buyback under section 77A of the Companies Act, 1956. Rules will be prescribed to compute the amount received on issue of shares in various circumstances, including payment in tranches, tax neutral reorganisations, etc. Although the FM's speech suggested a reduction in the period for treating shares of unlisted companies as long-term assets to two years, necessary amendments do not appear to have found their way into the Bill. A much-awaited retrospective clarification to the MAT regime is proposed, to the effect that MAT will not apply to foreign companies, subject to conditions. The trend of retrospective amendments appears to have been reversed -- being restricted to taxpayer beneficial issues. In summary, the proposals signify a thrust towards a taxpayer-friendlier regime.
The Budget announcement of 20 per cent cess on domestic crude oil production will bring down the burden of upstream oil companies - Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Oil India (OIL) and private sector Cairn India - on account of the levy by 28 per cent to Rs 10,303 crore in the next financial year.
The companies had been paying cess at a specific rate of Rs 4,500 per tonne of production and had shelled out Rs 7,600 crore in the first half (April-September) of current financial year. The Union Budget presented on Monday has pegged the total cess collection from companies at around Rs 14,962 crore in 2015-16 as part of tax revenue..
Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016
However, the imposition of Ad Valorem cess has not gone down too well with a large section of the industry that had been clamoring for a shift in the cess to an ad valorem rate of between 8-10 per cent. Partly because the 28 per cent cut in burden on a count of cess comes after over 50 per cent drop in global crude oil prices since June last year.
The imposition of 20 per cent ad valorem cess is expected to translate into net savings of Rs 2,158 crore for the state-run explorer ONGC. If the government had fixed the rate of cess at 10 per cent, as demanded by the industry, the net gain for the company would have been more than Rs 4,000 crore.
Experts point out the benefit of the ad valorem cess would accrue to exploration and production companies only as long as the global crude oil prices remain within the $45 per barrel mark. "The cess directly impacts margins of local producers like ONGC and Cairn India etc. If the price of crude settles at about $35 per barrel, it will bring saving of about $2 per barrel. However, if the crude price goes up to $45 it will mean no change in cess cost," said Aditya Gandhi, Director-Technology at consulting firm Sapient Global Markets.
He said at $100 per barrel price of crude, the cess cost will increase by $11 per barrel. "Given that crude prices are expected to settle in the $30-45 range in the near term, this should be a positive for these companies for now," he said. In the Union Budget 2016-17 proposals, the government had said, "Clause 222 seeks to amend the Schedule to the Oil Industry (Development) Act, 1974 so as to levy cess at the rate of twenty per cent, ad valorem instead of the present rate of Rs 4,500 per tonne, on domestically produced crude oil."
The Oil Industry (Development) Act of 1974, provides for cess collection as a duty of excise on domestic crude oil. Cess incurred by producers cannot be recovered from refineries and therefore forms part of cost of production of crude oil.
The petroleum sector's contribution to the centre's total tax collection in the form of cess on crude oil stood at Rs 16,000 crore in each of the last three financial years (2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15).
The companies also paid excise duty of Rs 99,000 crore, customs duty of Rs 4,767 crore and around 3,858 crore as royalty last fiscal, according to the oil ministry's data.
The government is also budgeting for a 15 per cent jump in non-tax revenue from the petroleum sector at Rs 12,401 crore in 2016-17 as compared to Rs 10,756 crore in the Revised Estimate of 2015-16, according to the Budget documents. This largely includes payments of royalty and profit petroleum by exploration companies.
Looking to leave its political imprint over spending in rural India, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has budgeted for a massive 31 per cent hike in its share of spending on nine big-ticket centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) in 2016-17 over last year's budgetary allocation. Last year's Budget mantra of 'cooperative federalism' has been sidestepped to favour political exigencies.
To fund these schemes, which it hopes to claim political ownership over, the Centre has introduced new cesses and surcharges on top of existing ones. Revenue from these sources remains in the central kitty and will not have to be shared with states..
Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016 In the coming financial year, the Centre hopes to mop up Rs 2,66,493 crore through this route, up from Rs 2,48,480 crore in 2015-16. This year's number is itself a substantial hike over its initial expectations. The government had originally budgeted to collect Rs 1,96,281 crore as cess and surcharge in 2015-16.
Surprisingly, despite the Opposition's repeated attempts to paint it as being anti-poor, the NDA government has not claimed too much political dividend out of the fact that it actually spent more on most of these centrally sponsored schemes in 2015-16 as compared to its original budgetary allocations. The mid-course correction in the shape of hike in spending came as an afterthought. It suggests that the government hit by the 'suit-boot' jibes of the Congress and aware of growing distress in rural areas, routed the additional tax revenue it garnered to prop up the rural economy.
Business Standard looked at nine major programmes under central assistance for state plans, which together account for more than three-fourths of the total allocation for CSS in 2016-17.
The renewed faith in CSS this year is in sharp contrast to last year's Budget rhetoric. After accepting the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission, which proposed to increase the states share in the divisible pool from 32 per cent to 42 per cent, the NDA government had cut back on several of these schemes such as Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and midday meals last year. The sharp increase in untied funds was matched by an almost commensurate cut in central funding to central schemes.
After presenting the Budget and paring down the allocations last year, the government went about retrofitting the schemes. A committee was set up under the aegis Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to recommend which central schemes could be shut down entirely, which should be funded purely out of the Centre's pocket and in which schemes it should prune its share. It was only by October 2015 that these formulations could be worked out for all the schemes.
This is reported to have caused tremendous flux on the ground, with services and wages remaining unpaid for months as many states had already finalised their budgets before the cuts were announced by Delhi. Social schemes require predictability of funds, as much as a specific volume to operate. The schemes suffered on both counts to begin with. Central ministries remained confused about how much funds to transfer to states and for what components. Funds from the Centre began to flow only once the new cost sharing formulae had been finalised.
But now centrally sponsored schemes are back with a bang. The government's renewed interest in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), in contrast with the initial derisive remarks of the Prime Minister, is still well known. NDA upped its allocation for the rural employment programme around the middle of last year, overheated rural demand for the programme and ended up with arrears of more than Rs 6,000 crore to pay. The budget for MGNREGA has been enhanced this year by Rs 3,800 crore but it does not match up to the amount spent previously added to the arrears and the mandatory rise in wages that the scheme will see this year. But, it's still a far cry from the point in 2014-15 when the scheme saw its worst.
What is less talked about is its ramping up of spending on other schemes. Compared to MGNREGA, the spending increase on the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana to build rural roads is even more impressive. Though it had originally budgeted to spend Rs 10,100 crore in 2015-16, it eventually ended up spending Rs 15,176 crore on the scheme - an increase of over 50 per cent. It has now increased the allocation further to Rs 19,000 crore in 2016-17.
The government's deep cut to the ICDS, down to Rs 8,400 crore in the last Budget, had resulted in uproar. But, by the end of the year, spending on the scheme was ramped up to Rs 15,100 crore - an increase of almost 80 per cent. In the coming financial year, allocation to ICDS has been raised further to Rs 16,120 crore.
On other programmes, too, spending was ramped up in similar fashion. The government eventually ended up spending Rs 8,227 crore against a budgeted Rs 6,000 crore on its marquee Swachh Bharat Mission. In the coming financial year, the government promises increase its funding further to Rs 11,300 crore.
The government's expenditure on the rural component of the Housing for All scheme (rechristened Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana) matched the initially budgeted amount in 2015-16. By comparison, in urban areas it was able to spend only a third of what it had originally planned to on doing. On this scheme too, the NDA promises to spend Rs 20,075 crore in 2016-17 as compared to the budgeted amount of Rs 14,000 crore in 2015-16.
The one social sector that didn't find adequate attention was primary education. While expenditure on Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the midday meal scheme was budgeted at Rs 27,575 crore in 2015-16, the government ended up spending only Rs 19,298 crore by the year-end. But, even here the government promises to inject more money with the budgeted allocation for 2016-17 marked at Rs 32,200 crore.
The health budget has seen an increase as well but it doesn't add up to suggest any substantial enhancement of public health services. Two years over and NDA's national health policy remains an iterant draft, while the government has now looked for the insurance route in the short-term. The fiscal burden of a targeted insurance scheme is expectedly much lower than what would be required for a universal public health care system, even if it was limited to primary and secondary health care.
The only original idea of the NDA government - the Smart City programme - is the one that seems to have gotten off to a slow start. As against a budgeted amount of Rs 2,000 crore in 2015-16, the government was able to spend a mere Rs 417 crore, as it went about selecting 20 cities out of the 100 to fund initially. This year, it plans to spend Rs 3,003 crore on the programme.
The euphoria over the thrust towards the agriculture in the Union presented by the Union Finance Minister is missing in Punjab and Haryana. The states may not gain much from the announcements made in the statement.
The projection of doubling the farm income by 2020 cannot be achieved here since the two states have a high yield of 10-12 tonne per acre. According to the economists, the average yield here is comparable to the yield in the international farming and cannot be increased substantially. Thus raising the income to this extent may not be plausible.
Talking to Buisness Standard, Manpreet Badal, and former Finance Minister of Punjab said that doubling the income in six years means to achieve a 15% year-on-year growth in agriculture. "This cannot be achieved in a short span of time. There is a need to wean away the people from agriculture to other sectors and arm them with skillsets in Punjab," Badal said. Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016
Punjab has already refused to accept the Crop Insurance Scheme of the Centre as the state wants a lower premium rate for the farmers.
Punjab is also not ready to knock down the trade barrier for the Unified Agriculture Marketing Scheme that envisages a common e-market platform for 585 regulated wholesale markets. The has allocated Rs 15,000 cr towards the interest subvention, to ease out the debt repayment of the farmers in the drought hit areas.
The states of Punjab and Haryana fall under irrigated areas and the farmers here would not be eligible for this relaxation on the borrowing from institutional sector. Farmers have welcomed the 0.5% Krishi Kalyan cess which is proposed to be used for financing initiatives for improvement of agriculture and welfare of farmers. Punjab is hoping to get Rs 7,200 cr for revamping its canal network for four major projects. The Finance Minister has allocated 17,000 cr for irrigation projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Program scheme.
The Shiv Sena stayed away from a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), called to get all allies on board with the Budget recommendations, on Tuesday because they were not informed of the meeting.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s oldest ally alleged they "were misinformed". They ratcheted up their hostility against the BJP a notch by demanding the tax on the interest on EPF withdrawals be rolled back. This demand came from senior Sena members of Parliament hours after the NDA meeting. Akali Dal said while they supported the tax, the salary exemption limit to which the tax should apply should be Rs 60,000 not Rs 15,000.
The NDA meeting was called after alliance partners grumbled and complained that the BJP was taking them for granted.
The government's decision to impose tax on certain PF withdrawals has evoked strong opposition. By the evening, an alarmed government was moved to sound a placatory note, saying the issue was negotiable and a roll back could be considered. Top bureaucrats told Business Standard a roll back was unavoidable. "Some course correction is inevitable," said a senior bureaucrat.
In the morning meeting, Prime Minister Modi sought the assistance of NDA partners to bring farmers under the new crop insurance policy. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had asserted that it would address agriculture distress.
BJP and its allies said the Budget would help them blunt the opposition's charge that the government had an "anti-farmer" bias. Assembly polls are due in five states, in April-May.
SOCIAL SECTOR
The Economic Survey 2015-16 talks about need for "Investing in Tomorrow's India Today", thereby implying a need to focus on social and human development in the country. Through his third budget, the Finance Minister (FM) has reflected a visible shift in the government's approach. The emphasis given to agriculture, social sector and rural development is evident from the sequencing of announcements in his speech and identifying them as distinct pillars in his transformative agenda.
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Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016 The increased resource allocations and specific policy narratives for most of the social sector schemes are also in congruence with the above shift. However, the need to balance expenditure and earnings seems to have led the government to scale down its ambitious policy initiatives especially in health, education and skills.
This is expected to revitalise the rural economy, leading to an increase in rural consumption and thereby fuel growth in the . However, such an outcome would not be visible immediately and will also depend on the efficiency of implementation by the states. (SCHOOL AND HIGHER EDUCATION)
Water, sanitation and hygiene
The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) has seen a 124% increase as compared to 2015-16.The increase is largely in its two flagship schemes - National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA). Greater convergence in the interventions of MDWS and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) will be required to achieve health outcomes, with particular emphasis on behaviour change initiatives.
National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP): Allocation to NRDWP has increased by 92% this year but is still lower than the allocations in FY15. The thrust in the current is on piped water supply schemes and prioritising supply to quality-affected habitations in rural areas.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) : SBA has got a sizeable 148% increase in allocation from last year. Additionally, SBA has received Rs 2,300 crore under the Ministry of Urban Development, making the total allocation Rs 11,300 crore. The policy announcements on conversion of city waste into compost and award for open-defecation-free villages are also welcome measures.
Gender : The gender allocation has increased by 13% over last year's allocations but is still below the FY15 allocation levels.
While the gender budget got a major fillip through increased allocations for the National Mission for Empowerment of Women, the marginal increase in funding of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme may be insufficient to cover the additional districts targeted. The Nirbhaya Fund has received an allocation of Rs 650 crores, but it will need to be effectively utilised for any meaningful impact.
Integrated Child Development Scheme and Nutrition : While it appears that the flagship nutrition scheme - Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) - has received a major boost with a 70% increase in funds allocated as compared to last year, the allocation is actually lower considering the revised expenditure of last year. The Budget is silent on any new initiatives to reduce malnutrition among women and children.
Public health care
India is 157th in terms of per capita government spending on health amongst 190 countries, and overall government expenditure on health continues to remain under 2% of GDP.
The focus on reducing Out of Pocket Expenditure on health through the new health protection scheme, with a cover of Rs 100,000 per family and an additional cover of Rs 30,000 for the elderly, is laudable. However, the insurance approach might not be an apt solution to address the neglect of primary health care systems. Measures to make medicines affordable through the Jan Aushadhi Yojana and reduction of expenditures through the National Dialysis Service Programme are also well-thought-out initiatives.
The Budget allocation for the National Health Mission has increased by a mere 4% over the previous year. The marginal increase in funding may affect the implementation of new and existing interventions in light of the need to achieve the goal of universal health care. Added focus on the Urban Health Mission and dovetailing expenditures for public health and WASH are imperative for facilitation of positive health outcomes.
Livelihoods
There seems to be a realisation of rural distress by the government and it is getting reflected in the highest-ever allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). However, allocations for other schemes and the lack of any major policy level announcements indicate that not enough thought has been given to the livelihood sector. The initiatives announced in the agriculture sector are expected to give an indirect fillip to rural livelihoods.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) : The renewed focus on MGNREGS could have been triggered by the performance of the scheme in the last two years. The person-days of work generated, 185 days in FY16, is still lower than in FY14 and FY15. The number of households that completed 100 days of employment also has come down to 25 lakh in FY16 from 50 lakh in FY13.
The increased allocation and policy direction to use productive work for digging wells and creating organic compost units are welcome measures. The JAM may help in making programme implementation more effective as well. Increased focus should be accorded to infrastructure creation.
The announcement integrating the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) and schemes being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation into a single scheme named Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY) is a welcome move.
The total increase in allocation compared to two combined schemes shows an increase of only 10%. However, increased synergy and efficiencies may help cover every block under drought and address rural distress. Further, the provision of extension of bank loan under NRLM for women SHGs at 4% getting extended to an additional 100 districts is a welcome measure.
The Budget also brings back the focus on institutional strengthening of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) through a new re-structured scheme, namely, Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, thereby contributing to Sustainable Development Goal no 16, which aims to attain inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
Education
Increased focus on improving the quality of education has been one of the key thrust areas of this year's Budget.
There is only marginal increase in allocations to the Department of School Education & Literacy from last year. Having achieved universalisation of primary education, this marginal increase is adequate and indicates a shift in focus from 'access' to 'quality' of education.
The budget specifically focusses on facilitating digital literacy in rural India through the National Digital Literacy Mission that aims to cover 6 crore rural households in the next three years. A total of Rs 552 crore is allocated under Digital India-e learning, a new scheme introduced to focus on digital initiatives in schools.
Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), focusing on secondary education, has got amarginal increase in allocation of 4% over last year.
Higher and Technical Education : There is a marginal increase of 4% for the Department of Higher Education in this year budget. However, a greater focus on higher education is evident from the policy announcement such as establishment of the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA). The agency is expected to resolve issues associated with lack of funds that result in students opting out of higher education and further contribute in increasing the GER at higher education levels.
Under Rashtriya Uchcha Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), the allocation has increased by 13% over last year, further indicating the concerted efforts of the government to increase coverage as well as enhance equity in Higher Education.
Vocational education, skill development and entrepreneurship
Skilling India has been a major focus for the current government and the establishment of a new ministry was one of the key achievements. The restructuring of the training wing from Ministry of Labour and Employment and integrating it with Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship has helped in convergence of initiatives. While policy initiatives for Skill India seem to be in the right direction, the resource allocations seem to be on the lower side.
The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is restructured as the flagship skill development and entrepreneurship programme, albeit with lower allocations. The Multi Skill Institutes for higher order skilling, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) for ease of access, and a network of training, mentors and credit facilities for aspiring entrepreneurs are welcome measures. Inclusivity is addressed through the 'Stand-up India Scheme' aimed at women and SC/ST entrepreneurs, and a placement-focused 'Nai Manzil' for minority youth. The setting up of the National Board for Skill Certification and investing in digital lockers for certificates are other laudable initiatives in the Budget.
(Note: After the announced merger on NRLM and NULM, the form and extent of skill component under the same is not clear and hence has not been included.)
Proposals regarding General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR), Dividend Distribution Tax and the amount provided for PSU bank recapitalisation were some of the elements in 2016-17 that disappointed the Street. Jyotivardhan Jaipuria, founder and managing director, Veda Investment Managers, who until recently was the India head of research, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, tells Puneet Wadhwa that the government will need to come up with a comprehensive package to restore confidence in the market that the PSU recap is under control. Edited excerpts:
What are your key takeaways from the 2016?
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What are your key takeaways from the 2016?
Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016.
The Budget 2016, as is true for the budget in any year, is a juggling exercise with limited resources and very high expectations. To my mind, the big message the budget sent out was the commitment to meet the fiscal deficit target of 3.5 per cent as mandated under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) in spite of pressure from some sections to relax this target to boost growth. This has now lobbed the ball back in the Reserve Bank of India (RBIs) court and probably provided some room for monetary stimulus.
The second surprise was an amnesty scheme for undeclared income. Since the Finance Minister has not provided any amount from this in the fiscal estimates, there could be more room for him during the year to provide more capex.
The third big announcement is the Dispute Resolution scheme for retrospective cases. If this helps sort out high profile cases like the Vodafone tax dispute, it could remove some of the negative impression re India amongst foreign investors.
While the Finance Minister has tried to simplify the tax laws, I think this is still an area where more work needs to be done. There are too many cesses and surcharges and we now have three different corporate tax rates for companies post this budget. Hopefully, as the Finance Minister said this is just the transition phase and we move to a much simpler law over next few years.
Union was expected to usher in big bang reforms that would help to kick start economic growth and spur investments across sectors. Do you think that the FM has been able to achieve this?
Frankly, my view has been that we over-hype the importance of the budget and expect a "big bang" budget ever year. I think there are three reasons why over the past decade, budgets are getting more predictable. Firstly, there is more transparency in the budget making process. Secondly, lot of reforms need to be done outside the budget and indeed at the state level too. Thirdly, tax rates are low already and hence changes are marginal that by itself will not dramatically change growth rate.
Having said that, from the budget point of view, the Finance Minister has done what he could to help growth and investments. Firstly, he has by keeping the fiscal deficit in check provided room for the RBI to cut rates. This should help growth. Secondly, in spite of the fiscal constraints, he has provided for a 15 per cent increase in infrastructure outlay though overall capex growth is only 4 per cent. This, along with other measures outside the budget should, to my mind, drive a slow but steady recovery in the economy.
Is the over emphasis on social / rural sector and the allocations worrying you? Will the proposals be able to provide the much needed impetus to the rural economy?
In any budget year, the Finance Minister has to provide maximum tax concessions to the sector that has done badly over the past 18 months and raise taxes on the sector that has done well. With the rural sector struggling over past two years due to poor monsoons and low MSP prices, we have understandably seen an increase in allocations to the sector. The worry here remains the leakage - if the rural allocations reach the targeted poor, it will be positive for the economy. In this regard, I am very excited by the move to provide statutory status to Aadhar and expand the JAM (Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhar, Mobile numbers) to cover more areas like fertilizers.
Are the various amnesty schemes announced workable for India Inc?
The amnesty scheme was a bold and unexpected move. There are 2 reasons why it could work: (a) the tax rate at 45 per cent is relatively low; (b) it provides immunity from prosecution. The good thing is that the Finance Minister has not taken any receipts from the amnesty scheme in his budget estimates. Hence, he could have some money to play around with if the scheme is a success.
Given these Budget proposals and the road ahead of the economy, do you think that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will now be enticed to cut back rates, and how soon?
The fact that the Finance Minister has retained the fiscal deficit at 3.5 per cent for FY17 in line with the FMRB target is a big positive for the RBI. As Governor Rajan had said, monetary policy and fiscal deficit both need to share the burden. With the fiscal consolidation in the budget, the ball is back in the RBI camp. I would expect a 25 bps rate cut near-term and probably another 25-50 bps cut over the next year.
There have been proposals relating to implementation of General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR) and dividend distribution tax. What is your reaction to these statements?
I am disappointed by the move to tax dividend in the hands of the investor. I understand the need to tax the well-off Indians. But this move leads to taxing the same income twice once at the company end and then at the investor end. Considering that dividend is paid from post-tax income by companies, it effectively means triple income in some sense.
When the Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) was introduced it was to replace the taxation in the hand of the individual. Now effectively, you have retained the DDT but also brought back the old dividend tax. For GAAR, the Government has reinforced the April 2017 date but my guess is we will hear more of it in the next 12 months.
What are your thoughts regarding measures for the banking sector PSU recapitalisation, consolidation and privatisation initiatives? Are any stocks from this sector, PSU or private, worth a look at the current levels?
The budget has provided Rs 25,000 crores for PSU recapitalisation, an amount below market expectations. The fear of the market has is that the Government is under-estimating the size of the problem. My view is that this fear of the market may not necessarily be correct. The Government has various proposals for the PSUs including: (a) providing greater autonomy and changing management; (b) consolidation of the PSU banks; (c) setting up the Bank Board Bureau that will help banks in setting strategies and raising capital; (d) the Bankruptcy Bill that will make it easier to recover NPLs.
Also, the lower bond yields due to the fiscal consolidation helps the PSU banks mark to market on their bond holdings. However, the Government on its part will need to move urgently to come with a comprehensive package to restore confidence in the market that the PSU recap is an issue under control. From a stock perspective I would continue to prefer the private sector banks over the PSU banks in the near term. NPAs will continue to be focus in the next quarter too for all banks.
What are your overweights and underweights sectors?
I would continue to be overweight consumption plays urban consumption has been my favourite theme and rural consumption plays are now looking cheap too. There are select areas in the infra space that I like including roads and some plays that benefit from higher railway and defence expenditure. I would stay away from the global commodities and the telecom sector where competitive intensity is going to rise.
What is the road ahead for corporate earnings for the next 12 months? Where do you see the Sensex, Nifty by December 2016-end?
Overall, we think corporate earnings are going to see a slow recovery and in FY17 we could end with a 10-12% growth, higher than in FY16 but lower than the current consensus estimates. In the near-term, the market is vulnerable to global factors but I think second half will see market returns mirror earnings growth.
Has the Budget done enough for the foreign investors (FIIs) and long funds to look at India as an investment destination given how the macros may shape up?
India has been a favoured destination for foreign investors since the macros are shining out in an uncertain world. The current account deficit is low, GDP growth is amongst the strongest in the world and there is space for rate cuts. With the budget commitment on fiscal consolidation, the attractive macros have got reiterated. However, the global equity environment continues to remain uncertain and Global Emerging markets (GEM) funds are facing sharp redemptions. In this environment India too will see FII outflows.
Do you think that the government will be able to stick to its fiscal deficit target and market borrowing program through the year or can one expect a revision as we go along? How are the bond markets likely to play out over the next 6 12 months?
The tax revenue assumptions of the Government are reasonable and I think they will be able to achieve this. However, the non-tax revenues appear optimistic and I think there will be a slippage on the disinvestment target as well as the spectrum assumptions.
Overall, however, I think the Government will be able to meet their fiscal deficit targets and the market borrowing numbers as tax revenues could slightly beat estimates. A cut in interest rates should help the bond markets. The other likelihood is that the infusion of liquidity should help lower the current steep yield curve.
Irelands biggest credit union with assets of 360m and more than 33,000 members, St Raphaels Garda Credit Union, has become the first credit union in Ireland to offer mortgages to members under new credit union legislation.
The offering includes loans of up to 300k for the purchase, build, renovation or extension of a family home.
It also includes free life cover for the duration of the loan and maximum Loan to Value of 80% (or 90% for first time buyers up to 220k), in line with Central Bank limits.
Chief Executive of St Raphaels Garda Credit Union, Claire Byrne said, "Our mortgage offering allows us to give better choice to our members who already have mortgages with other institutions and it is an important development for our members that are thinking about moving house or buying their first home.
Source: www.businessworld.ie
There has been continued momentum in the Dublin office market in the first few months of 2016 with several new requirements emerging since Christmas and a number of sizeable transactions currently in active negotiations.
This is according to commercial property specialists, CBRE. who today released their first bi-monthly report for 2016. The report focuses on trends and transactions in each sector of the Irish commercial property market in the first two months of the year.
Prime rental values remain steady at approximately 592 per square metre (55 per sq. ft.) at present. However, this headline rate is expected to increase to 700 per square metre (65 per sq. ft.) during 2016 as transactions close and new market evidence materialises. Construction has commenced on more than 120,000m2 of new office accommodation in Dublin city centre since the beginning of the year.
Furthermore, there are more signs of development-related activity in all sectors of the market, most notably in the Dublin office and hotel sectors while the appetite for investment in alternative sectors such as purpose-built student housing is also becoming increasingly evident.
Activity in the hotel sector also remains strong with considerable domestic and international focus on the prestigious Gresham Hotel in Dublin city centre, which the firm recently offered for sale guiding 80 million.
Demand for prime Dublin pub properties has been particularly strong in the first two months of 2016 with very strong interest in properties offered for sale including Kennedys in Drumcondra, Dublin 9, which was guiding 900,000 and which has now gone to best bids. Meanwhile, the sale of the Castle Inn in Rathfarnham has completed in recent weeks for a price in the order of 660,000.
Executive Director & Head of Research at CBRE Ireland, Marie Hunt says, "The first two months of the year have been active in all sectors of the commercial property market. The EU referendum result and the implications if the UK were to leave the EU is creating uncertainty for investors, occupiers, developers and others involved in UK real estate.
"However, to date, demand for Irish commercial real estate doesnt appear to have been affected by this particular issue. Similarly, although we expect a number of weeks of political uncertainty following last weeks General Election in Ireland, the outcome is unlikely to have a significant impact on the commercial real estate market locally."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
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It was announced this week that Center Parcs has received planning permission from Longford County Council for the development of a 233m Center Parcs holiday village. The holiday village would have capacity for up to 2,500 guests.
Center Parcs operates five short break destinations across the UK. These include Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, Elveden Forest in Suffolk, Longleat Forest in Wiltshire, Whinfell Forest in Cumbria and Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire.
Each Center Parcs is nestled within around 400 acres of protected and enhanced woodland, with the Village designed to complement and work with the forest environment.
Center Parcs regularly achieves average annual occupancy rates in excess of 97% and welcomed two million guests last year.
Following an announcement in April of its intention to develop a forest holiday village in Ireland, Center Parcs has submitted a formal planning application to invest 230m in the development of a holiday Village on a 395 acre site in Newcastle Wood, which is five kilometres from Ballymahon in County Longford. The development would create approximately 750 jobs during the construction phase.
Furthermore, when operational, the village would employ up to 1,000 people in permanent jobs, with the majority of employees likely to live locally.
Center Parcs estimates that, when operational, the new holiday village would add approximately 32million to Irish GDP per annum and 1bn over the next 20 years. Subject to receiving satisfactory planning permission, Center Parcs Longford Forest is expected to open to guests in 2019.
CEO of Center Parcs, Martin Dalby said, "Engagement and dialogue with the local community in Ballymahon and the wider Longford area has been an important part of our approach, and will continue during the next steps of the planning process.
"The positive outcome recognises the transformative impact Center Parcs Longford Forest will have on the midlands region in terms of jobs, tourism and wider economic benefits."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
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Some 64% of hotels and guesthouses increased staffing levels in 2015, while seven out of ten hoteliers (69%) plan to take on further additional staff over the next 12 months.
This is according to figures published yesterday at the Irish Hotel Federations 78th Annual Conference in Killarney which show that strong growth in tourism continues to generate significant jobs growth in the industry.
It is estimated that tourism now supports an estimated 205,000 jobs in Ireland, equivalent to 11% of total employment.
At yesterday's conference, the Irish Hotel Federation (IHF) launched their Spring 2016 Tourism Careers Drive, encouraging students to consider a career in tourism. The scheme is targeting 2nd level students aged 15-18 years and aims to highlight the wide variety of career opportunities and educational courses available across the tourism and hospitality sector
Commenting at the launch, IHF President Stephen McNally said, "Recognised qualifications in tourism not only provide practical skills training but access to opportunities at home and abroad.
"As such, were encouraging students to explore the many options available, including hundreds of specialist third-level courses throughout the country for those interested in pursuing recognised qualifications."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
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It was announced today that the Cork Airport Hotel is officially re-launching following an extensive refurbishment.
Along with a new restaurant, the substantial refurbishment project at the Cork Airport Hotel over the past number of months includes a vibrant new outdoors-themed look.
The new look has a restaurant exterior courtyard, refurbished gym and upgraded conference rooms where businesses can avail of free Wi-Fi and complimentary newspapers.
The Cork Airport Hotel, a sister to the Cork International Hotel and the Metropole Hotel, employs 50 staff, with two new high-level positions created as a result of the recent investment.
The Cork Airport Hotel has also announced that Down Syndrome Cork will be their Charity of the Year for 2016.
The charity affiliation with Down Syndrome Cork will include the fundraising initiative Dream for Dream at the hotel's Olivo restaurant, which encourages children to give back to the community by choosing a dream jelly and ice-cream dessert.
All proceeds will go to Down Syndrome Corks Field of Dreams, a three-acre farm at Curraheens Munster Agriculture Society grounds providing work and life skills development opportunities for adults born with Down Syndrome.
A number of other fun, family-themed events will also run throughout 2016 to raise funds for further services provided at Down Syndrome Cork.
Cork Airport Hotel General Manager, Aaron Mansworth says he wants to raise up to 15,000 for the charity over the coming year.
"At our sister hotel the Cork International hotel, we have a strong history of working closely with local charities and we are excited to be carrying on this tradition with the Cork Airport Hotel and Down Syndrome Cork," Mansworth says. " We are already planning a number of family-themed fundraising events over the coming months at our new-look hotel, which we are hugely proud of," he said.
Source: www.businessworld.ie
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Next week will see the first nationally co-ordinated Local Enterprise Week' led by Local Enterprise Offices around the country.
From Monday 7th to Friday 11th, the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Cork City will host a wide array of events for the local business community and those seeking to embark on new ventures.
The initiative provides business owners, managers and entrepreneurs with an opportunity to take time out of their busy schedules to hear from other business owners and practitioners.
The week also provides an opportunity to learn more about the wide range of supports available through LEO Cork City to entrepreneurs and the local small business community.
Nineteen separate events including workshops, seminars, information and networking sessions with guest speakers, and business advice clinics, are being hosted across the city during the week-long initiative.
Most events are free to attend and all local businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs are invited to take part in these. Topics that will be addressed include accessing finance, ideas generation, using technology to build a better business, retail excellence and building sales.
Speaking at the launch, Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Chris O'Leary said, "The Local Enterprise Office Cork City is the first port of call for any businessperson or entrepreneur in the city looking for advice and support, and Loominations is a very good example of a beneficiary of this support.
"Whatever stage your business is at, a call to their office in City Hall will be advantageous. And indeed, participation at any of the events during the upcoming Local Enterprise Week is sure to inspire."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
The Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) yesterday warned the Government that their lack of "coherent policies" on retail is leading to competition difficulties for SME retailers against the "dominance" of large foreign on-line stores in the sector.
The ISME claim that thousands of SME retail jobs are under threat and that billions of euro is being lost to the economy through foreign on-line sales.
They are calling on the new administration to re-double their efforts in retail training supports and the adoption of retail e-commerce solutions, including an increase in scope of the Online Trading Voucher scheme.
Speaking yesterday after the release of CSO Retail Sales figures, ISME CEO, Mark Fielding said, "Much of the retail industry is moving on-line and the bulk of sales are now imported from international websites.
"The new government must realise that the sector comprises of every shop and store in every street, village and town and is not just a small number of over-dominant department stores, grocery multiples and websites serviced from outside the country."
He added, "Retail is a changing industry with customers often never setting foot in a shop to make purchases. Government must assist retailers to adapt to this changing environment and stop making the situation more difficult by long-fingering broadband roll-out and ignoring the lack of adequate and appropriate training in the sector."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
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British financial regulators have said they won't apply the European Union's cap on banker bonuses to smaller lenders because they pose fewer risks to the financial system.
Under EU rules, all bonuses should be no bigger than fixed pay but can rise to twice that amount with shareholder approval. London has the largest number of bankers hit by the cap, which extends to asset managers in a banking group.
The reform was aimed at quelling public anger over large bonuses at a time of austerity in many EU states following the financial crisis.
National regulators must explain if they diverge from the rules as set out by the bloc's European Banking Authority (EBA).
The Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority, and the Financial Conduct Authority said in a joint statement they have told the EBA that they disagree with a blanket application of the bonus cap rule on all firms.
The PRA and FCA said they interpreted EU law as allowing for flexibility in relation to the size and complexity of a lender.
"The PRA attaches a great deal of importance to the principle of applying policies in a proportionate manner consistent with the legal provisions," Bank of England Deputy Governor and PRA Chief Executive Andrew Bailey said in a statement.
More flexibility in applying financial regulation from Brussels was at the core of Britain's "new settlement" negotiated 10 days ago by Prime Minister David Cameron before a British vote in June on whether to stay in the EU.
London's banking sector is among the industries with most to lose if Britain leaves the EU, according to many economists who say an exit could hamper its ability to operate in the single European market and lead to thousands of jobs being shifted to the euro zone.
"The PRA and FDA's announcement will come as a big relief to smaller banks and asset managers in the UK who had been concerned that the cap would apply to them from 2017. It remains to be seen whether any other EU regulators will take a similar approach," said Alexandra Bedims, an employment lawyer at Linkages.
Britain was outvoted on the EU law capping bonuses, saying it would prompt banks to raise fixed pay and make them less nimble in cutting costs in a market downturn.
The EBA noted on Monday an announcement it made last year that the cap should be applied without exemptions.
The bloc's executive European Commission has powers to take a member state to court for not complying with EU rules. It is already assessing an EBA recommendation to give smaller lenders more flexibility on some aspects of banker pay rules.
"At this stage it is too early to talk about whether or not to launch infringment proceedings. The Commission needs to first carefully look into and assess the detailed information provided by EBA," a Commission spokeswoman said.
The UK regulators said that all large and systemically important banks, which would include RBS, Lloyds, HSBC and Barclays, must continue to apply the bonus cap. (Reuters)
Source: www.businessworld.ie
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LOGAN The Logan Instacare Clinic was temporarily evacuated Monday after office staff received a bomb-threat.
Logan City Police Capt. Tyson Budge said a phone message was received by the staff around 2:30 p.m. and stated a bomb would go off at 5 p.m.
The staff later evacuated the building and called the police who setup a perimeter around the area and later conducted a walk-through of the office.
Budge said the staff told officers that the message was very vague and came from a non-listed number.
While the office was evacuated, patients were referred to the Instacare Smithfield location for treatment.
LOGAN There have been a lot of setbacks along the way, but after almost nine years the renovation of Logans Historic Utah Theatre is nearing completion. In fact, Gary Griffin, Utah Festival operas managing director said the seats are being moved into the building today.
The tile work is all done, the painting is all done, he said. About the only thing weve got left to do after the seats go in is to put the carpet down and clean the place up. There are a few more audio-visual things that need to be put in, but well be done in the very near future and have a wonderful opening that well announce later.
Griffin said the old building turned out to be in much worse shape than expected and creating a space for the prized Wurlitzer organ was another challenge. He said it wont be long before the building is used as another beautiful theater where a wide variety of productions will be enjoyed.
Cade Austin, 30, arrested and charged with attempted murder and other charges. Police claim Austin crashed his vehicle and then brandished a handgun and shot at paramedics before being shot himself.
LOGAN A four-day trial has been scheduled for a 30-year-old Preston, Idaho man accused of attempted murder and threatening to kill first responders, after a traffic accident near Lewiston, December 15.
Cade M. Austin wore handcuffs and shackles as he stood next to his public defender, Bryan Galloway, during the Mondays appearance in 1st District Court. A trial date was set for June 20 through the 23.
Austin was reportedly the driver of a Pontiac Sunfire, northbound on US-91 when he ran off the road, striking a gas line and coming to a stop in a bar pit. According to prosecutors, he then brandished a handgun and exchanged gunfire with an EMT who arrived on the scene to treat him.
Austin continued to wave the gun around inside the vehicle while drinking alcohol from a bottle. He was later pulled from the car by SWAT team members after losing consciousness. He was transported to a hospital by ambulance and treated for gunshot wounds to the chest and right shoulder.
Austin is being held without bail in the Cache County Jail. He is charged with two counts of attempted murder, both first-degree felonies and four misdemeanors including driving under the influence, interfering with an arresting officer, reckless driving and having an open container inside a vehicle. He was ordered to appear again in court March 21.
will@cvradio.com
LOGAN Shes the executive director of the Cache Valley Visitors Bureau but Julie Hollist Terrill is representing the state this week when she attends the largest international travel show in Berlin, Germany where people who run large group tours or tour buses gather to come up with new ideas.
Terrill said she will be making a presentation on a group tour that has gathered a lot of attention The Yellowstone Loop.
We will encourage tour buses to fly into Salt Lake City, she said. Come up through Ogden, come to Logan, go to the American West Heritage Center, eat dinner here, stay overnight and hopefully stop up the canyon for some activities.
Terrill said from there the bus tour heads to Bear Lake, then to Jackson, Yellowstone Park, then back down through Pocatello and Lava Hot Springs where the participants can soak in the mineral springs. After that they spend a night in Park City before leaving Salt Lake City the following day.
Q: My business sells its products to other businesses. How can we use discounts effectively to increase sales and profits?
A: Boston Consulting Group conducted a study of business to business (B2B) sales discounting strategies. They found that B2B discounts are 30 percent or more of list price sales. They also found that 20 percent of B2B companies used a value based discounting strategy that ties discounts to the value customer's buying behavior creates for the seller. The other 80 percent of B2B companies used standard discounts to all customers and others offered flexible discounts based on sales volume, order size, channel or customer segment. They concluded value based discounting was most effective in increasing sales and profits.
There are three stages in implementing a value based discounting strategy. First, design your discount strategy based on sources of value. Typical value creating customer behavior is:
Switching to higher margin products
Using sales channels that produce maximum value for the seller like online channels or lower customer service costs channels;
Committing to a standing order or buy products that create future sales;
Reward customers who agree to advance ordering or joint efforts to reduce costs;
Customers who agree to refer potential other customers; and
Reduce service costs to seller.
Second, establish discount guidelines for sales staff. That would include things like:
Set only one type discount for each source of value;
Limit number of discount types to each customer;
Match the discount to each customer to create value for that customer; and
Offer similar discounts to similar customers.
Third, execute the discount strategy.
Communicate the discount strategy to customers. Train the sales staff on the value of each type discount to the seller and to the customer.
Have policies for non price related incentives like free shipping and extended warranties. Managers should monitor discounts in real time.
Have a review and approval process when sales staff want to offer discounts greater than standard policy.
Don't base sales staff incentives only on sales volume. That encourages sales staff to offer discounts that are not profitable for the company to qualify for incentive awards. When I was a petroleum refinery plant manager, I often thought our sales staff reduced prices to meet sales goals even when it was unprofitable.
Ralph Coker, a retired refinery manager, volunteers with the local chapter of SCORE, counselors to small businesses.
Contributed PHOTO A notice to parents citing Central Christian Childrens Academy closure was sent Feb. 8. A deed for Central Christian Church, the academys parent church, was filed Feb. 9 by Brandon Ashley Greenwood and Woodrow Greenwood Jr., according to Nueces County Clerk records.
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By Beatriz Alvarado of the Caller-Times
Central Christian Children's Academy will close at the end of the week and parents are unhappy with how quickly children were displaced, a parent said.
"No one saw it coming," said parent Katie Hoover. "Why didn't they wait until after spring break?"
The notice sent out in early February gave parents about four weeks to find a new school before the Academy closes March 6.
A deed for Central Christian Church, the academy's parent church, was filed Feb. 9 by Brandon Ashley Greenwood and Woodrow Greenwood Jr., according to Nueces County Clerk records. Hoover said she heard about the possible purchase in January and was told by staff that despite the church being sold the school's operation would continue.
The buyers' change of heart earlier this month was noted in the notice to parents.
"In spite of our best efforts ... the buyer informed us that they no longer intend to honor their agreement to allow the academy to remain on the property," the notice states. "This was unexpected and we deeply apologize for any inconvenience it may cause."
The school put together a hasty graduation Friday for its 5-year-old students, which usually takes place in May.
An assistant for Brandon Greenwood said in a voice mail to the Caller-Times that Greenwood "doesn't know anything about it" and asked not to be contacted again. A message left for Woodrow Greenwood Jr. was not immediately returned. According to Better Business Bureau and online property tax records Brandon Greenwood and Woodrow Greenwood Jr. own and operate Kingsville Memorial Funeral Home.
Church and academy officials also declined to comment about the sale.
The more than 30-year-old academy serves about 110 children from 6 months to 5 years old.
Hoover said her 4-year-old son was admitted to Vinson Morris Children's Center because a student withdrew, but at least 15 parents she knows are struggling to find a new school.
"There are no openings this time of the year," she said. "It's a very odd time to (find a school) with an open spot."
Hoover, whose eldest son graduated from Central Christian in August, said she was saddened to have to move schools because "it's a great school." She enrolled her sons because of the staff's low turnover and effective teachers her youngest knows how to count to 30 in Spanish and English and knows all the colors in both languages.
"I wanted my kids to learn a routine and be on schedule," she said. "(The school) really provided me that."
Twitter: @CallerBetty
CALLER-TIMES FILE Corpus Christi City Hall
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By Kirsten Crow of the Caller-Times
More than a dozen people hope to join the City Council in making some of Corpus Christi's most high-profile decisions.
By the 5 p.m. deadline Monday, 16 applicants had filed paperwork seeking appointment on the council. The appointment would fill an at-large position left empty last week when Lillian Riojas resigned to take a job in San Antonio.
"Sixteen is certainly a healthy number of applicants," said Mayor Nelda Martinez. "It's also encouraging that there are people willing to serve, because it's a significant commitment."
Applicants, according to the city secretary's office, include: Joseph A. Coyle, a retired senior project designer; Margareta M. Fratila, a business consultant; Cezar Galindo, self-employed; Annie Jean Galvan, a registered respiratory therapist; Gilbert Hernandez, sales manager; Michael Taylor Hunter, Borden Insurance account executive; Bob Jones, petroleum sample custodian and radio host; Sirfrederickvon Usa King VII, business owner and independent contractor; Sylvia Michelle La Cour, an equipment specialist/material coordinator; Joe A. McComb, president and owner of McComb Relocation Services; Dan McQueen, engineer; Benigno Molina, president-Pinnacle Roofing; Guy James Nickleson, chief executive officer for Lead First Foundation of Corpus Christi; John Sendejar, small business owner; Larry Lee White, a retired engineer; and Vernon Wuensche, engineer.
The appointment would last through the end of Riojas' unexpired term, which would end at the conclusion of the November election.
It's expected that next Monday, the council will have a special meeting to determine finalists during executive session. On Tuesday, the council will make the appointment after public interviews with the selected finalists.
City Councilman Mark Scott, who has participated in two midterm council appointments, described the public interviews a new piece to the appointment process as an interesting concept that would be more transparent.
Scott added he didn't necessarily believe someone needs to be a good public speaker to be a good council member, but noted a public interview would give finalists an opportunity to answer questions similar to those posed to sitting council members.
Twitter: @CallerCrow
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Bee County Sheriff Carlos Carrizales Jr. died after a lengthy battle with illness Sunday.
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By Julie Garcia of the Caller-Times
Longtime Bee County Sheriff Carlos Carrizales Jr. died Sunday at a hospital in San Antonio.
"It's with heavy hearts, the Bee County Sheriff's Office regrets to inform the passing of Bee County Sheriff Carlos Carrizales, Jr., 58, after a hard fought and lengthy illness," a social media post said Sunday. "Sheriff Carrizales passed away peacefully surrounded by family, friends, and his staff at the Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital in San Antonio."
The Bee County Commissioners Court will appoint an interim sheriff at an upcoming meeting.
Chief Deputy Alden Southmayd has been handling some of the sheriff's duties since Carrizales had been ill, according to the county judge's office.
Carrizales' name is on the ballot in the current sheriff's race as an unopposed Democrat. The Republican candidate Stephen Phipps also is unopposed.
Typically, a Democratic executive committee would nominate a new candidate for the General Election in November, said Bee County Judge Stephanie Silvas. However, since the county does not have that committee established, the party chair may nominate someone, Silvas said. The deadline for a nominee is late August, Silvas said.
"At this point, our community is mourning him and the vacancy is the last thing on our mind," Silvas said.
Public visitation will be Wednesday from 2-5 p.m. at Oak Park Memorial. A prayer service will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Bee County Expo Auditorium.
A funeral service will be Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Bee County Expo Auditorium. A graveside service will follow at the Evangelico Cemetery. After the service, there will be a reception at the auditorium.
Carrizales had been sheriff since 2004.
Fares Sabawi contributed to this report
Twitter: @Caller_Jules
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Raul Torres holds his daughters Ximena (left) and Scarlett, two of three identical triplets born May 16 to him and his wife, Silvia Hernandez. Ximena and Scarlett, who were born joined at the pelvis, will undergo separation surgery in April.
SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Scarlett (left) and Ximena, two of three identical triplets born last year, will undergo a risky separation surgery in April. The sisters were born May 16 joined at the pelvis.
By Chris Ramirez of the Caller-Times
Separation surgery for conjoined twins born last year in Corpus Christi has been postponed until next month.
The risky, hourslong procedure on Ximena Jackeline and Scarlett Juliet, who were born by cesarean section May 16, was supposed to have begun Thursday. Ben Castle, a spokesman for Driscoll Children's Hospital, said the twins' surgery will be "sometime in April."
Parents Silvia Hernandez and Raul Torres, of Brownsville, came to Corpus Christi on vacation last April. Doctors told Hernandez shortly after the couple arrived that she was in no condition to travel home.
Hernandez delivered the twins, and a third daughter, Catalina Montserrat. Each girl weighed the same upon delivery 4 pounds, 11 ounces.
Ximena and Scarlett were born connected, sharing a rectum, intestines and an umbilical cord.
The parents said on a Facebook page Ximena became sick recently and had been treated with antibiotics.
Doctors in September declared the twins, born one day shy of 34 weeks, candidates for the surgery.
Conjoined twins occur once in every 200,000 births, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Forty to 60 percent of conjoined twins arrive stillborn, and about 35 percent survive only one day.
The overall survival rate of conjoined twins is between 5 and 25 percent.
Twitter: @Caller_ChrisRam
Maricela Rodriguez/Valley Morning Star Corpus Christi resident Abbie Pina was crowned Ms. South Texas Senior America 2016 on Sunday at the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium.
SHARE Caller-Times File Abbi Pina was named Feria de las Flores queen in 1959.
By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times
When Abbie Pina was 15 years old she became a queen. Nearly six decades later she's still royalty.
Pina became the first Feria de las Flores queen in 1959.
On Sunday, the now 73-year-old was crowned again this time as Ms. South Texas Senior America at the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium.
"It was such an amazing feeling to win," Pina said. "It took me back to my first win back in '59. I wanted to leave a good impression of elegance and professionalism and to show what Corpus Christi is made out of."
Pageant director Elia Lopez said the pageant's purpose is to motivate, encourage and the celebrate the inner beauty of women who are 60 to 80 years old.
"These women are professionals or retired and are well established in the community," Lopez said. "This gives them an opportunity to be ambassadors for their community."
The pageant categories included evening gown, personal interview, talent and their philosophy of life.
Pina said her family has a history with pageants. About 28 years after she was named queen of Feria de las Flores, her daughter, Delinda Muniz who encouraged her to enter the Ms. South Texas Senior America pageant also won the title in the 1980s.
Every year, Pina talks to new Feria contestants and motivates them reach their goals.
"I always tell them there is a lot of growth and development within you," Pina said. "I have always said women are not just for window dressing. We are productive and innovative and we persevere, and I still believe that today."
When she was a contestant in 1959 Pina performed a Chiapaneco dance at the Memorial Coliseum and this year she performed a Carnaval dance, a Brazilian tropical dance, she said.
Lopez said Pina stood out among the other contestants because of her passion for what she believes in.
"She is a vivacious and beautiful woman inside and out," Lopez said. "Dancing is her passion and it shows."
Lisa Oliver, the city of Corpus Christi's superintendent of senior services division, said she encourages all women to participate in a pageant. The Miss Coastal Bend Senior Pageant will be June 26.
"It's a great opportunity for women to show their family and friends that they can still express themselves and their talents regardless of their age," Oliver said.
Although Pina is now retired she remains active in community service. She has helped with local, state and nationwide political campaigns, is a fundraiser for scholarships and volunteers at nursing homes. She is also working on getting a doctorate in administration from the University of Texas.
"Age is really just a number. My philosophy is that it's all about the attitude," Pina said. "Always give it everything you have and never stop getting involved in the community. Community involvement is high up in my book."
Twitter: @CallerNatalia
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By Matt Woolbright of the Caller-Times
The biggest voting day of this year's primary season has arrived, and local party leaders are expecting high turnout at polling locations around the city.
Super Tuesday comes on the heels of Nueces County's second-busiest early voting season for a primary since at least 1992, and one local political analyst expects this year's overall turnout will shatter the record for Nueces County set eight years ago when President Barack Obama sought his first term.
"We will go over what we saw on (the primary) in 2008, and I think overall we will see a huge uptick turnout this year over 2008," said David Smith, an assistant professor of political science at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. "The (primary) turnout should more than make up the early vote difference."
The 22,147 ballots cast in 11 days of early voting this year nearly doubles the turnout of the last presidential election when 11,900 voters cast ballots during 12 days before the 2012 primary, but it's about 5,800 fewer than 2008. The early vote has already surpassed the midterm elections' primary total two years ago, county records show.
"We may see 85,000 to 100,000 in total turnout counting early voting we're looking at general election numbers this year," Smith said. "People are mad and they want to do something about it."
And party leaders from both major parties agree though there's little certainty on exactly how many people will turn out Tuesday when voters in 12 states go to the polls. It's the single most important day for delegate allocation, which is how each party ultimately picks the nominees.
"I expect a very large turnout," local Republican party chairman Michael Bergsma said. "Historically, early voting at least matches election day voting, and we had a record high in early voting on the Republican side."
On the other side, Democratic Party chairman Joseph Ramirez said local races are driving voters to the polls when that role is usually reserved for higher-profile races like Obama's bout with the current Democratic front-runner, Hillary Clinton.
"Those races aren't ugly, but they're certainly heated for the people working it, and those candidates are busting their tails to get the vote out for themselves," Ramirez said. "It's Super Tuesday, and anything can happen with the national races in flux."
Local races on both sides of the political divide have caught the attention of Bergsma, Ramirez and Smith. On the Republican side, that race is the U.S. House District 27 race between incumbent U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold and challenger Gregg Deeb, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel. It's a race Smith believes could be influenced by a national wave of frustration with Washington.
"There's a group of disenchanted, aggravated voters in the (veterans' community) that Deeb really appeals to, and this year more than normal anger is driving a lot of people to the polls," Smith said. "Those could determine the District 27 race."
For the Democrats, the contest Smith is closely watching is between District Attorney Mark Skurka, a lifetime prosecutor, and challenger Mark Gonzalez, an equally entrenched defense attorney.
"It's going to come down to do voters see Gonzalez being the change he says he's going to be, or do they value the experience Skurka brings," Smith said.
Smith added near-constant media attention on the presidential races could be encouraging voters to voice their opinions early.
"People are starting to see they can have an impact on the primary level and how that can impact the general election candidates," he said. "That's appealing to the masses."
Twitter: @reportermatt
The consignment was destined to a neighbouring country without the payment of custom duties.
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Within the framework of ensuring that goods exported from Cameroon are not only monitored but must adhere to customs rules and regulations, over 10,000 bags of rice destined for export to a neighbouring country, have been impounded at the Idenau seaport in the West Coast. The operation to impound the rice was carried out over the weekend by the marine thanks to a convention signed by the Director General of Customs, the National Marine Corps with the support of the United States Embassy in Cameroon.
Customs officials at the scene informed the press that the over 10,000 bags of rice were impounded because the business persons involved in the exercise, were trying to smuggle the bags without paying custom duties. Papers presented by the business people and scrutinized, they said, mention only the quantity of goods, the number of people on board and the identity of the Captain of the boats. It is against this backdrop that the bags of rice have been impounded given that the exportation is illegal, a senior customs official said. He stressed that for the time being, the impounded rice will remain in safe state keeping until custom duties and other penalties are paid.
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The new product is intended to open up new creative possibilities for advertisers and address the issue of slow-loading ads not optimized for mobile, which often result in a disjointed and frustrating experience.
What's remained top of mind for advertisers is how challenging it is for them to tell compelling brand and product stories on mobile in ways that are enjoyable for people and effective for their business, the company said in a blog post.
Chris Jones, head of creative technology at Facebook Creative Shop said the creative community was a priority when Canvas was designed and built.
It's a product that represents our commitment to creative craft and delivering the best mobile experience for businesses and people, he added.
The new ad product supports interactive elements such as animations, carousels, product catalogs, tilt-to-view images, and videos.
These Canvases load nearly instantaneously, as much as 10 times faster than the standard mobile web, and appear linked to from News Feed ads on iOS and Android.
They are identifiable by a little upwards arrow that denotes that the full-screen experience will unfold.
Brands can build Canvas ads with a self-serve tool or work with Facebook to create campaigns. According to the company, lead times are usually between two to three weeks ahead of a campaign launch.
Canvas is now available to all advertisers globally. In Asia, the Creative Shop team, led by Fergus O'Hare, will be providing support and partnership with brands.
Valerie Cheng, most recently at JWT, will be joining the Southeast Asia team to partner closely with brands in the region.
ASUS created a Canvas with the theme end bad gifts during the 2015 holiday shopping season for Japan and Australia.
According to Facebook, the tech brand saw a 42 percent increase in clicks on its ad, and people who clicked into their Canvas spent an average of 12 seconds viewing the content.
In addition, 70 percent of the people who clicked on the Canvas ad went to the ASUS website after exploring the Canvas.
wide player in 16:9 format. Used on article page for Campaign.
The advertising software company has launched its Non-Human Traffic (NHT) Credit Programme, which will refund advertisers for non-human traffic identified as fraudulent by White Ops a provider of cyber security services for fraud detection and prevention.
Brett Wilson, CEO and co-founder of TubeMogul, said the companys longstanding investments and track record in blocking ad fraud have already minimized this issue for clients.
The NHT Credit Programme now gives our clients total certainty as a matter of policy, he added, in a statement. Anyone can say that they are blocking suspicious or non-human traffic, but trust is earned in advertising. We hope that others will follow suit."
The programme is available to platform clients that have a master services agreement (MSA), of which the company has 424 globally. Clients in Southeast Asia include agencies and brands such as Lenovo and XL Axiata.
Under the initiative, beginning on April 1 TubeMogul will issue credits on a monthly basis for video ad impressions served on open exchange inventory that White Ops has measured and identified as fraudulent based on the companys proprietary methodology and benchmarking.
To make that possible, TubeMogul is deploying White Ops FraudSensor technology and verification across every measurable video ad bought via OpenRTB.
We brokered a large deal with White Ops to make this possibleno one else has done this, a spokesperson told Campaign Asia-Pacific in response to queries. Botnet traffic obviously varies but the point is we're totally accountable as a matter of policy.
Asked about the Aprils Fools start date, the company said it was just timing.
Although we do think it is foolish for advertisers to pay for fraudulent traffic and we do our best to combat this as shown by this initiative, the spokesperson added.
Michael Tiffany, CEO and co-founder of White Ops said TubeMogul's bold programme is throwing down the gauntlet, and others like it will help move the industry forward.
"We can measure all we want, but until there is clear accountability in the system, its hard to make significant progress on fixing the problem, he added. Brands need to demand, and providers need to accept, responsibility for the elephant in the inventory."
This latest announcement is in line with the companys ongoing efforts to drive increased control and transparency for brand advertisers.
In 2011, the company introduced the term fake pre-roll and brought attention to the practice of marketing cheaper banner inventory with video ad content playing automatically as pre-roll inventory.
In 2012, it launched its BrandSafe suite, played a role in the creation of OpenVV and released details on three botnets and integrated with major third-parties for viewability, verification.
This new initiative gives brand advertisers another reason to partner with an independent software company that shares their incentives, said Wilson.
A lot has changed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona over the last 5 years.
In the past, we frequently saw nearly there products and services. Connected cars. Smart homes. IoT devices. Live mobile streaming. Products and services that sounded great but, were in fact, not quite yet ready or widespread enough to be utilised impactfully by our clients.
2016 was very different. Unlike other years, most, if not all of the technology we saw is available now. Which is quite refreshing because were able to talk to clients about what we can/should be doing now, not when we might want to do something.
We heard this quote at SXSW a few years ago and think its particularly salient at this years Mobile World Congress:
Determining what to do next is relatively easy; working out what to do now is hard.
Beneath this broad theme, we noted five key trends this year:
1. Nownot next
For the first time at Mobile World Congress, almost every technology discussed and gadget demoed is available nownot at some undefined point in the future. While this may be disappointing to the technorati and early adopters, it should be music to the ears of big brands. Our job now is to understand the opportunitiesand challengesthese ready now technologies provide and take action.
2. Live mobile broadcast
Mobile networks are now capable of delivering real-time, live broadcast video from brands, or consumers. Although Facebook is dominant here, with Facebook Live, this opens up both the possibility and challenge for brandsand their consumersbecoming broadcasters of real-time video content. Think about live branded content with real-time calls to action. Broadcasting and amplifying live events. The possibilities are many.
3. IoT everywhere and everything
Internet of Things are everywhere at MWC. Cars (MWC almost feels like a motor show), drones, watches, glasses, vending machines, gloves and glasses are connected through low cost smart devices, while anything can become part of IoT through image recognition.
So, whats new? Whats new is the software platforms developed by companies like Microsoft (Azure) and Jasper that make it cheap and easy to connect the world around us to cognitive capabilities of machine processing.
4. Ubiquity of experiences and services
With Microsofts Windows 10 currently at 200 million users and aiming for 1 billion, we can embrace the ethos of create once, display on infinite screens and devices. This reduces the timeand moneyspent creating content for multiple screens / OSs and the consumer spending too much time navigating multiple OSs and how to use them.
5. The next wave of data: From big-data processing to cognitive-data understanding
Perhaps the most interestingif not excitingtrend we saw this year was in the area of cognitive computing. IBMs Watson team has created dozens of open-source data-processing tools that enable brands to move beyond analysing structured data (sales, number of page hits, and so on) to analysing unstructured, human data, such as personality types and emotional cues. IBM demonstrated this with a Watson-driven robot developed with Softbank that learns what people want and need. A version of this robot will be launched in an unnamed hotel franchise, and in over 2,000 retail locations this year.
Because these are available through an open API and low-cost pricing model, this ultimately enables brands to deliver even more valuable content and experiences that take into account both observed human behaviours and the emotional context of these behaviours.
So, finally, 2016 is the year of now not next. This is incredibly exciting for us and the many clients I talked to in Barcelona. Our challenge, then, is to stop talkingand writingabout these trends and to start acting now to take advantage of them.
Patrick Rona is chief digital officer, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific
Local telco Maxis is hoping to spur Malaysians to give back by integrating the power of e-commerce to incorporate the act of charity seamlessly into festive shopping.
The campaign, titled Kongsi Home project, involves a collaboration with Epic Homes as well as Malaysias top five e-commerce platforms Lazada, Gem Five, Zalora, Rakuten, and Happy Fresh to turn customers online shopping into online giving.
The campaign, which launched on 26 January and will run until 31 March, invites everyone to put a roof over the head of underprivileged families.
It hopes to raise enough money to fund the building of new homes for 67 families and to reach that goal, needs 5 percent of Malaysias 7 million online shoppers to donate RM8 (US$1.91) worth of building material each.
The project enables shoppers from anywhere across the globe with a valid credit card to visit any of these five online retail sites, and add that amount to their shopping cart. The materials will then be donated to the community home-building projects by Epic Homes.
The building materials that have been made available for purchase are auspiciously named, with titles such as Window of Longevity, Gold-With-The-Flow Tap, Lockdown-Your-Love Doorknob, Confirm-Nail-The-Job Nail and Like-A- Boss Papan.
Founded in 2010, Epic Homes is a non-profit initiative that has been building homes for underprivileged communities in Malaysia. The initiative has built a total of 71 homes across Perak and Selangor in partnership with Maxis.
The video received more than 2 million views in its first week. This translated into RM84,000 (US$ 20,093) worth of donations, enough to build two homes.
Ad Nut thinks this campaign is pretty inspired, merging the convenience enjoyed when shopping online with the concept of micro-donations. Whats another two bucks when youre already buying three dresses or a weeks worth of groceries?
Ad Nut does feel a little sad though that the campaign has only raised enough for 2.5 homes so far, and thinks that perhaps the accompanying videos about career, wealth and health Feng Shui advice in line with the Lunar New Year were not quite on message in terms of getting people to add a little extra to their shopping cart.
But Ad Nut will remain optimistic and hopes shoppers will rally at the last minute to at least make it a nice complete number of 3 (maybe 4?).
Remember, Ad Nut only needs a sturdy mature oak tree to call home, you humans need more than that.
| BY Ricki Green |
To raise awareness of childrens eye health and improve the vision of children across Australia, optical retailer OPSM has released Penny the Pirate the worlds first free childrens book and app with creative via Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney.
The app has already received global attention for its innovative thinking winning four Lions at the Lions Health and Cannes Lions Festival 2014 this week.
Penny the Pirate was initially trialed with great success through OPSMs official charity, OneSight, which saw the book screen the eyes of over 300 children. Mums across Australia also tested the book and app and ahead of its national launch through Yahoo7s Mouths of Mum network.
Following this successful trial the 360 degree Penny the Pirate campaign kicks off next week with cinema activity across the country from the 26th of June during school holidays sessions and a 15 and 30-second TVC that will run on free-to-air TV from the 29th of June. Other elements include; a robust digital and social spend targeting parents of 3-10 year olds, visual merchandising displays in-store, a PR campaign and experiential activations in Westfield centres.
Penny the Pirate was brought to life in consultation with the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences at the University of Melbourne. Designed for children aged 3-10 years old, Penny the Pirate combines the art of storytelling with eye care in a fun and interactive way.
In order to make this as appealing as possible, OPSM partnered with Kevin Waldron, acclaimed author/illustrator to create an engaging story that integrates the eye screenings into the story.
The book is creating industry buzz with Penny the Pirate winning the News Corps Were For Igniting Creative Ideas competition and was awarded with $250,000 of media to support the campaign. It has also won four Lions two Bronze and two silver at the Lions Health and Cannes Lions Festival 2014 in categories; Direct, Mobile and Health.
Says Melinda Spencer, VP of Marketing for OPSM: We are thrilled about winning four Cannes Lions for this campaign we have worked in development with our agency Saatchi & Saatchi for over eighteen months on this exciting innovative project. We passionately wanted to create a useful tool that helps time poor parents to screen their childrens vision from the comfort of their own home either through the book or through the app in a fun way and are overjoyed that it has been recognised internationally.
Saatchi and Saatchi Sydney creative directors Matt Gilmour and Jon Burden are also delighted with the win.
Says Gilmour: Creating Penny the Pirate was an amazing experience as we knew it was an industry first. Working with OPSMs optometrists on the childrens book to ensure the screenings were correct as well as developing an engaging story for children with Kevin Waldron was unlike any other campaign weve worked on.
Penny the Pirate is available free from OPSM stores nationally. Alternatively it is available to download for free at the App store and Google Play, where registered users will be delivered the essential accompanying kit which includes an eye patch, spyglass and 3D glasses .
Visit http://www.opsm.com.au/penny for more information.
Creative: Saatchi and Saatchi Sydney
Media: OMD
Digital: SapientNitro Sydney
App: Two Bulls
Activations: One Green Bean
PR and social media: One Green Bean
TV Production Company: 8
| BY Ricki Green |
In the week leading into the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Facebook has announced a partnership with Australian Marriage Equality to help Australians show their support for equal marriage for all consenting adults.
This week, Facebook launched a new tool similar to the rainbow filter called a custom frame feature (example attached) that allows people to add the official Australian Marriage Equality frame to their profile photo. The custom frame feature is the first international cause-related frame and coincides with Facebooks inaugural sponsorship of the 2016 Mardi Gras Festival.
More Aussies are identifying themselves as LGBTIQ on Facebook.
In Australia, the same-sex marriage debate was the eleventh most talked about conversation last year.
By the end of 2015, the number of people coming out on Facebook each day was double what it was just a few months prior to Mardi Gras 2015.
In the past year, more Australians have felt comfortable identifying themselves as LGBTIQ on Facebook. Not only has the total number of Australians who have come out on Facebook risen substantially, but so has the number coming out each day.
More Australians are also showing their interests in LGBTIQ related issues through their interactions with LGBTIQ Facebook Pages. The number of Australians who like prominent LGBTIQ pages grew over 20% in 2015.
In every capital city, the fan growth has either doubled or nearly doubled in terms of the number of fans of Australian LGBTIQ pages. Fan growth for these LGBTIQ groups spiked in 2015 around key international milestones such as the aforementioned U.S. Supreme Court decision and the same-sex marriage referendum in Ireland.
Fan growth for Australian LGBTIQ pages does not just exist among Australians; it has come in from around the world. Individuals from more than 200 countries have supported a prominent Australian LGBTIQ page. Today, more than 1/4 of all supporters of these pages are international. Of these foreign countries, the ten with the most supporters are the United States, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and Pakistan.
In Facebooks most talked about topics for 2015, Marriage Equality ranked sixth globally, peaking in June when the US Supreme Court decided that same-sex couples across every state of America should have the right to marry.
Three ways to decorate your profile picture with the Australian Marriage Equality frame
| BY Kim Shaw |
Agencies and clients have one more month to go before 28 March the deadline for submission of entries to the Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards 2016. Conference and Awards night will be held on May 31, 2016 in Manila. Entry forms may be downloaded here.
The APAC Tambuli Awards honors brands that do good and do well showing the seamless integration of creativity + human good + results. Case study entries must demonstrate how brands uplift society, create positive change, and correlate purpose with purchase.
The APAC Tambuli Awards is not an award on charity, advocacy, pro bono, or CSR advertising, even if those campaigns are welcome and encouraged to enter. The award, however, focuses on mainstream brand campaigns that celebrate humanity, inspire purpose, and deliver results.
The award began in Manila in 2005, and opened up to the Asia Pacific region in 2012. The Tambuli (a native Filipino horn) is organized by the School of Communication of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) in collaboration with the industry, to create positive impact in society through marketing communications.
| BY Ricki Green |
Red Jelly and Liminal Studio have taken out the Advertising Best of Show and the Design Best of Show respectively at the inaugural Tasmania Advertising & Design Awards (TADA) held in Hobart.
There were 13 Prizes and 30 Finalists awarded across 54 categories.
Entrants ranged from sole practitioners to full service firms to the media and they came from both Launceston and Hobart.
Red Jelly won Best of Show in Advertising for its Speed Shatters Lives newspaper wrap for the Road Safety Advisory Council. Liminal Studios won Best of Show in Design for its Environmental Graphics in the Mount Wellington/kunanyi Pinnacle Observation Shelter.
New Zealand based, British chairman of judges Tim Evill revelled in his first visit to Tasmania.
He was impressed with the entries and clear in his view on the need to set new standards.
Says Evill: Awards are not a mere pat on the back to show mutual appreciation. We are an industry that measures everything because what gets measured gets done and awards are a measure. They create a standard and this new standard in turn perpetuates a pull which becomes a rising tide that floats all boats. TADA is fuelling this tide in a world where thinking and acting local is fast usurping the desire to be blandly, and often overpoweringly, global.
Monday, February 29, 2016 at 9:18PM
Hoping to quash fears and rumours that Android will be losing its app drawer, Google has denied there are plans to get rid of its app drawer in the near future. Android users were up in arms when a short clip on Google Maps Twitter account showed a Nexus 6P sans an app drawer. Its a blink or miss it sort of thing of the first two seconds of the clip. But hawk eye users were speculating this might be the start of Android dropping its app drawer to mimic the iOS approach of having all apps on the home screen. Google says the user interface shown in the video is a bad mockup of the app and it doesnt hint at anything coming up in terms of UI changes.
Source: Droid Life
He was assessed briefly by mental health workers while in custody, and his lawyer James Maher asked the court to consider making an order that he be sent to hospital for immediate assessments and treatment.
7.28am: No one was injured in a two-vehicle crash on the corner of Wentworth Avenue and Giles Street in Kingston but we're hearing reports one car is on its side. An emergency services spokesman said no one was trapped or taken to hospital after the crash.
Shergold's willingness to embrace such a centrist, one-size-fits-all approach to risk management sits uneasily with his support for "adaptive government". His overall message is that public service culture needs a major overhaul, to encourage a greater willingness to innovate and experiment. He would like to see more pilot programs, so as to test new policies while allowing scope to adjust them or abandon them altogether. Such an approach, if used for the home insulation program, would have avoided much harm. He also wants public servants to shed the disdain for implementation that pervades the central policy departments. Canberra mandarins should become more outward-looking by working closely with other levels of government and other sectors. They should be happy to work through networks as well as hierarchies. These views reflect Shergold's own background in running line departments before moving to PM&C and his current close engagement with the community sector.
I have argued in the past that the value of policy advice being made public is that it would improve the woeful standard of public policy debate in this country. This report has changed my mind. However, if advice is to be kept secret, there needs to be other ways to expose ideas and ensure quality. If incoming-government briefs some of the more important pieces of policy advice were no longer accessible through FOI, an alternative worth considering would be for each department to publish, post-election, a summary of the important questions it faces (social, economic, demographic, environmental) and summarise possible options for the future, without indicating what direction the department had suggested its new minister take. Such documents would complement the pre-election fiscal and economic outlook, enhance public understanding, and would require little extra effort given that the base work would already have been done for the incoming-government brief. Other mechanisms include traditional Westminster system "green" papers (policy discussion and information papers to help improve debate it would have been helpful to have had one in recent tax debates) or more innovative mechanisms such as the think pieces or "provocation" papers commissioned by the Victorian government.
To counter this concern, the scheme in the act has a built-in "return-to-work guarantee" (section 84). It works like this. An employee on unpaid parental leave is entitled to return to their pre-leave position. However, if, by the time they are ready to return, that position no longer exists, the employee is entitled to return to an available position (a) for which they are qualified and suited, and (b) which is nearest in status and pay to their previous position.
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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.
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Volvos main attractions at this years Geneva show are the new V90 estate, updated V40 hatch, and possibly, the C90 (we havent confirmed it yet), but the S90 sedan deserves a mention too since its making its Euro debut.
Together with its XC90 SUV platform sibling, the S90 inaugurates a new technological and design era for the Swedish brand, with these elements to trickle down to the next generations of its smaller models.
Volvo sees the S90 as a key model to making a name for itself in the premium sedan market, though it wont have an easy job going against long established and well-selling rivals in the segment like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5-Series.
The S90s estate sibling, the V90, on the other hand, is expected to have an easier task, as Volvo has a strong following in the premium wagon segment. Last year in Europe, its predecessor, the V70 and its crossover-ish twin, the XC70, finished second behind Audis A6 Avant and in front of BMWs 5-Series Touring and Mercedes-Benzs E-Class Wagon, with estates accounting for half of all deliveries in the premium large segment, according to JATO Dynamics.
Photos Carscoops.com/Brad Anderson
Photo Gallery
While the all-new 5-door Civic is making its global debut in Geneva in prototype form, Honda wants us to know that the production-ready model will be soon to follow.
The new hatchback will be 30 mm wider, 20 mm lower and 130 mm longer than the current model, while also featuring wider wheels. According to Honda, this will give the car an assured stance and an overall dynamic appearance thanks mostly to a new and provocative design.
At the front, the new Civic comes with large air intakes, while LED headlights and the DRLs are tucked nicely beneath the sculpted bonnet.
The rear of the car features distinctive C-shaped LED lights and a bumper design that incorporates angular creases and vents meant to showcase an overall more aggressively-styled compact car than we were normally used to seeing from Honda.
We knew that we needed to create a striking and stand-out exterior design that challenged conventional European compact styling while staying true to the original Civics core values, said project leader Daisuke Tsutamori. The result is a marriage of distinctive and sporty design, rewarding driving dynamics and versatile practicality.
The all-new Civic hatchback will come with a range of three powertrain options: 1.0-liter & 1.5-liter VTEC turbocharged petrol engines, and a revised 1.6-liter i-DTEC diesel unit.
The petrol engines are based on a completely new structure and sport developed turbo systems and variable valve motion technology, thus reducing friction and achieving better output and environmental performance. In fact, Honda is using the terms class-leading when referring to them, but well have to wait until they show us some numbers that back up those claims.
Though a global product, Hondas 10th generation Civic hatchback will be built exclusively in Europe.
PHOTO GALLERY
While the name Porsche 718 Boxster will take some getting used to, the car fits right in at the Geneva Motor Show stand its unmistakably a Porsche.
The 718 Boxster made its official debut Tuesday at the show, sporting a newly toned and sculpted exterior from the outgoing just plain Boxster. Take a few minutes to spot the differences, though. Changes are evolutionary, and even that might be stretching the description.
Not that its a bad thing Porsche freshened the lights, door handles and wheels. Attempts to make the front more aggressive are mostly successful, too. Current Boxster fans are unlikely to complain much over the newness here.
Of course the real story about the 718 cant be completely understood under the show lights. Wedged in the middle of the car is the new turbocharged 2.5-liter flat four that powers the Boxster replacement, with 300 horsepower in the standard car and 350 in the S model. Team that with what Porsche says is steering thats 10 percent more direct and a newly available Porsche Active Suspension Management sport chassis for a 20 millimeter lower ride height and the mission is clear.
The 718 is the old Boxster thats been to spin class on a regular basis.
Photos: Carscoops.com/Brad Anderson
Photos
Posted by the U.S. State Department to Moscow during the Mikhail Gorbachev era, Mary Ann Peters had an up-close view of the Soviet system. "The isolation and repression of the people were palpable," said Peters, a former U.S. ambassador and now chief executive officer of The Carter Center. "We in the embassy knew that talking to people on the streets would get them in real trouble, so we refrained for their sakes."
A few years later, she was assigned to another Eastern Bloc country: Bulgaria. It turned out to be one of her favorite posts in her 31-year diplomatic career. The Berlin Wall had just come down and the communist regime was no longer in power. Peters found that although the people suffered an enormous decline in their economic standard of living, they were relieved and hopeful.
"Having worked on Cold War problems on and off for much of my career, it was a real privilege to help Bulgaria rejoin the community of European nations," Peters said.
During Tunisia's presidential election in November 2014, Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, Carter Center CEO, prepares to brief Tunisian and international media about the Center's role in monitoring polling. Ambassador Peters co-led the Carter Center delegation of some 85 observers. (Photo: The Carter Center/ G. Dubourthoumieu)
Now The Carter Center is benefiting from her skills as a leader and global citizen.
Peters' taste for international work and the nomadic lifestyle it requires began long before she took the entrance exam to the U.S. Foreign Service. Her father was a corporate executive who was reassigned every three to five years. She and her six siblings got used to moving around. She recalls significant stints in the town of Setauket on the north shore of Long Island and in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but also lived in California and Pennsylvania, among other places.
In college, she spent a year abroad in Paris, and in graduate school, she studied for a year in Bologna, Italy. Thanks to these experiences and her frequent childhood moves, she had no fear of relocating, a boon for any future diplomat. Those years abroad provided the foundation for learning six languages during her diplomatic career.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Peters was serving as U.S. ambassador in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and had to navigate uncertain waters in a densely populated Muslim country during the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. She recalls an outpouring of sympathy from the Bangladeshi people. She still keeps a piece of art by a child in Dhaka that depicts the attacks. "It's a reminder that the initial international response to 9/11 was one of immense support," she said.
Before joining The Carter Center in September 2014, Peters was provost at the Naval War College, essentially the chief operating officer of an accredited professional graduate school that grants a master's degree in national security and strategic studies. "I used to tell incoming students: You are all great at driving a ship or flying a plane, but now you need to think about why you do it," she said.
International matters are par for the course at The Carter Center, which has worked in more than 80 countries over the years. Peters believes that the Carter Center's mission statement provides a clear template for the organization's activities. "Thanks to President and Mrs. Carter, the Center has a uniquely defined role that makes it easy to understand why we do what we do where we do it," she said.
She believes wholeheartedly in the work of the Center and wants the organization to continuously search for opportunities to make an impact. "We should not be shy about the fact that we are very good at what we do," she said.
As Peters embarks on her second year at The Carter Center, she is focused on showing the value of the organization's work. "We need to continuously assess to ensure we're having the impact that we seek," she said. The Center's programs are based on respect for the people we seek to assist, said Peters. "We don't work for them, we work with them, an attitude that comes directly from President and Mrs. Carter."
There were some significant animation-related Academy Award winners last night, but one of the biggest winners never even made an appearance during the ceremony.
Google Androids charming one-minute TV commercial, Rock, Paper, Scissors, which premiered in between the Oscar ceremony, proved to be an instant hit with viewers, with many calling it the best commercial of the evening. Taking the form of an anti-bullying PSA, the spot applies the rules of the rock-paper-scissors game to illustrate the friendship between the three unlikely objects, and ends with Android operating systems slogan: Be together. Not the same.
The mixed media piece, set to St. Elmos Fire (Man in Motion), was directed by Conor Finnegan through London-based Nexus Productions. Were told it uses a combination of puppetry 2D and CG, shot on live-action sets and locations.
Cartoon Brew: The first, and probably most obvious, question is why did you start GLAS?
Jeanette Bonds: After graduating CalArts in the Experimental Animation program I began searching for independent filmmaking grants in the US and discovered my options were rather limited. The vast majority of filmmaking grants that are focused specifically on animation exist internationally. This led me to think, Why doesnt the US have organizations such as this? Although the US has a strong animation industry, there isnt a supportive structure for independent animated filmmaking in place. I wanted to create an organization that functions as a resource for independent animators that would cultivate and promote independent animation in the US; and a large part of this included establishing an animation festival emphasizing independent animation.
The last major international animation festival that took place in the U.S., to my recollection, is Platform in 2007. From your perspective, why are these kind of festivals so difficult to launch in the States whereas dozens of them take place every year throughout Europe, Latin America, and Asia?
Jeanette Bonds: Trying to do a festival at this scale requires financial support, which is more difficult to get in the United States. The international festivals such as Annecy, Hiroshima, Zagreb, etc., have long track records, government support, and have demonstrated their cultural value and staying power but also importantly, there is more of a mainstream appreciation for independent or serious animation in places like Europe or Japan. Along with the burgeoning independent scene in the US, there is demand for this culture to be fully represented at a festival within the US where filmmakers can gather together to showcase their work, see new films, meet one another, and meet international filmmakers. GLAS can facilitate this by supporting independent animators and building a strong movement of independent animation filmmaking in the US.
Why did you choose Berkeley for the site of the first GLAS, as opposed to Los Angeles, where theres more animation artists?
Jeanette Bonds: Berkeley is a city with a progressive past, and as such its a good location for a progressive festival. It has a thriving arts culture, several schools, and is close to studios and tech companies. It also hit all the practical logistical requirements we had in mind when looking for a city: multiple theaters, galleries, several hotels, and restaurants are all within walking distance which is ideal for guests traveling internationally; by its very nature the city is structured to allow the festival to expand into something larger in the years to come. We also wanted a city that animators from Los Angeles could escape to, so guests visit the city for the festival experience as opposed to trying to avoid traffic while returning back to their apartments.
Talk about the biggest stresses of launching a major festival like GLAS?
Jeanette Bonds: The biggest stress has been securing the financial support to make this festival as big as I envisioned. Ive learned much this year about how competitive grants are for non-profits, particularly non-profits in their first years. But we managed to gather the support of some incredible companies, organizations, and individuals who are excited to collaborate and support us to make GLAS possible and elevate GLAS to a higher level for our inaugural year.
Talk a little bit about how you put together this years program, and how you selected the guests/talks.
Jeanette Bonds: Themes developed and evolved naturally throughout the curating process. Our programming philosophy is to emphasize contemporary filmmaking, independent visions, and emerging talent, and as such we wanted our guests to represent this. We also want to trace a history of influence, paying tribute to artists who have inspired independent filmmakers, and more specifically artists and curators who have a strong independent vision.
We looked for a good balance of filmmakers and curators who have helped to expand the scope of animation both nationally and internationally. Jeremy Clapin, Sara Gunnarsdottir, Kirsten Lepore, and Hisko Hulsing have signature visual and filmmaking styles; Nobuaki Doi and Gerben Schermer represent different parts of the world with recognizable curatorial methodologies; Henry Selick and Phil Tippett have permanently impacted independent and commercial filmmaking; Peter Millard and Caleb Wood represent a new wave of experimental animators; and festival honoree Paul Vester embodies a lifetime of dedication to an independent vision we value at GLAS.
For competition selections I watched each submission and reduced the number to about 20%, which were then sent to our selection committees consisting of Einar Baldvin, Sean Buckelew, Pia Borg, Christine Panushka, Jisoo Kim, Rob Munday, and myself. For the final arrangement, much like Ottawa, we show all competition categories together which places both professional films and student films in the same context.
What do you want attendees both filmmakers and filmgoers to get out of GLAS?
Jeanette Bonds: Our primary goal is to broaden and redefine the perception of animation in the US, moving it away from its current association as a commercial genre to being considered as a serious art form with no boundaries, and worthy of serious attention. We want to bring this wide breadth of talent and have people in the States able to see it all in a cinematic context. We believe in the power of a festival as a great context to view films and an instigator for building communities and relationships. Even if youre a seasoned festival attendee, youll find something new to discover at GLAS, and if youre completely new to the world of independent animation, this first year would be a great primer on the exciting things are happening.
Photo: Contributed - jenifoto Prague astronomical clock
Overview
Idealism rides high, and will affect decisions. Make sure to take off the rose coloured glasses before taking sides. There has to be a solid base in reality, no matter what is wished for. Rely on faith and what you know to be true, it is helpful.
With this month having 29 days, we have a leap year, so women, its your turn to propose. In any case look at where relationships can be advanced or clarified. Discuss feelings and expectations to see if there is a future path together or its time to move on.
Some are ready for change or excitement: Guard reputations. Words spoken will be hard to take back. Avoid physical confrontation. Take a trip to let things cool or shift into a better direction. Step out.
aries
Take some of your plans underground for now. There needs to be a change in the presentation.
taurus
You will have more advantage by listening instead of talking. Others have a different agenda.
gemini
Use all your charm to deal with those who oppose you. Pull a rabbit out of the hat now.
cancer
Mysteries deepen over distance, as you seek further information. Results will affect the future.
leo
Juggle the figures to find areas of gain. Rely on your gut feelings and not on what is being said.
virgo
You can stand your ground in subtle ways, so those who oppose you cant counter your place.
libra
Say very little until you get past areas of gridlock. Once there you will be onto the right road.
scorpio
Your secretive nature works well for you this week. Others dont see you coming at them.
sagittarius
Your input helps when decisions need to be made about home or locations. Be covert.
capricorn
Your intuition is strong and you feel like giving others advice. Watch how personal it gets.
aquarius
Others react to your look or powerful image. They are not prepared for how they feel.
pisces
The sun and neptune combine their energies, influencing others to fall under your spell.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: Jennifer Zielinski - Castanet File Photo
Have you ever wondered about the secret lives of bacteria, how much DNA can fit into a cell, how gears work or what causes a tornado?
You may find the answer to these and many other questions at the District Science Fair tomorrow and Wednesday at UBC Okanagan.
The science fair gives inquisitive science students an opportunity to impress the judges and possibly win a spot in the regional fair at KLO Middle School.
From there, the top six students in British Columbia will travel to the national fair in Montreal, Quebec to compete for $400,000 in prizes and scholarships.
More than 200 students will display over 150 projects.
Science Fair is such an amazing opportunity for students to use the process of inquiry to investigate the world around them, and to demonstrate to the community, their skills as 21st century learners, says teacher and organizer Tobias Blaskovits.
Students of all grades can choose a topic that they are interested in, and test the boundaries of their knowledge. Students who have participated in the past, have not only been given the opportunity to travel, meet other young scientists and earn monetary benefits from scholarships and awards, but they have also found a passion for science and an understanding of what it means to be learners, thinkers, innovators, contributors and collaborators.
Participants will be treated to a wonderful university experience with science demonstrations, presentations, and hands-on activities to be provided by university students and faculty at UBCO on the second day of the fair.
UBC Okanagan is delighted to welcome the Central Okanagan School District and the District Science Fair back to campus, says Dr. Deborah Buszard, UBC Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Okanagan campus. It is critically important for young students today to have a strong grasp of the fundamentals of science. I hope the District Science Fair will offer girls and boys a window into the endless possibilities of science and inspire them to pursue higher education at an outstanding research university like UBC. Congratulations to all the participants!
The public are welcome to explore the fair on Tuesday at the UBC Okanagan in the Engineering, Management and Education Building between 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon in the EME Building and the Fipke Building.
I very strongly do not support forced evacuation.
This will effectively criminalize failure to follow an evacuation order. It effectively turns a refusal to evacuate into a criminal offence because those who do not wish to follow the order will resist arrest.
Refusal to follow an evacuation order already has considerable consequences.
In order to provide for the safety of emergency responders it is more than sufficient to simply emphasize that emergency responders will not re-enter an evacuated area to retrieve anyone who has earlier refused to leave.
Absolutely zero amount of force should ever be rendered in issuing any evacuation order. To do so is a ludicrous, miss-application of resources, and unnecessarily increases stress levels for all involved. The real job of those serving evacuation orders is to provide information about the emergency and to assist those who need help in following the order. It is an insult and a waste of critical resources to try to force anyone into complying with an evacuation order.
Furthermore extending the act to force costs of apprehension on those who have refused evacuation is nothing more than adding significant insult on top of already egregious injury.
In fact if anyone is forced to evacuate from their property against their will, then the province must assume full responsibility for replacement cost of any damage to property, and for the loss of income, and for the costs of apprehension, while the person is being held against their will.
In short, I do not support any legislation which might have even the slightest effect of further transforming British Columbia (or any part of Canada) into a police state, even if the province were to accept responsibility for all costs and loss of income.
Greg A. Woods
Photo: The Canadian Press
The Leap Manifesto, which is being embraced by more than a dozen NDP riding associations ahead of the party's April convention, should serve as a reference point for future policy discussions, says former MP Craig Scott.
The manifesto is a good idea, but it would be unwise for the NDP to adopt it as policy without further debate, Scott said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
"The bottom line is, the Leap Manifesto is hugely welcome, but plopping it into our policy book in one big vote with no serious advance discussion and debate within the party ... I don't think is a recipe for renewal," he said.
"The democratic reform critic in me, as I was for three years, tells me that the process matters and that having much more ownership amongst the membership of a major ... policy renewal is as important as what the policy itself is."
The Leap Manifesto which has a wide range of supporters, including actors, labour unions and environmentalists offers a number of recommendations, including a proposal to wean the country off fossil fuels to address climate change.
As the NDP approaches its April convention in Edmonton the party's federal council plans to prioritize hundreds of resolutions submitted by party riding associations and commissions.
Scott said he plans to promote a resolution that was adopted by his Toronto-Danforth riding association as the best path forward.
"Ours says 'let's take the Leap Manifesto as a really productive starting point and work it through in serious policy discussions with the grassroots for the next two years so it comes back for the 2018 convention more fully worked through with more party ownership, as in more ownership from the members'," Scott said.
The NDP riding association in Vancouver East has proposed a similar vision backed by former MP Libby Davies.
At the time of the manifesto's release last September, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair did not endorse it, but he said he welcomed new ideas and understood it reflected a desire for change.
"Canadians want change in Ottawa and I love the debates of ideas," Mulcair said at the time. "We're going to bring in overarching sustainable development legislation. We'll see clear targets. We'll start working with the world and stop working against the planet."
Filmmaker Avi Lewis, one of the central figures behind the document, said Monday he is delighted to see interest in the proposal.
"It always struck me just as someone who was born into the NDP culture that the values in the Leap Manifesto were certainly consistent and coherent from a social democratic point of view," he said.
Lewis said he is not surprised to hear more debate will be needed, he added.
"I am really pleased," he said. "I don't think anybody, any political party, should be expected to take a manifesto that was written by a group outside of its borders, and adopt it wholesale as party policy.
"I don't think political parties work that way, but I do think it is smart for a political party that sees energy and momentum and genuine fresh ideas emerging ... to take them up and really grapple with them."
Several Leap Day activities were held Monday in parts of the country in support of the manifesto.
We want to send out a huge thank you to all of the very generous companies, stores and dentists that have made our Live Love Laugh campaign for the Kelowna Womens Shelter such a success. Alongside my husband Lorne Brooks and my wonderful nurses (due to ALS I need 24 hour nursing care), 2015 marks the ninth anniversary that we have collected toiletries to fill gift bags for women and children at the Shelter. Once we reached out to the community and various companies, our project grew exponentially, making over 530 gift packages in the last two years alone.
The companies that have supported our project, donating thousands of their products since 2009, are Beiersdorf Canada (Nivea), Edgewell (Schick, Playtex) and Sunstar Americas (GUM). We have received donations and wholesale pricing from Unipharm Wholesalers in Vancouver. Also, a big shout out to two local companies, Barefoot Venus that has donated hundreds of products for the last 2 years and the staff of Capri Insurance that donated their dress down fund in the past.
Over the years, many local stores (from multiple locations) have generously donated to our project; being Save-on-Foods, Walmart, Safeway, Pharmasave, Rexall, Dycks Pharmacy, London Drugs, Superstore, Costco, Lakeside Medicine Centre, Coopers Foods, Peters Independent Grocer and the Hudsons Bay. The number of contributing dentists has grown and we thank Doctors Leitch, Wiens, Eagleton, Gagner, Grover, Coccaro and Ashley, plus Sunnyside Dental (Doctors Koning and Schader).
We can not emphasize how important the donations from the companies, stores and dentists are to these women and the children they are caring for. We want to thank everyone who sponsored a bag making this project possible. To learn more about the Kelowna Womens Shelter and how you can support them, please check out their Facebook page or go to their website http://kelownawomensshelter.com.
Anne Spelliscy
Photo: The Canadian Press - Jeff McIntosh The Alberta government has approved insurance for ride-sharing companies like Uber, but it's not available yet.Transportation Minister Brian Mason says the insurance likely won't be ready until June or July.
Uber officials say they are suspending operations in Edmonton for now after the Alberta government announced it will make insurance available to drivers, but likely not until the summer.
Ramit Kar, the general manager for the ride-booking company in Alberta, issued a news release Monday night announcing operations would cease as of Tuesday morning.
Kar described the suspension as temporary but did not say how long it would last.
On Monday, Transportation Minister Brian Mason said the insurance for Uber was approved but wouldn't be ready until June or by July 1 at the latest.
He said the province needed to take the time to "do due diligence and ensure that there's no loopholes."
He said it was important that if a passenger were injured in an accident involving an Uber vehicle, the insurance company could not deny coverage.
Kar said the company would "respect" the province's decision but added it "has cost thousands of Edmonton families a source of income by forcing Uber to suspend operations in the city."
He added the suspension is "unfortunately depriving tens of thousands of local riders a safe, affordable and reliable transportation alternative."
California-based Uber is an app-based business that allows people to request rides over their phones and sets them up with drivers in their personal vehicles. Getting an Uber ride is typically cheaper than taking a taxi.
Cities across the country have been debating how to handle Uber.
In January, Edmonton became the first jurisdiction to legalize the new industry, and a bylaw is to come into effect Tuesday, with conditions including provincially approved insurance, vehicle inspections and fees. Calgary city council also recently passed a bylaw which could start in April.
Kar released a statement Monday saying Edmonton's mayor and city council could delay the bylaw until the insurance is available but Mayor Don Iveson said there would be no delay in the bylaw and Uber would have to shut down.
"If they operate without insurance, they're going to be in a lot of trouble," Iveson said.
Mason said it shouldn't come as a surprise that the insurance is coming later.
"We've always been working along the basis that the insurance product wouldn't be ready until June or July. I believe Uber and the city have been aware of that."
In addition, the province is requiring ride-hailing drivers to get criminal record checks and have at least a Class 4 driver's licence, which is a commercial licence.
Uber had fought the licence requirement, which is part of Calgary's bylaw, and argued its drivers should just have a regular Class 5 licence. A Class 4 licence requires more training and knowledge in areas such as defensive driving, driver fatigue and dealing with disabled passengers, Mason said.
"Whether it's full or part time, commercial drivers have a responsibility for their passengers which requires the appropriate level of skill and road knowledge," he added.
"My top priority is to ensure that passengers as well as drivers are safe."
Edmonton company TappCar, set to launch in the city in March, is hiring a mix of former Uber and taxi drivers and other professional drivers laid off from the oilpatch.
Spokesman Pascal Ryffel said the government regulations won't delay the company. Its drivers will all have at least Class 4 licences and full commercial insurance similar to that for taxi drivers, he said.
"We always went under the assumption that these are the rules."
Photo: Google Maps
A man was robbed early this morning in Kamloops by a trio of bandits with a machete.
The victim was walking on Tranquille Road about 1:30 a.m. when he was approached by three men in the area between Yew and Aspen streets.
One of the robbers brandished a machete. The suspects got away with the victims wallet and cellphone.
This knife-wielding suspect is described as approximately five feet 11 inches tall, between 18 and 25 years of age, with darker skin and wearing a grey hoodie and flat-brimmed ball cap. Another of the males was thinner and wearing a black hoodie. No description of the third suspect was given.
RCMP responded to the area with a police dog, which tracked the suspects for more than half an hour, but eventually lost the robbers' trail near Kitchener Crescent.
The victim was not injured during in the incident, said Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Jodi Shelkie.
Anyone with information on the identity of the suspects is asked to contact Kamloops RCMP or CrimeStoppers.
This letter is directed to the idiot driver who was putting on her makeup on February 29th, all the way from Highway 33 right up until she got to downtown Kelowna.
Not only did I witness you putting on your red nail polish, you were also putting on your eyeliner and entire face by the looks of it. You were constantly lane changing and cutting people off.
You were driving a green Jeep. I have your license plate number and have reported you to ICBC for dangerous and distracted driving.
It never ceases to amaze me, the amount of dolts that I see driving in Kelowna, but you lady take the cake. Instead of trying to look pretty, and from what I saw no amount of makeup could help you there, why don't you try to being smart for once?
Heidi Glottenburg
Photo: Twitter
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there's no regional divide when it comes to what Canadians want for the economy and the environment.
Speaking before climate change talks with the premiers later this week, Trudeau said everyone wants growth and jobs, while protecting the environment at the same time.
"That's something that Albertans and Quebecers and everyone across the country is united in wanting," he said Tuesday following the launch of a cross-sectoral group looking to identify policies that spur innovation, generate jobs and boost the economy while improving the environment.
Trudeau said the point of the discussions in Vancouver is how best to achieve that when leaders are coming to the table with differing views, solutions and priorities.
"When we look at that diversity and range of voices, yes, it's a little more challenging to come to figure out that right place in the middle," he said.
But he added that multiple perspectives ultimately "lead us to better solutions."
Trudeau has said he favours carbon pricing as one way to help protect the environment, but Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has come out strongly against a national carbon tax.
Wall has said such a policy would "kneecap" an already struggling Canadian economy.
The talks this week are also happening under the increasing spectre of national discord over the Energy East pipeline. On Tuesday, the Quebec government said it will seek an injunction to ensure the proposed project is subject to the province's environmental regulations.
The announcement came a few weeks after a coalition of Quebec environmental groups said it would take legal action against Energy East for the same reasons.
Alberta has been pushing for the pipeline as a means for the province to get its oil to Eastern Canadian refineries and from there to international markets.
Photo: Google Street View
The BC Coroners Service has scheduled a date for a public inquest into the death of a teenager who jumped from the top of a parkade near Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops almost two years ago.
Jacob George Setah, 18, had been committed involuntarily to the hospital under the Mental Health Act on June 9, 2014.
On the evening of June 15, 2014, (Setah) fled from a secure ward and made his way to the top of a nearby parking structure, according to a release from the coroners' service. Kamloops RCMP members were sent to his location and were present when he sustained fatal injuries.
Officers had been called in after a report of a man in emotional distress.
They reportedly negotiated with Setah for approximately 40 minutes before an officer unsuccessfully attempted to Taser him and Setah ended up jumping from the third level of the parkade.
Last year, the Independent Investigations Office determined no police officers involved in the matter had committed any offence.
The inquest begins on April 11th at the Kamloops courthouse.
Presiding coroner Margaret Janzen and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine what led to the tragic outcome. The jury will have the opportunity to make recommendations.
Setah came from Hanceville, west of Williams Lake.
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UK LOTTERY ORGANIZATIONTICKET FREE/ONLINE E-MAIL ADDRESS WINNINGS DEPARTMENT.526 Kingsbury Road Kingsbury London NW9 9HEAWARD NOTIFICATION/ FINAL NOTICEAre you the correct owner of this email address? If you are then be glad this day as the result of UK lotto online e-mail winning draws and sweepstakes of FEBRUARY 2016 held in the Silom Sub-District of Bangkok-Thailand has just been released.All participants were selected randomly from worldwide websites and email account providers through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 companies.Your email address was entered for the online draw on this Ticket Number: GJK50507213617 and won on this Lucky Number: YTX881360293. You are to contact (ZIP POST EXPRESS COURIER SERVICES) on the below email address for quick delivery of your won cheque of US$4.6M. All winners' cheque are certified cashiers and can be cashed in any country of any part of the world.To enable the Courier Company ascertain you as the rightful receiver of the cheque, include a copy of this Winnings Notification letter and the 10 below listed claims verification particulars in your contact message to them:1: Your Full Names:2: Country:3: Address:4: Telephone:5: Mobile Number:6: Age and Gender:7: Occupation/Job title:8: Address where you wish to receive your cheque:9: Ticket and Lucky number: GJK50507213617 and YTX881360293.10: Month and Venue of draws: February 2016 and Bangkok-Thailand.Mr. Timone Song (Director of Operations and Logistics)Zip Post Express (Thailand) Co. Ltd500 /110-112 Nanglinchee Road Bangkok 10120, Thailand.Telefax:+66-9793-415.Email: zippostdeliverythailand@outlook.com Congratulations from the staff and thank you for being part of email account users program.Yours Sincerely,Mr. John HenryTEL:+4470-4570-5858Dr. P. Swier, Mr. Gerald Goodman (Manager Foreign Operations), Mr. Franklyn Van Der Weijden (Manager Domestic Banking Operations), Dr. James Williams (Director International Credit Department), Mrs. Sandra Murphy (Executive), Mr. Michael Cole (Executive), Sir. David Hanks (Chairman).Copyright A 2016 United Kingdom Lottery Organization. From: United Kingdom Lottery Organization. < brenna.s@hedkandisalon.com >To: < undisclosed-recipients:; >Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2016, 14:18 -0500Subject: YOUR EMAIL HAS OWN YOU $4.6 If you received a similar email, you should go to the homepage to read more about 419 fraud.
Effective May 1, 2016, Dr. Stefanie Wettberg (43), Vice President Corporate Communications, will become the new Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and will report to the Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors. The current head of the unit, Magdalena Moll (54), is leaving BASF at her own request after 13 years and will be responsible for investor relations activities at OMV Aktiengesellschaft in Vienna as of June 1.
Joseph Jones (51) will, as Vice President, assume responsibility for the Corporate Communications unit effective April 1. Jones, who is currently head of global communications for the Catalysts division headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey, will thus be responsible for media relations, publications and online activities. He will report to Elisabeth Schick (49), Senior Vice President Communications & Government Relations BASF Group.
The Abbott Laboratories campus in Abbott Park is seen in July 2015. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., says 180 Abbott employees have been given 60 days notice and told their last day will be April 22. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Corporate layoffs are so routine that they usually don't attract much attention among lawmakers in Washington, D.C. But Abbott Laboratories' recent move to outsource some information technology jobs has come under scrutiny from Sen. Dick Durbin.
The Illinois Democrat is upset about reports that the health care company, based in north suburban Abbott Park, is replacing American workers with foreign workers. In a letter to CEO Miles White released Monday, the senator urged Abbott to cancel the layoffs.
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"It should go without saying that such harsh and insensitive conduct is not justified by whatever marginal financial benefit might accrue to your company, which is already making billions of dollars in profits every year," Durbin wrote.
Abbott spokesman Scott Stoffel declined to comment on Durbin's criticism.
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The company hasn't publicly disclosed any layoffs in recent weeks. Durbin heard about the planned dismissals during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week on the impact of temporary visa programs, including H-1B's, used to bring immigrants, mainly from India, for technology work.
The senator's staff then spoke with some Abbott workers who confirmed the layoffs, according to Durbin's letter.
Durbin's letter said 180 Abbott employees were given 60 days' notice and told their last day will be April 22. People who lost their jobs also were told they would have to train their replacements, adding insult to injury, the letter said.
Abbott awarded an outsourcing contract to Wipro, a large India-based IT services firm, according to Durbin. After they are trained, the foreign workers will do these jobs outside the United States, his letter said.
Stoffel would only confirm that the company "recently outsourced some IT capabilities." He declined to confirm any details of the layoffs that Durbin disclosed.
"We're retaining the vast majority of our U.S.-based IT jobs," Stoffel said in a statement.
Durbin has been a big critic of the H-1B visas, which were intended to fill labor gaps in highly specialized areas that couldn't be filled by Americans. Instead, Durbin argues, the guest worker program has been exploited by U.S. companies to save labor costs. Media have recently reported on a number of companies, including Disney, Hertz and Toys R Us, that have fired American workers and replaced them with immigrants from an outsourcing company.
The news reports have spurred calls to reform the visa program to protect American workers.
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Durbin said in his letter to Abbott's CEO that "gaps in current law are no excuse for your company to treat your employees so unfairly."
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Twitter @ameetsachdev
Monster Beverage sued Li Chih, owner and overseer of a niche online forum called MonsterFishKeepers, for trademark infringement. Chih enlisted the help of law students at Suffolk University and won. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
In 2012, Li Chih, owner and overseer of a niche online forum called MonsterFishKeepers, filed for a trademark so he could sell logo T-shirts to other aquarium-owning hobbyists who enjoy chatting about very large fish.
It was a typical move by any small-business owner until, a few months later, Monster Beverage, the $28 billion energy-drink conglomerate partially owned by Coca-Cola, warned that he was infringing on its trademark and threatened a legal fight that could end up costing him more than $100,000 to defend.
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That, too, was fairly typical: Big companies file trademark actions all the time, and most small businesses quickly turn and run for fear of going bankrupt in court. Monster was infamously aggressive, filing more cases than any company in America last year with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the nation's top trademark court.
But this time, something different happened: Chih sought help from a group of college students at a pro bono legal clinic run by the Suffolk University Law School in downtown Boston. And earlier this month, after years of legal wrangling, the truly unusual happened: Chih and the students won.
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"It's pretty fun when you're the pain in the ass," said Meaghen Kenney, a 25-year-old law student who worked on the case as part of Suffolk's Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurship Clinic, and who graduates in May.
But wasn't it ever, you know, intimidating, staring down one of the most litigious trademark warriors in the business? "That was the most exciting part," Kenney said. "They've got all this money to burn, and I'm doing it for free."
The case has shone a light on the kooky corporate world of trademark wars, where big and small businesses often collide over the rights to some of corporate America's most valuable assets: Company logos, slogans and brands.
Businesses that don't police and defend their trademarks risk losing control of their influence or ceding their power to rival brands. But that fighting philosophy has led some firms into seemingly irrational turf wars: Sportswear giant Under Armour, for instance, has fought a Christian clothing company over the word "armor."
Monster, known for hyper-caffeinated beverages including NOS and Full Throttle and its extreme-sports sponsorships, argued MonsterFishKeepers' name and 'M' logo stepped too closely to its protected use of the word "monster," a term Chaucer used more than 600 years before the invention of the energy drink.
Monster did not return requests for comment, but its scorched-earth trademark strategy fills court records: In 2015 alone, Monster fought an Ohio craft brewhouse, saying its "Beast from the East" beer hewed too close to its "Unleash the Beast" slogan; took a Mexican restaurant in San Antonio named Chacho's to court over its "Monster Kong Nachos"; and launched a battle against the Dassault Wine Estates on the argument that buyers might confuse the French vineyard's wines with the drink-making colossus' soda-energy Monster Assault.
Chih, 39, has loved predatory jumbo fish since he was a teenager, when he remembers hefting a 25-gallon fish tank for a mile between his home and D.C.'s Chinatown. At his suburban Washington home, he now owns 14 aquariums, including a 600-gallon mega-tank, where he watches over a 3-foot catfish and a "very exotic" Asian sea bass called a barramundi.
Chih started the forum in 2005 to make friends in the predatory-fish-keeping community, and in the years since the site has grown into what he calls "one of the biggest fish forums in the world": Some of its 100,000 forum members have attended gatherings in California, Australia and Singapore.
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Chih runs a wholesale distribution company in D.C., for his day job, and at night he tends to MonsterFishKeepers, where site and server cost about $3,000 a month. To help cover those expenses, plus sponsorships with groups such as the Capital Cichlid Association ("A Growing Force in the Cichlid Hobby"), Chih sought the trademark and paid for thousands of shirts and decals he could sell at conventions and fish meet-ups.
But Chih was bowled over in 2012, when Monster sent him its first fiercely worded cease-and-desist, and again when he met with an attorney who said he'd need to spend about $150,000 to protect the name with no guarantee he was going to win.
"It was like a dent on me, a dent on my motivation," he said. "It was kind of like, why do they want to go after us? We're just a bunch of fish-keepers."
In the summer of 2012, a member of MonsterFishKeepers who knew of Monster's legal blitzkrieg told Chih to reach out to Suffolk's fledgling intellectual-property law clinic, which worked like a small law firm, taking cases that its student attorneys could then research and debate. One experienced attorney would lead, supervise and vouch for the cases, assisted by eight third-year Suffolk law students working 15 hours a week.
The case seemed to have strong legal merit, said Anne Hulecki, the clinic's current practitioner-in-residence, whose predecessor, attorney Eve Brown, led Chih's case: The energy-drink company and fish-hobbyist blog operated in completely different markets.
"It seemed like another case of an underdog being taken advantage of," Hulecki said. "We see large companies with lots of resources being so vigilant that sometimes it doesn't make sense, and this was a case of that."
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But to prove it, the students had to rebut the well-worn arguments of Monster's legal force. Over the last four years, the students would head into the clinic's small cubicle-laden office at night, after their classwork and paying jobs were done, to craft arguments, write briefs and research case law.
"It was exciting, and the more we researched, the more we saw the opportunity to fight back where a lot of businesses can't," said Alex Chiulli, a 33-year-old recent graduate who now works as an associate at New England law firm Barton Gilman. But it also began to consume their brains: "You go into a CVS and you see a Monster energy drink and your mind starts to go back to the case."
The energy-drink company had argued Chih's name would lead to consumer confusion; for evidence, lawyers submitted print-outs from Facebook and an online forum of two commenters discussing whether the logo "stole" Monster's design.
But the clinic "mini-lawyers" argued that "monster fish" was a widely used term in the fish-keeping community to describe jumbo sea creatures -- a fact that viewers of TV's "River Monsters" and "Monster Fish" likely know already.
On Feb. 1, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board finally unveiled its decision: The board would not register Chih's logo its 'M' with devil horns looked similar to Monster's 'M' with claw marks but handed him a decisive victory, in preventing Monster from opposing the MonsterFishKeepers name itself.
The mark "engenders such a different commercial impression from opposer's mark that confusion is not likely," the board wrote. "In contrast and as the evidence bears out, because MONSTER precedes FISH and KEEPERS in Applicant's mark, the entire mark will be understood as referencing an extremely large fish that is being kept."
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When the students learned of the win, Hulecki said, "everyone was ecstatic"; for some students, it was their first big case and first real victory. Chih was happy, too, believing the win would encourage other small businesses facing down "trademark bullies and trolls." In a triumphant post, Chih told forum members, "I have beaten the monster!"
The clinic has moved onto other cases, including representing photographers in cases where their photos may have been stolen by large companies, and many of the students who worked on the Monster case have moved along, too.
When Kenney graduates in May, she plans to join Brown, the clinic's former supervising practitioner, at Bricolage Law, a young firm defending small businesses against threats from corporate giants.
"It's hard to describe why I felt so passionate about it. It just seemed to me so unfair," she said. She remembered back to when she first heard about the case, before the victory: "I immediately was like, 'This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.'"
Ken Griffin, the founder and CEO of Citadel, is the 166th richest person in the world, according to Forbes' 2017 list of billionaires. He is once again the richest persion in Illinois, with a net worth of $8 billion. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Ken Griffin's divorce settlement may have captured the headlines, but it hasn't put a dent in his wealth, which has increased by $1 billion over the last year and by $500 million since September, according to Forbes magazine.
Illinois' richest resident is the 157th richest person in the world with a net worth of $7.5 billion, according to Forbes, which on Tuesday released its annual ranking of global billionaires. The Citadel hedge fund founder, 47, has been splashing around his cash in recent months, purchasing a pair of artworks by Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning for $500 million and a series of ultra-high-end properties in Miami, New York and Chicago.
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But spare a thought for the state's richest family, the Pritzkers, who are having a bad spell, losing a combined $850 million since the magazine produced its last list, of the U.S.' wealthiest people, six months ago. J.B. Pritzker saw his personal wealth plummet by $200 million to $3.2 billion, while Tom Pritzker fell by $300 million to $2.7 billion, Penny Pritzker fell by $100 million to $2.3 billion, Gigi Pritzker fell by $200 million to $2.1 billion and Jennifer Pritzker dropped $50 million to $1.7 billion, according to Forbes. Nicholas Pritzker, whose relatively puny $1.4 billion fortune wasn't big enough to make the list of the 400 richest Americans in September, lost $100 million over the year, the magazine estimates.
It was a bad six months for Illinois billionaires in general. Real estate mogul and former Chicago Tribune owner Sam Zell, 74, remains the state's second-richest resident, but saw his wealth drop by $100 million to $4.8 billion, according to the list. The state's third-richest resident, Walton Street Capital founder Neil Bluhm, 78, lost $100 million to fall to $3.4 billion, Forbes said.
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Apart from Griffin, the only two Illinois billionaires to see their wealth grow over the last six months were eccentric Beanie Baby inventor and convicted tax cheat Ty Warner, and Chicago's chicken king, meat-processing giant Joseph Grendys. Warner's wealth grew by $100 million to $2.4 billion, while Grendys also gained $100 million to reach $1.9 billion.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates remains the world's richest person, with an estimated fortune of $75.8 billion.
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg was the biggest earner during the year. He added $11.2 billion to his net worth, moving up 10 places to become the world's sixth-richest person with an estimated fortune of $44.6 billion, according to Forbes.
kjanssen@tribpub.com
Twitter @kimjnews
Graeter's Ice Cream just revealed its annual mystery flavor today, so prepare yourself for cheese crown flavored ice cream?!
The small-batch Cincinnati ice cream maker started way back in 1870, and has slowly expanded around the Midwest. But unless you grew up around the company's hometown of Cincinnati, you probably have no idea what a cheese crown is. Even my sister, who lives a few hours away in Columbus, claims the item is unheard of in central Ohio.
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Usually when food brands release new flavors to the public, they make some awkward attempt at staying current in the culinary world, which explains how we ended up with sriracha potato chips. Instead, Graeter's went with a kind of pastry unheard of outside the southwestern Ohio region, and which was invented nearly 50 years ago.
So, what the hell is a cheese crown?
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I called a couple bakeries in Cincinnati to get the scoop, but that didn't help as much as I hoped. "It's like a muffin, but it has cinnamon on the bottom and cheese in the middle," one hurried employee of a bakery replied. When asked what kind of cheese, she admitted she had no idea.
From various snooping online, I'm almost positive the cheese crown is a kind of danish baked in a muffin tin that has cinnamon streusel on the bottom, a cheesecake filling, and icing on top.
Fortunately, you don't have to have much of an idea what the cheese crown is to enjoy the new flavor. The creamy cheesecake flavored ice cream is punctuated with crispy cinnamon sugar pastry pieces and small bites of fondant icing flakes.
In a quick taste test, one member of our Food & Dining team said it reminded her of the flavors of an Ann Sathers cinnamon roll. It honestly reminds me of slurping the bottom of bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, and I mean that as a compliment.
The new flavor is available today at Jewel, Mariano's, Sunset Foods, Treasure Island Foods, and at Graeter's own store in Northbrook. Look for it to cost between $4.99 and $6. For store information, visit www.graeters.com.
The Shrine at 2109-11 S. Wabash Ave. in Chicago was closed by the city after shootings outside the nightclub, complaints from neighbors and the concerns of a top police official. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
When the City Council enacted a summary closure ordinance in June 2015, it seemed tailor-made for a nightclub like The Shrine.
A string of shootings outside the nightclub over the course of a year had created a dangerous situation for The Shrine's neighbors in the South Loop. But it wasn't until last month, after a patron was shot in the head outside the hip-hop club, that city officials finally shuttered it.
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The city's failure to respond to complaints of neighbors and even the concerns of a top police official shows how ordinances meant to deal with neighborhood nuisances like The Shrine can prove ineffective when pitted against the bureaucratic process.
Indeed, a Police Department commander testified at a hearing at which The Shrine sought a license to extend its closing time from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. that the club already consumed more than its share of police resources. The department was armed with the summary closure ordinance, which was intended to give the city the ability to close a business when its operation was deemed a threat to public safety.
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"It has been one of the most frustrating things, trying to shut some of these places down," said Ald. Scott Waguespack, who was not involved in the dispute over The Shrine but whose North Side ward includes several troublesome clubs, including The Dolphin Club and Crush, which later became Koncrete.
"Attorneys come in and they try to run out the clock and ask for extensions."
Owner Joseph T. Russo and his lawyer, Zubin Kammula, declined to comment about The Shrine's problems.
Ald. Pat Dowell, whose ward includes The Shrine, also declined comment.
Law Department spokesman Bill McCaffrey said the city couldn't have used its summary closure ordinance earlier because previous incidents at the club did not meet the necessary criteria although some of those incidents, according to a Tribune review, do indeed appear to meet the criteria. City lawyers said a Feb. 20 shooting outside the club finally crossed the threshold for using the ordinance to shut down The Shrine, but police records show it was actually the fifth violent incident tied to the club since the ordinance went into effect.
According to the police order addressing the use of the summary closure ordinance, the Police Department may close a business if a violent offense such as a shooting or aggravated assault occurs at or "next to" the establishment during business hours, involves employees or patrons, or "involves circumstances having a connection to the operation of the establishment." The order's definition of an "establishment" includes inside the property itself, but also on the public way "next to" the property, or on private property the business leases, "such as a parking lot."
The Shrine, at 2109-11 S. Wabash Ave., first opened in 2009 and quickly drew crowds for well-known hip-hop and rap acts. But it was also a magnet for problems with the police. According to city records, when the club first opened, Russo asked then-Ald. Bob Fioretti to support a late-night liquor license. Fioretti recommended against pursuing the license initially, according to a summary of the club's history written by members of the city's License Appeal Board. Russo began pursuing the late-night license five years later, when Fioretti no longer represented the ward.
But the effort ran into opposition from the Police Department.
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When the matter came before the local Liquor Control commissioner in September 2014, then-Central District Cmdr. Alfred Nagode testified the club was already a locus of nuisances that he feared would get worse and presented statistics to support his claim. They showed, according to city records, that "there are a rather high number of calls for service relative to criminal activity and public safety for that one block area. Issuing a late hour license would have a continued negative impact in that area." He urged officials to deny the club the right to operate until 4 a.m.
The liquor commissioner denied The Shrine's request on Sept. 11, 2014, according to city records.
Russo immediately appealed to another city body, the License Appeal Commission. In November of that year, appeal commission Chairman Dennis M. Fleming discounted the Police Department's view and sided with Russo, granting The Shrine a 4 a.m. license.
A Tribune review of crime statistics from a city database shows that, since The Shrine's license to operate until 4 a.m. was granted, the number of nondomestic-related aggravated batteries and assaults in the two police beats that surround the club has more than doubled.
In June 2015, the City Council enacted the summary closure ordinance, and after that several incidents occurred at The Shrine.
On Aug. 15, 2015, a 25-year-old man leaving The Shrine was shot while getting into his car at 3 a.m. about two blocks from the club. The police report noted that the attack began as an altercation inside The Shrine moments before. Police said the shooting happened too far away from the club to use the ordinance.
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In mid-November, armed security guards at The Shrine chased robbery suspects through the streets around the club, engaging them in a gunfight. No one was hit, but the guards fired 16 shots. Police said the robbery had no connection to the club. The gunfire by the security guards happened around the corner from the club at an address that was adjacent to the back of its building. Police deemed the shooting by the security guards to be legal.
A few weeks later, on Nov. 27, two men were leaving The Shrine shortly after 3 a.m. when they got into an argument with another person in front of the club. Moments later, one of the men was shot in the nightclub's parking lot, according to Police Department reports on the incident.
City lawyers issued The Shrine a written violation in January stemming from the Nov. 27 shooting. The club was belatedly written up because video reviewed after the incident showed an unrelated fight inside the club that operators should have reported to police.
That was a violation of the safety guidelines the club agreed to in order to win its 4 a.m. license.
Rather than use the summary closure ordinance to close the nightclub over any of these incidents, the city lawyers initiated a lengthy hearing process before the local Liquor Control commissioner that promised to take months, with an uncertain outcome. Residents concerned about the safety of their neighborhood were puzzled by the city's tactics. After a Jan. 25 status hearing before the Liquor Control Commission, a supervisor from the Law Department gathered residents in the hallway outside the meeting room and recommended they not come to the public hearings on the case because it could hurt their chances of seeing the nightclub disciplined.
When a Tribune reporter present at the time identified himself and asked the supervisor, David Smith, about the remark which had been made to a group of citizens in a public space at City Hall Smith said he had intended his statement not to be for publication.
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McCaffrey, when asked about the incident, said Smith had told those gathered that "making their presence known on the record at future hearings could be counterproductive with the hearing officer and give the owners an argument for appeal that the hearing officer had been unduly influenced by the public."
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Discouraging the public from attending hearings on license violations seemed to be part of the nightclubs' strategy, Waguespack said. The alderman dealt with the issue in multiple clubs where shootings took place, including The Dolphin Club and Crush, which was closed after a shooting but later allowed to reopen as Koncrete, until a fatal shooting outside the club in December led to its closing.
On Feb. 20, the city finally moved to close The Shrine. The action came after an incident in which a fight broke out inside the club and, when security guards escorted the patrons outside, at least two patrons and a security guard drew guns and opened fire.
One of the guards was struck in the leg. A female patron was struck in the head.
Later, the club's owners voluntarily surrendered their various liquor and business licenses. The owners had announced recently that The Shrine was going out of business in the near future because the building was being redeveloped. Lawyers in the corporation counsel's office said, however, that they are still pursuing a full hearing to formally revoke the licenses and prohibit the ownership group from ever again holding a liquor license in Chicago.
Chicago Tribune's Abraham Epton contributed.
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Twitter @davidheinzmann
Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, talks to the media before going in to cast his vote in the Texas primary March 1, 2016, in Houston. (Pat Sullivan / AP)
A Cook County judge on Tuesday threw out a petition seeking to knock Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz off the Illinois ballot because the Texas senator wasn't born in the United States.
Lawrence J. Joyce, of far northwest suburban Poplar Grove, petitioned the Illinois State Board of Elections in January to have Cruz's name removed from the March 15 primary ballot, arguing Cruz is not eligible to run for president because he is not a "natural-born citizen," as required by the U.S. Constitution. Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father.
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Cruz's lawyer, Sharee Langenstein, countered that the senator indeed is a "natural-born citizen" because American citizenship was conferred upon him at birth by his mother. Langenstein said it is customary for children born to Americans outside the country to receive American citizenship, citing the examples of Arizona Sen. John McCain and late Michigan Gov. George Romney. McCain was born to American parents in Panama and Romney was born to American parents in Mexico.
"Ted Cruz became a natural-born citizen at the moment of his birth because it was not necessary to become a citizen through the naturalization process at some point after birth," hearing officer James Tenuto wrote in his analysis. The election board endorsed Tenuto's ruling in early February and overruled Joyce's objection.
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Joyce appealed the election board's decision to the Cook County Circuit Court.
But a Tuesday afternoon hearing before Circuit Court Judge Maureen Ward Kirby never addressed those issues because lawyers for Cruz and the election board successfully argued that Joyce did not fulfill the requirements of election law in filing his request for judicial review.
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Specifically, Ward Kirby said Joyce did not properly serve Cruz or the members of the election board with copies of his petition before the court. Ward Kirby said failing to satisfy any of the Illinois Election Code requirements meant she had no legal standing to review his complaint.
Joyce said he was not sure whether he would appeal that decision. Joyce, a supporter of Dr. Ben Carson, said his main aim was to keep Cruz from securing the Republican nomination, which may prove a moot point after the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses.
"My concern is that if Ted Cruz is the nominee of the party, Congressman Alan Grayson will go ahead with his threat, along with several other Democrats, to keep Ted Cruz off the ballot," Joyce said. "Fundraising for Ted Cruz would dry up, his standing in the polls would plummet, he may be forced to resign the nomination."
Had the judge been able to review the case, Langenstein said, she felt confident in their standing about Cruz's citizenship. She criticized Joyce's tactics, saying his petition unfairly tried to stymie Cruz's campaign.
"This lawsuit was merely a misguided attempt to distract the voters away from the candidate who's the most qualified candidate we have for president, and that's Sen. Ted Cruz," Langenstein said.
cdrhodes@tribpub.com
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Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday tried to blame House Speaker Michael Madigan for the financial crisis facing some Illinois public universities, contending the Democratic leader is holding up a compromise to agitate voters ahead of the primary election.
A Madigan spokesman denied the claim, saying the speaker is working to collect votes to override Rauner's recent veto of a bill that would release $721 million to fund community colleges and tuition grants for low-income students.
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The exchange came as the budget impasse, which has left state government operating without full spending authority since July, threatens closures and layoffs at Illinois universities, including Chicago State and Eastern Illinois.
While turning thumbs down on the Democratic plan saying Illinois can't afford it, Rauner is pushing legislation that would spend $1.6 billion on tuition grants, community colleges and universities but also allow him to make cuts elsewhere in state government as he sees fit.
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Rauner said Madigan is holding up a compromise to score points ahead of the March 15 legislative primaries. The powerful speaker is running "a dictatorship of one individual who cares about politics over people," said the governor, who called Madigan's veto override attempt "a sham vote."
On Monday, Rauner came out in support of another option: a bill that would employ an accounting gimmick to send $160 million to struggling colleges and universities, including Chicago State, which has canceled spring break to make sure students can finish the semester before the school goes broke.
"There are real solutions available to us to solve the crisis in higher education funding, but those solutions are being ignored and, instead, Speaker Madigan and his folks in the legislature are trying to create a crisis and create headlines around the crisis to impact the primary voting that's going on right now," Rauner said. "Political games are being put ahead of students' lives."
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said, "The only thing the speaker and speaker's staff is trying to do is whip up more votes for the override" of Rauner's veto on the tuition grant bill. "That's all we're trying to do."
Brown said the speaker's office is reviewing the bill to funnel money to colleges and universities, but raised concerns that the legislation does not spell out which universities would receive the money. Brown also noted that the bill makes the money available only if lawmakers approve separate legislation that forgives $454 million in borrowing that Rauner's administration already made from other state accounts. Included in that figure is $180 million for school construction projects, Brown said.
kgeiger@tribpub.com
Twitter @kimgeiger
Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell said during a hearing on encryption Tuesday that the FBI, in seeking access to a phone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers, is asking a judge to "give them something we don't have." Mar. 1. (AP) (Chicago Tribune)
Reporting from Washington The heated dispute over the FBI effort to force Apple to help unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino killers moved Tuesday to Capitol Hill, where lawmakers appear deeply divided on the issue.
FBI Director James B. Comey and Apple's general counsel, Bruce Sewell, both testified at a crowded House Judiciary Committee hearing on encryption and the balance between privacy and national security.
Comey warned that public safety may suffer if Apple and other Silicon Valley companies can defy court-ordered warrants to cooperate with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
"If there are warrant-proof spaces in American life, what does that mean? And what are the consequences of that?" Comey asked.
Comey denied Sewell's claim that the FBI is asking for a "backdoor" key to open Apple devices, insisting the California case is focused only on a single iPhone 5c.
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FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday. (Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press)
"There is already a door on the iPhone," he said, referred to the encrypted password. "We are asking Apple to take the vicious guard dog away and let us pick the lock."
The FBI wants Apple to write software that would turn off a security feature designed to wipe out data if 10 incorrect attempts are made to enter the password. Once those settings are disabled, the FBI would then try passwords until the phone unlocks.
The hearing convened a day after Apple won a major federal court ruling in New York, a ruling that could affect the San Bernardino case, as well as potential legislation in Congress.
In Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein said he did not have the authority to order Apple to disable security on a iPhone used by a drug dealer who had pleaded guilty in a methamphetamine distribution case.
Across the country in Riverside, Apple is fighting U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym's order to write software so FBI technicians can unlock a work phone used by Syed Rizwan Farook. He and his wife killed 14 people on Dec. 2 at the Inland Regional Center.
It's unclear if any useful evidence exists on Farook's phone. The FBI insists it might hold clues to the couple's location, contacts and communications before the attack.
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The debate has created unusual alliances in Congress, as libertarian Republicans have lined up with civil liberties Democrats to support Apple stand on privacy.
But it also has aligned national security hawks in both parties, who warn that law enforcement will be blocked from accessing evidence in terrorism and criminal cases unless high tech companies are forced to cooperate.
Here's everything you need to know about the fight between Apple and the FBI in two minutes. (Los Angeles Times)
The divide was clear from the start of Tuesday's hearing when Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he once led efforts to prevent law enforcement from getting a backdoor key to commercial encryption, allowing U.S. companies to thrive and keep the market from heading overseas.
But now, he said, the use of stronger encryption and other new tech tools "by those intending harm to the American people is outpacing law enforcement's technological capability to access those communications in legitimate criminal and national security investigations."
"We must find a way for physical security not to be at odds with information security," Goodlatte said. "Law enforcement must be able to fight crime and keep us safe, and this country's innovative companies must at the same time have the opportunity to offer secure services to keep our customers safe."
The question over how to balance privacy and security is "too complex to be left to the courts and must be answered by Congress," Goodlatte said.
But the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), warned that the FBI may be using the San Bernardino case to win public sympathy and change the law.
"I would be deeply disappointed if it turns out that the government is found to be exploiting a national tragedy to pursue a change in the law," he said.
"This case appears to be little more than an end run around this committee," Conyers said.
In testimony submitted before Tuesday's hearing, Sewell argued that the FBI is "asking for a back door into the iPhone specifically to build a software tool that can break the encryption system which protects personal information on every iPhone."
Weakening encryption, he said, "will only hurt consumers and other well-meaning users who rely on companies like Apple to protect their personal information."
In court papers, Justice Department lawyers have argued that they are asking Apple to write software only for the one phone, not for all iPhones, and that the company would still control the software, not the government.
Manhattan Dist. Atty. Cyrus Vance Jr., who also will testify at the hearing, said in a statement submitted to the committee that his office has 175 Apple devices in its forensics lab that investigators can't open.
"It is important to recognize that 95% of all criminal prosecutions in this country are handled at the state and local level, and that Apple's switch to default encryption in the fall of 2014 severely harms many of these prosecutions," Vance wrote.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 4 People rally in front of an Apple Store in San Francisco to show support for Apple Inc., on its refusal to to help the FBI to gain encryption 'backdoor' access to information. (John G. Mabanglo, EPA / Feb. 23, 2016)
Vance has given lawmakers proposed legislation that would require companies to design their products so police and prosecutors can read locked data subject to a search warrant.
Lawmakers are split over whether the government should be able to force tech companies to weaken security features meant to protect customers' private data.
A bill being drafted by Sen. Richard M. Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the panel's top Democrat, would penalize companies that don't comply with court orders to help authorities crack encrypted devices.
"No one's above the law in this country; no company, no individual, no organization," Feinstein said last week after Apple said it would fight the court order. "All the FBI is asking them to do is cooperate and do their best to help."
Apple supports a competing proposal that would create a blue-ribbon commission to study encryption and privacy concerns, and then make recommendations to Congress.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, introduced a bill Monday to create the National Commission on Digital Security.
It would include tech executives, privacy advocates, law enforcement officials and academics.
Rep. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a privacy hawk who has repeatedly sought to push back on government surveillance, is backing Apple.
He says the FBI attempt to force the company to bypass encryption will allow hackers to break in as well. Encrypted devices made overseas would quickly replace smartphones made by Apple and other American companies, he warned.
The FBI request, he said in a statement, is wrong "from a security standpoint, wrong from a liberty standpoint, and wrong from an economic standpoint."
Google, Facebook, Verizon and Yahoo are among the tech and telecom companies drafting briefs in support of Apple.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym has scheduled a hearing March 22 at the federal court in Riverside.
brian.bennett@latimes.com
Follow @ByBrianBennett on Twitter.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Zika has landed forcefully in America, in one of its poorest and most vulnerable corners, a debt-ridden territory lacking a functioning health-care system, window screens and even a spray that works against the mosquitoes spreading the virus in homes, workplaces, schools and parks.
There are 117 confirmed cases of the virus in Puerto Rico, four times the number at the end of January. The island territory, which has a population of 3.5 million people, is "by far the most affected area" in the United States, Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Friday. The number will almost certainly rise sharply in coming weeks, making it ever more likely that the virus will spread to the continental United States.
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Dozens of flights move daily between San Juan and Orlando, Washington, New York and other major cities on the mainland. Cruise ships stop here as part of their Caribbean tours. College students will soon head here on spring break.
The growing outbreak has laid bare how deeply Puerto Rico's debt crisis has cut public programs, including basic health and environmental control services needed to fight the virus. Most homes and public schools - and even some medical facilities - don't have window screens. A specialist in birth defects at Puerto Rico's top hospital has trouble obtaining basic supplies, such as toner for his office printer. There are hundreds of abandoned houses - not only in low- and middle-income neighborhoods but also in gated communities - because owners have fled to the mainland as a result of the economic crisis.
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Experts say urgent action is needed before mosquitos reach their peak with the start of the rainy season in April. Experts from the CDC estimate that 70,000 people - about 20 percent of the population - could be infected across the island by the end of the year, based on previous outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya, related viral diseases.
In response, the CDC has sent 30 experts from its Atlanta headquarters and elsewhere to Puerto Rico, adding to the 70 CDC staff members based here who usually work on dengue fever but now are focusing on Zika. Frieden is expected to visit soon. President Barack Obama's $1.9 billion emergency Zika request to Congress includes $250 million for Puerto Rico.
"I don't think we're going to be able to stop the Zika outbreak," said Steve Waterman, chief of the CDC's dengue branch, located on the city's west side. "There will be a substantial Zika outbreak that will peak in the summer and fall. It's likely that thousands of pregnant women will be exposed and infected, so that's why our efforts are focused on protecting as many pregnant women as possible."
Five of the 117 confirmed cases involve pregnant women. And unlike in the continental United States, where cases are the result of infected travelers to Latin America and elsewhere bringing the virus back home, almost all the cases in Puerto Rico involve people bitten here by infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which also spreads dengue fever and chikungunya.
Residents are blanketed in a cloud of permethrin as a team from the Puerto Rico department of health sprays the insecticide the neighborhood of Cupey, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Allison Shelley / Allison Shelley)
Because of the suspected link between Zika and potentially devastating birth defects, authorities are focusing on protecting as many pregnant women as possible. That includes 4,000 expectant mothers living in parts of the island where mosquitoes are spreading the virus. That's more than one-third of Puerto Rico - primarily San Juan, the northeast and the southern coast.
Only the CDC and Puerto Rico's health department labs can perform the special Zika testing. The labs expect to run 100,000 tests over the year for pregnant women, five times as many as they handle now, Waterman said. Determining whether someone is infected is complicated because most people don't show symptoms. It's also hard for tests to easily differentiate between dengue and Zika infections.
On Monday, authorities in Puerto Rico began distributing free Zika prevention kits to pregnant women that were created by the CDC and the CDC Foundation. The kits include information and tools to help them reduce risk of infection and include repellent, products that kill mosquito larvae, and condoms.
Mosquitoes have ample breeding grounds here. In the Villa Palmeras cemetery in barrio Obrero, a low-income neighborhood in northeastern San Juan, virtually all of the thousands of graves have built-in flower stands where water, and mosquito larvae, collect. There are 109 cemeteries across Puerto Rico and thousands of flower holders.
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Mosquito larvae also flourish underground, in water meters and vent pipes of septic tanks, which contain more water than elsewhere in the United States, said Roberto Barrera, a CDC entomologist.
And then there are the mountains of used tires, which mosquitoes flock to, said Johnny Rullan, a former health secretary who is helping the government eliminate breeding sites. Puerto Rico has accumulated more used tires than anywhere else in the United States, experts said. In the past three weeks, temporary collection centers have received more than 561,000 tires.
A statue stands guard atop a tomb stone at the Villa Palmeras cemetery in the Barrio Obrero neighborhood of San Juan. The cemetery is one of the oldest in the city. Many of the graves feature flower urns that hold rainwater, providing the perfect breeding ground for the mosquito that can carry dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. (Allison Shelley / Allison Shelley)
'Part of living on the island'
Perhaps the most difficult challenge is changing people's attitudes and behavior about an ever-present pest that is as much a part of life here as steamy weather and graceful old banyan trees.
"What can I say, it's part of living on the island," said Jose Fernandez, a supervisor at a tire collection center in Humacao, in the southeast.
Emeris Canales Morales, 27, a single mother who is 23 weeks pregnant, lives in a home that overlooks a small cemetery on one side and a fetid canal on the other. Plastic bottles and other trash collect along the banks of the canal. Her windows have no screens. In December, the mosquitoes were biting so hard that she woke up with red welts covering her arms.
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At a prenatal clinic for high-risk pregnancies at San Juan's University Hospital at the Puerto Rico Medical Center, she was among the first to sign up for free Zika screening for women in their first and second trimesters.
She won't know the results for at least another week. Her first two pregnancies ended in miscarriages because of complications from diabetes. She is hoping for the best this time.
"I haven't had the fever or the red eyes or the rash," said Canales, who lives in Loiza, a northeast community that is one of the island's poorest areas.
But even for pregnant women, it's hard to stay vigilant against the mosquito.
"When there was chikungunya, we joked about it until everyone had it," she said. "Until people have the sickness, nobody in Loiza will take it seriously."
Said Brenda Rivera, chief epidemiologist for Puerto Rico's health department: "Controlling Zika is going to be a daunting task." The department is coordinating the island's response to the public health emergency.
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Biologist Manuel Amador, right, catches stray adult mosquitos while entomologist Dr. Roberto Barrea, left, describes new traps that his team is devising in a lab where they are breeding thousands of mosquitos for research at the CDC's dengue branch in San Juan. The center has become ground zero in the war against the Zika virus in the country. (Allison Shelley / Allison Shelley)
Poor and unprepared
Women in Puerto Rico give birth to about 33,000 babies a year. The island has one of the highest teenage birth rates in the United States, and many public high schools have no window screens. The government is estimating how much it would cost to add screens, said Grace Santana, chief of staff to Gov. Alejandro Javier Garcia Padilla.
Nearly half of Puerto Rico lives below the poverty line. The thousands of pastel-hued public housing projects that dot the island don't have air conditioning. Residents don't have window screens, in part because they can't afford them, but also because they don't want to block the breeze. Adding screens to those homes would cost about $70 million, said Grace Santana, chief of staff to Garcia Padilla.
At dusk on a recent day, a maroon pickup truck drove through the streets in the middle-class neighborhood of Riveras de Cupey, in San Juan's south, spraying permethrin, a commonly used insecticide, from a machine mounted on the back.
But Aedes aegypti mosquitoes already have developed resistance to permethrin in some parts of Puerto Rico, said Audrey Lenhart, a CDC research entomologist. She is testing which insecticides are most effective, something that was never done before.
"The Puerto Rican government doesn't really have a well-developed vector control and surveillance program," she said, referring to basic programs to eliminate insects, birds and other vectors that transmit disease.
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CDC teams are helping authorities rebuild mosquito control programs, expand testing, and monitor and track thousands of pregnant women and their babies. They also are working with U.S. companies to provide window screens for women's homes, and to bring to market a CDC-invented trap that could be a potent and cheap way to snare and kill adult mosquitoes.
For doctors such as Alberto De La Vega, an expert in high-risk pregnancies at the University Hospital in San Juan, Zika is one of many serious concerns. He worries that additional Zika testing will create huge demands on an already burdened health system.
"We're having problems getting supplies, but we have to uphold U.S. standards," he said. He has modern ultrasound equipment, but he pays out of his own pocket for the paper sheets that cover exam room beds.
He tells his patients they need to remove standing water and wear repellent.
"What we can do as physicians is very little," he said. "By the time we identify problems with the fetus, it's usually well into the second trimester, and by then it's too late."
Emeris Canale Morales, 27, walks with her dog Lucy on the family's compound next to a nearly stagnant canal in the coastal town of Loiza, just east of San Juan in February. Morales is 23 weeks pregnant and has been tested for Zika. (Allison Shelley / Allison Shelley)
'I'm going to have the baby'
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The new mystery disease has infected Zulmarys Molina Paredes, 29. She's one of the five pregnant women with a confirmed Zika diagnosis. But at 16 weeks in her pregnancy, an ultrasound shows her baby developing normally.
Molina and her 2-year-old son, Marco, live in Humacao in a peach-colored public housing project with her mother, aunt and brother. She is the sole breadwinner. She thinks she became infected at the private university where she works as an admissions officer, during tours of the campus. The campus has an artificial lake surrounded by trees full of mosquitoes.
Her headaches began Feb. 5. The following Monday, she looked in the mirror and was stunned.
"I was starting to put on my makeup and realized I was covered in a rash," she said. "I got really scared."
The emergency room doctor sent Molina's blood to be tested. Nine days later, she was told her test was positive for Zika. But the doctor also said scientists didn't know how often women with Zika infections have babies with birth defects such as microcephaly, where they are born with abnormally small heads.
Given the uncertainty, she is choosing to believe - and to pray - that everything will be fine. An amniocentesis is scheduled for next week. More ultrasounds will follow.
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"I don't care what happens. I'm going to have the baby," Molina said. "I have faith that she's going to be fine." Her due date is Aug. 6. She will name her daughter Michaela.
This photo provided by courtesy of Open Road Films shows, Rachel McAdams, from left, as Sacha Pfeiffer, Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes and Brian dArcy James as Matt Carroll, in a scene from the film, "Spotlight." (Kerry Hayes, AP)
There couldn't have been a better moment for the movie "Spotlight" to win at the Academy Awards for best picture and best original screenplay. Coming within days of GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump's threatening remarks on freedom of the press, these Oscars serve as validation of the journalism profession. They also recognize the rendering of the story behind the story of The Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative series exposing sexual abuse by Catholic priests.
"We would not be here today without the heroic efforts of our reporters," producer Blye Faust said in accepting the Oscar for best picture. Heroism was the theme.
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Still, there is another important takeaway. It springs from a moment in the movie.
There is an exchange between actor Liev Schreiber, who played the methodical Globe editor Marty Baron, and John Slattery as the eager assistant managing editor Ben Bradlee Jr. on whether the paper's Spotlight investigative team should move forward with a story on the abusive priests.
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Baron: "We need to focus on the institution, not the individual priests. Practice and policy "
Bradlee: "Sounds like we're going after (Cardinal Bernard Francis) Law."
Baron: "We're going after the system."
Wrapped in that last comment is the recognition by Baron, now executive editor of The Washington Post, that merely exposing individual wrongdoers does not go far enough if systemic flaws enable wrongdoing to continue.
That is the driving dramatic question for the movie and the emerging motivation for the Globe journalists.
Even more, though, it is a compelling challenge for the journalism profession on matters of race. Too often, we are content to frame stories about racial conflict as individual problems and not as institutional ones.
College campus tension, excessive police force, even racial political pandering are all framed as anomalies, problems caused by misguided individuals. As with "Spotlight," that frame excludes what should be our real focus. As a result, we wind up missing a critical realization: We just might be part of the system we are "going after."
In the movie, that possibility is teased out as the realization sets in with actor Michael Keaton's character, Spotlight editor Walter "Robby" Robinson. Admitting he was "raised Catholic," he sees late in the investigation that a church sex scandal story could have should have been more thoroughly covered by the paper "years ago." Instead it was "buried" in the Metro section, where he had been editor.
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The inference here is sobering: Perhaps the Globe itself was part of the network of institutions that must be held accountable. Reporters and editors, living and working in a pro-Catholic community culture, had on blinders.
Fast forward. Consider whether we also have on blinders in covering difficult social issues. The possibility of cultural bias cannot be ignored.
This is not a left-right bias, or even necessarily a black-white bias. This bias can spring from something seemingly benign a belief that the system is fundamentally sound. People tend to believe problems only arise when individuals abuse the system. There is an unquestioned belief in the rightness of our institutions. During his extensive study of media biases at Columbia University, sociologist Herbert Gans found as much.
Many people believe that cops serve and protect, do the right thing, and people are arrested because they do the wrong thing. And that is the point at which race can enter into it. Because of social constructions of race, we have preset notions of who is more likely to do wrong and who is more likely to be in the right who is bad, who is good.
No surprise, then, that some people are quick to accept Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke's justification for shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times. No surprise that they are quick to accept that McDonald posed a threat. He was, after all, African-American and had a knife. No surprise that people accepted the initial claim by Cleveland Officer Timothy Loehmann that 12-year-old Tamir Rice posed a threat after refusing a demand to drop his gun, which turned out to be a toy. In both cases, too many journalists accepted the first police explanations, which may have fit a preset notion of right and wrong. In each case, video evidence released later motivated journalists to question the police narrative.
Journalists ask questions. We are very good at the who, what, where and when of it all. Not so much the "why." In these stories, it is the why that provides deeper understanding and context.
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This country is on the cusp of a new demographic reality no single racial or ethnic majority. Clearly, it is becoming a time of shared power that some people are having difficulty navigating. Why?
As journalists, we have a responsibility to help the public reach a deeper understanding of these changes and their systemic context. Raising questions. Questioning the answers.
If we don't ask "why?" then the public has every right to ask "why not?" and the spotlight turns on us.
Christopher D. Benson is a journalist and lawyer. He also is an associate professor of journalism and African-American studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described Herbert Gans as deceased.
As the March 15 state primary election approaches, the Tribune Editorial Board continues its endorsements in contested races for the Illinois House.
You'll find the candidates' answers to our survey, and all of our endorsements to date, here: www.elections.chicagotribune.com/candidates.
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26th District: Ding! It's Round 2 for Rep. Christian Mitchell, D-Chicago, and Jhatayn "Jay" Travis, also of Chicago, in a battle for this House seat. Mitchell beat Travis in 2014 by only 556 votes.
This year's race once again pits organized labor, and the Chicago Teachers Union in particular, against school choice advocates. Mitchell supports charter schools but opposes making more charters available for now; Travis is a close ally of CTU President Karen Lewis, who fights against charter schools.
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Travis is an accomplished community organizer, but she's also a one-trick pony: If you aren't with CTU on everything, you must be a corporate hack. Mitchell's record shows otherwise: He has voted with organized labor and against Gov. Bruce Rauner on several key issues. He supports a minimum wage hike. He supports reducing penalties for small amounts of marijuana possession. He voted to expand Medicaid services. And, unlike many members of the Legislative Black Caucus, he supported legalizing gay marriage.
We don't agree with all of Mitchell's votes, but Travis' efforts to paint him as a tool of big business don't square with his record. Mitchell is independent and thoughtful, and he is endorsed.
29th District: We've endorsed Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, in the past for being a conscientious legislator. But his opponents suggest he is coasting at a time when his constituents need a strong advocate. Two Democrats are taking him on: Kenneth "Kenny" Williams of South Holland and Wilbur "Will" Tillman of Calumet City. Williams has owned a barber school for nearly 20 years and oversees a chain of hair salons. He served as board president of Thornton Township High School District 205 until a judge forced his removal due to a 1985 forgery conviction. We don't hold that against him. Williams would be an aggressive representative independent of Democratic power brokers.
But in this race, our endorsement goes to Tillman, who serves on the Dolton School District 149 board. He's taken a deep interest in reining in spending, even questioning and eliminating expenditures for doughnuts and coffee for meetings. Can you imagine what he would find in the state budget? Tillman says Jones has lost touch with the district and shouldn't be spending so much time at Hooters Jones' campaign disclosure forms show meals there for staff but we won't knock the incumbent for his restaurant choices. (It's all about the wings!) Tillman is endorsed.
40th District: Residents of the 40th District rarely get to experience true democracy in House races. Ald. Deborah Mell won the seat in 2008 with the help of her alderman-father, Dick Mell. The elder Mell then appointed her to his City Council seat when he retired and chose his top aide, Jaime Andrade Jr., for the appointment to the House seat. Got all that? Harish Patel, a community activist and entrepreneur, says residents are fed up with dynasties and rubber stamps. "(Andrade) votes with Speaker Madigan 100 percent of the time. I don't believe Madigan is always right," Patel says. Patel was 14 when his family moved from India. He speaks three languages, supports a progressive income tax and expansion of the sales tax, and would be more independent than the incumbent. Patel is endorsed.
63rd District: The Republican who emerges from this primary race will face Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, in November. This one is an easy call. Steven Reick of Harvard is a tax attorney who ran against Franks two years ago. This time, Reick has a GOP primary challenge sort of. Jeffery Lichte of McHenry is on the ballot, but he isn't campaigning, and he is a known supporter of Franks. Is he a ghost candidate put up by the Democrats to protect Franks from a real opponent? Probably. Don't waste your vote on him.
Reick would bring common sense to Springfield and advocate for a separate revenue stream to pay down pension debt. Without a dedicated stream, taxpayer money will continue to get misspent, he says. Reick also is a champion of school choice and allowing tax money to follow each child so that families can choose where they want to send their children. Reick is endorsed.
66th District: Our first question to the four candidates running for this House seat: Anyone play guitar? Because someone might have to fill in for retiring Rep. Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake, member of the Boat Drink Caucus, a band made up of several lawmakers. Tryon announced last year he would not seek another term. Four Republicans are vying to replace him: Lakewood trustee Paul Serwatka, West Dundee trustee Dan Wilbrandt, East Dundee trustee Allen Skillicorn and McHenry County Board member Carolyn Schofield of Crystal Lake.
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Serwatka isn't offering much of a campaign. Schofield has the most government experience we're pretty sure she has served on every board and commission in Northern Illinois. What's disappointing is that she worked against legislation last year that would have allowed for more consolidation of county services, saving taxpayers' money. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Franks, didn't get to Rauner's desk because Schofield and others lobbied against it.
Wilbrandt is an assistant state's attorney in McHenry County. He isn't afraid to stick his neck out and vote against the board majority in his town, especially if more spending is involved. He has been tight with the purse strings.
But in this race, our nod goes to Skillicorn, a marketing professional who is the most outspoken about the need to blow up the status quo in Springfield. Locally, he led the charge to freeze the property tax levy and has been a cheerleader of Rauner's agenda. We'd like to see Skillicorn make his own mark. We're confident he will. Skillicorn is endorsed.
72nd District: Four Democrats and two Republicans are running in the March 15 primary for this Quad Cities-based seat. Retiring Rep. Patrick Verschoore, D-Milan, has endorsed attorney Jeffrey Jacobs of Moline (no relation to former Sens. Denny and Mike Jacobs). Madigan's establishment Democratic Party is backing Michael Halpin of Rock Island. Glen Evans, also of Rock Island, is a minister largely running his own campaign. Katelyn Hotle is a freshman Rock Island City Council member.
Hotle doesn't have the money or the organization, but she has the most well-rounded government experience. She's whip-smart on policy and would be independent. Madigan's Democratic Party of Illinois already sent negative mailers against her. Hotle supports organized labor, but she would oppose efforts to strip Rauner of his role at the bargaining table and speed negotiations into binding arbitration: "I know what arbitration does at the local level." That is, she has seen how arbitration rulings often go to labor's advantage and to taxpayers' costly disadvantage. Hotle says the "good old boys club" that has dominated Quad Cities' politics is changing. Let's start with her. Hotle is endorsed.
On the Republican side, Brandi McGuire of Milan and Jordan Thoms of Rock Island are competing for the nomination. McGuire earned national notoriety when her local school district refused to allow her daughter's service dog to accompany her at school. The dog detects when her daughter might have a seizure. McGuire won in court, and the district's settlement now pays for her daughter to attend a private school. But there's more to McGuire than that story alone. She would be a voice of reason in a budget standoff that is harming the state's most vulnerable. Living close to the Iowa border and watching Illinois residents and businesses hop west across the Mississippi River, McGuire says property tax reform and reducing workers' compensation costs here will be among her top priorities in Springfield. McGuire is endorsed.
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Tomorrow: Final Tribune endorsements for the Illinois House.
Follow the Editorial Board on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
A mix of freezing rain, snow and sleet hit the Chicago area overnight into the morning rush hour, with snow expected to follow after a brief morning break.
Driving conditions were slow and slippery from ice and, to the north, wind-blown snow Tuesday morning. State police reported several minor accidents but no serious injuries.
A hit-and-run accident was reported on the outbound Kennedy near Irving Park around 5:30 a.m. One person was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, state police said. On the Skyway, a semi collided with a car near 98th Street, but no injuries were reported.
Green Line trains experienced delays after track conditions from Cermak south to 63rd briefly stopped trains around 5:55 a.m. No major Metra delays were reported.
More than 400 flights were canceled at Chicago's airports, around 365 at O'Hare and 55 at Midway, according to FlightStats.
The cold front arrived late Monday afternoon, dropping temperatures at O'Hare from 50 degrees at 4 p.m. to 35 degrees at 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The heaviest snow overnight hit the northern-tier counties along the Illinois-Wisconsin state line, with as much as 2 1/2 inches of snow, tapering off to less than 2 inches south of Interstate 80.
A winter weather advisory was in effect farther north and east across Wisconsin, the northern tier of Indiana counties for freezing rain, sleet and up to 4 inches of snow, and much of Lower Michigan for heavy snow.
A winter storm warning for 5 to 10 inches of heavy wet snow was in effect for central lower Michigan Tuesday into the overnight hours.
Arthur Roman of Tinley Park, a 28-year-old officer with the Oak Forest police, is charged in the stabbing a 17-year-old boy in California. (Marlatt, Jennifer / )
An Oak Forest police officer accused of stabbing a teenager in California over the weekend will be placed on leave when he returns to his home department, police said.
Arthur Roman, 28, of Tinley Park, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery, according to police. He was released Monday after posting bail.
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Roman was one of three people who got into an argument with two other people outside of a gym in Huntington Beach that led to a fight during which a 17-year-old boy was stabbed, police said.
Two of the police officer's relatives, Jessica Roman, 27, and Martin Roman, 25, both of Lake Forest, Calif., also were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery in connection with the incident, Huntington Beach police said.
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Officer Roman was on vacation from the suburban department, Oak Forest police said.
The department has little information at this time about what led to Roman's arrest, according to Oak Forest Deputy Chief Timothy Kristin. But the officer will be placed on administrative leave once he returns to Oak Forest pending the outcome of an investigation.
"We will be conducting an internal revenue and take action based on that internal investigation," Kristin said.
Police declined to confirm when Roman was hired to the department or comment about his record. Village of Oak Forest records show Roman was sworn in with two other officers at a council meeting on Oct. 18, 2014.
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
The village will determine whether Roman will be placed on paid leave, Kristin said.
A spokeswoman for the village said officials there will not comment on the charges against Roman, and also declined to provide details about the officer's employment record.
Officers from Huntington Beach responded at about 4:16 p.m. Sunday to a 24-Hour Fitness for a call about a stabbing, according to Huntington Beach police. The Romans, who were in a vehicle, got into an argument with two men who were walking in front of the building, and then one of the pedestrians was stabbed, police said.
The Romans fled in the vehicle and were arrested later by officers, Huntington Beach police said.
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The victim was treated at a local hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening and released, police said.
Police said the investigation is ongoing. Officer Roman is due in a California court on April 27.
Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
As building and grounds director for Lincoln-Way High School District 210, Paul Gonzalez helped renovate a barn at North for the "Superdog" training center. (Daily Southtown / Gary Middendorf)
The Illinois State Board of Education has opened an investigation into Lincoln-Way High School District 210's finances, a letter from the state to the district shows.
On February 19, ISBE informed Superintendent Scott Tingley that the state is exercising its right to "initiate a proper investigation of the financial integrity," of the district.
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The state wants Lincoln-Way officials to turn over voluminous records detailing the district's financial situation, including audits, projected cash flows, and major contracts.
State officials want copies of the district's annual bond audits for the past three years, monthly bank reconciliations by fund for the current year, and annual cash flow by fund for the past three years, among other documents.
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Lincoln-Way has until March 4 to reply, ISBE said in the letter.
"As you may be aware, an investigation into a district's financial condition is the first step in a process of determining if conditions exist for 'certification of financial difficulty,'" the letter says.
On Wednesday, Tingley said the state's letter was not unexpected and characterized the investigation as a normal next step in the process for a district placed on the financial watch list.
The letter is part of the state's effort to learn more about what the district is doing to become financially stable, Tingley said.
"We've been working with the Illinois State Board of Education," Tingley said.
ISBE officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
The state sent a similar letter to Chicago Public Schools.
Last March, Lincoln-Way landed on the state's financial watch list and the school board subsequently voted to close Lincoln-Way North, one of the district's four schools.
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Officials have defended the decision to close North as a necessary cost-saving measure but the move has sparked intense debate in the community.
Last December, a community group calling itself Lincoln-Way Area Taxpayers Unite filed a lawsuit against the district alleging financial mismanagement and asked a judge to block the school's closure. That lawsuit is ongoing.
Some in the community feel the school district can afford to run four schools with proper financial management in place.
Much of the district's financial crisis can be traced to officials' decision in the mid-2000s to expand from two high schools to four.
Officials cited projected population growth in support of constructing two new campuses, but some parents criticized the logic at the time and said the district should wait and see whether a fourth school became necessary.
While the population growth never materialized, two companies involved with funding the campaign pushing for two schools Henry Bros. Co. of Hickory Hills and Dahlquist and Lutzow Architects made more than $41 million combined as part of the project.
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In recent months, the Daily Southtown has reported on numerous questionable expenses and practices by district officials
District 210 allows a private day care business to use space at all four of the district's schools without paying rent to the district, the Daily Southtown recently reported.
A similar deal between Oak Lawn-based Community High School District 218 and a private day care business nets District 218 $76,250 a year in "cost-recovery" fees, records show.
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
District 210 also spent more than $90,000 to purchase playground equipment for the private day care to use. The district is in the process of soliciting proposals from vendors interested in running the day care program, a move Tingley announced last week.
From 2013 to 2015, a time when the district's financial situation was rapidly deteriorating, the district paid out $272,000 in retirement bonuses for 18 employees, records show. The district also has paid $199,113 in penalties to the state pension system.
Lincoln-Way also spent nearly $45,000 on renovations to house Superdog, a dog obedience training program that Tingley acknowledged has "no student benefit."
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Superdog was built in 2011 and 2012 by former Superintendent Lawrence Wyllie without board knowledge or approval, officials said. Wyllie led the district from 1989 to 2013.
District 210 had no contract with Superdog and collected no revenue from the program in the two years before Tingley asked the Frankfort Square Park District to take over the program. Since 2014, Superdog has brought in at least $76,165 in revenue, Park District records show.
gpratt@tribpub.com
Twitter: @royalpratt
A rendering showing The Reserve apartment development planned for the northeast corner of 183rd Street and Oak Park Avenue in Tinley Park. (Courtesy of Michael Nolan)
Seven of the nine members of Tinley Park's Plan Commission have resigned from the panel since a Feb. 4 meeting where action to possibly approve a controversial apartment development was tabled.
The commissioners' letters cite time constraints, family matters or other issues as having prompted their resignations, but none specifically cite The Reserve as a factor.
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The approval process for the 47-unit project, planned for the northeast corner of 183rd Street and Oak Park Avenue, has come under fire, and the Village Board, at a meeting that will be Tuesday at the village's convention center, is scheduled to vote on possibly hiring the prestigious law firm Winston & Strawn to oversee a review of the process. The village's planning director also has been placed on leave.
Submitting their resignation letters were commission Chairwoman Rita Walker along with Commissioners Jeff Ficaro, Tom Mahoney, Robert McClellan, Gina Miller, Arthur Pierce and William Reidy. Ficaro's letter was dated Feb. 4, while Mahoney's was submitted the next day, Reidy's on Feb. 10, McClellan's on Feb. 15, Miller's on Feb. 16, Pierce's on Feb. 18 and Walker's on Feb. 19.
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Walker, in her letter wrote, "It is time to pass the baton to those who will mold Tinley Park for the future."
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
The commission had, at a January meeting, given a tentative nod to the apartment project, and could have taken a final vote at the Feb. 4 meeting, but instead tabled a decision and sent the project back for another round of scrutiny by the Planning Department.
The village's Planning Department previously had deemed the project in compliance with zoning and development codes governing building in the village's Legacy District the area that takes in most of the Oak Park Avenue business district.
Those codes were put in place to streamline the project review process for companies in an effort to induce development in the downtown area. An unintended consequence, at least in this case, is that the Village Board is playing no role, at least at this point, in evaluating the apartment building, which has prompted a separate review of the village's zoning codes.
The Reserve's developer, the Ohio-based Buckeye Community Hope Foundation, had asked that the matter be considered by the commission at its Feb. 18 meeting, but that session, as well as one scheduled for Thursday, were canceled.
Village residents have turned out in large numbers at village meetings to protest the project and criticize village officials for not being transparent enough about the apartment development and its approval process. The size of the crowds prompted officials to move this week's board meeting to the convention center.
On the agenda is a motion to enter into a "letter of engagement" with Winston & Strawn, which will conduct an investigation, "so they can develop the factual information necessary to render legal advice" to the board. The firm counts former Gov. James R. Thompson and former U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb among its partners.
mnolan@tribpub.com
Kevin Quigley, the owner of Kevin's Place in Deerfield, poses for a photo in January. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)
Kevin Quigley brought a sunny optimism to his Deerfield diner that was as much a draw for customers as the breakfast and lunch items on the menu.
But the owner of Kevin's Place couldn't mask his disappointment last week when he announced on Facebook that he was closing his eatery at Waukegan and Deerfield roads.
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"Sorry to wear my emotions on my shirt sleeve," Quigley wrote. "Today I closed Kevin's Place ... a dream of mine and a place where friends helped me, and hopefully I helped others make their dreams come true."
He said he needed to vacate his storefront at 808 Waukegan Road by March 15.
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Quigley was nearly forced to close down last year, but a customer-initiated campaign through the crowdfunding website GoFundMe pulled in $20,000 to keep him in business.
Quigley, who said he has been battling esophageal cancer off and on since 2010, said on Monday he had been forced to step back from the business while undergoing treatments.
In January 2015, Quigley, 57, of Deerfield, closed the restaurant briefly, but was able to reopen in three weeks. Quigley said the Illinois Department of Revenue had notified him that his business license was being revoked because he had fallen behind in remitting sales taxes.
Nearly 300 contributors chipped in more than $20,000, which enabled him to catch up on sales taxes, and his business license was reinstated. Much of the money was raised in the first four days after the GoFundMe campaign was launched by one of his customers.
The comments posted by donors on the site helped to explain the outpouring of support.
In the posts, customers raved about the oatmeal-banana-chocolate chip pancakes, the Greek skillet specialty and veggie burgers, but more often, the comments were about the proprietor.
Quigley, an actor by training, has worked at the restaurant for the past 24 years, starting as an employee when it was called the Cherry Pit under prior owners.
He purchased the restaurant in 2005 and renamed it Kevin's Place. Former owner Lynn Elliott stayed on for the next 11 years, until the restaurant closed last week.
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Quigley said he feels devastated for the employees affected by the closing.
"Finances just kept dwindling down and dwindling down. I tried my best to save the restaurant and I just never could," he said.
He said he hasn't figured out his next move.
"Right now. my mind is nothing but mush," Quigley conceded. "I have so many people reaching out to me, but I can't even concentrate. It's like a child that I have given up," he said. "I am not able to do the things that I love."
kberkowitz@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @KarenABerkowitz
Algonquin hosted a ceremonial ground breaking for the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor Monday around a pile of dirt in the parking lot at village hall. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News)
Kane County, Algonquin and Carpentersville leaders came together Monday to symbolically break ground for the first phase of the $115 million Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor.
"I commend everyone... on any level whether local, county, state or federal who had an important role to play in ensuring this came to fruition," said Illinois Senator Karen McConnaughay, who represents the 33rd District and is former Kane County chairman. McConnaughay credited Algonquin Village President John Schmitt for being the "one to remind us this had to happen" whenever the project was put on the back burner.
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The ceremony fell on the day a number of polling places opened for early voting in the March 15 election, when Dundee Township voters will face a ballot question on whether they oppose construction of the project that will connect Huntley Road and Route 62 and build a toll bridge over the Fox River.
The event took place at Algonquin Village Hall, where local officials posed for photos with shovels around a pile of dirt in a parking lot that is not in the path of the new roadway.
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Sen. Karen McConnaughay was one of the guest speakers at the ceremony Monday. The former Kane County chairman was one of the dozens county leaders who worked with local government officials over a 30 year period on the Longmeadow Parkway project. Also pictured: Kane County Chairman Chris Lauzen (from left), Kane County Commissioner Drew Frasz, and Carpenterville Village President Ed Ritter. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News)
Members of CURB Longmeadow, a group opposed to the project, did not attend Monday's ceremony, which community leader Laura Brehmer said was scheduled when ordinary citizens could not attend. The village did not inform residents about the event, she said.
"Holding such an un-announced press photo-op disguised as a groundbreaking ceremony is a direct slap in the face to the many hundreds of residents who earlier appealed to the village government to halt the much-reviled Longmeadow project due to its negative impact on quality of life, home values and safety in the Longmeadow corridor," she said Monday.
"It's like taunting the homeowners who asked for their help," Brehmer said. "Not only did Algonquin officials turn their backs on taxpayers, they now are staging a cheap and secretive in-your-face event aimed at discouraging residents from voting in a March 15 referendum on the Longmeadow Parkway."
Officials did not mention the referendum during the ceremony but spoke about the opposition.
McConnaughay said the people "who elect us, who we work for, who pay the bills have a lot of questions about what we do and make sure that the investment we are making is in their best interest and is enhancing their quality of life."
Carpentersville Village President Ed Ritter remembers first visiting Carpentersville in 1996 to look for a house. He found one near the hill on Main Street. He noticed there was a lot of traffic. The real estate agent told him there were 16,000 to 19,000 cars using the road and bridge, which then went into two residential streets, Ritter said. The against said a new bridge would be built in a few years that would redistribute the traffic, he recalled.
Ritter believes the bridge will help with economic development for the entire region.
"I feel bad for the people against the bridge," Ritter said. "It is always hard to say the future will be better if we do this. But I am totally convinced the future of Carpentersville will be better when it is done."
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Schmitt hosted Monday's groundbreaking ceremony at Algonquin village hall which drew dozens of people including Ritter, Kane County Chairman Chris Lauzen and county board members.
A rendering of the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor was on display during a groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase of the multi-million dollar project. (Kane County / HANDOUT)
Construction of the first phase of the corridor will begin in the spring, said Carl Schoedel, Kane County Department of Transportation (KDOT) director. The first phase consists of a road linking Huntley and Boyer Roads to Randall Road. Crews have already cleared away trees for the construction, he said.
When completed, the corridor will be a 5.6 mile roadway with a toll bridge over the Fox River to Algonquin Road.
The project is expected to take three years to complete, officials said. The county is still awaiting permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the second phase.
Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor is Kane County Department of Transportation's third major bridge project, County board member Drew Frasz said. He is chairman of the county's transportation department. The county completed the Stearns Road Bridge and a bridge in Elburn in recent years. It takes a lot of teamwork to complete such projects, he said.
"We move forward with a very seasoned staff at KDOT having three major projects under their belt," Frasz said. "I am very proud of their leadership. Our team also includes our federal and state leaders. They have come forward big time with funding and permits, but by far (local officials) have been carrying the load on this one," Frasz said.
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The regional cooperation and leadership from local officials led to Monday's ceremony, Frasz said.
A bridge over the Fox Valley in northern Kane County has been discussed for decades in various concepts. Algonquin officials partnered with the county in the 1990s to select a site for the bridge. The village worked with developers to set aside land and required the Longmeadow to be built wider, Schmitt said.
To get the bridge built and funded, Algonquin officials began building a coalition of 10 communities and governments including McHenry County pledging support for the roadway in the early 2000s, he said. The coalition represents about 800,000 people, he said.
Building infrastructure is a very difficult thing, McConnaughay said during the brief groundbreaking ceremony.
"This has been discussed, I want to say, for some 30 years. Back in the '80s, a federal grant came to Kane County to help figure out how to get across the Fox River and ever since then a combination of local, state and federal officials have continued to move the ball forward to answer questions the community had and deal with environmental challenges and not just do it once or twice, but do it over and over and over again for 30 years."
"That is what it takes to make this kind of infrastructure investment in the community," McConnaughay said. "These are not inexpensive commitments."
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"People live here in Kane County because this is a great place to live," she said. "It's a great place to work and it's a great place to raise a family. And if we want it to continue to be a good place to live, we have to invest in infrastructure that protects our way of life, protects the environment and encourages businesses to locate here. When business locate here, we have a vibrant business economy."
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter.
In a workshop at the Levy Cener on Tuesday, Evanston residents get down to work filling out question sheets seeking their views on the Evanston Police Department. (Bob Seidenberg / Pioneer Press)
At the Levy Center on a recent Tuesday night, community members gathered in a room and were engaged in conversation on how they thought the Evanston Police Department could improve relations in the community.
Gilo Kwesi Logan, of Logan Consulting Services, conducted a workshop, billed as an "Evening of Diversity Dialogue With Dr. Logan," as part of the department's diversity and inclusion training on Feb. 23.
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Police Chief Richard Eddington recommended last June the city enter into a $55,000 contract with Logan, whose father, William Logan was the city's first African-American police chief in the early 1980s.
Logan, on his website, cites a 20-plus years as "an internationally recognized diversity consultant."
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"He is president of Logan Consulting services, a member of the National Diversity Council and serves as adjunct faculty of diversity and social justice in Chicago," the website says.
After conducting a review of previous diversity training, Eddington concluded that Logan's combination of personal knowledge of Evanston and his experience delivering diversity training and workshops made him a good fit for the department.
The chief and Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl were among those welcoming the residents at the workshop.
The mayor spoke to the excellent work the department does in the community every day but she also acknowledged the "horrific situations" in other parts of the country elsewhere involving police and their communities.
"This is important work," she said. "It's important for all of us to have a great police department and we can't do that without your help."
Eddington also echoed the mayor's comments about the state of relations in Evanston. But "to think that it's a perfect relationship would be foolish," he said.
He said the more feedback police can get from the community the better they can improve that relationship.
Residents didn't hold back doing on that front, providing plenty of material for the chief, seated with command staff and taking notes in the back of the room.
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To a question about the policing style of the department, a resident from the city's diverse 2nd Ward, Renee Paden, described it as "personable," sometimes "confrontational."
To question number two, "what main concerns do you have regarding services provided by the EPD?" other residents at Paden's table brought up the department's Office of Professional Standards, feeling "when they get a complaint, the response is slow and in favor of the Evanston Police Department," she said.
To question number three, "what do you feel are attitudes of the EPD toward the community," Paden's group turned it around.
"We said" attitudes would be more positive if they were residents," she said.
Those at the table also cited a "negative attitude toward the black community" and raised concern that Hispanic issues "don't get taken seriously."
A few feet away, at the Ward 6 table, perceptions were different. Officers were described as "responsive, courteous, respectful and visible," said Ald. Mark Tendam.
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Concerns included that police be "well-equipped," that resources should be prioritized throughout the city, and that officers received adequate training and followed best practices, he said.
Police should become more involved in the community, take part in tutoring programs like Project SOAR (Serving Our Adolescents Responsibly), members said. There were also questions raised over what happened to the beat meetings initiated a couple a years ago. At those meetings police would break down crime trends in wards and participate in give and take with residents.
Logan said he has met with city officials, including the mayor and aldermen, police chief, staff and others, gathering comments.
Under his contract with the city, he is to draw up a "culturally relevant program," one that is specific to the needs of officers and staff working with diverse communities and their needs.
Many of the comments he received during the program and earlier interviews will go into the four-hour workshops to be held with department personnel in spring, providing strategies, tools and resources for officers, officials said.
Logan expressed appreciation that residents were willing to share their experiences.
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"If we can't discuss it , how can we move forward?" he asked. "This is another example of why Evanston is, as they say, one of the most livable community in the country. If that's the case we have to live up to that."
bseidenberg@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @evanstonscribe
Lita Ford, Queen of Heavy Metal, guitarist, singer and songwriter, discussed and signed copies of her autobiography, Living Like a Runaway, Thursday evening at North Central College in Naperville. (Vickie Jurkowski / Naperville Sun)
She bared a lot of skin in her early solo career dressed in a leather thong and bustier on stage, and now Lita Ford bares her soul in the autobiography "Living Like a Runaway."
Titled after her unending search for a home of her own, literally and in the music scene, and for the Runaways, America's first teenage girl band that propelled her into fame at age 16, the memoir released Tuesday details the struggles of a female guitarist in a testosterone-driven world and the bloodthirst and fickleness of the music industry.
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Ford, who earned Guitar Player's Certified Legend Award in 2014 and co-wrote the Top 10 hit "Close My Eyes Forever" with Ozzy Osbourne, writes about creating a name for herself, building a Grammy-nominated solo career and conquering an industry full of executives who repeatedly told her, "I don't know what to do with you."
"She played guitar in the Runaways, broke out on her own, wanted to do it and she did it," said Kim Asbury, a River Grove resident who attended Ford's book discussion and signing Thursday evening at Meiley-Swallow Hall on the campus of North Central College in Naperville.
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"Nobody else came close to it," added her sister Cindy Bidstrup, of Chicago, who described Ford as a "normal, regular person" during a chance encounter in an elevator in Milwaukee decades ago. "The doors opened, she was there, I froze with my mouth open and she said, 'Would you close your mouth already and get in here? I need to get food.'"
Revealing that "normal, human" side of herself, Ford said, is partly what propelled her to pen a memoir, which shares the title of her 2012 comeback album. In it she shares amusing stories involving cheesecake, constipation and rabid fans, and heartfelt accounts of the unconditional support and cancer-related deaths of her parents, a British father who taught her to fish and an Italian mother who taught her to cook.
Ford also describes disturbingly poor choices in men and reveals the consequences of drugs, from the missed opportunity of joining the Scorpions onstage to a sexual encounter that led to hemorrhaging.
"I want to let people know it's OK to be human and do stupid things," Ford, 57, said during the 40-minute discussion led by Naperville-based music journalist Steve Itter and hosted by Anderson's Bookshops. "I wanted to put a book out to be a role model. I only had male role models."
Dressed in American flag-designed cowgirl boots, faded denim, a black sweater with white skulls and furry fingerless purple mittens, Ford was asked about what Itter referred to as a "fantastic list" of lovers, including Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), John Entwistle (The Who), Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest), Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue), Eddie Van Halen and Jon Bon Jovi.
"There are good stories around the sex. What I've done really isn't that crazy. It's just who I've done it with," said Ford, who writes about getting an STD from Dee Dee Ramone and being punched in the eye and choked unconscious by Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi before ending their engagement.
"I was devastated to find out my idol turned out to be abusive. I still worship him as a guitar player and always will."
Ford, who said she has written half the material for a studio album, has upcoming tour dates with Ace Frehley and Halestorm followed by rock festivals in Sweden and Belgium.
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On April 15, she will release a collection of 1980s jam sessions with Gene Simmons, Dave Navarro, Rick Nielsen and others titled "Time Capsule." She discovered the 24-track analog tapes in a closet of the mansion on a deserted island she shared with her then-husband Jim Gillette, whom she says alienated her from their two teenage sons upon her filing for divorce.
"One thing that needs to come out of the closet is parental alienation," Ford said in the most emotional segment of the evening before signing books for some 80 attendees. "It is a form of child abuse. We need to change the legal system. I haven't seen my sons in five years. My ex-husband took them and I can't find them."
Bidstrup and Asbury, the sisters who have been fans since the Runaways, said they can relate to such alienation because of their own parents. That connection plus their admiration for Ford's bravery and career longevity inspired them to attend the event and share Ford's music and story with others.
"I was in the car recently with my 12-year-old daughter and her friend and they started to sing 'Cherry Bomb,'" said Bidstrup, who was proud and shocked the girls knew the words to the Runaways' hit, even if it was possibly due to "Guardians of the Galaxy."
Whatever the source a movie soundtrack or chance encounter fans attended the ticketed event to pay homage to the Queen of Heavy Metal, whose reign began four decades ago.
"She's a survivor," said Chris Carlson, an Arlington Heights resident and avid reader of music autobiographies. "I like to hear creative people talk about their craft."
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Carlson and his friend Tina Regan, a resident of Chicago's South Side, have met Ford in the past and saw her perform in 2014's "Rock and Roll Christmas Tale" with Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), a good friend of Ford's who wrote the foreword.
"Lita Ford is an inspiration," Regan said. "She took chances and didn't let anybody hold her back."
Vickie Jurkowski is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
Local and state leaders celebrate $60 million for Arkansas Valley Conduit
The project, which has been in the works for over 60 years, will funnel clean drinking water from Pueblo Reservoir to communities on the Eastern Plains.
By Omar Khan
International Business Advisory
Dezan Shira & Associates
Certifications and licenses are more important than one would imagine in Chinas business market and tax system. A tax residency certificate, for example, is crucial for multinational companies when applying for tax benefits under international tax treaties, or in cases where a foreign company wants to prove that their subsidiary is compliant to Chinas taxation laws. In this article, we introduce what is known as a Certificate of Tax Residency (), and provide detailed guidelines on how foreign expats and enterprises can obtain the certificate.
The Certificate of Tax Residency is a legal document issued by the tax bureau stating that the foreign company/employee is in tax compliance. Applying to both foreign nationals employed in China and foreign companies operating as subsidiaries, the certificate is extremely useful when it comes to having domicile, sourced income or residence in a country other than that of ones origin.
The purpose of this certificate is to act as a legal proof that the specified foreign national is both, and already, a qualified Chinese Tax Resident and has their respective individual income tax being withheld by their employer. It also provides relevant authentication for those who wish to provide documentation to their country of origin jurisdiction.
A detailed criteria and application process can be found below:
Expat Employee Applications
Chinese taxation has its own rules that are more or less contingent on time spent in China, sourced income location, taxpayer status, as well as applicable Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs) in place. Specifically, foreign individuals seeking to apply for the Chinese tax residency certificate must have held domicile in China for a minimum of one year. More can be found here on the various taxation parameters.
It should be clear that issuance of this certificate is not an automatic method of avoiding taxation requirements in foreign individuals home jurisdiction. Foreign employees are suggested to first communicate with their respective tax authorities in their home countries on the status and adequacy of the Certificate of Tax Residency.
A set of required documents are to be prepared for the local tax bureau:
Application form
Copy & original passport
Copy of tax registration certificate of employer
The original PRC individual income tax and other tax payment receipts (if no tax payment is provided a written explanation letter is required)
Supporting documents for PRC residence days
Other supporting documents required by the tax authority in charge
Company Applications
The requirements for foreign national individuals do not exist for subsidiaries. The following documents need to be submitted to the local tax bureau:
Application form
Copy and the original tax registration certificate
Tax clearance certificate in the current fiscal year (if no tax payment is provided a written explanation letter is required)
A few specifics to keep in mind are that the application procedure might be different in practice and the time required for issuing the certificate can vary by region and tax authority. For example, in Shanghai, tax authorities can issue the certificate in five business days, while in Shandong province the process can take around 20 working days.
For more information on tax arrangements, processing a Certificate of Tax Residency, and application procedures for both individuals and companies, please contact china@dezshira.com.
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 china@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.
Tax, Accounting, and Audit in China 2016
This edition of Tax, Accounting, and Audit in China, updated for 2016, offers a comprehensive overview of the major taxes that foreign investors are likely to encounter when establishing or operating a business in China, as well as other tax-relevant obligations. This concise, detailed, yet pragmatic guide is ideal for CFOs, compliance officers and heads of accounting who must navigate the complex tax and accounting landscape in China in order to effectively manage and strategically plan their China-based operations.
Managing Your Accounting and Bookkeeping in China
In this issue of China Briefing, we discuss the difference between the International Financial Reporting Standards, and the accounting standards mandated by Chinas Ministry of Finance. We also pay special attention to the role of foreign currency in accounting, both in remitting funds, and conversion. In an interview with Jenny Liao, Dezan Shira & Associates Senior Manager of Corporate Accounting Services in Shanghai, we outline some of the pros and cons of outsourcing ones accounting function.
Employing Foreign Nationals in China
In this issue of China Briefing, we have set out to produce a guide to employing foreign nationals in China, from the initial step of applying for work visas, to more advanced subjects such as determining IIT liability and optimizing employee income packages for tax efficiency. Lastly, recognizing that few foreigners immigrate to China on a permanent basis, we provide an overview of methods for remitting RMB abroad.
Photo taken on Feb. 25, 2016 shows a cluster of residential buildings for sale in Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province. China's housing market continued to warm in January, with more than half of surveyed major cities reporting month-on-month rises in new home prices. Of 70 large and medium sized cities surveyed in January, new home prices climbed month on month in 38, compared with 39 the previous month, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Friday. [Xinhua]
China and other world economies share weal and woe together amid global economic slowdown, and it is unreasonable to put all the blames on the world's second largest economy alone.
With the annual sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory body approaching, the Chinese economy and the so-called spillover effects of its slowdown has become a hot topic again.
As a matter of fact, the lackluster global economy comes along with a complicated process -- the profound economic restructuring of the United States and European countries, continuous de-leveraging, weak demand, and re-balancing of the global economy.
In many areas, China is not an exporter of the economic crisis, but an absorber and bearer of multiple pressures.
Facing the crisis stemming from Western nations, China and other economies, which stand together in the same global value chain, should jointly meet the test of transformation.
Statistics can prove that the world economy is not dragged down by China, whose contribution to it currently accounted for up to 30 percent.
Despite the slowdown in imports, the amount of China's imports of bulk commodities is not decreasing.
In addition, Chinese tourists were still the major consumer group as they spent 1.2 trillion yuan (184 billion U.S. dollars) overseas last year, according to an estimate by Fortune Character, a luxury market consultancy.
In the global value chain, China is transforming from a big importer of bulk commodities into a key player of consumer goods and services.
The Asian giant is also in evolution from a world factory into a global end market.
In the opinion of George Magnus, a researcher with the University of Oxford China Center and senior advisor to the United Bank of Switzerland, due to such factors as the enormous size of the Chinese economy and its structural reform, the country is exporting a "new dividend" to the global economy.
He said that despite a slowdown in its economic growth, the country will not cause trouble to other economies.
At a time of economic globalization and regional integration, China and the world economy has formed a community of common destiny long ago.
In this context, all countries should cooperate and work out new measures in reform to tide over the difficulties, rather than pointing fingers at each other.
As a matter of fact, the Chinese economy is in no way as pathetic as some described.
Last year, consumption contributed up to 66.4 percent to the country's GDP growth, setting a new record since 2001. The tertiary sector accounted for 50.5 percent of China's GDP, 10 percent higher than that of the manufacturing industry.
Against the backdrop of a 0.4 percent decrease in its growth rate, China managed to create 11 million jobs in 2015, 300,000 more than the previous year.
Driven by the ongoing supply-side structural reform, China has witnessed the upgrading of its economic structure despite the slowdown, as well as the rise of new industries along with the vanishing of old, outdated industries, which led to the expansion of job creation.
The purported signs of crash of the Chinese economy by some in a rush are, in effect, a strong proof of the economic transformation China has been pushing ahead with, according to John Edwards, a fellow of the Sydney-based Lowy Institute for International Policy.
For global investors, China abounds with opportunities in the near future.
In 2015, venture capitalists invested a record 37 billion dollars in China, more than doubled the previous year's tally, according to data from British consultancy Preqin Ltd..
The company held that China, with more focus on innovation and improving quality, has been emerging as a legitimate challenger to the United States for leadership of the technology industry.
One basic fact that should be acknowledged is that China will by no means encounter overwhelming economic crisis nor recession, thanks to its huge economic aggregate, current market opening and social reform, people's lasting passion for innovation, as well as highly effective government controls.
Just as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has put it, the Chinese economy has been growing amid challenges.
It is advisable that some countries stop pointing fingers at China and abandon the notorious zero-sum mindset.
It is wise for them to turn to focus on working with China, through global platforms such as the Group of 20, to enhance production capacity cooperation worldwide and inject greater impetus into the sluggish global economy.
China said Monday that it expects to lay off 1.8 million workers in the coal and steel industries, or about 15 percent of the workforce, as part of efforts to reduce industrial overcapacity, but no time frame was given.
It was the first time China has given figures that underline the magnitude of its task in dealing with slowing growth and bloated state enterprises.
Yin Weimin, minister for human resources and social security, told a news conference that 1.3 million workers in the coal sector could lose jobs, plus 500,000 from the steel sector.
China's coal and steel sectors employ about 12 million workers, according to data published by the National Bureau of Statistics.
"This involves the resettlement of a total of 1.8 million workers. This task will be very difficult, but we are still very confident," Yin said.
The central government will allocate 100 billion yuan (US$15.3 billion) over two years to relocate workers laid off as a result of China's efforts to curb overcapacity, officials said last week.
Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao quoted Premier Li Keqiang as telling US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew yesterday that the fund would mainly focus on the steel and coal sectors.
The number of layoffs was reasonable based on the government's capacity closure targets, said Jiang Feitao, an industry researcher with the China Academy of Social Sciences.
He said the funds being made available would be used only after the enterprises go bankrupt and settle their debts.
He said local governments would also be responsible for dealing with those debts.
"It's difficult to predict a time frame but it will not be a quick process. There are many issues to be dealt with, including how to pay debt as well as layoffs," Jiang said.
Downward pressure
The world's second-largest economy grew 6.9 percent in 2015, the weakest in 25 years, and the government aims to achieve economic growth of 6.5-7 percent in 2016.
"The economy faces relatively big downward pressures and some firms face difficulties in production and operation, which would lead to insufficient employment," Yin said, adding that more graduates this year would also add pressure in the job market.
The survey-based jobless rate published by the statistics bureau remained around 5 percent at the end of last year.
Officials have said that the services sector has created more jobs to help absorb laid-off workers from the manufacturing sector.
In 2015, the contribution from the services sector to gross domestic product climbed to 50.5 percent, surpassing 50 percent for the first time.
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Regions have been ordered to clean up public venues as the weather is becoming warmer, which means mosquito-born viruses, including Zika, and other infections may spread easier.
The focus should be on bus stations, ports, markets, residential communities and urban-rural border areas, according to Li Bin, head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, at a meeting on Monday.
Li also urged people to clean up their homes and workplaces to eradicate breeding ground for mosquitoes and other bugs.
Supervision and analysis of infectious diseases must be heightened and border areas must be extra vigilant, Li said.
Symptoms of the Zika virus, which is spread to humans through mosquito bites, include fever, joint pain, rash, conjunctivitis, headache and muscle pain.
On Monday, south China's Guangdong reported a new Zika infection involving a 23-year-old man who returned from Venezuela on Feb. 19. He is now in a stable condition. His case brings the total confirmed Zika cases in China to nine.
The boss of a coal mine in east China's Anhui Province was sentenced to 20 years in jail on Monday for an explosion at his mine that claimed 27 lives in Huainan City in 2014.
Yu Qingquan, of the Dongfang coal mine in Huainan City, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for illegally storing explosives, illegal mining and responsibility for a serious accident, said the People's Court of Chaohu City.
An explosion ripped through the Dongfang coal mine on Aug. 19, 2014, leaving 27 people dead and one injured. The blast resulted in a direct economic loss of 45 million yuan (6.9 million U.S. dollars).
The court said Yu allowed miners to store explosives in the shaft and asked others to transfer explosives and detonators to a temporary storage site in the shaft when the mine was ordered to suspend production.
Yu also ordered the illegal mining of more than 320,000 tonnes of coal, worth over 160 million yuan. He organized illegal mining while failing to supervise the security of the mine, therefore, he is liable for the accident, according to the court.
The privately-owned coal mine which started operation in December 1997 had an annual production capacity of 90,000 tonnes.
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Chinese police have launched a nationwide campaign against gun and explosives crime ahead of the annual parliamentary session later this week.
In a video conference on Monday, the Ministry of Public Security said this year's campaign will target those who sell and buy guns and explosives online or participate in production. Websites and services providers involved will be held responsible.
The ministry will confiscate any guns and explosives found to be held by individuals. In China it is illegal for ordinary residents to own firearms or explosives.
Gun and explosives crimes in 2015 fell by 42.7 percent and 5.6 percent respectively.
Vice Minister Huang Ming ordered police to tighten checks in the exit-entry sector and delivery services to "cut the channels for the trafficking and flow of guns and explosives."
A man injured 10 students with a knife at a primary school in Haikou, capital of south China's island province of Hainan. [Photo/Chinanews.com]
A man injured 10 students with a knife at a primary school in Haikou, capital of south China's island province of Hainan, and killed himself after the attack, local news portal hinews.cn reported.
The man attacked the students as they were leaving for home Monday lunchtime at the gate of Yangfan Primary School, witnesses said. One said the man mainly attacked students' heads before escaping.
Police cordoned off the site where blood and items belonging to students, such as shoes, were seen on the ground, hinews.cn reported.
Police said six boys and four girls were injured, including two in critical condition, and they were sent to nearby hospitals.
The man, Li Sijun, 45, was found dead in a nearby street, and police said he killed himself. Police have not released further information on the attack.
A medical worker at the No 187 Hospital in the city said one boy and one girl had been sent to the hospital, and that the girl was in a critical condition.
Three injured students were sent to the Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University where they received medical treatment, hinews.cn reported.
The mother of an injured student said the wound on her child's head was very deep and doctors had told her to keep the girl in hospital for further examination.
Another mother said she knew her son was injured only when she looked for him at school after he did not return home at noon.
"I thought my son was safe at school. I never thought such a thing could happen," she said.
A court in south China's Guangdong Province on Monday imprisoned 24 people for fraudulent fund-raising of over 9.9 billion yuan (about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars).
The main suspect, Jiang Hongwei, was sentenced to life in prison while 23 others received jail terms ranging from 3 to 14 years at Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court.
The ring was convicted of cheating more than 230,000 victims, mostly elderly people, from 2002 to 2012, the court said.
The group set up four companies in Guangzhou, many branches and subsidiaries across China, raising funds by tempting members of the public into buying membership cards or funding nonexistent loans, by promising returns as high as 47 percent.
Many elderly victims who put their savings into the scam burst into tears at the trial. Some said they were attracted by the company's "novel modes of financial services" and fooled by their fancy exhibitions.
"Their grand exhibition occupied six halls. After attending it, I felt assured and decided to invest 700,000 yuan," said one elderly woman from Jiangsu Province. "It was all the savings of me and my husband."
The court has frozen the fraudsters' personal accounts and seized their assets, including 127 vehicles and 43 villas, but prosecutors said many victims might not be able to get their money back as Jiang had squandered millions on luxuries and failed to disclose where other funds had gone.
China's central government earlier this month promised severe retribution against illegal fund-raisers after Ezubao, an online peer-to-peer platform, was found earlier this year to have cheated about 900,000 investors out of more than 50 billion yuan (7.6 billion U.S. dollars) through fake investments. An executive from the parent company has admitted that it was nothing but a Ponzi scheme.
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China's State Council, or the Cabinet, will amend 66 regulations to simplify administrative procedures, according to a decree released Tuesday.
The decree, signed by Premier Li Keqiang, will eliminate or adjust certain administrative procedures for company registry and cancel two administrative charges.
The decision is part of a wider drive by the government to streamline administrative procedures and delegate power to lower levels, according to the decree.
The complex global landscape and growing pressure at home has made transforming government functions a pressing issue for the government as it strives to revitalize the economy and strengthen growth.
The UN Environment Program (UNEP) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Tongji University of China to renew cooperation on areas that promote sustainable development and the green agenda.
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner and Professor Yang Xianjin, President of Tongji University, witnessed the signing of a new accord to elevate partnership between the two institutions to a new level.
"Our partnership is unique and has led to the establishment of a centre of excellence on research and training to promote sustainable development," Steiner said during the ceremony held in Nairobi.
UNEP and Tongji University in 2002 jointly established the Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development (IESD) at Tongji University to facilitate knowledge transfer on environmental sustainability.
Steiner hailed the strategic partnership between the global environment body and Tongji University to advance sustainable development in the Asia Pacific and the global south, noting that IESD has created a platform for promoting environmental and sustainable development discourse.
"Tongji has a proud tradition of academic research and training that has created the next generation of entrepreneurs in green technology," Steiner said.
He added that a partnership between UNEP and Tongji University has been instrumental in advancing the green agenda in Africa.
"The future of Africa is critical and our collaboration is a welcome addition on availability of knowledge and expertise to promote sustainable development in the continent," Steiner said, adding that a partnership with Tongji University has facilitated knowledge sharing on ecosystems management, rain water harvesting and urban renewal.
The signing of a MOU between UNEP and Tongji University marked a critical milestone in cooperation between the two institutions.
Yang Xianjin said the collaboration with UNEP that spans over a decade has focused on research, training and technology transfer to boost sustainable development.
"It is my hope the signing of an MOU will mark a new beginning in our cooperation with UNEP," Yang said, adding that plans are afoot to upgrade IESD into an unrivalled centre of excellence on environmental studies and research on urban renewal.
The US-led petrodollar era is being surpassed by a multipolar oil age in the Middle East. The transition is permeated by fundamental change and financial speculation that is penalizing the roles of the US and China in the region.
Recently, oil ministers from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela and Qatar announced an agreement to freeze their oil output levels if other major producers will follow suit.
Eclipse of US-Saudi partnership
In February 1945, the Yalta Conference the meeting of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, respectively effectively divided Europe.
After Yalta, the ailing Roosevelt rushed to USS Quincy where he met Saudi Arabias King Ibn Saud who agreed to a secret deal. It required Washington to provide Saudi Arabia military security in exchange for secure access to supplies of oil.
The bilateral deal survived even the 1971 Nixon Shock, including the unilateral cancellation of the direct convertibility of the U.S. dollar to gold. To deter the marginalization of U.S. dollar in the oil trade, Nixon negotiated another deal, which ensured that Saudi Arabia would denominate all future oil sales in dollars, in exchange for U.S. arms and protection. Other OPEC countries agreed to similar deals. As a result, global demand for U.S. dollars the so-called petrodollars soared, even though the relative share of the U.S. in the world economy continued to decline.
The U.S.-Saudi strategic partnership has weathered seven decades of multiple regional wars. Today, Saudi Arabias military expenditures account for more than 10% of its GDP and it ranks fourth among the worlds largest military spenders. In relative terms, thats three times as much as the U.S. and five times as much as China; the worlds two largest military powers.
However, Saudi Arabias old days of conservative caution may be history. Amid a contested succession, Riyadh is taking debt to sustain its current living standards and welfare policies, supporting polarizing OPEC policies and playing increasingly assertive role in the region, directly in the Yemen war and indirectly in Syria.
From OPEC to China and emerging economies
The Washington-Riyadh partnership was first shaken in October 1973 following the Yom Kippur War and the ensuing oil embargo by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Following two oil crises and a global economic recession, three decades of rapid postwar growth in the West ended with a crash.
Saudi Arabia had pushed national production quotas to restrict output and boost prices. Since other OPEC nations did not comply, Riyadh slashed its production from 10 million barrels daily to a third. As that proved ineffective, it reversed the policy and flooded the market with cheap oil. By the mid-80s, oil prices declined by more than a half, but mainly after the development of major non-OPEC oil fields in Siberia, Alaska, North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
Even Sadam Husseins invasion of Kuwait, the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 had fairly short-term impacts on oil prices, as long as Saudi Arabia and the rest of OPEC cooperated to ensure adequate oil supplies in the world markets.
When prices began to soar once again, they were no longer fueled by the U.S.-led advanced economies but China and large emerging economies. Additional fluctuations were attributed to post-Iraq War instability, insurgencies, U.S. occupation of Iraq, and financial bubbles in the West.
When the global crisis took off in fall 2008, prices boomed and burst. Crude Brent prices did return to almost $130 by early 2011, as a result of stimulus packages, recovery policies and non-traditional monetary policies in the ailing West. At the same time, China overtook the U.S. as the worlds biggest importer of oil.
That period came to an end in 2014, with lingering recovery in the U.S., secular stagnation in Europe and Japan, and Chinas growth deceleration after industrialization. For more than a year, major oil exporters have debated production cuts, which have been resisted by Saudi Arabia.
The OPEC still accounts for about 40% of total output worldwide. Reportedly, more cheap oil could cause its revenue to almost halve to $550 billion.
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Six Yemeni pro-government soldiers were killed and five others injured when a booby-trapped car blast struck a military checkpoint in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Monday, a security official told Xinhua.
"A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car at a checkpoint manned by pro-government security forces in Aden's northern main entrance of Daar Saad, killing six soldiers and injuring five others on the spot, " the local security official said on condition of anonymity.
Witnesses said that "a speeding car hit the the cement barricades around the military outpost and caused a huge blast that shook the whole neighborhood."
Military intelligence sources confirmed that the huge explosion was caused by a car bomb that targeted a key military checkpoint linking Aden's northern entrance with neighboring southern provinces of Lahj.
Meanwhile, a landmine explosion hit a civilian vehicle and killed a whole family composed of four members in Aden's neighborhood of Beer Fadhel.
On Sunday evening, unknown gunmen assassinated a prominent pro-government Sunni cleric in Aden.
The port city of Aden, Yemen's temporary capital, has been witnessing a state of chaos and lawlessness during the past weeks resulted in the assassination of Aden's former governor, several high-ranking security officers and judges.
The turbulent and complicated security situation in Aden and neighboring southern provinces of Lahj and Abyan is one of the biggest challenges for the Saudi-led Arab coalition forces operating in Aden.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition has dispatched thousands of soldiers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Sudan and Bahrain into five anti-Houthi southern provinces to support and train local Yemeni security forces there.
Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East and the affiliate of the Islamic State.
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The Turkish artillery forces has hit the Islamic State (IS) positions in Syria, local broadcaster NTV reported on Monday.
Sixty artillery rounds were reportedly fired by the military on the IS targets to the north of Aleppo as part of the U.S.-led coalition's operation against the jihadist group, according to the report.
Five targets were destroyed by the shells launched from the military units located near the southern Kilis province, said the report.
Turkish air forces earlier participated in four airstrikes of the anti-IS coalition in Syria, while this is Turkish first artillery action with the allied forces.
Turkish air forces were absent from the recent airstrikes in order to avoid any confrontation with Russia because the two countries are at odds since Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on Nov. 24.
Russia has been carrying out airstrikes in Syria since Sept. 30 in a bid to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.
Turkey argues that the Russian airstrikes are not targeting the IS, but the moderate Syrian opposition.
The Syria-Turkey relations have hit the bottom since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011.
Turkey blames Assad for prolonging the crisis, while Damascus accuses Ankara of facilitating the flow of foreign jihadists into Syria.
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Syria's fragile cessation of hostilities was largely holding on Monday, with progress made on the military and humanitarian aspect amid new political prospects, according to media reports.
Children look at people from a balcony in Damascus, capital of Syria, Feb. 29, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
Three days into the U.S.-Russia-backed truce, the capital Damascus was largely peaceful on Monday, with no shelling sound or known military operations.
The truce, which started on Saturday, has reflected an international will to build a momentum to resolve Syria's nearly five years of conflict.
Still, as the truce excludes the Islamic State (IS) and the Nusra Front, clashes continued against those groups on several fronts, mainly in the northern province of Aleppo.
Last week, the IS cut off the only road connecting the government-controlled parts of Aleppo with other Syrian provinces in the central and the southern region.
The attack severed Aleppo completely from other cities, pushing the government forces to unleash a counter-offensive to recapture the road.
A Syrian military source declared on Monday that the Syrian Armed Forces have completely restored the road to Aleppo "after eliminating the last gathering of the IS."
On the humanitarian level, Muhannad al-Assadi, a media spokesman of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, told Xinhua that as many as 51 aid trucks entered the town of Muadamiyeh near Damascus on Monday, the first shipment to enter the town since the ceasefire began on Saturday, and the third this month.
Entering relief aid to besieged areas across the country was a main international demand along with the cessation of hostilities plan.
Meanwhile, the exiled opposition renewed accusations that Syrian government forces were breaching the truce in some areas.
Riad Hijab, the opposition's general coordinator, wrote a letter to the UN secretary-general detailing the alleged breaches of the truce, saying his group recorded breaches of the agreement in 26 different areas of Syria.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Monday it monitored seven breaches of the truce by the militant groups over the past 24 hours, "including an attack by terrorists of l-Nusra Front through using artillery against units of popular protection in the surroundings of al-Ashrafiyah town in Aleppo countryside."
Russia said the IS was targeting the road connecting the central province of Hama and Aleppo, which "obstructs the delivering of humanitarian aid to the residents of Aleppo and neighboring cities."
UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura said "every time there has been an incident, that has been -- so far -- contained." However, he did not specify how many incidents have been reported.
"We could have had much worse news, frankly," de Mistura said, adding if the truce continued, it "would be a major booster in confidence-building and trust."
"The first gesture of believing in each other, or at least believing that there is a nonmilitary solution, is the reduction of violence," he said.
The UN envoy further said the International Task Force, co-chaired by Moscow and Washington, was set to meet Monday afternoon in Geneva to evaluate allegations of a range of breaches.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also said Monday that there have been some incidents but the ceasefire was generally holding.
"As of now I can tell you that by and large the cessation of hostilities is holding even though we have experienced some incidents," he told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Also, Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of NATO, said the cease-fire in Syria is "largely holding," expressing some concerns about the Russian military buildup in Syria.
Making the comments on a visit to Kuwait on Monday, Stoltenberg said "We are concerned about the significant Russian military buildup we have seen in Syria, with the ground troops, with the naval forces in the eastern Mediterranean and with air forces conducting airstrikes and so far they have mainly targeted not IS but other opposition groups."
Aside from monitoring the breaches, a Russian official made new remarks on Monday, with a clue of what Russia may think about the future of Syria.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told a news briefing on Monday that Syria could become a federal state if that model works in the country.
Syria has yet to comment on the fresh Russian remarks, but the government always maintains that any change in Syria must be subject to the choice of the Syrian people only.
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Under heavy presence of police, works started on Monday to dismantle the southern part of migrants camp in Calais, north France, local media reported.
Belgian policemen stop a truck at the Belgium-France border in Adinkerke, Belgium, on Feb. 24, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
According to the daily Le Figaro, about one hundred police officers have been deployed in the shanty town to allow workers clearing the site where about 3,000 migrants were staying.
"We intend to handle it smoothly, things do not happen in a day," Bruno Christmas, Regional Secretary Alliance Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy, was quoted as saying.
Local reports added a British activist from the No Border, a network advocating freedom of movement and smoother migration policy, was arrested earlier on the day.
On Feb. 25, an administrative court in Lille, north France upheld the decision to evacuate thousands of migrants camping in Calais, rejecting NGOs' request to halt the eviction order.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve promised the camp's evacuation would be done "progressively, by persuasion and with respect for people's dignity."
Local authorities proposed to relocate them in a state-run container shelter nearby or other refugees centers across France.
Wars, political instability and poverty in many Arab and African countries forced thousands of people to displace and seek better life in European doors.
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The United Nations deputy humanitarian chief Monday called on all parties to the conflict in South Sudan to protect civilians and grant safe and unhindered humanitarian access as she wrapped up a two-day visit to the African country.
Kyung-wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, accompanied UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the visit to South Sudan, where they met Government officials and visited communities affected by the conflict.
During her mission, Ms. Kang also met humanitarian partners and the diplomatic community and visited Malakal, where she witnessed the devastating impact of the armed violence that took place on 17 and 18 February in the UN protection of civilians site.
"I am outraged by what I have seen in Malakal," she said, noting that civilians who had sought safety at the site have been attacked, killed, traumatised and displaced once more, with the entire site, including medical clinics and schools, completely and systematically burnt down and destroyed.
"Those responsible for these heinous acts must be held to account," she said.
The two-year conflict in South Sudan has taken a brutal and deadly toll on civilians. Recently, fighting has spread to new areas, including in Wau and Mundri, and there continue to be reports of people being raped and killed, and of homes and crops being destroyed and damaged by fighting.
Despite the peace agreement, civilians in the country continue to face destitution, destruction, death and devastation, and the humanitarian needs continue to grow, said Ms. Kang, calling for an end to the fighting, the protection of people caught in the middle, and immediate and unhindered access for humanitarian actors to all those in need.
Ms. Kang appealed to the international community to act immediately to avert an even greater tragedy in South Sudan, as humanitarian needs are higher now than ever.
The South Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016 is currently only 6.5 per cent funded, including the $21 million of Central Emergency Response Fund allocation announced by the Secretary-General in Juba on 25 February, leaving a gap of nearly $1.21 billion.
Some $220 million is needed without delay to ensure that vital supplies can be procured and delivered during the dry season, before nearly 60 per cent of the country is again unreachable by road.
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South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that the government will force the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to give up its nuclear program based on firmer defense readiness and international cooperation.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye delivers a speech during a ceremony to celebrate the anniversary of the Independence Movement against Japanese colonial occupation in 1919 in Seoul, South Korea, March 1, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
Park made the remarks during her speech to commemorate the 97th anniversary of Independence Movement Day against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula.
"It became clear for existing responses to be unable to discourage North Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear development," Park said, adding that if the DPRK is left as it is, Pyongyang will conduct fifth and sixth nuclear tests which will threaten stability in Northeast Asia and peace in the world as well as survival of Korean people.
The DPRK carried out what it claimed was its first H-bomb test, the fourth of its nuclear detonations, on Jan. 6, and went ahead with the launch of a long-range rocket, which outsiders see as a banned test of ballistic missile technology, on Feb. 7.
Tougher new sanctions toward the DPRK are under discussion at the UN Security Council, and South Korea implemented its unilateral restrictions by closing down the Kaesong industrial zone, the once-jointly-run factory park in the DPRK's border city of Kaesong.
Park said that pressures by Seoul and the international society on Pyongyang would continue unless the DPRK shows its intention to denuclearize.
But, she noted that the government will not close a door to dialogue with the DPRK. It marked the first time since the DPRK's fourth nuclear test that Park mentioned dialogue with Pyongyang.
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At least 12 militants were killed and six others injured when Pakistani army launched an aerial and ground offensives in the country's northwest tribal region of NorthWaziristan on Monday, local media reported.
Local Urdu Channel Samaa News said that the forces, backed by jet fighters from Pakistan Air Force, pounded three militants' hideouts, killing seven militants in Shawal area of the North Waziristan, a semi-autonomous tribal area along Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
In the ground operation, the troops gunned down five militants and injured six others in the Shawal area.
Identities of the killed militants have not been revealed yet, but North Waziristan Agency is believed to be a hotbed of outlawed group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan activity.
This is the third major operation against the militants in the area over the last three days. The recent offensives are continuation of the military operation in North Waziristan Agency.
Aiming at the eradication of local and foreign militants from the volatile North Waziristan agency, the armed offensive called
"Zarb-e-Azb" (sharp strike) was launched on June 15, 2014.
The army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said in an earlier statement that about 3500 militants have been killed in the operation so far and most of the North Waziristan area has been cleared of the militants.
The country's army chief General Raheel Sharif visited the region last Wednesday where he gave a go-ahead for the initiation of the final phase of the operation.
The last phase of the operation aims to clear the last remnants of the militants from their hideouts in the forested ravines and destroy them in detail, while also cut their links to their abettors across the country, said the army.
A local branch of ICBC in Yichang, Hubei province. [Photo/China Daily]
Report says six leading banks will take part in trial program
China has restarted nonperforming asset securitization after halting the business in 2009.
Regulators held a meeting last week and confirmed six major commercial banks as the first batch of financial institutions to participate in a trial program for NPA securitization, reported Beijing-based Economic Information Daily on Monday.
The five largest commercial lenders in the countryIndustrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd, China Construction Bank Corp, Agricultural Bank of China Ltd, Bank of China Ltd and Bank of Communications Co Ltdplus China Merchants Bank Co Ltd, the first shareholding commercial lender wholly owned by corporate legal entities, are reportedly carrying out the trial program.
Reuters reported the regulators set a quota of 50 billion yuan ($7.6 billion) in total on the trial, but according to Economic Information Daily, a newspaper run by Xinhua News Agency, the regulators did not specify a quota for the entire program.
Bank of China is reportedly making the fastest progress among the six banks. It launched NPA securitization last year, submitted its plan on relevant products to the regulators, and is now adjusting its quota on the issuance of bad asset-backed securities according to the regulators' requirement.
Two other major banks also started their own trial and confirmed the lead underwriter recently, the newspaper reported.
None of the six banks replied to China Daily's requests for comment.
Nonperforming loans have been on the rise in China for 17 consecutive quarters, according to statistics from the China Banking Regulatory Commission.
By the end of December, the outstanding NPLs of commercial banks increased by 51 percent year-on-year to 1.27 trillion yuan. During the same period, the NPL ratio went up 42 basis points to 1.67 percent.
Xiao Bo, founder of Zero and One Internet Technologies Co Ltd, a Beijing-based enabler of trading in nonperforming assets, said the huge amount of NPLs may have become a driving force for bad asset securitization.
"If banks continue to sell packages of nonperforming assets at a 70 to 80 percent discount, their financial statements will look bad. But they could transfer rights to earnings from bad loans at a 30 to 40 percent discount through NPA securitization. Although institutional investors in bad asset-backed securities may lose money in a single purchase, they will be compensated by banks in other businesses," he said.
"The regulators also seem to hope that institutional investors will allocate part of social funds to bad asset-backed securities rather than peer-to-peer lending products. This will help prevent companies from going bankrupt due to loan defaults, thus stabilizing the financial system.
"But bad asset securitization will not fundamentally solve the problems related to bad loans, which could only be disposed through means like selling, corporate restructuring and settling with the debtor," he said.
A former leading financial specialist at the World Bank said China urgently needs to develop a national strategy on inclusive finance.
Inclusive finance refers to a system that offers timely, convenient and differentiated financial services to all individuals and businesses, especially to low-income house-holds, rural residents and micro and small businesses at affordable costs.
Wang Jun, adjunct professor of finance at the China Europe International Business School, made the comments at a forum held by the Center for Microfinance Initiatives and Networks at Renmin University of China on Friday.
"Only by launching such a strategy, could we clarify a few crucial questions about inclusive finance, including what we want to achieve through its development, which people we'd like to serve, what principles we should hold to satisfy their demands, what measures to take and how to set priorities," he said.
Wang, who previously held the position of lead financial specialist for East Asia and the Pacific at the World Bank, said China needs to evaluate its current progress on inclusive finance to find out what has been achieved, what are the differences between China and other countries in this respect, and what problems still remain and why.
The country also needs to build a reliable statistical indicator system revealing the actual situation of inclusive finance.
"During the process of developing the national strategy, we should be cautious against overly politicizing inclusive finance so as not to hinder us from achieving our goals," he said.
"The government should make greater efforts in offering basic public services such as road and network infrastructure construction, rather than devoting too much attention to the direct provision of financial services and products."
The country has a severely imbalanced financial structure, according to the 2015 Green Paper of Financial Inclusion in China released by Renmin University.
Private enterprises, especially small and medium-sized ones, received only 30 percent of bank loans, although they contributed 60 percent of the country's gross domestic product and provided 80 percent of employment in cities and towns, the paper said.
"The country should strive to develop inclusive finance, as it will guide the flow of financial resources to fill a gap between financial supply and demand caused by structural imbalance."
Starting in the 1990s as small loan programs to fight poverty, the development of inclusive finance in China has accelerated since 2005, with the participation of new types of financial institutions such as small loan companies, Internet banks and peer-to-peer lending platforms.
Statistics from the China Banking Regulatory Commission showed that the balance of agriculture-related loans of China's banking institutions, excluding notes financing, rose 11.7 percent year-on-year to 26.4 trillion yuan ($4 trillion) at the end of December.
During the same period, the balance of loans for small and micro businesses reached 23.5 trillion yuan, up 13.3 percent year-on-year.
Airbus's company logo is pictured at the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, December 4, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]
Airbus Group SE landed a $2.9 billion order for wide-body jets from Air China Ltd ahead of Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony for a finishing facility near Beijing for the same model.
Air China Ltd, country's third-largest carrier by passenger volume, sealed the deal with the manufacturer, buying 12 A330-300s aircraft from the group, Bloomberg reported on Monday.
These 12 wide-body jets are due for delivery through 2018 and would increase the airline's capacity by 5.6 percent, the Beijing-based company said in a statement released on Shanghai exchange.
The deal comes as Airbus prepares to break ground on a completion center for its double-aisle A330s in Tianjin.
According to the report, the rapid growth of air travel in Asia is boosting orders for Airbus and its rival Boeing Co. China's economic growth makes air travel affordable to more people, prompting carriers to expand their fleets.
Jack Ma(3rd from right), founder and chairman of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, attends the opening ceremony of MYbank in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, June 25, 2105. MYbank has a registered capital of 4 billion yuan ($655 million). The bank will center on financial services for small and micro business, as well as online consumers through the Internet platform. [Photo/Xinhua]
BEIJING - An Alibaba-backed private lender said on Monday that its focus on providing financial services to clients who are underserved by traditional banks has resulted in billions in loans to small businesses and individuals over the past eight months.
E-commerce giant Alibaba holds a 30-percent stake in MYbank through its financial arm, Ant Financial. MYbank said it has lent a total of 45 billion yuan (around $6.88 billion) to farmers, merchants on Alibaba's online marketplace, restaurant owners and mom-and-pop stores, extending loans to 800,000 borrowers that have trouble accessing financing through traditional banks.
In the eight months since it opened for business last June, MYbank's loan balance has grown 30 percent each month on top of a client base that has been expanding 12 percent for the past five months.
Its rival, Tencent, also runs a private lender called WeBank based in the southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen. Neither lender has a physical presence, instead providing services online or through mobile applications.
They are among a group of private lenders approved by the Chinese banking regulator under a trial program to encourage lending to the country's small and private businesses and the rural population.
China's large, state-owned banks have been more inclined to lend to big, state-owned companies as the implicit guarantee they have from the government has made lending to such firms almost risk-free.
Smaller companies and individuals don't have such backing, and without adequate credit records, banks don't know how much risk they are exposed to when lending to these companies.
MYbank has tended to lend to companies and firms that have historically been underserved by big banks, while WeBank has focused on consumer credit and wealth management. Both touted their ability to accurately evaluate clients' creditworthiness based on their online activity, in addition to information gathered through traditional due diligence work.
MYbank didn't disclose the aggregate amount of credit extended to farmers, but said average credit for rural household across 2,425 villages in 24 provinces stands at 44,000 yuan.
A pedestrian walks past a Jumei International Holding Ltd outlet in Beijing. [Photo/China Daily]
More shareholders in Jumei International Holding Ltd, the Chinese online beauty product retailer, are joining ranks in opposing the company's delisting in the United States, claiming the share buyback is being priced unfairly low.
The growing anger comes after Jumei founder Leo Chen Ou and his partners offered $7 per American depositary share, about a third of its IPO price, to buy back the company.
Jumei is the latest in a string of Chinese companies seeking to leave the Wall Street.
Three institutional investors and a group of retail investors said they are now planning to sue Jumei both in the US and the Cayman Islands where the company is incorporated.
If the delisting plan goes ahead, minority investors are claiming it will not only undermine their interests but also trigger widespread concerns about other overseas-listed Chinese companies taking similar moves to the detriments of small equity owners.
"We have formed a group of more than 260 investors to sue Jumei and our combined shares have already exceeded 5 million shares," said Zhang Xuanji, one of the investors.
"To augment our voice and influence, we are hoping to raise the number to 14 million shares, about 10 percent of the company's stock, by uniting more small investors," he said, adding three institutional investors, including iMeigu Fund in Beijing, a firm specializing in investing in US-traded Chinese companies, have also joined the efforts.
New York-listed Jumei announced on Feb 17 it had received a non-binding offer from its management team to acquire all of Jumei's outstanding 45.6 percent shares for $7 per American depositary share.
The company, which was not immediately available for comments, said earlier the offer represents a premium of 26.6 percent above the average closing price over the previous 10 trading days.
Minority shareholders, however, argue that is 68 percent below its initial public offering price of $22, when it listed in New York in May 2014.
A woman uses a sewing machine that produces taqiyah (prayer caps for Muslim men) at a clothing manufacturing company in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo/China Daily]
A 67-year-old Muslim entrepreneur in Northwestern China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region is finding new opportunities for his family clothing business along the Silk Road Economic Belt.
Yang Faxiang started his company in the 1990s with a few dozen sewing machines, making ethnic costumes and clothing for Hui people. Later, as cross-cultural exchanges and trading increased between China and the Middle East, he found a welcoming foreign market for his products.
His company, Wuzhong Wantini Ethnic Clothing Co, established its first overseas store in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
"The store functions as a wholesale headquarters for the company in the Middle East, since traders from other countries in the region go there to restock. It also helps us to brand our company, showing our designs for Muslim clothes," Yang said.
Last year, the company's sales revenue reached 24 million yuan ($3.66 million), with 60 percent coming from foreign markets. Yang expects revenue to double this year.
The Belt and Road Initiative "will make the ties between China and the Middle East closer, which will benefit our business," he said. "President Xi Jinping visited three countries in the Middle East in January, which has given us strong encouragement."
Yang said he hopes Xi's visit will result in some preferential policies for Chinese businesses in the Middle East, where he has found visas to be costly and challenging to get due to the short times involved.
Financial services in the Middle East also are difficult for foreign businesses to obtain, so he hopes more banks will provide help for small-business owners.
Competition among Chinese producers is fierce in the Middle East, Yang said.
"Some clothing companies from southern China can provide the same quality with lower prices, since their logistics costs are less than those for companies in northern China," he said. This has "brought challenges to us, but we will continue to make efforts because the market is promising".
Ma Jun, a senior manager at the company who is in charge of foreign marketing, said the company is considering opening stores in Sudan and Qatar.
Yang chose Wuzhong, a city in central Ningxia, for his business because it is one of the major settlements in China for people of the Hui ethnic group. More than 55 percent of Wuzhong's population is Muslim, and many companies have located Muslim clothing businesses there.
In November, Ningxia Hengfeng Group, a clothing company with an investment of 150 million yuan, was established in Wuzhong. The company is expected to provide 2,000 jobs when it begins production by the end of the year.
The company foresees an annual production capacity of 5 million robes for Muslims, and it intends to export them to Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
Guo Shaoyu contributed to this story.
Two visitors from Russia taste local snacks in Rongshui, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]
After four years of decline, there was a huge increase in the number of Russian tourists visiting China in January, new figures show.
In total, 144,200 Russians visited in the first month of 2016up 46.9 percent on the same period last year, according to a recent report released by the China Tourism Academy, a think tank under the China National Tourism Administration.
Russia is the fifth-largest source market for China's tourism industry after the United States, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea, but over the past few years a weak ruble has dampened Russians' enthusiasm for travel abroad.
Last year alone, the number of Russian tourists in China was down 22.7 percent year-on-year, according to the report
Xu Xiaolei, a spokesman for China Youth Travel Service, said the growth in Russian tourists this winter was not surprising, but it was still too early to predict a trend for the rest of the year.
"Many Russian tourists chose to spend the bitter winter in warm Hainan province. And to avoid the peak season of Chinese New Year, many booked their trips to China in January," Xu said. "Tourism watchdogs have also been tightening the regulation of Hainan's tourism products. Compared with the sky-high hotel prices last year, prices in Hainan are relatively low this year. This has also helped to attract more Russian tourists."
Xu said he expected the overall inbound tourism industry to maintain its pace of growth this year, after the number of inbound visits in January increased by 1.7 percent year-on-year to 11.1 million, according to the China Tourism Academy report
The China National Tourism Administration expects more than 137 million overseas tourists to visit China this year, an increase of 2.5 percent on the previous year.
According to its development goal for 2016, as set at the annual work meeting on Jan 29, international tourism revenue is also forecast to increase by 6.5 percent, reaching $121 billion.
If this happens, it will be the second consecutive year of growth for China's inbound tourism market following a period of decline from 2011 to 2014.
Li Shihong, deputy head of the administration, said second- and third-tier cities and small towns would play a leading role in attracting overseas touristshighlighting Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, Yueyang, Hunan province and Tongli, Jiangsu province as examples.
"Second- and third-tier cities and small towns have unique cultural symbols, beautiful landscapes and have preserved history" better than modern cities, Li said. "All these are attractive factors for frequent visitors to China."
"Besides, the high-speed railway network has connected small towns and made them more accessible than ever before. It is a great time for them to develop their inbound tourism industry."
A Qualcomm sign is pictured in front of one of its many buildings in San Diego, California November 5, 2014. [Photo/Agencies] Thundercomm will have access to intellectual patents from US chip giant
Qualcomm Inc on Monday set up a joint venture with a Chinese tech firm to develop technologies used in drones, virtual reality goggles and other "smart devices" that the US chip giant believes will be the next big thing after the smartphone boom.
The new JV, named Thundercomm, will provide products and technologies for local firms which are building the next-generation drones, robots, VR devices and wearables, according to a statement from Qualcomm and its Chinese partner Thunder Software Technology Co Ltd, or Thundersoft.
The registered capital of Thundercomm was 18.74 million yuan ($2.8 million) and the Beijing-based Thundersoft will control nearly 82 percent of the JV, according to a statement from Thundersoft. An investment subsidiary of Qualcomm took the rest of the new company's stake.
The JV will be located at the Fairy Peach Data Valley in Yubei District, southwest China's Chongqing municipality. The inland mega city has become one of the world's largest manufacturing bases of the smart devices in recent years.
Zhang Shutao, general manager of Thundercomm, said the JV will get to use intellectual patents from Qualcomm.
"We will have a lot opportunities to work with Qualcomm in IP, ... the JV will find ways to help customers get access to Qualcomm's IPs," Zhang said.
Frank Meng, chairman of Qualcomm China, told China Daily in an exclusive interview earlier this month Chinese startups are set to lead the world in innovation in an array of emerging sectors.
Chinese tech firms are making technological breakthroughs instead of waiting for ideas imported from overseas companies, said Meng.
"Local vendors are coming up with gigantic amount of ideas that suit requirements of Chinese customers. Qualcomm wants to be a part of this new trend that will unlock another trillion-yuan market," said the 56-year-old.
Ma Longwen, an analyst from Changjiang Securities Co, said the new JV will give an edge to Thundersoft in many areas, including drone making, smart automobile and VR.
"It requires a large number of high-end chips to make a drone, as global orders for drones reaching the highest level on record, the JV is facing a huge market demand because it is endorsed by Qualcomm technologies," according to Ma.
While sectors such as VR and operating system used in automobiles are not big today, they are set to receive huge user base like smartphones did, he added.
The establishment of Thundercomm was also the first major China investment from Qualcomm since it set up a Guizhou-registered firm to manage investments on the Chinese mainland in January.
Qualcomm is moving its investment focus to inland provinces to echo a number of national strategies aimed to boost economy in the less-developed regions taking advantage of the Internet and new technologies.
CAI MENG/CHINA DAILY
The past year has witnessed positive and negative changes in Sino-US relations.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting with US President Barack Obama in the White House in September was a continuation of their informal meetings since 2013. And the Strategic and Economic Dialogue yielded remarkable achievements. The two countries also broadened their cooperation on climate change and security. Yet, the two countries' divergence and competition in South China Sea show there is still a lack of mutual trust.
In general, this year will be a continuation of the pattern of relations featuring cooperation as well as competition. The US will carry on its "rebalancing to the Asia-pacific".Historically, the US always with draws around the world after being deeply involved in a war. Dwight Eisenhower did it after the Korean War. Richard Nixon did it after the Vietnam War. Barack Obama is no exception. After the Afghanistan War, he concluded the US' global anti-terror war, with drew US troops from Iraq in 2009, and reduced the US military presence in Afghanistan.
However, while contracting in the rest of the world, the Obama administration has increased its input in Asia-Pacific region. US strategists reached a general consensus in 2010 that China will be the main challenge to the US' hegemony in the coming years, and if the US wants to maintain its leadership in the world, it must respond, contain and be vigilant to China's challenge. Obama's successor will likely maintain this view.
In the past few years, the Obama administration has mainly done three things in the Asia-Pacific: strengthened the US' alliance with Japan, boosted its ties with India, and concluded negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. The Obama administration will continue to push ahead with these this year.
Representing a company, a worker dressed as the God of Wealth from Chinese legend, attracts the attention of job-seekers at an employment fair in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Saturday. The employment outlook is grim as 7.65 million university graduates enter the job market this year.[Photo by Lin Yunlong/China Daily]
China will gradually raise its statutory retirement age over the coming years in a bid to combat the effects of an aging population.
Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security, told a news conference on Monday that the current retirement policy "seems to be out of date".
Currently, China's retirement age is 60 for men, 55 for female white-collar workers and 50 for female blue-collar employees.
"The current policy was formulated about 60 years ago when average life expectancy was relatively low. After so many years, life expectancy has increased," said Yin.
"That's not to mention the aging population trend. Last year the number of citizens aged over 60 surpassed 220 million, accounting for 16 percent of the total population.
"Currently, the average retirement age in China is under 55, compared to somewhere in the mid-60s in many other countries. Taking all these factors into consideration, China should raise the retirement age but only step by step until it reaches a reasonable level."
The gradual implementation of a higher retirement age would mean, for example, that a worker who is five years away from retirement when the new policy takes effect would have to work an additional three months, while a worker six years out would work six months extra, Yin said.
Moreover, it will not be applied equally to all sectors of the workforce and a reform plan will be released to solicit public opinion within 12 months, he added.
Jin Weigang, a researcher with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, told China News Service on Saturday that the plan is likely to be implemented in 2022 after a five-year transitional period.
The government's plan to raise the retirement age is a response to the fact that China's shrinking workforce and aging population has begun to bite into the country's labor market and pension system. Population figures show that the number of people aged 16 to 60 fell by 4.87 million to 911 million in 2015, the fourth consecutive year of decline.
On Dec 2, the Institute of Population and Labor Economics and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published a green paper on population and labor, in which researchers suggested a two step strategy to changing the retirement age. They recommended that China complete the integration of its two pension systems by 2017 and that from 2018, the retirement age for women should be raised one year every three years, and the retirement age for men should be raised one year every six years.
This means that by 2045, the retirement age for both men and women would be 65.
Chen Man, who had been wrongfully imprisoned for 23 years, was declared innocent in Haikou, Hainan province, on Feb 1, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
Lawyer Wang Wanqiong said that she was very surprised and moved to receive a WeChat message during the Lunar New Year from her client, Chen Man, who had been wrongfully imprisoned for 23 years.
"I didn't believe Chen, who had been imprisoned for such a long time, could use WeChat to send me Spring Festival wishes, as he has not been good at calling me with a smart phone since he was released," Wang said.
On Feb 1, the 53-year-old Chen, from Sichuan province, who was given a two-year suspended death sentence in 1994 for homicide and arson, was pronounced innocent in Haikou, Hainan province, because of insufficient evidence.
Wang said she was excited to see that her client had been freed, adding that her three-year effort to help his appeal was not in vain.
She clearly remembered the first time she went to visit Chen's parents in 2013, saying that their trust and determination to prove their son's innocence brought her not only confidence, but also pressure.
"I have never seen such abundant appeal materials piled up in a room in my 13-year career. All the documents were collected by the parents, both in their 80s," she said.
"I was so moved, depressed and shocked at the same time. Chen's parents were good at communicating and were sensible when they shared their opinions of the case.
"Chen's acquittal should be attributed to the progress of the rule of law and the efforts made by legal bodies to correct wrongful judgments in recent years. The idea of dealing with such cases has changed our judicial system, which also cheered me up."
Wang is negotiating how much State compensation should be paid to Chen and his family, and is helping Chen's physical recovery.
Chen, who got a physical checkup before the festival, plans to recover from the stomach disease he acquired during detention and spend more time with his parents.
"This past holiday was the happiest time I have had in over 23 years, because I finally got the family reunion that I most wanted in prison," said Chen. "Freedom is the most important thing and I'll cherish it and the time with my mom and dad." He noted that he will also try to fit into society, learn to use a smartphone, and increase communications with others.
He remembered the time he spent in jail, saying that he thought about why destiny treated him this way as he was making shoes, sweaters or batteries in prison.
"Thanks to judicial reforms put forward by the central leadership three years ago and the persistence of my family and lawyer, I was lucky to be proved innocent," he said.
"I have had some ideas about my future job and want to start my own business."
"But I know there are many things I should learn, so the first step for me now is to understand more about society, which is strange in my eyes."
Chen Yi, his older brother, showed excitement and hope for the future.
"I'm enjoying every second the family members get together now and I also believe my younger brother can live a better life," he said.
In Yunnan province, Qian Renfeng, who was acquitted in December after wrongfully serving 13 years in prison for poisoning children, is also facing reintegration into society. She was wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002 when she was 17.
Qian Lunrong, her nephew, said that he accompanies her to find a job in the province's capital Kunming, "but it's too hard for her to be employed.""She didn't know how to use a mobile phone when she was released, let alone other high-tech tools. She's like a newborn bird that is curious about the world, but is afraid to fly far from home," he said. Wang also showed concern about the current social assistance for acquitted people.
"The social correction centers for helping the released to find jobs don't fulfill their role now," he said.
In other words, the efforts in building a "connection" between prisons and society should be further improved, Wang added.
The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and J. Walter Thompson Company released a research report saying that female role models in film and TV are hugely influential in driving women to improve their lives.
The report, which was released on the same day Oscars were awarded in Hollywood, finds that 90 percent of women globally feel that female role models in film and TV are important, 61 percent said female role models in film and TV have been influential in their lives, and 58 percent said that women have been inspired to be more ambitious or assertive.
The survey of 4,300 women in nine countries Brazil, China, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Russia, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States also showed that one in nine globally, rising as high as one in four in Brazil, said that positive female role models had given them the courage to leave an abusive relationship.
However, 53 percent of women globally think there is a lack of female role models in film and TV; 74 percent said they wished they had seen more female role models growing up; and 80 percent said that women should have a louder voice when it comes to cultural influence.
Previous research by the Institute found that the percentage of fictional working women is even lower than the one that exists in the real world. Of the characters with jobs, less than 25 percent were female, while women make up 40 percent of the global workforce. Film depictions also fail to reflect the slow but steady progress of female representation across professions. Despite women holding 24 percent of global political positions, out of 127 characters holding political office in films, only 12 were female.
Geena Davis, Founder & Chair, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, said: "The fact is, women are seriously under-represented across nearly all sectors of society around the globe, not just on screen, but for the most part, we're simply not aware of the extent. And media images exert a powerful influence in creating and perpetuating our unconscious biases."
Rachel Pashley, Global Board Planning Director at J. Walter Thompson, said that the lack of female role models on film and TV has been trivialized for too long the statistics around abusive relationships in particular bring the importance of the issue into stark contrast.
"Saying anything is possible isn't as powerful as seeing that anything is possible. It's about setting a precedent; if girls don't see women physicists, racing car drivers and CEOs on screen, how are they expected to want to be physicists, racing car drivers and CEOs?" she said.
The full research report will be available through the Geena Davis Institute in March.
Seeds of the abrus precatorius at a plant exhibit in Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden, Nanjing city, East China's Jiangsu province, Jan 31, 2016. [Photo/IC]
A Chinese passenger was found unintentionally carrying one of the world's most toxic seeds, which he had picked up in Ethiopia, in his suitcase at Guangzhou airport, according to Nanfang Daily.
The man, whose name was not revealed by police, explained he loved the appearance of the seeds and thought they were harmless when security staff at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport found 0.1 kilogram of them in his suitcase.
After testing and identification at a laboratory in Guangzhou Airport Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, the seeds were identified as abrus precatorius, a pantropic plant also known as the rosary pea (or jequirity pea).
The reason why the seeds are listed as one of the world's top toxic lies in abrine contained in them.
A man could die if he inhales or ingests three micrograms of abrine, let alone the 0.1 kilogram.
The bureau launched an emergency plan, not only examining and protecting staff that had touched the seeds, but also properly keeping the seeds until destroying them.
This is not the first case of the toxic seeds being discovered.
In December 2011, the Eden Project, a visitor attraction in Cornwall, Britain, recalled a sale of bracelets, which were made of the same seeds, in consideration of the harm they could do to people's health.
Chinese citizens traveling, working or studying in foreign countries are advised not to pick up the unknown plants or their seeds, which may be poisonous, and go to local doctors if they are ill after eating or wearing the toxic plants.
BEIJING - China said it supports the intra-Syrian talks to resume in Geneva as early as possible and called for a political solution that takes into account the reasonable concerns of relevant parties, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said on Monday that the cessation of hostilities reached by the Syrian government and opposition forces is basically holding.
China welcomed effective implementation of the ceasefire agreement by the concerned parties, spokesperson Hong Lei said at a daily news briefing.
Hong said China hopes relevant parties can implement the UN Security Council 2254 Resolution and the joint communique of the fourth foreign ministers'meeting of the International Syrian Support Group (ISSG) in February in Munich to keep the momentum of the ceasefire and cessation of violence.
"We hope the international community, especially countries in the region, will play a positive and constructive role," Hong said.
Staffan de Mistura, UN special envoy for Syria, said he plans for the peace talks involving various parties in Syria to resume on March 7 in Geneva if the ceasefire holds. The Geneva talks on the Syrian crisis collapsed earlier in February.
A political settlement is the fundamental and only solution to the Syrian issue, Hong said, adding that China always believes that violence won't lead to an outcome, while negotiation will give people hope.
China called on all parties in Syria to meet each other halfway and seek common ground while narrowing their differences, Hong said.
"China is willing to work with the international community to play its due role in promoting a political settlement for the Syrian issue," Hong said.
Beijing police thwarted 4,900 cases of telephone fraud involving 620 million yuan ($95 million) last year, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau reported on Tuesday.
The bureau also announced it had handled 116,000 criminal cases last year, seized 285 kilograms of drugs and identified about 12,000 people involved in illicit drug use. It said 261,000 people were punished for violations of public security rules.
Traffic accidents reported to police dropped by 19.4 percent last year from 2014, while phone calls to police dropped by 4.1 percent from the previous year, the bureau said.
Members of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region wave upon their arrival at Beijing West Railway Station, in Beijing, March 1, 2016, for the Fourth Session of the 12th CPPCC National Committee. [Photo/Xinhua]
BEIJING - Members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee are headed to Beijing for the advisory body's annual session, slated for Thursday.
Political advisors from northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region and northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region were the first to arrive on Tuesday.
With only two days until the start of the two-most important weeks of the political calendar, advisors will submit proposals and insight on state affairs.
The National People's Congress, China's top legislature, will begin its annual session on Saturday.
Together dubbed the "two sessions," the meetings are the most important political events in China, where political and economic development measures are discussed and key policies adopted.
CPPCC members are elected from various walks of life and ethnic groups. They are the think tank for the government, and the legislative and judicial organs. They put forward proposals for the major political and social issues in the world's most populous nation and second-largest economy.
Ma Zongbao, head of Ningxia University's institute for Hui ethnic studies, told Xinhua that his proposal calls for better higher education in central and western parts of China as this will aid poverty alleviation in the region.
"I hope the country can improve the competitiveness of colleges and universities in central and western China to help them pull themselves out of poverty," he said.
Shanghai saw a decline in migrants in 2015, the first time in 15 years, according to a report published by the city's statistics authority.
The city had a population of about 24.15 million last year, 104,100 less than in 2014, the report said. Some 9.81 million migrants lived in the city last year, 147,700 fewer than 2014.
Shanghai-based Dragon TV reported that the city's economic transition from low-end manufacturing to high-tech and service industries, as well as rising living costs have caused the population of migrants to fall.
Many worked in the suburbs, such as the Jiading, Songjiang, Qingpu and Minhang districts in the past. But in recent years, the transition of industries in the suburbs, caused many to leave, the TV station reported.
A robotic company has acquired a floorboard factory occupying about 10 hectares at Malu town in Jiading district, and the floorboard factory used to hire more than 500 workers, the station said.
Chen Qiang, a deputy head of Baoqiao village in Malu town, told Dragon TV that about 6,166 migrants lived in the village in 2014, but the figure reduced to around 5,300 last year. Most worked in factories there.
Xupu village in Minhang district demolished illegal buildings covering 577,000 square meters in recent years, and the number of migrants living in the village has fallen from 30,000 to 15,000.
One migrant said rent for a room was 800 yuan last year, double that of 2014 which caused many migrants to leave.
Shanghai has planned to restrict its population to 25 million by 2020. The city has taken measures such as upgrading industries, improving public services and enhancing law enforcement to achieve the goal.
Peng Xizhe, director of the Center for Population and Development Policy Studies at Fudan University, said Shanghai should be careful in managing the population structure, such as different occupations and ages, to fulfill its goal.
China supports the restart of talks over Syria in Geneva as soon as possible, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Tuesday.
Hong made the remarks days after a cessation of hostilities agreement in Syria took effect.
Xinhua News Agency reported that the agreement took effect at midnight Damascus time on Feb 27 in all Syrian cities, and the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura said that a new round of Syria talks will be held on March 7 if the cessation of hostilities "largely holds".
According to Xinhua, de Mistura announced in Geneva on Feb 3 the temporary pause of the intra-Syrian talks.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, told a press briefing on Monday that the Secretary-General said that the cessation of hostilities is holding in Syria, although there have been scattered incidents.
Hong, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the country "supports the early resumption of Geneva talks on the Syrian issue", and calls for the Syrian government and the opposition parties to work out a political solution that takes into account reasonable concerns by all parties.
He said China hopes all relevant parties will strictly implement the UN Security Council's Resolution 2254 and the fruits obtained in the fourth foreign ministers' meeting of the International Syria Support Group, and "seriously implement ceasefire and cessation of violence", adding that China is willing to continue to contribute its due share to pushing for a political solution for the Syria issue.
City's junior high school educators among most qualified in the world, survey finds
The five Chinese teachers featured in the BBC documentary Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School. The documentary triggered a heated debate on British and Chinese education methods.
Experts have rated Shanghai's junior high school teachers among the world's most qualified, thanks to their diversified teaching approaches, well-rounded training and rewarding career paths.
The assessment came after local teachers scored highest in 12 indicators in an international survey.
The city attaches great importance to cultivating first-class teachers and giving them rewarding career opportunities, said Zhang Minxuan, director of the Research Institute of International and Comparative Education at Shanghai Normal University.
In addition to the 12 indicators, such as efficiency of lessons, encouraging students to be engaged in classes, and professional training, Shanghai teachers' overall performance in nearly 40 indicators far exceeded the international average standard, the survey found.
It was carried out by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Nearly 4,000 Shanghai teachers from 199 junior high schools responded to the survey, which also polled teachers in 37 other countries and regions, including Australia, Italy, Singapore and Japan, over the past three years.
In an interview run by the journal Shanghai Education on WeChat, Karine Tremblay, director of the survey project, said Shanghai teachers have in-depth exchanges between peers, which helps them to "grow together on a fast track".
"We found that many initiatives concerning teachers' professional development implemented in Shanghai can serve as world models," she said.
In the OECD's 2012 Program for International Student Assessment, Shanghai students topped the ranks in math, reading and science tests in competition with those from dozens of countries.
This helped to generate the BBC documentary series Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School, which was broadcast in August.
BEIJING -- China will make stable employment a priority as structural reform puts pressure on the job market, said Vice Premier Ma Kai on Tuesday.
Structural reform will put pressure on employment and the government should focus on stable employment along with economic expansion, said Ma at a State Council meeting.
Local governments should support mass entrepreneurship and innovation as they will create jobs. In addition, migrant workers should be encouraged to start their own businesses back in their hometown.
Workers that are made redundant as industrial overcapacity is addressed should be relocated and offered training.
Policymakers have made cutting overcapacity a top priority in supply-side structural reform, which will help the world's second-largest economy achieve sustainable growth.
In the process of capacity cuts, around 1.3 million people in the coal and steel sectors will loose their jobs, according to Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Yin Weimin.
SHANGHAI -- China's eastern metropolitan of Shanghai saw its population shrink for the first time this century.
The city's permanent population, those who have lived there for six months or more, was 24.15 million at the end of 2015, marking a decline of 0.4 percent year on year, the city's statistics bureau said Tuesday.
The city has been a magnet for job seekers thanks to booming economy, but its aging local population and low birth rate have dragged down the growth figure.
Yet population experts believe last year's negative growth was mainly a result of the measures taken by the megacity to curb its population in order to alleviate the pressures on traffic flow and infrastructure.
Zhou Haiwang, a demographer with Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the city had relocated many residents by phasing out obsolete industrial capacities and demolishing illegal buildings.
Zhou said the trend befitted the city's plan to limit its permanent population within 25 million by 2020.
China will stage its largest annual political and legislative eventsthe "two sessions"starting on Thursday. China Daily takes a close look at a series of likely hot topics and catchphrases during the sessions.
Today's catchphraseAging populationThe aging of China's population is progressing rapidly, with the number of people aged 60 and older expected to expand to one-third of the population by the middle of the century. But healthcare services for the elderly, such as rehabilitative and hospice services, are lacking in many places in China. Measures are being taken to cope with the challenges, such as encouraging the integration of elderly care with healthcare services to ensure that the elderly receive proper care.
Zhang Shouzi, a psychiatrist at Beijing Geriatric Hospital, has seen the number of patients seeking treatment for dementia in the hospital increasing over the past few years, resulting in some patients having to wait for weeks to get a bed.
"The situation may get worse in the future with the aging of the population in Beijing," Zhang said. "The incidence of dementia rises with the increase of age, and up to 40 percent of people aged 85 or older may develop the condition."
To cope with the growing number of elderly patients, the hospital is increasing the number of beds, and it opened a new complex in January, according to Yang Yingna, a publicity official of the hospital.
That complex has 400 beds and is equipped with better facilities to meet the increasing demands, she said.
With the rapid aging of the Chinese population, major cities such as Beijing are working out plans on coping with the healthcare needs of the elderly.
By the end of 2014, the number of Chinese aged 60 or older reached 212 million, more than 15 percent of the population, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Some experts predict that it will swell to more than one-third of the population by 2050, when China will become one of the countries most heavily burdened by population aging.
Beijing had 3.2 million permanent residents aged 60 or older by the end of 2014, and their number is predicted to reach 4 million by 2020, according to the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau.
President Xi Jinping said in February that coping with population aging concerns China's overall development and the interests of hundreds of millions of people. He urged the government to improve major policies such as family planning, employment and elder care to cope with the problem.
China will encourage the integration of healthcare and elderly care services to meet the challenges, according to a guideline the State Council, or the Cabinet, released in November.
Cui's solo show in Beijing features more than 200 sets of his paintings, many of which are painted with his unique "finger-ink technique".[Photo provided to China Daily]
Cui Ruzhuo's 'finger-ink' show opens at the Palace Museum, marking a rare chance for a living artist, Wang Kaihao reports.
As a teenager, Cui Ruzhuo was engrossed in making replicas of famous artworks at the Palace Museum in Beijing.
Now 72, the contemporary artist has returned to the same venue to display his Glossiness of Uncarved Jade: Grand Exhibition of Cui Ruzhuo.
On Thursday, the grand opening of his show that runs through June 25 was held at the former imperial site, which is also known as the Forbidden City, marking a rare opportunity for a living artist.
More than 200 sets of Cui's paintings are on display in the Meridian Gate exhibition hall above the museum's main entrance.
Cui is known for reviving traditional Chinese painting with his "finger-ink technique".
The technique, which refers to the use of fingers ins tea d of brushes or other painting tools, was first mentioned in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). Some painters of the mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) used it, and celebrated painter Pan Tianshou (1897-1971) took it to a new level.
"Our predecessors tried almost every technique in traditional Chinese painting, and there is little room left for creativity," Cui tells China Daily. "However, finger ink is a way out."
Chaoshan beef hotpot restaurants become popular in Shanghai because of the strict selection of beef and cutting rules. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]
While the bull disappeared from Shanghai's roiling stock market in the latter half of 2015, it has been easy to find in-between the chopsticks of the city's most active diners. In fact, beef may have surpassed pork for choice by many in recent months.
Beef lovers have long gathered at upscale Western steakhouses and Taiwan-style beef-soup noodle eateries. The trend-setting, however, is most apparent at a less high-profile venue: The Cow's Story, featuring a rather niche cuisine from Chaoshan, a region that many may only know vaguely as "somewhere in southern China".
"Chaoshan beef preparation would not be overshadowed when compared with Japanese Wagyu or any fine fillet from steakhouses," says Chen Manqi, a native of Chaoshan, Guangdong province, who now lives and works in Shanghai.
For sure, the 31-year-old is biased, as she has been running several restaurants serving the cuisine from her hometown for more than a decade in Shanghai.
But you don't have to take her word for it: Chaoshan hotpot restaurants are sprouting up around Shanghai, with more than 200 recent openings in less than a year. For context: The total number of hotpot restaurants in the city is around 6,000, according to figures from Dianping.com, the most-used restaurant listing in China.
Judges of Tengzhou Peoples Court in Shandong province swear an oath in front of Chinese national flag on Dec 2, 2014 to celebrate Chinas first Constitution Day. [Photo by Song Haicun/Xinhua]
MA CAIYUN, a Beijing judge, was killed along with her husband when two people shot them on Friday. The killers later committed suicide. One of the shooters was confirmed to have been involved in a divorce case that Ma had presided over. China Youth Daily on Monday called for better protection of judicial staff:
Many people said that the killer who was involved in the divorce case might feel he was unfairly treated. But that is no excuse for murder.
However, many people do feel justice is often bent. They might not resort to such drastic action, but driven by such feelings, they lose respect for the judiciary and tend to use violence or harsh language against judicial staff. We cannot deny the fact that many judges and policemen encounter violence when enforcing the law.
The root cause lies in the lack of rule of law. Judges are not as independent as they are supposed to be, they are under the influence of various levels of officials, interests, even personal relations. Thus when somebody loses a lawsuit, he or she might attribute that to corruption and seek revenge.
Another popular judicial practice nowadays is that courts tend to mediate instead of letting those who commit illegal deeds pay for them. Thus lawsuits sometimes become trouble-seeking competitions, with those who can create the most trouble for the court winning. How can people trust the judiciary under such conditions?
Since 2014, many judges have reportedly resigned, because the pressure is too much for them, the pay rather low, and they have no sense of purpose. That's a big problem awaiting a solution. We mourn for Ma, and we hope actions will be taken so that such a tragedy does not happen again.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a discussion on Chinese foreign policy and China-US Relations at Center for Strategic and International Studies(CSIS) in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb 25, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
THE DEPLOYMENT OF a US missile defense system in the Republic of Korea seems to have been delayed after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the United States last week. A joint working group between Washington and Seoul on the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, which was due to begin work last Tuesday, was delayed at the request of the US. However, the postponed deployment of THAAD does not mean the US government has given up on it, Beijing News warned on Monday:
Whether or not the anti-missile system will be deployed in the ROK, has a lot to do with China's stance on sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea after the DPRK conducted its fourth nuclear test on Jan 6 and launched an Earth-observation satellite apparently to test ballistic missile technology on Feb 7.
Washington has refused to give a definite answer as to whether the system will be deployed in the ROK, and it will use it as a bargaining chip to pressure China.
True, the regional security mechanism that has failed to work is to blame for the escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, especially when it comes to the DPRK's nuclear issue. But what Pyongyang will do in response to the risk of being isolated by the international community remains unpredictable, and thus should be carefully and primarily dealt with.
Unlike Washington that seeks regional leadership through its maneuvering over the deployment of THAAD, Beijing only wants to get Pyongyang back to the negotiating table with the help of the international community. That explains why it has been more open toward imposing sanctions on the DPRK this time.
Although they have stalled, it is thanks to the Six-Party Talks and their legacy that there has been no major military clash in Northeast Asia.
However, the outgoing US President Barack Obama is still bent on implementing the US' "rebalancing to Asia-Pacific", which is upsetting the regional security and geopolitical order. All parties concerned should be very careful about tackling both the peninsula's nuclear issue and the deployment of THAAD.
Young dancers from the New Mexico Chinese School of Arts and Language perform at last year's New Year celebration in Albuquerque. Provided to China Daily
A Belgian friend, who runs a medium-sized chemical company and employs four Chinese nationals, recently said a multinational is not worth its name today if it does not employ Chinese and do business with China. His business instinct also led him to open an account at the Shanghai Stock Exchange two years ago, which, however, is being managed by his 15-year-old son. By doing so, my friend says he is guiding his son to fully understand the Chinese economy because he has to rely on it to earn his living in the future.
The urge to know China and share its prosperity have been rapidly growing among Europeans, Americans, Africans and people in the rest of the world. Many of them send their children to special classes to learn Chinese, study Chinese painting or martial arts; some even send their wards to Chinese universities for higher education.
Concurrently, Chinese communities are growing in major cities across the globe such as London, New York, Paris and Brussels as more Chinese enterprises and investors seek opportunities outside China, and more diplomats and journalists are posted overseas. Amid all this, Chinese expatriates are trying to ensure their children do not lose track of the Chinese language and culture while attending schools in foreign cities.
But this is easier said than done. I have been hunting for a secondary school in London for my son, who will finish his primary school education in Brussels in a few months, because I will soon move to the United Kingdom. But it seems my son cannot attend an English-Chinese school in London, for I couldn't find one. Instead, he can apply to about 10 bilingual schools (with either English or French as a compulsory medium), for he has mainly had French as the medium of instruction in Brussels.
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Guiyang announced that it will host the world's first competition for pain-point seekers, aiming to find social pain points, at a press conference held in Beijing on March 1.
"Pain-point seekers refers to those who identify social 'pain-points'," said Gao Weidong, vice mayor of the Guiyang municipal government.
Guiyang announced that it will host the world's first competition for pain-point seekers, aiming to find social pain points, at a press conference held in Beijing on March 1.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Pain-point seekers are able to find unmet societal demands among China's complicated social phenomena. These pain-points can bring opportunities for those who plan to start up their own companies.
For example, traffic jams is a pain-point. Thus, the taxi-hailing App was a business opportunity. Review websites such as dianping.com have emerged from the pain-point that consumers are in need of word-of-mouth reviews of unfamiliar restaurants.
The Pain-point Seeker Plan is an attempt to solve pain-points by bringing together social talents such as pain-point seekers and social capital.
Through the Pain-point Seekers Plan, Guiyang expects to explore a brand new solution to meet unmet social demands.
Chen Gang, secretary of the Party's Guiyang Municipal Committee speaks at the press conference. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
"Pain-point seekers are an important driver for grassroots innovation," said Chen Gang, secretary of the Party's Guiyang Municipal Committee.
Guiyang will take advantage of its big data industry to build a platform for pain-point seekers and thus promote innovation.
"The Pain-point Seekers Plan will help entrepreneurs reduce risks because it helps them to find the real unmet social demands," said Chen.
Under the guidance of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), the competition is cosponsored by the Guiyang municipal government and the Guizhou provincial administrative bureau for industry and commerce.
Hong Dan, deputy chief of the Enterprises Supervision Branch of the SAIC, noted that the competition will invite the public to identify pain-points to solve problems and promote companies' credit potential.
Based on the pain-point seekers platform, Guiyang will construct a "Pain-point Seekers Dream Factory" early this May. As a regular operation platform of the Pain-point Seekers Plan, the dream factory will incorporate social talents with capital to make sure the plan will be implemented.
"Without the pain-points collected from the pain-point seekers platform, many social innovations would not be practical," said Zhou Tao, professor at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
Guiyang has been improving its innovation environment in recent years. Thanks to its favorable policies, an increasing number of talents have chosen to reside and work in Guiyang. The Pain-point Seekers Plan will be another measure to add to the favorable policies.
The final of the competition will be held during the Guiyang International Big Data Industry Expo which will be held in the second half of May.
By Su Zhou in Beijing and Amy He in New York | China Daily | Updated: 2016-03-01 10:53
Li Jinzao, chairman of the China National Tourism Administration (center), US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews (second from left) and Max Baucus, US ambassador to China (right), attend the opening ceremony of the US-China Tourism Year 2016 in Beijing on Monday.[Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]
Official hopes trips between nations will total more than 5 million during 2016
China and the United States launched the US-China Tourism Year 2016 at a ceremony in Beijing on Monday.
The tourism year was announced by President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama during Xi's state visit to the United States in September.
It aims to increase travel and tourism between the countries by enhancing the travel experience, increasing travelers' cultural understanding and expanding the appreciation of natural landscapes.
Li Jinzao, chairman of the China National Tourism Administration, passed on Xi's wish to see more Americans in China.
"The shortest direct flight between China and the US takes 11 hours while the longest takes 16 hours. The Pacific Ocean does not prevent people from visiting each other," Li said. "In 2015, total bilateral visits surpassed 4.75 million. We hope the number will surpass 5 million this year."
Major events scheduled include one with 1,000 American tourists visiting the Great Wall, to be held at the wall's Jinshanling section in Hebei province on March 25; a tourism promotion in the US titled Beautiful China-Maritime Silk Road; a high-level China-US dialogue on tourism to be held in northwestern China's Ningxia autonomous region; and a grand closing ceremony at the end of the year.
China has become the fourth-largest source of foreign tourists for the US and is expected to become the largest by 2020.
In 2015, 2.5 million Chinese traveled to the US. The number is expected to hit 2.97 million in 2016. Chinese visitors spent $23.8 billion while in the United States in 2014, according to the US Department of Commerce, accounting for 57 percent of services exports to China.
Two visitors from Russia taste local snacks in Rongshui, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.[Photo/Xinhua]
After four years of decline, there was a huge increase in the number of Russian tourists visiting China in January, new figures show.
In total, 144,200 Russians visited in the first month of 2016 - up 46.9 percent on the same period last year, according to a recent report released by the China Tourism Academy, a think tank under the China National Tourism Administration.
Russia is the fifth-largest source market for China's tourism industry after the United States, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea, but over the past few years a weak ruble has dampened Russians' enthusiasm for travel abroad.
Last year alone, the number of Russian tourists in China was down 22.7 percent year-on-year, according to the report
Xu Xiaolei, a spokesman for China Youth Travel Service, said the growth in Russian tourists this winter was not surprising, but it was still too early to predict a trend for the rest of the year.
"Many Russian tourists chose to spend the bitter winter in warm Hainan province. And to avoid the peak season of Chinese New Year, many booked their trips to China in January," Xu said. "Tourism watchdogs have also been tightening the regulation of Hainan's tourism products. Compared with the sky-high hotel prices last year, prices in Hainan are relatively low this year. This has also helped to attract more Russian tourists."
China, EU sign short stay visa waiver deal for diplomatic passport holders (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-03-01 09:20
BRUSSELS - China and the European Union (EU) here on Monday signed a reciprocal short stay visa waiver agreement for holders of diplomatic passports.
This agreement will allow visa free travel to the EU for citizens of China holding a diplomatic passport for stays up to 90 days (within any 180-day period) as well as for EU citizens travelling to China and holding a diplomatic passport or an EU laissez-passer.
The agreement will not apply to the United Kingdom and Ireland. And the agreement will provisionally enter into force on the third day following the date of signature.
EU Commissioner for Migration, EU Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said ahead of the signing of the agreement that this is an important agreement not only because it is the first international agreement between the EU and China in the field of home affairs but also because it represents an important step towards greater cooperation on issues of mutual concern, especially in the areas of migration and mobility.
Yang Yanyi, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, said at the signing ceremony that the signing of the agreement undoubtedly marks a concrete step in visa facilitation and commits the two sides to work together more closely to broaden and deepen the cooperation, and help further negotiations so as to provide facilitation for the greater public to travel between China and the EU.
In the past year, among the 120 million outbound Chinese tourists, 2.5 million paid visits to Europe.
Representatives of the European Commission and the Dutch EU Council Presidency also attended the signing ceremony.
A French CRS riot policeman apprehends a young Afghan during a protest by migrants against the partial dismantlement of the camp for migrants called the "jungle", in Calais, northern France, February 29, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
CALAIS, France - Clashes with police broke out on Monday as work got underway to clear part of the shanty town outside Calais in northern France where migrants are trying to reach Britain.
Police fired tear gas around midday, about 150-200 migrants and activists threw stones, and three makeshift shelters were set ablaze, according to a Reuters photographer at the site.
Earlier, one person was arrested for trying to stop a group of about 20 workers under heavy police protection from clearing the site, where about 3,000 people are staying.
WASHINGTON - Four students were injured on Monday after a 14-year-old boy allegedly opened fire at a school cafeteria in Ohio, according to local media report.
According to the US TV network ABC News, two of the victims, both of whom are students at Madison Junior/Senior High School in Middletown, Ohio, were shot, and the other two were possibly injured by flying shrapnel. None of the injuries were life-threatening, said the report.
Speaking at a press conference, local county sheriff Richard Jones said the suspect allegedly abandoned his gun as he ran away from the crime scene, and was quickly apprehended on school grounds.
The motive was still not clear, said Jones, adding that the authorities were still investigating where the suspect got the gun.
A young supporter cheers as Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a primary night party in Columbia, South Carolina, February 27, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
WASHINGTON - US Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton are expected to perform well on "Super Tuesday," a key date in the 2016 presidential race.
While her campaign had some trouble early on, former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to do well on Tuesday, when a dozen states will hold primaries or caucuses. She is expected to perform well especially in the Southern states, mainly due to her strong support among African-Americans, a crucial voting block that in some states comprises half of Democratic voters.
On the Republican Party side, Trump leads the other candidates by a significant margin, and Tuesday may well determine whether the brash billionaire will continue to clinch the Republican nomination.
"If Trump does well (on Tuesday) I suspect it will be extremely difficult for any of the other candidates to overcome him at that point," Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, told Xinhua.
Echoing those sentiments, Brookings Institution's senior fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that if Trump does well on Super Tuesday, "it will be very difficult to slow his route to the nomination."
"He already has a big lead in delegates and the upcoming primaries could put him in a very strong position. He already is getting some endorsements from leading Republicans and more will line up to support him once it looks like he will be the nominee," West said.
Indeed, recent days have seen former Republican candidate Chris Christie -- the Republican governor of New Jersey who was just six months ago seen as a serious contender for the nomination -- endorse Trump, not long after stepping out of the race.
But while the in-your-face Trump is doing well in the polls, he still faces major hurdles from Republican Party big-wigs and donors.
"Many of those people have not warmed up to him and feel that he will drag the party down in the general election," West said.
President Xi Jinping has expressed hopes that the 2016 "China-US Year of Tourism" will be a success, and he called on the two countries to expand visit exchanges and boost cultural communication.
The President delivered his best wishes in a congratulatory message to the opening ceremony held in Beijing on Monday.
Xi sent his congratulations to the opening and extended a warm welcome to visiting friends from the United States, hoping that the two countries could "enhance public opinion and the social basis for the development of the China-US relationship".
Both countries enjoy a rich culture and scenic attractions, and people from both countries want to boost mutual standing and promote friendship, Xi said.
Xi noted that cohosting the "China-US Year of Tourism" was an important outcome achieved during his state visit to the US last September, and said more American friends are welcome to visit China.
When speaking at the Third China-US Governors Forum in Seattle on Sept 22 last year, Xi announced that the two countries will hold a tourism year in 2016.
Li Jinzao, head of the China National Tourism Administration, said at the Monday opening ceremony that more than 4.75 million tourist visits were made between China and the US last year, the People's Daily newspaper website reported.
Li said the two countries are aiming for a figure approaching five million this year, and China is ready to take the year as an opportunity to expand opening and investment cooperation for Chinese visitors to the US.
In the congratulatory message on Monday, Xi also observed that 37 years after China and the US established diplomatic relations, the relationship has "achieved historical development".
"In recent years, the two countries have jointly promoted the building of a new type of relationship between major countries, and have conducted productive coordination and cooperation in regards to many major fields and important international and regional issues," Xi said.
This has "not only benefited the two countries and their people but also energetically promoted peace, stability and prosperity in the world", Xi added.
Brazil's Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo speaks at the Chamber of Deputies in Brasilia in this July 15, 2015 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo has resigned, the government announced Monday.
According to media reports, Cardozo was under pressure from the ruling Workers Party because he failed to curb a corruption investigation on the party's politicians and former Petrobras functionaries.
Cardozo will become the attorney general, and he will be replaced by Wellington Cesar Lima e Silva, former general prosecutor of the Bahia State, according to the presidency's Social Communications Secretariat.
The current attorney general, Luis Inacio Adams, is reportedly to leave the government for personal reasons.
UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after the country conducted its fourth nuclear test in January.
Diplomats said on Tuesday that the Council originally planned to vote on the resolution on Tuesday afternoon, but Russia had asked for a procedural 24-hour review of the document.
The vote is now planned for 10 a.m. local time(1500 GMT) on Wednesday.
The United States circulated the draft resolution to the 15-nation Council last week. The resolution aims to impose new sanctions on DPRK to curb the country's nuclear program.
The DPRK conducted its fourth nuclear test in January. It has previously conducted three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, respectively.
Right after the DPRK's first nuclear test, the Security Council adopted a resolution to impose sanctions on the DPRK and set up a sanctions committee.
(Photo : Getty Images) Google's Skybox Imaging has been renamed Terra Bella.
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Tech giant Google is working with Vizio to develop a TV that is Chromecast-ready. It is no longer a secret in the tech community that Google is working to integrate its Google TV service into TV models.
Google has reportedly been busy negotiating with TV manufacturers creating TVs that will support a Chromecast-like service. One of the rumored TV manufacturer Google has been working on is Vizio.
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Rumors indicate that Google and Vizio are working on a new smart TV that will integrate Chromecast services. Moreover, there are speculations claiming that Vizio is also working on a tablet remote that runs on the Android platform.
Vizio had already tried to create its own tablet device that runs on the Android platform in the past. However, integrating the device into a smart TV would be a step further.
With the current growth of the Internet, users have started to lean towards smart TV experience. This is the reason why casting is slowly growing into a popular platform. Android TVs are already casting-ready. However, integrating the feature into brand new TVs has been an ongoing struggle for Google.
Google Cast enabled TVs are expected to arrive as soon as spring. Experts agree that creating a Chromecast-enabled TV would be a good boost for Vizio's market.
Market analysts also agree that creating more Wi-Fi connected TVs will be a good push for Vizio, especially if it will works hand-in-hand with Google technologies. Vizio also has its own InScape technology which is a huge feature for those who are in favor of Wi-Fi enabled TVs.
Google Chromecast currently has a price tag of $35. The device's ease of use is one of its selling point. Should Google and Vizio come up with a new Chromecast-enabled smart TV, market analysts are speculating that it will be a big hit especially for consumers who are streaming online content.
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TagsGoogle, Chromecast, Google Chromecast, Vizio, Vizio TV, Smart TV
(Photo : Getty Images) Qualcomm has denied reports that USB Type-C ports and smartphones can explode when Quick Charge technology is used.
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Qualcomm Inc on Monday announced its partnership with a Chinese tech firm to innovate technologies related to drones, smart devices and virtual reality googles, which the American chipmaker believes will be the next big thing in the industry.
A statement released by Qualcomm and Thunder Software Technology Co. Ltd (or Thundersoft) said their joint venture dubbed as Thundercomm will develop products and technologies for local companies that aim to create the next generation of drones, VR devices and wearables, and robots.
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According to the deal, the official budget of Thundercomm is 18.74 million yuan ($2.8 million), and about 82 percent of the joint venture will be held by Thundersoft.
Thundercomm will be located at the Fairy Peach Data Valley in Yubei District in Chongqing, China - which has become one of the largest manufacturing bases for smart devices in the world.
General Manager of Thundercomm Zhang Shutao revealed that the partnership will permit the Beijing-based firm to utilize Qualcomm's intellectual properties.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm China chairman Frank Meng said that Chinese startups are expected to be the frontrunner in innovation of emerging sectors. He noted that instead of waiting for overseas imported ideas, Chinese tech firm are moving and creating technological innovations.
"Local vendors are coming up with gigantic amount of ideas that suit requirements of Chinese customers. Qualcomm wants to be a part of this new trend that will unlock another trillion-yuan market," Meng told China Daily in an exclusive interview.
Changjiang Securities Co. analyst Ma Longwen highlights that the new tandem will offer Thundersoft a lead in a number of sectors including smart automobile, VR and drone making.
Thundercomm is the first major investment by Qualcomm in China since it has built a Guizhou-registered firm to manage its Chinese investments in January.
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(Photo : Reuters) A paramilitary police official stands guard outside the South Korean embassy in Beijing. South Korean diplomats in Beijing have reportedly criticized China's opposition to the deployment of THAAD systems in South Korea in view of China's actions in the South China Sea.
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South Korean diplomats in Beijing said on Monday that China's argument opposing the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems in the Korean Peninsula runs contrary to its construction of radar installations and other defensive facilities in the South China Sea.
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Quoting embassy officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency claims diplomats have criticized the Chinese government's opposition to the deployment of THAAD systems in South Korea in view of China's actions in the South China Sea.
The South Korean envoys told Yonhap that China's "increasingly assertive actions" in the contentious Asian waterway undermines the security interests of its neighbors, including South Korea.
"Security Interests"
The diplomats apparently made the remarks in response to the Chinese government's reiteration of its opposition to the proposed deployment of US THAAD missile batteries in South Korea.
Seoul is moving to allow the US military to position a THAAD missile unit on South Korean soil as part of a broader effort to counter Pyongyang's growing nuclear and long-range missile capabilities.
When asked during a press briefing about Beijing's opposition to THAAD in the context of its defensive posture in the South China Sea, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: "China's deployment of necessary and limited national defense facilities will not impact other countries' security interests."
In comparison, the deployment of the state-of-the-art THAAD systems in South Korea far exceed the defense requirements of the US, and will "severely damage" China's national security interests, Hong said.
But the unnamed South Korean emissaries insist the same argument could be used against China's efforts to defend its assertions in the South China Sea, which -- they claim -- threaten the stability and security of the region as a whole.
"Self-contradictory Stance"
"The [remark] by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman is an indication of China's self-contradictory stance on the two issues," one of the South Korean diplomats is quoted by Yonhap as saying.
Chinese special envoy Wu Dawei on Monday reiterated China's concerns over Washington's proposal to deploy THAAD batteries on the Korean Peninsula, saying he hoped Seoul will "handle the concern of the Chinese side appropriately."
Wu made the statement in a meeting with South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-se in Seoul, according to Seoul's foreign ministry office.
THAAD is a US-manufactured anti-missile defense system which can intercept and destroy short, medium and intermediate ballistic missiles in flight. The system uses sophisticated radars, sensors and other classified technology to track down its targets.
Beijing has repeatedly emphasized its opposition to the deployment of the American weapon on the Korean Peninsula, saying it would undercut China's defensive posture and boost US intelligence and strike capabilities over the Chinese mainland.
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TagsChina-South Korea relations, THAAD, Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
(Photo : Getty Images) China and Vietnam have vowed to maintain peace in the South China Sea and resolve their disputes peacefully.
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China and Vietnam have vowed to maintain peace in the South China Sea and resolve their disputes diplomatically.
The promise came on the heels of a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the first special envoy sent by Hanoi on Monday.
Xi, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China, held talks with Hoang Binh Quan, the special envoy sent by Vietnam Central Committee Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the Great Hall of the People.
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Maritime Peace
Vietnam expects the two sides to maintain maritime peace and stability as well as enhance bilateral cooperation.
Vietnam's message to Xi was delivered by envoy, Hoang Binh Quan, head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee.
Trong emphasized that a good and stable bilateral relationship bode well with the interests of their respective constituents.
Bilateral ties
"China and Vietnam have many common fundamental interests and strengthening our bilateral ties will benefit the interests of our people," Trong said.
He noted that aside from maritime peace, Vietnam is exerting great efforts to strengthen trade cooperation with China and enhance economic exchanges.
Pham Nguyen Long, a senior researcher of international relations at the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences, said Quan's visit was primarily to discuss the South China Sea which has become a festering issue between the two sides.
"The trip is also aimed at curbing tensions over the South China Sea," he said.
Recently, Hanoi sent a diplomatic note to Beijing calling for a stop to its repeated violations of Vietnam's sovereignty in the Paracel Islands, which are also being claimed by Taiwan.
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TagsPresident Xi Jinping, special envoy, Communist Party, South China Sea, china
(Photo : Getty Images) Last year services and consumption accounted for 4.6 percentage points of China's overall growth, up from 3.7 in 2014.
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China's official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), which tracks activities in state owned and large factories, shrank to 49.0 in February, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed.
This is fastest rate of contraction in factory activities since November 2011, in what looks like a fresh sign of sluggishness in world's second largest economy.
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On other hand, Caixin manufacturing PMI, which takes into consideration the activities of factories in small and medium sized plants, also shrank to 48.0 - its lowest in 5 months.
Economists consider it a sign of economic expansion when the PMI is above 50, while economy is seen as contracting when the PMI slides below 50.
However, many economic experts are still not reading too much into fresh PMI figures. They argue that low the PMI figures are partly due to seasonal holidays last month. Most of the factories in China were closed for a week in February to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Economists will look into March figures more discreetly to get a precise picture of production in China's factories.
The fresh PMI figures came shortly after China's Central Bank cut the Reserve Requirement Ratio (RRR) by 50 basis points in a bid to spur demand in the country's slowing economy.
China is currently coping with its worst economic downturn in two decades. China's GDP grew by 6.9% in 2015, the lowest GDP growth rate in 25 years, while other important economic indicators have been contracting since last year.
China's Yuan has witnessed continuous devaluation since last year, while the country's foreign exchange reserves have plummeted by $762 billion to 3.23 trillion.
The ongoing economic downturn has had a traumatic effect on Chinese stock market, which has been witnessing continuous bloodbath since June last year - leading to the dismissal of China Securities Regulatory Commission chief Xiao Gang.
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China's Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (L) at the Great Hall of the People on March 27, 2015 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Feng Li - Pool/Getty Images)
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In an effort to further entice more Chinese investors to invest in Indonesia, the Indonesian government recently announced that it will soon set up a "China Desk" that will be manned by Chinese-speaking staff.
The "China Desk" will be similar to the special desk that the Indonesian government had already set up for investors from Asian giants Japan and South Korea, according to a report published by The Bangkok Post.
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The desk will be manned by Chinese-speaking staff, including two to three Chinese Embassy employees, that will answer inquiries and concerns that will be raised by Chinese investors wanting to pour capital in Indonesia.
The "China Desk" will address issues that have discouraged potential Chinese investors and increase investment realization from China. Among them are language barriers and slow responses on land inquiries.
Indonesia is gearing up and rolling out incentives and other benefits just to entice more Chinese investors to look into the country and invest. Chinese companies are moving toward global expansion to widen their market reach and Indonesia wants to corner a huge chunk of these companies.
"With the presence of the desk, we want to increase investment realization from China," said Investment Coordinating Board head head Franky Sibarani.
Sibarani further told reporters on the sidelines of a China-Hong Kong investor forum that the rapid growth of Chinese investment in Indonesia, as well as intensive communication between investors and the government, require assistance from those familiar with the Chinese language.
Investment commitments from China doubled to US$22 billion in 2015, from an average of US$11.3 billion per year in the five-year period ending 2014, the report added.
Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Xie Feng also confirmed that Indonesia is a priority destination for Chinese companies and that most Chinese investors are bullish on the administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
"Less than two years after his inauguration, I think we have seen changes. We hope for more changes in years ahead," he said.
China and Hong Kong ranked 7th in terms of foreign direct investment realization in Indonesia for the period 2010-2015.
The top 10 in terms of FDI realization during the said period were, in order, Singapore, Japan, United States, South Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, China & Hong Kong, British Virgin Islands, United Kingdom, and Mauritius.
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TagsIndonesia, China investment, China Desk, Indonesia Investment
Flags fly over the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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A United States Federal Reserve researcher announced recently that the official gross domestic product (GDP) data released by China is reliable.
Jun Nie, senior economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, told the official Xinhua news agency that his own research showed that China's official GDP figures align well with the US Federal Reserve figures.
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Nie issued the note after he constructed an alternative measure of China's real GDP growth.
"Our measure aligns well with (China's) official GDP figures, indicating official GDP figures remain a useful and valid measure of Chinese economic growth," he said in a research note.
Nie's model utilizes a series of sectoral data that capture the strength of key sectors of the Chinese economy from the last quarter of 2008 to the last quarter of 2014.
"The model captures the variations in Chinese GDP growth fairly well and could explain about 99 percent of Chinese economic growth during this period," Nie was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
The researcher added that China's official GDP data captures the overall Chinese economy very well.
Nie's research note came following reports that questioned China's GDP data. Some reports said the country's growth might be overvalue.
Earlier, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) deputy head Xu Xianchun issued a statement blasting such reports, adding that some analysts used the weighted average method that only counts some industrial output.
According to the NBS, the country's economy grew 6.9% year-on-year in 2015, the slowest growth in 25 years.
Meanwhile, China's manufacturing activity contracted for the seventh straight month in February, according to a government survey.
The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) came in at 49.0, below economists' forecasts for 49.4 and January's reading of 49.4.
The February reading was also the lowest since November 2011, when it was also 49. A number below 50 points indicates a decline in factory activity, while one above suggests expansion.
Manufacturing, however, is no longer China's primary economic engine but still makes up about 40 percent of GDP.
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TagsUS Federal Reserve, us fed, China GDP, China economy
(Photo : Getty Images) President Xi Jinping is set to meet US President Barack Obama after the annual session of the National People's Congress, which will start on Saturday.
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Ahead of the official announcement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Premier Li Keqiang has revealed that President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet US President Barack Obama 'very soon.'
Li made the announcement following the visit to Beijing by Jacob Lew, special representative of the US President and the US Treasury Secretary.
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Li said the meeting between the two leaders will help improve bilateral relations and enhance ties which have been frayed recently due to the South China Sea dispute.
G20 meeting
Lew attended the G20 meeting of financial leaders and central bank governors last week in Shanghai.
The meeting turned out fruitful with the finance ministers promising to exert all the necessary efforts to prevent devaluation of their respective nation's currencies and to take measures to facilitate global economic growth.
The meeting of the two presidents will be held after the annual session of the National People's Congress, which will start on Saturday.
Nuclear Security Summit
During Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to the US last week, Obama said he hoped President Xi will be able to attend the Nuclear Security Summit, which will be held in Washington from March 31 to April 1.
Li and Lew agreed that good Sino-US relations are very important for both countries. Li said that Beijing values its economic and trade relations with the US.
A government researcher in Beijing Wang Yusheng believes 'frequent meetings' between the two leaders will help tremendously in strengthening their bilateral ties.
Paris Climate Summit
The two leaders last met at the Paris Climate Summit in December, Wang said.
"Every time a subtle situation seems to emerge in the bilateral relations, a face-to-face meeting between leaders of the two nations will help to sort things out," Wang said.
He admitted that there are still some 'uncomfortable areas' in Sino-US relations.
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TagsParis climate summit, G20 meeting, Sino-US ties, President Xi Jinping, china
(Photo : Getty Images) A man wielding a knife attacked 10 children in southern China on Monday before killing himself.
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A mysterious knifeman slashed 10 children outside a primary school before killing himself in southern city of Haikou, the local police announced. The shocking incident took place on Monday afternoon.
According to media reports, none of the 10 children suffered life-threatening injuries. Nonetheless, two children are said to be seriously hurt and are undergoing medical treatment.
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An officials at Haikou's Longhu police station confirmed that schoolchildren were attacked as they were walking outside Yang Fan Primary School during their lunch period. However, he refused to reveal any further details.
The shocking incident on Monday brought back memories of a spate of knife attacks that were taking place across China roughly five years back. Interestingly, children were the main target in most of those attacks.
The most brutal attack took place in 2010 in Fujian province when a 42-year-old man knifeman stabbed eight children to death. Exactly four years later, three children were hacked to death in Hubei province and a week later four more were stabbed to death in Guangxi province
The attacks, which were allegedly carried out by people suffering from severe mental illness, sparked outrage among Chinese parents, demanding extra security for their children in schools.
The mass knife attacks even prompted nationwide discussions, with Chinese authorities clamping down on the media for fear of copycat attack. Internet discussions on the topic were also blocked.
Chinese leaders later publicly acknowledged that these knife attacks reflected underlying social tensions within Chinese society.
Since gun ownership in China is tightly regulated, knives and cleavers are heavily used to perpetuate mass attacks.
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Tagsknife attack China, Crime in China
(Photo : Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images) A journalist inspects the construction site of the Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant on June 4, 2009 in Sanmen of Zhejiang Province, China. China is planning to create nuclear emergency response teams before the end of 2018.
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The China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) has announced Tuesday that the Chinese government is planning to build up to 30 nuclear power units abroad by 2030.
According to CNNC president Sun Qin, the 30 nuclear power units will be built in countries that are involved with China's Belt and Road Initiatives.
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The said nuclear power units could be built in countries that include Jordan, France, Britain, Egypt, Brazil, and Argentina. These countries have signed bilateral agreements on nuclear cooperation with the CNNC.
CNNC is a state-owned entity under the direct management of the central Chinese government.
According to Sun, the CNNC is ready to work with countries throughout the whole nuclear power industry chain.
He added that there are now over 70 countries that are planning to are already building their own nuclear power projects.
By 2020, Sun said more than 130 nuclear power units will have been built.
The CNNC president added that China will actively strive to establish an integrated industrial system for countries involved with the Belt and Road Initiative.
"CNNC will actively promote localizaton of the technology," Sun was quoted by the official Xinhua news agency as saying.
The China Atomic Energy Authority earlier said that China is planning to construct nuclear power plants abroad but only under completely safe conditions.
The authority's director, Xu Dazhe, said China will have to make a careful and scientific feasibility review before it makes its decision related to offshore nuclear power plants.
There are currently 30 nuclear power generating units in China, generating 28 million gw of power, Xinhua has reported.
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TagsChina Nuclear Plant, nuclear plant, china nuclear
A boy rides bicycle in front of historic buildings damaged by Nepal's earthquake on April 27, 2015 in Kathmandu, Nepal. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)
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A Nepali government spokesman has confirmed that Nepali Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli will be visiting China on an official trip by the end of March.
The official trip to China will be Nepali Prime Minister Oli's first after he became prime minister on 11 October 2015.
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Sherdhan Rai, a spokesman of the government of Nepal said Oli's official trip was decided by a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
"The prime minister is likely to visit China at the end of March," according to Rai, who is also the country's information minister.
The specific dates of Oli's visit to China have not been plotted yet but Rai told reporters in a conference in Kathmandu that the prime minister will be in China by the end of this month.
Oli's official trip to China was also confirmed by his foreign relations adviser, Gopal Khanal.
In an interview with the official Xinhua news agency, Khanal said Oli will attend the 2016 Annual Conference of the Boao Forum of Asia, which will be held in Hainan from March 22 to 25.
But Khanal said that aside from attending the Boao Forum, the 63-year-old prime minister will make an official trip to China.
If the China visit pushes through, it will be Oli's second overseas trip since he became prime minister last year. His first state visit was in India from February 19 to 24 of this year.
Oli's state visit in China will also take place barely a month after the Nepalese government decided to prepare for the establishment of a new consulate general office in southwestern China.
The decision to establish a consulate office in China was welcomed by Nepalese tourism entrepreneurs and stakeholders, who are all hopeful that Nepal's tourism industry will be revived with the new consulate.
The new consulate will be established in the southwestern province of Sichuan, specifically in the city of Chengdu, according to a Xinhua report.
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TagsNepal, Nepali Prime Minister
(Photo : YouTube) Meizu's Ubuntu-based PRO 5 is now available for pre-order.
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Chinese smartphone maker Meizu has announced that its upcoming Ubuntu-based smartphone called the PRO 5 is now available for pre-order.
The Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu edition smartphone was initially introduced earlier this month at the Mobile World Congress in Bacelona, Spain. For those who are interested in this device, the smartphone can now be pre-ordered through Meizu's official website where buyer's will receive a link to order the device directly from Chinese partner JD.com when it is already available.
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The design of the Ubuntu-based Meizu PRO 5 smartphone is similar to the Meizu MX5 Pro, which was powered by FlyMe Android-based operating system. The device features a 5.7-inch display with 1920 1080 screen resolution and is equipped with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen protection. The device has a crystal clear AMOLED display and will be powered by Samsung Exynos 7420 octa-core processor.
Meizu PRO 5 smartphone also supports fingerprint scanning. The device will come in two versions, the 3 GB of RAM with 32 GB internal storage model and the 4 GB of RAM with 64 GB storage. Moreover, the device can be further expanded via a microSD card and also supports two SIM cards slot.
The Ubuntu mobile operating system is well designed and will come with a few pre-installed apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Here Maps and Weather. These applications will take most of the phone's usage. In addition, the phone will also come with Ubuntu store support. It is unlikely that Android or iOS apps will be compatible with this device.
Ubuntu is a newbie player in the mobile operating system market, and it will get more apps if it gains more popularity.
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Tagsubuntu, meizu pro 5, JD.com, meizu mx5 pro, ubuntu smartphone
Archeologist work on the excavation of ancient terracotta warriors in the No.2 pit of the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum in Lintong of Shaanxi Province, China. The Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) warriors and horses, one of the world's Eighth Wonders, were discovered in 1974 on the east side of the tomb of China's first emperor Qin Shihuang near Xian. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)
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A total of 459 kilos of copper coins believed to be 2,000 years old were unearthed by a villager in China's Shaanxi Province, sources told the official Xinhua news agency on Tuesday.
The coins, in mixed rectangular and round shapes, were discovered by a villager surnamed Zhang in Xingping City's Nanzuo Village when he was building a house.
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Zhang told authorities that he was leveling the land to prepare for the construction of his house last Saturday when he found a hole measuring half a meter deep on the ground.
Using his spade, Zhang continued digging and there found the 459-kilo ancient copper coins in three kinds. All of the coins had a hole at the center.
Zhang immediately informed authorities about his discovery and was later told that the coins were from the Xin Dynasty, which dates back between 9 AD and 23 AD.
A cultural relic police officer also confirmed to the Xinhua news agency that the coins were indeed ancient and were used during the Xin Dynasty.
According to Chinese historical records, Wang Mang, an official from the Han Dynasty, launched a currency reform after founding the Xin Dynasty. The capital of Xin was at Xi'an in Shaanxi.
According to history, Wang's currency reform involved issuing different kinds of coins. The reform, however, failed to achieve its goals and only aggravated the financial crisis during his reign.
The coins found in Nanzuo Village will be cleaned, processed, and then evaluated by expert archeologists to officially determine its age.
The 459-kilogram three kinds of copper coins will then be give to the local museum for safekeeping, authorities said.
Last month, a team of Chinese archeologists have discovered the remains of the ancient city of Yueyang. The city was at the center of a political reform 2,300 years ago.
The remains of Yueyang City, capital of the Qin state during the Warring States Period is confirmed to be in the district of Yanliang in Xi'an city.
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TagsChina Old Coins, China Archeology, China Artifacts
(Photo : Portrait of an LBX/Flickr/CC) Zhejiang province has the highest concentration of churches in the country.
A Chinese pastor who was involved in protesting against removing the cross atop his church has been sentenced 14 years in prison, on charges of corruption, swindling, and gathering people to disturb social order, according to media reports.
Bao Guohua was a government-approved pastor and had resisted the cross removal campaign in Zhejiang province, where about 1,200 crosses were removed during the past 2 years. His wife, Xing Wenxiang, was sentenced to 12 years for similar charges.
About 10 people for their church were also charged, but the Chinese media has not released details of their sentences.
The court confiscated 600,000 renminbi (about $92,000) each from Bao and his wife, and fined Bao with $15,000 and about $14,000 from his wife.
The media reported that their sentences were the most severe, which have not been imposed on any of the church leaders in China as yet.
The Chinese government has refused to relent in taking down crosses, and maintains that the crosses violate building codes. However, Christian activists say that authorities want to suppress Christianity in Zhejiang, which is also referred to as "China's Jerusalem."
Last year, the authorities reinforced a ban on admitting non-atheist members in the Communist Party in Zhejiang province.
As the cross removal campaign in Zhejiang started, many of the buildings were also deemed "illegal structures" and razed to the ground.
The government's crackdown on Christianity in China continues with the arrest and detention of several clergy members and lawyers defending churches protesting against the removal of crosses.
This week, Zhang Kai, a prominent Christian lawyer who took up cases of cross removal, was made to confess on a local television station that he took money from China Aid director Bob Fu to defend churches in his capacity as a lawyer, and was trying to "change China's political system." Zhang was arrested a day before his meeting with US ambassador-at-large David Saperstein in August last year.
Responding to the Zhang's "confession", China Aid director Bob Fu released a statement saying, "Although China Aid is mentioned in the shameful Chinese Communist Party's official propaganda as an 'overseas force supporting Zhang Kai's legal defense work,' we will never be intimidated nor cease to continue to promote religious freedom for all in China."
In January this year, Gu Yuese, pastor of Hangzhou city's Chongyi Church was arrested, who too had protested against removal of crosses in Zhejiang province. His wife, Zhou Lianmei, was informed by the city police that he was detained on suspicions of swindling.
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Farrakhan: Clinton 'wicked,' a white tool of Satan 01 March, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |
CHICAGO (Christian Examiner) Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, known for his controversial call for 10,000 volunteers to "rise up and kill those who kill us," condemned Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as a "wicked woman" in a fiery sermon Feb. 28.
In the video of the sermon, posted to Farrakhan's Facebook page, the black separatist leader tells his congregation that he doesn't blame them for wanting a female president. It isn't Clinton, however, they should be voting for in the election.
"That's a wicked woman," Farrakhan said. "You can vote for her, but vote for her with knowledge. She can be sweet but so can you, and you know when you sweet playing a game."
Farrakhan alleged Clinton has had no interest in the issue of black youth being killed by police until her run for the White House. Now, he said, she has cozied up to Trayvon Martin's mother, feigning sorrow for the loss of the young man to the gun of George Zimmerman.
He added that Clinton was responsible for the oppression of many young black men who have gone to prison for minor offenses.
"These white people. This is Satan. And you fall for that crap. Most of you that went to jail for having a little blunt in your pocket, they arranged that the Clintons. Mass incarceration came about under the Clintons. Don't forget that," Farrakhan said.
Farrakhan objected to young "gang bangers" being called "super predators" by Clinton.
"She called you a super predator with no conscience, no sensitivity, like you a dog, like you an animal. Got to bring you to heel. You, my young brothers, this is what she said about you," Farrakhan said. "And she didn't just say it. It became the policy of the U.S. government under Bill Clinton and his wife and now she's apologizing, but apologizing can't bring back the broken families. Apologizing can't bring back those destroyed in prison life."
Farrakhan also said Clinton, while serving as Secretary of State, had orchestrated the destruction of Libya and killing of Muammar Gadaffi, described by the leader of the Nation of Islam as "my friend."
"He was my brother," he said. "She lied, [saying] he was gonna kill all his people. No he wasn't. He was just gonna kill those rebels that America, [which] seized on their dissatisfaction, made a counter revolutionary move, and then used it to bring NATO in to bomb and destroy his air defense then move to kill him.
"Now Libya is a failed state," Farrakhan continued. "All of the refugees fleeing out of Libya, fleeing out of Syria, fleeing out of North Africa is because of the policies of the government United States of America and her specifically."
Farrakhan said he believes when all of Clinton's emails are released it will show that she "maneuvered our president," because white people won't let black people control anything.
"And maybe you won't think so well of her when you see how she talked to him. White people don't talk to black people I don't give a d*** what position you got like you the boss. They always talk to you like they are the boss."
Farrakhan said the only way black people will ever be "the boss" is if they submit to "Allah and the honorable Elijah Muhammad and united with me."
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) classifies Farrakhan as a hate preacher and black separatist.
Perry to Trump: Don't claim Christianity if you don't understand it 01 March, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |
WARNING TO READERS: A link in the following story takes readers to 25 vulgar statements made by Donald Trump about women on Howard Stern's radio program. It is presented here because of the serious nature of the comments in light of Trump's repeated claims to be a Christian.
FORT WORTH, Texas (Christian Examiner) Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who endorsed Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz Feb. 1 in the run up to the Iowa Caucuses, is on the frontlines of the Cruz campaign again this time calling out Donald Trump for his portrayal of himself as a Christian, as well as the evangelical leaders he believes are blindly following the New York billionaire.
Perry phoned in to Glenn Beck's daily radio program and said Trump clearly doesn't understand the basic tenets of the Christian faith.
"If you are going to profess to be a Christian, which Mr. Trump does, but you do not understand in your mind intellectually or in your heart spiritually what salvation by grace means, I gotta stand up and say, 'Wait a minute. You really don't understand Christianity,'" Perry, himself a two-time contender for the Republican nomination and a Christian, told Beck.
If you are going to profess to be a Christian, which Mr. Trump does, but you do not understand in your mind intellectually or in your heart spiritually what salvation by grace means, I gotta stand up and say, 'Wait a minute. You really don't understand Christianity.'
Perry said he did not understand why men like Jerry Falwell Jr. and some other Christian leaders have thrown their support behind Trump.
"I hope the reason they're doing that is so they can say, 'Hey listen, we need to get close to you so we can help save you.' That's really troubling to me and I bet the same thing would be true about your listeners," Perry said.
Perry cited Trump's past claims that he was a good person and the fact that Trump was unfamiliar with how to even talk about the Christian faith in a way that makes it seem authentic.
"Playing loose, standing there holding up a Bible saying, 'I've never asked God for forgiveness.' I don't get that," Perry said.
"A very well known, widely known Christian leader like Jerry Falwell Jr. standing up and endorsing him. What do you tell the parent of a child a student at Liberty University? How do you explain that ... send your child here, this is what we are supporting?"
Beck said he had posted to his website the Top 25 ill-mannered comments Donald Trump had made about women while on the Howard Stern show. "They are despicable," Beck said.
"He brags about cheating on his wife ... whose wife he wants to sleep with ... shocking," the host added.
This is not the first time Perry has gone after Trump. While still a candidate for the presidency in August 2015, Perry released a statement saying Trump has proven "once again that he doesn't have the temperament to hold our nation's highest office" after the billionaire candidate trashed FOX News host Megyn Kelly. Perry said then that Trump lacked the "character and basic decency" of a presidential candidate.
COMMENTARY: The hypocrisy of the hard right Guest Commentator | 01 March, 2016 by Michael Peasley
MEMPHIS (Christian Examiner) Trump holds and proclaims racist, sexist, and violent attitudes. Just look at the things he has said about women and minorities, his mockery of a disabled man, and his foul language directed at opponents.
For 99 percent of his adult life Trump has supported abortion, he owns strip clubs, and he has called for the killing of the families of terrorists.
In one breath the hard right argues for supporting the First Amendment's freedom of speech, and yet with the other they support the man who wants to shut up anyone who disagrees with him and has said he will make sure the laws are changed so that he can.
The hard right says they want religious liberty. Yet Trump is the biggest threat to religious liberty, threatening to kick out Muslims for their beliefs. They argue that it is okay because they are Muslims, but doesn't our constitution ensure protection for all religions?
When Trump accepted the support of the KKK, it reminded me of how differently Ronald Reagan responded to a KKK endorsement: "Those of us in public life can only resent the use of our names by those who seek political recognition for the repugnant doctrines of hate they espouse. The politics of racial hatred and religious bigotry practiced by the Klan and others have no place in this country, and are destructive of the values for which America has always stood."
I believe that we have a moral imperative to speak out against Trump; that this is about personal and party character.
For the sake of decency and religious liberty, we need to condemn Trump's racist, sexist, and violent attitudes and his declaration that Muslims should not be allowed in the country. Thankfully, many Christian leaders have been or have begun to speak out against Trump.
Michael Peasley is researcher, writer, and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Memphis and a graduate of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. His work has been published in a variety of academic journals, primarily in the area of marketing. He lives in Tennessee with his wife Kristin and their son Gavin.
Vicar of Baghdad admits ISIS should be 'radically destroyed' 24 November, 2015 by Kelly Ledbetter , |
LONDON (Christian Examiner) Canon Andrew White, the Emeritus Vicar of Baghdad, says ISIS is different from other militant groups he's seen in the Middle East.
After the number of Christians in Iraq has been reduced from 1.5 million to only 260,000, White believes negotiation with ISIS is no longer viable. "You can't negotiate with them," the vicar of St. George's Cathedral in Baghdad told the Independent.
"I have never said that about another group of people," White, who is committed to reconciliation, admitted. "These are really so different, so extreme, so radical, so evil."
After being personally recalled from his church in Baghdad by the Archbishop of Canterbury for his own security in November 2014, White has continued to be active in the region through the organization he founded, the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East (FRRME).
The canon says more than 1,200 people he has worshiped with have been killed, including four boys beheaded because they would not convert to Islam.
White's interviewer described him as reluctant to give his opinion about the solution to ISIS. "You are asking me how we can deal radically with Isis," White said. "The only answer is to radically destroy them. I don't think we can do it by dropping bombs. We have got to bring about real change. It is a terrible thing to say as a priest."
White added, "You're probably thinking, 'So you're telling me there should be war?' Yes!"
LACK OF FORGIVENESS IN ISLAM
The canon, who previously practiced medicine before joining the Church of England to study theology, suffers from multiple sclerosis. Experimental treatments using his own stem cells have given him renewed energy to minister to the persecuted and to persecutors.
"Sometimes the impossible can happen," White said, hoping for a resolution other than war. "If you want to make peace, you can't just do it with the nice people. Nice people don't cause the wars."
The diminishing number of Christians concerns him, but FRRME is committed to serving all who are in need by providing relief, education, medical care, and mediation.
"The only way that they [ISIS] can be overcome on the ground is by military presence on the ground," White said in a profile in Anglican News.
In that interview, White told the story that he invited leaders of ISIS to have dinner with him. White is known for dining with controversial military and political leaders in order to talk to them. "It seemed the right thing to do, you meet, you eat," he said.
But ISIS did not attend, saying if they did they would cut off his head. Part of the reason White was ordered from Baghdad was the $57 million ISIS bounty on him. "So I didn't push it any further," said White.
PERSECUTION ACROSS DENOMINATIONS
Among those he currently ministers to in Iraq, Jordan, and Israel and Palestine, White says they no longer have denominational affiliations. "My [refugee] community has given up saying we are Chaldean, Orthodox, Episcopal, Catholic. They are Christian. It is a Christian community.
He added, "It is terrible thing to say the only real serious ecumenical relationships I have ever seen are as a result of this terrible persecution. Denominations come tumbling down."
Renowned for his ability to talk to anyone and broker peace between strictly opposed parties, White confesses in a Spectator interview it is difficult to talk to ISIS. "It's hard with them, because with Isis it is just about power."
After asking him if ISIS is "unusually evil," the interviewer points out White's view differs from "liberal opinion": he attributes the root of their violence to their adherence to the Quran.
"The trouble is a lack of forgiveness in Islam," White said. "I have looked through the Quran trying to find forgiveness... there isn't any. If you find it, tell me."
White continues: "This makes it very difficult to talk to Isis because they can show you quite clearly that it is what Allah wants. They can justify their position when Allah says you should combat and fight the infidel and they say, 'Well, these are infidels.' So the question is, how can you prove that these are not infidels? And you can't."
Responding to a question about what people can do, White said, "We can hope, and we can pray."
The Georgia State Senate passed an amended version of a religious freedom bill on Friday.
House Bill 757, which will allow faith-based organizations to refuse service to same-sex couples, passed the Senate -- 38 to 14 -- after three hours of heated debate, according to CNN. The same bill passed in the House last week, 161-0.
The Senate version of the bill combines the Pastor Protection Act, which protects religious leaders from being forced to perform same-sex marriages, and the First Amendment Defense Act, which allows tax-funded groups to deny services to lesbians and gays.
HB 757, which was introduced in July, could be signed into law by Georgia governor Nathan Deal as early as this week.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, religious freedom acts exist in some form in 21 states.
The Italian Senate passed a bill on Thursday to legalize same-sex civil unions, but did not allow the couples to adopt a 'stepchild,' as surrogacy is illegal in the country.
The bill was passed amidst opposition from Roman Catholic Church and center-right parties by 173 - 71 in the upper house, from which the bill will now go on to the lower house.
Civil rights granted to heterosexual unmarried couples were also given to those in the same-sex unions in this bill, including right to take a partner's name, financial support, common address and next-to-kin rights, which were as yet only allowed to married couples.
Italy is the only Western European country where same-sex civil unions are not legal.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi called the voting result "historic," and tweeted, "Love wins."
"Hope has defeated fear. Courage has won against discrimination. Love has won," Rinzi wrote on his Facebook page.
Minister of constitutional reforms and sponsor of the bill, Monica Cirinna, said in a statement that the legislation affirms that the "life project of a same-sex couple is not worth less than that between a man and a woman."
"Our effort doesn't end here," she told senators. "We made only a first - albeit very tough - step."
The stepchild adoption clause of the bill was fiercely opposed by center-right parties, as they said that the provision will encourage surrogacy among the same-sex couples, which is illegal in the country.
The stripping of the adoption clause was condemned by proponents of the bill.
"These children already exist; the prime minister recently said that all children are equal in Italy," Marilena Grassadonia of Italy's Rainbow Families told The New York Times. "Today, that's unfortunately not the case."
President of gay activist group Archigay said, "This text once again does not take into consideration children who need definite laws and protection. The law that has come out of all this is lacking its heart."
Roberto Calderoli of Northern League party, who opposed the bill in parliament, brought up the statements of Pope Francis and other church leaders disapproving the same-sex unions.
"All those who vote yes today will go to hell. There are no saints ... Renzi will probably end up in hell, too. It's just a question of time," he said.
In other alterations of the bill on floor, the language that put gay civil unions at par with marriage was taken out, including terms such as "faithfulness."
The five remaining GOP presidential candidates gathered for the 10th GOP debate at the University of Houston in Texas on Thursday night.
During the first opening minutes, Florida Senator Marco Rubio attacked Donald Trumps liberal stance as well as his business record.
In fact, very recently, he was still defending Planned Parenthood. He says hes not going to take sides in the Palestinians versus Israel. These are concerning things, Rubio commented. And so, yes, I have a doubt about whether Donald Trump, if he becomes president, will replace Justice Scalia with someone just like Justice Scalia.
Rubio also attacked Trumps business record, asserting Trumps hiring of foreign workers before American workers.
"You're the only person on this stage that's ever been fined for hiring people that worked on your projects illegally," Rubio said.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz mentioned the lawsuit against the university bearing Trumps name for defrauding students.
Thursday nights debate was the first time the Republicans initiated an attack on Trump, the billionaire businessman who has been leading the race.
John Kasich and Ben Carson, on the other hand, avoided making criticisms of Trump, staying on the sidelines of the debate.
At least 38 people were killed by a suicide bombing on Monday at a funeral northeast of the Iraqi capital, security officials said.
Dozens of people were wounded in the bombing in Muqdadiyah.
Among the killed included a local commander in Asaib ahl al-Haq, a powerful Shiite militia that is part of the state-sanctioned Popular Mobilization Forces, which is in charge of security in the area.
An anonymous source from the Business Insider stated that the suicide bomber was wearing an explosive vest and detonated himself at a funeral tent in the Shiite village.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for Mondays attack in a statement posted online.
A twin suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, killed 70 people just the day before in Shiite on Sunday, recording the deadliest attack inside the capital this year.
The initial attack on Sunday was in a crowded market where a suicide bomber targeted a crowd that was gathered to help the victims.
112 people remain hospitalized, according to police officials. Many of the officials have agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because they have not been authorized to speak to the media.
According to a United Nations report, over 22,300 people have been estimated to either being killed or injured in armed conflict in Iraq during 2015.
The Call is planning for an all-day revival gathering at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with hopes for a revival like that of the Azusa Street Revival that took place on 1906, and Korean Christians have been invited to kick off the gathering.
"We're not looking for an event," said Lou Engle, the founder of The Call. "We want a breakthrough."
The Call has hosted numerous gatherings of fasting and prayer over the years for youth and young adults, including one that took place in Washington, D.C. that gathered some 400,000 people in the year 2000.
The upcoming gathering, called 'Azusa Now,' is set to take place on April 9 from 7:30 AM to 10 PM, and has a slight "shift" in focus, according to Engle. Whereas previous gatherings hosted by The Call focused on prayer and fasting, the upcoming gathering will also focus on "the preaching of the gospel, and signs and wonders," Engle said.
Yet another aspect that sets this upcoming gathering apart from the previous gatherings hosted by The Call is its intentional focus on gathering an ethnically diverse group. Just as the Azusa Street Revival in the early 20th century brought together African American and White Americans, Engle said, unity within the church across races and denominations must occur for revival today.
"Somewhere between 1909-1913, William Seymour prophesied that in 100 years another wave of revival would come that far eclipsed what took place at the original Azusa Street Revival," said Azusa Now organizers in a statement.
"We are asking the Holy Spirit to truly and deeply unite Anglo, African American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American -- every tribe and tongue -- in a holy, historic convocation where once again, surrounded by crisis and division in our land, it could truly be said: 'The blood of Jesus washed away the color line at Azusa!'" organizers continue. "Only a united church can heal a divided nation!"
Various ethnic groups will be leading different segments of the upcoming gathering. Korean Christians specifically will be leading the first segment of the day in Korean from 7:30 to 8:10 AM, and translation will be provided through devices throughout the entire course of the day.
"Revival is not an option for us," Engle said, "and we ask that the Korean church bring its redemptive gift. Lead us in the morning with your gift."
Azusa Now organizers decided to reach out to the Korean church leaders after encountering them and seeing them pray at numerous prayer gatherings that took place over the past several years in partnership with 'Line in the Sand,' including the most recent prayer gathering that Korean church leaders hosted in November of 2015, where Engle participated as one of the speakers.
"Those who were part of the Azusa Street Revival or the Pyongyang Revival would not have known the future impact of what they were a part of," said Reverend Yu Chul Chin, the senior pastor of Los Angeles Full Gospel Church. "But the obedience of each person at that time led to an event marked in history. We also don't know what will happen through this, but we simply desire to serve in hopes that God will carry out what He desires to do through this."
The evening portion of the day, from 4 to 10 PM, will be evangelistic, and focused on preaching the gospel and praying for healing, according to organizers. Starting March 28, organizers are planning to mobilize at least 3,000 people to reach out to the community and bring them to the April 9 event through one-on-one evangelism and prayer, revitalization of outdoor spaces in public housing developments in South East L.A., community BBQs and festivals in South East L.A., after school outreaches at public high schools, and an event with Nick Vujicic on April 1.
Some 38,000 have registered for Azusa Now thus far, according to organizers. Though the event is free, organizers encouraged those who are interested to register in advance.
Last week, San Antonio pastor Max Lucado became the most high-profile pastor to speak out against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. It is a break with precedent with me, Lucado told CT in an interview about his decision to disavow Trump. Ive never done anything like this. Its an unprecedented act on my part. I do not want to continue this. I have no desire to police presidential candidates.
Does Lucados disengagement from politics make him the exception or the rule? We asked 11 pastors from around the country about the last time they preached about politics and why.
Heres what they had to say:
Thabiti Anyabwile
Pastor, Anacostia River Church, Washington, D.C.
Since we launched Anacostia River Church last April, theres hardly been a month wherein I havent preached something political. I dont think it can be avoided if youre committed to expositional preaching of the sort that makes contact with contemporary life. The gospels, for example, are explosive in their political import. Preaching something political is necessary if we are to live under Christs lordship in every area of life. Not doing so means Fox, CNN, MSNBC, and other secular news outlets disciple us instead. I fear thats been the case far too long and to disastrous effect for the church and the country.
Corey J. Widmer
Lead pastor, Third Church, Richmond, Virginia
In some ways I seek to preach a political message every week. The earliest creed, Jesus is Lord, proclaims Christ as the public ruler over all the kingdoms of the world and is a challenge to all earthly rulers. Practically, this means equipping people to live ...
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Why are many self-identified evangelicals selecting Donald Trump as their presidential candidate of choice?
Some, like Liberty Universitys Jerry Falwell Jr., have revealed their reasons. But for the overall evangelical vote, the only clear trend is that its not a clear-cut voting bloc.
One problem: Most polls are based only on self-identification, instead of what people do or believe. Even Russell Moore is throwing in the towel on defending what the word evangelicalmeans this election season.
Recent surveys have found that Trump is a huge loser among Protestant pastors, and that evangelical leaders are solidly split on presidential picks. Reuters and others have found that church attendance distinctly decreases evangelical support for Trump, who has the least-religious supporters among the GOP candidates.
But since evangelicals make up the majority or the plurality of the Republican-leaning electorate in every Super Tuesday state except for Massachusetts, ...
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Ambulance Transports Patient from Texas Abortion Facility as SCOTUS Readies to Hear Pivotal Abortion Safety Case Contact: Troy Newman , President, 316-841-1700; Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Vice President, 316-516-3034, both with Operation Rescue, info.operationrescue@gmail.com
DALLAS, March 1, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Less than 48 hours before the U. S. Supreme Court will hear a pivotal Texas abortion case focused on women's safety, an ambulance transported a woman from Southwestern Women's Surgery Center, an abortion clinic in Dallas, Texas.
The ambulance was photographed by a pro-life activist at Southwestern Surgery Center on Monday, February 29, 2016, at about 1:06 p.m.
"This latest medical emergency at a Texas abortion facility only emphasizes abortion risks and how important it is for abortionists to maintain minimum safety standards and hospital privileges within 30 miles of their abortion facilities," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.
Southwestern Women's Surgery Center is one of a handful of Texas abortion facilities that have been able to comply with ambulatory surgical center licensing requirements, which include the hospital privilege requirement that is being challenged by another Texas abortion business, Whole Women's Health.
But even licensing as an ambulatory surgical center has not diminished the risk of complications to abortion that frequently send women to hospital emergency rooms for treatment that abortion facilities are not equipped to provide.
Operation Rescue was able to deduce from court records that about 1,000 Texas women suffering abortion complications were hospitalized each year prior to the closing of about half of Texas' abortion facilities in 2014 due to the safety law now before the Supreme Court.
The Liberty Counsel submitted an amici curiae brief on behalf of Operation Rescue in the Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstadt case, which is set for oral arguments before the nation's highest court on Wednesday. That brief relied on documentation provided by Operation Rescue to show that medical emergencies at abortion facilities are routine, and that without hospital privileges, women facing life-threatening abortion complications face further harm due to a failure of abortion facilities to provide continuity of care. This can delay emergency treatment in cases where minutes might mean the difference between life and death.
Operation Rescue discovered widespread abortion abuses in Texas during a 2011 investigation that resulted in heavy fines against two Whole Women's Health abortion facilities for the illegal dumping of recognizable aborted baby remains in a public dumpster.
In addition, Operation Rescue reported two Whole Women's Health abortionists, Alan H. Molson and Robert E. Hanson, for violations discovered during that same investigation, resulting in thousands of dollars in fines.
Troy Newman will attend a prayer vigil outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on March 2 while oral arguments are in progress.
Read full report on this incident.
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation and has become a strong voice for the pro-life movement in America. Click here to support Operation Rescue.
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Christian Attorney Gets Offensive with Education Freedom
LYNCHBURG, Va., March 1, 2016 /
(deconstructingthecoliseum.com/law)
Mr. Novak says the ideas presented in the Motion promote true education freedom, in moving towards civil government school system abolition. Those ideas include rejecting federal dollars and facilitating private education through lowering real property taxes.
'The Motion is plainly Christian because it rejects the premise there should even be civil government schools.' Mr. Novak added that the Motion takes Christian public policy from a defensive posture to one offensive. 'American Christendom must show how society's cultural rot is a direct result of the civil government schools; they must be abolished not only because they are humanistic, but because the Bible does not give the civil government the right to disciple our children.'
Mr. Novak, as President of Deconstructing the Coliseum and through law and policy, works to change how Christians view the civil government school system. "The question is not whether Christian parents should send a child to a civil government school. The question is whether there should even be civil government schools. There should not be. And every dollar given to civil government schools is a dollar stolen from Christian education and the gospel."
Mr. Novak has publically released the Motion, but will also be discussing it periodically at subsequent Campbell County Board of Supervisors meetings. He will also be presenting it at home school conventions and the Second Annual Great Education Forum, so that others can use it as a template.
Direct inquiries to Mr. Novak are at 434-845-1757 and
Share Tweet Contact: Kevin R. Novak, President, Deconstructing the Coliseum , 434-845-1757, kevin@deconstructingthecoliseum.com LYNCHBURG, Va., March 1, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Campbell County's School Board has requested $184,000,000 from the County's Board of Supervisors for a Capital Improvement Plan. Local attorney Kevin R. Novak is leading the opposition to the School Board's request, doing so in a document called 'Motion in Favor of Education Freedom.'Mr. Novak says the ideas presented in the Motion promote true education freedom, in moving towards civil government school system abolition. Those ideas include rejecting federal dollars and facilitating private education through lowering real property taxes.'The Motion is plainly Christian because it rejects the premise there should even be civil government schools.' Mr. Novak added that the Motion takes Christian public policy from a defensive posture to one offensive. 'American Christendom must show how society's cultural rot is a direct result of the civil government schools; they must be abolished not only because they are humanistic, but because the Bible does not give the civil government the right to disciple our children.'Mr. Novak, as President of Deconstructing the Coliseum and through law and policy, works to change how Christians view the civil government school system. "The question is not whether Christian parents should send a child to a civil government school. The question is whether there should even be civil government schools. There should not be. And every dollar given to civil government schools is a dollar stolen from Christian education and the gospel."Mr. Novak has publically released the Motion, but will also be discussing it periodically at subsequent Campbell County Board of Supervisors meetings. He will also be presenting it at home school conventions and the Second Annual Great Education Forum, so that others can use it as a template.Direct inquiries to Mr. Novak are at 434-845-1757 and kevin@deconstructingthecoliseum.com
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.
'America's Pastor' says Donald Trump's indecent 'antics' compel him to break his political silence
Best-selling Christian author Max Lucado had never commented on this year's U.S. presidential campaign much less endorse or reject certain candidatesuntil now.
Breaking his silence, the man known as "America's Pastor" said he felt compelled to air his views on the election campaign because one presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has changed his attitude toward pastoral involvement in politics, according to the Gospel Herald.
In a recent blog post, Lucado said Trump's "antics and insensitivities wouldn't even be acceptable even for a middle school student body election."
"The leading candidate to be the next leader of the free world would not pass my decency interview. I'd send him away. I'd tell my daughter to stay home. I wouldn't entrust her to his care," wrote Lucado, the lead pastor at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas.
The pastor said his concern is not about government policies or strategies that the candidates espouse.
What worries him most, he said, is the "public derision of people" by a candidate who calls himself a Christian.
"It would be none of my business, I would have absolutely no right to speak up, except that he repeatedly brandishes the Bible and calls himself a Christian," Lucado told Christianity Today.
"If he's [Trump] going to call himself a Christian one day and call someone a bimbo the next, or make fun of somebody's menstrual cycle, it's just beyond reason to me," he said.
"Trump ridiculed a war hero. He made fun of a disabled reporter. He referred to the former first lady, Barbara Bush as 'mommy,' and belittled Jeb Bush for bringing her on the campaign trail. He routinely calls people 'stupid,' 'loser,' and 'dummy.' These were not off-line, backstage, overheard, not-to-be-repeated comments. They were publicly and intentionally tweeted, recorded, and presented," Lucado said.
He said he couldn't imagine how Trump could claim to be a Christian one moment and then turn around and say he had "never asked God for forgiveness."
"I'm just shaking my head going, 'How does that work?' Does a swimmer say, 'I've never gotten wet?' Does a musician say, 'I've never sang a song?' How does a person claim to be a Christian and never need to ask for forgiveness?" Lucado wondered.
Anglican Church of Canada now unlikely to agree to same-sex marriage
The Anglican Church of Canada is not now expected to change its law this summer to allow gay marriage, the bishops have admitted.
Canada's bishops are unlikely to give the two-thirds majority needed to agree changes to the marriage canon at the Church's General Synod in July.
The realisation that the change to marriage doctrine does not have enough support in the leadership has led to some bishops being "mortified and devastated".
The pull-back comes weeks after the Anglican Primates met in Canterbury in January when The Episcopal Church of the US had "consequences" imposed for its own approval of gay marriage and the consecration of gay bishops.
The primates also warned against "possible developments in other provinces", thought to be a reference to similar penalties being recommended against Canada if it went down the same road. The Anglican Church of Canada already allows blessings for same-sex couples and was expected to change the law to allow gay marriage later this year.
In a statement from a special meeting of Canada's Order of Bishops released on Monday, general secretary Michael Thompson said the bishops had spent a "considerable amount of time" discussing the theology of marriage and their episcopal role and responsibilities as chief pastors and as guardians of the Church's faith, order and unity.
The meeting began with a "moving and intimate" account by Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.
They also explored "deep differences" between them on the matter of changing the Church's teaching on marriage.
"In our exploration of these differences it became clear to us that the draft resolution to change the Marriage Canon to accommodate the marriage of same-sex partners is not likely to pass in the Order of Bishops by the canonical requirement of a two-thirds majority in each Order. Some of us talked of being mortified and devastated by this realisation," Thompson said.
Speaking on behalf of the bishops, he continued: "We have been conscious that the presence of this motion has brought distress to some, and we acknowledge the deep pain that our statement will cause both within and beyond the Church. And we are all saddened that we do not seem capable of unity on this issue. Nevertheless we are committed to work toward the deeper unity for which Christ died, and we pray daily that God would mend our divisions. Our hope is not in ourselves, but in Christ, and so we are committed to staying together that we might witness the miracle of our healing."
Dean Peter Wall, of the General Synod planning and agenda team, said the bishops' statement had not put an end to the marriage canon process.
"I do not believe that the work of the General Synod can be pre-empted by a meeting of the House of Bishops alone," he said. "It is when they meet as the Order of Bishops, in conversation with the Orders of Clergy and Laity, that bishops participate in the shared responsibility of all members of the General Synod to take a decision on this matter."
Anglicans in Canada favour dialogue over debate on homosexuality
Anglicans in Canada have agreed to respect a commitment they made years ago to refrain from the ordination of partnered homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex unions.
Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, said the church body remains mindful of its relationship with the worldwide Anglican Communion and committed to the 2008 decision to practise restraint while at the same time exercising "the greatest level of pastoral generosity".
"We have not as a house revisited or altered that decision in any way," he said, as he addressed members of the General Synod the chief legislative body over the weekend.
Though the body, representing some 800,000 Anglicans, currently remains committed to the moratorium that Anglican leaders worldwide have agreed to a number of times since 2004, dioceses within the Anglican Church of Canada have already permitted the blessing of same-sex unions.
Among them are the Diocese of New Westminster and the Diocese of Huron.
Their actions have left conservative Anglicans, particularly those in the Global South, grieving and frustrated that the morotorium has not been honoured. In April, some 130 Anglicans from 20 provinces were urged to reconsider their relationships with the Anglican Church of Canada as well as with The Epsicopal Church in the United States, which ordained its second partnered homosexual last month.
Over the past several years, dozens of parishes have voted to split from the Anglican Church of Canada, citing the denomination's departure from Christian orthodox values and Anglican tradition. The Canadian body also lost one of its most renowned members, theologian J I Packer, in 2008.
The body in Canada is continuing dialogue on the controversial matter this week and Hiltz has expressed support in practising "a properly Christian style of inclusiveness".
Still, he has acknowledged the diversity of opinion and suggested that the General Synod may not come out with a definitive resolution, but rather a call to continue talks.
Instead of a winner-take-all statement, maybe we can be on two different sides here, he said, according to the Toronto Star.
Hiltz noted in his opening address last week to the Synod that the majority of Anglicans in Canada no matter their theological position on homosexuality are committed to "respectful dialogue" and less interested in a resolution or heated debate.
"I ask all members of Synod to enter into these conversations in a Spirit of humility and a genuine commitment to listen and to learn from one another," he said.
"I know that our deliberations on these matters will be watched by many within Canada and around the world. I hope they see no evidence of rejection, condemnation, or demonisation but every evidence of respect, charity, and patience. ... I hope they see us striving to live together with difference and to do it gracefully."
Representatives from committees that have deliberated on human sexuality since 2007 reported to the General Synod that their work has included "creating opportunities to step away from the hotly debated issues of same-sex blessings and engage in the more general topic of human sexuality".
Synod members will work towards forming a pastoral statement on human sexuality. The General Synod concludes Friday.
Atheist group yields after Florida judge rules in favour of Christian ministries that help rehabilitate ex-prisoners
An atheist group has given up its eight-year fight after a Florida judge ruled in favour of two Christian ministries that have been helping in the rehabilitation of former inmates from drug and alcohol addiction.
"Therefore, a dispassionate review of our chances on appeal indicates we likely would lose and, moreover, we may well create bad precedent that would eliminate our hard-won victory and hurt the chances of other litigants," declared plaintiff Center for Inquiry in giving up the fight.
It added, "Accordingly, we have concluded the responsible course of action is not to appeal this adverse decision. Admittedly, we are coming away from this multiyear litigation with only half a loaf, but that's better than nothing."
As earlier reported by Christian Today, the Council for Secular Humanism originally filed the case in 2007 against the Florida Department of Corrections to void its contracts with the Lamb of God Ministries and Prisoners of Christ Ministry for violation of the Florida Constitution's "No Aid" provision.
The law states that "no revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution."
However, Judge George Reynolds III of the Circuit Court of Leon County, Florida, ruled that the No-Aid provision allows government contracts with religious organisations if the funds are not spent "in aid" of religion but to advance the state's secular goals.
In the case, the judge said, the payments by the Department of Corrections to the two organisations "are not being made 'in aid of' religion. The Program exists to promote the State's anti-recidivism and anti-addition interests, not religion."
He said "the record shows that the Program does not indoctrinate, require participation in religious ritual, or favour any one religion over another."
Reynolds said "under the contracts, participation in the DOC program is voluntary. The DOC program is open to clients of any faiths and of no faiths. Any religion content is optional. Both contractors are led by men with religious training and background."
The court said the two organisations provide housing, employment assistance, transportation and food for their clients that start when the prisoners are released and are met by the contractors at the bus station.
The Lamb of God and Prisoners of Christ help them "adjust to life outside prison and come up with a plan based upon each client's needs."
In addition, they help them get social security cards, driver's licenses or ID cards, transportation, medical and dental services, mental health services, food stamps, GEDs and post-secondary education.
The judge concluded that "under the disputed facts of the case, based on 8 years of litigation and a lengthy record, Plaintiffs have not demonstrated that state funds are being unconstitutionally used 'in aid of' a 'church, sect, or religious denomination or . . . any sectarian institution."
"Men leaving prison don't have much hope for a stable job, food, or even a roof over their heads. But these religious groups have given them hope, and so much more," said Lori Windham, senior legal counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represented the two organisations. "These ministries need to focus on helping men stay sober and turn their lives around, not defending against an unending, meritless lawsuit."
British Muslim girls duped into forced marriages over Skype
An increasing number of forced marriages are being conducted over Skype, two charities said on Monday.
Imams are conducting ceremonies over the internet or on the phone for British girls as young as 11, meaning they can remotely marry men abroad, according to the charity Freedom which campaigns against forced marriage.
In one case, an 11-year-old girl from London was married on Skype to a 25-year-old man in Bangladesh, said Freedom's founder Aneeta Prem.
The girl hadn't understood the significance of the Skype call at the time and contacted Freedom after reading a book about forced marriage by Prem that her brother was given at school.
"As soon as she was old enough the family were planning to take her out to consummate the marriage," Prem said.
"She had been pulled out of school and was being taught to be a housewife."
Prem said only a handful of internet marriages had come to light so far, but the number was increasing. They are attractive to traditional Islamic families because they are instantaneous and are less likely to get caught, according to Prem.
The practice is illegal under UK law and the Home Office have said perpetrators could be prosecuted.
"Forced marriage is an abhorrent practice which is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK, regardless of how it takes place," a spokesperson said.
Karma Nirvana, another British charity which campaigns against forced marriage, said it had received calls to its helpline from girls who had been married off over the phone.
The girls often don't realise the phone call is a marriage ceremony until their family tells them afterwards.
"Some victims have contacted us and said: 'I've been married over the phone because my family think that I'm shaming them,'" said Karma Nirvana founder Jasvinder Sanghera.
"The quickest way to marry someone off is not going to be taking them out to Pakistan, India, or wherever, the quickest way to get them into marriage is going to be over the phone."
Karma Nirvana helpline manager Priya Manota estimated thousands of British girls under the age of 18 are being forced into marriage every year.
Britain's Forced Marriage Unit confirmed it had come across cases of forced marriage being conducted by Skype.
Additional reporting from Reuters.
Church and Christian buildings in Ethiopia torched and looted. 'The Lord is with us,' says bishop
A Catholic bishop in Ethiopia has spoken of his horror after local people torched and looted a church compound that had been working to help them.
Bishop Abraham Desta, Apostolic Vicar of Meki, told Aid to the Church in Need how one of the area's oldest and biggest parishes was attacked by "the people for whom, and with whom, we work very closely."
Bishop Desta described how Gighessa parish came under attack from villagers including young and old, women and children. They started throwing stones and destroying church properties, including the presbytery, diocesan pastoral centre, a small Ursuline convent and a clinic specialising in care for the handicapped and disabled.
More than 55 people from around the world were attending a conference on nursery education at the pastoral centre at the time.
After setting fire to the presbytery, the attackers made off with a year's supply of food, as well as livestock including cows.
Bishop Desta said: "The Ursuline Sisters who run the clinic were left behind with the patients as they were not willing to leave the patients alone, but the people did not spare them."
He added: "Sad to say no one went to help the Sisters, but by God's grace they managed to reach Shashamane, the nearest parish, along with the patients and spend that night in the parish. They have lost everything, except the precious gift of life that is being given freely by God almighty. And, sad to say, all this was done by the people of the locality whom they were serving, whom they know very well."
The furniture that was taken included more than 250 beds, mattresses, 700 blankets, bed sheets, bed covers, fridges and deep freezers, washing machines, televisions, generators, copier machines, computers and even the doors and windows of the house. More than 26,455 Ibs of food was also taken including the wheat, rice, and pasta that was the centre's supply for the year. Cows and chickens from the parish smallholding were stolen.
"And today there is a question in our hearts and minds. Why Lord? Why like this? I hope that in due time the Lord will give us an answer," said Bishop Desta, adding that the Blessed Sacrament was left behind and was retrieved later by two Catholic girls from the parish.
"Through all these incidents, the Lord is reminding us that he is with us until the end of time."
Dear Pope Francis: Pope's poignant answers to children's questions published today
Pope Francis' book for children has been published today around the world.
Dear Pope Francis is based on letters received from 259 children in 26 countries, written in 14 different languages. Each child had illustrated his or her letter with a drawing.
The project saw Pope Francis sitting with Father Antonio Spadaro on an August afternoon in Rome and going through a selection of the letters one by one. He personally answered 30 of the questions, though he said he wished he could have answered them all.
One of them, from 10-year-old Mohammed, a pupil at a Jesuit-run school for Syrian refugees, begins: "Will the world be again as it was in the past?"
In part, Francis answers: "There are those who manufacture weapons so that people fight each other and wage war. There are people who have hate in their hearts. There are people who are interested only in money and would sell everything for it. They would even sell other people."
More to Mohammed's point, Francis answered: "No, when the time comes, the world will not be as it was. It will be far better than it was in the past."
Another child, seven-year-old William from the US, asked, "If you could do one miracle, what would it be?"
"Dear William," the pope said, "I would heal children. I've never been able to understand why children suffer. It's a mystery to me. I don't have an explanation."
Another, eight-year-old Natasha from Kenya, asked how Jesus walked on water. "You have to imagine Jesus walking naturally, normally. He did not fly over the water or turn somersaults while swimming," he wrote. "He walked as you walk!" Francis added: "Jesus is God, and so he can do anything!"
An eight-year-old Australian boy, Luca, had a poignant question. "Dear Pope Francis, My mum is in Heaven. Will she grow angel wings?"
Francis answered that no, she won't grow wings, but "she is the mother you know but more beautiful than ever... smiling and full of love for you".
The pope's responses were not edited or condensed for the book, published by Loyola Press in the US and by Rizzoli in Italy.
Francis met some of the children who contributed to the book on Friday at the Vatican, who asked him questions ranging from "How old are you?" to "Is it easy being the pope?"
Dozens dead in twin ISIS suicide attacks in Iraq
Violence against Shi'ite Muslims in Iraq continues to escalate after nearly 50 died in two ISIS suicide attacks on Monday.
The larger of the two attacks killed at least 40 at a funeral in Muqdadiya, 50 miles northeast of Baghdad. Among the dead were six local commanders of the Hashid Shaabi umbrella group of Shi'ite militia who were attending the funeral of a commander's relative, security officials and police in Diyala said.
The killing of the commanders, four of whom were from the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia and two from the Badr Organisation, is likely to inflame sectarian tensions.
Security officials and witnesses said the situation inside Muqdadiya was tense, with dozens of Shi'ite militia members out on the streets, but few security forces.
The town's police chief was wounded in clashes with militia fighters who had tried to seize suspected Islamic State militants from a prison in Muqdadiya, police sources said.
A separate attack in the western Baghdad outskirts of Abu Ghraib killed a further eight victims on Monday. The bombing followed an offensive by Islamic State militants on army and police positions in the same area on Sunday which left 24 people dead but was eventually repelled by counter-terrorism forces and army attack helicopters.
Monday's blasts follow the deadliest bombing inside the capital so far this year, which killed 78 people in a Shi'ite district on Sunday.
ISIS, the ultra-hardline Sunni group, have claimed responsibility for the attacks. Despite significant losses, the jihadist group still control large swathes of northern and western Iraq.
After Sunday's attacks ISIS circulated a statement using a derogatory term for Shi'ite Muslims: "Our swords will not cease to cut off the heads of the rejectionist polytheists, wherever they are".
When is Easter 2016? Good Friday and Easter Sunday dates for this year
Easter, the light at the end of the long Lenten tunnel, is fast approaching. This Christian festival, celebrated around the world, marks the end of Lent and the beginning of a season of celebration. We might all know that it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus the good news the Christian faith is built around but, when it comes to details, we're all liable to forget a few, particularly when we can't trust the feast day's date to stay the same.
With that in mine, here's a guide to Easter 2016:
When is Easter?
Easter Sunday this year will fall on March 27. This means that Good Friday will be March 25 and Easter Monday March 28.
What is it?
Easter is a festival of celebration commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and was resurrected three days later.
The resurrection of Jesus is foundational to the Christian faith. It is through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, that believers are given new life. In dying on the cross, Jesus took upon himself the burden of sin, and in his rising from death, he conquered that sin.
Any person who follows Jesus receives "a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3)
Wait, Easter isn't just one day?
Well, Easter Sunday is the great feast day, but it comes as the climax of the preceding Holy Week. This week in the Church calender commemorates the events that led up to Jesus' death and resurrection.
Alongside Easter Sunday there are three other significant days in the week: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, March 20 this year, remembering Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Maundy Thursday, March 24, commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his 12 disciples. It was during this passover meal that Jesus washed his disciples' feet, predicted Judas' betrayal and his own death, and instituted the tradition of breaking bread and drinking wine in his memory the Eucharist.
Good Friday, March 25, then marks the beginning of the three days of Easter, commemorating specifically the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a day of mourning in the Church focussing on Christ's sacrifcial life and death.
How is the date for Easter chosen?
Jesus' death occurred just after passover a Jewish feast celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt and so the Easter date has always been set in relation to the Passover date.
Unlike Christmas, which can reliably be found on December 25, Easter is a moveable feast. Its date is set by the Paschal (Passover) Full Moon Easter can always be found on the first Sunday after this moon. This will always leave Easter falling on a Sunday between March 21 and April 25.
This has been the case since the Council of Nicea a key council of the early church in 325 AD. However, recently the Archbishop of Canterbury has said he would enter into discussion with other church leaders as to whether Easter's date should in fact be fixed a particular Sunday every year.
Franklin Graham hits out at Obama after ex-Guantanamo detainee calls for jihad in Africa
Franklin Graham has expressed anger over the Obama Administration's handling of terror suspects.
In a stinging Facebook post, evangelist Graham was highly critical of President Barack Obama's "terrorist catch-and-release policy". "[It's] unreal," he wrote.
Graham was writing in response to an ABC report that Ibrahim Qosi, ex-Guantanamo detainee and the former driver and bodyguard of Osama bin Laden, last week used social media to encourage jihad in Somalia.
The SITE Intelligence Group translated a message attributed to Qosi on the Telegram messaging app as saying that fighters in Somalia should "continue the raid with a raid, and light up the ground beneath the feet of the Crusaders and team them that the lands of Islam are a fortress that is not allowed to the disbelievers, and a graveyard for the invaders."
"Victory is brought by blood and suffering, not by promises and wishes from every libertine," Qosi said.
Qosi was held in Guantanamo Bay for 10 years before being released in July 2012 after pleading guilty to conspiracy and supporting terrorism. Just last week, Obama unveiled plans to close the controversial prison facility that has been dogged by abuse claims by former detainees.
In his Facebook post, Graham said it should not be a surprise that Qosi, who was at one time deemed "high risk", went on to become a top al Qaeda leader who is now using his position to call for jihad.
He said: "It's just a shame that our military are risking their livesand giving their livesto put these Islamic terrorists out of business and behind bars, only to have them put right back out there to do more damage ... Terrorists like this shouldn't be released."
Happy Birthday Justin Bieber! 5 quotes from the pop star on his Christian faith
Happy Birthday Justin Bieber. I don't know about you, but he's feeling 22.
21 was a significant year for Justin he released his number 1 album 'Purpose', won countless awards and has gone public with his personal faith.
Having made headlines for alleged drug use and DUI [Driving Under the Influence] charges, Justin's tune has changed more recently.
He opened up in a long and comprehensive interview in Complex about his personal faith and desire to live like Jesus. He has become more invovled in church, even travelling to Australia to attend a Hillsong conference. In an interview with GQ, celebrity pastor Carl Lentz shared about the moving moment Justin was baptised in a bath.
So what better way to celebrate the birth of Bieber, than with a list of five times he has spoken about his faith.
1. "I pray when I go to sleep. I pray during the day when I have a problem or when I just wanna thank Him for all He's done for me. Without God I wouldn't be in this position. He's blessed me with the talent and opportunity. And I feel like there's also a reason I'm here."
Speaking to the Radio Times on the eve of his first Grammy Award, February 2016.
2. "I feel invincible like, nothing is bigger than God. If God's for me, who can be against me? That's helped me in a lot of situations where I feel judged. It gives you confidence and you can carry yourself in a cool way, but it's not cocky. It's a confidence that's a godly confidence. That's what I always want. I wanna be loved for being a good dude and for being confident in myself because I know who I am and what I carry and what I sacrifice."
Complex, September 2015
3. "It's like with God: The whole thing with religion is you present yourself holy and bring your offerings so that God can bless you, when the whole point of the relationship [should be], 'No, I'm gonna do this because he loves me. I'm gonna do this because he's amazing and not because [I] have to, [but] because [I] want to.' That's the whole thing with religion that's been throwing off the people. It's not a 'have to.' It should be just like a personal relationship. Like, 'Hey, I love you because you first loved me'."
Complex, September 2015
4. "I feel I have an obligation to plant little seeds with my fans. I'm not going to tell them, 'You need Jesus,' but I will say at the end of my show, 'God loves you'."
Rolling Stone, February 2011
5. "I'm not religious nor do i think I have ANYTHING figured out that's why I call out on God to help me through what I can't do on my own. Developing my relationship with God has been the coolest thing I've experienced, to know that I'm not alone and I don't have to live in fear. Never feel like I'm pushing anything on u but sharing the good news I've felt in my own life."
Instagram, May 2015
Jewish leaders back Ted Cruz, say he's the best hope for survival of Israel, West in face of 'existential' threat posed by Iran
Texas Senator Ted Cruz secured the support not only of evangelical Christians but also of Jewish leaders ahead of Super Tuesday, the electoral event in various states across America that could make or break the fortunes of the five remaining candidates for the Republican presidential nomination.
Last week, Dr. Ben Chouake, national president of NORPAC, America's largest pro-Israel political action committee, endorsed Cruz for president, Charisma News reported.
More Jewish leaders endorsed Cruz over the weekend, raising his number of influential Jewish political supporters to more than three dozen, according to the senator's campaign.
"Since the day we announced our campaign, we have been honoured to see tremendous support from the Jewish community." Cruz said.
He again emphasised his commitment to Israel and the Jewish people, which he said began long before he became a senator and a presidential candidate. "It began with the experience my father had as a refugee fleeing oppression in Cuba to come to this country," he said.
Cruz vowed that as president, "I will stand unapologetically with Israel, prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons" and "move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem" among other executive actions.
Rabbi Zev Reichman, spiritual leader of the East Hill Synagogue in Englewood, New Jersey, and director at Yeshiva University, expressed his unequivocal support for the Texas senator. "Ted Cruz has impressed me with his deep respect for people of faith, his dedication to protecting the U.S. homeland, and his unflinching support for America's greatest ally in the Middle East, the nation of Israel," he said.
Reichman said Cruz offers the best hope for survival not only of the Jewish nation but of the West as well. "America and the West face an existential threat to our way of life from radical Islamic terrorists. Cruz has been a leader in identifying this threat and boldly taking action to protect American lives," he said. "Ted has demonstrated foresight, understanding and good judgment. Most importantly, he has demonstrated time and again that he is a leader with integrity, strength and courage. He has introduced legislation to prevent terrorists from coming to the U.S. and to choke off their funding. Most significantly, when the Iran deal was coming to Congress for a vote, he led the efforts to stop this catastrophic deal."
He recalled that on Oct. 6, 1943, hundreds of rabbis marched in Washington, pleading with elected officials to step in and address the dangers to Jews in Europe. However, President Roosevelt refused to meet with them. As a result, millions of Jewish lives were lost during the Holocaust.
Reichman said today the Jews face an even greater threat from what Hitler did in World War II. "The Iranian regime threatens to do in six minutes what Hitler did in six years. They openly declare their hope to wipe Israel off the map. The Iranian nuclear deal has awarded this hideous regime billions of dollars, international legitimacy and hundreds of billions of dollars of future economic growth," he said.
On Sept. 9, 2015, hundreds of rabbis once again returned to Washington to plead with elected officials to step in and reject the Iranian nuclear deal. But just like what Roosevelt did in 1943, their voices were ignored.
"Ted Cruz stood with us and led at that moment," Reichman said. "President Cruz will tear up the Iran deal on his first day in office. The stakes for America, the West and Israel have rarely been higher. I hope and pray that the Almighty will help Ted Cruz become the next president of the United States and leader of the free world."
More Anglican Provinces give backing to new North American body
|PIC1|More Anglican leaders from across the global communion have joined in support of the newly formed Anglican Church in North America.
The Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East and the Province of Southeast Asia sent their congratulations and welcomed the new conservative body.
"Our prayers are for you and for the new Province to continue to stand firm in faith as you have always done," the Most Rev Mouneer H Anis of the Jerusalem and Middle East province wrote. "May the Lord keep your unity in order to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ in North America!"
Bishops from England - including the Bishops of Rochester, Winchester, Chichester and Chester - Sydney and parts of Africa have also celebrated the ACNA and recognised it as authentically Anglican.
So far, nine of the 38 provinces in the Anglican Communion indicated support for the ACNA, which was constituted this week as a biblically-centred province.
The ACNA unites some 100,000 Anglicans in 700 parishes which have severed ties with The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada into a single church.
According to its newly ratified constitution, the orthodox Anglicans say they are "grieved by the current state of brokenness within the Anglican Communion prompted by those who have embraced erroneous teaching and who have rejected a repeated call to repentance".
The conservative group has been calling on The Episcopal Church the US arm of Anglicanism to repent and get back in line with traditional Anglicanism and Scripture, particularly since it consecrated an openly gay bishop in 2003. But the conservatives saw little hope that the US church would change direction.
Bishop Martyn Minns of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, one of the breakaway groups that make up the ACNA, said that by forming the new province, they are establishing that they want to stay within the Christian mainstream.
"The teachings we hold to are the teachings that have governed the Anglican branch of Christianity for decades," Minns said.
Bishop Jack Iker of Fort Worth said constituting the ACNA marks "the beginning of the recovery of confidence in Anglicanism as a biblical, missionary church".
Establishing an Anglican national province where such a national church already exists is unprecedented. And although the ACNA has gained support from some of the largest provinces in the Anglican Communion, formal recognition as the 39th province may take years.
The Most Rev Robert Duncan, who was installed Wednesday as the first archbishop of the ACNA, said he is in regular contact with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the global communion.
More than 900 people gathered this week for the inaugural assembly of the ACNA in Bedford, Texas. As they concluded the historic meeting on Thursday, they were reminded of why they created a new province.
The ACNA was not formed to relieve the pain and angst of the past, the Rev Dr Todd Hunter, past president of Alpha USA, said. It was established to help build the Kingdom of God, he stressed.
Archbishop Duncan said he wants to start 1,000 churches during his five-year term.
New church opens next to a strip club in Indiana, and the lead pastor likes it
When the Lafayette Community Church in the U.S. state of Indiana was looking for a new and larger location for its ministry, it did not expect a vacancy to open up beside a strip club.
Lead pastor Jeff Mikels told NBC 4 that it was his associate who excitedly found the building for their church. It was the right size for them, and the price can't be beat. However, the only catch was that it was situated beside Filly's Gentlemen's Club and an adult gift store on Concord Road.
Mikels said they were initially reluctant to open there, but after talking with the church's associates, they decided to give it a go. "The more and more we talked about it, the more we felt like we could find ways to be a blessing to the people who come to this part of town," said Mikels.
Filly's co-owner Ed Gobel need not worry about angry Christians carrying picket signs outside his establishment, because the members of the Lafayette Community Church have been nothing but respectful and kind. Gobel's employees even received baskets of goodies from the church members.
"It's been a very, very good working relationship," said Gobel. "And I think they respect our viewpoints and we respect theirs."
The first part of the Lafayette Community Church's renovation project was to replace the old fence with a new one, but Mikels said the fence dividing the two properties does not mean that there is a barrier between them.
"The fence is just there because we're trying to build an aesthetically pleasing environment here, so we want to make sure people feel comfortable to be in this space because we want them to feel love," said Mikels.
Gobel agreed, saying the positive relationship they have formed with the Lafayette Community Church is one that he would love to experience with other neighbours as well.
"It's a wonderful thing because it's the fact that we're all sharing together because we want to all prosper," said Gobel.
Nigerian president orders inquiry into latest massacre of Christian farmers
The President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation after armed herdsmen attacked farmers, leaving hundreds dead and thousands more displaced.
The Fulani herdsmen armed with guns and machetes attacked the mainly-Christian farmers in the central Benue state in the latest assault in their long-running battle over grazing rights.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported that the herders, who had the support of a helicpopter, launched their attack on the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State over several days, displacing farmers and others from at least 25 communities. Varying reports put deaths at 100 to more than 300. There were also reports of at least six villages razed and corpses littering abandoned communities.
There have been regular attacks by Fulani militia and herdsmen, who are mostly Muslim, on farmers in the central states of Nigeria. The attacks are becoming more frequent. The central states are where the mainly Christian south meets the mainly Muslim north.
In 2014 the herders murdered more people than the Somali terror group al-Shabaab, rendering them the fourth most deadly terrorist outfit in the world, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace's Global Terrorism Index.
The new attacks came after the electoral re-run. A few days ago, the herders were driven from six communities they had occupied on the banks of the Benue River. "Violence attributed to armed herders is increasingly becoming an issue in the south of the country," said CSW.
In January, the body of Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue II, traditional ruler of Ubulu-Uku Kingdom in Delta State, was discovered in the bush in Ekpon, Edo State, days after his kidnap for ransom by Fulanis.
A few days ago, six traditional rulers accused armed herders of destroying local farmlands and raping women in their area.
Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW, said the organisation "welcomes the deployment of troops to Agatu and news of a government investigation into the violence in Benue State and the pledge to tackle the root causes of the violence.
"However, given the scope of herder attacks and the fact that the herders have long constituted a threat to national security, the investigation must be widened to include every area in the country where such violence is occurring," he said.
"It is essential that the government follows through on its promise and that those responsible for the bloodshed in Benue and elsewhere are held to account. The statistics are sobering; a holistic plan to tackle terrorism in Nigeria must address the Fulani herders as well as Boko Haram."
Oregon bakery owners press fight for their religious beliefs, take case to appeals court
It was a big blow for Oregon bakery owners Aaron and Melissa Klein when a court ordered them to cough up $135,000 for refusing to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, but the Christian couple are not backing down from their beliefs.
The two have now taken their case before the Oregon Court of Appeals, according to the Gospel Herald. They are being represented by First Liberty (formerly known as Liberty Institute), a legal organisation dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty.
"We're praying that the state of Oregon will back off," First Liberty attorney Jeremy Dys said on Tuesday. "We're hoping the state will recognise the freedom of religionwe're hoping that it can be restored, not just for us, but for everybody in this nation. We're going to continue to fight on."
The case all started back in 2013, when same-sex couple Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer filed a lawsuit against the Kleins and their shop Sweet Cakes Bakery after the Christian couple refused to provide the cake for their wedding, citing their religious beliefs as the reason.
Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries sided with the same-sex couple, ruling that the Kleins violated the state's anti-discrimination laws since their bakery is not a registered religious institution.
Aaron said he and his wife do not regret making that decision even if it had cost them their life's savings. "We wanted to honour God with our business, and dedicated everything to him," he said. "We believe in a Biblical definition of marriage, and we believe that we have the freedom of religion in this country."
When the Kleins were forced to pay state-ordered damage fees and interest totalling $136,927.07 in December 2015, it was a good thing that a crowdfunding site such as the Samaritan's Purse gave them financial aid.
"The government of Oregon cleaned out their bank account to penalise them without their permission, but that wasn't enough," Dys said. "Thankfully, they had a whole bunch of crowdfunding that came alongside them and they were able to pay the penalty that they had to pay in order to appeal this."
They now have a chance to turn things around at the Oregon Court of Appeals. First Liberty revealed that legal briefs are expected to be filed throughout the year, adding that their oral argument will take place late this year.
"This is something that is broader than just these two people," Dys said. "If it can happen to Aaron and Melissa at a bakery shop, it can happen to anybody at any level of employment at any business. The government should never be the ones coercing individuals into believing something that they don't believe. Or, for that matter, punishing them for believing it. All of America suffers when someone loses their religious liberty."
Russell Moore: 'Evangelical' has been hijacked by 'heretics and lunatics' in presidential race
Russell Moore is not an evangelical. Or rather, he doesn't want to be labelled as one, at least until the US presidential election is over.
The president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention has started introducing himself as a "gospel Christian" to avoid the word "evangelical", he says.
"The word 'evangelical' has become almost meaningless this year, and in many ways the word itself is at the moment subverting the gospel of Jesus Christ," Moore wrote in an editorial for The Washington Post, explaining why he had ditched the label.
The theologian barely disguised his ridicule for leaders who have endorsed Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. President of Liberty University Jerry Falwell Jr announced his official support for Trump in January, and Franklin Graham, son of famous preacher Billy Graham, has also declared his support for a number of Trump's policies.
"Why are many evangelical leaders, including some who pontificate on nearly everything else, scared silent as evangelicalism is associated with everything from authoritarianism and bigotry to violations of religious freedom?" Moore asked.
He argued the term evangelical has been misunderstood and misapplied, and Christians "have been too willing to look the other way when the word 'evangelical' has been co-opted by heretics and lunatics".
"The word 'evangelical' isn't, first of all, about American politics," he wrote. "The word is rooted in the Greek word for gospel, good news for sinners through the life, death, resurrection and reign of Jesus of Nazareth as the son of God and anointed ruler of the cosmos.
"Evangelical means a commitment to the truth of God's revelation in the Bible and a conviction that the blood of Christ is offered to any repentant, believing sinner as a full atonement for sin."
He also pointed out that polls don't distinguish between actual chuchgoers and those who self-identify as evangelical.
"Many of those who tell pollsters they are 'evangelical' may well be drunk right now, and haven't been into a church since someone invited them to Vacation Bible School sometime back when Seinfeld was in first-run episodes," he said.
The word "evangelical" no longer has any meaning. Just call me a gospel Christian. Russell Moore (@drmoore) February 26, 2016
However Moore concluded on a note of optimism and said the "future of evangelicalism is vibrant".
"But you will forgive me if, at least until this crazy campaign year is over, I choose just to say that I'm a gospel Christian," he added. "When this fevered moment is over, we will need to make 'evangelical' great again."
Science and religion: Awards scheme could be worth 10,000 to your church
Do science and religion go together? Not if you pay attention to social media posts claiming science has somehow 'disproved' religion. In some parts of both the Christian and the wider world, they're seen as being opposed to each other.
That's a perception a project based at St John's College, Durham is out to change.
Funded by the Templeton Foundation, the Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science project is aimed at helping Christians understand how to engage with science today. The three-year ecumenical project a partnership between the University of Durham and the Church of England plans to carry out research into the attitudes of clergy, offer theological resources and advice on complex questions and run conferences on issues of concern. Topics will include cosmology, suffering, transhumanism and evolution.
As part of that, it's running an awards scheme that will provide up to 10,000 to churches that want to work with experts to engage their congregations with science. Among the criteria for support from the Scientists in Congregations project are that schemes have to be proposed by 'professional practitioners' in science, that they enable local groups of Christians to build confidence in science and that they "seek to change the conversation between the Church and the scientific world".
Christian Today spoke to project manager Rev Dr Kathryn Pritchard. She said all kinds of ideas could be considered, including exhibitions, lectures and environmental projects in ancient churchyards. She instanced one Baptist minister with a scientific background who was concerned about young boys in his community and started a 'Messy science' programme for them involving hands-on experiments. "It's not expensive, but it's highly effective," she said.
Another Anglican minister with a scientific background, Dr Vicky Johnson now a canon at Ely Cathedral has written about how she used her training with the congregation of St Michael's, Flixton, in the Diocese of Manchester.
Among other things they put together a service celebrating the legacy of Charles Darwin and studied the first two chapters of Genesis. They also held nature-discovery days in the churchyard with 'bug hunts' and a 'leaf quiz' for children and held a 'Science Sunday' when the church was decorated with circling planets and spirals of DNA.
Johnson told Christian Today: "In every church congregation, there will be someone with an interest in science or someone who works in the fields of science, medicine or information technology. We are all dependent on the discoveries of science in our daily lives, from antibiotics to mobile phones, chemotherapy to computers.
"There are many scientists who have a Christian faith and there are a many organisations and churches, where discussions between scientists and Christians are encouraged, for example Christians in Science, The Society of Ordained Scientists, and the Faraday Institute.
"Here at Ely Cathedral we are currently planning a Science Festival and the 'God and the big bang' project brings together leading scientists, Christians and school children to explore these issues."
She said congregations were generally interested in science rather than threatened by it. "The reality is, these issues affect everyone's life and science is not a subject the Christian can ignore; our approach to science and scientific discoveries has a real impact on the mission of the church in contemporary culture."
She added: "By engaging with science, churches can actually reach out to people. This is a mission issue. By embracing science the church can really engage with people where they are, and also provide a space for ethical dialogue with scientists and the wider community."
Pritchard said that while generally there was an issue in wider society about how people saw science and how confident they are in talking about it, for Christians there could be a "conflict narrative in the way they are taught to think about it and about wider scientific developments". But, she added, "It is possible to change the narrative."
Of the awards scheme she said: "There is a huge public appetite for discussion about the science-faith relationship and previous projects have attracted high levels of interest, not only from regular church members but also from the wider community.
"The Scientists in Congregations programme is designed to demonstrate that bringing science into conversation with theology and vice versa is vital for our understanding of contemporary life."
Similar programmes have been initiated in the US, Canada and more recently Scotland, where the scheme has funded a range of projects, including pilgrimage walking trails, a Nativity play where science and faith are considered and 'Dinosaur Sunday' services. More than 20 churches have so far signed up to be part of it.
The project criteria can be found here. The deadline for applications is May 3.
St David's Day: Who was Wales' 'miracle-working' patron saint?
It's St David's Day, when the patron saint of Wales is honoured and the patriotic flame burns a little brighter. But who was this famous saint, and why is he still remembered?
David was born around the year 500, the son of St Non. She had been raped by one of the princes of Ceredigion, who is given various names. David was the result, and according to the Life of St David writen by Rhigyfarch around 1095, he was destined to be a great preacher. While he was still in his mother's womb a local preacher found himself unable to speak in his presence and prophesied great things for him. A nearby ruler feared his power and plotted to kill him, but a great storm on the day of David's birth prevented him from doing so.
Reliable information about those times which used to be known as the Dark Ages, though the term isn't really used nowadays is scarce. However, it's known that David founded several monasteries including the one in the town that bears his name today, and that he and his followers lived a simple life, eating no meat and refraining from beer. The monks pulled their own ploughs without using draught animals and had everything in common; even saying "my book" was a breach of the monastic rule. David's symbol is the leek.
He became a bishop in the Church and made several pilgrimages, including one to Jerusalem. Tradition has it that he brought back with him a stone that is now part of an altar in the Cathedral that bears his name.
David was a noted opponent of Pelagius, who opposed the idea of predestination and was believed to teach that people could achieve salvation by their own efforts.
Like many saints of the time, David was a miracle-worker. One story about him is that he was preaching at the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi when the crowd complained they couldn't hear him. The ground on which he stood is said to have risen up to form a small hill so everyone had a good view, and a white dove settled on his shoulder as a sign of God's blessing. One historian, John Davies, wrote that one can "scarcely conceive of any miracle more superfluous" in that part of Wales than the creation of a new hill.
David is believed to have died on this day in around 589. His last sermon closed with the words: "Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed, and do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us."
Top evangelical Christian website lambasts Trump, calls him 'misogynist and philanderer'
Donald Trump has been lambasted by the senior editors of The Christian Post in an unusual move to "encourage our readers to back away" from the Republican frontrunner.
An opinion piece for the popular Christian news website said it does not usually take political positions but was making an exception "because Trump is exceptionally bad".
The Republican candidate, who is favourite to win the nomination in most of the 12 Super Tuesday states, "claims to speak for and represent the interests of evangelicals", according to the piece.
It reads: "We feel compelled by our moral responsibility to our readers to make clear that Donald Trump does not represent the interests of evangelicals and would be a dangerous leader for our country."
One of the editors' main gripes with Trump is that he "has never asked for forgiveness".
"There are certain non-negotiable actions needed to become a Christian: One must repent of their sins and follow Christ as Lord and Savior. Trump doesn't talk this way, even when urged to," they wrote.
However the article did not stop there. The authors went on an extraordinary all-out assault against the presidential candidate and New York billionaire.
"Trump is a misogynist and philanderer," they wrote. "He demeans women and minorities. His preferred forms of communication are insults, obscenities and untruths. While Christians have been guilty of all of these, we, unlike Trump, acknowledge our sins, ask for forgiveness and seek restitution with the aid of the Holy Spirit and our community of believers."
They continued: "Trump is promising many things that he cannot possibly deliver, but the most frightening part is Trump's stated willingness to ignore the authority of the Supreme Court, Congress and the U.S. Constitution if he were to become president."
The article also takes a swipe at Trump's previous career in business saying he has been "surrounded by controversy for decades because of his untruthfulness, questionable business practices, reported association with organized crime, and abrupt changes in fundamental positions."
It concludes: "This is a critical time in American history and we call on all Christians to pray for personal repentance, divine forgiveness and spiritual awakening for our nation. It is not the time for Donald Trump."
US student detained in North Korea confesses to 'severe' crime, blames Ohio church
A US student detained in North Korea has issued a dramatic and emotional apology, confessing in front of cameras his "severe crime", according to state media.
Otto Warmbier, 21, made his first appearance since his arrest in January in an official broadcast where he effusively apologised for his actions, saying he was encouraged by a church in Ohio and the CIA to commit the crime.
Warmbier's parents said they were "greatly relieved" they had seen pictures of him.
"We had not heard from him during these many weeks, so you can imagine how deeply worried we were and what a traumatic experience this has been for us," Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement released on Monday. "He seems to be in good health, although we won't know for sure about his condition until we have a chance to speak with him."
North Korea has a long history of detaining foreigners and has used jailed US citizens in the past to extract high-profile visits from the United States, with which it has no formal diplomatic relations.
"I committed the crime of taking out a political slogan from the staff-only area of the Yanggakdo International Hotel," the North's KCNA news agency quoted Warmbier as telling media in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. It did not say what the item was.
CNN showed video of a sobbing Warmbier saying: "I have made the worst mistake of my life, but please act to save me."
Warmbier said a "deaconess" had offered him a used car worth $10,000 if he could present a US church with the slogan as a "trophy" from North Korea, KCNA said.
The acquaintance also said the Friendship United Methodist Church in Ohio would pay his mother $200,000 if he was detained by the North and did not return, KCNA quoted Warmbier as saying.
The church's senior pastor has denied knowledge of the deaconess named by North Korean officials, and said Warmbier is not a member of the church.
"My crime is very severe and pre-planned," Warmbier was quoted as saying, adding that he was impressed by North Korea's "humanitarian treatment of severe criminals like myself."
The White House said on Monday it was aware of Warmbier's situation and was working closely with Sweden, the United States' protecting power in North Korea, to learn as much as it can about his detention.
Warmbier "was caught committing a hostile act against the state", according to North Korea's state media in January which added the act was "tolerated and manipulated by the US government".
Although most tourists to North Korea are from China, roughly 6,000 Westerners visit annually, despite strong recommendations against travel to the totalitarian state from the United States and Canada.
Most are curious about life behind the last sliver of the iron curtain and ignore critics who say their dollars prop up a repressive regime.
The oppressive communist state is considered to be the worst place to live as Christian with 70,000 estimated to be imprisoned in labour camps for their faith.
Additional reporting from Reuters.
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Foley's was a part of Houston's cultural and retail fabric for more than a century before it was rebranded as Macy's a decade ago.
Now, the department store is poised to reappear online and possibly as a few physical stores after a California man this week won a trademark dispute with Macy's.
Foley Brothers Dry Goods Co. first opened in 1900, playing a major role in Houston in its 106-year run with its famed "Red Apple Sales" and hosting an annual Thanksgiving parade. It was purchased by Federated Department Stores in 1945, which in 2006 rebranded Foley's stores as Macy's.
The Foley's trademark, and other regional department store brands that converted into Macy's, went unused. As trademarks expired, Ellia Kassoff, CEO of Strategic Marks LLC, began collecting them and started an online shop.
Macy's appealed to federal trademark authorities then filed suit for the first set of trademarks Kassoff collected in 2011, citing unfair competition. The company filed a second lawsuit for another set of old trademarks in 2015.
Those cases were merged. Both sides reached a settlement Monday in federal court in San Francisco.
Kassoff's first step will be to create a new website with the regional brands "anchoring" the online mall. He sees possible physical locations for the regional trademarks in the future. He has been in talks with mall owners, developers and investors who were interested and told him to contact them when the lawsuit was over.
"Are you going to see 20 Foley's in Houston? Probably not," Kassoff said. "Are you going to see two? Maybe." If there's enough local interest, he added.
As a professional designer, Jennifer Barron has created fresh, bright interiors for plenty of clients. But when she and her husband bought their first home two years ago, she got the chance to design her own personal space.
Barron and her husband, John Barron, followed his Exxon Mobil job to Houston, where they rented an apartment until they found the right house. In 2014, on a quiet street in Briargrove, they found one. Built in 1955, it was a cozy 2,036 square feet, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It had potential, but it needed a lot of updating.
When they bought the place, it felt like a cave inside. "Everything was brown," Barron says, including the wood paneling on the walls. "It was dark and claustrophobic and just old-looking. I said, 'Let's just paint every inch white.' "
By the time they moved in, the interior was bright white and felt bigger, cleaner and more open. To this neutral backdrop, Barron added a palette of blue and turquoise shades, accented with rich metallics and artsy antiques.
"I wasn't really going for a coastal look, but it kind of has one," Barron says.
A small entryway opens into the dining room, which has a fun retro feel, thanks in part to the vintage Slim Aarons photograph - "Poolside Gossip," taken at a Palm Springs swimming pool in 1970 - on the front wall. A contemporary Jonathan Adler light fixture hangs above a round glass table Barron inherited from her grandmother, complete with gold-leafed wooden chairs.
The den's two broad doorways make it feel open to both the dining room and the galley kitchen behind it. A custom-made linen sofa and quartz-topped coffee table are flanked by a pair of matching turquoise lamps, which Barron found at an antiques store.
The kitchen feels bigger than it is because it's bright and open, with windows that look out to the back patio. "We got lucky because it was already updated," Barron says, with granite countertops and a stone backsplash that fit the home's youthful new feel.
The guest bathroom, too, had been updated with gray-toned granite counters; Barron added a navy grass cloth to the walls for a fresh, dramatic look.
The art on the walls throughout the house is a personal mix of old and new. One of Barron's own drawings hangs in the guest bedroom. In the hallway are two framed blueprints - the home's original architectural plans, which she discovered in a den cabinet. And in the den is a painting Barron spotted on a work trip to New Orleans, an abstract wash of neutrals. "I couldn't get it out of my head," she says. "So I called the artist a week later and said, 'I have to have that. Can you get it to me?' "
The home's entryway pairs some antique pieces - an oak chest and a gold-framed mirror, both wedding gifts - with a fresh, contemporary wallpaper print. The wallpaper's bold print is softened by its gray-and-white palette. "I wanted something really neutral that I wouldn't get sick of," Barron says. "And I have to say, I haven't gotten sick of it yet."
Making those interior-design decisions was a little more difficult for her own home, Barron admits. She decided to gather up pieces and colors she truly loved, then made it all fit together. "I feel like if I go with everything I love, I can't ever go wrong," she says. "It's just fun to practice on my own house."
The Barrons eventually may want a bigger house, or one that's closer to John Barron's job in The Woodlands - but for now, the couple is enjoying the look and feel of their first home. "It's perfect for our lifestyle," Jennifer Barron says. "We both work so much that it's just relaxing when we're here."
Breakthrough Houston had much to celebrate during its eighth annual "Building Our Future" spring luncheon.
The organization's executive director, Kathy Heinzerling, opened the Monday program by noting that students at the event venue, St. John's School's new Flores Hall and Campus Center, had affectionately nicknamed the cathedral-esque space "Hogwarts."
Voters in the Alvin Community College district will consider an $88.5 million bond proposition that would fund projects including a second campus and result in a tax-rate increase.
If voters OK the bond package in the May 7 election, the property tax rate for the district, now about 20.4 cents per $100 of valuation, would rise by about 6.99 cents to 27.39 cents.
For a home valued at $175,000, the increase would be slightly more than $122 per year for a total bill of about $479. The college gives an exemption of $75,000 for those who are age 65 or older or who are disabled.
The largest project included in the proposal is land purchase and construction related to establishing a campus on the district's west side, encompassing neighborhoods along the Texas 6/Texas 288 corridor including Sedona Lakes, Rodeo Palms, Shadow Creek Ranch and Meridiana, a 2,700-acre master-planned community to be constructed in Manvel and Iowa Colony.
"Initial estimates from our consultants for the first year's enrollment at a new west-side facility are between 1,500 and 2,500 students," ACC President Christal Albrecht said.
ACC is based from a campus in Alvin.
As of fall 2014, enrollment was 4,837.
Capital improvement plans call for the proposed campus building to occupy from 60,000 to 80,000 square feet and include classrooms, computer labs and areas for health-care and biology education, Albrecht said.
Construction costs are estimated at $35 million to $45 million, depending on the size of the facility.
District regents are evaluating prospective locations.
"Preliminary plans are to offer core academic courses at the planned west-side campus.
"But ACC intends to be responsive to the needs and requests of our students and stakeholders if the new facility is approved by ACC's voters," Albrecht said.
As of late February, the board had engaged planning consultants for the facility, but no architectural work had started.
"If ACC's voters approve it, we'd like to get the new campus up and running as soon as possible," Albrecht said. "Realistically, it's probably a two- or three-year project."
The proposed bond package also would fund a building at the Alvin campus that would allow ACC to expand its technical programs.
"Current plans for program additions include those that we currently offer that have a high demand in the job market such as industrial design, welding, (programmed operation of machine tools), pipefitting and more," Albrecht said.
Construction of the technical building would cost an estimated $18 million.
ACC has asked for building renovations as well, including a new culinary arts facility, energy-efficiency system improvements and campus accessibility and safety improvements.
"Now it is up to the voters of the district to decide if they are in agreement with the proposal of our Long Range Facilities Planning Committee and the board of regents by casting their votes in May," ACC Regent Mike Pyburn said in the ACC bond election announcement.
The committee, made up of community members, studied the condition of current facilities, along with projected space requirements, construction costs and funding options. The group recommended priority projects to the board.
ACC's 10-year capital improvement plan was developed by Edmonton, Canada-based consulting firm, Stantec, which the board hired in June. The plan addresses college facility conditions and utilization, safety, technology, landscaping and traffic flow.
Early voting for the May 7 election will take place April 25 to May 3.
Visit http://www.alvincollege.edu/ for more information.
With the new 385-acre Exxon Mobil Corp. campus and the latest segment of the Grand Parkway open just south of The Woodlands, developers are looking to attract new homebuyers.
After a couple years of buying up land in Tomball next to The Woodlands' Village of Creekside Park, J. Alan Kent Development is developing a 286-acre community called Lakes at Creekside. The first model homes opened this month at Lakes at Creekside, which is currently underway off Kuykendahl and Hufsmith and is zoned for Tomball Independent School District.
"We play off The Woodlands. We abut The Woodlands on most of our developments that we do in the north part of town. There are a lot of people who love The Woodlands; it's a great community. But there are a lot of people who don't want to necessarily live in The Woodlands, so we give them an alternative," said Alan Kent, founder of J. Alan Kent Development.
The developer completed its first phase of development last year when it developed and sold 148 lots to three homebuilders, M/I Homes, Trendmaker Homes and Village Builders. The price point for a home at Lakes at Creekside varies greatly, ranging from $300,000 to more than $1 million.
At the master-planned community's completion, Lakes at Creekside will feature 600 single-family homes, eight lakes, a recreation center, a park, trails, sidewalks, splash pad and a pool. The development, as of now, is strictly residential with no mixed-use or commercial real estate planned. Although no commercial development is planned, residents will be close enough to amenities in The Woodlands' Creekside, which features several restaurants, a new H-E-B and a Walgreens off Kuykendahl.
The community is expected to be fully developed within four years, Kent said.
"We've seen a great uptick in our traffic, especially for the last quarter for our homes that are $1 million and up. We had two or three lookers a weekend. Now, we have 14 or 15 people that are real buyers that are looking to buy a house," Kent said. "If you've driven the Grand Parkway to get to here, it makes it a lot easier for someone from the Katy area or literally any area to get north of town now."
For Will Holder, president of Trendmaker Homes and a homebuilder in The Woodlands, the decision to build in the community of Lakes at Creekside was easy. The importance of the Grand Parkway, the Exxon Mobil move to Springwoods and the economic growth in south Montgomery County can't be understated in the decision to develop Lakes at Creekside, the plans for which were set in motion less than four years ago. Increased mobility in and out of the area and jobs were highly attractive, and offering residents high-end amenities via The Woodlands just a stone's throw away was also a major selling point.
Trendmaker expects to build 23 homes during the first phase of Lakes at Creekside's development. Its first model home will open in April, and homes will sit in the $500,000 range.
"Wherever transportation corridors have been developed in Houston, these are the life blood of residential communities. People will migrate to these areas where they have great access," Holder said. "Additionally, The Woodlands itself has its own gravitational pull - the retail, the job base, dining - every component of what you want for a place to live."
With The Woodlands nearing residential build-out, selling off the last few hundred lots to homebuilders by 2017 or 2018, developers and homebuilders on the outskirts of The Woodlands feel like they can finally take a breath and work on other projects.
"The Woodlands has, for a very long time, sucked the oxygen out of the area, and projects like Lakes at Creekside are just a natural process for projects around a master-planned community," Holder said. "When (The Woodlands Development Co.) winds down and that mantle is picked up by surrounding projects, we have to take a long-term look and we want to be up there and have a presence."
Economic uncertainty has now shrouded much of the greater Houston area, named the top single-family housing market in the county according to Metrostudy, due to sharp drop in oil prices, going from more than $100 a barrel in mid-2014 to right around $30 a barrel for the West Texas Intermediate crude benchmark throughout February. The slump has caused even The Woodlands Development Co. to put its high-end condominium development, Treviso at Waterway Square, on hold.
But the oil slump isn't enough to slow down home construction for Holder, who has been in the business for 35 years.
Both Holder and Kent have seen the booms and busts in their decades of professional home development experience, and they think the pendulum will swing again. Even if the greater Houston area starts to feel the pinch from oil and falls from its throne as the No. 1 single-family home market in the country, Kent and homebuilders like Holder are betting that Lakes at Creekside will still be a success.
"I've thought the sky was falling over the last 35 years, but now I realize that the market never stays the same. If it feels bad, get ready. It's fixing to feel good," Holder said.
Want to know more?
Lakes at Creekside is a 286-acre development in Tomball just next door to The Woodlands. The community is currently underway off Kuykendahl and Hufsmith. Trendmaker Homes, M/I Homes and Village Builders are the three homebuilders selected for phase one. The community, which is being developed by J. Alan Kent Development, is expected to be built out within four years.
The Houston Federation of Teachers has endorsed parents' right to opt their children out of standardized exams, joining a national movement against high-stakes testing.
The union, in a resolution released Monday, called the Houston Independent School District "ground zero for the over reliance on and inappropriate use of standardized tests." The nation's seventh-largest district uses students' exam results to evaluate teachers and to decide who receives performance pay. The bonus program, however, may come to an end in early 2017 amid a looming budget shortfall.
Texas law does not recognize opting out as an option for students. The Texas Education Code states, "A parent is not entitled to remove the parent's child from a class or other school activity to avoid a test or to prevent the child from taking a subject for an entire semester."
Several dozen parents in the Houston area opted their children out of state testing last year, according to advocates.
The Houston teachers' union, which has about 6,100 members, said in the resolution that it recognizes the right of parents to opt their children out of "high-stakes testing, test prep and test related activities."
In addition, the union vowed to "directly support" parents who keep their children from testing if union members at the school sanction the movement. Zeph Capo, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, said the union wants to be sure school staff and communities are on board given the potential consequences. For example, if too many students stay home, it could affect a teacher's job evaluation, particularly if the children are high-performing.
Union officials may support parents by helping them organize, Capo said, perhaps lobbying lawmakers to pass a bill allowing for an opt-out option.
The Houston school board passed a policy in late 2015 that made clear the district did not endorse opting out, but said students who do not take the tests "will not be subject to negative consequences or disciplinary action."
Texas public school students must pass state exams to graduate from high school, though lawmakers recently allowed for some exceptions. Students in third through eighth grade also are tested annually in reading and math. Some grade levels take writing, science and social studies exams.
Possible changes to the state's testing regime are being studied by a new committee, ordered by the Legislature last year. The new federal education law, called the Every Student Succeeds Act, also gives states more flexibility.
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A college degree doesn't necessarily measure the intelligence of a person, but the top-tier universities members of Congress call their alma mater sure do make Congress look good on paper.
RELATED: Think you could get into one of the most selective colleges in America
StartClass used data from Vote Smart, a research group that examines public office candidates and elected officials, to see which higher education institutions have produced the most Congress members that are currently active. Many of those colleges, the data show, are in Texas and California.
>> Click the gallery above to see the colleges that produce the most members of Congress.
The college listing is based off undergraduate schools, meaning if a representative attended Rice University for undergrad and went on to attend the University of California at Berkeley for graduate work, the representative is counted once for Rice University.
Of the representatives with undergraduate information available, 22 of the delegates attended California colleges, 16 went to college in Texas and 14 attended school in Massachusetts.
Editor's Note: Of the 535 voting members of congress and other non-voting delegates, undergraduate schools are only listed for 458 of them in the Vote Smart data.
AUSTIN -- University of Texas System regents on Monday approved tuition increases for 13 of the 14 universities under their control.
The hikes range from 2 to 4 percent.
The only campus where the tuition as not hiked was the health-sciences campus in Tyler.
Regents Alex Cranberg, Wallace Hall and Brenda Pejovich all questioned the tuition hikes, which will raise the cost of college by about $150 a year at the University of Texas at Austin
Other campuses will see tuition increases ranging from around $75 to $200.
University administrators argued that the increases were necessary because of increasing costs.
"I don't think this is about PR, it is about student affordability and success" said Cranberg. "The legislature should give us more funds and not put the burden on the students."
Hall, who has clashed with UT over admissions practices and with Chancellor William McRaven over access to records, said he does not agree with the tuition increases because of a lack of effort from the board.
He said he was disappointed in the process, saying the board was asked only to OK raising prices rather than look for ways to cut the cost of education.
Hall went on to say that as the state falls on economic hard times, "we look insensitive to the middle class."
The discussion of raising tuition started back in September when the board of regents approved plans for a 2 percent increase to address higher education costs and to keep all of the schools competitive. In December, UT Austin President Gregory Fenves announced tuition would increase by 3.1 percent.
The UT Austin hike was approved by a 5-3 vote, and will be phased in over two years. Tuition will go up by $152 this fall and $152 the following year.
"I want you to know that I do not take lightly the issue of raising tuition," Fenves said in an email to students in December. "Families are counting their dollars and expect us to keep UT affordable and accessible to students from all backgrounds."
It is the first tuition increase at UT Austin since 2011.
The regents also approved hiking the UT San Antonio tuition by 3.6 percent over two years, and UT Dallas by 2.9 percent over four years.
San Antonio preacher and best-selling Christian author Max Lucado always kept his lips sealed regarding politics -- until now.
And it's none other than Republican front-runner Donald Trump who caused him to break his own rule.
Lucado, whose authorship of more than 30 books, including "Glory Days: Living Your Promised Life Now" and "God Is With You Every Day," led Christianity Today to dub him "America's Pastor," weighed in on Trump's candidacy in his recent blog, "Decency for President."
In the article, Lucado, co-pastor of San Antonio's Oak Hills Church, observed that he would routinely quiz the dates of his three young daughters to ascertain their reliability. "Decency mattered to me as a dad," he noted.
Then he observed, "The leading candidate to be the next leader of the free world would not pass my decency interview. I'd send him away. I'd tell my daughter to stay home. I wouldn't entrust her to his care."
Lucado admitted he doesn't know Trump, but volunteered "I've been chagrined at his antics."
"He ridiculed a war hero," he wrote. "He made mockery of a reporter's menstrual cycle. He made fun of a disabled reporter...He routinely calls people 'stupid,' 'loser,' and 'dummy.' These were not off-line, backstage, overheard, not-to-be-repeated comments. They were publicly and intentionally tweeted, recorded and presented."
"Anger-fueled reactions have caused trouble ever since Cain was angry at Abel," he wrote.
You can read his entire blog here.
An interview with Lucado is featured in Christianity Today.
In it, the San Antonio minister, formerly associated with the Church of Christ, noted that up until now he assiduously has avoided talking politics.
"I don't even put a candidate's bumper sticker on my car," Lucado told the publication. "People don't attend church to hear my views on a presidential candidate."
But Trump's claims of being a Christian, Lucado said, pushed him over the line. He said he sent the article to the candidate's campaign staff, but got no response.
"It's a high stake thing from my perspective because people make decisions about Christ on the basis of Christians and how we behave," he told the magazine. "If he's going to call himself a Christian one day and call someone a bimbo the next or make fun of somebody's menstrual cycle, it's just beyond reason to me."
You can read the entire interview here.
Police chases are not uncommon in the Houston area.
But in a pursuit Monday night, what was surprising was who was found behind the wheel.
Authorities told KTRK and MyFoxHouston that a woman in her 70s led police in a chase that began on Interstate 45 in the Huntsville area and ended in the Woodlands an hour later.
Just before 8 p.m., Huntsville police got a call about a silver vehicle driving with no headlights south on I-45 in Huntsville, MyFoxHouston said. When the car reportedly reached the Sam Houston statue in Huntsville, it refused orders to stop.
Several law enforcement agencies joined in the chase, and speeds reportedly reached into the 70s. Officers were finally able to stop the 74-year-old woman north of Rayford Road in the Woodlands, according to the Fox station.
She was later pulled from the vehicle, and MyFoxHouston says she appeared to have a medical condition and was unfamiliar with her surroundings. The unidentified woman was reportedly taken to a hospital.
In a sad reflection of the toll poverty often can take on children and families, a Lubbock 3-year-old has been removed from her home after telling police, "I need a beer."
An officer who was dispatched about 6 p.m. Saturday to a Lubbock apartment complex found the little girl barefoot and "extremely dirty" in the courtyard with the complex manager. According to the officer's report, the child had red bumps all over her body and it was obvious she had not been bathed for "an extended period of time."
Her mother, Shauna Lee Bennett, 42, was found "passed out" on the top bunk of a bunk bed in her apartment, according to the police report. It took the officer several tries to awaken Bennett, who appeared to have no idea where her daughter was.
The officer, stating she was overwhelmed by the filthy apartment, described dirty clothes, dishes and trash scattered about and cockroaches "absolutely everywhere."
When the officer asked Bennett when her daughter had last eaten, the mother replied, "She had some ravioli earlier." Bennett couldn't tell the officer what time the girl had eaten the ravioli and claimed the child had slept until noon, skipping breakfast.
A neighbor said he watched the girl for up to 10 hours a day about four times a week while Bennett was at work but that he did not feed her.
Based upon the mother's evasive answers, the officer concluded there was "probable cause to believe (the girl) had not been fed, washed or provided with any type of general medical care or treatment for an unsafe amount of time."
While waiting for Child Protective Service to arrive, the officer played with the little girl for more than an hour, during which time the child said, "I'm hungry" multiple times and also stated, "I need a beer."
After searching the entire apartment, the officer found the barefoot child a pair of boots that were covered in dirt and cobwebs, according to the police report.
Bennett was arrested and taken to the Lubbock County Detention Center on a charge of child neglect and nonsupport. Online records indicate she was released Monday. No information was immediately available Tuesday on the girl's placement.
Bennett's case has been referred to a detective for followup, police said Tuesday.
The apartment manager told the officer her mother had left her alone and had done it several times in the past. A neighbor confirmed the manager's story and said on Saturday, the girl had been outside by herself for more than two hours.
The officer said she found the inside apartment door ajar but the outside metal door was closed and the little girl would not have been able to open it to get inside, according to the police report.
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A lawsuit filed on Monday in Mississippi aiming to remove the state's flag from government buildings says the flag's Confederate imagery violates the 14th Amendment protections of black residents, the Washington Post reported.
The suit, filed in district court by civil rights attorney Carlos Moore, comes a week after efforts to remove Confederate imagery from Mississippi's state flag stalled in the statehouse. Mississippi's is the only state flag to include Confederate images, which the lawsuit calls "state-sanctioned hate speech."
If you were an avid fan of astronaut Scott Kelly's Twitter feed, the images are going to be much more grounded from here on out.
The NASA rocket man is returning to Earth after spending a whopping 340 days in space. Still, Kelly's space trip is already NASA's longest recorded spaceflight. Unfortunately, Cold War-era patriots might be sad to learn Kelly's voyage did not beat the already-established record of 438 days Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov.
Late last week, Tennessee formally recognized the high-powered Barrett M82 rifle as the state's official firearm.
That makes the "Volunteer State" the seventh state to officially designate a gun as a state symbol.
The practice is fairly recent. The state of Utah held up the Browning M1911 handgun as its official firearm in March 2011. Before Tennessee's decision, Alaska had designated the Winchester Model 70 rifle, particularly the older pre-1963 model, as its symbol.
GUNS: American gunmaker transforms iconic carbine into handgun
Typically, state firearms are historically linked to the state in question. The Barrett M82 is of Tennessean origin: The designer, Ronnie G. Barrett, was born and raised in the city of Murfreesboro and his company is based in Christiana.
Still, the anti-material rifle is unique in that it's the most current firearm of the bunch. In Indiana, the Grouseland Rifle is a two-century old design, manufactured by early Indiana settler John Small. One of the originals is on display, courtesy of the Grouseland Foundation, at the the old home of William Henry Harrison, the first governor of the Indiana territory and the ninth president of the U.S. The Foundation is auctioning off a replica of the long gun variant in August.
Of course, it's also important to remember that holding up a weapon as a state symbol is bound to draw critics. Former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed off on a measure to recognize the Colt Single Action Army as the state's official firearm on April 28, 2011, a strange choice as the gun is Connecticut in origin. Reuters reported there was push-back from the Navajo Nation who claimed the state was honoring a weapon used to kill its people and many other indigenous peoples during the long, bloody history of the American West.
Strangely, Texas does not have an official state firearm. The conservative blog, "The Right Side of Austin" suggested naming the Ruger LCP as a contender back in 2011. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry used the pistol to dispatch a coyote that was attempting to attack his puppy in April 2010. The Connecticut-based manufacturer even released a "Coyote Special" edition in honor of the kill.
What should Texas' official state firearm be? Sound off in the comments below.
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A judge has dismissed a claim that Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz isn't eligible for the Illinois ballot because he was born in Canada.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Maureen Ward Kirby tossed the case on a technicality Tuesday.
Kirby says the suburban Chicago attorney who filed the complaint, Lawrence Joyce, failed to give a copy of it to Cruz or state electoral board members, as required by Illinois law. Instead, Joyce served only lawyers representing Cruz and the board.
Joyce says the Texas senator can't be president because he wasn't born in the U.S. Cruz and some legal experts say he's eligible because his mother was a U.S. citizen when he was born.
"Ted Cruz was born in Canada," Joyce said in an earlier post on 888 Web Today, a conservative, Christian site to which he contributes columns. "His mother was a U.S. citizen at the time. Under statute, Ted Cruz became a citizen at birth . . . but citizenship by statute is not natural-born citizenship."
Polls heading into Super Tuesday showed Cruz with comfortable lead in his home state of Texas, but Donald Trump held the early lead in a number of other states.
Joyce backs Ben Carson but says he acted on his own.
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On Monday morning Captain Clay Higgins, a sheriff's office public information officer from St. Landry Parish in Louisiana, resigned after his latest fiery Crime Stoppers video drew heat from his superiors and the media.
Higgins Crime Stoppers videos, calling out criminal in the area with his tough, monotone dialect made him a viral video hit. His brash talk as a sort of Cajun John Wayne lead to versions of his videos garnering millions of views.
His most recent video, calling out a gang in his area called the Gremlins, rubbed the families of the seven named suspects in the clips the wrong way. The ACLU even issued a statement decrying Higgins words on the clip.
Higgins had referred to the suspects as "animals," "thugs" and "heathens in his scripts. Higgins responded by offering to debate the ACLU.
Higgins boss, Sheriff Bobby Guidroz, asked that the captain tone down the comments in his Crime Stoppers clips and additionally ordered Higgins to have him approve any future media appearances.
RELATED: Capt. Clay Higgins calls out Gremlins gang in newest viral clip
Opelousas native Higgins told reporters that he took the past week off to reflect on the sheriffs requests and decided to instead step down from his position.
On Monday morning Higgins held a press conference on the steps of the St. Landry Parish Courthouse, where he said he was not forced to resign but instead did it on his own accord.
"I will not kneel to violent street gangs. I will not kneel to murderers or the parents that raised them. I will not kneel to a discredited, wannabe, black activist that doesn't really have the best interest of his people in mind, who just wants to make a profit," Higgins told reporters. "I will not kneel to bureaucrats in Baton Rouge, Washington or anywhere else who have forgotten why they wear a badge and who have forgotten who they serve."
Higgins maintained that he was still a friend of Guidroz but that he couldnt serve under him any longer.
"I would die rather than sacrifice my principles," Higgins says. "I would leave my wife without a husband, my children without a daddy, rather than kneel to the very forces of evil that I have so long stood against."
Guidroz maintained in his own statement that the reason for his actions wasnt just what he saw in the Gremlins video, but it was a variety of things.
My orders to Higgins was to, tone down his unprofessional comments on our weekly Crime Stoppers messages and had nothing to do with the Gremlins video that appeared on the networks. I agree with the Gremlins video, Guidroz said in a statement.
First of all; I repeatedly told him to stop saying things like, you have no brain cells, or making comments that were totally disrespectful and demeaning. Second; Clay Higgins appeared on the cover of a local magazine in full dress uniform without my approval and permission. That too is something he didnt like me controlling.
According to KATC-TV, Guidroz also pointed out that Higgins had formed an LLC to sell hats, shirts, and mugs including his likeness which he didnt get permission to do from the department.
If Higgins cannot operate within the parameters of this office and abide by our policies and procedures, then he is correct in resigning his position, Guidroz added.
Though he has turned in his badge Higgins told reporters on Monday that he has many options ahead of him. His line of branded items will still be sold, he said.
My endeavor, with Captain Higgins Gear, the non-profit I've established to build a homeless shelter in our parish, will move forward, he said. Higgins is still a constable.
According to Higgins a portion of the proceeds from his line of merchandise for sale on his official website goes to local charities.
The former night shift cop also teaches Kwan Qi Do at his own martial arts studio.
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.
Many aspects of the Donald Trump phenomenon are gratingthe crypto-fascism and assault on civility, for startersbut spare a thought for a lesser annoyance: the opportunism of every commentator peddling a pet criticism of the Republican Party. The list of explanations for Trumps popularity is as long as it is tedious: its the partys insistence on riling up the base over illegal immigration but also its refusal to take a tough stance on the issue; its the partys willingness to compromise with Washington liberals but also its constant obstructionism; its the partys refusal to repudiate various voter groups but also its refusal to acknowledge those voters grievances; its insufficient policy specificity on health-care reform and too much on entitlement reform; and on and on.
Every objection anyone has ever had about the Republicans has become an explanation for Donald Trumps rise, even though the theories are often in direct conflict and always conveniently aligned with the analysts own preferences. Never mind that while Trump was rising, almost no one currently heaping scorn on Republicans believed that he was likely to become a serious threat. And never mind that for years, the thinking mans unthinking critique of the GOP was that it relied on divisive social issues such as gay marriage and abortion to build a base of evangelical support inclined toward theocracy. What happened to that assessment, now that the actual rupture has come from a movement entirely uninterested such goals?
With religion out of play, the Republican Partys problem is instead too many white people. Jonathan Chait: Conservatism, and the modern Republican party, is the lineal heir of a historically continuous defense of white racial hierarchy that has been written out of the American civic tradition. Except, as the New York Times reported, Trumps strongest backing comes from traditionally Democratic voters. And he polls best in Massachusetts. Which theory of the GOPs flaws manifests itself most strongly in the Land of Elizabeth Warren?
These critiques also seem unmoored from recent political history. What do the nominations of Bob Dole, George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney say about the Republican Partys message? That its too mainstream, perhaps? That theres too reasonable a balance among the partys factions? Which other national politicians offered a better direction? That the partys trajectory is criticized as both too beholden to the base and too divorced from the base suggests that perhaps it was neither.
If Trump hadnt run, were all these purportedly catastrophic missteps of the recent past poised to doom the party anyway? The GOP likely would be on the brink of nominating a conventional candidate like Marco Rubio or John Kasich, who would be favored to win against a Democratic Party that could not muster an option beyond a socialist punchline and a Clinton under federal investigation. Combine that with unprecedented congressional strength and dominance at the state level, and the Republican collapse would be hard to discern. Remember the epic House meltdown that produced Speaker Paul Ryan? Looking back, it was a less-than-obvious harbinger of the Trumpocalypse to come.
None of which is to say that before Trump all was grand in the Grand Old Party. I have no shortage of my own complaints about its leadership, message, politics, and policy. In recent years, I, too, have argued that conservatives need to rethink their approach to issues from climate change and environmental regulation to poverty, inequality, and international trade. But I dont think Trumps success proves that I was right, or that if only someone had listened, we would be in a different spot today.
Clearly, this campaign cycle has revealed deeper-than-appreciated dissatisfaction with Americas political system and appetite for a stark alternative. But it also represents a bizarre confluence of long-term trends and one-time phenomena. Lets not pretend that it was predictable, attributable to a particular set of decisions by a particular group of actors, or that it convincingly proves anyones preexisting hypotheses. Lets not even pretend that such a movement was predestined to emerge from the Rightwhen the real enthusiasm on the left is for a candidate who is not even a member of the Democratic Party.
Regardless of where he lands, Donald Trump has already ruptured the GOP and posed a major challenge to American conservatism. But with postmortems for both party and movement already underway, we shouldnt make the mistake of developing solutions that fight the last war. Conservatives should be developing good policy and a compelling message, not something-that-would-have-stopped-Trump. No one knows what would have stopped Trump, and arguments from that premise are both disingenuous and a poor approach to planning for the future. Those who hate conservatism can indulge their schadenfreude while it lasts. Conservatives will just have to get back to work.
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
When a small Georgia daily pointed out recently that a local hospital board was apparently violating the states open-meetings law, the paper was hoping the board might swiftly change its ways.
Instead, the hospital reportedly decided to cancel its advertising, end a subscription arrangement that provided newspapers to patients, and ban paper sales on hospital campuses. In other words, as one reader put it, they took their ball and went home.
The Valdosta Daily Times reported in mid-February that the board of South Georgia Medical Center had met in an executive session prior to the regularly scheduled meeting. Georgia law allows public boards to meet in closed session in limited circumstances, and only after the boards have met in public.
After that story ran, says Jim Zachary, the papers editor, he went to meet with hospital officials to urge them to follow the law. He even gave them the name of a contact at the state Attorney Generals Office who could explain the specifics of the law. When he learned that no one from the hospital reached out to the AGs office, Zachary ran a sharply-worded editorial that condemned the hospitals clandestine meetings and noted that the Times had notified the AGs office of the violation.
The day the editorial ran, the hospital cut ties with the newspaper, according to a story in the Times. Laura Love, a spokeswoman for South Georgia Medical Center, declined to comment for this story.
The paper had given the hospital a deep discount for the bundled subscription for hospital patients, so that wont really cause much of a financial hit, but the hospital did spend tens of thousands of dollars in advertising, Zachary said.
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The papers owner, Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., says it has the Times back.
Some papers would probably cave on this, said Bill Ketter, senior vice president of news at CNHI. We dont allow our papers to do that. Thats one of the benefits of being part of a larger organization that backs you when youre right and will support you financially if need be.
This is a case of them trying to throw their weight around, Ketter said. Were not going to let them.
The hospital has also refused to sell the newspapers in the gift shop, the Times reported.
Its a public hospital, so I wonder about the constitutionality of that, but were not fighting it, Zachary said.
The hospitals reaction to the Times is similar to the schoolyard bully response the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette received from a university hospital chain that didnt like the papers coverage in June 2015. In that case, the Pittsburgh paper reported, the hospitals banned the paper from sale in gift shops, after cancelling advertising on two earlier occasions.
As the healthcare industry has become a bigger and bigger part of the US economyand a more prominent advertiser, toohospitals have become major economic players in many communities. And obviously, local newspapers are weaker than they once were.
But in Georgia, at least, I doubt the hospitals actions will achieve their desired effect.
Zachary has fought this battle before. Hes been at the Valdosta paper for about a year, and his pressure has already prompted the Valdosta and Lowndes County school boards to follow the open meetings law. He fought similar battles when he edited the Henry Daily Herald and the Clayton News Daily, community newspapers outside of Atlanta. He runs the Transparency Project of Georgia and sits on the board of directors of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.
This is a drum Ill keep beating as long as Im in this business, he said. The government belongs to the governed, not to the governors.
Update, 3/31:
The Georgia Attorney General has taken the unusual step of fining the Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County over its repeated violations of the states open meetings law, according to the Daily Times.
The AGs office noted in its letter to the hospital authority that the proposed $500 fine is significantly less than it could have to pay if state prosecutors pursued the case in court. Georgias law allows for fines of up to $2,500 for each official who participates in an illegally closed meeting.
Hospital Authority officials would also have to attend sunshine law training as part of the settlement the AGs office proposed. The authority has 20 days to respond.
Kudos to the Daily Times for pushing the issue. The case should serve as a warning to other officials in the areathe Daily Times is watching you, and Attorney General Sam Olens office takes the law seriously.
Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today
Susannah Nesmith is CJRs correspondent for Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. She is a freelance writer based in Miami with more than 25 years working for regional and national outlets. Follow her on Twitter @susannahnesmith.
A U.S. investigation found that a December hack on the Ukrainian power grid was coordinated and highly sophisticated.
The report released Thursday offers a detailed look at one of the first cyberattacks to succeed in taking down part of a national power grid. The well-planned strike, which blacked out more than 225,000 people, hit three regional electronic power distribution companies within 30 minutes of each other on Dec. 23.
An attack such as this one has long been a nightmare scenario for top U.S. officials. National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command chief Adm. Michael Rogers has previously warned that its not a matter of if, but when attackers will also target U.S. power systems.
The impacted sites continue to run under constrained operations more than two months later. In addition, the report states that three other organizations, some involved with unspecified Ukrainian critical infrastructure, also appear to have been hacked but didnt suffer overt impacts to their operations.
The U.S. sent a team of cyber officials including from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, and FBI to Ukraine to work with the government and learn lessons to prevent such future attacks.
The group didnt independently review technical evidence from the Dec. 23 cyberattack, although it conducted interviews and did other spadework to piece together what appears to be a highly targeted and advanced hack.
The hackers appeared to conduct extensive reconnaissance of the victim networks, possibly by first using malware introduced via phony phishing emails to snag usernames and passwords to access the facility remotely and hit their circuit breakers.
The networks were compromised at least six months before the outage, by sending emails that included the downloader for the virus BlackEnergy to company employees whose emails were found publicly online, said Anna Dudka, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian Energy Ministry.
All the affected companies reported infections with malware known as BlackEnergy, although U.S. investigators said they are still evaluating whether that specific malware played a role in the attacks.
At the end of the attack, hackers wiped targeted files on some of the systems at the three electrical companies using malware called KillDisk, which also rendered the system inoperable.
The hackers also did their best to interfere with power-restoration efforts. For instance, they aimed to keep important servers inoperative by remotely disconnecting their uninterruptable power supplies, which would normally keep the computers running even in a blackout. The attackers managed that by accessing an internal management program for those power supplies.
Among several preventative measures, the report suggests that companies isolate systems used to run critical infrastructure from the Internet and that they limit the ability to remotely access these systems.
(Associated Press writer Yuras Karmanau in Kiev, Ukraine, contributed to this report.)
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Federal regulators are failing to refer serious safety violations involving freight rail shipments of crude oil and other hazardous cargo for criminal prosecution, and are going lightly on civil fines, according to a report released Friday by a government watchdog.
The Federal Railroad Administration routinely applies only modest civil penalties for hazardous materials safety violations, even though inspectors request penalties only for serious or repeated infractions, said the report by the Department of Transportations inspector general.
Instead, the agencys attorneys have made it a priority to process penalties quickly and avoid legal challenges, the report said.
And, although the agency processes hundreds of safety violations each year, it appears that not a single case has ever been referred for criminal investigation, the report said. After examining a random sample of safety violations over five years, the inspector generals office found 17 cases it said should have referred for criminal investigation.
Based on that sample, the inspector generals office estimated 20 percent, or 227 out of 1,126 violations, may have warranted criminal referral. The agencys attorneys told the watchdog that they didnt make criminal referrals because they didnt know the procedures for doing so, and they didnt think it was part of their job.
As a result, penalties have little deterrent effect, and criminal penalties arent being pursued, wrote Mitchell Behm, assistant inspector general for surface transportation.
Concern about rail shipments of hazardous cargo has been heightened in recent years by a series of fiery oil train explosions in the U.S. and Canada, including one just across the border in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, that killed 47 people. More than 400,000 tank cars of oil are shipped across the country annually.
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., said the report confirms that the federal government has failed to provide the necessary oversight to protect communities across the country from serious accidents involving the rail transportation of hazardous materials.
One case the report said should have been referred for criminal investigation involved a company that produced tank car valves that hadnt been put through a required design approval process. The valves subsequently leaked hazardous liquids. In another case, a company may have deliberately failed to disclose that a shipment included radioactive containers.
Matt Lehner, an FRA spokesman, said most of the inspector generals recommendations are being implemented. He noted that the agency collected $15 million in fines for violations in the 2015 federal budget year, a 12 percent increase over the previous year and the most in the agencys history
The inspector generals office also found that the agency doesnt have a complete understanding of the risks of hazardous cargo shipments because the agency makes safety assessments by looking narrowly at operations in specific regions, not the nation as a whole.
The regional evaluations also dont include an assessment of the risks of transporting highly volatile and hazardous materials like crude oil near cities and major population centers, the report said.
Without an accurate national assessment, the railroad administration cant be sure that all the appropriate risk factors are being considered when deciding which operations are most in need of inspections, the report said.
The inspector general also faulted the agencys complex records system, saying it makes difficult for inspectors to access safety information on rail operations outside their region. As a result, the railroad administration and a sister agency, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, dont share critical and up-to-date information with safety inspectors and investigators in different regions throughout the country.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron man is accused of having a three-pound package of crystal meth mailed to his sister-in-law's home.
Benjamin Jenkins, 31, is charged with first-degree felony counts of trafficking in methamphetamine and possessing the drug. He's also accused of selling marijuana, a fifth-degree felony.
He pleaded not guilty Wednesday at his arraignment in Summit County Common Pleas Court and posted $20,000 bond. His case was assigned to Judge Alison McCarty.
Akron drug detectives seized a three-pound package of crystal meth shipped to a home in the 1700 block of Cromwell Drive, according to court records.
The wholesale price for a pound of crystal methamphetamine in northeast Ohio is $11,000 to $16,400, according to Narcotic News.
Investigators watched as the package was delivered to a woman at the home. Officers followed the woman after she left her home and stopped her.
The woman told police her brother-in-law paid her $200 to accept the shipment. She said it was the third time she accepted a package for him, according to court records.
The woman showed police text messages from Jenkins about picking the package up later in the day. Officers went to Jenkins' home and watched him. They sent a text message from the woman's home confirming that Jenkins still planned to pick up the package.
They followed Jenkins the home on Cromwell and arrested him, court records say.
Akron police searched Jenkins' home in the 1300 block of Hartford Drive and reported seizing $12,000 in drug money, five loaded guns, marijuana, prescription painkillers, a computer and seven cellphones, police said.
Jenkins' wife, Kimberly Chandler, 30, was also charged with possessing and selling marijuana. She also pleaded not guilty.
EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The body found in a car Monday afternoon in Cleveland matches the physical description of a man abducted at gunpoint in East Cleveland, police said.
Detectives discovered the body in the trunk of a stolen 2005 Buick LeSabre just after 3 p.m. on East 155th Street near Aspinwall Avenue in Cleveland, East Cleveland Commander Scott Gardner said.
The body matches the description of Charles V. Barnes, who was abducted at gunpoint just after 12:30 a.m. on Knowles Street in East Cleveland, Gardner said.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office will identify the body. The entire Buick is being taken to the medical examiner's office for processing, Gardner said.
A Cleveland resident called police after seeing the car. Detectives found blood on the outside of the car, Gardner said.
Investigators are still searching for two armed, masked men who forced Barnes, 46, into his mother's house at gunpoint before they abducted him, Gardner said.
The men took him in a tan 2005 Buick LeSabre with the license plate number GRL6765, police said in a missing-persons alert released at 11:45 a.m. Monday.
The announcement that officials located Barnes' body came less than an hour after detectives and city officials held a press conference to discuss the kidnapping.
Marlon Barnes -- who identified himself as the missing man's brother -- said the incident happened shortly after midnight while Charles Barnes was leaving their mother's house on Knowles Street.
"We're very depressed," he said outside his mother's house. "I didn't want to go to work today."
The men approached Barnes outside his mother's house and forced him back inside. It's unclear if the men were waiting for him outside the house, Gardner said.
Investigators have "reason to believe" the men attacked the mother while inside, Gardner said.
Marlon Barnes said the men pistol-whipped his mother. She received medical treatment but did not suffer serious injuries, he said. The mother could not provide a description of the men because they were wearing masks.
The two men took several items from the house before they forced Barnes back outside. It's unclear if both men were in Charles Barnes' Buick when it left the area, Gardner said.
Investigators have not identified a possible motive, Gardner said. Marlon Barnes said he did not believe his brother was in any trouble or involved in any disputes.
The armed men should be considered dangerous. Anyone with information is being asked to call 911.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The first rule of Fight Club: you don't talk about Fight Club.
Similarly, the first rule of being "The Bachelor" is you don't tell a woman you love them before the final episode. Not right before you're about to invite them to the Fantasy Suite. .
AND CERTAINLY NOT TO TWO DIFFERENT WOMEN.
But that's exactly what happened in the penultimate episode of "The Bachelor" as Ben and the women traveled to Jamaica for overnight dates.
Caila, Lauren and JoJo all told Ben they loved him before deciding to forgo their individual rooms and spend the night as a couple in a fantasy suite.
Boom-chick-a-bow-bow.
By morning, Ben had told Lauren and JoJo he loved them too, while Caila was left saying that even if Ben didn't say it back to her, she could "just feel" what was in his heart.
Honey, that wasn't his heart. That was his pants.
By telling two women that he loved them and knowing full well he can't propose to both -- this isn't Utah -- Ben is either clueless or a diabolical jerk. Either way, he's why the rest of the nice guys in the world can't have nice things.
Here's this week power rankings with last week's ranking in parenthesis...
ABC Photo
'The Bachelor' Power Rankings for week 9: And then there were two...
It was off to Jamaica where Ben said goodbye to one of the women and said "I love you" to the two others, setting up the season finale in two weeks.
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ELIMINATED: Caila (2)
The Hudson native opened her heart to Ben and he crushed it like it was NBD. Not cool, bro. Not cool. The "Caila for Bachelorette" campaign starts now.
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2. Lauren (1)
Ben acts like an awkwardly giddy 13-year-old boy who's never seen a naked woman before when hes around Lauren. He seems to be more infatuated with her than in love.
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1. JoJo (3)
I actually buy Ben's love for JoJo. They've gone through so much drama with her ex-boyfriend and brothers that it has strengthened their connection, which is growing every week. As Wes from season five of "The Bachelorette" would sing ya, "They say love don't come easy."
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Next week: The Women Tell All
It should be an explosive night of explanations, feelings, crying, interrupting and name calling as "The Women Tell All" and face Ben for the first time since he systematically broke each one of their hearts.
Did Caila feel blindsided? How did Amanda's daughters react to meeting a nice man who liked their mom only to never be seen again? Can Ben really tell twins Emily and Haley apart?
Find out next week, but in the meantime, catch up on everything that happened in the last episode in Kristel Hartshorn's recap here.
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Hudson native Caila Quinn was eliminated in the second-to-last episode of "The Bachelor" on ABC.
(ABC)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hudson native Caila Quinn says she has no regrets despite being blindsided and then left heartbroken on "The Bachelor."
"I have no regrets whatsoever," the 24-year-old software sales rep. originally from Northeast Ohio told "Good Morning America" Tuesday, hours after her heartbreak was shown on TV. "I fell in love and it really does hurt me that he didn't, but I can't help that."
Much to her surprise, Quinn was sent home after telling Bachelor Ben Higgins she was in love and spending the night with him in a "Fantasy Suite" in Jamaica.
"Ben can't tell me that he's in love with me," she said the following morning. "But Ben didn't have to say any words, it was just something I felt."
Turns out Ben had no trouble expressing his feelings to the other two women left on the show. In a "Bachelor" first, he professed his love to both Lauren and JoJo. When Caila came to surprise Ben at his hotel suite in Jamaica, he knew he had to let her go.
"It's really hard to imagining saying goodbye to you," he told her. "That sounds like a line," she snapped back.
Three months later, Quinn told ABC News the three months since the breakup were "very hard."
"Him telling me that he was in love with two women was like, 'Ugh. Gosh. Really?!' but I did appreciate him being honest with me, and it did help me heal."
While the daughter of Step2 CEO Chris Quinn didn't find love with Higgins, her "Bachelor" journey isn't quite over. She'll appear on the "Women Tell All" special on Monday. There's also a groundswell of support building for her being selected as "The Bachelorette" on the next season of that show.
Police Car
RTA police car drives down Clifton Blvd. in Cleveland.
(Marvin Fong / The Plain Dealer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Despite all the yellow tape and cop cars scattered across local news coverage (and admittedly on our website), Cleveland is not the most dangerous place in the world.
In fact, it's not even the most dangerous place in the state of Ohio, according to a recent list. That honor goes to Lucas County, which houses Ohio cities like Toledo, Waterville and Sylvania.
Housing market website FindTheHome.com has ranked "The Most Dangerous Places in America" based on a 2014 FBI Uniform Crime Report, detailing areas with the highest violent crime rates.
According to the report, Lucas County, which has a population of nearly 440,000, reported 3,222 violent crimes in 2014. That amounts to 735 violent crimes per 100,000 people.
In case you're wondering, that's not even close to making Lucas County one of the most dangerous places in the United States as a whole based on the criteria. The top five counties were (in reverse order): Washington County, D.C., Shelby County, Tenn., Baltimore City, Alexander County, Ill., and St. Louis City.
FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio --- Drugs, Westgate: A man was reported unresponsive in the restroom at Longhorn Steakhouse Feb. 18. Officers arrived and found the man with his pants down at his ankles and his coat pulled over his head. He appeared to be in a drunken or drug induced stupor. After repeated attempts to get him to communicate, he stated that he was "high as **#%%" on heroin and crack. He gave consent to search and a crack pipe and copper wool, commonly used as a screen, were found. Also on him was his unpaid bill for $36. When asked if he had money to pay the bill, he laughed and said "no." He was charged.
Suspended, West 204th Street: On officer on patrol near Lorain Road on Feb. 21 ran a routine license check on a car and the owner's license showed suspended. The driver matched the physical description of the owner so the officer initiated a traffic stop. The drive was indeed the owner and admitted that his license was suspended. While speaking with him, the officer could smell a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the car. The driver admitted to having just smoked a marijuana "joint" and showed the officer the remainder. A probable cause search of the car was conducted with a small amount of marijuana, a scale with marijuana residues, an opened bottle of brandy and an empty bottle of cognac found in the car. Speaking further with the driver, the officer smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath which had been masked by the marijuana while he was in the car. Sobriety tests were administered and the driver was arrested.
Disturbance, Lorain Road: Officers responded to Reggie's Saloon Feb. 21 on a report someone was throwing beer bottles at the bartender. Upon arrival, two women from the group involved were still at the bar with an unpaid bar tab. No damage occurred from the incident and the bartender was satisfied with the bar tab being paid. The two Fairview Park women were advised to not frequent the bar in the future, as well as the man who was tossing the bottles.
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Medical Mutual CEO Rick Chiricosta speaks to a reporter about health care in September of 2009. The company said Tuesday it is acquiring HealthSpan Partners, which will cease operations in January of 2017.
(Marvin Fong)
HealthSpan Partners will cease operations in January of 2017 following an agreement to sell its insurance business to Medical Mutual of Ohio.
A HealthSpan spokesman said Tuesday afternoon that the company will wind down operations during the next year as it transitions its 105,000 individual and group customers to Medical Mutual.
"We've got a heavy lift to transition as many people as we can over the next year," spokesman Chuck Heald said, adding that many of HealthSpan's employees will be needed to complete that work. "No one is leaving us today or tomorrow or next week," he said.
The company, which is also disbanding its physicians group effective March 31, has about 300 employees working in offices in Cincinnati and Cleveland.
Heald said nothing will change immediately for HealthSpan members. They will be able to continue to access services and submit claims to HealthSpan.
Medical Mutual's communications director, Jared Chaney, said in a statement that HealthSpan will continue to insure its members enrolled in employer-sponsored plans through their renewal date or August 31, whichever comes first. Individual members will be insured by HealthSpan through their renewal date or the end of the year.
HealthSpan has suffered significant financial losses in recent years and has been unable to staunch the bleeding. Heald said, "This is a difficult decision. We've always been a small insurer in a highly competitive market. We just couldn't get the numbers to come out the way we needed to."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland is the most distressed big city in America, according to a study from the Economic Innovation Group.
How did the group reach its conclusions?
The group -- founded last year to craft centrist proposals to stimulate the economy -- used U.S. Census data to document how growth is bypassing much of the country. It used statistics on poverty, jobs, vacant housing, income and education to compute "distress scores" for zip codes with more than 500 people
Those that scored above 80 on its 100-point-scale were classified as "distressed" areas where, on average, nearly one-quarter of adults have no high school diploma, 55 percent of adults are unemployed, and 27 percent of the people live in poverty. Cleveland rated 99.9 on its scale.
What were its findings on Cleveland?
The group found that 53% of adults in Cleveland are not working
36% of the population lives in poverty
23% of adults lack a high school degree
21% of houses are vacant
The city's median income is 54% of the state average
Employment fell by 2 percent between 2010 and 2013
The number of businesses fell by 3.3 percent between 2010 and 2013
What other cities were distressed?
Two other Ohio cities -- Toledo and Cincinnati -- also made the group's top 10. The most distressed large cities are concentrated in the Midwest, South and California's Central Valley, the report found.
"The results in Cleveland, Toledo and Cincinnati mirror what we find in may other cities in the Midwest, where transition away from legacy industries like manufacturing has been a challenge," said John Lettieri, EIG co-founder and senior director of policy and strategy.
Lettieri said more prosperous cities "tend to be relatively small, new, and fast-growing."
"That said, there are certainly signs of progress in central cities like Cleveland; the key will be sustaining those efforts over the long term."
What big cities did the group say were doing best?
Gilbert, Arizona, did the best on its scale, followed by Plano, Texas, and a pair of California communities - Irvine and Fremont. Many thriving cities specialize in "innovation-intensive, technology-based and high end services industries," the report said. Some are wealthy suburbs, like Arlington, Virginia, but even they tend to be growing employment centers, specializing in high-end activities in their own right.
What does the group recommend?
The group found that instead of lifting distressed communities, the national recovery left them and their residents further behind. It said that several state and federal programs over the years have tried to provide incentives for investment and enterprise in under-served areas.
"Though many have fallen short of expectations, it is worth revisiting -- and perhaps reinventing -- models for linking incentive to geography in order to help," the report said.
Read the report below:
STREETSBORO, Ohio -- Streetsboro fire officials said that a fire that killed an elderly man Monday was likely caused by "smoking materials."
The man, who was not identified, was found dead about 12:45 p.m. about five feet from the front door of his home in the 9000 block of Red Hawk Drive in the Lakeside Terrace Manufactured Home Park.
Fire investigators found the man dropped "smoking materials" onto the cushion of the chair where he sat. That sparked the fire, which officials said caused more than $100,000 in damage to the home and a neighbor's.
The fire was ruled accidental.
Firefighters arrived at the home in less than three minutes from getting the call, officials said.
Heavy smoke and fire was coming from near the front door. Three relatives made it out of the home and told firefighters the elderly man was still inside.
Firefighters attacked the blaze from the outside. They reported not being able to see once they got inside the home. They eventually found the man on the ground near the door.
The man's wife suffered burns and smoke inhalation. She was taken to Akron City Hospital for treatment. Two other relatives were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and burns. They suffered the injuries while running into the blaze to try and save the man, firefighters said.
Firefighters from Aurora, Kent, Mantua-Shalersville and Reminderville assisted. The American Red Cross is helping the family.
police line do not cross.jpg
Cleveland police are investigating a shooting on the 10300 block of Elwell Avenue.
(File photo)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland police are investigating after a man's girlfriend shot him several times in front of three children.
The shooting happened about 11:30 p.m. Monday at a house at the corner of Elwell Avenue and East 140th Street, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said.
The 26-year-old victim said that he was standing outside talking to his estranged wife who was dropping off their 5-year-old daughter to visit, police said. The wife also brought her sons, ages 9 and 10.
The man's girlfriend arrived at the house and got angry when she saw the wife, police said.
The girlfriend punched the man in the head and grabbed a pistol from her vehicle, Ciaccia said. The woman fired several shots and struck the man in his buttocks and leg.
The man grabbed the gun from his girlfriend and threw it into some bushes, police said. The girlfriend got into her vehicle and drove away.
The man bandaged his wounds inside his house. He told investigators he was hesitant to notify police because there is a warrant for his arrest in connection with a traffic violation.
His family convinced him to go the hospital and report the incident to police. He went to MetroHealth about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Police made a referral to the Children Who Witness Violence program for the three children.
Fentanyl Lookalike Pills
Naloxone rebate will help save the lives of people who overdosed on fentanyl pills.
(AP)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Every day, someone in Cuyahoga County dies of a heroin or fentanyl overdose, according to the county medical examiner.
Emergency responders are trying to stop those deaths with naloxone, a opioid reversal drug that can save the life of someone who overdoses, if administered quickly.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine on Tuesday announced he has extended a rebate agreement that saves police and fire departments thousands of dollars on the cost of naloxone.
Naloxone was used more than 16,000 times in Ohio in 2015, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
The one-year extension with Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Inc. will allow state and local agencies in Ohio to receive a $6 rebate on each naloxone syringe bought until March 2017, according to a news release from Dewine's office. So far, nearly 60 Ohio agencies have applied for more than $151,000 in rebates to offset the cost of the life-saving drug.
No one is safe from the epidemic of heroin and its latest iteration, fentanyl - a synthetic opiate analgesic that is "40-to-50 times more potent than pharmaceutical-grade-heroin," according to Dr. Jason Jerry, psychiatrist and addiction specialist at the Cleveland Clinic's Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center. The drugs are cratering lives and families all across Ohio.
If Amphastar raises its wholesale price of naloxone during the term of the agreement, the company has also agreed to increase the rebate amount, according to a press release for DeWine's office.
Agencies eligible to receive the rebate include law enforcement agencies, fire departments, emergency medical services and Project DAWN community programs.
crime scene tape.jpg
Two Toledo police officers were shot at overnight while they were investigating an attempted arson.
(File photo)
TOLEDO, Ohio - Two Toledo police officers investigating an attempted arson were shot at overnight.
According to a police report, the officers were investigating an attempted arson outside a home on Eastern Avenue when the shots were fired.
Police say a black Pontiac stopped at the corner of Boody Street and Eastern Avenue around midnight and shot towards the officers and the man they were interviewing, WTOL-TV in Toledo reported. The driver then took off toward Western Avenue while firing more shots. The officers did not return fire.
No one was hit. Six .40 caliber shell casings were collected as evidence at the scene, WTVG-TV in Toledo reported.
Police are still looking for the suspect's vehicle and they say it's a four-door black Pontiac Grand Am. They say the vehicle is black and is a 2006 to 2008 model year.
Here are other stories today from Toledo and Northwest Ohio:
church square pharmacy
Employees at Church Square Pharmacy in Cleveland cleaned up the mess left by burglars who crashed a van into the store early Tuesday and stole an ATM.
(Ryllie Danylko, cleveland.com)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Two people crashed a van into an East Side Cleveland pharmacy and made off with an ATM, police said.
The incident happened about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday at Church Square Pharmacy on the 7900 block of Euclid Avenue.
A dark minivan backed into the front of the building and smashed the glass doors, Cleveland police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said. Two people got out and loaded the ATM into the side of the van.
They left in an unknown direction.
The burglars left the business in shambles. Store manager Hakeem Abukhalim cleaned up the mess Tuesday morning. He said that his surveillance cameras captured the incident, but the footage is blurry.
Abukhalim said he gave the video to police. Ciaccia said the footage was not immediately available for release.
The incident happened about a half hour after a minivan crashed into an East Cleveland pizza shop in a failed attempt to take an ATM.
Ciaccia said police are investigating a possible connection between the two incidents.
Three men are facing charges in connection with a similar incident in the city in January. Prosecutors said the trio was likely involved in nearly 20 similar crimes across the region. The suspects' cases are moving through Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The passengers wore that grim, too-long-flying, too-tired-to-care look as they rode the escalator to the baggage area at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Monday.
Then they spotted three little girls, awaiting their grandfather's arrival, waving signs: "Welcome Home Soldier," "Thank Your for Your Service," and "Welcome Home."
Suddenly, many of the passengers smiled. There were a few "ahhhs" of appreciation. One woman remarked, "Oh, how sweet."
It isn't often that you see that kind of welcome at the airport.
It certainly wasn't the sort of reception that Dale Canter got the first time he returned home in 1967 after fighting and being wounded as an Army infantryman in Vietnam.
Back then, as he recently recalled, it was early in the war. There wasn't the anti-war hostility that greeted later combatants coming home.
More like indifference in his case, Canter, 69, of Broadview Heights, recalled. People didn't know what to say to him, so they didn't say anything.
This time, his return from his second trip to Vietnam would be vastly, intentionally different.
Canter was interested in going back to the nation where he fought because, as he said before he left, "I want to see that country at peace. I want to see people without hate in their eyes. I'd like to find an old (Vietnamese) veteran who fought in the area where I was at, and shake hands with him if I could."
He traveled with his daughter, Kim Canter, who had secretly arranged with her two siblings to give their father the welcome home from Vietnam that he hadn't received the first time around.
Jeff Canter, 41, of North Royalton, said that his father -- who served as police chief in Maple heights, Richfield and Moreland Hills after the war - has "pretty much dedicated his whole life to public service. He's always had a special spot in his heart for the Vietnam vet. We just kind-of figured what better way to thank him for his service than welcoming him back from Vietnam."
His own daughter, Leah, 8, who described her grandfather as a lovable guy, had only one greeting in mind when he arrived: "Hug him."
Several police officers of departments where Canter had been chief joined the group of nearly two dozen people for the airport welcome.
Moreland Hills Mayor Susan Renda also attended, and noted, "As you know, when Vietnam veterans came back in the '60s and '70s, they weren't always treated with the respect they deserved. I'd like to help make up for that on his second return.
"He is the epitome of honor and dignity," she added.
Vietnam veteran Bob Wagner, 67, of Independence, was among the welcoming group and could understand how Canter felt.
"It was a strange time in our nation's history," he said. "The Iraq and Afghanistan veterans get a lot of support from people. That wasn't there during the Vietnam era."
Bob Durrach, 74, of Avon, who volunteers at the airport's USO and as a gold-coated "airport ambassador" to assist passengers, heard about the planned welcome. He quickly pulled his bagpipes out of his car trunk so he could greet Canter with a rousing rendition of "The Army Goes Rolling Along."
Durrach, who served in the Air Force during the Vietnam war, was proud to play the pipes on this occasion for Canter. "I call them my people," he said, "and my people have never been treated properly."
When the moment arrived and Canter rode down the escalator, wearing a white tropics-style hat, Durrach's pipes squealed to life and the honored returnee walked into a churning mass of hugs, kisses and applause.
"Hello chief," the police officers said. One joked to Canter, "There was some confusion about who was going to give you a ride home, so we all came."
Canter initially looked a bit overwhelmed, but recovered quickly. "I'm a little embarrassed," he said.
When asked how this welcome-home compared to the first one, Canter said, "Well, I think I felt better the first time, but this was a better surprise."
This time, Vietnam was "different," according to Canter. "I got to meet a couple of old Vietnamese vets. I'm glad I went, but I don't think I'd do it again."
Canter said his tall, blonde daughter was somewhat of an attraction to the Vietnamese. "They thought she was a movie star. Everybody was taking her picture," he explained.
"Some spots, we were the only Americans, and they (the Vietnamese) hadn't seen Americans in a long time. They were fascinated," he added.
Kim Canter said her father "had an amazing time. It was emotional at some parts, but everything we did was amazing. Everyone there was very welcoming, happy to see us. It was a great experience."
As her father basked in the welcome-home glow, a woman passing nearby, towing a carry-on, noticed the signs and suddenly stopped to pull Canter aside.
"Thank you," she told him. "I hope you had a better reception than the last time."
Canter nodded and smiled.
This time, it was a homecoming with some heart.
westlake water dispute
Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough testified during his city's water dispute with Cleveland. A judge sided with Westlake, agreeing it can buy water from another supplier and not pay Cleveland additional fees.
(Barb Galbincea, cleveland.com)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - A Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge has upheld the right of Westlake to jettison its relationship with the Cleveland water system in favor of tapping another bulk supplier such as Avon Lake.
Common Pleas Judge Michael Astrab also denied Cleveland's claim that it was due additional quarterly fees that ranged from $291 for residents to more than $5,000 for big commercial users.
The ruling, released Monday, caps a nearly four-year dispute between Cleveland and the well-heeled western suburb of Westlake, which was exploring the possibility of buying water from nearby Avon Lake.
"The City of Cleveland is disappointed by the Judge's decision," spokesman Dan Williams wrote in an email. "We will appeal the case to the Eighth District Court of Appeals."
The fight escalated in fall 2013, when Cleveland notified Westlake of additional quarterly fees it said it was owed because Westlake wanted to bail on a Water Service Agreement.
Cleveland stated the fees would cover the $19 million to re-route pipes so it could continue serve to other customers, as well as the nearly $40 million that Cleveland said it invested in Westlake infrastructure projects.
Mayor Dennis Clough said in the past he was willing to do business with both Cleveland and Avon Lake.
Raleigh, N.C., neighborhood tense but calm after police kill black man
Onlookers peer through a fence as police officers work the scene of a police-involved shooting Monday in Raleigh, N.C.
(Travis Long, Raleigh News & Observer)
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- An officer-involved fatal shooting of a suspect wanted on a felony drug charge has raised tensions in Raleigh, again bringing accusations of excessive violence by police against African-Americans.
The shooting on Monday is being investigated by state authorities, reports CNN.
And although a crowd gathered at the scene of the shooting on Monday, with some people chanting "No justice, no peace!", there were no clashes with police and it remained peaceful, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.
But the shooting has caused controversy as Rolanda Byrd, who says she is the mother of the suspect, says her son, Akiel Denkins, 24, was running from police and was shot in the back by an officer.
"They killed my son for no reason," Byrd says, according to CNN. "Everybody out here said he was running, didn't have a gun, (was) trying to jump a fence, and that officer shot my son seven times. For what? For nothing."
Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown has not provided many details on Monday's shooting, according to the News & Observer. She said the officer, identified as D.C. Twiddy, 29, was chasing Denkins on foot and that the suspect was shot and killed by Twiddy.
The chief says a firearm was found "in close proximity" of Denkins after the shooting. Police have not said how many times the suspect was shot.
"Our thoughts and our prayers go out to all involved in today's incident," the chief tells the News & Observer. "I ask everyone to please be patient while the follow-up investigations are conducted to determine the facts about what happened today."
Twiddy has been placed on administrative duty as the shooting is investigated, the Associated Press reports. He has been an officer in Raleigh since 2009.
Some witnesses doubted police accounts that Denkins had a firearm.
Claresa Williams tells the AP she was standing on a curb when she saw an officer drive up in a patrol car in front of a convenience store and Denkins began running. Williams says Denkins climbed a backyard fence of a nearby home. She says the officer also climbed the fence, drew his weapon and began firing.
Truvalia Kearney tells the News & Observer a similar story, saying she saw Denkins jump the fence, followed by the officer:
"The officer jumped the fence and fell down," she said in an interview. "He pulled his gun out and started shooting. He (Denkins) got shot in the back." Kearney disputed police reports that Denkins was armed. "That's a lie because I (saw) it," she said. "If he had a gun, he didn't pull it out."
Neighbors tell the AP there is a lot of drug activity in the area at night. Still, Bishop Darnell Dixon said relations with police been relatively good and that he doesn't believe there will be any serious unrest.
"This is very different for this community, the actual shooting," Dixon tells the AP. "I'm interested in knowing: Why did it escalate to this point?"
Donald Trump
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves after speaking during a rally at Millington Regional Airport in Millington, Tenn., Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Trump was criticized over the weekend for quoting a tweet by Benito Mussolini on Twitter
(Andrew Harnik, AP Photo)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Donald Trump thought fascist movement founder Benito Mussolini put it well.
The Republican presidential candidate quoted the former Italian dictator on Twitter on Sunday.
"@ilduce2016: It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep. @realDonaldTrump #MakeAmericaGreatAgain" Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2016
Gawker created a fake Twitter account and filled the page with Mussolini quotations in December, after some compared the GOP candidate to the dictator. But the website attributed the sayings to Trump.
"Last year, we set a trap for Trump. We came up with the idea for that Mussolini bot under the assumption that Trump would retweet just about anything, no matter how dubious or vile the source, as long as it sounded like praise for himself. (It helps that that a number of Mussolini's quotes sound plausibly like lines from Trump's myriad books)," the website writes.
The billionaire took the bait, and retweeted the account. Read more here.
On NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, he defended his appreciation for Mussolini's words.
"It's a very good quote, it's a very interesting quote, Trump said. "But what difference does it make whether it's Mussolini or somebody else?"
Trump also drew criticism over the weekend for a slow response to former Ku Klux Klan member David Duke, according to the New York Times. The former Louisiana state representative has publicly lauded the GOP candidate, and encouraged fellow white nationalists to support the billionaire candidate.
Trump said he didn't know enough about Duke to renounce his racist beliefs Sunday.
"I don't know David Duke," he said. "I don't believe I have ever met him. I'm pretty sure I didn't meet him. And I just don't know anything about him." Trump later renounced Duke's ideology. Read more here.
Donald Trump
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump poses for photographers with Colton Jordan, 5, of Cario, Ga., top, who dresses up like Trump following a rally at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Ga., Monday, Feb. 29, 2016.
(Andrew Harnik, The Associated Press)
Donald Trump could be preparing for a big rally next week in Cleveland and a floor fight when he returns for the Republican National Convention. And Pam from "The Office" offers words of support to John Kasich. Read more in Ohio Politics Roundup.
Today in convention chatter: "I think the establishment will do anything in their power to try to stop Donald Trump at the national convention," John Patrick Yob, a former delegate strategist for Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, tells the New York Times.
Yob, reports the Times' Trip Gabriel, believes that "could include changing rules that bind delegates to candidates. ... One of the first orders of business at the national convention in Cleveland in July will be a meeting by the rules committee to determine guidelines for the proceedings. Delegates may not personally support the candidates they are bound to represent, based on their state's primary or caucus results.
"If they are 'unbound' by a rule change, or after a first ballot in which no candidate wins a majority, the nominating fight could crack wide open on the convention floor."
Put another way: This is why Ohio Gov. John Kasich is reluctant to drop out. Imagine - and this is pure speculation here - him running a floor fight in his home state. All of this, of course, is moot if he can't beat Trump in the Ohio primary two weeks from today.
Speaking of ...
A big Trump rally in the works for Cleveland: An I-X Center official tells me that Trump's campaign has inquired about booking space at the massive exhibition hall on Saturday, March 12 - three days before the Ohio primary. Nothing was final as of Monday. I-X officials had just begun to put together proposals at the campaign's request.
A Trump spokeswoman did not respond to an email seeking comment.
And Bernie Sanders is coming back: The Vermont senator and Democratic presidential hopeful "plans to return to Northeast Ohio on Saturday to speak at a Cleveland church," cleveland.com's Jeremy Pelzer reports. "Sanders is scheduled to appear at an event at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church," according to the church. Details have not been worked out.
For Kasich, a not-so Super Tuesday: Don't expect much from Kasich in tonight's big slate of GOP primaries and caucuses, many of them in the South. Kasich mainly targeted two Northeastern states - Massachusetts and Vermont.
But keep an eye on how meager Kasich's delegate haul is. Rubio is certain to win more - perhaps many more - and that difference could fuel another round of drop-out pressure.
How bizarre: "What are we watching?" Kasich asked of the Trump-Rubio feud Monday while campaigning in Plymouth, Mass. - per the Boston Globe's James Pindell.
"You know, we kind of laugh about it, but we are not electing class presidents or class clown. We are picking the president of the United States, the leader of the free world. I wanna tell you folks, there are people who say you oughta get in there and start hammering these people. And I tell you, I would rather lose than degrade myself."
Kasich said in a later interview that "the entire campaign lately 'is just beyond bizarre.'"
Words of encouragement: "I believe Kasich should stay in and hopefully win Ohio," Stuart Stevens, the strategist behind Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns, tells the Washington Post's David Weigel for a piece on Kasich's persistence.
Sweet Home Alabama? So much for the much-ballyhooed endorsement Kasich collected last summer from Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley. Kasich didn't campaign in the state ahead of today's primary there. But Bentley made one last appeal on his behalf.
On Monday, Bentley "ripped Republican front-runner Donald Trump for what the governor said was Trump's disrespect for women and minorities and for declining to disavow former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke in an interview on CNN on Sunday," AL.com's Mike Carson reports. Also, "Bentley reiterated his support for ... Kasich."
Why Sebring isn't Flint: "Lead-tainted drinking water in Flint, Michigan developed into a political scandal that has some residents calling for the resignation of the state's governor, Rick Snyder," cleveland.com's Mary Kilpatrick writes.
"But lead-tainted drinking water in Sebring, Ohio has caused little political fallout for ... Kasich, even as he takes his presidential campaign to Michigan. The reason is simple: A state official appointed by the Michigan governor played a major role in the Flint crisis. Much of the blame for the Sebring problem rests with village leaders."
New Kasich endorsers: Bruce Lisman, a Republican candidate for governor in Vermont, announced his support by calling Kasich a "competent manager who has helped to revitalize his state's economy," the Burlington Free Press' April Burbank writes.
And Judd Gregg, the former New Hampshire governor and senator who had backed Jeb Bush in that state's primary, threw his support to Kasich on Monday.
"We served together in Congress, and I know he is the strong, decisive leader we need in the White House," Gregg said. "John has put forward the most positive and substantive vision to restore America's standing in the world, and as a governor he is uniquely qualified. No Republican will be stronger for our party in November."
And then there's Jenna Fischer: "To my GOP friends, as Super Tuesday approaches, please consider @JohnKasich," the actress, best known for her role playing Pam on "The Office," tweeted Monday. "Experience, real policy plans. Take another look."
Several of Fischer's followers quickly noted Kasich's recent signature on a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood. "Yes," Fischer replied to one, "that broke my heart."
Not quite an endorsement. But another example of Kasich's appeal to entertainers. He's also received support from Tim Allen, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Montel Williams.
Yost's roast: Republican State Auditor Dave Yost "announced Monday that he won't vote for Donald Trump even if he wins the GOP nomination," Pelzer writes.
"'Mr. Trump is not merely flawed - his thirst for power at any cost makes him unfit for public trust,' Yost wrote in a Facebook post Monday. What would he not do with public power?' Yost ... continued that he 'cannot support a man who will change any belief and associate with any evil in order to gain power, or who will use the power of government to silence his critics, or who is dismissive of people he doesn't like.'"
Welcome wagon: Yost will join Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges and others on a 10:30 a.m. conference call today to discuss Trump's noon rally in Columbus. Borges, who like Yost backs Kasich, has been among Trump's most vocal critics.
Another big endorsement for PG Sittenfeld: The editorial board representing cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer has backed the Cincinnati city councilman over former Gov. Ted Strickland in Ohio's Democratic Senate primary.
The "focus of this year's Senate campaign should be Ohio's future, not its past," the editors write. "And a focus on the future is one of the many strengths Sittenfeld's candidacy offers Democrats." And here's an alternate view for Strickland.
The winner faces Republican Sen. Rob Portman in November.
PG on TV: Sittenfeld's campaign will be on air through the March 15 primary, Pelzer reports. The spots "will run on broadcast and cable in all six Ohio media markets ... .
"In one ad, Sittenfeld says he'll 'fight for common-sense gun safety,' and claims that ... Strickland 'will never stand up' to the National Rifle Association."
Tips or links? Send here. Follow along on Twitter: @HenryJGomez.
Subscribe free to Battleground Briefing, our daily politics newsletter: Sign up here.
As has been widely reported, Trump, who is emerging as the GOP's frontrunner, set off an uproar when, during a nationally televised Sunday interview on CNN, he opted not to immediately denounce the Ku Klux Klan and an endorsement from its former leader.
Trump had been endorsed by David Duke, the former Louisiana politician and ex-Ku Klux Klan leader. After curtly saying he disavowed Duke's endorsement on Friday, Trump said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that he didn't know who David Duke was, and didn't directly respond to questions about the Ku Klux Klan.
Republicans have responded to Trump's comments in varying ways -- some have said they would not support him under any circumstances. But most of Ohio's elected statewide Republicans, are dodging the question.
Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland.com
What if Donald Trump is the nominee? Most Ohio GOP elected officials won't say whether they would support him
With a couple exceptions, Ohios top elected Republicans most of whom are not facing re-election this year are not tripping over themselves to take a stance on whether they would support Donald Trump if he were to win the partys nomination.
In the photo to the left, Trump and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie wave during an appearance by Trump in Columbus on Tuesday.
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Ohio Auditor Dave Yost
As we've previously reported, this story gained steam on Monday after Repubilcan Ohio Auditor Dave Yost wrote a post on Facebook saying he would not support Trump under any circumstances, saying Trump's "thirst for power makes him unfit for the public trust."
In doing so, Yost joined the Never Trump movement that has taken off in the final days before Super Tuesday, in which Trump is projected to likely win a majority of 11 states that will hold Republican contests.
"I'm not going to vote for the man. Not for the primary, not in the general. And for those who say that that's going to throw the election to Hillary, I will say that the nomination of Donald Trump already throws the election to Hillary," Yost said in a Tuesday morning conference call that was organized by the Ohio Republican Party. The party scheduled the conference call shortly before a campaign appearance by Trump in Columbus.
During the call, Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo, an elected Republican who is considered a possible future statewide candidate, also said he would not support Trump.
Next slide: See what John Kasich has said he'd do if Trump wins.
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David J. Phillip, The Associated Press
Ohio Gov. John Kasich
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, whose presidential bid has the support of the Ohio Republican Party and most of its elected officials, generally has preferred not to talk about Trump on the campaign trail. A campaign spokesman did not return messages on Tuesday.
But here's what Kasich said during a Sunday appearance on CNN's State of the Union when asked about the "Never Trump" movement: "We're down to now five people. We're all in the arena. And I will show respect to the person that emerges from that arena. I believe it will be me. But at the end of the day, I'm going to support that person who went through the arena and became the nominee."
After Trump's KKK response made the rounds, Kasich took to Twitter to say that "Hate groups have no place in America.
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John Minchillo, Associated Press
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman
Portman previously has said he intends to support Trump or any Republican nominee "unless something crazy happens."
During a Tuesday conference call with reporters, Portman condemned the KKK and said Trump's "failure on Sunday to condemn these hate groups was wrong."
But he also repeatedly declined to say whether he would support Trump as the GOP's nominee.
"Im strongly supporting John Kasich, and I still think he has a definite path forward," Portman said. "As I said earlier, it runs through Michigan and Ohio. So Im not going to be undercutting him by speculating about someone else."
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Lynn Ischay, Plain Dealer, File, 2014
Ohio Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor
Like Portman, a spokeswoman for Taylor, who is exploring running for governor in 2018, did not say whether she would support Trump. But she did say that Taylor supports Kasich.
"Mary Taylor believes the Republican nominee will be the candidate who can carry Ohio on March 15 - John Kasich," said the spokeswoman, Bethany McCorkle.
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Associated Press, Tony Dejak
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted
Husted, who like Taylor is considering a 2018 run for governor, also didn't say whether he'd support Trump as the nominee.
I am focused on who I am for and not who Im against and I am for John Kasich, Husted said in a statement.
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Elizabeth Sullivan, cleveland.com
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine
DeWine, a third GOP statewide elected official who is considering running for governor, also avoided the Trump question.
Ohioans havent voted yet, and its premature to comment on the hypothetical that you proposed. Since he believes John Kasich will be the nominee anyway, the question will be moot," spokesman Dan Tierney said.
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Gus Chan, Plain Dealer Publishing Co.
Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel
Mandel, who is the Ohio chairman for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's campaign, indicated he will support Trump or any other Republican candidate that wins the nomination, a spokesman said.
"Treasurer Mandel believes that Marco Rubio will be the Republican nominee and next President of the United States and will continue his enthusiastic support for Marco. If for any reason that doesn't happen, he will support the Republican nominee because any Republican will be a better choice than Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton," spokesman Seth Unger said.
Don't Edit
Republican National Committee
Why won't Ohio's elected offiicals talk about Trump?
Here's what I think is happening.
First off, politicians usually aren't eager to weigh in on a controversial issue when they don't have to.
But more specifically, there's probably something else at play.
Kasich's odds of winning the GOP nomination straight up by winning more than 1,236 delegates during the primary are slim to none. But unlike the other candidates in the GOP field, he polls competitively with Trump in Ohio, trailing Trump in Ohio by 5 points in one recent poll and by 4 points in another (and within the second poll's marign of error.)
Kasich and Ohio's other elected officials likely recognize the odds. But they don't want to cast any doubts about his viability, which could hurt him in Ohio.
But, if Kasich can block Trump from winning Ohio's 66 delegates, it could be part of a larger effort to keep Trump from clinching the nomination. If the campaign stretches into a historic floor fight at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, anything could happen.
But all that is even less likely if Ohio voters don't believe Kasich can win.
Kasich and his allies probably wish Yost hadn't said anything at all. But Yost hasn't shied away from speaking his mind and bucking the rest of the party occasionally if his conviction strikes him.
Donald Trump
More Ohio Republicans on Tuesday distanced themselves from Donald Trump, the front-running candidate for the GOP nomination for president.
(Robert F. Bukaty, Associated Press)
Clarence Mingo, Franklin County auditor
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A group of Ohio Republicans, including a black elected official who said he was offended by Donald Trump's recent answer to a question about the Ku Klux Klan, on Tuesday denounced Trump's campaign as harmful to Republican efforts within the state.
Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo said Trump's refusal during a CNN interview on Sunday to disavow an endorsement from a former leader of the KKK offended him as an African-American. Mingo, who has Parkinson's Disease, said Trump's mocking of a reporter's disability in November "shocked his conscience." And he said Trump's derision in July of Sen. John McCain's war record "was an early indication of Mr. Trump being unstable and unsuitable to hold this office."
"I labored very hard for Mitt Romney in 2012, and I did so because I really believed that he was the best choice for America," Mingo said. "I will absolutely abstain from supporting Donald Trump if he is the Republican nominee for the presidency of the United States."
Mingo's comments came during a conference call organized by the Ohio Republican Party in advance of a noon campaign appearance by Trump in Columbus. Mingo, who has been viewed as a possible statewide candidate in 2018, joined Ohio Auditor Dave Yost as the second Ohio GOP elected official to publicly say they would not support Trump if he were the party's noinee.
Yost echoed comments he made in a Monday Facebook post, telling reporters that by nominating Trump, Republicans would be effectively throwing the race to Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State who is viewed as the frontrunner to win the Democratic nomination. But Yost, who has endorsed Ohio Gov. John Kasich's presidential bid, also said he could not in good conscience vote for Trump.
"I can't stand by and watch a guy who claims to be a Republican talk about expanding federal power and misusing it, and I don't think we need another four years of Democratic policies in the White House," Yost said.
Also participating in Tuesday's call was Tracey Winbush, a black member of the state GOP's central committee from the Youngstown area who said Trump's incendiary comments have not reflected the values of the Republican Party, including its commitment to diversity. Ohio Black Republicans Association President James Irvin, Jr. in a statement said he is "appalled and revolted" over Trump's response to the KKK question.
The effort by Ohio Republicans to distance themselves from Trump also comes as Cleveland prepares to host the Republican National Convention in July, the state's first RNC in 70 years. Meanwhile, polls show Trump is a favorite to win most of the 11 states holding GOP primary contests taking place on Tuesday -- electoral success by Trump on "Super Tuesday" would cement his status as the favorite to gain the party's nomination in Cleveland.
Trump's meteoric rise has been fueled by his image as a celebrity business mogul, his hard-line positions on immigration and other issues, as well as his refusal to be "politically correct" and his status as a political outsider. But it's revealed intensifying divisions within the Republican Party, who have said Trump's campaign tactics have been divisive and harmful to its efforts to attract minority support. This week, several high-profile Republicans, including Yost and other elected officials, as well as conservative writers, have embraced an anti-Trump social media campaign, using the Twitter hashtag "NeverTrump."
Borges, the Ohio GOP chairman, said Trump's divisiveness ultimately will harm the GOP's ability to compete in Ohio, which has been a must-win swing state for Republicans in recent years during presidential elections.
"One thing that's become clear, especially given some of the more recent comments we've heard from Donald Trump over the weekend, is now we have a number of Ohio Republicans coming forward and saying they will not support Trump if he is the nominee," Borges said. "Obviously that would make it very difficult for the party to prosecute an effective campaign here in the state."
But Borges did not go so far as to threaten to withhold party support from Trump, saying any Republican would be preferable to the two Democratic presidential candidates, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Democrats attack Portman on Trump stance
Ohio Democrats, who hope to unseat Sen. Rob Portman in the November election, issued a statement Tuesday morning that attacked Portman for saying repeatedly that he intends to support Trump if he is nominated. The state party has endorsed former Gov. Ted Strickland to challenge Portman.
"Even as Republicans in Ohio and across the country are denouncing Donald Trump, Senator Rob Portman remains obediently loyal to him -- which is yet another indication of how out-of-touch Senator Portman has become with Ohio's values," Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Daniel van Hoogstraten said in a written statement. "At his rally today, Trump is sure to make news for the worst reasons, but there is apparently nothing Trump can do or say that is a problem for Senator Portman -- not even Trump's refusal to immediately denounce the Ku Klux Klan. Opposing Trump should be a simple choice, but Senator Portman always puts his own political self-interest over what's best for Ohio's working families."
A spokesman for Portman said the senator will address the topic during a scheduled call with reporters this afternoon.
UPDATE: Portman on Tuesday reiterated his stance that he will support the GOP nominee "unless something crazy happens," and declined repeatedly to say whether that means he would support Trump.
Asked about Portman, Borges said: "He, like many of us, has said he will support the nominee whoever that is. Obviously we all have our own decisions to make, but when we have several party leaders who are adamantly opposed, it just makes it that much more complicated for me to help get the state organized in the way that we need to."
State GOP chairman says Kasich can stop Trump in Ohio
Borges declined to address questions about how a Trump nomination would affect the state party's plans for the upcoming Republican convention, or how Republicans might block a Trump nomination by a floor fight in Cleveland.
The best thing Ohio Republicans can do to stop Trump, Borges said, is to prevent him from winning Ohio's 66 delegates in the March 15 primary. A pair of recent polls showed Trump leading in Ohio, with a second-place Kasich within striking distance.
"The only guarantee [Trump would] have at the convention is if he has enough delegates to win," Borges said. "...If he doesn't have enough delegates to win, we'll see what happens. Hopefully somebody else has enough delegates. but we have to start that effort here in terms of what we're responsible for here in Ohio."
While it's possible Kasich could win Ohio, his campaign has lagged elsewhere since he came in a strong second in the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9. Polls suggest Kasich may gain only a handful of delegates on Super Tuesday.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
deer.JPG
Voters in six Cuyahoga County communities will vote on bow hunting of deer March 15.
(Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer Publishing Co.)
NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio - Six Greater Cleveland communities - including three along Ohio Route 82 - will ask voters March 15 if they would support bow hunting of deer.
The vote is advisory only and isn't binding on the six city governments. However, if enough voters say yes in any given community, that city's government will likely introduce a bow hunting program.
Meanwhile, in Strongsville, voters will decide whether to rezone land for the possible expansion of a senior living community.
Here is a rundown of local issues voters in North Royalton, Broadview Heights and Strongsville will see on the March 15 ballot. Brecksville has no local ballot issues this time around:
Deer hunting. Proposed bow-hunting programs will appear on the ballot as Issue 1 in Broadview Heights, Issue 10 in North Royalton and Issue 19 in Strongsville. Parma, Parma Heights and Seven Hills will also have deer hunting issues on the ballot March 15.
Olmsted Falls was initially on the list but will not have a bow-hunting issue on the ballot next week.
Amended codes in each city would allow "limited" hunting of white-tailed deer using crossbows or longbows. Under the rules, hunting would take place only on 5 or more contiguous acres, with the written permission of property owners. Neighbors who share a boundary with the property owners would have to be notified in person or by mail before hunting starts.
Hunters would need a license and a certificate, showing they passed a state-approved archery proficiency test, from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. They would shoot only from elevated platforms - meaning they would aim toward the ground - so that stray arrows wouldn't fly into neighboring yards.
The cities would meet with the ODNR several times a year to discuss and review the culling program.
Nearly every community in Cuyahoga County is debating how to manage the deer population. An east-side deer study found as many as 37 deer a square mile. A separate study found 241 deer in North Olmsted.
The six southwestern cities started working together in July to develop strategies to control deer population growth after the ODNR declined to take on the task. The agency said it would provide guidance and support instead.
"We still want to push the ODNR to come up with a long-term solution, which would include nonlethal methods (like birth control)," Mayor Robert Stefanik said.
Stefanik doesn't consider culling a long-term solution because governmental entities that kill deer, like Solon and Cleveland Metroparks, must repeat the practice year after year to keep the deer population at manageable levels.
Broadview Heights Councilwoman Jennifer Mahnic doesn't believe bow hunting would be effective or safe. She said data shows that hiring professional sharpshooters to target specific areas, as identified by an aerial count of deer, works best. She said the six cities have not conducted an aerial count.
Mahnic added that neighbors, although they would be notified of hunting on next-door lots, would not be able to stop culling in their neighborhoods.
"Residents should vote no and allow (City) Council to create something fair for all residents," Mahnic said. "This (proposed program) was created by mayors in our (six) communities, and our council was not able to make any changes in it."
Brecksville Mayor Jerry Hruby said his city has allowed bow hunting of deer for almost 20 years. Between 80-90 deer are culled annually in Brecksville.
"It hasn't solved the problem, but it helps," Hruby said. "There's been a reduction in vehicle mishaps (car-deer accidents) and (property) damage complaints. Also, plant education and tips on how to cope are part of our education process."
Nursing home expansion. Altenheim Senior Living, at Shurmer and Pearl roads, just north of Giant Eagle Market District, plans to build a rehabilitation center on its 16-acre campus, which already includes a nursing home, assistant-living community and independent-living units.
As part of that project, Altenheim would like voters to rezone about one-third of a 4.5-acre parcel from a residential district to a public facilities district. The remaining two-thirds of the parcel - on which the rehab center would stand - was rezoned from general business to public facilities by City Council in December.
The rezoning will appear as Issue 20 on the Strongsville ballot. For approval, the issue must pass both citywide and in Ward 2, where Altenheim is located.
The rezoning would allow Altenheim to build an emergency-access driveway, and perhaps a few employee parking spaces, on the rear portion of the campus. The remainder of that land portion would remain undeveloped.
Altenheim would build the rehab center on the front of the parcel, toward Pearl, south of the nursing home
In addition, Altenheim is asking voters to rezone a separate half-acre parcel - which now contains a vacant house on Shurmer Road, about 600 feet northeast of the campus - from residential to public facilities. Altenheim would use the house for storage and perhaps office space.
Paul Psota, Altenheim's CEO, said he would like to start construction this summer and open the rehab center 14 months later. In that same time span, Altenheim is planning to build an assisted-memory-care center next to the nursing home, but that project will not need a rezoning.
"Traditionally, Altenheim has worked well with us," Strongsville Councilman Joe DeMio said. "They have a great history in our city."
Deposits into personal accounts of Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak exceeded $1 billion, with much of these funds being traced to a beleaguered state investment fund, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing global investigators familiar with the matter.
The WSJ published a report in July alleging that nearly $700 million had flowed from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund to Najib's personal bank account. Najib has repeatedly denied wrong-doing and, under pressure from the WSJ report, said at the time the funds were a private donation from a Middle Eastern country he declined to name.
In January, Malaysia's Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali told an unscheduled press conference that Saudi Arabia's royal family gave Najib a $681 million gift that was subsequently returned. The announcement was an effort to end months of speculation about the source of the huge personal donation that landed in the prime minister's personal bank account.
Apandi said in January that no criminal offense had been committed, in a move that appeared to mark the end of the matter, at least within the country.
But investigators in two other countries disagreed, the WSJ reported, without disclosing the names of those countries.
According to the newspaper's latest report, in addition to the previously identified $681 million that moved to Najib's account in 2013, funds also arrived in 2011 and 2012. Najib's office declined to comment on allegations that funds deposited in his accounts exceeded $1 billion.
Twin gauges of Chinese factory activity revealed slowing growth in February, underpinning the case for more monetary stimulus a day after the country's central bank moved to improve liquidity conditions.
Output from large factories contracted for the seventh straight month in February, a government survey revealed on Tuesday. The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) came in at 49.0, below Reuters forecasts for 49.3 and January's reading of 49.4.
A number below 50 points indicates a decline in factory activity, while one above suggests expansion.
But Chinese government data has long been taken with a pinch of salt so when it comes to assessing the state of factories, investors tend to gravitate towards a private gauge that tracks smaller and medium sized firms, known as the Caixin manufacturing PMI.
Released 45 minutes following the official report, February's Caixin reading edged down to a five-month low of 48.0, versus 48.4 in January.
"Companies that reported lower output generally cited weak market conditions and reduced intakes of new work. Furthermore, total new business declined for the eighth month in a row, albeit at a modest pace that was similar to January," Caixin said in a statement, adding that the decline in production was the quickest seen since September.
Asian equity markets were mixed following both surveys, while the Australian dollarwidely considered a proxy for China playsdipped as much as 0.4 percent to $0.7105 U.S. cents.
Dividends have been a key focus for investors in the U.K. with companies deciding to slash, maintain or raise shareholder payouts during a disappointing earnings season.
The importance of a dividend - both as an enticement for investors in a low-return world and as a reflection of a company's financial health was exemplified by the binary response of markets to earnings announcements from British banks last week.
On the day state-backed Lloyds declared a special dividend in addition to a boost in its ordinary dividend, its shares were rewarded with a 13 percent bump. In sharp contrast, RBS shares slid 7 percent as the bank warned it would likely defer the commencement of any capital distributions beyond the previously hoped-for first quarter of 2017.
British sterling ten pound banknotes are seen in an automated teller machine (ATM) in this posed photograph taken outside a branch of the British bank Lloyds in London. Niklas Halle'n | AFP | Getty Images
With leading equity benchmarks tumbling in 2016, dividend yields have become increasingly attractive. The yield on the Euro Stoxx 600 has jumped by 40 basis points this year while the 's is up around 12 basis points, according to Thomson Reuters data. Meanwhile, analysts have lopped forecasts for first quarter-earnings deep into negative territory on both sides of the Atlantic, according to the Financial Times over the weekend. Although some sectors particularly energy and mining have been hit by recently announced dividend cuts, these are yet to be reflected in the yield given it is a backwards-looking figure that uses dividends that company has already paid in the calculation. This has led some commentators to warn that investors need to be on the lookout for upcoming dividend cuts that may drive yields back down.
But, Oliver Russ, manager of two European income funds at Argonaut Capital, says the key for investors is successful differentiation.
"Dividend forecasts for this year in Europe have been under some pressure at an aggregate level, but this masks considerable underlying disparities between sectors," he said via email.
While indeed the most drastic payout reductions have made the biggest news, such as BHP 's 74 percent dividend slashing and Anglo American's outright suspension, Russ urges investors not to tar all companies with the same brush.
"Commodity sector dividends have been under considerable stress, as projected future cash flows compress with commodity prices, leading to high-profile dividend cuts. Elsewhere though, the story is much brighter," he said.
While methods of cash distribution such as share buybacks can be altered without too much fanfare, boards are generally loathed to diminish announced dividend plans as investors take it as a sign of internal concerns about a company's balance sheet strength.
Worryingly, dividend coverage ratios the ratio of earnings to dividends per share, considered a proxy for a company's ability to sustain its payouts have tumbled globally. Indeed, the FTSE 100 's coverage ratio sits at its lowest level this century; according to the Economist which cited data from the London Stock Exchange last month.
All of which suggests a return to basics and fundamental analysis is in order. A review of cash flow strength and forecasts may help investors to anticipate which companies' high dividend yields might signal a true bargain as opposed to an impending cut.
"Cash flows in excess of dividends has meant cash piling up on the balance sheet, which given perhaps a lack of appetite for further investment and ultra-low returns for keeping cash, means payout ratios can rise without taking excessive risks," Russ said.
Gold bar and coins Getty Images
Gold turned lower on Tuesday, as the dollar and global equity markets rose on better-than-expected U.S. data, fueling speculation the Fed will raise U.S. interest rates. was down 0.34 percent at $1,233.56 an ounce, while U.S. gold futures for April delivery settled down 0.3 percent at $1,230.80. Gold prices were higher earlier, buoyed by weak Chinese manufacturing data and comments by New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley, who said he sees downside risks to his U.S. economic outlook. This could flag a longer pause before the Fed's next interest-rate hike than he and his colleagues had earlier signaled.
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"Some U.S. dollar strength (is putting) a headwind into the gold market here, even though you've got a lot of speculation now moving to be long gold and (monthly) exchange-traded product flows rising to the second-highest level since February 2009," said Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist for U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Minneapolis. The dollar rallied against a basket of major currencies after U.S. manufacturing appeared to stabilize in February, supporting views of higher U.S. interest rates, a source of pressure for gold prices. U.S. stocks led equity markets around the globe to their highest in a month. Meanwhile, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said Euro zone growth and inflation prospects have weakened.
A refugee stand on the Greece-Macedonia border on February 29, 2016 in Idomeni, Greece. Pierre Crom | Getty Images
It was a scene of a type that could become all too common in coming months: Thousands of increasingly desperate people backed up at the frontier between Greece and Macedonia on Monday, stymied in their efforts to reach Germany. A group of angry asylum seekers busted through a razor-wire fence. Armed police officers fired tear gas as frenzied crowds chanted, "Open the border!" Less than a week after Austria and nine other European countries took steps to stem the flow of refugees from Greece toward Germany and other prosperous countries, the spasm of violence on Greece's northern border brought to life the perils of the European Union's inability so far to settle on a common policy to address the migration crisis. War in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and repression and economic hardship across the Middle East and Africa continue to compel large numbers of people to strike out for Europe. Germany continues to signal that it will accept legitimate refugees, especially from Syria. As the weather grows warmer and the sea crossing from Turkey to Greece safer, the number of people arriving is expected to spike, putting a huge strain on Greece, which in effect is becoming a giant holding center for migrants who cannot go forward because of the new border restrictions, but will not or cannot go back. An estimated 7,000 migrants are at the border with Macedonia, and camps and refugee housing in Athens are full or nearly so. "What's happening is that Greece is being turned into a sort of a Lebanon, where institutions are overwhelmed by the mere numbers of people, and there isn't a strategy to deal with it," said Wolfango Piccoli, a president of Teneo Intelligence, a London-based advisory firm.
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If Europe does not reach an accord soon on how to deal with the situation, "Greece could look like a large-scale Calais Jungle, where there is no exit for migrants, the authorities are unable to cope and the migrants live in miserable conditions," he added, referring to a vast camp known as "the Jungle" that the French authorities began to dismantle amid angry protests on Monday. Greece, already struggling under its long economic slump and budget austerity imposed by the European Union, has requested emergency aid from the bloc to help it deal with the migrant crisis. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said on Sunday that Greece could not be required to shoulder the burden on its own. More from The New York Times:
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The Libya Gamble: Hillary Clinton, 'Smart Power' and a Dictator's Fall "Do you seriously believe that all the euro states that last year fought all the way to keep Greece in the eurozone, and we were the strictest, can one year later allow Greece to, in a way, plunge into chaos?" she said in an appearance on the public broadcaster ARD.
But Ms. Merkel is under intense political pressure at home over her insistence on welcoming people with legitimate asylum claims, and without much support from other European governments. While officials in Brussels have joined Ms. Merkel in decrying unilateral steps by countries along the migrant trail to limit the flow of people, it is not clear whether European Union leaders can reach some sort of accommodation before spring brings a new surge of migrants and the potential for more violence of the sort that broke out on Monday
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The police used stun grenades and migrants threw stones in the clashes on the frontier with Macedonia, which recently closed its border with Greece to thousands of Afghans after reclassifying them as economic migrants rather than refugees.
That move, which denied Afghans the right to apply for asylum, was effectively a response to an Austrian decision that put a daily cap on the number of people allowed into the country and that left thousands of Afghans with nowhere to go. It also promoted fear among Syrians and Iraqis, who worried that they might also be unable to travel farther north if similar restrictions were imposed. What started as a peaceful protest on Monday by people, mostly Iraqis, who have a legitimate claim on crossing but have been held up some for over a week by the recent intermittent closing of the border on the Macedonian side, quickly escalated to a riot. "It started as a peaceful protest. People were walking on the railway line and ran up to the border singing and chanting, 'Open the border,'" said Gemma Gellie, a member of Doctors Without Borders who works at the migrant camp in Idomeni. When the protesters reached a razor-wire fence on the Macedonian border, they pushed part of it over, prompting the Macedonian police to turn people away violently, and throw tear gas canisters over the border and onto the Greek side.
As we head into Super Tuesday, the biggest day of the presidential primaries, it is unclear which candidate's policies will be best for the private sector, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Tuesday.
"Everything is upside down on a lot of different issues. That's why tonight is so important," Cramer said on "Squawk Box." "I think it's not really clear who is best for business, so to speak."
Analysts say Wall Street expectations are high that businessman Donald Trump will sweep the Republican contests in 11 states, but if any of his more-traditional GOP rivals makes a stronger-than-expected showing Tuesday, the market could get a lift. On the other hand, if front-runner Hillary Clinton looks weaker than expected against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, that could be a negative for stocks.
If the FBI forces Apple to "crack" the iPhone of the San Bernardino, California, killer, Mark Cuban warns modern phone security will largely go out the window.
Companies will have to provide a line-by-line publication of the code used to open the devices to the court, Cuban said, so that defense attorneys couldn't claim that the evidence was placed there or altered. Those codes would immediately become public under current laws, allowing any hacker to implement the code to open a number of devices, Cuban said.
"No one can play whack a mole with code fast enough to keep them out," the owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team wrote in a Tuesday blog post.
Three of the current campaigns include a $2,700 option on their main donation page, according to the campaigns' "main" donation page (some campaigns have different donation landing pages depending on whether you've given before or other factors). That's the max amount an individual can legally give to a campaign in one election cycle. (Of course, thanks to the Citizens United court decision, deep-pocketed donors have any number of workarounds to pump money into the political system.)
You can think of that $2,700 donation as a decoy to make the other amounts seem palatable. A lot of restaurants have one item on their menu that's way more expensive than everything else, but they don't actually expect you to order a $50 steak. It's called the anchor, and it's there to make that $15 bowl of spaghetti look more reasonable.
Ben Carson, whose campaign is on the ropes, has the highest amounts listed on his default donations page. The preset options start at $25 and go to $5,400, which is the total amount a couple can donate. A spokesman for the Carson campaign explained that the totals were determined through a series of A/B testing.
"We adjusted these totals for a number of months but finally landed on this set being the most effective for the largest segment of our donor file," he wrote in an email.
"Unfortunately in this day and age you can't keep it away from the bad guys," Chaffetz told " Squawk Box ."
At issue is a government court order directing the tech giant to help authorities hack the iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terrorists. Last week, Apple filed a motion to vacate, saying creating such a tool would open a Pandora's Box.
Ahead of afternoon testimony before the committee from Apple's top lawyer and the FBI's director, Chaffetz told CNBC: "I'm more in the Apple camp on this one, in saying it's a dangerous precedent for the government to come and dictate that you have to hand ... access to all of your data, in case you commit a crime in the future."
Republican House Judiciary Committee member Jason Chaffetz said Tuesday a smartphone is either "encrypted or it's not."
In a ruling that could help Apple in the San Bernardino case, a federal judge in Brooklyn on Monday said the government cannot force the company to unlock an iPhone in a New York drug case.
"You can't compare your average drug dealer being prosecuted to a case of real, serious terrorism," Tusk Ventures CEO Bradley Tusk told "Squawk Box" in an earlier interview. "The idea that there's absolutes on either side doesn't make any sense."
Tusk, a strategic counselor to tech leaders facing regulatory issues, said there are examples when people are willing to give up some privacy for convenience and security pointing to E-ZPass for highways tolls on the convenience side and airport screening on the security side.
"Apple has no problem using my data everyday to sell me stuff," added Tusk, former campaign manager for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's third run for office.
Apple's general counsel, Bruce Sewell, will argue at the Capitol Hill hearing that creating an unlocking tool would weaken the security of hundreds of millions of Apple devices, according to his prepared statement.
Sewell is set to testify directly after FBI Director James Comey, who told lawmakers last week that creating an unlocking technique would "unlikely" set a legal precedent, and would not be useful for breaking into later generation Apple devices.
"[But] where does this stop, and this is a question for Director Comey as well," Chaffetz said, bringing up technically advanced, electric automaker Tesla as an example. "Are they going to mandate that Tesla provide information so you can go back and track wherever that car has been?"
"What about Facebook ? Are you going to be able to go in and just force Facebook to do certain things and track your whereabouts," said Chaffetz, a four-term Republican congressman from Utah and chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Jetsetters longing for a return to supersonic travel might soon be in luck. The U.S. space agency NASA is pushing for a new passenger jet that looks set to fill the void left by Concorde.
NASA has awarded a $20 million contract to California-based Lockheed Martin for the design of what it calls a "low boom" flight demonstration aircraft.
"NASA is working hard to make flight greener, safer and quieter all while developing aircraft that travel faster, and building an aviation system that operates more efficiently," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a statement released Monday.
"We're continuing that supersonic X-plane legacy with this preliminary design award for a quieter supersonic jet with an aim toward passenger flight," the statement read.
The Lockheed Martin contract is to design a 'low-boom' passenger aircraft that would emit a soft thump rather than huge bang.
Sony is looking to bolster its new Internet of Things (IoT) business by expanding into Europe this year, the company's mobile chief told CNBC, as the Japanese electronics giant seeks out new avenues of growth.
The internet of things refers to devices from thermostats to smartwatches which are all connected to the internet.
Last July, Sony set up an IoT business in Japan which is currently very small, consisting of between 20 to 30 people. It is currently housed under the "mobile communications" segment of the company's earnings.
It is now planning to expand the business to Europe this year as interest in the IoT rises.
"Currently our IoT business group is 20 or 30 people. In Europe we will set up that sort of size at the initial stage and try to expand gradually," Hiroki Totoki, the chief executive of Sony's mobile business, told CNBC last week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
"In 2016, we have to do a lot of trials and a lot of test case(s) we have to develop."
South Africa's tourist businesses are hoping a stream of foreign visitors will keep flowing as the country's economy takes a hit from its plummeting currency, the rand.
Rand, South Africa's currency Rapid Eye | Getty Images
"As long as the foreigners keep coming, we will be alright," said Michelle Brooks, owner of Happy Hippo Backpackers in Durban.
Small businesses like Brooks' firm are spread over South Africa's picturesque landscape and in its city centers, offering cheap accommodation and providing employment to local, underskilled workers.
Travelers can now vacation beachside for as little as $23 (360 rand) a night. That's the price for a single room at Happy Hippo in Durban. The company's options range from dorm rooms with multiple beds to singles.
South Africa's tourism economy has seen revenue fall as a 27 percent drop in the rand has forced businesses to cut back on staff. The currency has suffered because it's closely tied to the value of South African commodity exports such as platinum, iron ore and gold. South Africa supplies 30 percent of the world's platinum, for example. In August 2015, China devalued its yuan, which immediately triggered a slide in the rand. South Africa exports 68 percent of its iron ore to China and Japan. Slowing growth in China and a flat GDP in Japan have deflated demand for South Africa's exports, driving the rand lower. Political instability within South Africa also has hurt the currency.
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So South Africa is pinning its economic hopes on drawing foreign travelers whose native currencies now go much further within the country. The cheap rand "is really good for us as, we can do more and spend less, but I really don't feel good about it when I know that the state of the rand is hurting the locals and their economy," said Aldia Janson, a foreign exchange student from Germany.
The upshot is that the currency exchange rates have encouraged international travelers to spend more and stay longer. However international travelers make up only half of South Africa's tourists the other half are locals. That half has been hit hard. Many have canceled travel plans abroad or cut their local holiday plans short. Cecilia Martens, 25, is the owner of CC's Travel, which specializes in inexpensive tourism. Martens told CNBC that the drop in the rand has stifled, not helped, her company.
"Most of us are hanging in there waiting for the rand to rebound," Martens said. "I am hopeful that 2016 will be a great year for the travel industry and the rand will improve."
And wait she must. The South African tourism sector cannot afford to raise its prices without the risk of pricing out South Africans. "In order to make money, we have to spend money," said Brooks of Happy Hippo Backpackers, "and we're getting very little of it back."
Rampant volatility in the U.S. stock market is showing up in the high-end housing market. But as with all things real estate, the impact depends entirely on location. 2016 started with a severe stock swoon, and that had an outsized impact on homebuyers with a higher net worth. Historically, high-end housing suffers most in a market downturn. "As you go up the income quintile, into the top 10 percent, 5 percent, 1 percent by income, their stock exposure increases," said Sam Khater, chief economist at CoreLogic. "For the typical family, the bulk of their equity is tied up in home equity not stock equity. It's the reverse for high income."
Source: Sam Khater/CoreLogic Khater compared the share of million-dollar home sales to the and found a distinct correlation. While the share of $1 million or more homes is very small, just 1.2 percent of all home sales historically, it can move dramatically depending on stock market gains or losses. From the worst of the financial crisis in 2008 to the peak of the equity markets in May 2015, the share of million dollar and more home sales nearly doubled, according to Khater.
Read More Homeowners and the Super Tuesday vote
"Since its peak in May 2015, the S&P index declined 10 percent as of mid-February. This decline in the S&P index was matched by a 30 basis point or 15 percent decline in the $1 million or more share," Khater said. The correlation, however, is far more acute in certain locations. In New York City and San Francisco, where the local economies are tied most to financial markets, sales of high-end homes have weakened, and supply is rising. That jump in inventory will likely affect prices down the road, as supply outstrips demand. Nationally there was a 9.3-month supply of homes listed at $1 million or above in December 2014, but that increased to 13 months by December 2015, according to CoreLogic. "With more than a year's supply of inventory, prices, for the most part, won't be increasing," Khater said. Read More House flipping: Deja vu all over again
In Washington, D.C., however, the stock effect is far more muted. Government, and the high-priced lawyers and lobbyists that surround it, are a steady denominator.
Spaces Images | Getty Images
"Demand is higher, even though the stock market has gotten in the way and the snowstorm has gotten in the way, but demand is there, people are feeling very good about the economy," said Nancy Taylor Bubes, a 30-year veteran of high-end D.C. real estate and currently an agent with Washington Fine Properties.
She was standing in a $5.75 million listing that received a solid offer in just 10 days. Taylor Bubes, who specializes in the area's high-end neighborhoods, says she has sold six million-dollar-plus listings year to date, three times what she did last year. Her buyers, mostly domestic and local, are not swayed by Wall Street.
"I actually think the stock market is good for my business. I think people are going to really think about divesting a little bit and putting it into something they would really enjoy," Taylor Bubes said.
The official seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is seen on an iPhone's camera screen outside the J. Edgar Hoover headquarters February 23, 2016 in Washington, DC.
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One thing you learn from hanging around cybersecurity professionals, even briefly: Tech and law enforcement work together more closely than most people realize. "I talk to the FBI all the time, actually," said Nico Sell, founder and chairman of encrypted messaging service Wickr. "Not always formally they will be here at my party this week," she said.
It's an interesting admission for someone who says Apple CEO Tim Cook is a "national hero" for standing up to the FBI in the San Bernardino iPhone case. But in the cybersecurity world, this mix of sentiments is not uncommon.
Participants at the RSA Conference in San Francisco the largest annual gathering of security experts were quick to point out the degree to which the industry does work closely with government, both in a general advisory role and in specific cases. "A lot of people from the outside just look at it and say 'why doesn't Apple help the FBI, this is ridiculous,'" said Sell. "Generally they do, but [the FBI's demand] is going too far and really threatens our democracy."
Protesters demonstrate outside the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters building in Washington, DC, February 23, 2016, objecting to the US government attempt to put a backdoor into the Apple I-Phone. Paul J. Richards | AFP | Getty Images
"We certainly support the position of law enforcement and we do comply with legal issues when we need to," said Intel security SVP and GM Chris Young. "But the reality is, we do need to make sure that encryption and strong security are paramount for customers and that's what we are committed to."
It's also something that Apple's attorney Bruce Sewell will emphasize in his opening statement before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. "We have a team of dedicated professionals that are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to assist law enforcement," he said in prepared remarks.
Executives in the security business generally voiced support for Apple's fight against a federal court order that it must develop software to help the FBI hack into San Bernardino killer Syed Farook's iPhone. "We think the real issue in all of this is it's not appropriate for the government to ask any tech company to weaken security in its products," said Young.
"We are not a fan of backdoors," said Marc van Zadelhoff, general manager of IBM Security. "We have been very vigilant across our portfolio and we're watching that case carefully."
Palo Alto Networks CEO and president Mark McLaughlin said both sides have valid arguments on the one hand, impassioned government and law enforcement officials are doing what they believe is the right thing on national security, on the other hand people are legitimately concerned about privacy. McLaughlin, who was appointed to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee in 2011, and as chairman in 2014 by President Barack Obama, expects both sides to be willing to take the case to the Supreme Court if necessary. "Things that are important as a matter of principal are worth fighting for, and both sides in this equation are very principled in what their arguments are," he said.
Cybersecuity executives at RSA, in general, said they were happy that a discussion that often happens behind closed doors is finally happening out in the open.
"I think it's a discussion worth having. It's a good time to have it and I think it's going to be more pertinent as things move forward," said McLaughlin.
"Overall they are good discussions," said Zadelhoff. "These are tough issues and I think we're seeing a good level of discussion out there, on both sides of it."
WeChat commercial promoting it's app. WeChat | YouTube
Tencent would want to hope most WeChat users aren't like Cai Jiami.
The 31-year-old hastily transferred the balance in her WeChat "wallet" roughly 7,000 yuan ($1070) to her personal bank account before the Tencent-backed mobile messaging app could charge her for doing so. "It's not a lot of money but I just don't like to be charged," Jiami, a wedding planner based in China's southwestern Chengdu city, told CNBC. "I have Alipay on my phone, which is free and working well. Why would I waste money on WeChat?" From March 1 WeChat will charge users a fee of 0.1 percent when they transfer money from the app's built-in digital wallet to their personal bank account. According to an announcement by Tencent, the charge will be levied on withdrawals of more than 1,000 yuan ($153), with the minimum fee per transfer set at 0.1 yuan. WeChat also said it would scrap an existing monthly charge on large cash transfers; it currently charges users a 0.1 percent fee on total monthly transfers in excess of 20,000 yuan ($3,058). The new policies are an attempt to cover WeChat's banking costs, as well as to keep users' money in the WeChat Wallet, according to analysts. A new money-spinner for Tencent? China's mobile payment market has boomed in the past few years. Users have not only embraced the e-hongbao trend - exchanging digital red envelopes during Chinese New Year as greetings and gifts to friends and family - but also frequently transfer money or make payments to e-tailers as well as bricks-and-mortar stores by using services such as WeChat Pay.
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About 516 million people made transfers during the recent Chinese New Year holiday, racking up 32.1 billion e-hongbao exchanges, according China's official Xinhua News Agency. More broadly, the latest numbers available for the third quarter of 2015 showed that Chinese transferred 18.2 trillion yuan ($2.8 trillion) via mobile in just three months, according to China Internet Watch, a digital consulting company based in Singapore. But the growing popularity of digital payments has proved costly for Tencent. The company acknowledged in its third-quart 2015 earnings report that it was paying "significant bank handling fees" on the money transfer service WeChat offered to its users largely for free. Tencent did not reveal exactly how much it paid to banks, but the cost negatively impacted the company's gross margin, according to Cynthia Meng, managing director and head of China TMT equity research at Jefferies. "The newly announced charge will in our view help to offset the burden somewhat," Meng told CNBC in an email interview. "[But] we don't believe that withdrawal fee will generate meaningful revenue for Tencent as the charge rate is minimal." Pundits, including the Jefferies analyst, believe the new policy is unlikely to impact WeChat's market share, as most users have less than a few thousand yuan in their WeChat wallet.
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According Tencent's financial report, the number of WeChat monthly active users reached 650 million in the third quarter last year. Tencent data showed that 93 percent of residents in tier-1 cities used the social app, while users in tier-2 and tier-3 cities are expected to grow rapidly in the next few years.
"WeChat users continue to use the payment tool because of convenience, user-friendliness and the scenarios offered within the WeChat Wallet," said Meng. "In our view, this will not change." That said, there are other factors that could make expanding its payment system more difficult for WeChat - increasingly fierce competition for the same digital transactions. The intensifying mobile war in China Tech giants salivate over China's online and mobile payment market, which is big and growing rapidly; That 18.2 trillion yuan worth of mobile transactions undertaken in Q3 represented a year-on-year surge of 195 percent, according to China Internet Watch. Growth is likely to be further fueled by the increasing numbers of Chinese buying smartphones. As it is, China makes up about 30 percent of the global smartphone market and the Chinese smartphone users is expected to jump from 519 million in 2014 to 704 million by 2018.
WeChat Wallet's biggest rival, Alibaba-backed Alipay, dominates the mobile payment industry with 400 million registered users and about 70 percent of China's third-party mobile payments. Wechat Pay is ranked the second, with a 19.2 percent market share.
In a sign of the heated rivalry, Alibaba does not allow the use of WeChat pay on its giant online sales sites, Taobao and T-mall, and Tencent does not allow Alipay to be used on the sites it backs. After Tencent's announcement, Alipay said it would not follow suit to charge users for withdrawing cash. But the market is getting increasingly crowded. Apple and Samsung are both trying to break into China's mobile payment sector with partnerships with UnionPay, China's main bank card and payment firm; Apple Pay was launched in China on February 18 and Samsung Pay is expected to join the fray soon. Unlike WeChat Pay and Alipay, which require users to scan QR codes generated by their apps in order to buy in an off-line store, Apple Pay users can complete purchases in shops via near-field communication (NFC) terminals, making it faster and more efficient than its domestic rivals. "One word to describe the Apple Pay experience fast," said Michael Lyu, a young professional based in Shenzhen. "I don't have to be directed to another app or page to pay, I don't have to type in the password, I don't even need a cellular or Wi-Fi network to pay."
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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.
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Southeast Asia and, Malaysia in particular, is at serious risk of an attack by the so-called Islamic State terrorist group, a leading political consultant warned on Tuesday.
"It is far from clear where, outside its 'heartland', Islamic State (IS) will strike next. But strike it will. And one region which appears to be at serious risk is Southeast Asia," Alastair Newton, head of Alavan Business Advisory and former political analyst at Nomura, said in a report on Tuesday.
In January, ISIS also known by the acronyms IS or ISIL launched its first successful attack in Southeast Asia, killing four civilians in a strike on Jakarta in Indonesia. This followed coordinated attacks in Paris in November, highlighting the increasing global clout of the Islamist extremist group. "We have already seen one admittedly badly executed attack in Jakarta; and security warnings from the Australian and British government about the terrorist threat in Malaysia should be taken seriously," Newton said. Like neighboring Indonesia, Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim nation from which an increasing number of people have left to join ISIS in Syria in recent months or expressed pro-ISIS views on social media. Last month, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office upgraded its stance on the terrorism threat in Malaysia to high and advised against non-essential travel to all islands off the eastern coast of Sabah in Borneo. In addition, the Australian government warned that terrorists could be planning an attack on the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.
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Matthew Henman, the head of IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre, told CNBC on Tuesday that both Malaysia and the nearby Philippines were in focus for signs of ISIS activity. "Southeast Asia particularly the Philippines and Malaysia and areas of West Africa bordering Nigeria are countries we are watching closely for indications of Islamic State operational activity. Beyond that, an official Islamic State attack in Western Europe, particularly Belgium, Germany, U.K., Netherlands, and Italy (following on from Paris), is very much on our radar currently," he said. It is unclear though whether the Southeast Asia region is a major point of interest for ISIS, whose core base is in Syria and Iraq. "There is no evidence that Southeast Asia features prominently in the strategic calculus of the ISIS leadership in Raqqa," Joseph Chinyong Liow, a senior fellow at the Brookings Center for East Asia Policy Studies, said in article in February. What's not in doubt is that ISIS's attack strategy is globalizing.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. JTB Photo | UIG | Getty Images
Andrew Fish (left), executive director of Cayuga Strategic Solutions, in October 2015 stood with Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, at the organizations office in Syracuse as they outlined the Central New York regional economic-development councils (CNYREDC) plan for Gov. Cuomos business competition. Both Simpson and Fish are members of the CNYREDC. CenterState CEO on Thursday said Fish will join the organization on April 4 as senior VP of business development. (Eric Reinhardt / BJNN file photo)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. Andrew Fish, executive director of Cayuga Strategic Solutions, is leaving the organization to become senior VP of business development at CenterState CEO.
Cayuga Strategic Solutions is a joint venture of the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce and Cayuga Economic Development Agency (CEDA), as described in a news release CenterState CEO issued.
Syracusebased CenterState CEO is the regions primary economic-development organization, representing 2,000 companies of all sizes in a 12-county region.
Fishs first day at CenterState CEO is April 4. He will assist the transition at both organizations until that time, according to CenterState CEO.
Fish said he is deeply grateful for the opportunity hes had to work with the businesses and leaders of Cayuga County over the past six and a half years.
The success of the Chamber, CEDA, and the partnerships with the county, city, and IDAs have allowed us to influence tremendous growth and development in our community. I am extremely excited about the opportunity to join such an effective and impactful organization as CenterState CEO, as it allows me to continue the work I am passionate about: supporting growth and making a difference in our region. Cayuga County will continue to be my home and where my heart lies, and I look forward to serving all of Central New York because a strong economy in the region benefits us all, Fish said in the release.
IDA is short for industrial-development agency.
We are thrilled to have Andrew join our organization with his ideas, passion and incredible work ethic, Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, said in the release.
In his new capacity, Fish will lead a team of professionals who work at having a positive impact on the prosperity of the region, including Cayuga County, the organization contended.
The CenterState CEO business-development team provides economic-development support and business resources that include advocacy, visibility, cost savings, export assistance, employee development, and connections to nearly 2,000 members, the organization said.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
As'ad's Bio
As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.
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(l to r) D'quevion Brown, Derrick Gardner, Marchello Gardner and Johnathan Smith
By Yolanda Jones of The Commercial Appeal
Four men accused of fatally shooting a man last month near Parkway Village have been extradited from Mississippi to Memphis.
Dquevion Brown, 22; Derrick Gardner, 19; Marchello Gardner, 19; and Johnathan Smith, 22, have been charged with first-degree murder in perpetration of attempted robbery in the death of Bertram Thompson.
Police said on Feb. 4, Thompson , 29, was found in the middle of Outland Road near Winchester. A motorist called police to report seeing a body in the roadway.
The suspects were arrested in Sunflower County, Mississippi last week.
On The Docket Whether it's a verdict or a hearing, it's On The Docket SHARE
By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal
Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan sentenced a 33-year-old Memphis man to 20 years in prison Tuesday for the aggravated sexual battery of a 12-year-old girl.
Gregory Woods pleaded guilty to the sexual battery, which occurred between August 2010 and July 2011, said Assistant District Attorney Lora Fowler. The victim gave birth to a baby later determined to be Woods'.
In addition to the prison sentence, Woods will have community supervision for life and must register as a sex offender.
SHARE Medical device maker Medtronic's logo reflects in the pond in front of the corporate headquarters Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010 in Fridley, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
By Kevin McKenzie of The Commercial Appeal
A 5 percent decline in third-quarter revenue for Medtronic's Memphis-based spine business triggered questions Tuesday about the medical device maker's plans to turn the numbers around.
"Well, obviously underperformance is not acceptable," Omar Ishrak, chief executive officer of the Dublin, Ireland-based company told analysts. "The thing is the market is still a very attractive market for us and we've got core expertise and we've got to get this thing fixed."
Worldwide revenue for Medtronic's spine business declined to $704 million for the three months ended Jan. 29 from $740 million a year ago. Within the United States, revenue slid to $506 million from $522 million, Medtronic reported.
A double-digit increase in its bone-growth products revenue in the U.S. was erased by the decline in core spine products revenue, the company reported.
Medtronic Spine employs about 5,600 people worldwide, including about 1,300 in Memphis, many in well-paying advanced manufacturing and professional jobs.
David Roman, an analyst with Goldman Sachs, said during an earnings conference call with Medtronic executives that the company has offered several iterations of a turnaround plan for its spine business over the last year or so.
"What signpost are you watching to identify whether you have the right strategy in spine and how long are you willing to let this business underperform?" Roman asked.
Earlier during the call, Ishrak said the company's primary focus is growing its market share through "speed to scale" product launches that will provide "a steady cadence" of new products available for the entire market.
The new products will be combined with technologies, biologics and targeted physician training, he said.
In response to the analyst's question, Ishrak added that the company found that it was launching new products in a "completely suboptimal" way. Its plans to boost sales by linking other elements of its Restorative Therapies Group, which includes spine and surgical technologies, also lacked specific targets, he said.
"We made changes in the field level, we made changes in the overall leadership level and we're looking at this thing closely on a quarter-by-quarter basis and we expect to see improvement," Ishrak said.
Later in the call, Geoffrey Martha, executive vice president in charge of the Restorative Therapies Group, offered more details, such as the company hiring "enabling technology consultants" to help physicians with navigated spine procedures using the company's navigation and imaging technology.
The spine business dramatically helps Medtronic's growing surgical technology business, he said.
"Without spine we wouldn't have that type of growth," Martha said.
He anticipates returning to growth for the company's spine business next quarter and a "continued steady cadence of improvement," he said.
Medtronic, formerly based in Minnesota, acquired Dublin-based Covidien in a $50 billion deal completed in January 2015.
SHARE Jim Strickland
By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland confirmed Monday that the city is using cell phone eavesdropping technology with court approval, but said he couldn't discuss specifics.
Strickland said while campaigning last year that he would be transparent about the city's use of the "cell-site simulator" device known as StingRay, which lets law enforcement gather information from any phones that connect to a cellular network.
But as mayor, he said, he's legally bound to silence by the terms of the city's contract with Florida-based Harris Corporation.
"As a candidate for mayor, I did not know the legal restrictions that were in the Harris contract that my predecessor signed," he said. "But now, as mayor, I'm bound by those restrictions, and I cannot talk about how the cell-site simulators are used."
Strickland said he didn't think his silence on the details means he broke his promise.
"I've been more open about this issue than my predecessor was, but there are restrictions that I have and I just can't break the law," he said.
The American Civil Liberties Union has argued that the public has no way of knowing which agencies are using the devices or what happens to the information gathered.
Strickland wouldn't talk about what happens to information that's collected. He said he doesn't know which court reviews Memphis Police's requests for cell-site simulators or if they are commonly used.
"It's an important crime-fighting tool," he said.
The federal government including the Memphis FBI field office and counter-terrorism agencies also use the technology.
The city signed two contracts with Harris, which sells the StingRay devices: The first, signed in January 2013, was for "software maintenance support" and cost $119,500; and the second, signed in July 2015, was for three undisclosed items costing a total of $82,500.
Asked whether the Fourth Amendment against unreasonable searches and seizures trumps the wording of the Harris contract, Strickland said he was following the law as his administration understood it.
"I'm not a Fourth Amendment lawyer," he said.
But would he have signed the contract if he'd been mayor? "I don't know. I'd have to really review that more," he said.
Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal February 4, 2015 - Former Shelby County Commissioner Walter Bailey (left) and Commission Chairman Terry Roland are both trying to get referendums on the next ballot. Terry Roland that would put a referendum on the ballot to remove the residency requirement for Shelby County employees and Walter Bailey has proposed a referendum that would remove term limits for the commission.
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By Linda A. Moore of The Commercial Appeal
The Shelby County Commission's general government committee Wednesday will deliberate residency rules for the nearly 20,000 people who work for the county and its schools while considering a proposal that would put the elimination of residency requirements on an upcoming ballot.
That ordinance joins a proposed referendum that would end term limits for the commission, county mayor, assessor of property, county clerk, register, sheriff and trustee. Voters had settled both issues years ago.
The residency referendum ordinance is sponsored by commission chairman Terry Roland.
Roland has long opposed residency requirements for county workers and has pushed before to have them removed. He's even threatened that with Shelby County being the only county in the state with residency mandates he could ask the Tennessee General Assembly to pass legislation outlawing them.
He sponsored a similar referendum ordinance that failed in 2014. This time he's asking on behalf of the school system.
"All I'm doing is giving the people a right to vote on it," Roland said. "And the reason why I'm doing it is because the schools are losing all the good teachers because municipal schools don't have a residency requirement."
SCS board member Kevin Woods, acting at the direction of the school system's administration, brought the request to Roland and the commission.
Shelby County funds SCS, schools taken over by the state's Achievement School District, charter schools and the six suburban municipal school districts, but only SCS is hamstrung in its hiring by a residency requirement, Woods said.
"Obviously, nobody wants to see an erosion of our tax base with employees deciding to live outside the county," Woods said.
There is a problem when the county funds all the systems, but only requires employees with one system to live within its municipal borders, he said.
"We want parity across the board. We should be able to compete equally with the other school systems," Woods said. "We're all competing for great teachers and the question is how do we level that playing field."
Voters approved residency requirements for county employees in 1984 and they went into effect in 1986.
The former Memphis City Schools allowed employees to live outside the county and when that system merged with SCS, the commission agreed after extensive debate that the 1,400 workers who were not county residents would not be required to move.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Walter Bailey is sponsoring an ordinance that would put on the ballot a referendum to abolish the county's term limit requirements for some elected officials.
Bailey was first elected to the former Quarterly Court in 1971 and remained when the County Commission was created in the mid-1970s.
In a 1994 referendum, 81 percent of county voters supported a charter amendment that limited elected officials to two terms.
Bailey, and former commissioners Julian Bolton and the late Cleo Kirk, challenged the amendment in court and a Tennessee Supreme Court ruling in 2006 upheld the law.
Bailey sat out a term and was re-elected in 2010.
He's now in his second term since the term limit ruling and has claimed the support of some high-ranking county Republicans and Democrats to bring the issue back to the voters, who lose valuable continuity when elected officials are forced to leave.
"I think the voters would be thoroughly enriched in terms of institutional knowledge by abolishing term limits," Bailey said.
Both ordinances must be voted on three times in committee and by the full commission and must receive nine votes to pass.
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September 25, 2015 - Linda-Marie Goetze (right), officer, Shelby County Election Commission, waits patiently outside a doorway of an early voting precinct, Dave Wells Community Center, for voters as Mary Wilkins (second from left) ponders a decision at a voting booth in North Memphis Friday. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal)
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By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal
In a back room at Pyro's Fire Fresh Pizza in East Memphis, with the ovens' heat radiating through the thin walls, Republican presidential delegates tried to woo the Hispanic Republican Alliance.
The Thursday night meeting was a chance for voters to learn more about state Republicans' little-understood process for selecting delegates. But delegates also stumped for their candidates, revealing how a contentious campaign that has included 10 debates has trickled down to local politics.
"We all want to undo what the federal government has become, really over the last 24 years," said business owner Jim Walker, a delegate for retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
In Tennessee, Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are on the ballot, but only Republican delegates are on the ballot, and will represent the state when they cast votes for their candidate at the Republican convention in July. Each Republican voter can choose 14 at-large delegates, who are either committed to a candidate or uncommitted, and three congressional delegates. Another 14 delegates are chosen by the state party's executive committee, and another three are chosen by the Republican National Committee.
The 75 Democratic delegates will be chosen in county and congressional conventions later in March, and appointed by the state party executive committee in April. They will also vote at their convention in July.
In front of a wall lined with pizza boxes, the delegates introduced themselves to the room of about 25 people, which was split closely between delegates and attendees. Delegates also answered questions about issues that especially affect Hispanic voters, including immigration.
Activist Mick Wright said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will rein in the use of eminent domain; Walker said Carson will be the "first true African American president"; Justin Joy, former Shelby County party chairman, said Ohio Gov. John Kasich has the legislative and executive experience to put ideas into action; activist Arnold Weiner said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was the "Ronald Reagan of 2016"; and real estate agent Nathan "Nate" Mitchell said celebrity businessman Donald Trump would be "the person who fires people."
Mitchell, a first-time delegate, defended Trump's views about immigration, which include building a wall at the Mexico border and mass deportation of immigrants. He said Trump will use a phased approach to deportation, targeting criminals first, and pointed out that Trump won the Hispanic Republican vote in the Nevada caucuses.
After the event, Mitchell was asked if he was bothered by some of the more caustic personal attacks Trump has launched.
"People are so angry at the dysfunction, they don't care about the rhetoric," he said.
Mass deportation was panned by the other delegates, and Cuban-American attendee Juan Kindelan strongly condemned the idea that the U.S. could deport 14 million people.
"There won't be a house built, a lawn cut," he said.
He added that the U.S. shouldn't "build walls" to solve the problem of immigration.
Weiner said he expects Rubio to appeal to people who, like him, are of Cuban descent, although the same goes for Cruz. But Rubio has something even stronger going for him: "They're going to view Marco as the most attractive candidate," Weiner said.
Cruz's background would help him represent immigrant citizens, said Wright, who is also a first-time delegate.
"Ted was raised to know the value of freedom, and what the country offers to all people," he said.
Joy said Kasich has represented a cross-section of America in Ohio, and has the experience to know whether ideas like mass deportation will work. And in that case, he said, mass deportation isn't feasible.
Voting in the Tennessee primaries
When: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Find your precinct at shelbyvote.com.
Whos on the ballot: Of the 14 Republicans on the ballot, only five are still running: retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and businessman Donald Trump. Of the three Democratic candidates, only former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are still running. Republican delegates are also on the ballot.
At stake: Tennessee has 58 Republican delegates and 75 Democratic delegates, awarded proportionally instead of the winner taking all. Democratic delegates will be selected at county conventions March 5, congressional district conventions March 19, and by state party leaders April 9.
Whats next: Delegates will cast votes for their candidates at conventions in July, Republicans in Ohio and Democrats in Pennsylvania. The two parties candidates will face off Nov. 8.
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Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell
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By Jody Callahan and David Royer of The Commercial Appeal
Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell declared his candidacy for Congress at a Republican dinner in Jackson, Tennessee, Monday night.
Luttrell, 68, had been contemplating a bid for the 8th District, which is being vacated by U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher. He announced his intentions to run at the Madison County Republican Party's Reagan Day dinner, held at Union University, Luttrell confirmed to The Commercial Appeal Monday night.
"I'm a product of the 8th District. I was born in rural West Tennessee," he said by phone shortly after the announcement. "My roots are pretty deep."
Luttrell joins a crowded field jostling to replace Fincher, who has served three terms but announced on Feb. 1 that he would not seek a fourth.
Luttrell makes at least the eighth Republican in the race or interested in running, including Jackson businessman and political consultant Brad Greer; state Sen. Brian Kelsey; former U.S. Attorney David Kustoff; Shelby County Register of Deeds Tom Leatherwood; Shelby County Commissioner Steve Basar; Memphis radiologist George Flinn; and Fayette County corrections officer Ken Atkins. Two Memphis-area Democrats have also expressed interest: Michael McCusker and David Vinciarelli.
Asked about the possibility that Shelby County's vote could be split among a crowded field, Luttrell said his understanding of both rural and urban issues made him unique among candidates.
Luttrell said he filed with the Federal Election Commission Monday and will file with the state later.
The primary elections are Aug. 4, and the general election is Nov. 8. The district covers a wide swath of West Tennessee, both rural and urban. It includes Jackson, Brownsville, Dyerburg and parts of Memphis, including portions of Millington, Bartlett, Cordova and Germantown.
Luttrell was elected to his second four-year term as county mayor in 2014. County term limits mean he cannot seek the seat again.
If he were to win the 8th District, Luttrell said, the county's charter states that the chairman of the County Commission would serve for the first 45 days after his resignation. Terry Roland is currently the commission's chairman. The commission would then select a replacement who would serve as mayor until the next election.
March 1, 2016 - Polling Judge George Keistler tears voting stickers off a roll as Memphians start lining up at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church to cast their Super Tuesday ballot. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)
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UPDATE Voters in the Memphis area are facing long lines in today's Super Tuesday primary ahead of the polls' 7 p.m. closing time.
At Altruria Elementary in Bartlett, voters have been told the process will take them about an hour. There are three machines at the precinct.
At Hope Presbyterian Church on Walnut Grove, voters say the process is taking about 50 minutes. The lines snaked around a lobby area outside the polling place.
"This is probably the longest I've ever had to wait," said Tammy Patrick, who said it normally takes about 20 minutes.
Lines were long throughout the day, election officials said, forcing them to dispatch an additional 81 voting machines to various locations across Shelby County.
"I think its a combination of three things: voter interest, the length of the Republican ballot because they had to pick delegates and the fact that the election commission may not have properly anticipated the number of voters at some precincts," said Robert Meyers, election commission chairman.
The release of early voting results will be delayed about an hour, allowing those still in line at various precincts to vote, Meyers said.
By 7 p.m., when polls are supposed to close, some precincts had as many as 50 or 60 people still in line, he said.
- Linda A. Moore
A power outage is slowing down the process at Glenview Community Center in South Memphis, near Midtown.
Poll workers are filling out some forms by hand in the dark, but lines are moving. The polling machines are on backup power.
Machines at two precincts were not working early Tuesday morning, but the problems have since been fixed, Shelby County Election Commission officials said.
The problems occurred at precincts at Chimney Rock Elementary and Winchester Elementary around 7:25 a.m.
VOTING DETAILS
When: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Find your precinct at shelbyvote.com.
Whos on the ballot: Of the 14 Republicans on the ballot, only five are still running: retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and businessman Donald Trump. Of the three Democratic candidates, only former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are still running. Republican delegates are also on the ballot.
At stake: Tennessee has 58 Republican delegates and 75 Democratic delegates, awarded proportionally instead of the winner taking all. Democratic delegates will be selected at county conventions March 5, congressional district conventions March 19, and by state party leaders April 9.
Whats next: Delegates will cast votes for their candidates at conventions in July, Republicans in Ohio and Democrats in Pennsylvania. The two parties candidates will face off Nov. 8.
LaTasha Dyer, center, encourages lawmakers to pass "MaKayla's Law" to penalize adults who leave their loaded and unlocked guns accessible to children under age 13. Her daughter, MaKayla, 8, was shot to death by an 11-year-old neighbor last October in Jefferson County. Dyer is joined by state Sen. Sara Kyle, D-Memphis, left, and Beth Joslin Roth of Safe Tennessee Project. Kyle is sponsoring the bill. (Richard Locker/The Commercial Appeal)
By Richard Locker of The Commercial Appeal
NASHVILLE LaTasha Dyer, mother of an 8-year-old girl shot to death by an 11-year-old neighbor last October in Jefferson County, urged state lawmakers Tuesday to pass a bill to penalize adult gun owners who leave loaded guns unlocked and accessible if children under age 13 get them.
But the National Rifle Association's lobbyist, Erin Luper, told the Senate Judiciary Committee the NRA believes it's a gun owner's responsibility to safely store firearms and that the state shouldn't impose a requirement on them with a criminal law.
The NRA's opposition set off a round of questioning in the committee, despite the testimony of a Middle Tennessee district attorney that existing reckless endangerment laws are difficult to prosecute in such cases. After the NRA's opposition, Sen. Sara Kyle, D-Memphis, the bill's sponsor, postponed further discussion in the committee for two weeks.
Moments earlier, LaTasha Dyer had spoken softly to the panel about the Oct. 3 shooting death of her daughter. "As a mom, I never thought I would outlive one of my children but last year my 8-year old daughter Makayla Dyer was killed by our neighbor. She wouldn't show him our puppy. Our family is devastated by this avoidable tragedy," she said in support of the bill named MaKayla's Law after her daughter.
"If the gun had been simply locked away and not loaded, Makayla would still be here," Dyer said. "We are so pleased that today state lawmakers are working to keep guns out of the hands of children. Please help me make sure MaKayla's horrible fate isn't shared by one more child. Support Tennessee lawmakers working to strengthen child-access prevention laws to make gun owners store their firearms safely."
Dyer said she would return to Nashville in two weeks to work again for the bill's passage but she may face an uphill battle in a committee with a 7-2 Republican majority, given the NRA's opposition.
Makayla was killed near her home in White Pine, Tennessee, east of Knoxville. A Jefferson County Juvenile Court judge found Benny Tiller, 11, delinquent by reason of first-degree murder in her death and ordered him held in state custody until age 19. No one else has been charged.
Jefferson County authorities say Makayla was killed by a shotgun blast to her chest after the boy got his father's 12-gauge shotgun in their home and fired it through a window. She was standing outside with two other girls who were not hit.
LaTasha Dyer was previously identified by advocates of the bill as Tasha Patterson, but she told reporters her name is LaTasha Dyer.
She was joined by Kyle, who is sponsoring Senate Bill 2294, and Beth Joslin Roth, head of Safe Tennessee Project.
The bill would make it a violation for an adult gun owner to "recklessly place, leave or store in plain view and readily accessible to a child under 13" a gun "if the gun is left unattended," not under the owner's control and either contains ammunition or ammunition is in the immediate vicinity unless the gun has a trigger lock or similar device or is in a locked container or cabinet accessible only by the owner or the owner's spouse.
A violation would be a Class A misdemeanor under the Tennessee criminal code if a child under 13 gets the gun under the above circumstances but does not fire it or permit another to fire it; a Class E felony if the child fires the gun or permits another to fire it and the discharge causes bodily injury to the child or another person; or a Class C felony if the discharge results in the death of the child or another person.
If approved, the law could not apply retroactively to MaKayla's case or any other incident that occurred before its effective date.
Twenty-seven states have passed similar laws.
SHARE Rudolph Vetter/The Commercial Appeal Among entries in the Oak Grove Hunt Club Schooling Show on March 2, 1952, at Germantown will be Mrs. Bart Mueller (right) and Miss Jean Sanders. The event will take place at Mimosa, home of Miss Sanders parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edward H. Sanders.
March 1
25 years ago: 1991
WASHINGTON With guns silent in the Persian Gulf, Iraq Thursday accepted President Bush's terms for a meeting of military commanders to discuss a full cease-fire. The Iraqi decision, announced by Bush, fanned hopes for a quick release of U.S. prisoners of war and a formal end to the Persian Gulf War. "We are going to get back our POWs and we're going to do it fast," Bush declared, one day after he announced a conditional truce. But the United States warned that allied forces would not withdraw from Iraq until it had at least started carrying out the full terms for ending the war.
50 years ago: 1966
A building will go up on Court between Manassas and Orleans as an outward symbol of religions moving closer together in a co-operative ministry in Memphis. Protestants, Catholics and Jews will worship in the building, which will be a part of the University of Tennessee Medical Units and the Memphis Medical Center. Campus chaplains began working together almost three years ago to form a united University Interfaith Association. The five-member board of trustees who will work with the chaplains represent the Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic and Jewish faiths.
75 years ago: 1941
The morning mail yesterday brought to the Claridge a package containing a towel on which was a piece of wrapping paper bearing this message: "In 1926 I stole this towel from your hotel. I was not a Christian then. I have since become one. I hope you will forgive me for my sin." There was no signature.
100 years ago: 1916
"Cotton Bolls and Wedding Bells," the successful film play produced last spring by the Memphis Business Men's Club, will return after a triumphant tour through many states.
125 years ago: 1891
Lent has checked the issuance of marriage licenses but the grind of the divorce mill knows no ceasing. Mrs. Annie R. Loft, finding the treatment she has been receiving at her husband's hands more than she can bear, filed a petition yesterday in Circuit Court.
March 1, 2016 - First grade teacher Deana Jeffries gives patriotic hats to students as they enter the Media Room to vote for their favorite presidential candidate on Super Tuesday at Downtown Elementary School in Memphis. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal)
SHARE March 1, 2016 - From left, first grade student Tia Frank, 6, looks at her voter card as she stands in line to vote with classmates Avery Smith, 7, Artia Driver, 7, and Shaniya Freeman, 6, on Super Tuesday at Downtown Elementary School in Memphis. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) March 1, 2016 - First grade teacher Gladys Galloway helps first grade students vote for their favorite candidate in the Media Room during a mock primary election on Super Tuesday at Downtown Elementary School in Memphis. The event was to encourage parents to vote in the actual primary election. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal)
By Jennifer Pignolet of The Commercial Appeal
Payton James voted for Hillary Clinton "because she's going to give homeless people homes." Alexander Molinelli also took a shine to the former Secretary of State and First Lady, but for a slightly different reason.
"She's gonna be a great girlfriend," the 6-year-old first-grader said. A quick clarification from his classmate, and Molinelli corrected himself. "I think she's gonna be a great president."
Just like in the real primary elections taking place Tuesday across nine states, including Tennessee, it didn't matter why the students at Downtown Elementary voted for their candidate. It was an exercise in process and the importance of voting.
The school held its first mock primary election for students Tuesday morning, filtering all 560 students wearing plastic American flag-patterned hats through the library to present their registration cards, choose their party and vote electronically on computer screens.
The school leaned Democratic as a whole, and Clinton was by far the favorite with 331 votes, 82 percent of the total who voted Democrat. Donald Trump won on the Republican side but with just 68 votes, four fewer than Bernie Sanders, who earned 18 percent of the Democratic vote. Trump, who cracked 50 percent of the Republican vote, was followed by Marco Rubio with 31 percent and Ted Cruz with 18 percent.
Principal Yolanda Martin said the hope is the exercise will have a ripple effect beyond her students.
"We're hoping that by their children being excited about things that perhaps the parents will be more encouraged to exercise their rights," she said. "Because a lot of times people think, 'Well, my vote's not that important or it really doesn't matter.' But it does matter."
First-grade teacher Gladys Galloway came up with the idea for a mock election after her students started asking her questions about the president.
"They had so many questions about what the president does and where the president lives," Galloway said. "So we took on a writing assignment. If you were the president, think about what's wrong with this world, what do we need? It just took off."
They started researching who is running and their platforms, and let the students decide what was important to them.
"It's their voice, so we're letting them use their voices," Galloway said. "And we're not persuading them one way or the other. We're just giving them information and we're just allowing them to vote."
Nathan Chambers, who called Ted Cruz "boring," said he voted for Trump "because I want him to be president."
Tia Frank was more keen on the junior senator from Texas although she pronounced his name Ted Cruzz, rhyming with buzz because I want to be like him.
Aspiring to be just like a candidate also resonated with Autumn Hester, who voted for Clinton.
"Because I want to be her."
SHARE 031512------E15BILLS------ August 15, 2011 - Tennessee Commissioner of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security Bill Gibbons. (Dave Darnell / The Commercial Appeal)
By Bill Gibbons, Special to Viewpoint
Since 2011, I've had the privilege of heading the Governor's Public Safety Subcabinet. It has given me a unique opportunity to work at the state level on many of the issues I faced as district attorney general in Shelby County.
The Public Safety Subcabinet is a collaborative group consisting of the commissioners and directors of 11 departments and agencies of the executive branch of state government. In 2012, we began a team effort to implement a Public Safety Action Plan for Gov. Bill Haslam.
Of the 43 steps in this first plan, 83 percent have been accomplished. Examples include:
More effective monitoring of pseudoephedrine sales and limitations on the amount that can be purchased to reduce the production of meth.
Mandatory incarceration for repeat domestic violence offenders.
Creation of a real-time database for prescribing and dispensing prescription narcotics.
Tougher sentences for certain gang-related crimes.
Effective data-driven enforcement efforts by state troopers to reduce traffic fatalities and severe crashes.
An increase in drug-addicted offenders participating in drug treatment court programs.
The opening of additional family safety centers to better serve the needs of domestic violence victims, including the one in Memphis.
Since implementation of the first plan, we have seen encouraging trends. Overall reported crimes in Tennessee have steadily dropped for the past five years. More specifically, major property crimes and reported domestic violence offenses have declined every year since 2010. Meth lab seizures have dropped from more than 2,000 in 2010 to fewer than 600 in 2015. The amount of prescription narcotics dispensed to Tennesseans has declined for three years in a row.
Yet, many challenges remain. Major violent crime has remained fairly steady. Domestic violence still makes up half of all reported crimes against people. Heroin-related arrests have skyrocketed. We have a repeat-offender rate that is far too high.
On Jan. 14, the governor came to Memphis to announce a new Public Safety Action Plan. It includes a number of recommendations by the Governor's Sentencing and Recidivism Task Force. (Eight of the task force's 27 members were from Shelby County.) This new three-year plan focuses on:
Changes in the sentencing structure to achieve smarter use of prison beds for serious offenders and more effective alternatives for other offenders.
Prevention and intervention methods to reduce the number of offenders and repeat offenders.
Greater assistance to victims of crimes.
An emphasis on homeland security to help ensure the safety of our state and its citizens.
Actions to increase access to reliable data and information to help in future decision making.
This will be the Haslam administration's road map for the next three years to improve public safety. The governor has made a number of legislative proposals this year to advance the new plan.
The Public Safety Act calls for tougher sentences to deal with repeat domestic violence offenders, drug traffickers and home burglars. At the same time, it calls for effective alternatives to prison for those who have violated conditions of probation or parole short of committing another crime. It also includes steps to make it easier for victims of domestic violence to obtain orders of protection.
Passage of the Prescription Safety Act is critical to maintaining the controlled-substance monitoring database, which doctors and pharmacists must check before prescribing and dispensing narcotics.
As part of the plan, the governor's proposed budget includes $1.3 million in additional drug treatment court funding.
We look forward to implementing this second Public Safety Action Plan by working with our partners across the state, including a close working partnership with those involved in the local Operation: Safe Community.
Bill Gibbons is commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
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By Francis Wilkinson
Admittedly, the Republican Party has difficulty arriving at a consensus these days. But conservatives are getting pretty close to one on the matter of who bears responsibility for the party's riotous Donald Trump fiasco. They have met the enemy, and, sure enough, it's them.
"The Republican Party created Donald Trump," said former RedState blogger Erick Erickson, "because they made a lot of promises to their base and never kept them."
Veteran activist L. Brent Bozell III was all over that argument back in April 2015. "Republicans promised conservatives the moon in 2014 and have given us the shaft throughout 2015," Bozell wrote.
Ratcheting up the culpability, the conservative Washington Times wrote that Republican leaders not only "made promises they couldn't keep," but that they "had no intention of trying to keep."
That's a tough charge, but Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, copped to it at a Republican debate in September, saying, "I'm tired of telling people things they want to hear that I know we can't do."
Repeal President Obama's health care plan. Ban abortions after 20 weeks. Overturn presidential executive actions on immigration. Cut spending on Democratic constituencies. It turns out that Republicans oversold and underdelivered.
Given the sunny trajectory of Trump's new career, the GOP's realization might be too late. But at least the lesson has been learned.
Just kidding.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is the party's last best O.K., only hope to arrest Trump's ascension to top of the jungle gym and salvage Republican orthodoxy. Rubio has lost four consecutive GOP contests, suggesting sizable pockets of resistance within the Republican base. It might be worthwhile to review his campaign in light of the party's recent confessions.
Rubio has promised to "repeal and replace" Obamacare so many times that he could be excused for believing it's already gone. He attacked Trump last week for having no real plan for health care. But as Paul Waldman pointed out in The Washington Post, Rubio's own "plan" is simply a reprint of an op-ed essay espousing three main principles. Obamacare isn't really a law at this point anyway. It's the de facto health care system of the U.S.
Rubio is essentially promising to repeal "War and Peace" on his first day in office and replace it with a couple of paragraphs in which Napoleon is defeated faster and better and without pre-existing conditions.
Likewise, Rubio has promised to cancel the Obama administration's "ridiculous deal" on Iran's nuclear program and "reimpose sanctions on Day One" of his presidency. This fits with the Rubio rigmarole about Obama knowing "exactly what he's doing" as the president pursues what the Florida senator characterizes as a lifelong dream of weakening the U.S.
But sanctions on Iran were multilateral, and indeed must be to have bite. Rubio has no power to force Europeans to reimpose sanctions they were delighted to lift. And his capacity to reformulate a deal to which the U.S. is but one of several parties is at best highly speculative. Maybe Rubio has Trumpian negotiating skills and a secret plan. If not, he's offering how did Bozell phrase it? Ah, yes, "the moon."
Rubio has variously promised to end Obama's executive actions protecting undocumented immigrants, eliminate federal funding for sanctuary cities, win the war on Islamic State and pass a tax plan that "treats everyone on an even playing field," which suggests he is contemplating a plan other than the one he has actually proposed, which heavily frontloads benefits to the very wealthiest.
Every candidate makes some promises that won't, or can't, be kept. It's the nature of a sketchy business. Rubio has taken to calling Trump a "con man" on the stump and it's hard to dispute the label. While Rubio offers dubious promises, boldly stated, Trump suffices with an occasional tweet and an assurance that everything's gonna be great.
It's unclear why a Republican electorate that is purportedly feeling burned by empty promises should turn its lonely eyes to such an obvious deception. Maybe the analysts are wrong. Maybe what Republican voters want are promises even more extravagantly bankrupt than what they're accustomed to. Rubio's problem in that case is that he remains slightly tethered to reality. And the man has no red cap.
Francis Wilkinson writes on politics and domestic policy for Bloomberg View.
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By George Will
WASHINGTON Donald Trump's distinctive rhetorical style think of a drunk with a bullhorn reading aloud James Joyce's "Finnegans Wake" under water poses an almost insuperable challenge to people whose painful duty is to try to extract clarity from his effusions. For example, last week, during a long stream of semi-consciousness in Fort Worth, this man who as president would nominate members of the federal judiciary vowed to "open up" libel laws to make it easier to sue to intimidate and punish people who write "negative" things. Well.
Trump, the thin-skinned tough guy, resembles a campus crybaby who has wandered out of his "safe space." It is not news that he has neither respect for nor knowledge of the Constitution, and he probably is unaware that he would have to "open up" many Supreme Court First Amendment rulings in order to achieve his aim. His obvious aim is to chill free speech, for the comfort of the political class, of which he is now a gaudy ornament.
But at least Trump has, at last, found one thing to admire from the era of America's Founding. Unfortunately, but predictably, it is one of the worst things done then the Sedition Act of 1798. The act made it a crime to "write, print, utter or publish, or cause it to be done, or assist in it, any false, scandalous, and malicious writing against the government of the United States, or either House of Congress, or the President, with intent to defame, or bring either into contempt or disrepute, or to excite against either the hatred of the people." Now, 215 years after the Sedition Act expired in 1801, Trump vows to use litigiousness to improve the accuracy and decorousness of public discourse.
The night before his promise to make America great again through censorship, Trump, during the Houston debate, said that his sister, a federal judge, "(signed) a certain bill" and that (Supreme Court) Justice Samuel Alito also "signed that bill." So, the leading Republican candidate, the breadth of whose ignorance is the eighth wonder of the world, actually thinks that judges "sign bills." Trump is a presidential aspirant who would flunk an eighth-grade civics exam.
More than anything Marco Rubio said about Trump in Houston, it was Rubio's laughter at Trump that galled the perhaps bogus billionaire. Like all bullies, Trump is a coward, and like all those who feel the need to boast about being strong and tough, he is neither.
Unfortunately, Rubio recognized reality and found his voice 254 days after Trump's scabrous announcement of his candidacy to rescue America from Mexican rapists. And 222 days after Trump disparaged John McCain's war service ("I like people that weren't captured"). And 95 days after Trump said that maybe a protester at his rally "should have been roughed up." And 95 days after Trump retweeted that 81 percent of white murder victims are killed by blacks. (Eighty-two percent are killed by whites.) And 94 days after Trump said he supports torture "even if it doesn't work." And 79 days after Trump said he might have approved the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. And 72 days after Trump proved that he does not know the nuclear triad from the Nutcracker ballet. And 70 days after Trump, having been praised by Vladimir Putin, reciprocated by praising the Russian murderer and dictator. And so on.
Rubio's epiphany, announcing the obvious with a sense of triumphant discovery, about Trump being a "con man" and a "clown act" is better eight months late than never. If, however, it is too late to rescue Rubio from a Trump nomination, this will be condign punishment for him and the rest of the Republican Party's coalition of the timid.
"Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide,/In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side." So begins James Russell Lowell's 1845 poem protesting America's war with Mexico. The Republicans' moment is here.
We are about to learn much about Republican officeholders who are now deciding whether to come to terms with Trump, and with the shattering of their party as a vessel of conservatism. Trump's collaborators, like the remarkably plastic Chris Christie ("I don't think (Trump's) temperament is suited for (the presidency"), will find that nothing will redeem the reputations they will ruin by placing their opportunism in the service of his demagogic cynicism and anti-constitutional authoritarianism.
George Will's email address is georgewill@washpost.com.
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By Leonid Bershidsky
Donald Trump is getting lots of flak for allegedly retweeting a Benito Mussolini quote after a Gawker journalist set an elaborate Twitter trap for him. The joke is on the mastermind of the sting operation: The phrase "It's better to live a day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep" did not in fact originate with the Italian dictator.
Trump's anti-intellectualism is so in-your-face that people who consider themselves intellectuals are affronted. They like to fact-check Trump to show how ignorant he is. When during a recent campaign appearance in South Carolina Trump told an apocryphal story of Gen. Jack Pershing executing Muslim rebels in the Philippines with bullets soaked in pig's blood, rebuttals were all over the media and social networks.
This time around, however, the story everywhere, from The New York Times to the BBC, and even in Italian papers, is that Trump tweeted a Mussolini quote: "@ilduce2016: "It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep." - @realDonaldTrump #MakeAmericaGreatAgain"
After this tweet appeared, Gawker let it be known that its senior writer, Ashley Feinberg, had created the Twitter account @ilduce2016 in December specifically to tweet Mussolini quotes at Trump in the hope that he would retweet one. The tactic paid off.
Gawker's Alex Pareene wrote: "At the time of the account's creation, Gawker Media Executive Editor John Cook expressed some concern that the joke behind the account was far too obvious, and wouldn't trick anyone but a complete idiot. Today, Donald Trump proved him and all of us right."
I can't laugh with Gawker and the rest of the media that reported on the Trump retweet.
Time Magazine attributed the quote to Mussolini in a story published on Aug. 2, 1943. It appeared on some Italian coins during Mussolini's rule. But it's actually a proverb from Emilia Romagna, the region of Italy where Mussolini was born. The proverb entered the political lexicon after an Italian soldier wrote it on the wall of a building in Sant'Andrea del Piave in 1918, during the Battle of the Piave. The Austro-Hungarian army attacked Gerneral Armando Diaz's Italian troops on the banks of that river in Northern Italy and failed miserably. The Austrian defeat was one of the final nails in the ailing empire's coffin and a proud moment for Italy. The bit of wall carrying the graffiti is preserved at the Fagare della Bataglia memorial.
Trump, of course, had no idea whether it was a Mussolini quote, a bit of wartime graffiti or an Italian proverb. It probably didn't even register with him that the account that tweeted the quote at him was called "ilduce" or he didn't understand the Italian. "It's a very good quote," Trump said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I didn't know who said it, but what difference does it make if it was Mussolini or somebody else it's a very good quote."
In a strange way, he's right. The proverb was strong enough to stand as a populist slogan, so Mussolini used it. So did Trump, with his instinctive sense of political soundbite.
This is not about Trump's ignorance or the failure of some journalists to research the quote before shooting it at the Republican front-runner. It's not even about Trump's allegedly fascist views: The quote doesn't espouse racism or totalitarianism. I'm not even sure Trump holds any views at all at least not for much longer after words leave his mouth. He does, however, know what words will resonate with people who are angry and tired of losing. That's why it doesn't matter to his voters where his quotes or stories like the Pershing one come from.
Trump doesn't use language to communicate information. He uses it to elicit emotion. His utterances are weaponized sound, not speech. Information is complex, and knowledge is spotty on all sides. Emotion dressed up as information is simple and powerful. Fact-checking is simply extraneous to what's going on.
Every society has a number of people who react to such signals. When they are the majority, an unscrupulous politician can use it and set up a nasty regime. So far, however, Trump has only won a plurality of Republicans in several states. The U.S. is hardly ripe for a fake Mussolini.
Leonid Bershidsky, a Bloomberg View contributor, is a Berlin-based writer.
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By Philip Bump
In 1923 and 1924, candidates from both parties who were explicitly endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan ran for governor in Texas, Arkansas, Maine, Arizona and Michigan. Candidates for governor in Kansas and mayor in Minneapolis and Houston were also rumored to have the Klan's backing, though, at least in some cases, the men denied the claim. A candidate for city commissioner in Houston won election with the Klan's backing; three opposed by the Klan won, too.
In New Jersey, Frank Appleby won the endorsement of the Klan for his 1924 race for the U.S. House after his opponent was "visited by a Klan delegation which demanded that he discharge his secretary, McGrath, on the grounds that he was a Catholic," according to a New York Times account from 1924. Major Stanley Washburn stuck by McGrath. Appleby won, but died before he could take office.
In Kansas that same year, William Allen White, the Progressive editor of the Emporia Gazettte, decided to challenge the Republican nominee for governor, Ben Paulen, on the grounds that Paulen "had received Klan support in the primary, had prevented the Republicans from adopting an anti-Klan resolution and 'by silence has further tied the Klan to him and disgraced his party in Kansas,'" in White's estimation. White lost, too.
1924 was also when Charles Bowles ran for mayor of the city of Detroit, with the Klan promising "a national fete," should he win. In that election, the New York Times reported in 1930, the Klan tried to ally with black and Jewish voters to oppose the Roman Catholics. Bowles lost, won in 1930 and was recalled eight months into his tenure.
On Sunday, after Donald Trump declined to reject support from white supremacists in an interview with CNN, we noted that his father, Fred Trump, was arrested in 1927 after a Klan march in Queens became violent. Someone sent us contemporaneous photographs of the event pictures showing New York police confronting men wearing white hoods.
The marchers had been asked not to wear their hoods, but they did anyway. Newspapers suggest that 1,000 members of the Klan marched in the Memorial Day parade a thousand men and women, in a borough of New York City, marching in Klan garb in 1927.
It makes more sense when you consider that the Klan was making political endorsements at the same time. The Times noted the year prior that the Klan's candidates for school board in Des Moines had a rough run of luck in the elections that year.
Appleby, the House candidate from New Jersey who died before taking office? He was endorsed by the "Ku Klux Klan of Monmouth County," an organization that's presented more like an offshoot of the Royal Order of Moose than a hate group.
Even then, of course, the Klan was controversial. A number of candidates denied or rejected endorsements from the group. In an editorial, The Washington Post called upon Democrats and Republicans to "cut out the Klan," as you might a tumor. "So long as such an intolerable body dares to raise its head among us," the New York Times wrote in 1924 after the Maine gubernatorial election, "there is nothing for it but to strike our hardest at it in Maine and every other State."
Black voters that year warned incumbent President Calvin Coolidge that they'd oppose Klan-backed candidates regardless of party that they'd vote against their "historical allegiance" to Coolidge's Republicans, should a Republican declare support for the Klan.
Over time, the role of the Klan faded to the background. Candidates occasionally explicitly or tacitly welcomed the Klan's backing (for example: John Patterson, who was elected governor of Alabama in 1958 with the Klan's support) but often without it. Former members of the Klan continued to hold office for years; West Virginia's Sen. Robert Byrd served until 2010.
The man whose mantle the Republican candidates this year are vying to assume, Ronald Reagan, was offered the support of the Klan in both 1980 and 1984. "I have no tolerance whatsoever for what the Klan represents," he said in 1980 after a meeting with Jesse Jackson. "Indeed, I resent them using my name."
Four years later, he spoke in even clearer language.
"Those of us in public life can only resent the use of our names by those who seek political recognition for the repugnant doctrines of hate they espouse," Reagan said. "The politics of racial hatred and religious bigotry practiced by the Klan and others have no place in this country, and are destructive of the values for which America has always stood."
Only 60 years prior, when Reagan was already a teenager, the Times ran an editorial excoriating Coolidge for his silence on the issue of the Klan.
"[The Klan] is already weakening," the editors wrote. "But it shrinks and dissolves most rapidly where men and women are bold enough to fight it openly."
"What he is obviously consenting to do" through his silence, they continued, "is to accept as many votes as he possibly can get, without inquiring too curiously in to the motives or hopes of the men and women who cast them."
Philip Bump writes for The Fix, a Washington Post blog.
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By Robert Kagan
When the plague descended on Thebes, Oedipus sent his brother-in-law to the Delphic oracle to discover the cause. Little did he realize that the crime for which Thebes was being punished was his own. Today's Republican Party is our Oedipus. A plague has descended on the party in the form of the most successful demagogue-charlatan in the history of U.S. politics. The party searches desperately for the cause and the remedy without realizing that, like Oedipus, it is the party itself that brought on this plague. The party's own political crimes are being punished in a bit of cosmic justice fit for a Greek tragedy.
Let's be clear: Donald Trump is no fluke. Nor is he hijacking the Republican Party or the conservative movement, if there is such a thing. He is, rather, the party's creation, its Frankenstein's monster, brought to life by the party, fed by the party and now made strong enough to destroy its maker.
Was it not the party's wild obstructionism the repeated threats to shut down the government over policy and legislative disagreements, the persistent calls for nullification of Supreme Court decisions, the insistence that compromise was betrayal, the internal coups against party leaders who refused to join the general demolition that taught Republican voters that government, institutions, political traditions, party leadership and even parties themselves were things to be overthrown, evaded, ignored, insulted, laughed at?
Was it not Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, among others, who set this tone and thereby cleared the way for someone even more irreverent, so that now, in a most unenjoyable irony, Cruz, along with the rest of the party, must fall to the purer version of himself, a less ideologically encumbered anarcho-revolutionary? This would not be the first revolution that devoured itself.
Then there was the party's accommodation to and exploitation of the bigotry in its ranks. No, the majority of Republicans are not bigots. But they have certainly been enablers. Who began the attack on immigrants legal and illegal long before Trump arrived on the scene and made it his premier issue? Who frightened Mitt Romney into selling his soul in 2012, talking of "self-deportation" to get himself right with the party's anti-immigrant forces? Who opposed any plausible means of dealing with the genuine problem of illegal immigration, forcing Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, to cower, abandon his principles and his own immigration legislation lest he be driven from the presidential race before it had even begun?
It was not Trump. It was not even party yahoos. It was Republican Party pundits and intellectuals, trying to harness populist passions and perhaps deal a blow to any legislation for which President Obama might possibly claim even partial credit. What did Trump do but pick up where they left off, tapping the well-primed gusher of popular anger, xenophobia and, yes, bigotry that the party had already unleashed?
Then there was the Obama hatred, a racially tinged derangement syndrome that made any charge plausible and any opposition justified. Has the president done a poor job in many respects? Have his foreign policies, in particular, contributed to the fraying of the liberal world order that the United States created after World War II? Yes, and for these failures he has deserved criticism and principled opposition. But Republican and conservative criticism has taken an unusually dark and paranoid form. Instead of recommending plausible alternative strategies for the crisis in the Middle East, many Republicans have fallen back on mindless Islamophobia, with suspicious intimations about the president's personal allegiances.
Thus Obama is not only wrong but also anti-American, un-American, non-American, and his policies though barely distinguishable from those of previous liberal Democrats such as Michael Dukakis or Mario Cuomo are somehow representative of something subversive. How surprising was it that a man who began his recent political career by questioning Obama's eligibility for office could leap to the front of the pack, willing and able to communicate with his followers by means of the dog-whistle disdain for "political correctness"?
We are supposed to believe that Trump's legion of "angry" people are angry about wage stagnation. No, they are angry about all the things Republicans have told them to be angry about these past 7 years, and it has been Trump's good fortune to be the guy to sweep them up and become their standard-bearer. He is the Napoleon who has harvested the fruit of the revolution.
There has been much second-guessing lately. Why didn't party leaders stand up and try to stop Trump earlier, while there was still time? But how could they have? Trump was feeding off forces in the party they had helped nurture and that they hoped to ride into power. Some of those Republican leaders and pundits now calling for a counterrevolution against Trump were not so long ago welcoming his contribution to the debate. The politicians running against him and now facing oblivion were loath to attack him before because they feared alienating his supporters. Instead, they attacked one another, clawing at each other's faces as they one by one slipped over the cliff.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie got his last deadly lick in just before he plummeted at Trump? No, at Rubio. (And now, as his final service to party and nation, he has endorsed Trump.) Jeb Bush spent millions upon millions in his hopeless race, but against whom? Not Trump.
So what to do now? The Republicans' creation will soon be let loose on the land, leaving to others the job the party failed to carry out. For this former Republican, and perhaps for others, the only choice will be to vote for Hillary Clinton. The party cannot be saved, but the country still can be.
Robert Kagan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing columnist for The Washington Post.
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As the encryption argument takes center stage in the ongoing Apple vs. the U.S. Government squabbles, a very importantand potentially destructivechange is taking place in security strategy.
The encryption and security thinking used to be focused solely on protecting a customer's data from cyberthieves and other bad guys attempting to break in. It then morphed to also see law enforcement as the attacker, putting in various defenses to keep out municipal, state, federal and global investigators, sometimes on fishing expeditions for any hint of wrongdoing.
[ ALSO: The economics of back doors ]
Companies like Appleand where Apple goes, the tech industry almost always followsare now adding a new enemy to its to-be-protected-from list: itself. The theory goes that if Apple's best engineering can't break into its own devices, government court orders will be irrelevant. Apple can't be made to do what it can't physically do.
But this raises an interesting legal question. What if Apple goes out of its way to spend millions of dollars to develop a way to not able to do something? Is that intentional obstruction?
Look at it from a different perspective. Let's say that a well-financed drug dealer specifically knew that law enforcement wanted to look at particular financial records that he possessed. What if he created a massive vault that, upon a specific voice command in its owner's voice, would delete all access codes and disintegrate the vault's contents? (OK, if it could really disintegrate all of its contents, I suppose it wouldn't need to delete its codes. But drug dealers tend to opt for security redundancies.)
Could the act of creating such a vault and saying that command be considered defiance of the anticipated court order? Would it potentially constitute contempt of court?
We have discussed here why it's not a great idea to have the government dictating corporate encryption policies. But what the government is doing here is a lot more invasive than many people think. They are not asking for the encryption backdoor. They are instead asking Apple to use its engineersat no cost to the governmentto create security weaknesses that the government can exploit. Specifically, they are asking for a removal of the limit on the number of bad password attempts before the system locks up, as well as the removal of time limits between break-in attempts. With those two items gone, brute force attacks will inevitably be able to crack into the phone.
Mark Rasch is a former federal prosecutor, former head of the U.S. Justice Department's high-tech crimes unit and currently serves as the chief security evangelist for Verizon. Rasch argues that Appleand anyone who follows themare in the clear legally.
Here's the legal bottom line, from Rasch's perspective, which is not necessarily in accordance with the legal interpretations of current Justice Department lawyers or lawyers for the next administration's Justice Department.
Rasch's position: A court-ordered search warrant only applies to law enforcement. A search warrant to search a suspect's home allows law enforcement to search but does not require the homeowner to cooperate. The homeowner, Rasch argues, is fully within his rights to say, "Thanks, but I choose to not let you into my house." Law enforcement then has the right to smash the door in, but that order doesn't obligate the homeowner to do anything. A court order to a civilian would have to happen under the All Writs Act. The question then goes to whether the court has that power.
"Not cooperating and obstruction are different things. Obstruction in advance doesn't exist," Rasch said. "Nor does 'aiding and abetting a crime by not making it easy for me to solve crime.'" The closest Apple analogy would be if police had a valid search warrant and were trying to break into a suspect's home, Rasch said. The suspect in this scenario had so expertly reinforced all of the doors, windows and walls that police equipmentincluding battering ramswere ineffective.
What if police turned to a construction worker walking down the street and said "We want you to spend as many weeks as it takes to figure out a way to break into this house"? Even if the police offered to pay the worker a fair rate, does he have the obligation to comply? What if he doesn't want to spend weeks doing this? "The government wants to take the labor of Apple engineers without just compensation," Rasch said. And even getting just compensationwhich is irrelevant in this case because "Apple doesn't want to get paid to do this"is tricky.
"Apple doesn't want to take invading a customer's privacy and to turn it into a profit center," Rasch said. "And the government doesn't want to establish the precedent of having to pay people to comply with a court order." In short, as long as Apple doesn't do this to circumvent the search for a specific criminal act that they know about in advance (and no one has suggested that they are), crafting a way to lock themselves out permanently is legally sound.
Alas, it's not that simple. Consumers are maddeningly self-contradictory. They love the idea of Apple not having access, so that they Apple cannot violate their privacy even with a search warrant. But they hate the idea of Apple not having access if the consumer forgets his/her password and can't simply reset it. They want access to all of those photos and messages and videos no matter what and they expect Apple to be able to do that.
The typical response to sidestepping forgotten passwords is to go for biometric authentication. In theory, a consumer can't "forget" their retinas or their fingerprints. That is also not a perfect solution. What if the phone suffers some corruption and the phone can no longer match the consumer's biometric self with the phone's file? Again, they expect Apple to be able to swoop in and help.
That is the real problem. If Apple creates the perfect defense against itself, it can't comply with urgent requests from the government or it's customers.
Don't forget that in this specific case, the government wants to break into the iphone of Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the killers in the San Bernardino, Calif. shooting rampage. And his phone was not owned by him. It was owned by the county agency he worked for, and the county governmentthe true owner of that phonehas consented to the phone being searched.
That means that there is no privacy issue in this immediate case, although it's a certainty that privacy will crop up in other cases.
Rasch points out that had the county's IT folk been using a mobile device management product on county phones, this entire issue would have been avoided as the county would have had the employee's password. The question then comes back to Appleand other technology playersand how far they are willing to go to thwart government inquires (to protect customers) when such efforts will also block those customers if they get accidentally locked out of their phones.
It's akin to CIOs who want no one to be able to get into an enterprise network without proper credentials, unless they are lost, in which case they want their vendors to be able to override and get in.
This story, "The encryption quicksand into which Apple is sinking" was originally published by Computerworld .
Abbott Labs, a global healthcare company, is laying off about 180 IT employees after signing an agreement with Wipro, a major India-based IT services firm, to take over some IT services. The employees were told about the planned cuts on Feb. 22; their last day will be April 22.
The workers are expecting to train their replacements, possibly workers on H-1B and other temporary visas.
Abbott is based in Illinois, which is also the home of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat who has been a longtime advocate for H-1B reforms and a co-sponsor of legislation with another visa reformer, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).
In a letter Monday to Abbott CEO Miles White, Durbin implored him "to reconsider this plan and retain these U.S. workers."
Dubin noted that he has "repeatedly introduced bipartisan legislation to end the exploitation of the H-1B and L-1 visa programs to displace qualified American workers and offshore American jobs."
Last year, for instance, he led a bipartisan group of 10 senators calling on federal agencies to investigate the layoffs at Southern California Edison and at other firms. Some IT workers at the utility complained of having to train replacements who were on H-1B visas.
"While this practice is unlawful, loopholes in existing law make it difficult for the federal government to hold violators accountable," said Durbin. "I will continue to push for legislation to reform the H-1B and L-1 visa programs, but the gaps in current law are no excuse for your company to treat your employees so unfairly. It should go without saying that such harsh and insensitive conduct is not justified by whatever marginal financial benefit might accrue to your company, which is already making billions of dollars in profits every year."
Sara Blackwell, a Florida attorney who is representing some former Disney IT employees in a similar situation, has been in touch with the affected IT workers and Durbin's office as well. "The first goal is to stop the termination," said Blackwell, who is hoping to focus attention on the Abbott layoff.
Blackwell mentioned the layoff at a rally held by GOP presidential contender Donald Trump Sunday in Madison, Alabama. Blackwell, along with two laid-off Disney IT workers, spoke at the rally held by the billionaire businessman.
With enough attention, it's possible "we can save 180 jobs and that's my goal," said Blackwell.
The IT employees at Abbott are distraught, said one IT worker who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Everybody is under tremendous pressure," the worker said, noting that colleagues are are depressed, angry and worried about losing homes and paying medical expenses.
"All the big companies are sending jobs to India -- how are we going to find a job at another company?" said the IT worker. "It's going on everywhere. Nobody is stopping it."
Asked about the layoff plans, Abbott Labs spokesman Scott Stoffel said via email: Abbott regularly evaluates its competitive position and makes changes that reflect the strategic needs of its business. We recently outsourced some IT capabilities. Were retaining the vast majority of our U.S.-based IT jobs."
Meanwhile, job ads are being posted inside the company to fill IT jobs, and each ad points out that an H-1B worker may be hired for the position. "It looks like most of the jobs will go to India," the anonymous IT employee said.
Many of the workers are over 40 years old, according to documents seen by Computerworld that describe their positions and ages.
About two years ago, application support was offshored to two other firms, IBM and Cognizant, and IT employees were cut after training replacements, this IT worker said.
The severance being offered includes six weeks of pay, plus a week of pay for each completed year of service.
As the Abbott layoff plans were unfolding last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee received sworn testimony about what was happening; Durbin's staff spoke with Abbott IT workers, who confirmed the cuts.
The severance agreement includes a non-disparagement clause that may make it difficult for employees to talk publicly about what happened. It also requires employees not to sue, including any legal action under the Federal Age Discrimination Employment Act.
23 May 2022
- Understand the French healthcare system, how you access it and how you are reimbursed - Useful if you are new to the French healthcare system or want a more in-depth understanding - Reader question and answer section Aimed at non-French nationals living here, the guide gives an overview of what you are (and are not) covered for. There is also information for second-home owners and regular visitors.
Cllr Michelle Lowe is Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety at Sevenoaks District Council.
We all know that home ownership has declined over the last decade for a whole host of reasons; but the main one is that house prices have increased way above wages. As a result people in the same professions that could easily afford to buy their own home in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s struggle to afford even a shared ownership scheme today.
Obviously increasing the supply of housing will help to bring prices down. But in high-price areas that have little opportunity for mass house-building such as London or the Home Counties, with large areas protected by planning constraints such as greenbelt, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), we need local solutions to match local circumstances.
In these, as in other areas, local government is the key to helping more local people step onto the housing ladder, at the same time keeping families and communities together and reducing reliance on the state.
Whether it is allowing grown-up children to live near their elderly and frail parents or young families to live near grandparents good housing policy helps to keep communities together and helps prevent a broken Britain with too much expensive state intervention needed when things go wrong.
If local authorities are given the freedoms and income to develop robust housing policies they can achieve what central government cannot, because local government can adjust its policies to match local circumstances.
So, for example, in Sevenoaks and similar areas most new developments are under three units due to large areas designated with strict planning constraints. The likely changes to restrict Section 106 affordable housing contributions to larger developments will only wipe out the majority of cash these authorities use to help people into home ownership.
In Home Counties areas house prices are comparable to a London Borough up to 17 times higher than average wages. Yet because development is always profitable, building new homes remains constant. The affordable housing contribution in some places does not stop Britain from building, and does not slow down the planning process if administered efficiently.
Often there are viability clauses where if a developer can demonstrate unviability their contribution is either reduced or removed. Allowing local authorities to keep this money can only help the government with its wider health and social aims.
A successful approach taken in Sevenoaks uses two main methods to help people into home ownership. The first is to look at the total housing supply and to try to encourage older people to downsize into more suitable accommodation that is cheaper to heat and maintain, and also making them less likely to trip or fall. This helps to free up family sized homes and helps to keep the local housing chain moving.
They also focus on first time buyers with their award winning Home of Your Own scheme with Moat Housing Association. This is a shared ownership scheme where people are loaned money to buy a home anywhere they want to, and when they sell it or increase their ownership share of the property, the loan is recycled to help someone else. There are a number of local examples of keeping teachers and other local people in the district as a result of this scheme.
Local authorities will and could be able to do more to meet their own local housing needs.
Increasing the number of two-bedroom homes both helps people to down size and younger people step onto the housing ladder. With its own funding stream (such as the affordable housing contribution) local authorities can loan first time buyers money to help bring empty homes back into use, develop more shared ownership schemes (possibly some for specific groups such as ex-military personnel), and to provide hand-holding assistance to help older people down size.
Many expensive areas suffer from people leaving to find cheaper housing further afield, and others moving in buying up anything remotely affordable. This breaks up communities, and local residents want new builds for local people resulting in a smoother planning process. This is why starter homes should have a local connection policy.
With all initiatives, local authorities can aim to make sure the money is recycled to help others, that they apply the local connection criteria, and that they keep the affordable home affordable in perpetuity. Starter homes would be so much better if they could stay affordable in perpetuity and there are methods to achieve this. To lose an affordable home after a mere five years will have consequences in some areas where that home will be difficult to replace, leaving future need unmet.
Plus we have to question the morality of people making money out of subsidised affordable homes after just five years. In some areas the bank of Mum and Dad will see starter homes as a very good investment. Government affordable housing provision should be about homing people that need assistance onto the housing ladder not helping a lucky few profit from it.
The LGA calculates that discounted starter home prices will be out of reach for all people in need of affordable housing in 67 per cent of council areas. By removing the s106 affordable housing contribution from new developments the government will also hamper efforts by local authorities in certain parts of the country (mainly the home counties and South East but other places as well) to help out locally.
Local authorities conduct housing surveys and understand their housing needs. Whether there is a need for socially rented homes, starter homes, family homes, retirement homes or specialist homes such as special needs accommodation or dementia hubs and/or villages. So it makes sense that local authorities should be in the driving seat to decide what type of housing is needed where to meet residents needs.
If the government is serious about fixing broken Britain, keeping people out of hospital and dependent on social services, and helping people step onto the housing ladder it must allow local government to keep the funding it needs and be bold enough to allow local authorities to develop bespoke schemes that will work in their areas. One-size-fits-all will not work across the UK.
Three years ago, the TaxPayers Alliance reported that in the last year, five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories.
Since then, the figures have varied, and some Conservative members or supporters have been selected to fill important posts.
Nonetheless, it remains the case that, since it took office in 2010, our Party has punched beneath its weight when it comes to public appointments. One of the reasons seems to be that Tories simply dont apply in the same number as Labour supporters.
To help remedy this, every fortnight we put up links to some of the main public appointments vacancies, so that qualified Conservatives might be aware of the opportunities presented.
Royal Mint Advisory Committee Art Historian
The purpose of the role is to play an active part in raising the standard of numismatic art in Britain, through judging artwork submitted, offering constructive comments on how it can be amended, suggesting suitable means of briefing artists and suggesting new artists to become involved in the design of coins and medals.
Time: Four meetings per annum for a five-year term.
Remuneration: Expenses only.
Closes: 04 March
Royal Mint Advisory Committee Museums Sector Member
The member will be expected to attend meetings of the Committee where, upon reaching consensus, design proposals will be forwarded for approval to the government department concerned before being passed on to the Palace for royal approval.
Time: Four meetings per annum for a five-year term.
Remuneration: Expenses only.
Closes: 04 March
Bank of England Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation
The Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation is the Chief Executive of the PRA, and sits on the board of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) The Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation will continue to be the Chief Executive of the PRA and will have several of his/her roles, including preparing the prudential regulation strategy and the day to day management of the PRA, written into statute.
Time: Full time.
Remuneration: 267,946 per annum.
Closes: 04 March
National Employment Savings Trust Trustee Members
The NEST Trustee Board is collectively responsible for running the NEST pension scheme and setting the strategic direction and objectives for the organisation. The Board is entirely comprised of Trustee Members. NEST Corporation is a Non-Departmental Public Body, accountable to Parliament for the effective performance of its statutory functions.
Time: 30 days per annum.
Remuneration: 19,050, based on 30 days annual commitment (635 a day).
Closes: 07 March
Civil Justice Council Members
The role of the Trustees is to establish SMGs policy, have overall responsibility for financial decision-making, review performance and endorse appointments to key management positions. The Trustees assist the Chairman and the Executives of the Science Museum Group in delivering its statutory objectives and in formulating and implementing its other strategic aims.
Time: Minimum 8 days per annum.
Remuneration: Travel expenses.
Closes: 14 March
Royal Parks Chair
The Royal Parks (TRP) is a new public body which will be seeking charitable status. Its purpose is to oversee the management of 5000 acres of outstanding parkland in London including unique historic landscapes, rare habitats, listed buildings and national memorials. It also undertakes commercial activity to support this work including concessions, licences and a high profile series of events.
Time: Monthly meetings, four to six board meetings a year, a study day, extra time prior to launch.
Remuneration: Reasonable expenses.
Closes: 14 March
UK Statistics Authority Non-Executive Directors
The Authority has responsibility for its executive office, the Office for National Statistics. The Authority Board is looking for two non-executive directors as it seeks to improve the accessibility and usefulness of statistical data to the wider public, and modernise the collection and communication of UK statistics to meet the current and future needs of the UKs decision makers.
Time: Minimum two days per month.
Remuneration: 15,000 per annum.
Closes: 14 March
Financial Reporting Advisory Board Chair
HM Treasury is seeking a new Chair for the Financial Reporting Advisory Board. The Board advices UK public sector accounting standard setters on matters related to financial reporting. Created in 1996, the Boards plays a valuable independent role in the accounting standard setting process. The Chair performs a central leadership role on the Board.
Time: The Board meets 3 times a year and also undertakes some out of meeting work.
Remuneration: The post has historically not been remunerated but this may be reviewed for the right candidate.
Closes: 18 March
Home Office Her Majestys Inspector of Constabulary
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is an independent body that inspects and reports to the public on the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces and national law enforcement agencies HMIs are appointed by Her Majesty the Queen on the recommendation of the Home Secretary. Their purpose is to inspect the police and report publicly on their efficiency and effectiveness.
Time: Full time basic hours of work will be 37 hours per week, excluding lunch breaks.
Remuneration: Expected six figure salary, subject to agreement by Ministers.
Closes: 18 March
Department for Education Her Majestys Chief Inspector of Education, Childrens Services and Skills
The next Chief Inspector will also have a key role over the five years of their term in delivering the manifesto commitment to reduce the burden of inspection and to continue inspection reform so that inspection is re-shaped to meet the challenges facing the education and childrens services sectors.
Time: Full time.
Remuneration: 170,000-180,000 per annum.
Closes: 18 March
Ruth Davidson is the leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. She is a Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow.
Understandably, attention at Westminster has centred on the small matter of the EU referendum campaign these past two weeks.
It has somewhat overshadowed one of the more significant political stories of the year which came about as a consequence of the last referendum held in the UK, the one on Scottish independence.
I refer to the deal agreed last week by the UK Government and the SNP Scottish Government in Edinburgh on the economic underpinning or financial framework for the Scotland bill.
This deal whose complexity makes the Schleswig-Holstein question appear relatively simple has taken months to agree, and busy readers of ConservativeHome are not advised to spend their valuable time catching up on the detail.
The upshot, however, is simple: from next year, the SNP Government will no longer rely wholly on a block grant from Westminster, and will instead take full responsibility for raising and spending income tax receipts in Scotland. This, allied to powers over business taxes, property taxation, environmental taxes and VAT assignmemts is a major change to how Scotland works.
The longer-term political impact of this deal will be huge: as I have argued at length, the SNP has prospered in Scotland by taking all the credit for spending money, and frequently and repetitively blamed Westminster for not having enough to keep spending. Under the new plans, they will have to look taxpayers in the eye for the first time.
It will be interesting to see how the populist Nationalist bandwagon fares when it finally collides with the thrifty Scottish taxpayer.
That is for next year. More immediately, the deal has also provided a fresh insight into the new prevailing dynamic in Scottish politics. Because it is now clear that there are now only two parties in Scotland which really count: the SNP and the Conservatives. Labour has simply been cut out of the picture.
The best way to illustrate this is to look at the way last weeks deal came to fruition. It has its genesis nearly two years ago when our own Commission of Devolution, led by Lord Strathclyde, backed a more responsible Scottish Parliament. Its central recommendation was for the full devolution of income tax, plus the adoption of more responsibility over welfare.
After the independence referendum, this blueprint was adopted almost wholesale by the five-party Smith Agreement. And then after last years general election, one of the very first acts of the new UK Conservative government was to legislate to pass it into law. Last weeks financial deal, brokered by the Chancellor, will ensure that legislation comes to pass.
It has rather silenced the Nationalist grievance-mongers who were waiting eagerly for Westminster to poke them in the eye. They now know it: we have delivered on what was promised.
And where was the Labour party in all of this? You might well ask. For two years, the partys input into this historic process has been risible.
Firstly, Ed Miliband and Ed Balls watered down their own reforms to devolution. The party then u-turned a few months later as its position became unsustainable. Finally, last week, it was a bystander as the deal was done.
This from the party which, nearly twenty years ago, claimed to be the party of Home Rule. In fact, we are beginning to learn in Scotland that Labours devotion to Home Rule was always based on the presumption that it would be doing the ruling. Now that this is no longer the case, it no longer seems to know what it thinks.
At every step of the way over the last two years, the Scottish Conservatives have been the only pro-UK party which has offered a credible vision to take Scottish devolution forward.
Scottish Labour has repeatedly shown itself to be utterly incapable of delivering, as it struggles to cope with its internal divisions.
Indeed, they may not want to admit it, but this new chapter in Scottish politics has had precious little to do with Labour at all.
Now that the deal is done, I want the Scottish Conservatives to continue to lead the debate and to finally ensure that there is a credible and organised opposition party which can hold the SNP to account.
The SNP runs a Government which has vast resources at its disposal, huge new powers over tax and welfare on the way, and the full power of the civil service at its beck and call. As I told Nicola Sturgeon in the Scottish Parliament last week, the buck now stops with her.
Depressingly, Labours response has been as weak as it is predictable: demanding that the SNP use its new powers to increase taxes in Scotland above those in the rest of the UK.
My own call is different.
The SNP now needs to buckle down and focus not on their dream of a second independence referendum, but on the vastly more important day job. And that means using these new powers to ensure Scotland can compete with the rest of the United Kingdom and, indeed, the rest of the world.
Ill be setting out that vision later this week when, on Friday, we hold our Scottish conference in Edinburgh.
My message will be clear. Just as we have delivered on devolution over the last two years, we now intend to ensure there is a strong opposition to the Scottish Government into the future.
We set ourselves the job before the independence referendum of delivering a stronger Scottish Parliament. Last week, we made good on that.
We now set ourselves the task of delivering a strong, competent, credible opposition to the Scottish Government.
I can assure everyone in Scotland, particularly people who have lost faith in Labours ability to take on the SNP, that we will be true to that as well.
It's generally assumed that insurance rates will go up after you have an accident and file a claim, but by how much? More than you might think, according to a report by insuranceQuotes.com.
The survey found the average driver will face a 44% rate hike after a single claim of over $2,000.
The biggest increase would come if you happen to live in California. There, a driver making a first claim would face an average increase of 78%. Massachusetts and Wisconsin are nearly as expensive, with average rate hikes of 67% and 54% respectively.
On the other hand, claims are less expensive for drivers in Maryland, Michigan, and Oklahoma, who see their rates rise between 22% and 25%.
Second claim
If you have an accident and make a claim, the only worse thing you can do is have another accident and make a second claim. The study says your insurance rate will be twice as high as a driver without a claim.
Previous claims are a big factor in car insurance rates and can affect the amount you pay for years, Laura Adams, senior analyst at InsuranceQuotes, said in a release. If you get a rate hike for making a small claim, it could end up hurting your finances over the long run. In some cases, not making a claim can be a smarter move.
That's a hard concept for many consumers to grasp. You pay for insurance every month, so why can't you use it when you need it?
That's certainly a rational argument, but unfortunately that's not how the insurance system works. Insurance is all based on perceived risk the chances you will file a claim that costs the company money.
Insurance companies believe that once you file a claim, chances are good you will file another at some point. Fair or not, under the concept of shared risk, you'll be penalized.
Judgment call
It becomes a judgment call when it makes economic sense to file an insurance claim and when it pays to pay for damage yourself. InsuranceQuotes.com has this handy calculator to help you figure it out.
Why have insurance at all if you are penalized for using it? Good question. In a majority of cases it would pay to self-insure, putting the money you would pay for car insurance each month into a savings account.
Unfortunately, your self-insurance policy would not be able to cover all potential accidents which could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and liability.
That's why every state requires motorists to carry auto insurance, or pay into a state-maintained uninsured driver fund each month.
The best thing a driver can do is put the phone away and drive carefully.
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An exciting find took place at an archaeological mound at Tel Rehovin in Israel. A huge, 3,400-year-old clay figurine depicting a naked woman came to light due to a camping trip by seven-year-old Ori Greenhut, reported Fox News.
The item has been studied by antiquity experts, noting comparisons to the Canaanite culture of the 15th to 13th centuries BCE.
"Ori returned home with the impressive figurine and the excitement was great," Ori's mother, Moriya Greenhut, said in a release. "We explained to him this is an ancient artifact and that archaeological finds belong to the State."
The figure has been made by pressed soft clay though the message behind the design is not clear.
"Some researchers think the figure depicted here is that of a real flesh-and-blood woman, and others view her as the fertility goddess Astarte, known from Canaanite sources and from the Bible," said Amihai Mazar, a professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who examined the figurine.
Immediately the figure was handed over to the Israel Antiquities Authority. The prompt act impressed the institute.
"It doesn't happen a lot, but there is increasing awareness of people calling up and informing the authority that they found an artifact," said the spokesperson.
Many such figures have been discovered in this area. Some are modelled after ordinary women, and some after goddesses.
"It is highly likely that the term trafim mentioned in the Bible indeed refers to figurines of this kind," said Mazar. "Evidently, the figurine belonged to one of the residents of the city of Rehov, which was then ruled by the central government of the Egyptian pharaohs."
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Although the world has been officially freed of Ebola outbreak, many people who have been victimized by this deadly disease are still facing neurological problems, reveals new study.
As per the researchers, among 82 survivors of Ebola in Liberia, almost everyone faced some neurological problem or another after six months of being infected, reports Live Science
"While an end to the outbreak has been declared, these survivors are still struggling with long-term problems," study author Dr. Lauren Bowen, a neurologist at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland, said in a statement.
During the outbreak in West Africa, more than 28,000 people were reportedly infected with the virus and over 11,000 people succumbed to the disease, said Bowen. The new study wanted to find out if the remaining 17,000 survivors were still experiencing neurological problems or not, she revealed.
In their study, researchers examined 82 people from Liberia who had the infection and they were all made to go through a neurological exam. The researchers also enquired from the participants if they faced any neurological symptoms, during the treatment as well as after their treatment was over. The exam findings showed that nearly 2/3rd of the participants faced abnormalities in the way their eyes trailed moving objects. These irregularities "normally indicate a subtle degree of damage in the brain," Bowen told Live Science. At least 1/3rd people reported abnormal reflexes, tremors and 17% had signs of disorders affecting the brains's frontal lobes, says Live Science
Some of the most common symptoms reported by the survivors were weakness, memory problems, depression, mood swings and headaches. There were two people who reportedly felt suicidal.
Despite the findings, it is not clear how Ebola may be responsible for the neurological conditions, said researchers. However, the symptoms may be due to excessive blood loss that the Ebola victims experience, said Bowen, reported Live Science
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A ghostly image of a passenger plane "submerged" in Lake Harriet, spotted on Google Maps, gave birth to a mystery. However, thanks to the experts, that mystery has now been solved. Rare pictures of a plane that appeared to have been sunk at the bottom of a US lake had surfaced on Google's satellite map. While the officials claimed to have no information of a plane crash in the region, the unexplained wreck under the lake aroused some weird controversies, reports Independent.
However, before these controversies got out of hand, Google Maps spokeswoman suggested that there was a plausible explanation for this situation. Since the Google Satellite image is created in a certain way, it is possible that the picture was taken at the same time as a plane flew over it, making the two objects merge into a single picture, says Daily Mail.
Susan Cadrecha, a spokeswoman for Google maps, told The Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "In short, each satellite image you see on the map is actually a compilation of several images.
"Fast-moving objects like planes often show up in only one of the many images we use for a given area."
As Lake Harriet is situated at a distance of 5 miles from the Minneapolis Airport, there are as many as 400,000 planes that fly in and out of it each year. Since it is also under the airport's flight path, Google's theory makes absolute sense.
There have been other Google satellite images that also show planes in inexplicable locations. There was once an image of a passenger plane in a playground in New York that was spotted by Untapped Cities.
Last month, it was also discovered that there are many places that are strangely blacked out by Google Maps, as reported by Mirror.
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Permafrost in arctic is thawing due to climate change which is discharging greenhouse gases that is further adding to the problem of global warming, according to a study released on Thursday.
As the frost in Arctic thaws, the alteration in the functioning of soil microbes and the way soil carbon is decomposing is supplementing the carbon dioxide emission and methane into the atmosphere, as per the study led by Chinese and US scientists. As methane and carbon dioxide are the core greenhouses gases that capture heat, it may be accelerating the climate change even more, reports The Daily Star
Permafrost, also known as everlastingly frozen ground, covers a quarter of Northern Hemisphere, mainly in Arctic, according to the study published in monthly Nature Climate Change journal.
The researchers working in Alaska warmed certain areas of Tundra so as to thaw the permafrost. The scientists noticed a change in the soil microbes after 18 months. "This study highlights the critical role that microbes play in mediating carbon losses from Arctic soils," said Susan Natali, a scientist at Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts and co-author of the Nature Climate Change paper, in a statement.
"The rapid response of the microbial community to warming suggests that the large store of soil carbon currently contained in permafrost will be highly susceptible to decomposition once it is thawed."
There are many studies in the past that suggest that permafrost will decline as much as 70% by the end of this century, revealed a statement, as reported by Manila Bulletin
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Iranian Elections Strengthen Rouhanis Hand
By Keith Jones
01 March, 2016
WSWS.org
The elections held in Iran last Friday have strengthened the faction of the Islamic Republics bourgeois ruling elite that favours speedy rapprochement with Washington and has spearheaded the push for neo-liberal restructuring.
This faction is led by Irans current President Hassan Rouhani, and by his longtime mentor, former two-term President Hashemi Rafsanjani. Making clear where its sympathies lie, the Western media invariably dubs this the moderate or reformist faction.
At stake in Fridays elections were the composition of Irans 290-seat parliament and the 88-member Assembly of Experts. Membership in the latter body, which chooses and oversees the work of Irans supreme leader, is restricted to Muslim clerics.
Because the current supreme leader, 76-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is in poor health, it is likely the incoming Assembly of Experts will have to choose his successor at some point during its eight-year term. Consequently, the outcome of this years Assembly election has been considered especially important.
The precise makeup of Irans new parliament is not yet known, as there will have to be run-off elections in April to fill about 15 percent of the seats and because the politics of Irans ruling elite is not organized on the basis of highly structured parties, but rather by means of looser factional groupings.
Nevertheless, the partial results do indicate that the Rouhani-Rafsanjani faction rallied substantial support from the more privileged sections of Irans population, enabling it to make major gains in both Irans parliament and the Assembly of Experts at the expense of its hardline rivals, the Principalists.
Comprised of staunch Shia religious conservatives and elements with ties to the Revolutionary Guards and their substantial business interests, the Principalists have voiced concerns and in some cases outright opposition to the nuclear deal that Rouhani, with Supreme Leader Khameneis blessing, reached with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany. Under that agreement, Iran has made sweeping concessions, including dismantling much of its civilian nuclear program and submitting to the most intrusive-ever International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection regime, in exchange for the US and its European Union allies lifting the economic sanctions that have crippled Irans economy.
The Principalists have also criticized the Rouhani government for its plans to auction off Irans oil resources to the Western oil giants, advocating instead the continuation of a nationally focused resistance economy.
The electoral gains for the Rouhani-Rafsanjani faction were especially pronounced in Tehran, which, with a population of some 16 million, is home to more than one-fifth of Irans population. Running under the List of Hope label, it won all 30 of Tehrans parliamentary seats and 15 of Tehrans 16 seats in the Assembly of Experts. Prior to the elections, the Rouhani government had the support of just two Tehran MPs.
Rafasanjani topped the polls in the Tehran district-wide Assembly of Experts election, while Rouhani finished third. The defeated included Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, the outgoing head of the Assembly, and Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, mentor and spiritual adviser to Mahmoud Ahmadinejada populist, closely identified with the Principalists, who served as Irans president from 2005 to 2013.
According to Western news reports, the middle class in Irans capital city turned out in large numbers to vote, forcing voting hours to be extended in some neighborhoods up to three times. Meanwhile, the working class, centered in southern Tehran, was largely indifferent to the election, indicating its alienation from and hostility to both rival bourgeois camps.
On Monday, the Iranian government reported that the election turnout in Tehran was just 50 percent, a sharp contrast to the nationwide average of 62 percent.
In winning the presidency in 2005, Ahmadinejad tapped into widespread hostility to the pro-market IMF-endorsed policies Rafsanjani and his reformist successor, Mohammad Khatami, had implemented, and the resulting growth in social inequality and economic insecurity. Under conditions of rapidly rising world oil prices, Ahmadinejad during his first presidential term significantly increased social spending, to the dismay of much of Irans clerical-bourgeois establishment. During his second term, which unfolded in the wake of the 2008 world financial crash and as the US ratcheted up sanctions and war threats against Iran, Ahmadinejad and the Principalist-dominated parliament turned sharply against the working class, slashing price subsidies and accelerating an already ambitious privatization drive.
The Rafsanjani-Rouhani faction improved its showing in other large Iranian cities, albeit less dramatically than in Tehran. Its Principalist rivals, however, have reportedly won most of the smaller towns and rural areas.
News organizations have provided different estimates of the relative strengths of the rival groupings in parliament. The BBC said hardliners won in excess of 150 seats and the reformists 111, while Reuters and Al Jazeera gave conservatives between 35 and 40 percent of the seats, reformists 30 percent and independents slightly more than 15 percent.
A significant factor in the Rouhani-Rafsanjani factions strong electoral showing was its ability to draw support from other groupings. Former President Khatami lent support, as did many leaders of the Greens, who, with Western encouragement, challenged the validity of Ahmadinejads reelection in 2009 on the basis of unsubstantiated charges of ballot-rigging. Khatamis former first Vice President Mohammed Reza Aref was the biggest List of Hope vote-getter in Tehran.
The pro-Rouhani government slate also drew support from prominent figures, including noted social conservatives previously associated with the Principalists. Chief among these was the current parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani, who hails from one of Irans most powerful clerical establishment families. Larijanis reelection was also endorsed by one of the Revolutionary Guards most prominent leaders, Quds Force Commander General Qassem Suleimani.
Iranian business leaders and pro-market economists were ecstatic over the election results. In economic affairs the next parliament will be much better, Saeed Leylaz, one of Khatamis former economic advisors, told Reuters. Ramin Rabio, the chief executive of Turquoise Partners, a large financial services company that specializes in managing foreign investments in Iran, said he expects that the new government will quickly implement a raft of pro-market reforms, including gutting labour law restrictions on layoffs and updating the countrys commercial code to make it more business-friendly.
A major objective of the Rouhani government is to rewrite the regulations governing the countrys oil industry to entice Western investment. Its hope is that a flood of European and ultimately US investment, seeking to take advantage of Irans abundant supply of skilled cheap labor and natural resources, will buoy the economy to provide it with sufficient political support and cover to eliminate the little that remains of the social concessions made to the working class in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution that overthrew the Shahs bloody, US-backed dictatorship.
Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei has pointed to the 62 percent participation in last Fridays election, which actually represented a 2 percentage-point decline from the 2011 elections, as proof of the Islamic Republics broad popular support.
Khamenei has long sought to maneuver among the various factions of the bourgeois-clerical establishment. He authorized the shift to seek a nuclear deal with the US and ultimately prevailed on all sections of the state apparatus to rally behind it.
He has voiced no objection to the Rouhani governments full court press to woo European governments and transnationals. However, under conditions where the Obama administration and the US military-security establishment continue to threaten Iran, maneuver to overthrow its Syrian ally and lavish arms on the Saudis and Israel, and where the Republicans have vowed to scuttle the nuclear deal should they win the presidency, Khamenei has cautioned against rushing into closer engagement with Washington.
Rouhani and his foreign minister have been far less circumspect. Since concluding the nuclear deal they have repeatedly suggested that Iran could be a valuable partner for US imperialism in stabilizing the Middle East. In past pronouncements, Rafsanjani has been even franker in offering to tie Iran to US strategic objectives, suggesting, for example, in September 2013, as the US was contemplating a military assault on Syria, that Iran should withdraw its support for the Assad regime.
If the Obama administration chose to back off from its war drive against Iran and pocket major concessions instead, it was done in order to concentrate on US imperialisms military-strategic offensive against its more powerful adversaries, Russia and China. A second major calculation was that US diplomatic and Western economic engagement with Iran would enable Washington to better explore and exploit cleavages within the Islamic Republic ruling elite, so as to force it to unreservedly accept US hegemony over the Middle East, or lay the political groundwork for regime-change in Tehran.
Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations committee last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry counseled against the imposition of further sanctions against Iran in the name of human rights and argued as well in opposition to forcing Tehran to abandon its ballistic missile program, saying Washington should rather see how the implementation of the nuclear deal goes.
Lies Never Triumph
By Imran Khan
01 March, 2016
Countercurrents.org
What can be understood out of JNU controversy and Rohit Vemullas suicide is that the situation in India for minority and marginalised is bleak and the space for dissenting voice is fading. What can also be observed is that, different versions of nationalism are being constantly patronised by different political ideologies and each remain busy in imposing its version of nationalism on the other. In such a situation, individual liberty, freedom of thought and expression and right to dissent is put to walls. If such a situation is allowed to continue it will lead to extreme polarisation in India.
What is more disturbing is that no attempt is made by the politicians to hold together the social fabric of Indian society. Instead politics is being played on such sensitive issues. Certain politicians and some groups are not able to look at the beauty of diversity, variation and dissent. Though respect for diversity, tolerance to dissent and freedom of thought and expression can strengthen India, but such virtues of democracy are labelled as antinational these days. Politicians seem hating to accept the truth and ground reality and instead stick to their own versions of nationalism, even if such versions exceed all limits of humanism. Considering previous experiences not much can be expected from politicians though but the agonizing part is that the highest institutes of learning are not able to distance itself from what is unfolding at political and societal level.
Following the incidents like Rohit Vemullas suicide and JNU sloganeering and then the subsequent sedition charges, the parliament session was expected to be chaotic. The acting skills of Smiriti Irani Ji was no surprise either considering her background, however certain misleading statements from her were not expected at all, particularly with regard to Rohit Vemullas suicide. Thought Smriti Irani did a wonderful job in terms of dramatising her speech in the parliament, particularly her facial expressions were just perfect, but she was factually incorrect on many occasions as reported by many news channels. The HRD minister in her parliament speech said Nobody allowed a doctor near this child, to revive this child, to take him to the hospital, nobody allowed a doctor near him. The police have reported that not one attempt was made to revive this child, not one attempt was made to take him to the doctor. Instead, his body was used as a political tool, hidden, no police was allowed till 6.30 the next morning". However such a statement has been contradicted by the Chief Medical Officer of Hyderabad Central University, Dr Rajashree and by students of HCU. In fact a video showing police present near the Rohit Vemullas body in his hosted room has also been playing on many news channels. The CMO further revealed that it was the students who took her to Rohith's room where he was found hanging and requested her to make an attempt to revive him. About JNU incident also the HRD minister made certain furious comments. It must be noted however that the video on the basis of which Kanaya Kumar, Omar Khalid and others have been charged with sedition is believed to be a doctored video.
So the facts unfolding in the aftermath of Rohit Vemullas suicide and JNU controversy suggest that the dissenting voice is being suppressed by the state and sedition law is being used to fulfil such a purpose. And the unfortunate part is that such a strategy is continuing from British period now. What is funny and ironical here is that British gave sedition law to India and but Britishers themselves dont have the same law anymore. So India is continuing with a relic of their colonial past. On the other hand prominent personalities in India too have expressed their disagreement with such a law. While expressing his dissatisfaction with the sedition 124A Gandhiji termed Section 124A as the Prince among the political sections of the Indian Penal Code designed to suppress the liberty of the citizen. What Gandhiji said in 1922 holds true even today. Further Supreme court of India too has remarked in many cases that mere slogans do not attract Section 124A pertaining to sedition. (Kedar Nath Singhs Case, Indra Das v State of Assam, Arup Bhuyan v State of Assam, Shreya Singhal v Union of India, Balwant Singh v State of Punjab).
Indian state needs to remind itself what Gandhiji reminded the British Government in 1922 and that is:......affection cannot be manufactured or regulated by law. A certain version of nationalism, forced and imposed, cannot bring true patriotism in the subjects of a state. Universities are a place of learning, research, debate, and discussion, expression of ideas, opinions and dissent. Caste discrimination, intolerance and suppression of ideas should have no place at the highest institutes of learning. State should try to liberate young minds and not cage them. And no law can justify such caging. And those who make rhetoric speeches in parliament need to understand that Lies Never triumph.
Imran Khan is presently working in Education Department. Previously worked as Psychologist with Action Aid International, Medecins sans Frontieres and JK Police Drug De-addiction Services.
Printer Friendly Version Ambedkar On Bhagatsingh By Anand Teltumbde 01 March, 2016
Countercurrents.org The vested interests while lauding Babasaheb Ambedkar have systematically reduced him to be his near ideological antithesis. The ruling classes and their state of course have played a vanguard role but even his so called followers have not been any behind. This year the ruling establishment is going gaga over the celebration of his 125th birth anniversary when as though revealingly the year has dawned with the monumental injustice to the five Dalit Ph D scholars of the Hyderabad Central University that led to one of them, Rohith Vemula, committing suicide. When Ambedkar stressed on higher education unlike most reformers of his times, he had the likes of Rohith in mind, laced with critical faculties to steer the movement of oppressed people to their liberation. Harassment of Dalit students pushing them to commit suicide in higher educational institutes is not new but the manner in which this suicide took place should wake up Dalits to the deceit practiced by the current regime. It saw the continued abuse of the Constitution and trampling of all ideas Ambedkar stood for in recent imbroglio in JNU. The very establishments that decimated his ideal of democratic republic and killed the spirit of liberty, equality, fraternity are posing as his biggest devotees. Under such mounting propaganda, right from the late 1960s, which shows that it is not parties but the class they belong to has been acting in concert, the radical aspects of Babasaheb Ambedkar have been systematically overshadowed. For instance, just after getting disillusioned with the aftermath of Mahad struggle he had tried class politics over the entire decade until he was forced by the circumstances to revert back to the caste politics. This politics symbolized by the Independent Labour Party, which was described by him as workers party, and its reflection in Janata, his newspaper appears to have been completely forgotten. The 1930s was an eventful decade and it is interesting to see how he saw or related with many of these events. The non-Marathi readers are totally lost to these writings because their translation are yet not available in English and therefore in other languages. It creates impression that Babasaheb Ambedkar just hampered upon the betterment of Dalits and supplemented the divide and rule policy of the British imperialists. At least that is what is reflected by the current genre of the Dalit leaders through their apathy towards issues other than Dalit. One of the most shattering events of this decade is the trial and eventual hanging of Bhagat Singh along with his two comrades Rajguru and Sukhdeo. It exposed the British imperialists in their true colour along with their love for the rule of law as well as the phony concern of our nationalist leadership for the freedom of people. Bhagat Singh and Dr Ambedkar, as they would seem perfect opposite of each other, are the two heroes who had truly understood what ailed this country. When I said this while speaking in the launch of centenary celebration of Bhagat Singh in Maharashtra in 2007, people were perplexed by such a weird statement. But it is quite true. The relevance of these two people is growing as they get distanced from us. How did they see each other? There is no evidence for either of them saying anything about the other. However, we do know that Bhagat Singh had grappled with the Dalit question. He had written an article titled Achoot Samasya (Problem of Untouchability) at the age of 16, but it still has freshness and reflects amazing maturity of thought to be relevant for the emancipatory struggle of Dalits. Ambedkar did not write on the revolutionary movement of Bhagat Singh but has written an editorial note titled "Three Victims" when they were hanged. Though it does not speak about their struggle, much less politics, it explains how their execution was influenced by political expediency back home. I provide herewith its translation as it may be of interest to many a student of Ambedkar besides its historical value. Three Victims (Janata dated 13 April 1931) Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru have been eventually hanged. They were charged for the murders of an English police officer named Sanders and a Sikh police sepoy named Chaman Singh. Also there were three or four additional charges such as an attempt of murdering one police inspector at Banaras, throwing a bomb in the Assembly, conducting robbery at a house in Maulimiya village and looting its valuables. Bhagatsingh had already admitted to the charges of throwing bomb in the Assembly. For this crime, he and Batukeshwar Dutt were already sentenced with life imprisonment. One of the comrades of Bhagatsingh by name Jaigopal had confessed that the murder of sanders was executed by them revolutionaries including Bhagatsingh and others. The government had filed a case against Bhagatsingh and his comrades based on this confession. None of the three accused participated in this case, however. A special tribunal comprising three high court judges was appointed which heard the case and unanimously awarded them death penalty. Bhagatsinghs father had made a mercy petition to the Emperor and the Viceroy requesting them not to execute the punishment and convert if required into life imprisonment at Andamans. Many people including prominent leaders also tried to plead with the government in the matter. The issue of Bhagatsinghs death penalty might have arisen in negotiations that took place between Gandhi and Lord Irwin. Although Lord Irwin had not given any definitive assurance about saving Bhagatsinghs life, Gandhis speech during the intervening period created a hope that Irwin would try his best within his powers to save lives of these three youth. But all these hopes, predictions and appeals proved futile. They were killed by hanging in the Central Prison, Lahore on 23 March 1931 at 7 pm. None of them had made any appeal for saving them. But as it is already published, Bhagatsingh had expressed a desire for being killed with bullet shots instead of hanging by the neck. But even this last will of his was not granted and they implemented the judgment of the tribunal verbatim. The judgement was to hang by the neck till dead. If they were killed with bullet shots, the execution would not confirm to the judgement verbatim. The order of the justice goddess was obeyed in toto and the three were killed with the method she prescribed. For whom the Sacrifice? If the government thinks that people would be impressed by its display of devotion to and strict obedience of the justice goddess and therefore they would approve of this killing, it would be its utter naivete. None believes that this sacrifice was made with only intention of maintaining clean and sans blemish reputation of the British justice system. Even the government will not be able to convince itself with such an understanding. Then how will it convince others with this veil of the justice goddess? The entire world, as well as the government does, knows that it is not the devotion to justice goddess but the fear of the conservative party and public opinion back home in England that this sacrifice was executed. They thought, the unconditional release of political prisoners like Gandhi and signing pacts with Gandhis party has damaged the prestige of the Empire. Some orthodox leaders of the conservative party have launched a campaign that the prevailing cabinet of the Labour Party and the Viceroy who danced to its tune were responsible for it. In such a situation if Lord Irwin had showed mercy to political revolutionaries who have been convicted for assassinating an English officer, it would be like giving a burning torch into the hands of the opposition leaders. Already the condition of the Labour Party is not stable. In such a situation if these conservative leaders got an alibi that the labour government grants clemency to the convicts, who had murdered an Englishman, it would be so easy to provoke public opinion against it. In order to avert this imminent crisis and to thwart the fire in the minds of conservative leaders from flaring further, these hangings were executed. As such this was not to satisfy the justice goddess but to please public opinion in England. If it had been the issue of personal liking or disliking of Lord Irwin, he would have within his own powers annulled the death penalty and awarded life imprisonment in its stead. The cabinet of the Labour Party in England would have supported Lord Irwin in this decision. It would have been necessary to maintain congeniality of public opinion in the context of Gandhi-Irwin pact. While leaving the country, Lord Irwin would surely have liked to earn this goodwill. But he would have been crushed between the ire of his conservative kin in England and the Indian bureaucracy imbued with the same casteist attitude. Therefore, not minding the public opinion here the government of Lord Irwin hanged Bhagatsingh and his comrades to death and that too just 2 to 4 days before the Karachi conference of the Congress. Both, the hanging of Bhagatsingh and his comrades, and its timings, were sufficient to puncture the Gandhi-Irwin Pact and to trash the efforts to bring it about. If Lord Irwin wanted to fail this pact, he would not have found better act than this one. Looking from this perspective, as Gandhiji also felt, one could say that the government committed a great blunder. In sum, merely not to incur anger of the conservatives in England, they sacrificed Bhagatsingh and his comrades ignoring public opinion and not minding what would happen to the Gandhi-Irwin pact. The government must remember, howsoever it tries to cover it up or polish it; it will never be able to hide this fact. Dr Anand Teltumbde is a writer, political analyst and an activist with CPDR, Mumbai
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SHARE Where Am I Eating by Hoosier author Kelsey Timmerman is the selection for One Book One Community. provided photo Kelsey Timmerman, author of Where Am I Eating? will speak in September at the beginning of a three-day visit to Evansville for the One Book One Community. provided photo Kelsey Timmerman traveled extensively for research for his book Where Am I Eating? Timmerman, a Hoosier, will be speaking in September as part of the One Book One Community program. provided photo Where Am I Eating by Hoosier author Kelsey Timmerman is the selection for One Book One Community. provided photo
By Kelly Gifford of the Courier and Press
The Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library announced it's 2016 One Book One Community selection Tuesday and its author event this fall.
"Where Am I Eating?" by Muncie-native Kelsey Timmerman was chosen by the library to not only raise awareness of the global food movement but also to celebrate Indiana's bicentennial year.
Timmerman will spend three days in Evansville giving lectures and participating in events with area organizations and schools, with a public event at 7 p.m. Sept. 21 at Old National Events Plaza to kick off his visit.
"Where Am I Eating" chronicles the journeys Timmerman has taken to seeks out the stories behind where his food came from. He wrote about his travels to Costa Rica to talk to banana pickers, Columbia to track down where his Starbucks coffee is created and many other locations. He also wrote a similar book called "Where Am I Wearing," that shines a light on how globalization makes it difficult to know where and who products originate.
"Where Am I Eating" will be available at the library starting Tuesday and at Barnes & Noble for purchase as well. There will be several events, yet to be scheduled, before and after Timmerman's engagement in September. Although they are still in the planning stages, Heather McNabb, outreach, programs and partnerships manager for the library, said the One Book One Community committee is working to get as many people interacting and learning from Timmerman as possible. The program is going to incorporate several entities throughout the community for those events as well.
"During this year's program, people are going to see this program extend into the community much more than previous years," McNabb said. "With farmers markets and conscious food buying playing a bigger part in people's lives, we thought Kelsey's knowledge and global experience would be eye opening and of interest to many in the area."
SHARE Michael Loveless
By Mark Wilson of the Courier and Press
The defense attorney for an Evansville firefighter accused of rape said on Monday he intended to file a motion to dismiss some of the charges.
Rape and other criminal charges were formally filed against Michael Vernon Loveless on Monday.
Loveless, 42, is accused of threatening his girlfriend with a handgun and then a knife while children were present in the home they shared. The woman reported being raped during the encounter.
Loveless appeared by video in Vanderburgh Superior Court on Monday afternoon for his initial hearing on charges of rape, a level 1 felony; criminal confinement, a level 3 felony; intimidation, a level 5 felony; and battery resulting in bodily injury, a class A misdemeanor.
He pleaded not guilty. Loveless faces a miniumum 20-year sentence on the rape charge.
When asked if he understood the charges, Loveless repeatedly said he disagreed with them.
Defense attorney Scott Danks, speaking in court, said he plans to file a motion to dismiss the rape and criminal confinement charges because he said the information alleged in the probable cause affidavit doesn't fit the charges.
"Even if all the allegations as charged in counts one and two were true, they do not constitute a crime as charged," Danks said.
He appeared before Senior Judge Keith Meier, who retired as Warrick Superior Court judge last year, and has been serving as a temporary special judge in Loveless' case.
Last week Meier found probable cause for Loveless' arrest and set bond at $500,000 surety or $50,000 cash. Loveless is lodged at the Vanderburgh County jail.
However, Meier said after Monday the special judge will be Warrick Circuit Judge Greg Granger.
Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nicholas Hermann has filed a motion for appointment of a special prosecutor for the case. Local officials have been cautious in their handling of the case because the alleged victim is well known in the Evansville legal community.
Danks said it will be up to Granger to appoint a special prosecutor if he approves the motion. Loveless will appear before Granger at 8:30 a.m. March 10.
Loveless is a member of the Evansville Fire Department and is assigned to Station 2 on T.J. Maxx Road. Fire Chief Mike Connelly said Loveless has been an Evansville firefighter almost 11 years. The Fire Merit Commission on Monday approved placing Loveless on unpaid administrative leave while charges are pending.
The woman told deputies that early in the morning on Feb. 23, an intoxicated Loveless arrived at the home with a family member, threatened her with a handgun and at one point put it to his own head and pulled the trigger, not knowing it was unloaded, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The woman told investigators that she threw the gun out a window while Loveless attempted to load it. Loveless then cut his head and arm with a knife before threatening to kill her with it, according to the woman's statement to deputies.
She told deputies that fearing for the safety of herself and her children that were in the house, "she had intercourse with Loveless as he continually threatened to kill her then himself," the probable cause affidavit reads.
The woman told investigators that Loveless allowed her to leave so she could take her children to school, the release states. There is no indication in the affidavit that the children were physically harmed.
Deputies arrived at the residence after speaking with the alleged victim at the command post, and they arrested Loveless without incident while he walked to his car.
SHARE Kendra Thomas
By Richard Gootee of the Courier and Press
The Evansville woman accused of making threats toward an elementary school last week now faces formal charges stemming from the alleged incident.
Kendra D. Thomas, 27, faces both intimidation and child neglect charges. She was arrested on Feb. 23. The neglect investigation started after police went to Thomas' home to investigate the alleged threatening messages.
The Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's Office filed formal charges in the case on Monday. Thomas faces one count of intimidation and one count of child neglect.
According to the probable cause affidavit against Thomas, the police investigation against her started after she called 911 but hung up. When dispatchers called back, Thomas reportedly cursed at them and eventually told them she was at Caze Elementary School and advised to send police before she "did something to these people," investigators wrote.
Thomas was not at Caze, police learned after going to the school, but she had also left a message for a school employee saying that she had sent officers to the school.
In that message, Thomas cursed several times, one time saying, "now you better hope you have a school tomorrow."
School officials told investigators that Thomas had been barred from school property in January. Police then located Thomas at her Pollack Avenue home, which is a few blocks from the school.
During a subsequent search of that residence in the 4500 block of Pollack Avenue, investigators wrote that "every surface in the entire home was covered in dirt and grime," and that there was "dog feces and urine both in the home's kitchen and in the basement."
The affidavit does not specify how many children Thomas reportedly had living in the home, or their ages, but investigators noted that she has two children enrolled at Caze. According to the affidavit, Child Protective Services was called the day of Thomas' arrest to place the children.
Thomas remains in the Vanderburgh County jail.
By Bradie Gray
While the tragedy that surrounds the Syrian civil war may seem far away to many Tri-State residents, some feel all too close to the conflict.
Some are students trying to focus on their studies at the University of Evansville while a war wages in their native homes, affecting their family and friends.
UE is part of an association of colleges and universities dedicated to providing scholarship and aid to Syrian students.
To further this dedication and help support UE's large number of Syrian students, the Scholars for Syria lecture series was created to humanize the Syrian crisis with a panel of Syrian students as well as their families who are local.
For the next lecture, at 6 p.m. Thursday in Harkness Hall, assistant professor of philosophy Derek Jones will speak on the topic of xenophobia.
"I'm interested in the cognitive mechanisms that are associated with xenophobia," Jones said. Historically, not just Americans, but humans have treated people badly out of fear. There are plenty of historical examples. We look back on those people and think that they are irrational and that would never happen to us, but cognitively, we are not that different than those folks."
Jones will lecture for 45 minutes, followed by a question-and-answer session with a panel of three Syrian students and Jones.
The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Cynthia Simmons at cs27@evansville.edu
Photos by MIKE LAWRENCE / COURIER & PRESS Washington Middle School eighth-grader Ariel Howell makes her way down a gauntlet of high-fives as she goes to school Monday. U.S. Attorney Josh Minklers office gathered community members to form an inaugural High Five Line at Washington to celebrate student achievement and encourage kids at the beginning of the day.
SHARE More than 75 community members, including Evansville Police officers, Evansville Firefighters, University of Evansville students and Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, lined up Monday morning at Washington Middle School to hand out high fives to arriving students at the beginning ISTEP testing week to give them a boost. MIKE LAWRENCE / COURIER & PRESS With a smile on his face, Jason Horne, a sixth-grader at Washington Middle School, collects high fives as members of the community lined up Monday morning to greet arriving students at the beginning of ISTEP week, February 29, 2016. MIKE LAWRENCE / COURIER & PRESS Ryan Hatfield holds a sign to greet Washington Middle School students as they arrive for school Monday. MIKE LAWRENCE / COURIER & PRESS More than 75 community members, including Evansville Police officers, Evansville Firefighters, University of Evansville students and Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, lined up Monday morning at Washington Middle School to hand out high fives to arriving students at the beginning ISTEP testing week to give them a boost.
By Megan Erbacher of the Courier and Press
When Kylie Alstatt was dropped off at Washington Middle School, she wondered why about 75 people were standing outside, waiting for her to walk through the gate.
So Alstatt, 13, eagerly walked through the human tunnel and came out on the other side smiling and laughing with her friends.
"It was a nice boost of energy," the seventh-grader said. "I'm ready to get the day started now. They should do something like this every day."
U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler's office gathered community members to celebrate an inaugural High Five Line Monday morning at Washington to celebrate student achievement and encourage kids at the beginning of the day.
Lauren Wheatley, assistant U.S. attorney, said High Five Lines have been organized in Indianapolis as a response to youth violence. Wheatley saw the positive impact it created there, and thought, why not spread it to other cities?
"Who doesn't want to support some kids, especially on ISTEP week," she said. "We came to Washington because is a high-crime area; it is more than 90 percent free and reduced lunch; and the school did receive an "F" grade rating. But they've been making amazing improvements. And we just want to show these kids that we support them."
Wheatley focused on getting men involved, as well as anyone else in the community who wanted to support students. Participants included the Vanderburgh County Sheriffs Office, Evansville Police Department officers, University of Evansville students and Mayor Lloyd Winnecke.
Washington Principal Michele Branson said she was honored to be the first Evansville school to have a High Five Line. Washington students will take the first part of the ISTEP assessment Tuesday through Thursday, so Branson said it was nice to have the exciting welcome Monday in preparation of testing.
"It's an honor to know there are people behind us that are outside of these four walls that want to be part of what we're doing here at Washington," she said, "and to let students know there are people outside of Washington and in our community that really want to see the best things for them."
Seventh-grader Sierra Berry had a confused look on her face walking through the tunnel. But Berry, 12, liked the encouragement from adults.
Eighth-grader Quantasia Mason, 14, said the welcome tunnel was exciting.
"I wish we had an entrance like that every day," she said. "It would make coming to school easier."
Wheatley said the response for the High Five Line was "amazing."
"I would love for it to continue, at every school," she said. "Who doesn't need encouragement as they're walking into school on a Monday morning?"
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By Megan Thorne, megan.thorne@courierpress.com
An Arkansas woman is in critical condition in an Evansville hospital after her pickup truck struck a stopped tractor-trailer on Interstate 64, state police said.
Pamela J. Sorrells, 59, of Randolph County, Arkansas, was traveling west on I-64 near the 64-mile marker at Ferdinand just after 4 p.m. when she lost consciousness due to a medical condition, according to a news release from the Indiana State Police.
Her 2008 Chevrolet pickup swerved across lanes and struck a 2007 Freightliner semi truck sitting on the shoulder. The semi, which was pulling an empty 53-foot enclosed trailer, was parked on the shoulder after breaking down, according to the release.
Emergency crews removed Sorrells from her vehicle and airlifted her to St. Mary's Hospital, where she remains in critical condition.
Kenneth Goodson, 59, Owensboro, Kentucky, wasn't in his truck at the time of the crash. He was trying to call for mechanical assistance and was walking up toward the Ferdinand exit.
Goodson only had damage to his trailer. Sorrells truck was totaled, police said.
Police said Sorrells' seatbelt likely saved her life.
Interstate 64 was closed for more than an hour, while emergency crews investigated the crash.
By Zach Evans of the Courier and Press
A federal appeals court ruling against the Evansville Police Department in a botched SWAT raid in 2012 was upheld after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied to hear the citys appeal.
That means the city is out of appeal options, and a lawsuit between Louise Milan and the police department can proceed to settlement or a jury trial.
A federal appeals court said in August 2015 that the Evansville Police Department committed too many mistakes to be shielded from liability in Milans lawsuit over a 2012 SWAT raid on her home.
According to federal court records, the Supreme Court denied the citys petition to hear its appeal on Monday.
Milans lawsuit argues that police violated her Fourth Amendment Constitutional rights when the SWAT team tossed two flash-bang grenades into her home at 616 E. Powell Ave., and forced their way inside to serve a search warrant on June 21, 2012.
Police officers were looking for evidence of anonymous Internet posts to a message board threatening the police department and Chief Billy Bolin. The officers did not find any evidence in the home.
City attorneys sought to protect the department from the lawsuits excessive force claims for the use of a flash-bang grenades in the raid.
City attorney Keith Vonderahe said the courts denial was disappointing but wasnt a loss.
It doesnt mean weve lost the lawsuit. The denial means that theres a question of fact as to whether or not the use of the flash-bang devices was excessive force or not. Thats what this case comes down to, Vonderahe said.
He said the city will participate in any settlement hearings that are scheduled in good faith, but he thinks the courts will ultimately side with the city.
We feel very strongly that the current status of the law supports the force that was used by the officers, he said.
Milans attorney, Kyle Biesecker, said the lawsuit will likely head to a jury trial.
The most recent trial date in March was vacated awaiting the Supreme Courts decision. Biesecker said the courts will have to choose a new date, which will likely include a final pretrial settlement conference.
Milans lawsuit is asking for unspecified money for emotional distress, damages and attorneys fees as a result of the raid.
No one was injured in the raid, but police damaged Milans house, handcuffed her and her daughter and seized their computers, according to the lawsuit.
It was later determined the threatening posts were not made from inside the house, according to court records, but were made from someone accessing the homes Internet connection.
Police arrested Derrick Murray for the threats. He pleaded guilty to a federal charge of transmitting threats in interstate commerce and was sentenced to spend 16 months in prison and then three years on supervised release.
PDF of Milan's lawsuit against the city
Audio of the oral arguments before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
Related Stories:
Appeals Court: EPD not shielded from liability in SWAT raid lawsuit
Grandmother sues city, police department over June flash grenade incident
Police: 'Threat matrix' dictated SWAT team response at Powell Avenue home
By Zach Osowski, zach.osowski@courierpress.com
INDIANAPOLIS A federal judge ruled Monday that Indiana does not have the right to ban Syrian refugees from coming to the state.
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, from the U.S. Southern District of Indiana Court, granted a preliminary injunction on behalf of Exodus Refugee Immigration, preventing Indiana from "taking any actions to interfere with or attempt to deter the resettlement of Syrian refugees by Exodus in the State of Indiana."
The lawsuit was filed in November by the Indiana ACLU on behalf of Exodus, stating the decision by Gov. Mike Pence to suspend the resettlement of Syrian refugees was discriminatory. The decision was made after the Paris terrorist attacks.
PDF of Judge Pratt's opinion
Pence said he would withhold funds normally dispersed to agencies such as Exodus when a refugee family comes to a state. That money can be used for housing, food and school supplies.
Pence said, at the time, that the decision was made to protect Hoosiers from attacks similar to the Paris shootings because of gaps in the Syrian refugee screening process. He stood by that decision Monday in a release asking for an immediate stay of Pratt's ruling.
"During these uncertain times, we must always err on the side of caution," Pence said in a statement.
Pratt disagreed, saying Indiana's action "clearly constitutes national origin discrimination."
"In balancing the competing claims of injury, it is clear that Exodus and its refugee clients will be harmed by the state's directive," Pratt wrote. "When this is weighed against the near complete absence of harm to the state it is clear that equity demands a preliminary injunction."
It is unclear when the hearing on Pence's motion for a stay and subsequent appeal will be heard.
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By Zach Osowski, zach.osowski@courierpress.com
INDIANAPOLIS A bill policing who can view law enforcement body camera footage passed the Indiana Senate 49-1 Tuesday.
The burden of proof in House Bill 1019 switched from the public to police departments during committee work last week.
"I think that change has helped a lot of people become more comfortable with this," said Sen. Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, who argued for the change.
The bill does not mandate that police departments purchase body cams. It also leaves the decision to local officials decisions as to when the cameras should be turned on.
The bill has already passed out of the Indiana House, but because the Senate amended HB 1019 it will likely go to conference committee as legislators sort out the differences. The bill's author, Rep. Kevin Mahan, R-Hartford City, said he will likely send the bill to a committee rather than agree with all the changes. In committee last week, Mahan said he didn't have a problem with the switch in burden of proof.
Bray made other changes as well, including allowing anyone involved in the incident in question to view an unedited version of the video twice with an attorney. The bill also eases access for videos relating to civil rights violations or excessive force. Bray said if there was an allegation of excessive force or civil rights violation, the video in question would be released in almost all circumstances.
Once an agreement is reached in conference committee, the committee report will be passed through the House and Senate. If approved in both chambers, it would go to Gov. Mike Pence for his signature.
The bill received bipartisan support with Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, saying he thought the bill would decrease lawsuits.
"It's important to have something that will protect police officers," Taylor said. "You're going to act differently when you know you're being recorded."
Conference committee members and scheduling will be announced later this week.
Disclaimer
This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own views and not those of my employer or any other organization. Comments on posts represent the opinions of visitors.
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Another character, Harry's vile Aunt Marge, was based on one of Rowling's family members who "liked dogs more than people." But there's one character who rises above all others in the annals of hated Harry Potter Characters. The one character whom every fan agrees is the most evil and hated. No, not Voldemort. Not Lockhart. Not even the sniveling Wormtail.
It's Dolores Umbridge. Her name literally means "annoyance and offense."
Warner Brothers Pictures
You goddamn bitch.
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If you saw the movies, you might remember Umbridge as the short one dressed in all-pink who makes Harry write with a pen that carves letters into his flesh. Seemed a bit much, right? Well, she was based on a teacher Rowling knew whom she described as someone she "disliked intensely on sight." The feeling was mutual, and Rowling described her style as being "appropriate to a girl of three."
Imagine you're a teacher trying your best to enrich young minds. One of your students (though not your favorite) has become the most successful writer since God. Excited, you open one of her books and find someone who's clearly you, written as a dimwitted servant of evil dressed for a children's tea party. Oh well, you guess she never forgave you for those detentions ...
The banks underwriting the more than US$45 billion financing package for Dell's acquisition of EMC are reportedly close to finding investors for a large portion of the loans that are expected to be part of the deal.
The banks have lined up investors for more than US$7 billion of the US$10 billion in loan exposure they expect to take on as part of the transaction, according to a Thomson Reuters report.
Still, banking sources told Thomson Reuters that debt market volatility, slumping equity markets and other economic conditions have contributed to the loans being slow to sell despite healthy demand.
The loans are known as pro-rata loans, which typically include a mix of fixed-term debt and revolving credit. Dell's package includes a US$3.5 billion, three-year term loan; a US$3.5 billion, five-year term loan and a US$3 billion, five-year revolving credit facility. The banks had been expected to commit to the financing by 10 February, but pushed that date back as they tried to reduce their exposure.
The Dell deal is being underwritten by JP Morgan, Barclays, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and RBC Capital.
Last Tuesday, the merger cleared a mandatory waiting period under the federal Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act of 1976. The proposed US$67 billion deal must still win the approval of EMC shareholders and other regulatory clearances.
The acquisition, originally pegged at US$67 billion when it was announced in October, would be the largest in the history of the technology industry, and would create an US$80 billion global IT industry powerhouse. But the value of the deal has been driven down by VMware's declining share price, which has dropped more than 40 percent in the last four months. EMC owns 80 percent of VMware.
Dell recently pushed back against reports that claimed the acquisition had hit a snag with the group of banks arranging financing. Dell said it expects to take on as much as US$49.5 billion in debt to make the deal happen, and plans to begin paying down that debt aggressively in the first 18-24 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 Perot, which Dell bought in 2009.
This article originally appeared at crn.com
It's a case of an Aussie battler taking on and beating the world's biggest public cloud providers, as Mitsubishi chose Perth-headquartered Zettagrid over Amazon Web Services and Microsoft for its cloud contract.
The car maker awarded its Australian infrastructure-as-a-service and network contract to Zettagrid's Adelaide-based channel partner, Vectra Corporation.
Vectra has had a long association with Mitsubishi Motors Australia (MMAL), having supported the auto company's mainframe and midrange systems since 1995. Vectra took over Mitsubishi's LAN, WAN, server and desktop support contracts in April 2015.
In January this year, Vectra scored a four-year extension to the deal, with compute, internet and MPLS now consolidated with Zettagrid and set to run until at least March 2020.
The local pair beat out competition from hyperscale cloud giants AWS and Azure as well as Telstra, while displacing incumbent network supplier Telstra in the process.
"MMAL had requirements for data sovereignty that limited the selection of available providers," said Vectra's CIO, David Benda. "Consequently Zettagrid was selected from a restricted EOI process that included other providers who met data sovereignty. Zettagrid was selected due to price, local support and being wholly Australian owned and domiciled."
Vectra has now migrated Mitsubishi's production environment which ran on-premises at the car maker's Adelaide plant along with its secondary data centre into Zettagrid's VMware-based cloud.
"They are a very agile company," said Benda. "From our first conversation inviting Zettagrid to answer the MMAL EOI all the way down to the contract signing, there has been a single voice and quick response to all queries."
The Mitsubishi environment, which includes Sharepoint, Exchange and Skype for Business, is now in production in Zettagrid's Melbourne availability zone.
Mark Tiddy, CIO of Mitsubishi Motors Australia, said: "Combining our national network with Zettagrids cloud services is going to immediately realise benefits for us at Mitsubishi Motors as well as address a number of existing telecommunications challenges. In addition, migrating to a VMware cloud really smooths the cloud transition process for our organisation because we are all VMware-based."
Cloud maturity
Luke Brown, Zettagrid's principal technologist, said Zettagrid's maturity was a factor in winning the Mitsubishi work, given that its IaaS platform has been running in Australia since 2010. The Zettagrid cloud now hosts more than 4,000 virtual machines.
Locally owned Zettagrid, which is spread across 11 data centres in Australia, said the win proved it could compete against the size, scale and price of its larger rivals.
The company was invited to tender alongside AWS, Azure, Telstra and VMware vCloud, with Telstra and Zettagrid shortlisted.
Brown said the company won despite facing stiff price competition from its larger rivals. "From our point of view, we can't compete on price and we don't intend to. For us it is about differentiating our offer and driving value."
He said resellers liked the visibility offered by Zettagrid. "For partners, especially when they put workloads into some of the hyperscalers, they lose some of the visibility. That is troubling for them when users are contacting them and asking, 'How are things going right now?' They have trouble finding those results."
Zettagrid differentiates by offering partners "access to high-level guys on our side" as well as analytics and performance metrics, said Brown.
CTO Nicki Pereira added that Zettagrid was "absolutely respectful" of its bigger cloud rivals, but thrilled to support its channel partner, Vectra, with such a plum contract. "We are really proud of the fact that as an Australian company, there is innovation coming out of Australia. The channel is not all doom and gloom."
In 2014, the company announced its new partner program as part of its shift to a channel model, and has seen considerable success from resellers. "Our biggest 15-20 customers are all channel partners," said Brown. "We are growing year on year. Some might have thought the hyperscalers would spell the end for us but we are getting more customers. We are at 4,000 VMs now," he added.
Zettagrid appeared at No.26 in the 2014 CRN Fast50, when it grew 40.93 percent to achieve revenue of $3.4 million.
Avoiding cloud sprawl
The company also aims to demystify cloud pricing, added Brown. "The pricing of the bigger guys is getting incredibly complex. It's quite hard to know what you will be charged. One of our other points is we try to avoid that bill shock predictable billing that is simpler than the hyperscale end of town," said Pereira.
"We want our partners and customers to receive a bill, to read it and understand it without needing a university degree."
Pereira said VMware's strong footprint in the enterprise also gave Zetta an edge over rivals, given its familiarity among system administrators within client and partner organisations.
"When you look into a mid-size business, about 65 percent in the enterprise are using VMware If you do want to move into these hyperscalers, there is rearchitecting and there are some workloads that won't work as well. There are 'ifs' and 'buts'," he said.
Avoiding vendor lock-in is another advantage, added Brown. "Because it is a VMware platform, we can migrate you in and I am sure you can migrate out. That keeps us honest. It doesn't become like Hotel California."
Zettagrid's cloud largely runs on Dell compute with EMC storage, and networking based on Brocade and Juniper. The company, which also offers flash storage, finds that the brand of infrastructure is less important than the service levels it can guarantee customers.
Brown explained: "Customers will often ask, 'What storage tier do I need to be on?' but they often don't have the necessary information we would need. So we would put them on midrange to bottom-of-the-range storage and a week later we will ask them how it is performing. Then we can scale them up to a higher tier. It gives customers less to worry about; it comes down to the performance-versus-price question for them."
Pereira agreed. "When we start dealing with the customer and the business, it is not the technology that is important, it is the SLAs. We can move them from slower disk up to flash disk. It is really down to performance.
"As flash gets better, we are looking at flash. We have customers running on flash and as the price drops we will have more and more workloads running on that. We have R&D going on to push innovation. You can't see one of these hyperscalers converting everything to flash," he said.
Telstra is offering customers a free 200GB subscription to Microsofts OneDrive cloud storage platform.
The offer is only available to Telstra consumer customers with a pre-paid, mobile broadband or home broadband plan.
The offer, which starts today, makes it cheaper than buying from Microsoft direct. Microsoft charges $2 per month for 50GB, or $9 per month for 1TB bundled with Office 365.
It continues a long alliance between the national telco and the software and cloud vendor. Telstra originally had sole rights to sell Office 365 to small and medium businesses in an exclusive deal that was unwound in 2013.
OneDrive was last year the centre of controversy after Microsoft downgraded its OneDrive data limits, reducing storage for free accounts from 15GB to 5GB. Customers on "unlimited" plans were capped at 1TB after "a small number of users" exploited the system with massive backups.
Microsoft partially reversed this decision after the complaints by allowing free users to keep their 15GB limit if they signed up on Microsofts website before the end of January.
Microsofts cloud rival Amazon Cloud Storage charges US$59.99 for its unlimited plan. Dropbox only allows unlimited storage on business accounts, and Google Apps for Work and Google Apps for Work both boast unlimited storage.
An Australian Dimension Data executive said that a tense relationship with Cisco due to channel conflict has now softened.
At the Cisco Partner Summit in San Diego, Dimension Data global security group executive Matt Gyde said the provider has been growing its security services by more than 80 percent in the last couple of years.
Weve seen an enormous amount of opportunity, he said, adding that Dimension Data has pushed back pretty hard on Cisco providing any service directly to a customer.
We want to be a full lifecycle partner. We personally feel that we add more value to our clients because of our experience across multiple domains and multiple technologies.
Gyde, who is now based in Singapore, admitted that the channel conflict had caused friction in the past between the vendor and the solutions provider. It was a tense relationship. I think we have worked through a lot of those issues together.
"Once again, thats one of the great things about working with Cisco. We can sit down and have an argument, but get it sorted out for the betterment of both organisations," Gyde added.
Cisco security success
Cisco's security general manager, David Goeckeler, used the panel discussion to claim the company is the largest enterprise security vendor by market share, but admitted the message is drowned out in a very noisy market.
Going up the road this week to RSA [conference] in San Francisco... there are probably 500 vendors there all competing for attention," said Goeckeler.
Gyde said that customers IT security budgets seemed to be growing, with upper management realising that security failures have serious consequences. [Customer board members] are very very aware now that theyll end up in jail if something goes wrong. So theres a commitment there to spend.
With the amount of work out there, DiData and Cisco are now more comfortable with their roles, according to Gyde, with flexibility shown on both sides depending on customer circumstance.
Whenever we need help, David [Goeckeler] and his team will get on planes any time of the day to come and support us, he said. Anytime were short of staff, Cisco will absolutely step in and help us.
The journalist travelled to San Diego courtesy of Cisco.
YEREVAN, March 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenpress state news agency introduces on the air of Lratvakan.am all that you will read, hear and see on todays news.
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini will arrive in Armenia on March 1. She is scheduled to meet with the Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian. After the meeting they will introduce the framework of the discussed issues and to the journalists and will answer their questions.
March 1 is the World Civil Protection Day. Different events such as open lessons, training exercises, evacuations are conducted in Yerevan and provinces every year on the occasion of this day. This year is not an exception. In addition to the mentioned events, Deputy Director of the Rescue Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Major General Vrej Gabrielyan will speak about the works done by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the future plans aimed at civil protection.
State agencies activate cooperation with scientific institutions. Defense Minister of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan will meet with the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences, directors and scientists of the Institutes of the National Academy of Sciences. Issues of future cooperation between the National Academy of Sciences and the Defense Ministry will be discussed. As part of this policy, the Ministry of Diaspora signed cooperation agreements with various scientific institutions a few days ago.
The scientific theme of the day will be continued by an open lesson of famous Armenian scientist, Associate Professor at the University of California, Research Director at the Information Sciences Institute Aram Galstyan. It will be themed Scientific findings in the era of large-scale data. The lecture is organized within the framework of Young Scientists Support Program under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Armenia.
March 1 is perceived by Armenians not only as the first spring day, but it also reminds them of the tragic events that occurred on that day in 2008, when the protests organized in the center of Yerevan terminated with a bloodshed. Every year a march or an assembly is organized on this day. This year is not an exception. The Armenian National Congress (ANC), People's Party of Armenia and New Armenia public salvation front will conduct a joint assembly in memory of the victims of March 1 crime. National Assembly ANC faction member, member of the National Assembly Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Gagik Jhangiryan will touch upon the political and legal lessons taken from March 1 events.
What are weather expectations from March? Will temperature decline be followed by the current warm weather? What predictions are there for agricultural sphere? Deputy Minister of Agriculture Garnik Petrosyan and Deputy Head of HydrometService Meteorological Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Gagik Surenyan will speak about the mentioned topics.
Cultural events. A major youth exhibition will be opened by the initiative of ArmArt cultural center. Union of Journalists of Armenia will sum up the results of Golden pen awards.
More on these and other topics is available on armenpress.am. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Channel programs News
How Partners Are Separating Politics From Business
Michael Novinson
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Jason Adamany, founder and president of Adesys, Fitchburg, Wis., faced a conundrum after being asked to provide IT support for Republican governor Scott Walker during the 2012 recall election.
Because of how polarizing Walker's gubernatorial tenure had become, Adamany decided to take the proposal to each of his then 10 employees individually and figure out whether or not they were comfortable with Adesys taking on Walker as a client.
A handful said they werent comfortable but none objected more generally to Adesys taking on the work. Adamany removed the concerned employees from the project and ensured they didnt have access to any sensitive data. Walker ultimately prevailed in the recall election, and Adesys continued to work for Walker during his 2014 gubernatorial re-election campaign and his unsuccessful 2016 presidential bid.
For solution provider New Signature, based in Washington, D.C., its mantra is to remain nonpartisan, which has sometimes turned off candidates expecting ideological purity from their IT partner.
[Related: Big Data's Big Role In Big Politics]
We work with anyone, said New Signature President Chris Hertz. Were a business doing business with other businesses.
Since New Signature isnt aligned with the Democrats or the Republicans, Hertz said the company gets most of its political clients from a rather unusual source nonprofits.
Prospective candidates not currently in office often sit on the board of 501c3 organizations supporting education or another nonpartisan mission, Hertz said. Since New Signature has a large practice helping nonprofits raise money and build their Web presence, it often hears about politicians planning to launch campaigns.
And for Coolhead Tech, despite having just five full-time employees and being based thousands of miles from Republican presidential candidate Ben Carsons home state of Maryland, the company received a cold call last year from a member of Carsons campaign who was interested in working with the Austin, Texas-based Google for Work Premier partner.
Coolhead principal consultant Chris Alghini suspects the Carson campaign was interested in using a Google-based ecosystem and came across Coolheads popular Google Apps blog. If you put the right tools in front of the right team, theyll succeed, Alghini said.
Cloud News
IBM Has Been Going Full Steam Ahead Since PartnerWorld Conference
Joseph Tsidulko
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Usually, the big business announcements come in the weeks leading up to the big partner conferences, and then there's an activity lull in their wake. But IBM has maintained its head of steam since congregating two weeks ago with thousands of its partners in Orlando, Fla.
In the days following its PartnerWorld Leadership Conference, IBM agreed to buy Truven Health Analytics in a $2.6 billion deal, forged an important alliance with Check Point Software Technologies, and hosted its annual analyst summit.
IBM continued on that tear Monday with the acquisition of Resilient Systems, an incident-response security expert, and, concurrent with that deal, the formation of a new security services unit called X-Force Incident Response Services.
[Related: 10 Key IBM Acquisitions That Could Boost Partners]
The post-conference moves further illustrate the vital role IBM sees security and health-care capabilities and data playing in its transformation to what CEO Ginni Rometty described to partners who gathered in Florida as "a cognitive solutions and cloud platform company."
Toni Saccanoghi, a senior analyst at Bernstein, wrote after attending the analyst conference last Thursday: "IBM has invested aggressively in acquiring capabilities and in securing data, particularly in health care, which it sees as a core asset, akin to content in the media world.
"Clearly cognitive computing is a big, transformational bet for IBM, and its logic is sound," Saccanoghi wrote. "The company has very strong capabilities in Watson and infrastructure, and encouragingly, IBM has attracted seasoned outside executives to the business."
Resilient, which offers a technology that bolsters IBM's security infrastructure portfolio, is the latest pickup in a buying spree that has now brought 20 companies into the IBM fold in the past year. Resilient, based in Cambridge, Mass., offers incident-response software, sold through a large channel of its own.
Caleb Barlow, vice president of IBM Security, told CRN via email that once the deal has closed, IBM will start talking to Resilient's partners about how "to address future business opportunities with IBM Security."
IBM plans to encourage Resilient partners to enroll in IBM PartnerWorld, its channel program, he said.
"We are keen to engage with existing Resilient Systems business partners to extend and grow this skilled community," Barlow told CRN.
Last week, IBM, Armonk, N.Y., entered an alliance with Check Point through which the two companies agreed to share threat intelligence -- part of a trend toward collaboration in the security space.
Aside from the lines of communication between the vendors, they plan to release integrated tools that partners can leverage.
"For our joint partners, the integration of IBM QRadar and Check Point technology through the IBM Security App Exchange will provide partners with simpler and more closely integrated offerings," Jason Corbin, a vice president at IBM Security, told CRN in an email.
Those integrations are "particularly important for smaller partners," Corbin said.
IBM collaborating on managed security services with Check Point, based in Israel and San Carlos, Calif., stems from a relationship that goes back to the 1990s.
Michael Anderson, a managing director at Sycomp, a partner of both Check Point and IBM based in Foster City, Calif., told CRN that the biggest impact of the alliance is validation of Check Point's technology in identifying and managing cyberthreats.
"IBM and Check Point coming together, completing each other's suites, is going to have a positive impact on the security market and people looking at positive security outcomes in general," Anderson told CRN. "Two leaders coming together is always positive."
For partners like Sycomp, the ability to "deliver one-stop shopping for security outcomes is very interesting," Anderson told CRN. "Combining services, threat intelligence and controls on the threat side makes it more interesting, more valuable, and will probably save someone money somewhere."
The real value comes from interoperability, he added.
Bernstein's Sacconaghi wrote in the takeaways he published after the analyst conference that while IBM's vision around cognitive computing and the Watson platform was compelling, and the project had assembled a strong leadership team, "having both doesn't necessarily assure success going forward."
IBM's rebranding is more aspirational than financial, he said. Bernstein estimates total cloud (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and Watson revenue at less than $2 billion in the last fiscal year, less than 3 percent of total revenue.
The biggest change in strategy over that period has been IBM's belief that cognitive computing "will be a huge incremental opportunity going forward, with IBM's Watson technology as the centerpiece," Sacconaghi said, noting IBM estimates a $2 trillion market, which is bigger than the entire traditional IT market.
But the cognitive arena is getting crowded, he said, and it's developing around industry verticals that each require substantial independent investments.
The market is still in its early phases, "and cognitive and cloud are more vision than financial reality today," Sacconaghi concluded. "We estimate that directly attributable cloud and cognitive revenues are modest today."
Data center News
Cisco Teams With Startup Springpath, Sets Sights On Total Dominance Of The Hyper-Convergence Market
Kevin McLaughlin and Mark Haranas
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Cisco Systems took the wraps off a new hyper-converged infrastructure product line called HyperFlex Systems Tuesday, pitching it as a more economical and better-performing alternative to Nutanix and other startups in the fast-emerging space.
HyperFlex Systems, unveiled at the vendor's annual partner conference in San Diego, consists of Cisco UCS servers and software-defined storage technology that Cisco developed through a strategic partnership with Springpath, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based startup founded by former VMware storage engineers.
The technology, which Cisco is calling the HX Data Platform, pools storage from solid-state and conventional hard drives and turns it into an enterprise-grade object storage system, Todd Brannon, Ciscos director of product marketing for UCS, said in an interview.
[Related: Here's Why Cisco Partners Believe Vendor Will Acquire Hyper-Converged Startup Springpath]
Cisco also revealed that it led a previously undisclosed Series C round of funding in Springpath. Brannon declined to specify the amount of the investment but said Cisco has been working with Springpath since 2012, the year it was founded.
Springpath spokespeople didnt respond to a request for comment. The startup has raised $34 million in funding to date from investors Sequoia Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Redpoint Ventures and Stanford University, according to Crunchbase.
CRN in January was first to report that Cisco had signed an OEM agreement with Springpath and made an undisclosed investment in the startup. Cisco has the option to acquire Springpath based on revenue results, according to CRN's sources.
Cisco's HyperFlex pricing for a three-node HyperFlex cluster starts at $59,000 including one year of 24x7x4 on-site support. Cisco is now taking orders and plans to start shipping products sometime this month, a spokesman for the San Jose, Calif.-based vendor told CRN.
Cisco is a late arrival to the hyper-convergence market, where top startups Nutanix and SimpliVity have collectively raised close to $590 million over the past several years. But according to Brannon, hyper-convergence startups have taken "some real architectural shortcuts" that have slowed mainstream adoption of the technology.
"Thats what we're fixing with HyperFlex," Brannon told CRN.
Brannon said while hyper-converged startups like to tout their offerings as being quick to set up, they're typically combinations of compute and storage that dont account for networking. As a result, customers have to figure out how to connect all the different parts together, and getting a system up and running can take days or weeks, he said.
Cisco, with its deep expertise in networking, has made sure this won't be an issue with HyperFlex. "Were going to bring you a solution you can deploy in less than an hour, including the network, and thats crucial," he said.
One particular area of strength for Cisco HyperFlex is that customers can use it to scale their compute and storage independently, said Brannon.
Cisco partners who've been eagerly awaiting the vendor's arrival to the hyper-converged market told CRN they're impressed with the HyperFlex offering.
"We always felt Cisco needed a full-fledged solution in this space," said Vinu Thomas, chief technology officer at Presidio, a New York-based Cisco partner that sells UCS systems.
"We've sold quite a bit of Nutanix and there was no comparative Cisco play," said Anoj Willy, vice president of product development at Trace3, an Irvine, Calif.-based company that works with both vendors. "Now Cisco has given us a competitive offering that we can bring to market.
"Cisco also has the networking component, which has been the trickiest component thus far in the data center in terms of commoditization and control," Willy told CRN.
HyperFlex will be included in many of Cisco's channel incentive programs, including the Value Incentive Program (VIP) and Opportunity Incentive Program (OIP), and Cisco's field sales teams will also work with partners to sell HyperFlex, said Ken Trombetta, vice president of Cisco's Global Partner Organization.
Cisco was attracted to Springpath because the startup has developed what Brannon described as "an entirely new, purpose-built file system" thats designed for hyper-convergence.
Most existing hyper-converged offerings rely on open-source operating systems such as Ext4 [a file system for Linux], which weren't intended to be used in hyper-converged environments, Brannon said.
Cisco is also touting HyperFlex's performance, which Brannon said is superior to offerings currently on the market. He told CRN that customers who've been testing HyperFlex through Cisco's early access program, some of which are using hyper-converged offerings from Nutanix and other startups, like what they're seeing.
"[Cisco HyperFlex] is stopping them dead in their tracks," Brannon said. After testing it out, customers "are stopping and turning around and giving us purchase orders."
Cisco HyperFlex also offers customers better cost of ownership because it includes data optimization technology that lets them buy less infrastructure and raw capacity, according to Brannon.
Brannon said while Cisco doesn't intend to walk away from its existing UCS partnerships with SimpliVity and other vendors, it does view Springpath's technology as superior and plans to lead with it in sales discussions with customers.
"Our confidence in [Springpath] technology is reflected in the fact that weve fully productized it. We're adding a product family to our company, and were going to go drive with this," Brannon said.
"This is definitely not aimed at SimpliVity," said Brannon. "This technology is going to leapfrog a lot of the incumbent players, but I think Nutanix has a lot more to be worried about here than SimpliVity does."
Chris Morgan, a Nutanix vice president in charge of channels and distribution, told CRN that the San Jose-based company isn't surprised to see new players enter the hyper-convergence space.
"Cisco is a formidable competitor with a strong channel base, but with a history of false starts entering new markets," Morgan said in an email. "Channel partners have already communicated to us that they will take a wait- and-see approach with this unproven technology from an untested startup."
Security News
Kaspersky Launches Targeted Attack Detection Platform, Security Intelligence Services At RSA Conference
Sarah Kuranda
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Kaspersky Lab Tuesday launched a targeted attack detection platform and line of security intelligence services at the RSA Conference, being held this week in San Francisco.
The Kaspersky Anti-Targeted Attack Platform works by collecting data from network, Web, email and endpoint sensors and feeding it into an advanced sandbox for detection, and includes a targeted attack analyzer to assess and combine threat verdicts. The result, according to Michael Canavan, vice president of enterprise engineering at Kaspersky, is a platform that provides actionable intelligence around existing threats on a customer's network.
The line of security intelligence services, meanwhile, includes security assessment services, cybersecurity training and threat intelligence. The security-as-a-service products are aimed at large organizations, government agencies, ISPs, telecoms and MSSPs.
[Related: Palo Alto Networks CEO Expects Security Vendor Won't Be Hit By Spending Slowdown]
Customers today are spending roughly 80 percent of their budgets on perimeter and protection technologies, Canavan said. However, Kaspersky expects that balance to shift, with customers putting more emphasis on detection and response technologies.
"There's a realization that customers are starting to have a more balanced approach in their security postures," Canavan said. "This product set is really the accumulation of that realization and the shift from the market, the advanced threats that are out there, and extending the capability out from the protection realm to the detection realm."
That shift is being felt by partners, too. Michael Knight, president and CTO of Encore Technology Group, a Greenville, S.C.-based Kaspersky partner, said it critical for his business to help customers make that shift, as it limits the devastating damage that can come from a data breach.
"The big shift from protection to detection -- if you really break down why that's changing, it's because the faster you can detect a threat, the less damage that can happen to customer environments," Knight said. "By having this partners can get an additional layer of security," he said.
Knight said the offerings present a big opportunity for Encore Technology Group, as the Anti-Targeted Attack Platform, combined with the new training and services, will drive more business for both sides.
"From the partner side, everything is an opportunity," Knight said. "Any time you can engage with Kaspersky, one of our best partners on this level [is an opportunity]. Not only are we learning more and more, but we're doing more and more together. There's more business for both of us."
While Moscow-based Kaspersky has planted its stake in traditional security markets such as anti-virus, Cavanan said the new releases mark an evolution of its portfolio to keep up with emerging security threat trends.
"Security is a more and more complex issue," Cavanan said. "Having a fundamental shift to this adaptive security model, where you move from simply just protection in an environment to detection, response and remediation this will not only open the opportunity for partners to open their portfolio but, as a vendor, will provide more value in the chain in these different areas."
Encore Technology Group's Knight said it is important to him that a vendor partner keeps up with industry trends like this.
"For a partner, it's always important for us to have our technology partner see growth and change and [make] adjustments. ... It's very important to see partners like Kaspersky continue to evolve and bring solutions forward that will absolutely be impactful to what we're doing."
Security News
RSA President Amit Yoran: The Security Industry Needs A Wake-Up Call
Sarah Kuranda
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As companies start to talk about the move from prevention technologies to detection and response, they also need to walk the walk, RSA President Amit Yoran said in his keynote address opening the 2016 RSA Conference in San Francisco.
The comments follow Yoran's keynote last year, which called for the security industry to embrace a new approach to cybersecurity -- one that moved away from perimeter technologies to one that invests in visibility, analytics and threat intelligence.
In the past year, the industry has awoken to this trend, with many industry leaders pronouncing the "death of the perimeter." However, Yoran said, the security industry is still failing to put that knowledge into practice. Intellectually, the industry understands the need to move away from perimeter technologies, he said, but they haven't changed their behavior.
[Related: Kaspersky Launches Targeted Attack Detection Platform, Security Intelligence Services At RSA Conference]
"Intellectually, we get it, but that's not translating into changed behavior fast enough. Prevention is a failed strategy. But if you continue to invest solely in prevention, what good is [understanding] that?" Yoran said. "Are you leading your organization into security's future or clinging on to the past?"
Only about 10 percent of budgets today are spent on detection and response technologies, Yoran said, citing numbers from market research firm Gartner. But, he said, budgets are starting to shift, and Gartner predicts that by 2020, about 60 percent of IT security budgets will be spent on detection and response.
Yoran said security companies need to focus on what he called a "new world order," which places greater emphasis on monitoring and response, recognizing that ultimately, protection technologies will fail. Evidence of that in the past year includes the largest health-care breach in history, -- the Anthem breach in February -- and what was arguably the largest data breach of all time last summer at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Some of the security capabilities and technologies in that new world include full visibility, mobile platforms, identity and access management, and cloud-based services. Yoran said the talent shortage in the cybersecurity industry also poses a significant obstacle to solving this problem, as there are more than 200,000 unfilled positions in the sector. Embracing automation technologies is key, he said, as is promoting a culture that gets creative about bringing in new talent.
"Let's reclaim our heritage of intellectual curiosity and rekindle the crazy spirit that brings diverse perspectives," Yoran said.
These technologies, if implemented correctly, will drive better analytics and business intelligence, he said, advances that Yoran said "hold incredible promise for transforming how we do security."
Bedford, Mass.-based RSA, for one, is working toward walking the walk in this area, Yoran said, striving to deliver technology with "unparalleled visibility." The company has been sharpening its focus on advanced security operations and incident response, authentication and identity management, and governance, risk and compliance. It has exited some of its businesses, as well, including DLP and crypto.
"You are how you behave," Yoran said. "Our industry needs to wake up. What are you going to do differently this year?"
Security News
FBI Chief: San Bernardino iPhone Case Could Set A Legal Precedent For Encryption
Lindsey O'Donnell
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FBI Director James Comey acknowledged Tuesday that forcing Apple to unlock the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone could set a precedent for dealing with encryption in the future.
Representatives from Apple and the FBI took their places in front of the House Judiciary Committee to discuss the government's efforts in unlocking an iPhone belonging to one of the terrorists behind the San Bernardino attacks last year.
"I happen to think there are technical limitations to how useful this particular San Bernardino technique will be, given how the phones have changed, but sure, other courts, other prosecutors, other lawyers for companies will look to that for guidance or how to distinguish it," Comey said during the hearing.
[Related: RSA President Amit Yoran: The Security Industry Needs A Wake-Up Call]
The hearing comes after a California judge last month ordered Apple to unlock the iPhone, which was used by one of the assailants in the December mass shooting event.
Apple does not have access to the data on its phones, so the FBI requested the company create a new version of its operating system, eliminating some security features, to install on the iPhone in question.
There is no previous precedent for the government to ask for this particular kind of access, CEO Tim Cook said in a letter to customers in February, and complying with the request would force Apple "to expose its customers to a greater risk of attack" and create a backdoor with no guaranteed limit on its use, he wrote.
Previously, Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple, which has provided default encryption on its iPhones since 2014, could use a tool that would plug into the phone and allow it to respond to search warrant requests from the government.
The hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, made up of two Republicans and 16 Democrats, is meant to enable U.S. lawmakers to better understand both points of view.
Apple representatives, for their part, testified during the hearing that the FBI's move could weaken the security of Apple products and undermine encryption efforts.
Hackers and cybercriminals could use this to wreak havoc on our privacy and personal safety, said Bruce Sewall, senior vice president and general counsel of Apple at the hearing. "It would set a dangerous precedent for government intrusion on the privacy and safety of its citizens."
Executives in the technology industry across the country, including Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, are also voicing support for Apple in its stand against encryption "backdoors."
Amit Yoran, president of computer and network security company RSA, stressed the importance of encryption at the annual RSA Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday.
"Some policy proposals, like weakening encryption, are so misguided as to boggle the mind," said Yoran. "In an era where cybersecurity is consistently cited as the single greatest threat to our way of life, above terrorism and all else, how can we possibly justify a policy that would catastrophically weaken our infrastructures?"
Partners also take a similar stance in standing behind Cook during the debate, saying encryption could be undermined should Cook give in to the FBI's demands.
In a poll on CRN.com, 76 percent of the respondents said they are siding with Cook on the iPhone battle between the FBI and Apple.
"I do believe there should be a warrant to get to iPhones, there should be some sort of due procedure," said Steven Kantorowitz, president of CelPro Associates, an Apple partner based in New York. "There is so much personal content and private data in people's phones these days. I think iPhone users have an expectation of privacy."
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS: FIDE has published the rankings of March 2016. As "Armenpress" reports, leader of the Armenian National chess team Levon Aronyan has dropped to the 7th place with 2786 points.Previously he was ranked 4th. The ranking tops world champion Magnus Carlsen with 2851 points. Vladimir Kramkin is on the 2nd place with 2801 points, and Fabiano Caruana is the 3rd, with 2794 points.
Among the list of top players is Grandmaster Gabriel Sargsyan, who is ranked 42nd with 2702 points. Vladimir Hakobyan is ranked 95th with 2656 points, Sergey Movsisyan and Hrant Movsisyan share the 100th and 102nd place with Norwegian Loek van Wely with 2653 points.
Member of the Armenian National Team Elina Danielyan is ranked 44th with 2445 points among womens rankings. Lilit Mkrtchyan is ranked 49th with 2434 points. Compared to the previous month the players dropped by 1 position in the rankings.
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Just hours after the movie Spotlight picked up the best picture prize at the Academy Awards, the Vatican newspaper praised the film for its portrayal of The Boston Globes investigation into clerical sex abuse in the U.S.
The Oscar win on Sunday (Feb. 28) was hailed by producer Michael Sugar as amplifying the voice of survivors. Pope Francis, its time to protect the children and restore the faith, he said in his acceptance speech in Los Angeles that was broadcast around the world.
Sugars voice apparently reached Rome as well, with a columnist for the Vaticans semiofficial newspaper, LOsservatore Romano, asserting that the film had a compelling plot and should not be considered anti Catholic.
It manages to voice the shock and profound pain of the faithful confronting the discovery of these horrendous realities, wrote journalist Lucetta Scaraffia.
Scaraffia said the movie did not go into detail on what she called the long and tenacious battle against clergy abuse by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger but she noted one film cannot tell all.
The difficulties that Ratzinger met with do not but confirm the films theme, which is that too often ecclesiastical institutions have not known how to react with the necessary determination in the face of these crimes, Scaraffia wrote.
Benedict was elected pope in 2005 after the death of Saint John Paul II and he has been credited for taking significant steps after initialing dismissing the extent of the crisis to crack down on abusive priests.
Francis was elected in 2013 when Benedict resigned, and he has pushed for further reforms, including initial efforts to hold bishops accountable for failing to protect children from predators.
But both popes have also been criticized for not going far enough.
In her column, Scaraffia praised the film for recounting the reality of how, within the Catholic Church, some are more preoccupied with the image of the institution than of the seriousness of the act.
Scaraffia also noted Sugars acceptance speech, arguing that his reference to the pontiff demonstrated there was still hope in the institution of the church.
There is trust in a pope who is continuing the cleaning begun by his predecessor, she wrote.
LOsservatore Romanos praise for the movie follows comments of a similar vein by Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna of Malta, who said earlier this month that all bishops and cardinals should watch the film.
The movie shows how the instinct that unfortunately was present in the church to protect a reputation was completely wrong, Scicluna told an Italian newspaper.
The Oscar win by Spotlight came as Cardinal George Pell, who serves as Pope Francis financial adviser, testified to Australias royal commission into sex abuse. Pell was questioned on his knowledge of abuse while a clergyman in the country.
(Rosie Scammell covers the Vatican for RNS)
*This article first published on Religion News Service
SAN FRANCISCO - Yesterday, Salted Hash looked at various issues within the threat intelligence industry. Today, we'll revisit the topic and dig a bit deeper by talking with an analyst about how they turn data into intelligence.
In the weeks leading up to the RSA conference, we watched countless sales and conference videos, and spoke to a number of security practitioners about how they use threat intelligence.
While many of the practitioners couldn't comment on the record due to company policy, they did share some of their pain. Most of the complaints about what passes as threat intelligence these days is that it's flat data with a narrow focus. Sometimes, the data is useful, most of the time, it isn't.
As discussed yesterday, raw data, such as a list of signatures and IP addresses, isnt intelligence if it hasnt been validated or if its missing context. Most of the experts consulted agreed that it takes a human, one who knows the needs of the business, to look at the flat data and make a judgement call.
Example:
A data feed detailing a domain that's related to CryptoLocker and associated IPs doesn't explain how the risk can be mitigated, and it doesn't help the organization determine how to act. It doesn't help them determine what changes, if any, need to be made. In short, such a feed or intelligence report isn't actionable. Yet, this is exactly what some vendors will sell - a simple unprocessed data feed.
"At most you can block C2 and look for the traffic to Darknet sites in your telemetry to try and see if anyone has been infected, which by then is too late, but at least you can react. [That is, assuming] you have a SIEM or talented and dedicated resources for incident response and investigations," commented one practitioner when asked about the example.
The ultimate goal for any organization looking at threat intelligence solutions is to obtain actionable intelligence from the vendor's offerings. Again, it's only actionable after it's been evaluated and validated; otherwise, it's just raw information.
On a basic level, an organization will want to know:
Who is attacking? Why are they attacking? How are they attacking?
Have they attacked any competitors?
Have they attacked business partners or is there an increased pattern of attacks against the industry?
What are their capabilities and methods?
What are the common tools and tactics used by these attackers?
As you can imagine, there is a feed or data stream that can provide bits and pieces of information to address all of those questions. But again, that wont help. Theres no context, and without it, you cant put this information to work.
The long-term value threat intelligence has to an organization is the ability to drive change.
Validated threat intelligence (or data with proper context) should change behaviors, whether that behavior is how the SOC prioritizes and responds to alerts; how users evaluate and react to Phishing emails; or how decision makers and executives invest in a security program or prioritize long-term security projects. In some cases, threat intelligence will help IR teams with improved detection and response times, which is always a solid bonus.
An analysts tale:
Salted Hash recently spoke to a security practitioner in the finance sector about their experiences with threat intelligence and how it impacts their operation. Theyve asked to remain anonymous to protect their company and clients, well call this person Jane.
When it comes data feeds and dealing with a vast amount of information from a number of sources, the big question is whether or not an organization can successfully manage the data, Jane said, and whether or not its getting the customized data needed.
[Note: The conversation we had with Jane started after we asked for opinions on Webroots blog post earlier last month about threat intelligence.]
"Right now, my finance organization mostly leverages Splunk, pulling generic blacklists and open source intelligence feeds for correlation purposes against addresses our perimeter devices log, honeypots, and FS-ISAC bulletins," Jane said.
As an analyst, Jane reviews specific FS-ISAC data for finance related Phishing, credential theft, and fraud-related data to share with her team and C-Level risk executives. If its warranted, they will sometimes share Phishing or fraud indicators with FS-ISAC.
At one point we looked at unified threat-sharing tools, with both paid and open source support. We stood up a Soltra server from FS-ISAC in its early incarnation (without paid support), but that required a lot of database knowledge to manage. [We] had early issues over time that required more cross-team intervention to troubleshoot than we had manpower to support, Jane said.
We've been a bit shy to throw money at any one solution given that our current process works at our current scale. We did demo several paid offerings/appliances that looked promising, notably Vorstack. However, due to budgetary refocusing we decided what we had in place was sufficient for the volume of data/threat surface we deal with.
So whats the workflow look like?
Most of Janes security appliances already respond/block/alert based on vendor-provided indicator feeds. However, where social engineering and human interaction creates risk, Janes team will share this information with the staff.
For example, alerting HR to resume-themed campaigns. But human-triage happens only when necessary she said, as they find alert fatigue to be a factor when we've provide non-security-centric teams with too much data to parse for themselves.
So how much data is too much when it comes to alerts?
"Right now, we're only looking for threats that specifically target finance groups, i.e. data related to known fraud activities, finance-facing DDoS threats, Phishing / credential harvesting, C-Level whaling attempts, specific watering-hole attacks of a finance nature," Jane explained.
Political activity-based threats are monitored and trended as well, in case there's actor overlap, but typically, brute-force attack IP's are noisy by nature, and Janes company deals with them though their firewall, IDS and load-balancing vendors' blacklists, as well as with other heuristics / traffic behavior detection mechanisms that are in place.
For example, data about government-facing watering-hole attacks, Anonymous campaigns, etc. doesn't really impact us as much as Phishing-vectored banking Trojans, Anonymous' occasional finance campaigns we'll here about in advance as they target larger finance entities.
Adding some additional context, Jane said that what's been valuable about FS-ISAC is the description of the Social Engineering lures, fraud tactics and the "ruse" styles of particular campaigns that come with advisories. Such details help her team prepare training for staff, via our internal Phishing exercises, and general aware training.
Correlation of raw data is only so helpful, Jane added. If her organization gets intelligence that helps them understand the ruse, or style of the attack, they can generally predict what a variant will look like, and brief incident response teams and affected staff who might be likely targets. The indicators are helpful, but not essential if her team understands the behavior or goal of the attacks more than the static data.
"It's been said before but there's heaps of intelligence out there, what business actually needs is actionable intelligence, which is of course much different than raw intelligence data about say, every brute force attack that touched a business 24 hours ago, by that time our appliances have already ingested the fresh blacklists, Jane said.
I think each sector has its own niche needs, and the 'firehose of data' most threat intelligence providers offer requires space management and manpower to vet, and to narrow it all down to what really matters to us, and what we should act on."
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. The adversary fired over 900 shots from different caliber weapons in the direction of Armenian front line units on the contact line of Karabakh-Azerbaijan opposing armies during Feb. 29-March 1. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of NKR Defense Ministry, the adversary also used 60 mm mortar (1 projectile) in the eastern direction of the contact line.
Defense Army front line units keep a full control of the situation and dictate their will on the front line.
The flashing orange and black screens with antiquated user interfaces, arduous keyboard shortcuts and sky-high price tags also known as the Bloomberg Terminal have been synonymous with the detailed financial information industry since the 1980s.
Money.Net, a three-year-old Manhattan-based startup, is hoping to interrupt that industry in part by infiltrating the Greenwich market, according to former Bloomberg executive and Money.Net CEO Morgan Downey.
Greenwich is kind of a financial hub in the United States, and really globally, particularly in the hedge funds and asset management space, Downey said. Wed like to be the system that is integrated into all aspects of Greenwich life, and the second thing is that we want to make sure that any young people that are coming through as part of their education process, we want them to see Money.Net before they see Bloomberg or Reuters, because theyre almost off-putting as a first touch point for the world of finance. Its not the clunky old software from 40 years ago. ... We want it to be a good experience for anyone thinking about the world of finance.
The Greenwich Library has added a Money.Net terminal to its array of public services which include a Bloomberg Terminal for investors and business researchers. The terminal is installed as a stand-alone desktop application and ready for use by reservation, and a training session by Money.Net Director of Sales Andy Bodrog will take place March 11.
More Information Patrons can sign up to use the Money.Net or Bloomberg terminals in at the main reference desk, or in advance by calling 203-622-7910. Reservations can be made on the same day or one day ahead and are limited to one hour per day, per user, beginning on the hour. The Money.Net training session will take place from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. March 11 in the Library Meeting Room and registration is not required. See More Collapse
Downey, a native of Ireland, developed Money.Net in 2014 after a lengthy career in the financial industry, first as a commodities trader at Citibank and later as global head of commodities at Bloomberg from 2008 to 2013.
Downey said there are a number of factors that set Money.Net apart from the Bloomberg Terminal most notably the cost and a modern user interface.
Bloomberg Terminals cost upwards of $25,000 per year per terminal (the Greenwich Library terminal was donated and made possible by the Peterson Foundation) compared to roughly $1,200 for an annual Money.Net subscription.
Evan as Bloombergs user growth for the terminals has stagnated over the past six years, it takes in nearly 40 percent of the $30 billion in annual revenue garnered by the financial information industry. Reuters is reported to make up another 40 percent of the market, while the rest is occupied by smaller companies like Money.Net.
Theres been no competition in the space for a very long time, Downey said. We have no legacy code to support, yet you have the same tools as if you were sitting at a trading desk at Goldman Sachs.
In addition to the price differential, Downey said Money.Net offers a more intuitive user interface with mouse-based navigation rather than the cumbersome keyboard shortcuts associated with the Bloomberg machines. Eliminating the specialty keyboard and navigation tools has also allowed Money.Net to go mobile, untethering the data that has long been accessible only from the desk. Additionally, a robust news aggregator, which includes original content from Money.Net, is intended to help users stay up to date on market news and analysis.
Money.net is an excellent addition to our digital business services collection, said Stephen Schmidt, resources management librarian at the Greenwich Library. It enables our patrons to get streaming live real-time financial data, news on equities, commodities, companies and a variety of other business services. It pulls from a wide range of sources to offer a rather complete picture of the financial world at any given moment. Its nice to have multiple options here at the library for those folks interested and engaged in the financial world.
Despite his desire to upset the industry and Bloomberg, Downey acknowledges the value of his former employer and its impact in leading him to develop Money.Net.
The most important thing I learned was the business of news, Downey said. I was a consumer of news, but it taught me how news organizations work, and I found it kind of fascinating how that whole system and process worked. I also found out how technology is used by news organizations.
KKrasselt@scni.com; 203-625-4411; Twitter: @kaitlynkrasselt
HARTFORD Connecticuts car dealers are revving up their voices and political power in attempt to force upstart luxury electric-car maker Tesla to adhere to the states franchise laws.
Theyre prepared for a high-speed crash on the issue.
Tesla says its sales model runs counter to the traditional high-pressure sales tactics of franchise dealers.
Successful last year in defeating similar legislation, the dealers on Tuesday said that theres no reason for Tesla to break the mold and sell directly to motorists in the state. In preparation for a public hearing Wednesday in the General Assembly, James T. Fleming, president of the 270-member Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association, said that the states industry has 14,000 employees in a successful business model that offers customers superior service.
He said that the dealers would not oppose Tesla if the company would simply follow the franchise model. Flemings said he was aware of several potential dealers interested in carrying Teslas.
He noted that eight years ago, Connecticut auto dealers had $7-billion in sales. Today, were back over $10-billion in sales in Connecticut, Fleming said. Thats nearly 19 percent of all retail sales that occur in the state of Connecticut. The reason is because the franchise system works. Its efficient. Its competitive. It understands the local market. It benefits consumers in price, selection, service and its committed locally in the communities where the dealerships are located. Tesla has never made a profit in that eight-year time period.
During a news conference on the chilly north steps of the Capitol, Fleming, a former state senator, said that the issue has brought together a wide-ranging coalition of traditional car makers, who will be bringing their latest electric vehicles to the Capitol grounds on Wednesday, offering free rides. Thirty two dealers in the state offer electric cars that cost between $30,000 and $50,000, he said.
Last month, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, and Rep. Antonio Guerrera, D-Rocky Hill, co-chairman of the legislative Transportation Committee, said they expected to craft legislation this year that would placate traditional car dealers and allow Tesla to operate in the state. Currently, Teslas only presence in the state is a service center in Milford, but the company recently signed a lease fo retail space in Greenwich. There are Tesla outlets in New York and Massachusetts, but those who buy the $70,000-to-$106,000 vehicles must pay Connecticut sales tax when they register them here.
Duff said Tuesday that the bill is in the midst of the legislative process. It strikes the right balance between the franchisees and the direct-sales idea, Duff said in a phone interview. I believe its something that both sides can live with. Having this type of retail establishment will not only create jobs, but generate property taxes and income taxes.
James Chen, vice president of regulatory affairs and deputy counsel for Tesla, said Tuesday that the company is depending on Duff and Guerrera to allow Tesla to locate here. Plans call for three such sites.
This bill will foster economic activity and increased jobs for Connecticut residents without harm to any established business, Chen said. No independent dealer has ever had to lay off employees or close its doors in the over 20 states where we have a sales location because of Teslas presence. Our business model is straightforward - we provide consumers with an opportunity to learn about the benefits of electric drive without high pressure sales tactics. We have no independent franchised dealers anywhere in the world, including none in the U.S.
However, Hearst Connecticut Media recently reported that Tesla has agreed to a franchise agreement in suburban Fairfax County in Virginia that is expected to take effect in April.
While Fleming said Tesla was welcome to join the group, Tesla representatives said they were not invited to the news conference.
kdixon@ctpost.com;
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BRIDGEPORT Mayor Joe Ganim wanted to pick a new police chief, and on Monday most of the all-Democratic City Council agreed to help make that happen.
In a 13-6 vote, council members gave Chief Joseph Gaudett a newly created job running emergency communications, despite warnings and some evidence that the move violated the citys bidding rules because no other candidates were sought.
The plan calls for Gaudett to resign this week from his six-figure job as top cop and to immediately become a six-figure private contractor in charge of consolidating and improving the 911 department for Ganim. The contract is for three years and Gaudett is to earn $125,000 annually.
I hope I believe I can bring value to this position, Gaudett told council members. I will miss being an employee of the city, certainly, but appreciate the opportunity to stick around and provide some value.
Ganim, a Democrat, is expected to appoint political ally Capt. Armando A.J. Perez as interim chief. Perez is considered the front-runner for the permanent job.
Ganim and his allies including the police union have been considering what to do about Gaudett all winter. Defeated Mayor Bill Finch extended the chiefs expiring contract another five years ahead of Ganims Dec. 1 inauguration and against the incoming mayors wishes.
The pact negotiated over the past several weeks and approved Monday was considered the more palatable option to a more expensive buyout or a court battle to get Gaudett out of the position of police chief.
I'm glad you didnt take another route that would hurt the taxpayers, Councilwoman Rev. Mary McBride-Lee told Gaudett, praising him for loving the city.
But others protested that Bridgeport would be hurt because the mayor and his staff flaunted the bidding rules.
If they can do this, they can do anything they want to do, veteran Councilman James Holloway said.
The councils vote capped off a scramble by Ganims administration to massage the terms of Gaudetts contracting job so City Hall could claim to have met Bridgeports purchasing guidelines without having to bother to seek other contenders.
Those rules require contracts over $25,000, like Gaudetts, to be publicly advertised and bid.
As previously reported, as of mid last week, none of that had occurred, according to details obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request from Hearst Connecticut Media submitted to the purchasing department.
The bidding process can be circumvented only for emergencies or when only a sole source bidder can be identified through reasonable efforts.
Team Ganim argued those two exemptions were met.
Thats where Im hung up on this, said freshman Councilwoman Kathryn Bukovsky. Does it in fact comply with the city ordinance?
Yes, City Attorney Mark Anastasi argued. He said Gaudetts work would lead to efficencies to help with the ongoing fiscal crisis Ganim has said he inherited from Finch. So that makes the hiring an emergency, he said.
And, Anastasi said, There is no one who possesses the experience the chief possesses combined with Gaudetts local ties.
Ganim added, I gotta tell you, uniquely qualified is an understatement.
Anastasi said Purchasing Director Bernd Tardy recently signed off on the bid waiver as well. Tardy was not present Monday to defend his decision or answer questions, which irked Councilwoman Michelle Lyons and lead to her no vote.
Council President Thomas McCarthy said the deal did not pass the smell test.
I think (Gaudett) probably is the most qualified," McCarthy said of Gaudett. But that doesn't mean he's the sole source.
.MCarthy asked if the administration had gone through the effort of trying to identify other potential contractors and was not provided an answer.
The administration didnt say they did their legwork to determine if there is anybody else, McCarthy told his colleagues.
McCarthy, Lyons, Bukovsky, freshman Scott Burns, AmyMarie Vizzo-Paniccia and Jose Casco all voted no. Though Holloway opposed the deal, he left the meeting before the vote.
Councilman John Olson backed the contract with Gaudett.
This is a very sweet deal, Olson said. Its a political deal. Everybodys going to be happy.
Shelton Police Department
A 48-year-old Shelton man already behind bars faces new charges in connection with a burglary in Shelton last year.
Kevin Lesko was charged with third-degree larceny, third-degree burglary and third-degree criminal mischief. Although he was arrested on Feb. 23, Shelton police announced the new charges against him on Monday.
STRATFORD - The case was dismissed Tuesday against a male nurse who was accused of forcing a paralyzed young woman to watch him masturbate, because the woman didnt want to testify against him.
I was willing and able to proceed with the prosecution of this case but the complainant has decided she no longer wants to testify, Assistant States Attorney Craig Nowak told Judge Earl Richards in deciding to drop the prosecution of Michael Albert of Stratford.
Richards then granted a motion to dismiss the case from Alberts lawyer, Matthew Popilowski.
Popilowski said his client maintains his innocence as he and Albert left the Golden Hill Street courthouse in Bridgeport.
This was the correct result for this case, we were ready to go to trial today, Popilowski added.
Albert declined comment.
The 29-year-old woman, who suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy and can only communicate by raising her eyebrows and blinking, was scheduled to be brought into court this morning or the beginning of the trial against the 44-year-old Albert who had been charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
But Nowak told the judge he had received a call from the womans mother stating that her daughter was suffering from anxiety as the result of her expected testimony and it was exacerbating her other medical conditions.
The mother made it clear her daughter did not want to come in and testify, the prosecutor said.
Albert, who formerly worked for Pediatric Services of America, had been hired in 2013 by the victims family to provide care for the woman who cannot function on her own.
Police said in July 2013 they received a complaint from the womans mother that Albert had been masturbating in front of her daughter. Police said they later were able to take a statement from the victim by hooking her up to a special computer that read her eye movements.
The victim stated Albert would often brag to her about the size of his penis and how he would like to have three-way sex with his supervisor and a co-worker, police said.
On July 26, 2013, the woman said she heard Albert moaning and out of the corner of her eye she saw him watching pornography on a laptop computer, police said. Albert then began masturbating in front of her, police said the woman told them.
(The victim) stated that she felt mind raped and has since then had headaches and nightmares, police said.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. The Syrian army has finished the demining works of the Aleppo-Khanaser road and opened the road for humanitarian motorcade to Aleppo. Armenpress was informed about this from Aleppo-based Gandzasar periodical.
Aleppo-Khanaser, the only road linking Aleppo with the outer world, was severely damaged by the terrorists. Humanitarian motorcade reached Aleppo on February 29.
Fuel will reach Aleppo on March 1 and normal traffic will restore in the coming days.
Just shy of a year ago, the U.S. military veteran signed on with Better Deal Printing, founded in 2001 by Lawrence Curell, a disabled Army veteran. Initially started as a home-based, business-to-broker printing company, it has evolved over 15 years into a full-scale production operation that currently serves clients in 21 countries on four continents.
Image Credit: Better Deal Printing
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Curell's drive behind the business was to give back to the veteran community and help veterans become business owners in the high-growth area of print, promotional products and corporate apparel. The company offers reduced franchise fees for veterans and disabled veterans. It is competitive by offering lower royalty structures and by owning the manufacturing companies that produce a large portion of the products that the franchisees sell.
Better Deal Printing was officially franchised in 2015 and has been growing fast with plans to add another 50 franchises in the next five years to the system.
Below, Kingsbury describes just how perfect a fit this franchise was for him and his confidence of future growth within the company.
Name: Greg Kingsbury
Franchise owned: Better Deal Printing of Northern Arizona
Q: How long have you owned a franchise?
11 months
Q: Why franchising?
Being part of a franchise offers the benefit of a support system which is valuable to start of your new business and ongoing support throughout the life of your business. I was able to walk into a ready-made business with a proven concept, which makes it easier to get started.
Q: What were you doing before you became a franchise owner?
I have been managing multiple locations for another large franchise company for the past six years. Before that, I was a national marketing director for International Event Promotions Company.
Q: Why did you choose this particular franchise?
With my other position, I had the opportunity to work directly with Better Deal Printing (the production side) as a vendor to provide quality print products to my customers at very affordable pricing. My business relationship with Larry Curell evolved into an opportunity to move into owning my own business without going broke in the startup phase.
They really worked with me to make it affordable and easy to be able to own my own business. Beyond that, the support they offer is second to none. They are always available to me and are proactive and concerned with making sure I am successful.
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Q: How much would you estimate you spent before you were officially open for business?
$13,000 estimated. $10,000 of this expense was the franchise fee for buy-in to Better Deal Printing. The remaining $3,000 covered a new computer, software, business insurance and minimal office supplies and equipment to get going.
This is a work out of my home business, so the major things that typically eat at your finances (like a brick-and-mortar building) werent an issue here. My house and my car are my office.
Q: Where did you get most of your advice / do most of your research?
Having been a part of a major franchise for many years, my experience became my own advice.
Q: What were the most unexpected challenges of opening your franchise?
Taxes and paperwork. Although I managed other peoples businesses for most of my adult life, I had never owned one. I could not have imagined how important every piece of paperwork was going to be to create a solid paper trail with my finances. Better Deal Printing made it easier, as they have vendors and support in place with discounted pricing negotiated.
Q: What advice do you have for individuals who want to own their own franchise?
Research the company. Read and understand your contract -- there is a lot of legal stuff in there. Find a great accountant to get you set up correctly from day one. Make sure this is something you really want to do for a long time. You dont want to buy into something and find out you hate it. Thats what working for other people is for.
This is your business -- and you should love it! Overall, if you are wanting to be your own boss, this is a really inexpensive and safe (safe as owning a business can be) path to follow. Most of the ground work has already been done for you. You just have to put forth the effort to build strong relationships within your area, and good things will happen.
Related: Why This Air Force Veteran Decided to Become a Franchisee of a Brand She Loved as a Kid
Q: Whats next for you and your business?
Well, Ive brought on a new independent sales consultant to help me grow my local market and spread out a bit. Beyond that, I am hoping to open another location within the next three years and hopefully one more before I hit the five-year mark.
Grow, expand, enjoy. What else could I want?
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. President Serzh Sargsyan sent a congratulatory message to the renowned author, expert in Armenian studies, translator and intellectual Kim Bakshi on March 1, wishing him excellent health and new creative achievements. As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Public Relations and Mass Media of Republic of Armenia Presidents Office, the message reads as follows,
Dear Mr. Bakshi,
On behalf of the grateful Armenian people, I congratulate you on the occasion of your 85th birth anniversary.
Your creative journey is closely connected to the history and culture of the Armenia people. Travel notes, books, and scripts for documentary movies are the result of your diligent and vigorous work of decades. Ancient marvels of the Armenian culture, which by a twist of history appeared in different corners of the world, in all their splendor and charm present themselves in your works.
Your activities encouraged numerous sons and daughters of our nation to look thoroughly into our rich historical heritage and made the Armenian culture recognizable all over the world.
Somerset jury finds two of three defendants guilty of murder
Now in its fifth day of testimony and seventh day overall, the double murder trial taking place in Somerset County is now over. The jury decided.
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YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS: Four scientists and researchers will speak about the defensive battles of Armenians during the Armenian Genocide on March 31 at Harvard University. As "Armenpress" reports citing MassisPost, the event will be entitled "From Musa Dagh to Warsaw ghetto: Armenian and Jewish armed resistance of genocide .
Speakers include actor, screenwriter Eric Bogosian, Clark University Holocaust historian Deborah Dwork, Armenian Review editor Tigran Kaligyan and professor of the Armenian Studies Department of Harvard University James Russell.
Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell is visiting the U of M on Wednesday, March 3 as part of the series Political Leadership in Memphis, organized by the U of M College Republicans.
Jonathan A. Capriel Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell is visiting the U of M on Wednesday, March 3 as part of the series Political Leadership in Memphis, organized by the U of M College Republicans.
Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell is coming to the University of Memphis Wednesday, March 3.
The event will start at 4 p.m. at the University Center theatre and includes a free lunch.
Luttrell will be giving an introductory speech about his political work and then answer questions from the audience.
The event is part of the series aPolitical Leadership in Memphis,a organized by the University of Memphis College Republicans.
aWe invited him specifically to meet students,a Louis Focht, 22, president of the College Republicans, said. aThey will have the chance to talk to him, ask him about his role and network.a
Focht, who is a senior International Studies and German double major, said his student organization wants to strengthen the political atmosphere on campus with events like this.
aI hope that a lot of students will attend the lecture, because it is all about learning something about the political process in this country,a Focht said. aMayor Luttrell is a good speaker and probably the biggest politic official we ever invited to the U of M.a
Luttrell was born in Jackson, Tennessee and moved to Memphis in his teenage years.A He graduated from the U of M with a masteras degree in public administration.
The long time mayor was part of the Leadership Memphis program and received an Outstanding Alumni Award of the U of M. He is currently a member of the universityas Arts and Sciences Advisory Council. Luttrell has visited the U of M campus several times since becoming Shelby County mayor.
Apple is refusing to generate a security program which would allow them to unlock any Apple phone. The request originated when the FBI found an iPhone belonging to the San Bernardino terrorist. Apple refused this request citing their clients privacy, and now the decision will be settled in court
ELIZABETH CASH Apple is refusing to generate a security program which would allow them to unlock any Apple phone. The request originated when the FBI found an iPhone belonging to the San Bernardino terrorist. Apple refused this request citing their clients privacy, and now the decision will be settled in court
When the FBI asked Apple to give them a program that would allow access to a locked phone, the boundaries of privacy and government control came into question.
The ongoing battle between the FBI and Apple centers on how much control the government has and concerns many students at the University of Memphis.
aI feel that Apple is right to not give access to the FBI because then they can access everyone,a Alicia Guthrie, 22, a chemistry senior from Memphis, said. aEven though I have nothing to hide, it gives the government more control over our lives.a
The FBI wants Apple to create a back door to its iPhone security, allowing agents to look at data that would normally be password protected.
As of right now, iPhone users can set their phones to delete all data after 10 wrong password attempts. However, this may change if the FBI has itas way.
This request came from the FBIas discovery of an iPhone that belonged to a terrorist who killed 14 people in the San Bernardino, California massacre on Dec. 2, 2015.
Apple refused this request to protect their clientsa privacy, and now the decision will be settled in court.
aApple should not give the FBI what they want because clients have a right to their privacy, and Apple respects their clients,a Alex Klatt, 20, a computer science junior from Billings, Montana, said.
Klatt is just one of many students who disagree with the FBIas request. Caleb Denny, 23, a biochemistry junior from Cincinnati, Ohio, said Apple should deny the FBIas request.
aItas a backdoor that would give the FBI the key to access all iPhones,a Denny said. aItas possible that some other hacker to help the FBI and unlock the phone; in fact, several have offered. To give this code would lead to an abuse of power. All it takes is one person to tell or a hacker to get a hold of the codes. Cyber crimes will skyrocket.a
Brannon Lamb, 21, a business supply chain management linguistics junior from Seattle, said itas hard to tell what the actual truth is.
aI have a lot of questions about the whole deal,a Lamb said. aIf the technology to create a backdoor does not exist, then what stops someone else from creating one? Does the government really watch us?a
Regarding the issue of the terroristas phone being issued by his work, Bailea Coleman, 21, a Spanish and anthropology junior from Memphis, said they should already be able to go through the phone without going to Apple.
aI think itas a dangerous thing to start, because if they do this phone, then whatas next?a Coleman said.
In court, Apple will refer to the First Amendment stating that computer codes fall under protected speech. The FBI has already issued the All Writs Act of 1789, which can only be applied if there are no laws or rules regarding the issue.
On March 22, attorneys for Apple and the government will go to district court, where a decision will be made regarding the program.
A group of 40 excited Memphians gathered around tables at Central BBQ on Summer Avenue, but the citys signature food wasnt the reason why.
Local organizers for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders met last week to discuss issues such as income equality, climate change and foreign diplomacy.
Voters decked out in clever T-shirts and blue Feel the Bern campaign buttons also joined the group called Memphis for Bernie.
Sara First, communications coordinator for Memphis for Bernie, isnt surprised.
Bernie has the unique ability to appeal to people who have never voted before, First said. Millennials are just starting to reach the age where they are hoping to be settled and start families. Bernies discussions are especially relevant to these young people.
Many young voters in the early primaries agree. Sanders won 84 percent of millennial votes in the Iowa Democratic Caucus held on Feb 1, ultimately losing the caucus to Hilary Clinton by only .3 percent.
He took home a victory from the New Hampshire primary, beating Clinton by 21.1 percent on Feb. 9. It was another close race in the most recent polls as Clinton pulled ahead of Sanders in the Nevada primary, winning by 5.3 percent.
He is now campaigning in the south, where a series of elections will soon take place including the Tennessee primary on March 1.
But what is it about Sanders? Why does the oldest candidate running for president appeal to the youngest group of voters? Local experts and Sanders supporters attribute his popularity to three qualities: decades of consistent policy, an idealistic approach and a sense of both personal and political authenticity.
Sanders, 74, has maintained the same political views throughout his career, First said.
Bernies message has been consistent since the 1960s, which is equality, fairness, and justice, she said. While in college, Sanders was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement, leading a rally protesting against a segregated campus.
He was a youth affiliate of the Socialists Party of America and participated inantiwar and peace movements, stances he still agrees with today.
Other candidates seem to have changed their views over the years based on whats popular, said Kelsey Climer, 23, a University of Memphis graduate and self-proclaimed Sanders fanatic. Bernie definitely seems to be the most consistent with what he believes, she said.
Sanders is promising big changes for America, such as free education, a renovated health care system and wealth and income equality.
Steven Mulroy, an American national politics expert who teaches at the U of M, said millennials are drawn to Sanders because of his idealistic approach to pressing issues.
Bernie Sanders appeals to that idealistic lets-do-something- completely-dif ferent vibe that might appeal to millennials, said Mulroy. Hes an outsider, and somewhat of a revolutionary.
Sanders exhibits a refreshing sense of authenticity and concern for all people, said Anna Robinson, 18, an Arlington High School senior.
Bernie is the only candidate seriously focusing on what the millennials are asking for, said Robinson. Bernie is speaking against the issues this generation cares about, acknowledging our fears and anger, and providing plausible solutions to the major issues that other candidates are putting on the back burner.
Sanders recently opened a campaign office in Memphis at Chickasaw Crossing shopping center on Poplar Avenue. Two of the members on staff are students at the University of Memphis.
Regardless of local efforts, the outcome of Super Tuesday is uncertain for Sanders as large numbers of Southern votes are tilting in Clintons favor. African-American voters will play a crucial role in the Southern primaries, and early voting polls have placed Clinton in the lead in the South.
Tennesseans will have their chance to have their voices be heard this Tuesday during the single largest delegate grab in the presidential race.
Super Tuesday could eliminate weaker candidates vying for the White House in both the Republican and Democratic Parties.
Twelve states and one U.S. territory will hold their primaries with more than 500 delegates up for grabs. Donald Trump, the billionaire real-estate mogul, has a sizeable lead in the delegate count compared to other Republican in the race.
Trump has already secured 82 delegates, and is expected to grab many more on Tuesday.
At distant second place, Senator Ted Cruz, Texas, has 17 delegates and Senator Marco Rubio, Florida, has 16.
Dr. Ben Carson, neurosurgeon, and John Kaisic, governor of Ohio, are trailing the furthest behind and have a combined 10 delegates.
The Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, are much closer. Clinton has 90 delegates to Sandersa 65 votes, this is not including super delegates.
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia will hold caucuses for both parties.
Alaska will caucus Republican candidates, American Somoa will caucus for democrats and Colorado will caucus for both parties, but only democratic delegates will be chosen.
Because so many southern states are involved in Super Tuesday, it has been given the name aSEC Primarya because it compares to the Southeastern Conference in college sports.
This day allows candidates to provide a clearer picture of what they plan to do if elected for president.
Super Tuesday can make or break a candidates spot in the running for president.A Sanders trails Clinton in the Southern states so Tuesday could greatly impact his running.
Tennessee is one state he trying to gain more votes in. Clinton is expected to win most of the delegates on Tuesday, but if Sanders can pull through, it will be a long drawn-out race between to the two Democrats.
aHillary. Thatas who I want,a said Rexford Martin, a junior at the U of M. aSheas a woman. Sheas modern and thatas what we need, the youth.a
Because Clintonas husband was president, Martin thinks she could do a really good job in office.
aShe has used her own connections, that we may not even know about, to her advantage,a Hamid Farzam, a political science major said.
Farzam thinks Clinton is a strong and resilient candidate. Nearly 600 republican delegates are up for grabs on Super Tuesday.
To win the republican race, 1,237 total votes are needed. Over 800 democratic delegates are up for grabs. Either Sanders or Clinton will need a total of 2,383 total delegates to secure the presidential candidacy.
CNN released a poll on Monday that showed Trump with a 49 percent lead in the Republican party which is 30 percent ahead of Floridaas senator Marco Rubio.
In the Democratic lane, Clinton leads with 55 percent over Sanders 38 percent. Trump visited Tennessee this past Saturday, stopping in Millington to speak to potential voters.
aOn Tuesday, you have a big day,a Trump said. aYou get up, you go to the polls, and you vote! I promise you, that you are going to look back on this night and you are going to say this was a very important night.a
Farzam said he thinks all the Republican candidates are focusing on too much on what Trump is doing rather than their own ambitions in their candidacy.
aTheyare feeding off of Trump and what heas doing. Thatas just arousing the masses,a Farzam said. aItas just a popularity contest.a
Some students, like Farzam, have started pulling for Sanders because he wants to crack down on the big banks, doesnat work with super pacs and has a comprehensive plan to make college tuition free.
aHeas not afraid to stick to his guns. He cares about the American people,a Farzam said. aConviction, thatas what you have to lead with. A transparent president is what we need.a
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS: Public health protection efforts in Armenia are always praised by international health organizations. "Armenpress" reports Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said in his opening speech of the international ministerial conference entitled New challenges in public health sector" He noted that caring for human health knows no borders, an example of which is this conference. "Regardless of the economic development level, the most important issue in any country is public health protection. Upon declaring public health as priority, numerous projects for the protection of public health are carried out by the government, which are in accordance with the strategy of WHOs "Health- 2020"", Hovik Abrahamyan said.
According to him, special appreciation is given to the national immunization program in Armenia, fight against HIV-AIDS and tuberculosis. "A successful project is also the mandatory iodization of salt, which decreased health problems caused by iodine deficiency," the Prime Minister said.
Referring to screening (mass medical examination) projects, the Prime Minister emphasized the fact that 50-60% of the vulnerable population will be examined within the framework of the project in three years.
Hovik Abrahamyan stressed that year by year the government is increasing funding for the healthcare sector.
At the invitation of the Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan, delegations headed by healthcare ministers of Russia, Iran, Georgia, Belarus and Kazakhstan arrived to Armenia to attend the international ministerial conference entitled New challenges in public health sector.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS: Armenia has turned its attention to public health care. Preventive programs are carried out in Armenia in the framework of "Healthcare should be valued during health, not during disease. Minister of Healthcare Armen Muradyan said at the International Ministerial Conference "New Challenges in Public Healthcare" held in Yerevan. Speaking about the 20th century world wars, which resulted in the loss of millions of lives, Muradyan noted that communicable and non-communicable diseases declared a war against humanity as well. "40 million people die every year from non-communicable diseases worldwide, 18 million are premature deaths. Those people could have worked and added values to their country and all humanity. When we look at this issue in a 10 year perspective, we are talking about 180 million people, and we ask ourselves, which is the bigger war, ", Armenpress reports Armen Muradyan saying.
According to the minister, the most recent wave of infectious diseases showed that new types of diseases present challenges for humanity as well, and healthcare professionals are obligated to unite against this issue.
He stressed the importance of the mass vaccination program, which is successfully being implemented in Armenia, reaching out immunization programs to more than 95% of the population.
Referring to the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, Armen Muradyan noted that 80% of mortalities in Armenia are linked to 3 diseases: cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular. Defeating these diseases is impossible without public support, Armen Muradyan said.
He stressed the importance of promoting healthy lifestyle, fight against smoking, adding that 55% of men above the age of 16, 6-9% of minors, 2-3% of women in Armenia are smokers.
At the invitation of the Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan, delegations headed by healthcare ministers of Russia, Iran, Georgia, Belarus and Kazakhstan arrived in Armenia to attend the international ministerial conference entitled New challenges in Public Healthcare.
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Were the BBC reviving its 1980s TV sitcom Yes, Minister today it might have to change a few things.
Get Lost, Minister would now be a more accurate title. The shows opening credits would need to be less benign, too.
Mandarin Sir Humphrey, far from the droll fixer suggested by the late actor Nigel Hawthorne, has been exposed as something more sinister and bent.
We have reached the position laughable, bizarre, outrageous, unBritish where civil servants have been instructed to hide paperwork from Eurosceptic ministers.
These officials have, furthermore, been ordered by David Cameron and his unelected henchman Sir Jeremy Heywood to spy on ministers if they want to leave the EU.
Cabinet Secretary Heywood is a former stooge of Tony Blair, another power-giddy prime minister. Only this week we have learned from a new biography of Mr Blair that he bypassed proper Cabinet government when he took us to war in Iraq. Are we seeing a repeat of that disastrous scandal?
Double act: David Cameron with the Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood
Mr Cameron is starting to look petulant. He is starting to look like a man who is losing the arguments. First he sneered at Boris Johnson for coming out for Leave. Now he snatches away official information from senior members of Her Majestys Government, saying nah, you cant look at that cos youre not on my side.
Oh for Heavens sake, Prime Minister, do grow up. These are Her Majestys ministers, not yours. You are simply primus inter pares and there are limits on your sway.
Yet under the Heywood/Cameron doctrine, Eurosceptic Michael Gove, who in addition to being Secretary of State for Justice holds the ancient position of Lord Chancellor, may not be shown official legal documents relating to the EU referendum.
Hang on. Mr Gove is accountable to Parliament, thereby to the British people, for his departments work. If he may not be told everything his officials are doing, how can he possibly do his job?
Similarly, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith a former Guards officer, former Leader of the Opposition, a man of high principles and patriotism is barred from knowing research his department is conducting into our EU membership. No line manager in modern business would accept such limitations on his or her knowledge.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith
Both Justice and the Work and Pensions Department are at the forefront of the EU debate with the controversies on benefits and legal sovereignty. If the Secretaries of State do not know what is being done by their officials, how can we be sure the work is accurate and factual, as Civil Service law demands?
Call me a cynic, but Id say it is possible that officials will be told by an increasingly strident Downing Street to pump out lies, bolster dubious claims and generally act like propagandists. Is this what we want from Whitehall? If you think that far-fetched, look at how the civil service machine was used to attack Scots Nationalist Party positions before the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
One of Mr Camerons ministerial allies, Matt Hancock, tried to defend the concealment policy in the Commons yesterday. He was monstered by the House, MPs lining up to tell young Hancock that it was appalling, sordid and constitutional gibberish to let civil servants decide what could and could not be shown to certain ministers. Rubbish! they yelled at him, no, no, no! and so forth.
Mr Hancock insisted civil servants must always serve the Government of the day. The Cameron Government had come out in support of remaining in the EU, he added. Ergo, civil servants could not aid Leave sympathisers. That narrow excuse was not accepted by infuriated MPs on the Tory backbenches. The issue was a great deal more complicated than that, they said.
Civil servants are supposed to be impartial. Yet there is an implicit assumption from Sir Jeremy that the material which is being hidden from Eurosceptic ministers is partial towards the Remain side.
Second, this information which may not be shown to Eurosceptic ministers noses will still (albeit with difficulty) be discoverable to the public via Freedom of Information, and to MPs via parliamentary written questions. What an absurdity! Anyone but the minister will be able to know.
Third, as Michael Fabricant (Con, Lichfield) put it: If were so much stronger in Europe, what is it that the Government is so careful to hide? Mr Fabricant, a Leave man, concluded: This is a huge blunder. The general public will think this decision is petty and vindictive.
Matt Hancock tried to defend the concealment policy in the Commons, insisting civil servants must always serve the Government of the day
The referendum is basically about our right to get rid of over-mighty politicians. Could there be a worse example of political egomania? Even pro-EU MPs thought the move was madness. As Crispin Blunt (Con, Reigate) noted, the whole point of the EU referendum is to give the British people a say. If voters think the campaign has been skewed by Whitehall propaganda, they will not entirely accept the result of the referendum.
Meanwhile, Dennis Skinner (Lab, Bolsover) observed that the whole thing was doing little for Conservative party unity something Mr Cameron said he hoped to preserve. Mr Skinner said there would be threats and counter threats between ministers. As in The Godfather, Eurosceptics could soon find horses heads in their beds.
Sir Jeremy is the man the Mail has nicknamed Sir Cover-Up. He is said to resent that moniker, though it seems increasingly justified, maybe even understated. This ruling is so ridiculously secretive he has been summoned to a Commons select committee today to explain himself.
Cabinet Secretaries were once remote grandees, shimmering above the day-to-day fray of politics. Sir Jeremy, who may not be as skilful as he thinks, has become a toxic figure. Whatever the legal niceties of his ban on Eurosceptic ministers seeing sensitive papers, his conduct is harming the reputation of the Civil Service. With that he damages the electorates trust in our politics. He is behaving more and more like a European Commission official rather than a servant of Queen and country.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. Discussions of the draft Tax code chaired by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan went on at the Government on March 1 with the participation of the representatives of interested state agencies. As Armenpress was informed from Information and Public Relations Department of the Government of Armenia, suggested amendments in specific tax types, as well as administrative procedures were discusses. A range of proposals and remarks on the issue were introduced. Other issues concerning activation of economy and export promotion were also touched upon.
Politicians and quangocrats despise the Freedom of Information Act, which since 2000 has exposed a series of scandals from MPs expenses to lavish pay and lifestyles in the public sector.
Indeed, as we report today, Tony Blair on whose watch FoI came into being identifies the Act as one of his greatest regrets.
Last year, the political classes came up with a plan to strangle thousands of inconvenient FoI requests at birth.
Politicians and quangocrats despise the Freedom of Information Act, which since 2000 has exposed a series of scandals from MPs expenses to lavish pay in the public sector. Indeed, as we report today, Tony Blair on whose watch FoI came into being identifies the Act as one of his greatest regrets
They called for prohibitive fees and clauses to protect huge salaries, golden handshakes, expense-account lunches and missed targets from the public gaze.
Today, the Government will announce it is stepping in to preserve FoI. A panel reviewing the law has knocked back the demand for charges intended to stop anyone inspecting public servants dirty linen.
This is a hugely important victory for the Mails campaign to protect your right to know the truth about profligacy and incompetence.
The devil, as ever, will lie in the details. But what we know is encouraging.
From now on, public sector organisations must give details of remuneration packages worth 150,000 a year or more and list how many staff earn 50,000-plus.
About time!
Last month, after a devastating expose by the Mails investigations unit, the Treasury agreed to ban six-figure payoffs and luxury health packages funded from the public purse. How did we know this money was being paid out? Because we made thousands of FoI requests.
Now, not only has the political elite failed in its bid to attach fat fees to such requests, but the information it is so keen to hide will be published routinely.
This is tremendous news. Even so, we shall remain vigilant.
Our bureaucratic aristocracy is tirelessly ingenious in its efforts to reward itself. It must be held to account at every turn.
Merchants of doom
Yesterday the Government published an official analysis of a post-Brexit UK. Ten years of misery await, it told us.
Expats will be stranded on the continent without basic rights. Trade will slump while we renegotiate with Brussels. All sorts of industries will be in peril.
This doomsday scenario was backed by David Cameron, who denied that it was the work of Project Fear (a phrase he hates, perhaps because it has caught on). He described it instead as Project Fact.
This doomsday scenario was backed by David Cameron, who denied that it was the work of Project Fear (a phrase he hates, perhaps because it has caught on). He described it instead as Project Fact
The PM may regret that choice of words, because no sooner had the document appeared than its facts began to unravel.
The UK does not enjoy a surplus in car trading with Europe, as the analysis insists. Expat rights will not be affected.
And why on earth would EU firms rip up lucrative contracts to export to Britain?
More importantly, why would countries in the rest of the world, who sell us billions of pounds worth of goods every year, stop just because we have quit the EU?
Mr Cameron famously regards himself as the heir to Blair. Well, now he has his own Dodgy Dossier.
A wage rise to regret?
WHEN George Osborne unveiled the National Living Wage in last years Budget, he was applauded by liberal commentators who had previously caricatured him as a Thatcherite miser.
This week, however, a report by the British Retail Consortium argued that the Living Wage will contribute to the projected loss of 900,000 jobs by 2025.
It was inevitable that stores would shiver as the icy winds of globalisation blew. There is nothing the Chancellor can do to stop people shopping online.
Not much will make me harrumph like an outraged major general from the Fifties and start muttering approvingly about the birch and National Service.
But I get close to it when I hear stories such as the British stag party row on a Ryanair plane to Slovakia.
The fracas resulted in a diversion to Germany and the arrest of six young men stupid with drink and arrogance, and now facing heavy fines and, one must hope, a flying ban.
Footage shows the moment a mid-flight punch-up began between a stag party, which forced their flight from London to Bratislava to make an unscheduled landing in Berlin and resulted in the arrest of six young men
Dramatic footage shows the brawl on the Ryanair flight which occurred just inches from innocent passengers
They were drunk at Luton Airport, staggering and noisy it is said, though Ryanair staff let them board.
At 35,000 ft, two of them fought, more of them made a racket and one reportedly started stripping.
A woman, who was carrying a baby, asked them to calm down; they didnt. Even after landing, some of the party were furious because the cabin crew wouldnt serve them more alcohol.
If you are tempted to think youthful high spirits, weve all been there, try watching the video.
A fellow passenger filmed them the cabin crew tried to stop him, though what he was doing was clearly valuable evidence for the airline as well as the courts so you can listen to them bawling profanities and shouting: Why shouldnt I batter your face . . . I would rather stab you in the face with a fork.
Then watch them trading blows, inches from innocent passengers families and business people whose journeys are about to be frighteningly, tiringly lengthened with an emergency landing in Berlin.
The young men, who seem to have jobs and lives at home and are celebrating the coming marriage of Joshua Marriner a young father become a rabble, a disgrace, savages.
You could argue, as the grooms brother does (he wasnt on the plane), that a couple of them let him down, but he cant control their behaviour . . . Hes not particularly happy about it, I dont think.
Well, tough. There were 12 fit, young men; just six were arrested and we see only two fighting. If the others had been capable, they could have shut up those big brawling babies in no time.
Our stag and hen parties are notorious across the Continent, especially in the old Eastern Bloc countries which, still poor and anxious for tourist income, are forced to accept the invasion as civilly as they can
I have seen this happen on rowdy late-night trains: a few drunk passengers, sometimes from the military barracks at Colchester, sometimes just a party gang with girls, start effing and blinding and bawling at each other.
But when it gets too much, the rest of the group damp them down a bit. Unless theyre too drunk themselves or scared and generally pathetic.
In Britain, it is quite rare for things to get really nasty. As a woman, when you glare at them from over your newspaper you always get a vague, comforting sense that they are afraid you might know their mother and tell on them. But stag parties abroad well, we know what theyre like.
People think theyre invincible, free from any rules, out among strangers, off their faces and away from home ground.
Youll see it on a mini-break to whichever foreign city currently has the cheapest beer and flights it was once Prague, now more likely Bratislava in Slovakia or Riga in Latvia (a website that calculates how many pints you can get for a tenner reveals that three pints in Amsterdam or London will get you 11 in Bratislava).
As an ordinary visitor, at least once on the trip you will cringe and feel so ashamed of being British that you may resort to pretending to be French or German.
Our stag and hen parties are notorious across the Continent, especially in the old Eastern Bloc countries which, still poor and anxious for tourist income, are forced to accept the invasion as civilly as they can. There is something particularly nasty about this, a kind of new colonialism that you would expect the political Left to be more worried about.
At Luton Airport: Posing for the camera shortly before boarding the plane, this is the British stag party whose drunken antics caused a Ryanair flight to make an emergency landing. Groom-to-be Joshua Mariner is circled
These uninhibited, riotous, terminally inconsiderate gangs including some of the summer groups heading for resorts such as Magaluf apparently feel it is absolutely OK to behave worse abroad than they would at home, because foreigners dont count.
In those countries, they feel richer because things are cheaper, so they act like their idea of spoilt Seventies rock stars.
The summer resorts, at least, have to accept they are holiday places; that is not so in a decorous capital city, usually of some country struggling to develop economic prosperity and European dignity.
Bratislava, for instance, lies in a predominantly Catholic or Eastern Orthodox culture.
Prague is a proud city whose own young such as Jan Palach, the student who in 1969 burned himself to death in a protest in the citys Wenceslas Square fought communism for freedom.
Their sons do not carry on like this. Nor do their daughters run around dressed like cartoon whores, screaming and flashing their breasts and suddenly taking tearful, sobbing offence at something another girl says.
But foreigners have to put up with this from visitors and they see that the worst oiks and harridans are gulp! British. Oh, the shame!
Mr Mariner, who is due to wed fiancee Abi Whitmore (pictured together with their one-year-old daughter), was the groom-to-be whose 12-man group forced the diversion of a London to Bratislava flight
You can try many theories as to why this is.
Thinking of the boys, you could blame family breakdown, fewer fathers and authoritative male figures providing role models.
Turning to the girls, you could shake your head and say that a warped version of feminism has created the cult of the ladette, who can drink any man under the table, fell him with a well-aimed handbag and be proud of it.
Or you could and I do think this is an important part of it put down their uncivilised insouciance abroad to another warping: a perversion of national and historic pride, which says that foreigners and their daily lives dont really count.
Were British, so we can vomit in their streets all we like so there.
Horrible, isnt it. But equally weird is the fact that the whole stag and hen fashion is attached to the most serious, responsible and adult decision of anyones life: marriage.
The young Southampton mother who is about to become Mrs Marriner has got to face her wedding day knowing the sort of mates with whom her man goes a-hunting.
The girlfriends of the enthusiastic fighters and strippers on that Ryanair plane have to be aware of what lies buried (not very deep) within their sweet and loving chaps. And the man planning to marry the sozzled, mascara-streaked girl in a joke bridal veil I lately saw cackling and flashing her bottom at Stansted Airport should know what deep waters he may be getting into . . .
Of course, there are some peace-able, sociable stag and hen gatherings. However, they are no longer quite what they traditionally were single nights out ironically marking the end of freedom as a bit of a joke.
You cant expect everyone to be as shamefully low-key as I was, spending the night before my wedding in the village pub with my groom and my three brothers.
But I am glad my friends and I reached maturity before the fashion for ramping up the pre-wedding ritual to long weekends or whole weeks on holiday.
Even apart from terrifying summonses to drunken depravity in neon pink T-shirts, all the younger women I know groan a little when theyre ordered to fly to Lisbon or endure three days of facials, craft sessions and dry-ski lessons with a group of women of whom they only actually like one: the bride.
And the bride dislikes the grooms sister, who has to be included, but will annoy everyone.
As for the men, one cunning beast I know lately managed to swerve a dreadful command to party in Budapest, telling his cousin that hed rather spend the money on a better wedding present.
None of that group diverted a plane or got arrested, but one did break his arm in two places falling out of a bar.
Once quoted saying, 'I just can't concentrate in flats', Victoria Beckham, 41, shocked attendees at her eponymous label's fall 2016 show in New York, when she took her final bow donning a pair of Adidas sneakers.
Known for her signature sky-high stilettos, it seems that the designer will be hanging up her heels for good. Speaking to The Telegraph this week, she said 'I just cant do heels any more. At least not when Im working'.
Last week at Milan Fashion Week's fall 2016 shows, Giorgio Armani,Tods and Missoni all sent models down the runway in flats. A sure sign that times - and shoe heights - are a-changing! Victoria has said, 'I beyond hate ballerina flats,' so FEMAIL has rounded up four ultra-chic flat alternatives for all former high heel addicts.
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Shocking NYFW goers: Victoria surprised the audience at her fall 2016 show taking her final bow in a pair of Adidas sneakers
Kicking it: Victoria has been seen favoring flats over her signature heels in recent months
After years of proclaiming her love of heels, many have been surprised to see Victoria sporting flats in recent months.
But her glitzy 'Posh Spice' persona is a thing of the past, as she told the newspaper, 'I think people saw the real me when I came out [at the end of her Victoria Beckham show in New York] in a pair of mens trousers, a roll-neck and trainers.'
With the athleisure trend gaining momentum, more and more women have been embracing comfort in their looks and converting to flats.
Not for ballerinas: While she may be stepping out in low heeled shoes, she still wouldn't be caught dead in ballerina flats
End of an era: Victoria's signature look since her 'Posh Spice' days has been towering high heels
It's not just the footwear that has changed either, Victoria - who at one point in time was always spotted in a tight dress or pencil skirt - has recently been favoring chunky knits and relaxed trousers. Her reason being, 'I travel a lot. Clothes have to be simple and comfortable'.
While her ensembles are now more practical, they're not lacking in style. From dresses to culottes, she's been pairing flats with everything, and you can, too!
Since we know Victoria won't be caught dead in boring ballerina flats, we found four styles of footwear (for all fomer high heel addicts) that are as chic as they are comfy.
SHOP IT NOW
Loafers: Left: Gucci loafer, $640, gucci.com. Right: Jeffrey Campbell Loafer, $130, needsupply.com
Lace Ups: Left: Nine West flats, $89, ninewest.com. Right: Aquazurra flats, $675, net-a-porter.com
Sneakers: Left: Adidas Stan Smith sneakers, $101, adidas.com. Right: Acne sneaker, $495, ssense.com
Until she was in Year 8, Doni Viljoen, from Melbourne, was like any other normal teenager. A talented competitive gymnast, she had been competing nationally around Australia for many years.
However, all of that came to an end after a youth trip to Fiji in 2013, when the then 14-year-old developed the beginnings of anorexia nervosa a disease that would see her quit gymnastics, drop a huge amount of weight very quickly and end up in hospital after collapsing from lack of food.
Here, Doni shares her story with FEMAIL.
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Young victim: Doni Viljoen, now 17, was just 14 when she fell victim to anorexia on a youth trip to Fiji
Dark days: The disease would see her quit gymnastics, drop a huge amount of weight and end up in hospital
I think things really started when I went to Fiji, Doni tells the Daily Mail Australia.
We didnt get given that much food and that was new and different for me I experienced real hunger for the first time.
While Doni says that her anorexia will have always laid dormant in her, she says that her mother noticed that Doni had lost a heap of weight when she got home from the youth trip: I remember she weighed me and took me to some doctors, Doni says.
Doctor dodging: Here, Doni shares her story with FEMAIL, about dodging various doctors and specialists
Real hunger: Doni says that on her trip to Fiji, the then 14-year-old experienced real hunger for the first time
Calorie counting: As a result she started obsessively counting calories and working out every day
On a ten day trip I had lost a significant amount of weight and before I knew it I was counting calories the whole time, losing so much energy I had to quit gymnastics.
Because she wasnt doing gymnastics regularly, but had become obsessive about losing weight, Doni signed up for a local gym, where she put herself through a gruelling routine of one and a half hours of cardio every day:
I wasnt eating much at the time and was monitoring what little I did eat on My Fitness Pal while working out to the point of total exhaustion, she says.
Skipping school: Doni says she started avoiding school where possible and her weight plummeted
Not someone she knows: She says that she became 'deceitful, manipulating and controlling' around people
I became deceitful, manipulating and controlling - anorexia turned me into a person I wasn't supposed to become
I started missing school when I could and when I went to Thailand at the end of that year, I lost another five kilos in ten days.
With food and exercise very quickly becoming the focus of her life, Doni was keen to hide her illness from those around her.
She says she was soon deceitful, manipulating and controlling about what and when she had eaten and when:
When my mum took me to see a GP, he acknowledged that I had a problem, but didnt say I had anorexia. Instead, he thought it was schizophrenia.
I later saw other GPs, a psychologist and a specialist but I managed to dodge them all. Anorexia turned me into a person I wasnt supposed to become and if things couldnt be done my way, I didnt want to know about them.
Taking a turn: Shortly after a trip to Thailand and after seeing some doctors, Doni collapsed from lack of food
Hospitalised: At the time, she was dangerously thin and very unwell, but now (right) she is much healthier
Just two months after the Thailand trip and the visit to that particular GP, Doni collapsed and was taken to hospital.
After the collapse, I was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa - this was all last January, Doni says.
And luckily, since then it has been a road to recovery. Sometimes, when Im stressed I feel a pull back towards it, especially when I hear girls around me at school talking about flat stomachs and the like, but I am determined not to succumb to the disease that nearly ruined my life.
Looking up: Since her collapse, Doni is much healthier (above) - she has separated her mind from the disorder
Food blog: She has set up an Instagram page which lets Doni eat all the pretty things she once didn't let herself
The minimum an eating disorder stays with you is seven years, even if youre recovered, according to the experts, Doni says.
But if I can separate my disorder from my mind and actions that, to me, is being healthy.
Since she has started recovering, Doni has launched her own personal Instagram page a page dedicated to documenting the beautiful things she now enjoys eating:
Ive always loved food blogs, and when I was really ill I used to spend time on recovery pages looking at girls taking pictures of their delicious, beautiful food wishing I could do that myself.
Private turned public: While Doni says it started off as a private thing, she has since made her page public
It started off as a private thing, but as Ive grown in confidence so has my page after all, you need to eat pretty things, not muesli bars, to have a pretty Instagram page. I would go as far as to say the project is helping me to recover.
Doni says that like many girls who suffer from anorexia, when she finally found herself free from the disease, she saw that she had few hobbies apart from counting calories:
The Instagram account gave me a project a hobby and something to do, she says.
Grown with confidence: 'The Instagram account gave me a project - a hobby - and something to do,' she says
Full days: For Doni, she says that nowadays it is about filling her days and not isolating herself like before
My family have been the most supportive people ever and I couldnt have done it without them.
These days its all about filling my day and not isolating myself, she says.
She already has 183,000 followers on Instagram, and is steadily climbing by about 1,000 people every single day.
But shes not a celebrity. She's not even technically famous. Instead, the 24-year-old Li-Chi Pan is known as one of Sydneys leading influencers.
She is a full-time food Instagrammer or 'foodgrammer' who has given up her previous career to post artistic photos of delicious food.
Full-time food artist: Li-Chi Pan is a full-time food artist, with some 183,000 followers on Instagram
Perfect photos: She posts vibrant photos and is gaining nearly 1,000 new followers every single day
City influencer: Pan has been called one of Sydney's biggest 'influencers' when it comes to her reach
Despite being on the social media network for only two years, Pan is one of a burgeoning number of 'foodgrammers', who are invited to dine at certain restaurants and sent lavish gifts in the hope that they will Instagram their food in return.
While her Instagram account was initially set up to keep in touch with her family and friends in South Africa, the now Australian native soon realised she had a talent and made the profile public.
The result is perfectly-arranged pictures with a minimal and white style which regularly attract as many as 45,000 likes.
Initial hobby: Initially, Pan set up her Instagram profile to keep in touch with her family at home in South Africa
Super successful: However, what with the success of the profile Pan made her page public
Super likes: Pan's artistic photos regularly attract as many as 45,000 likes on Instagram
'South-African born, Australia-based Li-Chi has an acute appreciation for composition, colour and minimalism,' it says on her blog.
'She creates beautiful and inspiring content on her Instagram account, showcasing her photography and styling prowess across all social platforms.
'She cites legendary architects Frank Gehry and Tadao Ando as prime inspiration for her work.'
Foodie fun: Though many Foodgrammers are not professional restaurant critics, their reach is huge
Big effect: A lot of places say they feel the effect of someone like Li-Chi Pan's visit long after they dined there
Artistic inspiration: She cites legendary architects Frank Gehry and Tadao Ando as prime inspiration
Though foodgrammers in general are not professional restaurant critics, and most have no formal training, their influence is huge and cafes, bars and restaurants all say they feel the effect of someone like Li-Chi Pan's visit long after they have passed through the doors.
On her blog, Pan writes that the editing features she uses on her Instagram page include 'Afterlight, VSCOcam and Snapseed'.
She says she shoots mainly on her iPhone 6 and touches up images on the go, but when she edits photos for her blog 'I edit off Lightroom and shoot on my Canon D500'.
Editing help: Pan uses 'Afterlight, VSCOcam and Snapseed' to help make her Instagram shots sumptuous
Shooting materials: She shoots mainly on her iPhone 6, but she also uses her Canon D500 for the blog
Ever wondered what the worst first date behavior is? Wonder no more.
Twitter users from around the world are sharing their most ridiculous, offensive and downright ridiculous dating tips online in order to educate others on exactly what not to do while attempting to romance a person.
Using a new hashtag, #UnhingedDatingTips, the suggestions include some real gems like 'Use their toothbrush on the first date' or 'Leave halfway through the meal. It will keep the mystery alive'.
Romance fail: A new Twitter hashtag is being used to share people's worst ever dating advice
Other tips range from highly annoying suggestions about telling your date how to act - to totally crazy ideas on where to find a good first date, like Craigslist.
Correct their grammar at every opportunity. You'll look clever, and they'll really appreciate benefiting from your wisdom, said one Twitter user, who identifies as a UK-based pun rabbit on her profile.
Creepy behavior and a total lack of hygiene is also important if you want to totally disturb and distress your dates, according to several Twitter users at least.
Michigan-based comedian Jeff Dwoskin is one such person, offering up the rather disgusting suggestion: Share a toothbrush on the first date. It shows you care about good dental hygiene.
Safety is also off the menu as far as terrible dating advice goes, with Los Angeles-based actor Patricia Rae offering some less-than-savory advice about where people can find a date for the evening.
Keep it to yourself: Share a drink or a dessert maybe, but anything related to dental hygiene should be off the table, unless you are keen to turn your date off once and for all
Just stop: Dating an English teacher? Or an editor? Doesn't matter, no one wants to be on a date or at any kind of social function with someone doing this
Success: This could actually lead to a second date if you leave your date wanting more and don't ditch the date without warning
#UnhingedDatingTips Craigslist,' she suggested, before adding, jokingly: 'Its completely safe.
Certainly if youre looking for a person who adheres to Canadian-based comic Tim Kellys advice about violating all restraining orders', Craigslist may just be the place to look.
But not all of the tidbits of advice are totally dangerous.
London-based user Hashtag Knight took his tip right out of an episode of Friends, seeming to draw inspiration from a scene in which Joey verbally attacks his date for trying to help herself to his fries.
If she tries to eat your fries, stab her with your fork to assert your dominance,' he wrote.
Good advice: For daters who are also hoarders or just love carbs, bringing a big bag or even a lunch bag to your date can be doubly useful, enabling you to steal food and creep out your date
Totally creepy: Just hope it's a really short date before your eyes completely dry out
He soon tweeted with a follow-up: If the fork doesn't stop them, the next step is salt in the eyes!
Brooklyn-based joke-writer Kevin Flood perhaps tweeted the worst advice of all to his 27,700 followers, advising them to do nothing more horrifying than acting as they would at any other time.
Just be yourself. #UnhingedDatingTips, he said.
Needless to say there is no shortage of terrible advice for any romantics who are on the look-out for love and want to know exactly what not to do should they actually want to find their one true love.
On the flip side, however, the awful dating advice offered up using the hashtag may also serve as useful suggestions for anyone who wants to rid themselves of a date that isn't going particularly well.
Sell yourself: According to this person, dating websites could benefit from user reviews and star ratings for every single person out in the dating pool
Multiple texts: If you're eager to ensure that the person is scared off for good, this Twitter user suggests persistently texting him until he replies - or changes his number
Touching: They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but just try letting the food speak for itself
Thankfully, #UnhingedDatingTips wasn't the only romance-focused hashtag being offered up on Twitter recently.
Earlier this month, Americas longest married couple offered dating advice under another hashtag, #LongestLove.
New York couple John and Ann Betar, who have been married for 83 years, advised to Never hold grudges and noted that most of their arguments are about food. Perhaps that unhinged fries advice could come in Handy.
Of course, those aching for more Internet opinions on their love life, good or bad, can always go back to the classic: Reddit.
Beware: This could end badly, really badly
Be direct: Just wear a wedding dress and save yourself the time of climbing under the table
She said she will 'fight this war with kindness, forgiveness and love'
On Monday she announced her return to the industry
She said she'd move back to Australia to 'live the life that I fully deserved'
Last week she quit modelling because of 'fakes and lies' in the industry
It may be the shortest retirement in history.
Last week, Ajak Deng, one of Australia's most successful international runway models, sensationally announced she would quit modelling due to 'fakes and lies' in the fashion industry.
The 26-year-old, who has modelled for designers including Dior, Louis Vuitton and Jean Paul Gaultier and starred in campaigns for Topshop and Barneys, said she was 'officially done' with the industry via Instagram.
Now, less than one week later, Deng has announced her return.
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'I am going to stay': Australian model Ajak Deng, 26, has announced her return to the modelling industry after saying she would quit on Wednesday due to 'fakes and lies'
Staying put: 'I was selfish to only think of my self [sic] and forgetting the people that has [sic] always been there for me through the worst times and good times,' she said on Instagram
'I was selfish to only think of my self [sic] and forgetting the people that has [sic] always been there for me through the worst times and good times. I feel like I have touched so many young people's lives, gave them hope,' she wrote.
'Just because I come from NOTHING does not mean that I can't make something for myself and for that I will still want to continued [sic] to touched [sic] more lives. Yes sure giving up is easier but who will fight the war that we are so in denial about?'
Deng spoke about her agent Mina White and said that she 'continued to support and still have my back even though I decided to throw it all away after our hard work' and labelled Ms White her 'spirit and a guiding angel.'
'Guiding angel': Deng spoke about her agent Mina White and said that she 'continued to support and still have my back even though I decided to throw it all away after our hard work'
Reflecting: She reflected on her first 'season in Milan' where nobody booked her because 'they won't booking [sic] black girls like me that season'
Staying: 'I thought giving up was easier but I am going to stay and fight this war with kindness, forgiveness, love and support to all humanity,' she concluded
She reflected on her first 'season in Milan' where nobody booked her because 'they won't booking [sic] black girls like me that season' and explained how Ms White told her there was 'absolutely nothing wrong with her', wiped away her tears and brought her back to New York where they decided to 'change their minds one day at a time.'
'I am just getting started and modeling isn't the only Thing I will be successful in, in my life time. I apologize to every kind souls/hearts [sic] that I have broken in the past week,' Deng said.
'I thought giving up was easier but I am going to stay and fight this war with kindness, forgiveness, love and support to all humanity.'
Regret: 'I am just getting started and modeling isn't the only Thing I will be successful in, in my life time. I apologize to every kind souls/hearts that I have broken in the past week,' Deng said
'Put your best foot forward': Last week Australian model Ajak Deng announced she would quit modelling because she could 'no longer deal with the fakes and lies'
Coming home: Deng said that she would move back to Australia to 'live the life that I fully deserved'
'We are all beautiful and deserved to be respected. #BigLoveToHumanity,' she concluded.
On Friday, Deng said she was 'happy with her decision' to leave and described herself as a 'fighter' but just three days later she had reconsidered.
Deng's fans were thrilled with the news and shared support on Instagram.
'You are the kind of person who gives me strength! A true angel, a strong person who doesn't let herself down! It must be hard to be dark skinned in a white industry...Me as a white person is deeply, but DEEPLY ashamed of what is happening in this world, and it is so sick. I just want to say that I love you my angel, and welcome back!!!' One fan wrote.
'The day you said you were leaving, I cried so hard. I've always wanted to be a model and you were my biggest inspiration...I'm so happy you're staying I'm crying in the middle of class thank you so much,' another said.
Happy with her decision: The model posted to Instagram after announcing she was quitting, with a caption saying: 'Thank you for your blessings God'
Supportive fans: Many were thrilled with Deng's decision to return to modelling and shared their support online
Others were less supportive.
'You'll probably block me for this, but you need to just stop with your tantrums!' Another said.
'You're in a cut throat mean industry, stay professional and stop with the drama! You're probably doing your image more harm than good! I wish you all the success in the world because I'm a huge fan and I think you're BEAUTIFUL, but stop airing your dirty laundry in public!'
On Wednesday, the 26-year-old announced that she would be moving back to Australia to live a 'real life'.
Over it: Others asked that Deng stop 'airing her dirty laundry in public'
Not so positive: 'You're in a cut throat mean industry, stay professional and stop with the drama! You're probably doing your image more harm than good!' A social media user wrote
'I will be moving back to Australia In order to live the life that I fully deserved. Which is real life,' the model wrote. 'I can no longer deal with the fakes and the lies. My life is too short for this dramatic life.'
An hour later Deng posted a photo on Instagram of herself smiling and looking up to the sky with the caption: 'Thank you for your blessings God.'
In 2014 the model tweeted about racism in the international fashion industry, claiming that she was 'kicked out of Balmain for being black.'
The competition is being held in China from March 1 to 12
Native flowers are very on trend in floristry, but would you wear them as a dress?
Australia's entrant to Mrs World Australia, Yolandi Franken, has revealed her interesting choice of national dress before leaving for the competition, which includes a cascade of real flowers down her front.
Mrs Franken, from Sydney, will be wearing a native flora themed outfit for the national dress portion of the competition which is being held from March 1-12 in Donguhuan, China.
The dress is green and decorated with native flowers such as wattle, waratah and kangaroo paw. It features a full skirt with and a very large floral head piece.
Green and gold: Mrs World Australia Yolandi Franken (above) has revealed her national dress for the international Mrs World competition
In bloom: The dress features native flowers such as waratah and wattle, as well as gum leaves and kangaroo paw
The most striking aspect of the dress is the large golden cape attached to the back, which can be held up to form a circle, representing Australia's sun.
The dress was designed by Mrs Franken's good friend, Amanda Whitfield.
The 34-year-old said that she waited until the day she left for the competition to reveal her dress because doing otherwise is akin to a bride showing their wedding dress before the big day.
' I wanted to wait for the right time to share my dress with my fellow countrymen and women,' she explained.
Blossoming: The dress also features a golden cape, designed to look like Australia's molten sun
Up, up and away: Mrs Franken has left for China to compete in the pageant, which has never been won by an Australian Mrs World
The Mrs World competition was born out of the Mrs America competition. Mrs America was established in the 1930s as a contest for married women, as the more well-known Miss America pageant requires its contestants to be legally single.
Mrs World, the international version of Mrs America, first started in 1985. An Australian contestant has never won the competition.
The pageant, Mrs Franken is quick to say, isn't just about looks but about being the 'full package.'
Smile: Mrs World is a beauty pageant for married women, as the more well-known Miss World competition requires women to be legally single
For a good cause: Mrs Franken wants to use her reign as Mrs World Australia to spread awareness of ovarian cancer
The Sydney woman wants her reign as Mrs World Australia to help her advocate for the charities she supports, particularly in regards to ovarian cancer.
The cause is close to her heart, having been diagnosed with cervical cancer five years ago after a routine pap smear.
A barmaid who suffered 90 per cent burns to her body and was in a coma for nine days after being burned in a horrific house fire has revealed she spent years wishing she had never been saved.
Layla Skalli, from north London, was given less than a one per cent chance of survival when, at 19, a blaze engulfed her student flat, which hadn't been fitted with smoke alarms, leaving her with life-changing injuries.
The now 26-year-old, whose injuries led to her suffering depression and addicted to the painkillers she was taking for crippling pain, has said she has finally found happiness again after travelling the world.
The now 26-year-old, whose injuries led to her suffering depression and addicted to the painkillers she was taking for crippling pain, has said she has finally found happiness again after travelling the world
But now, nearly seven years on, Layla says she is happy to be alive and has been travelling around the world, pictured, and she now wants others to know that hope can always be found
Layla was so badly burned when the fire tore through her Norwich accommodation in 2009 that when a firefighter carried her out of the blazing building, intense heat from her injuries penetrated his safety clothing and burnt him too.
Medics carried out a nine-hour operation to remove Layla's deeply-burned skin so it would not become infected, before using her cells to grow new skin which was used along with donor skin for grafts which now cover 85 per cent of her body.
When she came round from the medically induced coma, her first words were to ask her sister Nadia for a can of Dr Pepper.
She said: 'The doctors were shocked, I wasn't supposed to come round for four weeks. Asking for my favourite drink showed I'd escaped without brain damage. That was a fear because I hadn't been breathing for so long.'
More tragedy was to come after Layla's mother Jackie died of an accidental overdose following the devastation of the fire. Layla said: The fire destroyed me on every level, and then it robbed me of my mum.
Layla was in a coma for nine days and woke in hospital with no recollection of what had happened
The student was on the verge of organ failure due to high levels of carbon monoxide poisoning from the fire
After the fire: Layla's student flat in Norwich was destroyed by the fire in April 2009
But now, nearly seven years on, she is happy to be alive and wants others to know that hope can always be found.
Layla said: I spent years wishing I had not been saved, but I have managed to change how I feel. Three years ago I found the courage to travel the world, to face the world, and that has changed everything.
On the other side of the globe I uncovered my burns and let people see me. I was accepted and I realised it was possible to enjoy life again.'
She added: I may be scarred, but I am no longer scared. In fact, Im proud of my scars and how far Ive come. I would never have had the courage to go travelling on my own before the fire.
Layla said it is still not known how the blaze started in her flatshare in Norwich as she slept on April 14, 2009.
But there was no warning as her landlord Michael Billings, who was later jailed for breaching health and safety laws, had not fitted any smoke alarms.
Layla Skalli, from north London, was given less than a one per cent chance of survival when, at 19, a blaze engulfed her student flat
It is still unknown how the fire started, but it left the 19-year-old with life-changing injuries
Layla was left with burns so severe, intense heat from her injuries penetrated the firefighter's safety clothing
A catering student who planned to join the army, Laylas future crumbled when she awoke from a coma nine days after the fire.
She said: The first thing I remember is coming round disorientated and seeing Mums face. I had no idea what had happened.
The first thing I remember is coming round disorientated and seeing Mums face. I had no idea what had happened
Jackie, 41, told her that she had fallen unconscious in heavy smoke. Fire crews smashed through her third-floor window to save her, seconds before the room exploded.
They found her curled up on the floor with her hands covering her face, the only part of her body which was not severely burned.
Layla said she had no recollection of the fire, only of waking up in Norwich University Hospital.
She was resuscitated in the street after her rescue and began screaming in agony and coughing up blood before being taken away in the ambulance. She had organ failure, carbon monoxide poisoning and her burns were becoming infected.
While her housemates escaped unharmed, carbon monoxide levels in Laylas body were near lethal and she was on the verge of organ failure.
Yet 12 hours on she was still clinging to life, so during a nine-hour operation medics removed her burned skin and planned a suit of skin to be grown from her cells and donors. It would be grafted on over coming months.
Layla later visited South Africa and Kenya, adding: Seeing the poverty and suffering helped me reassess life. I began to see how lucky I was.
Layla, pictured while travelling, also had to learn to walk again, and lost count of all her operations. Three months after the fire, she moved in with her parents and Jackie cared for her full-time
When she awoke, Layla was initially unaware of extent of her injuries. Her hands were so badly burned she was told at one stage they might have to amputated. They were saved but the tendons were destroyed so her fingers are stuck in a claw-like grip.
It was only after several weeks she was able to see how she looked after asking for a mirror. Hospital staff, fearing for her reaction, said she could have one when her mother Jackie visited the next day.
Her face had been protected by her hands as she fell unconscious, but Layla said: I wasnt prepared for the way the rest of my body looked.
She added: 'I was relieved my face was not too bad. The rest of my body had melted but at least I still had my face. Even my hair had melted on to the floor and I was bald. That was probably the hardest part.'
She also had to learn to walk again, and lost count of all her operations. Three months after the fire, she moved in with her parents and Jackie cared for her full-time.
Layla said: She would get me dressed, change my dressings, she even slept with me as I suffered terrifying nightmares. The pain was constant and only numbed by the strongest painkillers.
Layla said travelling around the world made her realise she had nothing to be ashamed about. She said: I was alive and starting to enjoy that feeling for the first time'
Layla she decided she owed it to her mother to do something with her life, and spent some of her compensation on a flight to America.
She went on: Id wanted to be a soldier, one day a wife and a mother. Now all that seemed impossible. I couldnt even go out with friends.
People stared and pointed at me, so I stayed home. Back then, if Id been given a choice, I would have chosen to die.
Her mother Jackie also suffered depression after the fire. On New Years Eve 2009, she accidentally mixed alcohol with her anti-depressants and died in her sleep.
Layla said: She was my rock and without her I really wished I had died. I was so angry. If it hadnt been for the fire, Mum wouldnt have died.
She moved in with her sister Nadia, 20, who took on her care, helped by dad Hakim, 53, and brother Andrew, 24.
Layla was in the grip of her painkiller addiction when she faced her landlord at Norwich Crown Court in 2010.
He was charged with 14 offences in breach of fire, health and safety laws and made to pay Layla 20,000 compensation. He was jailed for 30 months, which was later cut to 21.
In January 2013 Layla finally sought help for her addiction, and was admitted to a detox centre.
She said: It was so hard. I had to go through all the pain again, with no cushion.
Layla's landlord Michael Billings was charged with 14 offences in breach of fire, health and safety laws and made to pay Layla 20,000 compensation. He was jailed for 30 months, which was later cut to 21
Layla was so badly burned when the fire tore through her Norwich accommodation in 2009 that when a firefighter carried her out of the blazing building, intense heat from her injuries penetrated his safety clothing and burnt him too
But she decided she owed it to her mother to do something with her life, and spent some of her compensation on a flight to America.
She said: Walking through New York, I finally felt like the brave person everyone said I was. I felt happy for the first time since the fire.
'I started to see it wasnt my burns that people had been reacting badly to, it was my negativity.
The happier I was, the better people seemed to respond to me. After 10 days I flew home feeling so proud.
Layla then bought tickets to Australia and booked into a clinic for post-traumatic stress treatment in Byron Bay.
She said: I realised I had nothing to be ashamed of. I was alive and starting to enjoy that feeling for the first time.
I even had flings. It gave me hope that one day I would have a relationship again.
Her proudest moment came when she stripped down to her shorts to swim at the Great Barrier Reef.
Layla said: Travelling helped me see I still have a great future. Seeing how big the world is, how much people can achieve, has helped put my suffering in perspective.
Layla said: I realised people werent staring at me, and if they did it was because they wanted to know what had happened.
She later visited South Africa and Kenya, adding: Seeing the poverty and suffering helped me reassess life. I began to see how lucky I was.
After two years, Layla returned to the UK and moved from Norwich to London last year to start a degree in social sciences, and hopes to become a social worker or counsellor.
She said: Travelling helped me see I still have a great future. Seeing how big the world is, how much people can achieve, has helped put my suffering in perspective.
And Ive learned I have nothing to fear, because nothing could be worse than what Ive been through already.
Angela Gallo was in the grips of labour.
Contractions surged through her body and she felt 'fragile, helpless and overwhelmed' - but in that moment, she decided to masturbate.
While many would be shocked by this, Mrs Gallo insists that 'clitoral stimulation' worked as a natural pain relief and made the transition stage of childbirth more manageable.
So convinced that all women should be doing this, the 30-year-old has written a very frank and revealing blog post on the subject, which she has shared with FEMAIL.
While it is not uncommon for women to orgasm during childbirth, having an orgasm during labour as a non-sexual form of pain relief is a taboo topic rarely spoken about.
Mrs Gallo told Daily Mail Australia that is one of the reasons she chose to share her story.
Best form: mother-of-two Angela Gallo has spoken out about how masturbation works as a natural pain relief
'Something I'm particularly passionate about is choices in childbirth,' she said.
The birthing photographer, from Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, said women in mainstream birth cultures were limited with their pain relief options - with an epidural, gas or nothing at all being the main choices.
Mrs Gallo described her first birth as 'highly medicalised' and she underwent an epidural that left her feeling out of control of her body.
In her second labour, through masturbation she was able to have a birth free of medical interventions. It lasted for six hours as compared to her first labour which went for 45 hours.
Her blog post has opinions divided, with some sharing their own stories and others making inappropriate or insensitive comments.
'It's not a sexual urge whatsoever,' she said.
'It's my body saying "hey, natural pain relief is where it's at". It's about exploring your options and exploring your choices in childbirth and taking ownership of your experience on a physical and emotional level.'
Here, Mrs Gallo shares her incredible birthing story she titled: 'Why I touched myself in labour - here's three reasons you should consider it, too!'
Picture perfect: 'My second baby's birth was remarkably more empowering then then my first'
WHY I TOUCHED MYSELF IN LABOUR - HERE'S THREE REASONS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER IT, TOO!
'Shut the front door - she said WHAT?!'
'Yes, you heard me right. And don't be so shocked. Birth and sex operate in almost the exact same ways.
The hormones, sensations, the anatomy involved, brain activity, receptors ... they are all so heavily intertwined. Our vulvas swell, blood flow is increased, we moan, sway our hips, deep breathing, sweat - we drop into a a seriously sacred intimate space.
Heck, women around the world are experiencing orgasmic childbirth. I wanted to make sure I had a piece of that pie!
And yet it still boggles people's minds when I let them in on my (not-so dirty) little secret.
Birth brings out the animal in me; and it is a feeling I shamelessly indulge. It can only be described as a lioness coming out of her cave - sexy, strong, capable, warm.
My second baby's birth was remarkably more empowering then then my first. Firstly, I labored in the comfort of our home, with the people I love most. Secondly, because of the privacy, support, and love I felt wrapped in, my surges felt COMPLETELY different.
'Why I touched myself': Mrs Gallo shares her birthing story of how masturbation turned into a drug-free labour
Relief: In her second labour, through masturbation she was able to have a birth free of medical interventions
They were intense, yes. But the wildness of them felt ... electric. Sensual. Powerful. I remember one moment very vividly. As I neared transition (9-10 cm), I felt incredibly fragile, hopeless, and overwhelmed. (Transition can be such a fickle b***h!)
Masturbation made the MOST sense to me as I labored through my surges. I remember my husband saying, 'Would you like to have sex?' And although I couldn't commit to sex in the moment, he must have read my mind!
Clitoral stimulation worked an absolute TREAT. It shifted my focus to my vagina, to the energy brewing within me. It made me feel connected, and made me feel like I had some control over what I was feeling.
The surges were much more manageable, and the rest between them was so much more enjoyable. If I close my eyes now, I am taken back to that place. The hot water on my back, my husband's hands locked in mine, the safety of his presence, the happiness as I rode those wild waves.
Non-sexual form of labor: She said the experience was simply her body's way of producing natural pain relief
Orgasmic in a sexual way - no. Pleasure - YES. It was my glorious instinctual pain-relief system coming to life! I am so proud of myself for exploring an avenue so typically shamed.
For as far back as scientific, biblical, or medicine based text exist, birth has always been spoken about as something to 'endure'; pain as punishment for eating the apple off that damn tree. To boot, many people feel very uncomfortable with the idea of pleasure in childbirth. And hey, I get it. For some, It's a pretty big idea that takes us way out of our comfort zones.
Debra Pascali-Bonaro, pioneer and crusader for orgasmic birth, says, 'It's such a culture where some women actually feel shamed that they have pleasure, because the expectation is pain,' Pascali-Bonaro said. 'We have to change that.'
The good news is if you've made it this far, you're at the very least, intrigued. Here are a few enticing reasons to take the shame out of pleasure, and put the sex back into childbirth!
1.WHAT GETS THE BABY IN, GETS THE BABY OUT!
Oxytocin, baby. With a side of Endorphin and Adrenaline. (In all the right amounts, too!) Ina May was not kidding when she coined that term.
Nipple, vaginal, clitoral stimulation, kissing, intimacy, affection; these all inspire the flow of our hormonal allies in birth.
Experiencing a 'stalled' or lengthy labor? Need a natural pick me up? Touch yourself, mama! It gets the good stuff flowing.
Childbirth more manageable: Mrs Gallo insists that 'clitoral stimulation' worked as a natural pain relief
2. PAIN RELIEF
Ever had a headache, or been hung-over, or couldn't sleep; and you instinctively decided on a mini-masturbation sesh? And then voila - headache magically gone?
Well - many of us do it. And that's because it works. So why would it be any different to using clitoral stimulation in during/between contractions? In 1988, a man by the name of Komisaruk published a study in the Journal of Sex Research, that explored the idea that when 'women stimulated their vaginas or clitori, they became less sensitive to painful stimulation'.
'Using rats, Komisaruk found that vaginal stimulation blocked the release of a pain transmitter called Substance P. In other words, the sensory neurons tasked with transmitting their message of 'ouch!' to the central nervous system are stymied from the get-go.'
'It's an actual physiological, very primordial system of the genital system blocking pain input,' Komisaruk said.
3. IT FEELS GOOD!
Mood boost, anyone? Want to feel more relaxed? You know that dopey, satisfied, tired feeling you can after an orgasm...that's it right there.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. Americans have been issued a travel warning to avoid visiting the southeastern part of Turkey, the Department of State announced. Armenpress reports, citing Sputniknews.
"Given the recent terrorist attacks and increased threats from international and indigenous groups, US citizens should exercise caution when traveling throughout the country," the statement explained.
Recent terrorist attacks from international and indigenous groups have targeted popular tourist sites, US government buildings, police and other local authorities throughout Turkey, the State Department noted.
A schoolboy wrote a courageous letter about his battle with cancer shortly before his death from a brain tumour in November last year.
Finlay Church, 11, wrote the letter - via speaking the words to his parents - just four days before he died from the disease.
Penny and Wayne Church, from Alvechurch in the Midlands, described their son as an 'amazing boy' and have released the letter help raise awareness about the illness, as Brain Tumour Awareness Month begins today.
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Finlay Church, 11, from Alvechurch in the Midlands shared his feelings with family friend Claire Whitehead shortly before his death from a brain tumour in November 2015
Finlay, pictured (far right) in February last year with mum Penny and dad Wayne while raising funds for Birmingham Children's Hospital, which he received a Pride of Birmingham award for
Penny and Wayne Church say they feel angry and frustrated that the disease claimed the life of their 'amazing son' and hope the letter will raise awareness about the disease. (Pictured with Rico the family dog)
Finlay passed away on Wednesday, November 25, just a few days after he'd dictated the letter to family friend Claire Whitehead, 39, and speaks about his fears over his ongoing battle with the disease.
In one paragraph, he says: 'I'm a bit scared of losing the fight,' he admits. 'I hope I don't. I've just got to keep on fighting. 'F' cancer.'
He also opens up about how he feels the disease has ravaged his life - and his hopes of one day becoming a policeman - and the love he feels for his family.
Finlay, also address the cancer directly, saying: 'To cancer. 'F' cancer. You made my life change. Good and bad.
He continues: 'Shall we start with the good? We got a dog, it has brought my family closer, we have raised thousands of pounds for Brain Tumour Research and Birmingham Children's Hospital.'
The boy, who won a Child of Courage award at the Pride of Birmingham Awards last year after raising more than 100,000 for charity, then recounts the 'experiences I never thought I would have, thanks to the local community and friends and family.'
Finlay, aged ten, pictured after helping Birmingham Children's Cancer Centre raise 4million pounds in funds
A printed out version of the letter, which details the ups and downs of Finlay's battle with brain cancer
After the ups, he offers an honest account of the downs, saying: 'Now the poo side of cancer. The rubbish side is the drugs and feeling so crap. The pain feels like pain, I can't explain it in any other way and I feel fed up.
'Because it's boring and I'm fed up of this feeling every day. I feel tired and have pain in my muscles, and I'm fed up with being fat.'
There is humour too, as he reveals in his letter that 'Auntie Claire', who's helping him write the letter is enjoying a glass of something bubbly. He writes: 'I'm sat in bed being quizzed by Auntie Claire. As normal, Auntie Claire is accompanied by a glass of fizz...'
Brave: Finlay pictured in October 2015 - just a month before his death - with his family: Dad Wayne, Mum Penny, brother Maca and sister Tegan
Finlay, known as Fin to his family, sat with family friend Claire to write the letter, which he dictated to her phone
Claire, who lives in Leeds and who has known Penny since they were 18, explains how the letter came about.
She says: 'Penny called me and said Fin hadn't got long left so I came down to see him,' she says. 'Penny was saying he wouldn't talk to her and she just wanted to know how he felt.
'I went up to his room and we started by playing a game of cards.'
As they played, mum-of-five Claire encouraged Finlay to talk to her. 'I said he could say how he felt in a letter, and he agreed.
'He didn't need much prompting and I typed everything into his phone. It was tough - and that's why I needed the glass of fizz.'
FINLAY CHURCH'S INSPIRING LETTER IN FULL Why am I doing this? To tell people how I feel. My name is Finlay Church. I like my name. I like chocolate and food. I've always loved food. I do often swear to myself in my head. Sometimes I say the 's' word in my head when I have pain. The pain feels like pain, I can't explain it in any other way and I feel fed up. Because it's boring and I'm fed up of this feeling every day. I feel tired and have pain in my muscles and I'm fed up with being fat. I'm sat in bed being quizzed by Auntie Claire. As normal, Auntie Claire is accompanied by a glass of fizz. We are looking at photos of my family and friends. I love all the pictures that are flickering on. At this point in my letter I would like to say 'chop chop' to my mother to bring my tea. To my mum - I've got no idea what to say. I'm just so fed up. I'm sick of going through it. I love my crazy mum, you are nuts, bolts, amazing, incredible... You help me go through this, you wash me, you feed me, and you love me. I can't tell you how much I love you and appreciate your help. You are the best mum in the world. Finlay joked in the letter about his family, saying that his mum was 'crazy, nuts and bolts' and his little sister was 'a pain in the bottom' but 'just so cute' I'm a little bit scared, just of cancer. My dad! You're more sensible than mum and more mature. I love you to bits because you are so caring and supportive and you don't get drunk as much as mum. Macca, you are a really nice brother. You are there when you want to be. I know you struggle sometimes seeing me poorly but I know you wish the best for me. I love you even though people thought we were twins and I am nearly two years older - but it's mum I blame for dressing us the same. Tegan, you can be a pain in the bottom but I will always love you and forgive you because you are just so cute. Rico, my dog, you big daft ball of wool. You have made my family better and you have improved the improbable. I just wish you had a brain and a muzzle. To cancer, 'F' cancer. You have made my life change. Good and bad. Shall we start with the good? We got a dog, it has brought my family closer, we have raised thousands of pounds for Brain Tumour Research and Birmingham Children's Hospital. I have had experiences I never thought I would have, thanks to the local community and friends and family. I'm just so happy that people have helped. Now the poo side of cancer. The rubbish side is the drugs and feeling so crap. I'm a bit scared of losing the fight. I hope I don't. I've just got to keep on fighting. When I grow up I want to be the best armed policeman that Birmingham has ever had. I want to help my local area to say thank you for all their support and generosity. Finlay Church Advertisement
The brave 11-year-old also pays tribute to his family. He calls his brother Kenzie the nickname 'Macca' and thanks him for being a 'really nice' brother. He describes sister Tegan as 'just so cute' but 'a pain in the bottom.'
Of his mother, he writes: 'I love my crazy mum, you are nuts, bolts, amazing, incredible...
'You help me go through this, you wash me, you feed me, and you love me. I can't tell you how much I love you and appreciate your help. You are the best mum in the world.'
And he calls his dad more 'mature' and sensible' than his mum, pointing out 'you don't get drunk as much as mum.'
Finlay's parents have also revealed that they donated their son's brain to medical research to help the fight against the disease.
BRAIN TUMOURS: THE FACTS One in 50 of all people who die under the age of 60, dies from a brain tumour Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour Less than 20 per cent of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50 cent across all cancers. Just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease Source: Brain Tumour Research Advertisement
Penny said: 'As we fought as hard as we could for Fin, we were sickened to learn that the treatment for brain cancer is antiquated and barbaric, as cruel as the disease itself.
'We also learned that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to this devastating disease.
She said the family felt 'anger and frustration' and that she came to wish that her son had been diagnosed with leukaemia instead.
Penny added: 'Investment in research and increased public awareness mean leukaemia is no
longer a death sentence. We donated Finlay's brain to medical research so that he could finally rest in peace and in the hope it would be of some help to the scientists who are working so hard to understand more about brain tumours.'
Victoria Beckham has received criticism on social media after posting a quirky gif of a model on her Instagram page.
The fashion designer, 41, posted the moving image on her account this afternoon and quickly saw the picture, which shows a young, blonde-haired model turning left and right against a backdrop of the New York skyline, amass 32,000 likes.
However, many of the nearly 300 comments rounded on the designer for using a model they felt was 'way too thin' with such vitriolic observations that the beauty's own mother had to weigh in in her defence.
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Controversial: Victoria Beckham posted a gif of an unknown model wearing a striped black and brown dress from her latest VBAW16 collection on her Instagram account this afternoon. Comments were quickly made about the model's slender appearance
Under fire again: Victoria, pictured in a smart coat and perfectly-tailored trousers during London Fashion Week, has faced criticism before for using very slim models
Many Instagram users were quick to comment on the size of model Chantal Habscheid, from Toronto, Canada, with dinaor pleading: 'Please...someone feed that model.' Elsewhere, phosforescence wrote 'Girl is too thin.'
Kittymalone62 wrote: 'Lovely clothes but yes the model looks way too thin. Pengelleyart wrote simply: 'This disturbs me.' One, gillc55, added: 'looks like death' while hthosta wrote 'too thin'.
FEMAIL has contacted Victoria Beckham for comment.
Users skinny-shamed Chantal - who is described on her agency's site as being 5ft 11ins, with a 32in bust, 24in waist and 34in hips - writing, 'sick' and describing her as 'unhealthy' and 'gaunt', making her a bad example for Victoria Beckham to set.
Finally Chantal's own mother, with the username Cirque74 weighed in to defend her against claims that her thinness was a sign that she is ill.
She wrote: 'This model is beautiful, hard working and has genetics, like all of us, that predisposition her body to look a certain way. She happens to be very tall and very slim. Many would say she is lucky. Some are jealous they don't look like her.
The model's mother weight in to defend her daughter against skinny-shaming on Instagram
'We should all love ourselves and appreciate the beauty we see. I happen to know her well. She is my beautiful daughter. I know eats healthily most of the time. She loves salads and veggies. She also eats chocolate and ice cream frequently.
'I hope you keep your hate and judgement to yourselves in the future and let a young girl enjoy her new found success. Let's all be nice spread love.'
Chantal's best friend, writing under the username of del.ephrem also hit out against the vitriol: 'Many people in the comments are talking about someone they DON'T KNOW. I do know her personally she's my best friend. Saying she's "underweight" or a "zombie" is ridiculous.'
She added: 'Body shaming her is not right.'
The gif shows a cut-out of the glassy-eyed model against a backdrop of Manhattan. She then rotates from left to right in the moving image...
The model, Chantal Habscheid's best friend also said the claims she is a 'zombie' is ridiculous
It isn't the first time the high profile designer, married to David Beckham, has faced criticism over her choice of models.
Back in September 2015, fans took to social media to complain that Victoria had sent a 'parade of skeletons' down the catwalk at her Spring/Summer 2016 show in New York.
She was particularly chastised for using Peyton Knight, a frail-looking 17-year-old model, to close the show, which was attended by the designer's husband David and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
Hundreds of Victorias 15 million-strong social media following made their feelings known to the designer, inundating her with messages about her choice of models.
Another show of skeletons, one remarked, while another pointed out: They dont look healthy at all.
Many commentators were particularly incensed by her decision to use scrawny-looking 17-year-old Peyton to close the show.
Disturbing: But some fans were quick to condemn the designer's choice of model, saying she 'looks way too thin'
Knight, who was first signed to a model agency at the tender age of 11, is just one year older than the minimum age recommended for catwalk shows by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
You need to feed this girl... Please give her some food, begged one, while another demanded furiously: Jesus, why dont you just get a motorised skeleton to walk down your catwalks and release these poor girls from this bloody torture of having to starve themselves for a job.
The mother-of-four defended herself against the criticism, insisting that her casting director liaised with the modelling agencies and ensured all the girls were healthy before the show.
'They're young, they're thin, but that doesn't mean they're ill,' Victoria said in an interview with the Telegraph.
There's an irony to the criticism as Victoria has herself previously spoken out against casting models who appear too thin.
Back in 2010, she pledged to follow the 'Healthy is Beauty' campaign created by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and ban unhealthily thin models from her shows.
At the time, she said: 'I had a casting last week and had some terribly thin girls come in, and it wouldnt have worked,' she said at the time. She's also insisted her clothes are for women of all shapes and sizes.
The singer-cum-designer invited editors to her store for a sneak peak at her new VVB autumn/ winter 2016 line
A regular on Instagram: Last week, Victoria said how proud she was of her new collection after giving fashion insiders a sneak peak at her flagship store during London Fashion Week
Skinny fit: Despite using mostly slim models like Peyton, the 41-year-old mother-of-four claims her collection is 'for all shapes and sizes'
Hundreds of Victoria's 15 million-strong social media following made their feelings known to the designer
Last week, the former Spice Girl invited the media into her Dover Street store for an intimate presentation of her new VVB autumn/ winter 2016 line for London Fashion Week.
While her impeccably tailored designs normally cost in the thousands, her VVB line - a spin-off of the more expensive Victoria Beckham label - is priced at a more modest 190 to 1,395.
With her inspiration to 'bring the great outdoors inside', her new line features colourful embroidered alpine flowers, applique blossoms and quilted daisies.
Sharing a sneak peak of her collection on Instagram, the 41-year-old wrote at the time: 'Thank you to everyone who came to meet me today! Proud to present my new VVB AW16 collection #LFW X vb.'
A former sorority girl sugar baby has revealed how being raped in high school before she was assaulted by two separate fraternity brothers on campus drew her to starting relationships with successful men who were 10 to 20 years older than she was.
Sara Bailey Nagorski has been the anonymous writer behind the fictional blog Confessions of a Texas Sugar Baby for the past four months. However, after revealing her identity, she has also admitted that although her stories are fictionalized accounts, they are all based on true stories from her time as a sugar baby.
'I didn't know the term "sugar baby" at the time, but now that I do I know that I was one, and I have no problem with that,' she wrote in an essay for Cosmopolitan.com. 'It certainly made me happier than the alternative.'
True story: Sara Bailey Nagorski says she inadvertently became a sugar baby in college
The author of the forthcoming fictional book, Sugar Baby, explained that when she was a senior in high school she was raped by a guy who 'spiked' her drink. However, when she shared her story of sexual assault, she noticed that most people failed to muster any real concern, while others insinuated that it was her fault because she had been drinking.
When she headed to the University of Texas at Austin the next year, she pledged a sorority, thinking that the female comrade would be similar to the one she had when she was a cheerleader in high school.
Because she was sexually assaulted as a teen, Sara said she avoided drinking at parties and was 'completely sober' during her four years at college. However, despite her caution, she found herself attacked by a two separate frat boys.
Sara said she was back-handed by her first attacker who she bit on the arm after he pinned her to the couch. The next assault occurred by a guy she considered a friend. After he came to her dorm room to pick up a jacket, he tried to pull her onto her bed, forcing her to run away.
'I'd decided at that point that I hated sex and had no interest in dating at all, and spent my sophomore year focusing on my academics,' she said.
Idyllic courtship? Sara said she never asked her suitors to pay for things for her, but when they insisted, it made her feel 'loved' and 'safe'
No shame: Sara explained that she wasn't familiar with the term 'sugar baby' in college, but she now realizes that is what she was
However, everything changed that year when she fell for her 35-year-old mentor while she was taking graduate-level courses as part of her school's honors program. When their friendship progressed into something more romantic, Sara said she hesitated because of their 15-year age difference.
Sara said she eventually decided to start a relationship with him because of how he refused to pressure her into anything, always treating her kindly, while helping her grow as a young woman.
True story: Sara Bailey Nagorski says she inadvertently became a sugar baby in college
'While he paid for everything we did together, what I valued more was his patience, his perspective on life, his help on my essays, as well as his instruction on how to properly shoot vodka and the coffee he made me in the morning,' she said.
After they amicably split, Sara said she continued to date men who were 10 to 20 years her senior because she was drawn to their 'interesting stories and life experiences'.
'I dated doctors, lawyers, bankers, and other artists, who were, for the most part all kind, fascinating guys,' she said. 'I never asked them to pay for anything, but they always wanted to, and I never protested. It made me feel loved, and safe.'
In January, the controversial dating website Seeking Arrangement, which pairs young women with wealthy older men or vice versa, revealed that out of all the schools in the country, Sara's alma mater had the third highest number of new sugar baby sign-ups in 2015.
And while many people deduce that young women become sugar babies as a way to increase their financial gains, Sara believes the rise of sugar babies on her old campus may have more to do with the desire to escape the 'immaturity and judgement' that goes along with Greek life.
Sara went on to say that she thinks young women like herself are more attracted to the emotional aspects of having a relationship with a mature man than the financial ones.
She said she thinks the 2008 election was 'tame by comparison' and admitted that she 'hates' all of the current candidates
The actress, who famously played Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live, gave her thoughts on the current presidential election
Tina Fey might be happy to head back to her old Saturday Night Live stomping grounds to reprise her role as lookalike Sarah Palin, but that doesn't mean she's still always able to find the funny side of the candidates this year.
The 45-year-old Whiskey Tango Foxtrot star covers Town & Country's April issue, which goes on sale March 8, and opened up to the magazine about the unfairness (and strangeness) of aging in Hollywood, her friendship with sometimes-co-star Amy Poehler, and this year's presidential election.
'It's funny until it isn't,' remarked the independent voter, who added that she 'hates' all of the candidates this year. 'It's gotten kind of ugly.'
Cover girl: Tina Fey appears on the cover of the April issue of Town & Country magazine
The 45-year-old says in an interview that she doesn't want to wear multiple pairs of Spanx or get Botox
Going the natural route: She also shared her thoughts on aging in Hollywood, and how we 'never see a real human face' anymore
Besides brief comments on 2016's race to the White House which she said makes 2008's run look 'tame in comparison' the star discussed her relationship with Amy, 44, who has joined her playing Hillary Clinton.
The duo recently got to relax during the Golden Globes, after sharing hosting duties for three years, while Ricky Gervais took the mic. (Ricky joked that night that he got paid the same as Tina and Amy combined something Tina promised was not true.)
The comedian said that one of her biggest annoyances on her recent press tour for the move Sisters, in which she and Amy both starred, was that they constantly fielded sexist and unfair questions about women in comedy and female friendships.
'Every single interviewer asked, "Isn't this an amazing time for women in comedy?"' she said. 'People really wanted us to be openly grateful "Thank you so much!" and we were like, "No, it's a terrible time.
'If you were to really look at it, the boys are still getting more money for a lot of garbage, while the ladies are hustling and doing amazing work for less,"' she said.
Chilling: The actress got a break from award show hosting gigs this year after she and Amy ended their three-year Golden Globes streak
Besties: Tina expressed frustration that she and Amy were often asked what they fight about on their recent press tour for Sisters
Politically hilarious: Tina first played Sarah Palin on SNL in 2008, alongside best friend Amy , who played Hillary Clinton
They also had a habit of asking what the famous BFFs fight about, presuming that two women who are friends must have regular catfights.
'And we'd say, "We fight about the same things Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg fight about. Do you ask them that question?"' she explained.
On the subject of sexism in Hollywood, Tina also shared her thoughts on what it's like to get older in an often superficial business, pointing to Carrie Fisher's recent comments as a great contribution to the discussion.
On a press tour for the newest Star Wars movie, Carrie, 59, said that it hurt her feelings when people debated whether she 'aged well'.
'I thought it was heartbreaking, and also smart of Carrie to be, like, "This hurts,"' Tina said. 'Because a lot of times we talk about the politics of it, the unfairness of it, which is all true, but I think it's clearer to people when you go, "Hey, that hurts my feelings."'
Funny new film: Tina stars in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, which hits theaters this weekend
Smart cookie: Discussing aging in Hollywood, Tina commended Carrie Fisher for saying that comments about her looks hurt her feelings
Tina's feeling the pressure of getting older, too, but she won't resort to what some women do in an effort to remain youthful especially because it can backfire.
Speaking about women who get Botox starting in their 20s, she insisted that she won't obsess over her skin or figure to the point that she looks unnatural.
'We've been so conditioned now to never see a real human face, one that moves, with its original teeth,' she said. 'Sometimes we forget that there is a choice. I choose not to do this. It's like wearing multiple pairs of Spanx: Good for you, not for me. Not mandatory.'
In fact, Tina seems to have thrown out the Spanx altogether for her shoot, instead opting for menswear-inspired suits that look chic and polished without requiring uncomfortable layers of undergarments.
Luckily, Molly's father, a veterinarian specializing in dentistry, was able to help out little Wesley by fitting him with train track-style braces
The dog was unable to close his mouth properly, and struggled to eat
Wesley, a young retriever owned by Molly Moore of Spring Lake, Michigan, recently had to be fitted with braces to help
An adorable golden retriever who has been fitted with braces has taken the internet by storm.
Wesley, a six-month-old puppy from Spring Lake, Michigan, has become an internet celebrity after images of his goofy brace-covered grin went viral.
The Harborfront Hospital for Animals in Spring Lake shared the images on their Facebook page, featuring the pup from when he was just a tiny newborn up to when a dental problem caused him to be fitted with a mouthful of metal courtesy of his owner Molly Moore's father Jim, a veterinarian.
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A winning smile: Wesley, a six-month-old golden retriever from Spring Lake, Michigan, has gained online fame after an image of him with braces appeared online
Pretty puppy: As the little dog grew, he began to have trouble closing his mouth, leading to difficulties eating
Happy family: Wesley's owner Molly Moore (pictured) was worried that the sweet pooch was seriously ill
While it's clear from the photos that the sweet dog has been a looker since birth, she was not able to close his mouth properly because of the position of his teeth.
'When people hear that Dr. Moore is a "doggie dentist", they immediately say things like: "What? Does he put braces on dogs, too?" The answer is . . . yes. Yes, he does,' read the hospital's Facebook post.
The poor pup was having trouble eating because his teeth alignment - a condition called malocclusion - but luckily he was in the perfect family to do something about it.
Getting a grip: Molly said that she noticed her dog wasn't playing with his toys and losing weight as a result of his teeth problems
To the rescue: Lucky for Wesley, his owner Molly's father Jim Moore (pictured) is a veterinarian that specializes in dentistry
'He wasnt playing with his toys and he was losing weight,' Molly explained to Buzzfeed. 'It was very worrying for me, and we needed to do something for him to be pain free and live a happy puppy life.'
And lucky for Wesley, he only needs to wear the braces for a matter of weeks to correct the issue as Molly's father Jim Moore happened to specialize in dog dentistry.
The photos posted to the hospital's Facebook page show the before and after images of the young retriever, including a photo of Wesley laying on his back looking up at the camera with his braces poking out of his mouth.
Sorting it out: Jim used his skills to help Wesley into a snug set of braces to have him good as new and eating in no time
Telling it like it is: Jim explained that the braces are only performed for practical reasons, adding 'we dont place braces or any oral appliances in the mouth for aesthetics'
On his way: Wesley will be back to his old self soon enough, as he will only need to wear the braces for a matter of weeks
'It obviously doesn't bother him one little bit (if you look at the "after" photo),' added the hospital. 'He's a happy little guy.'
Dr. Moore, who also does other oral surgeries and Endodontics, added: 'We dont place braces or any oral appliances in the mouth for aesthetics. We do this for pain or function.'
The images of Wesley, shared in honor of National Pet Dental Health month, quickly took off online.
Jennifer Lawrence is having a good week. First, she didn't trip at the Oscars (she lost Best Actress to Brie Larson, but she definitely didn't fall on camera). And now, she's starring in two new ads for Christian Dior.
The 25-year-old has been a brand ambassador for the design house since 2012, and this week they released two new campaigns starring the actress front and center, for handbags and lipstick.
'I've had such a wonderful time working with Dior with couture, and there's such a synergy between the fashion and the beauty,' she said.
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J'adore: Jennifer Lawrence stars in two new campaigns for Dior, for both fashion and beauty
Haute history: The 25-year-old actress has been working with the design house since 2012
Perks: She even showed off the Diorever bag, which is brand new for the Spring/Summer 2016 season
For her bag campaign, JLaw poses comfortably on a couch and leaning on a table, displaying the bags beautifully in front of her.
Wearing chunky sweaters and crisp coats in neutral hues from former Creative Director Raf Simons' last ready-to-wear collection for the design house, the star looks effortlessly chic though the luxe accessories certainly don't hurt.
She handles the brand's crimson Diorama bag and two Diorever totes, in black leather and a crinkled metallic lambskin a new addition for the Spring/Summer 2016 season.
Final fashion: The ads include the last ready-to-wear collection from former Creative Director Raf Simons, who has yet to be replaced
The perfect woman: Peter Philips, the Creative and Image Director of Christian Dior Makeup, said Jennifer is a 'natural and spontaneous woman'
Jen also brings her beauty A-game to a series of images and a commercial for Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss, a new product that comes in 18 different shades.
In a 20-second video, she is seen posing against a mirrored backdrop in a light pink dress, a brighter shade of the hue UltraDior 765 glistening on her lips.
'Jennifer has a strong personality, she's a natural and spontaneous woman who loves to get made up, putting on her gloss, and changing it according to her mood,' said Peter Philips, a celebrity make-up artist and the Creative and Image Director of Christian Dior Makeup. '[She's] a great actress and a beautiful girl who's not to shy to shine!'
Great face of the brand: The star wore Dior to the Academy Awards on Sunday night
All the girly details: She said she appreciates the 'synergy' between fashion and beauty, which made doing both ads for the brand a natural step
It's not yet known whether JLaw who also wore a stunning black Dior gown to the Academy Awards on Sunday night will be sitting front row for the designer's runway show in Paris this week.
Not much of a fashion week regular, the star has made an exception for attending a handful of Dior shows in the past.
More than one in five people living in Puerto Rico will become infected with Zika virus, experts today warned.
As the virus sweeps through the Americas, Puerto Rico has become America's front line in the battle against the disease.
Home to 3.5 million US citizens, the territory has a tropical landscape that provides an ideal breeding ground for the Aedes mosquito that spreads Zika.
Officials have barred local blood donations, ramped up efforts to eradicate the Aedes aegypti mosquito and are trying to monitor every pregnant woman on the island due to fears the virus increases the risk of birth defects.
The voluntary registry by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extends to all Zika-infected women and their babies throughout the United States.
Experts have warned more than one in five people in Puerto Rico will become infected with the Zika virus, as an outbreak grips the Americas. Pictured, the Aedes mosquitoes that carry the virus
The Puerto Rican governor, meanwhile, has declared a public health emergency, and the CDC, which earlier urged pregnant women to reconsider visits to Puerto Rico, has asked Congress for $250 million in emergency aid to battle Zika here.
The CDC has also sent nearly 40 health workers to help, and is using the island as a test bed for Zika studies.
Steve Waterman, head of the CDC's dengue branch in Puerto Rico, said: 'For the US, it really is the territory that is going to have the most infections.
'It has the best medical and public health infrastructure to try and answer some of these questions at the same time that we're trying to control the disease.'
Mr Waterman said more than 20 per cent of the island population could contract Zika in an outbreak that could peak by summer.
'Our objective is to protect as many pregnant women as possible and that is what we are trying to do,' he said.
The CDC aims to test every pregnant woman in Puerto Rico for Zika, and prevent them from contracting the virus.
The CDC is urging people to take preventative measures.
That is a call Leilani Dominicci and her husband took after the first case of Zika virus was reported in Puerto Rico in December.
Mrs Dominicci is 37 weeks pregnant, and fears she will become infected, putting her baby at risk.
Her unease has escalated so much, the 38-year-old barely leaves her home in the capital of San Juan because of warnings the island faces an onslaught of the mosquito-borne illness.
Puerto Rico has become America's front line in the battle against the disease. Home to 3.5 million US citizens, the territory has a tropical landscape that provides an ideal breeding ground for the Aedes mosquito that spreads Zika, pictured under the micoscope
'We have locked ourselves up at home,' said Mrs Dominicci.
'It's a constant concern, especially for women like us who are so far along because our options are limited.
'Ending a pregnancy at this stage is not even legal.'
Zika causes headaches, fever and a rash, though most people with the virus never show symptoms.
We have locked ourselves up at home. It's a constant concern, especially for women like us who are so far along because our options are limited. Ending a pregnancy at this stage is not even legal Leilani Dominicci, who is 37 weeks pregnant and lives in San Juan
CDC researchers in Brazil and Puerto Rico are trying to determine whether the virus can cause microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads, and a rare paralyzing condition, Guillain-Barre, which can be fatal.
At least 117 people have tested positive for Zika in Puerto Rico, including five pregnant women.
At least five people have been hospitalized, including a man recovering from Guillain-Barre.
Mr Waterman said more than 80 per cent of adults in Puerto Rico already have had dengue and an estimated 30 per cent had chikungunya, viruses spread by the same insect.
But Zika poses a greater concern, said Dr Brenda Rivera, the island's epidemiologist.
'None of those diseases have the implication for future generations that this one does, at least that we think it does,' she said.
It's a preoccupation shared by Yelitza Irizarry, a 39-year-old attorney who lost a baby in December and is undergoing fertility treatment.
She wears pants and long-sleeved shirts, has shuttered the windows in her home and drenches herself in repellent every few hours. Still, she can't stop thinking about Zika and potential birth defects.
'It raises a thousand concerns,' she said.
An employee with the CDC tests human blood samples for Zika at the CDC's dengue lab in San Juan, Puerto Rico. One of the health agency's main goals is to test every single pregnant woman in Puerto Rico for Zika and prevent people from contracting the virus
CDC officials have set up a temporary lab to breed mosquitoes and determine if they are resistant to insecticides that Puerto Rico is using.
The center has also trained lab workers in using a test created in Puerto Rico this year that can detect dengue, chikungunya and Zika all at once to cut costs and speed up the process.
It's launching a study to analyze how long Zika remains in semen, saliva and urine, and tracking birth defects and Guillain-Barre cases.
The Puerto Rican government halted all blood donations this month and began buying blood from the Red Cross to prevent potential contamination, following recommendations from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The territory also issued an administrative order freezing the price of condoms, fearing sellers might take advantage of fears to raise prices given that there's some evidence Zika can be spread through sex.
Concerns about Zika have traveled throughout the Caribbean, where officials express concern it could hurt tourism industry even though there has been no significant effect yet.
Martinique and French Guiana have declared an epidemic with more than 6,000 suspected cases, including at least 38 pregnant women and five people with Guillain-Barre.
Haiti has reported more than 500 cases, but the actual number is believed to be much higher because of weak monitoring systems.
Many Haitians live in shacks with little protection from insects that breed in trash-clogged canals and gullies.
The World Health Organization declared the current outbreak of Zika an international public health emergency over fears the virus causes the severe birth defect microcephaly, where babies are born with unusually small heads and often brain damage as a result
Health officials stress that eliminating breeding sites is key to preventing a Zika epidemic in the Caribbean.
In Puerto Rico, crews have rounded up used tires that can collect water, installed window screens at public schools and have fumigated thousands of neighborhoods, including Mrs Dominicci's.
She said the number of mosquitoes has decreased greatly, but she still worries some will slip into her home.
Her niece is developmentally disabled, and she said it's been a struggle for her family.
'Bringing a child into the world in those conditions has to be devastating,' she said of the potential tie between microcephaly and Zika.
we admitted to hospital for constipation
In 2014/15 more than 66,000
Constipation is costing the NHS 145 million a year, a new report has revealed.
The equivalent of 182 patients every day were admitted to hospital with the painful condition in 2014/15, it found.
Of those, 48,409 were unplanned emergency admissions.
Meanwhile, a survey found nearly half of people said they wouldn't seek medical help for constipation and one in five said they would be embarrassed talking to their GP about bowel health.
Cost to hospitals for treating unplanned admissions due to constipation was 145 million in 2014/15, according to a report out today
The report, which analysed official Hospital Episode Statistics figures, from the Health and Social Care Information Centre, found:
More than 66,000 patients were admitted to hospital in 2014/2015
48,409 of these were unplanned emergency admissions where constipation was given as the primary diagnosis
There were also another 17, 798 elective patients
There were 15,319 day cases
The cost was calculate using figures from the Department of Health using the average cost of admissions to A&E.
These show each unplanned emergency admission costs the NHS 1,542 and elective inpatients cost 3,375 per stay.
Day cases - those who came to hospital to be treated - cost the health service 698 per day.
Around 6.5 million people in the UK suffer from bowel problems, with one in seven adults affected by constipation at some point in their lives.
And some 2 million people are thought to have chronic constipation, which means they have infrequent bowel movements or difficulty passing stools for weeks at a time.
However, a new survey has revealed how many people suffer in silence as they see it as a minor issue, or are too embarrassed to seek medical help.
Some 35 per cent said they would wait to see if their symptoms cleared up before speaking to their GP.
And 45 per cent said they would not seek medical help at all.
Half of those who wouldn't seek help feel they could treat the condition at home, while one in five said they would be embarrassed to talk to their GP about issues with their bowels.
In fact, bowel health was second only to sexually transmitted infections on a list of embarrassing things to talk to the doctor about.
Many people could be suffering in silence because they see constipation as a minor issue and an embarrassment, the researchers said
Worryingly, the survey revealed more than one in ten could not identify the symptoms of constipation.
These include trouble passing stools, passing small or hard stools and a swollen abdomen or abdominal pain.
Dr Anton Emmanuel, consultant in neuro-gastroenterology, University College London Hospital urged people to play more close attention to their bowel habits.
Our bowel habits need the same attention and care as we would give our heart, blood pressure or lungs Dr Anton Emmanuel, University College London Hospital
He said: 'Our bowel habits need the same attention and care as we would give our heart, blood pressure or lungs.
'We all need to have a better understanding of what constitutes a healthy bowel, and be comfortable and confident talking about any symptoms we have.
He continued: 'Constipation currently affects one in seven adults in the UK, but at the moment were glossing over how severe it can become if left untreated.
'The good news is that its often preventable and manageable provided people dont ignore it and seek information and guidance early on.
'Lets open up the conversation about constipation, so more people are aware of the condition, and understand that there is advice and treatment available.
'There is no need for anyone to suffer alone.'
A new study is the first to provide evidence of a link between the Zika virus and the neurological condition Guillain-Barre syndrome, that affects the nervous system, illustrated
The Zika virus does cause the neurological condition Guillain-Barre syndrome, a study has revealed for the first time.
The evidence is the first connecting the virus to the severe disorder, which can render sufferers paralysed.
French scientists analysed an outbreak of the virus which swept through French Polynesia between October 2013 and April 2014 - thought to be the precursor to the virus reaching South America.
After analysing the blood samples of 42 patients, they found if 100,000 people were infected with Zika, 24 would go on to develop Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Professor Arnaud Fontanet, from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, said: 'This is the first study to look at a large number of patients who developed Guillain-Barre syndrome following Zika virus infection and provide evidence that Zika can cause GBS.
'Most of the patients with GBS reported they had experienced symptoms of Zika virus infection on average six days before any neurological symptoms, and all carried Zika virus antibodies.'
Over the six-month period, up until April 2014, French Polynesia experienced the largest Zika outbreak to be reported at the time.
An estimated 32,000 patients consulted a doctor about a suspected Zika infection, and 42 patients were diagnosed with GBS between November 2013 and February 2014.
Zika virus infection is associated with symptoms such as fever, rash, joint and muscle pain and conjunctivitis.
The current Zika outbreak in Central and South America was followed by increased reports of cases of microcephaly and GBS, leading the World Health Organisation to declare it a global emergency.
Guillain-Barre syndrome is a disorder which affects the immune and nervous systems, and is the leading cause of non-trauma related paralysis.
Symptoms can develop rapidly, and include weakness in the legs and arms, muscle weakness and pain.
In around 20 to 30 per cent of cases, severe GBs can lead to respiratory failure, and about five per cent of patients die.
GBS is usually triggered by an infection and can develop after a person suffers herpes, influenza or dengue virus.
Across Europe and North America the condition affects around one to two people in every 100,000 of the population, each year.
The aim of the study was to determine the link between Zika virus and GBS.
French Polynesia is also prone to outbreaks of dengue virus, so researchers wanted to see if that was an additional risk factor for GBS.
All 42 patients with GBS diagnosed at the Centre Hospitalier de Polynesie Francaise in Papeete, Tahiti were included in the study.
And researchers recruited two control groups.
The first matched for age, gender and island of residence and was made up of 98 patients who attended the same hospital but did not have a fever.
French researchers analysed blood samples of 42 people in French Polynesia, who were diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome during an outbreak of the Zika virus, pictured, from October 2013 to April 2014. They found they found if 100,000 people were infected with Zika, 24 would go on to develop GBS
The second control group was 70 strong, and was made up of patients who had all tested positive for Zika virus infection, but who did not develop any neurological symptoms linked to GBS.
Blood samples were taken from all patients.
The majority of patients diagnosed with GBS (88 per cent) also reported symptoms of Zika virus, around six days before the onset of the neurological symptoms.
A RARE CONDITION AFFECTING THE NERVOUS SYSTEM Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a rare and serious condition of the peripheral nervous system where the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. The exact cause of GBS is unknown but it is thought it's triggered by an infection which triggers the immune system to attack nerve roots. Symptoms usually develop two to four weeks after a minor infection and start in the feet and hands before spreading to the arms and then legs. Patients also get pain, tingling and numbness and can have problems with muscle weakness, co-ordination problems and unsteadiness. Advertisement
While none tested positive for Zika infection once in hospital, blood tests showed that 41 (98 per cent) were carrying Zika antibodies, and all had neutralizing antibodies against the Zika virus.
In contrast, only 54 (56 per cent) of the patients without a fever, in the first control group, were carrying Zika virus neutralizing antibodies.
Most of those with GBS (95.2 per cent) had signs of past dengue virus infection, as did most patients in the two control groups (88.8 per cent in the first control group, and 82.9 per cent in the second).
The researchers therefore concluded that, in this case, past infection with dengue virus did not increase the risk of GBS among those patients infected with Zika.
All 42 patients were diagnosed with a type of GBS called acute-motor axonal neuropathy.
But few of them carried the typical biomarkers known to be a sign of that form of GBS.
That, the researchers said, suggested an unknown disease mechanism.
Furthermore, all the patients in the study recovered faster than is usually expected with GBS.
Of the 42 patients with GBS, 16 (38 per cent) were admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit and 12 (29 per cent) required breathing assistance.
The Zika outbreak in South America has been declared an international public health emergency by World Health Organisation experts, over, as yet unproven, links with the severe birth defect microcephaly, where babies are born with smaller than usual heads
On average, patients were hospitalised for 11 days, but those in intensive care remained for longer (51 days).
Three months after discharge, 24 (57 per cent) patients were able to walk without assistance.
None of the patients diagnosed with GBS died.
Based on the attack rate for Zika virus of 66 per cent in French Polynesia, the researchers estimate that the risk of GBS in the general population during the outbreak there is 0.24 per 1,000 people diagnosed with Zika, or 24 people were 100,000.
Professor Fontanet said: 'Although it is unknown whether attack rates of Zika virus epidemics will be as high in affected regions in Latin America than in the Pacific Islands, high numbers of cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome might be expected in the coming months as the result of this association.
This study provides the most compelling evidence to date of a causative link between Zika virus infection and the serious neurological condition GBS Dr Jeremy Farrar, the Wellcome Trust
'The results of our study support that Zika virus should be added to the list of infectious pathogens susceptible to cause Guillain-Barre syndrome.'
Writing in a linked comment piece, Professor David Smith of the University of Western Australia, said: 'A little caution should be taken because the data are still scarce and we do not know whether the current Zika virus is identical to that in previous outbreaks, whether it will behave exactly the same in a different population with a different genetic and immunity background, or whether a co-factor or co-infection is responsible.
'Suffice to say Zika virus can be added to our list of viruses that can cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, and investigation of these cases should include tests for Zika when there is a possibility of infection by that virus.
'Whether Zika will be proven to pose a greater threat in causing Guillain-Barre syndrome than its various flavivirus cousins remains to be determined.'
Responding to the French study, Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said: 'This study provides the most compelling evidence to date of a causative link between Zika virus infection and the serious neurological condition GBS.
'The increase in reported cases of GBS in Brazil and other South American countries seems to suggest that a similar situation may be occurring in the current outbreak, although the link here is yet to be proven definitively.'
The virus is typically spread by the Aedes mosquito, though there have been a handful of sexually transmitted cases reported during this current outbreak
He warned the scale of the outbreak in South America has taken experts 'by surprise', and added there will likely be 'further unforeseen complications of Zika virus infection to emerge in the coming weeks and months'.
He added: 'Whats important now is that the global community comes together to focus research efforts on the many unanswered questions about the virus, and to share this information rapidly so that the knowledge gained can benefit patients as quickly as possible.'
Dr Peter Barlow, from Edinburgh Napier University, said the results suggest a causal link between the virus and GBS.
But he cautions there is much work to be done before those conclusions can be applied to the outbreak in South America.
Acknowledging the evidence does make the link more 'compelling' he notes the small patient group studied means the exact link between the two conditions remains 'inconclusive'.
Clutching the pregnancy test I'd just done, I sent a silent wish to the universe: 'Please let it be negative.' When I dared to look I was relieved to see only one blue line. 'Don't worry, I'm not pregnant,' I texted my husband.
I've been on the Pill for more than 20 years and, like many women, rely on the packet to tell me which day I'm on.
Each blister pack comes with the days of the week marked on it. You typically take one pill a day for 21 days, then have a seven-day break before starting a new pack. If you forget to take that day's dose, there's a 24-hour catch-up window in which to take it.
Joanne says one of her regular batches of the contraceptive pill had the days of the week stamped on to the blister pack in Dutch rather than English, which made it very hard to keep track of which day she was on
But it's much harder when the packet is not in English, as I discovered recently. Shortly before Christmas, I renewed my yearly prescription for Mercilon, a type of combined Pill, which contains synthetic versions of oestrogen and progesterone.
After collecting my prescription - in two separate batches - I opened a pack from the first batch. Though the outer packaging looked normal, I couldn't work out where Friday was, because there was no Friday on the blister pack.
Instead, I had 'ZO, MA, DI, WO, DO, VR, ZA', which I later discovered was Dutch (MA is short for Maandag or Monday). In the second batch, the blister pack was printed with: 'Sab, Dom, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a.'
The pharmacist told me there was no mix-up - chemists can source supplies from anywhere in the European Union and so half of my Pills came from the Netherlands, half from Portugal.
Stunned, I insisted he provide me with English pills, but he said they were perfectly legal products.
Eventually, he agreed to contact my GP, obtain a new prescription and call his wholesalers to find an English supply. Unfortunately, this wouldn't happen before my month-long trip to Australia in December.
A spokesperson told me an imported product must be 'therapeutically equivalent' to the UK product and that 'information on its safe effective use' should be presented in English [file photo]
With long journeys, stopovers, different time zones and no knowledge of Dutch or Portuguese, I returned home worrying I was carrying more than just jetlag - we live in a tiny one-bedroom flat and I definitely don't want a baby at the moment.
I soon discovered my experience was all too common. On web forums, women would ask what the symbols on their pill pack meant. And my friend Lauren describes the six months she was forced to use a foreign supply of Yasmin, another brand, as 'so nerve-racking as I kept having to count backwards to check I hadn't forgotten a day'.
It's a delicate balancing act between being the gatekeeper for the NHS in providing these parallel imports and ensuring patients get the best out of their medicines
Occasionally, she took an extra pill from a new pack, just in case. We had received parallel imports - drugs that are imported from other EU countries because it's cheaper to source them outside the UK. And the practice is likely to have become more common as, in recent years, the pound surged in value against the euro.
Stuart Gale, the chief pharmacist and owner of the Frosts Pharmacy Group, says they rarely use parallel imports, but adds: 'From a financial point of view, many pharmacists are forced to - we dispense most branded medications at a loss and if it's an expensive medication it can be a big loss.'
The Department of Health recently wrote to pharmacies outlining a 6 per cent reduction in their 2016/17 funding, which Stuart Gale says could result in more foreign imports for people taking regular medication.
I sent my Mercilon packaging to the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which confirmed the batches were approved products.
'The pharmacist told me there was no mix-up - chemists can source supplies from the EU'
A spokesperson told me an imported product must be 'therapeutically equivalent' to the UK product and that 'information on its safe effective use' should be presented in English.
This includes on the leaflet, the box and the 'immediate packaging', such as a blister strip or bottle.
However, she added: 'If the product is in a sealed pouch, then a label carrying the information is applied to the pouch, as opening it to apply a label to the immediate packaging will affect the shelf life of the medicine.'
As with many contraceptive pills, my packs of Mercilon have always contained blister strips that are individually packaged within a sealed foil pouch.
This meant there was no requirement for the calendar pack to be translated into English.
But given that the Pill is said to be 99 per cent effective with 'perfect use', but only 91 per cent effective with 'typical' use, surely it would help women if the packets are in their own language?
Failure to stick to a routine is one of the biggest reasons people have problems with most medications, and non-English parallel imports are a contributing factor, says Sultan Dajani, a community pharmacist and spokesperson for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
Antidepressants, hormone replacement therapy and blood pressure medication often come in calendar packs, too, so could potentially be affected by the same problem. And it's not just the blister packs that may potentially cause difficulties.
'It is good practice that all foreign boxes have an English leaflet, but it doesn't always happen and sometimes the English is poor or in very small writing,' says Sultan Dajani.
However, while foreign medicines may be 'a bit unprofessional', he says they 'stop the cost to the NHS spiralling into meltdown'.
'It's a delicate balancing act between being the gatekeeper for the NHS in providing these parallel imports and ensuring patients get the best out of their medicines.'
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS: Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan introduced the newly appointed Minister Levon Yolyan to the staff of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. As "Armenpress" was informed from the Information and Public Relations Department of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, the Prime Minister thanked the former Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Yervand Zakaryan for his cooperation, praised his work and noted that the Ministry headed by Mr. Zakaryan achieved many successes.
Levon Yolyan thanked the President and Prime Minister, noting that his appointment is a big responsibility for him.
There are many more effective vaccines around today compared with even ten years ago - for adults as well as children - thanks to rapid progress in the technology. But the NHS restricts their availability, leaving some people worried they're not protected against deadly infections.
The Meningitis B vaccine Bexsero is a case in point. It is given only to babies between two and six months old, which means infants outside these ages when the national vaccination programme was introduced in March 2015 have missed out.
However, you can pay to have some of the vaccines the NHS restricts (typically via a private clinic or doctor). Here, we talk to the experts about whether it's worth going private.
The Meningitis B vaccine Bexsero is given only to babies between two and six months old [file photo]
SHINGLES
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. As well as triggering a painful rash and fever, some sufferers can be left with post-herpetic neuralgia (persistent nerve pain) long after the rash has disappeared.
Shingles affects one in four of the over-50s and is fatal for one in 1,000 of the over-70s who develop it.
A single jab of the vaccine Zostavax can reduce the shingles risk by more than 50 per cent in over-50s, and lessens symptoms when the infection does develop. Protection lasts around five years.
Zostavax is what is known as a 'live' vaccine. Vaccines work by teaching the body to recognise a disease or bug and attack it; live vaccines, which contain a weaker form of the virus or bacteria, make better teachers, but carry a (very small) risk of triggering the illness.
This doesn't happen with 'killed' or deactivated vaccines (which contain only sugars or proteins from the virus/bacteria and no living material).
Who gets the NHS vaccine? Since last September, the jab has been offered to those aged either 70 or 78. You become eligible for this on the first day of September after you've turned 70 or 78 and remain eligible for a full year. But people who aren't those ages can't have the jab on the NHS.
Shingles affects one in four of the over-50s and is fatal for one in 1,000 of the over-70s with it [file photo]
The over-80s miss out because after that age the vaccine is much less effective, according to Andrew Pollard, a professor of paediatric infection and immunity at the University of Oxford.
Professor Pollard, who sits on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises the government on vaccinations, says the decision to offer the jab only to 70 and 78-year-olds 'was made as a result of the need to give the vaccine to those who suffer the highest burden of disease at an age where the vaccine still works well and in the knowledge that protection probably lasts no more than ten years'.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, says vaccines are a 'vital tool' in helping older people avoid serious illness: 'We remain concerned that entitlement to the vaccine is restricted to people aged 70 or 78.'
Dr Martin Scurr, Good Health's GP, believes the upper cut-off point is arbitrary: 'The vaccine is less effective in these people but it does work, and those who do get shingles are much less likely to develop long-term nerve pain.' He thinks the restrictions are 'random and unethical - if one in four people over the age of 50 who will get this disease can be protected by a vaccine, they should be given it routinely'.
The vaccine is less effective in these people but it does work, and those who do get shingles are less likely to develop long-term nerve pain
He adds: 'It is also nonsense to say that it causes only mild problems in those under 70. I have seen patients in their 30s and 40s who have been really debilitated by shingles.'
Should I pay for it privately? There is a 'catch-up' on the NHS scheme for people who were 71, 72 or 79 on September 1, 2015.
If you are between 50 and 70 or over 70 and outside the qualifying ages, or over 80 and are worried about getting shingles, Dr Scurr highly recommends having the jab privately. However, it is in short supply.
Cost: Between 100 and 200.
CHICKENPOX
Chickenpox is usually a mild illness. However, complications include meningitis and pneumonia.
The live vaccine Varivax - which is given to adults or children in two injections, six to eight weeks apart - is regarded as very safe and effective and can last for up to 20 years.
'In the U.S., where chickenpox vaccination is routine for children aged 12 to 15 months, with a second dose at age four to six years, the infection has all but disappeared,' says Professor Pollard.
Who gets the NHS vaccine? 'It is not routinely offered to children or adults but can be given to patients on the NHS who are considered vulnerable to chickenpox and its complications, or those who come into close contact with them, such as healthcare workers,' explains Professor Pollard.
Vulnerable people include those with a weakened immune system and pregnant women who've not had chickenpox already, as it can lead to birth defects.
The chickenpox live vaccine Varivax - which is given to adults or children in two injections, six to eight weeks apart - is regarded as very safe and effective and can last for up to 20 years [file photo]
'Based on the last review of the evidence in 2009, it isn't cost-effective for the NHS to have a nationwide vaccination programme,' explains Professor Pollard.
Should I pay for it privately? When it comes to adults, most people already have immunity, having caught it as a child.
Some experts have suggested the best use of NHS resources would be to give the jab to older teenagers who haven't yet had the infection, but could be at risk in adulthood, when symptoms tend to be more severe.
Although the vaccine is effective in childhood, it is less effective in the teenage years and adulthood, protecting around 75 per cent of people who've had it.
The case for having younger children vaccinated privately may be stronger.
Dr Dionysius Alexandrou, a consultant paediatrician and neonatologist at the Portland Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, says: 'There is an argument that chickenpox is relatively mild in childhood and most children will get it anyway before they reach adulthood, when it becomes more serious. However, in rare cases, chickenpox in children can be devastating.'
Professor Adam Finn, a consultant paediatrician at Bristol Children's Hospital, says: 'For people who can afford it, it is certainly worth considering, since the vaccine is licensed, available, safe and effective.'
'Sometimes chickenpox is far from mild, and because nearly all children get it sooner or later, we frequently see children who need hospital care, most of whom were previously perfectly well.
'On my hospital ward rounds I am more likely to see a child with serious complications of chickenpox than a child with meningococcal disease - a disease which parents are quite rightly very concerned about.
'In my opinion, there are very good reasons to consider offering the chickenpox vaccine to all children, as is now being done in a growing number of countries in Europe, including Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain.'
Cost: Around 250.
This form of meningitis is more likely to prove fatal than other strains of the disease [file photo]
MENINGITIS W
This form of meningitis is more likely to prove fatal than other strains of the disease. As Mark Hunt, of the charity Meningitis Now, explains: 'It is very virulent - the death rate is around 12 per cent of all people who contract the infection.'
Meningitis W, although still rare, has made a resurgence in the UK: there were 22 cases in 2009, but numbers have since risen by more than 400 per cent, according to Public Health England. It strikes rapidly and affects teenagers in particular - partly because they are more mobile and encounter more types of bacteria.
Hormonal changes may also make them more susceptible (although it was Meningitis W that recently nearly claimed the life of rugby star Matt Dawson's two-year-old son Sami).
Who gets the NHS vaccine? There are two (deactivated) vaccines, Nimenrix and Menveo, which cover four groups of meningitis: A, C, W and Y (the vaccine is given in a single injection). A national vaccination programme using the ACWY vaccine was introduced last August for teenagers aged 17 and 18. First-year students, who are a high-risk group, under the age of 25 are also eligible.
From spring 2016 the Men ACWY jab will replace Men C, which is currently offered to Year Nine or Year Ten pupils (13 to 15-year-olds); this will also provide a catch-up to include pupils in Year 11 (15 and 16-year-olds).
Should I pay for it privately? Dr Scurr thinks that parents should seriously consider getting private treatment for teenagers who miss the current cut-off for vaccination. The jab is available from travel health centres as it is mandatory for anyone visiting Saudi Arabia at the time of the Hajj pilgrimage and also for travel to sub-Saharan Africa.
Cost: Less than 100.
FLU
The flu jab saves lives every year, says John Oxford, professor emeritus at Queen Mary University of London. 'It can help prevent infection in the first place, but it also reduces severity of symptoms in those who do catch it.'
The jab contains three different types of deactivated flu virus. These change each year. 'The flu bug mutates very rapidly and there are a constant stream of new strains which we have to try and second-guess,' explains Professor Oxford.
'Most of the time the success rate is pretty high, but there are years when a new mutation comes along which we had not expected.'
Who gets the NHS vaccine? The jab is offered every year to adults who are more vulnerable if they catch flu, including anyone aged over 65, pregnant women, and children and adults with underlying health conditions such as asthma or weakened immune systems.
The flu jab saves lives every year, says John Oxford, professor emeritus [file photo]
And all healthy children aged two, three and four years, plus children in Year One and Year Two at school, are given a nasal spray vaccine, known as Fluenz Tetra. This is also used for any child up to the age of 17 who's at risk because of another condition.
Should I pay for it privately? 'Considering this infection can be severe, I would seriously consider paying for a flu jab as an adult or a nasal spray for a child who falls outside the school scheme,' says Professor Oxford. 'Flu is very much underestimated as a health problem. It's treated very casually, when the fact is that it could kill you. For every 1,000 people who get flu, one person will die, which is high.'
However, some experts say there is no evidence that the jab reduces hospitalisations and death in adults; the evidence is that it works best in healthy people.
Cost: Around 10 from a private clinic or pharmacy.
HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV)
The virus is linked to genital warts, cervical cancer, penile cancer and oral cancer.
In Britain, the number of mouth and throat cancers has increased by 40 per cent in just a decade, to 6,200 cases a year. It's thought HPV may be largely to blame.
Who gets the NHS vaccine? Girls aged 12 and 13 in the UK are offered a (deactivated) vaccine known as Gardasil. So, too, are men who have sex with men aged 40 and below.
Charities and GPs want boys to be given the same protection.
'We really need every child - every boy, every girl - to be immune to this viral disease that we have a vaccine for,' says Dr George Kassianos, immunisation lead at the Royal College of General Practitioners.
We really need every child - every boy, every girl - to be immune to HPV that we have a vaccine for
However, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has said that it will not complete a review into this until 2017. It has previously suggested that boys will get benefits due to herd protection.
Should I pay for it privately? Dr Kassianos recommends getting your son vaccinated privately, ideally before he becomes sexually active, although Gardasil is approved in people up to the age 26.
The same might apply to girls too old to have qualified for it under the national vaccination programme.
Cost: Each dose (three are required) costs around 130.
TUBERCULOSIS
This is a disease often thought to have been consigned to history.
In the Fifties, there were 50,000 new cases each year in Britain, but this dropped to around 5,500 in the early Nineties.
However, the numbers have since risen to 7,000. It's thought this has been driven by people coming from countries such as India and Russia, where levels of TB are higher.
The vaccine contains a deactivated form of the bacteria that causes TB. Among children who are exposed to TB, it prevents infection in 60-80 per cent of cases.
TB is a disease often thought to have been consigned to history
Who gets the NHS vaccine? Known as Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), the vaccine used to be given to all school-age children, but is now available only to anyone under the age of 35 thought to be at particular risk of catching TB (the vaccine is not thought to be effective in anyone over this age).
This group includes children under 16 who've been in close contact with someone with TB or who come from an area where TB is widespread, which can mean some areas of the UK. 'It is given to infants born in areas where the incidence of TB is more than 40 cases per 100,000 people per year, so in many London boroughs, including Lambeth and Ealing,' says paediatrician Dr Alexandrou.
Also, people who are at risk because of their work in healthcare or refugee centres can have the vaccine.
'However it currently is in very short supply,' adds Dr Kassianos.
Should I pay for it privately? Dr Alexandrou says he is 'strongly in favour' of parents getting the BCG for their children, even if they're not considered high risk.
'If young children pick up TB, they cannot contain it in the lungs like adults, and it can quickly invade the other organs and the brain. In some cases, children can die.'
It is also vital if you are planning to travel to places abroad where there is a high incidence of TB, such as China, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Russian Federation.
Cost: Up to 100, although there is currently a global shortage and most private clinics are not able to offer it.
How to get the Meningitis B jab abroad
By Rachel Ellis
After the death two weeks ago of Faye Burdett, a two-year-old from Kent who caught Meningitis B and died 11 days later, many parents have been desperate to get their children vaccinated.
But stocks of the Meningitis B vaccine - which is given only to babies under the age of one on the NHS - are extremely low in the UK, making it virtually impossible to have older children vaccinated, even privately.
However, an investigation by Good Health has revealed that the vaccine, called Bexsero, is available in many other European countries and the U.S.
If you do travel to get the vaccine privately, it should be possible to buy the other doses at the same time
It could be as simple as getting on a ferry: the Mail visited two pharmacies in Calais and found the vaccine was available, while the regional health authority in the Pas de Calais says 'there have been no serious shortages reported'.
Meningitis B is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis, and kills around 10 per cent of those infected. Of the survivors, around 20 per cent will have life-changing disabilities. Mark Hunt, from Meningitis Now, says his charity would like to see the vaccine given to children up to the age of five.
Stocks of the Meningitis B vaccine are extremely low in the UK
'In an ideal world, we would like the vaccine to be offered to children up to the age of 11. But we have to be pragmatic, bearing in mind the shortages, the expense and the fact that 58 per cent of Meningitis B cases are in the younger age group.'
With UK stocks low, there is no reason why British parents can't travel to other countries to have their child vaccinated. The vaccines cost around 80 a dose, and parents will also have to pay for a doctor abroad to administer it.
On the NHS, babies under six months are given three doses over the first year of life (one at two months, the second dose at four months and a booster at 12 months). Those six months and older need just two doses at least two months apart (children under 11 months may also need a booster jab on top of this).
If you do travel to get the vaccine privately, it should be possible to buy the other doses at the same time, providing they are stored properly. You would then need to find a private clinic or doctor at home to administer the later jabs.
While countries such as France, Germany and Greece currently seem to have supplies of the vaccine, others such as Spain and the Republic of Ireland are, like the UK, experiencing shortages.
In Spain, for example, supplies ran out within days when, last year, parents were allowed to buy the vaccine from pharmacies with a prescription. Last November, after the death of a one-year-old baby from the disease in Galicia, there were reports of Spaniards travelling to Portugal to get the jab.
And in the Republic of Ireland, where it is only available privately, shortages mean that only children who have started a course of treatment can get the jab.
Following huge public support to make the Meningitis B vaccine available to all children under 11, MPs are to debate the issue.
But medical experts have warned that this would take precious NHS resources away from other areas, and there is no evidence that it is 'cost-effective' in older children (babies under a year old are 12 times more likely than older children to be infected).
Furthermore, figures from Public Health England show that cases of Meningitis B fell from 1,600 cases in 2001 to around 600 cases in 2012. And before the NHS vaccination programme was introduced last September, the figures had fallen even further, to around 400 cases.
Electronic cigarettes are more dangerous than experts previously thought, it has emerged.
The devices contain one million times more harmful substances than polluted air - including cancer-causing substances and flame retardants.
Furthermore, scientists have discovered for the first time some contain toxins linked to fertility problems, fetal development issues and thyroid disruption.
The study, by researchers at Baptist University in Hong Kong has prompted health officials to call for an immediate and total ban on all e-cigarettes
The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health said the potential health risk of the devices must not be underrated.
Experts at the council said because most e-cigarettes that are for sale do not provide information on their components they commissioned a laboratory test by university researchers.
A new study by scientists in Hong Kong has revealed e-cigarettes are more harmful than was first feared. The devices contain cancer-causing toxins, as well as substances linked to infertility and fetal abnormalities
Chairman of the council, Antonio Kwong said: 'The test results showed the quality of e-cigarettes varied and carcinogens and other harmful substances were found.
'To nip it in the bud and protect public health, we urge the Government to totally ban e-cigarettes promptly.'
Researchers at Baptist University analyzed 13 different types of the device, which have seen a surge in popularity in recent years.
Those tests confirmed the presence of harmful chemicals, including formaldehyde and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - both of which are known carcinogens and are hazardous to health.
Furthermore the scientists noted a significant variation in the components of e-cigarettes, even those in the same batch of the same brand.
Dr Chung Shan-shan, assistant professor of the department of biology, said not only were carcinogens found, but flame retardants - poly-brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) - used in electronic products.
He said: 'PBDEs, effective flame retardants extensively used in electronic products, were first discovered in e-cigarettes.
Inhalation of PBDEs has been associated with thyroid hormone disruption, reduction of fertility, affect fetal development and can cause cancers Dr Chung Shan-shan, Baptist University, Hong Kong
'We believe that PBDEs were added to reduce the rate of combustion of the combustible component in e-cigarettes, eg. plastics.
'Inhalation of PBDEs has been associated with thyroid hormone disruption, reduction of fertility, affect fetal development and can cause cancers.'
And he told the South China Morning Post: 'The [Level of PAHs] in e-cigarettes is at least one million times more than roadside air in Hong Kong.'
A wide variety of e-cigarettes are now available in Hong Kong via various sale channels and are mainly targeting the youngsters.
However, most of them do not provide details on their components nor carry any health warnings.
Some e-cigarettes are even marketed as 'healthy', 'non-carcinogenic', 'non-toxic', 'safe' or 'no harm' which mislead consumers.
Users inhale unknown substances will bring potential health risks.
The safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid are unknown.
Insufficient evidence has been identified so far to support the claim that e-cigarettes help smokers kick the habit, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
At least 16 countries have imposed a total ban on e-cigarettes, including Singapore, Thailand and Brazil.
Dr Chung Shan-shan, assistant professor of the department of biology, said not only were carcinogens found, but flame retardants - poly-brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) - used in electronic products. PBDEs have been associated with thyroid hormone disruption, reduction of fertility, affect fetal development and can cause cancers, Dr Shan-shan added
The Council on Smoking and Health is calling on Hong Kong's government to enact a total ban on the sales, advertising, promotion and sponsorship, distribution, import and manufacturing of e-cigarettes.
Adding further weight to their argument, the council commissioned the University of Hong Kong to conduct a survey to monitor how prevalent e-cigarette use is, and gauge public support for a potential ban on the devices.
The survey found 85.4 per cent of respondents had heard of e-cigarettes in 2015, a rise on the previous year when that figure was 75.4 per cent.
It also found the main reason for people using the devices was not to aid smoking cessation, and 68 per cent of users did not know what they were inhaling.
While 0.2 per cent of respondents had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, the rate of young current smokers aged 15 to 29 years old was significantly higher at 7.9 per cent, than in smokers aged 30 or above.
Professor Lam Tai-hing, at The University of Hong Kong said, 'We are concerned about the prevalence of e-cigarette use among youngsters, which was higher than that in adults.
'With reference to the experiences of US and European countries, partial regulations or delay in legislation may cause a surge in the rate of youngsters using e-cigarettes.
Coroner: 'Nobody managed a medication review to ensure her insulin was prescribed and administered'
She died in hospital on September 18 last year after suffering extreme pain
A heartbroken father claims his diabetic daughter died in hospital because medics failed to give her an insulin injection for 30 hours.
Katie Powell died aged 25 at Royal Bolton Hospital three days after being admitted while 'screaming in pain' in September last year.
Suffering discomfort down the left side of her body, one doctor said she was given more painkillers than he had ever given any patient in his life before.
Her father Matthew, 47, says his daughter injected herself with insulin when she arrived in A&E, but staff failed to give her any more for the next 30 hours until her death.
Speaking at her inquest, which is due to conclude today, the coroner said nobody in her medical team took responsibility for reviewing her medicine, leaving her without the insulin she needed.
Her tragic death follows that of her mother, Sheridan, who died of diabetes aged 29, when her daughter was just eight years old.
Katie Powell, 25, had type 1 diabetes and passed away at Royal Bolton Hospital on September 18 last year. Her father Matthew, 47, claims medics failed to give her an insulin injection for 30 hours before her death
Matthew Powell sayshis daughter injected herself with insulin when she arrived in A&E with pain in her side. Later, she was in too much agony to administer the medicine again, and doctors overlooked her needs, he said
On the opening day of the inquest, the court heard evidence from doctors about her period in the hospital's care.
Despite being admitted 'screaming in pain' on September 18 last year, doctors were unable to find the source of her agony.
They gave her a 'huge amount of painkillers' which did little to ease her discomfort, the inquest heard.
Dr Damian Bates, a consultant at the hospital who cared for Miss Powell, said: 'Katie had more painkillers than I have ever given anyone in my entire life. We tried to manage her pain.
'She was obviously very distressed. What we were doing wasn't really helping.'
They managed to calm Miss Powell, who usually self-administers insulin about three times a day, and she was moved onto a ward later that night.
She had self-administered some insulin after being admitted to A&E, but although this had been included in notes, her medication was not reviewed by doctors later that night, the inquest heard.
Miss Powell first fell ill from type 1 diabetes while on a family holiday to Benidorm. Mr Powell, his now wife Sharron and his daughter Katie are pictured on the break (left)
Mr Powell's first wife Sheridan died of uncontrolled type 1 diabetes in 1998, and he said it was like 'history repeating itself' when his daughter Katie died of the same illness this year. Mother and daughter are pictured
Area coroner Alan Walsh said it was clear nobody took responsibility for her diabetic needs, with members of the team 'leaving it for someone else'.
He told the inquest: 'What is becoming clear to me is that nobody took responsibility for managing Katie during this period following her transfer from A&E to the ward.
'Nobody took responsibility in the medical team to carry out the medication review to ensure that insulin was being prescribed and administered.
HOW TYPE 1 DIABETES CAN KILL Type 1 diabetes reduces life expectancy on average by 20 years. The condition is caused by the body attacking the cells of the pancreas responsible for making insulin. Insulin helps the body break down glucose from food and turn it into energy; without it, blood sugar levels become dangerously high, causing damage to blood vessels. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 is characterised by insulin dependence once diagnosed, a patient must inject themselves daily for the rest of their life. The problem is that many people dont take their insulin as they should, with potentially fatal consequences. 'People often think diabetes, type 1 or type 2, is not a serious condition, says Dr Jeremy Allgrove, a paediatric endocrinologist at Barts and the London NHS Trust. But if you dont look after yourself, its a killer. Advertisement
'Everybody seems to be leaving it to somebody else and in the meantime Katie was not receiving any treatment.'
Zara Gall, a consultant at the hospital, said senior doctors had been trying to assess Miss Powell.
But Mr Walsh said that they could have done more to inform doctors after their shift.
Miss Powell died on September 20 after suffering from a cardiac arrest and internal bleeding.
She had previously suffered from a cardiac arrest in March 2014 and was left in a coma, but made a recovery.
Her father said: 'When I arrived to the hospital, Katie was in agony - she spent 11 hours in A&E.
'She was then put on a regular ward and wasn't seen by a single doctor or nurse. She was known at the hospital as a diabetic but for some reason they overlooked it.'
He continued: 'After that administration of insulin, I think she was in so much pain she wouldn't have been able to administer anymore.
'We last saw Katie at 4:30 on Saturday afternoon because they didn't even ring to tell us that she had been moved to a High Dependency ward.
'She died at 11:39 that night.'
Her premature death echoes that of her mother, Mr Powell's first wife Sheridan, who also died from diabetes 18 years ago at the age of 29 - and when her daughter was just eight.
Miss Powell was 'screaming in pain' when she was admitted to hospital, but doctors were unable to find the source. One doctor said she was given more painkillers than he had ever given any patient
Despite being in a wheelchair and suffering diabetes, Miss Powell was independent and lived life to the full, her father said. She had moved into a bungalow on her own and had 'loads of friends'
Miss Powell showed no signs of diabetes as a child, so her father said it 'didn't cross his mind' that she would suffer like her mother.
But after falling ill while on a family holiday to Benidorm aged 16, she was diagnosed.
She also had the spinal condition caudal regression - which meant she was born with two club feet.
Nobody took responsibility in the medical team to carry out the medication review to ensure that insulin was being prescribed and administered. Everybody seems to be leaving it to somebody else Alan Walsh, of Bolton Coroners' Court
Mr Powell said that despite being in a wheelchair and suffering diabetes, she was independent and lived life to the full.
He said: 'She moved into her own bungalow in 2014 and she had loads of friends she used to visit and her grandmother went to her house everyday.
'She had a cousin with Downs Syndrome and she used to relate really well to him. She always put others before herself.
'She was a really happy girl and she really wanted to better herself. She was a bright girl and did very well at school.'
The family still don't know what caused Miss Powell's original pain but believe it was unrelated to her diabetes.
'I still don't think they know what was wrong with Katie initially,' he said.
'We think it was totally unrelated to her diabetes but they completely overlooked her insulin.'
A coroner said is was clear 'nobody took responsbility' for reviewing Miss Powell's medicines, leaving her without insulin. The inquest is due to conclude today
Miss Powell's family, including her step mother Sharon, half brothers Nathan and Lewis, step brother Bradley and grandmother, Stevie Wild, were all present at the inquest into her the death.
There, they hope they will find out why Miss Powell's diabetic needs were overlooked.
Mr Powell said: 'We're still going through it all, it's been really stressful.
'I've been really unwell with pains in my chest - I thought I was having a heart attack at one point.
'It's been really difficult physically, mentally and emotionally. It's been a really difficult time.'
Umar Khalid (left) and Anirban Bhattacharya allegedly organised the event in JNU on February 9 where anti-India slogans were raised
Taking note of the Delhi police submission that the JNU sedition case has been transferred to its anti-terror cell, a court on Monday allowed the custodial interrogation of two arrested students, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, for one more day.
The court extended the police custody of the duo, who had allegedly organised the event in JNU on February 9 where anti-India slogans were raised, after police contended that they were needed for a probe to unearth the larger conspiracy in the case.
According to police sources, the anti-terror unit of Delhi police's Special Cell, to which the case has been transferred, needed some time to interrogate both the accused.
The police has claimed that around 22 people present at the flash-point JNU event, including some outsiders, have been identified after the joint interrogation of Khalid, Anirban and JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar arrested in the same case.
Khalid and Anirban have been on police remand since their surrender and subsequent arrest on February 24.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had ordered that confidentiality should be maintained during the remand proceedings of Umar and Anirban, as well as Kumar, while directing the police to ensure that no one suffers even a scratch and there is no ruckus this time.
Lawyers had allegedly assaulted Kumar when he was brought to Patiala House Court for remand proceedings, in defiance of a Supreme Court order, on February 17.
However, sleuths of Delhi Polices Special Cell questioned the owner of a photocopy shop in connection with the controversial event, which led to the arrest of the JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar and two others over sedition charges.
The photocopy outlet is located in south Delhi's Ber Sarai area and the owner is believed to have made copies of the posters of the February 9 event. He was taken to Special Cell's office on Lodhi Road and questioned for several hours, a police source said.
The Haryana Police went into denial mode on Monday as they filed a status report on the alleged rapes at Murthal in Sonipat district during the Jat agitation, saying no such incident took place.
The status report was filed before a division bench of justices SK Mittal and HS Sidhu.
The document filed by police denied the charges of molestation and gang-rape which are alleged to have taken place during the intervening night of February 22/23 in Murthal.
Activists shout slogans outside the Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi demanding a probe into the rapes and sexual assaults in Murthal
The division bench adjourned the case to March 14.
The High Court had taken suo motu note of the matter after a report in a local daily on the alleged rapes.
The bench had appointed senior advocate Anupam Gupta as amicus curiae to assist the court in this matter. During the course of the hearing, ADGP Law and Order Mohd Akil and Head of the three-member women police officers probing the allegations DIG Rajshree Singh were also present.
Days after allegations of rape and molestation by Jat quota agitators near Haryanas Murthal, a woman came forward on Sunday and registered a case of gang-rape against seven persons, including her brother-in-law, in connection with the incident.
An FIR has been lodged against seven people in connection with a gang-rape on the basis of a complaint filed by a Narela-based woman, Haryana Police, DIG, Rajshree Singh had said.
She said the victim had alleged she was raped on the intervening night of February 22-23 and the perpetrators included her brother-in-law.
The officer, who heads a three-member team of women police officers constituted by the Haryana government to investigate alleged incidents of rape and molestation by Jat protesters, said a family dispute could be the reason for the woman filing the complaint.
Some political master-strokes hurt the enemy but dont allow them to scream.
The Opposition on Monday emerged after Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys Union Budget speech in wobbly confusion.
The harshest words muttered were a lack of imagination.
The Budget is loaded in favour of the rural poor, but there are sops for the urban poor and middle class as well
CPIs D Raja did something almost unbelievable.
Asked to find fault with the Budget, the comrade threw red caution to the wind and spoke up for the capitalists: Outside the Budget, they promised a lot to the corporate sector. Not evident now. Nothing spectacular in the Budget.
With this Budget, PM Narendra Modi and his team threaten to take away something held very dear by Indias large pantheon of Left and Centre-Left parties: the underdog.
It is a direct, forceful pitch to rural India.
It is Modis way of quietly folding and keeping back in the wardrobe the suit-boot image, rolling up his pyjamas, and walking to the distressed crop lands.
NCs Omar Abdullah even graciously accepted that: By not focusing the benefits of Budget 2016 on the suit-boot people, Arun Jaitley has cleverly made the Oppositions job a bit tougher.
While he seems to have taken a big Left turn, he has done it within the framework of reforms.
The underlying economic motive is not charity but hard-nosed market economics: that rural prosperity will drive demand.
One of the rural initiatives that may have the biggest social impact is Rs 1,000 crore for LPG connection to five crore below poverty, rural households.
It has the potential to deeply change rural womens lives.
Irrigation projects, Soil Health Card, model fertiliser retail outlets, organic farming in the Northeast, loan interest waiver, crop insurance, four big dairy projects, intensive care of drought-hit blocks, record modernisation, literacy the Budget leaves very little untouched in that sector.
Add to that plans to expedite rural roads, housing, electrification and jobs.
The Budget is loaded in favour of the rural poor, but there is something for the urban poor and neo-middle class as well.
Cheap health protection schemes, generic medicine outlets, and dialysis centres can reduce crucial medical costs which often stand between poverty and a dignified life.
Along with the Oppositions raging attack on the Dalit issue over the suicide of student activist Rohith Vemula came the initiative to set up a National Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Hub in partnership with industry associations like Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
With development as its walls and fiscal prudence as its roof, the Budget is a montage of political windows, mainly looking out at the 2017 elections in UP, Punjab and other states.
Hundred crore each have been kept aside for Guru Gobind Singhs 350th birth anniversary and Deendayal Upadhyayas birthday celebrations.
From charges of being the Ambani-Adani sarkar to the campaign unleashed over an allegedly Rs 10 lakh suit to projecting his globe trotting as disguised holidaying (an accusation easy to sell in a country where a vast majority have never been on a holiday to the next town), Modis government and party were moving away from the underdog.
An Arvind Kejriwal, a Lalu Prasad Yadav, a Mamata Banerjee, or a Mayawati fits the voice-of-the- downtrodden bill easily - and Rahul Gandhi aspired to. But Modi has regained that space with this Budget.
In his iconic The Art of War, Sun Zhu says: When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when we are far away, we must make him believe we are near. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
Budget 2016 may not be remembered in terms of reforms as its stellar progenitor 25 years ago, but it will be remembered as one of the smartest politically.
Modi has attacked his enemies where they were least prepared, appeared where he was least expected.
Taxing EPF is not a welcome move
By S Kannan
For decades, the EPF, better known as the Employees Provident Fund, has been the middle classs jackpot - especially post-retirement.
In one stroke, on Monday, the NDA government in its annual Budget threatened to rock people who have been contributing handsomely to the EPF.
If the Budget proposal is to be accepted, from the next fiscal - 2016-17 - contributions to the EPF become taxable.
This years Union Budget is largely being seen as pro-rural
The proposal says that 40 per cent of the EPF contribution from April 1, 2016, will not be taxable and the rest will be taxed.
The point is, at a time when the middle class has been treated like a punching bag by the NDA government, taxing the provident fund is unfair.
Over the decades, for those not keen on dabbling with the highs and lows of the stock market, saving up in the provident funds was seen as the ultimate retirement benefit.
Some voices from the government sought to assuage the feelings of the middle class on Monday when they said taxation on EPF withdrawal would not be in retrospect.
Yet, there are some who feel the governments move to tax the provident fund withdrawal is a wrong signal.
To be sure, barring mild tinkering at the lowest income tax slab levels, not much has been touched.
People were expecting more largesse from the Union government vis-a-vis the existing tax structure.
At a time when this Budget is being seen as pro-rural and growth-oriented, the middle class is undoubtedly unhappy.
The government will actually be making those retiring in future poorer if PF money is going to be taxed.
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Its farmers first in Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys budget for 2016-17.
A staggering Rs 1.77 lakh crore has been set aside for the rural economy, and a massive Rs 2.21 lakh crore for the infrastructure sector to boost economic growth.
However, this will make goods and services costlier for the middle class, while increasing the tax burden on the super-rich. The Budget has introduced a new 0.5 per cent Krishi Kalyan Cess on all taxable services to fund projects in the agriculture sector.
For you, this means higher phone bills, costlier travel and more expensive eating out.
Poll run
Analysts see the Budget as electorally savvy for the BJP, as several states including West Bengal go to the polls this year and elections in the countrys most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, are due in 2017.
A strong showing will enable the ruling party to boost its numbers in the Rajya Sabha and brighten Modis chances of winning a second term.
Asked if the Budget was Left-of-Centre, Jaitley told journalists: It is neither Left nor Right, but deals with the reality of the Indian economy. It addresses sectors which need highest priority, and rural areas need most attention.
There is a serious challenge, if not distress, in the rural sector and we have given priority to the social sector and infrastructure, he said.
Rural welfare
The allocation to the agricultural and rural sector, where 68.8 per cent of the countrys population lives, is now at a record high.
Jaitley focused on plans for agriculture and farmers welfare by providing Rs 35,984 crore on this alone.
A massive Rs 87,765 crore has been allocated for the rural sector, while Rs 2,000 crore will be provided for giving concessional LPG connections to BPL families.
This scheme named Ujjwala will not only have immense health benefits for women and their children by providing a clean cooking fuel, but also provide significant ecological dividends, said Dharmendra Pradhan, minister of state for petroleum and natural gas.
According to World Health Organisation estimates, five lakh women die in India because of unclean cooking fuels.
While announcing the LPG bonanza for rural poor, the finance minister lauded the 75 lakh middle-class families for willingly giving up cooking gas subsidy.
Infra push
A total outlay of Rs 2.21 lakh crore has been made for infrastructure, of which Rs 97,000 crore will be for the road sector including rural roads.
Jaitley said there was need to bring digital literacy to villages.
Rs 8,500 crore has been allotted for rural electrification, targeting 100 percent rural electrification by May 1, 2018.
He said that the government intended to double the income of farmers in five years.
Jaitley premised his Budget on three pillars: A prudent fiscal policy, raising domestic demand and carrying out reforms. He said farm, rural sector, infrastructure and social sector would be given more money.
A unified agriculture platform will be dedicated to the nation on the birth anniversary of Dr BR Amebdkar," the finance minister said as applause broke out in the benches.
In spite of the massive increase in the allocation for the farm and rural sectors and the huge payout to Central government staff under the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, Jaitley has managed to meet the stiff fiscal deficit target of 3.5 per cent of GDP for 2016-17.
However, he hiked taxes on new cars and tobacco products, and imposed a new tax on large dividend payments to bridge the gap.
Tax bed
The 12 per cent surcharge on the super-rich with personal income above Rs 1 crore has been raised to 15 per cent.
The Budget also proposes to collect tax at source at the rate of one per cent on purchase of luxury cars exceeding value of Rs10 lakh and purchase of goods and services in cash exceeding Rs 2 lakh.
High net worth individuals receiving a dividend in excess of Rs 10 lakh per annum will also have to pay an additional 10 per cent dividend distribution tax help mobilise resources for agriculture and the rural economy.
World Class: Indian Institute Of Management is a public business school located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. (File Picture.)
Aiming to improve the quality of education, the government will set up a higher education financing agency and allocate Rs 1,000 crore for the initiative.
The move was accompanied by a slew of measures in the education sector announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech.
The push to set up world-class teaching institutions comes in the wake of the ongoing controversy over some Jawaharlal Nehru University students facing charges of sedition.
Jaitley said regulatory architecture will be provided to 10 public and 10 private institutions to enable them become world-class centres of learning.
In other terms, the government is looking to have Indias own Ivy League.
The government will give Rs 1,804 crore for setting up 1,500 multi-skill training institutes and develop countrys own Ivy League.
We have decided to set up a Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) with an initial capital base of Rs 1,000 crore. The HEFA will be a not-for-profit organisation that will leverage funds from the market and supplement them with donations and CSR funds, Jaitley said in his budget speech.
These funds will be used to finance improvement in infrastructure in our top institutions and will be serviced through internal accruals.
To help students, higher education institutions and employers to access degree certificates of candidates, Jaitley proposed to establish a digital depository for school leaving certificates, college degrees, academic awards and mark sheets, on the pattern of a securities depository.
The finance minister stressed that it will help validate their authenticity, safe storage and easy retrieval.
Jaitley also announced opening of 62 new Navodaya Vidyalayas in the remaining uncovered districts over the next two years.
It is our commitment to empower higher educational institutions to help them become world class teaching and research institutions. An enabling regulatory architecture will be provided to ten public and ten private institutions to emerge as world-class teaching and research institutions. This will enhance affordable access to high quality education for ordinary Indians. A detailed scheme will be formulated, he said.
Jaitley earmarked a sum of Rs 1,700 crore for setting up 1,500 multi-skill training institutes in the country and scaling up Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna.
We have decided to set up a National Board for Skill Development Certification in partnership with the industry and academia. We propose to further scale-up Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna to skill one crore youth over the next three years," the finance minister said.
Jaitley said entrepreneurship education and training will be provided in 2,200 colleges, 300 schools, 500 government ITIs, and 50 vocational training centres through massive open online courses.
Aspiring entrepreneurs - particularly those from remote parts of the country - will be connected to mentors and credit markets.
Budget 2016: Entrepreneurship education and training will be provided in 2,200 colleges, 300 schools, 500 government ITIs and 50 vocational training centres through massive open online courses. (File Picture.)
In order to spread literacy in the rural sector he announced plans to launch a new digital literacy mission scheme for rural India to cover six-crore additional households within the next three years.
Announcing that the government approved the National Digital Literacy Mission and Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (Disha) to promote digital literacy, Jaitley said of the 168 million crore rural households across the country, 120 million did not have computers and were unlikely to be digitally literate persons.
The pace of change on the High Street is startling. Amazon has been looking for an entrance into the British grocery market for some time. Now it has it through an alliance with Morrisons.
The Bradford-based group may be the weakest of Britains big four supermarkets, but through its deals with Ocado and Amazon it has taken a leap forward which will give shareholders new hope after some sterile years.
Amazon has shown an ability to disrupt traditional markets and make them its own through superior logistics and robotics.
David Potts, one of the Tesco refugees now at Morrisons, is throwing down the gauntlet to rivals.
Breakthrough: Amazon has been looking for an entrance into the British grocery market for some time. Now it has it through an alliance with Morrisons
An often forgotten advantage that Morrisons has over the other supermarkets is vertical integration. It has its own food production operation from farm to abattoir to the butchery counter, and now the ability to leverage this online into fresh and frozen food deliveries.
Amazons march into grocery territory makes it all the more important for Sainsburys to come back with a more seductive offer for Home Retail Group that leaps over the South African challenger Steinhoff and extends its reach in non-food and fast delivery.
Sainsburys has the ability to pay more because of the cost savings it can make by ending Argoss older leases and through the integration of its credit book and Sainsburys Bank.
In the present frenetic environment Sainsburys chairman David Tyler and chief executive Mike Coupe need to demonstrate boldness.
There is very little of that to be seen in the self-serving British Retail Consortium report on the future of jobs in retail. It advocates reform of business rates.
But does not tell the Chancellor George Osborne where he is going to find the foregone income at a time when the Treasury is searching for further deficit reduction if it is to meet the Governments fiscal target by the end of the year.
Moreover, for senior executives of major retailers to wax on about the damage likely to be done by the National Living Wage, when none of them show any sign of moderating their own wage packets, is morally suspect.
In the South, where the cost of living is higher anyway and wages rates higher too, the living wage should not be an undue burden.
As you move further North it is more of a zero sum game than the retailers would have you believe.
Every penny extra in the pay packets of shop workers is more disposable income for them to spend.
It is only the Mom & Pop operations which will seriously suffer and there ought to be ways to ease their path to a fairer wage structure.
It is traditional for special interest groups to plead poverty ahead of the Budget and some of the recent changes affecting high streets, such as the way in which the apprentice levy is to be recycled back into business, could do with adjustment.
The new structure makes it less likely that companies that operate their own internal training will bother with apprenticeships.
If they do so they will become bogged down in bureaucratic nightmares, including Ofsted testing of their own schemes.
The BRC is a useful collator of data about the High Street. But its special political pleading does it little credit.
Deal breakers
The efforts by the bigwigs behind the would be merger of the London Stock Exchange by Deutsche Boerse to pretend this is a done deal must be disregarded.
Firstly, as everyone needs to recognise, there is no such thing as merger of equals when one of the equals, the Frankfurt exchange has 54 per cent of the stock.
Secondly, the competition barriers to the deal are becoming higher. The French economic minister Emmanuel Macron is concerned about the threat of the deal to Paris as a financial centre.
Pity that George Osborne or the remarkably silent Business Secretary Sajid Javid isnt taking the same interest in the impact on the City.
Remarkably the UK may have to depend on the European Competition Commissioner, the formidable Margrethe Vestager, to launch an inquiry and rid them of a troublesome interloper.
Size is less important than flexibility when it comes to financial markets. That is why both the LSE and DB have opted for advice from boutique advisers rather than the investment banking dinosaurs.
Out of Africa
Great to know that when it comes to making sure that investors funds are spent wisely, EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has lost none of his fervour.
As a 12 per centinvestor in African no-frills carrier Fastjet Haji-Ioannau rightly is concerned that soon-to-depart chief executive Ed Winter and fellow directors are sitting in Gatwick depleting the groups financial resources while reporting revenues in Tanzanian currency 4,750 miles away.
Write-downs: Shares in claims handlers Slater & Gordon almost halved yesterday
Shares in claims handlers Slater & Gordon almost halved yesterday after it posted 500million losses following huge write-downs on its UK business Quindell.
For the six months to December the Australian solicitors firm made a loss of 492million, with troubled accountancy firm Quindell being written down by 420million.
Slater & Gordon bought the professional services division of Quindell, which is being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office, only a year ago for 637million.
Managing director Andrew Grech said: Clearly [these] results are very disappointing.
In particular the decline in business performance in the UK is of serious concern to all at Slater & Gordon and equally will be of concern to our investors.
We will therefore be taking a number of necessary and significant steps to improve the operational performance of both the UK business and the broader Slater & Gordon Group.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. Sergey Smbatyan, the artistic director and principal conductor of the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia became the member of the outstanding organization Swiss Gart (Swiss Global Art Management Gart). As Armenpress was informed from the press service of State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, having more than thirty years of experience in management, organizing exclusive events and international festivals, the Swiss Gart decided to bring together a team of experts from different countries in one Global Art Management. Collaborating with the most prestigious venues, concert halls and the leading orchestras, it worked both with big names, and with the stars of tomorrow - artists of the younger generation, helping them to build their career.
The activity of Swiss Gart is not limited to classical music as it also works with renowned jazz and pop musicians, famous actors and dancers, theatre and ballet collectives, opera houses and composers. Swiss Gart produces exclusive art shows and delivers artistic programs. Numerous governmental and non-governmental organizations, international organizations, including UNESCO apply for the services of Swiss Gart. Swiss Gart and its team initiate worlds leading cultural programs. Its large team provides services which are prepared very meticulously, considering every slightest details.
The cast of Swiss Gart includes such artists as the conductor Sergey Smbatyan, violinist, conductor and pedagogue Pinchas Zukerman, American actor, producer, director and screenwriter John Malkovich, violinist Soyoung Yoon, mezzo-soprano Carlie Paoli, as well as artists and ensembles of Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Chamber Orchestra and many others. In the framework of cooperation with Swiss Gart, Sergey Smbatyan performed with John Malkovich and Pinchas Zukerman.
The UK is on collision course with Brussels after defying orders to extend pay curbs across the City.
A bonus cap was introduced for big banks and fund managers across the EU two years ago.
This limits bonuses to one times salary and twice if shareholders approve. The crackdown was an attempt by European authorities to restrict the reckless, bonus-fuelled culture which contributed to the financial crisis.
Defiant: The Bank of England led by Mark Carney, declared it will not apply the EU bonus cap across the board
So far the cap has only been applied to the biggest banks and investment firms, which have responded by simply hiking fixed pay for top executives.
But the European Banking Authority is now trying to force member countries to apply the pay curbs to smaller firms, not just the biggest banks.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Bank of England declared it will not apply the EU bonus cap across the board, meaning more than 1,000 smaller banks, fund managers, hedge funds and brokers would be let off the hook.
It warned that the blanket extension of these restrictions would drive up fixed pay across the City and endanger financial stability, pointing out that banks are already doing this for senior executives.
Last night one Eurosceptic hit out at the latest intervention from Brussels. UKIP MP Douglas Carswell said: It seems that not even the Bank of England has control over basic banking rules in the city.
The European authorities allowed the Greek debt crisis to assume epic proportions.
These are the last people we should allow to tell us how to regulate the banks.
Both the Bank and the Financial Conduct Authority argue the bonus cap should not be applied to smaller firms because unlike big banks they do not pose a risk to the financial system if they collapse.
Having consulted with lawyers they said yesterday they had adhered to the EUs principle of proportionality, giving them discretion over the application of rules from Brussels. They said they disagreed with the EBAs interpretation of the rules.
The refusal by the Bank and the FCA to bow to Brussels latest demands is supported by the Treasury. But the EBA yesterday made it clear it is does not plan to budge.
UK manufacturing has fallen 'towards stagnation', the Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index reveals.
With exports and order books struggling, Markit posted a balance of 50.8 for February, down from 52.9 in January. This marks the weakest growth seen in the manufacturing sector since April 2013, Markit said.
Rob Dobson, a senior economist at Markit, said: 'The near-stagnation of manufacturing highlights the ongoing fragility of the economic recovery at the start of the year and provides further cover for the Bank of Englands increasingly dovish stance.'
Sluggish: UK economic growth fell to its slowest rate in nearly three years last month, a CBI report said today
Martin Beck, senior economic advisor to the EY ITEM Club, said: 'Februarys manufacturing data suggest that the sectors fairly positive performance at the start of the year may have been a flash in the pan. The manufacturing PMI saw the second largest monthly fall since early-2013.
'The detail of the survey offered further cause for concern, suggesting that prolonged weakness in export sales is beginning to extend to domestic activity.'.
Dr Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist for IHS Global Insight, said: 'This is a very disappointing survey through and through output, new orders, export orders, backlogs of work and employment were all weak or falling.
'The manufacturing sector failed to contribute to UK GDP growth in 2015 (output fell 0.2% over the year) and the February purchasing managers survey suggests that the sector is currently finding life even harder.
'The hope has to be that UK manufacturers will increasingly be helped by the recent substantial weakening of the pound and also by the very low oil and commodity prices that increases their ability to price competitively.'
Output: Markit's manufacturing PMI reveals weak growth in the setor
After Markit published its manufacturing data, sterling fell to $1.3908, down from $1.3979 beforehand, before recovering to $1.3960, up 0.3 per cent on the day.
Against the euro, sterling hit a low of 1.2775 after the data was published, but recovered to 1.2846.
Separate data from the Confederation of British Industry published today reveals Britain's economic growth in the three months to February fell to its slowest rate since early 2013.
The CBI's monthly growth indicator edged up to +8 last month, an increase from +6 in January, but still below levels seen last year and in 2014.
UK manufacturing output leveled off over the three months, while growth in the business and professional services sector remained flat, the CBI said.
Easier: UK manufacturing output leveled off over the first three months of 2016, while growth in the business and professional services sector remained flat, the CBI report said
Growth in the dominant consumer services sector climbed to +21 per cent, while retail sales edged up to +11 per cent, the CBI added.
But the rate of growth seen in the retail sector in the three months to February was the slowest since July last year.
Rain Newton-Smith, the CBI's Director of Economics, said: 'The British economy has made a slow start to the year, and growth has remained in the doldrums in February.
'Its encouraging that growth in consumer services has held up and manufacturing output has stopped declining, but retailers and business and professional services firms are feeling the pinch.
'With global risks increasing this year following the volatility seen in financial markets, businesses will be keeping a close eye on any possible impact on domestic activity.
'Its important that the Budget later this month gives business a clear signal that the Government stands behind it in driving growth, by bringing the UKs business rates system up to date, supporting investment through the capital allowance system and equipping our world-class innovators with the tools they need to compete.'
Weak: Markit's manufacturing Purchasing Mangers' Index for the Eurozone fell to 51.2, down from January's 52.3
As well as the impact of a slowdown in the global economy, the CBI said uncertainty over the referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, set for June 23, could hurt growth in 2016, although investment intentions by businesses were holding up.
The CBI survey found output expectations for the next three months rose to +19 in February, up from +13 in January.
Last month, when the CBI reported a growth balance of +6 per cent, Ms Newton-Smith said the economy had had a 'tough start to the year'.
Separate data published today reveals that Eurozone manufacturing activity grew at its weakest pace for a year in February, as an upturn in orders failed to materialise.
Markit's manufacturing Purchasing Mangers' Index for the Eurozone fell to 51.2, down from January's 52.3.
Chris Williamson, Markit's chief economist, said: 'Concerns are growing that the region is facing yet another year of sluggish growth in 2016, or even another downturn.
'Lacklustre domestic demand is being compounded by a worsening global picture.'
At a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Shanghai over the weekend, officials failed to come up with a co-ordinated plan to spur global economic growth.
The residents of this town are a horny bunch, says Acapulcos police chief Manuel Flores, the creator of Mexicos first all-female police force.
You wouldnt believe how docile a dangerous driver becomes after being pulled over by a sexy girl.
He is the 'proud' pioneer of a police unit that boasts it is the sexiest in the world, and where the official criteria for a job is simply that you are 'young, female and pretty.
Hotspot: Tourism makes up 80 per cent of the local economy and is a hotspot for US spring breakers and holiday makers. Authorities hope their new force will inspire confidence in the tourists
Sexy: Acapulco's police chief has recruited 42 women aged 18 to 28 to form the city's Tourist Assistance Brigade in a bid to win back tourists scared off by escalating violence between rival drug cartels
Docile: Police chief Manuel Flores says criminals are more 'docile' if they are arrested by a 'sexy girl' and so only applicants who were 'young, pretty and female' were selected only he insists weight is not a criteria
Happy: The brigade will patrol the resort's beaches and aim to keep tourists happy with their winning smiles and are not dissuaded from flirting with tourists to make sure they leave with a good impression
The unashamedly sexist move by Mexico's force is extraordinary in 2016, but it represents a desperate move by authorities against the gang wars that have blighted Acapulco's image and tourist numbers.
The Tourist Assistance Brigade, a handcuff-toting arm of the municipal police, was created last October and is dedicated to keeping the visitors happy.
We had to think of a way to inspire confidence in the tourists, and our new faces on the street are not only responsible but very eye-catching... but its not sexist, we have fat chicks too. Acapulco police chief
Made up of 42 women aged between 18 and 28, the new brigades duties include stopping traffic to assist tourists across busy roads, patrolling the beachfront and detaining criminals while the arresting authorities arrive. The 'girls' earn $8,000 pesos a month, or 317 ($440).
Tourism makes up 80 per cent of the local economy, and visitors number have dropped since the local gang wars began, Chief Flores told MailOnline as he inspected his newest officers, we had to think of a way to inspire confidence in the tourists, and our new faces on the street are not only responsible but very eye-catching.
But its not sexist, he insists, we have fat chicks too.
Theyre lovely, said Steven Dingman, 62, from Wisconsin, after being chaperoned towards the towns Papagayo waterfront park by 20-year-old Fanny Estevez.
I wouldnt say so with my wife around, but it certainly brightens up my day.
Its an important job, says Michigan native John Farkas, 67, who visits Acapulco for six weeks every year.
Lipstick: The girls ensure they are turned out well, with manicured nails, carefully applied makeup and hair styled in a ponytail
Anti-corruption: Young women are the least likely to be corrupt, according to the police chief, who is working to eliminate police corruption from his force
Gang: Recent gang related crime has caused tourist numbers to drop. The Police Chief hopes his new all-female force will attract tourists back to the city and reassure them as they walk around Acapulco
I still wouldnt walk around this area at night, but its nice to have them around.
I really enjoy it, says Heidi Rodriguez, 23, who claims she doesnt put up with troublemakers but has a ready smile for visitors to her hometown.
Weve had a lot of positive comments from tourists and locals alike, many of them asking me out.
The spring-breakers will be here next week, she says, and well be ready for them.
We dont discourage our officers from flirting, as it lets tourists leave Acapulco with a good impression.
Acapulcos newest officers are dressed in brown Bermuda shorts, light blue polo shirts and sunhats to withstand the blistering 34-degree midday heat.
The unit starts its day at 7am at the western end of the bay, where after half an hour of applying their mandatory make-up, complete with pre-approved shades of bright-pink lipstick, the brigade it inspected by the municipal forces senior officers.
Our plan is to give a sense of responsibility, but also of confidence, says Chief Flores. We dont discourage our officers from flirting, as it lets tourists leave Acapulco with a good impression.
Personal touch: Police chief Manuel Flores, the creator of Mexicos first all-female police force (pictured centre) says he interviewed each applicant personally and judges their physical fitness in the swimming pool
Lovely: US tourists Steven Dingman, 62, and John Farkas say the force is 'lovely' as they are escorted to the beach front, although admit they still wouldn't feel comfortable walking around the city at night
I get hollered at constantly, says Brenda Ortiz, 23, who was accepted immediately onto the training program after applying last October.
Men shout at me from their cars, asking me to arrest them and handcuff them when they drive past.
I interviewed every applicant personally, Chief Flores told MailOnline. Our studies showed that young females are the least corruptible of all new recruits.
Much of our municipal police force is very corrupt, so we are attempting to bring in as many trustworthy officials as possible.
Following Chief Flores selection of 42 candidates last October, a three-month training period began with Mexicos Federal Forces, who have a heavy presence alongside the military in Acapulco.
Theyve been trained in self-defence, crowd control and lifesaving techniques, said the police chief as he smiled beside his troop.
We focused on their physical fitness training in the swimming pool.
Trained: Each of the 42 women have been trained in self-defence, crowd control and lifesaving techniques, and a full face of make-up is mandatory - including bright pink lipstick and pre-approved sunshades - for their shift
Harassed: But Brenda Oritz (above), says men shout at her from their cars and ask her to arrest them
Once North Americas most popular holiday resort, Acapulco is currently living through the worst period of violence in its history.
An ongoing war between organised crime organisations has already cost 648 lives in the two months since the start of the year.
Guerrero state is Mexicos largest producer of opium.
Produced in the mountainous rural countryside inland, much of the raw material is brought to cities like Iguala (where 43 students were disappeared by the municipal police force in 2014), Chilpancingo and Acapulco, where it is refined into heroin before being sent northwards to the US.
Cartel extortion of the local tourism industry, coupled with vast quantities of narcotics moving through the states largest port city, has made Acapulco valuable gangland territory.
The subsequent war between the CIDA (Independent Cartel of Acapulco) and the Devils Command cartels have led the citys streets to run red with blood.
2015 saw 1,600 murders in Acapulco, a town with less than one million inhabitants.
War: Drug cartels have ruined Acapulco's tourism industry, whose state of Guerrero is Mexico's largest producer of opium
Blood: Fighting between two rival cartels - Independent Cartel of Acapulco and the Devils Command - have led the city's streets to run red with blood with 1,600 murders the city in 2015
Crime: Tourists are rarely affected by the crime, but the high murder rate has caused visitor numbers to drop
While visitors are rarely affected, the killing has affected the tourism industry very seriously, said Lieutenant Lorenzo Leal, the tourist forces duty officer.
These days it seems no part of Acapulco is unaffected by crime, and we have a duty to ensure the safety of our holidaymakers.
It has also been a welcome change for many of the locals who have had bad experiences with the corrupt municipal force, he told MailOnline. The hope is that with these beautiful young girls patrolling the streets, we are putting faith in the police back in the populace.
The chances of tourists witnessing a murder in Acapulco are higher than in any other North American seaside resort.
Beautiful: Authorities are keen to show the 'beautiful face' of Acapulco, to keep tourism on the up
A February 14 shooting on Tamarindos Beach saw six armed men execute an unnamed sunbather, while the slaying of a beach vendor at Condesa beach three days later was witnessed by over 100 Mexian and international tourists.
No arrests have been made concerning either crime.
Both the mayor of Acapulco Evodio Vasquez and the state governor Hector Astudillo have stated their support of the all-female force since it passed its trial month last December and was inaugurated into the municipality in January 2016.
We want to show the public the beautiful face of Acapulco, and let them know that they are welcome, said Mayor Vasquez following the announcement that the female force was here to stay.
Acapulco was built on tourism and our visitors are the citys most important assets, says Coral Perez, 21, who patrols the beach for stray homeless people on her police quad-bike in the late afternoon.
A horrified diner had a nasty surprise when he went to take a bite of his sandwich - and found a huge insect on it.
Dean Mclernon treated himself to the sandwich from his local Subway store in Westhill, Aberdeenshire, but was shocked to discover the earwig with large pincers attached to the bottom of his roll.
He later posted a picture of his lunch on Facebook prompting hundreds of responses from people claiming they too were now put off from eating Subways.
Dean Mclernon posted this picture of an insect attached to his sandwich which he bought from Subway in Westhill, Aberdeenshire
Dean Mclernon treated himself to the sandwich from his local Subway store in Westhill, Aberdeenshire, but was shocked to discover the insect with large pincers attached to the bottom of his roll
Dean said it was the 'last time' he would eat from the chain, adding: 'Last time I ever eat a Subway put off for life now.
'Dead insects in the food shocking!! Clearly not a very well caring business!'
The gruesome photograph was shared almost 3,000 times in less than 24 hours, by Facebook users who condemned the popular sandwich chain.
Stewart Robertson said: 'I thought I had to go all the way to Thailand to eat insects. Cool I can get them in Subway in Aberdeen.'
Alison Hay wrote: 'I hate earwigs at the best of times but to hell with getting one on my sandwich.'
Nauris Langbergs joked: 'Good source of protein.'
The store which Mr Mclernan bought his sandwich from. The gruesome photograph was shared almost 3,000 times in less than 24 hours, by Facebook users who condemned the popular sandwich chain
A spokesman for Subway was quick to comment on the photograph, and asked Dean to provide further details so they could look into the incident.
It is not believed Mr Mclernon has heard back from the company yet.
When contacted, a spokeswoman for Subway said: 'We are sorry to hear about this customer's experience.
'We have very strict procedures in place to ensure that our stores, which are all operated by franchisees, serve products safely and to customers' satisfaction.
'We are liaising with the franchisee regarding this incident and will take necessary action.'
It is not the first time unwanted toppings have made their way into Subway sandwiches.
Last year, a man in Oregon, USA found a dead mouse in his Italian Sub.
And an Indian man was shocked to find a worm staring back at him as he was about to tuck into a Subway sandwich in Hyderabad, India.
An officer was also injured in the fight and taken to hospital
All 30 girls were arrested and will face charges, says school official
This quickly escalated into a 30-girl brawl that ended in
A school was in lock-down after a bloody brawl involving 30 girls broke out when a 'neighborhood rivalry' fight got out of hand, officials say.
The disturbance allegedly began with two girls but quickly escalated into a 30-girl fight with 'kicking and screaming and punches thrown', reportedWTEA.
The ruckus began Monday morning at around 9.45 am at University Prep High School in Pittsburghs Hill District.
Heavy police presence: The 30-girl fight broke out Monday morning at around 9.45 am at University Prep High School in Pittsburgh (above)
One girl was taken away in a stretcher (pictured) in a the 30-strong fight that saw kicking and screaming and punches thrown
It was initially reported that the fight began over a boy but school officials have since said the fight escalated because of 'neighborhood rivalry'.
One student was taken to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh after suffering an asthma attack, while others suffered minor scratches and bruises, according to Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman Ebony Pugh.
Police were called to the school and all 30 girls were arrested.
Pugh said that an officer was also injured and taken to hospital but it was not immediately clear whether the officer was a school police officer or a Pittsburgh police officer.
This parent says the fight started outside her 17-yr-old daughter's classroom. #WPXI pic.twitter.com/VYJgNoV8kN Aaron Martin (@WPXIAaronMartin) February 29, 2016
We saw one student in the back of a Pgh School police car after UPrep fight. #wpxiphotogs #wpxi pic.twitter.com/Op97fMUNuS WPXI Photog Andy (@WPXIPhotogAndy) February 29, 2016
A parent of a 17-year-old girl at the school told WPXI about the frantic phone call she received from her daughter: 'She said there was a big fight outside the classroom and I said okay, what's going on?
'Then I hear a girl crying and [my daughter says] "Ma she's bleeding everywhere", so I tell her to find the girl some Kleenex.'
The school, which serves grades 6 through 12, was taken off lock down shortly after the students were removed from the grounds at around 11 am.
Frantic parents attempt to get inside the school after reports of the 30-strong brawl had reached them
Police and ambulances were called to the school, which serves grades 6 through 12 and all 30 girls were arrested - they are likely to face charges
The 30 girls have now been sent home and will face charges from a magistrate, says Pugh.
Local media footage showed a heavy police presence with a number of ambulances outside the school at the height of the commotion.
Pittsburgh Public Schools released this statement at 12.30 pm: 'Pittsburgh Milliones at University Prep 6-12 is now on a modified lockdown. Classes have resumed.
'Only individuals with previously scheduled appointments will be permitted in the building. Thank you for your cooperation.'
This is a developing story.
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Studying quietly amid the rubble, these are the brave children who take their lives into their own hands every day they go to school in Syria.
The pupils, some aged just four, pore over their writing textbooks and try to ignore the distant sound of machine gun fire as the fragile ceasefire brokered last Saturday is regularly broken.
These courageous boys and girls are so desperate to learn they have run the gauntlet of barrel bombs, snipers and devastation in Aleppo for four years to attend one of the 150 makeshift schools across the rebel-held city.
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Brave: Children in rebel-held Aleppo take their lives into their hands each day they go to school and have to navigate gun battles and shelling. The city was surrounded by Government forces, backed by Iranian special forces at the beginning of February
Surreal: There are more than 150 makeshift schools in rebel-held Aleppo, where teachers and volunteers rely on NGOs for independent for everything from winter jackets, heating, transport, repairs as well as the staples like books, stationery and teachers salaries
Treacherous: Despite the heavy bombing that has continued until the weekend's ceasefire, Abu Bassam said the children still want to go to school. 'We tell their families to keep them at home,' he told MailOnline, 'but they want to come to school'
Rescue: At least 12 people were killed when the children's neighbouring building - also an education centre - was hit by a Syrian regime barrel bomb on May 3 last year. The school children - aged four and older were rescued by members of the civil defense force from what the Opposition have said is tantamount to a war crime
Teacher Abu Bassam told MailOnline via Skype from Aleppo that this is the third location the school has moved to in three years.
We havent had any strikes for the past couple of days, but we can hear heavy machine gun clashes in the distance, he said.
'The children are in a good mood but even before, when we expected heavy airstrikes and told their parents not to send the kids to school, they were so eager to come to school they came anyway.'
There are more than 150 schools left in rebel-held Aleppo, where up to 350,000 people are still estimated to eke out an existence.
And as local councils have been splintered, pulled apart by lack of funding, incompetence, uncertainty and the myriad of armed groups that control the city, each school is left to fend for themselves.
This 'classroom in the rubble' school began in 2012, in the basement of a sewing workshop after teachers brought desks from another school that had been bombed nearby.
That lasted just one year before fighting between the armed forces of the Syrian Government and rebels drew too close. Then, in 2013, the school moved again to Seif al-Dawla district, where they stayed for two years before the neighbouring education centre was barrel bombed, killing twelve, injuring a number of the students and destroying the classes.
Now they have set up class in the untouched first floor of a deserted residential building - its occupants long gone after it was also hit by an airstrike.
But they also teach classes outside in the sunshine, against the backdrop of the bombed-out ruins, so the children can enjoy the fresh air.
Destroyed: Abu Bassam, 50, set up the first school in the basement of a sowing workshop, but after the fighting came too close they relocated to a second school a year later. The neighbouring education centre was bombed two years after (above) destroying the school
Blood: Abu Bassam arrived at the school minutes after it was bombed. He found children bleeding, fires still raging with glass and shrapnel scattered in the classrooms and street. All of the schoolchildren survived, but 12 students and teachers were killed at the education centre
Emergency: Up to 35 people were injured and rescued from the rubble on May 3 2015 by the Civil Defense Force, also known as the White Helmets, a team of volunteers who respond to the bombings
Besieged: Aleppo is now almost entirely surrounded by government forces, making it difficult if not impossible for aid and supplies to reach the rebel-held half of Aleppo City where an estimated 350,000 people remain
Collapsed: The outer wall collapsed, filling the school with dust, cement, wire and debris. The headteacher's office was also destroyed although the force of the blast saved her life as it moved her from behind her desk, which was destroyed
For these children the outdoor writing lesson is more than just a trip outside, but an act of defiance hoping to appeal to a world they think has forgotten them.
Reading aloud, Raja, 10, addresses the world on behalf of her fellow fourth graders.
We have written a composition appealing to the world, and we wish for you to help us clean our neighbourhood so we can get to school.
'We wish for you to help us plant trees, flowers, in our streets instead of rubble and destruction,' she says gesturing to the rocks behind her.
But the many of the children are still struggling to come to terms with their narrow escape from the barrel bomb that devastated their second school.
The barrel bomb hit in May, killing twelve and injuring 35 after it pounded the education centre next door to their classrooms.
Their teacher, Abu Bassem, arrived just minutes after the impact.
There was blood glassfire and shrapnel all over the place, the 50-year-old told MailOnline.
'The wall had gone and the civil defence teams were rescuing the injured people.
At first I was in shock, and then I was so angry. These kids are like my kids theyre innocent, he said.
The children had been so happy at the school, which had a courtyard, trees, and a water fountain, he said a relative oasis in the middle of the carnage that surrounded them.
Dreams: Raja and her classmates wrote a letter to the world where they ask for help to plant trees and flowers in their neighbourhood, and to clear the rubble so they can go to school. Their third school is in the first floor of an abandoned residential building whose upper floors are unsafe to use after the building was struck by a barrel bomb
Defiance: During a break in the airstrikes in January, theses fourth graders left the relative safety of their classrooms to have class outside and appeal to the world for help to 'plant trees and flowers' and to clear away the rubble so that they can get to school safely
Gauntlet: The children often live far from the school, which is now in its third location after moving twice before because of the fighting
New school: In their new school, the children learn Arabic, English and Maths. They also receive winter jackets through the school
Trauma: The teachers also hold classes to help the children with the trauma of the bombing, and encourage them to draw and talk about their hopes and fears
Their headteacher was lucky to survive and saved the lives of her pupils, who were aged just four to eight years old.
They had all gathered in the courtyard of the school when the principal noticed the helicopter in the sky. The teachers got all the children inside before all of a sudden the barrel bomb landed.
It was a miracle the head teacher survived her office was destroyed. She would have died for sure if she had been there, Abu Bassem told MailOnline.
All of the pupils survived, although many were injured by flying debris and they have all been treated for post-traumatic stress.
One four year old refuses to come back to school, terrified of another bombing.
But still the majority of the children run the gauntlet of fear to attend school every day, determined to learn for whatever future awaits them.
They study in an abandoned apartment block whose inhabitants have long since fled after it was bombed, and outside against the rubble when the weather is fine. Its ripped furniture sits covered in dust after it was mostly destroyed in the bombing last year.
The first floor is still of a good quality so we can use it as a school, Abu Bassam insists, in a Skype interview with MailOnline.
The desks have come with us from school to school, and we get some books,' he said.
Without a central authority, each principal must find their own NGO to donate salaries for their teachers, their own funds to fix the walls and pay for supplies and when the school is bombed they have to find a new roof to shelter their students.
Teachers are paid sporadically through local or international NGOs.
The doors and windows at Abu Bassams makeshift school were repaired thanks to teacher and activist Usama Ajjan, 25, who now lives in Turkey.
Oasis: Abu Bassam said the children were happy at their second school as it had trees, a water fountain and somewhere to play outside
After: But the bomb on May 3rd that hit the Saif al-Dawla teaching centre next door traumatized the children, who were lining up for assembly when their headteacher spotted a helicopter in the sky and rushed them to shelter inside the school
He raises money to buy winter jackets, books and to pay for general repairs for six schools in his hometown through a Facebook page called 'A Little Help is Enough'.
The majority of Aleppo's citizens have fled for Turkey, Europe or a respite in the northern countryside, and those who stay are trapped surrounded by Syrian army troops, backed by Iranian special forces and Hezbollah militias.
Syria's second city has a become a bastion of resistance in the country's five year war, despite joining a year after protests broke out in southern Damascus, Homs and Hama.
The rebels were routed for the first time at the beginning of February when Syrian Government forces captured key towns of Nubl and Zahra to cut off the rebels supply lines into the city.
As the impending siege on the rebel-held half of the city loomed, activists rushed to bring medical and food supplies to a population already on its knees.
Makeshift: Teachers have set up schools in abandoned buildings for the children that remain Aleppo. Many families have stayed as they don't want to leave their city, or they can't leave because it is too dangerous of they are too poor
Bombardment: Aleppo has been under near-constant bombardment for three years as the Syrian Government has dropped barrel bombs on the rebel held areas of the city. Barrel bombs are crude weapons, typically rubbish bins filled with explosives, and dropped from helicopters. As estimated 250,000 people have died in Syria's five-year civil war
Before the second school was destroyed by the barrel bomb, the children studied for two years in a building that had trees and a courtyard (above)
The new school is on the first floor of an already bombed out building, but they have managed to salvage the desks from the school that was bombed (above)
While ISIS hasn't held positions in Aleppo City for months, Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra has been key to the front line defences and fights alongside a number of Syrian national rebel groups against the Syrian regime.
In the weeks since Assad's forces encircled the city, both regime helicopters and Russian airplanes have bombarded Aleppo - they say they are targeting ISIS, but numerous civilian targets have been hit - including schools, markets, hospitals and bakeries.
One road is still passable activists told MailOnline, and runs out to the west of the city, but for many it poses too great a risk.
Teachers warily accept the landmark ceasefire agreement that they hope will stop what has become the constant fear airstrikes.
The 'cessation of hostilities' landmark agreement came into effect on Saturday morning, although both sides have already accused the other of breaching the terms.
Activists say Syria's Russian backed air force has made a 'dozen' strikes on both civilian and armed targets.
The widow of a slain Navy SEAL whose story was immortlaized in 'American Sniper' has entered politics and is campaigning in a local Texas sheriff's race.
Taya Kyle, the wife of Chris Kyle, is campaign treasurer for Bill Waybourn, a Republican opponent of longtime Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson, who was seen as the face of the manhunt for 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch.
Anderson, also a Republican, is running for his fifth and final term as Sheriff in a race that will be decided by voters on Tuesday.
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Taya Kyle (pictured left with Chris Kyle), the widow of a slain Navy SEAL whose story was turned into the hit movie 'American Sniper', is making waves in Texas politics
Kyle's endorsement of Waybourn for Sheriff is on his website, in which she says: 'I endorse Bill Waybourn for Sheriff, because he is the only man Chris wanted to work for, and because he is a good man who serves those who serve us.'
Kyle, 41, is also in a dispute with her late husband's former business partner Bo French, who is running as a Republican for a Texas House of Representatives seat from the same county.
Lawyers for Kyle sent a cease-and-desist letter to the French camp last week calling on it to stop using her husband's name and likeness in campaign materials.
'Bo (is) abusing the name of my late husband, a beloved Son of Texas, and a hero to the nation, in an attempt to manipulate voters,' Kyle said in a statement on social media. She did not respond to requests to speak about her political activism.
Taya Kyle is campaign treasurer for Bill Waybourn, anopponent of longtime Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson (pictured in January), who came to prominent in the case of 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch
Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson was seen as the face for the manhunt for 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch (pictured last month in Fort Worth, Texas)
Taya Kyle last year endorsed former Texas Governor Rick Perry in his unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Pictured, Kyle and Perry in August last year
'Her experience with public exposure and scrutiny has taught her not to let her guard down,' said Republican political strategist Bill Miller. 'She's become a very formidable woman.'
Chris and Taya Kyle have become stars of the state's Republican establishment, with Governor Greg Abbott setting up a day to honor the memory of Chris Kyle, who was killed in 2013 by a troubled veteran he was trying to mentor.
Kyle's endorsement of Bill Waybourn (pictured) for Sheriff is on his website
Taya Kyle last year endorsed former Governor Rick Perry in his unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination. She now endorses U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.
In the sheriff's race, she may be the difference in the campaign of Waybourn, a former suburban Fort Worth police chief, analysts said.
Waybourn, backed by the conservative Tea Party movement, is challenging Anderson, a fellow Republican, who gained national attention in calling for the apprehension of Couch.
The teen, whose lawyer said his wealth distorted his moral compass, fled to Mexico in December apparently to avoid apprehension for violating the probation deal that kept him out of jail for a drunken driving wreck in 2013 that killed four people.
Kyle has not indicated any intention to seek elective office, but analysts said that should not be ruled out.
'Once someone gets involved and gets their hands wet in politics, it's hard to get out,' Miller said.
Last month, she posted a heartfelt tribute to her late husband on the third anniversary of his death.
Kyle and his friend Chat Littlefield were gunned down by fellow war veteran Eddie Ray Routh at a shooting range in Rough Creek, Texas, on February 2, 2013.
His story was captured in 2014 film 'American Sniper', starring Bradley Cooper. The film earned numerous Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Cooper's portrayal of Kyle.
She shared a touching tribute to mark the three-year-anniversary of her husband's death earlier this month
A teenager with a love for theatre who travelled to Sydney to see a musical was removed from the show for being too disruptive.
Amanda Hirst had driven from Wollongong to the Lyric Theatre in Sydney to take her daughter Eliza, 15, who has cerebral palsy, to see Matilda The Musical on Sunday.
Ms Hirst said they were asked to leave the theatre just ten minutes in to the show because Eliza was being 'disruptive to other patrons'.
However the theatre's general manager Graeme Kearns said it was 'incongruous' they would ask anyone to leave, and staff were simply trying to calm the situation.
Amanda Hirst (right) has claimed she and her daughter Eliza (left) were asked to lave Matilda The Musical
They were attending a mattine show on Sunday at the the Lyric Theatre in Pyrmont, Sydney
Ms Hirst told the Sydney Morning Herald a staff member appeared to be watching her and the friends she was seeing the show with from the moment they got there.
'The gentleman was staring at me and Eliza, to the point that I turned to my friend and asked her 'why does this man keep staring at us',' Ms Hirst said.
'We had been there about 10 minutes and Eliza was clapping and cheering with everyone else and rocking back and forwards in her wheelchair,' Mr Hirst added.
The woman said she was then asked by floor staff if she could settle Eliza down, and if there was anything he could do to help with this.
When Ms Hirst asked the staff member if they wanted her and her daughter to leave, he apparently suggested they may be more comfortable watching in the lobby on a screen.
'I was so intimidated by him,' Ms Hirst said, adding that the floor manager had been watching them the whole time they were there.
Ms Hirst said they were asked to leave the theatre just ten minutes in to the show because Eliza was being 'disruptive to other patrons'
The theatre's general manager Graeme Kearns denied that Ms Hirst and Eliza were asked to leave
She said her daughter 'loves music and loves dance', and was simply enjoying the show.
'It's just so wrong. It's discrimination. I am just disgusted that my daughter has been put out of a show,' she said.
The theatre's general manager Graeme Kearns told Daily Mail Australia that staff were simply asking if they could assist in calming Eliza down.
'It's incongruous that we would eject them or ask them to leave we tried to calm the situation down.
'We encourage disabled patrons to come to the theatres, we have people with cerebl paslsy come to the theatre regularly', Mr Kearns said.
He said the theatre was an early adopter or the companion card system, which allows a carer to attend a show for free.
Mr Kearns said he had spoken to Ms Hirst since the incident and invited her and Eliza back to the show free of charge.
The public's right to know about corruption, incompetence and grotesque waste in the state sector wins a major boost today.
In a victory for a Daily Mail campaign, ministers will reject demands from NHS, police and town hall bureaucrats for the neutering of the Freedom of Information Act.
Councils, quangos and other state bodies had wanted greater secrecy. Instead they will be forced to publish full details of the pay and perks of staff pocketing more than 150,000 a year.
The 'fat cats' will be named and barred from using data protection laws to keep information hidden. The public sector will also be made to state how many staff are taking home 50,000 or more a year in a bid to save taxpayers' cash.
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In a victory for a Daily Mail campaign, ministers will reject demands from NHS, police and town hall bureaucrats for the neutering of the Freedom of Information Act
Cabinet minister Matthew Hancock said he had decided to act after the Mail highlighted 'public sector abuses' with a series of 'important investigations'.
This newspaper has used the FoI Act to expose scandals including the rampant abuse of public money by town hall chiefs. We revealed how hospitals were paid millions of pounds to hit targets for the number of patients who died on the Liverpool Care Pathway. FoI was used as well to lay bare the MPs expenses scandal.
Since the autumn, the act has been under grave threat from a Government-commissioned review. In particular, councils and other public sector bodies demanded that the press and public should have to pay a fee for each request.
Introducing charges would have dramatically undermined the legislation making it far harder for abuse to be uncovered.
But, when it publishes its report today, the FoI Commission will say that 'use of the act by the media gives rise to some very important investigations that are clearly in the public interest'.
It will add that 'a fee for information requests could hamper those investigations in future'. In his response to the Commission's report, Mr Hancock will kill the idea of introducing a fee altogether. In a statement to MPs, he will say the press must remain free to 'pursue important investigations that are in the public interest'.
He will also announce that rules on transparency that currently apply to Whitehall only will be extended across the entire public sector.
Cabinet minister Matthew Hancock said he had decided to act after the Mail highlighted 'public sector abuses' with a series of 'important investigations'
Introducing charges would have dramatically undermined the legislation making it far harder for abuse to be uncovered
Where staff earn 150,000 or more, quangos, town halls, the police and NHS will have to publish full details of their salary, allowances, fees, pension contributions, expenses, bonuses and compensation for loss of employment. This will expose the huge pay-offs many have been given when quitting or retiring early.
Mr Hancock said: 'There should be no excuses for hiding taxpayer-funded pay packets. The Daily Mail has used the Freedom of Information Act effectively to highlight public sector abuses, as well as pursue a series of important investigations. After ten years, we took the decision to review the Freedom of Information Act and we have found it is working well. We will not make any legal changes to FoI.
'We will spread transparency throughout public services, making sure all public bodies routinely publish details of senior pay and perks. After all, taxpayers should know if their money is funding a company car or a big pay-off.'
Mr Hancock will also announce that he is not legislating to reinstate the so-called ministerial veto, which is used by the attorney general to quash the release of sensitive information.
The Government was prompted to look again at the law when, in March last year, the Supreme Court ordered the release of sensitive letters from Prince Charles to ministers giving his views on areas of government policy.
The judges ordered the publication of the 'black spider letters' in response to an FoI request, despite the Government wielding its veto over the release.
MPs said this went against the original intention of the act, which said that ministers should have the final say.
The Government was prompted to look again at the law when, in March last year, the Supreme Court ordered the release of sensitive letters from Prince Charles (pictured) to ministers giving his views on areas of government policy
The FoI commission, which includes Jack Straw (pictured) and Lord Howard, has been gathering evidence for months on whether the act should be restricted
MPs were also unhappy about the wishes of Parliament being over-ridden by the judiciary. Mr Hancock will say that, in future, the veto will be issued at an earlier stage.
Currently, if the press or a member of the public applies for a document, and this request is rejected by a public body, they can lodge a series of appeals to the Information Commissioner and tribunals, ending with judges.
The veto is exercised by ministers only at the end of the procedure, which can drag on for years. In future, the veto will be used after the Information Commissioner has ordered a document should be released to the public.
This will anger some freedom of information campaigners who insist there should be no veto whatsoever. But it will remove the problem of Parliament and the judiciary coming into direct conflict.
The veto has been used seven times since the FoI Act came into force, most notoriously in relation to the release of Cabinet papers on the build-up to the Iraq war. FoI campaigners are also certain to want to check the small print of Mr Hancock's announcement.
He is tightening the rules on so-called 'vexatious' FoI claims, where people lodge dozens of requests on the same subject.
Aides said Mr Hancock had no intention of applying the new rules to journalists.
The FoI commission, which includes Jack Straw and Lord Howard, has been gathering evidence for months on whether the act should be restricted. Among the submissions were dozens from town hall chiefs, education bosses, the NHS and police, intent on squashing the public's right to know.
Their extraordinary claims included that elderly care and children's services would suffer unless the act was curbed. At the same time, tens of thousands of ordinary members of the public pointed out the vital role the law played in exposing corruption, ill-treatment and 'fat cat' pay and perks across the public sector.
An alliance of press and media groups wrote to the Prime Minister to warn against any attempt to undermine the law that was crucial for local journalists seeking to expose wrongdoing and waste.
The commission held a series of public hearings, at which supporters of the act lined up to defend it and attack the central claim from Whitehall, that the legislation was broken and needed fixing.
Labour also held hearings looking at the act, and among the witnesses was Lord Kerslake, the former head of the civil service.
In explosive testimony he dismissed his successor Sir Jeremy Heywood's claim that the law has a 'chilling effect' on civil servants and insisted that what was needed was more transparency.
At one point during the official review, the Russell Group of universities, which represents Oxford, Cambridge and 22 other leading institutions, demanded they should be exempted from the act, because they are private institutions and not public bodies, even though they receive public money.
Palmer was sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to pay $5,000 while Mitchell could serve up to seven years
A prison guard who helped two convicted killers escape when he smuggled in tools and hamburger meat stuffed with hacksaw blades has been jailed.
Gene Palmer claimed he had no idea that inmates Richard Matt, 35, and David Sweat, 49, had been planning their escape from maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora.
The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to promoting prison contraband for bringing in needle-nose pliers and a screwdriver, and a count for the hamburger meat and a misdemeanor official misconduct count.
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Gene Palmer claimed he had no idea that inmates Richard Matt, 35, and David Sweat, 49, had been planning to escape
He also admitted giving them access to a restricted catwalk at prison in Dannemora but denied knowing they planned to break out on June 6.
Their escape sparked a massive manhunt which ended when Matt was killed and Sweat was recaptured.
Palmer was one of three prison staff members arrested in June on suspicion of aiding the guards.
On Monday, he was sentenced him to six months in jail and ordered to pay $5,000 in fines.
Palmer had told police, he provided Matt and Sweat with supplies and granted them special privileges in exchange for information about their fellow inmates' illegal activities, reported NBC News.
He said he was persuaded to smuggle in the hamburger meat by prison worker Joyce Mitchell, 51, who only had access to the tailor shop where she supervised Matt and Sweat. But he insisted he had no reason to suspect it contained hacksaw blades.
The package containing the frozen meat, the lawyer said, measured 12 inches long, 5 inches wide and 2 inches high. It was in a Styrofoam container with cellophane wrap and had no store sticker.
Richard Matt (left) and David Sweat (right) escaped from maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora in June
Mitchell, a grandmother, was charged aiding and abetting the killers and sentenced to serve up to seven years in prison for helping the pair escape.
Judge Kevin Ryan said a 'culture of violence' inside the upstate New York prison led guards to grant privileges to inmates for information but said that was no excuse for his behavior, the New York Post reports.
Palmer was suspended on full pay from his $74,644-a-year job at the prison in June. He has now resigned after 28 years as a prison guard.
More than a decade before his arrest, Palmer was interviewed by a local radio station telling the host that working at the Dannemora maximum-security prison could drive a person to alcoholism and suicide.
North Country Public Radio reports that Palmer talked to the upstate New York station in 2000 about what it's like to work at Clinton Correctional Facility.
Palmer told the interviewer: 'With the money that they pay you, you'll go bald, you'll have high blood pressure, you'll become an alcoholic, you'll divorce, and then you'll kill yourself.'
His tiny 800 sq. ft. bungalow, which he shares with his girlfriend, Mary Lamar, is just behind the Mobil gas station and Subway sandwich shop where police believe Matt and Sweat went immediately after escaping on June 6 to forage for food in garbage cans.
Defense: Palmer had claimed he had no idea the meat, given to him by Joyce Mitchell (above at her arraignment), contained contraband
CNN reported that the tampering with physical evidence concerned a painting that Matt had given Palmer, but which he destroyed once he knew of the escape by burning some of them in a fire pit and burying others in the woods.
The network also claimed that prosecutors claim that Palmer gave a screwdriver and wrench to Matt and showed him the catwalk behind his cell that the two fugitives are said to have used to get access to the steam pipes which they used to escape.
Outside of his job, Palmer was a musician who played in the rock band Just Us with three of his friends.
According to a Facebook page dedicated to the group, Just Us formed nearly 30 years ago, founded by musicians Joe Holland and Keith Collins.
Palmer, the lead guitarist and vocalist, joined the band about a decade ago.
A description on the page states: 'We are a high energy band out to have as much fun as we can...always keeping in mind it is YOU that makes it a good time. We will give you 100% on stage with a wide variety of music...something for everyone. We love meeting people and having a party everywhere we go...so hang on for the night when you come out to party with JUST US!'
Just Us, according to its site, specializes in classic and country rock, 1950s hits and Blues. One of the songs on the band's playlist is Johhny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues.
During his trial, defense lawyer Andrew Brockway argued that his client should be released on his own recognizance as he cares for his sick wife, but the judge sided with the district attorney.
ABC News meanwhile reports that Palmer purchased art supplies for Matt at a craft store, and the prisoner gave him paintings in exchange for these supplies.
Palmer (left in mugshot, right on Facebook) admitted giving Matt and Sweat tools and access to the prison's catwalk in exchange for information
Hobby: Palmer (far left) is the lead guitarist and vocalist in a local band called Just Us
Palmer is said to have burned some of the works and buried shortly after the men escaped from the prison.
'I purchased and then provided paint and paint brushes for Richard Matt on two separate occasions,' Palmer allegedly told investigators in a statement.
He also admitted to delivering a bag with a pound of hamburger meat, tubes of paint and something wrapped in green cloth to Matt, at the behest of Mitchell, on may 29, just one week before the escape.
'I did not realize at the time, that the assistance provided to Matt or Sweat made their escape easier,' said Palmer.
'Matt provided me with elaborate paintings and information on the illegal acts that inmates were committing within the facility,' explained Palmer.
'In turn, I provided him with benefits such as paint, paintbrushes, movement of inmates, hamburger meat, altering of electrical boxes in the catwalk areas.'
Mitchell meanwhile reportedly used baked goods to get guards to treat Matt and Sweat more favorably at the Clinton Correctional Facility.
What's more a source claimed Mitchell vouched for Matt for months, and at one point even asked the guards to move Sweat and Matt into adjacent cells after providing them with homemade food as a possible incentive.
Erik Jensen, a former inmate at the prison, also revealed the inmates had sex roughly 100 times over the course of a few months at the facility.
Jensen worked at the tailor shop with Mitchell and Sweat during his eight months at the prison for possession of stolen property.
Player: The 57-year-old, pictured jamming on his Les Paul guitar (left) and as a bare-chested youth in 1978 (right), has been jailed for six months
Oldies: According to its Facebook page, Just Us specializes in rock, country rock, 50s music and blues
Lovebirds: Palmer and his paramour have been together since May 2006, according to social media
He described how the duo would sneak away to a small storage room for half an hour several times a week, telling other inmates that they were simply going to fold clothes - but no one believed them.
'Everyone used to joke with him that he was getting his quiet time with his 'boo, his girlfriend', Jensen told the New York Post.
'It was like the running joke in the tailor shop.'
He added that Mitchell seemed taken with the convicted killer and would giggle whenever he came close. Jensen likened their relationship to a high school jock asking out an ugly girl to prom.
She also took food to Sweat, such as a tray of barbecue chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers the day after Labor Day, Jensen said.
In the past year, Mitchell was investigated for her alleged relationship with Sweat and he was transferred out of the tailor shop.
But no charges were ever brought against her due to lack of evidence.
More recently, Mitchell got to know Richard Matt and she admitted to having sex with him before helping both men bust out of the prison, ABC News reported.
Home sweet home: Before he was hauled off to jail in June, Palmer lived in this tiny 800-square-foot bungalow in Cadyville, New York
Matt and Sweat's escape sparked a massive manhunt in New York state which ended when Matt was shot dead and Sweat was recaptured
After they busted out, Mitchell was supposed to help drive them away from the prison to a wooded area but on the day of the escape, she went to hospital with a panic attack.
Her husband Lyle told Today that his wife backed out of the plan after the convicts said they wanted to kill him.
'She said: 'I love my husband, I am not hurtin' him',' he said. 'She said, 'Then I knew I was over my head. I can't do this'.'
He added that his wife of 14 years had denied having sex with the two escaped inmates.
'She swore on her son's life that definitely, 'Never have I ever had sex'' with either man, he said.
Matt, who had been serving 25 years to life for the killing of his former boss, and Sweat, who had been serving life without parole in the killing of a sheriff's deputy, left the prison on June 6.
They cut their way through their cell walls, climbed down catwalks and through tunnels, cut into and out of a large steam pipe and then exited through a manhole.
They left behind a taunting note containing a crude caricature of an Asian face and the words 'Have a nice day.' They had worked on the escape route for months.
After more than three weeks on the run and a massive manhunt, Matt, 49, was shot and killed in a wooded area. Sweat, 35, was wounded and caught two days later near the Canadian border.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. Publisher and editor-in chief of The California Courier newspaper Harut Sassounian was bestowed with the top award of the Union of Journalists of Armenia Golden pen. Armenpress reports Chairwoman of the Union of Journalists of Armenia Astghik Gevorgyan first congratulated the present on the first spring day, then, referring to the 33rd Golden pen awards, mentioned that it is awarded to Harut Sassounian who has been engaged in journalism for 33 years. Haruts Sassounian is the publicist, editor and Armenian who is not satisfied with publishing materials in his own newspaper, but makes use of any opportunity to raise issues of Armenian concerns in foreign media, Astghik Gevorgyan said.
Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan documented with satisfaction that Harut Sassounian deserves the award as he keeps the Turkish society under pressure with his claims. He attentively follows the Turkish-American relations, diagnoses and gives assessments. The Turkish authorities follow Haruts activities. His pen has become a cold weapon against Turkey, Hranush Hakobyan said. She highlighted the fact Harut Sassounian became a connecting link between Armenia and the USA becoming the representative of American Armenian philanthropist, national hero of Armenia Kirk Kerkorian.
A number of media representatives present at the event expressed their opinion on Sassounians activities.
Director of Armenpress news agency Aram Ananyan noted that though he does not know Sassounian personally but he is familiar with his arduous works. Harut Sassounian is a contemporary author. His is contemporary by his ideas, opinions and his value system looking to the future. It is no a coincidence that today he is receiving this honorable award, Aram Ananyan said, stating that Armenpress, as a state-run news agency, will continue its cooperation with Diaspora Armenian media.
At the end of the meeting the hero of the day, Harut Sassounian, also delivered a speech, mentioning that he touched by the cordial reception and kind words. I really could not expect such a thing; I am touched by the warms words addressed to me. I thought only I read my articles, Sassounian said.
An Aboriginal man claims a female passenger on-board a Virgin Australia flight refused to sit next to him because of his skin colour.
Kevin Whyman, from Wilcannia in New South Wales' north-west, said he was 'racially discriminated' against on Sunday morning's Flight VA 1175.
'The woman asked the stewardess if she could sit in another seat cause she didn't want to sit next to me because I'm Aboriginal so the [steward] agreed with her and they told me not take it personal,' he said in Facebook post that has since been deleted.
An Aboriginal man claims a female passenger on-board a Virgin Australia flight refused to sit next to him because of skin colour
'I'm very disappointed in Virgin Blue airline [sic] it made me feel like I was some sort of dangerous animal in my own country.'
But a Virgin Australia spokesman denied the woman asked to move because the man was Indigenous.
'Due to the privacy of our guests and crew we are unable to provide specific details, however we can confirm that our guest requested to change seats, which is not unusual, and that this request was not racially motivated,' he said.
'Virgin Australia does not tolerate any form of discrimination.'
Mr Whyman called on his friends to share the Facebook status that urged them to share his story
Mr Whyman's friend, Vickie, sent a complaint into Virgin Australia who has investigated the claims
Mr Whyman, who was on a flight from Albury to Sydney, told BuzzFeed News the woman was reassigned a seat two rows in front of him, next to 'another white person'.
'I was dressed nice, I didn't have any odour or anything and it made me feel belittled and discriminated against... I felt like I was not good enough to sit next to her,' he said.
Mr Whyman said he had brought the issue up with crew members on-board but he was less than satisfied with their response.
'This young flight attendant pretty much rolled his eyes a couple of times while I was speaking and pretty much had no interest in what I saying. I just felt uncomfortable, I felt like I wasn't meant to be on the plane,' he said.
Mr Whyman's friend, Vickie, also lodged a complaint with the airline and was assured Virgin Australia was taking the allegations 'seriously'.
Daily Mail Australia understands the woman asked to change seats because he had a solid build and they could not put the arm rest in between them.
Mr Whyman has been contacted for comment on the matter.
A woman's bold taste in accessories delayed her when airport security had to examine her gun-shaped shoes and bracelet.
The woman, who was traveling from Baltimore/Washington International Airport near Baltimore, Maryland, transported the items in a carry-on bag.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had to take a closer look at her shoes, a pair of platforms lined with fake bullets, with stiletto heels that looked like small revolvers.
Her two bracelets, with rows of fake bullets on them, also got flagged up.
A woman was stopped by the TSA at Baltimore/Washington International Airport in Baltimore, Maryland, because she was transporting these gun-shaped stilettos and bracelets lined with fake bullets in her carry-on
TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein tweeted photos of the items on Monday, with the caption: 'Shoes and bracelets that are less than ideal to wear or bring to a TSA checkpoint.'
Farbstein added: 'Friendly reminder from TSA: realistic replica firearms and ammunition are not permitted past TSA checkpoints.'
According to TSA's rules, replica firearms, including toys, can only be transported in checked baggage.
TSA officials told the woman she could put her shoes and bracelets in a checked bag, but the woman eventually abandoned them so that she could catch her flight, Farbstein told Time.
An internal investigation by the TSA found last year that 95 per cent of Homeland Security agents posing as passengers to test airport checkpoints were able to bring weapons through the system.
Ten good Samaritans worked together to overturn a black cab in New York City this morning after it struck a 77-year-old jewelry designer who lay trapped underneath the wheels, police said.
Carol Dauplaise was crossing the street in Murray Hill when 49-year-old driver Buddhi Gurung hit her while making a left turn, according to the police and several witness accounts.
A group of about 10 shocked pedestrians rushed to her aid on Monday morning, working together to lift the Toyota Avalon off her body as Dauplaise's head was reportedly turning blue.
Despite their best efforts, Dauplaise was rushed to Bellevue Hospital and later pronounced dead.
Carol Dauplaise was hit and killed by a car while she was crossing the street in New York City on Monday morning. She started of as a receptionist at a jewelry company and started her own business in 1979
A group of pedestrians rushed to help Dauplaise, who was trapped under the car. They worked together and flipped the vehicle on its side at the intersection of 36th Street and Madison Avenue
Rony Damestoir, 46, was driving in front of Gurung's black cab when he noticed what had happened and stopped to help.
He told the NY Post: 'Her head was turning blue...so we lifted the car. I was surprised. I thought it [would be] heavier.'
About six to 10 good Samaritans pushed the car on its side, and Damestoir said the 77-year-old was still breathing, even though she was bleeding from her mouth, nose and eyes.
Damestoir, who is a cab driver himself from New Jersey, prayed for the victim and later said he was simply acting on his duty to help.
Dauplaise was unresponsive when a medical team arrived and underwent cardiac arrest, officials said.
Driver Gurung stayed at the scene, where he was arrested and later charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian, and failure to exercise due care.
The 49-year-old from Queens told the Post: 'When I turned on the green light, I didn't see her. I'm very upset.'
According to the jewelry designer's website, Dauplaise started off as a receptionist before she launched her own business in 1979.
The website claims the company is a multi-million dollar enterprise with more than 50 employees.
Nash Jevovic, who was the doorman at Dauplaise's apartment building, described her as nice, strong, energetic and stylish.
Prime Minister David Cameron with Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood
Boris Johnson accused David Cameron of trying to scare the pants off the public last night after ministers published a dodgy dossier of lurid claims about leaving the European Union.
The document set out a nightmarish Brexit scenario which could lead to a decade or more of uncertainty, destroy trade and even stop Britons holidaying around Europe.
Drawn up by Whitehall mandarins and signed off by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, it was blandly titled The process for withdrawing from the European Union.
But inside were a series of terrifying claims about the complex and grinding years following a Leave vote and its impact on Britain. It warned that:
Any new trade negotiation with the US and other countries could take a decade or more hitting UK exporters and consumers,
The freedom of UK travellers to move about freely in Europe and access healthcare could end if no new deal with the EU was done within two years of Brexit,
Without an EU trade deal, shoppers could face sky-high tariffs on certain goods, including 30 per cent on sugar, 20 per cent on alcohol and cigarettes and 15 per cent on cereals.
Leaving would affect the status and entitlements of some 2million UK citizens living and working in the EU,
Farmers could lose subsidies from the Common Agricultural Policy.
But the document triggered a Blue on Blue row between the Tory leaders of the two sides in the referendum campaign. The Prime Minister rejected the Project Fear label used by his critics, and insisted he was in charge of Project Fact.
Mr Cameron told students in Ipswich: Project Fact is about saying, Stay in and you know what youll get. This is not about raising concerns and worries which arent there they are real concerns and worries based on fact.
Cabinet Office minister Matthew Hancock (pictured) suggested that Brexit could hit the huge trade in cars
Mr Johnson hit back: Project Fear is going into overdrive. They are trying to scare the pants off everybody, and its not working.
He said on LBC radio: I think everybody can see that theres a huge chance to make a change and have a better relationship and a more honest relationship with the EU. Campaigners for Brexit immediately made a detailed rebuttal of several claims in Whitehalls dodgy EU dossier.
Cabinet Minister Chris Grayling, said: People will not be impressed with this relentless campaign of fear.
FUND MANAGERS: BREXIT TRADE FEARS ARE 'GARBAGE' Two of Britains most prominent fund managers have backed Brexit, with one describing fears it would harm trade as utter garbage. While bank bosses and business leaders have lined up to warn of the dangers of leaving the EU, a growing number of investors in charge of billions of pounds of savers money have backed the Out campaign. Veteran stockpicker Terry Smith, who invests 4.6billion, said: I think the UK will have a much better future if we [leave]. Most of the arguments for staying in the EU are either facile or play on fears that ... we wont be able to trade with Europe on the same terms. I think this is utter garbage. Boris Johnsons pension adviser Edmund Truell also backed Brexit, telling the Financial Times that EU states would be cutting off their nose to spite their face if they did not strike trade deals with the UK. Advertisement
Claims that it will take twice as long to sort out a free trade deal with the EU as it did to win World War Two are clearly ludicrous. Theres a free trade zone from Iceland to the Russian border and Britain will still be part of it after we Vote Leave.
The real uncertainty is voting to stay in an EU which is already struggling with the euro crisis, the migration crisis, and a youth unemployment crisis.
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave, said: The Governments dodgy EU dossier has no credibility given the errors and wrong assumptions that litter it.
On the Today programme, Cabinet Office minister Matthew Hancock suggested that Brexit could hit the huge trade in cars. Asked if motorists would still be able to buy popular foreign brands such as Volkswagen and Renault, Mr Hancock said: Nobody knows, because nobody has set out what things would look like.
Downing Street said Mr Hancock was right to warn about the impact on the car industry, but suggested the main issue was potential tariffs, particularly on cars exported to the EU.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned ministers against relying on fear tactics, saying that the No camp in the Scottish referendum had lost a 20-point lead after its miserable, negative, fear-based campaign. She added: The In campaign in this referendum doesnt have a 20-point lead to squander.
Iain Duncan Smith in stand-off with Sir Cover-Up
Iain Duncan Smith was locked in a stand-off with the head of the civil service last night over access to official papers during the EU referendum campaign.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith
The Work and Pensions Secretary is said to be furious about an edict from Sir Jeremy Heywood banning Eurosceptic ministers from seeing any documents that could have a bearing on EU membership. Sir Jeremy, (pictured above with the Prime Minister) is known as Sir Cover Up because of his obsession with secrecy. Yesterday he faced accusations that he was trying to rig the referendum.
Mr Duncan Smith, one of six Cabinet ministers backing Brexit, has ordered officials in his department to ignore the ban. A Tory source said: Iains officials work for him he holds the seals of office, not Jeremy Heywood. He has the right to see everything created by his department.
The move is a direct challenge to the authority of Sir Jeremy and the Prime Minister.
It came after No10 ordered DWP officials to draw up research that could be used to support the pro-EU case without Mr Duncan Smiths knowledge. Jobs minister Priti Patel, who is also backing Brexit, said Sir Jeremys intervention could tarnish the reputation of the civil service. She said: It is important the civil service maintains impartiality.
Tory MP Crispin Blunt, chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said the EU referendum would not settle the issue if it was seen to be biased.
Internet firms will not be compelled to hand over messages sent on encrypted computer software to the police and security services - raising concerns it will allow jihadists and paedophiles to plot and avoid detection.
Under laws set to be unveiled today, companies such as Apple and Google will only be ordered to decode their own customers' communications 'where practible'.
It means tech giants will be permitted to install so-called 'end-to-end' encryption where messages can only be deciphered by the sender and recipient of messages.
Under laws set to be unveiled today, companies such as Apple and Google will only be ordered to decode their own customers' communications 'where practible'
Ministers had considered dropped banning sophisticated secret messaging apps which made it impossible for spies to read what criminals are saying.
Prime Minister David Cameron said terrorists, paedophiles and criminals must not be allowed a 'safe space' online where they could hide with no fear that they would be hacked by the security services.
But after being persuaded about the important role encoding communications played in the protection of legitimate online activity such as banking, shopping and personal data, the Government is to clarify its position in the Investigatory Powers Bill.
A Home Office source said: 'The Bill clarifies the Government's position on encryption, putting beyond doubt that companies can only be asked to remove encryption that they themselves have applied, and only where it is practicable for them to do so. This will make clear that the Government is not asking companies to weaken their security by undermining encryption.'
The move followed criticism of proposals for a raft of new surveillance measures - dubbed by critics as a 'turbo-charged snoopers' charter'.
It also came after a high-profile row between Apple and the FBI after the tech giant refused to allow US investigators to access the iPhone of a terrorist who murdered 14 people in Sacramento. Bosses said the encryption was so sophisticated, even they could not crack it.
Internet firms will not be compelled to hand over messages sent on encrypted computer software to the police and security services - raising concerns it will allow jihadists and paedophiles to plot and avoid detection
It also came after a high-profile row between Apple and the FBI after the tech giant refused to allow US investigators to access the iPhone of Syed Farook (pictured right) who murdered 14 people in Sacramento
But figures have showed major communication companies are still rejecting up to half of requests for customer data from UK police and intelligence agencies.
In the first half of 2015, Apple provided information following a UK request in as few as 56 per cent of cases, Google acceded in 75 per cent of cases and Facebook met 78 per cent of requests.
The new security bill is the latest in a series of attempts to update the law to allow police and security services to access communications data, as more and more takes place online rather than on phones.
The draft bill will require internet companies to store details of a person's every internet visit, text message and phone call for up to 12 months.
But the police and the security services will not be able to see the content of communications, such as opening an email or looking at the specific web pages a person has viewed, without a warrant.
However, following stinging criticism by two Parliamentary committees last month FEB, which said the Bill was 'flawed', Home Secretary Theresa May has made changes.
It has been revised to reflect the 'majority' of more than 180 recommendations made by the Joint Committee, Intelligence and Security Committee and the Science and Technology Committee.
The Bill, to be introduced to the Commons today, will be clearer and set out strict codes of practice on exactly how the powers will be used and why they are needed.
There will also be stronger privacy safeguards for lawyers and journalists and a ban on the security services asking foreign countries to carry out spying missions for Britain without ministerial approval.
For the first time, ministers will publish an operational case for bulk collection of data, which involves hoovering up billions of pieces of information including emails, phone calls and internet searches, giving unprecedented detail on why the agencies need their existing powers and how they are used.
Following stinging criticism by two Parliamentary committees last month FEB, which said the Bill was 'flawed', Home Secretary Theresa May (pictured) has made changes
The Bill is a bid to help repair damage caused by US traitor Edward Snowden, (pictured) who leaked thousands of classified files
A source said: 'We have considered the committees' reports carefully and the Bill we are bringing forward today reflects the majority of their recommendations. We have strengthened safeguards, enhanced privacy protections and bolstered oversight arrangements.
'This is world-leading legislation, setting out in unprecedented detail the powers available to the police and security services to gather and access communications and communications data, subject to a robust regulatory regime.
'Terrorists and criminals are operating online and we need to ensure the police and security services can keep pace with the modern world and continue to protect the British public from the many serious threats we face.'
But the Bill is certain to get a rough ride through Parliament amid concerns among civil liberties campaigners about the degree of intrusion into people's browsing histories and who would authorise police warrants.
Mrs May has already been accused of rushing through new surveillance powers, which need to be in place by the end of December.
Smoke or an 'unusual odour' has filled a TigerAir plane and forced a priority landing which led paramedics to assess four crew members.
The pilot landed the 70-odd passengers flying the 511 from Brisbane in Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport about 10.05am on Tuesday after requesting priority landing.
Emergency crews were on the scene and Ambulance Victoria assessed four crew members, which were originally reported to have had concerns of exposure to smoke or fumes, 7 News reported.
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The pilot landed the 60 passengers flying the 511 from Brisbane in Melbourne 's Tullamarine Airport about 10.05am on Tuesday after requesting priority landing
Emergency crews are on the scene and Ambulance Victoria are treating four passengers or crew, at least three of which over concerns they were exposed to smoke or fumes
TigerAir told Daily Mail Australia four crew members and no passengers were assessed.
Victoria Ambulance could not confirm if they were assessed over concerns of smoke or fume inhalation.
None needed to be transferred to hospital, the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
All of the 70-odd passengers on board reportedly walked off the flight unassisted.
It was originally reported smoke had filled the cabin, but a TigerAir spokesperson later said it was an 'unusual odour'.
'An unusual odour was detected in the cabin on descent,' a TigerAir spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia
'An unusual odour was detected in the cabin on descent,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
TigerAir said emergency services were on standby to meet the aircraft as standard procedure, and that the aircraft will undergo an assessment by engineers, which is also standard procedure.
'Safety is always the airlines first priority and the airline has robust procedures in place to ensure the highest standards of safety are always maintained.'
A Melbourne Airport spokeswoman said the plane was at its usual parking bay and emergency services were called as part of the airport's standard procedures.
The plane was reportedly a six-year-old Airbus A320.
A TigerAir aircraft carrying 60 passengers from Brisbane has landed safely at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport about 10am on Tuesday after smoke filled the cabin forcing an emergency landing
A Melbourne Airport spokeswoman said the plane is at its usual parking bay and emergency services were called as part of the airport's standard procedures
Tony Blair benefited from classified British security information while touting for lucrative business contracts from foreign governments, it was claimed last night.
In the latest extracts from his explosive new biography, investigative journalist Tom Bower reveals how the former Prime Minister blurred the lines between his charity work and money-making commercial interests.
Bower, whose account is based on exclusive interviews with Cabinet ministers, mandarins and other senior sources, said this even included an attempt to sell Israeli drones to the Nigerians.
In his explosive new biography, investigative journalist Tom Bower reveals how the former British Prime Minister blurred the lines between his charity work and commercial interests
Last night, it also emerged:
Mr Blair demanded a $5million-a-year salary from US investment bank J P Morgan shortly after leaving No 10;
The Middle East Quartet represented by Mr Blair was considered to be useless, useless, useless by the Palestinians;
He won a 20million deal to conduct a review into the Kuwaiti economy, but the countrys government considered it so derisory, it buried it;
He tried to secure safe passage from Libya for Colonel Gaddafi, who he visited at least six times after leaving office.
Upon leaving office in 2007, Mr Blair set up several charities, including the Faith Foundation and the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI).
In May 2015, Mr Blair flew to Nigeria to meet the new president, Muhammadu Buhari, on a jet chartered by Evgeny Lebedev, the son of a former KGB colonel who owns the London Evening Standard newspaper.
The next day, he visited the British High Commissioner for a comprehensive security briefing on the threat posed by the Islamic terror group Boko Haram.
Armed with this secret information, Mr Blair then visited Mr Buharis offices, ostensibly for AGI to set up a so-called Delivery Unit for the president.
But at one stage, Mr Blair told everyone in the room: Could you all leave us alone now? I have a personal message for the president from David Cameron.
Nigerian President-elect Muhammadu Buhari (pictured left), former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Vice President-elect Yemi Osinbajo (right), talk to the media in Abuja, Nigeria, 13 May 2015
In fact, says Bower, he spent 20 minutes touting for business on behalf of his private company, Tony Blair Associates offering to sell the president Israeli drones and other military equipment to help defeat Boko Haram. Mr Buhari is said to have complained: Blair is just after business.
Mr Blair is said to have also sought security briefings in other British embassies as well as accommodation for the night.
Bowers book has cast devastating new light on Mr Blairs behaviour in and out of office. On Saturday, we revealed how Mr Blair presided over a silent conspiracy to make Britain a more multicultural society by letting in two million migrants.
Yesterday, military families responded furiously after it emerged that British soldiers had lost their lives because of delays in ordering military equipment.
Todays extracts expose how as soon as he left office Mr Blair was desperate to make millions. In a meeting with Jamie Dimon, then chief executive of Morgan Stanley, he was offered a seat on the board and a salary of $100,000 (72,000).
Mr Blair responded that he wanted a proper job and expected $5million (3.6million) a year, a five-year contract as an adviser and a percentage of every contract he initiated. Within weeks, hed bagged almost all he asked for, Bower says. Mr Blair also took money from dubious sources, the book reveals. A company called PetroSaudi paid him 41,000 a month, plus a 2 per cent commission on any deals he brokered with Chinese officials. The arrangement ended when the company was accused of bribing Malaysian officials.
Blair tried to secure safe passage from Libya for Colonel Gaddafi, who he visited at least six times after leaving office (pictured: The pair in 2004)
The book also reveals how Mr Blairs job as Middle East peace envoy ended in acrimony with him considered to have a pro-Israeli bias. By 2011, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was asking Whats Blairs value? The view of his senior aide was that the Middle East Quartet was useless, useless, useless. He quit in 2014 after losing the faith of US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Last night a spokeswoman for Mr Blair said the claim he used classified security information to tout for business was utterly without substance.
She said Mr Blairs work in Nigeria was for his charities, adding: He has never sought a business contract from the government of Nigeria.
Yes, he certainly has had briefings on Boko Haram. He is very interested in Boko Haram because it concerns directly the work of his foundation which is about countering extremism.
He didnt demand a salary from J P Morgan. His work as chairman of their International Advisory Council is a matter of public record.
It is true that some of those around the Palestinian leadership have been critical of Mr Blair. That is because he disagrees strongly with them over their political strategy. However, there are many other Palestinians with whom he works closely and well.
Three University at Albany students who claimed they were victims of a racial attack on a bus last month have been charged with assault as prosecutors said they were actually the aggressors.
Alexis Briggs, Ariel Agudio and Asha Burwell, all 20 years old, appeared at Albany City Criminal Court today for their arraignment.
All three have pleaded non-guilty to charges of assault in the third degree, CNN reported. Burwell and Agudio have also pleaded not guilty to falsely reporting the incident.
They claimed they were attacked on a Capital District Transportation Authority bus on January 30, but prosecutors say they actually assaulted a 19-year-old woman early that Saturday.
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Asha Burwell, 20, pictured leaving the front of the judge's bench at Albany City Criminal Court on Monday, was charged with assault in the third degree, harassment and falsely reporting an incident
Ariel Agudio, 20, pictured at Albany City Criminal Court on Monday, faces counts of assaults in the third degree, falsely reporting an incident, harassment, attempted assault and attempted criminal mischief
Alexis Briggs, pictured during her arraingment at Albany City Criminal Court on Monday, has been charged with assault in the third degree. All three women have entered not-guilty pleas
The three SUNY Albany students claimed they were victims of a racial attack last month but prosecutors say they were actually the agressors. Footage from the attack was released last week
'The evidence indicates they were actually the aggressors in the physical altercation, and that they continued to assault the victim despite the efforts of several passengers to stop them,' police said in a statement.
In addition to the charges of assault and false reporting, Agudio faces counts of attempted assault, harassment and criminal mischief, CNN reported.
Burwell has also been charged with harassment. The false reporting charges are a result of the 911 phone calls she and Agudio made after the incident.
They have both been released and will be supervised by the Department of Probation. Briggs, who requested a public defender according to the Albany Times Union, was released with a 9pm curfew.
'These charges would have a profound impact on the community, and in fact if proven, are shameful,' Judge Rachel Kretser said during the arraignment.
Agudio's attorney Mark Mishler told CNN in a statement that the charges were 'unwarranted'. He said Agudio was 'an exemplary young woman and an excellent student' and that she asked people 'not rush to judgement in this matter'.
Police said during a three-week investigation, they reviewed video from 12 security cameras and four cell phones, and also interviewed 35 people, according to WNYT.
University of Albany police released two surveillance videos of the incident.
The police statement issued last week states a 19-year-old woman was the victim, but footage appears to a show a man being assaulted at one point.
Asha Burwell (pictured during a rally earlier this month), told police she was a victim of the alleged racial attack on January 30 when she said white students called her and her friends racial slurs and 'jumped them'
Following the alleged incident, she recounted it on Twitter writing 'I just got jumped on a bus while people hit us and called us the "n" word and NO ONE helped us'
Burwell, 20, of Huntington Station, New York is pictured above. She has been released and placed in the supervision of the Department of Probation
Burwell wrote that she was in disbelief that she had been beaten because of the color of her skin (above)
The women's initial report of the incident led to national outrage, a massive campus rally and even Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton tweeted about it, hitting out against violence on a college campus.
The three students claimed that on January 30, they were on the bus when at about 1am when around 12 white classmates called them racial slurs during a verbal argument before a physical altercation broke out.
One of the three students told university police that several male students kicked her after she fell to the floor, according to the Albany Times Union.
Following the alleged attack, Burwell took to Twitter to recount the ordeal that same day writing: 'I just got jumped on a bus while people hit us and called us the 'n' word and NO ONE helped us.'
She then tweeted that she was in disbelief after experiencing 'what it's like to be beaten because of the color of my skin.'
Ariel Agudio, 20, of Huntington, New York (left) and Alexis Briggs, 20, of Elmira Heights, New York (right) also face charges of third-degree assault and have pleaded not guilty
Police said during a three-week investigation, they reviewed video from 12 security cameras and four cell phones, and also interviewed 35 people. Pictured is surveillance footage from the day of the incident
Burwell followed up with a series of other tweets including one claiming she had 'begged for people to help us and instead of help they told us to 'shut he f*ck up' and continuously hit us in the head.'
She also tweeted noting the support that she and the other girls had received meant so much.
Burwell has not tweeted anything since February 11 when she wrote, 'Please don't confuse my silence with defeat. I'm still fighting this, like I said I will not give up. The truth will come out soon.'
On February 1, hundreds of students gathered as Burwell tearfully recounted the alleged attack during a campus rally.
'We are shocked, upset, but we will remain unbroken,' Burwell said at the time.
'We stand here with strength because we value our worth as black women and as human beings in general.'
Burwell's brother, San Diego Chargers lineman Tyreek Burwell, apparently also tweeted a threatening message to a student who he thought hurt his sister, according to News10.com.
University of Albany police released two surveillance videos of the incident after the charges were announced last week
Police said an investigation into the incident showed there was only one victim, the unnamed 19-year-old, who is reportedly white and was allegedly assaulted by the three students
Hillary Clinton also tweeted about the incident writing, 'There's no excuse for racism and violence on a college campus.'
However, police said an investigation into the incident showed there was only one victim, the unnamed 19-year-old, who is reportedly white and was allegedly assaulted by the three students.
Police said the three women were never 'targeted in any manner due to their race,' according to the statement, adding 'the only person we heard uttering racial epithets was one of the defendants.'
'We took this incident very seriously and did a thorough and careful investigation,' said UPD Chief J Frank Wiley.
'The evidence shows that, contrary to how the defendants originally portrayed things, these three individuals were not the victims of a crime. Rather, we allege that they are the perpetrators.
Now the firm has launched a special edition model inspired by boxer Muhammed Ali with a black version of its famous figurine (pictured)
For more than 100 years the silver Flying Lady has been the symbol of the Rolls Royce car.
Now the firm has launched a special edition model inspired by boxer Muhammed Ali with a black version of its famous figurine.
It is to launch a range of 250,000 Black Badge Rolls-Royces aimed at younger and edgier - but still exceptionally rich - owners.
The new cars also feature a twist on the classic Rolls-Royce Double R badge, whose colours are inverted to become silver on black. Chrome surfaces such as the front grille surround and exhaust pipes are also painted black.
The makeover is intended to highlight the contrast with conventional Rolls-Royce cars and drivers.
Rolls-Royce said the move was inspired by generations of self-empowered, self-confident rule-breakers such as Ali and The Whos late drummer Keith Moon, and as an alter ego of its more traditional customers.
Two Black Badge models the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Wraith - were unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show yesterday.
On the new cars, the silver figurine which adorns the prow of every Rolls-Royce - known as the Spirit of Ecstasy - has been given a radical paint-job to become a high-gloss black vamp.
The original carved figure was commissioned by the then Lord Montagu as a personal mascot for the bonnet of his 1910 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.
Sculptor Charles Sykes is said to have based the figurine on Lord Montagus mistress, Eleanor Thornton.
Rolls-Royce said the new cars were inspired by rule breakers including Ali, Moon, billionaire aviator and businessman Howard Hughes, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, and British former land speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell.
The manufacturer said: Untrammelled by social convention, these disruptors lived life on the edge, believing the ultimate power to be self-empowerment, pushing every boundary to realise their personal vision. Glamorous and daring, they lived fast, worked hard and played hard.
Rolls-Royce chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos added: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will create a permanent bespoke series of motor cars for a group of young, driven, self-made people that will make a bold and edgy lifestyle statement about their lives.
Rolls-Royce said the new cars were inspired by rule breakers including Ali, Moon, billionaire aviator and businessman Howard Hughes, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, and British former land speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell. Pictured is a Rolls Royce Wraith
He said skills like teamwork and leadership are supported at schools
High-flying professions are dominated by people who went to public schools because they provide the soft skills that many state schools ignore, a leading expert said last night.
Former head of Wellington College Sir Anthony Seldon said independent schools nurture the teamwork, leadership and character traits which are vital for success in the professional world.
He warned that by contrast, state schools focus too much on league tables and deliver an education which is narrow, dull and repetitive.
A report by the Sutton Trust found many areas of public life are still overwhelmingly dominated by people who went to private schools
He accused the education establishment of being drunk on imbibing exam tonic and being too obsessed with international rankings. Sir Anthony, who is now vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham, delivered his damning verdict in a speech to the Council for Independent Education.
It comes after a report by the Sutton Trust found many areas of public life are still overwhelmingly dominated by people who went to private schools. Around 42 per cent of British Bafta winners went to an independent school, while among the UKs top judges it was 75 per cent and among top military personnel it was 71 per cent.
Sir Anthony said: For years now, our policymakers have become so drunk on imbibing exam tonic that they have come to believe league tables are all education is. He added: The 21st-century workplace does not just need those who excel at memory and exam skills that computers can do far better, but rather those who have human and entrepreneurial skills that children at state schools are rarely taught and many will never learn.
Former head of Wellington College (pictured) Sir Anthony Seldon said independent schools nurture the teamwork, leadership and character traits which are vital for success in the professional world
The whole focus of the national state system remains irredeemably 20th century and dangerously lopsided. It is not surprising that students from independent schools continue to dominate so many of the major positions in national life.
Sir Anthony went on to praise independent schools support network of parents and alumni, and criticise those who denigrate private schools for producing high-flying graduates.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. On March 1 Armenian Republics Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini. Armenpress was informed from the Press, Information and Public Relations Department of the Armenian MFA that welcoming the guest, Edward Nalbandian mentioned this is Mogherinis first visit to Armenia, and that this will have a positive impact on the development of Armenia-EU relations.
Federica Mogherini stated that the establishment of a stronger partnership between Armenian and European Union will be beneficial for bilateral relations and the entire region.
During the meeting the sides touched upon the broad range of issues on the development of Armenia-EU collaboration and relations. Armenian FM Nalbandian reaffirmed Armenias readiness to expand comprehensive cooperation in all the sectors of mutual interest.
The sides referred to the joint steps on the development of further cooperation: political dialogue, mobility, human rights, economic reforms and Armenia's participation in the EU's various sectoral projects.
During the meeting, the interlocutors also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, especially in Syria. In this context, reference was made to migration crisis and refugee flows. Nalbandian mentioned that around 20 thousand refugees from Syria have found shelter in Armenia, and the latter is the third among European countries that have accepted the most number of Syrian refugees, in terms of population ratio.
Edward Nalbandian presented the latest developments in the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks being conducted within the framework of the Co-Chairmanship of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In this context, Federica Mogherini reaffirmed the EU support to the Minsk Group co-chairs efforts to pacifically resolve the Karabakh conflict.
Edward Nalbandian reaffirmed that Armenia will continue its consistent efforts on the exclusively peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict.
As far as most Britons were concerned, Colonel Gaddafi had an unenviable reputation for evil.
Not only had the Libyan dictator secretly financed terrorism in Ulster, but hed been ultimately responsible for the bomb that blew up a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie.
To Tony Blair, however, he represented an opportunity.
In 2004, after MI6 persuaded Gaddafi to accept Western aid in return for abandoning his weapons of mass destruction, the Prime Minister happily paid a visit to Libya.
Being associated with this deal in the dessert, Blair felt, would gain him much-needed credibility particularly after the war in Iraq.
In 2004, after MI6 persuaded Gaddafi to accept Western aid in return for abandoning his weapons of mass destruction, Prime Minister Tony Blair happily paid a visit to Libya (the pair are pictured in 2007)
As a show of goodwill, just before Blair arrived in Libya, MI6 and the CIA organised the kidnap of a Libyan jihadi and his wife, who were living in Thailand, and arranged their transportation to Libya for interrogation.
The couples evidence was to be used in British courts to obtain the deportation to Tripoli of other Libyan dissidents living in London.
Simultaneously, MI6 and Libyan intelligence began joint operations against other Libyans living in Britain who were members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group.
Letters sent by Mark Allen, the head of MI6s counter-terrorism section, to Moussa Koussa, the head of Gaddafis intelligence, included the warning that their agreement needed to be kept secret and not be discovered by lawyers or human rights organisations and the media.
In his explosive new biography, investigative journalist Tom Bower reveals how the former British Prime Minister blurred the lines between his charity work and commercial interests (pictured: Blair shakes hands with Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi)
Despite Jack Straws later denials, the operations would have required his approval and, by implication, Blairs too, although he would deny any recollection at all.
After his meeting with Gaddafi in the desert, the PM was triumphant and the two remained in touch.
In 2006, Blair wrote to Gaddafi after an English judge refused to deport two Libyan dissidents back to Libya, where they faced an uncertain fate. I am very disappointed at the courts decision, the PM confided.
The following year, during his final weeks before leaving office, he again visited the dictator accompanied by the chairman of BP and the head of MI6 counterintelligence. BP was planning to resume oil exploration in the country, but Blairs purpose was more delicate.
In the last days of his premiership, he was keen to placate Gaddafi by promising the release from a Scottish jail of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, a Libyan convicted for his involvement in the Lockerbie bombing.
Al-Megrahi remained behind bars. But in 2008, after leaving power, Blair again turned up in Libya, this time with some bankers from J.P. Morgan which was paying him to facilitate deals.
Gaddafi readily agreed to the banks request for a licence to trade with Libya. Next, Blair in his capacity as a Middle East peace envoy asked Gaddafi for money to go towards education programmes for Palestinians. Gaddafi agreed, but gave only $1 million delivered two years later after much lobbying.
In 2006, Blair wrote to Gaddafi after an English judge refused to deport two Libyan dissidents back to Libya, where they faced an uncertain fate. I am very disappointed at the courts decision, the PM confided
After his visit, Blair wrote to the dictator, suggesting he should also fund projects in Africa, since you know I am doing a lot of work there and know of good, worthwhile projects for investment.
The next year, he was back again, in a jet provided by the dictator. This time he introduced Gaddafi to Tim Collins, an American billionaire who wanted to discuss the provision of free mosquito nets to combat malaria in Africa.
During the meeting, the dictator urged Collins to invest in a holiday resort on the Libyan coast. Much to the billionaires surprise, Blair encouraged this idea
The former Prime Minister, Collins realised, was trying to earn a commission. I dont need Blair for business, he thought, outraged that hed been brought to Libya under false pretences.
After the meeting, he turned to Blair and exclaimed: This guy Gaddafi is bat-s*** crazy. Id rather go hungry than deal with a guy whos a complete lunatic.
Then he drove to the airport alone, while Blair remained to broker other business possibilities, discuss a prisoner exchange and negotiate contributions to his African charity, AGI. But one big stumbling block remained: al-Megrahi was still in jail. Unless he was released, Gaddafi threatened, Libya would cut its commercial ties with Britain.
Tony Blair walks with Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi, upon Blair's arrival in Tripoli in March 2004
Blair assured his host that he would once again try to broker a deal. (Al-Megrahi, who was suffering from prostate cancer, was finally released on compassionate grounds in August 2009, with apparently only three months to live. He didnt die until May 2012.)
Spurred on by J.P. Morgan and other companies interested in Libyas oil wealth, Blair visited Colonel Gaddafi a total of six times during the two years after he ceased to be Prime Minister.
In April 2010, Cherie received a substantial contribution to her Foundation for Women from Oxand, a French consultancy that was pursuing business in Libya. Neither she nor her husband seemed at all troubled by possible conflicts of interest.
But Gaddafis days were numbered. In February 2011, he began brutally suppressing an uprising, vowing that the rebels would be: Hunted down street by street, house by house and wardrobe by wardrobe.
After failing to persuade him to call a halt, Blair asked David Cameron to grant Gaddafi safe haven.
The Prime Minister refused. Gaddafi was subsequently killed by a mob of his own people.
What on earth was he to do after leaving office? In the closing weeks of his premiership, Blair put emotional pressure on his Iraq war ally, George W. Bush.
This seemingly did the trick, securing his appointment as the new Middle East envoy for the United Nations, EU, U.S. and Russia. His grand-sounding mission would be to mediate in the PalestinianIsraeli conflict.
To Blair, the appointment opened a glorious new chapter in his life. In Jerusalem, he would have everything he enjoyed: the sun, a Mediterranean lifestyle and status.
To Blair, his appointment as the Middle East envoy opened a glorious new chapter in his life. In Jerusalem, he would have everything he enjoyed: the sun, a Mediterranean lifestyle and status. But his reputation took a dive when he delivered a eulogy in January 2014 at the funeral of the former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon
Not only was he given a home, 12 members of staff, a fleet of armoured cars, access to a private jet and unsupervised expenses, but for his offices he chose to occupy the entire top floor of the five-star American Colony Hotel. The presence of 20 Israeli security men confirmed his importance.
Feted as a hero for getting rid of Saddam Hussein, he was also introduced to the hospitality of Israels multi-millionaires and billionaires.
Among these was Ofra Strauss, an attractive divorcee. His frequent visits to her home fuelled gossip about an affair but this was firmly denied.
To Richard Makepeace, the British consul in Jerusalem who briefed Blair on his first visit, the new envoy radiated self-belief.
Ive solved Ireland, and this is just another problem, said Blair, brushing aside warnings about the regions complexities.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair speaks as he stands next to Israel's separation barrier between the West Bank town of Beit Jalla and the Jewish Har Gilo settlement, on the outskirts of Jerusalem
Ive got unrivalled access to the leaders of all the parties, he went on, and my relationships will bring success.
The Israeli occupation of the West Bank, he was warned, was near impossible to solve.
It cant be as bad as that, Blair replied.
Brimming with confidence, he ignored the limitations imposed on his role. The envoys task, hed been told, was not to become involved in the peace process but to improve economic conditions for the Palestinians.
Over the first year-and-a-half of his new life, Blair spent about four days each month in Jerusalem.
Shocked by the realities of life on the West Bank, he eventually realised that economic progress was impossible without a political settlement.
But neither the Israeli nor American governments needed Blair as an intermediary in the political peace process.
So he soon found himself excluded from discussions and as one observer reflected his authority swiftly dripped away.
Former Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair stands at a sweets stand during his visit to the market in the West Bank city of Nablus in 2008
True, there were some achievements such as persuading Israel to agree to the UNs plan to spend 360 million on building new homes for Palestinians in Gaza.
But they hardly amounted to a key element of his transformative change agenda, as Blair described his work to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
A plan to lift Israeli roadblocks across the West Bank to improve the Palestinians economic and social life was also a success after the intervention of the Israeli General, Michael Herzog.
That was the high point, Herzog later recalled. It didnt get any better. Only worse.
The Palestinians, for example, werent impressed when Blair refused to tour Gaza because he claimed there was a jihadist threat to murder him.
And when he failed to condemn the Israeli armys invasion of Gaza in December 2008, they concluded he was prejudiced against them.
After that, he was rarely seen in Jerusalem and by 2011, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was asking: Whats Blairs value?
His spokesmans verdict was even more damning. The Quartet and Blairs role in it had been: Useless, useless, useless.
Tony Blair reviews a Palestinian honour guard on his arrival for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on September 10, 2006 in the West Bank city of Ramallah
By then, EU officials, after reading about Blairs commercial deals, were demanding his resignation.
And the EU Commission withdrew its 1.5 million annual contribution to his operation, ostensibly because the money was needed for refugees.
Hillary Clinton quickly committed America to pay all of Blairs costs. But she was soon replaced by John Kerry.
At first, Kerry seemed amenable, and Blair joined him at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Jordan.
Unfortunately, he blotted his copybook by making an inane speech. How hard would it be to reach a peace agreement? Blair asked the audience. The answer is, not very hard at all.
His reputation took a further dive when he delivered a eulogy in January 2014 at the funeral of the former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon.
Didnt he realise that 20,000 Arabs had died during Sharons invasion of Lebanon just ten years before?
Palestinians were also outraged to see Blair wearing a Jewish skullcap at the service and sitting next to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
None of this went unnoticed by the Americans in Jerusalem, who raged about Blairs prejudice in favour of Israel, his conflicts of interest and his 10 million annual cost.
Isolated from the Palestinians, scorned by EU officials, and adrift from Washington, Blair knew he was on borrowed time.
To save his job, he flew to Cairo to persuade Egyptian leader General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
Unfortunately, this cut across Kerrys efforts it was the final straw.
Kerry was reluctant to wield the axe personally, leaving that to Federica Mogherini, an Italian responsible for the EUs foreign affairs.
Tom Bowers new book says Tony Blair deceived his colleagues, the military and the nation. Did he also mislead the Queen during their weekly audiences? A court source says: If he did, perhaps he feels he has made amends by the fact that he has not received a Garter knighthood from HM, an honour accepted happily by his Tory predecessor, John Major.
Tom Bowers new book says Tony Blair deceived his colleagues, the military and the nation. Did he also mislead the Queen during their weekly audiences?
Former Tory MP and Thatcher aide Matthew Parris says the Leave side in the EU debate remind him of those who supported Ian Smiths attempts to remain in power in what was then Rhodesia. He writes in The Spectator:
They remind me of Ian Smith. And look how that ended. But how did it end? Rhodesia then a successful country became Zimbabwe, a corrupt, failing state run for 36 years by dictator Robert Mugabe, who has celebrated his 92nd birthday at an extravagant party held during the most recent local famine.
Former Tory MP and Thatcher aide Matthew Parris says the Leave side in the EU debate remind him of those who supported Ian Smiths (pictured) attempts to remain in power in what was then Rhodesia
Oscars host Chris Rock, made fun of black film star Will Smith and his TV star wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who boycotted the ceremony because no blacks were nominated. He said blacks had been discriminated against at the Oscars for more than 70 years but they had better things to protest about in the past such as being lynched and raped. Rock, 51, is unique a black man who makes blacks laugh over discrimination against them by whites. See his (YouTube) video, How Not To Get Your Ass Kicked By The Police.
Oscars host Chris Rock, made fun of black film star Will Smith and his TV star wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who boycotted the ceremony because no blacks were nominated
Courtiers chuckled over the first part of Channel 5s Inside Buckingham Palace, especially royal historian Chris Wilsons claim that Prince Philip forced the Queen Mother to move out by turning down the heating. My source says: There was no need. Even today the central heating systems are ramshackle and ineffective. Private rooms still have electric fires to supplement the creaking system.
Pseudo celebrity Eddie The Eagle Edwards, 52, is in cinemas next month the pinnacle, surely, of a winning by losing publicity career which began when he fell off the ski jump at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Former GB Olympics trainer David Miller says Eddie belongs among the accident-prone show-offs in Channel 4s absurd reality show The Jump.
Pseudo celebrity Eddie The Eagle Edwards, 52, is in cinemas next month the pinnacle, surely, of a winning by losing publicity career
The Royal Collection Trust declines to take part in a project, Art UK, to digitise all public art collections. Evidently they prefer us to pay to view the 7,000 or so paintings rather than look at them online. Trust income fell 19 per cent last year but theyve high hopes for their Queens 90th birthday china, with plates costing a trifling 89 and mugs a cheap-as-chips 25.
Divorces will take place over mobile phones or laptops from next year, Britains most senior family law judge said yesterday.
An online system for ending a marriage will mean neither husband, wife, nor the judge will need to be in a courtroom.
Sir James Munby, president of the High Courts Family Division, said the click-for-divorce process was a vision not of some distant future but of what has to be. When it has been done, we will at last have escaped from a court system moored in the world of the late Mr Charles Dickens, he added.
The full-scale digitisation of the legal process governing wills and divorce will begin early next year, said Sir James.
An online system for ending a marriage will mean neither husband, wife, nor the judge will need to be in a courtroom
A couple who agree to divorce will be able to answer online questionnaires about their marital history, wealth and income, as well as arrangements made for their children.
At present, in uncontested divorces, which make up the majority in England and Wales, neither husband nor wife needs to go to court. The divorce can be pushed through by legal officials at a regional court centre, where a district judge supervises and rubber-stamps the papers.
In future, Sir James said, there will be no paper and not even the judge will have to go to court. But family campaigners said the online system will devalue marriage by making divorce too easy.
In a speech to the Family Law Bar Association, Sir James said reforming the system would improve lives and save money for a variety of public purses.
He added: We still have a long way to go to the entirely digitised and paperless court though this is, must be, a vision not of some distant future but of what has to be, and I believe can be, achieved over the next four years. An all-computerised court system is unprecedented anywhere in the world, Sir James said, but it can be done; it must be done; it will be done.
Under the new system, he said, proceedings would be started online and parties would fill in an online questionnaire capturing all the relevant information. The first entirely digitised cases would be probate approving wills and divorce, scheduled to begin in early 2017. Some proceedings will be conducted almost entirely online, even down to and including the final hearing, Sir James said. The judge, who will not need to be in a courtroom, will interact electronically with the parties and their legal representatives.
He added that the heaviest cases will of course continue to require the traditional gathering of everyone together in a court room probably only for the final hearing.
Sir James Munby, president of the High Courts Family Division, said the click-for-divorce process was a vision not of some distant future but of what has to be
Under 1969 rules, couples who agree to divorce because of adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion can do so in less than a year if there are no complications over money or children. Otherwise, they can divorce after two years separation by agreement and five years if one opposes.
The Marriage Foundations Harry Benson said: Marriage is a serious business Divorce requires time, thought and deliberate intent, not speed, efficiency and the throwaway ease of an online form. It would be wrong to relegate divorce to little more than a tweet. It should be done as it begins, in person.
Family lawyer Holly Tootill of JMW Solicitors said online divorce was a novel idea but that those involved are more likely to focus on the details in front of a judge whos telling you that they believe your position to be right or wrong.
A man considered to be one of New Zealand's worst rapists who kept his daughter as a sex slave for 23 years is set to be released from prison, despite being at a 'medium-high risk' of re-offending.
Ronald Van der Plaat, 82, was sent to prison for 15 years in 2001 for hanging his daughter, Tanjas Darke, up to the ceiling by her ankles and placing her head in a box with a padlock on it as he raped her, New Zealand Herald reported.
But he will soon walk free after his jail term ends even though members of the New Zealand Parole Board believe he was 'an undue risk to community safety' as he continued to deny his 'sexual deviancy' and did not seek rehabilitation.
Ronald Van der Plaat (right), 82, was sent to prison for 15 years in 2001 for hanging his daughter, Tanjas Darke (left)
Van der Plaat was denied early parole but will be released on May 11.
'It is the view of the psychologist that Mr Van der Plaats progressive ageing, possible cognitive decline, consistent denial of sexual deviancy and lack of insight regarding his risk, combined with collusive social supports, hinders relapse prevention planning,' the board said in parole documents.
'It is also clear from the information in front of the board that age is not necessarily seen as protective in Mr Van der Plaat's case, at least at this time.
'Mr Van der Plaat continues to deny the index offending.
'The psychologist can only conclude that Mr Van der Plaat's increasing physical frailty within external controls is likely to mitigate his risk of sexual recidivism "over time".'
The convicted rapist's psychological report said he could target 'vulnerable solo mothers' and 'most likely non-European immigrants'.
She was hung up by her ankles on the ceiling before he raped her. Van der Plaat also put her head inside a box with a padlock before he sexually assaulted her
'He will groom their trust through offering financial, material, practical and emotional support,' he said.
'Future victims are likely to be their female children with Mr Van der Plaat assuming some form of caregiver role.'
At the time of his sentencing, the judge described Van der Plaat's offending as at the 'very upper level of seriousness in terms of cases of sustained abuse to come before the court'.
'It was not ordinary sexual abuse but was bizarre in the extreme and can only be described as depraved,' the judge told the court.
The abuse of Ms Darke, who waved her right to privacy, started when she was only nine years old and continued on until she in her 30s.
She also wrote a book about her ordeal called Flight of the Dancing Bird.
Ms Darke's father would keep her in bondage with handcuffs, chains and clamps, and he would put her head in a box with a padlock on it as he carried out the rapes and shove wax into her ears, New Zealand Herald reported.
When Ms Darke was 12, she fell pregnant and caught a sexually transmitted infection after years of sustained sexual abuse.
Previously the sexual abuse victim said in a 2001 documentary, To Hell And Back, she did wish anything bad to happen to her father but she did say: 'I just basically don't want him to get at me.'
Van der Plaat will be subjected to strict conditions upon his release.
His movements will be tracked by a GPS monitor and he cannot leave his home between the hours of 10pm and 6am every day.
He is not allowed to have any contact with any person under the age of 16 unless he is supervised by an adult who is over 20 years old, and knows of his criminal history and has been approved by his probation officer.
Van der Plaat will not be allowed to contact or associate with Ms Darke unless he has written consent of his probation officer.
In a third incident on Sunday two boys almost drowned in Brisbane
Another girl, 10 is fighting for life after being pulled from a backyard pool
The toddler was pulled unconscious from the water by her family
She was attending a birthday party at Bethania Aquatic Centre on
Her fathers battle to save his daughter was witnessed horrified bystanders
A father's desperate battle to save his daughter was witnessed by family and horrified bystenaders as he pulled her unconscious from the water at a busy public pool in Queensland.
A birthday party turned to tragedy when Melody Vaiele drowned in the 25m lap pool of the Bethania Aquatic Centre, in Logan, south of Brisbane just after 2pm yesterday.
Paramedics could not revive her after she was pulled from the water by lifeguards and her family and she died in hospital.
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A birthday party turned to tragedy when a three-year-old girl drowned in front of her family at a busy public pool in Queensland (pictured)
Witnesses have taken to social media to pay respect to the girl and offer their condolences to the family.
Melissa Stephens, who witnessed the tragedy, said she would never forget the father's distressed attempts to save his daughters life, The Courier Mail reported.
'Her poor dad (was) just crying saying, "Come on baby, come on",' she said.
A father's desperate battle to save his daughter was witnessed by family and horrified bystanders (pictured) as he pulled her unconscious from the water at a busy public pool in Queensland
'We are struggling so much, and we were just bystanders. I really cant imagine the pain of her family. Its devastating.'
Ms Stephens said she had spoken to the little girl only moments before the tragedy, while their with her own family.
'I was there with my family too and saw it all unfold anyone who was there doesnt blame the family one bit,' she said.
A 10-year-old girl is fighting for her life (pictured) after being pulled from a backyard pool at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday afternoon
Logan City Council said a detailed investigation is being undertaken to review all systems and procedures surrounding the circumstances of this tragedy, in a statement made yesterday.
'At the time of this incident, Logan City Council had two lifeguards on the pool deck, which is twice as many lifeguards as what is recommended by the Royal Lifesaving Guidelines standard.'
'Logan City Council is providing support to all staff involved,' the statement read.
The Queensland Police Service is preparing a report for the coroner.
'I just wish one of us that was there saw her jump in. I feel so sad for her and her family. They were playing with their kids the whole time,' another witness, Mandy Strong said on Facebook.
In two other incidents in Queensland on Sunday three children were taken to hospital.
A 10-year-old girl is still in critical condition at Caloundra Hospital after being pulled from a backyard pool at on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday afternoon.
In a third incident two boys, aged three and four, came close to drowning at a private pool in the Brisbane suburb of Rochedale.
CPR was performed on the children, who were in a serious condition when they were rushed to Brisbane's Lady Cilento Children's Hospital.
Retailers are warning of 900,000 job losses when they are forced to implement the National Living Wage and other new costs.
Supermarkets have come under fire for giving staff low pay and relying on taxpayers to top this up with tax credits.
The National Living Wage will come into force next month at a rate of 7.20 an hour for the over-25s, replacing the present minimum wage of 6.70 per hour. It would then increase to 9 an hour by 2020.
Last week a leak revealed that Tesco, Britains biggest private sector employer, is carrying out a feasibility study that could see 39,000 store jobs go over three years.
A study by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) yesterday claimed this change will cost the industry up to 3billion by 2020. It said retailers were generally supportive of the idea, but the extra cost coupled with other factors, including the popularity of online shopping will inevitably lead to store closures and job losses.
Other costs are likely to come from business rates increases and the apprenticeship levy, which is due to be introduced in April 2017.
As a result, the study claims the industry could see as many as 900,000 jobs go by 2025.
Last week a leak revealed that Tesco, Britains biggest private sector employer, is carrying out a feasibility study that could see 39,000 store jobs go over three years.
Tesco confirmed the validity of the document but said it had modelled various scenarios. The group, which employs more than 300,000 in the UK, cut thousands of jobs last year as new boss Dave Lewis tried to turn around the companys financial performance. The BRC said the retail industry was being reshaped by the digital revolution, with 15 per cent of sales now made online and 40,000 fewer shops than there were ten years ago.
Supermarkets have come under fire for giving staff low pay and relying on taxpayers to top this up with tax credits from the Government
Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said: As an industry we expect the years ahead will see accelerating change. Retailers will develop better propositions and compete harder across an increasing range of business models from modern multi-channel formats through to discounters and online businesses.
Devastated family are now hoping to raise awareness about their dangers
More than 100 children have died from suffocating on balloons since 1973
Jaina's death was ruled an accident and will not be officially investigated
Her father Mike performed CPR for hours on Wednesday but she later died
Jaina McGloghlon, 8, was found not breathing with a balloon over her head
An eight-year-old girl has been found suffocated with a balloon over her head hours after leaving a children's birthday party.
Mike McGloghlon made the tragic discovery after he went to check on his daughter Jaina who had gone to bed after the party in the family home in Portland, Oregon.
The horrified father found the youngster was not breathing and had a three foot Mylar balloon over her face. He cut off the balloon and performed CPR for an hour until emergency services arrived but sadly, Jaina died.
Her death has now been ruled an accident and will not be officially investigated.
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Jaina McGloghlon was found not breathing with a large balloon around her head after returning home from a birthday party
Family believe Jaina, described as a rising star with an 'uncontainable spirit', had been trying to suck out the helium from the large birthday balloon when she suffocated.
Her grandmother Pat Wendland, who was in the house, said she heard the parents' screams on Wednesday.
'I heard something drop on the floor and somebody say oh my God call 911 and let's start CPR,' she told Fox 2 Now.
'My son went in to check on her and all he seen was a foot sticking out of her bed. And then he took the covers off and found the balloon on her head. The only thing we could think is that she opened it, to suck the helium out and put it over her head and she suffocated.'
The devastated family are now hoping to raise awareness about the dangers of balloons to ensure no one else ever suffered their loss.
Mike McGloghlon (pictured with wife My Ling and Jaina) made the tragic discovery after he went to check on his daughter who had gone to bed after the party in the family home in Portland, Oregon
Grandmother Patricia Wendland, pictured with Jaina, was in the house when she heard the parents' screams on Wednesday
Mike and his wife My Ling, who left the military to focus on their daughter Jaina and her little brother Jacen, had initially moved in with Mike's brother Donn Lee McGloghlon Jr who paid tribute to his 'beautiful little niece.'
'Two days ago I got the worst call of my life, I lost my beautiful little niece Jaina,' he wrote on a fundraising page set up for the family.
'I was so lucky to have this time to create an unbelievable bond with this fiery toddler! Jaina Vue had an uncontainable spirit and giant heart. She was always the center of attention and our families little rising star.
'As her uncle I am completely devastated and heart broken.
'I cant even imagine how my brother Mike and sister My Ying are functioning, they are staying as strong as possible.'
Jaina, a second grader at Russell Elementary School in Portland, and her brother were named after Star Wars characters in the franchise's expanded universe books.
Family and friends of Mike and My Ling have shown their support for the heartbroken couple as they pay tribute to the little girl.
Lasley Xiong said: 'I'm so sorry to hear about Jaina and my deepest condolences to you and MyYing.
Family believe Jaina had been trying to suck out the helium from the large birthday balloon when she suffocated
Jaina, a second grader at Russell Elementary School in Portland, and her brother were named after Star Wars characters in the franchise's expanded universe books
'I still cannot believe this and I just saw her this weekend and has gave me a big huge before she left.'
Barbara Jordan wrote on Facebook: 'We will miss you Jaina. You are a beautiful angel watching over your family now.
While Jamie Bennett said: 'Mike, I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. Please let me know if I can help in any way.'
A committal service is due to be held at Willamette National Cemetery on Thursday.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that balloons are the leading cause of death by suffocation among children in the US.
Between 1973 and 2011, more than 110 children have died from suffocation involving balloons - most of which were under six years of age. The majority of cases involve deflated or broken piece of balloons.
The CPSC warns that children under the age of eight should not be allowed to play with deflated balloons unsupervised.
But they insist inflated balloons do not present a hazard to young children.
Jeremy Corbyn's 22-year-old student son suffered a cut to his eye after allegedly being headbutted outside a nightclub.
Tommy Corbyn, who studies electrical engineering at the University of York, claims he was attacked as he left the city's Mansion nightclub at around 4am on Saturday.
The left-wing activist is said to have been partying with friends inside the venue prior to the alleged attack, after earlier helping put on a Party for Palestine hip-hop event at a separate club in the city.
Tommy Corbyn, 22, who studies electrical engineering at the University of York, claims he was headbutted as he left the city's Mansion club at around 4am on Saturday. He is pictured (right) alongside Jeremy's wife Laura
Tommy, the youngest of the Labour leader's three sons with ex-wife Claudia Bracchita, apparently made a complaint to police that he was 'headbutted' later on Saturday afternoon, the Mirror reports.
North Yorkshire Police confirmed it was investigating an allegation of assault on a 22-year-old man.
A spokesman said: 'The incident occurred at the Mansion Nightclub, Micklegate, between 4am and 4.30am on Saturday.
'The victim, who suffered a cut to his eye, reported the matter to North Yorkshire Police at 1.26pm on Saturday.
'Enquiries are on-going to investigate the full circumstances surrounding the incident. Nobody has been arrested.'
Tommy, who was pictured applauding his father's speech at the Labour party's annual conference last year, is the events manager of York's Palestinian Solidarity Society and a left-wing activist.
One of Mr Corbyn's other sons, Seb, 25, is chief of staff to shadow chancellor John McDonnell after previously working as a researcher and as part of his father's leadership election campaign team.
Anyone with information about the alleged incident should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.
Tommy Corbyn (right), the youngest of the Labour leader's (left) three sons with ex-wife Claudia Bracchita, apparently complained to police that he was 'headbutted' following an alleged attack in York on Saturday
He also aims to eventually retake the Iraqi city of Mosul, now in ISIS hands
The US Army's elite counter-terrorism unit, Delta Force, already being deployed in covert operations on the ground in Iraq in order to capture or kill high-ranking ISIS operatives and gather intelligence, it has emerged, with the possibility of further deployment in Syria in the future.
Speaking to CNN, an administration official 'with direct knowledge of the force's activities' said that weeks have been spent setting up informant networks and safe houses for the new Expeditionary Targeting Force (ETF), which mostly comprises Delta Force agents, as well as building up information for 'up to half a dozen' locations for raids and field operations.
The ETF, which has around 200 people, aims to use its network to locate hideouts of key ISIS members then stage raids that will allow them to capture people for interrogation and data for analysis, which will in turn open up further avenues of investigation. They will also be deployed to free ISIS-held hostages.
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Deployed: Delta Force soldiers have been deployed in Iraq as part of the new Expeditionary Targeting Force (ETF), which aims to dismantle ISIS networks in secret operations
Targets: The ETF is targeting ISIS officials and strongholds, with the aim of gathering intelligence on the network that will allow them to quickly attack other ISIS targets before they have a chance to escape
In position: Defense Secretary Ash Carter said that the ETF was 'in position, having an effect and operating' in Iraq during a press conference Monday
In a press conference at the Pentagon on Monday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter is quoted by CNN as saying, 'The only thing I'll say is the [Expeditionary Targeting Force] is in position, it is having an effect and operating, and I expect it to be a very effective part of our acceleration campaign.'
He added that ISIS would be made 'to fear that anywhere, anytime, it may be struck.'
In addition, the US Army intends to use inside intelligence to conduct cyber-warfare, damaging ISIS communications, and will ultimately attempt to retake the ISIS-held Iraqi city of Mosul. 'We are working with Iraqi forces to prepare forces for the envelopment and ultimately the seizure of Mosul,' Carter said.
Mosul, Iraq's fourth-largest city, was taken by ISIS in June 2014. It recently emerged that the city's hydroelectric dam was at risk of 'catastrophic failure' due to lack of maintenance.
Allies: The ETF is working on the ground with Iraqi and Peshmerga (forces from the Iraqi Kurdistan region) units to attack ISIS operatives and strongholds in focused, targeted attacks
Prepared: A Peshmerga soldier aims an anti-tank missile towards an ISIS position. Such units are helping provide intel needed for the ETF's missions
The system being used by Delta Force in Iraq seizing data and captives, then using the information gleaned to swiftly attack other targets is the same one used by US forces generally in Iraq and Afghanistan, CNN says.
It was also used in one of only two US ground operations in Syria, which culminated in the killing of ISIS operative Abu Sayyaf and the capture of his wife, who then provided information about ISIS networks in the area. The other operation was a failed attempt to free two journalists in 2014.
The ETF will work with local forces on the ground, including Iraqi and Peshmerga (from the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region) units, in developing 'targeted' missions against specific individuals or ISIS operations.
These require weeks of surveillance to ensure civilians are out of the area before the unit goes in, and may require confirmation by the president.
CNN sources said that the ETF was only to be deployed in Iraq at the moment, but that there is a possibility of deployment in Syria.
Syria: The ETF is not currently being deployed in Syria, but other US special forces are there, and recently aided the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in their successful attempt to retake the town of al-Shadadi
Syria: An SDF soldier bides her time. Using the current ETF tactics in Syria could lead to issues, including difficulty passing on captives once they have been interrogated
However, while a 50-strong special forces team is already helping anti-ISIS forces in Syria one recent success being the retaking of the town of Al-Shadadai on February 19 expanding the ETF's focus to that country may bring with it issues.
As the ETF only takes captives for interrogation, they are not intending to hold them for long periods of time.
In Iraq that's not much of a problem, as they can be turned over to the Iraqi government. But the US is opposed to the current Syrian regieme run by president Bashar al-Assad, so would need to repatriate ISIS fighters to their countries of origin - which may prove impractical.
Russia's support of Assad, which has seen the country bombing ISIS targets allegedly including a truce-breaking attack on Saturday also complicates matters, as Russia does not give precise information on where it intends to strike, increasing chances of US troops being caught in the crossfire.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS: Armenia supports the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and is taking steps in that direction. Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan stated during a meeting with scientists at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, while answering the Academys President Radik Martirosyan's question about the possibility of resumption o the war. "The strategy implemented by Armenias political and military leadership is based on settlement of the issue through dialogue, politically and peacefully. It should be based on measures aimed at creating an atmosphere of trust and mutual agreements," "Armenpress "reports Ohanyan saying.
The minister lamented that the rival does not want to work constructively, does not want to form a trust mechanism, to avoid various violations on the front line, maintain the ceasefire and refrain from carrying out subversive activities. "Azerbaijan also rejects international proposals for the introduction of mechanisms to investigate ceasefire violations. This speaks to the fact that Azerbaijan constantly strains the situation having political goals within the country, as well as unilateral political goals in the international arena, without realizing that we are not afraid of it. As the President said, we are afraid of war, but not afraid to fight. In other words, we are committed to defend our country, and the sacred part of our country Artsakh, "Seyran Ohanyan said.
He added that in this reality, the Ministry of Defense is preparing for war every day. "But the current military-political situation, international and regional developments do not imply about large-scale military operations, because on our part, we are doing everything possible to curb the rivals ambitions. However, If there are military operations, what can we do, we will definitely defend our homeland, Seyran Ohanyan concluded.
Joey Feek is in her final days her husband Rory has revealed in an emotional post about his terminally-ill wife.
'My wife has been asleep for days now and her body is shutting down quickly,' wrote Rory on the couple's blog This Life I Live.
'The hospice nurse came again this morning and said Joey will most-likely only be with us for a few more days at the most.'
Rory also said that shortly after their daughter Indiana's second birthday Joey, 40, said she was ready to stop fighting after her long and brave battle with cancer, telling him 'enough is enough'.
She then asked to see Indiana so she could give her daughter one last kiss.
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Long battle: Rory Feek (above with his wife) has revealed that his wife Joey has just a few days left to live
Sad goodbye: Rory also shared a photo of his wife and her last kiss with their daughter Indiana (above)
Difficult time: 'My wife has been asleep for days now and her body is shutting down quickly,' wrote Rory (above with his wife in early 2015)
After learning last October that her stage 4 cervical cancer was terminal and she had six months to live at most, Joey's only wish was to live long enough to see her daughter have one more birthday.
She managed to do just that, and few days later told Rory; 'Its time to go home.'
First though, she wanted to say goodbye to her loved ones.
'Joey gathered her family together around her and she said goodbye to each of them to her mother and father and her three sisters,' wrote Rory.
'There were lots of tears as she explained to each one how much she loved them and that she was going to be going home soon.'
Then Joey asked to see her daughter.
'I set our little Indy on Joeys lap and we all cried with my wife as she told her how much her mama loved her and, you be a big girl for your papa and that mama will be watching over you,."' said Rory.
'And then she pulled Indiana up and she kissed her.'
Soon after she gave Indiana that last kiss Joey began to sleep, and then Rory learned that his wife had only a few days to live,
'In the 40 short years that Joey has lived, my bride has accomplished many great things shes lived a very full life,' wrote Rory.
'But even more than that, she has loved those around her greatly and been loved greatly in return. I can honestly say that Joeys isnt just a life well-lived, its a life well-loved.'
Rory also shared that Joey is at peace, telling him just before she went to sleep; 'I have no regrets I can honestly say, that I have done everything I wanted to do and lived the life I always wanted to live.'
He ended the post by thanking those who have been supporting Joey and the family over the past few months, writing; 'Thank you to all who have followed my wifes beautiful journey. Who are still following. Though our hearts are heavy we all need to do our best to remember that this is not the end. Its only the beginning.
'When Joey takes her last breath here she will take her first breath there. In heaven.'
Rory also posted a video he made featuring some of his favorite photos of Joey set to a song the two recorded but never released called 'In The Time That You Gave Me.'
Love: Rory and Joey were able to lay in bed together for the first time in months on Valentine's Day (above)
Happy day: Joey said her only wish was to see her daughter Indiana celebrate her second birthday (above) after learning she had just months to live
Last meal: Rory posted a photo in mid-February of his wife making the family dinner from her hospice bed (above)
The difficult and tragic news comes after a very memorable February for the family, who got to celebrate Valentine's Day, the Grammy Awards, Indiana's birthday and the release of their new album this month - which topped the country charts.
Rory posted photos of some of these moments including Joey watching as daughter Indiana blew out her candles, a smiling Indiana celebrating her second birthday and an image of Rory and Joey laying in bed together for the first time since November.
'When dinner was over, as I said goodnight and tucked the blankets around her in the little hospital bed she has been living in for months, she thanked me for the special night and then made one last request. If Jody helps me to scoot over to one sidecould you try to lay down with me and put your arms around me?' wrote Rory of the couple's Valentine's Day.
'I havent been able to be in the same bed with my wife or hold her in my arms since the beginning of November when she made her last trip to the hospital.
'But for one sweet half-an-hour that changed on Valentines day.'
The big event however was Indiana's second birthday.
'Joey barely slept the night before Indianas birthday. She was too excited. Jody said she didnt fall asleep until about 5am, around the time that Indy and I woke up,' said Rory.
'When Joey woke up, a little before noon, I came in to see her and tears were flowing down her face. Again, I put my arms around her and asked, why are you crying honey?
'We made it, she softly answered. We made it."'
Joey got to watch her daughter blow out her birthday candles and Indiana could be seen smiling from ear to ear in photos from the day, especially as she enjoyed her cake.
'For the most part, Indianas big day was nothing but joy and more joy. She has a way of bringing even the most painful parts of life back into perspective,' wrote Rory.
Happy girl: Indiana was filmed saying 'mama' and 'dada' on camera for the first time (above) two weeks ago
The two of us: Rory shared a photo last week as he and Indiana (above) sat by a campfire
Joey was given just six months to live last October and told she would be bedridden for the remainder of her life in late November.
She got out of bed in December though and then began to walk again, all things that seemed impossible just weeks before.
She even got to spend Christmas with her family near her childhood home in Alexandria, Indiana.
Joey was diagnosed with cancer in June 2014, just a few months after she and Rory welcomed Indiana, who was born with Down's syndrome.
The cancer eventually spread and in October doctors revealed there nothing they could do for Joey.
Joey was as a restaurant owner when she met Rory, falling in love with him as he performed during a songwriter's night.
He was also a single father with two daughters, another reason Joey has said she was first attracted to him.
On June 15, 2002, the couple was married in a small ceremony.
Joey shared how she first fell in love with Rory in an interview with People earlier this year, saying; 'Rory was singing In the Round at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville with three other songwriters.
'I was just one of dozens of people in the audience that night. From the first song Rory sang, I fell head over heels for him.'
She then added: 'I didn't even know him, but something inside me said, "You're going to marry that man and spend the rest of your lives together."'
And while Rory was a noted songwriter who had penned hits for artists such as Blake Shelton, the couple got their big break in 2008 when they appeared on the reality show Can You Duet which aired on Country Music Television.
They finished in third place on the show and signed a record contract soon after - and have been making music ever since right up until the release of their new album on Friday.
'Our music has taken us many incredible places and let us experience some amazing things in the past 8 years and people we meet have often asked if we had a plan to get to where we are. Ive always answered, yes, theres a master plan its just not ours,'" Rory wrote in a blog post last week.
The Boys in the Bubble have turned the EU referendum into a navel-gazing political drama about the future of the Conservative Party.
Is Call Me Dave finished, even if he wins? Will Boris finally achieve his ambition of becoming Prime Minister? Will the Goves ever be invited back to supper at the Camerons?
Frankly, who gives a monkey's? It's not about them, it's about us.
There's another four months of this mind-numbing drivel in prospect, along with an escalating bombardment of ludicrous, intelligence-insulting scare stories.
If I see another minister on TV wandering round a factory wearing a hi-viz jacket, warning disingenuously that millions of jobs are going to be lost if we vote to leave, I shall reach for the sawn-off and empty both barrels into Sky News.
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The Boys in the Bubble have turned the EU referendum into a navel-gazing political drama about the future of the Conservative Party.
Will Boris finally achieve his ambition of becoming Prime Minister? Will the Goves ever be invited back to supper at the Camerons?
The only issue which matters is whether Britain should revert to being an independent, outward-looking nation, with the absolute freedom to pass our own laws and control our borders.
Or whether the British people are content to remain impotent serfs in a foreign-dominated superstate which meddles in virtually every aspect of our lives.
Here are two seemingly unrelated stories which encapsulate what's wrong with our misguided entanglement with pan-European government.
The first emphasises our inability to decide who is allowed to live here. As the Mail's serialisation of Tom Bower's book reminds us, Tony Blair and New Labour embarked on a deliberate policy of mass immigration.
Among those invited to settle in this country were millions of people from the Eastern European 'accession' states. Most of those who moved here came to work, especially the Poles. We can argue about whether they have forced down wages, or should be entitled to in-work welfare payments, but nobody can claim they haven't made a positive contribution.
Take the case of Mircea Gheorghiu, (pictured) who was found guilty of rape in Romania before moving illegally to Britain. His criminal past only came to light when he was arrested for drunk driving.
The 'deport first, appeal later' scheme was one of Home Secretary Theresa May's flagship policies to stop foreign criminals settling in Britain
The Romanians, on the other hand, have been less of a blessing. I'm sure there are brain surgeons and IT specialists from Bucharest beavering away productively in Britain, but many of their fellow citizens have merely transfered their charming Transylvanian culture of criminality to the streets of our cities sleeping rough and specialising in aggressive begging, pickpocketing and cashpoint robbery.
Occasionally, there is a token effort to remove them, but when they are deported they're usually on the next plane back. Often, EU law means we can't kick them out at all, even if they are convicted of a criminal offence.
Take the case of Mircea Gheorghiu, who was found guilty of rape in Romania before moving illegally to Britain. His criminal past only came to light when he was arrested for drunk driving.
Under the Home Office's much-trumpeted 'deport first, appeal later' policy, he was thrown out of Britain in 2015.
But now judges have ruled that he can return to this country. As an EU citizen, Gheorghiu is entitled to freedom of movement and a family life.
An immigration panel decided that his crimes weren't serious enough to deport him and, because his rape conviction was 25 years old, he posed no threat of re-offending.
So that's all right, then.
Although he entered Britain illegally in 2002, he was granted the right to live and work here five years later, after Romania joined the EU, because he was the 'sole breadwinner' for his family back home. They moved here in 2014.
The immigration tribunal has now decided that he should be reunited with his family 'as soon as possible'. So, the Gheorghius will all live happily ever after in Britain, adding to the rich diversity of our society. We shall just have to cross our fingers and hope that Mircea doesn't decide to rape anyone else or drive drunk in future.
The 'deport first, appeal later' scheme was one of Home Secretary Theresa May's flagship policies to stop foreign criminals settling in Britain.
At the first time of asking, it has been ripped up under 'yuman rites' laws. It is a condition of EU membership that all member states accept the European Convention of Human Rights.
We can do nothing about it unless we vote to leave, yet Theresa has emerged as a stalwart of the Remain campaign and claims, absurdly, that Britain is safer and stronger in the EU.
Perhaps she'd like to explain how we can even begin to pretend that we are a proper country if we can't expel foreign criminals who have entered Britain illegally? Theresa might be deluding herself, but she should stop taking the rest of us for fools.
The second story which struck me was the news that Brussels has temporarily postponed plans to make us buy new kettles and toasters.
Under new EU energy-saving rules, all kitchen appliances must use less electricity. But that means it will take much longer to boil a kettle or brown a slice of toast.
EU leaders are apparently concerned that once the British people get wind of this new law, it might be enought to influence us to vote Leave. So they are delaying the introduction of the edict until after the referendum.
Have you ever heard such patronising garbage? It tells you all you need to know about the attitude of our real rulers in Brussels.
Never mind uncontrollable mass immigration, economic chaos across Europe, 8 billion a year paid by Britain to the EU (or whatever the figure is this week), and our inability to pass our own laws or even catch our own fish.
They must think we're so stupid and infantile that we'll be persuaded to vote Leave because we're worried it's going to be more expensive and take longer to make our tea and toast.
EU leaders are apparently concerned that once the British people get wind of this new law, it might be enought to influence us to vote Leave
While we remain in the EU, we will never again be masters of our own destiny, not just in our own country but in our own homes
It should be none of the EU's business what kind of kettle or toaster we use in our own homes. Why the hell do they think they've got the right to meddle in our choice of kitchen appliances?
These are just two of the myriad ways in which the EU micro-manages our lives. While we remain, we will never again be masters of our own destiny, not just in our own country but in our own homes.
Why would anyone want to belong to a sclerotic, anti-democratic, domineering superstate which not only prevents us deporting foreign rapists but also has the bloody nerve to tell us what kind of kettle we can buy?
The Government's Prevent Strategy was designed to nip Islamist extremism in the bud by identifying children at risk of being radicalised for instance, by keeping an eye on the websites they were visiting.
It seemed like a good idea at the time, but needless to say it has ended up being used in ways for which it was never intended.
That's how a 15-year-old Hampshire schoolboy found himself being interviewed by the anti-terrorist squad.
Teachers reported Joe Taylor to the police because they had 'safeguarding concerns' after noticing he had accessed an 'extremist' website on his computer.
Joe was interrogated, along with his father, by a specialist officer attached to the unit set up to stop youngsters joining Izal.
So what had he been looking at? Beheading videos?
The Government's Prevent Strategy was designed to nip Islamist extremism in the bud by identifying children at risk of being radicalised for instance, by keeping an eye on the websites they were visiting
No, he'd logged on to a Ukip website. And, presumably, his teachers are the kind of brain-dead Guardianistas who think Ukip is the epitome of evil, right up there with the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan.
Joe said he visited the Ukip site after a classroom discussion on extremism. He also viewed film of an English Defence League rally.
The EDL are a pretty unsavoury outfit, but they're not an illegal organisation and you can see their rallies on News At Ten. Ukip is a mainstream political party.
Yet Joe and his dad were both treated like terrorists, and asked about their views on immigration. To which the only answer is: mind your own damn business.
Still, I suppose it was utterly predictable that a strategy designed to counter radical Islam would end up being used to hound the innocent in this case a 15-year-old schoolboy with an interest in Ukip.
Here's just the latest example of one of this column's core maxims: if you give anyone in a position of authority any modicum of power, they will always, always, always abuse it.
Pubs will be banned from advertising for barmaids if the Equalities Commission gets its way. Employers will no longer be allowed to specify the sex of staff they want to hire.
Goodness knows what Bet Lynch would have had to say about this over a milk stout in the Rovers Return.
I did notice, however, that in the name of diversity the BBC is putting a mosque in Albert Square. How long before EastEnders transgender Kyle becomes landlady of the Queen Vic?
Police have reopened inquiries into claims that the former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe was involved in a murder plot, a charge of which he was acquitted in 1979. Why? I shouldnt have to point out that Thorpe, like Jimmy Savile, remains dead. How many more deceased politicians and public figures are the Old Bill going to dig up?
No wonder nobody in 1971 took any notice of the fantasy diary entries of the girl who falsely accused Tony Blackburn of sexually assaulting her. She also claimed to have been ravished by Rock Hudson, one of the stately homos of Hollywood.
Hudson was not interested in women. It was a standing joke that Rock was the man who turned his co-star Doris Day into a virgin.
Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick poked fun at Donald Trump's campaign to become president as they reprised their roles from The Producers in a hilarious spoof sequel on Sunday night.
In a skit on Jimmy Kimmel's post-Oscars show, the comedy duo played two political campaign chiefs looking to make a fortune.
Broderick's character, accountant Leo Bloom, tells his colleague Max Bialystock - played by Lane - that they might stand a better chance of making a fast buck by picking a losing candidate.
Explaining his theory, Bloom says: 'Max, do you realize that under the right circumstances it might be possible for us to make more money from a losing candidate than from a winner?
'First we find a bad candidate, then we raise money like crazy and we promise all the donors an ambassadorship, to Italy or Sweden or Armenia.
'Then when the public figures out what a nutcase our guy is, he drops out of the race'
' and we keep all the dough,' Lane chimes in.
He adds: 'This candidate, hes gotta be the worst candidate in history. A real trainwreck, a schmuck, a putz, a grade-A world-class gold-plated nincompoop. Where would we ever find a buffoon like that?'
At that moment the bumbling pair turn to the TV, where Donald Trump is speaking from Trump Tower.
A brainwave hits Bialystock and he puts in a call to Trump.
Before they know it, the pair are fundraising for Trump and their office is adorned with merchandise emblazoned with the real estate mogul's face.
Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick poked fun at Donald Trump's campaign to become president as they reprised their roles from The Producers in a hilarious spoof sequel
In a skit on Jimmy Kimmel's post-Oscars show, the comedy duo played two political campaign chiefs looking to make a fortune by taking on Donald Trump's campaign
Next, they are seen fundraising from a 'crazy, old semi-racist white person' played by Cloris Leachman, who is coerced into handing over a check towards the Trump campaign.
Bloom and Bialystock go through the mad ideas they have come up with as policies that they believe will lead to the public losing faith as Trump as a candidate.
'Bloom, I have to tell you, ruinning Trump was smart, but your idea about building a wall across the Mexican border - brilliant,' Bialystock says.
'Not as brilliant as your idea of making the Mexicans pay for it,' Bloom laughs, in an obvious reference to Trump's immigration plans.
'He won't last a week,' Bialystock says as footage shows the Republican presidential candidate outlining his 'great wall' policy.
But - in typical Producers fashion - it does not go well for Broderick and Lane's characters.
The pair are next seen fretting over what to do about Trump as his success continues.
Kimmel, making a cameo as a shoe shiner, tells them the candidate is succeeding because of his reputation as a 'proven businessman'.
The pair are seen fundraising from a 'crazy, old semi-racist white person' played by Cloris Leachman, who is coerced into handing over a check towards the Trump campaign
Kimmel, making a cameo as a shoe shiner, tells them the candidate's is succeeding because of his reputation as a 'proven businessman'
Bialystock reels off a list of outrageous statements for Trump to say that should lead voters to turn their back on him.
Questioning John McCain's heroism, saying 11million immigrants should be removed from the United States and banning Muslims from entering the country are all mentioned, but Trump has done them all and is still the front runner.
The parody sequel - called You've been Trumped - follows the same pattern as The Producers, which told the story of the failed theater producer and accountant conjuring up a scheme to dodge the IRS.
Bloom believes that the IRS will fail to check the finances of a terrible production, meaning they can embezzle investors' money and get away with up to $2million.
Couple say they were ignorant to how bankruptcy proceedings worked
A mother-of-two has filmed the moment her family were forcibly thrown out of their Melbourne home by sheriffs over an unpaid $20,000 credit card bill.
Buket Ozdil, 42, and Aaron Szepesvary, 40, were evicted from their three-bedroom home in Strathmore, north-west of Melbourne, last Tuesday when authorities drilled the lock and smashed down the front door.
Footage shows three uniformed sheriffs threatening to 'cuff' the distraught woman, announcing she has two outstanding infringement warrants totalling $512.10 and saying 'it's done' after she admitted she could not pay them upfront.
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Aaron Szepesvary, 40, and Buket Ozdil, 42 (pictured with their two sons Max, 7, and Jack, 6) were evicted from their three-bedroom home in Strathmore, north-west of Melbourne, last Tuesday
The couple owed almost $20,000 between them on their two Westpac credit cards, but now have a total debt of almost $300,000 after bankruptcy proceedings were filed against them after failing to make minimum repayments.
In the three-minute clip, Ms Ozdil claims the sheriffs had no identification and forced their way in after she ran to the kitchen to get a Notice of Claim in a bid to 'counteract the warrant.'
She also claims a payment plan of $50 for the infringement notices was already in place.
Court-appointed bankruptcy trustees have now seized the couple's home to recover the debts.
Ms Ozdil said she was home alone last Tuesday when the sheriffs came knocking.
'They had equipment to ram the door in, I was in shock. I wasn't prepared at all. I walked out with all my legal documents, but that's it.'
Mr Szepesvary and Ms Ozdil applied for credit cards with Westpac in 2004 when they went about setting up an audio-visual business and bought computers, vehicles and insurance.
Ms Ozdil, who gets a disability carer's allowance for her son, said the couple fell into hardship when a work contract Mr Szepesvary had with Foxtel came to an end in 2009.
'When that fell apart it became quite hard. Aaron had to go on unemployment benefits for the first time. We had our first child at that point,' Ms Ozdil told Daily Mail Australia.
'We were still paying the mortgage - the minimum repayments were $2,000 odd dollars a month.'
Their credit card debts quickly piled up with Ms Ozdil having about $10,000 on hers and $9,000 on her partner's card.
Ms Ozdil said she was home alone last Tuesday when the sheriffs came knocking after bankruptcy proceedings were filed against the couple over their $20,000 credit card debt
Court-appointed bankruptcy trustees have now seized the couple's home to recover the debts
Ms Ozdil says authorities drilled the lock and smashed down the front door and she was only able to grab her legal documents before having to leave
They stopped making minimum repayments and various letters from the bank started coming in asking for payment from 2011.
The couple, who have to sons Max, 7, and Jack, 6, claim they were making payments on the credit mostly every week but admit they were well below the minimum repayments set out by the bank.
'Aaron made weekly $200 payments on his credit card and I paid $100 a fortnight. When the mortgage or electricity needed to be paid that took priority,' she said.
Ms Ozdil claims she explained their situation to the bank but was told to make the payments.
'We applied for hardship, we went through the ombudsman to make suitable payment plans but they were all rejected,' she said.
'We had every intention to pay it, we know a debt is not going to go away. We were trying to negotiate all the way through. They weren't accepting anything.
'A year after we set up our own business, things were on the up but that's when the bankruptcy started.'
In 2013, Mr Szepesvary was sent a letter by ACM Group saying it had purchased his credit card debt and he needed to make the payment or it would start bankruptcy proceedings.
The couple owed almost $20,000 between them on their two Westpac credit cards, but now have a total debt of almost $300,000 after bankruptcy proceedings were filed against them
The couple, who have to sons Max, 7, and Jack, 6, claim they were making payments on the credit mostly every week but admit they were well below the minimum repayments set out by the bank
The couple, who are now living with Ms Ozdil's parents after they were evicted from their home, say they are baffled as to how quickly the debt has risen
Mr Szepesvary, who is illiterate, claims he did not know what was happening and could not afford a lawyer. He was declared bankrupt in court in 2014 in absentia.
Ms Ozdil received a letter from Baycorp three months later and was subsequently declared bankrupt.
'We were just burying our heads in the sand at this point,' Ms Ozdil said.
'We didn't know what bankruptcy involved - it's our own fault of course. We are appealing in the Federal Court in May. We are appealing so we can get rid of the $150,000 so we can just pay the $20,000,' she said.
'All along we've been saying we can pay back our original debt, but with the bankruptcy they've added $150,000 each, basically in legal fees. Every time we speak to them or go to court the money accumulates.'
The couple, who are now living with Ms Ozdil's parents after they were evicted from their home, say they are baffled as to how quickly the debt has risen.
'I don't know how it's escalated so quickly to kick us out of the house,' she said.
'In hindsight, we regret it. If we could of (paid it), we would. In a couple of years we would have been able to.
Jazzie Watson, 19, was charged with murder and will be in court Tuesday
A 17-year-old student who was murdered was due to become a father, it was revealed, after a touching note from the unborn daughter he will never meet was left at the scene.
The revelation that Shamus Mcnama was due to become a father comes as 19-year-old Jazzie Watson was charged for his murder, after the alleged stabbing in the early hours of Sunday.
The heartbreaking note, left with flowers and an ultrasound picture of the child, read: 'RIP Daddy. I never got to meet you taken too soon, but will always be a part of me and in my heart forever.'
This touching tribute appearing to be from his unborn baby, along with a note and an ultrasound picture (pictured) was left at the scene where Shamus Mcnama was allegedly murdered
The teenager died in hospital early Monday morning after reportedly being reportedly stabbed in the neck
It was one of many tributes were left at the scene (pictured) in Lockleaze, Bristol, where he was stabbed and he later died from his injuries in hospital on Monday morning
Police were called to a house in Stothard Road (pictured here) in the Lockleaze area of the city at 5.50am following reports of a disturbance
People continued to lay tributes on Monday afternoon (left). One person left a bottle of expensive Ciroc vodka with flowers and a note saying he was 'taken away too soon' (right)
Avon and Somerset Police said Watson would be appearing before Bristol Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, and a second man, aged 18, was released without charge.
Hundreds of floral tributes have been left at the scene including a bottle of Ciroc vodka, tied to a bunch of flowers and a note.
Tributes have also been made on social media and pictures of the youngster have been posted online. Nearly 3,000 has already been raised for the funeral of the teenager.
Avon and Somerset Police were called to a house in Stothard Road at 5.50am on Sunday following reports of a disturbance.
Shamus is believed to have attended Orchard School and Filton High School before starting an apprenticeship at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.
One school friend, who did not wish to be named, said: 'I can't believe it - it is unreal. He just had the biggest smile and he was so, so loved by so many people.
A number of people embraced as they struggled to deal with the grief from losing the teenager, who was a popular member of the community
Two girls react as they leave floral tributes at the scene of the stabbing in Stothard Road, Bristol
'You won't find anyone with a bad word to say about him. He had so many friends.'
Another school friend, who did not wish to be named, said: 'It's such a terrible thing to happen to anyone but to happen to someone like Shamus, who was such a nice guy - it's unbelievable.'
RIP Daddy. I never got to meet you taken too soon but will always be a part of me and in my heart forever. Love from your beautiful baby girl Tribute car left at the scene
A 24-year-old man, who also did not wish to be named, brushed tears away as he read tributes left to the teenager.
'He was such a nice person,' he said. 'He would have done anything for anybody. He had lots of friends. He was a very likeable person.'
Mark Palmer, 51, drives through the area each day to visit friends and said he was shocked by the incident.
'Something like this is completely out of the ordinary. I have never known this sort of thing to happen up round here,' he said.
'I feel for the young lad, the victim, it is a waste of a young life.'
A teenage girl, who did not wish to be named, wept by tributes left at a police cordon at the scene.
'I can't believe it - it is unreal,' she said. 'He just had the biggest smile and he was so, so loved by so many people.
A school friend, who did not wish to be named, added: 'It's such a terrible thing to happen to anyone but to happen to someone like Shamus, who was such a nice guy - it's unbelievable'
Shamus is believed to have attended Orchard School and Filton High School before starting an apprenticeship at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College
'You won't find anyone with a bad word to say about him. He had so many friends. If you look on his Facebook it is full of people's comments, there are at least 100 on there.
'They're all saying RIP and how much he will be missed.'
Shamus is believed to have attended Orchard School and Filton High School before starting an apprenticeship at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.
A school friend, who did not wish to be named, added: 'It's such a terrible thing to happen to anyone but to happen to someone like Shamus, who was such a nice guy - it's unbelievable.
He was just such a great guy. His funeral is going to be tragic but it will be packed School friend
'I feel so sorry for his mum, she would never have thought that something like this would happen.
'He was just such a great guy. His funeral is going to be tragic but it will be packed.'
Candles, flowers and messages were left nearby. One of the messages said: 'Shamus, can't believe you're gone.'
Another read: 'Shamus my brother and friend! I'm going to miss you so much mate. I love being around you.'
Friends and family also took to social media to pay tribute to the teenager.
His godmother Tracey Leaver, from Bristol, wrote on Facebook: 'RIP to my sweet sweet godson Shamus Mcnama my heart has just been ripped out all my love going out to all the family xxxx'
Amy Revill added: 'Such sad news!! Words can't describe how much you will be missed by many!
Several notes have been left at the scene of the stabbing, with others taking to social media to pay tribute to the 16-year-old
Police officers and forensics personnel can be seen at the scene of the fatal stabbing in Stothard Road
'Shamus Mcnama sleep tight mate. Thinking of all the family at such a hard time!'
Phoebe Clements wrote: 'RIP Shamus Mcnama. I don't really know what to say because I only saw you last night, you looked like you were having such a good time, rest in paradise xxx'
Senior investigating officer Richard Pegler, said: 'We are now appealing for anyone that witnessed a disturbance in the street between 5.30am and 6.30am to get in touch with the police.
'We are also asking for anyone in the area who thinks they may have heard or seen anything suspicious or out of the ordinary between those times to come forward.
'Our thoughts are very much with the family of this young man who has tragically lost his life and we are doing everything we can to support them during this difficult time.
'While there continues to be increased police activity in the area, we'd like to reassure residents that there's no risk to the wider community.'
Family liaison officers are supporting Shamus's family. A post-mortem examination will be carried out by a Home Office pathologist.
A police spokesman said: 'We have tonight charged Jazzie Watson, 19, with the murder of Shamus Mcnama on February 28 at Stothard Road, Lockleaze in Bristol,' a force spokesman said.
'A second man who was arrested has been released without charge.
A courier from Sydney suspected of being involved with a dangerous group of radicals has been arrested for accessing and using extremist material online.
After he was convicted last year of using his brother's passport to travel to the Middle East to - allegedly to join Islamic State - Ahmad Saiyer Naizmand, 21, was placed under a terrorism control order.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports he was arrested on Monday night by police and charged with five breaches of the control order - relating to breaching the restriction on accessing electronic material.
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Ahmad Saiyer Naizmand has been arrested for accessing extremist material online
He allegedly stole his brother's passport in 2015 to travel to the Middle East and join the fight with Islamic State
As part of the control order, Naizmand was prevented from accessing electronic material connected to any activities at all relating to Islamic State - this can be the likes of headings, suicide attacks or bombings.
The order placed restrictions on his movements and communications, preventing him from contacting 18 other alleged extremists, known as the Naizmand group. Several of them have been charged with the murder of police accountant Curtis Cheng in Paramatta last year.
Naizmand was initially given a suspended jail sentence in February 2015 for using his brother's passport to travel to the Middle East via Malaysia.
Naizmand left Sydney airport on the passport, telling authorities he was travelling to Malaysia to see his uncle
He told authorities he was travelling to Malaysia to help a family member, but sparked interest after he was seen carrying only hand luggage and $6000 cash for a fortnight-long trip, Fairfax reported.
Naizmand's own passport had been cancelled in 2013 due to security concerns, so on August 6 he purchased a plane ticket with his brother's documents and departed Sydney airport.
He told customs officials he was a law student travelling alone to see his uncle in Malaysia, but two days later authorities intercepted him in Dubai, and flown back to Sydney where he was charged.
WA Premier Colin Barnett's son Sam has been charged with
The West Australian Premier's son has faced court on charges of damaging property after an argument where they 'smashed each other's laptops and a phone'.
Sam Barnett, 26, and his 21-year-old girlfriend Melissa Garbin, were holidaying on the Gold Coast when police were called to their unit on Surfers Paradise Boulevard after 2am on Monday.
The fight is said to have involved the pair smashing each other's laptops and a mobile phone after Ms Garbin discovered text messages on his phone from another woman.
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Sam Barnett, 26, and his 21-year-old girlfriend Melissa Garbin had a fight in the early hours of Monday
Police were called to the Gold Coast apartment where they were staying after they 'broke each others laptops and a mobile phone'
Mr Barnett is pictured after a court appearance on the Gold Coast on Tuesday
The 26-year-old man is the son of West Australian Premier Colin Barnett (pictured)
On Monday morning Barnett spent an hour in a holding cell before being charged with 'one count of wilful damage'.
'Gold Police have charged a 26-year-old Western Australian man with one count of willful damage at a Surfers Paradise premises on Monday,' a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.
'Around 2am police were called to surfers paradise boulevard unit after the man allegedly damaged some property'.
Barnett fronted Southport Courthouse on Tuesday morning, and said he thinks the charge will be dropped.
Speaking after his brief appearance in a closed court, Barnett said he was yet to speak to his father - West Australian Premier Colin Barnett - about the matter.
Ms Garbin (pictured) is said to have discovered text messages on his phone from another woman
Barnett (left( noted that none of the charges against him related to any physical violence by either himself or Ms Garbin (right)
Barnett said he was yet to speak to his father - Premier Colin Barnett (pictured) - about the matter
'Dad probably believes I'm capable of looking after myself,' Barnett said outside court.
'I've spoken to mum and mum's not thrilled.'
Barnett, a property developer, noted that none of the charges against him related to any physical violence by either himself or Ms Garbin.
'The police have been wonderful to work with and together we're coming up with a just outcome,' he said.
But it is estimated that each operatie can save 50 children a year
They are then placed in Homeland Security field offices, where they can catch sexual predators and save children from abuse
Injured US army veterans might not be able to go to war any more, but they don't have to stop fighting the good fight thanks to The Hero Child Rescue Corps, a government-funded project that trains them to hunt child predators.
Operating since 2013, the Hero (Human Exploitation Rescue Operative) Corps trains army veterans in cyber forensics before placing them in Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) field offices across the US. So far, it has placed 100 veterans.
It's a mission that not only helps potentially thousands of victimized children across the country, but also helps the veterans themselves, giving them a new purpose and a way to help and protect the people of their country.
Heroes: Run by the the National Association to Protect Children (Protect), the Hero Child Rescue Corps trains veterans like these to examine evidence in child porn cases, stopping porn traffickers and real-life abusers
Opportunity: Jabryeth 'J' Christian (pictured), CEO of Protect says that the Hero Cops give injured soldiers an 'opportunity' to reclaim their role as a protector
Jabryeth 'J' Christian is the CEO of the National Association to Protect Children (Protect) and was himself an Army Ranger until his spine was fractured in a mission to Afghanistan.
He told CNN: In one second [the veteran's] entire life changed. When that happens, I know from personal experience, you start to wonder, what can I now do? And once you find this opportunity, you know it's truly your opportunity to step back into that role.'
Videos on the official Hero Corps site feature testimonies by a number of veterans-turned-crime-fighters.
In one official video, a veteran identified only as Shannon says, 'I physically couldn't do my job any longer. And I had to tell the guys I'd laughed and bled and sweated with that I can't do the job any more, and that was really, really a tough pill to swallow for me.'
But in a later video, he remarks, 'When you go in, and you serve a warrant, and the bad guy your target figures out why you're there, and you watch the color flush from his face, it makes you feel so good, knowing that [this] person is done hurting kids.'
Training: The vets are given 11 weeks of intensive training followed by 10 months of in-the-field experience. At the conclusion of all this, they are placed in Homeland Security Investigations field offices
Technology: Operatives are trained to examine computers, cellphones and external hard disks to uncover evidence that can be used to identify victims and prosecute predators
Of course, it's not just the soldiers who benefit: the fight against child pornography on the web is a challenging one.
According to The Demand Project, which fights child abuse, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reviewed 17.3 million images and videos of suspected child pornography in 2011. That's four times more than 2007.
It also says that a study by the center found that 40 percent of people who were arrested for possession of child pornography had also raped children. CNN quotes a study by the University of New Hampshire that put the proportion of 'hands-on offenders' among child porn owners at 55 percent.
Such overwhelming figures mean that as many people as possible are needed to analyze digital evidence in order to trap child porn traffickers and, potentially, active child abusers.
Veterans who are accepted onto the project are given 11 weeks of training and 10 months of hands-on experience to hone their skills at analyzing computers, cellphones and external hard disks while hunting for evidence that a suspect is harboring or worse, producing child pornography.
They are then placed in HSI field offices, where it is estimated that each operative can stop or prevent up to 50 children a year from being abused and exploited.
And while they have undoubtedly seen some of the worst of human nature in the armed forces, little can prepare for the kinds of imagery they will find on some of the machines they analyze.
'You see groups of children being abused at levels the average American cannot fathom,' Christian told CNN. 'If you imagine an infant getting gagged and bound tortured, it's not a rare occurrence to come across.'
Good guy: Tom Block, who lost his eye in Afghanistan, wants to join to 'go after the bad guys.' His prosthetic eye is patterned like Captain America's shield a symbol of his desire to stand up to 'bullies'
Harrowing: The operatives must look at truly harrowing images while doing their jobs, but it is estimated that each one saves as many a 50 children a year from being exploited and abused
But that's the kind of horror that Hero operatives are willing to face. CNN spoke to one hopeful operative, Tom Block, Army Times's Soldier of the Year 2014.
Block, who lost his right eye to a suicide bomber in Afghanistan and now wears a prosthetic eye with Captain America's shield on it a symbol of his desire to stand up to 'bullies' told the channel, 'It's an opportunity for me to go after bad guys again. The complete scope of the crime is a lot more than people probably think.'
He adds: 'I'll be honest, looking in the mirror can be tough sometimes. But you keep your faith, you keep your confidence, and you go out there and try to make somebody else's life better. It's what you do after-the-fact, and I think I'm trying to do a pretty damn good job.'
The Hero Corps is run by Protect in co-operation with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Special Operations Command, and plans to put 200 of its operatives into US law enforcement agencies by 2018.
The parents of a teenage girl killed in Saturday's horrific chain-reaction car crash in Commerce, California, have spoken out, asking for justice for their daughter.
William and Gigi Littlefield said what happened to their daughter, Michelle Littlefield, 19, who died alongside Brian Lewandowski, 18, as the teens drove back from Disneyland, is 'unacceptable'.
Michelle was slated to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in fall, worked for Six Flag Magic Mountain and attended College of the Canyons.
William and Gigi Littlefield want justice for their daughter, Michelle, 19, who was killed in a drag racing accident on Saturday
Killed: Brian Lewandowski (pictured left), 18, and Michelle Littlefield (right), 19, were returning from Disneyland when a UPS truck was struck by an alleged street racer, sending over the midway and into their Nissan
'It's unacceptable. It's unbelievable, and it's unfathomable,' William Littlefield said. 'It hit me hard this morning. It's too much. ... We were very attached,' William told KTLA 5 fighting back sobs.
Michelle's mother said she had trouble verbalizing her sorrow.
'She was a very happy girl and for me words can't express the pain. I really can't imagine how I will deal.
'We don't want this to happen again, for some others to suffer like what we're going through.
'Her spirit is alive and only her body is not with us,' Gigi said.
Lewandowski and Michelle were killed on the 5 Freeway Saturday when a southbound UPS truck being driven by Scott Treadway, 52, was struck shortly after midnight by a Dodge Challenger that police say was involved in a street-race.
The truck hit the center meridian and was lifted into the air over the northbound lane, where it sheared the top off a Nissan containing Lewandowski, Littlefield and two other young adults. The truck then landed on a Ford Explorer and burst into flames. Treadway also died in the crash.
Wreck: The Nissan, seen at the rear-left of this photo, had its top sheared off by the truck, killing both teens. Two other young adults in the vehicle were hospitalized with critical injuries
The driver of the Dodge Challenger, 35-year-old Dealio Lockhart, stopped after the crash and has been charged with vehicular manslaughter. The other alleged street-racer, who was driving a Dodge Charger, fled the scene. Witnesses told NBC News that the cars were driving at speeds of up to 90mph.
Lewandowski and Littlefield, whose Facebook profiles say they both work for Six Flags Magic Mountain, were on their way back from Disneyland when the crash occurred, NBC News reported. The two other occupants of the Nissan were hospitalized with critical injuries.
Speaking to the station, William Littlefield, Michelle's father, said: 'I'm sorry this happened to both of us. We would never want any of this. Michelle would be disappointed she was killed. But she would never hold any ill will.'
And while he was 'absolutely devastated,' he said he and his wife would 'hold no strife whatsoever against the driver.'
Dedicated: UPS driver Scott Treadway (pictured left) was a dedicated family man who took his job seriously. He was hit by a Dodge Challenger driving at speeds of up to 90mph, which caused him to crash
Horrific: The Dodge driver, 35-year-old Dealio Lockhart, has been charged with vehicular manslaughter. Another driver fled the scene of the horrific crash. Several other people were injured, but none killed
Lewandowski's parents, Jocelyn and Victor, said in a statement to the press: 'Brian was an incredible young man and every parent's dream for a son. We are absolutely devastated by our loss.
'Our hearts go out to the other victims and their families and our prayers are for the survivors' recovery. We are very thankful for the love and support of family and friends throughout this time.'
NBC News also spoke to Scott Treadway's brother, Dana, who described the UPS driver as a hard worker who took his job seriously and was always there for his family, which included a stepson and stepdaughter.
He said: 'He'd come and help you any time you needed it. He was always there for you, and we'll miss him.' He then turned away from the camera to hide his tears.
And he was not at all pleased to hear that one of the drivers had fled the scene. 'He's a coward who needs to fess up,' he told the station.
The arrested driver, Dealio Lockhart, faces vehicular manslaughter charges and is being held on $1million bail pending his court appearance on Tuesday. He has no prior criminal history.
British actor Tom Hollander has said that public school educated actors like Eddie Redmayne are only more prominent because sounding posh is 'fashionable' at the moment.
Hollander, claims that actors such as Oscar-nominated Redmayne, Damian Lewis and Benedict Cumberbatch, are simply more prominent due to current screen trends.
The actor, 48, who was the star of British comedy Rev, said: 'Isn't it just that three actors who seem to have gone to public school are getting highly visible work?
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British actor Tom Hollander (pictured in Rev) has said that public school educated actors like Eddie Redmayne are only more prominent because sounding posh is 'fashionable' at the moment
Hollander, claims that actors such as Oscar-nominated Redmayne (left), Damian Lewis and Benedict Cumberbatch (right), are simply 'more visible' due to current screen trends
'When I started in the profession there were very visible actors who were Scottish, Welsh or regional.
'Lots of working-class-hero leading actors - it was not fashionable to sound posh. Now I'm middle-aged, it's fashionable to sound posh if you are the generation behind me.'
Hollander, who currently appears alongside public school educated Tom Hiddleston in The Night Manager, was talking to the Radio Times about his new ITV drama Doctor Thorne.
Co-star Rebecca Front, from political comedy The Thick Of It, said she went to state school, but admitted it was harder to make it in the acting world without wealthy parents.
'It's not impossible to be an actor if you went to state school. I went to state school,' the 51-year-old said.
'But there is a problem of affordability, I know one major drama school is worried that only rich kids can access an arts education.'
The issue of class is another dimension of the continuing diversity debate.
Dame Helen Mirren, EastEnders' Danny Dyer and Julie Walters are just three names who have voiced concern about what they perceive as acting's growing class divide.
Hollnder (right), who currently appears alongside public school educated Tom Hiddleston (centre) in The Night Manager (pictured), said it used to be fashionable not to be posh
However, Hollander and Front were in sync as they discussed Doctor Thorne.
Based on Anthony Trollope's novel, and written by Bafta and Emmy award-winning Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, it is set in the village of Greshamsbury, in the fictional county of Barsetshire.
When I started in the profession there were very visible actors who were Scottish, Welsh or regional Tom Hollander
Doctor Thorne lives with his penniless young niece Mary, played by Rada-trained newcomer Stefanie Martini.
Mary is devastated when she learns she is the illegitimate child of the doctor's late brother.
Her predicament is made worse by the love between her and Frank Gresham (newcomer Harry Richardson), the heir to the Greshamsbury Estate.
Frank's overbearing mother Lady Arabella (Front) insists he must save the family from financial ruin by marrying wealthy American heiress, Miss Dunstable (Mad Men actress Alison Brie).
Meanwhile, Doctor Thorne acts as both physician and advisor to millionaire Sir Roger Scatcherd (Lovejoy's Ian McShane), who has the fate of Greshamsbury in his hands.
Dr Thorne co-star Rebecca Front (left) said she went to state school, but admitted it was harder to make it in the acting world without wealthy parents
The actor, from political comedy The Thick Of It (pictured), said: 'I know one major drama school is worried that only rich kids can access an arts education'
Like Downton, the three-part production, which will also feature Prince Harry's former girlfriend Cressida Bonas as Mary's confidante Patience Oriel, is another period drama.
Front, who recently portrayed Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskoy in BBC One's adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War And Peace, joked about how happy she will be if she never has to wear a corset again.
Bristol-born Hollander hailed his character, calling Doctor Thorne 'strong and really courageous'.
Published in 1858, this is the first television adaptation of the novel.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Armenia implements its tasks under rather complicated geopolitical conditions. Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan told about this during the meeting with the scientists at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia. The regional security system is fragile. And today we reinforce the security system of our country parallel with the process of great powers attempts to advance their interests, Armenpress reports Ohanyan mentioning.
The Minister mentioned that one of the key achievements of Armenia in the recent years is that the activities of the Defense Ministry are based on strategic plan. We do not step in the same place, we move forward, and we have already entered the second phase of our strategic plan: implementation of the development program of the Armed Forces, armaments and military equipment which is the continuation of the large-scale works of the implementation of defensive, strategic programs. All that aimed at studying the security environment of Armenia and exposure of all kinds of threats, Ohanyan mentioned.
He reminded that not only the army, but the entire Armenian people took part in the Artsakh liberation war. Ohanyan mentioned that years of hard work of the entire Armenian people served as the roots of the establishment of the Armenian army. In his words, this lead to the situation that the Defense Ministry of Armenia has its unique role in the state administration of Armenia.
Believe the world was created by a god made of spaghetti and meatballs
Followers of the religion go by the title 'pastafarians' and wear colanders
Karen Martyn is a the church's first marriage celebrant for in New Zealand
Government approved church's request to be able to solemnise weddings
New Zealanders can now get hitched in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster after the government officially recognised the quirky church's marriages.
The nation's first 'Ministeroni' Karen Martyn, from Wellington on the countries North Island, is certified as a marriage celebrant for the niche religion, whose followers believe the world was created by a god made of spaghetti and meatballs.
The New Zealand government approved the church's request to be able to solemnise weddings last year, and now followers - or pastafarians - are allowed tie the knot in the church's name, reports ABC.
New Zealand woman Karen Martyn (pictured) is the country's first legally recognised marriage celebrant - or ministeroni
Pastafarians wear pirate clothing because they believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster created pirates
Karen Martyn defended against her claims the church was merely a parody and claims it's a legitimate religion
Ms Martyn said the marriage ceremony involves some rather unorthodox equipment in the place of flowers and champagne.
'We have swords, we have noodles and pasta involved in the ceremony. It's a bit of fun.'
The religion only reached mainstream culture about a decade ago, but has made headlines in the past when members won battles to wear colanders in their driver's licence photographs.
The New Zealand Government gave the group the green light to stage weddings under the grounds they 'uphold or promotes religious beliefs or philosophical or humanitarian convictions.'
The Church thanked New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs Births, Deaths and Marriages team for their work processing and communicating with it regarding their application for Ms Martyn to become a 'ministeroni'.
On its Facebook page - that has almost 50,000 members - the New Zealand Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster notes it is: 'a real, legitimate religion, as much as any other religion. That is the point'.
Ms Martyn, who also has a full-time job, defended against her claims the church was merely a parody.
'You can make fun of us because we really believe all religions should be subject to scrutiny and to humour. And they should be for the greater good not something that tears people apart, communities apart, or pits people against each other.'
Ms Martyn, who also has a full-time job, said her new role meant people in New Zealand could marry the 'pasta-ific' way
In 2005 Bobby Henderson, the church's prophet, revealed the world was created by a flying spaghetti monster - commonly referred to as the FSM
Anyone who does marry with the church can expect an offbeat event, with its website describing the event as involving the ministeroni saying 'whatever floats your boat or sauces your noodles' - as long as those being married have their real names mentioned at some point.
They also say those marrying don't have to give each other a 'ringatoni' - they can exchange anything they want.
Afterwards, it is traditional to hold a pasta feast.
Being a ministeroni involves no personal gain - fees cover only the costs of conducting the marriage and a donation to the church.
In 2005, its prophet, Bobby Henderson, revealed his belief the world was created by a flying spaghetti monster - commonly referred to as the FSM.
Pastafarians dress like pirates because they believe pirates were created by the FSM.
They also wear colanders on their heads to mark important occasions.
Members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (the FSM) believe the world was created by the FSM
New Zealand may be thousands of miles from the U.S. presidential campaign trail but local Democratic Party supporters can boast about being the first in the world to cast ballots in multi-state primaries dubbed 'Super Tuesday' and in a bar, no less.
American voters living in Wellington and registered as Democrats cast their ballots just after midnight early Tuesday local time, almost a day ahead of compatriots back home.
In keeping with the South Pacific nation's informal style, all 28 of the votes were cast at a local drinking spot, the Public Bar and Eatery.
Handily winning the day in New Zealand was Senator Bernie Sanders, who picked up 21 votes, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got six. One ballot was spoiled.
American voters who are registered Democrats cast their ballots in Wellington, New Zealand just after midnight early Tuesday local time. The 28 votes were the first cast in the world for Super Tuesday (pictured: Bernie Sanders)
Sanders picked up 21 votes, while Hillary Clinton got six. One ballot was spoiled. Pictured, Bernie supporters at a campaign rally in Minnesota on February 29
The results will be confirmed later this month at the global voter tally center in Germany.
Wellington is the first of 111 cities in 41 countries outside the U.S. to cast ballots in the primary for Democrats abroad.
Republicans living overseas won't be able to do the same because the party doesn't allow for its supporters to vote in primaries.
So far, four states have held primaries or caucuses to choose each party's nominee in November's presidential election.
On Tuesday, Democrats will be voting in 11 states and American Samoa, with 865 delegates at stake.
It takes 2,383 delegates to win the party's nomination. Democrats abroad are allocated 17 of those delegates.
Republicans, meanwhile, will be voting in 11 states on Super Tuesday, with 595 delegates at stake toward the 1,237 delegates needed to capture the party's nomination.
Americans living in New Zealand include students, those with specialized jobs, and retirees, said Kat Allikian, chair of the Democrats Abroad New Zealand.
She said a big motivation for local voters was to stop Republicans winning the White House in particular, leading candidate Donald Trump.
'The overwhelming concern of all Democrats overseas is this Trump phenomenon that is happening on the Republican side,' she said.
'It's mindboggling that he's running away with the nomination. Although it's not set yet.'
Allikian said it was an honor to lead the vote among those living overseas.
'People are really tickled that we're the very first in the world,' she said.
A Fed-Ex delivery woman was stuck outside when winds reaching 140 miles per hour ripped through Paincourtville, Louisiana when a tornado hit last week.
Kyra Johnson was delivering packages to Sagona's Hardware store when the tornado suddenly advanced towards her, leaving the shop completely destroyed in its wake.
Shocking surveillance videos released by the store's owner David Sagona shows Johnson miraculously surviving the tornado as she takes refuge behind a soda machine just moments before the shop appears to explodes around her.
Kyra Johnson (left) was delivering packages to Sagona's Hardware store when an EF-3 tornado hit in Paincourtville, Louisiana. Pictured right, David Sagona the store's owner
Winds reaching as high as 140mph tore through the store on February 23, 2016, leaving it in a heap of mangled metal
Here, a picture shows the store in mint condition. Johnson took refuge behind the soda machine, but it toppled over in the wind, leaving her vulnerable to the elements
Just moments before, Johnson had dropped off packages at the shop's back door and took a video of the swirling tornado in the distance.
She can be heard marveling at the tornado's size and says: 'I hope it doesn't come this way.'
The vortex did just that within minutes, and Johnson was then captured on the store's surveillance camera at 3.24pm desperately pulling at the front doors, which were locked.
She told KLTV: 'I just braced myself right here between the soda machine. It wasn't even holding on. It was just to brace myself.'
The heavy vending machine toppled over just seconds later and Johnson recalls asking God for help.
Sagona was surprised to see Johnson when he reviewed the surveillance videos. Here, Johnson can be seen desperately tugging at the locked doors (left) and then hiding between the wall and the vending machine (right)
Moments later, a part of the roof flies off as Johnson braced herself behind the soda machine (bottom left)
Then all hell breaks loose and the building appears to explode around her as the tornado rips through the store
She later wrote on her Facebook: 'This is what happened to me on February 23, 2016. God Please Save Me and HE DID!! He heard my cry in all that wind. I shouted for him the whole time it was over us.
'I dont even remember being scared. I didnt have time. It was survival mode.That Coke machine fell. I had nothing to block me.
'He told me to hold on to the door and I did as I watched my life flash before my eyes!'
Sagona, on the other hand, took refuge in the bathrooms and upstairs offices of the store with his employees, unaware that Johnson was outside.
A number of tornadoes tore through the South last week, leaving a total of five dead. Johnson, Sagona, and the hardware store's employees all walked away unscathed
Sagona gave Johnson a commemorative t-shirt with a bible verse on it. They both believe they were saved by God
He said he witnessed the side wall of the building blow away, and different security cameras captured the roof crashing down.
Days later, he was surprised to see Johnson when he reviewed the security footage.
The two didn't know each other before the disaster hit, but Johnson rushed into the store once the tornado had passed to make sure everyone was okay.
Both Sagona and Johnson attributed their survival to a higher power, and the shop owner gave Johnson a t-shirt with a bible verse on it to commemorate their near-death experience.
A number of tornadoes hit the South last Tuesday and Wednesday, killing a total of seven people in Virginia, Louisiana, Florida, and Mississippi. Dozens were injured.
Johnson, Sagona, and the store's employees were all left unscathed.
Despite a lack of injuries, the devastation was apparent and Sagona's Hardware was left missing a roof and several walls
Thirty black students were removed from a Donald Trump rally in Georgia Monday night shortly before the candidate appeared on stage.
The group had been waiting to see Trump at Valdosta State University when law enforcement officials or university security its unclear which told them they needed to leave the venue and then escorted them out, despite the fact that they are all students at the college.
Some of the students spoke with the Des Moines Register after the incident, claiming that Secret Service agents approached them while they were waiting for the rally to start and said Trump himself had requested they be removed from the event.
But video posted on Twitter by the Register's reporter suggests bystanders thought they were removed because they were dressed as a group in all-black clothing not because of their race.
And the town's police chief said Tuesday morning that the students were being disruptive and dropping 'F-bombs' before they were tossed out.
A security guard on the scene also told DailyMail.com late on Monday night that the group's uniform garments made officers believe they were there to start a commotion.
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Trump's campaign insisted it had no knowledge of 30 black students being escorted out of a rally at Valdosta State University on Monday night
Trump said he was on his airplane when the incident happened and resented the Des Moines Register for dragging him into it
Trump rallies typically begin with a public address announcement advising attendees that while they 'certainly have the right to free speech, this is a private event paid for by Mr. Trump. We have provided a safe protest area outside the venue for all protests.'
Trumps Secret Service protective detail, like those assigned to other dignitaries, seldom takes chances. One agent told DailyMail.com last week that Trump and other protected presidential candidates have the benefit of 'security perimeters' nearly as tight as that employed for President Barack Obama.
Former senior Trump aide Roger Stone wrote Feb. 18 on Twitter that the Republican front-runner wears a bullet-proof vest during campaign appearances.
Trump's campaign denied the Valdosta students' suggestions of racial profiling on Monday night.
Campaign press secretary Hope Hicks wrote DailyMail.com in an email: 'There is no truth to this whatsoever.'
She later added: 'The campaign had no knowledge of this incident before being alerted to this false report.'
Valdosta Police Chief Brian Childress, however, told USA TODAY that 'these folks were told the leave ... by the Trump detail.'
He said the officers mad the right call.
At least one of the ejected students was white, he said, and several were behaving in a way that could have gotten them arrested.
The students were sitting in the bleachers at the Trump rally when officials approached to remove them
'What I resent is now some of these folks are going around saying it was a black issue. Thats total nonsense,' Childress said.
'I personally asked why were these folks told to leave and the reason was: they were being disruptive. The Trump staff said they were using profanity. The F-bomb is one word that was used. You cant be in there using profanity. That violates Georgia law.'
Tahjila Davis, one of the students who was removed from the rally, wrote about the incident on Facebook Monday night, and attributed her dismissal to the color of her skin.
'I have never been so outraged and let down by my university until today,' she wrote. 'Donald Trump rented out and held a rally at the PE Complex earlier today and me and some more students from Valdosta wanted to go to see what he had to say.'
'After we got our tickets, waited in line, went through security and walked to get our seats,' Davis continued, 'Trumps [sic] secret service came up to us and asked us to leave. Again, a group of all black students who WERE NOT there to protest, but to sit in the rally like every else, got KICKED OUT FOR NO REASON.'
There was no yelling, we held no signs, no nothing. After getting put out, the police continued to try to escort us off of our own campus. I payed [sic] money to go to this school like every other student. I got my ticket for the rally like EVERY other person in that building. Why do I get kicked out?'
Another student, Brooke Gladney, told the Register reporter; 'SecretService [sic] told us we had to get out...Only reason we were given is that Mr Trump did not want us there.'
Around 30 students, who said they were not there to disrupt Trump, were escorted from the rally at Valdosta State University
Photos and videos show the group being removed from the venue and then escorted off the grounds of the college, which until 1963 was a whites-only campus.
DailyMail.com saw representatives of at least seven different local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies at Monday's rally, plus campus security officers.
It was unclear which agency was responsible for removing the students from the event until Childress sopke up.
Davis did not respond to questions about how she knew it was agents from U.S. Secret Service who were involved in her and her friends' ejections from the arena.
Trump vented his outrage Tuesday during a campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio, blaming the Des Moines Register 'a failed paper in Iowa' for dragging him personally into the controversy.
'I was a story about us having me having people evicted from one of my rallies. And I was in the aeroplane! I have nothing to do with it,' he said.
'I show up, I didn't even know anything happened. And they wrote this vicious story, and it gets picked up by everybody. And this is a paper that's an enemy of ours, with a writer who is horrible, and they pick it up all over the place!'
The Des Moines Register has been on the Trump campaign's black list since mid-2015 when its editorial board wrote that The Donald should withdraw from the race.
'Trump should pull the plug on his bloviating side show,' the editorial was headlined.
'And they said, "Donald Trump ordered 'em out",' Trump went on.
'I was in my plane. I was traveling. I didn't even know these people. They are such liars. They are disgusting people, I'm telling you.'
A French firm that made medals for Napoleons army as he waged war on Britain could soon become the first foreign company to make British honours awarded in recognition of service to our monarch and country.
Arthus-Bertrand was founded in Paris in 1803, the year after Napoleon Bonaparte established the Legion dhonneur, Frances most illustrious medal, and 12 years before his defeat at Waterloo.
The companys website says that by providing the new medal it became over time a witness to history. Now it has been shortlisted as a potential manufacturer of 20 honours presented by the Queen including the medal of the Distinguished Service Order, given for outstanding leadership during active military service, and medals for citizens honoured by the Queen every year.
The CBE nedals (left) and the Distinguished Service Order (right) are among the 20 British honours which will be made by French medal maker Arthus Bertrand after they were handed the contract
The Order of the Bath (left) and the Order of St Michael and St George (right), handed to senior civil servants, will be made by the company which makes the Legion dhonneur, Frances most illustrious medal
Arthus-Bertrand has been named on the shortlist with seven British businesses following a tendering process by the Crown Commercial Service, a branch of the Cabinet Office.
British medal makers criticised the move, blaming the European Union and its tendering rules.
Europe states that these things have to go out to tender to everyone, one said.
Unfortunately the UK seems to obey all these rules, yet somehow weve never been able to find a tender offer for French state honours. A Cabinet Office source yesterday said no contracts have yet been awarded and it was not guaranteed that all the firms on the shortlist would get work.
But the spectre of British honours being made overseas has struck a sour note with military veterans and British manufacturers.
Colonel Bob Stewart, a Conservative MP and former British commander in Bosnia in the 1990s who was awarded the DSO, told The Times: My argument is rather emotive but I think that a medal awarded to a UK citizen should be made in the UK personally Im very glad that my DSO was made in Britain.
Colonel Bob Stewart, a Conservative MP and himself a holder of the DSO (pictured when he received it in 1993) was outraged by the decision
Can you imagine the French allowing the Legion dhonneur to be made in Germany? When this country awards medals to its soldiers, sailors, airmen and citizens they should be made in the UK.
Peter Duckers, author of more than a dozen books on British medals, said many early Legion dhonneur medals would have been awarded to French soldiers who were fighting against Britain, but some later ones would have been awarded to Britons when we fought alongside the French in the Crimean War, First World War and Second World War.
He said some British medals were struck during the First World War to be given to French people for their service to Britain but such a move was unheard of outside of a wartime emergency.
He said: It wont look right to have Bertrand of Paris embossed on the inside of the box.
Julian Lewis MP, Conservative chairman of the defence select committee, said: It does seem a little bit inappropriate if an honour from a grateful nation for heroic endeavour cant even be manufactured in the UK.
Even value for money considerations ought to have their limits.
The Cabinet Office said the shortlisting of Arthus-Bertrand was subject to the usual public sector procurement legal framework which encourages free and open competition and value for money.
Jean Charles Rocher, Arthus-Bertrands sales director, confirmed that the French company is awaiting its first order and said they were very proud at the prospect of becoming the first foreign company to be able to supply medals to the English market.
He maybe mans best friend, but Nacho the police dog has no time for criminals as he showed by helping to take a man into custody, and in the process he became an online sensation.
Channel Nine reports that the Western Australian police dog helped to track down and catch a 27-year-old man who was wanted for several alleged offences.
When detectives from Armadale searched a property in Lynwood, Perth, the man they were looking for allegedly attempted to escape through the backyard of a neighbours house.
Western Australian police dog Nacho (pictured) has saved the day - after helping police take a man into custody
But this was when Nacho leapt into action. He immediately tracked the man down and lead officers to where he was hiding under a nearby boat.
The man was taken into custody without further incident.
Since then Nacho has been hailed a hero since then and after a post was put on the WA Polices Facebook it generated more than 1,600 likes.
A police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that Nacho has been a police dog since April 2014 and he is about to turn three years old.
Western Australia Police had this image on their Faceback to highlight Nacho's actions
Hide and seek completion results: Police Dog Nacho 1, People 0, was posted on the WA Polices Facebook.
And there were no shortage of users who posted their admiration for Nacho on Facebook.
An 'extra cup of kibble' was in order for Nacho after his display one user believed. Another thought it was definitely a 'nacho day', while the 'Long Paw of the Law' was another way Nacho's effort was described as.
An 'extra cup of kibble' was in order for Nacho after his display one user believed
It was definitely a 'nacho day' as far as Ankur Jai Thakur was concerned
Melania Trump wants Americans to know her husband is not a racist and is not anti-immigrant, as voters in 11 states go to the polls for Super Tuesday.
In an interview with Anderson Cooper on Monday night, Melania discussed hot-button issues surrounding her husband's presidential campaign.
As Super Tuesday dawns, Trump is leading comfortably in Georgia and is expected to win at least eight of the 11 primaries and caucuses.
When asked by Cooper about Trump's KK endorsement scandal and people accusing him of being racist with his tance on immigration, Melania said: 'No, he's not. He's not racist. He's not anti-immigrant.'
'He wants to keep America safe. He wants to have illegal immigrants taken care of that they will not be in the country, that they don't pay taxes, that they are criminals, and that they are not good for America. He wants -- he was talking about the illegal immigration, not about everybody.'
Melania also told Cooper she has to have a very thick skin and has to as the remaining GOP candidates' attacks become more vicious against her husband as the candidates fight to come out on top.
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Melania Trump sat down with Anderson Cooper on the eve of Super Tuesday in her second ever solo interview
Melania told Cooper that Trump's demeanor and tone will be different if he's able to claim the White House
The Donald has proven himself to be a natural politician with retail-campaign skills not seen in the south since the days of Bill Clinton as he spoke to 7,500 people in in Valdosta, Georgia
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz should hold on in his home state and one other. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio might win a contest.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retired surgeon Ben Carson aren't expected to take home any medals at all, but they could collect handfuls of delegates in states that don't set a minimum voting threshold.
Similar suspense, with fewer insults, animates the Democratic race. Hillary Clinton, the establishment pick, scored a weekend blowout in South Carolina on Saturday. She looks strong in many Super Tuesday states.
As they discussed the campaign's tone, Cooper asked Melania if she thought her husband could change his, as many have been critical of how Trump handles certain situations.
Cooper said: 'You know, your husband has been criticized for sometimes his tone on the campaign trail.
'One thing he said to me is that as president, you know, campaigning is one thing.
'As president he would have a different tone if he was actually in the White House.'
Melania said she believes her husband would be different if he was sitting in the Oval Office.
'Yes, he can have a different tone.
'He really can have a different tone, because to build the empire and the business that he built, you cannot always use that kind of a tone.
'And he can really change.
'I know him, and he could really change the words and the tone.
'And - but, you know, he is who he is.
'And you could see his following and people agree with him because they are tired of Washington and politicians in Washington. They don't do much,' Melania said.
The former model touched on a wide range of issues from her husband's tweeting habits to his refusal to repeatedly disavow former Klansman David Duke, who endorsed him last week
Repeat offense: Trump pictured above at the New Hampshire rally where he repeated the derogatory statement about Ted Cruz after someone yelled it in the crowd
HIGH STAKES: Five GOP candidates will spar over 595 Republican National Convention delegates on March 1. Here's how they're distributed according to population
ROCKY TOP: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump drew thousands to a Tennessee airport hangar for a rally on Saturday
The conversation touched on things like Trump's language and Melania saying she didn't like that he called Ted Cruz a 'p****'.
She said: 'I don't agree with everything that he says, but you know, that is normal.
'I'm my own person, I tell him what I think, I'm standing very strong on the ground on my two feet and I'm my own person, and I think that's very important in the relationship.'
They also discussed Melania's legal immigration to the U.S. and Trump's late-night Twitter habits, which she said don't bother her.
Cooper and Melania addressed the recent controversy surrounding Trump disavowing former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke and then refusing to disavow the Klansman again.
The former model said her husband is not racist or anti-immigrant, but that they don't agree 100 per cent on every issue. She said she thinks it's healthy to 'be your own person' in a marriage and relationship
Melania said she doesn't think Trump refusing to disavow former Klansman David Duke again will be a problem for her GOP front-running husband
'Well, he disavowed many times. He disavowed at a press conference on Friday.
'So, I don't know why media needs to ask him so many times, because he disavowed.
Cooper then asked if Melania thought this could be a problem for Trump.
'I don't think so because they were asking him about the groups, and he said I dont want - I don't know about the groups, what you are talking about, the groups.
So, he disavowed, many, many times. So media is just bringing up, bringing up all the time.'
Trump holds up a CNN national poll showing him with a commanding lead as he speaks at a campaign rally at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia
Trump was at home in America's deep south at Valdosta State University, while 12,000 were stuck outside and could not get in, on Monday
Trump, as he always does, stayed after his speech for a half an hour to sign memorabilia and pose for pictures
Trump spoke to around 7,500 people at Valdosta State University, while another 12,000 were stuck outside and could not get in
The interview aired just hours before Super Tuesday, which is likely to determine who will get the party nomination for President.
Until now, voters in four states have picked the only delegates and just a few of them who are needed to clinch the party nominations.
That changes overnight, with each party holding contests in 11 states on Tuesday. Democrats also vote in American Samoa.
Republicans will allocate 595 delegates from the results of Super Tuesday, nearly half of the 1,237 needed for the nomination.
Democrats will allocate 865, more than one-third of the necessary 2,383.
The scoreboard shows 3-1 leads for Trump and Clinton.
Trump won New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Clinton won Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina.
Republican Ted Cruz won Iowa. Sanders won New Hampshire.
Proud husband: Donald Trump beams with pride as his wife smiles and waves to supporters after he won the South Carolina primary on February 20. Also pictured: daughter Ivanka Trump, left
Troubled comic has been in and out of custody over the past few years
Police found Williams lying with hands behind his back in 'arrest position'
The 42-year-old also allegedly threw a pair of goggles at the victim
Williams accused of punching employee after row in the pool supply store
Comedian was charged with battery after the alleged incident on Monday
Micah 'Katt' Williams has been arrested for allegedly punching an employee at Georgia store
Micah 'Katt' Williams has been arrested for allegedly punching an employee at Georgia store.
Williams, 42, was charged with battery after he got into a row with a staff member at the pool supply store.
The comedian, who was in the store with two women, threw a pair of goggles at the alleged victim before walking round the counter and punching him, according to Sgt. Kevin Holbrook.
Police arrived at the scene at 11.30am on Monday to find Williams outside 'lying on the ground with his hands behind his back as though he was ready to go to jail,' Holbrook added.
Perhaps Williams became familiar with the 'arrest' position after spending recent years in and out of custody.
At the end of last year, Williams appeared in court last year alongside former rap mogul Marion 'Suge' Knight where they pleaded not guilty to robbery charges.
The pair had been accused of taking a camera from a celebrity photographer during a confrontation in Beverly Hills in September 2014.
Leslie Redden claimed she suffered a concussion and injuries to her hands and wrist, as well as having her camera stolen, after she tried to take a picture of Suge's then six-year-old son.
Williams' attorney, Shawn Holley, admitted the comedian briefly took the camera to erase any images of the boy, after the equipment was taken by an unidentified woman in Knight and Williams' entourage. Both Knight and Williams denied the charges. A trial date has not been set.
The comedian (pictured) threw a pair of goggles at the alleged victim before walking round the counter and punching him, according to Sgt. Kevin Holbrook
Williams (pictured with rappers Nelly and Jermaine Dupri) has starred in several comedy specials and appeared in films such as First Sunday and Friday After Next
The comedian was accused of assault twice in 2012 - the first when he was sued for allegedly hitting his former assistant with a 'closed fist'.
He was later arrested for one for allegedly attacking an 18-year-old Berkeley, California man with a bottle aboard his tour bus
Later that year he found himself in trouble for his involvement in a bar dispute in South Lake Union, before he was arrested in December 2012, on charges of gun-related child endangerment.
The L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services had claimed that numerous guns and illegal drugs in his house created a safety hazard for the kids and four children were put in protective custody.
The case later fell apart and all charges were dropped.
Williams rounded out the year by announcing the end of his stand-up comedy career on December 3. Just three days later, Williams announced he was coming out of 'retirement.'
Not so funny now: Williams appeared in court last October accused of stealing a camera from celebrity photographer Leslie Redden
The comedian has starred in several comedy specials and appeared in films such as First Sunday and Friday After Next.
In his latest arrest, Williams refused to tell officers how the dispute began but told them to ask the store employee what happened, Holbrook said.
Hall County sheriff's Deputy Nicole Bailes said in an email that Williams faces a misdemeanor battery charge and was being held on $5,000 bond.
A gay mother who penned a furious bedtime plea for marriage equality after her partner died suddenly was left stunned after her message was shared online more than 20,000 times.
Naturopath Lara Ryan was at home the morning of February 8 when Elise, her partner of 10 years, was hit by a car while crossing the road just up the street. She died later in hospital.
A grief-stricken Ms Ryan was left frustrated by the challenge of having to explain her family to authorities and in forms.
Lara Ryan (right) lost her partner Elise (left) just three weeks ago after she was hit by a car in Tempe, in Sydney
'In my eyes and hers we were always married,' Lara Ryan (right) said. The couple are pictured with their newborn Skylar
So on Monday night she sat down and made her thoughts about same sex marriage public for the world to see, in an essay titled 'this is why'.
In a passionate argument for legal recognition of same sex couples, she reflected upon the many experiences she had in recent weeks.
'Having lost my partner in a horrible pedestrian accident this month I had to ask policemen if I was 'allowed' to write spouse on incident reports.
'I had to cross out boxes for husband on the death certificate and boxes for father on our new baby's birth certificate (both on the same day).
'I had to yell out in a busy, crazy emergency room "She is my wife, I know it's not legal but she is my wife!"
'Because we were never political, we just did our thing, did our life our way and tried to live by example to shift peoples hearts rather than pushing agendas.
'BUT the amount of freaking paper work I am having to do to secure mine and my children's future welfare is just ridiculous when all it would take is one marriage certificate.
'And most of all because I love her, and she has been my every day for ten years. She is the mother of our two girls, she is the future I dreamed of and she is my safe place to land.'
Her final argument for marriage equality was this: 'Because love is love and we should celebrate it and encourage it always. The world is harsh enough.'
'This experience has proven to me... how important it is to have that (formal) recognition,' Ms Ryan said
Ms Ryan told Daily Mail Australia she and Elise had always treated each other as if they were married - but having a legal document to put their name to was essential.
'In my eyes and hers we were always married,' she said. 'We wear rings. I changed my surname...'
'This experience has proven to me again about how important it is to have that [formal] recognition, just to have a document that gives me the same rights.
'If you're ringing someone (and explaining that) "my husband's died" (people understand).
'But if you say partner - most people are understanding, but not everyone.
'You've almost got to give your backstory every time'.
Friends of the family are trying to raise money to support Lara and their two daughters, little Ivy, four-and-a-half, and Skylar, one month.
Hundreds gathered on Monday to protest the shooting of 17-year-old Abdi Mohamed by Salt Lake City police, an incident that left the boy in critical condition.
The rally, organized by Utah Against Police Brutality, saw protesters chanting 'Black lives matter' and 'Hands up, don't shoot' as they marched through the city. They included family members of people who have been injured or killed by police in the state, reported KUTV.
Police say that Mohamed was caught beating someone with a 'metal object' and was only shot after he refused to drop the weapon and began approaching cops. Protesters say he had a wooden broom stick and was shot before he could even turn around.
Fears: Protesters first gathered outside the Wallace F Bennett Federal Building in Salt Lake City, inspired by the shooting of 17-year-old Abdi Mohamed by a police officer on Saturday, an incident that has divided the city
Shot: Cops say Abdi (pictured left), a Kenyan immigrant, was 'hitting a man with a metal object,' and was shot when he 'turned on officers.' Police chief Mike Brown (right) called the case a 'tragedy'
Disputed: Some dispute the official story, saying it was actually a wooden broom stick, and that Mohamed was shot before he could react. Some protesters objected to what they saw as police lies
March: After the meeting, the protesters marched through the city towards the Salt Lake City Police Dept.
The protest began at the Wallace F Bennett Federal Building, as speakers took turns on a microphone to voice their feelings about the Mohamed incident and the wider issues surrounding policing in Utah.
One protester complained that he had given up hope of things getting better and that the police's response to the backlash at the shooting was 'militarization,' not 'de-escalation,' KUTV said.
Rally organizer Greg Lucero told the station he agreed. 'It's absolutely horrifying, it's tragic,' he said. 'It shows an ongoing police culture that is completely out of control.'
It was an opinion shared by protesters Charley Hyde and Kaylee Peterson, who told The Star Tribune that they were sick of the police's reliance on lethal force as a primary option.
'They need retraining,' Peterson said. 'Whatever happened to Tasers? Whatever to rubber bullets? Whatever happened to shooting shots in the sky as a warning?'
Withholding: Some protesters questioned why police were withholding body camera footage of the shooting; police say it's needed for the investigation, and that it might be used against Mohamed if charges are pressed
Mixed: The crowd was a mix of races and ages, suggesting that fear and anger over police shootings spans boundaries in Utah
Climbing: The protesters blocked streets as they marched, and some climbed over stationary cars on the way
Chants: The crowd chanted 'Black lives matter' and 'Hands up, don't shoot,' two popular phrases heard at similar marches against police violence in the country
The tensions have been exacerbated by the police department's decision not to release footage from officers' body cameras to the public.
They say that the footage is needed as part of an investigation into what happened, and may also need to be held back in the event that charges are pressed against Mohamed.
Concern over this decision was voiced by one protester to The Star Tribune. Koffi, described as 'a black man from West Africa,' asked the paper: 'Why are police wearing video and we can't see it? If they're right, let's see it.'
Hands up: Many of the crowd members held their hands up, in mock surrender, as they walked
'Brutality': The march, put together by Utah Against Police Brutality, showed a fear of what organizer Greg Lucero called 'an ongoing police culture that is completely out of control'
Crowds: Several members of the crowds held signs referring to other police controversies. One simply read 'Stop killing our kids'
After the speeches were made, protesters began their march to the Salt Lake City Police Department, holding aloft a variety of signs.
Many repeated the 'Black lives matter' slogan chanted by the crowds; others memorialized victims of police shootings, and one simply said 'F*** police brutality.
One gathering of people wearing Guy Fawkes masks carried an upside-down American flag. The masks, which are duplicates of those seen in the film V for Vendetta, are associated with the activist group Anonymous.
The march, which blocked roads and saw some protesters climbing over parked cars then wound its way back around to the federal building.
There protesters occupied the State Street and 100 South intersection, eventually going their separate ways at 8.30pm.
Anonymous: Several members of the crowd were wearing Guy Fawkes masks from the film V for Vendetta, which are associated with activist group Anonymous
Linked: Several protesters walked arm-in-arm down the streets, in a show of solidarity
Return: The march looped back around to the federal building, where protesters occupied the usually busy State Street and 100 South intersection. The crowd eventually dispersed at around 8.30pm
The peaceful protest was a mirror of a much angrier event on Saturday night, shortly after the shooting, when an agitated crowd confronted police in the aftermath of the shooting.
Rocks and bottles were thrown at police, who had to call in reinforcements, The Daily Kos reported.
The worst of that event was over in 10 minutes, police said, but the disturbances continued for hours, and four people were arrested for civil disorder.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. Russia created a system to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire in Syria that allows to overlook the conflict area with the help of drones, spacecraft and other intelligence means, the Russian Defense Ministry said on March 1.
The shelling comes after the cessation of hostilities had come into effect at midnight on February 27, Armenpress reports citing Sputniknews website.
Earlier, the United States and Russia reached an agreement on a ceasefire between the Syrian government and opposition groups to help end the countrys civil war.
"Over the past three days, the Russian Defense Ministry has relocated three additional modern unmanned aerial vehicle complexes to the Hmeymim airbase, two radars to detect small targets, allowing to record the use of artillery systems by terrorists," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that control over the Syrian airspace is carried out by the air defense systems and Russian combat aircraft.
In late February, a coordination center for reconciliation of opposing sides in the Syrian conflict began operations at the Russian Hmeymim airbase in the Latakia province.
The Syrian government confirmed its readiness to halt its military actions in accordance with the Russia-US agreement. Some opposition forces have been skeptical about the ceasefire, but in general have agreed to adhere to it. The ceasefire took effect on February 27.
Students at a New Zealand university have called out the 'insidious' harassment faced by women on campus after allegations of a rape threat and bottles being hurled at people who are seen as 'different'.
PhD candidate Emma Tumilty was among 11 people who have become fed up with the 'unacceptable' level of abuse faced by female, transsexual and homosexual students on campus at the University of Otago, on New Zealand's South Island.
The group, made up of students who live and work in the student precinct, penned an angry letter demanding that vice-chancellor Harlene Hayne do something to curb the rising level of aggression.
'This is not another letter about couch burning or broken glass, or piles of vomit in the street,' says the letter obtained by the New Zealand Herald said. 'I'm afraid it is much more serious.'
Students at a New Zealand university (pictured) have called out the 'insidious' harassment faced by women on campus after allegations of a rape threat and bottles being hurled at people who are seen as 'different'
11 people have come forward after becoming fed up with the 'unacceptable' level of abuse faced by female, transsexual and homosexual students on campus at the University of Otago (pictured)
The letter goes on to detail shocking allegations of instances where female, homosexual and transsexual students have faced racism, street harassment, intimidation and even a threat of rape on campus.
The students noted that in a week alone they were aware of a female student being told that she would be raped in the middle of the street and another being chased on campus at 8pm.
Former student Jessie-Lee Robertson disclosed a shocking instance where she was approached by a van full of people last week who pulled up beside her and proclaimed that they would rape her if her dog had not of been in the vehicle.
It is not known if the people in the vehicle were students.
'[They] opened the sliding door of their van and said, 'If that dog wasn't in your car, I'd rape you',' she told the New Zealand Herald.
Ms Robertson said she had already started to avoid areas of the university out of fear she would be abused.
Vice-chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne says the university is in the process of developing educational programmes for students to tackle the problem 'a small group' has with disrespectful and abusive behaviour.
"I have no tolerance for verbal abuse of students, or other members of our University community. It is unacceptable behaviour in any community, and we will play our part in helping all of our students to work toward a culture of mutual respect,' said Professor Hayne.
'We have a very diverse community here, and the vast majority of our students are tolerant, polite and respectful. But as with any community there is a small group who need to understand what is not acceptable, and modify their outlook, attitude and behaviour accordingly.'
The students noted that in a week alone they were aware of a female student being told that she would be raped in the middle of the street and another being chased on campus at 8pm
Ms Tumilty, who specialises in bioethics, said there have been other instances where students have almost been hit with glass bottles.
'What upsets us most was this aggression towards others, [towards] women, or people who are slightly different - hurling bottles and abuse at people as they pass',' she told the New Zealand Herald.
The group have suggested that the university run a compulsory workshop for undergraduate students that would address sexual consent and the appropriate way to conduct oneself on campus.
Vice-chancellor Harlene Hayne said the behaviour described in the letter would not be tolerated and that the university was in the process of developing two educational programs.
The group have suggested that the university run a compulsory workshop for undergraduate students that would address sexual consent and the appropriate way to conduct oneself on campus
'It is unacceptable behaviour in any community, and we will play our part in helping all of our students to work toward a culture of mutual respect,' she told Stuff.co.nz.
But as with any community there is a small group who need to understand what is not acceptable, and modify their outlook, attitude and behaviour accordingly.'
See more news on the US election at www.dailymail.co.uk/USelection2016
Campaign hope to goad Trump into saying even more offensive comments to alienate voters
Hillary will be kept out of the fray while her husband Bill responds to Trumps attacks
It will also highlight sexist remarks in a bid to turn women voters against him and show times he worked against the interests of working class
The five-point plan will include portraying him as a loose cannon who could not lead the country
Hillary Clinton is preparing for battle against Donald Trump with a five point plan to halt the Republican front-runner's dreams of the presidency, a New York Times report reveals.
As the real estate mogul looks to be on course to claim the Republican candidacy, Clinton's campaign has revealed it is fighting back.
Her team has compiled the detailed plan which will portray The Donald as a dangerous loose cannon and bigot who would damage the country.
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Hillary Clinton is preparing for battle against Donald Trump with a five point plan to destroy the Republican front-runner's dreams of the presidency
Geoff Garin, Clinton's chief strategist in 2008, told the Times the campaign would attack Trump on his 'temperament' and 'whether he is suited to be commander in chief.'
Can he 'really be relied on as a champion for anyone but himself?' he asked.
President Barack Obama has already argued Trump cannot be trusted with the position of the free world.
While Bill Clinton will ready to respond when the candidate hits out - allowing his wife to stay above the fray to be seen as a champion of fairness.
Edward G. Rendell, a former governor of Pennsylvania supporting Clinton, said the key to defeating Trump is to keep goading him into make more and more extreme, offensive comments.
HILLARY'S FIVE POINT PLAN TO BEAT TRUMP 1. Attack Trump's explosive temper and ability to run the country 2. Highlight the Republican front-runner's sexist and bigoted attitudes to turn female votes against him 3. Show him as a ruthless businessman who had worked against the interests of working classes 4. Keep Hillary out the fray and enlist allies like Obama and Bill Clinton to criticize on her behalf 5. Goad him to making ever more offensive comments which will alienate voters Advertisement
'For every one of those blue-collar Democrats he picks up, (with those comments) he will lose to Hillary two socially moderate Republicans and independents in suburban Cleveland, suburban Columbus, suburban Cincinnati, suburban Philadelphia, suburban Pittsburgh, places like that,' he said.
The campaign is already highlighting what they say is evidence of Trump's sexist and racist attitudes as well as his childishness and quick temper.
Trump was forced to defend himself at the end of last year when he used the word 'schlonged' to describe Clinton's 2008 Democratic primary loss to Barack Obama.
In the most brutal salvo in the 2016 general election, he said Hillary 'got schlonged' by the current occupant of the Oval Office when Obama came out of nowhere to snatch the presidential nomination from her.
Trump insisted the word was not sexist but a common political phrase.
Clinton later called him out for the statement, accusing him of using a 'bullying' campaign.
'I really deplore the tone of his campaign, the inflammatory rhetoric that he is using to divide people,' Clinton said, 'and his going after groups of people with hateful, incendiary rhetoric.'
Bill Clinton will ready to respond when the candidate hits out - allowing his wife to stay above the fray to be seen as a champion of fairness
Even with the carefully crafted plan, there are fears that it may not be enough to stop Trump.
According to private polling obtained by the New York Post, Trump's support in his own backyard is 'surprisingly strong' despite the state's history of voting for Democrats.
If former New York City Major Michael Bloomberg gets in as an independent, the road to the White House gets even tougher for Clinton, the Post's sources said.
Bloomberg would take away a 'significant' amount of votes from Clinton, they told the Post.
Barack Obama won the state both times he ran with 63 percent of the vote. An ex-New York senator, Clinton was expected to do at least as well.
The last time New York voted for a Republican was 1984, when Ronald Reagan was on the ballot.
Trump's candidacy could throw that into jeopardy. The billionaire was born in Queens and has made New York City his home.
Clinton and her husband bought a house there in 1999, during Bills final term in office, so she could run for the U.S. Senate.
She won the 2000 race and held the position for until 2008 when she was asked to serve in President Obama's cabinet as secretary of state.
Trump is leading comfortably in Georgia and is expected to win at least eight of the 11 primaries and caucuses
Since resigning, in early 2013, Clinton has spent much of her time in New York, working for her family's foundation, aside from her 2016 run for the White House, that is.
Still, she's no native New Yorker like Trump, and that could help the billionaire secure a victory in the state and collect all its delegates come November.
A major problem for Clinton is likeability.
'In the suburbs and upstate, Trump has a net positive while Hillary is a net negative,' a Republican operative told the New York Post. 'Shes more of a liability than many Democrats realized.'
The confidential polls suggested that Trump's supporters are more intense and may be more lilkely than Hillary's backers to vote.
A Siena College poll released earlier this month shows that Trump isn't very well-liked in New York, either, though.
Seven in 10 New York voters said he's not their cup of joe. He did better with Republicans, but barely made it out of the red.
Five in 10 members of his own political party said they like him, and 43 percent said they do not. Democrats were against him 87-12. Dragging down his numbers further, two thirds of independents said they're not hot on Trump.
Clinton had an overall favorability rating of 50 percent. When just Democrats were considered, that shot up to 73 percent. Republicans said 84 -14 that they don't like her. She scored better with independents than Trump, though - 53 percent gave her yeas, and 42 percent gave her nays.
More importantly, New Yorkers said they'd pick Clinton over Trump in a general election scenario.
Just before the attack, Lane's boyfriend informed her he would leave her unless he got definitive proof she was pregnant
At the time of the attack, Lane had been claiming to be pregnant for 14 months and even held a baby shower
Dynel Lane was convicted of attempted murder by a jury in Boulder, Colorado after luring Wilkins to her home and cutting out the unborn child
Wilkins, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, had to heal physically before she could start grieving
She dressed her, sang to her and read to her lifeless body
Michelle Wilkins said she found out the morning after the attack the little girl hadn't survived
The Colorado woman whose unborn baby died after she was sliced from her body by a stranger has spoken out in a new interview about how she grieved for her little girl.
Michelle Wilkins told People Magazine how she found out the baby had not survived the morning after the attack, when she woke up in the hospital.
After a moment of panic, she asked her boyfriend Dan if Aurora was still alive.
'He said she didn't make it,' Wilkins said. 'The next five days at the hospital were awful. We supported each other. We took turns holding each other and asking the question why. The other would always answer that there was no answer to that.'
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Michelle Wilkins, pictured after Dynel Lane was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder, assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy, said she and boyfriend Dan still 'yearned' for their unborn daughter Aurora, who was killed in the attack
Lane, pictured in court in Boulder, Colorado, will be sentenced in April. Wilkins has made a full physical recovery but still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder
Before the attack, Wilkins and Dan were overjoyed to soon welcome their first child.
'Right after we found out we were having a girl we were talking about what we were most excited about,' she told People. 'He said, "I can't wait to buy her her first pair of hiking boots." I thought that was cute. Our love for the outdoors is a lot of what bonds us so I thought how sweet that he wants to share our world with his daughter.'
Wilkins, who said she and Dan were still 'yearning' for Aurora, also explained she had to wait for her physical wounds to heal before she could tackle her emotional pain.
'At first I had to have this sense of safety in order to experience the intense traumatic emotions,' she told People.
She has made a full physical recovery but still suffers from post-traumatic disorder. Some days, she said, she sleeps in and doesn't do much else. Other days, she engages in activities a young woman is supposed to enjoy - and for her, that means hiking and climbing.
In a previous interview, Wilkins said she had been able to spend some time with her daughter in the hospital.
'I did all the things that a mom would want to do,' said Michelle Wilkins just hours after her attacker Dynel Lane was found guilty of attempted murder.
That included holding the baby, dressing her and even taking time to read her some books.
She then added; 'But knowing that she was only present in spirit and not physically was a really painful thing to grasp.'
Difficult time: Wilkins revealed in a previous interview (above) that she got to hold, dress and read to her baby's lifeless body after she was killed last March
'This trial has allowed me to be more in touch with some of my grittier emotions, like anger,' Wilkins told The Denver Post.
'Knowing today, going into that courtroom and seeing her, I finally felt like I'd reached a comfortable place in myself where I felt like my anger was valid.
'It's hard to make a plan for where things go from here.'
She then said of her tragedy; 'I think it's probably a fear of any parent who's lost a child that they will forget and that they won't think of them daily.
'But as the days and weeks and months have gone by, it's effortless for her to come into my thoughts. And I know she will be with me forever.
'Dan and I were both taken by surprise when she decided to come into our lives. She changed both of our perspectives about what we thought we wanted - who we thought we were - and continues to do so.
'But she definitely opened up an aspect of myself that I didn't know was there, which is the aspect of motherhood.'
Happier times: Dynel Lane was convicted of attempted murder by a jury in Boulder, Colorado after luring Wilkins to her home and cutting out the unborn child (Wilkins above just before the attack)
Wilkins also said she does not know if she will try and have more children.
Lane was found guilty last week of attempted first-degree murder, assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy in the attack, which happened last March.
Prosecutors said during the trial that Lane went to great lengths to convince others she was expecting a baby before luring Wilkins to her home with a Craigslist ad for maternity clothes.
She then hit and choked Wilkins before using two kitchen knives to cut out the unborn girl. Wilkins, who was 7-months pregnant, survived, but her baby died.
Just before the attack, Lane's boyfriend informed her he would leave her unless he got definitive proof she was pregnant due to the fact that she had been claiming she was with child for 14 months at that point.
Lane will be sentenced on April 29, and on her way out of court an emotional Wilkins said she will be there and 'speak then.'
She then added of Lane; 'It had just never entered my world view that someone could be so cruel and value life so little.'
'There is nothing ever in any shape or form that can remotely prepare you for something like this,' Wilkins said Tuesday afternoon.
'What has dominated my perspective consistently is disbelief. Words are not sufficient to describe it.'
Despite all this though, Wilkins somehow managed to stay calm and collected while she spoke about the woman who took away her unborn baby.
'Many have asked me how I feel about Dynel Lane. Early on I said I have forgiven her. It's part of who I am as a human being and Martin Luther King said it brilliantly. "We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love,"' said Wilkins.
'There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us.
'I do not hate Dynel. But I am angry for all the pain she has caused. The deceit and all her selfishness.'
Wilkins later thanked the public for the outpouring of support she received after the tragedt.
'I wish to thank everyone for their attention, and the continuing messages, donations and expressions of love and encouragement. Your continued support allows me not only to survive this but also to thrive in the midst of a dark and trying time,,' she said.
'And yes, every dollar, every smile, every message, every prayer has been a comfort and a hug to me.
'Resolution doesnt end with the case. There is still a lot of personal healing to do.'
Not right: At the time of the attack, Lane had been claiming to be pregnant for 14 months and even held a baby shower, telling people she wanted to name the baby James
Tough spot: Just before the attack, Lane's boyfriend informed her he would leave her unless he got definitive proof she was pregnant (Lane above as the verdict was read on Tuesday)
Last week, the jury in Boulder heard the grisly and grim details of the moment Wilkins awoke to find herself in the home of 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.
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.'
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 Ridley that it was her child and she had suffered a miscarriage.
Prosecutors said they couldn't charge Lane with murder because a coroner found no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb.
Prosecutors showed the jury the pillow and mattress from the crime scene, 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.
Early testimony seemed 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.
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.
Police and the MoD said they were unaware of what could have caused it
Twitter lit up with speculation over the event, which made ground shake
Light followed by rolling bang that some thought was satellite sonic boom
This is the moment a suspected meteor lit up the sky over Scotland last night and terrified the population below.
People from Inverness to Edinburgh reported a white, red or blue light that swept across the skyline at around 6.45pm last night.
Witnesses described a rumbling noise lasting up to ten seconds before the pitch black Scottish evening turned bright white and a fireball swept across the horizon.
Kim Paterson of Brechin, Angus, tweeted: 'Proper massive rumble, ground shaking, folk seeing the sky flash... is this the end?!'
Police Scotland said it received a number of 999 calls and confirmed it was likely to be a meteor while the Met Office confirmed there had been no thunder storms over Scotland.
Clear: This footage, also from a dashcam, shows the meteor entering the picture in the top left of the screen - turning the sky white and blue
Terror: Witnesses described a rumbling noise lasting up to ten seconds before the pitch black Scottish evening turned bright white and a fireball swept across the horizon
Close up: This footage taken near Ayr shows a clear trail of debris as the suspected meteor burned up in the atmosphere
There were suggestions it could have been a sonic boom from an aircraft or a flare from a satellite.
There were no reports of aircraft in distress, while the MoD said it was unaware of any events in the area - but would not comment on claims it was linked to an aircraft.
Astronomers last night said it was most likely to be a meteor burning up as it came into contact with the Earth's atmosphere.
The meteor is likely to have burned up but people are searching for debris.
On Twitter, Jake Logan said: 'Flash in the sky that lit up Braemar like daylight, followed by a huge rolling bang like thunder that lasted 10 secs. Sky is clear.'
John Poyner of Nethy Bridge, Inverness-shire, said: 'Anyone local just see a bright flash lighting up whole sky. Not lightning. Reports of brilliant meteor like object.'
A Police Scotland spokesman said they began receiving calls at around 6.55pm on Monday evening.
She said: 'One told us the sky had been lit up with an object like a fireball. Another caller said there was a very loud bang and others said the house shook.
'We know police in Inverness and in the south also received calls - it was seen by people across Scotland.
'We have checked and been told it was likely to be a meteor shower.'
Footage: This driver's dashcam shows how dark it was in the Highlands before the fireball swept across the sky
Eerie: Suddenly the night sky begins to brighten as the suspected meteor entered the night sky
Bright: The skyline turned orange and pink as the flare entered the right edge of the skyline seen here from a car
Dramatic: This is the moment a suspected meteor lit up the pitch black sky across Scotland at around 6.45pm last night
The bright white streak across the night sky sparked speculation on social media whether it was an astronomical event, military activity or, perhaps more far-fetched, linked to British astronaut Tim Peake.
Inverness SNP member Jackie Hendry tweeted: 'Did anyone else see that big white flash in the sky ... I reckon it was Tim Peake.'
Madcow-paula tweeted: 'LOL ... some reckon @astro-timpeake dropped something causing a big white flash in the sky over Scotland this evening!'
SteveCDT1986 tweeted:'Big white flash and some sort of meteor in the night sky. Looked really close aswell. #endoftheworld #armageddon.'
@Colsuth tweeted: 'saw it here in Moray just as we were passing RAF Lossie. Thought it was from there.'
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said they would not discuss if there was any link to any operations in the area.
STV weather forecaster Sean Batty said: 'I've had lots of tweets from around the North and East of the country this evening, with people reporting a loud bang and a large flash in the sky. Most tweets have come from around Perthshire, Angus, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
'There are no thunderstorms being reported anywhere in Scotland this evening, therefore this is not due to a flash of lightning. My only conclusion would be that this is indeed a meteor which has burned up and exploded during entry into our upper atmosphere.'
In 2013, a meteor that exploded over Russia was found by scientists to be 30 times brighter than the Sun, with the force of 40 Hiroshima atom bombs. Their analysis confirmed it was the biggest in a century.
The 62ft-wide meteor exploded in a fireball above Chelyabinsk, causing damage up to 50 miles away. At its fastest, it was travelling at more than 40,000mph.
This is the horrific moment a truck driver was killed when cement pipes he was carrying in his cargo smashed through the back of his cab as he braked at traffic lights.
The truck was driving up to a junction in the city of Shaoxing in east China's Zhejiang Province when tragedy struck.
The episode was filmed on a surveillance camera.
Braking: This is the horrific moment a truck driver was killed when cement pipes he was carrying in his cargo smashed into him
Smashing through: The truck was driving up to a junction in the city of Shaoxing in east China's Zhejiang Province when tragedy struck. The episode was filmed on a surveillance camera
Thrust forward by the braking action when the vehicle came to a sudden stop, the large concrete pipes stored behind the driver's compartment rammed forward and right through the windscreen, killing the man inside.
Clearer footage from the aftermath of the accident show how the pipes must not have been securely fastened and were forced forwards.
'Three concrete pipes went directly through the windshield from the back,' Xu Weibing, a police officer of a squadron under the Keqiao District Traffic Police Brigade, told China Central Television.
The driver is said to have died instantly. 'We called him for about five to six minutes but he didn't respond. His face was pale. We could reach him, but he was not breathing," said Weibing.
Rescue men came to the scene afterwards with cranes to remove the pipes.
The accident is under investigation.
The driver has not yet been identified.
Destroyed: Thrust forward by the braking action when the vehicle came to a sudden stop, the large concrete pipes stored behind the driver's compartment rammed forward through the windscreen, killing the man inside
Unsafe: Clearer footage from the aftermath of the accident show how the pipes must not have been securely fastened and were forced forwards
The on-flight fight between a British stag party that forced a Ryanair flight to make an unscheduled landing in Berlin was over a woman.
A video shows two members of the 12-man group, led by groom-to-be Joshua Mariner, 26, fighting and trading insults on the flight from London to Bratislava, Slovakia.
Today, it has been revealed that the two men seen fighting in the video had both previously dated the same young woman from their home in Southampton.
Centre of it all: One of the men had reportedly reunited with 25-year-old Jeri White(pictured with her sister) and used this to rile the other
One man threatens another one of the party saying he would stab him in the face with a fork, causing one of the men to lash out and throw punches, with another man forced to hold him back
Footage has emerged showing the moment a mid-flight punch-up began between a stag party, which forced their flight from London to Bratislava to make an unscheduled landing in Berlin
Tom Doyle, 25, laid into 28-year-old Jamie Stoop over a twin named locally as 25-year-old Jeri White,The Sun reports.
A friend told the newspaper that it was common knowledge that the pair did not get on, and that they had a history of fighting each other when drinking.
Mr Stoop had reportedly started seeing Miss White again, and was 'winding Tom up about it and it all kicked off'.
The Sun obtained footage taken on board the flight, showing Mr Doyle standing over Mr Stoop, trading four-letter insults before becoming embroiled in a punch up.
As the row becomes heated, a fellow passenger carrying a baby even asks them to calm down.
At Luton Airport: Posing for the camera shortly before boarding the plane, this is the British stag party whose drunken antics caused a Ryanair flight to make an unexpected landing. Groom-to-be Joshua Mariner is circled along with the man who started throwing the punches
Happy couple: Mr Mariner, who is due to wed fiancee Abi Whitmore (pictured together with their one-year-old daughter), was the groom-to-be whose 12-man group forced the diversion of a London to Bratislava flight
The groom-to-be whose stag party forced a flight to be diverted because of alleged drunken behaviour has been named as Joshua Mariner. He is pictured right next to his fiancee Abi Whitmore and brother Sam (left)
But despite her plea they continue to bicker, and Mr Doyle even threatens Mr Stoop saying: 'I would rather stab you in the face with a fork. No disrespect to you, but I hate you.'
Mr Stoop, who is sat down in the seat, then appears to lightly slap Mr Doyle's face, causing him to lash out and try to throw punches before being held back by another member of the party.
A flight attendant then comes over to the group and the footage ends after he asks a fellow passenger to stop filming.
The video comes after a picture also emerged of the party all smiling and posing for the camera before they boarded the flight at Luton Airport.
But now six members of the stag party who were arrested in Berlin all face fines of up to 20,000 for causing the plane to make an unexpected landing.
German police initially said groom-to-be Mr Mariner, a building company director, was one of those arrested but he claims this was not the case.
He blamed his two friends - who started an arguing on the flight from Luton Airport - for why the plane had to land in Berlin, Germany.
Speaking today in Southampton, he said: 'I was not involved at all.
'The German police said that I was arrested, but I wasn't arrested. I made it to Bratislava and I got back last night, because, like I said, I wasn't involved.
'It was two people, and it was bad behaviour and that's that - I was not involved.
'The lads' behaviour was unacceptable and they will now have to suffer the consequences of their actions.
'It was reported by German police that I was one of the lads arrested which isn't true and I will be seeking legal advice as it has caused a lot of distress for me and my family.'
Groom-to-be: Mr Mariner (right), who is due to wed fiancee Abi Whitmore (left) , was onboard the Ryanair 737-800 when several members of his 12-man bachelor party reportedly became unruly and aggressive
Mr Mariner (right) describes himself as a partition and ceiling specialist and director of his own building company on his LinkedIn page. He is pictured with his brothers Tom and Sam in a family photo
The Boeing 737-800 was due to fly to Bratislava in Slovakia but was forced to divert to Berlin
Mr Mariner, a father-of-one, is due to wed fiancee Abi Whitmore, 29, in March.
Meanwhile a fellow passenger on board the flight told MailOnline that the group were so drunk they 'struggled to walk' before boarding at Luton Airport.
It is also claimed that one of the men stripped naked in front of the 170 passengers.
Alexander Koller, 46, from Margate, Kent, was on the flight and branded the group a 'disgrace' but also criticised the airline and German authorities over their handling of the situation.
The Austrian tour lecturer told MailOnline: 'The passengers were a disgrace - by the way, (they were) not the only drunken, obnoxious people on this flight by any means.
'The fact that they were allowed to board at all after making a huge nuisance of themselves in the departure hall at Luton and being so drunk that some were struggling to stand, was an even bigger disgrace.
'It was a total failure by Ryanair's ground staff at the gate and by the cabin crew who should have spotted them. This was not hard given that they were extremely loud and obnoxious whilst boarding and finding their seats.'
A spokesman for Ryanair said the airline has 'strict guidelines' to deal with disruptive and drunk customers.
But Mr Koller believes the whole incident could have been avoided.
A Ryanair aircraft flying between London to Bratislava was forced to divert due to an unruly stag party
The flight took off from London Luton airport and was forced to divert as it passed over central Germany
The captain radioed air traffic control at Berlin's Schoenefeld Airport (pictured) and the nine-year-old aircraft was greeted at the terminal by German federal police
Describing the moments after landing at the German capital, he added: 'The operation in Berlin was pathetic, with German airport police not speaking a word of English and needing a translator, proceeding without any plan and the six of them waiting for about 10 minutes in the aisle near the door to be taken away.
DO YOU KNOW ANY MEMBERS OF THE STAG PARTY OR THE BRIDE? Get in touch with us on 0203 615 2611 or email jennifer.newton@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement
'This was potentially a very dangerous situation. The only saving grace was that these people were not only drunk and vulgar, but also so stupid that they thought they could simply carry on partying in Berlin for which reason they did not seem to mind being taken off the plane.
'There is often no accounting for the baseness of human behaviour. In this case, however, it was extremely easy to spot. The situation was entirely preventable.'
The aircraft took off from Luton at 6pm on Friday and was about an hour into the flight and cruising at 37,000 feet, over the spa town of Bad Frankenhausen, Thuringia, when the incident happened.
The flight landed within 30 minutes in Berlin's Schoenefeld Airport. The captain radioed air traffic control and the nine-year-old aircraft was greeted at the terminal by German federal police, according to Spiegel Online.
In total, there were 170 passengers and crew on board the aircraft.
In a statement, German Federal Police confirmed: 'During the flight, six of the 12-member group interfered with safety on board.'
The aircraft took off after the six men were removed following an hour-long delay. The other six men reportedly continued their journey to Slovakia.
The detainees were later released after police took their details. They will be due to return to Germany at a later date to appear in court.
A spokesman for Ryanair told MailOnline: 'This flight from London Luton to Bratislava diverted to Berlin after a number of passengers became disruptive in-flight.
'The aircraft landed normally and police removed and detained these individuals at Berlin Schonefeld Airport.
'We will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behaviour at any time and the safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority. This is now a matter for local police.'
A father whose two daughters suffered horrific sexual abuse at the hands of a priest has confronted Cardinal George Pell, telling him he is a 'broken man.'
Anthony Foster cornered the former Archbishop of Melbourne outside his Rome hotel room after his second day of testimony via video link to the child abuse royal commission, but said the man he spoke to was the 'smooth Cardinal Pell, not the Cardinal Pell [he] saw on the stand,' The ABC reported.
Mr Foster's daughter Emma was raped by Melbourne priest Kevin O'Donnell in the 1980s and she died in 2008 the age of 26 from a drug overdose and years of battling eating disorders, self harm and addiction.
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Anthony Foster (right) whose two daughters suffered horrific sexual abuse at the hands of a priest has confronted Cardinal George Pell (left), telling him he is a 'broken man'
His other daughter Katie, who was also raped by Father O'Donnell, became a binge drinker and requires round the clock care after being left disabled from a car accident in 1999.
Mr Foster said they held hands as they spoke, but admitted he felt no connection and instead said the Cardinal was 'holding the hand of a broken man.'
Cardinal Pell, who was a Ballarat priest at the height of pedophile Gerald Risdale's offending, faced his second day of testimony on Monday night, and shocked survivors by admitting Risdale's crimes were 'a sad story' that 'wasn't of much interest' to him.
He told the commission he was never aware of the offending of notorious pedophile priest Ridsdale in the Ballarat diocese.
That was despite Cardinal Pell being on a consultative committee in the early 1980s that advised on shifting Ridsdale between parishes because of his offending.
Mr Foster cornered the former Archbishop of Melbourne outside his Rome hotel room after his second day of testimony via video link to the child abuse royal commission,
Following the hearing, child sex abuse survivors (pictured) said they had 'watched a performance' rather than seen Cardinal Pell give credible evidence
Cardinal Pell faced his second day of testimony on Monday night, and shocked survivors by admitting Risdale's crimes were 'a sad story' that 'wasn't of much interest' to him
Mr Foster's daughter Emma was raped by Melbourne priest Kevin O'Donnell in the 1980s and she died in 2008 the age of 26 from a drug overdose
Following the hearing, child sex abuse survivors said they had 'watched a performance' rather than seen Cardinal Pell give credible evidence.
The survivors, who have travelled to Rome to hear the cardinal, were disdainful, saying it was hard to believe an intelligent man like him could not have known of Ridsdale's offending when it was common knowledge in two Victorian communities.
The pedophile priest's nephew David Ridsdale, who was sexually abused by his uncle and is a spokesman for the survivors group, told reporters it was clear the Catholic church needed an external body to police its behaviour, especially when it came to children.
Ballarat child sex abuse survivors (L-R) Phil Nagle, Andrew Collins and David Ridsdale are seen outside the Quirinale Hotel in Rome after day two of testimonials
Mr Foster said the Cardinal held his hand as they spoke, but admitted he felt no connection and instead said he was 'holding the hand of a broken man'
Fellow abuse survivor Phil Nagle said of Cardinal Pell's evidence that 'there was certainly no truth and honesty' in the way he answered the commission's questions
'All the evidence shows an incredible litany of lies and deceit that went on for decades.'
He said that in blaming Bishop Mulkearns, who is dying of cancer, and others on the consulting committee, Cardinal Pell had thrown 'a whole bunch of people under a bus.'
'We feel like we've watched a performance rather than evidence,' Mr Ridsdale said.
He said the Pope should question the cardinal on his 'inadequate role as a consultor' on the Ballarat committee as well as how he is fulfilling his current role as the Vatican's chief financial officer.
14 and 18, said they were groped at a public pool
Two migrants have been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two young girls at a public swimming baths in northern Germany.
The Afghan asylum seekers, aged 14 and 34, had reportedly molested the teenagers at a popular aquatics centre in Norderstedt, in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein.
The alleged victims, aged 14 and 18, were reportedly assaulted on Sunday near the water slide at the main pool of the town's Arriba baths complex.
The Afghan asylum seekers, aged 14 and 34, had reportedly molested the teenagers at the Ariba swimming pools, a popular aquatics centre in Norderstedt, in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein
The frightened girls alerted security staff at the pool who held the men until police arrived. Both were arrested for attempted rape and sexual coercion.
They are being held in custody without bail because they are considered a flight risk and there are fears they may commit further assaults if let free.
This is the second alleged incident involving foreigners at the Arriba swimming pools in just 18 months.
In June 2014, a group of seven young immigrant men attacked five schoolgirls aged between 15 and 17, grabbing their breasts and buttocks and ripping the bikini top from one of them in the exact same spot where the weekend attack occurred.
The alleged victims, aged 14 and 18, were reportedly assaulted on Sunday near the water slide at the main pool of the town's Arriba baths complex
Germany has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on the distribution of posters in numerous languages aimed at asylum seekers, informing them of correct behaviour towards women.
Local swimming pools have become a focus of efforts to try to educate the new arrivals to respect women and girls, even if they are wearing bathing costumes.
There have been several attacks reported in Germany at such venues and in neighbouring Austria an Iraqi asylum seeker is awaiting trial for the brutal rape of a young boy in a pool changing room.
Germany remains tense in the wake of the mass attacks against hundreds of women in Cologne on New Year's Eve when roaming bands of immigrants sexually attacked and robbed them in a frenzy which the police failed to control.
The 'killer nanny' who beheaded a four-year-old girl in Moscow kept her schizophrenia a secret and was 'kicked on to the streets' after a divorce, a police source has revealed.
Gyulchekhra Bobokulova had been registered at a psychiatric clinic in her homeland Uzbekistan - and her condition had been deteriorating in recent months, the source said.
In scenes that shocked the world yesterday, the hijab-wearing nanny, 38, was seen walking the streets of Moscow brandishing the head of Nastya Meshcheryakova for an hour before she was detained by police.
Pictures emerged today of her being interrogated in a police station in the Russian capital as conflicting reports continued to emerge about her personal life.
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Pictures have emerged today of the nanny being interrogated in a police station in the Russian capital as conflicting reports continued to emerge about her personal life
A burka-clad babysitter has been arrested in Moscow after she walked through the streets carrying the severed head of a four-year-old girl
The child, who has been identified as Anastasia (Nastya) Meshcheryakova, whose nanny Gyulchehra Bobokulova is thought to have killed her
Escorted by armed police, handcuffed Bobokulova - herself a mother of three - earlier showed officers the Moscow flat where she apparently strangled Nastya , who had learning difficulties, before cutting off her head with a kitchen knife. The little girls remains were left in her cot.
It emerged today that the nanny had been married for 12 years and divorced 'not long ago' in her native Uzbekistan, according to LifeNews, which obtained brief footage of her confused interrogation in a Moscow police station.
After the marriage she was 'kicked into the street', it was claimed, with her three children all going to different relatives in the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan.
She met a new partner a year ago, and agreed to be his 'second, unofficial wife' but four months ago he returned to his home country and she has not seen him since.
'My second husband was born in 1967. I was just seeing him,' she said. 'But he hasn't been around for four months, he left.
'He took me as his second wife and is now living with his first wife. I have no husband officially now. My first husband was born in 1975.'
Meanwhile, MK claimed that Bobokulova's relatives have undergone interrogation in a village in Samarkand region.
A police source in the ex-Soviet republic said: 'The parents of Bobokulova and her husband were called to police for interrogation.
'They spent full day in police, and on Tuesday morning the interrogation continued.
Arrested: Pictures show the moment a babysitter took Russian police to the grisly scene where she beheaded a four-year-old girl she was looking after
Escorted by armed police, handcuffed Gyulchekhra Bobokulova - herself a mother of three - showed officers the Moscow flat where she killed Nastya Meshcheryakova
he 38-year-old babysitter (picttold them she was haunted by 'voices' on the day of the murder
It is also claimed she was angry because her husband in Uzbekistan had started a new family while she was away working in Russia
In scenes that shocked the world, the hijab-wearing nanny was seen walking the streets of Moscow brandishing the head of the dead girl for an hour before she was detained by police
The woman - a citizen of Uzbekistan - is seen talking to police, and appears to understand where and why she is at the location
'I can tell you only one thing - the relatives are shocked with the cruel murder but they were not surprised. They know very well why Gyulchekhra did it.'
He continued: 'Everybody here knew Gyulchekhra. She was a strange woman, to put it mildly.
'There is an explanation: she had schizophrenia. She was registered in the local psychiatric clinic for a long time and had special medical documents. Everybody knew it.
'She failed to find a job here for this very reason. Strange things often happened to her in spring time. Her parents watched her and tried to send her to the psychiatric clinic when spring came.
"Her condition was gradually deteriorating. Before it was not that noticeable but as time was going, it got worse.'
He claimed that 15 years ago she was in hospital for two years, and she had been back since.
'Soon after that she left for Moscow and easily found a job there. She often visited her family, for new year and other holidays.
'Probably she fooled the medical commission in Russia, if she had to face it.
'People here were talking about it. She did not take any medical documents with her. She did not tell anybody about her condition.'
He said she had three children, in their late teens or early 20s.
'She did not live with her husband for good while. In 2000 Gyulchekhra was officially registered as an insane.
Eyewitnesses say the woman shouted 'Allahu Akbar' as she appeared near Oktyabrskoye Pole metro station in the northwest of the Russian capital and threatened to blow herself up
Sources say the babysitter told interrogators she did not want to hide from police, and aimed to draw maximum attention to what she has done
'She was very ill then, she often suffered from attacks. It was dangerous to live with her, so her husband Radmin left her.
'Officially they divorced in 2002. Radmin quickly remarried, and he has two more children. The eldest son lives with Gyulchekhra's parents, the younger ones are with their father.
'So Radmin and his second wife take care of four children. Radmin is not working now, neither his wife. It is very hard to find a job here now. Gyulchekhra did not support her relatives with money.'
The policeman added: 'I don't know what her parents think now. The daughter was not under their control for a long time. All villagers are talking about it now but they are surprised she did not do anything like that before.'
Bobokulova is believed to be co-operating with investigators and showed how she killed the child, with sources saying she strangled the girl before using a kitchen knife to behead her.
She shouted 'I am a terrorist' and threatened to cause an explosion but, despite the FSB security service leading the probe, the Russians so far have no evidence of a link to extremist groupings.
Bobokulova was taken to the flat in western Moscow at around midnight - only 16 hours after the appalling killing to which - say police sources - she has confessed.
The woman was seen pulling the severed head out of a bag and walking around near the entrance to the metro station as police moved in
'Initially, she seemed insane, but then agreed to the investigative experiment,' said a police source.
'She was brought to the apartment where the murder was committed. She pointed to the block, the entrance and the apartment by herself.'
The woman - a citizen of Uzbekistan - is seen talking to police, and appears to understand where and why she is at the location.
She spoke to her police escorts but was only overheard once, saying: 'Here is the house, that way.'
She entered the block with officers who escorted her to the fifth floor flat where she lived with the Meshcheryakov family whose daughter was killed.
A police source claimed she said: 'I came here and took off my skirt, threw it in a rubbish bin. Got changed into what we wear to have prayer. A voice told me to wear so.'
As she came out a women in the crowd shouted: 'You killed a child! Your head needs to be torn off!'
Police tried to calm the woman as Bobokulova was bundled into a police van.
'SHE BECAME INCREASINGLY DEVOUT': HOW NANNY'S BEHAVIOUR CHANGED Beheading nanny Gyulchekhra Bobokulova had become 'almost a member of the family' of the young girl she murdered and was caring for her all day while the mother and father worked. But sources close to the devastated parents say the babysitter's behaviour changed after finding out a boyfriend she had met was already married. She spent long periods on the internet and spent 'a long time praying' and Ekaterina and Vladimir Meshcheryakov considered replacing her just weeks before the murder. The source said: 'All of a sudden she found out that (her boyfriend) was actually married,' said a source. 'It was a shock for her. She came back to Moscow in shock. They said she became detached, silent and devout. 'She started spending a lot of time on the internet, reading in social networks, writing. It wasn't in Russian so Volodya and Katya could not understand. And there was a prayer carpet in the apartment.' Beheading nanny Gyulchekhra Bobokulova had become 'almost a member of the family' of the young girl she murdered and was caring for her all day while the mother and father worked This source told Komsomolskaya Pravda she became more devout and spent a long time praying. 'Not very long ago they had a serious conversation with her. 'Like, "are you tired, perhaps? If you want, we can find someone else"... But Gulchekhra said: "No need". 'She kept spending time in the social networks. 'At one point Volodya cut off the internet at home and when they got home, they saw that Gulchekhra somehow got it working again and was at the computer again, and wasn't looking after Nastya. 'They had decided they would look for a replacement nanny. 'Perhaps, in one or two weeks there would have been a new nanny. Who could have guessed that it would happen?' Advertisement
A source said she told police: 'I came here and took off my skirt, threw it in a rubbish bin. Got changed into what we wear to have prayer. A voice told me to wear so.'
The parents were being comforted by friends and relatives after their daughter's horrific death. Nastya - or Anastasia - had special needs after problems during her birth.
The nanny 'cared for her like her own child', according to one source.
The beheaded remains of the four-year-old were found in a cot in the family flat, dressed in her night clothes, a T-short and shorts. On her blanket was a picture of a kitten.
The Kremlin backed decisions by Russian media organisations not to show gruesome pictures of the crime scene inside the flat.
Bobokulova told police that she went home to Uzbekistan less than two months ago and found her husband had a new wife and had started a family.
Tributes: A man leaves a flower site near the Oktyabrskoye Pole underground station in Moscow, Russia
Floral and toy tributes were left by mourners outside the apartment block at Narodnogo Opolcheniya Street
A source told LifeNews: 'In her first testimony Bobokulova said that just over a month ago, she went to her homeland, to Uzbekistan to renew her passport.
'When she got to her home, she learned that her husband had started a new family. She was invited to become a second wife. In total, she spent 25 days there.'
It is reported that when she returned to Russia, she complained to Nastya's family about her spouse, accusing him of cheating on her.
The family problems caused her 'acute manic psychosis', claimed the report.
Nastya's parents, Vladimir and Ekaterina, noticed her 'unstable mind' but believed it was caused by fatigue, according to one account.
The nanny had worked for the family in Moscow for around three years.
A family friend denied that Ekaterina - known as Katya - had noticed anything strange in the nanny's behaviour.
'Believe me, if something was wrong, Katya would not miss this moment,' she said. 'She is a shrewd woman, she would notice.
'She trusted Gyulchekhra fully. More than this she considered her family member. Everyone called her just Gulya.
'They all lived in one flat. That is why Katya and Vladimir rented a big flat with two bedrooms, so they all had enough space.'
The victim was a girl identified as Anastasia (Nastya) Meshcheryakova - and the child's 38-year-old nanny Gyulchehra Bobokulova (left), from Uzbekistan, has been arrested. The girl's mother Ekaterina is pictured right
The friend told MK newspaper that the nanny had looked after the child since she was a baby.
'The child was seriously ill. Katya simply could not cope by herself,' she said.
They hired the nanny 'on recommendation' and she had previously worked for another Moscow family.
'She had the best recommendations. Do you think that Katya would have entrusted the child to some unreliable people? She checked the woman on all counts.
'Many famous people hire Tajiks or Uzbeks as nannies. They care for children very well. Any child care agency will confim this.
'So what happened does not fit in our heads. And the parents have no answer why Gulya did this.
'How was it possible to live with the child, and then burn the house down and kill her? And after all that to go out and shout: 'I am a terrorist?'
'Gulya herself is a mother of three. Her children live in Uzbekistan. There were no jobs there, so she worked in Moscow and sent them money home.'
Mother Ekaterina and father Vladimir Meshcheryakov of four-year-old Anastasia
She did not normally wear a hijab.
'We were surprised when we saw the pictures near the metro. Where did Gulya take all these rags?
'Most of our friends have never seen even a scarf on her. But those who are very close to Katya and Vladimir said that she had these clothes.
'She kept it in a wardrobe and wore it very rarely. She was not very religious. It was said that she prays, but quietly, not for show. We all thought that she loved Nastya as her own child.'
She added: 'The parents state can not be described in words. This is a terrible grief for their family.
'Katya is very bad. I do not know how long it will take her to get over this.'
Investigators claim she murdered the girl after starting a fire at the child's family home in a block of flats.
One eyewitness at the underground station told MK how the woman (pictured left and right holding the severed head) screamed: 'I will blow up everyone'
The suspect shouted that she had killed the child and was seen praying shortly before officers swooped at Oktyabrskoe Pole
They say she then murdered the girl and left, before heading to the metro station.
According to local media, Bobokulova shouted in the street: 'I hate democracy. I am a terrorist. I want you dead.
'You have become so hardened, you have eliminated so many of us. Look I am a suicide bomber, I will die, doomsday will come in a second.'
She pulled the severed head out of a bag and walked near the metro station entrance in north-west Moscow.
Video of the dead girl's mother, Ekaterina Meshcheryakova, collapsing in the street upon hearing the horrific news has emerged. She was taken to hospital in an unconscious condition.
Anastasia also had a father, Vladimir Meshcheryakov, who is a technician at a mobile phone company, and a brother Konstantin, 15.
The main entrance to the block of flats was being guarded by armed police yesterday.
Eyewitness Alexandra Shuvalova, a student from the capital, said: 'When I got close to the metro, I saw a woman running along the street.
'I could see that she had hair in her hands or something like that.
'She was waving this thing and screaming something and drawing some shapes in the air.
Dramatic footage shows the moment police sprinted in towards the woman and tackled her to the ground
The woman was surrounded by police officers and bundled to the ground during the dramatic arrest in Moscow
'This woman either had a birthmark or a wart on her right cheek. It was a distinctive feature because she was dressed in entirely in black.
'I realised it wasn't a wig as I thought initially, but a head - that's why blood was dripping on her shoes and skirt.
'I stopped, had a cigarette, tried to get my breath back to normal because I was so shocked.'
She claimed a security guard and two policeman missed the chance to detain her.
Alexandra added: 'People ran away from her. I saw five people fleeing. And no one tried to stop her - not security guards at a cafe, nor at a shop.
'One of the guards who saw her, ran to the building to tell someone about her. He didn't try to do anything on his own.'
'I heard her yelling 'Allah Akbar' at least three times. And hitting herself on her chest.
'She was yelling something in her language. She ran to a cafe and started shouting: 'It's all you! All you!'
The station was closed to passengers for some time, but no explosives were found on her.
Another eyewitness said: 'She came to the entrance of the metro station Oktyabrskoye Pole with a red bag, from which she pulled out the child's head.
Emergency services had earlier been called to an apartment nearby amid reports of black smoke billowing out windows
Firefighters rescued four people and put out the blaze - but then found the child's beheaded body
'She walked down the street for a long time and was shouting something. But no one challenged her. Everyone was afraid.'
Dramatic footage shows the moment police sprinted in towards the woman and tackled her to the ground.
Emergency services had earlier been called to an apartment nearby amid reports of black smoke billowing out of windows.
Firefighters rescued four people and put out the blaze - but then found the child's beheaded body
Witness Alyona Kuratova told independent Dozhd TV that the woman was holding the head by its hair.
Kuratova described scenes of chaos, with police cars and ambulances arriving at the scene and some people yelling: 'terror attack, terror attack.'
She said she could not make out what the woman shouted but some media reported that she yelled 'Allah Akbar''- Arabic for 'God is greatest' - and threatened to blow herself up.
The dead girl suffered damage because of birth problems in August 2011.
The family took her for treatment to China - and were saving money to travel for subsequent care in Germany.
The parents told police the nanny had been working for them for 18 months.
Sources say the babysitter told interrogators she did not want to hide from police, and aimed to draw maximum attention to what she has done.
Police descended on the scene as an investigation got underway at the metro station in the wake of the arrest
Detectives cordoned off the station to investigate. The nanny faces up to 20 years in jail if she is deemed psychologically fit to stand trial.
A Russian police officer stands at the site where a woman suspected of murdering a young child was detained
Employees of the Russian Investigative Committee near an entrance to Oktyabrskoye Station
She had not intended to ignite the flat deliberately and destroy evidence, she said, according to the source, and wanted the parents to know who had killed their daughter.
The woman had a valid residency permit for Russia but was working illegally. She had no work permit, said officials.
The nanny faces up to 20 years in jail if she is deemed psychologically fit to stand trial.
The investigation was taken over by the FSB, Russia's powerful domestic secret service, once headed by Vladimir Putin. Police are not currently treating the incident as terrorism.
LifeNews claimed: 'Investigators suspect that Gulchekhra had manic psychosis developing for a period of time.'
A law enforcement source said the woman was suspected of handling 'explosive elements' at the flat which was engulfed in flames.
But 'it might be an inflammable liquid that she used to set the apartment on fire where she killed four-year-old Nastya M.'
The family's pet Chihuahua called Lyusya was lost after the fire that engulfed the flat, it was revealed today.
Friends have put notices around the neighbourhood in a search to find a dog loved by Nastya.
The security services are hunting for the woman's husband. A source said she may have been on 'light drugs'.
Richard Winsor Ohrn, who has been charged with faking his own disappearance in Florida
A Florida broker has been charged with faking his own disappearance after authorities spent $400,000 trying to find him.
Richard Winsor Ohrn, 45, from Boca Raton has been indicted by a federal jury on a charge of communicating false distress to the Gold Coast coastguard in April 2015.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office say that he faked his own disappearance after he was accused of stealing over $15,000 from an elderly couple while working as a financial adviser with Chase Bank.
He was arrested yesterday and is currently being held on on a $500,000 bond pending an arraignment hearing today.
Ohrn was reported missing on March 31 last year and according to authorities had bought a truck, an inflatable boat and a motor boat several weeks in advance.
He also rented a Sea Ray boat, which he took out into the ocean.
Investigators believe he then moored the motor boat off Boyton Beach Inlet and it was spotted with no passengers aboard, prompting the Coastguard to begin a search.
NBC reports that police then believe he used the inflatable boat to make it back to the shore and drove to Albany in south Georgia, where he holed himself up in an apartment before being traced three days later.
In the four days when he was missing, the Coast Guard went on 20 missions in the Atlantic to look for him, costing almost $400,000.
According to other records, Ohrn had previously worked for Wells Fargo but his contract was terminated over irregularities.
Investigators believe he moored a rented motor boat off Boyton Beach Inlet, pictured, and it was spotted with no passengers aboard, prompting the Coastguard to begin a search
He then went to work for Chase but was again accused of irregularities and was reported to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Ohrn was accused of stealing more than $15,000 from an elderly couple and forging the signatures of co-workers.
After he returned to Flrorida, he agreed a settledment with the FINRA, which sees him banned from any association with regulated brokerage.
A massive search operation was launched when he was thought to be missing last year, reports the Sun Sentinel.
Ohrn's father, also named Richard Ohrn, and his wife, Patricia, told the newspaper they haven't talked with their son in about a year.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. OPEC oil output has fallen in February from the highest monthly level in recent history, a Reuters survey found on February 29, due to a halt in Iraq's northern exports and outages in other producers. The decrease amounted to 270 thousand Barr./day, compared with the previous month, Armenpress reports citing Reuters.
The survey also found stable output in top exporter Saudi Arabia, an early sign that Riyadh is delivering on a Feb. 16 deal along with Venezuela, Qatar and non-member Russia to freeze output and support prices, which hit a 12-year low last month.
Supply from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has declined in February to 32.37 million barrels per day (bpd) from a revised 32.65 million bpd in January, according to the survey, based on shipping data and information from sources at oil companies, OPEC and consultants.
Most of the decline in February output has been involuntary. The biggest drop is in Iraq, OPEC's largest source of supply growth in 2015, due to the stoppage in flow along the pipeline carrying crude from the Kurdish region.
Production also declined in Nigeria, where Royal Dutch Shell's Nigerian venture suspended the flow of Forcados crude to the export terminal following a spill. The incident added to the impact of lower scheduled exports.
Field maintenance including at the Murban development has reduced output in the United Arab Emirates, the survey found.
Saudi Arabia has kept output steady compared with January at 10.20 million bpd, sources in the survey said, citing stable exports in much of February. Saudi production reached a record high of 10.56 million bpd in June.
For more of the latest on Barack Obama visit www.dailymail.co.uk/obama
minority leader Harry Reid said: 'They think that they can wait and see what President Trump will do, I guess'
President Barack Obama called Democrats and Republicans to the White House Tuesday to discuss election-year standoff over the vacancy on the Supreme Court.
Neither side showed signs of budging.
In an awkward Oval Office sit-down that lasted less than an hour, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, delivered their case for refusing to consider any nominee to the highest court during the throes of a presidential election.
Their Democratic counterparts, meanwhile, resolved to 'continue beating the drum,' Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid told reporters after the meeting.
The gathering was the first time the leaders have met since Justice Antonin Scalia's death last month set off an election-year clash over the Supreme Court vacancy.
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Stand off: President Obama and vice-president Joe Biden held talks with (from left) Harry Reid and Patrick Leahy, Democrats, and Mitch McConnell and Chuck Grassley, Republicans, on the SCOTUS standoff
While the men huddled at the White House, the Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump was ready to pick up momentum in several state primary contests Tuesday. Democrats were quick to tie the Republican leadership's stance to their party's front-runner.
'All we want them to do is fulfill their Constitutional duty and do their job, and at this stage, they decided not to do that,' Reid said. 'They think that they can wait and see what President Trump will do, I guess.'
Vice President Joe Biden, and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the ranking Democrat on the committee also attended the meeting and posed for photos with smiles frozen to their faces.
When reporters got too close to Grassley, Biden joked, 'Don't hurt Senator Grassley. We need him.'
The leaders ignored a reporter's question about whether their minds were open to changing their position, as aides shooed reporters from the room.
At another time, the gathering might have been a nod to the tradition of at least limited cooperation in naming and confirming justices to the nation's highest court. The president might have floated potential candidates; Senate opposition might have come armed with their own preferred names.
But in the current standoff, gestures of collaboration seem moot. Neither side has indicated it will come with much more than talking points.
'This vacancy will not be filled this year,' McConnell told reporters after the meeting.
'Whether everybody in the meeting today wanted to admit it, we all know that considering a nomination in the middle of a heated presidential campaign is bad for the nominee, bad for the court, bad for the process, and ultimately bad for the nation,' Grassley said in his statement about the meeting.
'It's time for the people to voice their opinion about the role of the Supreme Court in our constitutional system of government.'
'Look, the president is open to a discussion, but it would represent a pretty dramatic reversal in position for Mr. McConnell, who has said that the president shouldn't put anybody forward, to come with a list of potential nominees,' White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday. 'It makes it hard for him to engage constructively, until they change that position.'
Before heading to the White House Tuesday morning, McConnell had made clear he would not budge.
In remarks on the Senate floor, he said he planned to use the meeting to 'reiterate that the American people will have a voice on the vacancy at the Supreme Court as they choose the next president.'
No change: Harry Reid spoke after the meeting and said of the Republican leadership: 'All we want them to do is fulfill their Constitutional duty and do their job, and at this stage, they decided not to do that.'
He added that the White House might want to fill out the meeting agenda with other topics, such drug-abuse legislation.
McConnell also promised no movement when he addressed House Republicans at their weekly Tuesday morning meeting.
Several of those in attendance said he even used the phrase 'Read my lips,' made famous by President George H.W. Bush when he promised during his 1988 campaign to not raise taxes - a promise he later abandoned under Democratic pressure.
While the standoff continues, the president spent a significant part of the weekend reading through files on potential nominees and considering his options, Earnest said, adding that the president has not settled on a short list and could still add names to the mix.
For now, the White House is focused on demonstrating that it is making an effort to consult with the Senate - even if there's not much give and take.
In separate op-eds published in home-state media outlets Tuesday, McConnell and Grassley both wrote that Biden, a former Senate Judiciary chairman, once endorsed the idea of suspending consideration of a nominee during an election year, presumably in an effort to keep the court from becoming overly politicized.
More tests showed the baby does not have disease - but child will likely have 'more issues'
An NFL player has opened up about his wife's pregnancy complications in an inspiring blog post.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith disclosed his family's personal struggle after a doctor told his wife Chanel that the baby she is carrying was facing complications.
He recounts in a moving blog post titled 'Prayers Up' how a routine visit turned into a nightmare for the Smiths, who are already parents to one-year-old Torrey 'TJ'.
Upon arriving to their house in Baltimore from California, Chanel received a call from the doctors saying that the baby, who they have already named Kameron, had a 1 in 25 chance of being born with Trisomy 18.
NLF player Torrey Smith has written a touching blog post about his family's personal struggle after a doctor told his wife Chanel that the baby she is carrying was facing complications
Upon arriving to their house in Baltimore from California, Chanel received a call from the doctors saying that the baby, who they have already named Kameron, had a 1 in 25 chance of being born with Trisomy 18
Trisomy, also known as Edwards syndrome, is a genetic disorder that occurs in roughly 1 out of every 3,000 or 5,000 live births and causes early death, severe developmental delays and physical malformations.
Further exams showed the baby does not have Trisomy, although he will 'likely' have more issues.
Smith wrote that his wife, who usually 'worries about everything' was struggling handling it all at first 'but later on it all changed.
'I noticed this strength about her that I had only seen one time before; the same strength she displayed throughout TJ's birth process,' he wrote. 'She proved that she could handle anything. Suddenly we were able to talk about what we would do with this situation knowing that her life, as well as the baby's, could be at risk.'
The couple was able 'to talk about what we would do with this situation knowing that her life, as well as the baby's, could be at risk. ...What do you do? Do you go forward knowing the outcome will be a miscarriage or death shortly after birth all while putting your life in danger? Or do you terminate the pregnancy?'
A few weeks ago Chanel posted a photo of her growing bump (left). Right: The NFL star and his son when he was younger
The Smiths received good news when the results came back that the baby does not have Trisomy 18
'A disability doesn't make you unhealthy; it just means you may have different challenges. We all have challenges, and we are ready for ours that will soon come. Prayers Up for Kameron!' he wrote online
He continued: 'Being in this situation has changed the way I view everything about it. I realized I have no right to suggest to her what she should do. I can talk about the pros and cons of each, or maybe even make suggestions, but I couldn't pressure her one way or the other.'
Then, results came back that the baby 'does not have Trisomy 18,' Smith wrote, noting that his child will likely have 'more issues.'
'We have been talking about what else it could be and have been preparing for whatever results lie ahead. I'm not worried about it a single bit! I always believed that it takes special parents to provide and show love to a kid with special needs,' he wrote. 'I do know that we are ready for whatever may come and my wife is leading the way.'
He added: 'Now we are praying that our little fighter continues to grow and we can meet him. I'm praying for life, not for his health. A disability doesn't make you unhealthy; it just means you may have different challenges. We all have challenges, and we are ready for ours that will soon come. Prayers Up for Kameron!'
Earlier this month Rick Santorum and his wife Karen revealed the agony they faced when their daughter Bella, was born disabled due to Trisomy 18
Last year Rick Santorum and his wife Karen revealed the agony they faced when their daughter was born disabled due to Trisomy 18.
The former US Senator, was initially 'at peace' with whether his daughter lived or died right after his daughter was born, believing he saw her as 'less of a person'.
He questioned whether he would love her the same as his six other children, while receiving pamphlets for coffins and grave sites as they left the hospital.
Around 100 makeshift homes were torn down yesterday during a French-court
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Migrants have started to torch the notorious Jungle camp in protest over the demolition of the site, leading to clashes between angry protesters and police.
As the flames tore through the light timbers and canvas of the buildings, some migrants called for the demolition to stop, with one woman protesting on the roof of one of the buildings.
She warned police not to approach when they moved forward to arrest her male companion as around 100 makeshift homes in the so-called Jungle were torn to the ground yesterday, with bulldozers likely to continue their work all this week.
Earlier, AP reported the woman, thought to be from Iran, had followed through on a threat to cut her own wrists when approached by police.
As the flames tore through the light timbers and canvas of the buildings, some migrants have clashed with police, with one woman protesting on the roof of one of camp roof dwellings
Migrants have started to burn down the Jungle camp as the security officers slowly remove the basic structures while police hold back angry protesters
A large group of migrants watch over a pile of burning tarpaulin and wood after setting fire to several camp structures in protest over the demolition of the camp
The camp, which once had its own shops and churches, will be relocated with the migrants receiving purpose-built acccomodation
French riot police try to clear the Jungle camp as residents began to burn down some of the remaining buildings
At least 12 shelters were set ablaze by the refugees yesterday, during disturbances involving left-wing agitators from the UK
A group of anti-riot police officers apprehend a man protesting his eviction from the 'Jungle' on top of a dwelling inside the campsite
The man was later dragged down by police after wrestling with them for a short period of time on the building's roof
But following his arrest, a female companion clashed with the officers on top of the roof of the campsite dwelling
Meanwhile, migrants brandishing metal bars and hurling rocks tried to hijack lorries today as demolition workers supported by riot police carried on smashing up their illegal camp.
It has led to many of the migrants trying to get to Britain as quickly as possible, forcing traffic to a standstill on major roads while trying to get on board HGVs.
Gangs broke out of the camp overnight, and started threatening drivers in the middle of the road, said a Calais police spokesman.
Tear gas and baton charges were used to restore order, and then the gang members were forced back inside the camp.
At least 12 shelters were set ablaze by the refugees yesterday, during disturbances involving left-wing agitators from the UK.
Three members of the so-called No Borders group were arrested for inciting the migrants to attack the police.
At least one unidentified woman from Britain was among those arrested during a day of violence in the French port town.
She was seen in front of a mob of mainly Afghan refugees hurling bricks and stones at officers who fought back with tear gas.
A second woman a German who identified herself as Ronia said she had no regrets about offering resistance on behalf of the refugees.
As Ronia was handcuffed, and placed inside a police car, she said: Everyone in the camp has a right to a home and a future.
The worst trouble started soon after demolition workers supported by CRS riot police arrived at around midday yesterday.
The woman was conscious when she was subdued and taken away by police, though her condition was not immediately known
Police surround a group of activists standing on top of a roof in a bid to halt the camp's demolition
A police officer throws a tear gas canister to quell the riots breaking out in the camp this morning
Riot police officers spray water cannons at activists and migrants protesting the demolition of the camp today
Trudging through the muddy terrain, riot police try to gain control of the protesters at the camp near Calais
A young boy looks on as a dwelling is burned to the ground behind him during the chaos which erupted in Calais today
French riot police stand guard against rioting migrants and activists as a dwelling burns behind them
A group of migrants desperately try to pull a tent away from the fire which burns the dwelling next to it
A police officer watches over the camp after rioting migrants set tents and dwellings on fire during the forced evacuation
A group of migrants keep warm around a drum fire during the freezing temperatures today
It followed a court order last week that gave the French authorities the legal right to destroy the south side of the sprawling shanty town.
Fabienne Buccio, the Pas-de-Calais prefect who ordered the dismantling of the camp in the first place, turned up at the start of the operation.
She attacked left-wing groups such as No Borders for manipulating migrants and using their problems for political ends.
Mrs Buccio insisted that many of the homes being demolished had already been evacuated and were full of rubbish, not people.
Kazim Lahr, a 22-year-old Afghan refugee, said: We expected them to move in this week, but the number of police is astonishing.
We have been told to get out of the south side of the camp, which is where all our homes and restaurants are. We have nowhere else to go.
Me and my friends are preparing to stay here, as our only intention is to get to Britain. The French treat us like animals, but the British will not.
Tensions were high as bulldozers continued dismantling the southern half of the Jungle camp, which has become a magnet for people hoping to reach Britain.
Roving teams were trying to convince the inhabitants to leave of their own volition and move to better accommodation provided for them, but many fear it will take them further from their goal of reaching Britain, with clashes erupting.
'We have already seen prison and torture, this doesn't scare us,' a migrant told one of the teams.
The demolition workers dismantle a shack in the campsite as two migrants on a nearby roof watch on
Two riot police officers stand guard during the demolition, which has led to migrants torching their own tents and tear gas being used on rioting occupiers
Migrants and activists stand on the roofs of dwellings in an attempt to prevent them from being dismantled
Migrants throw pieces of what were once dwellings onto a fire as they attempt to stay warm during the demolition
A bulldozer carries debris from the illegal campsite housing into a skip today as authorities began demolishing the site
While authorities say 1,000 migrants will be affected by the demolition, campaign groups put the estimate at closer to 3,500
Dozens of police vans wait outside the entrance to the campsite, which began being demolished earlier this week
A migrant carries his belongings away from the site, while a group of French police officers stand over the embers of a fire
There are currently more than 3,000 people from war-torn countries living in the south side of the camp.
Some have been offered accommodation in converted shipping units in the north side, but there are not enough to go round.
The units are behind security fences, and all those who apply for a heated unit have to supply palm prints.
They are like prisons very few of us want to go there, said another Afghan migrant, who asked to be referred to as Ali, 25.
The evacuation of the Calais camp is expected to carry on all this week, and the police are braced for more violence.
The evicted migrants have been offered heated accommodation in refitted containers set up next door to the camp, but many are reluctant to move there because they lack communal spaces and movement is restricted.
They have also been offered places in some 100 reception centres dotted around France.
The demolition of the Jungle comes ahead of talks on Thursday between French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron and the existence of which has played into fraught discussions about Britain's possible exit from the EU.
Some opponents of 'Brexit' say that if Britain were to leave the EU, the British government would lose the ability to call on France to stop the refugees from trying to make their way across the Channel.
A worker destroys a makeshift wooden dwelling under the close watch of a French riot police officer
Police officers confront migrants and activists inside the camp as the dismantling began yesterday
Workers and police officers clear away debris from the 'Jungle' where thousands of migrants live
A group of workers pull down the makeshift shelters under the close watch of riot police officers
A bulldozer clears away tents and debris while migrants who once lived in the camp watch on
A police officer prepares to fire tear gas during clashes at the 'Jungle' migrant camp yesterday
Iain Duncan Smith has told his civil servants to ignore a ban on giving him documents related to the EU referendum.
In a new escalation of a fairness row at the heart of the referendum, the Work and Pensions Secretary is going head-to-head with Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood and No 10.
Sir Jeremy issued advice to civil servants that because David Cameron's position was backing Britain's membership of the EU, they could not do any work or provide papers to ministers working for the other side.
Iain Duncan Smith, left arriving for Cabinet today with his deputy Priti Patel, has reportedly ordered his officials to ignore rules excluding him from receiving all referendum-related government papers
Under the rules Theresa Villiers, left today, and Michael Gove, right today, are also barred as Brexit-backers from receiving papers on the EU referendum
The Leave campaign has claimed the move is unconstitutional and Sir Jeremy is due to be grilled by MPs furious at the instruction later today.
Mr Duncan Smith is said to have dismissed the rules in conversation with friends.
The Sun said he had remarked: 'My civil servants report to me not Jeremy Heywood.
'It's me who's got the seals of state not him.'
The minister is said to have added: 'I have told them that all European Union documents must pass across my desk.
'I trust my staff not to withhold information.'
Mr Duncan Smith has worked at the Department for Work and Pensions since 2010 and is said to trust his staff to be open with his paperwork.
Tory eurosceptic Bernard Jenkin has summoned Sir Jeremy to answer questions at his Public Administration Committee in the Commons later today.
Mr Jenkin led criticism of the policy yesterday in the Commons after he secured an urgent question on the issue.
He said: 'How does this situation best serve the democratic process if ministers on opposing sides of the debate finish up disagreeing about information from the same Government department which is meant to be impartial and accurate information provided by professional civil servants?'
Cabinet Office Minister Matt Hancock defended the scheme.
Under the controversial rules, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, left, and Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, right, both in Downing Street for Cabinet today, will keep full access to Government papers as In campaigners
The fairness row could threaten to derail David Cameron's referendum campaign, which he took to Ipswich yesterday for an event with students
He said the Government is functioning 'perfectly well' under the arrangements as he stressed the civil service code makes it clear that the 'duty' of civil servants is to 'support the position of the government of the day'.
But Mr Hancock was criticised for an hour by MPs on both sides of the Commons amid claims it could make the referendum appear to be unfair.
Under the rules set out by Sir Jeremy when the campaign formally started last week, Brexit supporters are allowed access to anything they have seen already and anything not specifically related to the referendum.
But the rules ban them from receiving certain documents - raising the prospect the Cabinet ministers are held responsible for things they have deliberately not been told about by officials.
All Cabinet ministers are ultimately responsible to Parliament for their department - even if they were not personally aware of a problem.
But because officials could be banned from briefing a minister Ms Patel said the ruling was 'unconstitutional' and a Government minister has been hauled to the Commons to explain the rules to MPs later today.
Five members of the full Cabinet defected to the Vote Leave camp within minutes of Mr Cameron launching the referendum and suspending the normal rules of 'collective responsibility'.
They include Mr Duncan Smith who, in the event of a Remain vote, would be responsible for introducing key parts of Mr Cameron's deal with the EU.
Sir Jeremy Heywood, left, will defend the policy to MPs at a committee hearing later today. Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock, right, yesterday insisted it was important to the sound running of Government
Justice Secretary Michael Gove and Commons leader Chris Grayling might have to plan for the new 'red card' system for rejecting new EU laws.
But the ruling suggests none of them have access to relevant civil service resources until after the June 23 poll.
Employment Minister Priti Patel said: 'It is important that the civil service maintains impartiality during the EU referendum. Jeremy Heywood's unconstitutional act threatens the reputation of the civil service.
'Secretaries of State are responsible for their departments. For an unelected official to prevent them being aware of the information they need for their duties is wrong.'
London Mayor Boris Johnson, who is not a minister and does not receive civil service papers, today said: 'What the public wants to see what I want to see is total transparency and all information should be laid before the public. This is for the people to decide, this is for everybody to make up their minds about and let's have total candour and transparency.
'This is only going to be a few months, but this is a once in a lifetime chance for us to get it right. The EU has changed out of all recognition, I think it's going in the wrong direction for Britain, for the UK now's the time to make a change.'
The Prime Minister's official spokeswoman today said there had been no formal complaints made and the system set out had been clear since Mr Cameron had decided to allow his ministers to take a personal view on the referendum.
She said: 'The guidance is clear. There have been no complaints to the Cabinet Secretary.'
Lord Mandelson warns Britain could face massive export tariffs of 20 per cent on cars, whisky and clothes if it votes Brexit
At a speech today, Lord Mandelson will warn of the dangers of quitting the EU
Lord Mandelson will today warn Britain could face trade barriers and tariffs of up to 20 per cent on some of its biggest exports after a Brexit vote.
The former EU trade commissioner will make his first intervention in the referendum debate today to insist losing the EU's 'preferential trading benefits' could hit sales of top UK goods such as whisky, cars and clothes.
Tariffs are charges on importing or exporting goods that make doing business more expensive.
Lord Mandelson denied the claim would amount to more scaremongering amid a growing row over so-called 'project fear' tactics being used by the campaign to keep Britain in.
Boris Johnson yesterday blasted David Cameron's campaigning tactics as 'baloney' after the Prime Minister claimed he was offering 'project fact' by claiming Brexit was a 'leap in the dark'.
Lord Mandelson is due to say today: 'In trade you need bargaining chips in order to negotiate benefits in exchange and Britain is already a relatively open economy.
'Losing the EU's preferential trading benefits in foreign markets could mean new tariffs of 10, 20 per cent or sometimes even more on key UK exports, such as cars, machine goods, whisky and textiles.
'We would end up having to sacrifice sensitive positions in order to secure these deals.'
Challenged on the BBC if he was scaremongering, Lord Mandelson rejected the claim.
He said: 'There is no scaremongering in that speech and I would say substantial speech which addresses the risks and the consequences for British business and British jobs of our leaving the European Union.'
The Labour peer added: 'Any idiot can start a trade agreement; the question is: where does it end up? You can deal with tariffs relatively easily.
'What is much harder to deal with are the behind-the-border regulatory barriers.
Peter Mandelson has warned Brexit ministers to stop 'whinging' about being banned from accessing government papers on the EU.
Amid a growing row over rules imposed by Sir Jeremy Heywood to ensure civil servants are not supporting the Out camp, Lord Mandelson said ministers were 'lucky' to have the chance to campaign against David Cameron without being fired.
Iain Duncan Smith has reportedly ordered his officials to ensure he still receives all reports despite Sir Jeremy's diktat.
Lord Mandelson, speaking on the risk to the economy at a Britain Stronger in Europe event today, told Brexit-backing ministers to stop whinging
The intervention came after Iain Duncan Smith, seen arriving at Cabinet today with Priti Patel, reportedly ordered officials to ignore rules banning him from seeing referendum-related papers
The senior Labour peer made his remarks as he made his first intervention on the referendum with a warning Brexit could inspire huge trade tariffs on British exports.
Speaking in the City, Lord Mandelson said: 'We are faced in this country with the biggest choice of our generation, a choice which is going to have a huge impact on our jobs, our trade, our investment, our place in the world.
'Frankly, I think, these complaining ministers are lucky. Usually when members of a government go against ministerial collective responsibility and the will of the Cabinet, they receive one paper - and that's their P45.
'So I think they have got off rather lightly and they should stop whinging.'
Lord Mandelson dismissed claims he was adding to 'scaremongering' by the In campaign with his speech as he warned it would be 'thoroughly reckless' to quit the EU.
But the Vote Leave said his warnings of steep tariffs made him look like a man carrying a 'the end is nigh' sign in the street.
The new row comes a day after Boris Johnson blasted Mr Cameron's claim he was promoting 'project fact' as 'baloney'.
In his speech, the former EU trade commissioner said: 'In trade you need bargaining chips in order to negotiate benefits in exchange and Britain is already a relatively open economy.
'Losing the EU's preferential trading benefits in foreign markets could mean new tariffs of 10, 20 per cent or sometimes even more on key UK exports, such as cars, machine goods, whisky and textiles.
'We would end up having to sacrifice sensitive positions in order to secure these deals.'
Challenged on the BBC if he was scaremongering, Lord Mandelson rejected the claim.
He said: 'There is no scaremongering in that speech and I would say substantial speech which addresses the risks and the consequences for British business and British jobs of our leaving the European Union.'
The Labour peer added: 'Any idiot can start a trade agreement; the question is: where does it end up? You can deal with tariffs relatively easily.
'What is much harder to deal with are the behind-the-border regulatory barriers.
'The more you want to reduce both border tariff barriers and regulatory barriers, the longer and more complex it is and the harder the negotiation is and that's why on average a free trade agreement takes between four and seven years, sometimes much longer, to negotiate.'
Despite complaints the In campaign is scaremongering, Lord Mandelson today issued grim warnings about what he would expect to happen to trade tariffs following a Brexit vote
Boris Johnson yesterday dismissed as 'baloney' claims the In camp was not pursuing 'project fear' tactics with dire warnings about the impact of a Brexit vote
The senior peer, who was an architect of Tony Blair's New Labour in the 1990s, said the Brexit camp had to make clear what was on offer.
He said: 'The point about the Leave campaign is they're really not giving an answer to what Out would look like, what situation we would be in if we were not in the European Union.'
FURY AT DAVE'S 'DODGY DOSSIER' AS PRO-EU CAMP IS ACCUSED OF SCAREMONGERING David Cameron, pictured campaigning yesterday, has claimed he is pursuing 'project fact' Boris Johnson accused David Cameron of trying to 'scare the pants off' the public last night after ministers published a 'dodgy dossier' of lurid claims about leaving the European Union. The document set out a nightmarish Brexit scenario which could lead to 'a decade or more of uncertainty', destroy trade and even stop Britons holidaying around Europe. Drawn up by Whitehall mandarins and signed off by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, it was blandly titled 'The process for withdrawing from the European Union'. But inside were a series of terrifying claims about the 'complex and grinding' years following a Leave vote and its impact on Britain. It warned that: Any new trade negotiation with the US and other countries could take a decade or more hitting UK exporters and consumers
The freedom of UK travellers 'to move about freely in Europe' and access healthcare could end if no new deal with the EU was done within two years of Brexit Advertisement
In another day of clashes between the Prime Minister and London Mayor, Mr Johnson first hit out at the 'project fear' tactics being used by Mr Cameron's Remain campaign.
The intervention prompted Mr Cameron to insist at his latest campaign stop in Ipswich that he wanted to be straight voters and he told a group of students he was only interested in 'project fact'.
But speaking on a visit to Northern Ireland - where he posed for photographs trying to smash bullet proof glass with a mallet - Mr Johnson said this was 'baloney'.
He told LBC: 'There is an attempt going on to scare people into staying with the status quo, when I think the real risk is we will simply remain in a system that is less and less suitable to our needs.'
Mr Johnson urged Britons to have 'courage' to resist the fear driven campaigns and head for the Brexit.
Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of Vote Leave said: 'Peter Mandelson told us the British economy would fall off a cliff if we didn't join the euro and now he is indulging in the same scaremongering about the referendum. He was wrong then and he is wrong now.
'He is starting to resemble a man wearing a sign saying the 'end is nigh'.
'As the Prime Minister has said - trade will continue after we Vote Leave, Peter Mandelson should stop his scaremongering.
'It is safer to take back control and to start to spend our money on our priorities than it is to keep giving more power and money to the EU.'
Labour Eurosceptic Gisela Stuart, who is on the board of Vote Leave, today said the Labour Party has failed to face up to the realities of the European project.
She told the BBC: 'France and Germany coming together within the envelope of Nato and the collective security - that is what has kept the peace.
'What the European Union, up to a certain point, provided for was a political stability within a defence framework.
'But if you are looking at what is happening across the European Union now - and the refugee crisis is just the latest demonstration - that political stability is being seriously questioned, and the European Union as an institution is not responding to it properly.'
Iain Duncan Smith has ordered his civil servants to IGNORE a diktat banning him from getting referendum paperwork because he backs Brexit
Iain Duncan Smith, pictured on Sunday during a BBC interview, has told friends he trusts his officials to pass him all EU paperwork
Iain Duncan Smith has told his civil servants to ignore a ban on giving him documents related to the EU referendum.
In a new escalation of a fairness row at the heart of the referendum, the Work and Pensions Secretary is going head-to-head with Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood and No 10.
Sir Jeremy issued advice to civil servants that because David Cameron's position was backing Britain's membership of the EU, they could not do any work or provide papers to ministers working for the other side.
The Leave campaign has claimed the move is unconstitutional and Sir Jeremy is due to be grilled by MPs furious at the instruction later today.
Mr Duncan Smith is said to have dismissed the rules in conversation with friends.
The Sun said he had remarked: 'My civil servants report to me not Jeremy Heywood.
'It's me who's got the seals of state not him.'
The minister is said to have added: 'I have told them that all European Union documents must pass across my desk.
'I trust my staff not to withhold information.'
Mr Duncan Smith has worked at the Department for Work and Pensions since 2010 and is said to trust his staff to be open with his paperwork.
Tory eurosceptic Bernard Jenkin has summoned Sir Jeremy to answer questions at his Public Administration Committee in the Commons later today.
Mr Jenkin led criticism of the policy yesterday in the Commons after he secured an urgent question on the issue.
He said: 'How does this situation best serve the democratic process if ministers on opposing sides of the debate finish up disagreeing about information from the same Government department which is meant to be impartial and accurate information provided by professional civil servants?'
How will your MP vote? Full list of all the Conservative politicians who have declared their stand on the EU referendum debate
TORY MPs WHO WANT TO STAY IN EU Name Constituency Guto Bebb Aberconwy Nick Herbert Arundel and South Downs Damian Green Ashford David Lidington Aylesbury Victoria Prentis Banbury Maria Miller Basingstoke Ben Howlett Bath Jane Ellison Battersea Dominic Grieve Beaconsfield Graham Stuart Beverley and Holderness David Evennett Bexleyheath and Crayford Paul Maynard Blackpool North and Cleveleys Nick Gibb Bognor Regis and Littlehampton Matt Warman Boston and Skegness David Tredinnick Bosworth Tobias Ellwood Bournemouth East Eric Pickles Brentwood and Ongar Simon Kirby Brighton Kemptown Keith Simpson Broadland Bob Neill Bromley and Chislehurst Sajid Javid Bromsgrove Anna Soubry Broxtowe Andrew Griffiths Burton Jo Churchill Bury St Edmunds Craig Whittaker Calder Valley Craig Williams Cardiff North Simon Hart Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Mel Stride Central Devon Daniel Poulter Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Edward Argar Charnwood Simon Burns Chelmsford Greg Hands Chelsea and Fulham Alex Chalk Cheltenham Michelle Donelan Chippenham Mark Field Cities of London and Westminster Edward Timpson Crewe and Nantwich Gavin Barwell Croydon Central Chris Philp Croydon South Patrick McLoughlin Derbyshire Dales Claire Perry Devizes Charlie Elphicke Dover David Mundell Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Damian Hinds East Hampshire Sam Gyimah East Surrey Antoinette Sandbach Eddisbury Alec Shelbrooke Elmet and Rothwell Maggie Throup Erewash Helen Whately Faversham and Mid Kent Mike Freer Finchley and Golders Green Damian Collins Folkestone and Hythe Mark Harper Forest of Dean Mark Menzies Fylde Richard Graham Gloucester Byron Davies Gower Nicholas Boles Grantham and Stamford Brandon Lewis Great Yarmouth Anne Milton Guildford James Morris Halesowen and Rowley Regis Sir Edward Garnier Harborough Robert Halfon Harlow Andrew Jones Harrogate and Knaresborough Amber Rudd Hastings and Rye Alan Mak Havant John Howell Henley Mark Prisk Hertford and Stortford Oliver Dowden Hertsmere Guy Opperman Hexham Jeremy Quin Horsham Jonathan Djanogly Huntingdon Ben Gummer Ipswich Kris Hopkins Keighley Jeremy Wright Kenilworth and Southam James Berry Kingston and Surbiton Chris Skidmore Kingswood Nicky Morgan Loughborough Victoria Atkins Louth and Horncastle Philip Dunne Ludlow Theresa May Maidenhead Helen Grant Maidstone and The Weald Caroline Spelman Meriden George Freeman Mid Norfolk Sir Nicholas Soames Mid Sussex Nigel Huddleston Mid Worcestershire Sir Paul Beresford Mole Valley David Morris Morecambe and Lunesdale Robert Jenrick Newark Richard Benyon Newbury Peter Heaton-Jones North Devon Simon Hoare North Dorset Alistair Burt North East Bedfordshire Oliver Heald North East Hertfordshire Sir Roger Gale North Thanet Shailesh Vara North West Cambridgeshire Michael Ellis Northampton North Chloe Smith Norwich North Marcus Jones Nuneaton James Brokenshire Old Bexley and Sidcup Jo Johnson Orpington Nicola Blackwood Oxford West and Abingdon Rory Stewart Penrith and The Border Oliver Colvile Plymouth Sutton and Devonport Flick Drummond Portsmouth South Stephen Crabb Preseli Pembrokeshire Justine Greening Putney Rob Wilson Reading East Alok Sharma Reading West Crispin Blunt Reigate Jake Berry Rossendale and Darwen Mark Pawsey Rugby Nick Hurd Ruislip Northwood and Pinner Philip Hammond Runnymede and Weybridge Kenneth Clarke Rushcliffe Sir Alan Haselhurst Saffron Walden John Glen Salisbury Robert Goodwill Scarborough and Whitby Michael Fallon Sevenoaks Mark Spencer Sherwood Julian Smith Skipton and Ripon Julian Knight Solihull Heidi Allen South Cambridgeshire Lucy Frazer South East Cambridgeshire Alberto Costa South Leicestershire Gavin Williamson South Staffordshire James Cartlidge South Suffolk Robert Buckland South Swindon Andrew Selous South West Bedfordshire Gary Streeter South West Devon David Gauke South West Hertfordshire Elizabeth Truss South West Norfolk Jeremy Hunt South West Surrey Jeremy Lefroy Stafford Karen Bradley Staffordshire Moorlands Margot James Stourbridge Neil Carmichael Stroud Therese Coffey Suffolk Coastal George Osborne Tatton Mark Pritchard The Wrekin Kevin Hollinrake Thirsk and Malton Luke Hall Thornbury and Yate Neil Parish Tiverton and Honiton Thomas Tugendhat Tonbridge and Malling Kevin Foster Torbay Sarah Newton Truro and Falmouth Greg Clark Tunbridge Wells Tania Mathias Twickenham Alun Cairns Vale of Glamorgan Ed Vaizey Wantage David Mowat Warrington South Chris White Warwick and Leamington Richard Harrington Watford Peter Aldous Waveney Oliver Letwin West Dorset Matthew Hancock West Suffolk Harriett Baldwin West Worcestershire John Penrose Weston-Super-Mare Stephen Hammond Wimbledon Steve Brine Winchester David Cameron Witney Robin Walker Worcester Peter Bottomley Worthing West Ben Wallace Wyre and Preston North Mark Garnier Wyre Forest TORY MPs WHO WANT TO LEAVE EU Name Constituency Sir Gerald Howarth Aldershot Graham Brady Altrincham and Sale West Nigel Mills Amber Valley John Baron Basildon and Billericay Bob Stewart Beckenham Richard Fuller Bedford Anne-Marie Trevelyan Berwick-upon-Tweed Chris Green Bolton West Conor Burns Bournemouth West James Cleverly Braintree Chris Davies Brecon and Radnorshire Ian Liddell-Grainger Bridgwater and West Somerset Andrew Percy Brigg and Goole Charles Walker Broxbourne David Nuttall Bury North George Eustice Camborne and Redruth Julian Brazier Canterbury Rebecca Harris Castle Point Cheryl Gillan Chesham and Amersham Andrew Tyrie Chichester Iain Duncan Smith Chingford and Woodford Green Theresa Villiers Chipping Barnet Christopher Chope Christchurch Martin Vickers Cleethorpes David Jones Clwyd West Will Quince Colchester Jason McCartney Colne Valley Fiona Bruce Congleton Tom Pursglove Corby Henry Smith Crawley Gareth Johnson Dartford Chris Heaton-Harris Daventry Mike Wood Dudley South Tim Loughton East Worthing and Shoreham Sir Greg Knight East Yorkshire Mims Davies Eastleigh David Burrowes Enfield Southgate Eleanor Laing Epping Forest Chris Grayling Epsom and Ewell Dominic Raab Esher and Walton Suella Fernandes Fareham Jack Lopresti Filton and Bradley Stoke Edward Leigh Gainsborough Rehman Chishti Gillingham and Rainham Caroline Dinenage Gosport Adam Holloway Gravesham David Davis Haltemprice and Howden Bob Blackman Harrow East Bernard Jenkin Harwich and North Essex William Wragg Hazel Grove Mike Penning Hemel Hempstead Matthew Offord Hendon Andrew Bingham High Peak Peter Lilley Hitchin and Harpenden Angela Watkinson Hornchurch and Upminster Andrew Turner Isle of Wight Victoria Borwick Kensington Philip Hollobone Kettering Maria Caulfield Lewes Michael Fabricant Lichfield Karl McCartney Lincoln John Whittingdale Maldon Nadine Dorries Mid Bedfordshire Iain Stewart Milton Keynes South David Davies Monmouth Glyn Davies Montgomeryshire Andrea Jenkyns Morley and Outwood Julian Lewis New Forest East Desmond Swayne New Forest West Anne Marie Morris Newton Abbot Scott Mann North Cornwall Stephen Barclay North East Cambridgeshire Ranil Jayawardena North East Hampshire Jacob Rees-Mogg North East Somerset Bill Wiggin North Herefordshire Owen Paterson North Shropshire Liam Fox North Somerset Justin Tomlinson North Swindon Craig Tracey North Warwickshire Kit Malthouse North West Hampshire Andrew Bridgen North West Leicestershire Henry Bellingham North West Norfolk James Gray North Wiltshire Andrew Stephenson Pendle Stewart Jackson Peterborough Robert Syms Poole Penny Mordaunt Portsmouth North Mark Francois Rayleigh and Wickford Karen Lumley Redditch Nigel Evans Ribble Valley Rishi Sunak Richmond Zac Goldsmith Richmond Park James Duddridge Rochford and Southend East Andrew Rosindell Romford Alan Duncan Rutland and Melton Nigel Adams Selby and Ainsty Philip Davies Shipley Daniel Kawczynski Shrewsbury and Atcham Gordon Henderson Sittingbourne and Sheppey Stephen Phillips Sleaford and North Hykeham David Warburton Somerton and Frome Heather Wheeler South Derbyshire Richard Drax South Dorset Sheryll Murray South East Cornwall John Hayes South Holland and The Deepings Richard Bacon South Norfolk Andrea Leadsom South Northamptonshire Seema Kennedy South Ribble Craig Mackinlay South Thanet Andrew Murrison South West Wiltshire Royston Smith Southampton Itchen David Amess Southend West Kwasi Kwarteng Spelthorne Anne Main St Albans Steve Double St Austell and Newquay Derek Thomas St Ives Stephen McPartland Stevenage James Wharton Stockton South Bill Cash Stone Nadhim Zahawi Stratford-on-Avon Michael Gove Surrey Heath Paul Scully Sutton and Cheam Christopher Pincher Tamworth Lucy Allan Telford Laurence Robertson Tewkesbury Geoffrey Clifton-Brown The Cotswolds Geoffrey Cox Torridge and West Devon Sarah Wollaston Totnes Boris Johnson Uxbridge and South Ruislip James Davies Vale of Clwyd Nusrat Ghani Wealden Graham Evans Weaver Vale Peter Bone Wellingborough Adam Afriyie Windsor Priti Patel Witham Jonathan Lord Woking John Redwood Wokingham Steven Baker Wycombe Marcus Fysh Yeovil Julian Sturdy York Outer
Boris Johnson (pictured outside his house) angered David Cameron by announcing he will vote for Brexit Michael Gove (pictured) is a close family friend of David Cameron but is opposing him on the EU
A Canadian teenager who was killed in a tour helicopter crash in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, died of brain damage from drowning, the local medical examiner's office said.
Riley Dobson, 16, of Guelph, Ontario, was trapped inside the helicopter after the crash, which occurred on 18 February when the chopper plunged into the ocean.
The teen had to be cut free from his seat and died at a hospital four days later.
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The dramatic crash was caught on video, showing the helicopter abruptly tilt to one side before slamming the water and sinking
Riley Dobson, 16, of Guelph, Ontario, was trapped inside the helicopter after the crash, which occurred on 18 February when the chopper plunged into the ocean
The dramatic crash was caught on video, showing the helicopter abruptly tilt to one side before slamming the water and sinking.
Dobson suffered from damage from a lack of oxygen, according to Honolulu Medical Examiner's office.
Two family members and the pilot were seriously injured and remain in hospital in stable condition. One passenger suffered minor injuries and has been released.
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board last week said the pilot felt a vibration then heard a grinding noise and a loud bang before the crash. The helicopter was submerged in about 40 feet of water.
Dobson was a horse jumper who competed in several equestrian shows in Guelph province, Ontario.
Dobson was a horse jumper who competed in several equestrian shows in Guelph province, Ontario
He was a student at Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute, which issued the following statement:
'We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of one of our students and our hearts go out to the student's family. Supports are available for our staff and students through the Board's Crisis Response team, guidance counsellors, social workers and child and youth counsellors. We ask that the media please respect the family's privacy during this difficult time.'
A hospital cremated a man without telling his family he had died, meaning his devastated relatives missed the funeral.
The man, named only as Mr C, died at Kings College Hospital, in London, and staff asked the local council to help trace his next of kin.
Officers from Lambeth council searched his home and found letters which had been written to his family and identified where they lived and how to contact them.
But the documents 'fell behind an office cabinet' and were lost. The hospital then cremated the man without his family knowing he was dead.
King's College Hospital cremated a man from South London without telling his family he had died, meaning his relatives missed the funeral
The family claimed they later found that the hospital charged his estate for storing his body and due to the councils mistake his estate was also still being charged rent for his home.
The incident from 2013 is one of 40 cases highlighted by ombudsman Dame Julie Mellor, exposing how patients and families who complained routinely met with obstruction and obfuscation from NHS officials.
The report says: 'The Trust's bereavement services manager contacted the Council and asked it to use its statutory powers to enter Mr C's property and gather information to identify his next of kin. The search took place and the Council found documents relating to Mr C's financial affairs, and letters between him and his family.
The incident from 2013 is one of 40 cases highlighted by ombudsman Dame Julie Mellor
'The Council officers created a schedule of the items, and placed them in an envelope with the keys to Mr C's property. Unfortunately, the envelope was mislaid, and the Council did not inform the Trust of its findings.'
Mr C was then cremated. His family only discovered he was dead when they contacted his GP.
King's College Hospital and Lambeth Council have now apologised to the family. They have been awarded 650 compensation, the charges for body storage have been cancelled, and the family have been given back 750 to make up for the erroneous rent.
A spokesman for Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We would like to apologise wholeheartedly once again to the family involved in this case.
'When a patient dies, we always do our best to contact the next of kin, which can sometimes prove difficult, as it did in this instance.
'Since this incident, we have taken a number of steps to prevent it from happening again.
'We reviewed our procedure on arranging funerals for patients, and amended our checklist to ensure written acknowledgment is provided by the Council following their property search. This ensures any information which may help us identify the next of kin is obtained and thoroughly explored before a funeral is booked.
ISIS has executed 424 of its own fighters in its 20 month reign in Syria
ISIS has executed eight Dutch members of its own jihadist fighting force in Syria after accusing them of desertion and mutiny, activists say.
Another three Dutch jihadists were arrested with one of the detainees beaten to death during the interrogation, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported.
In total, ISIS has executed more than 420 of its own fighters, for crimes such as attempting to defect, spying for foreign countries or fraternising with the enemy.
ISIS has executed eight Dutch members of its own jihadist fighting force in in Maadan, Raqqa province, in Syria, after accusing them of desertion and mutiny (stock image)
'Daesh (IS) executed eight Dutch fighters on Friday in Maadan, Raqqa province, after accusing them of attempting desertion and mutiny,' Abu Mohammad, a member of the citizen journalist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), said via Twitter.
Tension has boiled in Raqqa, the self-proclaimed 'capital' of ISIS, east of Aleppo, over the past month between 75 Dutch jihadists and IS intelligence operatives from Iraq, RBSS said.
ISIS leaders in Raqqa sent a delegate to solve the dispute with the Dutch cell's enraged members, but they murdered the intermediary in vengeance, the citizen journalist group added.
The ISIS leadership in Iraq then ordered the arrest of all the members of the Dutch group, and imprisoned them in Tabaqa and Maadan in Syria.
Since declaring a 'caliphate' in Raqqa in June 2014 (pictured) ISIS has executed 3,967 people, including 2,142 Syrian civilians and 424 if its own fighters
Eight of the arrested Dutch fighters, some of whom are of Moroccan origin, have since been executed, RBSS said, a report which has not yet been confirmed.
Dutch secret services say that 200 people from the Netherlands, including 50 women, have joined IS in Syria and Iraq.
During it's 20-month-long reign of terror, ISIS has executed 424 of its own members, a recent report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.
In February alone, ISIS executed 71 people in it's controlled areas in Syria, and while a majority of those executed were rebel or government fighters, nearly half were civilians, including five women.
In total, ISIS has executed 3,967 people since declaring its 'caliphate' in Syria on the 29th of June 2014.
This includes 2,142 Syrian civilians including 78 children and 121 women.
Zena Stephens, a black woman, is standing to be sheriff in Jefferson County, whose campaign office was shot at
Police have arrested a man in Texas after he allegedly fired shots at the campaign office of a candidate for local sheriff while shouting racial slurs.
Zena Stephens, a black woman, is standing to be sheriff in Jefferson County with the election set to take place today.
However, last night, a white male is accused of pulling up outside her campaign office in a white jeep and fired a shot at the window while shouting 'f*** the n*****s'.
It is believed that around 25 people were inside the office when the man stuck, including several members of her family.
But despite the weapon causing the glass at the front of the building to shatter, nobody inside was hurt.
She told NBC News: 'Anytime something like that happens with innocent people around you're concerned for them.
'I don't know if it was a random act or whether it was targeted, but I just think it is, you know, ignorance.'
According to the Beaumont Police Department a convenience store down the street from her office was also targeted by the man, who was said to be in the passenger seat of the car.
Officers later tracked down the vehicle and found two weapons inside. One man was arrested and four others were taking in for questioning.
Ms Stephens, a former chief of law enforcement of Jefferson County, is standing for sheriff against two Democratic party rivals.
Despite the weapon causing the glass at the front of the building to shatter, nobody inside was hurt
She is currently the police chief for Prairie View A&M University where two years ago she became the first woman to hold that position.
Her Democratic rivals Joe Stevenson and Rod Carroll both condemned the shooting.
Boy with painful tumour must be brought to Australia for medical treatment
A 10-year-old boy with an aggressive and painful tumour encroaching on his brain must raise $60,000 to travel to Australia for lifesaving surgery.
Ashmit, who shares a bed in an abandoned farm house in Fiji's remote Sigatoka Valley with his father and two younger brothers, noticed a lump forming just above his left ear three months ago.
The extremely rare Angiosarcoma doubled in size in just six weeks, causing severe pain to the little boy and has the risk of haemorrhage at any second.
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10-year-old Ashmit (pictured left before his tumour began growing and right now) has an aggressive tumour encroaching on his brain, leaving him in agony
Ashmit, who shares a bed in an abandoned farm house in Fiji's remote Sigatoka Valley with his father (pictured) and two younger brothers, noticed a lump forming just above his left ear three months ago
The extremely rare Angiosarcoma doubled in size in just six weeks, causing severe pain to the little boy
Although Ashmit has received his diagnosis, treatment is not available in Fiji due to the rarity of the tumour and the little boy must instead travel to Australia for urgent surgery.
A desperate GoFundMe campaign was started more than two weeks ago to raise $60,000 to cover Ashmit's hospital bills and an emergency visa and has reached just over half its goal.
Sydney-based Rachelle Matousek, Trustee of children's charity Fiji Kids is behind the campaign.
'This beautiful boy will not survive without the emergency surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, all of which is available in Australia,' she said in a media release.
'We know it is a big ask, but we are absolutely sure people will want to help.
Although Ashmit has received his diagnosis, treatment is not available in Fiji due to the rarity of the tumour and the little boy must instead travel to Australia
A desperate GoFundMe campaign was started more than two weeks ago to raise $60,000 to cover Ashmit's (pictured far right with father and brothers) hospital bills and an emergency visa
Although the little boy has had the growth diagnosed , he still must travel to Australia to have the life saving surgery
'It is unimaginable to most of us that a child just a few hours away would be denied lifesaving treatment,' Rachelle Matousek from Fiji Kids said
'It is unimaginable to most of us that a child just a few hours away would be denied lifesaving treatment.
'We are his only hope of survival and time is not on our side.'
A video was shared on the fundraising page on Monday of Ashmit describing the pain he experiences from the enormous growth saying he 'can't stay with the pain.'
The little boy also said he hopes to be able to go back to school after the surgery to play with his friends and would love to work as a police officer when he is older.
'We are his only hope of survival and time is not on our side'
Ashmit and his brothers, Amish and Aarav (pictured), have perfect attendance at school and are described by their teachers as 'delightful'
A video was shared on the fundraising page on Monday of Ashmit describing the pain he experiences from the enormous growth saying he 'can't stay with the pain'
Ashmit (pictured here with his younger brothers) hopes to one day become a police officer
Their father picks vegetables for a living, earning a few dollars per day
Ashmit and his brothers, Amish and Aarav, have perfect attendance at school and are described by their teachers as 'delightful.'
Their father picks vegetables for a living, earning a few dollars per day.
When Ashmit is in severe pain, he treks two hours to the nearest town on the back of a carrier van for stronger medicine for his son.
Angiosarcoma is an extremely rare cancer in children and even more rare in and around the brain. It is a cancer in the inner lining of the blood vessels and can occur in any area of the body.
The little boy said he hopes to be able to go back to school after the surgery and play with his friends
Angiosarcoma is an extremely rare cancer in children and even more rare in and around the brain
Although more than half of the necessary $60,000 has been raised with the help of Fiji Kids (pictured) the group still need the rest to get Ashmit to Australia
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS: The participants of the rally to commemorate the victims of March 1, 2008 events lay flowers in Myasnikyan square. The rally was initiated by Armenian National Congress, Peoples Party of Armenia, New Armenia Initiative National Self-Determination Union, Armenia Initiative and Civil Contract Party.
Armenpress reports that before the rally in the streets of Yerevan, a short demonstration took place in Freedom Square. The representative of ANC Aram Manukyan emphasized the issue of reparations to the families of victims during the manifestation and spoke of the need of holding responsible the perpetrators of the crimes. He also said that a parliamentary commission on these events should be created.
In order to avoid the repetition of such events and to bring justice, we should gather on this day every year, we should remember and pay our respects to the memories of the victims, Manukyan said.
The representative of Heritage Party Armen Martirosyan read the joint statement adopted by all the initiators of the rally. The statement read that all the signatory parties will pursue justice for this case by all legal methods.
The rally then moved to the Myasnikyan square and lay wreath near Myasnikyan monument. The police, who accompanied the rally also lay flowers to the monument.
Photo: RFE/RL Armenian Service
Dr Christian Solomonides arriving at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester
A senior hospital doctor used his Twitter account to publish expletive-ridden rants about 'neurotic' A&E patients 'crippling' the NHS with their 'aches and pains', a tribunal heard today.
Dr Christian Solomonides, a consultant in emergency medicine, posted dozens of messages over three-and-a-half years, including one that claimed 90 per cent of ambulance call outs were 'bull****'.
One tweet read: 'A few aches and pains... Who f**king cares... Just crack on like every other normal thinking person.' He also called for a fine to deter those who 'abused' the system.
He also branded David Cameron an 'Islamophile' and said it was 'sickening' how the Government 'sucked up to sick doctrines like Islam' in a series of anti-religion tweets.
The abusive posts were uncovered when the account was referred to the General Medical Council.
The account information identified the user as a doctor and made references to Barnet Hospital, in north London, where Dr Solomonides is an employee.
The brief profile also mentioned the medic's hobbies of powerlifting and piano playing.
At a fitness to practice hearing in Manchester, Solomonides, of Chingford, East London, admitted posting 188 potentially offensive tweets from his account between July 2011 and January last year.
Now deactivated, the account had the Twitter handle @drcms1 and was 'easy to find on a Google search', the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service was told.
From the account, he aired his views on politics, atheism and the state of the NHS but the doctor, who was described as an 'excellent clinician', also used the public forum to slam patients.
In one tweet he wrote: 'Ambulance for a broken nail, an earache, period pain, not being able to sleep are all REAL. What's going on with the people of the U.K...'
He also posted: 'It costs 1,000 to deploy an ambulance and convey to hospital, I would say that 90% of call outs are f***ing bull*** (as I work front line).
Blasting patients: The emergency medicine consultant posted dozens of messages over three-and-a-half years, including one criticising A&E admissions that said 'who the f*** cares about aches and pains'
'You can quickly appreciate why the NHS is crippled financially. A fine of 50 to those who abuse A&E will soon keep drive away the droves of ambulatory neurotics.'
The medic also wrote that he was 'sure ADHD is merely a polite term for a child who is just a little sh**'.
On July 14, 2013, he posted a series of extraordinary posts criticising patients with minor injuries who expected to be seen immediately in A&E.
It culminated with the message: 'It doesn't matter HOW you arrive, it's WHAT you arrive with that determines when or if you'll be seen.
'Please try to understand this simple concept before abusing our hard working staff!!!! #rant.'
He also posted offensive tweets on other topics, including religion. He wrote: 'Abstinence makes the church grow fondlers' and 'Nobody is born that f***ing stupid, it's religion that does it'.
Dr Christian Solomonides, pictured, also branded David Cameron an 'Islamophile'
Another read: 'David Cameron is an obsequious Islamophile and he needs to go. The way we suck up to sick doctrines like Islam in the UK is sickening.'
Dr Solomonides' Twitter account was eventually brought to the attention of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in January 2014 following an anonymous complaint.
Associate medical director Vivienne Van Someren examined the tweets concluded the medic may have a problem with 'equality, diversity and discrimination,' the Manchester hearing was told.
Counsel for the GMC Miss Shirlie Duckworth said: 'It was clear to her from the account that he was anti-religion but most comments were anti-Islamic. She was also concerned about derogatory comments he had made about patients he had treated at Barnet.'
Dr Solomonides was questioned about the comments during a meeting on January 25 last year and accepted responsibility.
Miss Duckworth added: 'He recognised he had overstepped the mark, the postings could cause offence and compromise his credibility.
'He expressed regret and said he had been naive in thinking the postings would only be accessible to his own followers.'
In a letter to the Trust, Dr Solomonides added: 'I recognise now that I hold a position of considerable authority and publicly announcing controversial views in this context is inappropriate and compromises my professional credibility.
'I wish to emphasise these personal views have never influenced my clinical practice in any way.'
The hearing continues.
Twitter rant: Dr Christian Solomonides also posted offensive tweets on other topics, including religion
The account made reference to Barnet Hospital, in London, pictured, where Dr Solomonides is an employee
New spying laws creating sweeping powers for the police to access anyone's web browser history and break into their phones have been handed to MPs.
A new draft of proposed laws was presented to Parliament this afternoon after three inquiries made scores of recommendations for changes and one blasted the original as rushed and flawed.
Among the changes in the re-written bill are expanded powers to break into phones and computers if there is a 'threat to life' and enhanced rules on allowing police and security service access to records about which websites - but not specific pages - have been accessed.
The new bill does include concessions on encryption of messages and the powers to make companies such as Apple and Google decode messages will only apply 'where practicable'.
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Home Secretary Theresa May, pictured in Downing Street today, will not press ahead with new laws which could have required tech firms to open up encryption to the police and security services
Home Secretary Theresa May is understood to want the backing of MPs for the proposed new laws by the summer. The Home Office today said the legislation had to become law this year because existing laws will expire.
Mrs May said: 'Terrorists and criminals are operating online and we need to ensure the police and security services can keep pace with the modern world and continue to protect the British public from the many serious threats we face.'
Under the changes revealed today:
Police will be given access to web browsing records in specific crime investigations. In the first draft this was limited to illegal websites and communications services. The data will include websites visited but not pages viewed.
So-called 'internet connection records', which is another form of browsing data, will also be accessible by security services. It shows which website a device connected to but not the details of each page on that site.
Where the authorities declare there is a 'threat to life', the ability of the security services and police to carry out remote hacking is expanded.
The draft bill will require internet companies to store details of a person's every internet visit, text message and phone call for up to 12 months.
Privacy campaigners have been deeply critical of the legislation and the row comes as US courts wrestle with whether Apple can be ordered to unlock the iPhone of a terrorist who killed 14 people at a shooting in California last year.
The new laws are meant to clarify legislation and make clear what powers the security services have in the wake of scandals triggered by Edward Snowden's revelations.
In a written statement to MPs, Mrs May acknowledged the 'thorough and comprehensive' scrutiny of three committees which produced scathing reports on her first draft.
She said: 'The revised Bill... reflects the majority of the recommendations made by the three Committees.'
Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham welcomed changes to the proposed laws but said he still had concerns about the 'most intrusive' elements
And she added: 'The Government is not seeking sweeping new powers.
'Rather the Bill ensures that the security and intelligence agencies and law enforcement continue to have the powers they need to keep us safe against a backdrop of an increasingly complex, serious and unpredictable threat.
'The Bill provides the public and Parliament with greater confidence that there are robust measures in place to ensure that the powers are subject to world-leading safeguards.'
Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham said Labour had been 'responsible and constructive' in its approach to the proposals and he welcomed some of the changes made.
But he warned: 'Where I have potential disagreement with the Home Secretary is over the criteria for the use of the most intrusive powers.
'I have consistently made clear that I believe those powers should only be used in connection with the investigation of the most serious crime or to protect people in life-threatening situations.
'However, instead of tightening the criteria, this Bill appears to lower the threshold for their use and allow the authorities to access them in a much broader range of circumstances. This raises serious questions.
'To date, the Government has not adequately justified this significant extension of powers and we will be pressing them to do so.'
Mr Burnham said he had further concerns about the powers to access records of which websites a person has accessed, questioning whether the powers would be 'proportionate and justified'.
Under laws unveiled today, companies such as Apple and Google will only be ordered to decode their own customers' communications 'where practicable'
The proposals were branded 'dangerous' today by Nick Pickles, the head of UK public policy at Twitter.
He said: 'Making local staff liable for legal enforcement because Governments can't agree a process is not 'world leading' - it's dangerous.
'Draft #IPBill said no enforcement against overseas companies for full range of powers - #IPBill contradicts that.
WHAT IS THE SNOOPERS' CHARTER AND WHAT POWERS WILL THE POLICE NOW HAVE? What powers will the Bill cover? Current tactics such as access to communications data - the who, when and where but not the content - targeted interception of electronic communications, the collection of bulk data and the ability to mount IT attacks - known as equipment interference. Will there be anything new in it? Firms will now be required to store data relating to people's web use for up to a year, but the Government has repeatedly stressed that internet connection records (ICRs) will not cover users' full browsing history or include the actual content of a communication. Judges will be handed a role in the process for authorising more intrusive capabilities. Didn't we already know this? Yes. The draft Bill was unveiled in November, but now ministers have published a revised version after three separate parliamentary committees raised concerns about clarity and privacy and made scores of recommendations. So what has changed? Theresa May said the revised Bill reflects the majority of the recommendations, is clearer and includes stronger privacy safeguards. A fourth purpose for which authorities can access ICRs is expected to be added - the pursuit of 'investigative leads'. An 'operational case' for bulk power - to gather large amounts of data - was published for the first time. What about encryption? The Government has always said the Bill will not impose additional requirements in relation to encryption beyond the obligations under existing laws. The revised Bill spells out the position more explicitly and put beyond doubt that companies can only be asked to remove encryption where it is 'practicable'. Advertisement
'It is possible for the #IPBill to work for global businesses - but it needs more time to be carefully drafted.'
Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, said: 'Minor botox has not fixed this Bill.'
Jim Killock, executive director of Open Rights Group, said: 'On first reading, the revised Bill barely pays lip service to the concerns raised by the committees that scrutinised the draft Bill.'
Kate Allen, of Amnesty International, said it 'beggars belief that the Government is blundering on with its snooping power-grab', adding: 'It's like adding extra storeys to a burning building.'
Earlier this month, intelligence and security committee chairman Dominic Grieve said the Bill had failed in its objectives and appeared rushed.
One amendment revealed today will see another purpose for which authorities can access web data known as internet connection records added - the pursuit of 'investigative leads'.
ICRs detail services a device connects to but not users' full browsing history or the content of a communication.
Mr Cameron has said terrorists, paedophiles and criminals must not be allowed a 'safe space' online where they could hide with no fear that they would be hacked by the security services.
But after being persuaded about the important role encoding communications played in the protection of legitimate online activity such as banking, shopping and personal data, the Government has clarified its position in the Investigatory Powers Bill.
New safeguards for interception and equipment interference warrants - used to hack into suspects' devices - will be introduced, reducing the period of time within which urgent warrants must be reviewed by a judicial commissioner from five to three days.
A Home Office source said: 'The Bill clarifies the Government's position on encryption, putting beyond doubt that companies can only be asked to remove encryption that they themselves have applied, and only where it is practicable for them to do so.
'This will make clear that the Government is not asking companies to weaken their security by undermining encryption.'
Senior law enforcement officers had argued that proposed rules around ICRs appeared to preclude access to details that could be valuable in missing people inquiries and human trafficking investigations.
It also came after a high-profile row between Apple and the FBI after the tech giant refused to allow US investigators to access the iPhone of Syed Farook (pictured right) who murdered 14 people in Sacramento
The Bill is a bid to help repair damage caused by US traitor Edward Snowden, (pictured) who leaked thousands of classified files
The first 'operational case' for bulk powers has also been published, giving unprecedented detail on why intelligence agencies need existing powers to hoover up large volumes of data and how they are used.
Officials say it is clearer, with tighter technical definitions and strict codes of practice; includes stronger privacy safeguards including a requirement for security services, as well as the police, to obtain a senior judge's permission before accessing communications data to identify a journalist's source; and explicitly prevents UK agencies from asking foreign intelligence bodies to undertake activity on their behalf unless they have a warrant approved by a secretary of state and judicial commissioner.
Figures have showed major communication companies are still rejecting up to half of requests for customer data from UK police and intelligence agencies.
In the first half of 2015, Apple provided information following a UK request in as few as 56 per cent of cases, Google acceded in 75 per cent of cases and Facebook met 78 per cent of requests.
The new security bill is the latest in a series of attempts to update the law to allow police and security services to access communications data, as more and more takes place online rather than on phones.
The draft bill will require internet companies to store details of a person's every internet visit, text message and phone call for up to 12 months.
But the police and the security services will not be able to see the content of communications, such as opening an email or looking at the specific web pages a person has viewed, without a warrant.
However, following stinging criticism by two Parliamentary committees last month, which said the Bill was 'flawed', Mrs May has made changes.
The video has since clocked up thousands of views on social media
A great-grandmother-of-five thought to be Britain's oldest rapper proves she is down with the kids - after becoming a viral hit with a hilarious hip-hop video filmed in the back of an ambulance.
Norma Clarke, 78, stunned paramedics by delivering a blistering performance despite having just suffered a severe nosebleed at her home in Castle Vale, Birmingham.
The Dr Dre fan, who suffers from arthritis and psoriasis, showed the younger generation that she can mix it with the best of them, with lyrics she penned herself based on a real-life run-in with a shopkeeper.
Young at heart: A great-grandmother-of-five thought to be Britain's oldest rapper proves she is down with the kids - after becoming a viral hit with a hilarious hip-hop video filmed in the back of an ambulance
Her grandson, Jordan Lynam, captured the song on his phone as they prepared to travel to Birmingham Heartlands hospital.
The pensioner has since clocked up thousands of views on social media.
Jordan, 25, said: 'She's pretty well-known around Birmingham and one of the paramedics knew her face from when she was on TV years ago.
'Obviously she was a bit disappointed to have to go to hospital but the rap helped keep her spirits up. I don't know how she does it.
'She's just a natural performer. She's got the timing of the delivery perfect. It all goes back to storytelling and poetry she did when she was younger.
'I'm an aspiring rapper and actor as well under the name Diamond Lynam. We listen to Dr Dre together and she picks up the language from there.
Impressive: Norma Clarke, 78, stunned paramedics by delivering a blistering performance despite having just suffered a severe nosebleed at her home in Castle Vale, Birmingham
'The paramedics were in stitches. She built it up to them and told them the story it's based on and they were pretty blown away by how good she was.
'You don't really expect a 78-year-old woman from Birmingham to be able to rap like that.'
Norma, a retired catering supervisor, is mother to four children and has a further six grandchildren.
Norma made a brief appearance on Britain's Got Talent in 2007 but has been propelled back into the spotlight after Jordan posted the footage from the ambulance on Facebook.
Norma said: 'Singing has been my life. I sang in the clubs and on boats for years.
'I've written more than 300 songs, mainly country and western or rock and roll, but I realised I'd never done a rap.
'I suppose it is a bit unusual for someone of my age but I've never really thought about it like that. I'm just glad that people appreciate the talents of someone in my age group.
Down with the kids: 'I've written more than 300 songs, mainly country and western or rock and roll, but I realised I'd never done a rap. I suppose it is a bit unusual for someone of my age but I've never really thought about it like that. I'm just glad that people appreciate the talents of someone in my age group'
In full rap attire, left and more traditionally dressed, right: The popular former community worker is now out of hospital after having her nose cauterised to prevent it bleeding constantly
'The driver of the ambulance recognised me and asked would I do the rap for him. I was a bit angry with Jordan when he told me he filmed the whole thing.
'I don't write the words down, I just keep them in my head. I love the beats too. The drums have always been my favourite instrument.
'I think the kids that rap today are very talented but I'm proof that age is just a number.'
In the rap, Norma chronicles how she witnessed a young busker get asked to leave his pitch by an irate shopkeeper - causing her to intervene in support of the musician.
The popular former community worker is now out of hospital after having her nose cauterised to prevent it bleeding constantly.
Norma said: 'I'm not in the best of health but at least it was just a nose bleed. It wasn't like I was flat out on my back or anything.
'I'm glad it makes people smile. I've gone out and got all the bling and the peak caps so I've got the look as well.
'It takes a bit of confidence and a bit of talent. Quite a lot of kids round here recognise and treat me like a bit of a legend.
'That's not why I do it though. I just love music.'
Al Qaeda's leaders were increasingly worried about spies in their midst, drones in the air and secret tracking devices reporting their movements as the U.S.-led war against them ground on, documents seized in the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden's Pakistani hideout and reviewed by Reuters reveal.
The cache of 113 documents, translated and declassified by U.S. intelligence agencies, are mostly dated between 2009 and 2011, intelligence officials said.
The documents - the second tranche from the raid to have been declassified since May 2015 - depict an Al Qaeda that was unwavering in its commitment to global jihad, but with its core leadership in Pakistan and Afghanistan under pressure on multiple fronts.
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Fears: Osama bin Laden is shown in this video clip released by the Pentagon on May 7, 2011
U.S. President Barack Obama has said drone strikes and other counter-terrorism operations depleted Al Qaeda's original leadership, culminating in bin Laden's killing by U.S. Navy SEALs on May 2, 2011. In the years since, the organization has proved resilient from Afghanistan to North Africa, and its ideological rival, Islamic State, has grown and spread.
In one document, bin Laden issues instructions to Al Qaeda members holding an Afghan hostage to be wary of possible tracking technology attached to the ransom payment.
'It is important to get rid of the suitcase in which the funds are delivered, due to the possibility of it having a tracking chip in it,' bin Laden states in a letter to an aide identified only as 'Shaykh Mahmud'.
In an apparent reference to armed U.S. drones patrolling the skies, bin Laden says his negotiators should not leave their rented house in the Pakistani city of Peshawar 'except on a cloudy overcast day'.
Policemen stand guard near the partially demolished compound where Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces in May 2011
The recently declassified documents were taken from bin Laden's compound during the May 2011 raid (pictured above)
Soldiers stand over covered debris as it is moved from the compound the day bin Laden was assassinated
While the document is undated, the hostage, Afghan diplomat Abdul Khaliq Farahi, was held from September 2008 to late 2010.
Another, fragmentary document acknowledges that Al Qaeda executed four would-be volunteers on suspicion of spying, only to discover they were probably innocent, according to senior U.S. intelligence officials authorized to discuss the materials in advance of their public release.
'I did not mention this to justify what has happened,' wrote the undated letter's unidentified author, adding, 'we are in an intelligence battle and humans are humans and no one is infallible.'
In a May 11, 2010 letter to his then second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al Rahman, bin Laden urged caution in arranging an interview with al Jazeera journalist Ahmad Zaidan, asserting that the United States could be tracking his movements through devices implanted in his equipment, or by satellite.
Bin Laden voiced his fears that his associates were being tracked by U.S. drones when he gave specific instructions on how to move a hostage, diplomat Abdul Khaliq Farahi (seen above)
'You must keep in mind the possibility, however, slight, that journalists can be under surveillance that neither we nor they can perceive, either on the ground or via satellite,' he wrote.
Even as Al Qaeda came under growing pressure, bin Laden and his aides planned a media campaign to mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, the documents show. They plotted diplomatic strategy and opined on climate change and the U.S. financial collapse.
In a undated letter 'To the American people,' the Al Qaeda chief chides Obama for failing to end the war in Afghanistan, and accurately predicts that the U.S. president's plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will fail.
In a May 11, 2010 letter to his then second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al Rahman (pictured), bin Laden urged caution in arranging an interview with al Jazeera journalist Ahmad Zaidan. Al Rahman was killed in a drone strike in 2011
OSAMA BIN LADEN'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT To my Precious Father Peace is upon you with Gods mercy and blessings. Thanks to God, prayers and greetings on Gods Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, his kindred, all his followers and those whom he allies with. How are you father? I ask God that you are in the best of conditions. To start: I do not forget your favor in raising us, and deepening the concept of Jihad in our hearts, and on spending on us, and in helping us get married, and a lot more of other things. You have the favor after God in our commitment and guidance to the right path; the road to dignity and gaining the heavens. What a father and how wonderful you are. My precious father: I entrust you well for my wife and children, and that you will always ask about them and follow up on their whereabouts and help them in their marriages and needs. They are from me and I am from you, and they are your sons, too. My precious father: I have enlisted myself an immigrant and mujahid for the sake of God. If I am to be killed, pray for me a lot and give continuous charities in my name, as I will be in great need for support to reach the permanent home. There is another matter: When I got married, Abu Burhan Al-Suri covered the marriage costs and what was after. If these were not from your funds, kindly pay them back, so I will not be trapped in my grave. Finally: I ask God, if I am killed before you, that God will accept my pledge for you, my mother, my sons, daughters, my wife, brothers, sisters, your wives, and all our family. I ask God almighty to give you victory over his enemies, and to establish the Islamic state at the hands of the Mujahideen, sooner or later. I would like you to forgive me, if I have done what you did not like, and convey my greetings to all our family and in particular my mother; that I 'would remember in my prayers/strengthen yourselves'. Your son, Saad Bin Usama August 15 2008 Last wishes: Above, a view of bin Laden's letter to his father, written in Arabic In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful Praise be to God and prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and his followers and companions. I, Usama Bin Muhammad Awadh Bin Abud Bin Laden, have signed below. In regard to the money that is in Sudan, it is about $29 million dollars. According to the mediator, I have received $1,100,000 in Sudan, $800,000 thousand in Jalalabad, and then about $1,250,000 in Qandahar. I received $12million from my brother Abu Bakir Muhammad Bin ((Laden)) on behalf of Bin Laden Company for Investment in Sudan. I hope, for my brothers, sisters, and maternal aunts, to obey my will and to spend all the money that I have left in Sudan on Jihad, for the sake of Allah. Also, I need you to take 1 per cent from the total and give it to Shaykh Abu Hafs al-Mauritani. By the way, he has already received $20,000- $30,000 dollars from it, he said. I promised him that I would reward him if he took it out of the Sudani Government. I also told brother Engineer Abu Ibrahim al-Iraqi Saad ((Jawhar)) to cut 1 per cent as a reward for his hard work in Wadi al-Aqiq Company, and I think he has already have done that. If not, I want you to give him what I promised him. The conversation about the money in Sudan is over. I want $300,000 riyals to go to my Uncle Master Muhammad Bin Umar al-((Attas)) and his children. I want 20 of gold to go to Khadijah Umm (mother) of Ali, the daughter of Abdullah al-((Jilani)). I want my uncles sons, sisters, and maternal aunts to have two pounds of Hujazis gold for each one (male) and one pound of them and Hujazis gold for each one (female). I want you also to cut from Sudans money 200,000 riyals for my sisters Maryam, Iman, and Atidal, for the total of 600,000 riyals. I want for my son Saad Bin Usama and his mother to share a half of his portion and my daughter Khadijah, the daughter of Usama, half of the daughters share. Signed, Usama bin Muhammad Advertisement
On April 28, 2011, just four days before his death, bin Laden was editing a document he had written on the Arab Spring revolutions.
Al Qaeda's leaders also urged further attacks on the United States.
'We need to extend and develop our operations in America and not keep it limited to blowing up airplanes,' says a letter, apparently written by bin Laden, to Nasir al-Wuhayshi, head of Al Qaeda's Yemen branch.
Bin Laden 'was still sort of thinking in very kind of grand schemes, and still... trying to reclaim that 9/11 "victory",' said one of the senior intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.
But he was 'somewhat out of touch with the (actual) capabilities of his organization,' the official said.
The documents show the strains of managing Al Qaeda's external networks, including identifying capable leaders and finding resources to fund operations abroad.
In a letter to his father, bin Laden asked him to take care of his family if he died before he did. Above, one of bin Laden's several wives, Amal Ahmed Abdul Fatah
One associate, who signed his 2009 note simply as 'Your beloved "Atiyah,"' acknowledged troubles replacing an ineffective leader for external operations, saying some of the best candidates were dead.
'There are new brothers, perhaps some would be suitable in the future, but not now,' he wrote.
Suspicion of tracking devices pops up again and again in the group's writings. The concern may have been merited - the United States conducts extensive electronic surveillance on Al Qaeda and other Islamic militant groups.
Abu Abdallah al-Halabi - who the U.S. Treasury has identified as a name used by bin Laden's son-in law Muhammad Abdallah Hasan Abu-Al-Khayr - writes in a letter to 'my esteemed brother Khalid' about intercepting messages of 'spies' in Pakistan, who he said would facilitate air strikes on Al Qaeda operatives by marking cars with infrared streaks that can be seen with night vision equipment.
In another, bin Laden, writing under the pseudonym Abu Abdallah, expresses alarm over his wife's visit to a dentist while in Iran, worrying that a tracking chip could have been implanted with her dental filling.
'The size of the chip is about the length of a grain of wheat and the width of a fine piece of vermicelli,' he wrote.
The letter ended with this instruction: 'Please destroy this letter after reading it.'
Also among the cache of documents released exclusively to Reuters and ABC News were letters believed to be bin Laden's last will and testament.
One document, a hand-written note that U.S. intelligence officials believe the Saudi militant composed in the late 1990s, laid out how he wanted to distribute about $29million he had in Sudan to global jihad after his death.
One percent of the $29 million, bin Laden wrote, should go to Mahfouz Ould al-Walid, a senior Al Qaeda militant who used the nom de guerre Abu Hafs al Mauritani.
'By the way, he (al-Walid) has already received $20,000-30,000 from it,' bin Laden continued. 'I promised him that I would reward him if he took it out of the Sudani government.'
OSAMA BIN LADEN PENNED ESSAY CALLING ON AMERICANS TO HELP PRESIDENT OBAMA FIGHT CLIMAGE CHANGE Osama bin Laden (left) wrote a letter address to the American people, saying they should help President Obama (right) fight climate change in a document that was found at the terrorist's hideout the night he was killed in 2011. On Tuesday, the Obama administration declassified 113 of these documents Also among the documents released Tuesday was a letter, attributed to Osama bin Laden, calling on the American people to help President Obama fight 'catastrophic climate change' and 'save humanity' The undated, unsigned letter 'to the American people' appeared to have been written shortly after Obama began his first term in 2009, based on the letter's references to events. Bin Laden's preoccupation with climate change also emerged as a theme in the first tranche of documents from the raid that was declassified in May 2015, as well as in an audio recording released via the al Jazeera network in January 2010. In the rambling letter made public Tuesday, bin Laden blamed the 2007-8 U.S. financial crisis on corporate control of capital and corporate lobbyists, and the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He called on Americans to launch 'a great revolution for freedom' to liberate the U.S. president from those influences. That would enable Obama to make 'a rational decision to save humanity from the harmful gases that threaten its destiny,' bin Laden continued. In a separate letter, bin Laden urged a close aide to launch a media campaign for the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks that included a call for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Bin Laden contended that the world would be better off fighting climate change than waging what he claimed was a war against Islam. '...the world should put its efforts into attempting to reduce the release of gases,' said the undated, unsigned letter to someone identified as Shaykh Mahmud that U.S. intelligence officials said they believed was written by bin Laden. 'This is a struggle between two of the largest cultures on Earth, and it is in the shadow of catastrophic climate conditions.' Advertisement
Bin Laden lived in Sudan for five years as an official guest until he was asked to leave in May 1996 by the then-Islamic fundamentalist government under pressure from the United States.
Another one percent of the sum should be given to a second associate, Engineer Abu Ibrahim al-Iraqi Sa'ad, for helping set up bin Laden's first company in Sudan, Wadi al-Aqiq Co., the document said.
Bin Laden urged his close relatives to use the rest of the funds to support holy war.
'I hope for my brothers, sisters and maternal aunts to obey my will and to spend all the money that I have left in Sudan on jihad, for the sake of Allah,' he wrote.
He set down specific amounts in Saudi riyals and gold that should be apportioned between his mother, a son, a daughter, an uncle, and his uncle's children and maternal aunts.
In a letter dated August 15, 2008, bin Laden asks that his father take care of his wife and children in the event he died first.
'My precious father: I entrust you well for my wife and children, and that you will always ask about them and follow up on their whereabouts and help them in their marriages and needs,' he wrote.
In a final wistful paragraph, he asks his father for forgiveness 'if I have done what you did not like.'
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The rookie police officer shot and killed on her first day on the job has been laid to rest.
Hundreds of uniformed officers united on Tuesday to bid a final farewell to Ashley Guindon days after her death.
Mounted officers lined the route to the church, and police dogs and their handlers stood by at the church's entrance. Bagpipes played and officers saluted a hearse carrying Guindon's body as it pulled up to the church.
After a two-hour public viewing, the funeral began. the Rev. Gerard Creedon said he hoped the loss felt in Guindon's 'unconscionable dismissal from this life' might signal an end to violence.
Final farewell: Mounted officers lined the route to the church, and police dogs and their handlers stood by at the church's entrance in Woodbridge, Virginia, to lay rookie officer Ashley Guindon, 29, to rest on Tuesday
Hundreds of uniformed service men and women joined Guindon's family for the ceremony
Ashley Guindon, 29, (left) was allegedly shot dead by Pentagon army sergeant Ron Hamilton, 32, (right) after his wife Crystal, also 29, called 911 to report domestic assault. He is also accused of fatally shooting Crystal
Video courtesy FOX 5 DC
'Blessed are the peacemakers,' Creedon said.
Guindon graduated from the Prince William Criminal Justice Academy in 2015, but left before completing the field training program for personal reasons, police said.
She was readmitted last month.
'She accomplished more in 28 years than I could in 100,' Chief Stephan Hudson said during the service. Hudson said Guindon dedicated her life to others up to the very end. 'That's exactly what she did,' Hudson said.
Guindon, 28, was responding to a domestic violence call in Dale City, Virginia, last Saturday night at the home of Pentagon Army sergeant Ron Hamilton.
By the time Guindon arrived with two fellow officers, Hamilton's 29-year-old wife Crystal had been shot dead.
After the funeral her casket was brought out by uniformed police officers as
Ashley Guindon's mother Sharon Guindon, left, was comforted by a Prince William County Police Officer after the services
Gov. McAuliffe hugged offered the grieving mother a hug. He was one of many who turned out so the family would know they aren't alone
Police Officers from across the country saluted Guindon's casket as it was carried out after the funeral service
Video courtesy FOX 5 DC
Hamilton, 32, allegedly opened fire as soon as the officers arrived, fatally shooting Guindon and wounding the other two. The Hamiltons' 11-year-old son was in the house at the time but survived unscathed.
Officers began lining up for the funeral and viewing at 10am. At noon, an American flag was raised in Guindon's honor.
At the funeral, retired FBI agent John Kerr showed up in leather and chains with his motorbike, one of several members of the Strength and Honor Motorcycle Club in attendance.
'We wanted them (Guindon's family) to know they are not alone,' Kerr told The Washington Post.
Mounted officers lined the route to the church, and police dogs and their handlers stood by at the church's entrance.
Guindon was one of three officers shot Saturday responding to a domestic violence call. The other two officers are expected to survive.
Suspect Ronald Hamilton is jailed facing a capital murder charge and other counts.
Hamilton's wife, Crystal Hamilton, was shot and killed Saturday before police arrived.
A multi-jurisdiction police honor guard, from Baltimore, Maryland, marches for Guindon on Tuesday
At the funeral, retired FBI agent John Kerr showed up in leather and chains with his motorbike, one of several members of the Strength and Honor Motorcycle Club in attendance
Guindon had interned with the police force before applying for her job. Here her new coworkers pay tribute
Police officers remove an American Flag from a hearse at the chapel
Police Officers from across the country, line-up to pay their respects to the Prince William County officer
He has admitted that he shot killed his wife and a rookie Virginia police officer who was working her first day on the job, according to court records.
An affidavit suggests Ronald Hamilton told cops he had gunned down spouse Crystal, 29, and then 29-year-old Officer Ashley Guindon when they arrived at his home on Saturday.
The latest allegations were revealed after the 32-year-old was held without bond during his first court appearance.
Hamilton was shackled and surrounded by six prison guards as he faced a judge for his arraignment at Prince William County General District Court via video link.
Prosecutor Paul Ebert has said he'll likely seek the death penalty against Hamilton. He's charged with capital murder, first-degree murder and malicious wounding.
Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for Hamilton. Her, a police officer salutes at the end of the services for Hamilton's alleged victim, Ashley Guindon
Hamilton's wife Crystal (left) was shot dead before Guindon arrived. Tributes were left outside the home (right)
Ten-year veteran David McKeown, 33, (left) and eight-year veteran Jesse Hempen (right) were wounded
He also told WUSA 9 Hamilton has a prior assault conviction in another state.
By the time Guindon arrived with her field officer Jesse Hempen, 31, and ten-year police veteran David McKeown, 33, Crystal was shot dead, the affidavit states.
Hamilton allegedly opened fire as soon as the officers arrived, fatally shooting Guindon and wounding the other two. The Hamiltons' 11-year-old son was in the house at the time but survived unscathed.
On Sunday, police chief Stephen Hudson paid tribute to Guindon's work and gave a poignant account of the passion she showed when she interviewed for the job.
The Oscar-winning movie Mad Max: Fury Road has been condemned by green campaigners who accused film-makers of destroying the environment and wildlife to create new dirt tracks.
Environmental groups in Namibia, southwest Africa, claimed the film-crew destroyed sensitive areas of the Namib Desert while shooting the movie which scooped six gongs at the Hollywood awards.
One tour operator said lizards, geckos and chameleons suffered when they added tracks in 'untouched areas' - before trying to remove the trails by 'dragging nets over them'.
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The Oscar-winning movie Mad Max: Fury Road (pictured) was condemned by green campaigners who accused film-makers of destroying the environment and wildlife to create new dirt tracks
Tommy Collard told AFP: 'They added tracks in untouched areas. What is worse is the film crew tried to remove the marks they left themselves by dragging nets over them, ripping plants out.
'Together with other coastal tour operators we have collected a lot of photographic evidence. One cannot rehabilitate the landscape of the Namib Desert.'
George Miller's post-apocalyptic chase film took six awards in technical categories for editing, make-up, production design, sound editing, sound mixing and costume design.
Filming took place in the desert in 2012.
The website IOL reported in 2013 that coastal watchdog NACOMA (Namibian Coast Conservation and Management) Project had requested a report on any potential damage caused.
Joh Henschel, who compiled the report, then sent it to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
He is reported as saying: 'NACOMA contracted me as consultant about the tracks left by the Mad Max film crew and yes some areas in the Namib Desert were destroyed.
'In one area a ploughing device was used,' he added, declining to give more details.
The Namibia Film Commission hit back and placed an advert in a paper to 'refute the allegations... in the strongest terms'. Tom Hardy is pictured in the Mad Max film
AFP reported that it had seen a copy of the report - and that some responsibility had been laid at the door of the government department.
It reportedly said: 'The permit and environmental clearance granted by the MET to the Mad Max project were not sufficiently specific so as to serve to guide the management of environmental compliance of the project.'
However, the Namibia Film Commission hit back and placed an advert in a paper to 'refute the allegations... in the strongest terms', IOL reported.
The advert said: ''Mad Max(4): Fury Road' has to our satisfaction... faced up to their responsibilities within Namibia... we register no reservations and give 'Mad Max(4): Fury Road' a clean bill.'
The ministry of environment's permanent secretary Simeon Negumbo insisted at the time that 'the experienced, dedicated team used tried and tested methods like vehicle and hand-dragged fishing nets, tyres, brooms, chains, ropes and leaf blowers, which worked perfectly in the area.'
Mad Max: Fury Road was produced under a budget of just over 100million.
The big spending paid dividends - in its first weekend in the U.S. it pulled $45,428,128 (US). Worldwide it collected more than 265million.
A former Royal Marine killed himself after his abuse of anabolic steroids to help him keep fit made him prone to violent mood swings, an inquest has heard.
John Salthouse, 23, had taken steroids every two weeks claiming they would help with his weight lifting - but the pills caused him to erupt into bouts of blind rage towards his loved ones.
His girlfriend Kimberley Challenor once found him in their bath in a drunken stupor with blood on the walls, and on another occasion he choked his sister until she almost passed out after a minor row over a vacuum cleaner.
Former Marine: John Salthouse, 23, originally from Buxton, Derbyshire, had taken steroids every two weeks claiming they would help with his weight lifting
She added: It was almost like he was in a blind rage. I also knew he was taking steroids around that time. We had never seen him like that before. I made the decision that we would be better off friends and he was remorseful and said sorry.
I assured him that he could stay as long as he wanted and he would be fine one moment and then turn the next. He took steroids every two weeks, I didnt want him to do it and didnt like him doing it.
One morning I was woken up by banging in the bathroom, I went in to see what was going on and there was blood on the walls. I called the police for help - I didnt know what to do.
Mr Salthouse sought help from a doctor over his behaviour just days before he took his own life in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.
An inquest in Stockport heard the upholsterer, originally from Buxton in Derbyshire, had joined the Marines as a teenager and moved to Scotland where he was at Clyde Naval Base.
But he left the Armed Forces in 2014 following an incident of damage to a hotel and moved back home with his family.
His father Graham Salthouse said: He didnt seem happy at the end of his time in the Royal Marines and he had some problems in Scotland.
He came back to live at the family home with me and his sister and it was around this time he became very serious about weightlifting. He had always been serious about gym training.
'I think his temper might have been to do with the drugs he was taking. Bodybuilding drugs appeared in the house, which were muscle building drugs, most of them were bought online from abroad.
'I was concerned about what affect they had on him physically and mentally. There was an incident at the home which led to him being arrested and he had to stay away from the house.'
Miss Challenor, who subsequently let Mr Salthouse move in with her, said he became aggressive with her at a party in Manchester because she 'stopped him doing a deal in the club'.
On a tank: Mr Salthouse sought help from a doctor over his behaviour just days before he took his own life
He didnt say anything - he was crying and had been drinking in the bath. He had left me a note saying he was sorry. The police arrived and managed to get him.
Sad case: He left the Armed Forces following an incident of damage to a hotel and moved back home
It took two of them to hold him down and he was taken to hospital at that point. Later that evening I got a text from him saying they were keeping him in and could we talk.
I told him there were people who cared about him and he could stay at my house. His behaviour from that weekend was unlike anything Id seen him like before. I had never seen him like that.
Mr Salthouse was admitted to Tameside Hospital where he was treated by mental health staff but was discharged the next day and went back home to Miss Challenor before heading out to work. He was found dead at 5am the following morning by the emergency services.
Patricia Bardsley, a senior practitioner in mental health services, said: He said he felt insecure in his relationship and said it had been fragile the last two months.
Two nights earlier he had made a number of derogatory remarks towards her and the next day she ended the relationship. He had suicidal thoughts. He was casual smart dressed and there was no evidence of self-neglect. He attended the gym daily which he enjoyed.
Recording a verdict of suicide, coroner Joanne Kearsley said: John had a number of difficulties since he had come out of the Royal Marines and he himself admitted he had some difficulties with anger.
I think he is someone who acted very impulsively at that time when he was feeling quite low. Im sure listening to the evidence is really difficult - he has so many family members and friends here.
The Cambridge student found murdered and dumped on the side of a road in Cairo was tortured and interrogated for up to a week before he was killed, an Egyptian forensics official has revealed.
Burn marks on the body of Italian Giulio Regeni, a student at Cambridge's Department of Politics and International Studies, had been inflicted over several days.
The marks are from cigarettes, pointing to interrogation methods which human rights groups say are the hallmark of the Egyptian security services.
This is the strongest indication yet that the 28-year-old PhD candidate was killed by a person or group working for the government.
The Italian national, a student of Cambridge's Department of Politics and International Studies, suffered 'inhuman violence' before his death, autopsies revealed
In the past, the Interior Ministry has rejected accusations about human rights abuses.
The prosecution sources said Hisham Abdel Hamid, Director of the Department of Forensic Medicine, gave his findings during questioning as an expert by officials in the public prosecutor's office last week.
'We asked Hisham Abdel Hamid to appear before the prosecutor's office for questioning, to ask him questions about the autopsy,' an investigator in the prosecutor's office told Reuters, adding that Abdel Hamid was accompanied by two associates who also took part in the autopsy.
'Abdel Hamid said during the questioning that the wounds on the body occurred over different intervals of between 10-14 hours.
'That means that whoever is accused of killing him was interrogating him for information.'
The 28-year-old's family have denied suggestions he was working for Western intelligence agencies while in Egypt
The main Interior Ministry spokesman was not available for comment. Another Interior Ministry spokesman, asked by Reuters to comment on the findings, said: 'I know nothing about this matter.'
A source in the Department of Forensic Medicine confirmed Abdel Hamid had been questioned. Reuters reached Abdel Hamid by telephone but he declined to comment.
Regeni, 28, disappeared on Jan. 25, the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that ended former President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.
Regeni had written articles critical of the Egyptian government, the Italian newspaper that published them said.
The broken corpse of the Cambridge University student, who was researching the rise of independent labour unions following the 2011 revolt, was found in a ditch on the side of a motorway on Feb. 3.
Egyptian forensics and prosecution officials have said his body showed signs of torture and that he was killed by a blow with a sharp object to the back of the head.
'The autopsy report shows a number of injuries at one time; and there are a number of other injuries later and other injuries a third time,' said another investigator in the public prosecutor's office, summarising Abdel Hamid's statements.
'The wounds and fractures occurred at different times in intervals during a period of about five to seven days.'
More than 3,000 people attended Giulio Regeni's funeral in Fiumicello, northern Italy
The 28-year-old Italian researcher was brutally murdered and mutilated body was found dumped in a ditch
The autopsy revealed that Regeni's neck was twisted or struck which broke a vertebra and left him unable to breathe
The case has put a spotlight on alleged police brutality in Egypt, a strategic ally of the United State and other Western powers.
Shopkeepers in Regeni's neighbourhood of Cairo said there were no signs that police in the area had been questioning people since his disappearance or death.
Rights groups accuse the police of widespread abuses against Egyptians since the army toppled Egypt's first freely elected president in 2013.
Such actions against foreigners are not common.
Italy has said Egyptian investigators should hand over the evidence they have uncovered on Regeni's death. Egypt invited Italian investigators to take part in the investigation, but judicial sources in Rome say the collaboration has been limited because not enough information was shared.
A second autopsy in Italy 'confronted us with something inhuman, something animal', Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfa has said without elaborating further.
The case has created tensions between Egypt and Italy.
Egypt's interior ministry has said possible motives for the killers included criminal activity or the desire for revenge 'due to personal reasons'.
Italian judicial sources say an Italian team in Cairo has not received any information of value from their Egyptian counterparts.
A 17-year-old naked model had her eyes gouged out and her ears cut off after allegedly being hacked to death by her 'envious' drug-fuelled older sister.
Stefania Dubrovina, 17, was killed in the St Petersburg, Russia flat of an unnamed 42-year-old man on February 24.
Her sister, 19-year-old Elizaveta, is in detention suspected of murdering her and mutilating her body.
Stefania Dubrovina (pictured right), 17, was allegedly killed in a 42-year-old's flat by her sister Elizaveta (left)
Stefania Dubrovina (left), pictured with her sister Elizaveta (right), was stabbed 140 times and badly mutilated
Murder victim Stefania Dubrovina (right) pictured with her sister Elizaveta Dubrovina (left) in 2012
The young girl's body was 'almost ruined by cutting performed by the girl's elder sister', newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda reported.
St Petersburg showman Stas Baretsky, 43, said: 'I had known Stefania for about two years. She was a modest and attractive girl, she took part in my shows. I am shocked.'
Although she posed for naked photographs he denied she had taken part in any porn movies, and also insisted rumours that she worked as an escort girl were untrue.
'Stefania was never involved in it,' he said. 'She was not filmed in porn film either. She simply tried to boost her career in modelling.'
Stefania captioned her final nude picture on the eve of her death: 'Happy Defender of the Motherland Day. Our dear, only, beloved and strong men. We love you so much.'
An unnamed female friend told the newspaper that on the night she died she had gone to see a man who has not been identified.
'It is not 100 per cent proved that she had romantic relations with his man,' said the friend. 'We are only sure that this man organised photo sessions for Stefania. She visited him a week before too.'
On 23 February, Stefania's sister Elizaveta joined her.
A police source told that the three of them had 'a great party' and by midnight they ran out of alcohol and the man went out to buy some more.
But as soon the man had shut the door behind him, it is alleged that Elizaveta attacked her sister with a knife.
Stefania (pictured), 17, was embarking on a burgeoning modelling career when she was tragically killed
A police source said on the night of her death, Stefania (pictured), her sister and the older man had run out of alcohol. The unnamed man left to buy some more and that is when the killing occurred
A police source said the killer cut off the ears of her victims, gouged out her eyes and cut the whole body.
A friend claimed Stefania's sister was always 'a bit crazy' and there were reports she was treated in a psychiatric clinic .
Elizaveta also tried to look as glamorous and 'copied the image of her younger sister - the same hair colour, the same lipstick' , according to the newspaper report.
'There are photographs of both sisters hugging each other but there is no doubt that the elder sister envied the younger one.'
The girls were orphans, part of a larger family whose children were removed from their parents.
Iit is alleged that Elizaveta (pictured), 19, attacked her sister with a knife after the man left the building
Elizaveta (pictured) tried to look as glamorous and 'copied the image of her younger sister', it was claimed
The two sisters (pictured is alleged killer Elizaveta) were orphans and part of a family removed from their parents
A family member to the two girls (pictured is Elizaveta) said Stefania's death was a 'shocking tragedy'
Stefania was raised in an orphanage but escaped aged 15 and went on the run for three months.
Baretsky said: 'I called Stefania some hours before her death, she was crying. I asked her "what happened?" But she explained nothing. I only understood that she had some problems.'
Earlier last month, Stefania posted a picture of herself with a bottle of wine and a big knife.
Ekaterina Dubrovina, aunt to the sisters, called Stefania's death a 'shocking tragedy'.
She said they suffered a nightmare in their childhood.
This is the heartwarming moment a wild wolverine mum tenderly carries her baby in her mouth to a new den.
The extremely rare footage was filmed by a Canadian wildlife filmmaker, Andrew Manske, in the Canadian north for his documentary Wolverine: Ghost of the Northern Forest. It represents the first time a baby wolverine has been seen in the wild.
Wolverines have a reputation of being elusive, solitary animals - but the footage proves they are 'a lot more social than we thought', Manske said in an interview ahead of the film's debut.
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A wild wolverine mum is seen carrying her baby in her mouth to a new den
The extremely rare footage was filmed by a Canadian wildlife filmmaker, Andrew Manske, in the Canadian north for his documentary Wolverine: Ghost of the Northern Forest
Wolverines have a reputation of being elusive, solitary animals - but the footage proves they're a lot more sociable than previously thougth
He captured both male and female adult wolverines in the company of offspring working together with University of Alberta researchers Mark Boyce and Matt Scrafford.
In the scene, the mother is seen carrying the pale grey, fluffy wolverine kits outside the den in broad daylight to move them to a new location.
'We were shocked to see her come out in the middle of the day,' said Manske.
He was also surprised to see that male wolverines play a bigger role in raising their offspring.
'We kept seeing the male wolverine returning to the den when the mother was inside with her kits,' Manske said. 'The male would come by every couple days just to check on them.'
He's also seen using his urine to mark the outside of the den with his scent to keep other wolverines away.
Manske spent five years trying to capture the wolverines in a remote corner northwest of Alberta.
The area was only accessible in winter by snowmobile.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. On March 1 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan received High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini and the delegation headed by her.
During the meeting, the sides discussed the agenda of Armenia-EU bilateral relations, including cooperation in specific areas, as well as current international issues on regional developments, challenges and prospects.
Armenian President stressed the importance of deepening Armenias relations with EU and said that our country is interested in the mentioned above. The President noted that such high-level demonstrate the willingness of bilateral cooperation.
As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Mass Media and Public Relations, the two sides agreed that the 4th summit of the Eastern Partnership in May 2015, in Riga was an important milestone in the relations between Armenia and the EU, and based on this, the parties continue to cooperate. The sides noted the importance of the fact that in Riga mutual understanding between Armenia and the EU on the framework for future agreements was confirmed.
Sargsyan noted with satisfaction the start of negotiations on a new comprehensive legal instrument between Armenia and the EU, expressing hope that the negotiations will take place in the natural channel and the parties will successfully finish this significant in the near future.
The President also touched upon the implemented wide-ranging reforms in Armenia, including constitutional reforms, conducted in December of Last year. Sargsyan stressed that Armenia is determined to continue the initiated reforms in various fields and appreciates the EU's financial experts assistance in implementation of the mentioned reforms.
The interlocutors also touched upon the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group. The President introduced the guest with Armenia's position on this issue, which has repeatedly been expressed on various occasions.
Mogherini reaffirmed the EU's position, stressing that the EU supports the OSCE Minsk Group in the performance of the mission, as well as protects three principles of the negotiations - the right of peoples to self-determination, non-use of force or threat of force and territorial integrity.
Jill Chandler from Spokane, Washington, began contacting the former pilots in 1982 when she was fresh out of high school
A woman has amassed an amazing collection of 400 photos and thousands of letters from World War Two fighter pilots after diligently writing letters to them all.
Jill Chandler from Spokane, Washington, began contacting the former pilots in 1982 when she was fresh out of high school.
It came after she always had an interest in collecting autographs and personal letters, and it was a hobby she had always enjoyed.
But as there was no internet at the time, the only way Ms Chandler could contact the fighter pilots was to carry out research in local libraries and diligently write to them.
And after contacting hundreds of pilots and military organizations, the signed letters and photographs started streaming in to her.
Now, more than 30 years on, Ms Chandler has collected thousands of letters and pictures, from celebrated pilots to unheard of crew members who fought against the Germans.
Among the letters she has received have included a one from Francis Gabreski, an Army pilot, who was dubbed the best over Europe.
One of her first replies was from the famed Gregory 'Pappy' Boyington, the leader of the Black Sheep Sqaudron.
While other letters detailed the horrors of the conflict with one from first lietutenant Jay Coberley describing how he was taken to a prisoner of war camp after being shot down over Germany.
Ms Chandler, a records handler for a medical group, told the Spokesman Review: 'These aces were the superheroes, the jockeys of the sky.
More than 30 years on, Ms Chandler has collected thousands of letters and pictures, from celebrated pilots to unheard of crew members who fought against the Germans
'The guys who flew on the bombers, I wrote to them differently than the aces. The men in the bombers kept more to themselves and didnt seek notoriety.
'Theyre all heroes. These men sacrificed it all for our country, and I dont want their stories to be forgotten.'
A former UN climate change chief has been charged with sexual assault and harassment following accusations he sent inappropriate texts and emails to a female colleague.
Rajendra Pachauri, 75, the ex head of the UN climate change panel, was the subject of a complaint by an ex-colleague at an environmental think-tank.
Indian police today brought the charges against him in a Delhi trial court, more than a year after the woman in her late twenties filed her original complaint.
Rajendra Pachauri, 75, has been charged with sexual assault, harassment and criminal intimidation. Here he is pictured addressing the 2014 climate change conferences in Lima
Virender Dalal, the investigating officer, said: 'We have filed the charge sheet today and the court will decide when to begin the hearing.'
Police have charged Pachauri, 75, with four counts including sexual assault, harassment and criminal intimidation, according to the complainant's lawyer.
'Police have filed the nearly 1,400-page charge sheet in the trial court,' lawyer Prashant Mendiratta said.
'We will need time to examine the entire document but it states that they have found prima facie evidence.'
Pachauri, who is on bail, denies the sexual harassment charges and has said his emails and mobile phone were hacked.
Rajendra Pachauri denies the sexual harassment charges
His lawyer Ashish Dixit said his client would defend the charges and stressed the case still had a long way to go.
Mr Dixit said 'Obviously he is maintaining his innocence.
'The charge sheet doesn't make any difference because he has not given his side of the story.
'The charge sheet is based on the complainant's statements. Arguments have not been heard from the other side.'
Pachauri, a leading voice on the dangers of global warming, was forced to quit as chairman of the Nobel Prize-winning UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in February 2015 after his colleague at the think-tank filed her complaint.
In July, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) based in New Delhi announced it was replacing Pachauri after a backlash over his return to work while facing the allegations.
A court had barred him from entering the institute's office for many months following the complaint, but later allowed him to return while still on bail.
Last month his appointment as TERI executive vice chairman caused outrage, forcing the institute, where he had worked for 35 years, to put him on indefinite leave.
Pachauri continues to hold the position, according to the TERI website.
Bernie Sanders has voted in his hometown of Burlington, Vermont, as Super Tuesday kicks off across 11 states.
'After a lot of thought, I voted for me,' the Vermont senator joked to reporters.
Defiantly upbeat, he insisted that if voter turnout is high 'we are going to do well', adding: 'we're feeling pretty good.'
His optimism is an apparent bid to smile through what looks set to be a difficult day for their campaign's national debut. Even Sanders' wife Jane said it isn't looking good.
'Its a rough map for us,' she told the Guardian. 'I wish 11 states werent up tomorrow. I wish there were 48 hours in the day.'
Meanwhile his competitor Hillary Clinton started her Super Tuesday with a call in to Dallas, Texas, R&B radio station K104, with an impassioned appeal to the anti-Trump listener base.
'If I could wrap up the nomination early, I could turn my attention to ... Donald Trump,' she said.
On the Republican side, Marco Rubio is continuing his push to destabilize Trump's lead with a rally in Minnesota, while Ted Cruz headed straight to Houston, Texas, to cast his ballot.
Texas will be crucial for both Rubio and Cruz if they want to knock Trump off the top spot.
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and his wife Jane Sanders vote in the Vermont primary at the Robert Miller Community and Recreation Center in Burlington, Vermont, on Tuesday
The couple appeared jovial as they greeted election workers at the start of a big day for Bernie's campaign
Republican candidate Senator Ted Cruz casts his vote in Houston, Texas, with his young daughter Catherine
Cruz's home state of Texas could make or break any of the top three GOP candidates
Still pushing for votes: Hillary Clinton greets patrons at Mapps Coffee in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Tuesday
Clinton started her day with a call to a Dallas R&B radio show, then went to Minnesota, before heading to Miami, Florida, to round it all off in an attempt to seal her expected victory in the Democratic field
Donald Trump and Chris Christie, who is endorsing Trump's campaign, arrive for a campaign stop on Tuesday at the Signature Flight Hangar at Port-Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio
Marco Rubio addresses supporters ahead of Minnesota's evening Super Tuesday caucuses in Andover
Trump is widely perceived to be the frontrunner in the GOP fight over 595 delegates. However, Cruz's home state of Texas could make or break a campaign, making the outlook somewhat hazy.
House Speaker Paul Ryan and other conservatives kicked off the day urging their party to go with the establishment.
Ryan said on Tuesday that anyone who wants to be the Republican presidential nominee must reject any racist group or individual.
The GOP is the party of President Abraham Lincoln, he told reporters, adding: 'this party does not prey on people's prejudices.'
Ryan was apparently referring to Trump's appearance Sunday on CNN when he declined to disavow the support of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and other white supremacists.
His words come as the Christian Post makes its first ever politically affiliated plea to readers - calling on them to reject Donald Trump.
'We are making an exception because Trump is exceptionally bad and claims to speak for and represent the interests of Evangelicals,' read an editorial on Tuesday - days after Trump won the Evangelical vote in Nevada.
Taking a scatter-gun approach for the Democrat nomination, the Clinton clan is sweeping the country in a final push for votes, with 865 delegates at stake. While Hillary spoke in Dallas, Bill met voters in Boston, and Chelsea was stationed in Omaha, Nebraska, which has its primary later this week.
Next, Hillary will head to Minneapolis, Minnesota, before finishing her day in Miami, Florida.
The former First Lady is set to triumph over Sanders after taking a staggering 86 per cent of the African American vote in South Carolina.
Across the pond: Larry Sanders, Bernie's Britain-based brother, is seen voting for Bernie at the UK primary
Clinton scatter-gun: Bill has been meeting voters in Boston on Tuesday (left) while Chelsea met with people in Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday (right) - which is not part of Super Tuesday but has its caucus on March 5
Clinging to the race! GOP hopeful Ohio Gov John Kasich addresses a crowd in Fairfax, Virginia, on Tuesday
Nonetheless, Bernie woke up on Tuesday morning to one victory: New Zealand.
Wellington is the first of 111 cities in 41 countries outside the U.S. to cast ballots in the primary for Democrats abroad.
Republicans living overseas won't be able to do the same because the party doesn't allow for its supporters to vote in primaries.
So far, four states have held primaries or caucuses to choose each party's nominee in November's presidential election.
The Republicans
American voters living in Wellington and registered as Democrats cast their ballots just after midnight early Tuesday local time, almost a day ahead of compatriots back home.
In keeping with the South Pacific nation's informal style, all 28 of the votes were cast at a local drinking spot, the Public Bar and Eatery.
Handily winning the day in New Zealand was Senator Bernie Sanders, who picked up 21 votes, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got six. One ballot was spoiled.
The results will be confirmed later this month at the global voter tally center in Germany.
VIRGINIA: Donald Trump is expected to win over GOP voters in Arlington, while Hillary is set to win her side
TEXAS: Voters were lined up to cast their votes before work in Fort Worth on Tuesday
ARKANSAS: Election workers set up voting machines at the McGee Community Center on March 1 in Conway
TENNESSEE: First=time voter Brian Casey of Nashville clutches his copy of Trump's book at a polling station
Voters receive stickers like this (pictured in Centreville, Virginia) in a bid to persuade others to vote too
On Tuesday, Democrats are be voting in 11 states and American Samoa, with 865 delegates at stake.
It takes 2,383 delegates to win the party's nomination. Democrats abroad are allocated 17 of those delegates.
Republicans, meanwhile, will be voting in 11 states on Super Tuesday, with 595 delegates at stake toward the 1,237 delegates needed to capture the party's nomination.
Americans living in New Zealand include students, those with specialized jobs, and retirees, said Kat Allikian, chair of the Democrats Abroad New Zealand.
HIGH STAKES: Five GOP candidates and two Democratic candidates will spar over delegates on March 1, also known as Super Tuesday. Here's how they're distributed according to population
This is how the Republican field is set to look across the 11 states by the end of Super Tuesday, polls show
Hillary is on track to trounce Bernie and even his wife Jane admits the map looks 'rough'
She said a big motivation for local voters was to stop Republicans winning the White House in particular, leading candidate Donald Trump.
'The overwhelming concern of all Democrats overseas is this Trump phenomenon that is happening on the Republican side,' she said.
'It's mindboggling that he's running away with the nomination. Although it's not set yet.'
Allikian said it was an honor to lead the vote among those living overseas.
'People are really tickled that we're the very first in the world,' she said.
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These razor-wire fences last night became the new frontier in Europe's bid to tackle the migrant crisis as Greece was told it faced being 'sacrificed' to save the EU.
Austria and the Balkan countries yesterday refused to ease border restrictions that have led to the Greeks being sealed off from the rest of the Continent.
For 19 miles along the boundary with Macedonia, the parallel lines of 8ft fencing keep thousands of migrants trapped in Greece.
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann yesterday said border controls introduced through Europe were needed to end the 'disorganised chaos'. He warned that Austria would no longer be 'a waiting room for Germany'.
A colossal wall of razor wire and thick fencing now stretches along the Greek-Macedonian border near Idomeni, Greece
A boy stands behind a fence at the refugee camp in Idomeni, Greece, where migrants and refugees wait to be allowed to cross the borders
Special forces open the heavily razor wire covered fence for a cargo train to pass the closed borders from Idomeni, Greece
Refugees, who just arrived, rest in front of makeshift fires in a field in Idomeni, northern Greece after a long journey
More than 27,000 refugees have been stranded in Greece after countries along the migrant route created a bottleneck by following Austria's lead in introducing limits on the number they will let pass.
Troubled Greece is now set to be turned into a massive refugee camp as Brussels officials are today expected to agree to hand over 375million to Athens in return for it providing shelter for 100,000 people.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel last night performed a major U-turn as she told migrants trying to leave Greece they could not choose which European country they move to and should stay there. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said: 'We have come to the time when Greece is likely to be sacrificed'.
He said he had warned Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras: 'It will be your responsibility because you did not do anything on the Turkish-Greek border.'
Despite the restrictions stopping people from leaving Greece, thousands more are arriving each day, with 3,651 landing on its islands on Sunday alone. More than 120,000 people arrived in the first eight weeks of this year 30 times the number who came in the same period in 2015. A further 9,000 have arrived in Italy.
At least 7,000 migrants are camped on Greece's northern border with Macedonia, which has been closed since hundreds tried to force their way through on Monday.
For 19 miles along the boundary with Macedonia, the parallel lines of 8ft fencing keep thousands of migrants trapped in Greece. Many of the migrants are now stuck at the town of Idomeni
Greece's colossal border wall of razor wire evokes memories of the Berlin Wall (pictured) which separated the German city for four decades
President John F Kennedy looks out over the heavily fortified Berlin wall during a visit to the city in June 1963
Migrants stand next a fire burning shacks, in the southern part of the so-called 'Jungle' migrant camp, as half of the camp is being dismantled, in the French northern port city of Calais
As the flames tore through the light timbers and canvas of the buildings, some migrants have clashed with police, with one woman protesting on the roof of one of camp roof dwellings
Migrants have started to burn down the Jungle camp as the security officers slowly remove the basic structures while police hold back angry protesters
A large group of migrants watch over a pile of burning tarpaulin and wood after setting fire to several camp structures in protest over the demolition of the camp
The camp, which once had its own shops and churches, will be relocated with the migrants receiving purpose-built acccomodation
French riot police try to clear the Jungle camp as residents began to burn down some of the remaining buildings
At least 12 shelters were set ablaze by the refugees yesterday, during disturbances involving left-wing agitators from the UK
The news comes as migrants have started to torch the notorious Jungle camp in protest over the demolition of the site, leading to clashes between angry protesters and police.
Some refugees brandishing metal bars and hurling rocks tried to hijack lorries today as demolition workers supported by riot police carried on smashing up their illegal camp.
'Gangs broke out of the camp overnight, and started threatening drivers in the middle of the road,' said a Calais police spokesman.
'Tear gas and baton charges were used to restore order, and then the gang members were forced back inside the camp.'
At least 12 shelters were set ablaze by the refugees yesterday, during disturbances involving left-wing agitators from the UK.
Three members of the so-called 'No Borders' group were arrested for inciting the migrants to attack the police.
At least one unidentified woman from Britain was among those arrested during a day of violence in the French port town.She was seen in front of a mob of mainly Afghan refugees hurling bricks and stones at officers who fought back with tear gas.
A second woman a German who identified herself as Ronia said she had 'no regrets' about 'offering resistance on behalf of the refugees'. As Ronia was handcuffed, and placed inside a police car, she said: 'Everyone in the camp has a right to a home and a future.'
The worst trouble started soon after demolition workers supported by CRS riot police arrived at around midday yesterday.
Hundreds of migrants mass at the Greek-Macedonia border today. Today it emerged it has taken just two months for 131,000 people to reach Europe this year - the same figure took six months to reach in 2015
A family of refugees wait in the no-man's-land area at the border which is guarded by barbed wire fences. Macedonia has closed its border with Greece, causing a bottleneck among those travelling the Balkan route
Two Macedonian soldiers, wearing riot gear, stand guard at the crossing with Greece where there were fierce riots yesterday
Macedonian special forces members were quickly drafted into the area today in case there is further disorder
The Macedonian army began building the second fence last month 16ft from the first fence, which was put up in November.
Fights yesterday broke out as those camped in muddy fields near the fence scrambled over each other to grab limited supplies of food.
The UN refugee agency said at least 1,500 people had spent the night in the open and tensions were running high.
'We have been waiting for six days,' said Farah, a 32-year-old woman from Baghdad, as the van distributing canned food and long-life milk was mobbed and emptied in minutes. 'The food is not enough everyone is lying to us and we are desperate,' she added.
Fayez, a 27-year-old computer technician from Syria, added: 'We have to queue for over three hours, for not enough food.
'We've been here four days we want to go to Sweden but our money is running out.'
The grim weather has already taken a harrowing toll on the travellers' health, with many children heard coughing and crying in the tents. Zineb Hosseini, a Syrian mother of five, said her family was 'freezing', adding: 'And now the wait begins anew.'
Yousef Karajakes, a 30-year-old Syrian pharmacist from the northern city of Aleppo, said he fled the civil war only to find himself in another conflict.
'They told us come, come, come here, come here and now we come and found a second war,' said Mr Karajakes, whose wife and child were killed in a bombing raid.
A burgeoning tent city near the village of Idomeni is growing by the day with up to 10,000 thought to be amassing in the area
A migrant woman stands beside a tent on which graffiti stating 'open the borders' has been scrawled
A woman sits with a baby next to a tiny camp fire in a bid to keep warm at the campsite near Idomeni
A boy looks through the barbed wire as migrants waited to cross the Greece-Macedonia border today
The conditions at the campsite are getting steadily worse. Pictured is a food handout from the back of a van
A man holds a child during the food distribution. UN leaders have expressed concerns about the way Macedonian authorities handled the riots at the border yesterday
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker meanwhile telephoned Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday to express 'unwavering support' for Athens in dealing with the crisis.
Some migrants have been waiting at Idomeni for more than a week, as even when the border is open Macedonia allows in no more than a few hundred a day. Yesterday it took in only 30.
A group of about 150 people who have been told it's their turn to enter Macedonia have spent days in a large, flimsy tent right in front of the crossing.
'I've been at Idomeni for 10 days, and it's the fourth day I've been waiting to cross over,' said Hassan Rasheed, 27, from Iraq. 'Conditions are very bad. There are many ill children who are coughing, and we spent the night in this tent under heavy rain.'
The Idomeni crossing has been closed for nearly 24 hours, following clashes when hundreds of migrants tried to force their way into Macedonia, whose police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
Nevertheless, today small groups of refugees arrived in a steady flow, mostly on foot after walking up to 18 miles along highways.
One of them was Ahmed Majid, a 26-year-old Iraqi travelling with his wife and two children.
'We have been walking for three kilometers. Police stopped our taxi on the national road, which is why we are going through the fields,' said Majid. 'On the route from Athens police kept stopping us at petrol stations and told us that the border was still shut.'
'We have been waiting for six days,' said Farah, a 32-year-old woman from Baghdad, as the van distributing canned food and long-life milk was mobbed and emptied in minutes. 'The food is not enough everyone is lying to us and we are desperate,' she added.
A spokesman for the UN refugee agency said: 'The crowded conditions are leading to shortages of food, shelter, water and sanitation.
'Tensions have been building, fuelling violence and playing into the hands of people smugglers.' Greek authorities have set up two additional camps for 12,500 people near the fences and are building a third.
Thousands more refugees are stuck in the main port in Athens and on the Greek islands, with ferry services being cut because of the backlog of people at the Macedonian border.
Mrs Merkel, who has been blamed by many for encouraging migrants to come to Europe, yesterday tried to persuade those who had already come to stay in Greece.
'There are accommodation possibilities in Greece, they should be used by the refugees,' she said.
Mrs Merkel added: 'There is not a right for a refugee to say, 'I want to get asylum in a particular country in the European Union'.'
Migrants find shelter in the passenger terminal of the port of Piraeus, near Athens, after arriving from the Greek islands. These refugees are following the path of those who have already reached Macedonia
A young boy poses for a photograph as he waits for a city bus to take him to one of reception centres after arriving in the port near Athens from the islands
The port has become a makeshift sleeping quarters for those making their way through Greece in a bid to reach Europe
The majority of the 131,000 to have crossed the Mediterranean this year are fleeing the wars in Iraq and Syria
A young woman and two children cover themselves in blankets in a bid to stay warm at the port of Piraeus
He is charged with murdering six people and injuring two others during a five-hour gun rampage last Saturday night
It comes almost one week after Jason Dalton went on a shooting spree
The wife of the former Uber driver charged in the slayings of six people in southwestern Michigan claims there were absolutely no issues in their marriage until he went on a shooting rampage.
Carole Dalton filed for divorce from alleged shooter Jason Dalton on Friday, saying 'there has been a breakdown in the marriage relationship'.
But until the day of his alleged rampage, everything was fine, her lawyer claims.
'The day of the shooting, there was nothing until dinnertime,' attorney Paul Vlachos told the Detroit Free Press on Monday.
'There was no estrangement, no financial difficulties, they were not separated. ... There was nothing out there that would indicate something like this would happen.'
After the shooting, however, 'there remains no reasonable likelihood that the marriage can be preserved,' her legal documents stated.
Eight people were shot at three locations in the Kalamazoo area. Only two survived.
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Carole Dalton filed for divorce from alleged shooter Jason Dalton on Friday, saying 'there has been a breakdown in the marriage relationship'. But she insists their relationship was solid until his rampage
Headed for divorce: Uber driver Jason Dalton, who is charged with murdering six people in Michigan last Saturday, has been married to Carole, with whom he has two children, for 21 years
Jason and Carole Dalton married in 1995 and have two children, ages 15 and 10.
Dalton was arrested in Kalamazoo over the weekend after allegedly going on a deadly shooting spree while driving a Chevrolet for the popular ride-sharing service.
Attorney Paul Vlachos, who has been hired to represent Dalton's family, told ABC's Good Morning America on Thursday that Carole and her children were bewildered to find out Jason was involved, saying: 'They're thinking like everybody else: why?'.
He also suggested they noticed a change in his demeanor two days prior. 'He's been acting different in the last couple of days,' the lawyer said. 'His wife asked him and he said he was tired ... [he] seemed to be depressed and down, which was not his normal character.'
However, on Tuesday Vlachos told KHOU there were no problems 'until dinnertime'.
Mrs Dalton has been swift to condemn her husband's alleged actions.
Last week she released a statement paying tribute to the victims.
'Our hope is for peace and healing for the victims, the families of the victims, the Kalamazoo community and those touched by these events throughout the nation,' Carole Dalton said in the statement released to the Detroit Free Press.
'This type of violence has no place in our society, and we express our love and support for everyone involved.
'We intend to cooperate in every way that we can to help determine why and how this occurred.'
Vlachos told Good Morning America Mrs Dalton is struggling to come to term with what had happened.
'She's still in disbelief.'
On Wednesday, it emerged that Dalton visited a gun shop shortly before the rampage and switched cars after the first shooting.
At least one passenger who rode in Dalton's car that night, apparently after the deadly spree had begun, recounted that the Uber driver seemed oddly calm and even appeared to be fatigued to the point of almost falling asleep at the wheel.
'He didn't say much and he didn't act abnormal. He was rather quiet,' Marc Dunton told Reuters of the ride he shared with two friends, taking the front-passenger seat beside Dalton.
First interview: Attorney Paul Vlachos, who has been hired to represent Dalton's family, went on ABC's Good Morning America Thursday revealing that Jason didn't seem like his usual gregarious self in the days leading up to the shooting spree
Gun shop visit: Kalamazoo gunman Jason Dalton casually strolled around a gun store before he bought a tactical jacket designed to hide a gun hours before his rampage left six dead, surveillance photos obtained by the Daily News show
Dalton randomly shot at people at an apartment complex, a car dealership and a restaurant, killing six and badly wounding two others
Flowers for the fallen: A makeshift memorial is seen near where people were shot near car dealership in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Prosecutors say Dalton randomly shot at people at an apartment complex, a car dealership and a restaurant, killing six and badly wounding two others, including 14-year-old Abigail Kopf who was left in critical condition.
'Right after the first shooting at the apartments, he left the scene and sideswiped a car,' said Paul Matyas of the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department. The accident prompted him to switch cars, from a silver Chevrolet Equinox to a Chevy HHR, both vehicles belonging to his parents.
Dalton was denied bail on Monday after a court hearing in which a detective testified that he admitted to the deadly spree.
Hours before the first shooting occurred on Saturday evening, Dalton and a friend visited Southwick's, a gun shop he frequented in nearby Plainwell, a shop employee told Reuters.
Barbara Hawthorne (left), 68, and Dorothy Brown (right), 70, were also believed to have been inside the vehicle when it was hit by a barrage of bullets
Sisters-in-law Mary Jo Nye, 60, (left) and Mary Lou Nye, 63, (right) were killed during the shooting spree while sitting inside a car with the 14-year-old girl at the Cracker Barrel
Fighter: The parents of Abigail Kopf (left and right), 14, who was shot in the head in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Saturday, say their daughter is fighting for her life. The teen was initially declared dead
Tyler Smith, 17,(right) was killed in the parking lot of Seelye Kia, along with his father, Rich (left), while they were looking at cars, multiple reports suggest
Dalton was a regular customer who usually spent time chatting with the staff, but he bought a heavy-duty tactical jacket and left the store within 10 minutes, said the employee, who asked not to be identified.
'He's in here enough for me to know he talks to the guys about guns and different stuff,' she said.
Searching for a motive behind the violence, investigators focused on a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a cellphone seized from Dalton, as well as the fact that he picked up fares for Uber between or after the shooting episodes.
Chris Rock was generally lauded for his performance hosting at the Oscars on Sunday, but one joke in particular wasn't a slam dunk in everyone's books.
Charlotte Hornets star Jeremy Lin has voiced his frustration with one of Rock's bits, in which he brought three Asian children out on stage to act as the ballot counters from accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers - a reference to the stereotype that Asians are good at math.
'Seriously though, when is this going to change?!?' basketball star Lin tweeted on Monday about the controversial joke. 'Tired of it being "cool" and "ok" to bash Asians smh [shaking my head] #Oscars'
And Lin was far from the only one to call Rock out for the gag.
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Not laughing: Jeremy Lin (left at a basketball game on Friday) didn't find Chris Rock's (right at the Oscars) joke about Asians being smart at math funny
Angry: The Charlotte Hornets star wrote this tweet on Monday, asking 'when is this going to change?'
Many called Rock a hypocrite for making a joke about Asian stereotypes when he spent his entire monologue taking Hollywood to task for its systemic racism towards black actors.
'I was shocked that Latinos and Asians and Native Americans were not a part of this conversation,' Felix Sanchez, chairman and co-founder of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, told the Associated Press.
'They have this idea that the paradigm is still black-white and they need to expand the conversation. That it was so narrow is indefensible.'
The all-white list of acting nominees led to widespread criticism in the weeks leading up to Sunday night's show and to the hashtag movement #OscarsSoWhite.
Rock invited three young Asian children (pictured) on to the stage at the Oscars and introduced them as 'PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants'
'If anybody's upset about that joke, just tweet about it on your phone, which was also made by these kids,' Rock said about the Asian gag
Rock was praised for introducing an unusual level of candor about race to the telecast, but his comments were almost exclusively about blacks, and the show overall made only brief references to other minorities.
'If anybody's upset about that joke, just tweet about it on your phone, which was also made by these kids,' Rock said about the Asian gag.
Mee Moua, president and executive director of the Washington-based Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said in a statement Monday that the show was a setback for diversity.
'Last night's ceremony, and particularly the "joke" involving Asian children, which played off more than one damaging stereotype of Asians and Asian Americans, exposed one of the failings of how we talk about race in America: race relations are not a black-white binary,' she said.
Not cool: Many viewers were unhappy with Rock's joke about Asians and voiced their outrage online Sunday night
'It is to all of our detriment to look at race narrowly. We need to work together to dismantle the systems that devalue the experiences of minority groups so we can see the tales of the diversity that have shaped our nation reflected accurately.'
A publicist for Rock, Leslie Sloane, said Monday that he was unavailable for comment. And the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sanchez said that he watched closely to see if any attendees were wearing brown ribbons, which Eva Longoria and others had suggested as a protest against the absence of Hispanics.
'I didn't see one person wearing the brown ribbon,' he said.
Some at the Oscars did make broader calls for diversity. 'The Revenant' filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, in his acceptance speech, urged 'our generation to really liberate ourselves from all prejudice and ... make sure for once and forever that the color of the skin becomes as irrelevant as the length of our hair.'
Labour's candidate for Mayor of London has been described as a 'lackey who speaks alongside extremists' by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon as the race to replace Boris Johnson turned nasty.
Mr Fallon stepped up the attack on Sadiq Khan, who is expected to beat Tory rival Zac Goldsmith in May's election to City Hall.
Using the strongest words of the campaign so far, the Defence Secretary said reports of Mr Khan's links with controversial individuals made him unfit to 'protect' London against a terrorist threat.
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Sadiq Khan, pictured in 2001 when he was providing legal defence for the controversial Islamic fanatic Louis Farrakhan, has been described by the Tories as 'unfit' to be London Mayor because of his links with radical individuals in the past
And he hit out at the Labour candidate as 'a man who has said Britain's foreign policy is to blame for the terrorist threat'.
But Mr Khan's team hit back, describing the unprecedented attack by Mr Fallon as 'demeaning' his office.
Speaking on LBC Radio this morning, Mr Khan said: 'For goodness sake, let's have a campaign that is positive.'
Mr Fallon's comments follow recent media reports linking Mr Khan to Islamic extremists he had defended in his former job as a human rights lawyer.
SADIQ KHAN DEFENDS LINKS WITH MAN WHO DESCRIBED WHITE PEOPLE AS 'DEVILS' Sadiq Khan, pictured in 2001 during his work on Louis Farrakhan's case, said 'even the worst people need a defence' Labour's candidate for Mayor of London has defended his links to infamous Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Sadiq Khan represented Farrakhan in the early 2000s in his efforts to overturn a ban on coming to Britain. Farrakhan is a hugely controversial figure who has denounced white people as 'devils' described jews as 'bloodsuckers' and called Hitler a 'very great man'. Mr Khan, who is MP for Tooting, is attempting to follow Boris Johnson as London mayor in May. His main opponent is Tory MP for Richmond upon Thames, Zac Goldsmith. Last month Mr Khan defended his role in the legal bid. In an interview with Jack Mendel at Jewish News he said: '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.' Sources close to Mr Khan said he had condemned extremism and radicalisation publicly for his entire career. But reports from the time reveal he played a very public role in attempting to get Farrakhan into Britain. He was, and remains, banned because of fears his anti-Semitic views would stir up racial hatred. In 1990 Farrakhan sparked outrage after claiming Jewish people controlled the US 'like a radar controls the movement of a great ship in the waters' and had 'got a stranglehold on the Congress'. Advertisement
They included the infamous Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who Mr Khan defended in the early 2000s after the Islamist fanatic attempted to overturn a ban on him coming to Britain.
Mr Farrakhan is a hugely controversial figure who has denounced white people as 'devils', described Jewish people as 'bloodsuckers' and called Hitler a 'very great man'.
Mr Khan defended the links last month, insisting that as a human rights lawyer he had to speak on behalf of 'some unsavoury individuals'.
Mr Fallon does not shy away from using inflammatory language to attack political opponents. In the heat of the General Election campaign last year he told voters not to trust Ed Miliband as Prime Minister because he had 'stabbed his own brother in the back to become Labour leader'.
He added: 'Now he is willing to stab the United Kingdom in the back to become prime minister.'
Launching a fresh attack on Mr Khan at a meeting of local Conservative party members in Bromley, south London, Mr Fallong said last night: 'My priority as Defence Secretary is to give our armed forces what they need to protect our people and our territory, here at home and overseas, now and into the future.
'With the Home Office and the police, we have plans in place to deploy up to 10,000 troops in the event of Paris-style terrorist attacks. The Mayor has an important role to play in protecting London, supporting the police, and reassuring the public.
'That is why we need a candidate who can unite our city, not a Labour lackey who speaks alongside extremists, proving himself unfit to perform that role. A man who has said Britain's foreign policy is to blame for the terrorist threat. London has witnessed appalling terrorism in the past.
'It needs a Mayor who will back our police, security services and Armed Forces all the way. Labour cannot be trusted with our country's security and they cannot be trusted with London's either.'
Responding to his comments, a spokesman for Mr Khan said: 'The Tory campaign is in real desperation and it was only a matter of time before they went down this route so it's no surprise it's Michael Fallon who will literally say anything during an election.
'Sadiq has consistently spoken out against extremism and terrorism. He's suffered death threats and constant abuse from Muslim extremists throughout his life because of his mainstream views. He's the only candidate in this election who has a real plan to put a stop to radicalisation.
'Attacks like this on mainstream Muslims like Sadiq only make it harder for us to fight extremists, put an end to radicalisation and beat the terrorists - it demeans the office of Defence Secretary.'
Zac Goldsmith, pictured left in central London, is battling it out with Labour's Sadiq Khan to replace Boris Johnson as Mayor of London in May's elections but today the election campaign turned nasty after Michael Fallon launched an unprecedented attack on Mr Khan's ability to protect Londoners from a terrorist attack
Zac Goldsmith reveals he earned 10m in five years and paid 4.5m in tax after publishing tax return
The Tory candidate for Mayor of London has revealed he earned 10million since he became an MP in 2010 and paid more than 4million in tax over the five-year period.
The figures were unveiled by Zac Goldsmith himself as he took the unprecedented step of publishing his tax returns in a risky move that exposes his astonishing personal wealth.
He published the details after coming under pressure to 'come clean' over his former status as a 'non-dom' taxpayer.
But Labour responded by saying his tax returns 'raise more questions than they answer,' claiming they fail to explain the detail of the benefits he derived from his non-dom tax status.
Tory mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith, pictured in central London, published his personal tax returns last week, revealing that he has earned 10million since he became an MP in 2010
His personal tax return revealed he paid an average of 46 per cent tax on his worldwide income and capital gains between 2010 and 2015.
Mr Goldsmith urged his rivals for London Mayor - which include Labour's Sadiq Khan, the Respect party's George Galloway and the Green candidate Sian Berry - to publish their tax returns.
'I have... published my tax return details, prepared and verified by PwC... I gave a commitment to do so and today I deliver on that promise,' he said.
'I look forward to all mayoral candidates doing the same so London voters can judge us equally.'
A spokesman for Mr Khan said the Labour candidate will publish his tax returns this week.
But Tory MP Paul Scully hit back at Mr Khan, saying: Zac has delivered on his commitment. With every day that Khan dodges the question, hes hiding from transparency.
'He cant deal with the scrutiny, just as he couldnt deal with scrutiny of his experimental 1.9 billion pound black hole.
It came on a day when Mr Goldsmith was forced to defend his decision to back Britain's exit from the EU in the upcoming referendum, which drew criticism that he was 'betraying' Londoners.
In an article this morning, he acknowledged that being pro-EU would have put him in a better position to win the mayoral race but said he was not willing to put electoral politics ahead of his convictions.
Zac Goldsmith (pictured right) is battling Sadiq Khan to replace Boris Johnson (pictured left) as Mayor of London in May's election
'I recognise that opinion in London is at best divided on this issue, and as a mayoral candidate, it would be easier for me to quietly U-turn,' he wrote.
'But I didn't get involved in politics to test every idea with pollsters, flip flop on the big issues and then carry on regardless once elected.
He will campaign on the same side as the current London Mayor Boris Johnson, who dramatically announced he was joining the Out campaign yesterday.
Mr Goldsmith's tax record shows that his taxable income since being elected as MP for Richmond Park & North Kingston was more than 6million.
Most of it came from a family trust set up by his late father, the billionaire financier James Goldsmith, who died in 1997.
He earned an additional 4.3million in profits from selling assets. Over the five year period he had an average annual income of 1.2million - 45 times the average salary for UK workers of 26,500 and 36 times the median salary for full-time workers in the capital of 33,203.
His income puts him in the highest-earning 0.05 per cent of UK taxpayers.
Mr Goldsmith is believed to be the wealthiest MP with a personal fortune thought to be between 200million and 300million.
Up until 2009 he was registered as a non-dom - a tax status that allows some UK residents to limit the tax paid on income earned overseas.
He inherited the non-dom status along with his personal fortune from his father.
But despite publishing his record today and declaring he is 'proud of my record,' Mr Goldsmith is likely to come under fire over why he did not give up his non-dom status earlier if he was not benefiting from it, as he claims.
His Tory campaigners say the amount of money he has earned under the non-dom status was 'virtually nil'.
Mr Goldsmith admitted he had been 'dealt a good hand in life' but insisted he was determined to 'play it well'.
'As well known to voters in my two elections as an MP, I became 'non-dom' automatically because of my father's international status. It was not a choice, and I relinquished it seven years ago.
'I was born, grew up and have always lived in London except for two years travelling abroad in my early twenties. Because of this I derived very little, if any, benefit from this status as my income came to the UK and was therefore taxed here.'
Responding to the publication of his tax returns, Labour MP Neil Coyle said: 'Zac Goldsmith's tax returns raise more questions than they answer.
'They don't explain any detail of the benefits he derived from his non-domiciled tax status or explain why he bought his London home through a Cayman Islands trust.
A 74-year-old woman was taken to the hospital after she led police on an hour-long, nearly 40-mile police chase through Texas, officials said.
Texas officials believe the woman, who has not been named, had a medical condition and they released her to a family member after the chase, which began in Huntsville, Texas, at about 8pm on Monday.
Huntsville police initially tried to stop her after receiving a call that she didn't have her headlights on and was 'driving sort of oddly', but she continued in her car, reaching speeds of 70mph on I-45.
A 74-year-old woman (pictured) led Texas police on an hour-long, 38-mile chase on Monday evening
Three police cars with their lights on can be seen on the left following the woman's car down the I-45
Police who took part in the multi-agency chase used a spike strip to blow out the woman's tires, but she kept driving even after all four tires were blown out, according to KHOU.
The chase eventually slowed to 15mph and police stopped the woman in The Woodlands, Texas, 38 miles south of where the chase began.
'She told us that she was on her way to Houston to deliver a message to a family member,' Huntsville Police Cpl. Wade Roberts told KTRK. 'After hearing that and speaking to her a little bit more, it was apparent that it was a medical-related issue - not a criminal issue.'
EMS crews were called to the scene, and police said that the woman did not seem familiar with her surroundings.
She was not arrested and instead taken to Montgomery County Hospital District for evaluation where she was later released to a family member.
Emotional texts between Bristol Palin and her ex-fiance Dakota Meyer have emerged in court documents that reveal the former couple have come to an interim agreement over visitation of their daughter, Sailor Grace, with Palin telling her baby's father, 'I want you to be a part of her life, from the bottom of my heart I do.'
But Bristol also wants to make sure that Dakota, by being a part of Sailor's life, does not interfere with her breastfeeding schedule.
In a heartfelt exchange detailed in the legal papers seen exclusively by Daily Mail Online Palin told Meyer, 'There's nothing on my end holding you back Dakota.'
She continued: 'I want you (and your family) to be in her life as much as possible. It's not about us, and I don't care if you hate me, put it aside and put her first.
'She grows everyday and everyday I literally just think about how much you're missing by not seeing her, so realize I'm not bs'ing you'
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Bristol Palin shared this photo of daughter Sailor Grace on Instagram, saying the little girl looks just like her father, Dakota Meyer as the former couple continue their bitter custody battle
Bristol Palin, who gave birth to Sailor Grace on December 23, 2015, says her ex-fiance Dakota Meyer can have visitation rights to see his daughter but it must not interfere with her breastfeeding schedule
Meyer responded: 'I don't hate you Bristol I have no reason too [sic] but my hands are tied when I legally have no right to a child that is mine.'
Earlier in the conversation Palin, 25, begged Meyer to 'come see her soon.'
'I know you're busy,' she wrote, 'but I'd even meet you somewhere, she changes so much everyday, I don't want you to miss anything.'
In the messages, sent on the morning of Monday, January 18, Palin included a picture of their newborn daughter.
Meyer, 27, admitted: 'Yea i don't want to miss anything either and being busy will never be what keeps me from seeing Sailor. Hopefully everything gets worked out soon and I can be in her life.'
It is just the latest twist in what has become an increasingly bitter custody battle over baby Sailor Grace who was born in December.
Two weeks ago Daily Mail Online exclusively revealed that a court demanded paternity test showed Meyer to be baby Sailor's father with '99.9957 percent certainty.'
And last week it was reported that Meyer had filed an emergency custody motion asking a judge to rule immediately on a temporary custody agreement.
Today Daily Mail Online can reveal that Palin opposed that order and his demands on the grounds that she is breastfeeding Sailor, and Meyer's request would have interfered with that process.
Instead the couple has agreed to far more limited access than that which Meyer originally sought with the Marine and Medal of Honor recipient set to see his daughter for the first time on March 19.
Emotional text messages seen by Daily Mail Online in court documents show Dakota Meyer is reaching out to Bristol Palin in an effort to see his daughter
According to the court papers, Palin has 'repeatedly invited Mr. Meyer to see his daughter' but stipulated that the grounds be set so as not to disrupt her breastfeeding schedule.
Her response to his emergency custody motion explains: 'Ms. Palin is currently breastfeeding their two-month old daughter and plans to continue doing so until she is at least a year old.
'It is in Sailor's best interest that breastfeeding continue and that Mr. Meyer's visitation be fashioned so that he may begin bonding with Sailor without disrupting her breastfeeding schedule.'
Meyer had originally sought to see Sailor for four consecutive days, between March 19 and 22, away from Palin from noon to 6pm on March 19 and then from 8am until 6pm on every other day.
He also argued that a decision needed to be made quickly to allow him to make travel plans from his native Kentucky to Alaska where Palin and his child live.
But Palin's lawyers asserted: 'Sailor's best interests trump Mr. Meyer's interest in prearranging his travel plans.'
Dakota tells Bristol that he does not hate her but that his hands are tied when it comes to spending time with newborn daughter Sailor Grace
Now the couple have agreed to a series of visits, every two weeks beginning March 18.
Meyer will see his child for three hours at a time and the first visit will be 'supervised at Bristol's discretion.'
Should he need to reschedule for any reason Meyer can do so with two weeks advance notice.
Meyer has had to agree to 'respect Bristol's wishes to, the extent possible, feed Sailor breast milk.' He is permitted to Skype/Facetime Sailor 'no later than 7pm Alaska time.'
And he cannot 'consume or be under the influence of drugs or alcohol during his visitations with Sailor.'
The news of Palin's interim custody agreement with Meyer, comes just days after her long running battle with Levi Johnston, the father of son Tripp, was finally settled seven years after the boy's birth.
Johnston announced the news on Facebook, writing: 'I'm so happy to have my son in my life, and to put all of this back and forth in the courts behind me.
'It might have taken me 7 years and cost me around $100,000 in lawyer fees spread out among three different lawyers, as well as a lot of patience, but it was all worth it.
'I know you're busy but I'd even meet you somewhere, she changes so much everyday, I don't want you to miss anything,' wrote Bristol to Dakota in a text message
'I'm happy now to be successfully co-parenting.'
In an apparent response to the news Palin posted a picture of herself with Tripp and Sailor on Instagram along with the words: 'These babies are my world and I will always be doing what is best for them. Every child deserves two loving parents, so I will continue to encourage that no matter what. I have never, and will never, keep them from having a positive relationship with their fathers.'
She also cited Bible verse Matthew 5:11 in the post, which reads, 'Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.'
But Palin has yet to reach a final agreement with former fiance Meyer and, in the past, has rejected his bid for joint physical custody as 'impracticable' given that Meyer lives in Kentucky and she lives in Alaska.
Instead she has asked that she receive a 'decree for primary physical custody,' with visitation adjusted consistent with the child's age and Meyer's out-of-state resident.
She has also asked for interim and permanent child support and that Meyer pay Sailor Grace's delivery and medical expenses.
Meyer's family have told Daily Mail Online that they were 'hurt' that doubt had ever been cast over Meyer's paternity and insisted that he 'has a right to that child,' whose birth Palin announced on December 24.
Speaking from the family home in Greensburg, Kentucky, Meyer's grandmother, Jean, 85, said: 'It happens every day that a mother tries to keep a child from the father and you just have to deal with it.
'But I would say it does hurt [to have to prove paternity]. But that's just the way the law is you have to get permission here and permission there.
'I really think Dakota will do the right thing and I think he has a right to that child.'
Dakota, the youngest person ever to be awarded the Medal of Honor, met Bristol in May 2014 during Sarah Palin's Sportsman Channel show, Amazing America.
The pair got engaged during a Rascal Flatt's concert in Las Vegas in early 2015, planning a wedding in his native Kentucky over Memorial Day weekend.
But less than a week before the ceremony, Palin announced the wedding was off when it emerged that Meyer had failed to inform her he had been married before.
Instead of tying the knot Palin set off on an RV trip in Alaska with a friend who was an exotic model.
A month later she announced her pregnancy, though she initially refused to say whether Dakota was the father.
She admitted that her second out-of-wedlock pregnancy was, 'a huge disappointment to my family.'
'I do not want any lectures,' she said, 'And I do not want any sympathy.
Joy Karega (pictured), a professor at a prestigious Ohio college, has kept her job despite spewing anti-Semitic hate on social media
A professor at a prestigious Ohio college has kept her job despite spewing anti-Semitic hate on social media including blaming Jews for 9/11 and the rise of ISIS.
Joy Karega, an assistant professor of rhetoric and composition at Oberlin College, claimed in a series of Facebook posts that Israel planned the September 11 attacks in 2001 and the Charlie Hebdo massacre in January last year.
She also posted conspiracy theories that alleged the Jewish states national intelligence agency formed the Islamic State terror group.
However, in its response, Oberlin College did not condemn Karegas posts and added that she has the right to express her personal views.
According to Karegas profile on the private liberal arts colleges website, she received her PhD from the University of Louisville in 2014.
At Oberlin, she has recently taught courses entitled Writing for Social Justice and Negotiating Language, Culture and Power.
She had also written a book which draws upon archival research and oral history and historicizes the political literacy education of the Black Liberation Front International a black student organization at Michigan State University from 1968 to 1975.
Now, she claims she is working on another book called Conspiratorial Political Literacies: Rhetorical Practice, Contested Knowledge, and Subversive Politics' which will include her thoughts on the backlash she has faced since her Facebook posts were reported in The Tower this week.
Karega reportedly posted this graphic shortly after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, which shows an ISIS militant taking off a mask of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She alleges the murder of cartoonists at Charlie Hebdos headquarters in Paris was a false flag aimed to stop France supporting Palestine
She posted a graphic on January 13 last year shortly after the Charlie Hebdo attacks appearing to show an ISIS militant pulling off a mask of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the site reported.
The militant is seen with a Star of David tattoo and the acronym JSIL Israel presumably a Jewish version of ISIL as the terror group are sometimes called.
The text superimposed on the image suggests the murder of cartoonists at Charlie Hebdos headquarters in Paris was a false flag aimed to stop France supporting Palestine.
Along with the picture, Karega wrote: This aint even hard [sic]. They unleased Mossad on France and its clear why.
Later on the same day, Karega reportedly posted a claim that Netanyahu attended a rally for free speech in Paris uninvited.
Netanyahu wanted to bend Hollande and French government officials over one more time in public just in case the message wasnt received.
Netanyahu had actually visited Paris to honor four Jews killed in a kosher supermarket in a terror attack shortly after the murder of Charlie Hebdos staff.
Karega also said ISIS is a CIA and Mossad operation and that Israeli and Zionist Jews plotted the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
In a statement, the school said that although it does not endorse her comments, she is entitled to express her views.
'Oberlin College respects the rights of its faculty, students, staff, and alumni to express their personal views,' it said.
'Acknowledgement of this right does not signal institutional support for, or endorsement of, any specific position.
'The statements posted on social media by Dr. Joy Karega, assistant professor of rhetoric and composition, are hers alone and do not represent the views of Oberlin College.'
But Karega's comments have stirred up controversy, including calls for her to lose her job.
Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz told The Tower: 'If Karega had expressed comparably bigoted views about Blacks, Muslims or gays, the President of Oberlin would not have posted the boilerplate he posted.
Oberlin College (pictured, file photo) did not condemn Karegas posts but said she has the right to express her personal views
'He would have condemned those views, even if he defended her right to express them.'
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of the Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, an Israeli-based civil rights organization, told Fox News: 'This is the worst kind of anti-Semitic rhetoric.
'It is not acceptable for the dean to hide behind academic freedom and claim this is freedom of speech.'
'She is not a tenured professor. She needs to be thrown off campus immediately.'
In recent months, however, students at the $50,000-a-year college have expressed concerns that anti-Semitism is becoming a problem at the school.
The student newspaper, the Oberlin Review, says Jews do not feel welcome, quoting one student, who said: I quickly learned that, at Oberlin, love for my own nation (Israel) was not something I could express.
The same student reportedly later transferred out of the school due to the toxic climate regarding Israel.
Last month, hundreds of alumni and students published an open letter to Oberlin President Martin Krislov saying the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanction Israel) movement has become considerably active on the college campus.
Several student organizations at Oberlin have assumed the role as the mouthpiece of the BDS movement, which claims to be a defender of Palestinian rights, but whose inflammatory language falsely portraying Israel as an illegitimate, colonialist and murderous regime demonstrates that its primary goal is to demonize the Jewish state, the letter said.
As Oberlin students and alumni representing a diversity of views on Israel, we accept criticism of its leadership and policies. However, we do not believe Israel should be singled out for condemnation and we object to questioning its right to exist.
'We also abhor the tactics of Oberlins pro-BDS student organizations that intimidate, threaten, and coerce Jewish students, which we have seen and heard in numerous written and spoken reports.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. Peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict is a priority for the European Union. High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini said about the aforementioned during the press conference in Armenian Presidents Residence. The status quo cannot be maintained, but there can be no military solution as well. The conflict must be settled peacefully, Mogherini mentioned, Armenpress reports.
She added that EU supports the efforts of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, aimed at peaceful settlement of the conflict, based on Madrid principles. The reduction of tension in recent times is also significant, at the same time it is necessary to refrain from military rhetoric and increase of violence, Mogherini mentioned.
She also noted that the European Union supports Minsk Group co-chairs over the introduction of investigative mechanisms in the conflict zone.
Police are searching for the body of a teen who vanished in 1997 after a tip-off from a prisoner who was suspected in her disappearance but never charged.
Officers from La Marque Police Department near Houston, Texas, have been searching fields south of Houston in the hopes of finding the remains of Jessica Cain, 17.
Investigators were shown to the spot last Wednesday by William Reece, who is currently serving a 60-year sentence after being convicted in the kidnap of Sandra Sapaugh, also in 1997.
Police in Houston, Texas, are searching a field for the remains of Jessica Cain, 17, who vanished in 1997 while driving home from a meal with friends
Heavy digging equipment has been brought in to help look for the remains of Cain in a vacant lot on East Orem Drive, near Houston, KHOU reports.
The field is more than 30 miles from where Cain was last spotted by a friend close to her father's broken-down truck on the shoulder of Interstate 45.
However, the site is just three miles from Reece's old address, where police records show he was arrested for the disappearance of Sapaugh.
William Reece, 56, a suspect in Cain's disappearance who is serving a 60-year jail term for another kidnapping
Cain's father, named in reports only as C.H. Cain who now lives in Liberty County, told reporters that police had contacted him and confirmed they were searching for his daughter's remains.
He told ABC 13 that he still has hopes of seeing his daughter alive, almost two decades after he last saw her.
He said: 'We're leaving it in God's hands. If God allows us to have our girl back, that'd be a big blessing.'
Cain was last seen in August 1997 after going for a meal with friends at Bennigan's Restaurant in Clear Lake, Texas, departing at around 1.30am, according to The Charley Project.
A friend reported seeing Cain a short time later, close to her father's tan 1992 Ford pickup, which appeared to be broken down at the side of the I-45 between exits 7 and 8.
The friend said Cain appeared to be walking towards a cherry-red Izusu Amigo that had pulled up behind her vehicle on the shoulder.
Cain's locked vehicle was found by her father the following morning at around 5am, parked close to where the friend last reported seeing her.
Her wallet was inside, and although police swabbed the cab for fingerprints, nothing was found.
A massive manhunt, including dog units, deputies on horseback and hundreds of volunteers was launched.
Despite days of intense searching, and images of Cain dominating every newspaper and faxed to hotels and truck stops within a day's drive, she has not been seen since. Nobody has been charged with kidnapping her.
Reece, who lived around three miles from the new search site, was suspected in Cain's disappearance but investigators never gathered enough evidence to charge him
Cain was one of dozens of girls and young women who either vanished or were murdered in an area around the Gulf Freeway in Galveston County that came to be known as the killing fields.
Since the 1970s, more than 30 women have apparently died or disappeared, and there is little doubt some of the killings are connected.
Four bodies were discovered buried in the same remote patch of land. One victim's father reported receiving a letter purportedly written by a serial killer.
Reece, a former bulldozer operator, was arrested and subsequently jailed in 1997 for the aggravated kidnapping of Sandra Sapaugh, which also took place along I-45.
Sapaugh was waiting along the shoulder of I-45 in May 1997 when Reece pulled up and offered to help before forcing her into his truck at knifepoint.
The final sighting of Cain came in August 1997 when a friend reported seeing her truck (pictured) broken down at the side of the I-45. She was seen walking towards another vehicle, before vanishing
Cain has been spotted (pictured) in the field telling police where to dig. According to sources who spoke to ABC 13, he is assisting cops in the hopes of staying in jail in Texas, rather than being moved to another state
While driving along the I-45, Reece told Sapaugh to undress but instead she jumped from the moving vehicle before contacting police.
Reece has also been charged with the 1997 murder of Tiffany Johnston, 19, in Bethany, Oklahoma, after new DNA evidence linked him to the crime.
Johnston was last seen at the Sunshine Car Wash before her partially clothed body was found the following day in a patch of long grass. She had been strangled.
Johnston's body was tested several times for DNA from Reece but did not return a result. However, advancements in testing yielded a positive result in September last year, leading to fresh charges.
Aerial images of the field show officers digging in a large spot up against a fence. According to witnesses, they have burrowed around 6ft down in the hopes of finding Cain's remains
Reece is also suspected, but has never been charged, in the disappearance of 12-year-old Laura Smither in Galveston County, Texas, who vanished while out jogging in April, 1997.
Her nude body was found several days later in a retention pond several miles away in Pasadena.
Reece was named as the prime suspect and extensively questioned over the killing, but charges have never been filed.
The Prime Minister grinned briefly as she entered Downing Street after a run in the central London fog this morning as MailOnline can reveal that all her 'In Liz we Truss' merchandise was expunged. The party's cups, travel mugs, bags and T-shirts celebrating her election 45 days ago, each costing between 14.95 and 24,95, have been deleted from the website and pulled from sale. Wearing her gym kit and muddy trainers, the outgoing Tory leader, now considered the most disastrous in party history, gave a wry smile at police as she skipped into the back door of No 10 at around 8am. She will spend her last weekend as PM at Chequers, No 10 has said. The UK's shortest serving PM will still receive severance pay to the tune of 18,860 - equal to 419.11 for each of the 44 days she served. She also earned 10,000 in that time because he ministerial salary went up. Ms Truss is beginning her final week as Prime Minister as her rivals circle to take her job - but there is also increasing anger about the cash and benefits she is leaving with and demands for her to forgo them. She will now also be entitled to claim up to 115,000-a-year in an allowance for former Prime Ministers. Her predecessors Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson are all believed to have claimed it. Ms Truss will also benefit from a taxpayer-funded pension as a former minister and Prime Minister. Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer today joined calls for Ms Truss to reject her allowance and hand back any payout, declaring that she had 'not earned the right' to keep it. He said: 'She should turn it down. I think that's the right thing to do. She's done 44 days in office, she's not really entitled to it, she should turn it down and not take it'.
Bill Gates topped the list of the worlds richest billionaires for the 17th time in 22 years, it has been revealed.
Though the 60-year-old Microsoft head is $4.2billion poorer than 2015, his net worth of $75billion has put him in the top spot of the spot on Forbes' World Billionaires list for the third year in a row, after overcoming Mexicos Carlos Slim Helu in 2014.
Helu came in fourth in Forbes 2016 list of 1,810 billionaires, behind Gates, Zaras Amancio Ortega and business mogul Warren Buffett, respectively.
Others who made the top ten include Amazons Jeff Bezos at fifth on the list, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook at sixth, Oracles Larry Ellison at seventh, Michael Bloomberg at eighth, and tied for ninth are David and Charles Koch.
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With a net worth of $75billion, Microsoft head Bill Gates hit the top spot on Forbes' 2016 World Billionaires list for the third year in a row
Zaras Amancio Ortega (left) is worth $67billion. Warren Buffett (right), 85, of Berkshire Hathaway came in third on the billionaires list, with a net worth of $60.8billion
Mexico's Carlos Slim Helu (left) came in fourth on the list with $50billion, while Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos (right) took the fifth spot on the billionaires list with $45.2billion
Zuckerberg, 31, had the best year of all billionaires, having added $11.2billion to his fortune and moving up from number 16 to six on the list.
This is Zuckerberg's and Amazon's Jeff Bezos' first appearance in the top ten of Forbes' annual ranking.
The top ten billionaires rake in a net worth of approximately $505.4billion.
Forbes found 1,810 billionaires this year, down from last years record of 1,826. The aggregate net worth of the billionaires was $6.48trillion, $570billion less than last year.
The average net worth of a billionaire dropped for the first time since 2010 and sits at $3.6billion, down $300million from last year.
While 221 people fell off the billionaires list this year, 198 people joined the ranks. Twenty-nine from the 2015 list died, while another 29 rejoined the list after having fallen off.
Noteable drop-offs include fashion designer Tory Burch, Sam Adams head Jim Koch and Dicks Sporting Goods chief Edward Stack.
Of those billionaires who made it on to this year and last years list, 892 are poorer while only 501 have increased their fortunes.
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg broke the list's top ten this year, moving up from number 16 to number six on the list
FORBES 2016 RICHEST 20 BILLIONAIRES IN THE WORLD BILLIONAIRE 1. Bill Gates 2. Amancio Ortega 3. Warren Buffett 4. Carlos Slim Helu 5. Jeff Bezos 6. Mark Zuckerberg 7. Larry Ellison 8. Michael Bloomberg 9. Charles Koch 9. David Koch 11. Liliane Bettencourt 12. Larry Page 13. Sergey Brin 14. Bernard Arnault 15. Jim Walton 16. Alice Walton 17. S Robson Walton 18. Wang Jianlin 19. Jorge Paulo Lemann 20. Li Ka-shing WORTH $75billion $67billion $60.8billion $50billion $45.2billion $44.6billion $43.6billion $40billion $39.6billion $39.6billion $36.1billion $35.2billion $34.4billion $34billion $33.6billion $32.3billion $31.9billion $28.7billion $27.8billion $27.1billion COMPANY Microsoft Zara Berkshire Hathaway telecom Amazon.com Facebook Oracle Bloomberg LP diversified diversified L'Oreal Google Google LVMH Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Wal-Mart real estate beer diversified Advertisement
Oracle's Larry Ellison (left) is ranked seventh on Forbes' billionaires list, with a net worth of $43.6billion. Michael Bloomberg (right) is not far behind in eighth, with a net worth of $40billion
Brothers Charles (left) and David (right) Koch round out the top ten of Forbes' billionaires list, each having a net worth of $39.6billion
Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin, whose company owns AMC Theaters climbed into the top 20.
Notable newcomers to the list include Cameron Mackintosh, the first theater producer to enter the ranks, WeWorks Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey and Pinterests Ben Silbermann and Evan Sharp.
WHO FELL OF BILLIONAIRES LIST? Fashion designer Tory Burch
Sam Adams head Jim Koch
Dicks Sporting Goods chief Edward Stack
J Michael Pearson, CEO of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, founder of Biocoin
Marc, Oliver and Alexander Samwer, Rocket Internet Advertisement
Neumann, Silbermann and Sharp are three of 66 billionaires under 40 years old, a record for the Forbes list.
The youngest on the list is 19-year-old Norwegain heiress Alexandra Andresen, who holds a 42 per cent stake in her familys business. Her 20-year-old sister is the second youngest on the list.
Andreson, a professional dressage competitor, and her sister are ranked the 1,475th richest people in the world after their father Johan F Andresen transferred his stake in Norway's biggest company, Ferd Holdings, to his daughters in 2007.
Zhou Qunfei is the richest self-made woman in the world, holding a $5.9billion fortune from smartphone screens. She is one of 190 women to make the list, down from 197 last year.
US billionaires hold 540 spots on the list, more than any other country in the world. In second is China with 251 and German with 120.
The youngest on the list is 19-year-old Norwegain heiress Alexandra Andresen, who holds a 42 per cent stake in her familys business. She and her 20-year-old sister are ranked the 1,475th richest people in the world
Two brothers from Massachusetts allegedly broke into a home to steal copper piping but found the resident dead, so they ransacked the property during several trips.
Thirty-eight-year-old Mark Landry and 37-year-old Steven Landry, both of Bellingham, are facing charges of breaking and entering, larceny, receiving stolen property and vandalizing property.
They are being held on $100,000 bail each after pleading not guilty at their arraignment Monday.
Police said the brothers broke into a Bellingham home and found the 68-year-old resident's body in the bedroom. He was later identified as Edward Gibson and had apparently been dead for weeks.
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Thirty-eight-year-old Mark Landry (left) and 37-year-old Steven Landry (right) were held on $100,000 bail each after pleading not guilty at their arraignment Monday to breaking and entering and larceny
Police said the brothers broke into this home and found the 68-year-old resident's body. He had apparently been dead for weeks
The residence belongs to Caron Parker, My Fox Boston reported. Foul play is not suspected in the death, according to the TV station.
Police said the brothers returned to the home several times and stole electronics, medication, copper piping, checkbooks and even a vehicle.
Police were tipped off by the Landry brothers' landlady who said they asked her about cashing the dead man's checks but she turned them down, the Metro West Daily News reported.
Citing an affidavit written by Bellingham Det. Stephen Daigle, the newspaper said Daigle contacted Gibson's bank and discovered $7,000 to $8,000 worth of checks had been made out to the siblings.
Claims: Lawyers for the brothers denied the allegations during the arraignment. Mark Landry is seen standing, with his brother Steven Landry in the background
Bellingham police said in a Monday news release: 'On 2/26/16 Bellingham Police received a report of a past breaking and entering.
'The reporting party identified two suspects that had confessed to them about the crime.
'The reporter came forward because the suspects had informed them that they had found a body in the residence during the break in.'
Bellingham police said they went into the home, which they said exhibited signs of forced entry, for a welfare check.
Authorities said: 'The home was in very poor condition.
'There were no working utilities and there was garbage piled throughout.
'The resident had no known next of kin.
'Detectives observed signs of missing property while looking through the home.'
According to Bellingham police, the brothers were put under surveillance following the tip-off.
Authorities said: 'Officers observed the suspects driving and performed a motor vehicle stop.
'The operator Steven Landry, 37, was arrested for operating after suspension and the passenger, Mark Landry, 38, was arrested on an outstanding warrant.'
Authorities said they executed a search warrant and found the victim's items at the brothers' home.
Lawyers for the brothers denied the allegations during the arraignment.
A 23-year-old Miami woman has been held without bail after allegedly kidnapping her cousin's baby daughter after suffering a miscarriage.
Initial reports said that the two-month-old girl, Taraji Kemp, was abducted on Friday night by two armed intruders, who broke into her mother's home in Fort Lauderdale around 11 pm.
Police now say that Stephanie Luna Augustin enlisted the help of her 14-year-old cousin to steal the child, sparking two statewide Amber Alerts.
The baby was found safe in an Orlando-area apartment rented by Augustin - more than 200 miles away from the child's home - after a 17-hour search, The Sun-Sentinel reported.
Police say Stephanie Luna Augustin, 23 (left), enlisted the help of a 14-year-old boy to abduct Taraji Kemp (right), her cousin's baby daughter, in Miami at the weekend, sparking two statewide Amber Alerts
Augustin has since reportedly confessed to the crime.
Investigators say Augustin and her cousin broke into an apartment at 2770 NW 14th Court in the Roosevelt Gardens neighborhood, where Taraji and her mother were asleep.
The boy was armed with a handgun he and Augustin had bought earlier in the day at Walmart.
He allegedly held at the mother's head while Augustin grabbed the child.
The two then fled in a dark blue 2010 Nissan Altima.
Augustin dropped the boy off at his home in Miami before fleeing to Orlando.
On Saturday morning, the following day, the boy confessed to his parents what he had done.
Detectives say they spoke to Augustin on the phone on Saturday, but she refused to cooperate.
The car was named in two Amber Alerts as authorities tried to determine where Augustin was.
Taraji Kemp was sleeping in a bedroom with her mother when the intruders broke into the Fort Lauderdale home (pictured) and took the child just after 11pm, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office
Augustin was then arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol as she drove south on Florida's Turnpike.
She had left the child alone in the apartment, however authorities found the little girl safe.
The baby was strapped into a car seat on the floor in a bedroom, police said.
Following her arrest, Augustin told detectives that 'someone' had told her to kidnap the child, but would not say who.
She is now facing multiple charges, including aggravated child abuse, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed burglary of a dwelling, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and kidnapping. She is being held without bond
Augustin announced that she was pregnant last August, and said that she gave birth in January, a friend told investigators.
'It was also learned that the defendant did not give birth and actually had a miscarriage,' detectives noted.
A public defender for the 14-year-old boy, who is being held in juvenile detention, said that the boy does not spend much time with Augustin and became excited at the thought of seeing her, believing they were going shopping.
The public defender described Augustin as the 'chief architect' of the crime.
The boy is facing two counts: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and armed burglary of a dwelling.
While the baby's mother has not been identified, her and Augustin are said to have been close.
'Her and [the baby's] mother are very close,' Betty Augustin, the sister of the accused, said in court, The Sun-Sentinel reported.
'I don't know what happened.'
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These haunting images show Japanese cities devastated by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the north-east coast in 2011, killing more than 18,000 people.
The disaster left many still unable to return to their homes and triggered a meltdown at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in what turned out to be the worst nuclear accident since Cernobyl.
As Japan prepares to mark five years since the tragedy, the pictures provide a priceless testimony to the death and destruction that struck the country.
The tsunami-devastated Natori city in Miyagi prefecture seen in these images taken 11 March 2011 (top) and 15 February 2016 (bottom)
Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture seen in these images taken March 12, 2011 (L) and February 16, 2016
Natori city, once a thriving farming town home to 74,000 people, was erased off the map by the 10m-high waves, whose catastrophic images reverberated around the world.
Flooded areas, debris and burning houses gave way to emptiness and desolation.
Naraha town, near the Fukushima plant, was evacuated following the disaster that sent the plant's reactor into triple meltdowns in March 2011.
The town's 7,400 residents were prevented from going home for four and half years since the accident. Only in October 2015 Japan's government lifted a ban meaning people from the town could return to their home for the first time since the disaster.
The central government said radiation levels in Naraha have fallen to levels deemed safe following decontamination efforts. About 100,000 people from about 10 municipalities around the wrecked plant still cannot go home.
Natori city, once a thriving farming town home to 74,000 people, was erased off the map by the 10m-high waves (top), whose catastrophic images reverberated around the world
Rikuzentakata city in Iwate prefecture in 2011 (left) and now. The disaster killed more than 18,000 people and displaced many others
After the nuclear disaster, both Japanese and global media struggled to communicate the consequences of damage done at the nuclear plant.
It was reported that three of the plant's six nuclear reactors went into meltdown and released radioactive materials. The soil and water in the region still contains high levels of radiation which makes the clean-up effort difficult, according to reports.
A total of 300,000 people evacuated the Fukushima area on the east coast and 15,884 people died due to the earthquake and tsunami.
Clean-up is expected to take decades, and cost more than 18 billion.
An investigation panel deduced the disaster had major elements of being 'man-made,' and there was a culture of complacency about nuclear safety and poor crisis management.
Naraha town, near the Fukushima plant, was evacuated following the disaster that sent the plant's reactor into triple meltdowns in March 2011
The anniversary comes as three former executives at Fukushima were formally charged with negligence over the 2011 accident.
The trio, who worked at Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), will be the first to go to a criminal court over the disaster.
A citizens' judicial review panel ruled last year that Tepco chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata, then-vice-president Sakae Muto and former vice president Ichiro Takekuro should be put on trial.
Prosecutors had twice refused to press charges against the men, citing insufficient evidence and little chance of conviction.
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Tens of thousands of Pakistanis have gathered for the funeral of a police officer who was executed yesterday for murdering a secular governor who wanted to reform the country's blasphemy laws.
As a precaution against violence, authorities closed all schools and stepped up security in Islamabad and the adjacent city of Rawalpindi, where the funeral of Mumtaz Qadri was held.
Qadri, a former police bodyguard, shot liberal Punjab provincial governor Salman Taseer 28 times in Islamabad in 2011. He said he was angry at the politician's calls to reform the blasphemy law.
Thousands of mourners gather in Rawalpindi, Pakistan to celebrate the killer Mumtaz Qadri who was executed yesterday. Pictured bottom left is an ambulance carrying his body as it snakes its way through the mass of people
Qadi's coffin was carried through Rawalpindi today (pictured) before tens of thousands of supporters as they threw rose petals on its roof
Supporters of Qadri pray in unison during his public funeral in Rawalpindi, a city next to Islamabad
Qadri, who is considered a hero for killing the reformist politician, was loved by many of the country's religious conservatives
Despite the fact the policeman shot a politician 28 times in 2011, thousands attended his funeral to worship him as a hero
People hold a photo of police officer Mumtaz Qadri, who was executed by the state of Pakistan yesterday
Today roads around key government buildings and diplomatic compounds were also closed off, while Qadri's supporters threw rose petals at the ambulance carrying his coffin through Rawalpindi.
Authorities put a gag order on local media covering the funeral, warning outlets in a letter they would face closure if their reporting 'glorifies extremism'.
Meanwhile, footage posted on social media showed Qadri's supporters jeering at Pakistani Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid at Karachi's airport. One threw a shoe at the minister but he ducked.
Some supporters attacked a media crew, breaking at least one video camera.
Qadri's hanging yesterday triggered street protests in several Pakistani cities as some religious and political leaders, and militant groups have publicly defended him.
He was executed for killing secular governor Salman Taseer who had called for reforms of the country's harsh blasphemy laws.
Shortly after the attack, Qadri said he killed Governor Taseer because he had allegedly committed blasphemy by campaigning to change the laws and also in support of a jailed Christian woman accused of desecrating Islam's holy book, the Koran.
Tens of thousands of Qadri's supporters walked for miles to reach the funeral venue as police had blocked most of the roads for traffic.
Many chanted in support of Qadri while others carried posters with photographs of the former officer. One of those in the crowds, Ahmad Nadeem, wore a T-shirt with the painted logo: 'I'm Mumtaz Qadri.'
Supporters of the Islamist political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam shout slogans during a protest in Peshawar following Qadri's execution
Another similar protest was held by the political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in the city of Lahore (pictured)
Supporters in Lahore chant slogans and wave flags following the former police guards hanging in Pakistan yesterday
Qadri was loved by many of the country's conservatives eager to prevent a loosening of the country's blashemy laws. Pictured are his supporters reading from the Koran in Peshawar
A supporter of the Islamic political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam reads from the Koran during the religious ceremony in Peshawar
'I wouldn't hesitate to do the same,' he said.
Pakistan's blasphemy laws allow for anyone convicted of insulting Islam to be sentenced to death, though people often take the law into their own hands.
The January 2011 assassination horrified Pakistan's relatively small liberal elite.
However, many Pakistanis, including some in the religious establishment and in legal circles, praised Qadri - a sign of the spread of Islamic fundamentalist thought in the South Asian nation.
Pakistan lifted a moratorium on the death penalty after a Taliban school attack in December 2014 and has executed more than 300 convicts since then.
The government has also taken measures against extremism, introducing a ban on hate speech, abuse of mosques, as well as media blackout on militant groups.
Islamabad has also promised to improve security for minority groups and upgrade legislations on individual rights and women's rights.
Mourners covered the ambulance carrying Qadri's body with red rose petals as it made its way past them
The ceremony attracted tens of thousands of mourners who are opposed to any reformation of the country's blasphemy laws
Pakistani supporters of convicted murderer Mumtaz Qadri shout slogans prior his funeral prayers in Rawalpindi
An 18-year-old Colorado man accused of killing his 15-year-old girlfriend because he thought she was pregnant with his baby has pleaded guilty to murder.
Darwin Christopher Bagshaw, of Grand Junction, entered the plea Monday, a week before his trial was set to begin.
Prosecutors said he beat Anne Kasprzak to death and tossed her body in a river near Salt Lake City, Utah, in March 2012.
Closure: Darwin Christopher Bagshaw, 18 (pictured left in court last year), has pleaded guilty to murder in the beating death of his then-girlfriend, 15-year-old Anna Kasprzak (right)
Elevnth-hour deal: The Colorado teen entered the plea Monday, a week before his trial was set to begin
Authorities said Bagshaw, then age 14, thought the girl was pregnant when he killed her, though medical examiners later found that she was not expecting.
An autopsy later showed she suffered blows that crushed her face and head. Police said they found her blood on Bagshaw's shoelace, and he asked a friend to lie and say she had had a nosebleed.
Bagshaw was arrested last fall, more than two years after Kasprzaks slaying, and charged with first-degree felony murder.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to recommend he receives credit for time served since his arrest in the fall of 2014, reported the Salt Lake Tribune.
Bagshaw now faces a mandatory prison term of 15 years to life. His sentencing is scheduled for April 23.
Anna Kasprzak was last seen alive by her parents on March 10, 2012, after she argued with them and went to her bedroom to listen to music. She later left the house and her parents reported her missing.
Victim: Kasprzak went missing on March 10, 2012, and her bloody body was found in a river a day later. An autopsy later showed she suffered blows that crushed her face and head
A passerby saw blood and Kasprzak's shoe by a footbridge over the Jordan River in Draper, Utah
The girl's bloody and bruised body was pulled out of the Jordan River, Utah, on March 11, after a passerby saw blood and a shoe by a footbridge over the river in Draper.
When she was pulled from the water, Anna was so badly beaten that she was unrecognizable. Investigators had to use scars, clothing and dentistry to identify her, according to search warrants.
One of her fingernails was pushed back and she appeared to have defensive wounds on her hands.
Police interviewed Bagshaw for the first time shortly after his girlfriend's death and noticed he was wearing a new pair of shoes. When they asked to inspect his old sneakers, Bagshaw claimed Kasprzak had gotten nosebleed at a friend's home two weeks before her death and dripped blood on his shoelace.
A friend of Bagshaw's had initially backed up his story about the nosebleed but later told police it was a lie concocted by the teen.
Bagshaw was arrested in connection to Kasprzak's murder in October 2014 and was originally charged as a juvenile, but a judge later transferred his case to adult court.
Authorities said Bagshaw, then age 14 (pictured left on a hunting trip), mistakenly thought Anna was pregnant when he killed her. He was arrested in October 2014
Failed cover-up: Bagshaw initially lied to police that Anna had gotten a nosebleed before her death in an attempt to explain away her blood found on his shoelace
Following Darwin Darwin Bagshaw's plea on Monday, the victim's family expressed relief at having been spared a trial and getting some closure after years of uncertainty.
'I feel very blessed that we do not have to relive this,' Jennifer Kasprzak, the victim's stepmother, told the Salt Lake Tribune.
Ms Kasprzak added that she still would like to know why Bagshaw killed Anna but acknowledged that getting the answer would not bring her back.
James Bratcher, Anna's stepfather, told a KSL reporter outside the courtroom that he does not hate Bagshaw, but he is glad the teen finally took responsibility for ending his daughter's life.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson likely has the least probable path to the Republican nomination of the five candidates standing especially after today's Super Tuesday contests but he's not giving up.
The reason, he explained today on Morning Joe, is that 'I have millions of social media fans and they're begging me not to get out,' Carson said, even though GOP voters have put him in fourth or last place in the last handful of races.
'Well, there's always the possibility that people will awaken and recognize that just what they were asking for is what I have presented for them,' he explained.
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Ben Carson said he's staying put in the presidential race because 'millions of social media fans' want him to - and he put pundits who have pointed to his low poll numbers - on blast
Yesterday Carson sang a similar tune and penned an op-ed for Fox News blasting the pundit class 'campaign flacks dressed up as journalists' who have suggested that he get out of the race.
'Unfortunately, these pundits have gotten too lost in the gladiatorial spectacle to see what truly matters: the will of We the People of America,' Carson wrote.
'With every call to drop out, pundits and political operatives salivate over polling percentages as though the people they represent were commodities to be bought and bartered in the backrooms of D.C.s exclusive political clubs,' Carson continued.
'This mentality is driving voters away from the political system they have so long supported,' he added.
In attacking the messenger, Carson fails to mention the rather dire situation his bid is in, having not come close to winning a primary thus far, as Republicans report record turnout.
Financially the retired neurosurgeon has been doing well, and in yesterday's op-ed said he would continue his bid until the money runs out, but he's in fourth or fifth place of five GOP candidates in the polls leading to today's Super Tuesday contest in which 11 states' voters make their pick.
Last week Carson's campaign adviser reportedly responsible for the campaign's big shake-up late last year hinted that the Super Tuesday results might compel his candidate to get off the island.
.@RealBenCarson: I have millions of social media fans and they're begging me not to get out https://t.co/03QEbT3LXA Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) March 1, 2016
'I think Super Tuesday, March 1, is going to be a moment of truth,' Armstrong Williams told Politico, hinting that if Carson didn't turn things around when a slew of Southern states vote on March 1 it was game over.
'You cannot ignore the fact that our predictions of what would happen and what could turn this around have not come to fruition yet,' Williams said. 'Unless that happens, it is obvious what the outcome will be.'
On Morning Joe, Carson said he would 're-evaluate' his campaign tomorrow morning after the Super Tuesday results are in, but suggested it would bring him to the same conclusion he held today.
'I re-evaluate the campaign every single day,' the candidate said.
'But one of the major factors for me is our supporters, and that's the reason that I'm here,' he continued.
'You know, I'm not in here for the typical reason that a politician would be in here. I'm in here because the people asked me to be here and I will continue to listen carefully to what they have to say.'
The doctor also wouldn't name the names of those who have asked him to drop out.
'I don't think that it's useful to divulge that because they certainly would be very unhappy if I did,' he said.
'But of course. It's politics as usual in Washington, D.C.,' he added, calling it a 'slimy thing.'
Ben Carson is hanging in there - despite the fact that he has racked up two fourth place finishes and two last place finishes in Republican contests thus far
Ben Carson will bring up the Tortoise and the Hare when asked whether he plans to drop out. He posits himself as the tortoise and perhaps frontrunner Donald Trump as the hare
Carson only briefly saw success in his presidential bid, but then hopes of his outsider candidacy taking hold tumbled down.
Around Halloween, Carson was polling ahead of frontrunner Donald Trump in Iowa, where the countrys first contest is held.
But as the polls peaked for the retired neurosurgeon, the media started poking holes in some of the colorful anecdotes the doctor would tell on the campaign trail.
One story - involving a young, brooding Ben Carson stabbing someone - was revised several times. Was it a close relative? A best friend? Carson changed the script, while associates of the Detroit native came forward and said they never remembered this type of anger coming from a young Ben.
Trump capitalized on it, releasing an Instagram video on Friday the 13th, which described Carson as a violent criminal or a pathological liar.
We dont need either as president, the Trump ad boasted.
Losing ground thanks to some sluggish debate performances, pronouncing Hamas like hummus, the chickpea-based spread, when talking foreign policy and suggesting the pyramids in Egypt were built to store grain, Carsons 2015 holiday season consisted of a pretty big staff shake-up.
Ben Carson's campaign was at a high point in November, but has been plagued by negative news stories, about the candidate and the inner-workings of the campaign, ever since
Carson called two batches of reporters, from the Associated Press and the Washington Post, to his home unbeknownst to his campaign manager Barry Bennett.
To those reporters he hinted that he might make some changes in staffing to his campaign.
The retired neurosurgeon then immediately went on CNN and told Don Lemon that he wasnt firing anyone.
That was over Christmas.
Before the ball dropped to mark 2016 Carsons campaign announced enhancements, with Bennett and Communications Director Doug Watts resigning effective immediately.
More than 20 other staffers followed the duo out the door.
The campaign moved retired general Bob Dees, who was Carson's foreign policy adviser, into the role of campaign chairman.
A senior strategist for Carson, Ed Brookover, became the campaign manager.
'As we enter a new phase of the campaign cycle, it is necessary to invigorate my campaign with a strategy that more aggressively shares my vision and world-view with the American people,' Carson said in the statement.
'I commend Barry Bennett and Doug Watts for their efforts to help me share my vision for America,' Carson said.
Parting words aside, NBC News sources suggested the split was, in part, because of Bennett and Watts' inability to get along with Armstrong, a longtime business adviser of the candidate.
After the shake-up the campaign, again, never gained back its footing.
When CNN reported that Carson planned to head to Florida - to pick up more clothes for the campaign trail - just a day after the Iowa caucuses, Ted Cruzs volunteers spread the misinformation that Carson was on the cusp of dropping out, trying to recruit his voters to choose Cruz, another evangelical favorite, on their Iowa ballot instead.
The move may have helped Cruz, who won the Iowa caucuses in a somewhat surprising victory over Donald Trump, who had led there since Carsons November fall and had only been neck-and-neck with the Texas senator in recent weeks.
The gossip didnt do any favors to Carson who came in fourth.
In the next two contests, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Carson came in last.
Carson made another controversial comment last week, that President Obama was 'raised white' and didn't embody the typical black American experience, in the run-up to Nevada's caucuses.
He returned to the fourth place position in that state, though this time in a field of just five candidates, and again pledged to stay in the race.
If you remember the story of the tortoise and the hare, Carson said during several media appearances Tuesday before the caucus results came in.
If you give up on the tortoise too early, youre only going to have the hare who is exhausted and not very effective, he said on Fox & Friends.
Jeb Bush had used a similar line to explain to reporters his style of campaigning.
These are the shocking injuries suffered by a pensioner who was beaten up and robbed at home.
Alfiero Cetamore, 77, let a man into his block of flats in Manchester through the communal door on Saturday afternoon before he was assaulted and left seriously injured on the floor.
His attacker ransacked the apartment - stealing his mobile phone, wallet, car keys, three gold rings and a white and yellow gold Bulgari bracelet inlaid with 12 diamonds.
Three broken ribs: Alfiero Cetamore, 77, let a man into his block of flats in Manchester through the communal door on Saturday afternoon before he was assaulted and left seriously injured on the floor
Aid: Mr Cetamore was taken to Salford Royal Hospital (pictured) for treatment and was later discovered to have three broken ribs, two lost teeth and a bruised lung
The man then drove off in his Toyota Corolla which was found crashed into a wall in Moss Side just 20 minutes later, while Mr Cetamore was taken to Salford Royal Hospital for treatment.
Officers were called at 4.40pm to reports of an assault in the Deansgate area of Manchester, and Mr Cetamore was later discovered to have three broken ribs, two lost teeth and a bruised lung.
Police investigation: Mr Centamore, pictured in 2010, was 'beaten viciously before being robbed'
Greater Manchester Police said a 25-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of robbery and remains in police custody for questioning.
Detective Sergeant Mark Astbury said: This poor man was found by a neighbour badly beaten and only semi-conscious in his flat, having suffered terribly at the hands of this offender.
As you can see from the pictures Alfiero was beaten viciously before being robbed and it is perhaps fortunate that he did not suffer a more serious head injury, such was the brutality of the assault.
He added: The car was found abandoned in Moss Side, 20 minutes after it had been stolen, and two men were seen to flee the car after the collision.
I am still appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the offender near the flats, or anyone who may have witnessed the collision in Moss Side to contact me as soon as possible.
Urging people to assist the investigation, Mr Astbury said: Your witness account could help us achieve a successful conviction in this case, so please think of the pictures of poor Alfiero if you are considering whether to call police with information or not.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS: President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has signed a decree of restructuring the Ministry of Finance today.
As Armenpress was informed from the Press Office of the Presidential Administration, by presidential decree the State Revenue Committee has been disjointed from the Ministry of Finance.
The decree also envisions a clause by which the head of the State Revenue Committee will be directly in charge of the Customs Service and Tax Service. President assigned the Government of Armenia a month in order to adopt necessary legal basis for the implementation of the decree.
But insists there is just as much 'uncertainty' associated with staying in
The report on the state of London's economy for Boris Johnson (pictured in Northern Ireland yesterday)
London can thrive in or out of the EU and has nothing to fear from Brexit, a major report for Boris Johnson found today.
The 300-page report - authored by the Mayor of London's chief economist Gerry Lyons - admitted that cutting ties with Brussels would cause an 'economic shock' and would 'depress economic activity' but insisted there was similar 'uncertainty' associated with Britain remaining in the EU.
And it lambastes Europe's 'disappointing' economic growth.
It comes a day after Mr Johnson used his latest newspaper column to hit out at David Cameron and George Osborne's scaremongering by driving an agenda of 'project fear' and saying he was 'convinced that the real risk is to sit back and do nothing, to remain inertly and complacently in an unreformed EU'.
Mr Johnson said today's 300-page report - titled 'London: The Global Powerhouse' - was a 'valuable piece of work' that helped 'cement' London's place as the 'Europe's and the world's greatest city'.
The report came as the competing camps in the EU referendum again traded blows over the Government's ban on Brexit ministers accessing government papers on the EU.
Peter Mandelson, the former Business Secretary who also served as Britain's EU trade commissioner, told Brexit ministers to stop 'whinging' over the ban and said they were 'lucky' to have the chance to campaign against David Cameron without being fired.
Iain Duncan Smith has reportedly ordered his officials to ensure he still receives all reports despite the diktat from Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood.
The report on London's economy published today is a further challenge by Mr Johnson on Mr Cameron's efforts to convince voters to stay in the EU.
The Global Powerhouse report said London can thrive in or out of the EU and has nothing to fear from Brexit
Boris Johnson, pictured wielding a hammer on a visit to a bullet proof glass factor in Northern Ireland today, wants to smash up Britain's EU membership
The report states: 'There is uncertainty associated both in leaving the EU and staying in it. Perhaps this should not be a surprise.
FURY AT DAVE'S 'DODGY DOSSIER' AS PRO-EU CAMP IS ACCUSED OF SCAREMONGERING David Cameron, pictured campaigning yesterday, has claimed he is pursuing 'project fact' Boris Johnson accused David Cameron of trying to 'scare the pants off' the public last night after ministers published a 'dodgy dossier' of lurid claims about leaving the European Union. The document set out a nightmarish Brexit scenario which could lead to 'a decade or more of uncertainty', destroy trade and even stop Britons holidaying around Europe. Drawn up by Whitehall mandarins and signed off by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, it was blandly titled 'The process for withdrawing from the European Union'. But inside were a series of terrifying claims about the 'complex and grinding' years following a Leave vote and its impact on Britain. It warned that: Any new trade negotiation with the US and other countries could take a decade or more hitting UK exporters and consumers
The freedom of UK travellers 'to move about freely in Europe' and access healthcare could end if no new deal with the EU was done within two years of Brexit Advertisement
'The EU has changed much since its origins, so its future path is also likely to be uncertain. In the early 1970s when the UK joined the 'Common Market' it was believed that the European economic growth model was more successful than the UK's.
'It was also expected that Europe's common agricultural policy would be changed dramatically and that a free market would persist. Now, Europe's economic growth model disappoints.'
The report says that when only short-term economic forecasts are taken into account, leaving the EU would be 'worse' for the economy.
'Leaving the EU would be an economic shock,' it states. 'Most, if not all, economic shocks depress economic activity.
'Thus economic forecasts that focus on, say, a couple of years ahead would tend to show that leaving the EU is always worse than the alternative.'
Both sides of the EU referendum debate claimed the report backed up their arguments.
The Britain Strong In Europe campaign claimed the 'economic report' warned of 210billion being wiped off the capital's growth if Britain left the EU but the Vote Leave campaign insisted this was a 'worst-case scenario'.
On the contrary, the Vote Leave camp pointed to the report saying that 'being outside and on good terms with the EU and globally focussed' would boost London's economy by 120billion.
Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott said: 'This report is clear, London would be better off outside of the EU by 120bn.
'It's such a shame to see the BSE [Britain Stronger In Europe] campaign trying to mislead people over clear economic analysis that shows the safer choice is to Vote Leave.
'As much as they might not like it, advocates of the EU must be honest and admit that the renegotiation failed and isn't even legally binding. The only way to take back control and spend our money on our priorities is to Vote Leave.'
James McGrory from the In campaign claimed the report showed why Mr Johnson 'should be making the full-throated case for Britain to remain in Europe, and not advocating a risky and costly leap into the dark.'
Iain Duncan Smith has ordered his civil servants to IGNORE a diktat banning him from getting referendum paperwork because he backs Brexit
Iain Duncan Smith, pictured on Sunday during a BBC interview, has told friends he trusts his officials to pass him all EU paperwork
Iain Duncan Smith has told his civil servants to ignore a ban on giving him documents related to the EU referendum.
In a new escalation of a fairness row at the heart of the referendum, the Work and Pensions Secretary is going head-to-head with Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood and No 10.
Sir Jeremy issued advice to civil servants that because David Cameron's position was backing Britain's membership of the EU, they could not do any work or provide papers to ministers working for the other side.
The Leave campaign has claimed the move is unconstitutional and Sir Jeremy is due to be grilled by MPs furious at the instruction later today.
Mr Duncan Smith is said to have dismissed the rules in conversation with friends.
The Sun said he had remarked: 'My civil servants report to me not Jeremy Heywood.
'It's me who's got the seals of state not him.'
The minister is said to have added: 'I have told them that all European Union documents must pass across my desk.
'I trust my staff not to withhold information.'
Mr Duncan Smith has worked at the Department for Work and Pensions since 2010 and is said to trust his staff to be open with his paperwork.
Tory eurosceptic Bernard Jenkin has summoned Sir Jeremy to answer questions at his Public Administration Committee in the Commons later today.
Mr Jenkin led criticism of the policy yesterday in the Commons after he secured an urgent question on the issue.
He said: 'How does this situation best serve the democratic process if ministers on opposing sides of the debate finish up disagreeing about information from the same Government department which is meant to be impartial and accurate information provided by professional civil servants?'
TORY MPs WHO WANT TO STAY IN EU Name Constituency Guto Bebb Aberconwy Nick Herbert Arundel and South Downs Damian Green Ashford David Lidington Aylesbury Victoria Prentis Banbury Maria Miller Basingstoke Ben Howlett Bath Jane Ellison Battersea Dominic Grieve Beaconsfield Graham Stuart Beverley and Holderness David Evennett Bexleyheath and Crayford Paul Maynard Blackpool North and Cleveleys Nick Gibb Bognor Regis and Littlehampton Matt Warman Boston and Skegness David Tredinnick Bosworth Tobias Ellwood Bournemouth East Eric Pickles Brentwood and Ongar Simon Kirby Brighton Kemptown Keith Simpson Broadland Bob Neill Bromley and Chislehurst Sajid Javid Bromsgrove Anna Soubry Broxtowe Andrew Griffiths Burton Jo Churchill Bury St Edmunds Craig Whittaker Calder Valley Craig Williams Cardiff North Simon Hart Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Mel Stride Central Devon Daniel Poulter Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Edward Argar Charnwood Simon Burns Chelmsford Greg Hands Chelsea and Fulham Alex Chalk Cheltenham Michelle Donelan Chippenham Mark Field Cities of London and Westminster Edward Timpson Crewe and Nantwich Gavin Barwell Croydon Central Chris Philp Croydon South Patrick McLoughlin Derbyshire Dales Claire Perry Devizes Charlie Elphicke Dover David Mundell Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Damian Hinds East Hampshire Sam Gyimah East Surrey Antoinette Sandbach Eddisbury Alec Shelbrooke Elmet and Rothwell Maggie Throup Erewash Helen Whately Faversham and Mid Kent Mike Freer Finchley and Golders Green Damian Collins Folkestone and Hythe Mark Harper Forest of Dean Mark Menzies Fylde Richard Graham Gloucester Byron Davies Gower Nicholas Boles Grantham and Stamford Brandon Lewis Great Yarmouth Anne Milton Guildford James Morris Halesowen and Rowley Regis Sir Edward Garnier Harborough Robert Halfon Harlow Andrew Jones Harrogate and Knaresborough Amber Rudd Hastings and Rye Alan Mak Havant John Howell Henley Mark Prisk Hertford and Stortford Oliver Dowden Hertsmere Guy Opperman Hexham Jeremy Quin Horsham Jonathan Djanogly Huntingdon Ben Gummer Ipswich Kris Hopkins Keighley Jeremy Wright Kenilworth and Southam James Berry Kingston and Surbiton Chris Skidmore Kingswood Nicky Morgan Loughborough Victoria Atkins Louth and Horncastle Philip Dunne Ludlow Theresa May Maidenhead Helen Grant Maidstone and The Weald Caroline Spelman Meriden George Freeman Mid Norfolk Sir Nicholas Soames Mid Sussex Nigel Huddleston Mid Worcestershire Sir Paul Beresford Mole Valley David Morris Morecambe and Lunesdale Robert Jenrick Newark Richard Benyon Newbury Peter Heaton-Jones North Devon Simon Hoare North Dorset Alistair Burt North East Bedfordshire Oliver Heald North East Hertfordshire Sir Roger Gale North Thanet Shailesh Vara North West Cambridgeshire Michael Ellis Northampton North Chloe Smith Norwich North Marcus Jones Nuneaton James Brokenshire Old Bexley and Sidcup Jo Johnson Orpington Nicola Blackwood Oxford West and Abingdon Rory Stewart Penrith and The Border Oliver Colvile Plymouth Sutton and Devonport Flick Drummond Portsmouth South Stephen Crabb Preseli Pembrokeshire Justine Greening Putney Rob Wilson Reading East Alok Sharma Reading West Crispin Blunt Reigate Jake Berry Rossendale and Darwen Mark Pawsey Rugby Nick Hurd Ruislip Northwood and Pinner Philip Hammond Runnymede and Weybridge Kenneth Clarke Rushcliffe Sir Alan Haselhurst Saffron Walden John Glen Salisbury Robert Goodwill Scarborough and Whitby Michael Fallon Sevenoaks Mark Spencer Sherwood Julian Smith Skipton and Ripon Julian Knight Solihull Heidi Allen South Cambridgeshire Lucy Frazer South East Cambridgeshire Alberto Costa South Leicestershire Gavin Williamson South Staffordshire James Cartlidge South Suffolk Robert Buckland South Swindon Andrew Selous South West Bedfordshire Gary Streeter South West Devon David Gauke South West Hertfordshire Elizabeth Truss South West Norfolk Jeremy Hunt South West Surrey Jeremy Lefroy Stafford Karen Bradley Staffordshire Moorlands Margot James Stourbridge Neil Carmichael Stroud Therese Coffey Suffolk Coastal George Osborne Tatton Mark Pritchard The Wrekin Kevin Hollinrake Thirsk and Malton Luke Hall Thornbury and Yate Neil Parish Tiverton and Honiton Thomas Tugendhat Tonbridge and Malling Kevin Foster Torbay Sarah Newton Truro and Falmouth Greg Clark Tunbridge Wells Tania Mathias Twickenham Alun Cairns Vale of Glamorgan Ed Vaizey Wantage David Mowat Warrington South Chris White Warwick and Leamington Richard Harrington Watford Peter Aldous Waveney Oliver Letwin West Dorset Matthew Hancock West Suffolk Harriett Baldwin West Worcestershire John Penrose Weston-Super-Mare Stephen Hammond Wimbledon Steve Brine Winchester David Cameron Witney Robin Walker Worcester Peter Bottomley Worthing West Ben Wallace Wyre and Preston North Mark Garnier Wyre Forest TORY MPs WHO WANT TO LEAVE EU Name Constituency Sir Gerald Howarth Aldershot Graham Brady Altrincham and Sale West Nigel Mills Amber Valley John Baron Basildon and Billericay Bob Stewart Beckenham Richard Fuller Bedford Anne-Marie Trevelyan Berwick-upon-Tweed Chris Green Bolton West Conor Burns Bournemouth West James Cleverly Braintree Chris Davies Brecon and Radnorshire Ian Liddell-Grainger Bridgwater and West Somerset Andrew Percy Brigg and Goole Charles Walker Broxbourne David Nuttall Bury North George Eustice Camborne and Redruth Julian Brazier Canterbury Rebecca Harris Castle Point Cheryl Gillan Chesham and Amersham Andrew Tyrie Chichester Iain Duncan Smith Chingford and Woodford Green Theresa Villiers Chipping Barnet Christopher Chope Christchurch Martin Vickers Cleethorpes David Jones Clwyd West Will Quince Colchester Jason McCartney Colne Valley Fiona Bruce Congleton Tom Pursglove Corby Henry Smith Crawley Gareth Johnson Dartford Chris Heaton-Harris Daventry Mike Wood Dudley South Tim Loughton East Worthing and Shoreham Sir Greg Knight East Yorkshire Mims Davies Eastleigh David Burrowes Enfield Southgate Eleanor Laing Epping Forest Chris Grayling Epsom and Ewell Dominic Raab Esher and Walton Suella Fernandes Fareham Jack Lopresti Filton and Bradley Stoke Edward Leigh Gainsborough Rehman Chishti Gillingham and Rainham Caroline Dinenage Gosport Adam Holloway Gravesham David Davis Haltemprice and Howden Bob Blackman Harrow East Bernard Jenkin Harwich and North Essex William Wragg Hazel Grove Mike Penning Hemel Hempstead Matthew Offord Hendon Andrew Bingham High Peak Peter Lilley Hitchin and Harpenden Angela Watkinson Hornchurch and Upminster Andrew Turner Isle of Wight Victoria Borwick Kensington Philip Hollobone Kettering Maria Caulfield Lewes Michael Fabricant Lichfield Karl McCartney Lincoln John Whittingdale Maldon Nadine Dorries Mid Bedfordshire Iain Stewart Milton Keynes South David Davies Monmouth Glyn Davies Montgomeryshire Andrea Jenkyns Morley and Outwood Julian Lewis New Forest East Desmond Swayne New Forest West Anne Marie Morris Newton Abbot Scott Mann North Cornwall Stephen Barclay North East Cambridgeshire Ranil Jayawardena North East Hampshire Jacob Rees-Mogg North East Somerset Bill Wiggin North Herefordshire Owen Paterson North Shropshire Liam Fox North Somerset Justin Tomlinson North Swindon Craig Tracey North Warwickshire Kit Malthouse North West Hampshire Andrew Bridgen North West Leicestershire Henry Bellingham North West Norfolk James Gray North Wiltshire Andrew Stephenson Pendle Stewart Jackson Peterborough Robert Syms Poole Penny Mordaunt Portsmouth North Mark Francois Rayleigh and Wickford Karen Lumley Redditch Nigel Evans Ribble Valley Rishi Sunak Richmond Zac Goldsmith Richmond Park James Duddridge Rochford and Southend East Andrew Rosindell Romford Alan Duncan Rutland and Melton Nigel Adams Selby and Ainsty Philip Davies Shipley Daniel Kawczynski Shrewsbury and Atcham Gordon Henderson Sittingbourne and Sheppey Stephen Phillips Sleaford and North Hykeham David Warburton Somerton and Frome Heather Wheeler South Derbyshire Richard Drax South Dorset Sheryll Murray South East Cornwall John Hayes South Holland and The Deepings Richard Bacon South Norfolk Andrea Leadsom South Northamptonshire Seema Kennedy South Ribble Craig Mackinlay South Thanet Andrew Murrison South West Wiltshire Royston Smith Southampton Itchen David Amess Southend West Kwasi Kwarteng Spelthorne Anne Main St Albans Steve Double St Austell and Newquay Derek Thomas St Ives Stephen McPartland Stevenage James Wharton Stockton South Bill Cash Stone Nadhim Zahawi Stratford-on-Avon Michael Gove Surrey Heath Paul Scully Sutton and Cheam Christopher Pincher Tamworth Lucy Allan Telford Laurence Robertson Tewkesbury Geoffrey Clifton-Brown The Cotswolds Geoffrey Cox Torridge and West Devon Sarah Wollaston Totnes Boris Johnson Uxbridge and South Ruislip James Davies Vale of Clwyd Nusrat Ghani Wealden Graham Evans Weaver Vale Peter Bone Wellingborough Adam Afriyie Windsor Priti Patel Witham Jonathan Lord Woking John Redwood Wokingham Steven Baker Wycombe Marcus Fysh Yeovil Julian Sturdy York Outer
Boris Johnson (pictured outside his house) angered David Cameron by announcing he will vote for Brexit Michael Gove (pictured) is a close family friend of David Cameron but is opposing him on the EU
David Cameron today insisted he had a strong argument but admitted making it was like a Monty Python sketch
David Cameron today claimed the EU referendum campaign was like Monty Python's Life of Brian as he endlessly had to explain everything Europe was good for.
In what was immediately seen as a fresh dig at Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister today also said the EU question was dividing families.
Mr Johnson stood apart from his brother, sister and father in his declaration for Brexit.
In remarks at a Downing Street reception to mark St David's Day, Mr Cameron defied his critics who have claimed he is running a scare campaign to win the June 23 poll by insisting he had a 'strong argument'.
Mr Cameron said: 'It is rather like that scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian - 'What's Europe ever done for us?
'Well, apart from the market of 500 million people, the regional grants, the access to the market, the support for our universities.
'Well other than that...'
Mr Cameron added: 'I think it is a very strong argument and I look forward to making it in the months to come.'
The Prime Minister said the 'extraordinary strength' of Welsh farming was partly down to the EU single market.
He said: 'That market of 500 million people means there are no quotas, there are no tariffs, there are no taxes, there are no restrictions - you can sell as much Welsh lamb, Welsh beef, Welsh pork into that market.
'Imagine swapping that for the situation that some other countries have outside the European Union, where you have restrictions, you might have quotas, you might have tariffs, and we wouldn't have access to that market.
'Imagine what that might mean to Welsh business and Welsh employment.'
Mr Cameron, who has campaigned almost daily since firing the starting gun on the referendum despite there being four months to go, said these were 'important years in our country'.
He added: 'Of course, this will be a decision and a choice that divides many people, many communities, sometimes even families, as we debate and think about this.'
The London Mayor made his declaration for Brexit last month but stands apart from father Stanley, an ex MEP, sister Rachel, and his fellow MP brother Jo.
The Johnson family division has not restrained Mr Johnson who derided Mr Cameron's campaign as 'baloney' yesterday.
Mr Johnson told LBC: 'There is an attempt going on to scare people into staying with the status quo, when I think the real risk is we will simply remain in a system that is less and less suitable to our needs.
The Prime Minister made his remarks at a St David's Day reception in Downing Street today, pictured
In the iconic Monty Python sketch a row over what the Romans had ever done for the people of Judea turned into a list of successes despite all the complaints
Mr Johnson urged Britons to have 'courage' to resist the fear driven campaigns and head for the Brexit.
In his Daily Telegraph column, Mr Johnson derided the negative campaigning from Mr Cameron's In camp.
He said: 'The agents of Project Fear and they seem to be everywhere have warned us that leaving the EU would jeopardise police, judicial and intelligence cooperation.
'We have even been told that the EU has been responsible, over the last 70 years, for 'keeping the peace in Europe'.
'In every case the message is that Brexit is simply too scary; and the reality is that these threats are so wildly exaggerated as to be nonsense.'
The claims did not deter George Osborne, who today told MPs a Brexit would lead to a 'long, costly and messy divorce'.
Mr Cameron's made another joke immediately seen as being at Boris Johnson's expense as he quipped the EU question divided families. Mr Johnson, pictured smashing a window in Northern Ireland yesterday, has declared for Brexit despite his father, brother and sister all backing Remain
You're lucky you've not been fired! Twice-sacked Peter Mandelson tells Brexit ministers to stop 'whinging' about being banned from seeing referendum reports
Peter Mandelson has warned Brexit ministers to stop 'whinging' about being banned from accessing government papers on the EU.
Amid a growing row over rules imposed by Sir Jeremy Heywood to ensure civil servants are not supporting the Out camp, Lord Mandelson said ministers were 'lucky' to have the chance to campaign against David Cameron without being fired.
Iain Duncan Smith has reportedly ordered his officials to ensure he still receives all reports despite Sir Jeremy's diktat.
Lord Mandelson, speaking on the risk to the economy at a Britain Stronger in Europe event today, told Brexit-backing ministers to stop whinging
The senior Labour peer made his remarks as he made his first intervention on the referendum with a warning Brexit could inspire huge trade tariffs on British exports.
Speaking in the City, Lord Mandelson said: 'We are faced in this country with the biggest choice of our generation, a choice which is going to have a huge impact on our jobs, our trade, our investment, our place in the world.
'Frankly, I think, these complaining ministers are lucky. Usually when members of a government go against ministerial collective responsibility and the will of the Cabinet, they receive one paper - and that's their P45.
'So I think they have got off rather lightly and they should stop whinging.'
A test pilot putting the Air Force's most sophisticated fighter jet through its paces has revealed that it can perform an 'impossible manoeuvre' made famous in the film Top Gun.
Major Morten 'Dolby' Hanche, who is the first Norwegian to fly the F-35, says the jet can 'slow down quicker than you can emergency brake your car'.
This means that when a pilot being chased by an enemy jet applies the air brake, the jet following them would overshoot and could be shot down.
In the film, Tom Cruise, performs this manouvre in an F-14 and shoots down a Russian MiG. However, in reality, the F-14 could not have done this as it couldn't slow down fast enough.
Major Hanche revealed that the F-35 is capable of the incredible tactic in a new blog.
He also defended the $100m aircraft after a report found it was not as good at dog-fighting as the F-16 which is 40 years old.
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Major Morten 'Dolby' Hanche, pictured beside his F-35 believes the $100 million aircraft is a dramatic improvement on the older generation F-16 which he has flown for more than 2,200 hours
Major Hanche is especially impressed by the manoeuverablity of the aircraft, pictured, in a dogfight situation
The Norwegian fighter pilot said it was now possible to perform a manoeuvre shown in the 1986 film Top Gun
According to Hanche: 'I can whip the airplane around in a reactive manoeuvre while slowing down. The F-35 can actually slow down quicker than youd be able to emergency brake your car.
'This is important because my opponent has to react to me stopping, or risk ending up in a role-reversal where he flies past me. Same principle as many would have seen in Top Gun - hit the brakes, and hell fly right by.'
Last year questions about the F-35's ability were raised when a leaked document claimed it was worse at dog-fighting than the older jet.
An F-16 pilot, who took part in a dogfight with the F-35, claimed the new jet lacked power and was not as capable as the older fighter.
Major Hanche believes the F-35 is able to lock-on to a target earlier than the F-16 because the aircraft is able to hold a stable Angle of Attack (AOA) at a more extreme angle compared with the older fighter
However, Major Hanche believes his new jet is a dramatic improvement on the F-16.
Hanche has spend the past four months flying the new jet with the 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force base in Arizona, he is a firm fan of the weapons system.
In a blog he wrote: 'I now have several sorties behind me in the F-35 where the mission has been to train within visual range combat one-on-one, or Basic Fighter Manoeuvres .
'As an F-35-user I still have a lot to learn, but I am left with several impressions. For now my conclusion is that this is an airplane that allows me to be more forward and aggressive than I could ever be in an F-16.'
The F-35, pictured, has suffered some major developmental delays but is almost ready for deployment
During his intensive training he said he is learning to fully exploit the capabilities of the aircraft: 'As the offensive part, the training objective is to exploit every opportunity to kill your opponent with all available weapons.'
He said the aircraft performs very well in a dogfight situation. 'The offensive role feels somewhat different from what I am used to with the F-16.
'In the F-16, I had to be more patient than in the F-35, before pointing my nose at my opponent to employ weapons; pointing my nose and employing, before being safely established in the control position, would often lead to a role reversal, where the offensive became the defensive part.'
Hanche said he is able to point the nose of the F-35 at a higher angle of attack (AOA) than the F-16 and maintain stable flight.
This is a significant advantage in a dogfight. He said: 'This improved ability to point at my opponent enables me to deliver weapons earlier than I am used to with the F-16, it forces my opponent to react even more defensively, and it gives me the ability to reduce the airspeed quicker than in the F-16.'
He said: 'I have flown additional sorties where I tried an even more aggressive approach to the control position more aggressive than I thought possible. It worked just fine. The F-35 sticks on like glue, and it is very difficult for the defender to escape.'
Major Hanche said it is possible to fly the F-35 far more aggressively than the F-16
Major Hanche said he also enjoys the noise the aircraft's powerful engine makes when he opens the throttle
He said: 'I am impressed with the stability and predictability of the airplane. Particularly at high AOA and low airspeeds. It is a peculiar feeling to be flying the F-35 at high AOA. I can pull the nose up to where my feet sit on the horizon and still maintain level altitude.
'Im also impressed by how quickly the F-35 accelerates when I reduce the AOA. High AOA produces lots of lift, but also tremendous induced drag.
'When I break the AOA, it is evident that the F-35 has a powerful engine. The F-35 also makes a particular sound at this point. When I quickly reduce the AOA stick full forward I can hear clearly, even inside the cockpit how the F-35 howls!
'It seems like the 'howling' is a mix of airflow over the wings and a different kind of noise from the engine. Maybe this isnt all that relevant, but I still think its a funny observation.
'Another aspect is the kind of reaction I get when I push the stick forward; the F-35 reacts immediately, and not delayed like the F-16.
'Looking at another F-35 doing such manoeuvres is an impressive sight. The various control surfaces on the airplane are large, and they move very quickly.
'I can monitor these movements on the screens in my cockpit, and Im fascinated by how the control surfaces move when I manipulate the stick and pedals.
'Especially at high AOA, it is not always intuitive what control surfaces move, and by how much.'
Major Henche, pictured in his F-35, wrote about his experience in the jet having spent 2,200 hours flying the older F-16 which was first developed 40 years ago but is still considered an effective aerial superiority aircraft
The US Marine Corps wants the F-35 to be able to take off and land vertically, which has made the development of the jet far more complicated and according to critics has made it less capable as a fighter aircraft
The F-35 , which is the most expensive weapons project in history, has faced major problems during its development.
The Pentagon has budgeted nearly $400 billion for a total of 2,443 F-35 aircraft.
Nine international partners including Britain, Canada and Turkey are helping pay for the jet's development and are buying hundreds more of the jets, which are manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
But the program has faced numerous setbacks, including a mysterious engine fire in 2014 that led commanders to ground planes until the problem could be resolved.
Pentagon officials have acknowledged that a decision at the outset to start building the jet before testing was finished has caused difficulties.
A South Carolina teacher was forced to resign after a student stole her phone and shared her nude pictures.
Leigh Anne Arthur, 33, a former mechatronics (a blend of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer control and information technology) teacher at the Union County Career and Technology Center, doesn't think she should be held responsible for the theft, which occurred while she was patrolling the halls.
Arthur, who took the partially nude pictures for her husband on Valentine's Day, told WYFF that she knows who the student is because he is one of her 16-year-old students that she taught in her mechatronics class.
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Leigh Anne Arthur, a former mechatronics teacher at the Union County Career and Technical Center, was forced to resign last week after a student stole her phone and sent her partially nude photos to other students through text messages and social media
The student, who had also warned her that something bad was coming, sent the images to other students through text messages and social media, according to WSPA.
Arthur said the student told her that 'your day of reckoning is coming'.
When school officials got wind of the situation, they took action against Arthur. They gave her two choices, resign or the district will terminate her, according to Union County schools superintendent David Eubanks.
He told The State that there is a 'right to privacy, but when we take inappropriate information or pictures, we had best make sure it remains private'.
'Students had access to very inappropriate pictures of a teacher,' he said.
Arthur resigned last week.
School officials are unsure how many students viewed the teacher's picture, but Eubanks said Arthur's phone was unlocked when it was swiped.
When school officials got wind of the situation, they took action against Arthur. They gave her two choices, resign or the district will terminate her. Arthur said the student is from her class at the Career and Technology Center (pictured)
Arthur filed a complaint about the theft with the Union Public Safety Department.
She said that the student 'took pictures from my phone and sent them from his phone'.
'He knows right and wrong. He had the ultimate decision to take pictures of my pictures, and he had the ultimate decision to send them out,' she said. 'He had to hit my apps button and to open up all my apps and then open my gallery.'
Regardless, Arthur said she already forgives the student for the prank.
Three of Arthur's students started an iPetition titled 'Bring Mrs. Arthur Back', to gather signatures to call for her reinstatement.
The petition reads: 'After being escorted off of school property, we (the students) are left to believe that she has been forced to, or given little choice but to resign.
'Mrs. Arthur has not only shown tremendous dedication to her students, but also the mechatronics program itself, often reaching out to local businesses and colleges to get materials that would not normally be available for class.
Students from Union County High School (pictured) started a petition to gather signatures for Arthur's reinstatement
'With that being said, the student(s) responsible have not received any sort of punishment.
'The circumstances in which Mrs. Arthur was let go is unacceptable, and must be corrected.'
The petition currently has more than 250 signatures.
Arthur said parents and students are signing the petition to have her teach again and the amount of support has been overwhelming.
It's unclear whether or not the student responsible for stealing and distributing Arthur's images will face disciplinary action.
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It's an exhaustive long-distance race that usually takes a minimum of nine days to complete.
But it's fairly difficult to complete a dog sled race without snow, as Alaska is realizing right now.
Later this week, seven rail carts full of snow will be delivered to downtown Anchorage - which has had an unseasonably warm winter - ahead of the start of the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday.
The delivery will amount to between 300 to 350 cubic yards of snow, after the snow that fell this year was eroded by unusually high winter temperatures, News Miner reported.
About 350 cubic yards of snow will be shipping to Anchorage (pictured when there was some snow) this week from Fairbanks so that the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race can begin
While there is still snow outside the city, it is far from the usual dump for this time of year.
THE IDITAROD DOG SLED RACE The Iditarod Trail is the most famous dog sled race in the world and takes place every March in Alaska. It is sometimes called the 'Last Great Race'. The race is over 1,049 miles long and begins in Anchorage, where there is an 11-mile ceremonial start, to Nome in Alaska's north. The record for the fastest time is held by Dallas Seavey, at 8 days, 13 hours, 4 minutes and 19 seconds. He has won the race three times and is taking part again this year. Rick Swenson is the only five-time winner, with his last win in 1991. Advertisement
As a result the ceremonial start of the most famous dog sled race in the world may not run the full 11 miles that it has in previous years, according to Alaska Dispatch News.
'It's no secret that warm temperatures for days on end have further eroded what little snow cover existed on the trail system here in Anchorage,' Iditarod chief executive officer Stan Hooley said in a statement on Monday.
'We are exploring our options at this time as we very well may need to shorten our Day 1 Ceremonial Start.'
The railroad cars will be filled with snow in Fairbanks on Tuesday or Wednesday night.
They will then be delivered to Anchorage on Thursday and stored.
The snow will be then moved to trucks and transported into the city and unloaded.
'It's an important thing for Anchorage, it's an important thing for the state, to make sure the Iditarod is able to go off like it should,' Alaska Railroad spokesman Tim Sullivan told News Miner.
The National Weather Service has forecast Anchorage temperatures in the mid-30s to low-40s through Friday, dipping into the 20s at night.
Those temperatures are high above the conditions that usually fall during the race.
The Saturday forecast says there will sunny skies with temperatures in the 30s for the start of the race.
A dog-sledder - known as a musher - travels over minimal snow in Anchorage last year but at least it was real
Yuka Honda of Whitehorse, Canada and her dog team running during the Ceremonial Start of the 2015 Iditarod
There is also a chance of snow showers in the evening.
During the 29 days of February, the weather service recorded 1.8 inches of snow at its West Anchorage office.
However that snow fell in just one storm on February 21.
As of Monday, there was no snow on the ground at the office, weather service meteorologist Joe Wegman told Alaska Dispatch News.
The Iditarod Trail is 1,049 miles long and takes from between eight days and two weeks to complete. Last year it was won by Dallas Seavey, from Willow, who is hoping to take home his fourth winner's trophy this year.
Former Asda worker Paul Kelly, 55 (pictured), has been jailed after using 180,000 from the supermarket's charity fund to prop up his younger lover's ballet company
A former Asda boss who used 180,000 from the supermarket's charity fund to prop up his younger lover's ballet company has been jailed for three years.
Paul Kelly convinced the Asda Foundation Charity to hand over three blank cheques in his role as chairman, which he claimed he would give to Prince Charles to help flood victims in the South West.
But the 55-year-old, a former Government advisor who received a 160,000 salary for his role as Asda's vice-president of corporate affairs, instead handed the cheques to the Murley Dance Company, which was run by his 36-year-old American boyfriend David Murley.
The court heard how, between February and May 2014, Kelly wrote cheques for 35,000 and 80,000 for Mr Murley - a dancer who has performed with Madonna, the Royal Opera and English National Opera - and also passed over smaller amounts of money which did not have to be signed off.
He was only caught when a colleague saw a copy of the final cheque and recognised the company name as one Kelly had nominated to receive funds in October 2013 - and which the board had previously agreed to give 15,000.
Kelly was then sacked from the company - just days before he had been due to sit on a panel at Labours party conference with Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
He has now been jailed for three years after pleading guilty to seven counts of fraud.
Passing sentence at Leeds Crown Court, Judge Nigel Sangster QC said Kelly had told a series of 'audacious and disgraceful lies' in a bid to siphon the cash.
He said: 'Until July 2014 you were diligent and honest, a pillar of your community and trusted by many.
'That makes your fall from grace and the gross abuse of trust all the more shameful. You were a respected figure and people are astonished at what you have done.'
The court was told how Kelly, who now lives in Southwark, London, falsely claimed the school was a charity and did fantastic work with disabled children.
The former Government advisor handed the cheques to the Murley Dance Company, run by 36-year-old David Murley (left). Pictured right: Kelly (right) next to Mr Murley (in the black shirt)
Jailing him at Leeds Crown Court from three years, Judge Nigel Sangster QC said Kelly had told a series of 'audacious and disgraceful lies' in a bid to siphon the cash from the supermarket (pictured)
He so successfully convinced his colleagues of the company's merit that they agreed to hand over 15,000 and even asked for pictures of the classes to put on their newsletter.
Kelly is pictured with Nick Clegg when Asda was made an official partner for the 2014 Tour de Frances Grand Depart in Yorkshire
Kelly, who was based at the supermarket's office in Asda and served on numerous charitable baords, also pushed through a number of smaller cheques, which did not have to be signed off.
The court heard he also covered his tracks by donating some of the money to organisations including the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Fund and other fictitious groups.
In the end he plummeted 180,000 of Asda's money, as well as 100,00 of his own money, into the venture.
Mitigating Simon Blakeborough said Kelly - who rubbed shoulders with Nick Clegg - had an 'exemplary career' with Asda up until 2013, when his work there began to deteriorate due to stress.
He attempted suicide twice before he was exposed, the court heard.
Mr Blakeborough said Kelly struggled to work in the 'macho' environment at Asda and also struggled with the collapse of a 13-year relationship and the deteriorating health of his mother.
Kelly was dismissed from Asda in September 2014 following an investigation.
A family is seeking answers after an Alabama police officer last week shot and killed a man yards from his own front door.
Greg Gunn, 58, of Montgomery, died early Thursday morning after a police officer on patrol spotted him walking in a residential neighborhood a little before 3.20am.
Authorities on Monday identified the police officer as AC Smith, who joined the force in 2012.
Police Chief Ernest Finley said Smith deemed Gunn, a grocer, 'suspicious', left his car and approached Gunn on foot. A struggle ensued before Smith fatally shot Gunn, Finley said.
Finley confirmed Smith is white. Gunn was black.
Greg Gunn, 58, of Montgomery, Alabama, died early Thursday morning after being shot by a police officer just yards from his front door in a historically black neighborrhood
At a Monday news conference, Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said he couldn't specify why Smith deemed Gunn suspicious but said all patrol officers were aware of a rash of burglaries in the area lately.
Gunn was reportedly carrying a retractable painters stick, family members said according to the Washington Post, but Montgomery Police Chief Ernest Finley denied this accusation.
'He was not carrying a painter's stick,' he told The Post. 'I do know the painter's stick is a lie, and they know it's a lie.'
Neighbors said they heard commotion - one saying he heard banging on his windows - before shots were fired.
Courtesy of WSVN
Gunn's younger brother told the Post that Gunn 'was racially profiled'.
'I know he was racially profiled,' Franklin Gunn, Gregory's younger brother, told the Post. 'He was black. That was the only thing suspicious about him.
'They thought he was a low-life nothing, walking the street,' he said. 'They didn't see a man. They didn't see a black man. They saw somebody who needed to die, and they executed him. Now they are trying to cover it up.'
Local attorney Tyrone Means, who represents the Gunn family, said Gunn attended a regular card game with friends Wednesday after he got off work.
Montgomery Police Chief Ernest Finley (right) confirmed that the shooter was AC Smith, who joined the force in 2012
Gunn frequently walked from his friend's house to his home a few blocks away, where he lived with his mother.
'Trayvon Martin was a black kid walking in a predominantly white neighborhood, and someone just thought he looked suspicious,' Means said. 'Greg Gunn was in a community in which he was well-known and well-loved. That's scary.'
Authorities said they are conducting a thorough investigation into what happened.
'We will get to the facts. It will be open. It will be transparent, and wherever the facts lead us, that will then tell us what our next steps will be,' said Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange on Friday, according to WSFA. 'I understand that there is frustration right now. The [state investigators] will not do a quick investigation; they will do a thorough investigation.'
Gunn and his family grew up in the west Montgomery neighborhood, Means said. After a divorce, he had returned home to care for his mother.
'All this gentleman was doing was walking home,' Means said. 'Little did the family expect that a walk this man has done all his life would end with him dying in terror.'
Family and community activists want answers from city authorities and police, specifically about possible body and patrol camera footage.
But city officials said the situation is out of their hands while the State Bureau of Investigations handles the case.
There was a heavy police presence on McElvy St in the Montgomery neighborhood following the shooting
'We're not satisfied either,' Strange said Monday. 'We obviously want answers. It's out of our hands. We've done everything possible to make sure this is done correctly.'
Strange said the crime scene was immediately sealed Thursday after Gunn was declared dead around 3.35am, and no police officers reviewed any potential camera footage at the scene.
All evidence was turned over to SBI, Strange said, who arrived on scene around 4.30am.
Means said the Gunn family is concerned about their family but also 'broader implications' of Gunn's death.
'If nothing else, perhaps this will change the way law enforcement responds,' Means said. 'There has to be some manner of screening people who do not have the discernment or discretion to use a lethal weapon.'
SBI on Monday would not comment on any aspect of the investigation. Strange said he has requested SBI expedite the investigation.
Some of Gunn's family members, friends and neighbors are calling for white police to stay out of their historically black neighborhood following the incident.
'I want to see all white officers out of the black community,' Chris Miles, a close friend of the Gunn family, told The Montgomery Advertiser. 'I don't want them patrolling here anymore, because we're either "suspicious"
Donald Trump would lose the presidency to either of the Democratic Party's two remaining candidates if the November election were held today, according to a new poll of registered voters.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the 73-year-old democratic socialist from Vermont, has little chance of winning his party's nomination.
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton looks to have a clear path unless an FBI investigation into classified emails on her private server puts her out of the running.
But Trump said Tuesday morning as caucuses and primary elections began in 11 states that he's not worried.
'I haven't even focused on Hillary Clinton' yet, the Republican front-runner told 'Good Morning America' on ABC.
'I can tell you the one person that Hillary Clinton doesn't want to run against is me.'
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TROUBLE BREWING? Donald Trump is polling 8 points behind Hillary Clinton in a new poll of registered voters, but he's not concerned
JUST YOU WAIT: Trump said Tuesday morning that he hasn't even begun to focus his rhetorical energy on Hillary Clinton yet
READY FOR NOVEMBER? Clinton is leading Trump but losing to Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio
The CNN/ORC poll shows Clinton beating the real estate billionaire by a 52-44 margin.
Both of Trump's main rivals, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, would come out on top by tiny margins, 50-47 and 49-48, respectively.
'Theyre not going to get the nomination,' Trump said of the two first-term senators.
'I will beat Hillary Clinton much more easily than anybody else.'
Even though he's likely to win few delegates in Super Tuesday voting, Sanders fared better than Clinton against all three Republican contenders.
He would beat Cruz by 17 points, Trump by 12 and Rubio by 8, according to the CNN/ORC pollsters.
The survey has a significant weakness: Its pollsters spoke with registered voters without asking if they were likely to show up on Election Day.
The 2016 electorate is shaping up to be unpredictable, with millions of first-time primary participants and caucus-goers expected to participate in the early rounds of intra-party voting.
CRAZY LIKE A FOX: Trump has inspired new groups of first-time voters, including independents and Democrats, to vote for him in the primary elections
Trump in particular has demonstrated an ability to bring newly minted voters out of the woodwork.
Nearly 20,000 registered Democrats in Massachusetts a deep blue state have already quit their party to become independents or Republicans this year, according to numbers published by the Boston Herald.
That could suggest a groundswell of support for the brash businessman that no poll of registered voters would be able to pick up on.
'Look at how many people have come out. We're just absolutely the numbers are double and triple in some cases what they had four years ago,' Trump said on ABC.
'We're getting Democrats coming in, we're getting independents coming in. We're getting a lot of people coming in.'
And Democrats, he claimed, 'are very worried about it.'
'We have tremendous numbers of people coming in, and the Republican Party is growing larger. And if it didn't, it has no chance. It'll be like Mitt Romney four years ago. It has no chance of winning. We're getting people into the party that it never had before.'
One hundred thousand children are thought to have missed out on their first choice secondary school today as an escalating places crisis sweeps the country.
In some areas, up to half of families have missed out on their favourite school, and thousands were not even allocated any of their six choices.
Councils are battling with a bulge in the secondary school population caused by a baby boom fuelled by high migration.
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Around 100,000 pupils are thought to have missed out on their first choice of secondary school with children in areas such as Birmingham, Kent, Manchester and Berkshire being denied their top choice (file picture, posed)
As half a million families received their school allocation on National Offer Day today, it emerged the squeeze on places in the capital is now spreading to other major cities.
Council officials in Birmingham, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, Kent and Berkshire all reported high proportions of children being denied their top choice.
And in one sample survey of 20 councils, three-quarters reported an increase in the number of applications received since last year.
Justine Roberts, chief executive of Mumsnet, said the admissions system appeared to be 'seriously creaky' in many areas including London, Bristol, East Sussex and the Midlands.
She added: 'Stories are abound of some families cheating the system, which only adds to people's anxiety and sense of injustice.
THOSE WHO MISSED OUT ON PLACE Percentage of applicants missing out on first choice secondary school: Reading 18 per cent Medway 16 per cent Birmingham 31 per cent Sandwell 26 per cent Trafford 20 per cent Warwickshire 23 per cent Hammersmith and Fulham 48 per cent Southwark 41 per cent Advertisement
'Many Mumsnet users say that their children can't get into schools that are a few hundred metres away from their front doors.'
A survey by the Daily Mail found that in Birmingham, 31 per cent of children missed out on their first choice while just under 7 per cent were offered a school which was not any of their six choices.
In Warwickshire, 23 per cent missed out on their first choice and just under 5 per cent got none of their choices.
In Sandwell, 26 per cent were denied their favoured school and 7 per cent just over 300 pupils were given a school which was not on their list.
Trafford Council reported 20 per cent did not get their first choice, while in Reading it was 18 per cent and in Brighton it was 19 per cent.
The situation was much worse in London, where across the city a third of all children did not get their first choice.
Broken down by borough, the worst hit was Hammersmith and Fulham, where the proportion was 48 per cent.
Justine Roberts (left), chief executive of Mumsnet, said the admissions system appeared to be 'seriously creaky' in many areas including London, Bristol, East Sussex and the Midlands, while Schools Minister Nick Gibb (right) said the Government is 'investing billions of pounds creating new schools and new school places'
More than 40 per cent also missed out in Kensington and Chelsea, Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Westminster with the proportion increasing in many of these areas since last year.
Applications in London have risen by 3.3 per cent since the previous year and across the city, 5,322 pupils have not been given any of the schools on their list of choices this year.
However, there is still wide variation across the country and in some areas almost all families were lucky.
THOUSANDS MISS OUT ON PLACES Thousands of families in oversubscribed areas are expected to have missed out on getting any school place allocation today. Figures released earlier this week suggested the top ten most under-pressure council areas have between them 10,000 more pupils than there are places. The most oversubscribed council appears to be Hounslow in West London, which has received 5,151 applications for only 2,907 places a shortfall of 2,244. In Trafford the shortfall is 1,213, while in Kent it is 1,025, in Haringey, London, it is 992 and in Stockport it is 688. Other oversubscribed councils include Solihull, Leicester, Calderdale, Dudley, Birmingham, Bury and the London boroughs of Ealing, Merton and Waltham Forest. The figures, collated by Education Law at law firm Simpson Millar, also showed only 3 per cent of appeals against allocated places are successful in some oversubscribed areas. Figures from the Department for Education show that nationally, 0.4 per cent of applicants or 2,131 children were not allocated any place on National Offer Day last year. By law, councils must find a place for every child by September, but this often means cramming them into super-size year groups or sending them to less popular schools far away from their homes. In previous years, children in London have been forced to commute for more than two hours every day to schools in other parts of the city. Many councils did not respond to requests for details of how many children did not receive a place. Advertisement
In East Riding, 96 per cent of children got their first choice and only 0.8 per cent did not get their first, second or third preference.
Leicester County Council reported 95.5 per cent first choices and Norfolk County Council reported 94.7 per cent.
In Sunderland only 34 children - less than 1.3 per cent - did not get their first, second or third choices.
Last year there were 533,314 applications for a secondary school place and 84.2 per cent of children across England were offered their preferred school.
Overall figures for this year will not be released by the Department for Education until June.
Primary schools have been struggling to keep up with demand in recent years due to a rising population and this is now moving through into secondary schools.
The Government has said it pumped 5 billion into creating half a million new places over the last parliament and has committed a further 7 billion over the next six years.
Town hall bosses have warned that children could be left without school places if councils are not given more powers to deal with increasing demand.
Families who do not win a place at their favoured school can appeal, and one admissions expert said more are now willing to take that step, and get legal help to do so.
Matt Richards, of legal advice firm schoolappeals.com, said: 'A few years ago out of 10 phone calls to us, maybe two would pay for some help. Now it's more like 50 per cent.
'People are much more switched on in terms of their legal rights and in terms of not wanting to do it on their own and asking for help.'
Last year, there were 54,600 appeals against school allocations - 3.7 per cent of the total number of admissions to state schools.
Just over a fifth of the appeals actually heard by a panel were decided in favour of the parents.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: 'We want every parent to be able to send their children to a good local school. Despite rising pupil numbers the vast majority of parents are able to do so.
'The Government is investing billions of pounds creating new schools and new school places and through our free schools programme we want to open 500 more new schools during the five years of this Parliament.'
Thousands of miles from the exotic and warm sea where former insurance salesman Manfred Bajorat sailed on his final voyage lie the gloomy frontier towns spanning Germany and Holland where his dreams of global adventure were born.
People who knew Manfred before his mummified corpse was found on his yacht last week painted a portrait to MailOnline of a romantic who loved his family, loved the sea and longed to break out of the landlocked existence that was his lot in life.
He made his first foray into a life on water by moving his family to a houseboat in the Netherlands, 15 miles from the nearest German border village of Twisteden, so they could live, sleep and eat on the waves and his beloved only daughter Nina could go to school like a normal child.
But as one pal, Reiner Kirschner said: 'The rivers, lakes and reservoirs were never going to be big enough for his dreams. He dreamed of the open sea. Not many people have the courage to act upon their pipe dreams, but he did.'
Family man: Nina Bajorat, the daughter of a German sailor discovered mummified in his yacht off the coast of the Philippines has revealed that she is flying to the islands to help with identifying the body
Tragedy: The mummified body of Manfred Fritz Bajorat was found aboard his yacht, drifting in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Barobo town in Surigao del Sur
Mystery: Mr Bajorat's body was found near to the radio telephone as if he was trying one last desperate Mayday call to save himself when he died
Manfred, who was born in Velbert, 14 miles from the state capital of Dusseldorf, learned to sail as a child when his parents took him on a holiday to Belgium. The sea was with him until that day and he met a soul mate in his future wife Claudia, who he married in 1980.
Manfred trained as an insurance salesman and in the late 80s he opened an insurance office in the old Ruhr industrial city of Wuppertal. He was, by all accounts, moderately successful, but the longing for the sea only grew stronger as he grew older.
It comes amid reports that his daughter Nina Bajorat will be flying out to the Barobo town to help identify the body.
If it indeed is her father, Ms Bajorat has said that she will have the mummified remains cremated before returning with them to her home country.
Nina was born in 1984 and spent the first few of years of her life growing up in the city before he moved the family to a houseboat on the River Maas in Holland.
A friend of Manfred's, Reiner Kirschner (right), who first met Manfred in the late 1980s, said his friend often spoke about selling up and buying a yacht to sail the world, but he never believed he'd go through with it. Meanwhile, a school friend of Nina's Markus de Groot (left), 32, remembered her as 'a really, really nice girl'
A more recent image of Manfred Bajorat, whose mummified body was discovered on board his boat, off the coast of the Barobo town in Surigao del Sur. Friends have described him as a romantic who loved his family, loved the sea and longed to break out of the landlocked existence
Authorities are trying to establish the last days of Mr Bajorat, who left a tribute to his late wife, Claudia, on a shipping forum. Pictured left, she is also believed to be pictured in a damaged photo album found on board the ship where Mr Bajorat was found
Nina went to school in the village of 2,000 people and. when old enough, enrolled at the Realschule - comprehensive - at Klewe a few miles distant.
HOW DOES A BODY MUMMIFY ON THE OPEN SEA? Professor Frank Ruhli, Director of the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich explained to MailOnline how the mummification of the sailor's body might have come about. There are various ways that natural mummification can occur. Basically in most cases it is a dehydration of tissue, which causes a shrinkage of the cells,' he said. On the open sea, there are generally fewer insects than there are on land. The salt and salty air particularly can help to lead to natural mummification, and a steady air flow can be supportive too. Mummification starts within days, depending on temperature, salt content, level of humidity, bacterial level and air flow. Once the mummification is finished and there is no climatic change, the process of decomposition is stopped and the mummified condition can thus last almost indefinitely. The mummified hair is also dried out and thus stays as it is. There are several factors that can speed the process up, including heat, a steady air flow, salty air and lack of insects and bacteria. The mummification process can be at least partially completed within days, or can take up to several months to fully develop. With favourable conditions, this state of mummification could have been achieved within a few months, it looks like it has been quite fully mummified. Advertisement
Markus de Groot, 32, her classmate who graduated with her in 2000. said: 'I remember her as a really, really nice girl, great fun to be with, always kind, always willing to help others.
'I remember that she lived in a houseboat across the border somewhere but her mum brought her to school every day. I think her dad stayed in Wuppertal for part of the week for work.
'Nina told us that her parents were mad sailors and that they were all going to sail around the world one day but I don't know whether we believed her or not. It seemed a big dream for a small town.
'One thing is for sure: I remember that before we graduated we had to write down what we wanted to do in life and she wrote down sea captain. I have heard from an old friend of her's that it was an ambition that succeeded. I am pleased for her.'
Reiner, who met Manfred at a bowling club in the late 1980s, said of his erstwhile friend: 'He was a kind guy. He was lucky to have a wife who shared his passion for the sea. He often spoke about selling up and buying a yacht and sailing away, but who dosn't have pipe dreams?
'In 2004, I think it was, he told me that he was going to sell up and make the dream a reality. I admired him for it.
'Although he loved everything about living on water he was responsible enough to know that Nina needed a decent education so he remained registered in Twisteden while they all lived over the border in Holland.'
He sold his business for around 200,000 euros and bought a yacht he christened Nina after his daughter. There followed four years of preparation before they took off in 2008 across the Atlantic and down to Martinique - the island his wife fell in love with and where she was buried two years later when she died of cancer.
Police are trying to retrace his last voyages and find the last people to speak with him in an attempt to piece together the final days of his life
Authorities were still determining the cause of the death and have been in touch with the German Embassy for more information about the former insurance salesman
The sign screwed into a bulkhead reads: 'This is a swell ship for the skipper....but a hell ship for the crew'
The vessel was found with tins and rubbish strewn around, with ageing photo albums that had seen severe water damage
The mystery as to where he had been and where he was going remains as baffling as the moment Mr Bajorat was discovered. Clues appear to lie in the haunting photographs and documents found on board in a weather-worn album found on the boat
The couple parted soon after arriving on the island; friends do not know what was the cause of the break up, but it is thought that the love of the sea and the nomadic lifestyle was more Manfred's idea than her's.
The break up clearly crushed him; he wrote a poignant farewell to her on a sailor's website after she died of cancer aged 53 on May 2 2010. He was clearly still deeply in love with her.
The memorium read: 'Thirty years we're been together on the same path. Then the power of the demons was stronger than the will to live. You're gone. May your soul find its peace. Your Manfred.'
Reiner went on: 'I really lost regular contact with him about 20 years ago. We kept in touch a couple of times a year after that, Facebook and the odd phone call.
'I think his daughter will be devastated at his death, but at the same time glad that, at least, he died in the boat he loved.'
A photograph apparently discovered on board shows a woman holding a baby, possibly Manfred's wife Claudia with their daughter Nina, standing next to a boat being towed by a car
Following the post-mortem, a spokesman from the Barobo police station told MailOnline that there is no evidence of 'foul play'
Badly damaged photographs are the only testament to the life on land that Mr Bajorat sailed away from. But friends in his hometown of Twisteden have given insight into the man he was
Two fishermen in the Philippines discovered Manfred's body this week, floating off the coast of Surigao del Sur.
Christopher Rivas, 23, a resident of P-4 Poblacion, in Barobo, was fishing together with a friend nearly 40 miles from the coast when he spotted the yacht with a broken mast.
Inside the cabin, much of which was underwater, photo albums were discovered apparently showing his wife, family and friends, and clothes and tins of food were strewn all around.
It is still unclear how long Manfred, who has been identified by paperwork on board, has been dead or what killed him.
Following a post-mortem, a spokesman from the Barobo police station told MailOnline that there was no evidence of 'foul play'.
Authorities in the Philippines are working with the German embassy to identify Manfred's surviving friends and family. His daughter Nina has revealed that she will be flying to the Philippines to identify the body
These photographs show memories of a happier time. Photographs found on board the boat are clues as to the kind of man Manfred was, and the loved ones he may have left behind
Manfred Fritz Bajorat, 59, was discovered by two fishermen aboard his yacht in the Pacific Ocean 40 miles off the coast of Barobo town in Surigao del Sur
'The doctor believes that the man died of natural causes,' he said.
Police spokeswoman Goldie Lou Siega in the Philippines previously said: 'We have no evidence of a second person aboard and no weapon was found on the yacht.'
The sailor, who is believed to have posted regular Facebook updates of his adventures, was last heard from on the social network site a year ago.
Manfred is thought to have sailed the Atlantic, the Pacific, around the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, the Agean and, as a younger man, the waters of the Baltic bordering northern Germany.
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. EU is considering the possibility of providing aid to Armenia to support the refugees who arrived in Armenia from Syria, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini said during the press conference at the residence of the Armenian President.
"Along with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia we also discussed the issue of Syrian refugees in Armenia. EU is considering the possibility of providing assistance to Armenia related to this issue ", - Mogherini said.
She noted that the assistance can be provided through the trust funds of the EU to overcome the Syrian crisis.
If today's Super Tuesday polls are on point, frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will be one step closer to nabbing their respective parties' nominations meaning the next big question will be: who will they choose as veep?
When it comes to the Republican veepstakes, voters are all over the place, according to a new poll from Morning Consult.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, another GOP candidate still in the race, gets the biggest chunk of support, at 11 percent, while 38 percent of respondents indicated they didn't yet know who they'd like to see take Joe Biden's place.
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Is this the ticket? If Donald Trump (left) becomes the Republican nominee 11 percent of his party's voters suggest that he pick retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson (right) to be the veep
While more than a third of Republicans don't have a strong preference who joins Donald Trump on the presidential ticket, current and former candidates get top support
With Donald Trump's political 'outsider' brand, Republicans don't seem to think he needs another media personality like Joe Scarborough (left) or billionaire like Mark Cuban (right) to join the ticket
Right behind Carson are the remaining candidates in the Republican field.
Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz each get 9 percent support for vice president, while former Ohio Gov. John Kasich received 8 percent support.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who threw his weight behind Trump's bid on Friday, also clears the top of the list at 8 percent.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who dropped out of the race after he saw his fortunes dashed by Trump in South Carolina and through the whole campaign, really was selected by 4 percent of respondents.
All the other choices doled out by pollsters to Republican voters got between zero percent (New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez) and 2 percent (South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley).
And while an outsider pair of Trump and Carson seems to make sense to the electorate, there doesn't seem to be much appetite for an all-billionaire ticket with businessman Mark Cuban receiving just 2 percent support.
Same goes for another loud-mouthed media personality on the ticket with Trump, as MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, a former Republican U.S. House Member from Florida, a swing state, gets just 1 percent support.
Hillary Clinton could come a step closer to clinching her party's nomination tonight and while 40 percent don't yet have an opinion yet for veep, rival Bernie Sanders is the top pick
Democrats' top pick for vice president would create a unity ticket with more than a quarter of respondents feeling the Bern
While a quarter of Democrats would like to see Bernie Sanders (right) on the presidential ticket another 10 percent would like to see the current occupant, Vice President Joe Biden (left) stay in the job
Over on the Democratic side, while 40 percent of those voters don't know who they'd like to see on the ticket below Hillary Clinton's name a quarter of respondents are still feeling the Bern.
Bernie Sanders is the top choice of Democratic respondents, receiving 26 percent support, and if Clinton picked him it would be seen as a move to unite the party.
The next selection by the Democrats keeps with the status quo.
Ten percent would like to see Vice President Joe Biden stay on after the Obama Administration and serve as Clinton's veep too.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who liberals hoped would run against Clinton before Sanders decided to jump in, is the third most-liked pick, with 7 percent support.
All the other choices received between 1 percent and 3 percent support.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who ran against Clinton and Sanders until he didn't meet the threshold to receive delegates in the Iowa caucuses, gets just 3 percent support for veep.
Twitter-happy New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker also received 3 percent support from Democrats.
Julian Castro, whose promotion to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development secretary from mayor of San Antonio was viewed as a move by Democrats to get him veep-ready, received just 2 percent support.
Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, who also briefly ran in the Democratic primary, received 2 percent as well.
Receiving 1 percent support were Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack, who briefly ran for the White House in the 2008 cycle, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, which would produce the country's first all-female ticket and Terry McAuliffe, the current governor of Virginia, a swing state, who has been a longtime Clinton ally.
Downing Street officials have demanded world leaders send them speeches that could affect the referendum campaign in advance so they can be vetted.
In an extraordinary bid to control what the public is told in advance of the vote, the Prime Minister's aides have asked that countries consult them and are careful not to say anything that could boost the Brexit side.
One of David Cameron's advisors at a lunch in London last week told diplomats from the 27 other EU countries they had already made a similar request to the White House.
Downing Street officials are demanding to see speeches planned by world leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured with David Cameron at last month's EU summit) to check they won't undermine David Cameron's efforts to keep Britain in the EU
'The people need to be aware that there's an impact in the UK debate about what they're saying in their own countries,' a No10 source said, according to influential Brussels website Politico Europe.
'If a leader stands up and says something to their own parliament it won't just play in their own domestic media, it will make it to the UK.'
Diplomats were warned that EU politicians should think twice before publicly belittling the deal secured by Mr Cameron in Brussels a fortnight ago.
Eastern European leaders have already been caught boasting at home about how they prevented Mr Cameron from getting all his demands to restrict payments of benefits to EU migrant workers.
Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban last week triumphantly told his MPs: 'We have succeeded in ensuring that these social benefits cannot be taken away.'
The Polish prime minister Beata Szydlo also tweeted that the agreement was 'good for Europe', adding: 'We took care of the interests of Poles using social benefits in EU countries.'
UK Government officials have even requested to check Barack Obama's speeches to ensure it does not boost the Brexit campaign
Barack Obama, who last July made a carefully choreographed intervention calling on British people not to leave the EU, is thought to be planning a speech on Britain's membership in the coming months.
Meanwhile it was reported today that Mr Cameron is facing a dilemma at home over how to reach out to Labour voters in the EU referendum campaign.
He is unsure how to deal with Jeremy Corbyn. A Downing Street source told Politico: 'We're working with lots of Labour politicians on this, like Alan Johnson [head of Labour's In campaign]
'We've got lots of contacts with people who are supporting this from Labour.'
Despite committing to Britain to staying in the EU Mr Corbyn last night distanced himself from Downing Street's campaign efforts and asked whether he would consider sharing a platform with the Prime Minister he simply replied: 'No'.
Despite committing to Britain to staying in the EU Jeremy Corbyn (pictured on ITV's Agenda) last night distanced himself from Downing Street's campaign efforts and asked whether he would consider sharing a platform with the Prime Minister he simply replied: 'No'
David Cameron is reportedly facing a dilemma over how to reach out to Labour voters but is struggling to find a way of dealing with Jeremy Corbyn (pictured on ITV's Agenda alongside host Tom Bradby)
And the long-time Eurosceptic appeared to describe Mr Cameron's EU deal 'legally questionable' during his appearance on ITV's Agenda.
'We are not on the same side of the argument,' Mr Corbyn said of his and Mr Cameron's stances on the EU referendum.
'He wants a free market Europe. I want to see a Europe that is about protecting our environment and ensuring we have sustainable industries across Europe, such as the steel industry and high levels of jobs and social protection across Europe. His agenda is the very opposite.'
Downing Street officials are also trying to encourage small business leaders to publicly call for the country to remain in the EU.
An anti-Brexit letter from FTSE 100 bosses backfired last week after only 36 signed it despite aides hoping for around 80 signatures.
'The Leave campaign is trying to portray that we're in bed with big business, and that this is a campaign of big business vs. small business,' the No10 source said, according to Politico Europe.
'But the point is that big and small businesses will be affected by Brexit.'
Sherri Shepherd has lost her appeal of a Pennsylvania court ruling that found her responsible for a child born to a surrogate before she divorced.
The state Supreme Court said Tuesday that it won't hear the case brought by the sitcom actress and former co-host of 'The View.'
Her lawyers had been arguing that she should not have to pay child support for the son she and her ex-husband Lamar Sally agreed to have while they were married, named Lamar Jr.
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Sherri Shepherd has lost her appeal of a Pennsylvania court ruling that found her responsible for a child born to a surrogate before she divorced her former husband Lamar Sally (pictured together in 2013)
Shepherd, 48, is currently paying $4,100 in monthly child support to her ex-husband. His lawyer, Tiffany Palmer, says Shepherd has not seen the one-year-old.
Surrogacy advocates say the lower court ruling made in her case last year is the first to declare surrogacy contracts binding in the state of Pennsylvania.
Shepherd's lawyer says he's surprised the court won't review the issue.
The actress, who also has a ten-year-old son from her previous marriage to Jeff Tarpley, had spent more than $100,000 to arrange the surrogacy but tried to void the contract as the couple divorced in New Jersey.
Shepherd and her lawyers were fighting to have her name removed from the birth certificate of Lamar Jr. (above with his father in September 2014)
Last year, a Pennsylvania judge ordered Shephed to pay $4,100 a month child support and made her responsible for carrying the baby on her health insurance until he is 18
The 48-year-old actress also has a ten-year-old son (pictured together) from a previous marriage
The couple's surrogate Jessica Bartholomew, was seven months pregnant when Shepherd filed for divorce from Sally, 44, in May 2014 - less than three years after they were married.
In July that year, Sally petitioned a court in Los Angeles for full custody of a baby they were expecting via surrogate.
A Pennsylvania judge ruled that Shepherd was legally the young boy's mother and as such would be required to contribute to the child's expenses
While Shepherd's ten-year-old son is biologically hers, she had no biological claim to the child as her egg was not used in the fertilization process.
She refused to be listed as the child's guardian after he was born and also refused to pay child support or any medical expenses.
As a result, the surrogate was listed as the mother after the child's birth and held legally responsible for the baby she was pregnant with only because she agreed to carry it for Shepherd and Sally.
But in April last year, a Pennsylvania judge ruled that Shepherd was legally the boy's mother and as such would be required to contribute to the child's expenses.
Her name was put on the birth certificate, she was ordered to pay $4,100 a month child support and is responsible for carrying the baby on her health insurance until he is 18.
But she refused to accept the court's decision and took the case to the Court of Appeals last October.
After the arguments were heard in the Court of Appeals, Sally's lawyer Tiffany Palmer told DailyMail.com: You cannot walk away from this baby just because your marriage failed.
'And amazingly, Sherri brought this case to Pennsylvania, instead of New Jersey where she lives, because there are no laws on the books for or against surrogacy here, so Sherri is trying to get it outlawed in this state just to avoid paying child support.
Britain's top civil servant was yesterday forced to deny politicising the Royal Family, weeks after a row over seemingly pro-EU comments by Prince William.
Last month the Duke of Cambridge appeared to echo a central argument of the In campaign that Britain would be less secure if it leaves the EU.
Yesterday Sir Jeremy Heywood, nicknamed Sir Cover-Up, admitted it was likely No 10 officials had seen text of the prince's speech in advance.
Labour MP Paul Flynn, left at today's hearing, demanded Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood, right, explain Royal involvement in the EU referendum campaign and the earlier Scottish poll
The Cabinet Secretary also did not deny he had intervened in the Scottish referendum by coming up with a form of words to allow the Queen to signal support for keeping the UK together.
He told the Commons public administration committee he would 'never dream' of trying to politicise the Queen, but Labour MP Paul Flynn, said: 'What I'm accusing you of is collaborating in the politicisation of the Royal Family.'
Sir Jeremy was before the committee after a row over whether he told civil servants to stop anti-EU ministers receiving documents.
He insisted there was no 'conspiracy' against pro-Brexit ministers and that his guidance was clear restrictions apply only to material intended to support pro-Brexit arguments.
But he promised to rewrite a Q&A which appeared to suggest all information with a bearing on the EU debate should be restricted.
The MPs questioned Sir Jeremy on accusations he was instrumental in politicising royals to swing referendums. Two weeks ago, in a speech to the Foreign Office, Prince William said 'our ability to unite in common action with other nations is essential it is the bedrock of our security and prosperity'.
The comments from Prince William, pictured with Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond at the Foreign Office during the controversial event , echoed the Queen's extraordinary intervention before the Scottish referendum when she told Scots to think 'carefully' about whether they wanted to leave the United Kingdom
At the time Kensington Palace denied the comments had any bearing on the EU referendum.
But Mr Flynn asked yesterday: 'Wouldn't those words be fine to put into the campaign material of those wishing to stay in the European Union?'
Sir Jeremy replied: 'I certainly wouldn't assume to advise the campaign; that's not my job.'
Mr Flynn said of the royal interventions: 'Here we've got quite convincing examples of government, possibly with the connivance of the civil service, using the Royal Family for party political aims. Are you involved in this?'
Sir Jeremy said: 'I don't think there has been any attempt by anybody in government or the civil service to involve the Royal Family in politicisation.'
Committee chairman Bernard Jenkin asked how 'normal' it would be for a royal to 'make a speech to the Foreign Office that had not been seen by civil servants in advance'.
Mr Flynn later dismissed Sir Jeremy's evidence on royal involvement as 'ludicrous'
Sir Jeremy said: 'I think it would be unusual probably.'
He said the information bar was only for 'briefing material and speech material', adding that 'the Prime Minister doesn't think it is appropriate, and I don't either, to provide that material to ministers who want to argue against the Government's position'.
Jessica Valik (pictured) has pleaded guilty under a deal with prosecutors to child endangering in Cincinnati
A New York woman suspected of sickening her 4-year-old son by injecting something into his hospital feeding tube pleaded guilty under a deal with prosecutors to child endangering in Cincinnati.
Jessica Valik's son Jackson Baldwin was treated at Cincinnati Children's Hospital for a rare disease that causes skin to blister.
Prosecutors alleged that Valik, 26, of Syracuse, added Benadryl to the boy's feeding tube last fall, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
Hospital staff became suspicious when the boy suffered severe diarrhea without an apparent medical reason, authorities said.
The boy had to undergo several diaper changes, which were painful because of his skin condition called epidermolysis bullosa, they said.
Valik's attorney, Massimino Ionna, declined to comment about her motives after Valik pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single misdemeanor count, the newspaper reported.
Prosecutors dropped a felony assault charge under the deal. Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Jocelyn Chess said Children's Hospital officials agreed with the plea as there were 'some complications' in proceeding with the case.
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'We believe this would be the best way to resolve this case,' Chess said.
Valik could face up to six months in jail when she's sentenced on March 28.
Prosecutors alleged that Valik, 26, of Syracuse, added Benadryl to the Jackson Baldwin's feeding tube last fall. He is seen in this photograph
Valik's attorney, Massimino Ionna, declined to comment about her motives after Valik (center) pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single misdemeanor coun
Fundraisers for Jackson to get a bone marrow transplant previously took place in New York, NBC affiliate WNYT in Albany reported.
The Mayo Clinic says online that epidermolysis bullosa 'is a group of rare diseases that cause the skin to blister.'
It says: 'Epidermolysis bullosa has no cure, though mild forms may improve with age.
'Treatment focuses on addressing the symptoms such as infection and itching and preventing pain and wounds.
'Severe forms may cause serious complications and can be fatal.'
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
To the American people, Peace be upon those who follow the righteous track.
Hereafter, The subject of my talk to you is the overwhelming control of capital (Var.: money) and its effect on the ongoing war between us.
I direct my talk specifically to those who support real change, especially the youth.
I say from the onset: Your former president warned you previously about the devastating Jewish control of capital and about a day that would come when it would enslave you; it has happened.
Your current president warns you now about the enormity of capital control and it has a cycle whereby it devours humanity when it is devoid of the precepts of God's law (Sharia). The tyranny of the control of capital by large companies has harmed your economy, as it did ours, and that was my motivation for this talk. Tens of millions of you are below the poverty line, millions have lost their homes, and millions have lost their jobs to mark the highest average unemployment in 60 years.
Your financial system in its totality was about to collapse within 48 hours had not the administration reverted to using taxpayer's money to rescue the vultures by using the assets of the victims. As for us, our Iraq was invaded in response to pressure from capitalists with greed for black gold, and you continue to support the oppressive Israelis in their occupation of our Palestine in response to pressures on your administration by a Jewish lobby backed by enormous financial capabilities.
An observer of the policies of the new administration realizes that the change is tactical and not strategic; it does not at all agree with the change you seek. There are very many indicators of this, especially concerning important matters related to your security and economy, particularly the ongoing war between us. The previous administration was successful in implicating you in these wars against us under the premise that they are necessary for your security or according to the promise that it would be short and would finish in six days or six weeks. Six years has passed, and that administration is gone without realizing the victory. The man calling for change promised you victory in Afghanistan and set a time for withdrawal. Before the end of the set time, Petraeus, from the previous administration, came and asked for an extension of six more months. If it was the six-day war that started by President Bush, and six years have not been enough to finish it, then the wise men should question how long would a six-month war take and whether you are able to fund a war that requires a large amount of money that weakens your economy and your dollar.
For Obama to leave one-third of the soldiers in Iraq, and the statements from his administration about this, especially from Aderno, about the possibility of Obama's ordering the return of the forces he took out of Iraq, it would have been better for him had he disagreed with the ethics of the previous administration and adopted the truth as a friend and told you that he will not withdraw from Iraq, which may not serve the US interests but it is in the interest of the large corporations. The course of the policies of the present administration in several areas clearly reveals that whoever enters the White House, even with good intentions to safeguard the peoples' interest, is no more than a train operator. His only task is to keep the train on the tracks that are laid down by the lobbyists in New York and Washington to serve their interests first, even if it is counter to your security and economy. Any president who tries to move the train from the lobbyist's tracks to a track for the American people's interests will confront very strong opposition and pressures from the lobbyists. Your president described the decision by the court in favor of corporations to intervene in the political arena as a victory, but it is not [a victory] for the American people except for the big corporations. There is no doubt about it that it is a right, and it is also a right for the administration to support the oppressive Israelis for the continued occupation of our land and the killing of our brothers, marking a victory for the Jewish lobby. The president was not able to defend you against the security and economic loss. The way for change and freeing yourselves from the pressure of lobbyists is not through the Republican or the Democratic parties, but through undertaking a great revolution for freedom: not to free Iraq from Saddam Hussein but to free the White House and to free Barack Husayn so he can implement the change you seek. It does not only include improvement of your economic situation and ensure your security, but more importantly, helps him in making a rational decision to save humanity from the harmful [greenhouse] gases that threaten its destiny.
The way for change and freeing yourselves from the pressure of lobbyists is not through the Republican or the Democratic parties, but through undertaking a great revolution for freedom: not to free Iraq from Saddam Hussein but to free the White House and to free Barack Husayn so he can implement the change you seek. It does not only include improvement of your economic situation and ensure your security, but more importantly, helps him in making a rational decision to save humanity from the harmful [greenhouse] gases that threaten its destiny.
For the American youth to succeed in this change, they need to relive the history of their ancestors and the conditions in their country more than two centuries ago. They need to understand the similarities during that era and their present situation, especially in their fundamental conditions.
The British Parliament sided with corporations, then against the interests of the citizens. You have noticed the Congresss stand with corporations against the peoples interests when they refused to legislate against interference in the elections by corporations.
The British military governor in the United States used to have the right to appoint judges and mayors. Similarly, the corruption is deep rooted now in all higher authorities, thus giving authorities over these offices to corporations. Subsequently, the higher court adjudicated their support of political financing by corporations under such circumstances. Reading the book by the intellectual Thomas Paine helped your fathers in the revolution against the oppressors. It is useful for you to read it under the current, similar circumstances. You are in need of people like Thomas Paine to publish books pointing out the similarities between the two phases and that will have a similar effect. You also are in need of men with courage and initiative like those of your forefathers at that time when they refused to allow one company to harm the interests of the United States, a company that had a monopoly on tea and its prices. Yet there now are many companies that endanger the United States economy, which continues to be vulnerable to collapse and they also formulate the policies of the White House. They threw hundreds of thousands of soldiers against us and have formed an alliance with the Israelis to oppress us and occupy our land; that was the reason for our response on the eleventh.
Palestine has been under occupation for decades, and none of your presidents talked about it until after September 11 when Bush realized that your oppression and the tyranny against us were part of the reason for the attack. Then he talked about the necessity for two states. Obama is trying to address the issue with the same solutions suggested by his predecessor; they are quilting fruitless solutions not of concern to us. If you want a real settlement that guarantees your security in your country and safeguards your economy from being depleted in a manner similar to our war of attrition against the Soviet Union, then you have to implement a roadmap that returns the Palestine land to us, all of it, from the sea to the river, it is an Islamic land not subject to being traded or granted to any party.
In conclusion: Be assured that we do not fight for mere killing but to stop the killing of our people. It is a sin to kill a person without proper, justifiable cause, but terminating his killer is a right. You should be aware that justice is the strongest army and security offers the best livelihood; you lost it by your own making when you supported the Israelis in occupying our land and killing our brothers in Palestine. The road to safety starts with the stopping of aggression.
Palestine shall not be seen captive for we will try to break its shackles. The United States shall pay for its arrogance with the blood of Christians and their funds.
The daughter of murder suspect Glen McNamara has told a Sydney court her father paled after his alleged accomplice Roger Rogerson complimented herself and her sister over a beer on the day Jamie Gao was killed.
Jessica McNamara testified on Tuesday she arrived home from work to an empty apartment about 5.15pm on May 20, 2014, and her father and Rogerson arrived a short time later.
She said the three of them exchanged chit-chat as McNamara and a 'jovial' Rogerson shared a beer.
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Murder suspect Glen McNamara's daughter Jessica McNamara testified on Tuesday she arrived home from work to an empty apartment about 5.15pm on May 20, 2014 - the day Jamie Gao was killed
But the mood turned when Rogerson commented on how 'nice' she and her younger sister were.
'He said to my dad that he had really lovely, lovely girls,' Ms McNamara told the NSW Supreme Court.
'As he was saying that I looked at my dad and he was pale.
'He looked skittish. He kept moving at the table, twitching a little bit.'
Ms McNamara, 25, said she noticed Rogerson began tapping a dark-coloured item in his right trouser pocket and that her father suddenly began fidgeting, standing up and pacing on the spot.
She said the three of them exchanged chit-chat as McNamara and an apparently 'jovial' Roger Rogerson, who is accused of being the former's accomplice, shared a beer
But the mood turned when Rogerson commented on how 'nice' she and her younger sister were. Above is McNamara being escorted from court
It is alleged McNamara and Rogerson murdered Mr Gao, a 20-year-old university student and alleged drug dealer, in a storage shed before stripping him of 2.78kg of ice and dumping his body at sea
Prosecutors allege only hours earlier, Rogerson and McNamara had murdered Mr Gao, a 20-year-old university student and alleged drug dealer, in a storage shed before stripping him of 2.78kg of ice and dumping his body at sea.
Ms McNamara said her father hardly ate a thing that night at dinner.
'He sat there playing with cutlery and not eating. He was just talking,' she said.
'He seemed dazed.'
McNamara slumped forward in the dock on Tuesday and held his head in his hands, wiping away tears as his eldest daughter described the regular fishing trips they had taken together in the family boat.
Here Rogerson and McNamara are seen entering a Cronulla apartment with a six pack of beers
Ms McNamara after she told the NSW Supreme Court Rogerson began tapping a dark-coloured item in his right trouser pocket following their arrival at home
The Crown alleges a boat was used to dump Mr Gao's lifeless body into the ocean by McNamara
The Crown alleges it was this boat that McNamara used to dump Mr Gao's lifeless body into the ocean.
The body was spotted by fishermen on May 26, 2014, wrapped in a surfboard bag and a blue tarpaulin and bobbing in waters off Cronulla.
McNamara's barrister Kara Shead has previously told the jury it was Rogerson who shot and killed Mr Gao, and while her client admitted being involved in disposing of the body, he did so under duress after Rogerson threatened him and his family.
Rogerson's counsel, meanwhile, argued it was McNamara who pulled the trigger.
Flight Lieutenant Albert Chennell showed incredible bravery to carry on piloting his Whitley bomber back to RAF Driffield in East Yorkshire after one of its two engines caught alight in Germany in April 1942
Smiling proudly for the camera, this is the heroic RAF officer who saved his crew by continuing to fly his warplane for five hours after one of its two engines caught fire.
Flight Lieutenant Albert Chennell showed incredible bravery to carry on piloting his Whitley bomber after one of the two engines caught alight as the crew prepared to drop a 1,000lb bomb in Germany.
Rather than order the five-man crew aboard the stricken plane to bail out or crash land in Germany, Fl Lt Chennell turned the bomber around and limped 500 miles back to Britain with just one engine.
Even when they reached RAF Driffield in East Yorkshire five hours later, the pilot still had to perform an emergency landing with several large explosives still on board.
Had the hair-raising landing gone wrong 70 years ago, the results would have been catastrophic.
Fl Lt Chennell, who was an accountant before the Second World War, was awarded the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery in April 1942.
His medals as well as his wartime logbooks, which document the incredible act, have now been put up for auction by his family for an estimated 2,000.
His 1939-45 Star comes with the Bomber Command clasp, the award that recognises personnel who served in Bomber Command which was only granted in 2013 after years of campaigning.
Fl Lt Chennell, who was originally from Thornton Heath, south London, but later lived in Blandford, Dorset, piloted the Whitely aircraft on a sortie to attack factories that made the Heinkel bombers in Rostock, north Germany, on the night of April 25.
Ned Cowell, of George Kidner Auctions of Lymington, Hampshire, said: 'His Distinguished Flying Cross was for his devotion to duty but the Rostock incident gets top billing.
'His plane was just 30 miles from its target when one of the twin engines was hit by anti-aircraft fire and caught alight.
'But rather than order the crew to bail out and crashing the plane, he managed to put the fire out and then nurse his aircraft all the way home on a single engine.
Flight Lieutenant Albert Chennell flew the Whitley bomber for five hours back to East Yorkshire after one of its engines caught alight during a mission to drop 1,000lbs bombs over Germany during the Second World War
Flight Lieutenant Albert Chennell (left) is pictured with two of his crew who were later killed at RAF St. Eval
A letter from the Group Captain in Abingdon congratulating Albert Chennell on his Distinguished Flying Cross
Flt Lt Chennell is pictured alongside colleagues in this black and white photograph from the Second World War
'His logbook notes that he had the 1,000lbs bomb hung up throughout the trip back which must have been a very long and anxious one.
'It was a pretty hairy experience that must have required steely nerves. There was a great body of explosives on board and if the plane came down too hard and crash landed it could have gone up.
'But he pulled it off and got the plane, his crew and the bomb back safe. It meant they could all be used to fight another day rather than have ended up in German hands.
'This was early 1942 and although the Allies had won the Battle of Britain, the outcome of the Second World War was far from clear and every crew member, aircraft and bomb was needed for the war effort.
'It was a very significant act of flying merit.'
Flight Lieutenant Albert Chennell (circled) with other members of RAF 139 (Jamaica) Squadron in 1945
A letter from Mr and Mrs Thomas Watts thanking Flt Lt Chennell for his sympathy following their son's death
Later on in the war, Fl Lt Chennell, who served in 51 Squadron, took part in anti-submarine patrols and air-sea rescues of downed Allies airmen.
He moved to 193 Squadron where he flew Mosquitos Pathfinders and also took part in the very last Bomber Command operation of the Second World War, when Mosquitos bombed Kiel harbour in anticipation of an attempted German break out in the direction of Norway.
After the war he joined the Civil Aviation Authority and worked as an air traffic controller before retiring in 1974.
The widower died in 1997 aged 83.
Mr Kidner added: 'His family are selling the medals as I don't think they forsee future generations of the family having them so it is best to put them in the hands of a collector who will cherish them.'
The medal group will be sold on Thursday.
Flt Lt Chennell's medals and his wartime logbooks have been put up for auction by his family for about 2,000
Flt Lt Chennell's wartime medals have been put up for auction including his (pictured from left to right): Distinguished Flying Cross, 1939-45 Star, Air Crew Europe Star, Defence Medal and his 1939-45 War Medal
Cardinal George Pell has defended suggestions that his evidence is 'completely implausible' and designed to deflect the blame from himself, the child abuse royal commission has heard.
The Cardinal has again claimed he was deceived by people within the Catholic church who knew about sexual abuse by pedophile priests, but chose not to reveal this to him.
He told the royal commission he had sought a briefing from the Catholic Education Office after a delegation came to him in 1989, when he was an auxiliary bishop in the Melbourne archdiocese, to complain about Father Peter Searson.
Complaints against Father Searson included abusing and harassing children and parents and harming animals in the Doveton parish.
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Cardinal George Pell arrived at a Rome hotel on Wednesday for his third night of testimony to the child sex abuse royal commission hearing in Sydney
However, Cardinal Pell said the education office didn't share a considerable amount of information they had about Searson's behaviour.
Commissioner Peter McClellan asked Cardinal Pell if he could give any reason why the education office 'would choose to deceive you in relation to Searson's behaviour?'.
'Yes, I was a new boy on the block,' Cardinal Pell told the commission on Wednesday via an audiovisual link from Rome.
'I was known to be capable of being outspoken.
'They might have been fearful of just what line I would take when confronted with all the information.'
Cardinal Pell agreed that there should be disciplinary action against the education office staff who deceived him.
On Tuesday the cardinal told the commission he was deceived by the former Bishop of Ballarat, Ronald Mulkearns, when he was a priest in that diocese in the 1970s and early 1980s about the behaviour of the now notorious pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale.
Cardinal Pell was asked on Wednesday why he was deceived in the case of Ridsdale and Searson.
'In both cases, it's a mystery but in both cases for some reason, they were covering up,' he said.
'I think they would have covered up from me, as I mentioned earlier, because they would have feared that I would not accept the status quo.'
Counsel assisting the commission Gail Furness put to the cardinal that his claims about the education office were 'completely implausible' and were designed to deflect blame from himself.
'I can only tell you the truth,' Cardinal Pell replied.
Ms Furness put to Cardinal Pell that he did have knowledge of Fr Risdale's conduct and that the education office had 'properly and adequately' briefed him in relation to Fr Searson.
Cardinal Pell denied this.
Cardinal George Pell concedes he should have done more when he was told of rumours about pedophile priest Brother Edward Dowlan's activity with children in the 1970s
Cardinal George Pell is being questioned about what he knew of pedophile priests operating in Ballarat and Melbourne when he served there in the 1970s and 1980s
Plain-clothes state police officers kept journalists back as the cardinal walked the few steps to the hotel door, refusing to answer questions about the hearing
Cardinal George Pell earlier conceded he should have done more when he was told of rumours about a Christian Brother's activity with children in the 1970s.
The Cardinal said he heard vague and unspecific rumours about Brother Edward Dowlan from about two students and two priests, but was told by the school chaplain at Ballarat's St Patrick's College that the Christian Brothers were dealing with it.
'I regret that I didn't do more at that stage,' he said.
Cardinal Pell said he did not take any further action to determine what the Christian Brothers did about Dowlan after speaking to the chaplain.
'No I didn't, but I soon became aware that Dowlan was shifted,' he said. 'It was a generalised suggestion, accusation. There was nothing specific.
'I would say that in the light of my present understandings, I would concede I should have done more.'
Pressed on what he was told, Cardinal Pell said there were unfortunate rumours about Dowlan's activity with young people, adding it was always vague and unspecific.
He admitted he understood it to be rumours of sexual activity with young people, as well as discipline and violence.
The commission heard Dowlan was moved at the end of 1974.
Commission chair Justice Peter McClellan asked Cardinal Pell if he was concerned that a brother about whom he had heard rumours of sexual activity with children was dealt with by moving him.
Cardinal Pell said: 'No ... I didn't know exactly what he was accused of, but 40 years ago, or more than 40 years ago, I did not think that (moving the brother) was unusual or inappropriate.'
Justice McClellan asked if it was appropriate to move someone who may be offending against children to a different location where they could continue to offend.
Cardinal Pell said he didn't believe that. He said he assumed the Christian Brothers were dealing adequately with the matter.
'I was not aware then of their poor record which I learnt about later in dealing with such things,' Cardinal Pell said. 'I presumed when they shifted him they would have also arranged for some appropriate help.'
Cardinal Pell did not tell then-Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns about the issue, and regretted he did not do more at that stage.
Cardinal Pell again told the commission he could not remember being told about Dowlan by Timothy Green in 1974, although he included Mr Green in the two students who approached him about the brother.
'I'm certainly not suggesting Mr Green is telling lies but I am suggesting that I have no such recollection.'
Mr Green, 53, told the commission last year he was 12 or 13 when he told Cardinal Pell Dowlan was abusing boys at St Patrick's College in 1974.
'Fr Pell said 'don't be ridiculous and walked out,' Mr Green said.
On Tuesday, he told the commission he did not know about repeated complaints against the now-imprisoned pedophile Father Gerald Ridsdale because former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns did not tell him
The former senior Australian Catholic shocked abuse survivors who are in Rome to watch him give evidence, when he said on Tuesday Ridsdale's offences were 'a sad story' but had not been of much interest to him
Cardinal Pell says his predecessor as Melbourne archbishop did not act on child abuse when he should have.
He said he was strongly critical of and deeply disturbed by what came out about the handling of complaints by Frank Little, who was Archbishop of Melbourne from 1974 to 1996.
'Archbishop Little on some occasions did not act when he should have and certainly did not make appropriate information available to the personnel advisory board on some occasions,' he said.
Cardinal Pell said Bishop Little had a 'blind spot' when it came to handling complaints about sexual abuse by priests.
The bishop did not reveal there was a long list of complaints about one priest, when Cardinal Pell had sought advice when he was auxiliary bishop in the Melbourne archdiocese in the 1980s.
'I have to say that I am strongly critical of it,' he said of Archbishop Little's handling of complaints about Sunbury parish priest Father Peter Searson.
Cardinal Pell said he only discovered recently someone had prepared a one-and-a-half page list of infractions by Searson and was never told about the seriousness of the matters involved.
Fr Searson's conduct included keeping a gun at school, showing a body in a coffin to children, sexual contact with children and animal cruelty.
He was also accused of making children kneel between knees and sit on lap during confession and holding a knife to a girl's chest.
There were complaints about Searson's strange behaviour while he was at Sunbury between 1977 and 1984 and many more after he was moved to Doveton, where he remained until 1997.
Cardinal Pell said a 1985 complaint about Searson making children kneel between his legs during confession and recording their confessions should have been investigated.
Searson died before facing a criminal investigation.
Counsel assisting the commission Gail Furness SC questions Cardinal George Pell via videolink from Rome
On Tuesday, he told the commission he did not know about repeated complaints against the now-imprisoned pedophile Father Gerald Ridsdale (pictured) because former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns did not tell him
Plain-clothes state police officers kept journalists back as the cardinal walked the few steps to the door of Hotel Quirinale in Rome refusing to answer questions about the hearing
Cardinal Pell is being questioned about what he knew of pedophile priests operating in Ballarat and Melbourne when he served there in the 1970s and 1980s.
On Tuesday, he told the commission he did not know about repeated complaints against the now-imprisoned pedophile Father Gerald Ridsdale because former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns did not tell him.
The former senior Australian Catholic, now the third-most powerful man in the Vatican, shocked abuse survivors who are in Rome to watch him give evidence via video link, when he said on Tuesday Ridsdale's offences were 'a sad story' but had not been of much interest to him when they were happening in the 1970s in regional Victoria.
'I had no reason to turn my mind to the evils that Ridsdale had perpetrated,' he said.
On Tuesday, Cardinal Pell was challenged outright that his claim to have known nothing of Ridsdale's offences when so many others did was simply implausible.
He rejected the suggestion, saying it was only implausible if there was evidence he had been told about Ridsdale.
Drug dealers in Indonesia will be made to eat their own supply until they die if new rules are pushed through.
The country's National Narcotics Agency has suggested the punishment in a desperate bid to tackle growing drugs problems.
The proposal would strengthen already tough laws, which include death by firing squad if citizens are caught drugs trafficking.
Drug dealers in Indonesia will be made to eat their own supply until they die if new rules are pushed through. Above, Indonesian police secure an area in March 2015 ahead of the deaths of two drug traffickers
Police have also increased raids on local dealers, with one recent investigation leading to four deaths.
Slamet Pribadi, a spokesman for the agency, told Al Jazeera: 'We need to be serious because drugs are the enemy.'
Hendro Pandowo, a local police chief, added: 'We have to fight this war on drugs everywhere.
'They have to be cleaned off the streets of Jakarta and eradicated through Indonesia.'
It comes after the country decided to halt all executions temporarily at the end of last year. The decision meant British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford (pictured), who was sentenced to death after being caught smuggling cocaine into Bali, was given a temporary reprieve.
Around 4.5 million drug addicts currently live in Indonesia with 33 people dying per day due to overdoses.
Critics have slammed the proposals and claim the country's laws do not differentiate between addicts and criminals.
It comes after the country decided to halt all executions temporarily at the end of last year.
Without the markets, I would have no way of feeding my children, she says. There are many, many women like me in Port Moresby, single mothers who have nobody else to rely on. I have no choice but to go.
Like many of the women who make up 80% of the citys vendors, she is entirely reliant on the income she generates selling produce at the sprawling and chaotic markets scattered throughout the capital.
EVERY morning, Serah Thomas gets up early and makes her way to Gordons market in Papua New Guineas capital, Port Moresby.
Its not the work that fills Thomas with dread as she ties up her hair and makes her way to the bus with a bag of things to sell. Its the harassment, theft and violence that she will have to navigate during the day.
Markets are not safe for female traders. Women are bullied by market security, intimidated by police and sexually harassed throughout the day. A toilet trip is not to be made on your own.
People try to rob them on their way to the bus stop. Poor street lighting and unreliable public transport increase their vulnerability as they try to get home.
Over the years, we have all faced many problems at the markets: people cutting our bags and stealing our wallets, drunks chasing us. We have all experienced a lot of violence, says Thomas.
Every day we are scared for our lives and worry that the next day something will happen to us. It is very stressful.
The violence faced by women in the markets is a reflection of Papua New Guineas epidemic of gender-based violence. The island is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman, with an estimated 70% experiencing rape or assault.
In 2011, the capital was chosen as a pilot location in the UN Womens safe cities initiative, a global attempt to address rising levels of violence against women in urban and public spaces.
It isnt enough to say there is a culture of impunity around violence against women in all public spaces in Papua New Guinea. It is routine and for many people it remains just part of the fabric of everyday life, says Jurgita Sereikaite, from UN Womens Papua New Guinea office.
A study in 2011-12 to assess the scale of the problem found that 55% of women had experienced violence in markets in the previous year. The survey also highlighted poor sanitation in markets: the dilapidated toilets posed health and safety concerns and in areas around bus stations vendors felt particularly vulnerable to assault.
The womens responses acted a bit like a map for us, says Kay Kaugla, the gender officer at the National Capital District Commission. We understood what we were facing.
When we first went to the markets to tell the women about [the safe cities] programme, it was very tough they were suspicious and scared. When they realised that they were going to have a say in what needs to change, they became positive, she says.
After a shaky start, more than 3,000 women formed 12 vendor associations, each with an elected spokesperson to represent their concerns to local authorities.
There was this perception among many in government that these women were just voiceless poor women who didnt need to be listened to, says Kaugla. This was what we wanted to challenge. We are trying to show that these women are entrepreneurs, small business owners and have rights that must be protected.
For the next two years, the vendor associations took part in consultations to overhaul one of the markets, Geheru, and build a space that was safer for female vendors. The bathrooms and showers were updated, market stalls and shaded areas were renovated, potable running water was provided, and a playground was built.
When it reopened in 2014, the market trialled a cashless method to allow vendors to pay their market fees through mobile phones. It was introduced to stop women being harassed for illegal fees by market officials and men posing as tax collectors.
An ambitious rebuild of Papua New Guineas largest urban market, Gordons, is now slowly under way.
Although there has been no official assessment of whether violence has decreased since the rebuild at Geheru, female vendors say it has made an enormous difference.
Whether this can be replicated at Gordons is another matter. The market has become a focal point for rape, mugging and gang violence and the scale of the work needed has already caused significant delays.
Women working at Gordons say the wider problem of corruption and discrimination must be tackled.
The police are our biggest problem, says Mary Boi, a vendor at Gordons. Even after the safe city project came to our market and encouraged us to report our problems to the police, they didnt listen and the men who abused us would be back in the market and harassing us again. The police also threatened and intimidated us.
Kay Kaugla, gender officer at Papua New Guineas National Capital District Commission, says the vendors are entrepreneurs, small business owners and have rights that must be protected.
In an effort to tackle this, training on womens rights has begun with local police forces based close to the markets. There is now a dedicated member of staff working solely on policing issues within the safe cities team.
All we want is a safe place to work, says Boi. These markets are bad places for women to be. We just want this to change so we can spend our days in peace, not looking over our shoulders fearing what will happen next.
Thomas, now president of the mini-goods vendors association at Gordons, is upbeat. A few years ago, nobody cared what we thought; now they are designing a market to make things better, she says. That is progress.
After writing a best-seller about her 18 years in captivity, Jaycee Lee Dugard is working on a book about the joys and challenges that followed.
Simon & Schuster announced Tuesday that it has acquired Dugard's new piece of work, Freedom: My Book of Firsts, which is scheduled for release July 12.
The book will focus on her 'first experiences' after the ordeal ended.
Dugard said in a statement: 'There is life after something tragic happens. Life doesn't have to end if you don't want it to. It's all in how you look at it.'
'I still believe that we each hold the key to our own happiness': Kidnap survivor Jaycee Lee Dugard announced in a statement Tuesday that her second memoir, Freedom: My Book of Firsts, will be released in July
Dugard's first book, A Stolen Life (left), sold 1.5 million copies in the US following its release in 2011. She is pictured right with Oprah Winfrey at the Diane von Furstenberg Awards in New York in 2012
The statement continued: 'Somehow, I still believe that we each hold the key to our own happiness and you have to grab it where you can in whatever form it might take.'
Dugard was abducted in June 1991 on her way to school in South Lake Tahoe, California.
Then 11, she was held until by Phillip and Nancy Garrido and was raped and drugged repeatedly over the course of 18 years.
While in captivity, she gave birth to two daughters fathered by Garrido.
Monsters: Phillip Garrido (left) and his wife Nancy (right) are serving 431 years and 36 years respectively for abducting Dugard and hiding her in the backyard of their home. Dugard had two children by Phillip Garrido
Failed by the system: Jaycee Dugard was 11 when she was kidnapped by a convicted rapist who was on parole
Held: Garrido, a registered sex offender, kept Jaycee Dugard at his home in Antioch, California (pictured), for 18 years, after kidnapping her from a bus stop in 1991. He was on parole at the time
Garrido was sentenced to 431 years to life for the kidnap and rape of Dugard. His wife Nancy was sentenced to 36 years to life.
Dugard described her ordeal in the 2011 release A Stolen Life, which sold 1.5 million copies in the US.
JAYCEE LEE'S HORRIFIC ORDEAL Jaycee Lee Dugard was abducted as she walked to a school bus stop in South Lake Tahoe, California, on June 10, 1991. She was snatched by Phillip Garrido, who had been released on parole in August 1988 after serving 11 years of a 50-year sentence for the kidnap and rape of Katherine Callaway Hall in 1976. He shot her with a stun gun and pulled her into his car, then drove her to his home in Antioch, where he held her captive in a concealed compound behind his house. Miss Dugard was reported missing and her case earned worldwide fame. The police missed two chances to save Miss Dugard in November 2006 and July 2008 when Garrido was questioned by authorities for a neighbourhood disturbance. Miss Dugard was saved on August 25, 2009, when Garrido was ordered to bring his daughters to a parole meeting. Miss Dugard broke down and eventually told police officers who she really was. She was awarded $20 million for police negligence during her captivity and the poor supervision of Garrido. After originally saying they would plead not guilty, the Garridos eventually changed their plea, so Miss Dugard was spared the ordeal of giving evidence. In June, Phillip Garrido was jailed for 431 years and Nancy Garrido for 36 years. Advertisement
'Jaycee Dugard is a remarkable woman,' Jonathan Karp, publisher of Simon & Schuster, said on Monday.
'Her strength has been an inspiration to millions, and her story is a remarkable example of resilience and spirit.
Readers of this book will gain a new appreciation of how joyful freedom can be.'
Dugard, now 35, and her two children have received a $20 million settlement from state of California.
Dugard was rescued in 2009, when two female police officers became suspicious of Garrido, a convicted rapist, and summoned him and his family to a parole meeting.
Garrido went to a parole office in Cincord and was accompanied by his wife, the two young girls and a woman who turned out to be Dugard.
During the meeting, Dugard broke down and managed to tell police who she really was.
During an interview with ABC News in 2012, Jaycee said she was appreciative of 'just being free to do what I want to do, when I want to do it'.
She added of her daughters, who are now in their late teens: 'I want my girls to have a normal life as much as possible.'
In the same year, she was honored at the Diane von Furstenberg Awards in New York.
During the ceremony, Oprah Winfrey, who was also honored at the event, said in her speech of Dugard: 'I am so proud of you, your courage, your ability to press onward toward the future.'
At of the release of her last book, Dugard was living in seclusion in Northern California with her daughters and mother, Terry Probyn.
In the years since, she has slowly used her ordeal to become a spokesperson for abuse.
A 22-year-old mother-of-one was killed while sitting in her car at a stop sign when suspected distracted driver's vehicle went airborne and landed on her car.
Megan Goeltz, 22, of Hudson, Wisconsin, was sitting in her car in Washington County, Minnesota, when 20-year-old Drew T Fleming's vehicle fatally struck her on Monday evening.
The Saab driven by Felming, also from Hudson, was heading north Highway 95 when it crossed the southbound lands and went into a ditch, Minnesota police said.
Megan Goeltz, 22, of Hudson, Wisconsin, was sitting in her car in Washington County, Minnesota, when 20-year-old Drew T Fleming's vehicle fatally struck her on Monday evening
The mother-of-one was raising her three year old daughter on her own and working at a nearby nursing home. Fleming told police he may have been distracted when he lost control of his vehicle, causing to go into a ditch and go airborne
The vehicle then hit an embankment and went airborne, landing on Goeltz's Ford Fusion sitting at a three-way intersection in Lakeland Township.
A statement Tuesday afternoon from the state Department of Public Safety said: 'The 20-year-old driver, who is cooperating with investigators, indicated that he may have been distracted in the vehicle when he lost control of his car and landed on top of the victim's vehicle.'
Patrol Lt Tiffani Nielson told the Star Tribune that 'a number of distractions will be examined in this crash, including texting and [others] that may have been occurring in the vehicle when this crash occurred'.
Fleming was taken to Regions Hospital in St Paul and has since been released.
Megan's father, Thomas Goeltz, said that his daughter's death 'really hits home for me. I'm a safety consultant. I train people on distracted driving'.
He told the Star Tribune that he spent much of Tuesday 'calling relatives and crying'.
Goeltz was sitting at a stop sign when Fleming's car went airborne and struck her vehicle. Fleming was taken to Regions Hospital in St Paul and has been released
Fleming's mother, Angela Fleming, said her son was not prepared to speak publicly about 'this horrific incident'.
'He's devastated right now,' she told the Star Tribune.
Goeltz was raising her three-year-old daughter on her own and was working at a nursing home before her death, her father said.
She was a certified nursing assistant and worked at the same facility she would visit as a child when her preschool would bring kids over to visit with the residents.
'She had an affinity (for) working with the elderly,' Thomas Goeltz told the Star Tribune.
It is illegal in Minnesota for drivers to read, compose or send texts and emails or access the internet while the vehicle is in motion or stopped in traffic.
Police are currently investigating over 104 calls made to Crime Stoppers
The women were approached across Adelaide's inner southern suburbs
A 16-year-old was one of the females threatened by a knife
Detectives swarmed the Ford Sedan in Adelaide on Sunday afternoon
Police seize a car thought to be driven by a man who attacked five women
Police have seized a vehicle believed to have been used by a violent offender who stalked and threatened five women, including a 16-year-old with a knife.
Detectives swarmed around a white 1980s Ford Falcon parked at the Glandore Community Centre, south of Adelaide, on Sunday afternoon after a member of the public called the police with a tip-off.
In just over an hour on Sunday morning, the stalker allegedly approached four women across Myrtle Bank, Malvern, Unley and Glandore in Adelaide's inner southern suburbs, before threatening the teenager who was walking in a park, reported Nine News.
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Police and detectives swarmed a car believed to be used by an offender who stalked and threatened five women
The owner of the vehicle was nowhere to be seen but upon searching the car a bottle of pills was found.
South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said finding the man was a priority.
'We're quite surprised about the prevalence of the incidents that have happened over just a very short space of time, that's of a concern in its self,' Commissioner Stevens said.
'We've put a lot of resources into trying to find identify this person.'
A bottle of pills were found in the car but the owner was nowhere to be seen
The breakthrough in the case came after a member of the public called the police with a tip-off
Police released an image of the alleged offender
A 61-year-old woman walking her dog was the first victim at around 6.20am.
The white sedan is believed to have driven past her before returning and parking ahead of her.
The offender approached his victim but returned to his vehicle when she ran away.
His next victim was a 33-year-old woman but once again the man is believed to have returned one she screamed and ran away.
Attempting a more brazen attack the offender grabbed the arm of a 22-year-old who managed to flee and a 52-year-old woman alleges a man struck her with an unknown object on her arm.
Finally, the 16-year-old was harassed and threatened before manage to escape.
Over 104 calls have been made to Crime Stoppers since Operation Blair was launched on Sunday afternoon.
Police and detectives are investigating each line of inquiry but are still urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.
The man is described as Caucasian, aged between 25 and 45, with a medium-to-slim build and weighing about 70 kilograms.
The man (pictured) allegedly stalked the woman before threatening them with a knife - one of his victims was a 16-year-old girl
Donald Trump will take part in a Republican debate moderated by Fox News star Megyn Kelly, his campaign said today.
The move ends a long-running boycott of Kelly by Trump, after they clashed bitterly during the first Fox News Republican debate.
Asked by Daily Mail Online whether he was 'solidly committed to debating on Thursday', a campaign spokesman replied simply: 'Yes.'
The decision by Trump comes after he wondered out loud at a campaign rally about whether he should attend.
Star quality: Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party earlier this week
Speaking to supporters in Oklahoma City, he said the debates 'seem like a terrible waste of time' Business Insider reported.
'Aren't these debates ridiculous, though?' he asked. 'How about if I don't do the next debate? Yes?' Trump asked.
The debate will be the third one hosted by Fox News, but only the second Fox News debate attended by Trump as he boycotted their event in Des Moines in January.
The feud goes back to August, when Kelly opened the debate - the very first of the election cycle - by asking Trump: 'You've called women you don't like, "fat pigs", "dogs", slobs, and disgusting animals.'
When Trump replied 'only Rosie O'Donnell', Kelly hit back: 'No it wasn't. For the record, it was well beyond Rosie O'Donnell.
'Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women's looks. You once told a contestant on "Celebrity Apprentice" it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees.
'Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president?'
Trump later used his Twitter account to call Kelly 'unprofessional' then in a CNN interview, said of her: 'You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her - wherever.'
I'm in: Trump confirmed his attendance at the debate moderated by Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, ending a boycott going back to their feud in August last year
The comment led to widespread claims of sexism and misogyny. Trump and Fox News were increasingly at odds, and when the next debate came in January, he did not take part, instead holding a rally which raised money for veterans' groups.
That prompted Kelly to say off air that the other candidates had treated him like 'Voldemort' - the Harry Potter villain whose nickname was 'he who must not be named'.
Fox News later said that she was unfamiliar with the Harry Potter books and was unaware that Voldemort was the most evil character in them.
Last month he again boycotted a Fox News event, a town hall in Houston, Texas, in which the other four remaining candidates took part.
This debate could be the last for some of the candidates involved, with John Kasich having said that he will quit the race on March 15 if he cannot win Ohio, where he is governor.
A former CIA agent and security contractor says he exposed Fox security expert Wayne Simmons over Facebook chat after a three-year investigation with his former boss 'M'.
Kent Clizbe, 55, says he began digging into Simmons' claims of having a 27-year career with the CIA back in 2010 after becoming suspicious during a meeting arranged by a mutual friend.
Enlisting the help of his former boss and senior CIA official, who he names only as 'M', Clizbe told the New York Times how the pair exposed Simmons during a good-cop bad-cop interrogation via Facebook.
Kent Clizbe, a former CIA agent (left), has told of how he spent three years investigating Fox News guest Wayne Simmons (right) who claimed to be a former member of the agency
Simmons, a regular contributor to Fox News where he was credited as a former CIA operative, was arrested for fraud in October last year. He is awaiting trial and denies the charges.
Clibze says at first he wanted prove Simmons had been in the CIA, and began asking around among his old security contacts for anyone who had heard of him, or knew about operations similar to those Simmons claimed to have worked on.
When that failed, he approached M and told him of his suspicions, at which point M also began asking around top CIA officers, looking for any trace of the rogue agent.
Clizbe said that he met Simmons in 2010 and was instantly suspicious of his claims, and so began investigating with former boss named only as M
The pair came up empty handed, and after digging around in his personal and family history, they became convinced that Simmons was a fraud.
Clizbe said after years of watching Simmons appear on Fox, and then author a book, he and M finally decided to approach him directly, with M taunting him via his Facebook wall.
Eventually Clizbe says Simmons responded after being called a lair, and was coaxed by the pair into providing details of operations which they confirmed as false.
Confronted with his own apparent lies, Clizbe said Simmons folded, and while he didn't admit guilt, he said he would no longer represent himself as former CIA.
Clizbe says he then forwarded details of the investigation and evidence of Simmons' apparent lies to the CIA.
Two years later, officials arrested Simmons, saying they had been investigating him since 2013, around the time Clizbe sent them his information.
While the agency denies their investigation is in any way linked to Clizbe's, he maintains that the timing is too coincidental.
Asked why he dedicated years to exposing Simmons, he responded: We cannot allow scum bags to take away honor and truth and change the meanings of those things. Its the fundamental basis of our society and culture.'
Simmons was an unpaid Fox News guest from 2001 until his arrest, during which time he commented on security issues from the Iraq war to the rise of ISIS.
While Clizbe says some of Simmons' stories, such as being in the Navy (left) are true, he was unable to find any evidence to support his claims of being in the CIA for 27 years
He once called House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi 'a pathological liar' and claimed ISIS could be overrun in a week if bombed hard enough.
Simmons was also allowed to travel to Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, and me then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and President George W. Bush. A picture of the meeting was later signed by Ronald Reagan.
According to Rolling Stone he has been confined to his home since his arrest. He reportedly hasn't made a mortgage payment since 2010 and recently had his car repossessed.
He is only allowed to leave his home to tend to his horses or see his doctor. Simmons asked to attend family gatherings over Christmas but his request was turned down.
A US Navy spokesman revealed to Daily Mail via email in October that hewas unable to find a record of Simmons ever having served in that branch of the military.
The Navy declined to comment further on his case. The CIA has a practice of not commenting on their agents. Simmons denies all the charges against him.
A woman in south west China's Sichuan province has died after taking part in an exorcism on February 27.
Her family had hired two 'witch doctors' to help rid her of an undisclosed illness, the People's Daily Online reports.
Police are now investigating the details behind the woman's death.
Evil spirits: A woman in Sichuan province was steamed to death during an exorcism in Sichuan province
According to a villager surnamed Liu, the woman had suffered from an unidentified illness for years and had often been heard crying out in pain.
Liu says on February 27, he heard people crying and went to discover what was going on.
He claims that he found two witch doctors who had been hired by the woman's family at the scene.
The woman was sealed into a large barrel, which was then being heated by the vat of boiling water underneath.
When the local villagers told them to stop, the two 'doctors' replied that the screams were not in fact coming from the woman, they were from the devil.
Steamed to death: Two witch doctors were hired by the woman's family to rid her of evil spirits
They said they needed to continue to drive the ghost away.
Villagers took no notice and helped to free the woman.
When they managed to release her from the barrel, they discovered that her face had turned black and she was unable to stand.
People immediately went looking for medical help while others helped take her into the house.
However shortly after the rescue attempt, the woman died.
Britons with holiday homes in France could end up paying an extra 10 per cent in tax if they sell the property following a Brexit, experts have warned.
They suggested that Britain overseas property buyers have been protected from paying additional charges that apply to non-EU citizens. These include significantly higher capital gains tax charges on selling properties in France.
Jason Porter, of wealth managers Blevins Franks, warned: 'Britons who own a property or who are thinking of buying a holiday home in the EU perhaps do not realise the extra tax charges that could arise as a result of a Brexit.
People need to know about the extra tax they could pay on property if Britain leaves the EU, experts warn.
Britons with holiday homes in Europe could end up paying an extra 10% in tax if they sell the property following a Brexit.
'In an attempt to create a level playing field across European countries, the European Court of Justice has imposed judgements against certain states it believed were imposing inequitable taxes on non-residents compared to residents, or where a tax did not comply with the fundamentals of the EU.
'For example, it recently prevented France from imposing a 15.5 per cent social charge on rental income on non-residents in the EU, on the basis the EU requires social security should only be payable in one state in the EU. This judgement does not apply to non-EU states.
'People need to be aware of the taxes they could end up paying on property if Britain leaves the EU. The benefit of these judgements, might be lost if the UK left the EU.'
A Brexit means that a British resident who buys a 500,000 holiday home in France could end up paying 48.5 per cent in tax on selling the property as opposed to 39.5 per cent if Britain votes to stay in the EU.
They will first need to pay tax in France, which can they can offset when it comes to then paying tax in the UK.
One million Britons currently own a holiday home somewhere in Europe.
In France, the charges include capital gains tax of 19 per cent, a surcharge of up to 6 per cent and social charges of up to 15.5 per cent, which equates to a maximum of 36.5 per cent. The French capital gains tax and surcharge paid can be set off against the tax due in the UK at up to 28 per cent (French social charges cannot be off set), which means a maximum additional amount of 3 per cent is payable in the UK. It means the most you will pay in total between the two countries is 39.5 per cent.
However, if Britain leaves the EU, then you would pay capital gains tax of 33.3 per cent, and social charges of up to 15.5 per cent in France - a total of 48.5 per cent, almost 10 per cent more than if Britain stays in the EU.
However, a vote for Brexit on June 23 will not be end of the story for UK property investment in places such as Austria, says Mark Warner Property's Giles Gale.
They are fascinating and terrifying in equal measure, but for many people understanding what motivates serial killers to murder many times over can be difficult to grasp.
Psychologists and neuroscientists are starting to build up a picture of the disturbing minds behind some of the most shocking crimes to have come to light in recent decades.
They have discovered surprising similarities between these mass murderers and have even found evidence that suggests a genetic abnormality that may act as a trigger.
While most people may be quick to dismiss serial killers as simply monsters, scientists are now attempting to understand what causes them to commit mass murder by studying their brains and their DNA. A new info graphic (pictured) has summarised some of the latest research on serial killers
Dr Helen Morrison, a forensic psychiatrist based in Chicago, has studied and interviewed 135 serial killers, according to an infographic compiled by the website Best Counseling Degrees.
She believes that in many cases the killers suffered a chromosome abnormality that led them to have an extra chromosome in their DNA.
For example, Bobby Joe Long, who is currently on death row in Florida for sexually assaulting and murdering at least 10 women in the Tampa Bay area, had an extra X Chromosome.
According to Dr Morrison this led to excessive amounts to oestrogen which began to cause him embarrassment and anger during puberty as he developed breasts.
Dr Helen Morrison studied and interviewed 135 serial killers and has found many of them share surprising similarities (illustrated). Perhaps most intriguingly she has identified chromosome abnormalities such as an extra X Chromosome or Y Chromosome during puberty may act as a trigger for their later behaviour
Research has suggested many serial killers suffer a sense of detachment from the world around them that means they struggle to empathise with their victims. Professor Jim Fallon discovered that he himself had the brain of a psychopath (right in the picture above) which has dark patches on the orbital cortex behind the eyes
Researchers have also found psychopathic tendencies may be passed down through families and could be linked to a gene known as the Warrior gene, or MAO-A, which regulates the mood hormone serotonin in the brain (illustrated above). This may interact with brain activity and childhood experience
Similarly Richard Speck, who tortured, raped and murdered eight student nurses in Chicago, had an extra Y chromosome.
Dr Morrison has also said serial killers tend to develop a sense of detachment from the rest of the world from a very early age. This ultimately leads them to feel a lack of empathy for their victims.
Research by Professor Jim Fallon, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine, has also been studying the brains of psychopaths using brain imaging.
He found low activity in the orbital cortex seems to be involved in sociopathic behaviours and have trouble suppressing rage and violence.
His work has shown that some people's brains appear to be predisposed towards violence.
Perhaps most surprisingly he found that his own brain scans show the same low orbital cortex activity as a serial killer. Scans of his son's brain showed normal orbital cortex activity.
The number of serial killers whose crimes are known about appears to have spiked during the 1980s but still remains disturbingly high, as the graph above illustrates
Serial killers like David Berkowitz (left), known as the Son of Sam, have been notoriously difficult to predict and so to catch, but new research may make it easier to identify them in the future. Bobby Joe Long (right) killed 10 women but was found to have an extra X Chromosome that scientists say could have been a trigger
Professor Fallon has also tested the DNA of his family for genes associated with violence and identified a gene known as the MAO-A gene.
Responsible for producing an enzyme called monoamine oxidase A, it is also known as the 'warrior gene' and regulates levels of the mood hormone serotonin in the brain.
Professor Fallon's discovery about his own brain led him to change his thinking about whether genes and brain function were the only pieces of the puzzle.
Serial killer Ted Bundy (pictured) was one of the most notorious in American history. He brutally murdered at least 30 women, confessing to the homicides shortly before being put to death in 1989
He now believes childhood experiences may also act as some sort of trigger that combines with these other factors to turn someone into a serial killer or a psychopath.
Writing in The Guardian, Professor Fallon said: 'Why, in the light of the fact I have all of the biological markers for psychopathy, including a turned off limbic system, the high risk genetic alleles, and the attendant behaviours, including well over half of those listed in the psychopathy tests and low emotional empathy, did I turn out to be a successful professor and family man?
'One most likely reason is that although I have the genetic makeup of a "born" psychopath, some of those very same "risk" genes in someone showered with love (versus abuse or abandonment), from childbirth through the critical first few years of life, appear to offset the psychopathy-inducing effects of the other "risk" genes.'
The exceptionally preserved nerves and cord are an extremely rare find
It was early ancestor of modern arthropods, such as insects and spiders
s one of the most detailed fossils of its age
More than half a billion years ago, scurrying along the ocean floor, an ancient relative of modern day creepy crawlies gave its final twitch as it died.
Now, 520 million years later, a team of archaeologists which uncovered its remains believe it to be one of the oldest and most detailed fossilised nervous systems from the period ever found.
Its fossilised remains have been so well preserved that individual nerves can be seen, providing scientists with new insight into how the systems of insects, crabs and spiders, have evolved.
Scientists who have uncovered an ancient fossilised relative of modern day arthropods say it is the most complete example of a central nervous system from the Cambrian period, 520 million years ago
The crustacean-like creature, called Chengjiangocaris kunmingensis, belonged to a group of animals called the fuxianhuiids, which were early ancestors of modern arthropods.
It lived during the Cambrian explosion, a period of rapid evolutionary development when the first major animal groups are believed to have emerged.
'This is a unique glimpse into what the ancestral nervous system looked like,' said Dr Javier Ortega-Hernandez, of the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology and co-author of the study.
'It's the most complete example of a central nervous system from the Cambrian period.'
'The more of these fossils we find, the more we will be able to understand how the nervous system, and how early animals, evolved.'
. The crustacean-like creature, called Chengjiangocaris kunmingensis, belonged to a group of animals called the fuxianhuiids, which were early ancestors of modern arthropods - a family which includes insects such as the praying mantis (left), spiders such as the tarantula (middle) and crustaceans such as red crabs (right)
The central nervous system in arthropods consists of a condensed brain and a chain-like series of interconnected masses of nervous tissue that resemble a string of beads.
AN EXCEPTIONALLY PRESERVED NERVOUS SYSTEM Chengjiangocaris kunmingensis belonged to a group of animals called the fuxianhuiids, which were early ancestors of modern arthropods. The 520 million year-old fossilised remains have been so well preserved that individual nerves can be seen. This provides scientists with new insight into how the nervous systems of modern day arthropods which includes insects, crabs and spiders have evolved. While hard teeth and shells are well preserved in the fossil record, the nervous system and soft tissues are essentially made of fatty-like substances so finding them preserved as fossils is extremely rare. Advertisement
Preparation of the fossils involves chipping away at the surrounding rock with a fine needle, with researchers then able to view the hard body parts and fossilised soft tissue.
The nervous system and soft tissues are essentially made of fatty-like substances so finding them preserved as fossils is extremely rare.
The exceptionally well-preserved nerve cord of C.kunmingensis represents a unique structure that is otherwise unknown in living organisms, with the researchers saying it shows just how important the fossil record is in understanding the evolution of animals in the period.
A closer look at the animal's fossil revealed tiny fibres just five thousandths of a millimetre long, branching out at regular intervals.
'These delicate fibres displayed a highly regular distribution pattern, and so we wanted to figure out if they were made of the same material as the ganglia that form the nerve cord,' said Dr Ortega-Hernandez.
Analysis using fluorescence microscopy showed that they were in fact nerves, offering 'an unprecedented level of detail'
The image shows a complete fossilised specimen of C.kunmingensis (left) and a reconstruction of its body (right). A closer look at the animal's fossil revealed tiny fibres just five thousandths of a millimetre long, branching out at regular intervals, which analysis showed to be nerves
The nervous system and soft tissues are essentially made of fatty-like substances so finding them preserved as fossils is extremely rare
Dr Ortega-Hernandez added: 'These fossils greatly improve our understanding of how the nervous system evolved.'
Over the past five years researchers have identified partially-fossilised nervous systems in several different species from the period - but these have mostly been fossilised brains.
In most of those specimens the fossils only preserved details of the profile of the brain - meaning the amount of information available has been limited.
Researchers first identified a fossilised central nervous system in 2013 but the new material has allowed them to investigate the significance of these findings in much greater depth.
The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are helping researchers understand how the nervous system of creepy crawlies with jointed legs evolved.
Researchers said we should limit search for alien life to within this zone
What if ET has been phoning home for years, but nobody has answered?
The search for alien life in the universe often focuses on finding as many planets as possible that are similar to ours, capable of hosting life.
But in a paper published today, scientists argue that we should narrow our search down to those that would be able to see us too.
The search for alien life in the universe often focuses on finding as many planets as possible that are similar to ours, capable of hosting life. But in a paper published today, scientists argue we should narrow our search down to those that would be able to see us too in the so-called Earth's transit zone
The research, published in the journal Astrobiology, from Dr Rene Heller and Professor Ralph Pudritz discusses ways to ensure that aliens trying to detect life on Earth are successful.
In the search for alien life, astrobiologists focus most of their search efforts on planets and moons that are too far away to see directly with telescopes, so they study them by tracking their shadows as they pass in front of their own host stars.
'The approach we utilize is the so-called transit method of detecting planets as they traverse their host stars,' Pudritz told MailOnline.
'This is arguably the simplest and most direct method of actually discovering that a planet is present and what its size is.'
THE 'SUPER GOLDILOCKS' ZONE Traditionally, astronomers have focused the search by looking for planets in their star's 'habitable zone' - more informally called the 'Goldilocks zone'. This is the swath of space that's 'just right' to allow an orbiting Earth-like planet to have liquid water on its surface, perhaps giving life a chance. But so far that has been just a sort of binary designation, indicating only whether a planet is, or is not, within that area considered right for life. A new index was introduced last year, which is more nuanced. It produces a continuum of values that astronomers can punch into a form to arrive at the single-number habitability index, representing the probability that a planet can maintain liquid water at its surface. Advertisement
If a planet crosses in front of its parent star's disk, then the observed visual brightness of the star drops a small amount.
By measuring the dimming of starlight as a planet crosses the face of its star during orbit, scientists can collect a wealth of information, even without ever seeing those worlds directly.
'To prove that life is present on that planet is a much more difficult and involved task, one that is only now being planned by using the latest telescopes,' the pair continued.
'But once again, one starts with candidates that have been detected to be earth-like, for example rocky planets like ours, with an interesting atmosphere that you would get by doing these transit type of observations.'
To identify a potential target, first scientists would need to understand whether or not the planet could be capable of hosting life as we know it.
'You would analyse the light of a host star that has passed through the planet's atmosphere to see if it contained finger prints of molecules associated with life,' he added.
Heller and Pudritz said that we should be focusing our search on the Earth's transit zone - a thin slice of space that if aliens were living in, they'd be able to see the earth passing in front of the sun.
The Earth's transit zone (ETZ) offers around 100,000 potential targets, each potentially orbited by habitable planets and moons, the scientists say. Geometrical construction of ETZ shown. The yellow circle represents the sun, the blue circle is Earth, not to scale
The Earth's transit zone (ETZ) offers around 100,000 potential targets, each potentially orbited by habitable planets and moons, the scientists said - and that's just the number we can see with today's radio telescope technologies.
'The bottom line is that if you are capable of doing careful observations of stars, it would be difficult to miss the transit method,' continued the researchers.
'So it would be hard to miss our earth if you were an observer in the ETZ - within a few thousand light years from us.'
If any planets in the ETZ host intelligent observers, they could have identified Earth as a habitable or even as a living world long ago
'We obviously cannot predict what other possible extra-terrestrial observers are capable of in terms of detecting earth like planets with intelligent life,' Pudritz said.
'But this search procedure is based on the method that has proven itself as simple and effective and based on basic physical ideas, like blocking the light of the star, that really could not be missed.
Dr Heller added 'if any of these planets host intelligent observers, they could have identified earth as a habitable, even as a living world long ago and we could be receiving their broadcasts today.'
Several projects are already under way, both to send signals from earth and to search for signals that have been sent directly or have 'leaked' around obstacles, possibly travelling for thousands of years.
Heller, a post-doctoral fellow, worked with Pudritz, while at McMaster University in Canada. He is now working in a project at the Max Planck Institute, Germany, that will be heavily involved in a new space observatory dedicated to planet searches (Plato).
'We have also focused our paper at the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI) community that uses radio telescope searches,' Pudritz said.
'As theorists, we are interested to gauge whether or not surveys might be mounted to sample the large number of sources in the earth transit zone (ETZ) that we have proposed - of the order of 100,000,' Pruditz told MailOnline.
'A full survey would require a huge amount of observation time.'
Heller and Pudritz propose that the Breakthrough Listen Initiative, part of the most comprehensive search for extraterrestrial life ever conducted, can maximise its chances of success by concentrating its search on Earth's transit zone.
Five weeks later it would be announced that his third novel, To the Islands, had won the second-ever Miles Franklin Award, after Patrick Whites Voss had taken out the inaugural prize the previous year.
Stow, at 23, was four or five years older than most of his fellow recruits, and already a published poet and novelist: a fact of which they were almost certainly unaware.
The trip, delayed by an outbreak of flu among the trainees, was a noisy and uncomfortable fourteen-hour grind in a chartered DC-4 with hour-long stops at Townsville and Cairns.
IN EARLY March 1959, RandolphMickStow, with two dozen other young cadet patrol officers, took off from Sydneys Mascot airport after midnight to fly up the Queensland coast to Port Moresby.
A post-university stint as a storeman at the Forrest River Mission (later known as Umbulgurri) in the Kimberley in early 1957 had given him a taste for out-of-the-way places and, after a period studying anthropology at Sydney University, he had been encouraged by Minister for Territories Paul Hasluck, a fellow-West Australian, to apply for a job with the Department of Native Affairs in Papua and New Guinea.
In Port Moresby, during the three-week orientation course that supplemented his five weeks training at the Australian School of Pacific Administration, or ASOPA, at Mosman in Sydney, Mick was quickly inducted into the heavy drinking culture that took place, in strictly segregated bars, among the towns white inhabitants.
Within a few weeks, however, the novelty had worn off.
I am rapidly developing the most strong antagonism towards Civil Servants, he wrote in his diary. New Guinea should be cleared of Europeans as much as possible as soon as possible. But I havent been thirty years in the Territory so I wouldnt know.
Embarking on a biography of Randolph Stow, an introspective author widely thought to be a recluse in his later years, had not been easy at the best of times, but writing about his time in New Guinea in 1959 was troubling on several levels: not least because during his last months there he had experienced a mental and physical breakdown that brought him close to death.
I was probably not the first researcher, too, to discover that Stows Department of Territories personnel fileor the portion of it that dealt with precisely this periodhad gone missing from the Australian Government Archives.
When I tried to get in touch those ex-Department officers who had been in closest contact him, I was met with silence.
The events, occurring not long after the death of Micks father Cedric Stow, a country town solicitor, had caused great distress to his surviving family members, and still did.
Stow himself would not discuss it with his mother and sister at the time, and their fragmented conjectures had led them to believe that, as a barely-trained CPO, he had somehow been left unsupervised in a distant outpost.
This combination of circumstances was inclining me towards the conclusion that a cover-up might subsequently have been put in place to protect the reputations of those further up line.
.
For Mick Stow, things had soon begun to look more promising. A few weeks after his arrival he learned that, instead of being posted out on patrol, he was to be attached to Charles Julius, the Departments anthropologist.
In early May he and Julius would go to Kirwina island in the Trobriand group, to investigate the disputed paramount chieftainship of Omarakana. The authority of the Trobriand chiefs appeared to be waning as various factors underpinning their prestigepolygamy, and faith in their power of magic and beneficent sorcerydiminished with the encroachment of European ideas. If the breakdown of order continued, it was believed, lawlessness might result.
On the morning of Saturday 2 May 1959 Mick and Charles Julius left by Canadian Otter seaplane for the tiny island outpost of Samarai in the Milne Bay district, from where they would travel by boat to Kiriwina.
At Omarakana, they would study what might happen if Mitakata, the elderly paramount chief of the Trobriands, disinherited his heir, who was thought to have slept with one of his younger wives. The two men would spend some five months together before Julius returned to Moresby to make his report, while Stow reverted to his role as a CPO.
These experiences with Charles Julius in the Trobriand Islands, and later on his tour of duty with his supervising senior Patrol Officer Peter Gall, would eventually result in the novel Visitants.
Before that happened, however, in December 1959, after a spell in Taurama hospital in Port Moresby, Mick would resign and be repatriated to Australia. Subsequently Stow was circumspect about these events, publicly as well as privately, and within weeks the larger part of his Public Service file (after being inspected by the the minister, Paul Hasluck) had been moved to a restricted category.
Hints dropped by Mick about his loneliness had led his family to believe his mental crisis had been brought on by malaria. Certainly, in later life, Stow himself also thought so.
Neither Peter Gall, who was still living in Port Moresby, nor Galls immediate superior, Robert Blaikie, the Assistant District Officer at Losuia on Kiriwina at the time, whom I had traced to Queensland, would respond to my letters or emails.
When I tried to ring Peter Gall directly from Australia, the operator in Port Moresby told me his telephone had been disconnected. Finally, from Bob Blaikie, I had received a courteous two-sentence email thanking me for mine, and stating, I have nothing to add that would be of any use to you.
Blaikie, who had correctly guessed that I knew nothing, was evidently prepared to leave it that way, and my research so far amounted to little more than a distillation of gossip, hearsay and speculation.
This is a rivetting and elegantly written long-form article, and if you are interested in writing, writers or Papua New Guinea you should read the full version here. Suzanne Falkiners Mick: A Life of Randolph Stow has just been published by University of Western Australia Publishing
An alien from a faraway planet has made the 'first extraterrestrial contact in the history of mankind' after losing its own home, a bizarre new video claims.
The video released by The Sheivae Project claims to contain the genuine recording of an alien named Sheivae, who has reached out in response to the 1977 message of a Nasa Voyager.
According to the website, Nasa's Curiosity rover obtained the garbled recording in 2012 and has kept it hidden until the recent 'leak.'
But, there are no records of the Mars rovers detecting such a response, and the cliched message has even had seasoned alien hunters questioning its authenticity.
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An alien from a faraway planet has made the 'first extraterrestrial contact in the history of mankind' after losing its own home, a bizarre new video claims. But, there are no records of the Mars rovers detecting such a response, and the cliched message has even alien hunters questioning its authenticity
THE ALLEGED 'ALIEN MESSAGE' In 1977, Nasa sent two Voyager probes into space, where they have explored for almost 40 years. These probes were each sent on their journey with a message, a gold-plated copper disk that holds sounds and images that represent life on Earth. According to The Sheivae Project, the message has been answered. The video claims that an 'unknown signal' was first detected in 2005 by the Opportunity Mars rover, but was not successfully recovered until 2012, by the Curiosity rover. But, there are no records of the Mars rovers detecting such a response, and the cliched message has even alien hunters questioning its authenticity. The video's creator 'Viktor' has said on YouTube, 'You can believe me or not, this is not a problem but please respect my work and the risks I took.' Advertisement
In the recording released earlier this month, a distorted voice can be heard amid whirring, beeping, and other electronic sounds.
According to The Sheivae Project, the message goes as such:
'Hello. I am Sheivae. I receive your message. I come from a world far away from yours.
'You are not alone.
'I hope you receive mine. I hope you understand my message. I try to learn your language (???) yours.
'(???) me I lost (???) I lost my planet.
'Now I am explorer, voyager, creator. You are my first contact. I would (???) like to (???) you. I am not your enemy. I come in peace.'
The story, however, has some holes, and its origin maintains a degree of mystery.
According to the YouTube post, the video can be traced back to a person named 'Viktor,' who says he (or she) was told the story in 2011 by a man who has since 'died of cancer' a year before the video claims it was discovered.
On UFO Sightings Daily, where the video has also been shared, editor Scott C. Waring describes his conversation with an anonymous Twitter user, who told him of the recording she obtained from the deceased man.
The man has since passed away, but she still has the voice recording of the probe that was found,' Waring writes.
'Its odd, for sure, no doubt about that, but NASA doesnt like to tell the public about what they find. [sic]
Waring has asked users to weigh in on the subject, but alien hunters have expressed their skepticism toward the bizarre recording.
'fake...' wrote an anonymous commenter.
'an alien would not use the human phrase 'we come in peace'. This phrase is popular because of western films since the 1950s. Plus english isn't the language of earth,' the post continued.
One commenter called it 'ridiculous,' and said the voice is easily recreated with common tools.
On YouTube, other believers seemed to share these opinions.
'There is no way to verify this is a genuine message,' an anonymous user commented. 'I'm a believer but this message, to me, is a little over the top.'
Some were much more direct in their criticism.
'We have a word for this stuff where I come fromit's called bullsh*t,' one YouTube user commented.
'complete bullsh*t,' another wrote.
'I have studied about UFOs and ETs for more than 5 years. I know thats fake and honestly stupid,' the user continued, in a reply to The Sheivae Project's response.
The video's creator has expressed understanding toward the mixed responses online, and writes that more information will be disclosed as it comes.
The video also explains the historical events that led up to the release of the alleged alien message.
In 1977, Nasa sent two Voyager probes into space, where they have explored for almost 40 years.
These probes were each sent on their journey with a message, a gold-plated copper disk that holds sounds and images that represent life on Earth.
According to The Sheivae Project, the message has been answered.
In 1977, Nasa sent two Voyager probes into space, where they have explored for almost 40 years. These probes were each sent on their journey with a message, a gold-plated copper disk that holds sounds and images that represent life on Earth. The Golden Record, pictured above
The video claims that an 'unknown signal' was first detected in 2005 by the Opportunity Mars rover, but was not successfully recovered until 2012, by the Curiosity rover.
'Viktor' writes that disclosing the information comes at a 'risk.'
'I worked with some people (Ufo experts, multimedia, engineers, some people working for the government or companies related to him), we are investigated and I decided to disclose everything I had [sic].
'This vocal files was found in the probe. Others things will be disclose in the few days or weeks.
One theory is that Nasa's moon formed in a similar way to Earth's moon
Nasa scientists are closer to solving the mystery of how Mars moon Phobos formed.
In late November and early December, the space agencys Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (Maven) mission made a series of close approaches to the Martian moon.
This allowed it to collect data from within 300 miles (500km) of the lunar surface, as well as produce spectral images of Phobos in the ultraviolet.
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In this image, orange shows mid-ultraviolet (MUV) sunlight reflected from the surface of Phobos, exposing the moon's irregular shape and many craters. Blue shows far ultraviolet light, which is scattered off of hydrogen gas in the upper atmosphere of Mars. Phobos blocks this light, eclipsing the ultraviolet sky
HOW DID PHOBOS FORM? One theory is that Phobos' was formed in a similar way to our own moon, in something known as the 'Giant Impact Hypothesis.' This states the moon formed shortly after Earth was formed 4.5 billion years ago when a large object, around the size of Mars, collided with our planet. The material that was thrown out form this collision rapidly combined quickly after the impact to form the moon. Some researchers, however, argue that Phobos was once an asteroid that got drawn in by Mars' gravitational pull. Advertisement
The images will allow Maven scientists to better assess the composition of this enigmatic object, whose origin is unknown.
Comparing Mavens images and spectra of the surface of Phobos to similar data from asteroids and meteorites will help planetary scientists understand the moon's origin whether it is a captured asteroid or was formed in orbit around Mars.
One theory is that Phobos' was formed in a similar way to our own moon, in something known as the 'Giant Impact Hypothesis.'
This states the moon formed shortly after Earth was formed 4.5 billion years ago when a large object, around the size of Mars, collided with our planet.
The material that was thrown out form this collision rapidly combined quickly after the impact to form the moon.
Some researchers, however, argue that Phobos was once an asteroid that got drawn in by Mars' gravitational pull.
The orbit of the Maven probe sometimes crosses the orbit of Phobos. This image shows the configuration of the two orbits in early December 2015, when Maven's Phobos observations were made
Astronomers predict that Mars's larger moon, Phobos, will eventually be destroyed by its parent planet's gravitational force. This graphic shows how the satellite's remains are expected to encircle the red planet, causing it to become 'a smaller version of Saturn' and the first non-gaseous planet in our system to sport rings
The Maven data, when fully studied, will also help scientists look for organic molecules on the surface.
Evidence for such molecules has been reported by previous measurements from the ultraviolet spectrograph on the Mars Express spacecraft.
THE MARKINGS OF PHOBOS Phobos is the larger and closer of Mars' two moons, the other being Deimos. They were both discovered in 1877. Irregularly-shaped Phobos has an average radius of seven miles (11km) and is seven times larger than Deimos. Phobos is 3,700 miles (6,000km) from Mars and has the closest orbit of any known planetary moon. It is so close that it orbits Mars faster than Mars rotates, and completes an orbit in just 7 hours and 39 minutes. Due to tidal interactions, Phobos is drawing closer to Mars by one metre every century, and it is predicted that in 50 million years it will collide with the planet or break up into a planetary ring. It was thought that mysterious grooves on the moon were markings as the result of an impact, but nor scientists say they are the first sign the rocky body is under stress. Advertisement
Last year, astronomers from California predicted that Phobos will eventually be destroyed by its parent planet's gravitational force.
Once destroyed, the satellite's remains will encircle Mars, causing it to become 'a smaller version of Saturn' and the first non-gaseous planet in our solar system to sport rings.
In a paper published on Nature Geoscience, the researchers from the University of California, Berkeley explained how Phobos and the red planet are on a collision course.
Unlike our moon, Mars' main satellite is moving closer and closer to its parent planet, which is inexorably pulling it down.
This gravitational tide is opening grooves on Phobos' surface which can measure 328 to 656 feet (100 to 200 metres) wide and 33 to 98 feet (10 to 30 metres) tall .
The scientists attempted to calculate whether the moon would eventually just crash on the red planet, or rather break into pieces.
Combining observational data with a computer model to calculate the internal strength of Phobos, they found that much of the satellite is composed of weak materials, which makes its disintegration almost inevitable.
Phobos might not be the only doomed moon in our solar system either.
'We speculate that diminutive Phobos may be the last of many inwardly migrating prograde satellites in our solar system,' the researchers wrote in the study
Something similar could be happening, for instance, to Neptune's moon Triton - which is also slowly losing orbit and has comparable fissures on its surface.
Classifying people's appearances based on 'rigid gender boxes' can cause a person to perceive others as less attractive, a new study reveals.
This is according to a psychology study by an international team of researchers, who examined a concept known as the 'Johnny Depp Effect.'
By this effect, women are found to prefer men who have more feminine faces but the researchers have now found that this can be altered depending on the context of the situation.
Researchers examined a concept known as the 'Johnny Depp Effect.' By this effect, women are found to prefer men who have more feminine faces but the researchers have now found that this can be altered depending on the context of the situation
THE 'JOHNNY DEPP EFFECT' In the 'Johnny Depp Effect,' women have a tendency to prefer men with more feminine facial features. Now, researchers have found this can be influenced by context. When people are forced to classify ambiguous faces within 'rigid gender boxes,' they will rate the face as less attractive. But otherwise, people were found to prefer the faces with feminine features. The team says that shows how 'mental effort' can have a negative impact on peoples' impressions of others. Advertisement
Researchers from the University of Otago, Warwick Business School, and the University of California, San Diego set out to explain why women tend to prefer men with feminine facial features in some contexts, but not others.
The team conducted two separate experiments in which they asked participants to rate the attractiveness of gender-blended face morphs.
Overall, the study revealed that assigning 'male' or 'female,' to the faces before rating them led participants to judge ambiguous faces as less appealing.
With exception only when they were asked to assign a gender to the gender-blend faces, participants were found to prefer more feminine features.
This phenomena is likely traced back to 'processing fluency,' or the ease of perceiving, processing, and categorising a particular thing, explains co-author Professor Jamin Halberstadt, of Otago's Department of Psychology.
Applying 'mental effort can negatively colour our initial impressions, even for things that are objectively pretty,' says Piotr Winkielman, from the Warwick School of Business, and UCSD.
'The idea we tested is that the mental effort of having to assign a gender to an ambiguous face has a flow-on effect of negatively influencing how we feel about that face,' says Professor Halberstadt.
The team conducted two separate experiments in which they asked participants to rate the attractiveness of gender-blended face morphs (examples pictured). Overall, the study revealed that assigning 'male' or 'female,' to the faces before rating them led participants to judge ambiguous faces as less appealing
Classifying people's appearances based on 'rigid gender boxes' can cause a person to perceive others as less attractive, a new study reveals. With exception only when they were asked to assign a gender to the gender-blend faces, participants were found to prefer more feminine features
In the second experiment, some participants were asked to categorise the ambiguous faces by ethnicity.
The researchers say, in this case, participants did not then judge the blends as less attractive.
According to the team, this indicates ambiguity is not causing a general aversion, but processes in the brain are actually to blame.
'It has previously been suggested that a woman's preference in male faces vary due to hormonal influences 'that sometimes she is subconsciously looking for signs of a 'nice dad' who will be a good provider, while other times it is the highly masculine 'bad boy' with his 'better' genes,' Professor Halberstadt said.
'However, our research indicates that such changes in preferences can instead be explained by a simple cognitive process.'
The researcher says that context can shift a person's preferences.
While ambiguity may be considered more attractive initially, a situation that forces someone to then classify that face into a 'male' or 'female' role causes the person to see it as less appealing.
'The more feminine faces are generally preferred, unless the context forces the viewer to put the face into rigid gender boxes,' said Halberstadt.
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After spending nearly a year on the International Space Station, Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly is preparing for his return to Earth tomorrow.
The 52-year-old is scheduled to touch down in Kazakhstan at around 11:45 pm EST having completed 5,440 laps around the planet, and logging 143.8 million miles.
Ahead of his journey home, Nasa astronaut Tim Kopra today assumed command of the International Space Station from Kelly in a traditional 'Change of Command' ceremony.
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Scott Kelly (right) scheduled to touch down in Kazakhstan at around 11:45 pm EST tomorrow having completed 5,440 laps around the planet, and logging 143.8 million miles. Ahead of his journey home, Nasa astronaut Tim Kopra (left) today assumed command of the International Space Station from Kelly in a traditional Change of Command ceremony
Expedition 47 will officially begin under Kopras command when the Soyuz spacecraft carrying Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov undocks from the space station tomorrow.
During his 'Year in Space', Kelly has done a little bit of everything, from science experiments and spacewalks, to watching movies and celebrating talking with President Obama. And he's shared it all with the world on social media.
In the countdown to his departure, the astronaut has been posting some of his social media highlights on Twitter, including an image showing a stunning red aurora over Earth and one of the Milky Way.
Kelly says he is proud to have served as guinea pigs for future Mars expeditions. For Nasa, getting astronauts to Mars in 20 years is what this yearlong mission is all about.
Last week, Kelly held his final news conference from the International Space Station, saying the experience was like 'camping in the woods'.
He told reporters that space is a 'harsh environment,' and you never feel perfectly normal.
Kelly held his final news conference from the International Space Station, telling reporters that space is a 'harsh environment,' and you never feel perfectly normal'
During his 'Year in Space', Kelly has done a little bit of everything, from science experiments and spacewalks, to watching movies and celebrating talking with President Obama. And he's shared it all with the world on social media
In this December 21, 2015 photo, Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly participates in a spacewalk outside the International Space Station in which he and Flight Engineer Tim Kopra, not pictured, moved the station's mobile transporter rail car ahead of the docking of a Russian cargo supply spacecraft
'Day 325. Set your sails for the #stars! #GoodNight from @space_station! #YearInSpace' tweeted Scott Kelly yesterday, with this image
SCOTT KELLY AND THE TWIN STUDY Scott Kelly, together with cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, boarded the ISS in March last year as part of a first-of-its-kind experiment to test how the human body copes with prolonged space travel. They will be the first astronauts to spend a year on the station. Mr Kelly's identical twin Mark has remained on Earth, allowing Nasa to examine the changes between these genetically identical people in two vastly different environments. Both the Kellys will be subjected to 10 experiments in human physiology, behavioural health, microbiology and molecular. By staying on the station for 12 months, the astronauts will provide key information on how an eventual Mars mission - estimated to last three years there and back - might play out. Advertisement
From a hygiene perspective, he said, he feels as if he has been camping for a year. But from a physical point of view, though, he feels 'pretty good.'
The toughest part? Being isolated from loved ones, a situation that will pose even more of a challenge for astronauts sent to Mars.
Despite all this, Kelly said he could go another 100 days or even another year 'if I had to.'
By the time he comes home, he will have spent 340 consecutive days aloft, a US record.
The world record is 438 days, set by a Russian cosmonaut in the 1990s.
Even that will pale in comparison to a Mars expedition, expected to last two to three years round trip.
Scientists hope to learn much from Kelly's mission to pave the way to Mars in another two decades; they also will collect data from his Russian roommate for the year, Mikhail Kornienko.
Along with Kornienko, Kelly will check out of the space station tomorrow, riding a Russian capsule back to the planet to end Nasa's longest space flight. They will land in Kazakhstan. Then Kelly will be hustled home to Houston.
The 52-year-old astronaut said he can't wait to jump in his pool and dine at a real table with friends and family.
Kelly rocketed away last March on a research-packed mission, leaving behind two daughters and his girlfriend.
He lightened things up recently by donning a gorilla suit a gag gift from his identical twin, retired astronaut Mark Kelly and cavorting through the station.
The brothers hope to go fishing in Alaska once things settle down.
Also waiting for him is his girlfriend of seven years, Amiko Kauderer, who is in Texas, working as a public relations officer at Nasa.
In this July 12 photograph, Kelly is seen inside the Cupola, a special module which provides a 360-degree viewing of the Earth and the space station. On each additional day he spends in orbit as part of his one-year mission, Kelly will add to his record and to our understanding of the effects of long-duration spaceflight
Amiko Kauderer snapped this photograph of herself saying goodbye to her boyfriend of five years, Scott Kelly, who is currently on the ISS. They are due to be reunited again tomorrow
Station Commander Scott Kelly passed astronaut Mike Fincke, also a former station commander, on Oct. 16, 2015, for most cumulative days living and working in space by a Nasa astronaut (383 days and counting). Kelly is scheduled to come home March 2, 2016, for a record total 522 days in space
Kelly is not the only human breaking records for time in space. Expedition 44 commander Gennady Padalka broke the 10-year-old record for the number of cumulative days in space June 28, as he reached 804 days in space.
The international space station has been occupied since November 2000 and in that time, more than 200 people from 15 different countries have visited.
Crews are usually assigned 35 working hours a week and conduct research in different disciplines to advance scientific knowledge of the Earth space, physical, and biological sciences.
'What makes this exciting for me, this one-year flight, is about the science and everything we're going to learn from expanding the envelope on the space station,' Kelly said in an interview in December.
'If we're ever going to go to Mars someday, the International Space Station is really a great platform to learn much more about having people live and work in space for longer durations.
'It's close to the Earth, and it's a great orbiting facility.'
Kelly, a former Navy fighter pilot, said his goals are the same as they are every time he flies in space: 'No one gets hurt, we don't break anything and we leave as friends.'
The 'One Year Crew,' consists of Commander Kelly (left) and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Koneinko (right)
Kelly's second image posted on social media said: 'Good morning Texas! Great view of you, the moon, and Venus this morning.' Texas is seen to the right of the ISS, the moon and Venus are pictured bottom left
THE YEAR-LONG ASTRONAUTS Scott Kelly This is the fourth spaceflight for Mr Kelly, 51, a former Nasa shuttle commander and Navy test pilot whose identical twin brother, Mark, also was chosen as an astronaut in 1996. The two will conduct many of the same medical experiments over the coming year so scientists can compare the results. Scott Kelly's first two flights were aboard shuttles. He spent more than five months on the space station in 2010 to 2011. It was during that mission that his sister-in-law, then Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, nearly died after being shot in the head in Tucson, Arizona. Once he's back home in Houston, Kelly imagines it will be 'hard to walk away' from spaceflight. He'd love to pilot one of the new US spacecraft in development. But he figures if he cuts in front of other astronauts awaiting assignments, 'someone will run me over with their car.' What will Kelly miss the most, besides his loved ones? The weather. 'It never changes on the space station,' he said. 'Even though it's a pretty nice environment, I guess it's like living in Southern California, people get sick of it ... after a while.' Mikhail Kornienko It is the second space mission for Mr Kornienko, 54, a former paratrooper whose helicopter-pilot father was part of the search and rescue team for the first Soviet cosmonauts back in the 1960s. His father brought back souvenirs from the returning Soyuz capsules: uneaten food rations and pieces of the orange silky parachutes used for the final descent. 'Mom made gorgeous skirts out of them,' he said. 'I still have a small piece of one of those parachutes. 'I cherish it as if it were something sacred.' A religious man, Mr Kornienko is taking into orbit a folding icon depicting the Madonna and Child. His previous station stay was in 2010, 12 years after his selection as a cosmonaut. He figures he'll miss the same things he dreamed about last time he flew: water not in the form of blobs as in space, but water you can swim in, as well as grass, forests and fields. Mr Kornienko already says he'd take on another one-year mission after a break, of course. Advertisement
Scott Kelly (right) and his identical twin brother, retired astronaut Mark Kelly (left) pose for pictures during a press conference at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan in March
Posting this image on Twitter, astronaut Scott Kelly wrote: 'Day 166. #Venus photobombed the #Moon tonight. Good night from @space_station! #YearInSpace.' This image shows the curvature Earth, the moon and Venus behind it as well as part of the International Space Station in the foreground
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Some families live and die in the same town, and have done for centuries, while others move from one place to the next.
But regardless of which camp you fall into, a new web app claims to predict where you're most likely to be from using just your family name.
'Named' was developed by researchers at University College London's Department of Geography, and forms part of a larger project on UK surnames.
It uses data from the Consumer Data Research Centre to show where the surname is most concentrated in the UK, in comparison to the general population of the area, which can also reveal how common your name is.
Desktop users can discover where their name comes from using the tool below. Mobile users can access the tool from the Named site. Due to high demand the tool below may take some time to load.
Users simply type in their surname into the website and search for it (pictured). The resulting heat map generated by the algorithm shows the highest density of the surname in red, with the lowest in pale yellow
Users type in their surname into the website and press 'Go!'. The resulting heat map generated by the algorithm shows the highest density of the surname in red, with the lowest in pale yellow.
On his blog, UCL data scientist Oliver O'Brien wrote: 'I put together the website and adapted for the UK some code on generating heat maps showing regions of unusual popularity of a surname.'
The researcher explained that the original code underpinning the UK maps was written by researchers at Arizona State University in the US.
'The site is also a useful information gathering tool we are only in the early stages of evaluating the validity or accuracy of this method we know it works well for certain regional UK names which are not too popular or too rare, at least,' O'Brien wrote.
MailOnline tested a number of the most common surnames in the UK. In most cases, due to the wide distribution of names, the heat maps highlight areas of highest concentration in the countryside.
Due to the wide distribution of names, the heat maps highlight areas of highest concentration in the countryside. But in some cases cities will be highlighted as the highest density, typically with names which have been introduced in the UK's modern history. For example, the surname Patel is most highly concentrated in and around London (pictured)
Another common surname 'Green' shows wider geographical distribution and is much harder to pin down to a single region or city in terms of concentration (pictured)
But in some cases cities will be highlighted as the highest density, typically with names which have been introduced in the UK's modern history.
'It will only rarely highlight London and the other major cities of the UK, except for exceptionally urban-centric surnames, typically of foreign-origin,' explained O'Brien.
HOW DOES IT WORK? 'Named' was developed at University College London's Department of Geography, and forms part of a larger project on UK surnames. It uses data from the Consumer Data Research Centre to return where the surname is most concentrated in the UK, in comparison to the general population of the area. Users simply type in their surname into the website and press 'Go!' The resulting heat map generated by the algorithm shows the highest density of the surname in red, with the lowest in pale yellow. The code underpinning the UK maps was originally written by researchers at Arizona State University in the US. Advertisement
For example, the surname Patel is most highly concentrated in and around London, while another common surname, Green, shows wider geographical distribution and is much harder to pin down to a single region or city in terms of concentration.
But the website has an additional data twist. It claims that it can even predict where a couple likely met, based on both of their surnames.
For example, when MailOnline searched for 'White' and 'Singh' the heatmap predicted the lovers most likely met in either London or Birmingham, based on the overlapping of the two names.
Professor Paul Longley, a geographer at UCL who is leading the project, said: 'The website is a quirky start of our research project which is looking into whether our surnames are linked to our geographical locations something which has been long perceived.
'It is known that many names remain surprisingly concentrated in specific parts of the UK, and this project helps us extend our understanding of name geography to combinations of names too when we enter relationships.'
For those with a rare surname, which may only bring back a small number of people, these have been omitted to protect their identity.
Professor Longley added: 'Most Anglo Saxon family names came into common usage between the 12th and 14th centuries, and were first coined in particular parts of the country.
Interestingly, most individuals do not move far from their ancestral family homes and so, 700 or more years later, most names can still be associated with particular localities.
For example, if your lover's surname is Rossall, for example, it is still about 40 times more likely that you met him or her in the environs of Blackpool than in Central London.'
The project has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and users are encouraged to give feedback.
O'Brien added: 'The maps on our website make predictions based upon geographic patterning, and we are really interested to learn whether we get things right.'
The sight of the red hourglass markings on their abdomen is enough to send even the bravest of people scampering away with fear.
But while the markings on the underside of deadly female black widow spiders can help us identify them easily, scientists have discovered they evolved the marking to warn off birds.
Researchers have been able to prove that the distinctive red patch acts like an illuminated hazard sign for birds but are also difficult for the spider's insect prey to spot.
The distinctive red hourglass markings on a female black widow spider (pictured) are designed to scare off potential predators but could also alert prey to their presence too. Researchers studied the way insects and birds see the markings and found insects struggle to see the bright red marks
This allows black widows to warn off potential predators in the surrounding area without alerting crickets, beetles and ants to their presence.
Dr Nicholas Brandley, a biologist who conducted the study at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina but now works at Colorado College, said: 'Insects can still detect red light, but not as well as mammals or birds.
'TWERKING' FOR SURVIVAL The black widow earned its name mainly because of the female spiders tendency to devour mates and potential suitors. But recent research has found that male spiders have developed an unusual tactic to avoid being eaten. The male black widows vibrate their abdomens when entering a female's web to warn her that they are here to mate, not food. Spiders use vibrations on their webs to help detect when an insect has become ensnared in their sticky trap, but the male spiders use a specific set of vibrations to catch the female's attention first before she reacts. The researchers, from Simon Fraser University in Canada, found that the courtship vibrations of both species differed from those of prey, but that the very low-amplitude vibratory signals produced when male black widows shake their abdomens were particularly distinctive. Advertisement
'The birds would see a spider model with red markings and get startled and jump back, like 'Oh no man, get me out of here.'
Black widow spiders are considered to be one of the most venomous spiders in the world, but despite their reputation their bite is rarely lethal to humans.
It can be harmful to the very young and elderly, but the venom is far more deadly to smaller mammals and their insect prey.
Many toxic and venomous creatures use bright colours to advertise they are dangerous to predators, but the markings on a black widow are much more subtle.
While their red markings have long been suspected as a warning to predators, it has been unclear if this was a disadvantage to the creatures when hunting.
To study the role of the black widow's red markings, the researchers used 3D printing to create fake plastic spiders which they placed onto bird feeders.
Half of the eight fake spiders were painted completely black while the other half were given a red hourglass that matched the colouring seen in real black widows.
The researchers found the spiders with the red hourglass were less attractive to birds looking for a snake and they were three times less likely to peck or grab a model with one on.
As part of their study, the scientists 3D printed replica black widow spiders with and without red markings to see how birds would react to the bright red mark. The spiders would normally sit on their webs belly up so the distinctive red mark is visible from above to birds (pictured)
Small, short-beaked birds such as house finches and chickadees were more easily spooked.
Dr Brandley, who carried out the research as part of his PhD, and his colleagues also examined how birds and insects would see the red and black hues used by black widows.
Birds eyes have photoreceptors that allow them to see long wavelengths of light that most insects lack.
Using an spectroradiometre, the researchers, whose work is published in the journal Behavioural Ecology, they measured the light reflected by two of the three black widow species seen in the United States.
They were then able to calculate how much of that light the photoreceptors in the eyes of birds and insects would detect.
They discovered the black widow's warning colours are two times more visible to birds than to insects.
The red marks (pictured) are twice as visible to birds than to insects as they reflect light that birds are particularly sensitive too. In tests using 3D replicas, the birds were three times more likely to avoid spiders with the red marks on their bellies than those without them
Dr Brandley and his colleagues said the viewing angle may also play a role as black widows usually hang underneath their horizontal webs with their bellies facing the sky.
This puts their warning markings in full view of birds overhead but leaves them largely hidden from insects.
To test this, the team put two species of North American black widows in 20 inch tall cages and allowed them to build webs.
The species that built its web highest from the ground, and so may be visible to birds hunting above and below them, carries red marks on its back as well.
Dr Brandley said the study had highlighted the role that detection by prey may play in the evolution of warning colours to deter predators.
Genetically engineering bacteria has the potential to lead to new solutions to problems such as pollution or delivering new types of treatments to patients.
But releasing these man-made microorganisms into the environment is thought to be fraught with fears they may spread out of control.
Researchers now claim they have developed a solution by turning bacteria into microscopic 'swarmbots'.
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Scientists have engineered a way of controlling bacteria by only enabling them to survive if they are surrounded by other microbes. Each produces a chemical that causes their neighbours to resist an antibiotic, meaning 'swarms' can grow successfully (top row) and those without the swarm ability (bottom) do not grow
The bacteria have been engineered so they are unable to survive by themselves as they are reliant upon the protective proteins produced by their neighbours.
However, if they spread out, causing their density to drop below a certain level, the bacteria can no longer get enough of this protein and quickly die.
CONTROLLING GM BACTERIA Genetically modified organisms could improve our lives by allowing scientists to tackle problems not currently possible in nature. Bacteria capable of breaking down harmful pollutants or producing new types of biofuels have been created in the laboratory. But putting them into the environment also runs the risk of them spreading uncontrollably. To keep them under control, scientists have been developing 'kill switches' designed to act as an emergency stop for GMOs. The mechanisms not only destroy the genetically modified organism if it escapes from the lab, but will also erase any trace of the genetic information used to create it. One option is something known as the Deadman solution, based on train models. Just like a train, the operators had to keep their hands on the dead man's switch. If the operator becomes incapacitated, their hand would loosen and brakes would engage. In the case of a kill switch for genomes, a certain chemical must always be present or the 'switch' will go off and it will die. The other microbe kill switch is Passcode, which requires a combination of three small molecules such as molecules A and B, but the complete absence of C. The designer can also choose whatever sequence or 'passcode' they wish. Advertisement
Dr Lingchong You, a biomedical engineer at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina who oversaw the study, said: 'Safety has always been a concern when modifying bacteria for medical applications because of the danger of uncontrolled proliferation.
'Other labs have addressed this issue by making cells rely on unnatural amino acids for survival or by introducing a "kill switch" that is activated by some chemical.
'Ours is the first example that uses collective survival as a way of intrinsically realizing this safeguard.'
In research published in the journal Molecular Systems Biology, Dr You and his team engineered a strain of the common gut bacteria Escherichia coli to produce a chemical called AHL.
The bacterial cells were also modified so that in high enough concentrations AHL causes them to produce a protein that would protect them against an antibiotic.
The researchers confined the bacteria within a permeable capsule and washed it with antibiotics.
Provided the bacteria remained inside the capsule, their density remained high and they survived.
But if the capsule was ruptured and the bacteria escaped, they spread out and were quickly killed.
The concept works much like robot swarms where each member is reliant upon the others in the swarm for things like communication or positioning.
Dr You and his team said the experiment proves the concept of using the technology to create bacteria that are only able to survive while they remain in 'swarms'.
This would allow them to be released into the environment or given to a person without fear they will multiply out of control.
The microbial swarmbots are able to grow in the presence of antibiotics provided they remain inside a capsule that keeps their density high (bacteria are pink in the picture above). The researchers say they hope to adapt the approach to allow them to develop probiotic bacteria that can be controlled within the guts of patients
The bacteria need to be present in a high density which is maintained inside a capsule (illustrated)
Once the bacterial colony grows too big for its capsule, it will burst and release them, causing them to die.
'In general, this concept does not depend on the use of antibiotics,' said You.
'There are multiple directions we are hoping to follow with this platform.
'We're using non-pathogenic E. coli, but we hope to demonstrate that the same concept can be established with a probiotic strain of bacteria.
'Once we've established the platform, then we have the freedom to introduce whatever proteins we choose and allow these cells to engage in many different applications.'
Using probiotic bacteria could allow the researchers to respond to certain environmental conditions in a person's gut, to perhaps release drugs or nutrients when needed.
It raises the prospect of using such bacteria to help tackle harmful food poisoning bacteria by programming the probiotic strains to react in their presence.
Dr Shuqiang Huang, another of the researchers involved in the study, said: 'We can imagine programming probiotics that can respond to changes in their environmental conditions.
When the bacteria leave the capsule containing them - for example if it is ruptured (pictured) - they quickly die, preventing them from spreading. It could prove a useful failsafe for releasing genetically modified microbes
'That response could include delivering proteins or chemicals to modulate the microbiome.'
The technology could also be used to deliver bacteria contained within capsules that could help the body combat pathogenic bacteria, said Anna Lee, a student who was involved in the study.
She said: 'We want to program cells to respond to signals produced by pathogenic bacteria.
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Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly has landed back on Earth after spending nearly a year on the International Space Station.
The 52-year-old and two Russian cosmonauts touched down in Kazakhstan after a three-hour flight from the ISS.
It was a textbook landing for Kelly and his crew, with the Soyuz spacecraft landing vertically as planned at approximately 11.25pm EST.
Kelly was seen clambering out of the capsule with the help of search and rescue teams and punched the air as he breathed fresh air for the first time since early 2015.
He looked in fine form and was on the phone just minutes later, perhaps to his family, two daughters or his girlfriend, who works for Nasa.
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Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly has landed back on Earth after spending nearly a year on the International Space Station
The 52-year-old and two Russian cosmonauts touched down in Kazakhstan after a three-hour flight from the ISS - and Kelly was carried out of the spacecraft by a rescue team
The Soyuz capsule carrying the International Space Station (ISS) crew of US astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergei Volkov fell through the atmosphere suspended by a parachute
Heading home: Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly's Soyuz spacecraft (pictured) undocked from the ISS shortly after 8pm EST
The capsule undocked shortly after 8pm EST as it edged away from the ISS at a speed of just four inches a second. Once the Soyuz craft had crept 50ft away from the space station, two short blasts of its rockets - known as separation burns - set Kelly on his way home
TODAY'S SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 4:15 pm ET - Farewell and hatch closure coverage; hatch closure scheduled at 4:40 p.m 7:45 pm ET - Undocking coverage; undocking scheduled at 8:05 p.m ET 10:15 pm ET- Deorbit burn and landing coverage; deorbit burn scheduled at 10:34 pm, with landing at 11:27pm ET. Advertisement
Kelly and his crewmates Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov will be taken for medical tests before they meet their loves ones.
The trio clambered into a Russian Soyuz spacecraft at 4.15pm EST ahead of the capsule's undocking from the ISS shortly after 8pm EST.
It edged away from the ISS at a speed of just four inches a second until it had crept 50ft away, when two short blasts of its rockets - known as separation burns - set Kelly on his way home.
Kelly shared an emotion farewell with his crew this afternoon after posting a picture of his final sunrise on Twitter, telling his 925,000 followers: 'Rise and shine! My last #sunrise from space then I gotta go!'
Ahead of his journey home, Nasa astronaut Tim Kopra yesterday assumed command of the International Space Station from Kelly in a traditional 'Change of Command' ceremony.
During his 'Year in Space', Kelly has done a little bit of everything, from science experiments and spacewalks, to watching movies and celebrating talking with President Obama. And he's shared it all with the world on social media.
In the countdown to his departure, the astronaut has been posting some of his social media highlights on Twitter, including an image showing a stunning red aurora over Earth and one of the Milky Way.
Kelly says he is proud to have served as guinea pigs for future Mars expeditions. For Nasa, getting astronauts to Mars in 20 years is what this yearlong mission is all about.
Last week, Kelly held his final news conference from the International Space Station, saying the experience was like 'camping in the woods'.
He told reporters that space is a 'harsh environment,' and you never feel perfectly normal.
Tim Peak (right) steadies the camera to capture the moment that Scott Kelly (second on the right) and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko (second from the left) and Sergey Volkov (center) enter the Soyuz capsule. On the left is Tim Kopra
Scott Kelly has bid an emotional farewell to his crew mates today (left). His capsule will undock at 8:05pm ET and touch down in Kazakhstan at around 11:45 pm EST. Kelly says he is proud to have served as guinea pigs for future Mars expeditions
After spending nearly a year on the International Space Station, Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly is preparing for his return to Earth today. This is the last tweet he sent before hatch closure
Hours before his departure Scott Kelly posted this stunning image, telling followers 'Rise and shine! My last #sunrise from space then I gotta go!'
The astronaut posted a series of 5 stunning pictures to mark his last morning aboard the ISS.he 52-year-old is scheduled to touch down in Kazakhstan at around 11:45 pm EST today
In the countdown to his departure, the astronaut has been posting some of his social media highlights on Twitter, including these images of his final sunrise in space
Ahead of Kellys journey home, Nasa astronaut Tim Kopra (left) today assumed command of the International Space Station from Kelly in a traditional Change of Command ceremony
Amiko Kauderer snapped this photograph of herself saying goodbye to her boyfriend of five years, Scott Kelly, who is currently on the ISS. They are due to be reunited again tomorrow
SCOTT KELLY AND THE TWIN STUDY Scott Kelly, together with cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, boarded the ISS in March last year as part of a first-of-its-kind experiment to test how the human body copes with prolonged space travel. They will be the first astronauts to spend a year on the station. Mr Kelly's identical twin Mark has remained on Earth, allowing Nasa to examine the changes between these genetically identical people in two vastly different environments. Both the Kellys will be subjected to 10 experiments in human physiology, behavioural health, microbiology and molecular. By staying on the station for 12 months, the astronauts will provide key information on how an eventual Mars mission - estimated to last three years there and back - might play out. Advertisement
From a hygiene perspective, he said, he feels as if he has been camping for a year. But from a physical point of view, though, he feels 'pretty good.'
The toughest part? Being isolated from loved ones, a situation that will pose even more of a challenge for astronauts sent to Mars.
Despite all this, Kelly said he could go another 100 days or even another year 'if I had to.'
By the time he comes home, he will have spent 340 consecutive days aloft, a US record.
The world record is 438 days, set by a Russian cosmonaut in the 1990s.
Even that will pale in comparison to a Mars expedition, expected to last two to three years round trip.
Scientists hope to learn much from Kelly's mission to pave the way to Mars in another two decades; they also will collect data from his Russian roommate for the year, Mikhail Kornienko.
Along with Kornienko, Kelly will check out of the space station tomorrow, riding a Russian capsule back to the planet to end Nasa's longest space flight. They will land in Kazakhstan. Then Kelly will be hustled home to Houston.
The 52-year-old astronaut said he can't wait to jump in his pool and dine at a real table with friends and family.
Kelly rocketed away last March on a research-packed mission, leaving behind two daughters and his girlfriend.
He lightened things up recently by donning a gorilla suit a gag gift from his identical twin, retired astronaut Mark Kelly and cavorting through the station.
The brothers hope to go fishing in Alaska once things settle down.
Also waiting for him is his girlfriend of seven years, Amiko Kauderer, who is in Texas, working as a public relations officer at Nasa.
In this December 21, 2015 photo, Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly participates in a spacewalk outside the International Space Station in which he and Flight Engineer Tim Kopra, not pictured, moved the station's mobile transporter rail car ahead of the docking of a Russian cargo supply spacecraft
'Day 325. Set your sails for the #stars! #GoodNight from @space_station! #YearInSpace' tweeted Scott Kelly yesterday, with this image
In this July 12 photograph, Kelly is seen inside the Cupola, a special module which provides a 360-degree viewing of the Earth and the space station. On each additional day he spends in orbit as part of his one-year mission, Kelly will add to his record and to our understanding of the effects of long-duration spaceflight
Station Commander Scott Kelly passed astronaut Mike Fincke, also a former station commander, on Oct. 16, 2015, for most cumulative days living and working in space by a Nasa astronaut (383 days and counting). Kelly is scheduled to come home March 2, 2016, for a record total 522 days in space
Kelly is not the only human breaking records for time in space. Expedition 44 commander Gennady Padalka broke the 10-year-old record for the number of cumulative days in space June 28, as he reached 804 days in space.
The international space station has been occupied since November 2000 and in that time, more than 200 people from 15 different countries have visited.
Crews are usually assigned 35 working hours a week and conduct research in different disciplines to advance scientific knowledge of the Earth space, physical, and biological sciences.
'What makes this exciting for me, this one-year flight, is about the science and everything we're going to learn from expanding the envelope on the space station,' Kelly said in an interview in December.
'If we're ever going to go to Mars someday, the International Space Station is really a great platform to learn much more about having people live and work in space for longer durations.
'It's close to the Earth, and it's a great orbiting facility.'
Kelly, a former Navy fighter pilot, said his goals are the same as they are every time he flies in space: 'No one gets hurt, we don't break anything and we leave as friends.'
The 'One Year Crew,' consists of Commander Kelly (left) and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Koneinko (right)
Kelly's second image posted on social media said: 'Good morning Texas! Great view of you, the moon, and Venus this morning.' Texas is seen to the right of the ISS, the moon and Venus are pictured bottom left
THE YEAR-LONG ASTRONAUTS Scott Kelly This was the fourth spaceflight for Mr Kelly, 52, a former Nasa shuttle commander and Navy test pilot whose identical twin brother, Mark, also was chosen as an astronaut in 1996. The two conducted many of the same medical experiments over the coming year so scientists can compare the results. Scott Kelly's first two flights were aboard shuttles. He spent more than five months on the space station in 2010 to 2011. It was during that mission that his sister-in-law, then Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, nearly died after being shot in the head in Tucson, Arizona. Once he's back home in Houston, Kelly imagines it will be 'hard to walk away' from spaceflight. He'd love to pilot one of the new US spacecraft in development. But he figures if he cuts in front of other astronauts awaiting assignments, 'someone will run me over with their car.' What will Kelly miss the most, besides his loved ones? The weather. 'It never changes on the space station,' he said. 'Even though it's a pretty nice environment, I guess it's like living in Southern California, people get sick of it ... after a while.' Mikhail Kornienko It is the second space mission for Mr Kornienko, 54, a former paratrooper whose helicopter-pilot father was part of the search and rescue team for the first Soviet cosmonauts back in the 1960s. His father brought back souvenirs from the returning Soyuz capsules: uneaten food rations and pieces of the orange silky parachutes used for the final descent. 'Mom made gorgeous skirts out of them,' he said. 'I still have a small piece of one of those parachutes. 'I cherish it as if it were something sacred.' A religious man, Mr Kornienko took into orbit a folding icon depicting the Madonna and Child. His previous station stay was in 2010, 12 years after his selection as a cosmonaut. He said he'll miss the same things he dreamed about last time he flew: water not in the form of blobs as in space, but water you can swim in, as well as grass, forests and fields. Mr Kornienko already says he'd take on another one-year mission after a break, of course. Advertisement
It's popularly said that dogs have a sixth sense when it comes to sniffing out nasty people.
Now it seems they react strongly to the 'threat' of a robot too.
A feisty terrier has taken on Boston Dynamics' 'Spot' dog by barking at it and even giving chase, showing that in the event of a robot uprising, dogs will still be man's best friend.
A feisty terrier has taken on Boston Robotic's 'Spot' dog (pictured) by barking at it and even giving chase, showing that in the event of a robot uprising, dogs will still be man's best friend. Credit: Steve Jurvetson/Flickr
The dog, named Cosmo, is said to belong to Andy Rubin, the co-founder of Android, who has previously managed the robotics program at Google.
Google acquired Boston Dymamics, which makes numerous sized robotic animals in differing sizes, including Spot, which can run, climb stairs, jog next to its owner and even cope with being kicked.
Cosmo can be seen barking at and chasing Spot in a dog versus robot stand-off captured in a video by venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson who shared the footage onYouTube.
He told IEEE Spectrum: 'I was told that this is the only Spot (their latest robot) in civilian hands.'
The dog, named Cosmo (pictured), is said to belong to Andy Rubin, the co-founder of Android, who has previously managed the robotics program at Google
The 160lb (72kg) electrically powered and hydraulically actuated robot can walk, trot and even climb steps as well as cope with being kicked
Cosmo can be seen barking at (pictured) and chasing Spot in a dog versus robot stand-off captured in a video by venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson
The US military has been putting Spot, or the 'Legged Squad Support System' through its paces as a reconnaissance robot, but its future is unclear, according to a report by military.com
Captain James Pineiro, the Ground Combat Element branch head for the Warfighting Lab told the site: 'I see Spot right now as more of a ground reconnaissance asset.
'The problem is, Spot in its current configuration doesn't have the autonomy to do that.'
However, Mr Jurvetson praised the robot's lifelike movement, which certainly captured the attention of Cosmo.
In the video, Cosmo the dog keeps barking at the robot and even when its operator makes it run away, the dog follows (pictured above), seemingly distrusting of the technology
Google acquired Boston Dymamics, which makes numerous sized robotic dogs (pictured) in differing sizes, including Spot, which can run, climb stairs, jog next to its owner and even cope with being kicked
SPOT CAN WITHSTAND KICKING A video showing Spot being kicked last year sparked an ethical debate. It was intended to show how stable the machine is, but viewers complained the 'dog'in the clip had been mistreated. The action was dubbed 'cruel', 'wrong' and has even raised concerns about robotic ethics. One Twitter user wrote: ''Kicking a dog, even a robot dog seems wrong.' Another said: 'Just wrong, kick a robot dog as practice: Google's dog robot looks too real for comfort when getting kicked.' But a more practical user wrote: ''Kicking a dog is wrong; it feels, breathes, and remembers. A robot is a piece of sheet metal.' Noel Sharkey from the University of Sheffield, UK, added: 'The only way it's unethical is if the robot could feel pain.' Advertisement
He quipped: 'the tradition of the uncanny valley continues...To the un-canine valley!'
In the video, Cosmo the dog keeps barking at the robot and even when its operator makes it run away, the dog follows, seemingly untrusting of the technology.
An observer says of the dog: 'He totally thinks he's winning' and when Spot drops to a crouch, his operator says "you win".'
Last year, Boston Dynamics released a video showcasing the robot's amazing abilities.
It shows the 160 lb (72kg) electrically powered and hydraulically actuated robot walking, trotting and even climbing steps.
A sensor on the robot's head helps it navigate over rough terrain - and to spot when humans, or another robo-dog, is nearby by, allowing it to follow its owner and run in formation.
However, in the latest video it appears the dog is being completely controlled by a human operator.
The European Space Agency's new boss today elaborated on plans to build a village on the moon.
'The future of space travel needs a new vision,' said Jan Woerner.
The concept is a base for lunar exploration by humans and robots, which would act as a stopover for spacecraft, and become a 'village' with mining and even tourism.
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The European Space Agency's new boss today elaborated on plans to build a village on the moon. For now, it is just an idea - called 'crazy' by some - but one that Jan Woerner said was being widely discussed as the end of the ISS looms large
EXPLORE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON Woerner says the project could allow exploration of the far side of the moon. 'No human has ever visited the far side of the Moon,' he wrote. 'Astronomers want to set up radio telescopes there because it is shaded from Earth's radio pollution. Building a telescope with innovative techniques like 3Dprinting, perhaps using lunar soil, would enable us to look much deeper into the Universe. 'No human has ever visited the lunar pole regions, where unmanned missions found water ice. 'Water is an important resource, because you can produce rocket propellant and oxygen from it. 'Both lunar regions are scientifically very promising places.' Advertisement
'The future of space travel needs a new vision,''Right now we have the Space Station as a common international project, but it won't last forever,' said Woerner.
'If I say Moon Village, it does not mean single houses, a church, a town hall and so on. No, that would be misleading.
'My idea only deals with the core of the concept of a village: people working and living together in the same place.
'And this place would be on the Moon.
'In the Moon Village we would like to combine the capabilities of different spacefaring nations, with the help of robots and astronauts.
'The participants can work in different fields, perhaps they will conduct pure science and perhaps there will even be business ventures like mining or tourism.'
Woerner said the village could even help man get to Mars.
'The Moon Village would also act as a 'pit stop' for the further exploration of the Universe,' he said.
'Esa is eager to fly to Mars as well.
'For more than a decade, we have had a very successful spacecraft orbiting there. And now, with ExoMars, two unmanned missions are aiming at martian orbit and the surface.
'Yes, the Americans want to send astronauts to Mars one day, but today's technology isn't prepared for this trip yet.
'For example, we must develop countermeasures against the cosmic radiation that endangers the health of humans on long space trips. And we have to learn how to endure longer periods of time in space, not only in low orbit as on the Space Station.
'This is where our Moon comes into play it is the perfect stepping stone to Mars.
'Recently, I talked to Charlie Bolden, the administrator of NASA. He endorsed the idea of a Moon Village.
'He said to me, 'We will go together.'
It could also help defend the Earth.
Esa scientists have been testing 3D-printing technology they say could be used on the moon. It was one of a number of proposals discussed at an international conference organised by Esa about returning humans to the lunar surface. A proposed lunar base is illustrated
'It helps with planetary defence, which means protecting Earth from the hazards of impacting asteroids or comets.
'To venture into the unknown is in our genes, curiosity has always been a very strong driver for humankind. And exploration is especially part of the European heritage.'
The village would be manned by humans and robots, with rovers able to traverse the planet on their own.
'I can imagine astronauts on the Moon along with robots and unmanned rovers. Or the robots and rovers could be remotely controlled from a manned lunar space station.
Esa's D-Shape printer has been used to create prototype structures that could be used in a lunar base (pictured). It uses a mobile array of printing nozzles that spray a binding solution onto a sand-like material
'Yes, in principle the Moon Village could be robots only, but the idea is to bring together the whole diversity of spacefaring nations. Therefore, I am quite sure that some nations would send astronauts, cosmonauts or taikonauts as well.
Woerner also said the project could even bring the US and China together.
'It is true that currently the US Congress doesn't want to cooperate with China in a common project like the International Space Station, but the situation with the Moon Village would be different.
'I think we should bridge these earthly problems, and I'm sure that it can be achieved in the end.'
The project could take the place of the ISS.
All members but the European Union have agreed to operate and finance the ISS to at least 2024.
Woerner insisted today the ISS 'has its value' and said he hoped to convince member states that 'Esa should continue' its involvement in the project.
Europe is currently committed until 2020.
As for the future, 'I see the Moon Village as the ideal successor of the International Space Station for... exploration,' said Woerner in a previous interview about the project.
Structures for a lunar base could be built by robots sent ahead of human astronauts. Experts said 3D printing technology can currently construct an entire building in around a week
CHINA'S MISSION TO THE MOON DISCOVERS NEW TYPE OF ROCK A type of titanium-rich rock, never before seen by researchers, has been discovered on the surface of the moon. Samples of the unique basalt were gathered by the Chinese rover Jade-Rabbit and researchers have now studied the rock to learn more about the moon's volcanic surface. In particular, the rock contains a unique mixture of titanium dioxide and olivine, which makes it different from any of the samples returned by the Nasa Apollo missions. The unmanned Chang'e-3 probe and the Jade Rabbit rover touched down on a vast flat flood plain formed of a unique type of volcanic basalt. Analysis of the measurements the rover took while exploring the site have revealed the area formed surprisingly recently and may be among the youngest areas on the lunar surface. While the surface of the moon is largely thought to have been shaped by volcanic eruptions that took place some 3 to 4 billion years ago. But the unusual volcanic basalt rock discovered by the Chinese rover appears to be just 2.96 billion years old. It has been found to contain a unique mixture of minerals that has high levels of titanium dioxide and also another green mineral called olivine. Advertisement
'So far, there is no competitive proposal on the table.'
Unlike the ISS, he explained, a lunar village required no 'formal decision' among countries.
'It is more an understanding of many nations to go together to the Moon.'
What is important, however, is a discussion on the best location to settle. 'Is it the far side? Is it the near side? Is it the poles?'
Once a spot is chosen, said Woerner, individual countries or space agencies will decide how they want to take part in the project.
But who would take part?
'Russia has some lunar missions planned, so why not have them as part of the Moon Village?' asked Woerner, noting also that 'the Chinese are planning some lunar missions.'
He also said he did not mind that some think his idea hare-brained.
'The word 'crazy' is exactly something I would like,' he said. 'We have to think out of the box. That means new ideas.'
Woerner said he had mooted his idea at two space gatherings last year, in the US and in Israel, and 'I've had several organisations worldwide saying to me: 'How can we participate?'.'
The scheme will come up in talks with the space agencies of the US, Japan, Canada and Russia in the coming weeks, on the future of the ISS.
'And we will have discussions with other countries and states worldwide,' said Woerner.
'We need an idea of where to go and what to do.'
Earlier this month, Esa proposed using 3D printing technology to create a series of permanent structures using the lunar soil, known as regolith, which could used to house astronauts by 2030.
Esa has begun to take a lead role in the push to establish a base on the moon after Nasa said it does not intend to be the lead in future manned missions on the lunar surface.
Instead, the American space agency is focusing on sending humans to an asteroid and then on to the surface of Mars.
This 1.5 tonne building block was produced as a demonstration of 3D printing techniques using lunar soil
Space exploration experts from around the world met in Noorwijk, the Netherlands, last month for the Esa-led international symposium entitled Moon 2020-2030: A New Era of Coordinated Human and Robotic Exploration.
They discussed new technologies that could help to support human life on the moon including new space suits, habitats and ways of producing food.
Some of these technologies, such as greenhouses being used to grow salad and other planets, are already being tested on the International Space Station.
Laurent Pambaguian, from Esa's materials technology section, outlined technology his team have been testing to print construction blocks out of the lunar regolith.
He added that 3D printers can produce between 6.5ft and 11ft (2 metres and 3.5 metres) of material an hour, meaning an entire structure could be produced in a week.
By sending a robot capable of building structures from the lunar soil, it may be possible to have these in place in time for a manned mission to the moon.
Speaking in the past about the 3D printing technology, Mr Pambaguian said: 'Terrestrial 3D printing technology has produced entire structures.
Scientists also discussed a possible location for a base with astronomers favouring the far side of the moon as it would allow radio telescopes to peer into space without being effected by transmissions from Earth. A false colour image of the lunar surface is pictured
'Our industrial team investigated if it could similarly be employed to build a lunar habitat.'
Artist's impressions of such a lunar base released by Esa have been compared to the underground buildings inhabited by the children's TV charactrers the Teletubbies.
Scientists also discussed a possible location for a base with astronomers favouring the far side of the moon as it would allow radio telescopes to peer into space without being effected by transmissions from Earth.
However, according to Space.com, Europe now appears to be leading the international efforts to put humans back on the moon.
Kathy Laurini, Nasa's co-chair for the exploration roadmap working group who attended the symposium, said: 'The Esa space-exploration strategy sets the moon as a priority destination for humans on the way to Mars.
'The recent talk of a 'Moon Village' certainly has generated a lot of positive energy in Europe.
'The timing is right to get started on the capabilities which allow Europe to meet its exploration objectives and ensure it remains a strong partner as humans begin to explore the solar system.'
Auburn officials expect Police Chief Brian Neagle to remain on leave for several more weeks as he recovers from an injury that has sidelined him since mid-November.
Neagle, who was promoted to chief in 2012, has been on medical leave due to wrist injuries stemming from an on-duty incident, according to City Manager Doug Selby. Officials declined to disclose specifics about the injury.
Selby said Neagle had been performing administrative tasks on an occasional basis since late November, but no longer.
According to the city manager, Neagle was told on Feb. 24 to focus on his recovery, officially relegating temporary command of the Auburn Police Department to Capt. Paul Casper.
Casper first joined the APD in 1988 and has been a captain for six years, according to the local police union.
"Casper comes with a lot of respect," said Chris Major, vice president of the Auburn Police Local 195.
Over the last few months, Neagle reported to work on an occasional basis to perform administrative duties, such as reviewing time sheets. Selby said Neagle fulfilled these tasks upon his own volition without the city's instruction.
Neagle could not be reached for comment on Monday.
Neagle has received and will continue to receive normal pay in accordance with state law, Selby said. Article 207-c of state General Municipal Law outlines compensation benefits for officers that are partially disabled in the line of duty.
The city manager stated Monday that he does not expect Neagle to return to service for "at least several more weeks" as the chief undergoes treatment for his injuries.
The direction dispels some confusion within the department as to the official chain of command, according to the union.
Major said Neagle had issued a memo in December indicating that Casper would be in charge of day-to-day operations, but there was still "hesitancy" among the officers as to decision-making because Neagle continued to occasionally report to the department and issue orders to his staff.
Casper took the lead on the recent pedestrian accident on South Street as well as another emergency earlier this year involving a suicidal individual with a knife who barricaded herself inside of her residence, Major said. He said Casper has been responsive as a supervisor and communicates regularly with officers.
"It clears up a lot of uncertainty among members," Major said. "You need a definite leader."
Selby said Casper has been in charge of the department ever since Neagle first went on leave.
"There might have been some confusion because (Neagle) was doing some things, but Paul's been doing day-to-day assignments. It should be more clear now," Selby said. "Brian is on a medical leave and won't be doing city work."
The city manager indicated he is continuing to work with the leaders of Auburn Police Local 195 over issues the union has taken with Neagle's leadership.
An overwhelming majority of Auburn police officers voted no confidence in Neagle in December. Union leaders continue to seek Neagle's removal from his post, citing more than a dozen claims and complaints.
Selby declined to comment further on his discussions with the union, calling it is a personnel matter. Joseph Villano, president of Auburn Police Local 195, said he last spoke with the city manager more than a week ago and is confident that Selby is working toward some sort of resolution.
Neagle has not contacted union leaders about the no-confidence vote or its claims, Villano said.
"We haven't talked to the chief at all in regards to that," he said. "There hasn't been any communication with the chief in regards to anything."
They are often depicted as big, brutish and not terribly bright, but Neanderthals may have actually been sophisticated chemists who harnessed the power of explosive materials in rocks.
Scientists claim to have uncovered evidence that the extinct species of early human used powdered manganese dioxide to help them light fires 50,000 years ago.
Blocks of the dark material have been found at sites inhabited by Neanderthals in south west France and was thought to have been used to produce a powder to decorate their bodies.
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Blocks of manganese dioxide found at a Neanderthal site in the Dordogne in south west France were found to have scratch marks (pictured) that may have been made to produce a fine powder. Scientists have found this powder can lower the temperature needed to light wood
But analysis by scientists at Leiden University and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands suggests the early humans may have used it to make fire lighting easier.
While manganese dioxide is not combustible itself, it is known to increase the flammability of other materials and reacts explosively with aluminium when heated.
ARE OUR ALLERGIES THE LAST LAUGH OF THE NEANDERTHALS Between one and six per cent of the DNA carried by people from Europe, and much of Asia, has been inherited from Neanderthals or their ancient early human cousins the Denisovans. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have now identified three distinct genetic variations from Neanderthals that play a role in allergies. These genes produce proteins known as Toll-like receptors, which are an important part of the innate immune system that provides the first line of defence against infections. However, faults in this immune response also lead to allergies as immune cells react to non-harmful substances such as pollen, food, dust or animal hair. The researchers said three Neanderthals genes which produce proteins called TLR 6, TLR1 and TLR10 all seem to be associated with, and increase, allergic disease in large numbers of people. Advertisement
In a series of experiments the researchers found powdered manganese dioxide, which is powerful oxidant, reduces the temperature that wood ignites at, making it much easier to start a fire.
They found it even made green wood, which is usually much harder to light, easier to ignite.
The findings may help to settle the long-running debate about whether Neanderthals were capable of lighting fires.
While there is evidence that they used fire and may even have cooked with it, some anthropologists have suggested they were only able to do this by taking advantage of natural fires.
Dr Peter Heyes, an archaeologist at Leiden University who led the research, said the findings add to growing evidence that Neanderthals were sophisticated and skilled craftsman.
They are known to have created stone tools, or lithics, but also created jewellery and perhaps even cooked using herbs and used rudimentary medicine.
Dr Heyes said: 'We don't know how Neanderthals made fire but given their skills with lithics, we might start with an assumption they used sparks and tinder.
'We don't bring it out particularly in the paper but manganese dioxide added to wood shavings or other tinder increases the efficiency with which the tinder captures a spark and lights.
Neanderthals may have used the powdered rocks to lower the temperatures needed to light wood shavings. If they controlled fire in this way, then it has wide ranging implications for their cognitive abilities, society and culture. A stock image illustrating Neanderthals around a fire is pictured
The scientists conducted experiments using wood shavings alone (left), wood with with manganese dioxide powder (top right) and powder manganese dioxide rocks from a Neanderthal site in Pech de l'Aze in south west France (bottom right). They found the powdered rocks caused the wood to burn faster than the other two
'Starting a fire using sparks from flint without a metal striker is not as easy as it may seem but manganese dioxide has a significant beneficial effect.'
Manganese dioxide blocks were discovered at a site in Pech-de-l'Aze in the Dordogne in south west France that was inhabited by Neanderthals 50,000 years ago.
The blocks occur naturally in the limestone formations where the Neanderthals made their home.
But some of the blocks found at the site were covered in scratches which suggests they may have been scraped to produce a powder.
The researchers, whose study is published in the journal Scientific Reports, found adding this powder to wood lowered the temperature needed to ignite it from 662F (350C) to 482F (250C).
Dr Heyes and his colleagues argue that while Neanderthals could have used the black brown powder to decorate their bodies, it is more likely they would have used soot and charcoal which was more readily available.
They say the ability to light and control fire provides an important insight into the cognitive capabilities and the culture that existed among Neanderthals.
They say fire would have been important not only from its ability to provide warmth and cook food, but also from a social and symbolic point of view.
There is now growing evidence that Neandethals, who survived for around 250,000 years before dying out 40,000 years ago, were far more sophisticated than was previously believed.
Anthropologists have long-debated whether Neanderthals (reconstruction pictured left) wee able to light and control fires or made use of wild fires that were lit by lightning strikes. These is growing evidence, however, that they did use fires regularly and even cooked food on them (illustrated right)
Neanderthals, who died out around 40,000, were previously thought to be big and brutish with low intelligence, but recent research is revealing them as surprisingly intelligent, resourceful and cultured. A Neanderthal skull discovered in Spain is pictured
Dr Heyes added: 'Woodsmen typically keep a supply of naturally air-dried wood shavings or other tinder to help light fires.
'From the evidence of the wear patterns on their lithics, Neanderthals cut and whittled wood.
'If we assume Neanderthals could keep a supply of air-dried wood shavings, then once they had a small fire established aided by manganese dioxide, it could have been built with twigs and small braches. The growing fire would have tolerated more freshly cut 'green' wood.
'Finding evidence to support a view on Neanderthal management of wood fuel resources is a very remote possibility.
'It could nevertheless have been an important aspect of subsistence.
'If Neanderthals could devote time and resources to collecting manganese dioxide for fire making, it is perhaps not unreasonable to assume they could manage wood fuel resources effectively.'
The Predator drone has received a major upgrade.
A new larger version of the military drone with wings 79 feet long has been flown for the first time, meaning the drone can fly for 40 hours at a time rather the 27 hours current models can manage.
It marks the start of a massive upgrade programme for the drone, which will be a new version available to military bosses in 2018.
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The new larger version of the military drone with wings 79 feet long can fly for 40 hours at a time rather the 27 hours current models can manage, and marks the start of a massive upgrade programme for the drone, which will be a new version
PREDATOR FACTS The Predator was first conceived in the early 1990s as an aerial reconnaissance vehicle, and carries cameras and other sensors. However, it has been modified and upgraded to carry and fire two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles or other munitions (Unmanned combat aerial vehicle). The aircraft, in use since 1995, has seen combat over Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bosnia, Serbia, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Syria, and Somalia. Advertisement
The flight occurred on February 18 at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Gray Butte Flight Test Facility in Palmdale.
'Predator B ER's new 79-foot wing span not only boosts the RPA's endurance and range, but also serves as proof-of-concept for the next-generation Predator B aircraft that will be designed for Type-Certification and airspace integration,' said Linden Blue, CEO.
The new wing span is 13-feet longer, increasing the aircraft's endurance from 27 hours to over 40 hours.
During the flight, the craft launched, climbed to 7,500 feet (initial flight test altitude), completed basic airworthiness maneuvers, and landed without incident.
A subsequent test program will be conducted to verify full operational capability.
The long wings are the first components to be produced as part of GA-ASI's Certifiable Predator B (CPB) development project, which will lead to a certifiable production aircraft in early 2018.
Previous version can only fly for 27 hours. Here, Members of the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron, Indian Springs, Nev., perform pre-flight checks on the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle prior to a mission.
Further hardware and software upgrades planned for CPB will include improved structural fatigue and damage tolerance, more robust flight control software, and enhancements allowing operations in adverse weather.
Additional improvements include short-field takeoff and landing performance and spoilers on the wings which enable precision automatic landings.
The wings also have provisions for leading-edge de-ice and integrated low- and high-band RF antennas.
An earlier version of Predator B ER featuring two wing-mounted fuel tanks is currently operational with the U.S. Air Force as MQ-9 Reaper ER.
Air Interdiction Agent Will Brazelton from U.S. Office of Air and Marine (OAM), programs an unmanned Predator aircraft from a flight operations center near the Mexican border at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Arizona, America.
Last year it was claimed the US military plans to widen its surveillance and firepower in conflict zones such as Ukraine and the South China Sea with a major expansion of drone flights, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Pentagon plans to increase daily flights by 50 percent over the next four years, expanding them from 61 a day now to as many as 90 by 2019, the Wall Street Journal said, citing senior defense officials.
The paper said that up to 10 of the flights could also be run by private contractors, though the non-military flights would not be 'strike missions' such as those used to bomb suspected militants.
A report says that Pentagon officials will increase the number of drone flights per day 50 per cent by 2019. Above, a picture of a MQ-1 Predadtor drone above California
Increased flights be used in other areas such as Iraq, Syria and North Africa, the Journal said.
Unmanned drone flights can be used on reconnaissance missions to gather video, photos and other surveillance data.
They can also be used to launch air strikes, which has been controversial under President Barack Obama.
As many as 10 non-strike flights a day would come from private government contractors using older Predator drones rather than newer long-range models, unnamed officials told the Journal.
News of plans for increased drone activity come shortly after the number of flights per day was decreased from 65 to 60 because of stress on the devices' pilots. Above, a pilot flies a drone in Afghanistan from Nevada
Under the phased-in plan, the US Air Force would reportedly continue to launch 60 drone flights a day, the Army would dispatch 16 and the Special Forces Command could contribute up to four.
The news comes after a report earlier this summer saying that the Air Force was scaling back its use of drones from 65 per day to 60.
Operators flying the devices from a location near Las Vegas are 'burning out' from stress, according to the New York Times.
Pilots have complained of feeling 'perpetually deployed' as they struggle to transition from spending time with their families to bombing targets thousands of miles away.
However, intelligence and military officials value the information from drone flights, and the US has recently spoke with North African countries about using drones on the continent to combat Islamic State's presence in Libya.
Planning a trip to a foreign country can fill holidaymakers with anxiety or doubt and that can lead to a lot of bizarre or amusing questions for travel agents.
While most tourists just want an experts tips on sights or bargains, some make outlandish requests before they jet abroad or return from their trip with hilarious complaints.
From the tourists who request parties in their honour to the ones who ask if their hotel offers an escort service, British travel agents have revealed some of their most amusing tales from the job.
A British ski tour operator said one holidaymaker called and asked if the snow would be cold at their resort
First-time skiers have no idea what to expect when they hit the slopes, and Iglu.com, which sells ski and cruise holidays, has had its share of hilarious questions.
One holidaymaker asked if the snow would be cold at their resort, while another said they would need two skis and two boots (one for each foot).
A couple in their 70s once asked for the cheapest room in a chalet and when they were told it had a bunk bed the woman responded: We dont get up to anything like that these days, dear.
Those who have booked a cruise were really interested to learn more about the view from their cabin.
One wanted to know what the view would be like in an inside cabin, and another asked: Do you do outside cabins that are under the sea, so I can see under the ocean?
Travel agents have also heard this one several times: If I do a transatlantic cruise, when will my pounds turn into dollars?
A holidaymaker said his sons could stand on a flight after being told there weren't enough seats for his family
Recently, a customer called Holiday Hypermarket to book flights to Goa, India, for his family.
However, there were only two seats left on the flight he wanted. Undeterred, the man said it wouldnt be a problem because his two sons could stand.
Another customer was booking a fly-and-drive holiday to Florida, meaning they would fly to the sunny destination and then drive around in a hired car.
The customer asked whether his car would be flown across the Atlantic with him or if it would arrive on a separate flight.
On another occasion, a customer asked if they could get an infant rate for their toddler, who had just turned two years old and now qualified for a slightly more expensive rate.
Can I sleep on the hotel floor? Lastminute.com customer
They asked Holiday Hypermarket if it could charge the infant rate because the child was born premature and wasnt supposed to be two years old for another three weeks.
A spokesperson said: Our customers are very inventive and are always on the lookout for finding new ways to save money, whether it's taking their own car instead of hiring one in resort, or asking for standing space only on planes.
Lastminute.com said some of the most unusual questions its staff have heard include whether hotels offer escort services or if there are mosquitoes in a hotel booked by one customer.
Another holidaymaker wanted to know if they would be allowed to sleep on the hotel floor.
Special requests have included a water bed and a party organised for the guest, and one customer service agent was even asked if she could take care of a clients home and water their flowers while they were away.
After returning from Malaysia one customer complained that he couldnt find a place with his beloved English breakfast on the menu, while another was upset that the bed linen didnt match the drapes at his hotel.
To blag a cheaper flight, a holidaymaker wanted an agent to register his 16-year-old daughter as an 11-year-old.
One customer even tried to book a hotel room for 11 people in order to save money.
Gemma Antrobus, managing director of Haslemere Travel and chair of AITO Specialist Travel Agents, said a passenger who booked a cruise once asked if they could open the ships port hole because they liked fresh air.
A businessman who 'flipped' on a flight to Portugal and had to be restrained by air crew after punching his pregnant wife, has been banned from flying.
Sajid Rafiq was on board a Monarch Airlines flight from Manchester International Airport to Faro Airport, in May 2014, when witnesses said he became aggressive and was 'raging' with 'anger in his face' as he barged past crew who were trying to serve passengers.
Rafiq, 36, from Bolton, who was travelling with his wife and two children, had just finished using the toilet at the back of the aircraft when he was ordered back to his seat.
Sajid Rafiq was on-board a Monarch Airlines flight from Manchester International Airport to Faro in May 2014 (file photo)
Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that after being told to sit down, Rafiq returned to his seat in row 19, but then proceeded to grab his wife, who was sitting across the aisle from him, put her in a headlock and start punching her.
Crew members stopped the assault and escorted him away from his family towards the front of the plane, where they gave him a cup of water and tried to calm him down.
Alexander Langhorn, prosecuting, said that the aircraft from Manchester was carrying 214 passengers, plus crew, on the two and a half hour flight.
Langhorn added that despite being taken to the front of the aircraft, Rafiq continued shaking and being emotional, while acting in a strange manner.
Appearing at the court, Rafiq pleaded guilty to negligently acting in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft or any person therein.
Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court (above) heard that after being told to sit down, Rafiq returned to his seat in row 19, but then proceeded to grab his wife, put her in a headlock and start punching her
WHAT IS BIPOLAR DISORDER? Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, is a condition that affects your moods, which can swing from one extreme to another. If you have bipolar disorder, you may have periods or episodes of: 1. Depression where you feel very low and lethargic. 2. Mania where you feel very high and overactive (less severe mania is known as hypomania). Source: NHS Advertisement
Phillip Boyd, defending, said the 36-year-old had not been drinking but had suffered a mental breakdown during the flight, caused by pressure he was under from marital problems and attempting to build up work as a consultant following the sale of his business.
He has since been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is receiving treatment.
Mr Boyd said Rafiq, who has now separated from his wife, had behaved in an extremely bizarre way on the aircraft.
Speaking to the court, he said: 'It would have caused very considerable fear among the other passengers.'
Boyd added that Rafiq is now remorseful and embarrassed about the incident and has taken steps to improve his mental health.
Sentencing Rafiq to a conditional discharge for three years, Judge Bernard Lever described it as a 'sad case'.
Judge Lever said: 'Unlike so many of the air rage cases we hear in this court you hadn't had a single drop of drink.'
'You completely flipped on the plane and you caused a great deal of concern to the crew and the passengers.
'You should know the court almost always takes a very, very serious view of outlandish behaviour on planes. Mercifully nobody was hurt and I think it is inappropriate to give you an immediate custodial sentence.'
Judge Lever also banned Rafiq from flying again until he can produce a written medical report stating there is no risk of him repeating the conduct he exhibited on the Faro flight.
Witnesses said Fariq was 'raging' and had 'anger in his face' after he became aggressive and barged past crew who were trying to serve passengers (stock photo)
He closed the case by stating: 'The duty of the court to protect the public in the air cannot be overstated.
Speaking to MailOnline Travel, a Monarch spokesperson said: The safety of all on board is our primary concern. We would like to thank the crew and customers who assisted them. Monarch train crew to manage a variety of situations on board even though incidents such as this are very rare.
Holidays provide the perfect opportunity to stock up on tales to make friends and family jealous, with many returning from trips boasting a tan and an armload of stories about moonlit beach walks, local markets and mouthwatering breakfasts.
In fact, travellers are often so keen to impress loved ones with their exotic adventures that they gloss over the less attractive aspects of their stays, such as rude locals and dirty tourist attractions.
But seasoned holidaymakers are now sharing some of their worst experiences from specific destinations around the world to warn other tourists who might be planning a visit.
The rural Bosnian countryside running along Mostar to Sarajevo Train Line is beautiful, but a recent visitor to the country has claimed the country also has a rubbish problem (stock image)
In a Reddit thread, hundreds of travellers have finally disclosed the worst holiday secrets they kept when returning home in a bid to keep their vacation tales positive.
One of the most commonplace secrets among tourists is how dirty the place they visited was, with Egypt, India, China and Vietnam all receiving criticism for the amount of rubbish on their streets.
One user called usthcd said: 'Bosnia is full of trash. I love that country, but damn, is it littered.
'If you're hiking in the countryside and you see a small lovely path, don't take it, it leads to a dump. Almost every village has one.'
Hawaii is a popular destination for tourists wanting an exotic vacation, but one tourist has revealed they were shocked at the number of homeless people on the island (stock image)
A user called Sslaaitch added: 'India was spectacularly bad on this front.
'At one point I asked our tour guide if he knew the location of a trash can and he responded with "I'll take care of that," and threw an empty water bottle over the wall into someone's front yard - 20 metres from a UNESCO heritage site.'
Tourists have been sharing their worst travel experiences online (stock image)
Rubbish wasn't the only issue for people when touring city streets, many also had problems with the number of homeless people in certain countries, with tourists particularly surprised with the scale of the issue when visiting the United States.
One user called TimberBucket said one of the aspects of his trip to Hawaii that he always failed to mention when recounting his holiday was: 'The amount of homeless people sitting in those little pergola areas in Waikiki, Hawaii.'
Reddit user Ragsoftime added: 'Did a tour of the West Coast of the US and loved almost all of it, but was really shocked by the homeless population in San Francisco.
'The first thing I saw leaving my hotel was a guy smoking crack on the street at 4 in the afternoon. Not many people seem to know about it outside the US.'
For some, the rudeness of the locals the encountered managed to ruin their holiday experience, like Reddit user Kaspium, who struggled with the shopkeepers in Paris.
Kaspium said: As a general rule, I enjoyed my visit to Paris, however I did have a couple of times when I'd visit a shop and the workers would just be d**** to me.
'I speak French ok, but I'm a bit slow, and I'd try to talk in French and the shopkeepers would basically laugh in my face/talk about me to each other when I was standing in front of them.'
Paris is a great location for a city break, but one recent visitor has complained that the shopkeepers were extremely rude (stock image)
For others, the levels of crime they encountered in foreign countries tainted their trip so much that they refused to talk about it on their return.
One man called W00glesaid: 'In Amsterdam, even the guy who mugged me spoke excellent English.'
Another tourist called TheScandinadian said of their trip to Israel: 'I generally tell my stories, because I want to share what the experience is really like and help other travellers make safe decisions.
'That said, my parents will never know that I got robbed in Jerusalem. I still love the city but I was definitely on my guard for the rest of the visit. I just don't want them to think less of me.'
A Reddit user has revealed he was so ashamed about being mugged in Jerusalem that he kept the incident a secret from his family (stock image)
Many others professed to being shocked by the sex tourism that went on in Eastern European and Asian countries when they visited, including afellowinfidel, who said: 'I was offered underage sex in SE Asia. Way underage.
'It's depressingly common, and many North American and European paedophiles come here for that reason.'
For others, the seedy underbelly of the places they visited left permanent scars, including one female tourists who was the victim of a sex attack in Peru.
The user, called selfishevents said:'I was raped by my taxi driver who knew I was solely in that country to volunteer in the hospitals.
'Cops treated me like s*** and told me the bruises on my neck were love marks, that if I tested positive for any drugs I would be charged because surely I put the drugs in my system knowingly, and that I was just a stupid American who was embarrassed by her fling.
'I just tell people that there was a mix up at the airport is why I came back early. And just talk about the poverty and stuff.'
A visitor to Peru has told how she was raped by a taxi driver and was so traumatised by the attack that she lied about why she came home from the trip early (stock image)
One man was so traumatised by his near-death experience when visiting China that he even kept the story secret from his closest family.
His child Hellknightx said: 'When my father came back from a business trip in China, he had a broken leg. He told us that he had slipped on some stairs.
It was only many years later that I found out the Chinese military police had thrown him off a bridge and left him for dead.
and incinerated in accordance with the law
A man was caught attempting to bring a AUD$500 (250) live lobster through an airport - by packing it in his luggage.
The traveller, who had arrived at Ningbo Airport in southern China after a holiday in Australia, was stopped by custom officials when a police dog sniffed out the large styrofoam box on the conveyor belt, local media reported.
Upon inspection, security guards discovered a live 7-pound lobster packed in sawdust.
A shellfish transported into China was confiscated by airport staff after the man was informed that bringing live animals into China is restricted due to concerns about disease
According to The Epoch Times, the man had paid $500 for the lobster and was planning on taking it home for dinner with friends and family.
The shellfish was confiscated by airport staff after the man was informed that transporting live animals into China is restricted due to concerns about disease.
After a 'high pressure sterilisation', the lobster was incinerated in accordance with the law.
According to the South China Morning Post, customs officials in Ningbo said it was the first time they had found a live lobster in a passengers luggage.
After a 'high pressure sterilisation', the lobster was incinerated in accordance with the law
In January, MailOnline Travel covered an incident which saw a man arrested after attempting to smuggle nine live birds hidden in a bum bag through airport customs.
The passenger, who arrived at Miami International Airport on a flight from Havana, Cuba, was randomly selected by security for an inspection.
During the examination, officers discovered six small birds concealed in tubes in the waist bag, and a further three hidden in his groin area.
An Icelandic budget carrier has named one of its hot pink planes TF-GAY in support of LGBT rights.
WOW Air said it will use the new Airbus A330-300 on its Reykjavik-San Francisco route when service begins in June.
The Reykjavik-based airline has given a number of playful registration names to its planes, including TF-MOM, which flies to Berlin, and TF-BRO, which is used on a route to Paris.
WOW Air said the plane with the registration name TF-GAY will fly to San Francisco (pictured: TF-MOM)
WOW Air chose TF-GAY for its San Francisco flights in a nod to the Californian citys role in the LGBT rights movement.
The City by the Bay has been a hotbed of activism for decades and was declared the gay capital of the US by Life magazine in the 1960s.
WOW Air CEO Skuli Mogensen told GayIceland.is: WOW Air is an airline for the people and one of our most important goals is to lower fares in order to enable everybody to travel the world and get to know different cultures.
We wholeheartedly support queer peoples fight for rights. Just as we support equal rights for everybody, no matter their gender, religion, ethnicity or culture.
WOW Air chose TF-GAY as a nod to San Francisco's important role in the LGBT rights movement
Mogensen revealed that the TF-GAY registration number was suggested by one of the airlines pilots.
He said: I immediately thought it was a great idea and fitted with our approach to using words relating to family members in the spirit of inclusiveness.
We think TF-GAY fits right in with our modern family concept.
The airline already flies to nearly two dozen destinations in Europe and North America, including London, New York and Montreal.
In survey, 11.5 per cent of women said someone on their hen do strayed
One in four men admit someone in their stag party cheated on a partner
Getting married is supposed to be one of the romantic times in a man or woman's life, when they commit to a lifetime together.
But it is also a risky business, thanks to the boozy hen and stag parties that happen ahead of the big day - with men far more likely to stray while celebrating the final stretch than women.
A new British study has revealed that men are twice as likely to cheat on their partner whilst on a stag do, than women on a hen do.
Men are twice as likely to cheat on their partner whilst on a stag do, than women on a hen do (stock image)
According to the survey, a quarter (24.9 per cent) of men questioned admitted that someone in their stag party had cheated on their other half whilst celebrating.
Meanwhile, 11.5 per cent of women questioned revealed that someone in their hen do had cheated.
On top of this, men were also more likely to come back from the celebrations with empty pockets.
The survey carried out by Last Night of Freedom revealed that over the last year, stags were twice as likely to spend over 100 on their parties in 2015 as the hens.
As well as a risk of cheating and excessive spending, stag and hen dos often result in fights between members of the group.
Daytime drinking, lack of sleep and strangers spending 24 hours a day together also mean that tensions often run high.
In a survey, just over one in ten women admitted that someone in their hen party had cheated on a partner
Just this weekend, it was reported that a British stag party forced a Ryanair flight to make an unscheduled landing in Berlin after two members of the party started a brawl mid-flight.
Two members of the 12-man group, led by groom-to-be Joshua Mariner, 26, fought and traded insults on the flight from London to Bratislava, Slovakia.
Today, it has been revealed that the two men had both previously dated the same young woman from their home in Southampton.
Tom Doyle, 25, laid into 28-year-old Jamie Stoop over a twin named locally as 25-year-old Jeri White,The Sun reports.
It's the perfect opportunity to show off individual style and wear the most dramatic of outfits.
But Australian actress Rebel Wilson opted for a safe and simple style in a black wrap dress to attend the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party, in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
The 35-year-old How To Be Single star covered up in the modest dress but elegant ensemble, although the outfit did boast a thigh high split, flashing just a slither of her flesh.
See Oscars updates as Rebel Wilson swoons over DiCaprio at Vanity Fair Oscars after party
Safe bet: Rebel Wilson opted for a simple but chic black dress as she stepped out onto the red carpet at the Vanity Fair Oscar after party in Los Angeles on Sunday night
The garment nipped Rebel in at her waist and the wrap detail boasted thin sections of sequinned detailing for an added element of interest.
Rebel kept her hair down for the evening, showing off a loose wave in her blonde locks.
The Pitch Perfect 2 starlet opted for simple make-up for the evening with a slight smokey eye, apricot cheeks and a nude lip colour.
Swoon: The actress was seen smiling at Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio and along with this snap she tweeted 'Love you Leo X'
All smiles! The Australian actress appeared to be sharing a joke with Leonardo a the glitzy party
Dramatic: The comedic actress's floor-length frock was bejewelled with glittering panels around the torso, while a peek of leg was visible thanks to the skirt's dramatic thigh-high split
While Rebel didn't attend the award ceremony, as just nominees their guests and presenters are invited, she joined the cream of Hollywood at the glitzy awards bash.
In fact Rebel enjoyed her very own own moment with man of the evening Leonardo DiCaprio, who finally scooped an Oscar for Best Actor.
In two snaps posted to her Instagram page Rebel is seen laughing and joking with the actor at the glitzy awards bash.
Primped: Rebel, who shunned jewellery and nail polish for the occasion, left her blonde locks to hang loosely around her shoulders in tousled waves
Peachy keen! She kept her makeup neutral with a peach blush, brown lipstick and bronze eye shadow
Along with the first snap she wrote: 'Love you Leo X'
On Sunday night Leonardo finally won his first Oscar for his performance in The Revenant on Sunday night, after four previous unsuccessful Best actor nominations.
Earlier in the evening Rebel had seized the opportunity to promote her own flick tweeting: 'As we're celebrating the whole movie industry tonight, I'm also celebrating HOW TO BE SINGLE hitting $75 million at the box office today!'
Emily Ratajkowski took the opportunity to showcase her sensational figure in not one, but two stunning outfits on Sunday night.
The busty model put on a leggy display at Elton Johns Oscar viewing party before she oozed sex appeal in a sheer gown for the famous Vanity Fair after party.
Emily, 24, wowed the crowd at the Vanity Fair bash in a sexy strapless black wool bustier bodysuit paired with an Italian embroidered sheer tulle skirt by Australian designer Steven Khalil.
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Double the fashion: Emily Ratajkowski took the opportunity to showcase her sensational figure in not one, but two stunning outfits on Sunday night
The dress perfectly displayed her ample assets and slender figure, while eyes were immediately drawn to her enviable legs due to the sheer skirt.
Accessorising with a satin Tyler Alexandra clutch and a delicate diamond necklace, the brunette beauty wore her locks in light waves while she let her emphasised her natural beauty with soft make-up.
Emily began her evening in a figure-hugging single sleeve dress which showcased her model legs thanks to a high cut asymmetric hem at 24th annual Elton John AIDS Foundations Oscar viewing party in West Hollywood.
See full coverage of the Oscars 2016 with more of the latest news and red carpet pictures
Va-va-voom: The busty model oozed glamour in a bodysuit and sheer tulle skirt by Steven Khalil for the famous Vanity Fair after party
Turning heads: The 24-year-old wowed the crowd at the Vanity Fair bash in a sexy strapless corset-style ensemble by the Australian designer, whose couture pieces start from AUD15,000
Simply stunning: The brunette beauty wore her locks in light waves while she let her emphasised her natural beauty with soft make-up
The red dress featured a gold belt around the waist while Emily added height to the look with strappy gold heels.
Emily accessorised with a matching clutch bag and large drop earrings and was sure to pose up a storm for the cameras.
While she aspires to act, she infamously made her debut topless in Robin Thicke's extremely raunchy Blurred Lines music video released back in 2013.
Picture perfect: The dress perfectly displayed her ample assets and slender figure, while eyes were immediately drawn to her enviable legs due to the sheer skirt
Strike a pose: Emily began her evening in a figure-hugging single sleeve dress which showcased her model legs thanks to a high cut asymmetric hem at 24th annual Elton John AIDS Foundations Oscar viewing party
Emily has since starred in Gone Girl alongside Ben Affleck and more recently We Are Your Friend opposite Zac Efron.
She's due to film 1980's romance movie Cruise alongside Spencer Boldman.
In a recent article she wrote for Lennyletter.com, the actress recalled her struggle to deal with how others viewed her body as she revealed that during her youth her father would lovingly refer to me as a "baby woman."
'And that's what I was: a 12-year-old with D-cup breasts.
Looking good: The red dress featured a gold belt around the waist while Emily added height to the look with strappy gold heels
Look back at it: Emily accessorised with a matching clutch bag and large drop earrings and was sure to pose up a storm for the cameras
Prior to the Sunday, Feb. 21 paper, there had been about a two-month lull in Thomas Hanleys letters to the editor. Reason being, it took him two full months to come up with enough material for a letter that didnt mention President Bushs name. He did however manage to lump all Republicans into the mysteriously non-existent bucket of hate that liberals have been creating and expanding upon for years. You know, that bucket where magically all Republicans and/or conservatives are racist, misogynistic bigots.
By focusing on only one of still five candidates left, Mr. Hanley fails to mention that there is also an African American, two Hispanics, and a compassionate conservative running for president on the GOP side. Amazing right? The difference in diversity between the two parties is astounding. And I believe the worst nightmare for people like Tom is likely to come to fruition. Though Trump has the most delegates to this point and is leading in most upcoming states, the inevitability of the field narrowing will bring about consolidated support of the 65 percent or so Republican voters that do not want Donald Trump. And I still believe in what I said four years ago, that Marco Rubio will be the Republican nominee when the dust settles.
This is where the aforementioned nightmare for the Democrats and likely nominee Hillary Clinton begins. Take a long look at the now famous picture of Marco Rubio on stage at a rally in South Carolina standing next to an Indian American female governor in Nikki Haley, one of only two African American senators in Tim Scott, and future felon Hillary Clintons arch-nemesis Trey Gowdy. This could very well be the next administration with Haley on everyones short list for VP, Scott a beloved and well-respected senator, and Gowdy who I would think a shoo-in for attorney general.
So the question is, how would liberals like Tom or Hillary spin such an administration? How could Democrats keep up the dirty politics of painting Republicans anti-woman and racist bigots? How would the phony war on women tactic continue to work? And despite every socio and economic indicator relating to African Americans being in decline over the past seven years, how would the typical rhetoric of Democrats labeling Republicans racist continue to be a go-to? It wouldnt. And in all actuality, it never should have in the first place. When the policy debate is lost, personal attacks ensue, and thats how Democrats have become the true party of intolerance.
Jeff Wolford
Sennett
As red carpet debuts go it really doesn't get much bigger, but Edwina Bartholomew appeared to lose her composure upon catching sight of Hollywood star Jennifer Lawrence at the 88th annual Academy Awards on Sunday evening.
The newest addition to the Sunrise presenting team was heard screeching at the Oscar winner as she made her way towards The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles ahead of the prestigious ceremony.
Her voice rising to a shrill scream, Edwina, 32, sounded more like a star-struck fan while pleading for attention from the actress as she breezed past.
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Excited: As red carpet debuts go it really doesn't get much bigger, but Edwina Bartholomew appeared to lose her composure upon catching sight of Hollywood star Jennifer Lawrence at the 88th annual Academy Awards on Sunday evening
'Jennifer, wave to Australia!' she yelled off-camera. 'Wave to Australia - PLEEASE!'
While the American star did offer a good natured wave in the direction of those gathered in the press pit, it did not appear to be aimed at hapless Edwina, who later conceded Jennifer 'almost' looked in their direction.
The following day Edwina described her efforts as 'desperate', telling the Kyle and Jackie O show how the event's biggest stars shuttled down an 'express lane' to avoid being interviewed.
Host Jackie 'O' Henderson asked whether she had noticed the section of the red carpet which was reserved for the biggest names and if it made the process difficult.
Responding jokingly, Edwina said: 'It got desperate,' before mimicking herself shouting: 'Jennifer, Jennifer! Please, please!'.
The former weather girl was making her first red carpet appearance at the Oscars after being named as the fifth member of the Sunrise presenting team earlier this month.
See full coverage of the Oscars 2016 with more of the latest news and red carpet pictures
Did someone call me? While the American star did offer a good natured wave in the direction of those gathered in the press pit, it did not appear to be aimed at hapless Edwina
She caught the eye on the day in a sweeping blue evening dress from Australian designer Rachel Gilbert, but its unusual embellishment prompted some ribbing from followers after she posted a snap of herself on Instagram and Facebook.
One Instagram user asked: 'Nice but why is there a uterus on your dress?'
Another follower wrote: 'Your face and body are to die for.... But, sorry, the thing on the dress looks like a part of a female anatomy. I know I am not the only person thinking this....'
Never mind: Edwina, who later conceded that Jennifer 'almost' looked in her direction as she breezed past
The presenter ensured her dress commanded attention by selecting her make-up from a natural colour palette, while her hair was equally understated and maintained with a simple side parting.
Captioning a pre-event shot, in which she is surrounded by a gathering of tuxedo clad colleagues, she wrote: 'Heeeey boys. We are LIVE from the Oscars red carpet. Thank you @rachelgilbertau for my sparkly frock.'
On a night dominated by the ongoing diversity row there were six wins for Australian thriller Mad Max: Fury Road.
George Miller's post-apocalyptic picked up awards for Best Costume Design, Production Design, Make-up and Hairstyling, Film Editing, Sound Mixing and Editing.
Elsewhere Spotlight won the award for Best Picture, while Leonardo DiCaprio picked up a well deserved Best Actor award for his role as fur trapper Hugh Glass in The Revenant.
She has embarked on a mammoth tour with her Georgie Shore castmates in Australia.
And it appears as if her busy schedule has finally taken its toll, as Charlotte Crosby looked rather sleepy as she strolled through Perth Airport following a long-haul jaunt in the city, on Monday afternoon.
The 25-year-old, however, managed to cut a relatively stylish figure, flashing her lean and slender limbs underneath a comfy knitted hoodie.
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Travelling taking its toll? Charlotte Crosby looked rather sleepy as she strolled through Perth Airport following a long-haul jaunt in the city, on Monday afternoon
Her toned figure was partially covered but her sculpted legs were on full display.
She finished off her relaxed aesthetic with plain white trainers and a large black designer holdall, carried in her hand.
With her golden-tinted tresses swept into a carefree ponytail, Charlotte allowed her natural beauty to shine through with subtle tones of makeup.
Keeping her cool: The 25-year-old, however, managed to cut a relatively stylish figure in a grey-knitted hoodie
Earlier on in the week, the reality TV star tweeted her excitement about her promotional duties, where she excitedly gushed: 1 week left in Australia! It's flown over! Last stops Sydney and Melbourne and then HOME next Sunday to my little doggy.
During her stay Down Under, the MTV favourite has been relishing the moments she has spent with on/off beau and fellow co-star Gary Beadle, who recently sent her a huge bunch of roses.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Australia, Charlotte explained: 'We're getting on very well,' when asked about their unique relationship.
'1 week left in Australia! It's flown over!': Earlier on in the week, the reality TV star tweeted her excitement about her promotional duties
She added: '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.'
Alongside her relationship status with Gary, the former Celebrity Big Brother winner has been focusing greatly on her Geordie Shore promotional duties as series 12 prepares to launch.
The new season of the popular show will air on March 15, and will also feature two new faces, Chantelle Connelly and Marty McKenna.
'We're getting on very well': During her stay Down Under, the MTV favourite has been relishing the moments she has spent with on/off beau and fellow co-star Gary Beadle, who recently sent her a huge bunch of roses
They tied the knot six months ago and on Monday Ronan Keating and Storm Uechritz were spotted in Sydney together for the first time since becoming man and wife.
While enjoying a romantic date night in Bondi the pair were spotted breaking into laughter after witnessing a female tumbling and falling into a nearby gutter.
As the pair continued to walk past, they were seen looking back multiple times to re-evaluated the incident.
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Out and about: Ronan Keating and wife Storm Uechritz enjoyed a night out in Sydney on Monday for the first time since becoming man and wife
But besides the series of unfortunate events the duo never failed to move their arms from each other.
As they strolled the quiet streets of Bondi they both showed off large smiles for onlookers while wrapping their arms around each other's waists.
For the romantic date night Ronan, 38, displayed his muscular torso as he dressed in a simple blue T-shirt which showed his colourful bicep tattoos.
He teamed the garment with a pair of dark denim jeans and a pair of tanned suede boots.
Poker face: During their romantic date night the pair witnessed a female tumbling and then falling into a nearby gutter, but maintained straight faces as they strolled past
Something funny? While the unknown individual was attended to by another female, Ronan and Storm later burst into fits of laughter
Observing: As they walked past the incident they glared to access the scenario
His TV producer wife matched his casual look as she too slipped her long toned legs into a pair of denim skinny jeans.
Storm, 34, added a pink button-up shirt to her attire along with a beige jumper which she rested over the top of her shoulders.
While showing off her natural beauty with a nude-themed makeup, the model wore her long luscious blonde hair out and parted down the middle.
This is the first time the happily married couple have returned to Australia since marrying in Scotland last August.
Ronan, who is currently Down Under filming The Voice, met Storm on the set of Australia's X Factor when he worked as a judge on the TV talent show.
Down Under: The pair's visit to Australia is the first since they said their 'I Dos' on Scotland last August
The pair began dating shortly after their marriage breakdown from their respective partners - Ronan from Yvonne Keating and Storm from Sydney financial director Tim Ivers.
Last month Ronan - already a dad to Jack, 16, Missy, 14, and Ali, 10 from his first marriage to Yvonne - revealed he was keen for the couple to have children of their own.
When pressed on whether he would like to be a dad again, he told Jonathan Ross on his chat show: 'Yes maybe yes, Id love to, well see how it goes. Wed love to, wed love to, itd be smashing.'
While talking about Storm, the musician revealed his 'emotional' proposal involved the rest of the family.
Can't keep their hands to themselves: But besides the series of unfortunate events the duo never failed to remove their arms from each other
Every bit loved up: During their date night they looked every bit loved up as they wrapped their arms around each other's waists
He explained that his children were in on the news and gathered alongside him as he dropped to one knee to pop the question.
'You very much involve them,' he said about his kids. 'Its a big deal because Storm isnt just marrying me, shes marrying the four of us as such so it was very special'.
He added: 'The four of us asked Storm to marry us which was amazing it was a really beautiful moment and very emotional It was very special. It meant a lot to all of us.'
Their budding rollercoaster romance has been hitting headlines since they first kissed in the Celebrity Big Brother house.
But following a series of ups and downs, which culminated in a 24-hour split, Stephanie Davis has revealed the back story to her surprise separation and reconciliation with Jeremy McConnell.
Candidly discussing her brief break-up with the 26-year-old model, the actress, 22, told OK! magazine that he won her back by revealing he 'couldn't live without' her in his life.
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Jeremy told me that he loved me and couldnt live without me': Following their 24-hour split, Stephanie Davis has revealed the back story to her surprise separation and romantic reconciliation with Jeremy McConnell
Stephanie - who first found fame on Channel 4's Hollyoaks - explained their row and Jeremy's subsequent confession sprung from the couple's inability to spend time apart.
She explained how the situation unfolded, describing herself as being in a highly emotional states, saying: I was in floods of tears for two days in my hotel room.
Weve been living in each others pockets. We literally cant be without each other; its ridiculous. In a good way, obviously.
'We literally cant be without each other; its ridiculous': Candidly discussing her brief break-up with the model, 26, she told OK! magazine that he won her back by revealing he 'couldn't live without' her in his life
However the actress - who began a romance on TV with Jeremy whilst still officially in a relationship with model Sam Reece - revealed it was Jeremy's romantic pledge which saved their romance.
Describing the turn in their fortunes after the initial split, she said: Jeremy told me that he loved me and couldnt live without me. We decided to put it all behind us and give things another go.
But rather than question how easily their romance could be shaken, she went on to assert: The whole situation made me more sure than ever that Jeremy is the one for me - I know now that I cant be without him.
'I know now that I cant be without him': Rather than question how easily their romance could be shaken, she went on to assert that she was more sure than ever that they were right for one another
And with their romance firmly back on track, the actress and reality star revealed that the pair are set to make their romance more than skin-deep, as they've booked in to get matching tattoos.
Were booked in to get new tattoos this week in Dublin,' the Merseyside-native said. 'Were getting the Oasis lyric: "Maybe youre the same as me, we see things theyll never see".'
And while some might well scoff at the idea, given the couple only met in January, she defended the permanent act, explaining: It really represents everything we went through in the Big Brother house. Jeremys going to get it around his leg and I might get it on my arm. Im going to get his name, too.
Passionate: On Sunday she launched a passionate defence of their romance on social media following a wave of criticism, and advised people if they 'Don't like it. Lump it'
And while the couple have faced many withering comments about their behaviour, the feisty actress showed that she won't take any abuse aimed at her man lying down.
Read all about it: Catch Stephanie interview in full in this week's OK! Magazine - out Tuesday March 1
As an irate Stephanie hit back at the love-birds' naysayers on Sunday in a furious Twitter outburst.
Venting her fury on social media, she sniped: 'We've all been through our past ups and down.'
And with some comments regarding the couple clearly getting to her, the enraged actress shared her opinion on Twitter, advising people if they 'Don't like it. Lump it'.
The tweets - which were quickly deleted from Stephanie's account - took aim at the negative opinions that have come about through the couple's erratic behaviour - with them allegedly having split-up for an evening before quickly reuniting.
However clearly feeling defensive towards her relationship and new beau, 26, the outspoken former Hollyoaks actress hit back at their critics.
She wrote: 'I'll not have anyone slag jezz of! So get of my time line if you do! We've all been through our own past ups and down. But I don't need the Negativity [sic].'
The fiery Merseyside native added cryptically: 'Whatever happened between us is our business. I fell in (love) with someone on TV yes & that's the way it is. Don't like it. Lump it [sic].'
Read Stephanie candid interview in full in this week's OK! Magazine - out Tuesday March 1.
She just spent time with her American grandparents in Oregon.
And after getting in touch with some of her family roots, Bindi Irwin looked happy to be back home in Australia as she touched down in Brisbane with brother Robert 'Bob' Irwin and mum Terri.
The 17-year-old was beaming as she strolled through the airport on Monday with her famous family by her side.
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Carefree and confident: Bindi Irwin appeared to be in good spirits as she strolled through Brisbane airport on Monday after spending time with her American grandparents in Oregon
The Dancing With The Stars winner swapped her iconic khaki ensembles for a pair of comfortable ripped jeans and suede ankle boots.
The talented teen sported a black T-shirt under a comfortable black jacket and wore a cute sparkly necklace for a touch of bling.
Her brown locks were tied in a youthful side-pony and she carried a khaki bag to store her valuables.
All smiles! The 17-year-old was beaming in a pair of ripped jeans and a casual black T-shirt and jacket
Brother Robert sported a typical Irwin ensemble of khaki cargo shorts and a matching t-shirt with an animal print on front, while 51-year-old Terri showcased her support for Australia by wearing a promotional T-shirt for Russell Crowe's film The Water Diviner.
The trio were just in Oregon visiting Terri's parents, Judy and Clarence.
Despite having a happy relationship with their American grandparents, Bindi and Robert are estranged from their paternal grandfather on their late dad Steve's side, Bob Irwin.
Typical: Brother Robert wore a trademark Irwin ensemble of matching Khaki shorts and shirt
Supporting Australia: American-born Terri Irwin showed her support for Australia by sporting a promotional T-shirt for Russell Crowe's film The Water Diviner
The 17-year old spoke out following reports of an increasingly strained relationship with Bob, who has previously reflected on his struggle to cope after son Steve Irwin was fatally struck by a stingray in 2006.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the 5th annual AACTA Awards in December, Bindi claims her grandfather became reclusive in the years following his death.
'Everyone deals with grief differently,' she said. 'When my dad passed away he chose to distance himself from everything that dad loved the most.
'When my dad passed away he chose to distance himself from everything that dad loved the most:' Bindi previously revealed to Daily Mail Australia that she's not on good terms with her late dad's father Bob
'At the moment were really just respecting his wishes because he hasnt had anything to do with us for a long time and he decided his own path. Thats important so good for him.'
Bindi claims her grandfather, who still operates the Bob Irwin Wildlife & Conservation Foundation having retired from Australia Zoo in 1992, has even rejected well meaning gifts from the family.
'There was one year where we sent birthday presents to him and he opened them up and he sent them back,' she recalled.
'With things like that you realise that people need to deal with grief how they need to deal with grief and as long as it doesnt hurt yourself or hurt those around you then thats the way to go.'
'At the moment were really just respecting his wishes because he hasnt had anything to do with us for a long time and he decided his own path,' Bindi confessed
She strutted her stuff in a glamorous gown at the Vanity Fair post-Oscars party on Sunday.
And Michelle Rodriguez wasted no time on Monday in making a fast and non-furious escape from Los Angeles as she was spotted at LAX.
The 37-year-old actress kept it casual as she jetted off make-up free, transformed from her glitzy outfit the night before.
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Morning after: Michelle Rodriguez wasted no time on Monday in making a fast and non-furious escape from Los Angeles as she was spotted at LAX
Perhaps after pulling a late night and early morning, the Fast and Furious star sported dark glasses, despite it not being the sunniest of California days.
She showed off her toned figure in skin tight tan leather trousers, which clung to every curve.
A cosy cream and grey hoodie kept the star warm and she kicked off her high heels in favour of flat-soled chunky boots.
Night out: She strutted her stuff in a glamorous gown at the Vanity Fair post-Oscars party on Sunday but was considerably more relaxed the following day
Her brunette tresses were left loose but a little flat and unkempt - she had sported a tight up-do just hours before.
The beauty showed off her flawless skin without any traces of make-up - although she had run into criticism for her understated look on the red carpet at the exclusive party hosted by Graydon Carter in Beverly Hills.
Her next big screen role sees Michelle take on a hitwoman who was double crossed by gangsters and has had her gender deliberately reassigned from male to female.
Happy days: Perhaps after pulling a late night and early morning, the Fast and Furious star sported dark glasses, despite it not being the sunniest of California days
Sprayed on: She showed off her toned figure in skin tight tan leather trousers, which clung to every curve.
Tomboy, A Revenger's Tale is slated for release in 2017 and it indulges her unique beauty with brawn qualities.
Michelle also has confirmed her part in the upcoming eighth film in the Fast & Furious franchise.
It will be the first installment in the popular franchise since they lost original castmember Paul Walker in a car accident.
British costume designer Jenny Beavan wore M&S jeans and a fake leather jacket as she collected her second Academy Award, just weeks after Stephen Fry quipped that she looked like a 'bag lady'
The red carpet at the Oscars is normally where the stars show off gowns designed by the likes of Versace, Vera Wang or Ralph Lauren.
Marks and Spencer's jeans and fake leather jackets, on the other hand, are less commonly given an outing at the world's most glamorous award ceremony.
But this was the outfit chosen by British costume designer Jenny Beavan as she collected her second Academy Award, 30 years after her first and just weeks after Stephen Fry quipped that she looked like a 'bag lady' for her scruffy ensemble at the Baftas.
Still, she remains unapologetic about her wardrobe choices and said that while she loves her job of dressing some of the world's most glamorous stars, she cannot stand the idea of getting dolled up herself.
She told the Daily Mail: 'I promise you, I look ridiculous in a beautiful designer gown. A gown would simply unzip itself and run away from me. It really would'.
Standing in the middle of the Governors Ball, tickets to which cost $1,500 (1,080), she looked a far cry from the actresses in their bespoke and expensive gowns.
She was honoured at Sunday's ceremony for her work on Mad Max: Fury Road, for which she also won a Bafta.
Beavan, 65, did not receive applause from many in the auditorium as she walked up to collect her award, including Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu who won the award for Best Director for The Revenant.
Perhaps they did not realise she was the victor, given her less than formal attire.
She later posed next to Cate Blanchett, who looked stunning in her Armani Prive gown. Blanchett was nominated for best actress for her portrayal of a lesbian in Carol but lost out to Brie Larson for her role in Room.
Beavan, who received her first Oscar in 1986 for the Merchant Ivory film A Room With A View, sipped champagne and toyed with a striped scarf.
She said: 'Now, this wasn't from M & S. This is an Egyptian scarf. I don't think I have any scarves from M & S.
'People who know me know that I've never really been into parties or dressing up. I look absolutely hideous in a gown of any kind and I don't do heels at all because of my bad back.
'I simply don't do frilly, pretty red carpet frocks. I like doing it to other people. I love dressing others and I know how to make them look beautiful onscreen but I have never been interested in that kind of look for myself'.
See Oscars 2016 updates as winner Jenny Beavan says she 'looks hideous in a gown'
British costume designer Jenny Beavan, 65, did not receive an applause from many in the Hollywood auditorium as she walked up to collect her Oscar award for Best Costume Design on Mad Max: Fury Road
Ms Beavan (pictured receiving her Oscar from Cate Blanchett) said she chose to wear Marks and Spencer's jeans and a jacket because she 'looks absolutely hideous in a gown of any kind and doesn't do heels at all'
She has worked on some of cinema's most successful period pictures, including The Bostonians, Howard's End, Sense and Sensibility, Gosford Park and The King's Speech. Her most recent film, A United Kingdom, with Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo, which will be released in the Autumn.
She has been nominated for an Oscar ten times and has won twice, with her other victory coming for A Room with a View in 1987.
On why she hates to dress herself up, despite doing it to others for a living, she added: 'I've always been pretty rebellious and anarchic with my own free- wheeling style'.
She explained that her Oscar night 'look' was inspired by the Immorton Joe character in Mad Max: Fury Road. In his honour, she added a Swarovski crystal emblem on the back.
Beavan may seem eccentric but she possesses one of the sharpest creative minds in the business.
She is in constant demand because of her knowledge of costume history, the politics of fashion and how to create outfits on budget, plus she often runs a department of scores of people.
Beavan was married to theatre producer Ian Albery. She has one daughter Caitlin, a West End theatre producer and two step sons.
She shares a rambling pile in South London which she calls The Asylum which she offers as a place of refuge to friends and to friends of her children.
Ms Beavan's Oscar appearance comes just weeks after Stephen Fry referred to her as a 'bag lady' on Twitter
She will keep her new Oscar statuette, a more muscular model than the one she won thirty years ago, in a little private room she calls her den.
She said: 'I have my mother's 18th century oak desk in there and it's full of little trinkets including the first Oscar. This new Oscar can keep the old one company'.
Beavan will travel back to London via the Hudson Valley in New York State where she will visit her former collaborator James Ivory, who gave her her first job in film.
'He wondered what an earth I was doing working on Mad Max after all the years working on the films that he and Ismail Merchant made,' she noted.
Of Stephen Fry, Beavan said that the whole incident was overblown.
'He has been a friend for years and I knew he was joking. Everyone else but me took it seriously,' she explained.
She was clearly enjoying this particular party. She was given another flute of champagne.
On Monday night, Nova radio host Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli was less than impressed when his co-star Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald ditched him in the South African jungle on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!
And it seems the 36-year-old is having a terrible time at the celebrity camp on his own, with the radio nice guy losing his temper during a challenge seen in a new teaser of Tuesday night's episode.
The father of one can be seen having a hissy fit to the show's host Julia Morris, telling her: 'I'm f**king furious.'
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Don't make him angry! Nova FM radio host Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli loses his temper on Tuesday night's episode of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!
It's unclear exactly what Wippa is angry about in the clip, but he doesn't hold back when he vents his frustrations.
'I hear ya,' Julia says to the radio funnyman as his anger boils over.
'I'm f**king furious,' he says.
'I don't see why you wouldn't be,' she responds, before he repeats: 'I'm f**king furious.'
'I'm f**king furious': Wippa is seen losing his cool and talking to the show's co-host Julia Morris
Not happy! It remains unclear as to what Wippa is so furious over
The clip cuts in and out of a makeshift radio studio, where Wippa's Nova co-host Fitzy is seen chatting to Julia and her co-host Dr Chris Brown about what went down during the challenge.
'When he looked at me in the face and said this is not fair and this is not on, I'm instantly like, "absolutely!",' Julia tells Fitzy with a laugh.
Meanwhile, Fitzy described the clip on the duo's Facebook page as 'awesome' ahead of the full episode on Tuesday night.
Giving a run down: During the clip Julia and fellow shot host Dr Chris Brown are seen detailing the incident to Wippa's radio co-host Fitzy
Meanwhile, during Monday night's episode, Fitzy and Wippa were dropped into the jungle and disguised themselves in an effort to sabotage camp mate Paul 'The Chief' Harrigan's tucker 'Screaming Headache' trial.
The competition saw the sportsman put his head inside a perspex fish tank filled with catfish as he tried to complete a buzzwire maze.
'We will be controlling the buzzer. So even if he gets close to the end and thinks I've made it, gone. Buzzed out,' Wippa said, cheekily smiling at the camera.
Fitzy and Wippa completed their mission without a hitch, successfully making Paul believe that his own incompetence was to blame for his failure to earn even one star.
Naughty: During Monday night's episode, Fitzy and Wippa were dropped into the jungle and disguised themselves in an effort to sabotage camp mate Paul 'The Chief' Harrigan's tucker 'Screaming Headache' trial
Is that you? The pair added fake noses and fake beards to their recognisable faces
They eventually revealed their true identities to the campmates and were invited to stay for dinner with the celebrities.
What Wippa didn't know is that he would be spending the entire night at the campsite while Fitzy headed back to his luxury hotel.
Dashing off to the diary room during dinner, Fitzy confided to the camera: 'Over the years Wippa has stitched me up many a time. And this is my time to shine. So Michael John Wipley, this is a double stitch-up. We got chief the first time, you're the second.'
Wippa soon realised that he had unknowingly joined the celebrity cast of the show thanks to a letter left by Fitzy and a video message from his wife, who was also in on the prank.
'It just dawned on me, the reality is that Lisa's in on it as well. Here's to a wild night in the jungle. I can't wait to be with the team. It's kind of like being captured by the enemy,' he said.
Her last few feature films have been critical and commercial flops.
But it looks like Nicole Kidman is making a serious comeback as a theatre actress after landing a prestigious Olivier Award nomination for her acclaimed performance in the West End play Photograph 51.
The nomination comes just one week after the 48-year-old won Best Actress for the role at the WhatsOnStage awards.
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Back on top! After a few box office flops, Nicole Kidman has found success on the stage after scoring a prestigious Olivier Award nomination for her role in Photograph 51
Nicole spent two months last year playing DNA researcher Rosalind Franklin in the play.
She has already won a London Evening Standard Theatre Award for the role.
The Olivier Awards are Britain's top theatre awards, with Oscar winner Mark Rylance and Benedict Cumberbatch among those nominated in different categories.
Kidman has spoken in the past of how she took the role of Franklin in honour of her late father, Dr Antony Kidman, who was a research scientist.
Winning! The 48-year-old has already won a London Evening Standard Theatre Award and a WhatsOnStage Award for the role
Is that you Nicole? The talented actress made a total physical transformation to become the character
She also admitted that she cried when the play came to an end after its two-month run.
'I have just loved it so much, that connection with an audience and I'm going to miss it,' she told the London Evening Standard.
'I was sobbing on Saturday night at the curtain call. I've said to Michael (Grandage - the director) "Don't make me wait another 17 years"' she added.
It is her first stage performance since appearing in David Hare's The Blue Room in 1998.
The Oliviers will take place on April 3 at the Royal Opera House, London.
Honouring his memory: The starlet revealed that she took the role in honour of her late father, Dr Antony Kidman
African-American host Chris Rock made non-stop jokes about racial prejudice as he presented the Oscars ceremont in California, writes BRIAN VINER
The Oscar is an inflexible little statuette, yet it has always bent over backwards to accommodate any number of causes and campaigns, enabling actors and directors to pretend that they are setting political agendas.
But has the self-importance of the Academy Awards ever scaled such towering heights as it did in Los Angeles on Sunday evening?
From African-American host Chris Rock's non-stop jokes about racial prejudice, to Leonardo DiCaprio's dire warnings about global warming, to Spotlight producer Michael Sugar sending a message to Pope Francis about abusive priests, to Sam Smith's idiotic claim to be the first openly gay man ever anointed with an Oscar, it was as if all the sanctimonious posturing down the years had finally erupted in one vast explosion of self-regarding pomposity.
And then there was Lady Gaga, performing her ballad Till It Happens To You, from a documentary about rape on university campuses.
As she warbled away, dozens of grim-faced survivors of sexual abuse surrounded her white piano, and the entire auditorium rose as one, not only to applaud the song, but also, let's be frank, themselves, for being such elegantly-dressed standard-bearers for justice and decency. As far as any piece of theatre quite that contrived can be moving, it was. But the rush of luvvie adrenaline began almost immediately.
'These survivors. Wow. Floored by the courage. And beauty. And realness,' tweeted actress Kerry Washington. Realness? Who was she kidding? I love the Oscars, but practically everything about them is illusory, up to and including the idea that films as diverse as The Revenant, Spotlight, Brooklyn and Mad Max: Fury Road can honestly and reliably be compared.
But then, ever since the Academy Awards began in 1929, there have been plenty of instances of Hollywood folk taking themselves far too seriously. Perhaps the most egregious example came in 1973, when Marlon Brando declined his Best Actor trophy for The Godfather, and instead sent his friend Sacheen Littlefeather, a civil rights activist, to deliver a speech about the mistreatment of Native Americans.
Three years ago, Jared Leto used his acceptance speech as Best Supporting Actor for Dallas Buyers' Club to castigate Russian policies towards the Ukraine, as if all of Crimea were breathlessly following events in the Dolby Theatre. Of course, there's no doubt that tens of millions of people do watch the Academy Awards. Nor is there any doubt that actors and film-makers, for better or worse, are role models. And it's commendable that they use their influence to draw attention to evil and injustice, and not simply to their over-priced frocks and over-the-top rocks.
But the Dolby Theatre stage is not a soapbox and there is a limit to how much lecturing we should be expected to take. The 88th Academy Awards greatly exceeded that limit, showcasing almost more causes than films.
The irony was that these had been billed as the politically incorrect Oscars, following the apparent snubbing of black actors and directors the so-called #OscarsSoWhite controversy.
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio (right) made dire warnings about global warming as he received his first Oscar award while singer Sam Smith (left) made an 'idiotic claim' to be the first openly gay man ever anointed with an Oscar
From the start of Sunday's ceremony, it was apparent that practically everyone present was desperate to make amends, and to show that they weren't the ones to blame for overlooking black talent (even though rather a lot of them must have been).
Hence the riotous laughter when Chris Rock quipped that if hosts had to be nominated he would never have got the gig.
African-Americans didn't usually care about white talent being favoured, he said, because they were 'too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won Best Cinematographer'. The point was well made but he promptly overdid it with a variation of the same gag. 'You know, when your grandmother's swinging from a tree, it's really hard to care about Best Documentary Foreign Short.' OK, Chris. Enough already.
If it was predictable that Rock would drag up the race row, it was an even deader cert that DiCaprio, in the odds-on event of him stepping up to receive a first Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Revenant, would use his big moment to draw attention to his pet cause: the environment.
'Climate change is real, it's happening right now, it's the most urgent threat affecting our entire species,' he thundered, the camera briefly flitting to his friend Kate Winslet in the audience, filling up with actressy empathy and pride.
Significantly, unlike everyone else who prattled on for too long, DiCaprio was not interrupted by the orchestra.
But Leo at least comported himself with dignity. The same, alas, cannot be said for Britain's Sam Smith, who won Best Original Song for his Bond theme.
Referring to the race row, Chris Rock quipped that if hosts had to be nominated he would not have got the gig
Hollywood's homophobia was just as bad as its racism, he shrieked, implying that as a 'proud gay man' receiving an Oscar he was a brave pioneer, bursting through some sort of barrier of prejudice. Which was ridiculous. If there ever was a barrier, it was breached even before Smith was born.
Moreover, Dustin Lance Black, the fiance of British diver Tom Daley, used his acceptance speech for his screenplay for Milk seven years ago to make a rather more eloquent speech about his struggles as a gay man, in the far more appropriate context of a film about Harvey Milk, a gay rights campaigner.
Unfortunately, context doesn't seem to matter to these shrill luvvies. And even when they do find some sort of context, they are utterly shameless about promoting their own beliefs.
Any notion of President Trump might be ghastly to many of us, but there are still millions of Americans who seem to believe in him, so what right did Adam McKay, director of The Big Short, have to bring his politics to the stage with him to receive his award for Best Adapted Screenplay?
'If you don't want big money to control government, don't vote for candidates that take money from big banks, oil or weirdo-billionaires,' he stormed, with all the smug security of a man preaching to the converted.
" " The Model S is an all-electric sedan that Tesla Motors says "sets a new standard for premium performance." (Courtesy of Tesla Motors, Inc.)
For gearheads, the news is dire: Young people aren't buying cars, they're buying smart phones. Detroit is bankrupt. Electric cars are creeping into the market share one silent percentage point at a time. You better keep that vintage Chevy El Camino with the big-block engine hidden under a tarp in the garage before the flame job police attempt to pry it from your cold, dead fingers, right? I mean, they already killed the Humvee. What's next? Twelve-cylinder Lamborghinis? These are sad days.
But are they really? If history is any lesson (and it is), we're probably headed back to the good ol' days of the automobile. In the early 1900s vehicular propulsion was a free-for-all, with gasoline-, electric- and steam-powered cars all vying to be the most popular. Gasoline-powered cars went farther and faster; electric-powered cars were clean and touted as being safe for lady drivers; and steam cars, well, they had a readily available fuel source. In the big metropolises like New York City and Boston, the market was split roughly into thirds, depending on what people fancied and how they elected to use their newfangled automobile.
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The same will likely be true in the near-ish future. The truth is, no one is going to take your El Camino away from you -- but even you have to admit that it's a gas hog. Collectors and automobile enthusiasts will likely stop commuting in their gas-powered toys and use them on weekends instead. After all, no one wants to pay more for fuel just to commute back and forth to work than they make in a day. People will probably take stock of their vehicle usage and then buy and drive accordingly. A lot of people will realize their range anxiety is nothing more than a phantom -- though not a Rolls-Royce Phantom, despite a recent experiment to electrify that luxury beast. So yeah, there'll definitely be more all-electric cars on the streets -- but not every car. At least, not until we get our nuclear-powered flying cars. Then all bets are off.
Taylor Swift fans can now watch the pop diva's touching maid-of-honour speech from her BFF Britany Maack's wedding reception in Reading, PA on February 20.
In the 11-minute video, the 26-year-old songstress donned matching Reem Acra gowns with her oldest, dearest friend as they excitedly danced and sang onstage the romantic festivities.
'My favorite accomplishment of my entire life is that everything in my life has changed except for me and Britany,' the 10-time Grammy winner told her gal pal.
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Life-long friends: Taylor Swift fans can now watch the pop diva's touching maid-of-honour speech from her BFF Britany Maack's wedding reception in Reading, PA on February 20
'She was my partner in crime at Brownie's sleepaway camp and she was my date to the Grammys. And little did either of us know that prince charming for Britany would be the kid that sat next to me in class with a bowl cut and a Lego lunchbox.'
Taylor - famed for her powerful girl squads - was referring to the groom, Benjamin LaManna, whom she's 'known since age 4.'
'He would chase her and pursue her through middle school and junior high and high school, and their paths would diverge, and then come back together,' the Bad Blood belter explained to the crowd.
'It would be so magically unpredictable, but at the same time, so incredibly fated just like the best love stories are.'
See Taylor Swift updates as delivers touching maid-of-honour speech at BFF nuptials
Letting loose! In the 11-minute video, the 26-year-old songstress donned matching Reem Acra gowns with her oldest, dearest friend as they excitedly danced and sang onstage the romantic festivities
'My favorite accomplishment of my entire life is that everything has changed except for me and Britany': The longtime blonde duo have literally known each other their entire lives, and they used to ride horses together
The 10-time Grammy winner said: 'She was my partner in crime at Brownie's sleepaway camp and she was my date to the Grammys. And little did either of us know that prince charming for Britany would be the kid that sat next to me in class with a bowl cut and a Lego lunchbox'
Is she next? Taylor did not appear to have brought her Scottish DJ beau Calvin Harris to the romantic ceremony, but the musical couple will celebrate their first anniversary next month
The longtime blonde duo have literally known each other their entire lives, and they used to ride horses together in Pennsylvania.
Taylor did not appear to have brought along her Scottish DJ beau Calvin Harris to the romantic ceremony, but the musical couple will celebrate their first anniversary next month.
On Sunday, Swift attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in a plunging Alexandre Vauthier gown and gold Giuseppe Zanotti stilettos selected by her stylist Joseph Cassell Falconer.
This time, the Shake It Off hitmaker opted to bring along New Zealand pop princess Lorde wearing a custom Monique Lhuillier gown.
On February 19, Taylor announced to her combined 212.9M followers on social media that her seventh single off 1989 will be New Romantics.
Leggy lady: On Sunday, Swift attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in a plunging Alexandre Vauthier gown and gold Giuseppe Zanotti stilettos selected by her stylist Joseph Cassell Falconer
Popular: This time, the Shake It Off hitmaker opted to bring along New Zealand pop princess Lorde wearing a custom Monique Lhuillier gown (pictured Sunday)
She's currently swapping the screen for the stage.
And Laura Carmichael, 29, appeared to enjoy the gala night performance of The Maids, on Monday, if the smile on her face was anything to go by as she left Trafalgar Studios in London.
The Downton Abbey actress changed into a plain black Altuzarra dress and covered it with a leather jacket as she accompanied her co-star Zawe Ashton, 31, out of the stage door and into a waiting car.
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Pleased as punch: Laura Carmichael, 29, appeared to enjoy the gala night performance of The Maids, on Monday, if the smile on her face was anything to go by as she left Trafalgar Studios
Laura, who played the lovable Lady Edith Crawley in the award-winning period drama, wore a modest pair of navy heels as she headed to an after-party with her co-stars Ashton and Orange is The New Black's Uzo Aduba, 35.
She styled her blonde tresses in a middle parting and allowed her waves to rest on her shoulders, while her subtle make-up application was typical of the classy star.
The trio already looked to be a tight unit in the early stages of the psychological thriller's three-month run.
Close display: Laura wore a modest pair of navy heels as she headed to an after-party with her co-stars Zawe Ashton, 31, (left) and Orange is The New Black's Uzo Aduba, 35 (centre)
All smiles: Laura wore her blonde tresses in a middle parting and allowed her waves to rest on her shoulders
Dressed to impress: Aduba stood in the middle of the trio in a glamorous blue and white bandeau gown
They were all smiles as they posed with their arms around each other. Aduba stood in the middle of the trio in a glamorous blue and white bandeau gown.
Meanwhile, Ashton sported a striking ankle-length red dress with a racy leather top. The actress wore her hair pulled back into a bob ad posed seductively against an exposed brick wall.
And it certainly looked like plenty of guests were expected to celebrate with the leading ladies if the number of wine glasses on display were anything to go by.
Making an exit: The Downton Abbey actress changed into a plain black dress and covered it with a leather jacket as she accompanied Ashton out of the stage door and into a waiting car
Back to the wall: The actress wore her hair pulled back into a bob ad posed seductively against an exposed brick wall
Bold ensemble: Ashton wore a striking ankle-length red dress with a racy leather top
They are best known for roles as kitchen maids in the hit period drama Downton Abbey.
But Cara Theobold, 26, and Sophie McShera, 31, weren't restricted by the early 20th century attire of the award-winning programme when they attended The Maids gala night at Trafalgar Studios, Whitehall, London, on Monday.
The actresses were far more radiant then their onscreen counterparts, especially Cara, who lit up the red carpet in a bold floral mini-dress.
Lady in red: Cara Theobold, 26, wasn't restricted by the early 20th century attire she wore in Downton Abbey when she attended The Maids gala night at Trafalgar Studios, Whitehall, London, on Monday
Stunning Cara, who played kitchen maid Ivy Stuart, wore her blonde tresses pulled back into a bun with loose tendrils framing her face.
The beautiful blonde emitted a healthy glow as she smiled for the cameras. Her blue eyes were made more piercing by lashings of mascara, while her rosy cheeks and a slick of lipstick added to her cute look.
Her dress boasted intricate patterning on its top half and three-quarter length sleeves to create an Oriental style.
Quite the departure: The actress was far more radiant then her Downton character, kitchen maid Ivy Stuart, lighting up the red carpet in a bold floral mini-dress
Blonde beauty: Stunning Cara wore her blonde tresses pulled back into a bun with loose tendrils framing her face
Radiant: The actress emitted a healthy glow as she smiled for the cameras
She held a black clutch and finished her look with a pair of black knee-high boots.
Meanwhile, Sophie, who played Daisy Mason in the hit show, was a little bit more reserved but stylish nonetheless.
She wore a cream and navy striped top tucked into a dark pair of jeans. To keep warm in the chilly night she wrapped up in a long grey knitted coat and finished the ensemble with some cream shoes.
Her sleek brunette locks were styled straight and allowed to fall over her shoulders. She was all smiles as she posed for photographs and made her way into the venue.
Classy ensemble: Sophie McShera, 31, was a little bit more reserved but stylish nonetheless
Happy! The smiley actress wore a cream and navy striped top tucked into a dark pair of jeans
Brr! To keep warm in the chilly night she wrapped up in a long grey knitted coat
Showing her supoort: Downton Abbey actress Elizabeth McGovern was also seen leaving the theatre
Mother and daughter's night out: Elizabeth, 54, was joined by her youngest daughter - 18-year-old Grace
These boots were made for walking: They showcased their similar style senses as they both sported knee-high boots
Colour clashing: While Grace favoured a monochrome colour theme, Elizabeth deliberately clashed blues and green as she wore multiple layers
Other famous faces to join the pair at the event were Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp, Lady Colin Campbell, Ronni Ancona and Rupert Evans.
The Maids has returned to the West End for the first time in 20 years and features the talents of Uzo Aduba (Orange is The New Black), Zawe Aston (Fresh Meat) and Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey).
Described by ATG Tickets as an intense psychological thriller, the play is set in a 'luxurious bedroom where two maids fantasize about killing their employer, playing out dangerous and sadistic scenarios as they plan her violent death'.
In love: Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp put on a close display with his wife Lauren Barber
Loving life: Lady Colin Campbell rocked a dark green leather jacket with a glossy finish
Eye-catching: Ronni Ancona sported a stylish sheepskin coat with a fluffy lapel and cuffs
Stylish display: Kathryn Drysdale dressed in a sophisticated ankle-length black coat
Feeling the chill: Kimberley Nixon was well wrapped up in a woolly beanie and thick scarf
All smiles: John Heffernan and Elliot Levey put on a close display on the red carpet
Cool dude: John McMillan was in smart casual dress for the evening with a pair of headphones wrapped around his neck
High spirits: Gabrielle Lloyd and Maggie Steed gave each other a warm embrace for the cameras
Jennifer Garner got back to being a busy mom on Monday after putting in a glamorous appearance on the Oscars red carpet.
The 43-year-old actress picked up her daughter Seraphina, seven, from school and headed to some local boutiques in Pacific Palisades.
Jen was in such great spirits she even had a shop-owner giggling as she made a quick stop to look at the wares on display.
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Back to reality: Jennifer Garner was all smiles as she took her daughter Seraphina to a local boutique in their neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades on Monday
Dressed casually in sweatpants and a puffy jacket, Jennifer's look was a far cry from her stunning Versace gown of the night before.
She kept her locks tied back in a braid and appeared to be makeup-free.
Both Jennifer and her estranged husband Ben Affleck attended the 88th Academy Awards on Sunday as well as the Vanity Fair post-ceremony party.
While they each took to the red carpets solo, the former couple were pictured being cordial and chatting to other guests together during the evening.
Getting artsy: The actress was all smiles as she picked up a couple of things for her daughter
Bundled up: The 43-year-old actress kept it casual in sweatpants and a puffy jacket
Dressed for action: The 43-year-old Golden Globe winner completed her sporty, gym look with $180 New Balance NB1990 trainers
Moving on: The doting mom recently opened up about her split with ex Ben Affleck in an interview with Vanity Fair
Meanwhile, Jennifer spilled her heart out to Vanity Fair in a bombshell interview that was released on Friday.
She not only talked about Ben killing her 'dream' of being happily married, but also touched on the nanny who he was claimed to be in a relationship.
In her interview, the Dallas Buyers Club hinted heavily that Ben cheated on her and also heavily suggested that he did have romantic relations with their nanny, Christine Ouzounian, 28, even though he claimed last summer the accusation was 'garbage.'
'We had been separated for months before I ever heard about the nanny,' said the Miracles From Heaven actress. 'She had nothing to do with our decision to divorce. She was not a part of the equation. Bad judgment? Yes.'
Belle of the ball: Jennifer stunned in a black Versace gown at the Oscars and vanity Fair afterparty
Going solo: While they didn't pose together Jennifer and estranged husband Ben Affleck were seen chatting during the night
Doing the honours: The actress presented alongside Benicio Del Toro during the ceremony
Getting along: While they each took to the red carpets solo, the former couple were pictured being cordial and chatting to other guests together during the evening
The toughest part of the allegations was talking to her children about it, she said.
'It's not great for your kids for [a nanny] to disappear from their lives,' she said. 'I have had to have conversations about the meaning of "scandal."'
Jennifer and Ben, who have three children together (Violet, aged 10, Seraphina, aged seven, and Samuel, aged three), announced their split in June, just a month before talk of his involvement with the nanny.
As far as his claims that the affair never happened, Jennifer said: 'Hes still the only person who really knows the truth about things. And Im still the only person that knows some of his truths.'
Dining out: The former couple took their three kids to dinner at Cafe Vida in Pacific Palisades on Saturday following the actress' tell-all Vanity Fair interview
He caused quite a commotion when he performed at the BRITS.
But Canadian rapper Drake was much more low-key when he dined out in central London's affluent Mayfair on Monday evening.
The handsome star, 29, was spotted at Nobu - just days after delivering a steamy performance with rumoured beau Rihanna.
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Dining out: Canadian rapper Drake was much more low-key when he dined out in central London's affluent Mayfair on Monday evening
Dressed head-to-toe in black, the chart-topper cut an urban figure as he emerged from the popular pan-Asian eatery.
Sporting his trademark look, which consisted of a two-piece hooded tracksuit and silk padded jacket, he added a pair of pristine white trainers to the mix.
Also showing off his signature stubble, the star kept his cool as he effortlessly turned heads.
See Drake updates as he has meal in London's Nobu after performance with Rihanna
City slicker: The handsome star, 29, was spotted at Nobu - just days after delivering a steamy performance with rumoured beau Rihanna
Joined by an equally-casual male friend, the two exited the venue in their near-matching styles and headed into a waiting vehicle.
There. they were driven off to a late-night venue for further exploration of the city.
Sadly, there was no sign of Rihanna joining the festivities - although there's a chance she may have joined the men later on.
Urban appeal: Dressed head-to-toe in black, the chart-topper cut an urban figure as he emerged from the popular pan-Asian eatery
No sign: Sadly, there was no sign of Rihanna joining the festivities - although there's a chance she may have joined the men later on
According to a report in The Sun, Rihanna and Drake's suggestive performance wasn't just a mere dance routine - but representative of the fact they're back together.
The newspaper claim that the hit-makers have rekindled their romance in the latest installment of their on again/off again relationship.
Speaking to the publication, a source said: 'They're back together and Drake is besotted. His team have been teasing him about it but nothing can wipe the smile off his face.'
The report adds that the couples' renewed romance is an 'open secret' among their respective entourages.
Together? According to a report in The Sun, Rihanna and Drake's suggestive performance wasn't just a mere dance routine - but representative of the fact they're back together
She had just reached the pinnacle of her acting career.
So no wonder Brie Larson felt like rewarding herself as she celebrated her best actress Oscar win by chowing down on a burger at the Vanity Fair party on Sunday.
The saucy 26-year-old looked like she was having a great time as she munched on the tasty treat while resting her leg on a table in the mildly comical Instagram picture.
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Flame-grilling of the vanities: Hilarious Brie Larson posted a picture of herself munching on a burger at the Vanity Fair Oscar party on Instagram Monday
Room star Brie was wearing the stunning pink velvet gown she debuted at the thrilling bash, which was held in the upmarket Beverly Hills area.
And she added an extra dash of risibility to her snap by wearing a dirty pair of old converse trainers, which she showed off as she rested her foot on one of the pristine tables inside the venue.
Brie partied all night, before heading back to the Dolby Theatre, where the stimulating ceremony is held, to relive her glory on the Live! with Kelly & Michael on Monday morning.
During her interview she said she had diced with death to make it to the ceremony, as she had been filming King Kong reboot, Kong: Skull Island, in Vietnam.
Risking it all for entertainment: Brie said she took her life into her own hands by flying from Vietnam to attend
'I hope I win': She said she had to endure three scary flights to make it to the event
Brie said: 'It was, like, three really sketchy flights, and I was like, "I really hope that I win because otherwise I risked my life for"'
Thankfully that proved not to be the case, and she added the much-coveted golden statuette to her trophy cabinet.
She joked that she had made sure to have a quiet night after her win, saying: 'I did not dance all night. I didn't hang out with Lorde and Taylor Swift. I went to sleep. I didn't do that.
'I didn't just shove a bagel in my face and a cup of coffee and come out here, at all.'
I was there: She delighted the crowd by revealing exactly where she had been sitting in the venue
Zinger: Kelly Ripa made herself chuckle when she joked she could not believe she had seen Brie eat a bagel
The fun never stops: She then handed her trophy over to Kelly so they could recreate her walking off stage
The hilarity of it all was almost too much for Kelly Ripa, who then hit back with a decisive zinger of her own, saying: 'It's so fun to watch an backstage in Hollywood eating a carbohydrate. I was like...'
Brie also said she has taken to referring to Eddie Redmayne, who presented her with the award, as her 'fairy godmother' as he had handed over the plethora of gongs she has won for her role as a kidnapped mother in Room.
And the actress said the Danish Girl favourite gave her a bit of forewarning about what was going to happen.
She said: 'He told me, "You're going to be fine until they call me to come up and present and once that happens, you're going to like need some Depends."
Not so fast: Cheeky Kelly pretended she was going to run off with the precious prize
My precious: She seemed enchanted by the shiny object when she finally got it back
Backstage for real: She was met by her handsome musician beau, self-styled rocker Alex Greenwald
'It's totally true. They very slyly pulled him away and I was, like, "Oh no." It was, like, "Is this going to happen again?"
'When he called my name, it's a weird out-of-body experience.'
Brie, whose real name is Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers, then recreated the moment she went backstage with her award.
Cheeky Kelly, who was playing the role of her guest, tried to make off with her gong by continuing to head into the wings, before she was grabbed by the star in another moment of comedy gold.
The actress also made sure she paid tribute to her pint-sized co-star Jacob Tremblay, the nine-year-old who played her son in Room.
She said: 'He's beyond. I think you get a sense of him on TV but he's even more than whatever it is you see. He's the greatest person.'
Emotional overload: She was overcome and almost cried after scooping the prestigious paperweight
In the pink: She struck her trademark gazing up to the heavens pose as she showed off her stunning gown
She's currently engaged in a road trip with co-host David 'Kochie' Koch as they present breakfast show Sunrise from a range of picturesque coastal locations around Australia.
And after all that travelling Samantha Armytage appeared to have worked up an appetite as she took a break in Queensland on Monday.
The 38-year old tucked into a savoury slice after arriving at Gold Coast suburb Burleigh Heads - her latest pit-stop on the morning show's self-styled 'Great Aussie Road Trip.'
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Tucking in: Samantha Armytage enjoyed a savoury slice after arriving at Gold Coast suburb Burleigh Heads - her latest pit-stop on Sunrise's self-styled 'Great Aussie Road Trip.'
Sporting a breezy white summer dress and matching wide-brimmed hat, Samantha appeared to be in high spirits while taking a well earned break with Sunrise weatherman Sam 'Mac' McMillan.
The presenter added to her seasonal look with a pair of thongs, while heavily tinted sunglasses rounded things off.
Samantha later offered a broad smile while walking close to the sweeping Queensland coastline, her mobile phone clutched in her right hand.
In good company: Sporting a breezy white summer dress and matching wide-brimmed hat, Samantha appeared to be in high spirits while taking a well earned break with Sunrise weatherman Sam 'Mac' McMillan
Break time: The presenter took a break as she prepared to shoot the morning show from Queensland
Summer ready: The presenter added to her seasonal look with a pair of heavily tinted sunglasses
Sunrise's road trip across the east coast of Australia began on Monday and will conclude on Friday.
The team of hosts and producers will wrap up their on-the-road show in Melbourne after visiting locations in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sydney.
Wednesday's show will see the crew return to New South Wales, where they will broadcast from Palm Beach - the home of popular soap opera Home And Away.
Thirsty work: The presenter sipped from a bottle of mineral water while chatting to weatherman Sam
Busy: Samantha, Sam and the rest of the Sunrise team will wrap up their on-the-road show in Melbourne after visiting locations in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sydney
Upbeat: The pair were in high spirits as they took a stroll close to the sweeping coastline on Monday
Low-key: Samantha completed her summer ready look with a pair of very casual thongs
That's better: Samantha stretched her legs after taking a welcome break with co-presenter Sam
This isn't the first time the Sunrise crew have taken their show outside of their Martin Place studio.
Last year the team successfully travelled to five countries across the globe in a five days.
They visited Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, London in the UK, New York in America, Niagara Falls in Canada and Cancun, Mexico.
It was the most celebrated film of the night, winning six of the ten categories in which it had been nominated.
But as director George Miller suggested on Monday after his night of Oscars glory, Mad Max: Fury Road was not always destined for success.
Halted numerous times amid the global financial meltdown and almost destroyed by hostile filming locations, the picture came close to never being made.
The fourth in the Mad Max franchise, fans had waited years for the film when it was released in May last year.
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Show stopper: Mad Max: Fury Road swept the board at the 88th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday
A decade in the works
Production was scheduled to begin in 2001, with 20th Century Fox agreeing to fund Miller's vision.
His first attempt at production was thwarted by the 9/11 attacks, with the American dollar plummeting in value as a result and wiping away the film's budget.
Long time coming: Director George Miller was forced to halt production several times
'This film [Fury Road] was green lit three times and fell over three times over a decade,' Miller said in October.
'We went to shoot with Mel Gibson back in 2001, but then 9/11 happened, and the American dollar collapsed against the Australian dollar close to 30 per cent, so we lost that amount of budget overnight,' he explained in an interview with Top Gear.
With no feasible means to get production off the ground, Miller moved on to create Happy Feet, an animated film about penguins released in 2006.
That same year, and following its release, he revealed the script for Mad Max: Fury Road had been written a fourth time.
Battling the elements
In 2009, eight years after production was first discussed, Miller said he had chosen Broken Hills in New South Wales as the location for their desert shoot.
But a bout of heavy rain stalled production in the area. Wildflowers sprouted in the dessert location where he had planned to film, thwarting any hopes of a post-apocalyptic setting.
Filming was moved as a result to Namibia, with producers setting up camp on the outskirts of the city of Swakopmund.
Miller and his production were accused by local conservationists of damaging the land, a claim later rejected by the Namibia Film Commission which took out a full page advertisement to defend the film, Wired reported at the time.
An all-star cast
In the 1979 and 1989 films Mel Gibson took the lead role of Max and was tipped to reprise it when news of production surfaced in 2001.
Later it was announced that British actor Tom Hardy would take on the title role. He was joined by Charlize Theron and a score of other stars including supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whitley.
Speaking after the film's release, Hardy gushed over Miller and his vision for the feature.
Star studded: Fans hoped Mel Gibson may have revived his role as Max but the character was taken on by Tom Hardy (above together with Miller at the film's premiere)
Success: Hardy later spoke out to reveal he did not fully understand Miller's vision when they began work
Star quality: Charlize Theron also appeared in the film, drawing crowds with her celebrity
'The most frustrating thing for me or the hardest part [of filming] was trying to know what George wanted me to do at any given minute on a minute-by-minute basis, so I could fully [execute] his vision.
'But because [Miller was] orchestrating such a huge vehicle literally in so many departments, and because his signature is on every single detail [of the film] and because all of the [parts] in the vehicle are just moving, there is just motion,' he said, later describing the director as 'brilliant'.
The compliment was returned, with Miller confirming the actor would have a role in forthcoming sequels.
Big money and even bigger stuns
Mad Max: Fury Road was produced under a budget of $200million AUD. A seemingly endless pile of cash was necessary to facilitate the many elaborate stunts and reams of expertly selected wardrobe on set.
The big spending paid dividends - in its first weekend in the U.S. it pulled $45,428,128 (US). Worldwide it collected $523,032,152 (AUD).
Not holding back: Miller previously told how he did not want to use special effects where unnecessary
A huge portion of the budget was spent on equipment, costume and stunts. Describing his gung-ho approach, Miller told Deadline last year: 'We have the ability as human beings to detect whats real or not.
'Particularly if youre doing things that you can at least see on television or YouTube that are actually real, youre going to be working very, very hard to do it all CG.
'So it was the logical thing to do, and also everyone was up for it.'
More to come
Before this year's Oscars nominations had even been revealed, Miller confirmed he already had enough material for two sequels.
Two years ago, before the film hit theatres, Miller told fans at Comic Con he did not know the order in which they would emerge.
'In order to tell this story, we came up with two others,' he said in a press conference at the event.
'Weve written the screenplay of one and the novelization of another, but its a very rough novel.
'We kept working on them while we were working on other things.'
Watch this space! Miller (above with his wife Margaret Sixel at this Oscars) revealed plans for two sequels
She recently confessed she gets 'really anxious and self-conscious' on the set of photoshoots.
But Sylvia Jeffreys looked impeccably comfortable in her own skin on Tuesday as she stepped out as an official ambassador to launch the 2016 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
Dressed in an ice blue mid-length dress by Acler to attend the event at Royal Randwick Racecourse, the 29-year-old gleamed as she posed alongside fellow ambassadors Nerida Winter, Jodi Gordon, Grace Huang, Isabel Cornish, Storm Uechritz and Elyse Knowles.
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Ice ice baby! Sylvia Jeffreys looked impeccably in a pale blue frock as she stepped out as an official ambassador to launch the 2016 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival in Sydney on Tuesday
The locally designed dress featured a plunging neckline, the A-line dress finished just below her knees and teased a small glimpse of her trim pins with a wedge cut out at the front.
Despite her towering 5'10" stature, the Today Show newsreader pumped up her height with a pair of nude heels, and added a race day touch with a black floral headband by Nerida Winter.
Her makeup was kept glowing and natural, with lightly smoked eyes and a pale manicure.
Sky's the limit! Despite her towering 5'10" stature, the Today Show newsreader pumped up her height with a pair of nude heels
Fellow beauties (from L to R): Fellow ambassadors Nerida Winter, Jodi Gordon, Grace Huang, Isabel Cornish, Storm Uechritz and Elyse Knowles
Later in the day, she shared a snap posing with E! Australia host Ksenija Lukich, who wore dressed in a semi-sheer black frock and boater hat.
'I found another tall girl and I'm not letting go!' wrote Sylvia humorously in the caption.
In an interview published on Sunday, Sylvia opened up about becoming comfortable in front of the camera.
'I found another tall girl!' Sylvia took a snap with E! Australia correspondent Ksenija Lukich
'I don't know how to pose,' she told Sunday Style.
Sylvia, who starred on the stunning cover of the glossy, said her height has given her grief in the past: 'I've only just started wearing high heels. I always wanted to be one of those petite girls.'
The blonde beauty glows on the cover of the weekend publication, her bright bluish green eyes lined with plenty of smoky eyeliner to make them sparkle.
She's been one of My Kitchen Rules' harshest and most outspoken contestants while her timid husband Tim has silently stood by her side.
And on Tuesday night's episode of the cooking competition Dee showed that she couldn't put her money where her mouth is after serving a trainwreck three-course meal that sent the 28-year-old and her hubby packing with a dismal score of just 38.
'I'm angry,' Dee said as she was given her marching orders. 'I just can't believe I cooked so badly.'
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'I just can't believe I cooked so badly:' Tim and Dee were a total disaster on Tuesday night's episode of My Kitchen Rules
Their elimination left rivals Lauren and Carmine safe from elimination and extremely pleased with themselves, despite several other contestants stating that they would've preferred for Tim and Dee to stay instead.
'We're definitely not ready to go home tonight,' Lauren said at the beginning of the episode, before adding: 'Totes hoping for a disaster.'
Before they even started to cook, Dee showcased her now infamous dominant side by stating: 'Tonight I need to be the boss in the kitchen and Tim needs to listen.'
See MKR updates as Tim and Dee destroyed by judges for dinner and are sent home
Disappointed: Dee shed tears as her lowly score of just 38 was delivered by the judges
Feeling good: Carmine and Lauren were happy to avoid elimination after clashing with Tim and Dee several times over the series
Tim, who was continuously being yelled at by his wife in the kitchen, didn't seem to have a problem with the power imbalance in their marriage.
'I really value her opinion to tell me how I'm doing things and whether I'm doing it right or wrong,' he said. 'I really like her to just look over my shoulder.'
They soon got started on their Spanish-themed cuisine, but it didn't take long for disaster to strike.
'Tonight I need to be the boss in the kitchen and Tim needs to listen:' The 28-year-old made it clear that she wears the pants in the relationship
'I really value her opinion to tell me how I'm doing things and whether I'm doing it right or wrong:' Tim didn't have a problem with following orders from Dee
'Totes hoping for a disaster:' Lauren made no secret that she was hoping that Tim and Dee would bomb and save her and Carmine from elimination
'The whole night is already ruined!' Dee shrieked at Tim after discovering a problem with the bread they were preparing.
She then turned her attention to some onions in the fry pan and freaked out when she believed that Tim hadn't been stirring them properly to keep them from getting burnt, despite the fact that they all still looked white.
The 28-year-old then started to shriek and stamp her foot on the floor in frustration over the situation.
'That is onion that has burnt because it's been left unattended,' she barked in Tim's face, before screeching, 'Throw it out!'
'That is onion that has burnt because it's been left unattended!' Dee threw a tantrum over bread and onions before the entree had even been served
Feeling angry: Dee cried and stamped her foot on the floor as things failed to go her way
Dee's aggressive display left Tim in tears, with the 30-year-old wiping his watery eyes as he said: 'I just get really emotional because this is something she's dreamed of and she's getting upset doing it.'
She later blamed Tim for not purchasing cumin for the dish, snapping at her hubby: 'I'm really annoyed at you... what have you done?! I'm personally mortified, I'm very upset.'
After some more tears and tantrums from Dee, the couple finally delivered their entree of Spanish Lentil Soup with Chorizo, but the reaction wasn't good.
'I want Spanish, and what I got was not very good,' said judge Colin Fassnidge, who remarked that the food was completely undercooked and raw.
'This is Dee-sappointing,' added Lauren as she tried to bite into the raw dish.
'I just get really emotional because this is something she's dreamed of and she's getting upset doing it:' Tim shed tears because his wife wasn't having a good time in the kitchen
'I want Spanish, and what I got was not very good:' Judge Colin Fassnidge slammed Tim and Dee's entree
Things went from bad to worse once the couple returned to the kitchen to prepare their main of Spanish Meatballs with Potatoes and Spicy Tomato Sauce, with Tim burning the breadcrumbs in the oven - forcing Dee to use packet breadcrumbs instead.
After berating her defeated husband, Dee flipped out again when she realised that their meatballs were raw because Tim had forgot to put the gas on.
'Just cook them!' she screamed. 'You're pissing me off!'
Uh oh! Tim burned some breadcrumbs and then forgot to turn the frying pan on to cook the meatballs
'Just cook them!' Dee screamed at Tim, before adding: 'You're pissing me off!'
As Dee verbally abused Tim, the guests at the table -who at this point had been waiting for over two hours- were taken aback by the loud shouting that they could hear coming from the kitchen.
When they delivered the main meal it was clear from the get-go that it wasn't a winner, with Lauren correctly stating: 'This dish looks like a mess.'
Both the judges and the other teams slammed the meatballs, most of which were inedible due to being undercooked.
The trouble couple tried to turn things around with their creme caramel dessert, but despite it receiving a generally positive reception from everybody, it wasn't enough to save them from elimination.
'I'm very disappointed,' Dee said at the end. 'I just wish that we could've held our heads together and performed how we know that we can perform.'
Not happy: Colin and Rachel Khoo weren't pleased with the couple's meatball dish, which was the second undercooked meal of the night
'I'm very disappointed:' Dee was upset as she and Tim received a score of just 38
It seems like the cold never bothered Penelope Disick anyway.
The three-year-old youngster looked adorable as she wore a shimmering costume of Disney's Elsa on her latest family outing.
Her mother Kourtney Kardashian and older brother Mason, six, all were spotted leaving the Toys R Us in Calabasas as they picked up a few playthings.
Princess: Penelope Disick dressed in a Elsa from Frozen costume on an outing with Kourtney Kardashian and Mason Disick in Calabasas on Monday
Penelope already looked to be living in her own fantasy world as she sported a shiny seafoam green dress with matching flat shoes.
Her brunette tresses were done up in four cornrows up top as the rest of it was worn down.
Penelope's 36-year-old mother put on a leggy display in a pair of Daisy Dukes and black suede booties.
She also showed support to her brother-in-law Kanye West by wearing a short-sleeved Yeezus shirt as she accesorised with a gold bangle and small leather bag with a gold chain strap.
Family affair: The-three-year-old looked happy to be the proud new owner of a doll as she wore the shiny Seafoam Green dress
Support system: The 36-year-old eldest Kardashian sister wore Daisy Dukes, black suede booties and a white Yeezus shirt
Kourtney wore her medium-length raven-coloured tresses down as she sported natural, complimentary make-up including a swipe of shiny lip.
Mason was dressed comfortably in a black V-neck with patterned shorts and a pair of black and neon orange LeBron James Nike trainers.
It seems as if Penelope has made it quite the habit of dressing up as her favourite Frozen characters as she apparently went as Elsa's sister Anna during a recent family dinner.
Busy day: Earlier in the day, Penelope was spotted without the costume
Last week her grandmother Kris Jenner took to Instagram to share a photo the family dinner table after their meal with an auburn-coloured wig and blue hat on it.
The 65-year-old momager captioned the image: 'You know it's been a good night when you've finished your family dinner and you realize Elsa's sister Anna left her hair behind. #penelope #frozen #magicalnight.'
The Kardashian-Jenner family got together for a dinner to celebrate what would have been the 72nd birthday of her late ex-husband Robert Kardashian.
The group, which included Penelope's father Scott Disick, enjoyed a large, Armenian-style dinner at the late-attorney's favourite restaurant Carousel to commemorate the occasion.
It's a magical moment in any child's life.
So who can blame doting mother Tammin Sursok for documenting the first time her two-year-old daughter Phoenix saw snow.
The 32-year-old took to Instagram to share sweet family snaps from their time at Big Bear Lake in California as they frolicked in the winter wonderland.
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Snow much fun: Tammin Sursok has recently enjoyed a family trip to the snow with her husband Sean McEwen and their two-year-old daughter Phoenix and shared snaps with her fans on Instagram
In one snap the actress is crouched down on the ground next to her look-a-like daughter excitedly writing: 'Phoenix saw the snow for the first time this weekend!'
Tammin was wrapped up in a quilted white coat that was tied tight around her slender waist matched with fitted blue jeans.
She finished her look with heavy duty white ski boots that laced up high around her calves and wore her brunette locks loose and effortlessly styled around her face.
Her cherubic daughter was dressed in a similar white coat also matched with jeans and a pair of brown boots with a thick fur trim.
Family fun: The 32-year-old took to Instagram to share sweet family snaps from their time at Big Bear Lake in California as they frolicked in the winter wonderland for the first time together
Working together: The South African-born Australian-raised beauty relocated to the U.S to further her career and now owns a production company, Charlie Baby Productions with her husband
In another picture from their holiday, her husband Sean McEwen is seen leaning down to kiss Tammin as she beamed up at him with their daughter in her arms.
Phoenix is a regular feature on Tammin's social media feed, and she appears to be relishing life as a mother.
The South African-born Australian-raised beauty relocated to the U.S to further her career and now owns a production company, Charlie Baby Productions with her husband.
They are planning on developing, writing and directing their own web comedy series called Aussie Girl together.
Her mini me: Phoenix is a regular feature on Tammin's social media feed, and she appears to be relishing life as a mother
Still smitten: Tammin and Sean were married in 2011, and after 11 years together, are still as loved up as ever
The striking star rose to fame in the iconic soap Home and Away playing feisty teenager Dani Sutherland on Home And Away.
Tammin and Sean were married in 2011, and after 11 years together, are still as loved up as ever.
While they have one daughter together, she has admitted the couple have considered having more children and joked that Sean constantly tries to have a baby with her.
The brunette beauty has previously hinted that she and Sean have considered relocating back to Australia in the hope of raising Phoenix Down Under.
As this year's Oscar buzz wears off, troubled Samuel Johnson reminds us that not all TV and film stars enjoy a life of glitz, glamour and multi-million dollar pay days.
Because the Molly star - who last week announced his shock retirement from acting - has suffered more than his fair share of trials, tribulations and heart-breaking tragedies.
From losing three loved ones to suicide - including his mother - to watching his brave sister Connie battle terminal breast cancer, the 38-year-old has remained strong in the face of adversity.
Troubled: The Secret Life of Us star Samuel Johnson, 38, surprised fans last week when he announced his decision to retire from acting to focus on his breast cancer charity Love Your Sister
The Daylesford-born star has, meanwhile, battled his own demons, turning to drink to cope with the death of an ex-girlfriend in 2006 which he claims 'ruined' him emotionally.
And during the height of these troubled years, the former actor was charged with assault following a brawl at a Sydney casino - but escaped jail on a 12-month good behaviour bond.
Recently, he's enjoyed a career resurgence in made-for-TV film Molly - a biopic about Countdown host Ian 'Molly' Meldrum - but has since claimed he's given up acting to focus on his charity work.
Career resurgence: After seemingly disappearing from the celebrity scene following a difficult few years, Samuel returned to our screens this year in Channel Seven's made-for-TV film Molly (pictured)
Worry: There has been some concern for Samuel's well-being during publicity for Molly - as he admitted to being 'dead broke' and even showed up 'barefoot and dishevelled' at an Adelaide radio interview this month
However, fans are still concerned about Samuel's well-being, as earlier this month he showed up 'barefoot and dishevelled' to an Adelaide radio interview, journalist Peter Ford reported.
He also recently revealed he's 'dead broke but happy' after claiming he hadn't been paid for an acting job in over a year.
And on Monday, sister Connie - co-founder of their cancer charity Love Your Sister - suggested that her brother was 'drunk' when he publicly announced his retirement on Facebook last week.
The following day, he confessed to being 'tipsy' while writing the post - which is perhaps troubling for someone who previously admitted to ABC having 'a problem with alcohol'.
Love: Samuel (left) enjoys a close relationship with his sister Connie, 35 (right) who is suffering from terminal breast cancer - but she criticised his decision to quit acting to focus on their charity, Love Your Sister
And while he didn't backtrack on his decision to retire, the ex-actor implied that he had not consulted friends, family or colleagues about his retirement in a rambling follow-up post.
He revealed his agent 'wasn't the least bit impressed' by his choice to give up acting and focus on his charity work, and even claimed that Molly himself scolded him: 'You can do both, you idiot'.
He also added that his other sister Hilde was 'so devastated she can't even talk about it with me other than to say "I just can't believe the idiocy of it".'
Retirement speech: Last week, the ex-Secret Life Of Us star announced his retirement in an emotional post on Love Your Sister's Facebook page, which stated: 'I can't act anymore. Not if I'm to serve you properly'
Meanwhile, as the public awaits the next chapter in Samuel's story, Daily Mail Australia reflects on his remarkable life - marked by dizzying career highs and devastating personal lows.
He previously admitted that the suicides of three women in his life have left deep emotional scars.
Born in Daylesford, Victoria, tragedy struck the Johnson family early on, as Samuel's mother committed suicide when he wasn't yet one year old, shortly after his father left her.
And in late 2005, a close female friend called Heather - with whom he performed in short films at the Victoria College of the Arts - also took her own life.
Sadly, just months later, Samuel's former girlfriend Lainie Woodlands committed suicide at her home at Victoria's Hepburn Springs after he ended the relationship.
'I kind of bailed on her and then she killed herself, which was charming, so considerate,' he told Meshel Laurie's Nitty Gritty Committee podcast last year.
'I was probably already not doing that well but when my girlfriend [killed] herself, the night that I left her, s*** got pretty heavy.'
Tell-all: Samuel confessed to 'going through a very self-destructive kind of phase' in ABC Australian Story documentary The Sum Of Sam back in 2008
Self-medicating: The Molly star revealed on the documentary film that he 'already had a problem with alcohol' before his ex-girlfriend Lainie Woodlands committed suicide, 'but it certainly accelerated my usage'
He previously told ABC Radio Melbourne: 'The three key women in my life have left me. It floored me.
'You know, I mean, its still floored me. Its just ruined me emotionally and I'm very sad now.'
As he struggled to cope with the grief, Samuel faced a bitter, two-month legal battle with Lainie's mother against her estranged father to have her buried in Hepburn Springs, near Daylesford.
Eventually, Lainie was laid to rest close to her chosen home - but due to legal costs and not working, Samuel was forced to sell his home in Daylesford and pay off debts.
'I was going downhill pretty quickly and I was certainly going through a very self-destructive kind of phase,' he revealed in tell-all ABC documentary The Sum Of Sam in 2008.
'We all want to mask the pain somehow in some way and, you know, I had my issues there and I think I already had a problem with alcohol before it happened but it certainly accelerated my usage.'
New beginnings: After his ex-partner Lainie committed suicide in 2006, Samuel eventually found love again with casting director Sarah Hallam - pictured together in 2009
This downward spiral continued as Samuel self-medicated with drink and drugs, until he hit rock bottom in September 2007 while attending a wedding party with his partner Sarah Hallam at Star City Casino in Sydney.
The Underbelly star was involved in a drunken brawl with guest Ben Benson, punching him repeatedly before stomping on his head as he lay prone on the floor, the Sydney Morning Herald reported at the time.
The court heard Samuel was receiving treatment for depression following Lainie's death and magistrate Brian Maloney acknowledged that the violent attack was out of character.
Trying times: Samuel was supported by Sarah during his trial for assaulting a guest, Ben Benson, at a wedding reception in Sydney's Star City Casino in September 2007
Spared jail: In December 2007, Samuel escaped a conviction for the brawl on a 12-month good behaviour bond
He escaped a conviction on a 12-month good behaviour bond and was also required to continue with his counselling.
Outside of the court, he said: 'I am very sorry it all happened, I was a bit of a nincompoop and I'm glad that it's all over. I'm looking forward to moving on.
'I behaved like a goose and I've been remorseful since the moment it happened,' he concluded.
Siblings: Samuel and his sister Connie, pictured as children before her first diagnosis with cancer
Meanwhile, there has been another lifelong agony for the actor - who is best known for his role as Evan Wylde on silver Logie Award-winning TV series The Secret Life of Us.
His beloved sister Connie has battled cancer on three separate occasions - having been first diagnosed with a rare aggressive bone tumour at the age of eleven.
However, she bravely conquered the disease with the help of early detection and chemotherapy.
Courage: Connie has bravely battled cancer on three separate occasions, having been first diagnosed with a rare aggressive bone tumour at just eleven
Meanwhile, Samuel revealed in his Australian Story documentary that he was whisked off 'to a camp for siblings of kids with cancer' at Continental House in Hepburn Springs, VIC.
'That place just meant a lot to me, you know, as a kid,' he added.
At age 22, Connie overcame a tumour in her womb, once again, thanks to early detection and effective treatment.
But five years ago, the mother-of-two was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer which had subsequently spread to her lungs, liver, pelvis, spine and knee.
The Love Your Sister website states 35-year-old Connie 'has a life expectancy of 6-12 months.'
The siblings founded the charity together in 2014 to raise money for breast cancer research at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Darlinghurst.
Support: Samuel has spent his life raising money for cancer research, inspired by sister Connie's bravery
In 2014, he finished what was then the world's longest unicycle journey by travelling 15,955 kilometres over 364 days and raising nearly $1.5 million.
Most recently, Samuel has pledged to raise $10million for breast cancer research - a goal which he claims prompted his decision to quit acting this month.
Meanwhile, he has a history of using his profile to support good causes, having ridden a unicycle from Sydney to Melbourne in 2003 for children's cancer charity Canteen.
But as loved ones - including Connie herself - express surprise and disappointment at his decision to prematurely retire from acting, it remains to be seen what Samuel will do next.
His girlfriend is 13 years younger than him - but that hasn't stopped Superman actor Henry Cavill from being loved up with his girlfriend Tara King.
The beautiful couple attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on Sunday evening.
Henry looked very dapper in his black suit as the couple posed for snaps upon arrival, linking arms with his beautiful blonde partner.
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Sweet: Henry Cavill and girlfriend Tara King attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted By Graydon Carter at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on Sunday evening
Tara opted for colour in a bright orange dress which had a contrasting gold strap on one shoulder as she sported a perfect manicure.
With her blonde locks tied in a tousled up do, the English stunner appeared to be having a whale of a time as the couple prepared to get ready with the stars.
She completed her look with a pair of metallic heels which added a bit of glitter to her incredible ensemble.
Dream team: Henry looked very dapper in his black suit as the couple posed for snaps upon arrival, with Tara looking incredible in an orange gown
Henry recently opened up about how he fell head over heels for the 'mature' teen.
In a candid interview with Elle Magazine, he revealed: People say age is just a number. It's actually real and true sign of someone's maturity. But in this case, she's fantastic.
When I met my girlfriend, I was super intimidated. I wanted to impress her, the Man Of Steel star continued. I was thinking, Don't mess this up, man.
And although the British heartthrob feels at ease with the teenage University student, Henry confessed he understands natural reaction to the couple's age difference.
The Tudors actor went on to confide that he has dated older women in the past, by adding: When I was 19, I was going out with a 32-year-old.
The Mail on Sunday revealed in October that Henry and Tara were an item after they were pictured together at a rugby match at Twickenham.
They have since been on three holidays together, the most recent break being New Zealand during Taras reading week at university.
A lot of people wondered if the relationship would last, but this shows its serious, despite the age difference, a friend of the actor told the publication.
The New Zealand adventure came two weeks after the pretty blonde joined Henry to meet his family at home in Jersey, and two months before that they travelled to China.
Henry, who is gearing up for the highly anticipated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie, has previously dated a string of famous women in his quest to find his real-life Lois Lane.
He was in an on/off relationship with American actress Gina Carano, 33, and was briefly linked to Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco, 30, three years ago.
'People say age is just a number': In a recent interview, Henry has insisted that his relationship with Tara is simply not an issue
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As a Hollywood superstar, a plush mansion is a must.
Yet Ashley Benson is set to flog her Los Angeles mansion, with an asking price of an eye-watering $2,995,000 for which the buyer will gain an exquisitely designed three bedroom, three bathroom French-Normandy style home, which she bought in 2012 for $2.2million.
The 26-year-old Pretty Little Liars star, who purchased the home in 2012, is already the proud owner of a house in Beverly Hills - which set her back a huge $4,150,000 in October - yet she appears to be reducing her real estate portfolio.
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All star property: Ashley Benson is set to flog her Los Angeles mansion, with an asking price of an eye-watering $2,995,000 for which the buyer will gain an exquisitely designed three bedroom, three bathroom French-Normandy style home
Ashley's Hollywood Hills mansion is nothing short of stunning as images show the gated home features 1930s style detailing where the pool area is draped with intricate fairy lights - affording the exterior a dream like quality.
The blonde beauty purchased the home for $2.2million - meaning her newly installed renovations will bump the property price by nearly $800,000, a handsome profit for the youthful star.
Her home has quite a superstar history as the house was briefly owned by Kylie Minogue in the early-2000 before Eurythymics front man Dave Stewart bought the property which eventually wound up in Ashley's possession.
She is selling the house through Hilton & Hyland, the same estate agent flogging the Playboy mansion.
Hometime: The 26-year-old Pretty Little Liars star, who purchased the home in 2012, is already the proud owner of a house in Beverly Hills - which set her back a huge $4,150,000 in October - yet she appears to be reducing her real estate portfolio
Stunning: Her kitchen had a homely feel with white cupboards and marble sides, while an island in the centre of the room made for a fantastic point of social mingling with a huge stove and an elegant light fitting
Cool Brit: Ashley clearly has a taste for all things Britannia as her stalls around her island were emblazoned with a union flag, which coordinated with her huge artwork also featuring the flag
The 13 Going On 30 actress proved she has a true flare for interior design as the house was kitted out with class and style including minimalist furniture and muted tones.
Although not entirely sprawling in size, Ashley's home looked as though it was the perfect fit for living alone.
Her kitchen had a homely feel with white cupboards and marble sides, while an island in the centre of the room made for a fantastic point of social mingling with a huge stove and an elegant light fitting.
Ashley clearly has a taste for all things Britannia as her stalls around her island were emblazoned with a union flag, which coordinated with her huge artwork also featuring the flag.
Similar style: Her dining room was in-keeping with the style of the kitchen as the white shelving units coordinated with the kitchen cupboards and the low hanging light above the intricately decorated table matched that in the kitchen room
Stunning: Ashley's house epitomised class and style as she ensured all the finishing touches were elegant
Tight squeeze: One bathroom was relatively small for a house of such proportions
Her dining room was in-keeping with the style of the kitchen as the white shelving units coordinated with the kitchen cupboards and the low hanging light above the intricately decorated table matched that in the kitchen room.
The living room was surrounded by glass and featured a vast sofa and cosy seat with a mammoth television hung on the wall - no doubt to catch up on the goings on of her colleagues.
One of the more lively rooms in the office featured monochrome wallpaper and a bold orange pouffe.
Plush: The living room was surrounded by glass and featured a vast sofa and cosy seat with a mammoth television hung on the wall - no doubt to catch up on the goings on of her colleagues
Proud: In a nod to her lucrative and glimmering career, in a snug room the stunning star had posters hanging of some of her movies including her 2012 film Spring Breakers
Cosy snug: Ashley's wood panelled library was littered with a host of images of herself - proving her confidence in her look
Fancy a dip: While her pool was relatively modest in size, it looked like a great spot for a party
Bold: One of the more lively rooms in the house featured monochrome wallpaper and a bold orange pouffe
Letting her hair down: Ashley was set to unwind as she headed out in Hollywood on Monday - leaving her real estate issues at home
Busty beauty: Ashley opted to go braless for her night out on the town - looking sensational if slightly worse for wear
Her bedroom was nothing short of spectacular as it featured a four poster bed and charcoal wallpaper which extended through the whole ceiling while adorned with gold detailing.
In a nod to her lucrative and glimmering career, in a snug room the stunning star had posters hanging of some of her movies including her 2012 film Spring Breakers.
She injected A-list touches to her property with the addition of chandaliers and plush furniture which no doubt cost a pretty penny.
Busy bee: Her bedroom was nothing short of spectacular as it featured a four poster bed and charcoal wallpaper which extended through the whole ceiling while adorned with gold detailing
Fancy four poster: Her bed looked super cosy while her room was kept classy and detailed
Guest room: The guest room in Ashley's home featured an idyllic balcony looking out on the pool
Exterior: The outside of the house was just as beautiful as the inside of the home
She's best known for her 20 year role as Sally Fletcher on long-running soap Home And Away.
But away from the cameras, Kate Ritchie's most important role is being a mum to baby girl Mae.
Looking stunning makeup-free, the Nova FM presenter put on a doting display as she took her one-year-old daughter to a Sydney park on Monday.
Proud mum: Ex-Home and Away star Kate Ritchie, 37, was spotted enjoying a relaxed play date with her 18-month-old daughter Mae at a local park in Sydney on Monday
The actress-turned-DJ, 37, opted for a low-key look in a simple, black T-shirt and a skirt as she enjoyed a coffee while doting over little Mae.
She was joined for the relaxed trip by her husband Stuart Webb - an ex-NRL player who recently trained as a chef.
The former St George Illawarra Dragons star, 35, wore a grey workout T-shirt and Nike shorts.
Young family: The Nova 100 presenter, from Goulburn, NSW, was joined for the trip by her husband, ex-rugby league star Stuart Webb, 35 (right)
What's that? Stuart, who previously played for NRL squad St George Illawarra Dragons, held daughter Mae in his arms while pointing out something of interest in the park
The doting dad, from Uralla, NSW, could be seen holding a delighted-looking Mae in his arms as he pointed out something of interest in the park.
At one point, the adorable 18-month-old proudly held out a new discovery - a twig - to show her father.
Baby Mae's style was the opposite to her black-clad mum, as she was dressed in a light pink top while enjoying the shade under a baseball cap.
Playful: At one point, a delighted-looking Mae proudly held out a new discovery - a twig - to show her father
Apple of his eye: Baby Mae was dressed in a light pink top while enjoying the shade under a baseball cap
Watch this! Kate entertained Mae by picking up a stick from the grass and throwing it
Curious: The child's attention soon strayed to her mother Kate as the family strolled through the park
Good times: Kate looked every inch the working mum as she went make up-free and wore her hair in a top bun
The child's attention soon strayed to her mother, who entertained Mae by picking up a stick from the grass and throwing it across the park.
Meanwhile, Kate, who hails from Goulburn, NSW, looked every inch the working mum as she went for a natural look and wore her hair in a top bun.
Last year, the opened up to Daily Mail Australia about welcoming more children in the future.
'I've never denied the fact that we'd like to have a big family, so that will happen in due course,' she said.
Goals: Both Kate and Stuart have moved on from their initial careers - acting and rugby respectively - to explore new horizons in recent years, as Kate took a radio gig on Nova and Stuart began training as a chef
Doting dad:Stuart held Mae in his left arm, while also displaying his wedding ring
Jaime King confirmed that she is a survivor of sexual abuse in a Twitter post on Sunday.
The day before after she posted a long Instagram message that revealed her abuse began at the tender age of 12, the actress wrote: 'Thank you @ladygaga - I finally felt a true healing from years of abuse as a minor in the industry. Time to be brave.'
Her words were linked to a quote by Lady Gaga which was tweeted by the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.
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Her truth: Jaime King confirmed that she is a survivor of sexual abuse in a Twitter post on Sunday
Moved: The actress wrote, 'Thank you @ladygaga - I finally felt a true healing from years of abuse as a minor in the industry. Time to be brave'
Taken from Gaga's moving performance of Til It Happens To You during the Oscars on Sunday night, the tweet read: '"1 in 6 women will be raped by time they leave college. As survivor myself, I'm happy to be here to give survivors a stage" -@ladygaga at #Oscars'
The 36-year-old first posted a long message early on Monday morning, which she titled 'survivor.'
'Thank you for the switch that went off inside finally when I realized my silence said I cannot help nor change and that is not who I am,' she wrote in the lengthy post.
Speaking up: Her words were linked to a quote by Lady Gaga which was tweeted by the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women
Response: On Tuesday, Lady Gaga responded to Jaime's revelation by posting this photo of her with the caption: 'An Angel. Thank you.'
Time for the change: The star urged followers that it was time to work together on the issue
Survivor: Jaime came out as an abuse survivor in a lengthy Instagram post on Monday
The photo she shared is a picture of her younger self, staring straight at the camera.
'I was about 14 here,' she wrote. 'It started at 12.'
In the post, she thanks a number of people who have supported her and inspire her, staring with her husband of almost nine years, Kyle Newman, for 'loving me whole'.
Her message: The former model never specified exactly what happened to her, but her entry was brave and soulful
Weight off her shoulders: Hours after her post, a very thin-looking Jaime was spotted out shopping for bags at luxury designer Celine in Beverly Hills
The couple have two children, who she thanked next; two-year-old James and seven-month-old Leo.
Immediately after her family, the next person Jaime pays tribute to is Lena Dunham 'for her relentless bravery that always leads my Spirit to stand up'.
She also tells 'TS' - Taylor Swift, who is the godmother of her youngest son - 'I love you for being there no matter what'.
She also thanks Lady Gaga and Dionne Warwick, although the latter she presumably confused with Diane Warren, the co-writer of the The Hunting Ground's Oscar nominated song 'Til It Happens To You'.
At peace: 'Thank you for the switch that went off inside finally when I realized my silence said I cannot help nor change and that is not who I am,' she wrote in the lengthy post
In love: She thanked a number of people who have supported her and inspire her, staring with her husband of almost nine years, Kyle Newman, for 'loving me whole'
Gaga belted out a moving performance in Hollywood just hours before Jaime's post, surrounded by other victims of sexual abuse, or as they defiantly branded themselves 'Survivors'.
'Thank you to @unwomen & all organizations that have tirelessly worked to somehow comfort & make right,' Jaime continued.
She saved her final thanks for herself, revealing that she opted against advice to tell her story in a magazine.
Girls: Immediately after her family, the next person Jaime pays tribute to is Lena Dunham 'for her relentless bravery that always leads my Spirit to stand up'
Behind her: Jaime thanked both Taylor Swift - the godmother of her youngest son - and Lena Dunham for their inspiration and support
'Thank you to myself to not choosing to not make this a cover story though that was what was suggested to me but to express from my heart to you all personally which felt the most honest way for me to speak,' she wrote
'Thank you to my Soul, body, mind, emotions, my inner child, my younger self, I love you. It's a night of celebration, of change, of not being ashamed of your race, creed color, situation, circumstances and environment, or past.
'Now I am free, somewhat,' she continued.
Family: The couple (pictured at the Weinstein pre-Oscar party in LA on Saturday) have two children, who she also thanked two-year-old James and seven-month-old Leo
'I love you all very much for creating a safe space. Peace be still.'
The revelation sheds new light on Jaime's past as a drug user; she she began using heroin at 14 and became an addict until she was 19.
Her ex-boyfriend, Italian fashion 'heroin chic' photographer Davide Sorrenti died of a kidney ailment, thought to have been brought on by excessive drug use.
Difficult past: The revelation sheds new light on Jaime's past as a drug user; she she began using heroin at 14 and became an addict until she was 19
Hours after her post, a very thin-looking Jaime was spotted out shopping for bags at luxury designer Celine in Beverly Hills.
Following the Oscar ceremony Lady Gaga, who previously revealed she was raped at 19, also shared a picture of herself kissing fiance Taylor Kinney with a similar message.
'I never thought anyone would ever love me because I felt like my body was ruined by my abuser,' she wrote. 'But he loves the survivor in me. He's stood by me all night proud and unashamedly. THATS a real man.
Happy couple: Filmmaker Kyle, who met his wife to be on the set of 2005's Fanboys, shared this pic himself on Sunday night
She's undergone many an image overhaul during her 15-year pop career.
And Jennifer Lopez was reunited with former versions of herself to an extent as she judged a doppelganger drag queen contest on live television on Monday.
The global superstar had the pleasure of meeting three male artists who were styled as different versions of her as part of the competition on Watch What Happens Live.
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'Shades of J.Lo': Jennifer Lopez took a trip down memory lane as she met three doppelganger drag queens on Watch What Happens Live on Monday
Jennifer, 46, oozed sass as she posed side on and in-between the three Lopez ladies after announcing the winner of Jennifer Faux-Pez - the first annual J.Lo drag queen contest.
Sharing the fun snap on her Instagram page, she captioned it: 'SHADES Of JLo #wwhl @bravoandy.'
The Love Don't Cost a Thing hit-maker was interviewed by host Andy Cohen before the funny sketch and her ex Ben Affleck's back tattoo was a hot topic of conversation.
The original: One of the male artists imitated Jennifer's MTV Music Awards 2000 look (left) while another picked out a similar dress to the one she sported to the Grammy Awards in the same year
Jennifer Faux-Pez: The Lopez ladies were styled as different versions of the global superstar
Tattoo review: Jennifer Lopez share her opinion on Ben Affleck's back tattoo on Monday during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live
The Shades of Blue actress branded the the actor's large phoenix tattoo covering most of his back 'awful'.
She told the host: 'His tattoos always have too many colours, they shouldn't be so colourful, you know what I mean? They should be, like, cooler.. I don't know.'
Jennifer famously dated Ben for around 18 months from late 2002 until early 2004, famously calling off their September 2003 wedding at the last minute.
Colourful ink: Ben in November showed his back tattoo while filming in Los Angeles and it's safe to say his ex is far from a fan
'Awful': She branded her ex's large back tattoo as she chatted to host Andy Cohen
She went on to marry third husband Marc Anthony just five months after breaking up with Ben.
When describing her hopes for the future, the Maid In Manhattan actress said she wanted to get married again, despite having three divorces under her belt.
'It's always been a dream of mine, to grow old with somebody... to have a marriage that lasts, until we both die, like in The Notebook,' she giggled.
While hopeful of marriage, Jennifer added that she didn't want to rush into anything with boyfriend Casper Smart who she has been dating since October 2011.
She said: 'We're happy right now. The kids are great, he's great. Everything is great right now.'
Jennifer was then grilled about her supposed 'feud' with Mariah Carey and how she was 'caught texting' during the diva's performance at the Billboard Music Awards.
Upon arrival: The singer and actress wore a furry coat, tan sweater and ripped jeans upon arriving at the Watch What Happens Live studio
Holding hands: Jennifer held hands with boyfriend Casper Smart, who watched the show backstage, after the taping
She explained: 'It was a long performance, I watched most of it, I may have looked down for one second.
'So not fair, I was watching her the whole time.'
When asked why she'd skipped Mariah's show in Las Vegas, the New Yorker blamed it on her busy schedule.
The host: Andy Cohen fired off his own questions plus some from viewers
'I didn't have a lot of time,' she said, citing the filming of her new TV show Shades Of Blue and American Idol.
J.Lo released her single, I'm Real, 15 years ago and in a game of the same name, Andy sought to discover 'how real she really is'.
After noting that she 'always' shaves her legs, has 'never smoked weed' and never sleeps in her make-up, Jennifer finally admitted to talking about sex with her girlfriends.
Honest answers: J-Lo revealed she always shaves her legs and has 'never smoked weed'
In another game she was forced to deduce if a series of images was of her own body, or that of her friend Leah Remini.
Talking of her pending ninth album she refused to be rushed for a release date.
Her last release A.K.A. sold a disappointing 71,000 copies in the US, a far cry from the 3.8million copies of J.Lo she shifted in 2001.
'When it's ready,' shrugged the star, who confirmed she was not wearing any 'boob tape' for the live show.
Guessing game: The star had to guess if close-ups were of her or gal pal Leah Remini
'They're just in the dress,' she said, gesturing towards her gravity-defying bosom.
A caller asked Lopez how Britney Spears acts backstage, saying: 'We're not there at the same time,' she said.
Talking of the fashion choices at the Oscars, she said: 'I thought Cate Blanchett looked really nice.'
She's already revealed she wanted to share a cheeky kiss with him on I'm A Celebrity...Get me Out Of Here.
And after some steamy jungle flirting, Vicky Pattison has confessed she has been on a date with Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews.
Writing in her latest column for new! magazine, the Geordie Shore favourite admitted that the suave reality star was 'charming' but they have little in common.
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Flirty: Vicky Pattison has revealed she has been on a date with Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews after the two reality stars hit it off in the I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here jungle last year
Vicky has admitted she shared some real chemistry with Spencer during their stint on I'm A Celebrity at the end of last year, and has been keen to go on a date with the MIC star.
Writing for new! Vicky confessed the two have enjoyed dinner together, revealing: 'I went on a date with a certain Spencer Matthews last week. We enjoyed a lovely night having drinks and dinner.'
Vicky added that she has mixed feelings after the evening though, explaining:
'The date was really nice. Yes, I did post a quote on Instagram afterwards that said, "My mind forgets to remind me you're a bad idea." What can I say? I'm not sure how much we have in common and I'm not his usual type but he is very charming, so watch this space'
Will it go anywhere: Writing in her latest column for new! magazine, the Geordie Shore star admitted that the suave reality star was 'charming' but they have little in common
Vicky was referring to an Instagram post she shared on Friday, with the cryptic caption: 'I'm in trouble'.
Despite her reservations, Spencer seems to be pulling out all the stops with his charm offensive, with Vicky telling her Loose Women colleagues last week that he sent her 100 red roses on Valentine's Day.
The Geordie Shore star also admitted if Spencer had stayed longer in the jungle the two reality stars would have probably shared 'a cheeky kiss'.
In demand: Vicky, pictured on Loose Women on Tuesday, told her Loose Women colleagues last week that Spencer sent her 100 red roses on Valentine's Day
Vicky and her Loose Women co-stars were discussing the question of whether you should sleep with a colleague during the show, when talk turned to Vicky's flirtation with Spencer during their time in the jungle.
She admitted something could have happened between the two if Spencer hadn't had left Australia early to fly back to England to address his substance abuse issues.
'There was no chance for anything for us to happen, his time was very fleeting,' pointed out Vicky, adding: 'There are rules, even in the jungle, against that, you know.'
What if: Vicky admitted she probably would have shared a 'cheeky kiss' with Spencer if he had remained on I'm A Celebrity
'But I think I probably would have had a cheeky kiss with him. Is that bad? Theres no stationary cupboard in the jungle man!'
Vicky, 28, was then asked about who sent her a huge bouquet of red roses on Valentine's Day.
'Put me on the spot!' she said, before admitting: 'Spencer sent me 100 red roses.I think there will be a date. He's not in the country at the moment but as soon as he's back I would like to see him and thank him for the roses.'
Babe in blue: The Geordie star looked great in a blue jumpsuit and gold heels as she posed outside the ITV Studios on London's South Bank
Later in the show, when discussing a hair and beauty segment, Vicky was asked if shed allow herself to go grey and if Spencer, 27, would still fancy her if she changed her look.
'Id like to think its me heart Spencers interested in,' Vicky told her co-stars.
It's not the first time Vicky has admitted there is a spark between her and the Made In Chelsea star.
'As soon as I come out I had a message off [of] him on Twitter...and he basically said that he was gutted and he was going to be watching and rooting for us and wanted us to win,' she told Loose Women in December.
Getting hot in here: The Geordie Shore star told her Loose Women colleagues that if Spencer had stayed longer in the jungle the two reality stars would have probably shared 'a cheeky kiss'
She added though that she's waiting for Spencer to complete his treatment for steroid addiction before pursuing anything: 'I think Spencer has a lot of stuff hes got to deal with and a lot of stuff to occupy his time, Im assuming I should give him some space to do that.
'We have been messaging and things and it has been really nice and weve said some really quite soppy thing to each other, just like "I wished he hadnt gone."'
Despite her continued chemistry with Spencer, Vicky spent Valentine's Day with another man, cosying up to her Judge Geordie co-star Alex Cannon in Newcastle's Fat Buddha bar for an Instagram snap on the day.
She has always been extremely proud of her Welsh heritage.
So Katherine Jenkins was naturally prepared to pay homage to her country as she took to Instagram on St David's Day on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old operatic singer looked simply adorable in the shot in which she sported a frilled bonnet, gingham cape and lace apron - the traditional dress of Welsh woman.
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Traditional: Katherine Jenkins was naturally prepared to pay homage to her country as she took to Instagram on St David's Day on Tuesday
Doe-eyed Katherine, who is the mascot of the Welsh national rugby team, looked around four or five in the adorable snap in which she sported the traditional costume worn by rural women in Wales.
The fashions date back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries where a bedgown and a unique Welsh hat were the hallmarks of the outfit.
The outfit is frequently seen at eisteddfodau, the Welsh festival of music, literature and performance, while it was first worn by girls to celebrate Saint David's Day just before the First World War.
Young Katherine was clearly celebrating the patron saint day, which falls on the first of March, in the snap which showed off her naturally brunette locks.
Blonder: The 35-year-old operatic singer looked simply adorable in the shot in which she sported a frilled bonnet, gingham cape and lace apron - the traditional dress of Welsh woman
The stunning star has enjoyed an array of hair colours and styles although she is best known for her bright blonde locks.
In 2014, Katherine went back to her brunette locks and told MailOnline: 'I'm on the cusp of being brunette and I'm really happy with it.
'When it happened, I thought "whoa"... My mum loves my new hair and us girls love a bit of change. I've been enjoying trying out different shades of make-up and dressing differently.
Blonde beauty: The stunning star has enjoyed an array of hair colours and styles although she is best known for her bright blonde locks
'I'm having so much fun with it already. That whole thing about blondes have more fun, I'm like, let's put that to the test.'
In light of her Welsh heritage Katherine will receive the Hopkins Medal from the St. Davids Society at its Annual Award Banquet and Scholarship Fundraiser in Manhattan on Friday.
She's the poster girl for a new jewellery collection.
And Daisy Lowe has certainly put her all into the campaign for Pamela's Love's designs, stripping off for a very steamy shoot.
The model shows off her famous curves in the images, going topless in a pool as she displays the designs from the CFDA award-winning jeweller.
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Baring all: Daisy Lowe goes topless for a new campaign for Pamela Love's jewellery collection
The most risque shot sees the dark-haired beauty lying down in the water and staring straight at the camera.
She's draped in nothing but jewels from Pamela Love, including long pendant necklaces and glitzy bracelets.
Dark eyeliner, a vampy manicure and a red lip add to the glam vibe of the shot.
Bit of bling: The model shows off her famous curves in the images, going topless in a pool as she shows off the designs from the CFDA award-winning jeweller
Other shots in the campaign show Daisy in close-up as she expertly models beautiful rings, bracelets and necklaces, with the model posing in a slinky robe and lingerie.
New Yorker Pamela Love is renowned for her beautiful creations inspired by alchemy, astronomy, botany and American folklore.
Daisy has had a busy month, hitting London Fashion Week with gusto in February as she sat front row for the top shows and hit the star-studded parties.
Like a pro: The stunning model sports dark smoky eyes and a glossy red lip in the retro style shoot
Sultry: The beautiful shots show off Love's creations which are inspired by alchemy, astronomy, botany and American folklore
Racy: Daisy is seen lounging around in a slinky robe and lingerie as she shows off the gorgeous jewels
Strike a pose: The top British model expertly displays the designs from the New Yorker
She has also been working hard, unveiling another new collaboration with Triumph lingerie this week.
Daisy, who has appeared in high-profile campaigns for the likes of DKNY, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton, began her modelling career at the age of two.
Eyebrows were raised when she went topless for Esquire and posed nude for Playboy in 2011.
Ready for her close up: The beauty stares seductively into the camera
Curves: Long pendants are layered up for the stunning photoshoot
Summer style: The campaign is shot in soft focus for a stunning set of images
Daisy is currently in a relationship with Peaches Geldof's widower Thomas Cohen, 25.
The pair were spotted kissing in a London park earlier this month while out with his son Astala.
They were first linked in January after a suggestive snap of Thomas posing alongside Daisy's behind on Instagram during their New Year break in Miami appeared online.
Talking to Now magazine, Daisy refused to officially confirm the romance, but said: 'I'm never going to talk about my personal life, never,' but she did say: 'I am so happy, thanks, yeah. I'm about good vibes all around.'
Piled up high: Silver rings and bangles adorn Daisy's hands and feet
Work it: The star looks gorgeous in the close up images
They've hardly enjoyed a totally blissful romance since first getting together five years ago.
But Geordie Shore star Gaz Beadle delivered the ultimate insult to his on-off love interest Charlotte Crosby in a new magazine interview.
The original MTV star compared his cast-mate's nose pre-surgery to that of a 'f**king parrot' as he touched on her decision to go under the knife.
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Not mincing his words: Geordie Shore's Gaz Beadle has taken a swipe at his now-girlfriend Charlotte Crosby's old nose in a new interview
'She was like a f**king parrot': The cheeky lad said of Charlotte's old nose (left) before saying her new nose 'makes her look amazing'
'Did you see her nose before? She was like a f**king parrot! Only joking,' he told Star magazine.
Adding: 'I keep winding her up and saying you needed it done! But I do think it makes her look amazing.'
However, despite the recent revelation, the 25-year-old Belly Blitz star recently admitted the couple - who have been on and off for five years - are getting on better than ever.
'We're the best we've ever been': Gaz, 27, said of his and the 25-year-old's current relationship after recently confirming they're giving their romance a proper chance
Charlotte told Daily Mail Australia: 'It was always just kind 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.'
Gaz, 27, reiterated his girlfriend's sentiments, saying: 'Were the best weve ever been. I feel giddy around her and we cant wait to see each other. Weve messed around, but now weve dropped our guards completely.'
Romance isn't dead: The original Geordie Shore couple looked the picture of relationship bliss as they enjoyed a date night on Tuesday
'Something is different now': Charlotte recently said of her and Gaz's budding romance after a five-year turbulent relationship
And the reality stars proved their romance is going from strength to strength as they were the picture of relationship bliss while enjoying a recent day date at the end of promotional duties on Tuesday.
The couple cuddled into one another as they tucked into pizza and enjoyed some civilised drinks in the image which was shared on her Instagram page.
Charlotte underwent a nose job earlier in the year after growing tired of hating what she saw on-screen and she's a lot happier since having the plastic surgery.
'When I got the cast off I looked in the mirror I was like "wow, that is amazing". To think that [my nose] has just changed in three hours and I felt so much better and I was so much more confident,' she explained.
She's been showing off her toned physique on the beaches of Turks and Caicos in a number of skimpy two-pieces.
And Michelle Heaton showcased her extensive bikini collection in a figure-flaunting design as she enjoyed yet another sun-soaked day in the Caribbean recently.
The 36-year-old TV personality was bound to set the already scorching temperatures soaring as she highlighted her sculpted abs in a nautical-style two-piece.
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Beach babe: Michelle Heaton showcased her extensive bikini collection in yet another figure-flaunting design as she enjoyed yet another sun-soaked day in the Caribbean recently
The swimsuit gave Michelle's athletic figure a more feminine silhouette with its white frilled detailing.
The former Liberty X singer showcased her natural beauty by keeping her skin free of make-up beneath her aviator shades, while her brunette locks were swept into an effortless top knot.
Her stunning display came just a short while before Michelle wowed in a colourful floral bikini, which once again showed off her toned tummy and varied inkings, as she hit the beach with her two little ones on Monday.
Bottoms up! The 36-year-old TV personality was bound to set the already scorching temperatures soaring as she highlighted her sculpted abs in a nautical-style two-piece
What a frill! The swimsuit gave Michelle's athletic figure a more feminine silhouette with its white frilled detailing
Sharing snaps from their idyllic vacation on social media, Michelle captioned one shot: 'Been a long time since wearing a bikini! After the operations & the kids.. Stay strong girls if I can do it you can!'
It's been a tough couple of years for Michelle, following her mutated BRCA2 gene diagnosis in 2012.
In 2014, she underwent a hysterectomy, following the birth of her second child and was motivated by the fear of leaving her offspring without a mother.
She and husband Hugh Hanley are parents to Faith, three and AJ, 18 months.
Another winner! Her stunning display came just a short while before Michelle wowed in a colourful floral bikini, which once again showed off her toned tummy and varied inkings
Hot to trot: The yummy mummy looked incredible in a colourful floral bikini, which showed off her toned tummy and a variety of inkings while soaking up the sun with her children in Turks and Caicos, south east of the Bahamas
She captioned one snap with the words: 'Been a long time since wearing a bikini! After the operations & the kids.. Stay strong girls if I can do it you can!'
The fitness enthusiast previously underwent a preventative double mastectomy in 2012.
The shocking diagnosis signalled an 80% chance of developing breast cancer and a 30% chance of ovarian cancer.
Continuing to put on a brave face, Michelle posted a couple more snaps as she documented her time away with her family on Instagram.
Holding hands with her little girl, she wrote: 'Me and my wing woman .... My best friend in the whole world... Loving life right now at #BeachesTurksandCaicos.'
And as she looked out at the pool from her hotel balcony, with her son and daughter by her side, she wrote:
'A cheeky good morning to you all from #BeachesTurksandCaicos ... Now that's what I call a room with a view xxx.'
Ben Affleck took a one-two punch from exes Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez over his mid-life crisis tattoo in recent days.
And it seems the humiliation just might be taking a toll.
The 43-year-old looked worn out and weary as he rubbed his eyes while arriving at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills on Tuesday.
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Weary: Ben Affleck looked a bit tired as he was spotted heading into the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills on Tuesday after exes Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez mocked his new back tattoo
Laid-back: The father-of-three looked casual in a fitted, black T-shirt worn underneath a coordinating blazer, and along with dark wash jeans
Ben dressed casually for Tuesday's outing, sporting a fitted, black T-shirt underneath a coordinating blazer. He coupled those with a pair of dark wash jeans as well as brown boots as he made his way into the hotel.
The father-of-three looked like he needed a bit of a caffeine boost, as he was spotted carrying an iced beverage from Dunkin' Donuts.
The Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice star was also spotted looking exhausted as he made his way into the hotel, rubbing his eyes.
The outing comes after exes Garner and Lopez both spoke out about his new back tattoo, mocking him in both Vanity Fair and on Watch What Happens Live, respectively.
A pick-me-up: The Oscar winner was spotted carrying a large iced beverage from Dunkin' Donuts as he arrived
Having a laugh: Ben has recently been the butt of a few jokes after getting some new ink following his split from wife of ten years, Garner
On Monday, Lopez appeared on the Bravo chat show, during which host Andy Cohen asked what she thought about her ex's new tattoo as they played Plead the Fifth.
'It's awful!' J.Lo gushed, adding: 'I would tell him that! I would tell him, like what are you doing?'
The Shades of Blue star continued, explaining: 'It has too many colors. His tattoos always had too many colors. They shouldn't be so colorful, you know what I mean? They should be cooler.'
Lopez dated Ben for around 18 months from late 2002 until early 2004, famously calling off their September 2003 wedding at the last minute.
And in a revealing cover story for Vanity Fair, Ben's estranged wife Garner commented on the tattoo as well.
Topic of conversation: Many have been poking fun at Ben's new tattoo - a phoenix rising from the ashes - which can be seen here as he was spotted on the set of Live By Night in Los Angeles in December
'It's awful!' Ex Lopez mocked the tattoo, saying it had 'too many colors' as she appeared on Monday's episode of Watch What Happens Live - the pair dated from late 2002 until early 2004
'You know what we would say in my hometown about that?' the West Virginia native dished of the tattoo: Bless his heart.
'Am I the ashes in this scenario?' The 13 Going on 30 star also joked. 'I take umbrage. I refuse to be the ashes.'
Garner and Ben, who have three children together (Violet, aged 10, Seraphina, aged seven, and Samuel, aged four), announced their split in June, just a month before talk of his involvement with the children's nanny, Christine Ouzounian, 28.
'Bless his heart' Garner also poked fun at Ben for his tattoo in her cover story with Vanity Fair, commenting: 'Am I the ashes in this scenario? I take umbrage. I refuse to be the ashes'
Moving forward: Garner and Ben (pictured in January) split last June, announcing plans to divorce the day after their 10-year anniversary
As far as his claims that the affair never happened, Garner said: 'Hes still the only person who really knows the truth about things. And Im still the only person that knows some of his truths.'
She did, however, insist that the nanny was not the reason for the couple's split, which was announced the day after their 10-year anniversary.
They kicked off their Sounds Live, Feels Live world tour in Japan last week.
And on Tuesday 5 Seconds Of Summer rocked out in Taipei, Taiwan as they continued the Asia-leg of their trip.
During the concert the four Aussie lads were seen getting hot and sweaty as they ran up and down the stage as they performed to the sold out crowd.
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Sounds live, Feels Live: 5 Seconds Of Summer rocked out in Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday as they continued the Asia-leg of their world tour
For their performance the band spread out in their usual pattern across the stage as lead singer and rhythm guitarist Luke Hemmings took his spot in the middle, blocking the view of drummer Ashton Irwin.
Guitarist Michael Clifford stood to the singer's right while bass player Calum Hood took a stand in front of his microphone on the left.
The band were seen getting into their hit tunes, singing into each other's microphones and throwing their hands in the air.
See more of the latest 5SOS updates as they get hot and sweaty performing in Taiwan
In positions: For their gig the band spread out across the stage in their usual pattern, as Luke Hemmings (M) took his spot in the middle and his three bandmates surrounded him (L: Michael Clifford, R: Calum Hood)
Having a ball: The Aussie lads put their energy into their hit tunes as they were pictured singing into each other's microphones and throwing their hands in the air
Nothing different there: For the evening all four dressed in their traditional black skin-tight jeans and a simple dark coloured T-shirt (pictured: Luke Hemmings)
For the evening all four dressed in their traditional black skintight jeans and a simple dark coloured T-shirt.
Michael opted for a different look and showed off his bulging biceps in a grey tank top.
Days earlier the group performed in Tokyo, Japan where they met their 'mini-me's'.
The foursome shared multiple snaps of themselves and their Japanese fans across social media where they struck multiple poses.
Showing off: Michael mixed up his outfit and opted for a grey tank top which showed off his bicep muscles
Who's who? Days earlier 5SOS performed in front of a sold out crowd in Tokyo, Japan where they met their 'mini-me's' (L: Michael Clifford, R: Ashton Irwin)
Fans come first: They mingled with the tiny fans and signed autographs backstage
Memorable moment: Following their performance the lads welcomed the four youngings on stage where they posed with their arms crossed as they formed the 'rock out' symbol with both their hands
Following their gig the lads welcomed the four youngings on stage with them and they all performed a bow in front of the applauding crowd.
5SOS Australian Tour Dates: September 29: Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne October 2: The Riverstage, Brisbane October 4 and 6: Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Advertisement
All eight stood tall while crossing their arms in front of them as they formed the 'rock out' symbol with both their hands.
The band shared the adorable group snap with their 5.3 million social media followers, which they simply captioned: 'MINI 5SOS'.
The Aussie group will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday before jetting to Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.
In April 5SOS will kick off their European leg before moving to the USA and Canada in July.
Timeline of Syrian ceasefire
A "cessation of hostilities" has been in effect in Syria for three days, although both sides accuse the other of violations.
The accord was drawn up by Russia and the United States, and has the unanimous backing of the UN Security Council.
It applies to Damascus and most of its suburbs, the southern province of Daraa, and parts of Aleppo and Homs provinces.
Syrian children walk past heavily damaged buildings in the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern edges of the capital Damascus on February 27, 2016, on the first day of the landmark ceasefire agreement Sameer Al-Doumy (AFP/File)
What is not included is more than half of the country's territory that is controlled by Islamic State group (IS) jihadists or Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.
Saturday, February 27
- The unprecedented cessation of hostilities begins at 0000 local time (2200 GMT on Friday).
- Russia says it will suspend for one day its air strikes in Syria to support the agreement and avoid "bombing mistakes".
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and militants report a precarious calm in the central regions around Homs and Hama, in Damascus and around Aleppo in the north. No air strikes are signalled against rebel regions.
- One exception is near Abbasid Square in Damascus, where about a dozen shells hit an area disputed for the past three years by government troops and rebels.
- A Geneva-based international working group issues a positive evaluation of the situation. Although a few incidents are noted, the UN estimates they have not torpedoed the ceasefire.
Sunday, February 28
- Aircraft attack six locations in Aleppo province and one in Hama, the Syrian Observatory says. The director of a pro-rebel press agency says the aircraft were Russian.
- Russian Lieutenant General Sergei Kuralenko accuses rebels of violating the ceasefire nine times, but adds: "On the whole, the ceasefire regime in Syria is being implemented."
- The Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee, which represents most of the opposition groups, says the ceasefire has been broken two dozen times by Syria's government and its allies, leaving 29 dead.
- Saudi Arabia directly accuses President Bashar al-Assad's regime and Russia of "ceasefire violations".
- The UN says it will distribute supplies to an extra 154,000 people in besieged areas over the next five days.
Monday, February 29
- The Observatory says that the death toll in areas outside jihadist control has fallen sharply since the ceasefire began, with 40 people killed on the first two days in areas where IS is not present, against 144 on Friday.
- Ten airstrikes hit part of the eastern town of Deir Ezzor controlled by IS.
- Turkey shells IS positions in northern Aleppo province in coordination with the US-led international anti-jihadist coalition.
- The UN human rights chief warns that thousands could die from starvation because of sieges that have affected more than 480,000 people. The Red Crescent begins delivering UN-provided hygiene supplies to the rebel-held town of Moadamiyet al-Sham southwest of Damascus.
- The international task force was to meet in Geneva to shore up the ceasefire, after UN chief Ban Ki-moon tells media that "by and large the cessation of hostilities is holding even though we have experienced some incidents".
Syrian rebel fighters from the Failaq al-Rahman brigade, take a break as they hide inside a building on the frontline against regime forces in the rebel-controlled village of Bala, on February 28, 2016 Abdulmonam Eassa (AFP/File)
Iran elections: what changed and what it means
Elections in Iran have led to a reshaping of political forces in the Islamic republic and benefited President Hassan Rouhani following a nuclear deal with world powers last summer.
In a ballot on Friday for parliament an alliance of pro-Rouhani reformists and moderates gained seats, conservative numbers were cut and hardliners who had opposed the nuclear agreement were all but wiped out.
Although the president's allies did not secure a majority in parliament, they made significant gains that are likely to make passing legislation much easier.
An Iranian woman shows her inked finger after casting her ballot at a polling station in Tehran on February 26, 2016 Atta Kenare (AFP/File)
A simultaneous election was held for the Assembly of Experts, a powerful clerical body that appoints Iran's supreme leader, Iran's ultimate authority, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Why two elections at the same time?
Iran, an Islamic republic since a 1979 revolution toppled the pro-Western monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, has some institutions and many officials appointed by the supreme leader, but parliament and the Assembly of Experts are elected directly by the people.
All candidates are vetted by a constitutional watchdog, The Guardian Council, for their loyalty to the state.
Polling for the country's 290 MPs takes place every four years, while the 88 members of the Assembly are elected for eight years -- and this year the two elections coincided.
The Assembly of Experts generally has a low profile, but a long dormant task may be undertaken during its next term if the incumbent Khamenei, who is 76, dies. The assembly would pick his replacement.
Under Iran's system the supreme leader outranks the president and has the final word on major areas of domestic and international policy, setting the country's strategic direction.
What are the main political forces?
There are two major political movements in Iran: reformists and conservatives. The conservative bloc is not monolithic, however: it also has radicals (or ultra-conservatives) and moderates.
Moderates can find themselves aligned with reformists on some policy matters.
The agreement of July 2015 between the major powers and Iran over its nuclear programme was approved by reformists and moderate conservatives, for example.
Who won? Conservatives or reformists?
There is no clear cut victory for either of the two camps, as none on its own will have a parliamentary majority.
But the allies of reformists and supporters of Rouhani made significant gains and were able to offset the strong influence of conservatives.
Most ultra-conservatives have been sidelined and the government will, in addition to its own supporters, probably be able to rely on the votes of moderate conservatives on some future reforms.
In the last parliamentary elections in 2012, reformists largely boycotted the polls in protest at the disputed 2009 re-election of then president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the subsequent house arrest in Tehran since 2011 of reformist leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi.
The Assembly of Experts remains dominated by conservatives, but reformists and moderates have had symbolic victories. They partly achieved their main goal -- the voting out of two of the three strong conservative personalities in the assembly, Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, its president, and Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi, a figure long openly hostile to reformists.
Where does the supreme leader stand?
The supreme leader safeguards the unity of the nation and never officially takes part in partisan fights. But he remains Iran's strongman and his statements and influence are unquestionable.
Without his consent, the nuclear negotiations leading to the accord and the lifting of crippling international sanctions would not have been possible.
The decision was hailed by reformists.
But since the agreement, Khamenei has warned against the "arrogance" of the United States, dubbing it the key player behind risks of economic, political and cultural "infiltration" by foreign powers.
Khamenei's views on "infiltration" and the "arrogance" were widely used by many conservatives during election campaigning.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a press-conference in Tehran, on February 27, 2016 Atta Kenare (AFP/File)
Israel orders 84 Palestinians held without trial: NGO
Israel has over the past 10 days slapped "administrative detention" orders on 84 Palestinians, a controversial procedure under which prisoners can be held without charge, a Palestinian NGO said Monday.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club said 39 Palestinians had been arrested and placed under administrative detention for periods of between two and six months, while the other 45 had their detention prolonged.
Last Friday, journalist Mohammed al-Qiq ended a 94-day hunger strike staged in protest at his administrative detention under a deal for his release in May.
On February 26, 2016 journalist Mohammed al-Qiq (poster) ended a 94-day hunger strike staged in protest at his administrative detention under a deal for his release in May Abbas Momani (AFP/File)
The procedure, which dates back to the British mandate of Palestine, allows Israel to hold suspects without trial for renewable six-month periods.
The latest orders raise to more than 700 the number of Palestinians held under administrative detention, out of a total of more than 7,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli jails, according to the NGO.
Family of Israeli missing in Gaza ask world to pressure Hamas
The family of an Israeli man who went missing in 2014 after crossing into the Gaza Strip appealed Monday to the international community to help bring him home.
Avraham Mengistu, a 29-year-old Israeli of Ethiopian descent, was deeply depressed and suffering from mental problems when he wandered unarmed across the border to Gaza a year and a half ago, they said.
Israel's defence ministry has determined that Mengistu was held by Hamas after illegally crossing the border, but the Islamist movement governing Gaza has provided no information about his whereabouts or condition.
A relative of Avraham Mengistu (portrait), an Israeli of Ethiopian descent who went missing after crossing into the Gaza Strip, poses with an Israeli flag as family and friends protest near Tel Aviv on August 17, 2015 Jack Guez (AFP/File)
"We are kept in the dark," the man's 30-year-old brother Gashao told AFP during a visit to Geneva, with a representative of Israel's mission to the United Nations serving as translator.
His father Ayaline sat next to him, looking anxious and drawn, and his mother Agurnesh sat nearby, weeping quietly.
The family, who live in the southern city of Ashkelon near the Gaza border, had travelled to Geneva to meet with diplomats and groups and appeal to them to put pressure on Hamas "to do the right thing," Gashao said.
With his parents sitting nearby looking anxious and drawn, Gashao insisted "the international community has influence over Hamas."
"They can help this go beyond politics. It is a human rights and a humanitarian issue," he said.
"When Hamas is asking for humanitarian assistance, and contributions to the people in Gaza, then the international community should tell them: don't expect us to assist you when you are violating the same rights of the other side," Gashao said.
"We are talking about an innocent civilian. He's not a soldier. He was never a soldier," he said.
He explained that Avraham, distraught after the death of another brother and hospitalised several times for mental problems, had been exempt from Israeli military service.
The family rejected reports that they had previously been angry with the Israeli military's reaction to Avraham's disappearance and had claimed that more effort would have been put into finding him if he were white.
Members of Israel's 135,000-strong ethnic Ethiopian community say they suffer from discrimination.
But Gashao said this was not an issue in this case: " The government is doing what it can."
Israel does not allow its citizens to enter Gaza, partly over fears that they may be used as bargaining chips to demand concessions, including the release of prisoners.
Supreme Court justice asks first question in decade
Rarely are Supreme Court proceedings rocked by such astonishment.
On Monday, Justice Clarence Thomas broke a years-long habit of silence by asking a question during a hearing on gun rights -- his first in a decade.
An arch-conservative who was ideologically aligned to his friend on the court, the late -- and voluble -- Justice Antonin Scalia, Thomas has become known as the only justice never to open his mouth during oral arguments.
US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas testifies on April 15, 2010 in Washington Alex Wong (Getty/AFP/File)
But when Federal government lawyer Ilana Eisenstein had wrapped up arguments in a case over a law banning those convicted for domestic violence from owning firearms, Thomas spoke up.
"Can you give me another area where a misdemeanor violation suspends a constitutional right?" he asked.
Heads turned in disbelief.
Sitting next to Scalia's empty seat -- which remains draped in black -- Thomas went on to ask several more rapid-fire questions as if he had suddenly found his tongue, journalists covering the case said.
He last asked a question on February 22, 2006 in a case concerning the death penalty.
Only once since then, in January 2013, did he break his silence to crack a joke during oral proceedings.
Eight justices currently sit on the Supreme Court instead of the usual nine as the White House braces for a showdown with the Senate's Republican majority over the appointment of a replacement for Scalia, who died earlier this month.
The court's sole African American, Thomas supports "originalism" -- the idea championed by Scalia that the constitution must be interpreted according to the Founding Fathers' original intent.
Appointed by President George Bush in 1991, Thomas is also a strong defender of the Second Amendment, which holds that Americans have the right to keep and bear arms.
The 67-year-old judge has put forward various reasons for his silence over the years, once stating that asking too many questions is "not helpful" for deciding cases because lawyers do most of the work in the legal briefs they file with the court.
Trump, Clinton heavy favorites going into Super Tuesday
White House hopefuls Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are poised to pass a point of no return on Super Tuesday, if as expected they outrun their rivals on the biggest voting day of the primary season.
With just hours to go before polls open, the Republican and Democratic frontrunners fended off rivals and appealed to supporters in a dozen states, a day before they head to polls.
If they win big as the presidential nomination race broadens following a string of statewide votes, it could spell doom for their challengers.
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton (L) waves to the crowd beside Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe during a campaign rally on February 29, 2016 at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia Paul J. Richards (AFP)
Clinton was riding high after thrashing rival Bernie Sanders in South Carolina over the weekend, securing an astronomical 86 percent of the African-American vote.
But she was leaving nothing to chance, traveling to multiple states to urge a strong turnout.
"I need your help to go and vote tomorrow, to bring people to vote with you," she implored a crowd in Springfield, Massachusetts on Monday.
She also took aim at the increasingly hostile campaign rhetoric on the Republican side led by the brash real estate mogul Trump.
- Scapegoating, fingerpointing, blaming -
"I really regret the language being used by Republicans. Scapegoating people, fingerpointing, blaming. That is not how we should behave toward one another," she told several hundred people at a university in Fairfax, Virginia.
"We're going to demonstrate starting tomorrow on Super Tuesday, there's a different path that Americans ought to take."
Trump, whose incendiary campaign has turned US politics on its head, has a political target on his back, with mainstream favorite Marco Rubio intensifying his personal attacks and stressing Trump would have serious weaknesses in a general election.
The Florida senator warned supporters in Tennessee that US media and critics will jump on Trump "like the hounds of hell" if he wins the nomination.
"They'll shred him to pieces and then get Hillary Clinton elected," Rubio said, insisting that he is better positioned to defeat Clinton.
But Trump is clearly in the driver's seat. He is leading in polling in at least eight of the 11 Super Tuesday states.
And a new CNN/ORC poll shows the billionaire expanding his lead nationally, earning a stunning 49 percent support compared to second place Rubio at 16 percent.
Fellow first-term Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is third, at 15 percent, followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 10 percent and Ohio Governor John Kasich at six percent.
Trump hit back hard against Rubio, calling him "Little Marco," mocking him for sweating on the campaign trail and warning Rubio could not stand up to strong men like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Republican gut check -
Super Tuesday will unquestionably be a gut check for the Republican Party.
It will also test whether Rubio's newfound aggressiveness toward Trump -- the 44-year-old senator has attacked his rival's business dealings, temperament, age, policy platforms and hairstyle in recent days -- will have an impact on voters.
Trump is "the Bernie Madoff of American politics," Rubio told Fox News, referencing the former investment advisor jailed for life for committing the largest financial fraud in US history.
Trump's inflammatory rhetoric during the campaign, accusing Mexico of sending "rapists" and criminals across the border and urging a ban on Muslims entering the country, would have been the undoing of a normal candidate.
But all signs show 2016 is far from normal, with a fiercely angry electorate keen to back an outsider who scornfully attacks the establishment.
Trump has shrugged off the criticism, including Clinton's.
"Hillary says she doesn't like my tone," Trump told a crowd of some 3,000 in southwester Virginia.
"The world is a mean and evil place, we need a strong tone."
In the latest controversy, Trump came under withering criticism from Republican and Democratic candidates alike for not immediately disavowing the support of David Duke, a white supremacist who once led the Ku Klux Klan.
Rubio said Trump's failure to immediately repudiate Duke, who has expressed support for Trump, makes him "unelectable."
The party's flagbearer in 2012, Mitt Romney, joined the chorus of outrage, tweeting that Trump's "coddling of repugnant bigotry is not in the character of America."
Trump sought to put the issue behind him, blaming it on a "very bad ear piece" that prevented him from accurately hearing the question about Duke, and repeating his prior disavowal of the white supremacist.
If Trump sweeps the South, where many of the Super Tuesday races are taking place, it could be lights out for his Republican challengers.
Like Rubio, rival Cruz warned that a vote for Trump was a vote for Clinton in November.
"If Donald Trump is the nominee, Hillary in all likelihood wins," arch-conservative Cruz told a rally in his home state of Texas.
The Lone Star State is the largest prize Tuesday, and Cruz is banking on winning there. But he trails in every other Super Tuesday state, except for Arkansas.
Nearly 600 Republican delegates are up for grabs Tuesday, close to half of the 1,237 needed to secure the nomination.
Some 865 Democratic delegates are at stake, about 36 percent of those needed to win.
US presidential nominations: Super Tuesday Colin Henry, Kun Tian, Alain Bommenel (AFP)
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio speaks at a rally on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas on February 29, 2016 in Conway, Arkansas Michael B. Thomas (AFP)
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz speaks at a rally at Gilley's Dallas on February 29, 2016 in Dallas, Texas Stewart F. House (Getty/AFP)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to speak in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 22, 2016 John Gurzinski (AFP/File)
So far, Coconino County has not seen any big rallies or fundraising events for individual Republican presidential hopefuls. But that doesnt mean local GOP voters are not passionate about their favorite candidates.
Flagstaff resident and longtime Republican activist Joy Staveley feels so strongly about Marco Rubio that she spent four days in the Las Vegas area making campaign phone calls, going door-to-door and volunteering at rallies ahead of Nevadas Republican caucus this past week.
I, for one, would like a president that I can be proud of and inspired by, Staveley said. And to me, thats Marco Rubio from head to toe.
For Staveley, Rubio is the ideal candidate: a young, attractive conservative with detailed political plans whose charisma and ability to communicate remind her of a young Ronald Reagan.
I believe he appeals to the widest cross-section of voters, she said. I believe that he can garner support from people who have Libertarian-leaning views, from (people with) what are considered traditional Republican views, I believe he can appeal to independents and I believe that he would appeal to some more moderate Democrats.
Staveley said Rubio can appeal to voters in the traditionally left-leaning Flagstaff area because he knows how to work across party lines. In particular, she likes his position on illegal immigration, which includes a path to citizenship for those in the United States illegally.
She is disappointed that so-called anti-establishment candidates like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are getting so much of the attention this election season because neither of them, in her mind, could get enough bipartisan support to win the general election. For one thing, she said Trump has not offered any real plans for how he is going to, in his words, make America great again.
Its just the weirdest election cycle Ive ever seen in my entire life and to me its too bad because I really think were at a critical juncture in our history, Staveley said.
Staveley plans to keep making calls for the Rubio campaign ahead of Arizonas March 22 primary, but the focus will probably be on other parts of the state.
Locally, we just dont have a lot of (GOP) activists up here, Staveley said. I have a lot of friends down in the Valley who are strong Rubio supporters but up here there really arent as many of us.
She also said she has not seen a lot of local political activity in favor of Ted Cruz, Ben Carson or John Kasich. Staveley said the sheer number of Republican candidates who entered the race this election cycle and then started attacking one another probably didnt help.
If Rubio does not win the primary battle, Staveley said she would still vote for the Republican nominee in the general election because she fundamentally disagrees with Sanders political views and she does not trust Hillary Clinton for a variety of reasons. But she said she would not campaign for most of the other GOP candidates.
Staveley encouraged voters to take the time to research all the remaining candidates platforms before casting their ballots. That, and show up.
A very small percentage of the electorate votes in primaries or caucuses, she said. I dont like the way we do that. Too few people are making a very important decision.
US 'Super Tuesday' -- what's at stake
Americans in a dozen states head to the polls for a slew of primaries and caucuses Tuesday on what is considered the most important day of the presidential nominations calendar.
Here is what is at stake on "Super Tuesday," which could have a big impact on Democratic and Republican contenders still in the race for the White House:
- Twelve states vote -
US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton waves after addressing a primary night rally in Columbia, South Carolina, on February 27, 2016 Nicholas Kamm (AFP/File)
A dozen states are holding contests, including several in the South. For the most part, they are both Republican and Democratic in nature. Two exceptions are Alaska, where only Republican caucuses are being held, and Colorado, where only Democratic caucuses will take place.
In contrast to primary elections, caucuses are meetings which voters attend and where they indicate their preference.
Here is the list of "Super Tuesday" states in alphabetical order:
Alabama (south)
Alaska (northeast, Republican caucus)
Arkansas (south)
Colorado (west, Democratic caucus)
Georgia (south)
Massachusetts (northeast)
Minnesota (north)
Oklahoma (south)
Tennessee (south)
Texas (south)
Vermont (northeast)
Virginia (east)
Democrats are also voting in American Samoa in the Pacific.
- Times/delegates in play -
Most of the polling places open between 7 am and 8 am local time across US eastern and central time zones and close between 7 pm and 9 pm. In Alaska, caucuses finish around 0500 GMT Wednesday.
About a quarter of all delegates doled out during the primary process will be up for grabs.
Texas has the largest number of delegates in play (222 on the Democratic side and 155 on the Republican side.) Alaska and Vermont have the fewest.
Primaries and caucuses serve to elect delegates to national Democratic and Republican conventions where a party's presidential candidate is chosen ahead of the November elections.
The Republican National Convention will be held July 18-21 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Democratic National Convention takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 25-28.
For Republicans, the first candidate to reach 1,237 delegates out of 2,472 will get the party's nomination.
On the Democratic side, the support of at least 2,382 delegates out of 4,763 is needed.
- Who's leading? -
Four states have voted up until now -- Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
Billionaire real estate magnate Donald Trump leads the Republican field, having pocketed New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Iowa went to rival Ted Cruz, a senator from Texas.
Former first lady and secretary of state Hillary Clinton leads rival Bernie Sanders after victories in Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina. Sanders, a senator from Vermont, won in New Hampshire.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, February 19, 2016 Jim Watson (AFP/File)
IS executes eight Dutch jihadists in Syria: activists
The Islamic State has executed eight Dutch members of the jihadist group, whom it accused of trying to desert, activists said Monday.
"Daesh (IS) executed eight Dutch fighters on Friday in Maadan, Raqa province, after accusing them of attempting desertion and mutiny," Abu Mohammad, a member of the citizen journalist group Raqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), said via Twitter.
RBSS has been documenting since April 2014 IS' abuses in Raqa, the group's de facto capital in northern Syria.
The Islamic State has executed eight Dutch members of the jihadist group, whom it accused of trying to desert, activists said
Tension has boiled in Raqa over the past month between 75 Dutch jihadists -- among them fighters of Moroccan origin -- and IS intelligence operatives from Iraq, RBSS said.
Three other Dutch jihadists were arrested by Iraqi IS members who accused them of wanting to flee and one of the detainees was beaten to death during the interrogation, according to RBSS.
IS leaders in Raqa sent a delegate to solve the dispute with the Dutch cell's enraged members, but they murdered the intermediary in vengeance, the citizen journalist group added.
The IS leadership in Iraq then ordered the arrest of all the members of the Dutch group, and imprisoned them in Tabaqa and Maadan in Syria.
Eight have since been executed, RBSS said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, could not confirm the report.
However it said three European jihadists of North African origin were executed in what IS calls the Wilayet al-Furat -- an area stretching across the Syrian-Iraqi frontier.
Four charged with selling stolen satellite tech to China
Canadian federal police on Monday charged an American, a Briton and two Canadians with stealing sensitive satellite imaging technology and selling it to China in violation of export laws.
Two of them stole the sensor from their employer Teledyne Dalsa of Waterloo, Ontario with help from a former employee, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
They then sold it to two Chinese firms, one of them state-owned, in violation of the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and other laws.
Canadian federal police charged an American, a Briton and two Canadians with stealing sensitive satellite imaging technology and selling it to China Clive Rose (Getty/AFP/File)
The fourth accused works for one of the Chinese companies allegedly involved in the scheme.
The microelectronics were "intended for space satellite use," the RCMP said in a statement.
"This investigation is an example of foreign governments having an interest in Canadian-based controlled technology and it highlights the RCMP's commitment to keeping Canadian's safe from the potential misuse of that technology," RCMP Superintendent Jamie Jagoe said.
The two-year probe also involved the Canadian Space Agency, the military, the US Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.
Canadians Arthur Xin Pang, 46, and Binqiao Li, 59, were arrested and charged with more than a dozen related crimes.
Police officer fatally shoots man in North Carolina
A police officer in Raleigh, North Carolina fatally shot a man wanted on a drug charge on Monday, prompting protests amid accusations that the victim was shot in the back.
The officer was chasing the suspect -- wanted for a felony drug charge -- on foot, Raleigh police chief Cassandra Deck-Brown told reporters.
"During the course of the pursuit, the suspect was shot and killed by the officer," she said.
A police officer in Raleigh, North Carolina was chasing a suspect -- wanted for a felony drug charge -- on foot when the suspect was fatally shot Scott Olson (Getty/AFP/File)
"Initially, it is known that a firearm was located within close proximity to the deceased suspect," she added without elaborating.
Deck-Brown asked for patience while the authorities investigate the incident.
Police did not identify the officer or the suspect.
However, local media reported a woman at the scene as saying a cousin had told her a police officer had shot and killed her 24-year-old son.
Rolanda Byrd said her son, Akiel Denkins, was unarmed and had been shot in the back, the paper reported.
She said witnesses told her Denkins, an African-American, was "shot seven times by a white officer with a bald head," the News and Observer newspaper reported.
More than a hundred people protested at the scene near downtown Raleigh.
A series of killings of African-Americans by white police officers -- most caught on video -- have roiled racial tensions and prompted a protest movement under the banner "Black Lives Matter."
Gun violence claims the lives of about 30,000 Americans every year and mass shootings -- rare in most countries -- have been on the rise in the United States.
Judge sides with Apple in NY drug probe iPhone case
A US magistrate judge in New York has ruled that police overstepped the law when they called on Apple to unlock the iPhone of a suspected drug dealer.
The ruling could signal Apple is on sound footing in a separate but similar battle with the US government over being forced to help crack into an iPhone used by one of the shooters in December's San Bernardino attacks.
US Magistrate Judge James Orenstein in New York said in a 50-page opinion that law enforcement lacked the authority to compel Apple to comply.
US Magistrate James Orenstein in New York said in a 50-page opinion that law enforcement lacked the authority to compel Apple to unlock the iPhone of a suspected drug dealer Jewel Samad (AFP/File)
"The relief the government seeks is unavailable because Congress has considered legislation that would achieve the same result but has not adopted it," he wrote.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI went to court to compel Apple to help it break into an iPhone confiscated in June of 2014 from a suspected methamphetamine trafficker, according to court documents.
The US government sought to get Apple to help break into the iPhone under the auspices of the All Writs Act, which is what is being relied on in the San Bernardino case -- a 1789 law that gives wide latitude to law enforcement.
Orenstein refused to issue the order in the case, saying it undermined Constitutional principles and was a matter to be dealt with by Congress.
"This is precisely on point in the San Bernardino case," a senior Apple executive said during a telephone briefing with reporters after the New York ruling was issued.
Apple and FBI are locked in battle over a warrant seeking to force the technology company to help unlock the iPhone used by one of the shooters in December's San Bernardino attacks.
Apple's refusal has set off an intense political debate about encrypted devices that provide "keys" only to users.
- Non-binding precedent -
Orenstein's ruling was a precedent, but the judge presiding over matters in the San Bernardino case is not bound by his decision.
Conflicting rulings on the same points of law would increase the chances of the US Supreme Court being called upon to make the final call.
Oral arguments in the San Bernardino case are to be made in federal court in Southern California on March 22.
The Apple executive said that while the magistrate judge in California is free to rule differently, the iPhone maker hoped that she would be persuaded by Orenstein's "thoughtful and masterful" reasoning in his decision.
Apple argued that it is being asked to go further in the California case by creating software that doesn't exist to essentially "hack our own phones."
Apple wants a "conversation" to help settle a standoff with US law enforcement over accessing an encrypted iPhone, according to testimony prepared for a congressional hearing.
In a statement prepared for the Tuesday hearing, Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell said the public should understand that "encryption is a good thing, a necessary thing" even if it makes the work of law enforcement more difficult.
In his remarks, Sewell said Apple has been stepping up its encryption over the past few years.
"As attacks on our customers' data become increasingly sophisticated, the tools we use to defend against them must get stronger too," he said.
"Weakening encryption will only hurt consumers and other well-meaning users who rely on companies like Apple to protect their personal information."
Encryption helps preserve privacy around the world, he added, "and it keeps people safe."
Lawmakers and the public should decide the question of access to the locked iPhone, Sewell said, renewing Apple's criticism of the government's use of the broad 1789 All Writs Act, which offers broad authority to law enforcers.
Sewell repeated comments by Apple chief Tim Cook that the FBI is asking the company "to create an operating system that does not exist" that would open "a backdoor into the iPhone."
But New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance argued in his own prepared testimony that the current level of encryption "cripples even the most basic steps of a criminal investigation."
Pivotal 'Super Tuesday' could elevate Trump, Clinton
Americans vote Tuesday in what is deemed the most pivotal day in the presidential nominating process, with frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump hoping to finish off their challengers.
Voters in a dozen states will take part in "Super Tuesday" -- a series of primaries and caucuses in a dozen states ranging from Alaska to Virginia.
If Democrat Clinton and Republican Trump -- an outspoken billionaire political neophyte who has unexpectedly tapped into a reservoir of conservative rage at conventional politics -- win big, it could spell doom for their challengers.
US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addresses a primary night rally in Columbia, South Carolina, on February 27, 2016 Nicholas Kamm (AFP)
With just hours to go before polls open, the duo made last-ditch appeals to supporters ahead of a day like few others on the calendar leading to the November election for the White House.
Trump's Republican rivals, Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, were trying frantically to halt the real estate magnate's march toward the nomination, seeking to unite the party against the man they see as a non-conservative political interloper.
Clinton meanwhile was riding high after thrashing rival Bernie Sanders in South Carolina over the weekend, securing an astronomical 86 percent of the African-American vote in her third win in four contests.
Should she win black voters by similar margins in places like Alabama, Georgia and Virginia, she should dominate there to become once again the inevitable candidate.
That was her status at the start of the campaign -- before the rise of Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist.
She was leaving nothing to chance, traveling to multiple states Monday to urge a strong turnout.
Clinton also took aim at the increasingly hostile campaign rhetoric on the Republican side led by the brash real estate mogul Trump.
- Scapegoating, fingerpointing -
"I really regret the language being used by Republicans. Scapegoating people, fingerpointing, blaming. That is not how we should behave toward one another," she told hundreds at a university in Fairfax, Virginia.
"We're going to demonstrate, starting tomorrow on Super Tuesday, there's a different path that Americans ought to take."
Trump's incendiary campaign has infuriated Republican rivals, including mainstream favorite Rubio who has intensified his personal attacks and stressed Trump would have trouble in a general election.
The Florida senator warned supporters in Tennessee that US media and Democratic groups will jump on Trump "like the hounds of hell" if he wins the nomination.
But Trump is clearly in the driver's seat. He is leading in polling in at least eight of the 11 Super Tuesday states.
And a new CNN/ORC poll shows the billionaire expanding his lead nationally, earning a stunning 49 percent support compared to second place Rubio at 16 percent.
Cruz of Texas is third, at 15 percent, followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 10 percent and Ohio Governor John Kasich at six percent.
Trump punched back against Rubio, calling him "Little Marco," mocking him for sweating on the campaign trail and warning that Rubio could not stand up to strong men like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- 'Party of Lincoln' -
Trump's inflammatory rhetoric, including accusing Mexico of sending rapists across the border, mocking women and the disabled and urging a ban on Muslims entering the country, would have been the undoing of a normal candidate.
But the 2016 cycle has been anything but normal, with a furious electorate keen to back an outsider who scorns the political establishment.
"I'm representing a lot of anger out there," Trump told CNN.
"We're not angry people, but we're angry at the way this country's being run."
In the latest controversy, Trump came under withering criticism for not immediately disavowing the support of David Duke, who once led the Ku Klux Klan.
Rubio said Trump's failure to promptly repudiate Duke, who has expressed support for Trump, makes him "unelectable."
Some conservatives have said they will shun Trump if he is the nominee.
"This is the party of Abraham Lincoln," said Senator Ben Sasse, accusing Trump of being a non-conservative plotting a "hostile takeover" of the party.
Trump supporters, Sasse told MSNBC, "need to recognize that there are a whole bunch of other people who say, if this becomes the David Duke/Donald Trump party, there are a lot of us who are out."
If Trump sweeps the South, where many of the Super Tuesday races are taking place, it could be lights out for his Republican challengers.
Texas is the largest prize Tuesday, and Cruz is banking on winning his home state. He trails in nearly all other Super Tuesday states.
Almost 600 Republican delegates are up for grabs Tuesday, nearly half the 1,237 needed to secure the nomination.
Some 865 Democratic delegates are at stake, 36 percent of those needed to win.
US presidential nominations: Super Tuesday Colin Henry, Kun Tian, Alain Bommenel (AFP)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to speak in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 22, 2016 John Gurzinski (AFP/File)
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio speaks at a rally on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas on February 29, 2016 in Conway, Arkansas Michael B. Thomas (AFP)
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (R) and his wife Jane O'Meara Sanders enter a campaign rally at the Minneapolis Convention Center on February 29, 2016 in Minnesota Stephen Maturen (Getty/AFP)
Lost Israel troops stray into camp, sparking bloody clashes
Two Israeli soldiers using a traffic app to find their way mistakenly entered a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank overnight, sparking clashes that killed one Palestinian and wounded 15 people, officials said Tuesday.
The two soldiers travelling in a jeep entered the Qalandia refugee camp and were targeted with rocks and Molotov cocktails, Israeli officials said.
Israeli reinforcements were then urgently deployed to the camp between Jerusalem and Ramallah to rescue them, provoking further clashes that lasted hours. The two soldiers were later rescued unharmed.
An overturned car is seen in the Palestinian Qalandia refugee camp following clashes with Israeli troops overnight on March 1, 2016 Abbas Momani (AFP)
Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said the soldiers "apparently used Waze," the Israeli-developed navigation app now owned by Google. The military said it was investigating.
Waze however said the soldiers themselves were at fault, with a setting that tells the app to avoid "dangerous areas" having been turned off and the driver having deviated from the suggested route.
With the threat of two of their soldiers being kidnapped or killed, Israeli forces were quickly dispatched.
According to an Israeli police spokeswoman, Palestinians threw homemade explosives and shot at the rescue team, which also opened fire.
The Palestinian health ministry said one Palestinian was killed and 10 wounded. The dead man was identified as Eyad Omar Sajdia, a 22-year-old student.
Five Israeli border police were also wounded, one of them seriously, police said.
- 'Didn't know the terrain' -
A trail of blood could be seen extending down a wall from a roof where Sajdia was believed to have been when he was shot.
The narrow roads of the camp were littered with rocks and other debris, and several thousand people later attended Sajdia's funeral, his body wrapped in a Palestinian flag.
The two soldiers who first entered the camp abandoned their jeep, with one hiding in the courtyard of a house and shooting to defend himself and signal his position, the military spokesman said.
The other fled towards the nearby Israeli settlement of Kochav Yaakov. Their jeep was burnt, and what was said to be its registration plate could be seen on the ground in the camp on Tuesday.
Sajdia's father, Omar, said a huge contingent of Israeli forces arrived at the camp.
"If you want to describe the situation you would say there is a war," he told AFP as he received guests who paid their respects at his home.
Residents said the Israeli reinforcements included a bulldozer that caused damage to homes.
The soldiers' mishap made headlines in Israel, whose military is reputed to be the region's most technologically advanced.
"They apparently used Waze, which indicated a shortcut from Jerusalem to Ramallah," Yaalon said at a conference, according to his office.
"They didn't know the terrain. We have to verify who sent them on the mission, what they knew and what they didn't know and how to respond when, in modern times, Waze shows you the way."
Yaalon said: "I learnt long ago, when GPS began to be used, that you cannot neglect locating yourself with a map."
He added that it was important to know "the environment and not be misled by technological systems that show you the way."
- Waze faults soldiers -
But Waze, acquired by Google for more than $1 billion in 2013, hit back at suggestions its app was at fault, saying it cannot protect against human error.
"(Waze) includes a specific default setting that prevents routes through areas which are marked as dangerous or prohibited for Israelis to drive through," the company said in a statement to AFP.
"In this case, the setting was disabled. In addition, the driver deviated from the suggested route and as a result, entered the prohibited area.
"There are also red signs on the road in question that prohibit access to Palestinian-controlled territories (for Israelis). It is the responsibility of every driver to adhere to road and traffic signs and obey local laws."
Israeli raids on Qalandia to arrest suspects have sparked heavy clashes in the past.
The camp is located just beyond a checkpoint separating annexed east Jerusalem and the West Bank. The heavily fortified crossing is a hated symbol of the Israeli occupation for Palestinians.
Qalandia camp was established in 1949 in the wake of the creation of Israel and has grown into a densely populated town with 11,000 registered refugees.
Nearly one in five residents is unemployed, according to the UN, and around 60 percent are under 25 years old.
A wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories since October has killed 178 Palestinians as well as 28 Israelis, an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, according to an AFP toll.
Most of the Palestinians who died in the violence were killed by Israeli forces while carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.
Others were shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes or demonstrations.
Palestinian mourners attend the funeral of Eyad Omar Sajdia, who was killed during clashes with Israeli security forces at the Qalandia refugee camp on March 1, 2016 Abbas Momani (AFP)
Evidence of coral bleaching on Barrier Reef as sea warms
Scientists on Tuesday warned coral bleaching was occurring on the Great Barrier Reef as sea temperatures warm, and it could rapidly accelerate unless cooler conditions blow in over the next few weeks.
Authorities cautioned last year that the world faced a mass global coral bleaching event driven by the warming effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies said it was a growing concern.
"Current reports of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef do not equate to a mass bleaching event," said the centre's director Terry Hughes, based at James Cook University in Townsville in Queensland state.
Bleaching is a phenomenon that turns corals white or fades their colours, threatening a valuable source of biodiversity, tourism and fishing - (WWF Australia/AFP/File)
"But we are concerned about a growing incidence of minor to moderate bleaching at multiple locations along the reef as the peak of summer approaches."
Bleaching is a phenomenon that turns corals white or fades their colours, threatening a valuable source of biodiversity, tourism and fishing.
It occurs when reef symbiosis -- the mutually beneficial relationship between two organisms that inhabit corals -- is disrupted by a rise in ocean warming, although there can also be other causes.
Janice Lough, senior research scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, said the next few weeks were crucial.
"The latest Bureau of Meteorology forecasts suggest that we could see significant above average temperatures through the month of March, which may mean more bleaching ahead for corals on the Great Barrier Reef unless we get some windy and cloudy weather soon," she said.
The Barrier Reef -- the world's biggest coral reef ecosystem -- is already struggling from the threat of climate change, as well as farming run-off, development and the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish.
It narrowly avoided being put on the UN World Heritage in danger list last year with Canberra working on a plan to improve the reef's health over successive decades.
A study by the University of Queensland and the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration in October said only two previous mass coral bleaching events had been recorded in history and Hughes said he hoped the reef would avoid a similar fate.
"We have been closely monitoring conditions on Australia's coral reefs for the past six months," he said.
"The best outcome is that the bleaching doesn't get any worse, but if it becomes more widespread, we are ready to mobilise a network of scientists to document the extent of the bleaching, which will help us understand how the reef is responding to successive major bleaching events."
WWF-Australia said a wide variety of corals were being impacted.
"Global warming -- fuelled by burning fossil fuels -- is increasing the water temperature and bleaching coral reefs," said WWF Great Barrier Reef campaigner Louise Matthiesson.
"Right now, the Great Barrier Reef is on a knife-edge."
One of the worst mass bleaching episodes on record, which affected reefs in 60 tropical countries, took place in 1998, when the El Nino weather pattern was exceptionally strong.
The phenomenon occurs when trade winds that circulate over waters in the tropical Pacific start to weaken and sea surface temperatures rise.
Australia's Great Barrier Reef - (AFP Graphic)
Assad vows to 'do our part' on holding Syria ceasefire
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pledged to do his part to guarantee the success of a shaky ceasefire that was largely holding on its fourth day.
World powers have thrown their weight behind the landmark truce as a way to bring an end to Syria's conflict, which began in 2011 with anti-government protests.
The United Nations said the next round of peace talks would resume in Geneva on March 9, announcing a two-day postponement "to allow adequate time to address logistical and practical matters".
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad speaks to AFP in Damascus on February 11, 2016 Joseph Eid (AFP/File)
Assad said the truce provided a "glimmer of hope" for Syria, where more than 270,000 people have been killed since the complex conflict erupted.
"We will do our part so that the whole thing works," Assad told German public broadcaster ARD, referring to the cessation of hostilities reached by the United States and Russia.
"We have refrained ourselves from retaliating in order to give (a) chance for the agreement to survive. That's what we can do, but at the end everything has a limit. It depends on the other side."
Assad also offered an amnesty to opposition fighters if they agree to disarm.
"The most important thing for me, legally and constitutionally... (is) that you're not allowed, as a citizen, to hold machineguns and hurt people or properties," he said.
"This is the only thing that we ask. We don't ask for anything. As I said, we give them full amnesty."
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, whose Lebanese Shiite militants are fighting in support of Assad, also welcomed the ceasefire.
"We are happy with the truce and God willing it will persist and lead to a political solution," he said in Beirut.
- 'The revolution continues' -
The ceasefire has brought relative calm to swathes of territory in Syria's north, south, and around the capital, where civilians were back on the streets demonstrating against the regime.
In the besieged rebel town of Daraya, near Damascus, dozens of young men chanted against the government and carried signs reading "Daraya will not kneel!"
"Of course we're going to seize this opportunity (to protest) because the rest of the time there were constant barrel bombs and shelling," said activist Shadi Matar.
The truce does not include areas where the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, Al-Nusra Front, are present.
Regime forces clashed Tuesday with IS jihadists in the oil-rich eastern province of Deir Ezzor, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Clashes also took place in Aleppo city and in the town of Harbnafsa in central Hama province, said the monitor.
The complex patchwork of territorial control has made the truce difficult to monitor, particularly in areas where Al-Nusra Front has formed close ties with non-jihadist rebel groups.
- 'Much fewer planes' -
Civilians in central Homs province say their towns are not being targeted as often, but violence has not stopped.
"There are much fewer airplanes, which is very good... (But) there's still artillery, mortar fire, and we hear the planes flying above us," said Hasaan Abu Nuh, an activist in the flashpoint town of Talbisseh.
"People still have the same routine -- they still go down to the shelters when they hear the planes."
Despite backing opposing sides of Syria's war, Moscow and Washington drafted the UN-backed cessations of hostilities deal and co-chair the international task force evaluating its implementation.
Washington said Tuesday the ceasefire appeared to be holding, although State Department spokesman John Kirby noted that "nobody's doing any victory dances" yet.
"Over the last 24 hours, we have not been apprised of any claims of any additional violations of any significance," Kirby said, while noting there had been reports of violations in past days.
The opposition High Negotiations Committee however said there had been at least three violations by regime forces on Tuesday and 17 the previous day.
And Russia said Tuesday it had recorded 15 truce violations in the past 24 hours.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for the closure of Syria's border with Turkey to prevent supplies reaching "terrorist" groups.
Tens of thousands of displaced Syrians amassed along that border last month, fleeing an intense government offensive backed by Russian strikes.
Speaking in Washington, top NATO General Philip Breedlove said Russia and Syria had turned the refugee crisis into a "weapon" against the West.
"Together, Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately weaponizing migration in an attempt to overwhelm European structures and break European resolve," he told US lawmakers.
A Syrian rebel fighter emerges from a hideout on the outskirts of Damascus on February 26, 2016 Amer Almohibany (AFP/File)
A Syrian man rides his bicycle past a man selling grain during a halt in fighting in Douma, east of Damascus, on February 29, 2016 Sameer Al-Doumy (AFP)
The crisis in Syria
Rare Thai labour win as tuna factory pays out $1.3 mn
A Thai tuna processing factory has agreed to pay staff $1.3 million compensation for a litany of labour abuses, an official said Tuesday, a rare victory for migrant workers in the scandal-hit seafood industry.
Hundreds of Myanmar labourers at Golden Prize Tuna Canning, a processing plant in Samut Sakhon province east of Bangkok that sells fish worldwide, have spent months seeking compensation for exploitative working conditions.
Thailand is the world's third-largest seafood exporter, but the industry is plagued with rights abuses and fuelled by trafficked labour from neighbouring Myanmar and Cambodia.
Thailand is the world's third-largest seafood exporter, but the industry is plagued with rights abuses and fuelled by trafficked labour from neighbouring Myanmar and Cambodia Madaree Tohlala (AFP/File)
The sector has come under heightened scrutiny from foreign governments over the past year, with the European Union currently considering an all-out ban on Thai fishing products.
The United States also passed a bill last week outlawing goods produced by forced labour that could see Thailand targeted with import bans.
Rights groups say Golden Prize workers had long been subject to unlawfully low salaries, supervisor abuse and a lack of compensation for machine accidents on the 25-acre processing sites.
Following a strike last week by more than 1,000 workers, company representatives joined negotiations with military officers, government officials and migrant worker leaders, reaching an agreement late Monday.
"The company began paying 1,100 workers last night involving money of 48 million baht ($1.3m)," Boonlue Sartpetch, the head of the province's labour department, told AFP Tuesday.
He said 700 workers have been paid, with the rest expected to receive compensation Tuesday.
Golden Prize Tuna Canning, whose 2,000 workers hail mostly from Myanmar, declined to comment.
The junta that seized power in a 2014 coup has struggled to revive Thailand's flagging economy and is desperate to avoid any costly sanctions on the multi-billion dollar seafood sector.
It remains to be seen how Washington will enforce its new legislation on slave-produced goods.
But the US labour department currently lists Thai fish and shrimp as products the government has reason to believe are manufactured by slave labour.
Thai officials say they have moved fast to clean up the industry, with new laws and crackdowns on traffickers and fish factories.
Last month police said they arrested more than 100 people on trafficking charges linked to the fishing industry.
Authorities have also registered nearly half of an estimated 200,000 undocumented foreign workers in the seafood sector, officials said.
On Tuesday foreign ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee hailed the peaceful settlement between Golden Prize and its workers as a model for future disputes.
"The government is committed to use this approach in order to eliminate labour exploitation and to uplift the quality of life of workers in Thailand," he said.
Andy Hall, a British labour activist who has been helping the Myanmar workers at Golden Prize Tuna, said he suspects the spectre of costly trade bans was finally forcing the Thai government to act.
"To get a dispute like this that involves so much money and actually have it settled is very unprecedented," he told AFP.
But he accused both the tuna company and local labour department of dodging the workers' complaints for nearly a year.
In the past some Thai factories have responded to rights abuse accusations with defamation lawsuits, which Hall is currently facing for highlighting alleged exploitation at a Thai fruit company.
WASHINGTON Supporters of a copper mine proposed for Oak Flat have been given until Friday to make the case that the area, deemed sacred by the San Carlos Apache, should not be designated a historic site.
Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Prescott, and Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Flagstaff, asked the National Park Service to withdraw the Oak Flat application to the National Register of Historic Places, saying it was confusing and vaguely worded in an attempt to undermine the proposed Resolution Copper mine.
They noted, among other things, that the application did not cite Oak Flat, as the area is commonly known, but called it the Chichil Bildagoteel Historic District.
We are concerned that the use of the phrase Chichil Bildagoteel Historic District and a lack of geographic information is an attempt by these opponents to limit transparency and public comments from constituents that disagree with this nomination, and an attempt to undermine our bipartisan bill that is estimated to create approximately 3,700 new jobs, the lawmakers letter said.
The park service said it did not have the authority to withdraw a nomination to the register, but it could grant an extension to the comment period which it did, giving opponents of the listing until this Friday.
But supporters of the historic designation said the park service should grant the application.
Oak Flat is an important cultural and religious area that is vital to the traditions of our Native American brothers and sisters it deserves our strongest protections, said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, in a statement from his office Monday.
As someone who has fought to safeguard this treasure for years, I fully support designating the land as a historic property listed on the National Register of Historic Places and encourage the National Park Service to evaluate the proposal based on its merits, his statement said.
Gosar and Kirkpatrick were not available Monday to comment.
They were among the lead sponsors of a bill, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act, that called for the federal government to swap 2,400 acres of copper-rich federally owned land for about 5,000 acres of land owned by Resolution Copper.
The mining company has said that its project would provide thousands of jobs in southeast Arizona and would pump billions of dollars into the states economy over the expected 60-year life of the mine.
But included in the land the mining company would receive is the Oak Flat campground, an area in Pinal County that the Apache say is spiritually significant. They have come to Washington to protest the mine, mounted a petition in opposition to it and protested at the site.
Critics including Gosar and Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, who helped push the land swap deal through the Senate in late 2014 have charged that there was never any spiritual significance to Oak Flat until the mine came along.
Being listed on the historic register would highlight the propertys uniqueness and its value to the community, but it would not ultimately protect it from mining, a park service official wrote in response to Gosar and Kirkpatrick.
Neither a listing nor a Determination of Eligibility for listing requires or otherwise guarantees that a historic property cannot be modified or even destroyed, said Stephanie Toothman, the National Registers keeper, in the letter to the lawmakers.
Bill Tanner, a spokesman for Resolution Copper, also said a historic designation would not necessarily prevent the company from mining the land it would just become another consideration in the process of determining the projects environmental impact.
We believe that the most appropriate way to ensure that this matter is fully evaluated is through a comprehensive NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process that involves all stakeholders, Tanner said Monday.
Trump, Clinton eye big boost from Super Tuesday
Millions of Americans cast ballots Tuesday on the most pivotal day of the presidential primary season, with frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump hoping to wipe out all rivals for their party nominations.
On Super Tuesday, voters have their say in a series of primaries and caucuses in a dozen states, stretching from Massachusetts and Virginia on the east coast to Texas and all the way to Alaska.
If Democrat Clinton and Republican Trump -- an outspoken billionaire who has tapped into a vein of conservative rage at conventional politics -- win big, they will be well on their way to the nominations, spelling doom for their challengers.
A woman leaves the Old Etlan rescue squad building, used as a county voting location, in Etlan, Virginia on March 1, 2016 Andrew Caballero-Reynolds (AFP)
Polling stations opened first in Virginia where a steady stream of voters stopped to cast ballots on a day like few others on the calendar leading up to the November presidential election.
Steve Slye, who runs an audio-visual company in Arlington, in the swing state's suburbs near Washington, said he voted for Ohio's Republican Governor John Kasich.
"He's the adult in the room, to me," he said of Kasich, who has run a more optimistic campaign than Trump but has failed to generate enough enthusiasm to topple the frontrunner.
Halfway across the country, in Conway, Arkansas, 23-year-old student Dominique Vinson said she felt compelled to cast her ballot in the Democratic primary -- in support of Clinton.
"I don't like how the other candidates are presenting the future of America, so I decided I needed to vote," she said.
Trump's main Republican rivals, Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, have been frantically trying to halt the real estate magnate's march toward the nomination, seeking to unite the party against the man they see as a non-conservative political interloper.
But it might be too little too late, with polls showing the 69-year-old Trump in a commanding lead in most Super Tuesday states and beyond.
Former secretary of state Clinton, coming off a blowout weekend win in South Carolina, is also well ahead of her rival Senator Bernie Sanders, though her camp has admitted they do not expect a clean sweep Tuesday.
Even as the 68-year-old Clinton made her final case to voters in Minnesota, she appeared to tilt toward the general election matchup, assailing Republicans "running their campaigns based on insults."
Asked if Trump would be the eventual nominee, she told reporters "he could be on the path." But "whoever they nominate, I'll be prepared to run against (him) if I'm fortunate to be the nominee."
A new CNN/ORC poll found that both Clinton and Sanders would easily defeat Trump if the general election -- set for November 8 -- were held now.
If Rubio or Cruz were the Republican nominee, Clinton would face a much closer race. Strikingly, Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, topped all three Republican candidates by wide margins, the poll showed.
- An incendiary campaign -
Trump's incendiary rhetoric has infuriated his Republican rivals, and the race has descended in recent days into a mud-slinging match between him and the mainstream favorite Rubio.
The Florida senator sent a letter to his supporters Tuesday calling Trump "a serious threat to the future of our party, and our country."
"In just the last few days, Trump has refused to condemn white supremacism and the Ku Klux Klan, praised dictators Saddam Hussein and Moammar Qaddafi, and proposed infringing upon the First Amendment of our Constitution," he wrote.
"This is no joke. It's time to fight back."
Trump also received a stern rebuke from House Speaker Paul Ryan over his failure to immediately denounce the support of David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
"If a person wants to be the nominee of the Republican Party, there can be no evasion and no games," Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, told reporters. "This party does not prey on people's prejudices."
Trump remains in the driver's seat. He is leading in polls in at least eight of the 11 Super Tuesday states, and expanding his lead nationally with CNN/ORC giving him 49 percent support.
Rubio is a distant second at 16 percent, with Cruz one point further behind. The Texas senator is banking however on winning his home state, the largest prize on Tuesday.
- Furious electorate -
Trump's inflammatory rhetoric -- he has accused Mexico of sending "rapists" across the border, mocked women and the disabled, urged a ban on Muslims entering the country, and eagerly advocated the use of torture -- would have been the undoing of a normal candidate.
But the 2016 cycle has been anything but normal, with a furious electorate keen to back an outsider who scorns the political establishment.
If Trump sweeps the South, where many of the Super Tuesday races are taking place, it could be lights out for his Republican challengers.
Almost 600 Republican delegates are up for grabs Tuesday, nearly half the 1,237 needed to secure the nomination.
Some 865 Democratic delegates are at stake, 36 percent of those needed to win.
As the prospect of a Trump nomination loomed ever larger, a lengthy clip by British satirist John Oliver skewering his many false claims and inconsistencies has gone viral.
The segment on "Last Week Tonight" launched a hashtag, #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain, in a nod to the candidate's original family name, and by Tuesday, the word "Drumpf" was ahead of both Rubio and Cruz in Google search rankings -- right behind Trump himself.
US presidential nominations: Super Tuesday
A volunteer for Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's campaign makes calls to potential supporters during a phone banking event on March 1, 2016 in Dallas, Texas Laura Buckman (AFP)
Microphones await the arrival of Republican Presidential frontrunner Donald Trump at the Mar-A-Lago Club on March 1, 2016 in Palm Beach, Florida John Moore (Getty/AFP)
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio shakes supporters hands after speaking in Andover, Minnesota on March 1, 2016 Stephen Maturen (Getty/AFP)
North Korea to boycott UN rights council
North Korea will boycott the UN Human Rights Council, Foreign Minister Ri Su-Yong said Tuesday, deploring the "politicisation" of the body.
"We shall no longer participate in international sessions singling out the human rights situation of (North Korea) for mere political attack," Ri told the council, charging it was plagued by "politicisation, selectivity and double standards."
The UN's top rights body has repeatedly slammed the situation in North Korea, with a massive 2014 report charging the country and its leadership were guilty of a wide range of crimes against humanity.
North Korea is one of the world's most secretive regimes Kim Jae-Hwan (AFP/File)
But Ri insisted Tuesday that the United States and others who have long yearned for the "elimination of the DPRK" (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) were using false allegations of human rights abuses to boost their cause.
He charged they were driving a "human rights racket" against the country.
They were offering more than $5,000 (4,600 euros) to "so-called North Korean defectors" to get them to "fabricate" shocking testimony about the situation in the country, Ri said.
He also claimed that Pyongyang's enemies were dangling promises of economic aid to entice UN member countries to adopt resolutions on human rights in North Korea.
"In other words, the voting process at the international human rights mechanisms is being commercialised," Ri said.
North Korea would no longer take part in the process, he said, stressing that from now on, "whether or not such resolutions are to be put to a vote will be none of our business and we will never be bound by them."
Later Tuesday, the UN Security Council in New York is due to vote on a US-drafted resolution imposing a raft of new sanctions on North Korea following its recent nuclear test and rocket launch.
In-form Kohli guides India to Asia Cup final
In-form batsman Virat Kohli made an unbeaten half-century as India eased to a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka to qualify for the Asia Cup final in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Kohli, who played a brilliant innings of 49 under pressure against Pakistan on Saturday, hit 56 off 47 balls to guide India to 142-5 after their medium pacers restricted Sri Lanka to 138-9.
Replying to the modest score, India were in danger early on when Nuwan Kulasekara removed both the openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma for just 16 runs.
India's Virat Kohli plays a shot during an Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament match against Sri Lanka at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on March 1, 2016 Munir uz Zaman (AFP)
Dhawan returned to the starting line-up after an injury break against Pakistan but survived just three balls before edging Kulasekara to Dinesh Chandimal for one.
Sharma fell in Kulasekara's next over offering a catch to Chamara Kapugedera at slip for 15.
Kohli, who hit seven fours, added 54 runs with Suresh Raina for the third wicket to put India firmly in control.
"Touch wood, it's coming out nicely now. Another crunch situation, 16 for 2. It's nice to challenge yourself," Kohli said after the match.
"Kulasekara and Angie were bowling well. I knew I'm striking the ball well, so I have to take the pressure off the other batsman by hitting the odd boundary."
Dasun Shanaka broke the partnership as Raina miscued a catch to Kulasekara at mid-off after making 25 runs.
Yuvraj Singh ensured it did not affect India's run-flow, hitting left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for two sixes off successive balls in the next over to make 35 off 18 balls.
India captain MS Dhoni praised Singh for his effort.
"Yuvraj Singh's innings was crucial, not just for this match but for the team as well," said Dhoni. "Good to see him get into some good form."
Put into bat first by Dhoni, Sri Lanka's Kapugedera scored the team's highest of 30 off 32 balls, but the islanders needed a strong effort from lower order batsmen Milinda Siriwardana and Kulasekara.
Siriwardana made 22 off 17 balls while Kulasekara added 17 after facing just six balls to provide a late impetus.
Indian medium pacers controlled the innings making regular in-roads from the start.
Ashish Nehra removed Chandimal early after he added six runs to his 50 and 37 runs in the previous two matches.
Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah then claimed two wickets each to finish with 2-26 and 2-27 respectively before the lower-order gave the Sri Lankan innings some respectability.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said dew that had fallen on the ground in the evening was partly responsible for their defeat.
"With the dew coming in, it felt like we were 20-25 runs short, but the Indians batted well, as always, and Virat was outstanding," he said.
"If the wicket was like the previous one, it would have been a fighting total, but the dew came in and the ball started sliding through."
Bangladesh will face Pakistan in the tournament on Wednesday.
UN set to toughen North Korea sanctions
The UN Security Council was expected to approve on Wednesday a new raft of tough sanctions on North Korea to punish the reclusive regime after its fourth nuclear test and rocket launch.
The council is due to vote on a US-drafted resolution, backed by China, that takes aim at North Korea's banned nuclear and ballistic missile programs by cutting off sources of hard currency and access to material.
The new sanctions come in response to North Korea's fourth nuclear test on January 6 and the launch of a satellite-bearing rocket on February 7 that the world viewed as a disguised ballistic missile test.
A meeting of the United Nations Security Council on February 24, 2016 at the UN in New York Mark Garten (United Nations/AFP/File)
The United States has described the package of measures as the toughest yet to hit North Korea, but the impact will largely depend on how China, Pyongyang's sole ally and main benefactor, implements the sanctions.
The resolution would require countries to take the unprecedented step of inspecting all cargo to and from North Korea, impose trade restrictions and bar vessels suspected of carrying illegal goods for North Korea from ports.
It also provides for a ban on exports of coal, iron and iron ore, gold, titanium and rare earth minerals from North Korea, and prohibits the supply of aviation fuel including rocket fuel to the reclusive country.
Banking restrictions would be tightened and governments would be required to ban flights of any plane suspected of carrying contraband destined for North Korea.
Under the measure, UN member states would expel North Korean diplomats engaged in smuggling or other illegal activities.
Luxury watches, snowmobiles, recreational watercraft such as Sea-Doos and sports equipment would be banned from sale to North Korea, building on a previous resolution targeting Pyongyang's elites.
The council had initially planned to vote on Tuesday, but the meeting was delayed at Russia's request to allow for more time to review the text.
Diplomats said they expected Russia to back the measure following what Japanese Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa said were "minor technical changes" to the draft resolution.
One of those changes involved dropping North Korea's mining development representative in Russia from the new UN sanctions blacklist, according to a revised annex to the draft text seen by AFP.
The annex lists 16 individuals and 12 entities to be hit by an assets freeze and travel ban, including North Korea's NADA space agency and its spy agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau.
- A shift from China? -
It took seven weeks of tough negotiations for the United States and China to come to agreement on the package of measures.
Japan and South Korea also lobbied for sanctions that they insisted would be significantly stronger than those in place since 2006.
China had maintained that the new resolution should not push Pyongyang toward more erratic and dangerous behavior.
Beijing fears too much pressure could trigger the collapse of the pariah regime, creating chaos on its border.
Talks on ramping up sanctions were held as South Korea and the United States announced plans for the deployment of a new missile defense system on the Korean peninsula and the adoption of new US sanctions against Pyongyang.
"The United States, South Korea and Japan have stopped outsourcing to China their policy on North Korea," said Roberta Cohen, an expert on North Korea at the Brookings Institution.
China, and to a lesser extent Russia, "will find loopholes, they always have," to avoid fully implementing UN sanctions, said Cohen.
But Beijing "sees the mobilization of alliances, strong military alliances between the United States, South Korea and Japan and it sees that it can't go on the way it has," she added.
Taking a hard line, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye said North Korea must pay the price for its latest nuclear test and rocket launch.
"If we leave them alone, they will continue," she said.
The latest resolution would be the fifth set of UN sanctions to hit North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006.
Kim Jong-Un's nuclear ambitions John Saeki/Adrian Leung (AFP)
Anti-North Korea activists shout slogans during a demonstration in Seoul on March 1, 2016 Ed Jones (AFP)
Algeria prosecutor seeks jail for imam who urged writer's execution
An Algerian prosecutor on Tuesday demanded a six-month jail term for a radical Muslim preacher who called for the public execution of an award-winning author he accused of apostasy.
Abdelfatah Hamadache Ziraoui in December 2014 urged the North African country's authorities to put to death Kamel Daoud, in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
Hamadache Ziraoui accused Daoud of "apostasy" after the author and journalist criticised the relationship Muslims have with Islam during an appearance on a French television show.
Algerian writer Kamel Daoud, who won the prestigious French Prix Goncourt for debut novel "The Meursault Investigation", was accused of "apostasy" by a radical Muslim preacher Bertrand Langlois (AFP/File)
The radical Sunni Salafist preacher, who campaigns against alcohol and swimwear, charged that Daoud's remarks were tantamount to "a war against Allah, his prophet, the Koran and the sacred values of Islam".
A verdict is expected on March 8.
Daoud, a columnist with the Quotidien d'Oran newspaper based in the western Algerian city of Oran where he lives, was once attracted by Islamist ideology but turned his back on it.
Last year, he won the prestigious French Prix Goncourt for a debut novel -- "The Meursault Investigation", a retelling of Albert Camus's classic "The Stranger".
In an interview last year with the Los Angeles Review of Books, Daoud said he was "confronted by an absurd world that kills in the name of the sun or Allah".
Last month, Daoud said in a letter published by the French newspaper Le Monde that he was giving up public debate and journalism, after a group of university professors accused him of "fanning the fantasies of Islamophobes".
The professors were reacting to an op-ed Daoud had published in Le Monde after crimes committed on New Year's Eve in Cologne when hundreds of women reported being sexually assaulted or robbed by a mob of mostly North African and Arab men.
In the opinion piece headlined "The Sexual Misery of the Arab World", Daoud wrote that "...one of the great miseries plaguing much of the so-called Arab world, and the Muslim world more generally, is its sick relationship with women".
Environmentalists take on Indian guru over festival
World-famous Indian guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has come under fire for a mass festival to promote peace that environmentalists say risks damaging the delicate ecosystem of Delhi's Yamuna river.
Critics say the World Culture Festival, to be held later this month on the banks of the river with millions of fans including India's prime minister in attendance, will cause lasting environmental damage.
Organisers say they expect 3.5 million people to attend the three-day event, which will feature yoga and meditation sessions, peace prayers by Sanskrit scholars and traditional cultural performances from around the world.
An Indian labourer takes part in construction work on the banks of the River Yamuna in New Delhi on March 1, 2016 Money Sharma (AFP)
"Three and a half million people are going to trample the area so basically 210,000 tonnes of weight will be put on a fragile ecosystem," said activist Anand Arya, who has asked India's top environmental court to cancel the event.
"It is most unfortunate that the event is being organised by an apostle of peace and non-violence."
Manoj Mishra of the Live Yamuna campaign to protect the river that flows through the capital, said more than 1,000 acres (405 hectares) had been cleared to make way for a stage, pontoon bridges, portable cabins and parking.
"Reed beds were cleared, vegetation was chopped for a two-and-a-half day event which will leave an ever-lasting impact on the environment," Mishra said.
Shankar's Art of Living foundation, which is organising the festival, denied there would be any permanent impact and said it had secured permission from all the necessary authorities to hold the event.
"We have used only eco-friendly material like wood, mud, cloth, and scaffolding towards building a temporary stage," the foundation said in a statement to AFP.
The event, due to start on March 11, is billed as a platform "for spiritual and religious leaders, politicians, peacemakers and artists to spread the message of global peace and harmony in diversity".
The globe-trotting Shankar, once ranked by Forbes magazine as India's fifth most powerful person, is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the pair have meditated together.
The Yamuna river is the largest tributary of the Ganges, considered holy by Hindus.
Despite high levels of pollution, its floodplains are rich in flora and fauna with more than 320 bird species and 200 types of plants.
On Monday a committee appointed by the environmental court recommended fining the foundation $17.5 million dollars but did not say the event should be cancelled.
NATO commander says Russia, Syria using migrant crisis as weapon
Top NATO General Philip Breedlove warned US lawmakers Tuesday that Russia is helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad turn the refugee crisis into a "weapon" against the West.
The supreme allied commander in Europe for the 28-member military alliance said the massive flow of migrants from war-torn Syria has had a destabilizing effect on European countries where they found refuge, and that worked to Moscow's advantage.
"Together, Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately weaponizing migration in an attempt to overwhelm European structures and break European resolve," Breedlove told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
General Philip Breedlove, pictured in October, accused Russian president Vladimir Putin and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad of deliberately fuelling the refugee crisis, turning it into a 'weapon' against the West.
Speaking of Russia's six-month air campaign in support of Assad, and the Syrian leader's use of barrel bombs in civilian areas, Breedlove said Moscow and Damascus are deliberately fueling the mass displacement of Syrians.
Breedlove, who also heads the US military's European Command, suggested this creates a distraction for Western powers as they grapple with the crisis and are forced to take their eye off its root cause.
"These indiscriminate weapons used by both Bashar al-Assad, and the non-precision use of weapons by the Russian forces, I can't find any other reason for them other than to cause refugees to be on the move and make them someone else's problem," Breedlove said.
Further complicating the refugee crisis, he added, is that increasing numbers of foreigners who have fought in Syria are heading home again, bringing battlefield skills and sometimes extremist ideologies.
"What we have seen growing in the past months and year is that in that flow of refugees we see criminality, terrorism and foreign fighters," he said.
NATO last month launched an unprecedented naval mission in the Aegean Sea to tackle people smugglers taking refugees and migrants from Turkey to Greece.
Germany, Greece and Turkey had called for help dealing with Europe's biggest migrant crisis since World War II.
- European reassurance -
Breedlove was in Washington partly to drum up support for a proposed sharp increase in money available to US forces in Europe.
The coming year's budget includes $3.4 billion -- quadruple last year's amount -- for the so-called European Reassurance Initiative.
The four-star general also accused Russia of posing a growing threat to the United States itself.
"Russia has chosen to be an adversary and poses a long-term existential threat to the United States and to our European allies and partners," Breedlove said.
"Russia is eager to exert unquestioned influence over its neighboring states in its buffer zone... so has used military force to violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Georgia and others, like Moldova."
He said in the last week, the US ambassador in Ukraine had gotten reports of 450 attacks along the frontlines in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels oppose Kiev's pro-Western leadership.
"The report from the ambassador is there are several disturbing trends in those attacks and that is that some of them are now happening in places that were heretofore quiet," Breedlove said.
More than 9,000 people have died during the Ukrainian government's 22-month war against pro-Russian insurgents in the former Soviet state's industrial east.
In a briefing with Pentagon reporters, Breedlove blasted Russia for its "irresponsible" attitude to nuclear weapons.
"I see (Russia) as a real threat and I would just point to the fact that this is a nation that holds thousands of nuclear weapons and they talk all the time about using those nuclear weapons," he said.
A woman holds her crying baby at a makeshift camp by the Greek-Macedonian border near the Greek village of Idomeni on March 1, 2016 Louisa Gouliamaki (AFP)
Census of foreigners in Burundi sparks fears
Burundi launched a drive Tuesday to register all foreigners, sparking fears among overseas nationals that the scheme could be a pretext for government surveillance.
All non-Burundians in the crisis-hit country will be required to report to border police offices in the coming two months, according to a public security ministry spokesman.
Several foreigners told AFP they feared it was a pretext to track them, and Rwandans said the process could lead to their community being victimised.
Burundian soldiers withdraw from the restive Cibitoke neighbourhood in Bujumbura after a police operation on July 1, 2015 Marco Longari (AFP/File)
But Public Security Minister Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni insisted last month that the move was aimed at granting foreigners a biometric ID card.
Foreign nationals -- who also include people from West Africa including Congolese, as well as Indians -- will be required to attend police stations in person and carry their travel documents.
"We don't know how the police will use this data and with the violence that has already struck the Rwandan community... I think that I will also have to leave he country," said a Rwandan national born in Burundi 40 years ago.
Thousands of Rwandans who lived in Burundi have fled the country since the start of the crisis after several arrests within their community.
Relations between Burundi and Rwanda are at a low ebb, with Bujumbura and the United Nations accusing Kigali of supporting Burundian rebels.
Burundi was plunged into crisis following over President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term which he went on to win in a July election.
Jewish hardliner returns to Jerusalem holy site after ban
Israeli religious hardliner Yehuda Glick visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound Tuesday for the first time since a Palestinian tried to kill him over his campaign to boost the Jewish presence at the highly sensitive site.
The site in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem is the third-holiest in Islam, but is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and considered their holiest.
Clashes there last year were a precursor to the current five-month wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and there were warnings that the visit by Glick, who has previously been banned from the site, could set off further tensions.
Rabbi Yehuda Glick, a hardline campaigner for Jewish prayer rights at the al-Aqsa mosque compound, in Jerusalem's Old City on July 14, 2015 during a demonstration Ahmad Gharabli (AFP/File)
Glick has been an outspoken advocate of Jewish rights to the holy site, which Muslims and Palestinians consider a provocation. He has also guided visits there.
The 50-year-old US-born rabbi carried out "a legal visit to the Temple Mount that took place without incident," a police spokeswoman told AFP.
A spokesman for the Waqf, the Muslim trust which administers the site, said Glick's "actions and statements are provocations against Palestinians. The visit bodes ill."
Glick was on October 29, 2014 shot four times by a masked gunman in Jerusalem. A day later, police shot and killed his suspected attacker, Muataz Hijazi, a Palestinian from east Jerusalem.
The rabbi is also a thorn in the side of the mainstream Israeli Jewish religious establishment, which recognises the Temple Mount as the site of the biblical temples and Judaism's holiest, but says Jews should not pray or even visit there at this time.
Current rules governing the site allow Jews to visit during set hours but not pray there to avoid provoking tensions.
A court recently exonerated Glick of a charge of assaulting a Palestinian woman, and removed the police ban on him visiting the holy site.
Glick, who is a member of the ruling Likud party and next in line to enter parliament, had also been barred from the site between 2011-2013 for praying there.
Speaking to AFP, Glick said that while there were no restrictions on his visits beyond those that apply to other non-Muslims, he had coordinated Tuesday's visit with the police.
He said it felt like "returning home" after the long absence.
Glick said tensions at the site had been dramatically lowered since Israel's September ban on the Murabitat and Murabitun, funded by the Islamic Movement in Israel and acting as self-appointed sentinels who harassed Jewish visitors.
A wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories since October has killed 178 Palestinians as well as 28 Israelis, an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean.
Most of the Palestinians who died in the violence were killed by Israeli forces while carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.
Clashes erupted at the Al-Aqsa compound during a series of Jewish religious holidays in September amid fears among Muslims that Israel was planning to change rules governing the site.
MIDLOTHIAN, Va. Sheila Covert is worried about Donald Trump.
A loyal Republican voter from swing state Virginia, Covert calls the businessman bombastic and says theres just no substance in his boastful campaign rhetoric.
But if Trump does become the GOP presidential nominee?
Well, Id definitely vote for him, said Covert, an 81-year-old from the Richmond suburb of Powhatan. After a pause, she added, But I hope and pray it doesnt come to that.
Covert is part of a legion of skeptical Republican voters across the United States coming to grips with the prospect that Trump, a candidate whose appeal they simply cant understand, may end up being their partys best chance for retaking the White House.
The real estate mogul has scored three commanding primary victories in a row, including Tuesday in Nevada, and enters next weeks delegate-rich Super Tuesday elections in strong position.
Interviews with about two dozen frequent Republican voters in Virginia an important general election battleground and one of several states with a primary next week reveal the complex mix of emotions Trump evokes within in his own party.
Among those who dont plan to vote for Trump in the primary, theres shock, confusion and anxiety over his candidacy.
But theres also a grudging acceptance of the billionaires political staying power and a feeling that despite his many flaws, hed be better than another four years with a Democrat in the White House particularly if that Democrat is Hillary Clinton.
He says things you cannot imagine a president saying, said Michael Glunt, a 42-year-old landscaper from Midlothian. But if Trump faces off against Clinton in November, Glunt will cast his ballot for the GOP nominee.
In this particular case, I would vote for him, Glunt said. Hillary Clinton, I dont trust her. Theres no trust.
The voters interviewed by The Associated Press represent a tiny sliver of the electorate.
But their views illuminate the debate within both parties about how a Trump nomination would play out in November, particularly as that prospect becomes more real with each voting contest.
Democratic officials are betting that Trumps over-the-top rhetoric, particularly about women and immigrants, would turn off independents and some Republicans in battleground states like Virginia.
Some anxious GOP leaders share that concern, contributing to the sudden rush of lawmakers and other party officials rallying around Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as an alternative.
Bill Ginther, a 69-year-old retiree from Midlothian, is among the Republicans so turned off by Trump they can hardly envision voting for him if hes the nominee. Ginther, who plans to vote for Rubio in Tuesdays primary, says hes honestly shocked that Trump has come as far as he has.
I dont know if I could vote for him, Ginther said. It would make it very difficult.
While some voters joke about moving to Canada if Trump becomes president, Nancy Bradner is looking at that possibility with some seriousness.
A supporter of past GOP nominees including Mitt Romney and George W. Bush, shes now researching Canadian politics, as well as the countrys health care system and housing market.
Bradner doesnt know if shed really go through with a move north I cant leave my grandbabies, she said but makes clear that it would be an option.
I just dont think I could be in the midst of it, Bradner said. This is the first time in my 68 years that I have truly been scared of what is going to happen in this election.
A recent AP-GfK poll, however, suggests Ginther and Bradner may be in the minority. The survey showed far more Republicans than not say theyd vote for Trump in the general election, and 86 percent of Republican voters think he can win in November giving him a 15 percentage point advantage over anyone else.
For Cumberland County resident Tina Shumaker, the prospect of voting for Trump is deeply unappealing.
Her top concern in the election is national security, and she cant fathom Trump engaging in diplomacy or being able to keep the country safe.
But her concerns about him pale in comparison to her dislike of Clinton. And while Shumaker sees no good options in a general election contest between the two, the 66-year-old leaves no question about who would get her support.
If it would have to come between him and Hillary, Im afraid hed get my vote, Shumaker said. I hope it doesnt turn out that way. But its beginning to look that way.
Israeli teens charged after racist attack on Arabs
Israeli prosecutors pressed charges Tuesday against four 17-year-old Jews suspected of a "racially motivated" assault on two Arab men in the coastal city of Netanya, the justice ministry said.
A ministry statement said the four had been drinking alcohol at a beach on February 17, when they saw the two Arabs heading towards a lift.
They allegedly began following them and insulted the Prophet Mohammed before throwing stones and empty bottles at the pair who fled to the lift, only to be trapped inside it where the attack continued.
A member of the Israeli security forces at the scene of a stabbing attack in Netanya on November 2, 2015 Jack Guez (AFP/File)
One Arab was pulled from the lift and branded a "terrorist". He was beaten and choked until he lost his consciousness and was eventually taken to hospital.
The four were being charged with "racially motivated aggravated assault", the ministry's statement read.
Tensions between Jews and Arabs have risen during a five-month wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories which has cost the lives of 178 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, according to an AFP toll.
Most of the Palestinians who died in the violence were killed by Israeli forces while carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, the Israeli authorities say.
Gunman wounds Saudi preacher in Philippines: police
An influential Saudi Arabian preacher was shot and wounded in a southern Philippine city on Tuesday, police said, adding security forces killed the gunman.
Sheikh Aaidh al-Qarni was in hospital following the shooting in Zamboanga city but did not have life threatening injuries, local police spokeswoman Senior Inspector Helen Galvez said.
"He is out of danger," Galvez told AFP by phone.
Philippine soldiers patrol the streets in Zamboanga, on southern island of Mindanao on September 21, 2013 Ted Aljibe (AFP/File)
A police report said that Qarni was shot in the right shoulder, left arm and chest while his companion, a Saudi embassy attache, was wounded in his right thigh and left leg.
However a Saudi embassy statement later said none of Qarni's companions were wounded.
The police said that Qarni had just delivered a university lecture when a man came out of the crowd and opened fire with a .45 calibre pistol.
Police acting as security escorts shot the attacker dead.
"We pinned down the gunman. He's dead," Galvez said.
She said the gunman was apparently a Filipino and that two other Filipino men, residents of Zamboanga, were later arrested after eyewitnesses said they were with the attacker.
But Galvez did not immediately identify the gunman.
"We still do not know what this group is or the motives of the gunman," she said.
The Saudi embassy in Manila confirmed the incident, stating Qarni was hit in the arm when a man approached his car and shot him as he left a conference.
He was visiting at the invitation of a local religious association, the embassy said.
The preacher was later flown to Manila on a plane made available by the Saudi embassy, according to a statement.
Saudi media outlets described Qarni as a senior Islamic scholar. He has more than 12 million followers on Twitter.
In his book "Awakening Islam," the French academic Stephane Lacroix included Qarni among "the most famous" Saudi preachers.
Qarni's name was among those of a number of Saudi scholars listed by the Islamic State group in the latest issue of Dabiq, its monthly online magazine, in an article entitled "Kill the Imams of Kufr".
It accused the scholars of apostasy, and called on "lone wolves" to act against them.
Militants who launched who a deadly assault on a remote army outpost in the southern Philippines late last month waved black IS flags when they raided the detachment.
The attack triggered a week of fighting that left at least 12 militants and five soldiers dead.
Zamboanga is one of the largest cities in the southern Philippines, which has been home to a decades-long separatist rebellion by the mainly Catholic nation's Muslim minority.
Zamboanga has a mixed Christian and Muslim population, and has been a frequent target of attacks by local Muslim militant groups.
Trump slips in billionaire ranking in turbulent year
Donald Trump may be the Republican frontrunner for the White House, but he is slipping behind in the world billionaires race, Forbes magazine's new list of the planet's richest people shows.
Trump, who has made his enormous wealth a key selling point in his presidential bid, came in 324th in the magazine's 2016 ranking of the world's billionaires, which was published Tuesday.
That means that more than 200 billionaires have jumped ahead of the ever competitive real estate mogul since 2015 when he placed 121st on the annual list.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, pictured on February 27, 2016, came in 324th in Forbes magazine's 2016 ranking of the world's billionaires Michael B. Thomas (AFP/File)
The magazine put Trump's net worth at an above average $4.5 billion, the same as last year but about half the $10 billion fortune candidate Trump often claims to have amassed.
In other highlights, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is still ranked the world's richest person with an estimated net worth of $75 billion, $4.2 billion less than last year.
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg had the best year of all, adding $11.2 billion to his fortune.
Forbes put the 31-year-old's net worth at $44.6 billion, ranking him number six, just behind Amazon's Jeff Bezos ($45.2 billion). It was the first time either of them made the top ten.
It hasn't been a banner year for billionaires, however.
According to Forbes, their number has slipped to 1,810, 16 fewer than last year, and their aggregate net worth shrank by $570 billion to $6.48 trillion.
This is also the first year since 2010 that the average individual billionaire's fortune has dropped, settling at $3.6 billion, $300 million less than last year, it said.
A volatile stock market, cratering oil prices and the strong dollar have reshuffled the ranks of billionaires, the magazine said.
Only two held on to their previous year's rank -- Gates, who has been number one for three straight years, and investor Warren Buffet, whose $60.8 billion fortune put him in third place.
Mexico's telecoms magnate Carlos Slim slipped to fourth place, giving up second to retailer Amancio Ortega of Spain ($67 billion). Slim's fortune plunged from $77.1 to $50 billion.
Forbes said 221 people fell off the list altogether, replaced by 198 newcomers.
The youngest billionaire was 19-year-old Danish heiress Alexandra Andresen. Her 20-year-old sister Katharina is the second youngest on the list.
In all, 66 billionaires are under 40 years of age. The richest of the 190 women on the list was Liliane Bettencourt of France who was ranked 11th with $36.1 billion, down from $40.1 billion last year.
The United States is still the country with the most billionaires (540), followed by mainland China (251) and Germany (120).
Venus Williams will end her 15-year boycott of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells next week, following in the footsteps of sister Serena who returned to the event last year.
The 35-year-old former world number one has not played the prestigious Californian event since 2001, when she and Serena were booed by sections of the crowd.
Her father Richard Williams has long alleged the family was subjected to repeated racial slurs after Venus withdrew from a semi-final against Serena due to a knee injury.
Venus Williams, pictured on January 19, 2016, has not played the prestigious Indian Wells event since 2001 William West (AFP/File)
Explaining her decision to return to the tournament in a commentary on The Players Tribune website, Williams said the criticism directed at her family had left a lasting mark on her.
'I remember the pain of my knee injury, and how badly I wanted to play in the semis against Serena - before finally accepting that I wouldn't be able to,' Venus wrote.
'I remember the accusations toward me and my sister and our father. I remember the crowd's reaction, as I walked to my seat, during Serena's match in the final. And I remember how I couldn't understand why thousands of people would be acting this way - to a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old, trying their best.
'There are certain things where, if you go through them at a certain age, you simply don't forget them.'
Venus said she had been prompted to return after seeing the warm reception her sister received last year, when she was given a 57-second standing ovation before her opening match on Stadium Court.
'It was in that moment, seeing Serena welcomed with open arms last year at Indian Wells, that I think I fully and truly realized what being the big sister means,' Venus wrote.
FBI, Apple clash in Congress on encryption
The battle between the FBI and Apple over encryption moved to Congress on Tuesday, with both sides arguing security is at risk in the legal wrangling over accessing a locked iPhone.
FBI chief James Comey defended his agency's efforts to force Apple to help unlock an iPhone in the San Bernardino attacks probe, saying that law enforcement's job may be crippled by "warrant-proof spaces" that become inaccessible to investigators.
Addressing a case that has set off a fierce public debate, Comey said Americans need to know the safety implications if encryption makes it impossible to access data on smartphones and other devices.
FBI director James Comey testifies on the encryption of the iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino attackers
"It's our job to tell the American people the tools we use to keep you safe are becoming less effective," Comey told the House Judiciary Committee hearing.
"If there are warrant-proof spaces in American life, what does it mean? What are the costs?"
While everyone values privacy, Comey said, "there are times law enforcement saves our lives and rescues our children."
But Comey also acknowledged that forcing Apple to help unlock the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters could set a precedent for other investigations.
"It is going to be potentially precedential, that's just the way the law works," he said in response to a question from Representative John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat.
The hearing comes amid an intense legal and political battle after Apple said it would challenge a court order to provide the FBI technical assistance to help break into the San Bernardino iPhone.
Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell told the panel the public should understand that "encryption is a good thing, a necessary thing" -- even if it makes the work of law enforcement more difficult.
He said Apple is being asked to develop a tool that could be used on any iPhone, even with more advanced encryption, which could make users vulnerable to hackers and government surveillance.
"This is not about the San Bernardino case -- this is about the safety and security of every iPhone that is in use today," Sewell said.
- 'Vicious guard dog' -
Apple has argued the Federal Bureau of Investigation is effectively asking the company to "hack" its own devices and create a "back door" that malicious actors could exploit.
Comey told the hearing that in his view, "it's not about back doors... there's already a door on that phone -- we're asking Apple to take away the vicious guard dog."
Citizens' rights are protected by an independent judiciary, he noted, citing a long-standing principle that "if an independent judge finds reason to believe that certain private communications contain evidence of a crime, then the government can conduct a limited search."
Lawmakers from both parties appeared skeptical of the FBI efforts, questioning whether they could lead to weaker overall security in the future for new technologies.
"It won't really be a one-time request? It will set a precedent for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies?" asked the committee chairman, Virginia Republican Bob Goodlatte.
- Bypassing Congress -
Conyers said that the FBI's legal efforts could be seen as an "end run" around the legislative process to step up its access to encrypted devices.
"I would be deeply disappointed if it turns out that the government is exploiting a national tragedy to pursue a change in the law," he said.
"This committee and not the courts is the place to consider the appropriate consequences."
Representative Trey Gowdy, however, offered strong support for the FBI, arguing that it is not for Apple to decide what is off-limits to a search.
Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican, chastised Sewell for failing to offer any constructive proposal for lawmakers.
"Your position, since you don't have anything positive, is to leave us (lawmakers) to our own devices, and I can guarantee you're not going to like the result," Sensenbrenner said.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance told the panel his office has over 200 phones that are inaccessible due to encryption, frustrating efforts to prosecute murderers, rapists and child molesters.
"What we should be seeking is not a phone by phone solution to accessing devices, we should be creating a framework where there are standards," he said.
Susan Landau, a cybersecurity specialist at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, backed Apple's case on the risks of providing a weaker operating system.
"It would weaken us, but not change it for the bad guys," Landau said, noting that criminals could still use apps for encryption.
"They wouldn't have to buy a foreign phone, they could just download the app from anywhere."
Landau added in her testimony that "law enforcement continues to see electronic surveillance in 20th century terms, and it is using 20th century investigative thinking in a 21st century world."
"Instead of celebrating steps industry takes to provide security to data and communications, the FBI fights it," she said.
Protesters demonstrate outside an Apple Store in Los Angeles, California as they object to the US government's attempt to put a backdoor to hack into the Apple iPhone on February 23, 2016 Mark Ralston (AFP/File)
US Representative John Conyers, pictured on September 18, 2015, said that the FBI's legal efforts could be seen as an "end run" around the legislative process to step up its access to encrypted devices Alex Wong (Getty/AFP/File)
UN chief: Syria cease-fire holds despite growing breaches
BEIRUT (AP) U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that a shaky cease-fire in Syria is holding "by and large" on its third day despite sporadic fighting and growing accusations of violations.
A war of words between the Syrian government and Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the opposition, has meanwhile added to the rising tensions.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said recent statements by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir were "lies meant to boost the morale" of militants who have suffered setbacks in Syria in recent weeks and demonstrate the kingdom's "destructive role" in Syria.
Pins with the images of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah are displayed at a souvenir shop in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Al-Jubeir had reiterated Saudi Arabia's longstanding position that Syrian President Bashar Assad must leave power, either peacefully or through military means. The foreign minister also accused Syrian forces of violating the cease-fire.
Speaking to reporters Monday in Geneva, Ban confirmed receiving a letter from the High Negotiations Committee, the main umbrella opposition group, complaining of continuing violations by the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian backers.
The letter sent Sunday urged the U.N. to help "specify the territory covered by the truce to prevent hostilities."
The Russian and U.S.-brokered cease-fire that went into effect Saturday excludes the Islamic State group as well as al-Qaida's branch in Syria, the Nusra Front. The cease-fire has significantly reduced violence across the war-ravaged country, bringing some respite to civilians, particularly from airstrikes.
But accusations of breaches by both sides threaten to undermine the deal, which aims to bring the Syrian government and the opposition back to peace talks in Geneva next week. Ban told reporters he wanted the cease-fire extended beyond the planned duration of two weeks.
The U.N. also said it plans to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to about 154,000 people living in besieged locations inside Syria over the next five days. A briefing note sent out by OCHA on Monday said the assistance will include food, water and sanitation supplies, as well as non-food items and medicine.
An official with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent said dozens of trucks carrying aid started entering a besieged rebel-held suburb of the Syrian capital, Damascus, for the first time since the cease-fire went into effect.
Muhannad al-Assadi told The Associated Press that the 51 trucks are carrying domestic supplies such as blankets, soap and diapers. He said it is the third aid convoy that has been allowed to enter the suburb of Moadamiyeh in recent weeks.
Aid deliveries are a main opposition demand ahead of the planned resumption of peace talks in Geneva on March 7. An attempt to restart talks collapsed earlier this month over escalating violence, including a massive Russian-backed government offensive in Aleppo.
Fighting in Aleppo province continued Monday, with Syrian state media reporting that troops and other pro-government forces have opened the road linking the northern city of Aleppo with central and western Syria after it was cut by the Islamic State group last week.
Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group said it had recovered the body of a senior commander, Ali Fayyad, who was killed during fighting in the region. The Shiite group fighting alongside Assad's forces in Syria said body of the commander, locally known as Haj Alaa, was recovered Sunday night in an operation in which Syrian and Hezbollah special forces took part.
Fayyad was a Hezbollah veteran who had led major battles against the Israeli army in south Lebanon. Lebanese media say he was among four Hezbollah fighters killed in Aleppo last week.
In the central province of Hama, warplanes carried out repeated attacks on the village of Harebnafsah amid fighting between troops and militants, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees, both opposition monitoring groups. The LCC said the warplanes were Russian. It was not immediately clear which militant groups were taking part in the fighting.
The Observatory reported that government forces captured an area near the Damascus suburb of Harasta after a day of fighting with militants, including the Nusra Front.
The opposition on Sunday reported air raids on several parts of northern Syria and warned that continued violations would jeopardize the planned resumption of U.N.-brokered peace talks.
Riad Hijab, who heads the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee, said in the statement to Ban that Russian, Iranian and government forces have not stopped hostilities since the cease-fire went into effect.
Hijab said there had been 24 instances of shelling and five of ground attacks. He added that Russian warplanes carried out 26 airstrikes on Sunday alone targeting rebels that are abiding by the truce.
The French foreign minister called for a meeting "without delay" of a task force to monitor the cessation of hostilities following reports of airstrikes targeting the moderate opposition.
Jean-Marc Ayrault spoke Monday, shortly before addressing a meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. envoy to Syria, had planned a meeting of the task force, led by the United States and Russia, for later in the day.
Ayrault told reporters he planned to discuss the "attacks including by air" with de Mistura and Ban. Critics say Russia and Syrian forces have been targeting the moderate opposition.
___
Keaten reported from Geneva. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.
MSNBC's Scarborough strikes hard at Donald Trump
NEW YORK (AP) MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, who lately has become a symbol of the media's complicated relationship with Donald Trump, said Monday that the Republican's remarks on David Duke are "disqualifying" and compel an apology.
The "Morning Joe" host, a former GOP congressman from Florida, referred to Trump's Sunday interview on CNN about former Ku Klux Klan leader Duke's support of Trump's presidential candidacy. Trump at first pleaded ignorance about Duke and groups he's been involved in, then later said he disavowed Duke's support.
"That's disqualifying right there," Scarborough said of the CNN interview. "It's breathtaking ... Is he really so stupid that he thinks Southerners aren't offended by the KKK?"
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures while speaking during a rally at Radford University in Radford, Va., Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Scarborough also penned a Washington Post column posted on Monday saying Trump's "feigned ignorance" about Duke and the KKK raise disturbing questions about the Republican presidential front-runner.
A Trump spokeswoman noted that the candidate had disavowed Duke's endorsement before and after Sunday's interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, but had no comment on Scarborough's remarks. Trump, on NBC's "Today" show on Monday, blamed a "very bad earpiece" provided by CNN for having trouble understanding precisely what Tapper had asked him.
Scarborough's comments come after he and his show have faced criticism for being too friendly with Trump. The business mogul's rise in the political polls has been accompanied by record ratings for events surrounding the GOP nomination campaign, giving networks the incentive to talk about the race as much as possible particularly with the candidate himself.
Trump has been interviewed on "Morning Joe" 32 times since the Republican announced his candidacy last summer, according to the liberal media watchdogs Media Matters for America. Many have been telephone interviews. Most television shows avoid phone interviews they need pictures but the interest in Trump and the ratings his appearances bring has led to that rule being bent by many.
In the months before primary or caucus voting began, Scarborough frequently disagreed with analysts who believed Trump's initial strong showing in polls would evaporate. That was undoubtedly helpful to the Trump campaign, yet also proved to be astute analysis for a daily program that traffics in three hours of political talk.
It was some offhand comments that embarrassed "Morning Joe."
The morning after Trump's win in the New Hampshire primary, Trump said in an interview with Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski that "you guys have been supporters and I really appreciate it." He quickly clarified himself: "not necessarily supporters but at least believers. You said there's some potential there."
Tapes leaked by radio host Harry Shearer, of conversations involving Scarborough, Brzezinski and Trump during commercial breaks in Trump's Feb. 17 town hall meeting on MSNBC, revealed the type of banter between media figures and a candidate usually not seen when cameras are rolling.
In the off-air moments, both MSNBC hosts told Trump that they had been wrong in thinking Trump had performed poorly in a recent debate. When Brzezinski discussed with a network producer a potential subject for questions, Trump is heard saying, "nothing too hard, Mika."
The hosts also thanked Trump for providing the network with an hour of prime-time programming, and Trump joked, "I'm doing this because you get great ratings and a raise. Me, I get nothing."
Frank Sesno, media and public affairs professor at George Washington University and a former CNN Washington bureau chief, said Scarborough "like so many on cable television and on talk radio, has been captivated by the Trump phenomenon. I would not say he's been working for him."
But the media figures must always remember that "part of their responsibility, part of the public trust, is also to bring scrutiny to the story and hold people accountable when they are running for president of the United States."
Scarborough has fought back against any characterizations that he's been too friendly to Trump, and noted in the Washington Post that he hung up on the candidate after a December on-air discussion about Trump wanting to block Muslims from entering the country grew too heated.
Police: Man fatally shot former co-worker at Reno casino
RENO, Nev. (AP) A former cook shot and killed a former co-worker as the two had a snack at a sleepy casino in downtown Reno, Nevada, authorities said Monday.
Suspect Kiley Grayson, 38, stayed at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of murder, police said. It's unclear if he has an attorney.
The shooting occurred at Siri's Casino just before midnight Sunday. The identity of the man who died at a hospital hasn't been released.
This Feb. 28, 2016 booking photo provided by the Reno Police Department shows Kiley Grayson. Officials say they have arrested the former casino cook accused of fatally shooting a co-worker as the two had a snack at a sleepy downtown Reno, Nev., casino. The shooting at Siri's Casino happened just before midnight Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016. (Reno Police Department via AP)
Casino owner Jeff Siri said the two men had been cooks at a nearby sister property, although neither was on the job during the confrontation.
Grayson is a former employee who stopped coming to work a few days ago, he said.
Siri said he was told by witnesses that the men were eating at a snack bar toward the back of the casino with at least one other person, who was walking away as the shooting happened.
"The employee that got shot pushed (the shooter) with his cane, and that's when he pulled the gun out, within seconds. It was really fast," Siri said.
Police spokesman Officer Timothy Broadway said he could not immediately confirm the account provided by Siri.
Siri said the small casino has 96 slot machines and no table games. There were about 10 customers and two employees working at the time. No one else was hurt, he said.
"We're broken up about this thing. I know he had some young children," Siri said of his employee who died. "It's terrible to see something like this, especially someone whose got a lot of people to take care of."
The casino was closed during the investigation but has since reopened.
Insider Q&A: Bank of America's Moore on mobile banking
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Banking customers are on the move, and the big national banks are scrambling to keep up. They are working to update their technology and offerings in hopes of nabbing increasingly mobile customers.
Both Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase recently announced they would allow customers to use their mobile phones at ATMs instead of a card to withdraw cash, for example. Bank of America customers can now use their phones to remotely "lock" their debit card if the card is lost.
Michelle Moore, head of digital banking at Bank of America, runs the bank's mobile app division and oversees thousands of employees at the bank's call centers. She recently sat down with the AP to talk about what banking customers expect and how the largest retail bank in the country is responding. The interview has been edited for length and clarity:
Michelle Moore, head of digital banking at Bank of America, poses at the banking company's financial center, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, in Boston. Moore runs the banks mobile app division and oversees thousands of employees at the banks call centers. She recently spoke to The Associated Press about what can be expected from the banks newest technology designed to attract increasingly mobile and cashless customers. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Q: What are these card-less ATMs that Bank of America and others have announced, and what's your plan for them?
A: We are actually live today now in New York City and will have 20 ATMs with the card-less feature by the end of (February). You just walk up to these ATMs with your smartphone, using the same technology as Apple Pay, use the reader to withdraw money without your card. In May, that capability will be available for Android devices and we will be upgrading our ATMs in other markets like in Silicon Valley. We plan to roll out nationally later this year.
Q: Why would customers want this?
A: As customers have become accustomed to using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, it's not as necessary to have your wallet on you anymore. Most people will leave their house and they will make sure they have their smart phone, but might not as much for their wallet or purse. Still, you're still carrying around your debit card because you might need cash. So if we enable the ability to use your phone at the ATM, why else would you need to carry your wallet? So it's partly about convenience. But it's also about security. Using Apple Pay or Samsung pay is the most secure way to protect your information. Using your phone helps protect against thieves who might (use a device to steal your card data) at the ATM.
Q: What else can you do to make things easier for mobile customers?
A: You can now do nearly everything through our app now that could have been done at a branch. You can open an account. If you need help, you can set an appointment to meet with someone at a (branch). We do 21,000 appointment requests a week now through either smart phone or the website. We also now allow customers to be connected directly to our call centers without having to re-authenticate. The credentials from the phone's app are transferred directly to our associates' desktop. We do 150,000 calls a week now this way and that number was effectively zero a year ago. So now you can connect to our ATMs, our call centers, our financial centers (branches) all from your mobile device.
We will be rolling out a Spanish version of our mobile banking app. We also will be updating our ATMs to do check cashing, do credit card payments and withdraw multiple denominations of cash as well.
Q: What's left, if anything, for a traditional teller to do?
4 hurt as student opens fire in Ohio school cafeteria
HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) A 14-year-old boy pulled out a gun in a school cafeteria Monday and opened fire, hitting two students, and then ran from the school, threw the weapon down and was apprehended nearby with the help of a police dog, authorities said.
Two other Madison Local Schools students also were injured, possibly from shrapnel or while running away. None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, said Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones.
Jones said the 14-year-old was a student and there was a motive to the shooting which he did not identify. The boy was charged preliminarily with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats, Jones said.
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, near Middletown, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting that wounded four classmates, including two who were shot, is in a juvenile lock-up and facing several charges. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says the boy has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Students were eating in the cafeteria when the shooting happened around 11:30 a.m., Jones said. Afterward, classmates described a chaotic scene where they weren't sure what was happening at first. Some students fled outside.
One student mistook the first shot for a potato chip bag being popped.
Thirteen-year-old Shelby Kinnin said she heard "a couple of bangs" and realized she was near the shooter.
"I didn't really know it was gunshots until I looked over and a kid was grabbing his leg and falling over," she said.
Many people ran from the scene, and the shooter went out a door, she said. She recognized him as a boy who was in a class with her last year, though she wasn't sure of his name.
Her stepmother, Stephanie Kinnin, said it was unnerving to see emergency responders swarm the school.
"There is no feeling like that in the world," she said. "But my eyes found the children walking out looking for parents, and that was heartbreaking. Their eyes just told the story."
The students who were shot ages 14 and 15 were taken to a hospital where they were in stable condition, investigators said. A 14-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl were also injured, though it was unclear how, Jones said.
"We don't know if it was from the shooting or from exiting the school or because of the shrapnel from the bullets hitting into that small of an area," Jones said.
One student who'd been injured hid and was later found by authorities looking for students, Jones said.
A sheriff's deputy stationed in the school had just been in the cafeteria, Jones said.
The suspect apparently stood up, moved toward the door and then began shooting, said Chief Anthony Dwyer of the Butler County Sheriff's Office.
All other students were safe, according to the school website. The school, which had practiced for such an event, immediately went into lockdown, said district spokeswoman A.J. Huff.
School was cancelled Tuesday along with extracurricular events, although staff was expected to report to plan a response once students returned.
The campus is near Middletown, roughly 30 miles north of Cincinnati. State records show enrollment of about 250 junior high and 500 high school students.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican running for president, said on a campaign stop in Vermont he'd been briefed but didn't give details.
"Obviously it was a tragedy, but thank God that no life was lost," Kasich said.
___
Associated Press writers Kantele Franko, Julie Carr Smyth and Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus and John Seewer in Toledo contributed to this report.
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Marshall Gorby/Dayton Daily News via AP)
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, near Middletown, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting that wounded four classmates, including two who were shot, is in a juvenile lock-up and facing several charges. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says the boy has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, near Middletown, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting that wounded four classmates, including two who were shot, is in a juvenile lock-up and facing several charges. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says the boy has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Deputies stand guard Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, near Middletown, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting that wounded four classmates, including two who were shot, is in a juvenile lock-up and facing several charges. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says the boy has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Police vehicles block the entrance of Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Parents run to see if they are allowed to pick up their kids at Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Parents and community members form a prayer circle as they wait to pick up their kids Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Russian warplane crashes on training exercise, pilot killed
MOSCOW (AP) The Russian military says one of its warplanes crashed while on a training exercise in southern Russia and the pilot was killed.
The Defense Ministry statement, carried by the Tass news agency, says the Su-25 ground attack aircraft went down Monday evening in an uninhabited area in the Stavropol region. The crash caused no casualties or damage on the ground.
The Su-25 is one of the aircraft the Russian military has deployed in Syria to provide air support for the Syrian army.
Since Russia began the air campaign five months ago, its warplanes have flown thousands of missions. Russia is known to have lost only one aircraft an Su-24 shot down by a Turkish jet in November.
University leader refused to stop for deputy
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) The University of Iowa's interim campus police leader interfered with an investigation into a hit-and-run drunk driving accident by his stepson after the two left an Iowa City bar, driving away before officers could interview him, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.
Investigative documents withheld from the public for months show that David Visin refused an officer's requests by phone to pull over on June 25 so police could speak with him and his passenger, his stepson Sean Crane. Officers were searching for Crane, 33, because his truck had smashed into two cars minutes earlier in a parking lot outside the bar.
Instead of stopping, Visin dropped Crane at a gas station a few miles away and left before officers arrived. Johnson County sheriff's deputy Brad Kunkel later found Crane intoxicated and shirtless on the side of a nearby highway with a major abrasion on his back that required emergency medical treatment.
This undated booking photo released by the Johnson County Sheriff's Office in Iowa City, Iowa shows Sean Crane, 33. Cranes stepfather, University of Iowa public safety director David Visin, is accused of interfering with an investigation into a drunk driving hit-and-run accident caused by Crane on June 25, 2015, according to police reports obtained by The Associated Press. (Johnson County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Visin repeatedly told Kunkel he couldn't pull over because he needed to go home to drop off a trailer he was pulling, saying: "I'm not a good trailer puller." Visin said he left Crane because he "wanted him to get the hell out of my truck" after learning about the hit-and-run. Kunkel told Visin those explanations were ridiculous, according to audio from his police car obtained by AP.
On Monday, Visin blamed his actions on diabetes, a disease he said he has hidden from colleagues to avoid discrimination. He told the AP he had not been drinking, had no involvement in the hit-and-run and wasn't aware of Crane's injuries then.
He denied interfering, saying: "Without my assistance, they never would have found him." He said his judgment was affected by low blood-sugar levels, and he needed to get home to inject himself with insulin and eat.
"I am sorry that this whole incident occurred and really, that covering up my disease has led to this moment," he said.
Visin, 47, has served as assistant vice president and director of public safety for 14 months, earning a $153,000 salary. The university is expected to decide soon whether to permanently give him the job, which has become increasingly high-profile as the school fights binge drinking and sexual assault.
University spokeswoman Jeneane Beck said Monday that Visin disclosed the incident to his superior after it occurred, noting he wasn't charged with any crimes.
In his report, Kunkel said he believed Visin interfered with the investigation and lied. But authorities didn't file any charges. Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said officers didn't have cause to investigate further once Visin left.
After having Crane transported by ambulance to a hospital, Kunkel blasted Visin in a phone conversation he recorded. He said Visin should have known, as an officer, that the only "reasonable, logical and ethical thing" was to pull over and that Crane's injuries should have raised concerns.
"A cop is on the phone telling you to stop, and the person with you is involved in a hit-and-run, and you don't do that? You tried to interfere with this. You tried to make this difficult," Kunkel said. "I think the worst thing you could have done is walk away and wash your hands of it, because it looks like you're trying to hide something."
Crane received treatment for "road rash" on his back, which he suffered after being ejected from his truck during the hit-and-run accident, according to video of the stop and police reports. His blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit, and Crane admitted he had been smoking marijuana after officers found joints in his truck. He was sentenced to two days in jail after pleading guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Prosecutors dropped a drug charge.
Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness refused the AP's request for investigative reports in July, citing Crane's criminal case. AP renewed its request in December after Crane pleaded guilty, then notified Lyness last week it was planning to file a complaint accusing her of violating the open records law. Lyness apologized for delays and released the records.
Visin told police he met Crane at Eagles Club bar at 4 p.m. Two hours later, witnesses called police to report the hit-and-run. Police learned the truck involved was registered to Crane, and Kunkel went to Crane's home to investigate. Visin and Crane left in Visin's truck as Kunkel arrived. Crane's wife then connected Kunkel and Visin by phone.
When Kunkel told Visin about the accident and asked him to pull over, Visin repeatedly said he had no idea what was happening, irritating Kunkel, who called the situation "pretty straightforward." Kunkel told Visin not to leave Crane by himself, but he did.
Visin said Monday he learned about the hit-and-run from Kunkel, and "was very angry" because he felt Crane was using him to try to flee. He said his hypoglycemia made things worse. He said Crane is in treatment and regrets that his "deception and addiction led to possible damage to my career."
The Latest: Washington gunman had long criminal record
BELFAIR, Wash. (AP) The Latest on a murder-suicide in Washington state that left five people dead (all times local):
11:55 a.m.
The man who fatally shot three family members, a neighbor and then himself in rural Washington state had an extensive criminal history, including felony charges.
A Mason County Sheriff Dept. SWAT vehicle drives a few miles from the scene of a fatal shooting Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, near Belfair, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
A review of Pennsylvania court records shows misdemeanor and felony convictions for David Wayne Campbell dating to 1996. Documents say he was charged with multiple counts over several years, mostly related to bad checks, stolen property and forgery.
He served time in prison starting in 2000 on a charge of theft by deception. It's not clear when he moved to Washington.
Campbell killed himself Friday after a standoff with authorities. He also killed his wife, her two teenage sons and a neighbor.
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9:40 a.m.
Authorities in Washington state have released the name of the fourth victim in a standoff that left five people dead, including the gunman.
Mason County Coroner Wes Stockwell says 68-year-old Donna Reed was among the four people whose bodies were found in a chicken coop after Friday's standoff.
The standoff began after David Wayne Campbell called a sheriff's office supervisor Friday morning to say he had done something bad and was suicidal. After hours of negotiations, police tried to flush Campbell out using tear gas. They say that's when he stepped outside and killed himself.
Reed was a neighbor of Campbell. Also killed in the standoff were Campbell's wife of six years, 49-year-old Lana J. Carlson, and her two teenage sons, Quinn and Tory Carlson. Authorities said Monday she adopted the boys from Kazakhstan before she met Campbell.
A Washington State Patrol detective is seen through trees as he works the scene of a fatal shooting Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, near Belfair, Wash. A gunman who killed four people in rural Washington state called an officer he previously encountered to say he shot his family, leading to an hours long standoff at a home Friday that ended with his suicide, authorities said. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Top Puerto Rico luxury hotel targeted in tax evasion case
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) The administrators of a top luxury hotel in Puerto Rico have been arrested and charged in a tax evasion case as the U.S. territory cracks down on corruption amid a worsening economic crisis, officials said Monday.
The island's Justice Department said Wilhelm Sack and Harold Davies Mayne of the Horned Dorset Primavera are accused of withholding more than $600,000 in room occupancy tax over the past six years.
The announcement comes nearly a year after the hotel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it struggled with nearly $1.7 million in debts, including more than $800,000 owed to Puerto Rico's Treasury Department and more than $320,000 owed to the island's struggling power company.
Sack is being held on $29,000 bond and Mayne on $232,000 bond. They are scheduled to appear in court March 14 for a preliminary hearing.
Adrian Santiago, the hotel's reservation manager, said he had no comment.
Melanie Matos, an attorney for Sack, told The Associated Press that negotiations were underway and the case is tied to an old debt being disputed in a local court and bankruptcy court.
"We hope that this can be rapidly resolved and are looking forward to giving the best service to the hotel guests," she said.
It is one of the most high-profile cases to date since authorities began pursuing suspected tax evaders late last year in an attempt to recover millions of dollars. The island government's liquidity has dwindled amid a nearly decade-long economic slump and it faces $72 billion in public debt that the governor has said is unpayable and needs restructuring.
Officials say Sack and Maynes are accused of withholding tax revenues owed to the island's Tourism Company from December 2008 to October 2015.
"Horned Dorset has been an institution for Puerto Rico tourism, holding us up high for decades in the international market," said Justice Secretary Cesar Miranda. "It's a shame they haven't met their tax obligations. ... We will pursue this case like any other."
The two men face a total of 174 charges.
The hotel in the popular tourist town of Rincon in western Puerto Rico has suites that go for up to $1,600 a night.
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The Latest: Arguments conclude in Menendez corruption case
PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Latest on a 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals hearing for New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez (all times local):
4:15 p.m.
Oral arguments have concluded in the corruption case of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez.
FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2016, file photo, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) speaks during a news conference, in Union City, N.J. A federal appeals court is to hear arguments in the corruption case of Menendez on Monday, Feb. 29. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
A three-judge appellate panel will now take the next several weeks to decide whether to dismiss charges against the longtime congressman or uphold a lower court ruling and send the case to trial. The charges include bribery and theft of honest services.
Menendez's attorney argued that meetings Menendez set up with various government officials were held to review policy issues. The government claims they were to help the business interests of Salomon Melgen, a wealthy Florida eye doctor who showered gifts and campaign donations on Menendez.
Both men were indicted last spring.
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3 p.m.
A panel of appeals court judges is grilling New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez's lawyer during arguments in the corruption case against the longtime lawmaker.
Menendez was charged last year with multiple counts of bribery and honest services fraud after prosecutors said he took gifts and campaign contributions from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for political favors. He has pleaded not guilty.
Menendez argues that meetings he had with government officials were related to policy matters and not intended specifically to help Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen in his business interests.
The senator claims his actions were protected by a constitutional protection against prosecution of members of Congress engaged in legislative acts.
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3 a.m.
A federal appeals court in Philadelphia is scheduled to hear arguments in New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption case.
Menendez was charged last year with multiple counts of bribery and honest services fraud after prosecutors say he took gifts and campaign contributions from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for political favors.
Menendez has pleaded not guilty and says he and Salomon Melgen are longtime friends and that he did nothing wrong.
A key issue the judges will weigh on Monday is a Constitutional protection given to House and Senate members when they perform legislative duties.
The Latest: Charges being mulled in pastor's shooting
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) The Latest on the fatal shooting of an Ohio pastor (all times local):
4 p.m.
Police in Ohio say they're still deciding what charges to file against a man suspected in the fatal shooting of his pastor brother inside a church office.
In this January 2011 photo, the Rev. William B. Schooler poses for a photo in Dayton, Ohio. The pastor with deep roots in the Dayton community was shot and killed at his church Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, and police say they expect to charge his brother, Daniel Gregory Schooler, in the slaying on Monday. (Chris Stewart/Dayton Daily News via AP) LOCAL PRINT OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; WKEF-TV OUT; WRGT-TV OUT; WDTN-TV OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Authorities in Dayton say they expect to charge Daniel Schooler in the shooting of Rev. William B. Schooler. The shooting happened as services were winding down Sunday.
A police spokeswoman says detectives will meet with prosecutors on Tuesday to discuss potential charges.
Jail records don't list an attorney for Daniel Schooler.
Court records show he sued his brother and church leaders in 2011, saying he was owed money from the real estate value of the church.
A relative told the Dayton Daily News that Daniel Schooler has a history of mental illness.
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3:15 p.m.
The man being held in the fatal shooting of his pastor brother at an Ohio church sued the minister over an inheritance dispute five years ago.
Police in Dayton say suspect Daniel Schooler is the brother of the Rev. William B. Schooler. The pastor died Sunday at St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church.
Court records show Daniel Schooler sued his brother and church leaders in 2011, saying he was owed money from the real estate value of the church.
A court ruled against Daniel Schooler's claim.
Police have said they don't know what led to the shooting.
A relative told the Dayton Daily News that Daniel Schooler has a history of mental illness.
The newspaper also reports that Daniel Schooler shot his nephew in the arm in 2001, but the nephew didn't want to press charges.
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7:15 a.m.
Authorities investigating the slaying of a southwest Ohio pastor expect to charge his brother in the fatal shooting that occurred at the pastor's church office as services were winding down.
Dayton police say the Rev. William B. Schooler was shot around 12:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church.
The 70-year-old pastor's brother was arrested at the church and taken to the Montgomery County jail. Police say they expect 68-year-old Daniel Gregory Schooler will face a murder charge Monday.
Jail records don't list an attorney for Schooler.
Police said they did not know Sunday what led to the shooting, but said the pastor was the only intended victim.
The brothers' niece, Joyce Napier, told the Dayton Daily News that Daniel Schooler has a history of mental illness.
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Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com
EPA wants states to double-check drinking water procedures
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) The Obama administration said Monday it would keep a closer watch on state agencies in charge of drinking water safety, urging them to prevent more cases such as Flint, Michigan, where the system has been tainted with lead.
In addition to double-checking their procedures for treatment and sampling, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said states should bolster confidence in public water systems by making information such as lead and copper testing results and the location of lead water pipes available online.
"Clearly there's public concern and understandably so, given the seriousness of the events in Flint," Joel Beauvais, the EPA's deputy assistant administrator for water, said in a phone interview.
FILE--In this Feb. 25, 2016 file photo, signs warn not to drink the lead contaminated water from a water fountain at Woodside Church in Flint, Mich. The Obama administration said Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 it would keep a closer watch on state agencies in charge of drinking water safety, urging them to prevent more cases such as Flint, where the system has been tainted with lead. In addition to double-checking their procedures for treatment and sampling, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said states should bolster confidence in public water systems by making information such as lead and copper testing results and the location of lead water pipes available online.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, file)
In a letter to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said her staffers would meet with leaders of all state drinking water programs to make sure they are properly carrying out and enforcing federal rules on lead and copper pollution.
"I ask that you encourage your state agency to give this effort the highest priority, consistent with our shared commitment and partnership to address lead risks," McCarthy said.
Similar letters were being sent to governors of the other states that oversee compliance with the federal lead and copper rule, part of the Safe Water Drinking Act. All states do so except Wyoming, which relies on the EPA for the task, as does Washington, D.C.
A task force appointed by Snyder said in December the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality was primarily to blame for the Flint crisis because it didn't require the city to treat its water with anti-corrosive chemicals after beginning to draw from the Flint River in 2014.
Flint stopped buying Lake Huron water from Detroit and switched temporarily to the river, a move designed to save money for the impoverished city of nearly 100,000 until it could join a new system that also would use lake water but hadn't finished building the infrastructure.
Shortly afterward, residents began complaining of problems with the river water's taste, smell and appearance. Unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria prompted boil-water advisories. After denying it for months, state officials acknowledged last fall that water reaching some homes and schools was contaminated with lead.
The EPA issued a memo last November to clarify requirements for corrosion controls. Michigan officials had believed the rule allowed Flint to test the water for two six-month periods before deciding whether controls were needed. Beauvais said for larger cities such as Flint, corrosion controls are required at all times.
The agency has been working for years on a proposed update of the rule, which it expects to complete in 2017.
In addition to McCarthy's letter to governors, Beauvais wrote separately to state environmental agency chiefs asking them to confirm within 30 days that they are abiding by the regulations.
He recommended the agencies work with local water system officials to make sure the public gets prompt notifications about high lead levels in drinking water systems, as well as instructions on dealing with lead risks.
Michigan agrees with the proposals and is reviewing its compliance with the federal lead and copper rule, but the measure should be rewritten so that it "makes more sense" and provides stronger safeguards, said Ari Adler, spokesman for Snyder.
"What happened in Flint is a crisis, but Flint is not alone," Adler said. "Many municipalities across the country could easily become the next Flint and, even if something that large doesn't occur, it's likely the current federal lead and copper rule isn't doing enough to protect every resident of the United States from the dangers present within the lead pipes that are possibly running into their homes."
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Follow John Flesher on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JohnFlesher
AP Explains: Iranian clerics tasked with picking top leader
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iranian moderates have won a majority in the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body that is tasked with choosing the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, and which was previously dominated by hard-liners.
The 88-member body is elected every eight years, and may choose the successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been Iran's top decision-maker since the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died in 1989. Khamenei is 76 years old and underwent prostate surgery in 2014, raising concerns about his health.
The newly elected body could therefore play a major role in shaping the future of Iran, which is deeply divided between hard-liners who are hostile to the West and relative moderates who want to expand freedoms and improve relations with the international community.
FILE -- In this Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 file photo, released by official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei casts his ballot during parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections in Tehran, Iran. Iranian moderates won a 59 percent majority in the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body which will choose the successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been Iran's top decision-maker since 1989. The 76-year-old underwent prostate surgery in 2014, leading to renewed speculations about the state of his health. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)
The Associated Press explains the Assembly of Experts, the latest election, and what it means for Iran's future.
WHAT IS THE ASSEMBLY OF EXPERTS?
The body consists of Islamic scholars or clerics who are popularly elected every eight years. In theory, they have the ability to appoint or dismiss the supreme leader, and to question his policies. But in reality, the assembly has always deferred to his leadership.
The scholars are supposed to be above politics, but many are aligned with the country's political camps and have served in other offices. President Hassan Rouhani and former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani are well-known moderates, while Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati is a leading hard-liner. All three retained their seats in the Assembly of Experts in the election.
WHY DOES THE ELECTION MATTER?
The supreme leader has the final say on all major policies in Iran and exerts power throughout the ruling system, including by appointing half the Guardian Council, a powerful body that vets election candidates. He also appoints the chief of the judiciary, controls state radio and TV and dozens of other unelected institutions, and is the country's commander-in-chief. That means Khamenei's successor will have a major influence on the future direction of the country.
The election changed the balance between the two camps, with the moderates winning nearly 60 percent of seats after holding less than 25 percent in the previous assembly. Two staunch hard-liners -- Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, the current head of the assembly, and Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, the spiritual mentor of hard-liners -- were not re-elected.
WHAT KIND OF SUCCESSOR DO THE MODERATES AND HARD-LINERS SEEK?
If the moderates have their way, the next supreme leader will favor the expansion of democratic freedoms and greater openness toward the West. The hard-liners would likely prefer a leader even more hard-line than Khamenei, who is deeply suspicious of the United States and fears Western influence could undermine the Islamic Republic.
The moderates tend to see the government's legitimacy as deriving from elections, while hard-liners see it as coming from adherence to a strict interpretation of Islam regardless of its popularity. Both camps, however, remain committed to the ruling system and the role of Islam in public life, meaning the next supreme leader is unlikely to favor radical change.
HOW DOES THE ASSEMBLY CHOOSE THE NEXT SUPREME LEADER?
The Assembly of Experts has only chosen a supreme leader once, after Khomeini's death in 1989, so there is little precedent to go by.
The assembly also conducts much of its work in secret. The names of potential successors are kept secret, and the assembly covertly monitors their personal and public lives. Rafsanjani broke a taboo in December when he said a committee within the assembly has begun putting together a list of possible replacements for Khamenei.
Should Khamenei pass away or become incapacitated, the assembly would meet to vote on a successor, who could come from within the body or outside of it. They would then hold a secret ballot where the candidate would be chosen by a simple majority. The successor would then be announced to the public.
FILE -- In this Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 file photo released by official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani waves to media after casting his vote for parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections in Tehran, Iran. Iranian moderates won a 59 percent majority in the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body which will choose the successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been Iran's top decision-maker since 1989. The 76-year-old underwent prostate surgery in 2014, leading to renewed speculations about the state of his health. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP, File)
Schism emerges on Apple case among San Bernardino survivors
WASHINGTON (AP) A schism is emerging among family members of victims and survivors of the December's shootings in San Bernardino, California, with at least one couple supporting Apple Inc. in its battle against a federal court order to help the FBI hack into a shooter's locked iPhone.
Salihin Kondoker, whose wife, Anies, was shot three times during the Dec. 2 attack but survived, sent U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym a two-page letter Monday expressing support for Apple's position in the case that has pitted digital privacy rights against national security concerns.
Kondoker said he was writing to the court because he believes "privacy is important and Apple should stay firm in their decision."
FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2016 file photo shows an iPhone in Washington. A schism has emerged among family members of victims and survivors of the San Bernardino, California terrorist attack, with at least a couple supporting Apple Inc. in its battle against a federal court order to help the FBI hack into a shooters locked iPhone. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Apple asked Pym in a filing last week to vacate her order requiring it to assist investigators by creating specialized software that would let the FBI bypass security protocols to test random passcode combinations in rapid sequence. The filing accused the federal government of seeking "dangerous power" through the courts and of trampling on the company's constitutional rights.
Kondoker called for stronger gun laws, saying "it was guns that killed innocent people, not technology." He said he believed the FBI had access to information it has ignored, writing, "I'm very disappointed in the way they've handled this investigation."
A spokesman for the FBI declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department did not immediately provide comment. Apple said in a statement it "has the deepest sympathies for the victims and their families."
The letter, which Kondoker requested be included as part of the court file, gives support to Apple's case one day before a congressional hearing that will include testimony from FBI Director James Comey and Apple General Counsel Bruce Sewell.
Filings in support of either side of the case are due by Thursday. A person close to the filings in support of Apple said more than 25 companies and organizations have pledged their support, including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo and Verizon. The person wasn't authorized to discuss the legal process publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Los Angeles attorney Stephen Larson is representing at least several families of victims and others affected by the attack and said he plans to file a brief in support of the Justice Department by March 3.
The county-issued iPhone 5C was used by Syed Farook, who, with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people at an office holiday party in December. Farook and Malik died later in a gun battle with police. The government said they had been at least partly inspired by the Islamic State and said it was critical that its investigators conduct a thorough investigation by accessing the phone.
The couple physically destroyed two personal phones so completely that the FBI has been unable to recover information from them.
Kondoker, who works in information technology, said he has attended FBI briefings and has been frustrated by the lack of information in the case since the attacks. He said he initially worried that Apple's opposition to the court order would be another roadblock, but added: "I have come to understand their fight is for something much bigger than one phone. They are worried that this software the government wants them to use will be used against millions of other innocent people. I share their fear."
His wife of 17 years, Anies, worked with Farook at the county health department and was shot three times in a hallway as she returned from a restroom. The handbag she left on a chair was "shattered by bullets," and Kondoker wrote, "There isn't a day that goes by I don't think about what could have happened had she actually been sitting in that chair."
She survived the attack and is recovering. Kondoker, who couldn't be immediately reached for comment by phone, said he, his wife and their three children are a Muslim family who are proud to call America home. He called the attack "an act of hate."
Kondoker said his wife had a county-issue iPhone and never used it for personal business, and he believed it unlikely there was anything valuable on Farook's phone.
"Neither I, nor my wife, want to raise our children in a world where privacy is the tradeoff for security," Kondoker said. "I believe this case will have a huge impact all over the world. You will have agencies coming from all over the world to get access to the software the FBI is asking Apple for. It will be abused all over to spy on innocent people."
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Australian cardinal denies deflecting child sex abuse blame
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Interrupted by jeers from observers, one of Pope Francis' top advisers on Tuesday denied an accusation that his testimony to an inquiry into child sex abuse was an attempt to deflect blame for the Catholic Church transferring Australia's worst pedophile priest from parish to parish.
Australian Cardinal George Pell was a priest in the 1970s in the town of Ballarat where he advised Bishop Ronald Mulkearns about the placement of priests within the diocese.
Pell, now the pope's top financial adviser, told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that he had no idea that priest Gerald Ridsdale was repeatedly transferred by the bishop for more than a decade because of pedophile accusations.
FILE - A Tuesday, March 31, 2015 file photo of Cardinal George Pell attending a press conference at the Vatican Radio headquarters, in Rome. One of the highest-ranking Vatican officials is being compelled to testify in public starting Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, about clerical sex abuse, an unusual demonstration of holding even the most senior Catholic bishops accountable. The cardinal, Pope Francis' top financial adviser, will testify in a Rome hotel conference room for three nights running, answering questions via video link from Australia's Royal Commission with his accusers on hand to confront him. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)
Pell rejected an accusation made by the lead counsel assisting the commission, Gail Furness, that his answers were designed to remove his own responsibility for Ridsdale's crimes.
"My answers were designed to answer your questions accurately and completely," Pell told the Sydney inquiry via videolink from a Rome hotel.
Asked if he accepted any responsibility of Ridsdale's repeated transfers within the Ballarat diocese, Pell replied: "No, I don't."
The royal commission which is Australia's highest form of investigation is investigating how Pell dealt with abuse allegations as a priest, educator and adviser to Mulkearns, as well as how the Melbourne archdiocese responded to allegations of abuse, including when Pell served as a Melbourne auxiliary bishop.
Tuesday was the second day of evidence for the 74-year-old cleric, who because of ill health could not travel to Australia to give evidence in person at the inquiry into decades of child abuse.
On Monday, Pell dubbed Mulkearns' handling of Ridsdale a "catastrophe for the church." He said Mulkearns was a prime candidate for the Vatican's proposed tribunal for negligent bishops, although there is no indication the elderly Mulkearns would stand trial by the time the tribunal is operational.
Commission chairman Peter McClellan asked Pell on Tuesday whether it was surprising that he hadn't heard rumors about the scandal Ridsdale had created in the diocese.
"Not necessarily, given the work I was doing," Pell said. "I wasn't working full-time in the diocese."
Furness said that as an adviser to the bishop one of a group of Ballarat priests known as the College of Consultors Pell should have questioned why Ridsdale was frequently transferred.
"I was happy to take the bishop's word that it was appropriate for him to be shifted," Pell said.
"Gentle and euphemistic language ... was regularly used by Bishop Mulkearns on these occasions, so that some of us were kept in the dark," he said.
Pell accompanied Ridsdale to court in 1993 when the pedophile faced his first child molesting charges. He was convicted in 1993, 2006 and 2013 with sexually abusing more than 50 children.
Pell told the royal commission said Mulkearns' refusal to act on the allegations against Ridsdale was extraordinary.
"Unfortunately, I would have to say that I can't nominate another bishop whose actions are so grave and inexplicable," Pell said.
Pell agreed with McClellan that even if a priest did not have a legal responsibility to stop Ridsdale's crimes, a priest would have a moral responsibility to do whatever he could to prevent such abuses.
"I think that is a reasonable proposition," Pell said.
The Royal Commission in December accepted medical advice that 85-year-old Mulkearns was dying and was unfit to testify. He was Ballarat's bishop from 1971 until he retired in 1997.
The bishop's former adviser, priest John McKinnon, told the Royal Commission in December that Mulkearns was "profoundly sorry" for relocating suspected pedophile priests, but could no longer remember details.
Ballarat, Pell's hometown, has been devastated by disclosures about the huge number of abuse victims, scores of whom killed themselves in a cluster of abuse-related suicides.
Two dozen Australian abuse survivors and their companions traveled across the globe to witness Pell's testimony in a hotel conference room, a significant show of accountability in the church's long-running abuse saga.
Pell said priests didn't discuss with him the allegations against Ridsdale.
Pell's testimony was interrupted by jeers from the public gallery as he explained the moral framework in which priests live.
"We work within a framework of Christian moral teaching, or certainly we should, and discussion of the secret faults of others is not encouraged," Pell said.
Furness told Pell that Ridsdale's crimes were not "secret," since they were common knowledge in the towns of Apollo Bay and Inglewood where Ridsdale had been the parish priest and police had reported their suspicions to the church.
Pell said he had not known the sexual abuse was common knowledge in Inglewood.
"I didn't know whether it was common knowledge or whether it wasn't. It's a sad story and it wasn't of much interest to me," Pell said, bringing audible gasps and jeers from the public gallery.
Andrew Collins, a clergy abuse victim from Ballarat, said outside the Rome hotel that he found Pell's denials of any knowledge of pedophilia allegations against Ridsdale " absolutely unbelievable."
"He's always been seen as an ambitious man and ambitious people have knowledge. They crave knowledge," Collins told reporters.
"They know everything that's going on and he wouldn't be in the position he was today if he was the sort of person who sat back and didn't pay attention to what was going on," he added.
Before Pell's testimony on Tuesday, he told reporters: "I've got the full backing of the pope."
The Vatican said a private audience Pell had with the pope on Monday was a long-scheduled appointment related to Pell's duties as Holy See finance minister, and had nothing to do with the abuse hearings.
Pell will testify for a third four-hour session late on Tuesday Rome time.
Dominic Ridsdale, a survivor of priestly sex abuse, wears a shirt reading "No more silence" as he stands in front of the Quirinale hotel in Rome, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016. A group of Australian survivors of priestly sex abuse and their relatives are in Rome to witness one of the highest-ranking Vatican official, Cardinal George Pell, testify before an Australian commission investigating the depth of the abuse scandal Down Under. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
From left, Dominic Ridsdale, Phil Nagle, Tony Waroley, Stephen Woods and Peter Blenkiron, survivors and relatives of priestly sex abuse, stand in front of the Quirinale hotel in Rome, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016. A group of Australian survivors of priestly sex abuse and their relatives are in Rome to witness one of the highest-ranking Vatican official, Cardinal George Pell, testify before an Australian commission investigating the depth of the abuse scandal Down Under. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Peter Blenkiron, a survivor of priestly sex abuse, wears a T-shirt showing him at the age in which he was abused, in front of the Quirinale hotel in Rome, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016. A group of Australian survivors of priestly sex abuse and their relatives are in Rome to witness one of the highest-ranking Vatican official, Cardinal George Pell, testify before an Australian commission investigating the depth of the abuse scandal Down Under. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
David Ridsdale, second from right, a survivor of priestly sex abuse stands in front of the Quirinale hotel in Rome, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016. A group of Australian survivors of priestly sex abuse and their relatives are in Rome to witness one of the highest-ranking Vatican official, Cardinal George Pell, testify before an Australian commission investigating the depth of the abuse scandal Down Under. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Anthony, left, and Chrissie Foster, parents of two victims of sex abuse, stand in front of the Quirinale hotel in Rome, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016. A group of Australian survivors of priestly sex abuse and their relatives are in Rome to witness one of the highest-ranking Vatican official, Cardinal George Pell, testify before an Australian commission investigating the depth of the abuse scandal Down Under. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Anthony Foster, center, and Chrissie Foster, right parents of two victims of sex abuse, talk with victim Peter Blenkiron, in front of the Quirinale hotel in Rome, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016. A group of Australian survivors of priestly sex abuse and their relatives are in Rome to witness one of the highest-ranking Vatican official, Cardinal George Pell, testify before an Australian commission investigating the depth of the abuse scandal Down Under. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Voters in Florida begin early voting in crucial primary
MIAMI (AP) The Florida primary is weeks away, but tens of thousands of voters headed to the polls Monday for early voting in this critical contest that could make-or-break the presidential aspirations of native son, Sen. Marco Rubio.
Sixteen of Florida's 67 counties opened for early in-person voting, including some of the state's most populated areas, with the remaining counties kicking off early voting on March 5. That's on top of the nearly 600,000 people who have already cast their ballots as absentees, offering a glimpse at the direction of this primary, which for Republicans, is winner-take-all.
Florida's large and diverse population has turned it into a fiercely contested swing state in the general election, but it is also critical for nailing down all 99 Republican delegates at stake. For Rubio, who launched his longshot campaign nearly a year ago from Miami, a loss in Florida primary threatens to derail his ambitions of balking front-runner Donald Trump, who thus far dominates in early preference polls.
Rolando Conesa arrives at the Miami-Dade Elections Department in Miami, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, during early voting. Early in-person voting for the crucial contest in two weeks began today, and more than 200,000 voters in each party have already cast ballots absentee. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
"We're going to win Florida," he told CBS' Face the Nation Sunday. "Florida is not going to vote for a con artist like Donald Trump."
Absentee and early voting are popular in Florida. Projections show that more than half of those voting in the primary will have cast their ballots before the March 15 primary. So far, more than 303,000 Republican voters and more than 261,000 Democratic voters have submitted their absentee ballots, according to University of Florida political scientist Daniel Smith, who is tracking statewide absentee ballot returns.
That means the absentee ballots thus far cast in Florida alone far outnumber the combined 335,000 voters who took part in the Iowa and Nevada caucuses.
About 1.7 million Democratic and Republican voters requested absentee ballots ahead of the primary, said UF's Smith. Absentee voters were mailed ballots weeks ago and include the names of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and seven other GOP candidates who have since dropped out of the race.
Smith said almost 44 percent of the absentee Republican votes so far are from people who did not vote in 2012.
"This might bode well for (Donald Trump), as the competitive GOP primary appears to be drawing in a sizable number of Republicans and absentee voters at that who in previously primary contests have sat on the sidelines," said Smith.
Unlike Super Tuesday states, where the all-important delegates are divided proportionally based on votes, Florida's 99 Republican votes all go to the winner, versus the Democrats who award a total of 246 delegates on a proportional basis. As a closed primary, only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote in their respective primaries.
Florida's large batch of delegates is drawing candidates to the Sunshine State even with several other primaries scheduled in the first two weeks of March. Rubio and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton announced that each is holding nighttime rallies in Miami on March 1 when nearly a dozen states host contests of their own to kick off their campaigns in Florida with two weeks to go until the polls close there.
A Quinnipiac University poll released last week shows that Trump rolls into Florida with a 16 percentage-point lead over Rubio. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and Ben Carson trailed the two front-runners. Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton appears to be ahead of rival Bernie Sanders in early preference polls.
Ellen Barnett, a 62-year-old accountant from Miami, said she "couldn't wait to vote," having cast her ballot Monday for Trump.
"He loves America. He's a businessman who knows what he's doing," she said. She described Rubio as "too young."
Hortensia Lee, a Democrat and Cuban-American from Miami, said she early voted for Clinton because "the country is not ready for a socialist like Bernie Sanders."
This year, more than 4.2 million registered voters are Republicans and almost 4.6 million are Democrats, according to figures released over the weekend by the Florida State Department's Division of Elections. Nearly 2.9 million Floridians are registered as "no party affiliation" and therefore cannot vote in the primary.
Of this year's 12 million registered voters, 66 percent are white, 15 percent are Hispanic and 13 percent are black.
Oscar Amor and his wife, Marta, both Cuban-Americans in their 70s, came together to vote for Trump describing Rubio as "too establishment" for their political taste.
"He cannot be compromised because he cannot be bought," said Oscar Amor. "Trump shows strength and reminds me of Ronald Reagan."
A voter receives his ballot his ballot as he prepares to cast his vote during early voting, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Miami. Early in-person voting for the crucial contest in two weeks began today, and more than 200,000 voters in each party have already cast ballots absentee. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
David Labrie prepares to cast his ballot during early voting, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Miami. Early in-person voting for the crucial contest in two weeks began today, and more than 200,000 voters in each party have already cast ballots absentee. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. is introduced by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, at a campaign event at the InterContinental Hotel, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio R-Fla speaks to a crowd during a campaign stop Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Knoxville, Tenn. (Joy Kimbrough/The Daily Times via AP)
Atheist group appeals ruling on cross memorial on state land
WASHINGTON (AP) An atheist group has appealed a federal judge's ruling that a 40-foot-tall cross situated on land owned by the state of Maryland doesn't violate the U.S. Constitution.
The American Humanist Association filed the appeal Monday with the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia.
In December, a federal judge in Maryland ruled that the 90-year-old monument known as the Bladensburg Cross does not amount to government sponsorship of religion. The judge wrote that the cross was meant predominantly for secular commemoration of World War I.
The humanist association says the cross endorses Christianity while ignoring non-Christian veterans and other cross war memorials have been found unconstitutional.
The Latest: Peaceful rally follows weekend KKK confrontation
LOS ANGELES (AP) The Latest on the violent brawl at a Ku Klux Klan gathering in Southern California (all times local):
9:35 p.m.
Hundreds of people gathered for a "peace protest" Monday night in the same Southern California park where a Ku Klux Klan rally turned violent when a handful of Klan members were confronted by counter-protesters.
This photo provided by OC Weekly shows two counter-protesters scuffling with a KKK member on the ground holding a stabbing knife as he grabs an attacking protester, right,during an anti-immigration rally held by the KKK at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. (Eric Hood/OC Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt says about 250 to 300 people took part in the candlelight gathering, which began in Pearson Park and continued on with a march to City Hall.
Although the gathering got loud at times, Wyatt said, it remained peaceful and there were no arrests or confrontations.
One of the organizers, Glen Peterson of the group World Relief, said before the rally that those taking part wanted to show that despite Saturday's outburst Anaheim is a peaceful, tolerant place.
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2 p.m.
A Ku Klux Klan leader who was injured when his small group of demonstrators brawled with counter-protesters in a Southern California park this weekend says he called police beforehand asking for security and was told, "We don't do that."
In an interview Monday with The Associated Press, Will Quigg says he contacted the Anaheim Police Department but that his requests for a police presence were denied.
Three people were stabbed and several others injured in the melee involving several dozen people Saturday.
Police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said he believes Quigg asked for police to act as personal security guards and was told how to contract for officers to do that. He said Quigg didn't want to pay.
Wyatt said officers were at the rally but declined to say how many.
A Ku Klux Klansman, left, fights a counter protester for an American flag after members of the KKK tried to start a "White Lives Matter" rally at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. The event quickly escalated into violence and at least two people had to be treated at the scene for stab wounds. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via AP)
In this photo provided by OC Weekly a falling Ku Klux Klansman gets shoved by a counter-protester behind him, after members of the KKK tried to start an anti-immigration rally at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members staging an anti-immigrant rally clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. (Eric Hood/OC Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
A counter protester tries to tear off the shirt of a Ku Klux Klansman after members of the KKK tried to start a "White Lives Matter" rally at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. The event quickly escalated into violence and at least two people had to be treated at the scene for stab wounds. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via AP)
House OKs measure urging Iran to aid in Levinson's release
WASHINGTON (AP) The House of Representatives has approved a resolution calling on Tehran to fulfill its promise of assistance in the case of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who went missing in Iran nine years ago.
Lawmakers approved the bipartisan resolution Monday.
The resolution calls Levinson, now 67, the longest held American hostage.
His case drew renewed attention in January when he was not part of a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Iranian governments that set free four other Americans who had been held in Iran's custody.
The resolution says Iran agreed to provide all available information about Levinson's disappearance.
The Latest: Hundreds protest Utah police shooting
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The Latest on a 17-year-old shot by police in Salt Lake City, touching off protests (all times local):
7:05 p.m.
Several hundred people took to the streets in Salt Lake City holdings signs that read things like, "Stop killer cops" in a protest against police shooting that left a 17-year-old Somali refugee critically wounded.
Police stop a boy as he walks away from a crowd that formed after an officer-involved shooting at 200 South Rio Grande Street in Salt Lake City, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Unrest broke out in a Salt Lake City neighborhood on Saturday night after what appears to be a shooting involving a police officer, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. (Lennie Mahler/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
The Monday night rally in Utah where speakers urged people to stand up to police and demand accountability highlighted the latest flashpoint in the national discussion about police use of force, especially with minority victims.
Civil rights groups are calling for a thorough investigation and for police to make public body camera video of the incident.
Police say Abdi Mohamed was shot twice in the torso when officers intervened as Mohamed and another person attacked someone with metal sticks.
Police are withholding footage from body cameras worn by the officers, citing the ongoing investigation and the possibility that the teenager could face charges.
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4:15 p.m.
Two civil rights groups are calling for a full and transparent investigation of a Salt Lake City police shooting that left a 17-year-old Somali refugee in critical condition.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah said Monday it hopes that Abdi Mohamed and his family are treated fairly and compassionately as investigators sort through what happened Saturday night in downtown Salt Lake City.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations called on police to release body camera footage in the name of transparency and accountability.
Police say Mohamed was shot twice in the torso when officers intervened as Mohamed and another person attacked someone with metal sticks.
Police are withholding footage from body cameras worn by the officers, citing the ongoing investigation and the possibility that the teenager could face charges.
A group called Utah Against Police Brutality is expecting several hundred people at a protest and March Monday night.
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3:45 p.m.
A 17-year-old boy critically wounded by police in Salt Lake City is a refugee originally from Somalia who has been in the United States since 2004.
Aden Batar of Catholic Community Services in Salt Lake City says Abdi Mohamed's family fled Somalia and lived for an unknown amount of time in Kenya before coming to the U.S.
Batar says he spoke with Mohamed's family after the Saturday night shooting about what happened. Batar, the agency's immigration and refugee resettlement director, said they hadn't seen the family much after they helped them through the initial settlement process more than a decade ago.
Police say Mohamed was shot twice in the torso when officers intervened as Mohamed and another person attacked someone with metal sticks.
He is in critical condition.
A woman holds a young boy as a crowd of people clash with police following an officer-involved shooting at 200 South Rio Grande Street in Salt Lake City, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Unrest broke out in a Salt Lake City neighborhood on Saturday night after what appears to be a shooting involving a police officer, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. (Lennie Mahler/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
Police arrest a man in an angry crowd that formed after an officer-involved shooting at 200 South Rio Grande Street in Salt Lake City, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Unrest broke out in a Salt Lake City neighborhood on Saturday night after what appears to be a shooting involving a police officer, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. (Lennie Mahler/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
A man shouts at a police officer following an officer-involved shooting at 200 South Rio Grande Street in Salt Lake City, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Unrest broke out in a Salt Lake City neighborhood on Saturday night after what appears to be a shooting involving a police officer, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. (Lennie Mahler/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
A man confronts a police officer after an officer-involved shooting at 200 South Rio Grande Street in Salt Lake City, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Unrest broke out in a Salt Lake City neighborhood on Saturday night after what appears to be a shooting involving a police officer, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. (Lennie Mahler/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
Police advance on an angry crowd following an officer-involved shooting at 200 South Rio Grande Street in Salt Lake City, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Unrest broke out in a Salt Lake City neighborhood on Saturday night after what appears to be a shooting involving a police officer, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. (Lennie Mahler/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
Tuesday, March 8
Today is Tuesday, March 8, the 68th day of 2016. There are 298 days left in the year.
Highlights in history on this date:
1702 - England's Queen Anne ascends the throne upon the death of King William III.
1722 - Afghanistan's Mir Muhammad starts war against Persia.
1765 - Britain's House of Lords passes Stamp Act to tax American colonies.
1782 - The Gnadenhutten massacre takes place as some 90 Indians are slain by militiamen in Ohio in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indians.
1865 - A canal is begun in the Netherlands to connect Amsterdam with the North Sea.
1898 - United States refuses to support Britain in its conflict with Russia over a loan to China.
1904 - Germany revises 1872 anti-Jesuit law to permit return of some members of the Roman Catholic order.
1917 - Riots and strikes break out in St. Petersburg, marking start of Russian Revolution.
1942 - Japanese forces capture Rangoon, Burma, during World War II.
1949 - France recognizes noncommunist Vietnam under Bao Dai as independent state within French Union.
1950 - Marshal Voroshilov announces the existence of the Soviet atomic bomb.
1954 - United States and Japan sign mutual defense agreement.
1957 - Ghana is admitted to the United Nations.
1965 - United States lands 3,500 Marines in South Vietnam.
1986 - Guerrilla violence in Colombia takes seven lives a day before national elections.
1987 - Sri Lankan troops launch large new offensive, killing 11 separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in northern Jaffna peninsula.
1989 - Chinese troops converge on Tibetan capital of Lhasa to enforce martial law following three days of anti-Chinese rioting.
1993 - South Korea's President Kim Young-sam fires two key generals in a move to seize civilian control of the army and open the path to reform.
1995 - Gunmen fire on a van carrying American employees to the U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing two and wounding one.
1996 - China fires three ballistic missiles into waters off Taiwan's main ports, two weeks before the island's first presidential elections.
1999 - The U.S. Energy Department fires a Taiwanese-born scientist suspected of handing over nuclear missile technology to China in the 1980s.
2003 - An Argentine court releases an indictment ordering the arrest of four former Iranian government officials for their alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, in which 85 people were killed.
2005 - The U.N. war crimes court indicts Kosovo's prime minister for alleged atrocities while commanding ethnic Albanian insurgents against Serb forces in the struggle for control of the province.
2009 - Roman Catholic and Protestant congregations pray together for peace after Irish Republican Army dissidents kill two British soldiers the first deadly attack on Northern Ireland security forces in 12 years.
2012 - One of the strongest solar storms in years engulfs Earth, but scientists say the planet may have lucked out because it struck in a direction that causes the least amount of damage.
2013 - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is lauded as a modern-day reincarnation of Latin American liberator Simon Bolivar and a disciple of Cuba's Fidel Castro at a fiery foot-stomping state funeral that at times smacks of a political rally.
2015 The co-owners of an Irish setter feared poisoned at Britain's leading dog show are devastated by his death but they do not believe that one of the other competitors is responsible.
Today's Birthdays:
Richard Howe, English admiral (1726-1799); Oliver Wendell Holmes, U.S. jurist (1809-1894); Juana de Ibarbourou, Uruguayan poet (1895-1979); Cyd Charisse, U.S. actress-dancer (1923-2008); Lynn Redgrave, British actress (1943--2010); Aidan Quinn, U.S. actor (1959--); Camryn Manheim, U.S. actress (1961--).
Thought For Today:
Q&A: Why KKK was at California park, how it turned violent
LOS ANGELES (AP) A melee between KKK members and counter-protesters at a California park has gotten worldwide attention. Three people were stabbed, several others were injured, and seven people face charges of assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse.
Here are some questions and answers about the brawl:
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Detective J.D Duran, right, and Anaheim Police Department forensics officerJeannette Torres investigate the scene in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Feb.27, 2016, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members staging an anti-immigrant rally clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, during the clash. (Ed Crisostomo/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT Photo by ED CRISOSTOMO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
WHAT HAPPENED?
Six Ku Klux Klan members arrived at Anaheim's Pearson Park to hold an anti-immigration rally and were immediately confronted by an angry mob of about 10 to 20 people, according to police. Authorities say a Klan member stabbed three people in self-defense, one critically. Twelve people were initially detained. All Klan members were later released.
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WHY WAS THE KKK THERE AND WHO WERE THE COUNTER-PROTESTERS?
Chris Barker, who identified himself as the imperial wizard of the Loyal White Knights, told The Associated Press his members were there to hold a peaceful anti-immigration demonstration. Klan members arrived with signs reading "White Lives Matter." The counter-protesters appear to have been members of various groups. Police say only one was from Anaheim.
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DID POLICE KNOW THE PROTEST WAS PLANNED?
Police were aware of the KKK protest and issued a notice to the public Friday stating they would be "monitoring the situation for any violations of law." According to police, officers were at the park when the violence broke out and immediately called for backup when the melee began. Authorities say additional officers arrived in less than two minutes. However, Brian Levin, director of California State University, San Bernardino's Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, says he saw no uniformed officers at the park before the brawl started.
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HOW DID IT TURN VIOLENT?
Anti-Klan protesters waited for KKK members to arrive and attacked them with pipes and two-by-fours shortly after they arrived, according to a witness and police. When one Klansman stabbed a counter-protester, a vicious brawl erupted spanning an entire city block.
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WHY WERE THE KKK MEMBERS RELEASED?
Police said that five KKK members arrested after the brawl later were released because evidence showed they acted in self-defense. Seven people still in custody were seen beating, stomping and attacking the Klansmen with wooden posts, police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said. The district attorney's office has until Tuesday to decide whether to file charges against any of the KKK members, Wyatt added, but said it was "clear and convincing" that they were defending themselves.
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Associated Press writer Amanda Lee Myers contributed to this report.
In this photo provided by OC Weekly, a stabbing victim receives first aid from an Anaheim Police Officer, at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members staging an anti-immigrant rally clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. (Eric Hood/OC Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
In this photo provided by OC Weekly, a stabbing victim receives first aid from an Anaheim Police Officer, at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members staging an anti-immigrant rally clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. (Eric Hood/OC Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
In this photo provided by OC Weekly, counter-protesters chase a fleeing SUV driven by a KKK member attempting to escape a counter-protester mob at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members staging an anti-immigrant rally clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. (Eric Hood/OC Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
In this photo provided by OC Weekly a falling Ku Klux Klansman gets shoved by a counter-protester behind him, after members of the KKK tried to start an anti-immigration rally at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members staging an anti-immigrant rally clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. (Eric Hood/OC Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
This photo provided by OC Weekly shows counter-protesters scuffling with a KKK member as he stabs an attacking protester, as members of the KKK try to start an anti-immigration rally at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members staging an anti-immigrant rally clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. (Eric Hood/OC Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Salt Lake City police shooting triggers protest, questions
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Questions about why police shot and critically wounded a 17-year-old Somali refugee in Salt Lake City grew Monday as civil rights groups called for answers and several hundred protesters took the streets holdings signs that read, "Stop killer cops."
The Monday night rally in Utah where speakers urged people to stand up to police and demand accountability highlighted the latest flashpoint in the national discussion about police use of force, especially with minority victims.
Abdi Mohamed, who came to the U.S. with his family in 2004, was shot twice in the torso when officers intervened as he and another person attacked someone with metal sticks, police said.
Salt Lake City interim Police Chief Mike Brown speaks with reporters during a news conference Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Police are withholding footage from body cameras that officers were wearing when a 17-year-old boy who was wielding a metal stick was shot and critically injured, a brief confrontation that ignited hours of unrest in Salt Lake City's bustling downtown. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Police say officers told them to drop their weapons, but the teen instead moved menacingly toward the victim. Mohamed was shot in the torso and remained in critical condition Monday.
The victim of the beating, meanwhile, didn't need medical attention.
Charley Hyde and Kaylee Peterson came to the rally holding cardboard cutouts in the shapes of guns with the words, "Don't shoot." They said they're fed up with officer's inability to deescalate or use non-lethal force.
"They need retraining," Peterson said. "Whatever happened to Tasers? Whatever to rubber bullets? Whatever happened to shooting shots in the sky as a warning?"
Police on Monday declined to offer more details on the incident and refused to release footage from the officers' body cameras, citing the investigation into the shooting and the possibility that the teenager could face charges in the fight.
That decision drew criticism from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which called on police to release the body camera footage to avoid making the same mistake Chicago police made in waiting more than a year to release footage of a black teenager shot 16 times by a police officer.
Spokesman Ibrahim Hooper hasn't been able to talk to Mohamed's family but has been told they are Muslim.
Nacom Koffi was one of many who chanted "Black lives matter" and speculated that Mohamed's race played a factor in the shooting. Koffi, a black man from West Africa, joined the chorus of calls for police to release the body camera video.
"Why are police wearing video and we can't see it?" Koffi said. "If they're right, let's see it."
The shooting ignited unrest Saturday in the city's bustling downtown. About 100 officers donned riot gear, barricaded four city blocks and closed a light rail stop as bystanders threw rocks and bottles.
The street where the shooting happened is known for drug deals, beatings and overdoses, said employees at a nearby business. At the shooting scene, a makeshift memorial was cobbled together Monday with roses, candles and a beer can.
The city's primary homeless shelter is located in the area, less than a mile from an outdoor mall and the arena where the NBA's Utah Jazz play. At the Jazz game Saturday night, officials alerted fans not to drive in the area of the shooting.
Anna Brower, spokeswoman for the ACLU of Utah, said the response by police in riot gear raises real question not only about this incident but the larger issue of whether heavy police mobilization is the best way to handle high-crime areas like this one.
Her organization is calling for city leaders to ensure a complete investigation is done and that the Mohamed's family is treated fairly and compassionately during the process.
The worst of the protest was over in about 10 minutes, said interim Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown. His eyes filled with tears as he described meeting with the teen's mother and sitting with her in the hospital.
Bystander Selam Mohammad told The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News that he was a friend of the teenager who was shot as he turned to face police.
"He barely even turned around, then boom, boom, boom and he just dropped," Mohammad told the Deseret News, saying he was at the scene.
Police said they could not confirm or deny that account.
The union that represents the officers said they were stopping a beating.
"This case is not about race, they acted in defense of an innocent party," Salt Lake Police Association president Michael Millard in a statement.
Utah law allows the use of deadly force when people, including police officers, fear someone who could badly hurt or kill them. New police training standards, though, tell officers to back off and take cover so they won't need to shoot, Brown said.
Abdi Mohamed's family fled Somalia and lived in Kenya before coming to the U.S. when he was just a young boy, said Aden Batar of Catholic Community Services in Salt Lake City.
A woman arranges candle at a makeshift memorial for a 17-year-old boy who is in critical condition after being shot by Salt Lake City police Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Salt Lake City. The Saturday shooting that occurred near the city's primary homeless shelter on a street notorious for drug deals and fights raised questions about police use of force and the role of race. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Salt Lake City interim Police Chief Mike Brown speaks with reporters during a news conference Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Police are withholding footage from body cameras that officers were wearing when a 17-year-old boy who was wielding a metal stick was shot and critically injured, a brief confrontation that ignited hours of unrest in Salt Lake City's bustling downtown. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Selam Mohammad talks about a shooting that happened in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, and having to talk to police with arms in the air because the officers had guns drawn. Police are withholding footage from body cameras that officers were wearing when a 17-year-old boy who was wielding a metal stick was shot and critically injured, a brief confrontation that ignited hours of unrest in Salt Lake City's bustling downtown. (Kristin Murphy/The Deseret News via AP)
Dozens of police officers work to secure the area near the Road Home after a shooting took place in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Police are withholding footage from body cameras that officers were wearing when a 17-year-old boy who was wielding a metal stick was shot and critically injured, a brief confrontation that ignited hours of unrest in Salt Lake City's bustling downtown. (Kristin Murphy/The Deseret News via AP)
Police officers take a man away in hand-cuffs after a shooting and riots took place in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Police are withholding footage from body cameras that officers were wearing when a 17-year-old boy who was wielding a metal stick was shot and critically injured, a brief confrontation that ignited hours of unrest in Salt Lake City's bustling downtown. (Kristin Murphy/The Deseret News via AP)
Woman accused of providing guns in Kansas attacks posts bond
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A federal magistrate judge set a $10,000 bond Monday for the woman accused of providing the guns used in last week's mass shooting at a Kansas lawn equipment factory.
More than a dozen family members and friends of Sarah Hopkins came to her first court appearance in U.S. District Court in Wichita, but they refused to talk to the media. Her attorney, Douglas Adams, declined comment. Prosecutors did not seek her detention, and court records show she later posted the bond.
The 28-year-old Newton, Kansas, woman is charged with knowingly transferring a firearm to a convicted felon. Prosecutors say she gave Cedric Ford an AK-47-type semi-automatic rifle and a .40-caliber handgun that he used in the attack at Excel Industries in Hesston. Four people, including Ford, were killed and 14 others were injured.
This photo courtesy Sedgwick County Jail shows Sarah Hopkins. Federal prosecutors charged Hopkins with one count of knowingly transferring a firearm to a convicted felon on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016. Prosecutors allege that Hopkins, a friend of Cedric L. Ford knew he was a convicted felon when she gave him a semi-automatic rifle and a handgun. (Courtesy Sedgwick County Jail via The Wichita Eagle via AP)
Hopkins told investigators that she moved out of a home she shared with Ford in July 2015. Police officers the following month helped her retrieve the firearms, which she had purchased, according court documents. Hopkins said at the time that Ford was a convicted felon who could not lawfully possess them, the documents say.
She told federal investigators after Thursday's shooting rampage that she gave the guns to Ford in August because he had threatened her, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case. But the government contends Hopkins, who bought the guns in 2014, had subsequently pawned them and redeemed the rifle this month months after she said she'd given the guns to Ford.
Ford is the father of Hopkin's 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, according a Harvey County paternity case.
KKK leader: Request for police security denied before rally
LOS ANGELES (AP) A Ku Klux Klan leader who was injured when his small group of demonstrators brawled with counter-protesters in a Southern California park this weekend said Monday that he called police beforehand asking for security and was told, "We don't do that."
Will Quigg said in an interview with The Associated Press that he contacted the Anaheim Police Department but that the agency denied his requests for a police presence. The KKK then told officers that the group would hire an outside security company.
"They said, 'No, you can't do that either,'" Quigg said.
This photo provided by Eric Hood/OC Weekly shows. a Ku Klux Klansman member is apprehended by Anaheim Police Department officers, after members of the KKK tried to start an anti-immigration rally at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members staging an anti-immigrant rally clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. (Eric Hood/OC Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
The Police Department is facing scrutiny for its response after three people were stabbed and several others were injured in the melee Saturday involving several dozen people and spanning a city block. Investigators determined that Klan members acted in self-defense after the counter-protesters attacked.
On Monday night, some 300 people took part in a candlelight vigil and "peace protest" in the same park. The group marched from Pearson Park to City Hall, and although the gathering got loud at times, police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said it remained peaceful.
"There were some people from Saturday's protest who showed up at the end and started yelling, but there was no violence and no need for police intervention," he said.
Organizers said they wanted to show that Anaheim is a peaceful, tolerant city.
The Police Department had notified the public ahead of Saturday's Klan gathering that the KKK planned to hold an anti-immigration protest at the park about 3 miles from Disneyland, but at least one witness said he saw no uniformed officers when the attack began.
When Quigg and about five others arrived they were confronted by dozens of angry counter-protesters.
Wyatt said officers were present, but he declined to say how many. He acknowledged that Quigg had contacted the department but believed that the group leader was asking for police to act as personal security guards.
"He was told how to contract for officers to do that, but did not want to spend the money," Wyatt said.
Eugene O'Donnell, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said the department's response about contracting officers is as if the KKK rally was the same as "an Oktoberfest or a New Year's Day event."
"It's their way of saying, 'We have no reason to believe there will be any trouble beyond the trouble you get at a rock concert," he said, adding police are obligated to ensure public safety.
Police departments are facing criticism for overpolicing, chilling free speech and being heavy-handed, O'Donnell said. That can make it difficult for officers to know how to handle a protest event.
"Sometimes the best presence is a very low key presence," he said.
Anaheim police said a plan was in place and officers at the protest quickly called for backup when the violence broke out. Additional officers arrived within less than two minutes.
"Officers rendered medical aid to those who were injured and arrested all but one of the suspects," the agency said in a statement.
Five KKK members arrested after the brawl later were released because evidence showed they acted in self-defense, police said. Seven people still in custody were seen beating, stomping and attacking the Klansmen with wooden posts, Wyatt said.
Police said the Klansmen stabbed three counter-protesters.
"Regardless of an individual or groups' beliefs or ideologies, they are entitled to live without the fear of physical violence and have the right, under the law, to defend themselves when attacked," a police statement said.
Quigg said he was thrown to the ground, hit with a pipe, stomped and struck with two-by-fours. He said his right hand was fractured and his spleen and a rib bruised. He said the left side of his chest is "black and blue and swollen up to the size of a softball."
Quigg said he did not stab anyone.
"What was done was done to protect our lives," he said. "Our lives were in jeopardy."
Like many other U.S. cities, Anaheim has a history intertwined with the KKK. In the 1920s, Klan members gained four of five City Council seats but were ousted after their affiliation became public.
The group's presence in the state is extremely small today, said Brian Levin, who directs the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.
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Follow Christine Armario on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cearmario .
In this photo provided by OC Weekly, a stabbing victim receives first aid from an Anaheim Police Officer, at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members staging an anti-immigrant rally clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. (Eric Hood/OC Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
A Ku Klux Klansman, left, uses an American flag to fend off angry counter protesters after members of the KKK tried to start a "White Lives Matter" rally at Pearson Park in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. The event quickly escalated into violence and at least two people had to be treated at the scene for stab wounds. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via AP)
Counter protesters scuffle with a Ku Klux Klansman after members of the KKK tried to start a "White Lives Matter" rally at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. The event quickly escalated into violence and at least two people had to be treated at the scene for stab wounds, (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via AP)
In this Feb. 27, 2016 photo provided by the B. Levin Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism, a man dressed in Ku Klux Klan garb, center, and a counter-protester, left, confront each other during a KKK rally at Pearson Park in Anaheim, Calif. This city is home to Disneyland, the self-proclaimed Happiest Place on Earth. It's also the place where the City Council once had a majority of Ku Klux Klan members and a Klanrally in a city park attracted 10,000 people. The KKK returned to that park Saturday, and violence ensued.(B. LevinCenter for the Study of Hate & Extremism via AP)
In this photo provided by OC Weekly a falling Ku Klux Klansman gets shoved by a counter-protester behind him, after members of the KKK tried to start an anti-immigration rally at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members staging an anti-immigrant rally clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. (Eric Hood/OC Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
This photo provided by OC Weekly shows two counter-protesters scuffling with a KKK member on the ground holding a stabbing knife as he grabs an attacking protester, right,during an anti-immigration rally held by the KKK at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Three people were stabbed Saturday, one critically, after a small group of Ku Klux Klan members clashed with a larger gathering of counter-protesters, police said. (Eric Hood/OC Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Clinton, Trump claim big Super Tuesday wins
WASHINGTON (AP) Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton moved closer to winning their parties' nominations with a series of victories in the Super Tuesday elections, the biggest day of the primary campaign.
Clinton and Trump each won seven of 11 state races as they distanced themselves from party rivals and looked ahead to a November presidential election showdown.
Clinton's opponent, Bernie Sanders, won the Oklahoma primary and caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado, as well as the primary in his home state of Vermont, but he failed to broaden his appeal with minority voters who are crucial to the party in presidential elections.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reacts to supporters as she arrives to speak at her Super Tuesday election night rally in Miami, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
In the Republican race, Ted Cruz, a firebrand conservative senator, won his home state of Texas and Oklahoma and Marco Rubio, a favorite of the Republican establishment, won in Minnesota for his first victory. Both are seeking to break out as Trump's main rival.
Cruz desperately needed the Texas win in order to stay in the race. Still, Trump's wins in the South were a blow to Cruz, who once saw the region as his opportunity to put himself on a path to the nomination. Instead, he's watched Trump, a brash New York real estate mogul, display surprising strength with the region's evangelical Christians and social conservatives.
Rubio's win in Minnesota gave him a boost on an otherwise disappointing night. His long-shot hopes now rest with his home state, Florida, which votes on March 15, but polls show him trailing Trump there.
Trump won in Virginia, Arkansas, Alabama, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Georgia. The race in Alaska has not been called.
Trump has stunned the Republican political establishment by emerging as the clear front-runner, winning three of the four contests preceding Super Tuesday. He has seized on the anxieties of voters angry at Washington and worried about terrorism, immigration and an uncertain economy. Using simple terms, and often coarse language, he has soared to the top of polls with his pledge to "make America great again."
Clinton, once seen as the all-but-inevitable Democratic nominee, has contended with an unexpectedly strong challenge from Sanders, a senator and self-described democratic socialist. But Clinton, like Trump, had also won three of the first four races.
Clinton, the former secretary of state and senator, won in Massachusetts, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia. The wins reflected her strength in the South, where black voters are an important part of the Democratic base and overwhelmingly support her.
Signaling her confidence, Clinton set her sights on Trump as she addressed supporters during a victory rally in Miami.
"It's clear tonight that the stakes in this election have never been higher and the rhetoric we're hearing on the other side has never been lower," said Clinton, who is seeking to become America's first female president.
Trump, too, had his eye on a general election match-up with Clinton, casting her as part of a political establishment that has failed Americans.
"She's been there for so long," Trump told a news conference at his swanky Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. "If she hasn't straightened it out by now, she's not going to straighten it out in the next four years."
Candidates are trying to win delegates who will vote for them at the parties' national conventions in July. For Republicans, 595 delegates were at stake, nearly half of the 1,237 needed for the nomination. Democrats were allocating 865 delegates, more than one-third of the 2,383 needed to become the nominee.
Clinton has now won at least 421 of the 865 delegates at stake, and Sanders at least 232. Including superdelegates party leaders who get to vote for candidates of their choice at the convention Clinton now has at least 969 delegates. Sanders has at least 319. It takes 2,382 delegates to win.
Trump has won at least 175 of the delegates at stake in Tuesday's contests. Cruz collected at least 89 and Rubio picked up at least 51. Ohio Gov. John Kasich has won at least 17 delegates and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has won at least three.
Overall, Trump leads with 257 delegates. Cruz has 106, Rubio has 67, Kasich has 23 and Carson has eight.
Both Cruz and Rubio have launched furious verbal attacks on Trump in recent days, but some in the party establishment fear the anti-Trump campaign has come too late.
Republicans spent months largely letting Trump go unchallenged, wrongly assuming that his populist appeal with voters would fizzle. Instead, he's appeared to only grow stronger, winning states and drawing support for some of his most controversial proposals.
In six of the states voting Tuesday, large majorities of Republican voters said they supported a proposal to temporarily ban all non-citizen Muslims from entering the United States, an idea championed by Trump. The exit polls were conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.
Republicans fear Trump will damage their prospects of recapturing the White House after Barack Obama's two terms. The worries appeared to grow after Trump briefly refused to disavow the apparent support of a former Ku Klux Klan leader, David Duke, during a television interview. Trump later said he had not understood the TV interviewer and he did repudiate Duke.
In addition to her state victories, Clinton won in American Samoa, picking up four of six delegates in the South Pacific island chain.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks on Super Tuesday primary election night at the White and Gold Ballroom at The Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, March 1, 2016, as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie listens. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during an election night watch party Tuesday, March 1, 2016, in Stafford, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks during a campaign rally, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, in Andover, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
American Reform rabbis warn of alienation from Israel
JERUSALEM (AP) A recent gathering of American Reform rabbis in Jerusalem was meant to celebrate the small gains the liberal Jewish movement has made in Israel in recent years. But a series of comments by Israeli officials denigrating the group marred the event, reflecting an awkward relationship that many fear is alienating the world's second-largest Jewish community from Israel.
The Reform Movement is the largest stream of Judaism in the United States, claiming to represent 1.5 million people, and its members provide a key source of financial support and political advocacy for Israel.
But the movement is marginal in Israel, where religious affairs are dominated by the Orthodox rabbinical establishment. Israeli lawmakers, both secular and ultra-Orthodox, have repeatedly disparaged the group, questioning their Judaism and accusing them of promoting Jewish assimilation.
In this photo taken Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, American and Israeli Reform rabbis pray in the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city. A recent gathering of American Reform rabbis in Jerusalem was meant to celebrate the small gains the liberal Jewish movement has made in Israel in recent years. But a series of comments by Israeli leaders denigrating the group marred the event, reflecting an awkward relationship that many fear is alienating the worlds second-largest Jewish community from Israel. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
"How do you ask Jews around the world to support Israel politically, economically, socially ... and at the same time you have these ministers who say to our people 'you're not really Jewish' or 'you don't have a place here in Israel?' That incongruity is a real problem for us," said Rabbi Steven Fox, the chief executive of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, which held its septennial convention in Israel last week. The group represents 2,000 rabbis.
In the U.S., Reform synagogues are commonplace, characterized by practices such as mixed-gender prayers, services led by female rabbis and members who drive to synagogue on the Sabbath customs that violate Orthodox norms.
In Israel, Reform Judaism is often seen as a curiosity and in some cases, a threat. This in turn has placed obstacles in the way of the movement's effort to make inroads in Israel, beaten back by an Orthodox monopoly over Jewish rituals such as marriage, burials and conversions.
Reform rabbis have made small gains in Israel, and in January, the movement was jubilant over perhaps its greatest victory Israel's announcement that it would create a special mixed-gender prayer area at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
The wall, managed by an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who opposes having Reform customs at the site, is the holiest place where Jews can pray. The new area will also permit women to wear prayer shawls and skullcaps, a rite reserved for men under Orthodox custom.
The announcement came after three years of painstaking negotiations between Israeli officials and the liberal streams of Judaism and appeared to mark a historic turning point in relations between Israel and diaspora Jews.
But right after the plan was approved, Israel's secular Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said the Reform movement was a "waning world." He accused it of tolerating intermarriage, encouraging assimilation and predicted the mixed-prayer area would become unnecessary within two or three generations. Under religious law, Jews cannot marry non-Jews.
Even after Reform rabbis criticized him, Levin expressed no remorse. "It's very important that we'll be aware of the problem of assimilation and do our best efforts in order to solve it," he told The Associated Press.
A chorus of other lawmakers, most of them Orthodox, have publicly lashed out at the Reform movement. As the rabbis' convention was kicking off, a legislator from an ultra-Orthodox party compared the movement to the "mentally ill."
The rhetoric has put Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a tough spot. Early this month, he rejected "disparaging and divisive remarks" about Reform Jews and called the movement "part and parcel of the Jewish people."
He also met the visiting American rabbis. But, possibly wary of antagonizing religious factions in his coalition, his office made no announcement of the meeting, as it often does with high-profile visitors.
Fox, the rabbi group's chief executive, said the encounter was "more positive" than past meetings with Netanyahu, though they were surprised by the absence of the public announcement.
"The ministers here paint us as if we're not really Jewish. And the ignorance they display makes my congregants ... think 'is Israel really that backward of a nation?' It reflects poorly on the state of Israel," said Rabbi Denise Eger, another leader of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
Netanyahu's office said he does not put out public statements on all his meetings. It declined to discuss the meeting with the Reform rabbis or say why he had decided to keep silent.
For decades, American Jewry the second largest Jewish community in the world after Israel has served as a bedrock of support for Israel. But there are signs of that support eroding, particularly among younger and more liberal Jews.
Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, a Boston-based group that teaches Israeli leaders about the American Jewish community, said that at a time when Israel faces so many challenges, it makes no "strategic sense" for Israeli leaders to alienate American Jews.
"A smart politician would say, 'These Jews are different than us, but they play a very important strategic role,'" he said.
Beyond the Western Wall compromise, the Reform rabbis say they do see progress elsewhere as well.
Israel's Supreme Court ruled last month that the country's ritual baths must accept all converts to Judaism, even those who have undergone non-Orthodox conversions outside the country.
The rabbis also point to the movement's small but growing base in Israel and their invitation to a parliamentary committee during their convention last week, where lawmakers, mainly from centrist parties, showered them with gratitude and praise.
"When I read statements by the Israeli tourism minister about Reform Judaism in the United States, it comes from a denial and a misunderstanding and an ignorance about the importance of the powerful contribution that you make to relations between the two countries," Nachman Shai, a lawmaker from the centrist Zionist Union, told the packed auditorium, where women and men wore rainbow-colored skullcaps and sang Hatikva, Israel's national anthem.
Reform leaders told the meeting that the harsh reactions from some lawmakers were an unfortunate but expected response to the gains the movement has made.
"These are clearly changes that are long overdue," said Rabbi Richard Jacobs, the President of the Union for Reform Judaism. "The change signals to the ultra-Orthodox that there will no longer be a monopoly."
In this photo taken Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, American and Israeli Reform rabbis pray in the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city. A recent gathering of American Reform rabbis in Jerusalem was meant to celebrate the small gains the liberal Jewish movement has made in Israel in recent years. But a series of comments by Israeli leaders denigrating the group marred the event, reflecting an awkward relationship that many fear is alienating the worlds second-largest Jewish community from Israel. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
In this photo taken Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, American Reform Rabbi, Zachary Shapiro, center left, and other American and Israeli Reform rabbis pray in the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city. A recent gathering of American Reform rabbis in Jerusalem was meant to celebrate the small gains the liberal Jewish movement has made in Israel in recent years. But a series of comments by Israeli leaders denigrating the group marred the event, reflecting an awkward relationship that many fear is alienating the worlds second-largest Jewish community from Israel. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
In this photo taken Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, American and Israeli Reform rabbis pray in the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city. A recent gathering of American Reform rabbis in Jerusalem was meant to celebrate the small gains the liberal Jewish movement has made in Israel in recent years. But a series of comments by Israeli leaders denigrating the group marred the event, reflecting an awkward relationship that many fear is alienating the worlds second-largest Jewish community from Israel. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
In this photo taken Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, Reform Rabbi Nicole Greninger prays with other American and Israeli Reform rabbis in the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city, A recent gathering of American Reform rabbis in Jerusalem was meant to celebrate the small gains the liberal Jewish movement has made in Israel in recent years. But a series of comments by Israeli leaders denigrating the group marred the event, reflecting an awkward relationship that many fear is alienating the worlds second-largest Jewish community from Israel. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
In this photo taken Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, American and Israeli Reform rabbis pray in the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city. A recent gathering of American Reform rabbis in Jerusalem was meant to celebrate the small gains the liberal Jewish movement has made in Israel in recent years. But a series of comments by Israeli leaders denigrating the group marred the event, reflecting an awkward relationship that many fear is alienating the worlds second-largest Jewish community from Israel. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
In this photo taken Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, Reform Rabbi Nicole Greninger, right, takes a picture of other American and Israeli Reform rabbis as they pray in the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city. A recent gathering of American Reform rabbis in Jerusalem was meant to celebrate the small gains the liberal Jewish movement has made in Israel in recent years. But a series of comments by Israeli leaders denigrating the group marred the event, reflecting an awkward relationship that many fear is alienating the worlds second-largest Jewish community from Israel. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
Boy's hearing gives no clue on Ohio school shooting motive
HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) A 14-year-old boy accused of shooting students in a school cafeteria entered the juvenile court equivalent of a not-guilty plea at a Tuesday hearing that offered no clues about the motive that investigators say they know.
The boy is charged in Butler County with attempted murder, felonious assault, inducing panic and making terroristic threats. With his ankles shackled, he sat silently during the brief hearing and kept his head down, reading the complaint.
Defense attorney Ed Perry entered a denial of the charges, and a magistrate ordered that the suspect remain in juvenile detention pending a hearing April 5. Perry and the boy's supporters declined to comment afterward.
Parents run to see if they are allowed to pick up their kids at Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
There was no indication whether prosecutors might seek to move the case to adult court.
The Associated Press doesn't generally name juveniles charged with crimes.
Authorities allege the boy fired at students Monday in a cafeteria used by high schoolers in Madison Township, near Middletown. Two students were shot and two others were hurt, possibly by shrapnel or while running away, authorities said. The injuries weren't considered life-threatening.
In a recorded call, a 911 caller reporting the shooting immediately identified the suspect by name. Breathing heavily, the unidentified caller told a dispatcher: "He just pulled out his gun and started shooting."
Sheriff Richard Jones said he's aware of a motive but wasn't ready to release it.
Students were eating in the cafeteria when the shooting happened around 11:30 a.m., Jones said. Afterward, classmates described a chaotic scene where they weren't sure what was happening at first.
A sheriff's deputy stationed in the school had just been in the cafeteria, Jones said.
The students who were shot were 14 and 15 years old and were taken to a hospital where they were in stable condition, investigators said.
The school, which had practiced for such an event, immediately went into lockdown, said Madison Local Schools spokeswoman A.J. Huff.
The district canceled classes and extracurricular activities Tuesday. Classes were to resume Wednesday.
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Associated Press writer Kantele Franko in Columbus contributed to this report.
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Follow the reporter at http://www.twitter.com/dansewell . To see some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/dan-sewell
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, near Middletown, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting that wounded four classmates, including two who were shot, is in a juvenile lock-up and facing several charges. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says the boy has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Butler County Sheriff Deputies stand on the scene at Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Butler County Sheriff Deputies stand on the scene at Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Cara Owsley/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; NO SALES
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Marshall Gorby/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Parents and community members form a prayer circle as they wait to pick up their kids Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Police vehicles block the entrance of Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, near Middletown, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting that wounded four classmates, including two who were shot, is in a juvenile lock-up and facing several charges. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says the boy has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
College behind bars: An old idea with some new energy
MONROE, Wash. (AP) Eight years ago, when Noel Caldellis began serving time for killing a university student, his main objective was to make 20-plus years in prison pass as quickly as possible: work out, walk circles in the yard with inmates and watch TV.
A few years into his sentence at the Monroe Correctional Complex, Caldellis discovered he could spend his time developing his mind as well as his body, moving from the weight room to the classroom.
"It's helped me tremendously to grow as a person," said Caldellis, who is working on a bachelor's degree in history.
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, inmates carry books as they head to classes at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars.
The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration.
Private money kept some prison education programs going when government dollars vanished. Several recent studies have shown those projects cut crime and prison costs by helping inmates go home and stay there instead of returning.
"Education in prison is transformative. It leads to safer communities and that's to the benefit of everyone," said Fred Patrick, director of the Center on Sentencing and Corrections at the Vera Institute of Justice, a New York nonprofit that combines research and demonstration projects associated with criminal justice.
Now more dollars are starting to follow those results, led by a recent decision by the U.S. Department of Education to experiment again with federal Pell Grants for inmate students. Forty-seven states have applied to participate in that program. States such as Washington, New York and California also are looking into spending more state dollars on these programs.
Rudy Madrigal, a student in Washington's University Beyond Bars program, said the experience transformed his life.
Madrigal, who expects to serve about 24 years for second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon, said he had a rough start to his sentence, getting in fights and other trouble.
He took his first class as another way to pass the time, but started getting excited about school after really connecting with a math teacher and finding out he could work toward a degree with a scholarship from a private foundation.
"Since I started school and educating myself, I've built up connections not just with people in here but with people out there," said Madrigal, who hopes after prison to get into social services to help other people.
While his path is personally enriching, state officials and prison experts say the community is the real beneficiary. A Rand Corporation study on education in prisons found inmates who participate in any kind of educational program behind bars are 43 percent less likely to reoffend.
Another study paid for by the Indiana Department of Correction found that while all kinds of inmate education has a positive influence on recidivism, inmates who take college courses have a prison return rate of less than 5 percent. That's compared to the national average of nearly 68 percent within three years of release, federal statistics show.
In Washington state, private donations have been paying for college classes at prisons across the state since 2008. The state also provides vocational education in subjects ranging from computer coding to auto mechanics.
One way Washington is unique among the states is how many inmates are participating in its education programs. It has about 16,500 inmates and 11,000 are involved in education, said Mike Paris, state administrator of offender education. In comparison, in California less than a quarter of its more than 112,000 inmates participate in educational programs.
The Vera Institute's Pathways from Prison to Post-Secondary Education Program, which is paid for with private foundation money, gives inmates a free college education, both in prison and after release, along with other supports such as mentoring and housing assistance for inmates in Michigan, New Jersey and North Carolina.
California will be starting a new pilot project this fall to pair four community colleges with state prisons to provide classes. In the past, most California inmates going to college took online classes supported by private dollars.
In 2014, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state would be putting money back into inmate education programs. Lawmakers fought the plan, saying it rewarded criminal behavior, but others pointed out how much less expensive it is to educate prisoners than to incarcerate them.
Authorities estimate New York spends about $60,000 a year to incarcerate one prisoner while a year of college in prison will cost about $5,000.
Katja Schatte, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington who teaches world history at the Washington state prison in Monroe, said criminal justice reform is intertwined with so many things happening in American society today from the Black Lives Matter movement to inequity in public schools.
"People should be thinking about how do we keep people out of prisons in the first place and education is the answer," Schatte said.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that Washington University's program is called Beyond Bars, not Behind Bars.
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, inmates mingle in a recreation yard in view of guards, left, at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, a guard looks down from a tower at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, staff members head past razor wire-topped fences and into a building hosting a University Behind Bars program at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, Rudy Madrigal, center, looks on as he sits with fellow inmates in a a college world history class at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
n this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, inmates look on in their college world history class at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, Katja Schatte, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington, leads a discussion in a college world history class she teaches at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, inmate Jayson Bush raises his hand in a college world history class at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, Katja Schatte, left, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington, talks with inmate Noel Caldellis in a world history class Schatte teaches at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, inmate Noel Caldellis smiles as he talks about taking college courses at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, Rudy Madrigal smiles as he talks about his college world history class at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, Rudy Madrigal, left, shares a fist bump with fellow inmate Nicolas Melendrez before Madrigal headed into his world history classroom, at right, at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, inmate Tim Booth leans against a wall during a break from his college world history class at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. College education in American prisons is starting to grow again, more than two decades since federal government dollars were prohibited from being used for college programs behind bars. The shift comes as everyone from President Barack Obama to state policymakers are looking for ways to get better results from the $80 billion the U.S. spends annually on incarceration. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Police kill 8 Maoist rebels in gunbattle in southeast India
HYDERABAD, India (AP) Eight Maoist rebels, five of them women, were killed in a fierce gunbattle with police in southeastern India, police said Tuesday.
The gunbattle with at least 30 rebels began early Tuesday in a remote forest area bordering Chhattisgarh and Telangana states, said police superintendent Shahnawaz Qasim. Police had started searching for the rebels after receiving a tip that they were seen moving around in the area.
Eight bodies were recovered and police were looking for other rebels who belong to the Communist Party of India (Maoist), he said.
Among those killed was a leader of the party, identified by police as Hari Bhushan, from Telangana.
Police suffered no casualties.
The rebels have been fighting for more than three decades in central and eastern India to demand a greater share of the region's natural resources for indigenous people. They have been relatively quiet over the past six months.
Top German court considers bid to outlaw far-right party
BERLIN (AP) Germany's highest court opened hearings Tuesday on a bid to outlaw the country's biggest far-right party, which officials accuse of promoting a racist and anti-Semitic agenda.
It's the second attempt to secure the ban, which would be the first of its kind in 60 years.
The German parliament's upper house, which represents the country's 16 state governments, applied at the end of 2013 for a ban on the National Democratic Party, or NPD. The states say it violates the constitution and are keen to cut off the state funding to which political parties are entitled.
The Second Senate of the German Federal Constitutional Court, including Peter M. Huber, Peter Mueller, chairman Andreas Vosskuhle, Herbert Landau and Monika Hermanns, from left, stand in the courtroom in Karlsruhe, southern Germany, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Germany's highest court on Tuesday begins three days of hearings on a bid by state governments to ban the country's biggest far-right party, the National Democratic Party, NDP. (Marijan Murat/dpa via AP)
Back in 2003, the Karlsruhe-based Federal Constitutional Court rejected a first attempt to ban the party because paid government informants within the group were partially responsible for evidence against it. Officials say there's no evidence from informants in the new case.
Bavaria's interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, told n-tv television that "the NPD is a danger to our democracy." He added that "the NPD benefits from state financing of parties that means that tax money is abused for neo-Nazi propaganda."
The head of Germany's main Jewish group, Josef Schuster, said the NPD wants to create a state "in which there is no place for minorities."
Peter Richter, a lawyer representing the NPD, petitioned for the case against the party to be closed, arguing there was no credible evidence that government informants had been removed from the group.
He also sought as the hearing began to have two of the eight judges, both former politicians, removed for alleged bias against the party a motion that the court rejected.
In a recent statement on the ban proceedings, the NPD asserted that "the real policies of the German government are extremist, not the criticism of them," citing the government's actions in the migrant crisis. The NPD complained of "constant hate campaigns against patriotic dissenters."
The NPD isn't represented in Germany's national parliament, though it does have a single seat in the European Parliament and lawmakers in one eastern German state legislature.
Opening three days of hearings, chief justice Andreas Vosskuhle told the court that the case was "a special challenge." He stressed that judges must refrain from "any political evaluation" and consider only legal aspects.
Only two parties have previously been banned in West Germany and reunited Germany, the last of them the German Communist Party in 1956.
The case comes amid concern over anti-migrant rhetoric and attacks on refugee accommodation as Germany deals with a large influx of migrants.
Federal Justice Minister Heiko Maas said that the case is groundbreaking but the court "will not relieve us of the job of fighting the far right, however the case goes."
The court typically takes several months to rule on cases.
NPD party chairman Frank Franz, left, talks to his lawyer Peter Richter, right, at the German constitutional court in Karlsruhe, southern Germany, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Germany's highest court on Tuesday begins three days of hearings on a bid by state governments to ban the country's biggest far-right party, the National Democratic Party. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)
Out in the cold: Refugees get no good news at Greek border
IDOMENI, Greece (AP) Hassan Rasheed's papers have been cleared but the Iraqi refugee has spent days freezing in a tent with no tarp on the ground and flaps that don't close, one of 10,000 migrants stuck at a muddy camp on the border of Greece and Macedonia.
They're hoping for a breakthrough in Europe's troubled negotiations on how to handle the deepening crisis. But there was little sign of that Tuesday.
Austria's chancellor insisted he would not to let his country become a "waiting room for Germany," while authorities from four ex-Yugoslav countries on the migrant route vowed closer cooperation to keep people out.
A migrant mother holds her baby as they await on the Greek side of the border to enter Macedonia near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macedonian police fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants after they stormed a metal fence along the border with Greece on February 29, as refugees were blocked from traveling between the two countries on the main route to Western Europe. Macedonia is restricting the entry of refugees to match the number of those leaving the country, allowing in only refugees from Syria and Iraq, in response to bottlenecks further up along the Balkans migrant route. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
"I've been at Idomeni for 10 days and it's the fourth day I've been waiting to cross over," the 27-year-old Rasheed said. "Conditions are very bad. There are many ill children who are coughing, and we spent the night in this tent under heavy rain."
The heavily policed border, marked by a twin fence and coils of razor wire, remained closed a day after migrants attempted to push through the barriers and were forced back by Macedonian riot police using tear gas and stun grenades. Before that, sporadic closures since Feb. 19 had slowed the number allowed through to just dozens a day.
Overnight, rain soaked many families, who hung up clothing to dry Tuesday on the border fence.
More exhausted refugee families continued to reach the burgeoning tent city in this Greek border town on foot or by taxi. Many walked up to 30 kilometers (18 miles) along Greece's northern highways.
Ahmed Majid, a 26-year-old Iraqi, was traveling with his wife and two young children.
"We have been walking for three kilometers. Police stopped our taxi on the highway, which is why we are going through the fields," he said.
About 2,000 migrants are still reaching Greek islands from nearby Turkey every day, despite the recent deployment of NATO ships in the east Aegean Sea.
European Council President Donald Tusk was in Austria on Tuesday to try to persuade Chancellor Werner Faymann to change his mind about the country's decision to accept no more than 80 asylum requests a day at Austria's southern frontier with Slovenia.
But Faymann said Austria was determined not to accept the "policy of waving through" migrants to the rest of the EU.
"Austria is not a waiting room for Germany," he said. "This disorganized chaos must end. ... It's important to have clarity on the EU's external borders. (Otherwise) Austrians have to be active on their borders."
Meanwhile, Austria's interior minister, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, announced plans by her government to launch an advertising campaign in Afghanistan including billboards, TV ads and public bus banners to discourage Afghans from trying to reach Europe.
Tusk added a stop in Ankara to his schedule, ahead of next week's summit of leaders from the EU and Turkey on migration.
To prepare for the summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was to meet French President Francois Hollande in Paris on Friday, and she remained vocally opposed to the Austrian border closure.
"We must stand with Greece," a spokesman quoted the chancellor as saying on a Twitter post. "I am therefore in constant contact with (Greek Prime Minister Alexis) Tsipras."
In Athens, the government said it has requested 480 million euros ($520 million) in aid for the refugee crisis from the EU, under an emergency plan to cope with as many as 100,000 stranded refugees roughly three times the number now stuck inside Greece.
Athens is pressing EU countries to honor pledges to accept asylum seekers directly and for Turkey to help speed up deportations. The government said 69 people from North Africa considered ineligible for asylum were deported to Turkey, with another 230 people due to be sent back by Wednesday.
The impasse in Greece drew strong criticism from the United Nations refugee agency, which warned that Europe "is on the cusp of a largely self-induced humanitarian crisis."
A UNHCR statement said inconsistent policies on the continent, which faces its worst immigration crisis since the end of World War II, "are causing unnecessary suffering and risk being at variance with EU and international law standards."
New York-based Human Rights Watch blamed "discriminatory border closures" and the cap imposed by Austria for the crisis.
"Trapping asylum seekers in Greece is an unconscionable and short-sighted non-solution that is causing suffering and violence," said the right's group's Greece specialist, Eva Cosse.
"It demonstrates once again the EU's utter failure to respond collectively and compassionately to refugee flows."
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Jahn reported from Vienna. Associated Press writers Konstantin Testorides in Skopje, Macedonia; Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia and Derek Gatopoulos, Nicholas Paphitis, and Elena Becatoros in Athens contributed to this report.
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Follow Kantouris at http://www.twitter.com/dgatopoulos
Macedonian soldiers patrol between two lines of protective fence reinforced with barbed wire along the border line between Macedonia and Greece, near southern Macedonia's town of Gevgelija, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macedonian police fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants after they stormed a metal fence along the border with Greece on Monday, Feb. 29, as refugees were blocked from traveling between the two countries on the main route to Western Europe. Macedonia is restricting the entry of refugees to match the number of those leaving the country, allowing in only refugees from Syria and Iraq, in response to bottlenecks further up along the Balkans migrant route. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Children walk by a painted container as people wait in line for food handouts outside an overcrowded shelter area for migrants at the Athens' port of Piraeus, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Migrant children await by the fence on the Greek side of the border to enter Macedonia near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macedonian police fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants after they stormed a metal fence along the border with Greece on Monday, Feb. 29, as refugees were blocked from traveling between the two countries on the main route to Western Europe. Macedonia is restricting the entry of refugees to match the number of those leaving the country, allowing in only refugees from Syria and Iraq, in response to bottlenecks further up along the Balkans migrant route. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Refugees stand in queue to receive food distributed by a non-governmental organization, at a refugee camp in the Greek-Macedonian border near the Greek village of Idomeni , Tuesday, March, 1 2016. Some 7,000 migrants, including many from Syria and Iraq, are crammed into a tiny camp at the Greek border village of Idomeni, and hundreds more are arriving daily. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A migrant mother holds her child as they await on the Greek side of the border to enter Macedonia near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macedonian police fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants after they stormed a metal fence along the border with Greece on February 29, as refugees were blocked from traveling between the two countries on the main route to Western Europe. Macedonia is restricting the entry of refugees to match the number of those leaving the country, allowing in only refugees from Syria and Iraq, in response to bottlenecks further up along the Balkans migrant route. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
A refugee carries a large branch as he walks through tents in the Greek-Macedonian border, near the northern Greek village of Idomeni, on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. Some 7,000 migrants, including many from Syria and Iraq, are crammed into a tiny camp at the Greek border village of Idomeni, and hundreds more are arriving daily. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Refugees walk past tents near the Greek-Macedonian border, in the northern Greek village of Idomeni, on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. Some 7,000 migrants, including many from Syria and Iraq, are crammed into a tiny camp at the Greek border village of Idomeni, and hundreds more are arriving daily. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A child of a migrant family holds a doll in Athens, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, at the Victoria Square where most newly-landed migrants head after reaching the Greek capital from the Aegean Sea islands. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A girl of a migrant family holds her face in her palms in Athens, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, at the Victoria Square, where most newly-landed migrants head after reaching the Greek capital from the Aegean Sea islands. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A child peers out from a bus, in Athens, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, at the Victoria Square, where most newly-landed migrants head after reaching the Greek capital from the Aegean Sea islands. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A migrant woman cries while holding a baby, in Athens, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, at the Victoria Square, where most newly-landed migrants head after reaching the Greek capital from the Aegean Sea islands. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A child carries bottles of water at the old airport in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A child by a painted container as people wait in line for food handouts outside an overcrowded shelter area for migrants at the Athens' port of Piraeus, Greece, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A child stands in an overcrowded shelter area for migrants at the Athens' port of Piraeus, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
People wait on a docking ferry as more than 1,000 people arrived to already overcrowded shelter areas at the Athens' port of Piraeus, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Migrants lie under a tree at the Victoria Square in Athens, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Victoria Square is the place where most newly-landed migrants, most of them from Afghanistan, head after reaching the Greek capital from the Aegean Sea islands. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A migrant father with his child awaits on the Greek side of the border to enter Macedonia near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macedonian police fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants after they stormed a metal fence along the border with Greece on Monday, as refugees were blocked from travelling between the two countries on the main route to Western Europe. Macedonia is restricting the entry of refugees to match the number of those leaving the country, allowing in only refugees from Syria and Iraq, in response to bottlenecks further up along the Balkans migrant route. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Local resident Katrina Kyveli originally from Georgia, who has lived the last 20 years in Greece, holds a nine-month old baby from Afghanistan at the Victoria Square in Athens, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Victoria Square is the place where most newly-landed migrants, most of them from Afghanistan, head after reaching the Greek capital from the Aegean Sea islands. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A girl cries after becoming temporarily separated from her family after more than 1.000 people were ferried in to an already overcrowded shelter area at the Athens' port of Piraeus, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Migrants sit on the rail tracks awaiting on the Greek side of the border to enter Macedonia near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macedonian police fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants after they stormed a metal fence along the border with Greece on Monday, as refugees were blocked from travelling between the two countries on the main route to Western Europe. Macedonia is restricting the entry of refugees to match the number of those leaving the country, allowing in only refugees from Syria and Iraq, in response to bottlenecks further up along the Balkans migrant route. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
The Latest: UN chief: Border limits violate 'human decency'
IDOMENI, Greece (AP) The Latest on Europe's migration crisis (all times local):
10:50 p.m.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says border restrictions being imposed in Europe to stem the flow of migrants "are not in line with international law or with common human decency."
Syrian refugees walk on a road towards the Greek border station of Idomeni Tuesday, March, 1 2016. Some 7,000 migrants, including many from Syria and Iraq, are crammed into a tiny camp at the Greek border village of Idomeni, and hundreds more are arriving daily. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Ban made the comments Tuesday in Madrid after Greek police said up to 10,000 mostly Syrian and Iraqi refugees were stuck at the country's Idomeni border crossing in deteriorating conditions.
The Idomeni crossing has become a key flashpoint in Europe's migration crisis. Several nations led by Austria have imposed refugee caps and border restrictions over the past 10 days, creating a huge backlog of migrants in Greece.
Ban says he's concerned about the restrictions along land migration routes, adding that "every asylum seeker has the right to his or her application to be considered individually."
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5:55 p.m.
Senior police officials from countries along the so-called Balkan migrant corridor have agreed to work together to establish a flow of migrants along the route that will ease the pressure at the border between Greece and Macedonia.
Officials from Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria said Tuesday that control of the region's borders is crucial to prevent illegal entry, while allowing through those who have the right to seek asylum in EU countries. They say joint profiling of migrants is necessary to determine who can proceed.
Serbian police director Vladimir Rebic says "we didn't discuss quotas, but how to prevent misuse." He warns uncontrolled migrant flows present a security risk.
Tighter entry rules by the Balkan countries have slowed down the movement along the route, leaving thousands stranded in Greece.
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5:30 p.m.
Greece's main media union is deploring the left-led government's decision to suspend media access to all migrant registration and transit camps in the country.
The POESY union is urging the government to "immediately rescind" the ban.
In a statement Tuesday, the union said there can be no excuse for restricting fundamental rights, and said reporting on the immigration crisis should include living conditions at migrant centers.
The government argued that the decision was dictated by overcrowding at migrant facilities.
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4:40 p.m.
The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet French President Francois Hollande in Paris on Friday to prepare for a European Union summit with Turkey.
Merkel views diplomacy with Turkey as the key to reducing the influx of migrants to European Union member Greece. She is resisting pressure for national restrictions like the cap on incoming refugees imposed by Austria.
EU leaders are to meet Turkey's prime minister in Brussels on Monday in an effort to push forward efforts to protect the bloc's external border.
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4:10 p.m.
Austria's chancellor is holding firm on border restrictions choking the flow of migrants along the Balkan route to West Europe, reflecting the failure of a top EU official to persuade him to change his mind.
Werner Faymann insists his country must control its borders to stop the "unorganized chaos" he says has characterized the EU's approach to dealing with the migrant crisis.
He said Tuesday that Austria is neither a "waiting room for Germany" nor in an allusion to Greece prepared to accept the "policy of waving through" migrants to the rest of the EU through Austria.
Faymann spoke after meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk. Indirectly rejecting the Austrian restrictions, Tusk said all EU nations need to get back to fully applying "common rules" of open borders.
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3:45 p.m.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the buildup of migrants at the Greek-Macedonian border isn't comparable to the situation last September, when she agreed to let in thousands of people who had piled up in Hungary.
Merkel said after meeting Croatia's prime minister on Tuesday that preparations have been made in recent months to deal with the hundreds of people arriving daily in Greece. She said: "There are accommodation possibilities ... in Greece, they should be used by the refugees."
Merkel reiterated that the aim is to have a mechanism to distribute refugees arriving in Greece to other European countries. She stressed "there is not a right for a refugee to say, 'I want to get asylum in a particular country in the European Union.'"
Germany saw nearly 1.1 million people register as asylum-seekers last year.
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2:50 p.m.
The head of Europe's border control agency says the numbers of migrants crossing into Europe in January and February this year was thirty times higher than the levels reached at the same time last year.
Frontex chief Fabrice Leggeri spoke Tuesday in the Turkish capital of Ankara. He is in Turkey to discuss border management and the fight against smugglers. His visit came as Turkey is under pressure to deliver on a pledge to crack down on the huge numbers of migrants trying to cross into Greece.
The Frontex chief welcomed the creation within the Turkish national police of a special center to fight smugglers.
Leggeri said: "The struggle against smugglers is necessary to ensure that the migrants are not victims of these traffickers."
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12:15 p.m.
About two dozen migrants protesting the demolition of a sprawling camp in northern France are occupying shanty rooftops, and are surrounded by police.
The slow tear-down of the encampment in Calais is continuing, angering migrants who live there in squalid conditions in hopes of reaching a better life in Britain.
In Tuesday's protest, a man and a woman on a rooftop warned police not to come closer. But police moved in, and the woman sliced her wrists. The man was beaten with batons and both were removed from the roof. The woman was conscious, but her condition wasn't immediately known.
French authorities are blaming the activist group No Borders for the ongoing unrest.
Calais is temporary home to an estimated 4,000 migrants, down from 6,000 in December.
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11:20 a.m.
More than 7,000 refugees and other migrants are camped on Greece's northern border with Macedonia, waiting for authorities to allow them to continue their long trek north to seek asylum in wealthier European countries.
The Idomeni crossing has been closed for nearly 24 hours, following clashes when hundreds of migrants tried to force their way into Macedonia, whose police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
Hundreds of small tents stood Tuesday in the fields around an official migrant camp on the Greek side of the border that can take no more people.
Some migrants have been waiting at Idomeni for more than a week, as even when the border is open Macedonia allows in no more than a few hundred, citing a similar policy by Serbia further north.
Migrants and activists stand on the roofs of dwellings in an attempt to prevent them from being dismantled, as police patrol, in a makeshift camp near Calais, France, Tuesday March 1, 2016. The slow tear-down of the encampment in Calais continued Tuesday, angering migrants who live there in squalid conditions in hopes of reaching a better life in Britain. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
Police surrounds activists standing on the roofs of dwellings in an attempt to prevent them from being dismantled in a makeshift migrants camp near Calais, France, Tuesday March 1, 2016. The slow tear-down of the encampment in Calais continued Tuesday, angering migrants who live there in squalid conditions in hopes of reaching a better life in Britain. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
Syrian refugees walk through a motorway in their effort to arrive the Greek border station of Idomeni Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Some 7,000 migrants, including many from Syria and Iraq, are crammed into a tiny camp at the Greek border village of Idomeni, and hundreds more are arriving daily. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Macedonian soldiers patrol beside the railway track blocked by two lines of protective fence reinforced with barbed wire along the border line between Macedonia and Greece, near southern Macedonia's town of Gevgelija, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macedonian police fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants after they stormed a metal fence along the border with Greece on Monday, Feb. 29, as refugees were blocked from traveling between the two countries on the main route to Western Europe. Macedonia is restricting the entry of refugees to match the number of those leaving the country, allowing in only refugees from Syria and Iraq, in response to bottlenecks further up along the Balkans migrant route. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Syrian refugees walk on a motorway towards the Greek border station of Idomeni Tuesday, March, 1 2016. Some 7,000 migrants, including many from Syria and Iraq, are crammed into a tiny camp at the Greek border village of Idomeni, and hundreds more are arriving daily. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Macedonian soldiers patrol between two lines of protective fence reinforced with barbed wire along the border line between Macedonia and Greece, near southern Macedonia's town of Gevgelija, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macedonian police fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants after they stormed a metal fence along the border with Greece on Monday, Feb. 29, as refugees were blocked from traveling between the two countries on the main route to Western Europe. Macedonia is restricting the entry of refugees to match the number of those leaving the country, allowing in only refugees from Syria and Iraq, in response to bottlenecks further up along the Balkans migrant route. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Following an uneventful night, members of the search and rescue team from MOAS, Migrant Offshore Aid Station, a Malta-based organization aiming to rescue migrants at sea, practice during a training session on the deck of the rescue vessel as it patrols between the eastern Greek Island of Agathonisi and Turkish shores, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Greece is unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey and many thousands of migrants are prepared to risk making the sea crossing despite the dangers.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Following an uneventful night, members of the search and rescue team from MOAS, Migrant Offshore Aid Station, a Malta-based organization aiming to rescue migrants at sea, board one of their speedboats as they pose for the MOAS photographer during a training session on the deck of their rescue vessel as it patrols between the eastern Greek Island of Agathonisi and Turkish shores, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Greece is unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey and many thousands of migrants are prepared to risk making the sea crossing despite the dangers. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Following an uneventful night, members of the search and rescue team from MOAS, Migrant Offshore Aid Station, a Malta-based organization aiming to rescue migrants at sea, practice during a training session on the deck of the rescue vessel as it patrols between the eastern Greek Island of Agathonisi and Turkish shores, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Greece is unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey and many thousands of migrants are prepared to risk making the sea crossing despite the dangers. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Following an uneventful night, members of the search and rescue team from MOAS, Migrant Offshore Aid Station, a Malta-based organization aiming to rescue migrants at sea, practice during a training session on the deck of the rescue vessel as it patrols between the eastern Greek Island of Agathonisi and Turkish shores, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Greece is unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey and many thousands of migrants are prepared to risk making the sea crossing despite the dangers. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Following an uneventful night, members of the search and rescue team from MOAS, Migrant Offshore Aid Station, a Malta-based organization, aimed at rescuing migrants at sea, board one of their speedboats as they pose for the MOAS photographer during a training session on the deck of the rescue vessel as it patrols between the eastern Greek Island of Agathonisi and Turkish shores, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Greece is unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey and many thousands of migrants are prepared to risk making the sea crossing despite the dangers. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Under the protection of French riot police, workers dismantle sheds and tents in a makeshift migrants camp near Calais, France, Tuesday March 1, 2016. The slow tear-down of the encampment in Calais continues Tuesday, angering migrants who live there, although they have had to cope with squalid conditions. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
French riot police secure an area where French officials tell migrants they must leave in a makeshift migrants camp near Calais, France, Tuesday March 1, 2016. The slow tear-down of the encampment in Calais continues Tuesday, angering migrants who live there, although they have to cope with squalid conditions. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
A migrant packs his bag to leave before workers at right start to dismantle his shed in a makeshift camp near Calais, France, Tuesday March 1, 2016. The slow tear-down of the encampment in Calais continues Tuesday, angering migrants who live there, although they have to cope with squalid conditions. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
Migrants and activists stand on the roofs of dwellings in an attempt to prevent them from being dismantled in a makeshift camp near Calais, France, Tuesday March 1, 2016. The slow tear-down of the encampment in Calais continued Tuesday, angering migrants who live there in squalid conditions in hopes of reaching a better life in Britain. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
Migrants and activists burn wood to stay warm as dwellings are dismantled in a makeshift camp near Calais, France, Tuesday March 1, 2016. The slow tear-down of the encampment in Calais continues Tuesday, angering migrants who live there, a;though they have to cope with squalid conditions. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
French riot police secure an area where French officials tell migrants they must leave in a makeshift migrants camp near Calais, France, Tuesday March 1, 2016. The slow tear-down of the encampment in Calais continues Tuesday, angering migrants who live there, although they have to cope with squalid conditions. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
Syrian refugees walk through a motorway in their effort to arrive the Greek border station of Idomeni Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Some 7,000 migrants, including many from Syria and Iraq, are crammed into a tiny camp at the Greek border village of Idomeni, and hundreds more are arriving daily. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Macedonian soldiers patrol beside the railway track blocked by two lines of protective fence reinforced with barbed wire along the border line between Macedonia and Greece, near southern Macedonia's town of Gevgelija, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macedonian police fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants after they stormed a metal fence along the border with Greece on Monday, Feb. 29, as refugees were blocked from traveling between the two countries on the main route to Western Europe. Macedonia is restricting the entry of refugees to match the number of those leaving the country, allowing in only refugees from Syria and Iraq, in response to bottlenecks further up along the Balkans migrant route. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
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Irish leaders seek new government formula after election
DUBLIN (AP) Ireland's shell-shocked leaders are convening for the first time since last weekend's election to plot how to form a new government, a search with no easy answer in a hung parliament.
Senior figures in the two-party government of Prime Minister Enda Kenny say their 5-year-old coalition effectively lost Friday's inconclusive election.
Three ministers sitting at the Cabinet table Tuesday failed to win re-election, but all ministers will remain in office until a new government is formed.
Enda Kenny arrives at the Mayo Convention Centre in Castlebar, Ireland, where counting continues in the Irish general election, Saturday Feb. 27, 2016. (Niall Carson/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT
Electoral officials spent a fourth day recounting votes in three constituencies where the validity of ballot papers and accuracy of previous counts is disputed.
With six seats still up for grabs in Ireland's 158-member parliament, Kenny's Fine Gael has won 49 seats, opposition Fianna Fail 44, and Kenny's coalition partner Labour just six.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny leaves after voting at a polling station at St Anthony's School in Castlebar, Mayo, Friday Feb. 26, 2016. Ireland could be on course for a historic coalition between two longtime political foes the Fine Gael and Fianna Fail parties as the first official election results were announced Saturday. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT
Enda Kenny arrives at the Royal Theatre in Castlebar, Ireland, where counting continues in the Irish general election, Saturday Feb. 27, 2016. (Niall Carson/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT
10 Things to Know for Today - 1 March 2016
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
1. CLINTON, TRUMP LOOK TO PULL AWAY FROM RIVALS
The leading Republican and Democratic candidates are hoping to build all but insurmountable leads on Super Tuesday.
FILE - In this July 27, 2013, file photo, North Korean soldiers turn and look towards their leader Kim Jong Un as they carry packs marked with the nuclear symbol as they parade during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea claims to have tested its first H-bomb on Jan. 6, the day after the Department of Defense report came out. That claim has been disputed, but there is no doubt it has some nuclear weapons capability and its technicians are hard at work improving the nuclear weapons in quantity and quality. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
2. CAN THE FBI FORCE APPLE TO BREAK INTO ITS OWN PRODUCTS?
A 20-year-old federal law helps explain why Congress has never explicitly granted the federal government that power.
3. OBAMA MEETS WITH SENATE REPUBLICANS VOWING TO BLOCK HIS SUPREME COURT NOMINEE
With each side unyielding, the face-to-face encounter will likely offer nothing more than talking points.
4. JUST HOW STRONG IS NORTH KOREA'S ARMY?
AP offers a branch-by-branch look based on what reporters and photographers have seen on the ground and the latest report to the U.S. Congress by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
5. WHERE RUSSIAN WARPLANES ARE SITTING IDLE
On the fourth day of the Syrian civil war's cease-fire, the AP witnesses an apparent lull in action on the tarmac of the Russian air base in Syria.
6. WHAT PANASONIC'S LATEST POLICY ANNOUNCEMENT DOESN'T SAY ABOUT JAPANESE CORPORATE CULTURE
Other Asian businesses are unlikely to follow suit on Panasonic's decision to recognizing same-sex partnerships.
7. AMERICAN REFORM RABBIS WARN OF ALIENATION FROM ISRAEL
A gathering of American Reform Rabbis in Jerusalem was marred by comments by Israeli officials denigrating the movement.
8. MORE THAN 7,000 MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES STUCK ON GREEK-MACEDONIAN BORDER
After clashes prompting the closure of the Idomeni crossing, the asylum-seekers are waiting for authorities to allow them to continue their long trek north to settle in wealthier European countries.
9. WHAT'S THE HISTORY BEHIND THE SUPERDELEGATES GIVING CLINTON AN EDGE OVER SANDERS?
Superdelegates have been there for the establishment for decades, and the system isn't going to change anytime soon despite protests from the Sanders camp.
10. WHAT'S BEHIND THE SYPHILIS OUTBREAK IN NEVADA?
Health officials say it's part of a national spike in cases tied to increased testing, a rise in anonymous sex tied to social media, and a less consistent use of condoms.
In this photo taken Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, American and Israeli Reform rabbis pray in the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city. A recent gathering of American Reform rabbis in Jerusalem was meant to celebrate the small gains the liberal Jewish movement has made in Israel in recent years. But a series of comments by Israeli leaders denigrating the group marred the event, reflecting an awkward relationship that many fear is alienating the worlds second-largest Jewish community from Israel. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
Robert Cray to celebrate B.B. King at Playboy Jazz Festival
LOS ANGELES (AP) The Robert Cray Band with guest guitarists Sonny Landreth and Roy Gaines will offer a special tribute to the late blues legend B.B. King at the 2016 Playboy Jazz Festival.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic announced the lineup Tuesday for the 38th annual Playboy festival, scheduled for the weekend of June 11-12 at the Hollywood Bowl with George Lopez returning as host.
Other headliners include the smooth jazz group Fourplay celebrating its 25th anniversary, "Late Night" bandleader Jon Batiste and Stay Human, and Los Van Van.
FILE - In this Aug. 8, 2013, file photo, Blues music legend B.B. King performs on Framptons Guitar Circus 2013 Tour at Pier Six Pavilion, in Baltimore. The Robert Cray Band with guest guitarists Sonny Landreth and Roy Gaines will offer a special tribute to the late blues legend at the 2016 Playboy Jazz Festival. The Los Angeles Philharmonic announced the lineup Tuesday, March 1, 2016, for the 38th annual Playboy festival, scheduled for the weekend of June 11-12 at the Hollywood Bowl. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)
Among those making their Playboy debuts will be singers Seth MacFarlane, Cecile McLorin Salvant and Janelle Monae; The Bad Plus with saxophonist Joshua Redman; and 12-year-old Indonesian pianist Joey Alexander, who received a standing ovation at last month's Grammy Awards.
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Online:
VIEWER'S GUIDE: Here's your guide to watching Super Tuesday
WASHINGTON (AP) A quarter of Americans have their say in the presidential nominating races on Super Tuesday.
The two front-runners, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, hope the results from nearly a dozen states signal the inevitability of their march toward the major party nominations.
Clinton challenger Bernie Sanders and Trump rivals Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are desperate to drag out the drama a little longer.
Traffic moves along 16th Street in front of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 1, 2016 as voters in several states go to the polls on so called "Super Tuesday" primary election day to select their choice to represent their political party on the crowded road to the White House. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
A guide on what to watch for:
THE TIMELINE
If vote margins aren't too tight, expect waves of race calls as polls close: Georgia, Virginia and Vermont at 7 p.m. EST (0000 GMT); Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Massachusetts at 8 p.m.; Arkansas at 8:30 p.m.; Texas, Minnesota and Colorado at 9 p.m.; Alaska at midnight. A big chunk of the electorate votes early in Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.
Caucuses are local meetings of registered party members organized by the state party. Primaries are run by the state government and are done by secret ballot at polling stations, similar to the general election.
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DEMOCRATIC DEMOGRAPHICS
Watch how Clinton does with minority voters across the South and beyond. If she can replicate the support that she got from black voters in South Carolina, where she was favored by 9 in 10 African-Americans, she'll be well-positioned to get the nomination. Watch how Sanders does among everyone but the youngest voters. He lost every age group but the under-30 crowd in South Carolina, which is not a big enough slice of the population to get him to the nomination.
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CRUZ'S CROWN JEWEL
It's all about Texas for Cruz. After three straight third-place finishes in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, the Texas senator likely couldn't survive a Super Tuesday embarrassment in his own state. More than 1.7 million voters have already cast early ballots there, representing about 7 percent of registered Republicans. Even if Cruz wins the state, he's not guaranteed all 155 Republican delegates; the state awards them proportionally.
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SOUTHERN COMFORT
With seven Southern states casting ballots, it's time to see if Clinton can erect the much-talked-about southern firewall. If Sanders can't show strength beyond his Northeast home base in Vermont and neighboring Massachusetts, he'll know he's in trouble.
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THE MATH
In the end, it's all about the delegates. And about a quarter of them, awarded proportionally, are decided on Super Tuesday. Trump came into Super Tuesday with 82, Cruz, 18, Rubio 16, Kasich 6 and Carson 4. It takes 1,237 to win the Republican nomination. Clinton entered Super Tuesday with 546 delegates including superdelegates, the party leaders and members of Congress who can support any candidate. Sanders had 87. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the Democratic nomination
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AP Writers Stephen Ohlemacher in Washington and Will Weissert in Houston contributed to this report.
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., greets supporters during a campaign rally at Milton High School in Milton, Mass., Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign rally in Norfolk, Va., Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
NASCAR Driver Chase Elliott, accompanied by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, and NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, second from left, speaks at a Trump rally at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Ga., Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wait in their seats before a campaign appearance by Cruz, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Poland honors thousands of anti-communist fighters
WARSAW, Poland (AP) Poland on Tuesday honored thousands of anti-communist fighters persecuted and killed during the early years of the Soviet-imposed regime, which ignored their existence in history books for decades.
The nationwide observances, led by President Andrzej Duda, are part of democratic Poland's efforts to recognize the sacrifice of men and women who actively opposed the communist regime, which seized power in 1944 as the Red Army was defeating German troops at the end of World War II. The fighters were a taboo topic under communism. A national holiday in their memory was established in 2011, but its status and form was raised this year by the new, conservative government that took power in November and aims to restore the forgotten or banned chapters of Poland's history.
These fighters "were on the side of a free Poland, they fought to the end and never gave up," Duda said at a ceremony in the Presidential Palace, adding that punishments for such activities at the time included "prison, torture, suffering and pain."
March 1 marks the anniversary of the 1951 execution of seven leaders of anti-communist resistance at a Warsaw prison, following a trial before a military court that was to sow fear in the nation. Their bodies, like those of other victims of the regime, were dumped in unmarked holes in the ground. Some of those mass graves have not been found until today.
Remains of over 100 victims were revealed in 2012 under a lawn at a Warsaw cemetery. Some of them have been identified through DNA matching with their living relatives. The area has been turned into a memorial site for all those killed from 1944-56. State officials and families of the victims laid wreaths there on Tuesday.
The Latest: Attorney says Ohio school suspect is 'overcome'
HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) The Latest on the school shooting near Middletown, Ohio (all times local):
5 p.m.
The attorney for a 14-year-old boy accused of shooting fellow students in an Ohio school cafeteria says he hasn't been willing to talk much and appears to be "overcome" by the situation.
Parents run to see if they are allowed to pick up their kids at Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Attorney Ed Perry also tells The Associated Press that James Austin Hancock's family wants the families of those hurt and the Madison Local Schools community in general to know that they are very concerned and saddened about them. They declined to talk with reporters Tuesday morning outside the juvenile courtroom where Perry entered a denial of charges including attempted murder for Hancock.
He says it's been difficult to get the youth to talk with him, but he says he hopes that will change in the days ahead. Hancock is being held in juvenile detention pending an April 5 hearing.
Perry wasn't aware of Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones' contention that the youth should be prosecuted as an adult, but said that's an issue "we will be concerned about."
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4:15 p.m.
A 14-year-old boy accused of shooting students in an Ohio school cafeteria has denied charges including attempted murder.
An attorney for James Austin Hancock entered the juvenile court equivalent of a not guilty plea on Tuesday, a day after police say the teen opened fire during lunch and shot two students.
Hancock is charged with attempted murder, felonious assault, inducing panic and making terroristic threats.
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says authorities have interviewed the youth and believe they know a motive, but they won't reveal it while their investigation is continuing.
The superintendent of Madison Local Schools says schools will reopen Wednesday.
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11:45 a.m.
An Ohio sheriff says the 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting apparently was carrying a handgun all morning before he jumped up in the cafeteria and opened fire.
Sheriff Richard Jones says it's believed that the youth obtained a .380-caliber gun from a family member, but the investigation is continuing. He also repeated that authorities also believe they know a motive in the Monday lunchtime shooting, but aren't releasing any details to avoid jeopardizing the case.
Jones says as terrifying as the shooting was, it's a relief that no lives were lost. He says it's the first school shooting in memory in Butler County in southwest Ohio, although there have been repeated school lockdowns because of threats in recent months.
He calls on school officials throughout the counties to recognize that such shootings can happen anywhere, and to take action to be sure their schools are protected.
The youth's attorney denied the charges Tuesday in juvenile court.
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11 a.m.
The sheriff of the Ohio county in where four students were injured in a school shooting wants the 14-year-old suspect prosecuted in adult court.
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones tells The Associated Press that while that might sound harsh, he believes it's important to "send a message" to students that using guns isn't like playing a video game.
He says he is making the recommendation to the prosecutor's office, which hasn't indicated whether it will seek to move the case from juvenile court. The youth's attorney entered a denial of charges for him Tuesday morning and he remains in juvenile detention in Hamilton.
Jones says besides the students who were wounded or otherwise injured, many students have likely been traumatized by Monday's shootings.
He also is renewing his call for all schools to have police resource officers, as Madison Local Schools do, and for allowing specially trained school staff to be armed.
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10:30 a.m.
Officials at an Ohio school where two students were shot say classes will resume Wednesday, and that students and parents can walk through the school Tuesday evening in preparation for their return.
Madison Local Schools Superintendent Curtis Philpot says crisis counselors will be available and that school staff including bus drivers and teachers will pay extra attention to make students feel comfortable about going back to school, two days after Monday's lunchtime shooting that resulted in four students being hurt.
He says there will be extra staff available Wednesday in the cafeteria where the shooting took place.
Philpot says the "No. 1 priority" is to make students feel safe and comfortable.
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9:30 a.m.
A 14-year-old boy accused of shooting students at an Ohio school will remain in juvenile detention under a magistrate's instructions.
He's charged with attempted murder, felonious assault, inducing panic and making terroristic threats. His attorney entered a denial of the charges Tuesday in Butler County juvenile court.
The boy's ankles were shackled as he sat silently during the brief hearing. He kept his head down, reading the complaint. He was ordered to remain in custody pending a hearing April 5.
His attorney and supporters declined to comment afterward.
Authorities say the boy fired at students Monday in a Madison Local Schools cafeteria. Two students were shot, and two others were hurt. The injuries weren't considered life-threatening.
It's unclear whether prosecutors might seek to move the case to adult court.
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8:30 a.m.
A recording indicates a 911 caller reporting a shooting at a southwest Ohio school immediately identified the suspect by name.
Breathing heavily, the unidentified caller gives the name of a 14-year-old boy and tells a dispatcher, "He just pulled out his gun and started shooting."
The scene Monday in a Madison Local Schools cafeteria left four students hurt. Two were shot. Investigators say the other two might have been injured by shrapnel or while running away. The injuries weren't considered life-threatening.
Sheriff Richard Jones said he's aware of a motive but wasn't ready to release it.
The suspect was caught nearby and was expected to appear Tuesday morning in Butler County juvenile court. It wasn't immediately clear if he has an attorney.
The school district canceled classes and activities Tuesday.
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7 a.m.
An Ohio school district is closed and all extracurricular activities cancelled as authorities investigate a shooting by a 14-year-old boy that injured four students, including two who were hit by gunfire.
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones in southwestern Ohio says he's aware of a motive in Monday's shooting at Madison Local Schools but isn't ready to release it.
Authorities say the boy pulled out a gun in a school cafeteria and opened fire, hitting two students, and then ran from the school.
The boy threw the weapon down and was apprehended nearby with the help of a police dog.
Two other Madison Local Schools students also were injured, possibly from shrapnel or from running away.
None of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, near Middletown, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting that wounded four classmates, including two who were shot, is in a juvenile lock-up and facing several charges. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says the boy has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Butler County Sheriff Deputies stand on the scene at Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Butler County Sheriff Deputies stand on the scene at Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Cara Owsley/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; NO SALES
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Marshall Gorby/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Parents and community members form a prayer circle as they wait to pick up their kids Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Police vehicles block the entrance of Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, near Middletown, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting that wounded four classmates, including two who were shot, is in a juvenile lock-up and facing several charges. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says the boy has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
The Latest: Police ID black man fatally shot by officer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) The Latest on the shooting of a suspect by a Raleigh police officer (all times local):
2:50 p.m.
The State Bureau of Investigation is confirming the identity of a black man who was fatally shot by a police officer.
Rolonda Byrd, who says she is the mother of shooting victim Akiel Denkins, cries during a news conference near the scene of the shooting in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Authorities say that a police officer fatally shot a man Monday while trying to make an arrest for a felony drug charge. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The agency says 24-year-old Akiel Denkins, of Raleigh, was killed and that agents have talked to his mother, Rolonda Byrd. She had earlier complained that authorities had not told her that her son had been killed and that they wouldn't let her see his body.
The news release from the State Bureau of Investigation said its report would be delivered to the Wake County District Attorney's office upon its completion. It did not release any other details.
Raleigh police said Monday that Senior Officer D.C. Twiddy opened fire on the suspect when he was serving an arrest warrant. Police say a gun was found near Denkins, but it's not clear if he was armed during the chase.
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11:45 a.m.
The head of the North Carolina NAACP is calling on authorities to conduct a fair and transparent investigation into the fatal police shooting of black man who was being chased on foot.
The Rev. William Barber II said at a news conference Tuesday that if someone is running away, that is not a "license to kill."
Rolonda Byrd says she is the mother of the man who is believed to have been killed. She says she has talked to the medical examiner and police chief, but they have not told her definitively that her son Akiel Denkins was killed. She also says she hasn't been allowed to look at the body.
Church pastors and neighborhood residents have said the slain man was Denkins, who was 24.
Police are releasing few details about the case. Raleigh police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown said Monday an officer was pursuing a man who was wanted on a felony drug charge when the officer opened fire. The chief said a gun was found near the suspect's body, but she did not say whether it was his.
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8:40 a.m.
The North Carolina NAACP plans to hold a news conference Tuesday morning on the shooting of a man by a Raleigh police officer.
The civil rights group says the news conference will occur at the site where the man was shot shortly after noon Monday.
The man's name hasn't been officially released by authorities. Police have said he was wanted on drug charges.
The officer was Senior Officer D.C. Twiddy, who's been with the department since 2009. Twiddy is on administrative leave while the State Bureau of Investigation and the Raleigh Police Department investigates the shooting.
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4:20 a.m.
A neighborhood in Raleigh, North Carolina, is awaiting answers about what led an officer to fatally shoot a man wanted on a drug charge as authorities continue investigating.
Eyewitnesses have offered descriptions of what happened to the man after an officer chased him into a backyard, and one woman said she ran down a side street after hearing gunshots.
Police spokesman Jim Sughrue says Senior Officer D.C. Twiddy was the officer involved in the shooting. He says the 29-year-old Twiddy has been placed on administrative leave, in accordance with department policy, while the State Bureau of Investigation looks into the matter.
Sughrue says the identity of the victim could be released Tuesday.___
Associated Press writers Emery P. Dalesio, Allen G. Breed and Martha Waggoner contributed to this report.
A man sits at the scene of a fatal shooting in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. Authorities say that a police officer shot and killed a man while trying to make an arrest for a felony drug charge. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Destiny Brown, left, and Bonnie King light candles during a vigil near the scene of a fatal shooting in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. Authorities say that a police officer shot and killed a man while trying to make an arrest for a felony drug charge. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Rev. William Barber II, right, head of the North Carolina National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, speaks during a news conference as Rolonda Byrd, left, who says she is the mother of shooting victim Akiel Denkins, listens near the scene of a shooting in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Authorities say that a police officer fatally killed a man Monday while trying to make an arrest for a felony drug charge. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
A man who identified himself as A. Wilson pays tribute to Akiel Denkins, 24, Tuesday, March 1, 2015 at a makeshift memorial near the intersection of Bragg and South East Streets in Raleigh,N.C. Denkins died during a Raleigh police officer involved shooting Monday. (Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP) MAGAZINES OUT, TV AND TV WEBSITES OUT
A makeshift memorial sits near the scene of a shooting in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Authorities say that a police officer fatally killed a man Monday while trying to make an arrest for a felony drug charge. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
People gather around candles and flowers placed at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Authorities say that a police officer fatally killed a man Monday while trying to make an arrest for a felony drug charge. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Court: Nigerian governments must account for returned funds
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) A Nigerian Federal High Court is ordering governments going back to 1999 to account for hundreds of millions of dollars that were returned by foreign governments because the funds were deemed to have been looted from the Nigerian state, according to the civil rights group that filed the suit.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project hailed the "landmark judgment" won through a freedom of information suit to shine light on an issue so obscure no one can even say how many billions of dollars are involved.
"It is so opaque, that is why we did not specify any amount in the court case," said Olukayode Majekodunmi, the group's deputy director, though he said their records indicated some $2.4 billion has been returned to Nigeria. Now the group wants to know what has happened to those funds.
A statement Monday from the civil rights group says Friday's ruling orders the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that his government as well as those of Goodluck Jonathan, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and Olusegun Obasanjo "account fully for all recovered loot."
Most was stolen by Nigeria's last military dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha. The United States in 2014 froze nearly half a billion dollars of illicit Abacha funds but has yet to say if they will be repatriated. Hundreds of millions have been frozen by the United States, Switzerland, Britain, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.
Nigerian and foreign rights organizations charge that some of the $505 million repatriated from Swiss banks was stolen a second time by corrupt officials. Luxembourg and Liechtenstein also have returned hundreds of millions of dollars.
In the latest controversy, the project is demanding accountability from former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for releasing more than $300 million to the office of the national security adviser for the purchase of weapons to fight the Boko Haram Islamic uprising. All looted funds were returned on condition they were to be spent on development.
Facebook's Latin American boss arrested in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Police in Sao Paulo have arrested Facebook's most senior executive in Latin America in the latest clash between Brazilian authorities and the social media company over its refusal to provide private information about its users to law enforcement.
A Tuesday news release says that Facebook's vice president for Latin America, Diego Dzodan, was arrested on an order from a judge in the northeastern state of Sergipe. Dzodan is accused of ignoring a judicial order in a secret investigation involving organized crime and drug trafficking.
The decision by Judge Marcel Montalvao follows the company's refusal to surrender user information from the WhatsApp messaging service, an application Facebook bought in 2014.
Facebook said in a written statement released Tuesday that the two companies operate independently "so the decision to arrest an employee from another company is an extreme and unwarranted step". WhatsApp said in its own statement that it had "cooperated as much as we could given the architecture of our service." It said the company was "unable to provide information we do not have".
But Monica Horta, a police spokeswoman in Sergipe, said that the arrest was made because neither Facebook nor WhatsApp responded to the request for information first issued four months ago. Two months ago, Montalvao started to fine the company 50,000 Brazilian reais ($12,700) for every day it ignored the order, an amount that rose to 1 million Brazilian reais ($250,000) daily over the past month.
Brazilian police argue that Facebook's stance is at odds with Yahoo, Google and local telecommunications companies, which have been willing to hand over user information to help investigations.
A separate judicial order forced Brazil's telecommunications companies in December to block WhatsApp over its refusal to cooperate with a police inquiry. The move snarled communications for many of its 100 million users in Brazil for around 12 hours. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the time said he was "stunned" by the "extreme decision".
Brazilians are among the world's most voracious users of social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. Around half of the country's 200 million people use WhatsApp.
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Honeywell walks away from $90B bid for United Technologies
NEW YORK (AP) Honeywell abandoned a bid worth more than $90 billion for rival United Technologies, saying it did not want to force a deal with an unwilling partner.
United Technologies rejected the offer last week, saying a tie-up of the two industrial conglomerates would never be approved by anti-trust regulators.
Honeywell said it disagreed, but that it would not go any further if United Technologies was not willing.
FILE - This Jan. 18, 2011, file photo, shows the Honeywell Specialty Materials plant in Metropolis, Ill. Honeywell International Inc. said Tuesday, March 1, 2016, that it is abandoning its $90 billion buyout attempt of rival United Technologies. United Technologies Corp. had rejected the offer, saying a tie-up of the two industrial conglomerates would never be approved by anti-trust regulators. (Steve Jahnke/The Southern Illinoisan via AP, File) MANDATORY CREDIT
The two companies had held talks for some time before those negotiations became public. United Technologies had brought up the possibility of combining the companies in 2011 and 2015, Honeywell said.
During a meeting last month, Honeywell said it was told by United Technology executives that "such a combination would be fabulous" and that "they would take it very seriously."
At some point the mood soured however, and Honeywell says United Technologies has since been unwilling to engage in negotiations.
United Technologies said Tuesday that Honeywell's retreat "is the appropriate outcome given the strong regulatory obstacles."
Both companies are big players in the aerospace sector. Honeywell, based in Morris Plains, New Jersey, also makes thermostats and security systems. United Technologies, of Farmington, Connecticut, also makes elevators and fire alarms.
Kerry: 2 Pakistanis working with US mission killed by bomb
WASHINGTON (AP) Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that two Pakistanis working with the U.S. Consulate in the northwestern city of Peshawar were killed by a roadside bomb while on a mission to eradicate drug cultivation.
Kerry told an audience at the State Department that he awoke to news that the pair had been killed. He lamented the deaths as senseless and denounced the perpetrators.
State Department spokesman John Kirby later confirmed that two Pakistani employees of the U.S. mission were killed in the attack on a Pakistani government anti-narcotics convoy. He condemned the attack and said the U.S. had offered assistance to Pakistan in "investigating the incident and bringing the perpetrators to justice."
A Pakistani government administrator said the bomb targeted Pakistani officials working for a USAID-funded project for the eradication of poppies in the northwestern tribal region of Anbar, killing two of them and wounding four others.
Naveed Khan said he did not know whether those killed or wounded were also working for the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar.
"I can only confirm that a Pakistani inspector working for a USAID-funded project was killed along with his driver in an IED blast today," he said, using the abbreviation for improvised explosive device.
Khan said the two were working in the Narcotics Affairs section of a government department.
Ahsanullah Ahsan, a spokesman for Jamatul Ahrar a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Two Roman Catholic bishops who led a Pennsylvania diocese helped cover up the sexual abuse of hundreds of children by more than 50 priests or religious leaders over a 40-year period, according to a grand jury report issued on Tuesday.
The 147-page report on the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese was based partly on evidence from a secret diocesan archive uncovered through a search warrant executed last year, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane.
'These predators desecrated a sacred trust and preyed upon their victims in the very places where they should have felt most safe,' Kane said in a statement.
'Just as troubling is the cover-up perpetrated by clergy leaders that allowed this abuse to continue for decades.'
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Bishops Joseph Adamec (left) and James Hogan (right) are accused of covering up the sexual abuse of hundreds of children by more than 50 priests or religious leaders from the 1960s
The 147-page report on the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese (pictured, the administration building in Altoona) was based partly on evidence from a secret diocesan archive uncovered through a search warrant last year
But no criminal charges are being filed because some abusers have died, the statute of limitations has expired and, in some cases, victims are too traumatized to testify, she said.
The report is especially critical of Bishops James Hogan and Joseph Adamec.
Hogan, who led the diocese from 1966 to 1986, died in 2005. Adamec, who succeeded him, retired in 2011.
Adamec or his staff threatened some alleged abuse victims with excommunication, and generally worked harder to hide or settle allegations of abuse than to sanction the priests accused of committing them, the report contends.
Adamec even created a 'payout chart' to help guide how much victims would receive from the Church, the report said.
Victims fondled over their clothes were to be paid $10,000 to $25,000; fondled under their clothes or subjected to masturbation, $15,000 to $40,000; subjected to forced oral sex, $25,000 to $75,000; subjected to forced sodomy or intercourse, $50,000 to $175,000.
Adamec cited possible self-incrimination in refusing to testify before the grand jury in November. But in a court filing, his attorney said the accusations against the retired 80-year-old bishop are unfounded.
No criminal charges are being filed because some abusers have died, the statute of limitations has expired and, in some cases, victims are too traumatized to testify, she said. Pictured above, Bishop Hogan (right) with Pope John Paul II in Rome
The 147-page report said Adamec (pictured receiving a charity check) created a 'payout chart' to help guide how much victims would receive from the Church
'Bishop Adamec's handling of abuse allegations has no similarity to other clergy abuse scandals,' his attorney wrote.
Adamec required 14 priests accused under his watch to undergo psychiatric evaluation, the filing said. Nine were suspended or removed from ministry, and the five who were reinstated never re-offended, his attorney wrote.
BISHOP'S PAYOUT CHART FOR ABUSE VICTIMS Victims fondled over their clothes: $10,000 to $25,000 Fondled under their clothes or subjected to masturbation: $15,000 to $40,000 Subjected to forced oral sex: $25,000 to $75,000 subjected to forced sodomy or intercourse: $50,000 to $175,000 Advertisement
But the report said Hogan covered up abuse allegations by transferring offending priests, including by sending one accused clergyman to a school for boys.
The Church's own records show that the priest 'would have been prosecuted and convicted except that the bishop intervened and he was sent to Michigan for treatment and then placed in another parish upon his return,' the grand jury found.
It said Adamec or his staff threatened some alleged victims with excommunication.
One diocesan official under Hogan, Monsignor Philip Saylor, told the grand jury that Church officials held such sway that 'the police and civil authorities would often defer to the diocese' when priests were accused of abuse, the report said.
Saylor told the grand jury that the mayors of Altoona and Johnstown even consulted him on their choices for police chief in the 1980s.
'Politicians of Blair County were afraid of Monsignor Saylor, and he apparently persuaded the mayor to appoint me as the chief of police,' Altoona's former police chief Peter Starr testified.
Monsignor Philip Saylor (pictured), an official under Hogan, told the grand jury that Church officials held such sway that 'police and civil authorities would often defer to the diocese' when priests were accused of abuse
The current bishop, Mark Bartchak, is not accused of wrongdoing. He recently suspended a handful of priests named as alleged abusers in the report, though the grand jury said it remains 'concerned the purge of predators is taking too long'.
The investigation began when Kane's office was asked to review the handling of abuse allegations at Bishop McCort Catholic High School against an athletic trainer, Franciscan Brother Stephen Baker, who worked there from 1992 to 2001.
Baker killed himself in 2013 after abuse settlements with an Ohio diocese where he formerly worked were publicized. That investigation continues.
The clergy sex abuse crisis erupted in 2002, when The Boston Globe persuaded a judge to unseal files from the Boston Archdiocese in the case of a pedophile priest who had been transferred by bishops from parish to parish without warning parents or civil authorities.
The story of the intrepid journalists who uncovered the scandal was immortalized in the film Spotlight, which won Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards.
Following The Boston Globe's reporting, the scandal then spread nationwide as Catholics and others demanded to know the full scope of wrongdoing. Dioceses across the country have been forced to release thousands of internal files on accused priests.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops estimates that American dioceses have paid nearly $4billion since 1950 to settle claims with victims.
Argentine president: nation in bad shape but change coming
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) Argentine President Mauricio Macri painted a grim picture of the nation on Tuesday, telling Congress that the state is broke, drug traffickers are prospering and institutions including the armed forces are so weakened that the borders are barely protected and many military planes cannot fly.
Addressing Congress on the first day of the legislative session, Macri also blasted the previous administration, saying that political patronage had led to a major spike in the number of workers on government payrolls. Several thousand people have been fired since Macri assumed office in December.
"We are a great country with enormous potential," Macri said, sitting next to Vice President Gabriela Michetti as he addressed Congress. "But the first thing we must do is recognize that we are not in good shape."
Supporters hug Argentina's President Mauricio Macri as he leaves Congress after giving his first annual State of the Nation address in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macri assumed the presidency in December after campaigning on promises to modernize the economy by attracting foreign investment, root out corruption and solve a long-standing spat with creditors in the U.S. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Macri, a conservative and former mayor of Buenos Aires, campaigned on promises to modernize the economy by attracting foreign investment, root out corruption and solve a long-standing spat with creditors in the U.S.
Speaking in a somber tone during the hour-long speech, several times Macri returned to the issue of drugs. He said Argentina was a "prosperous country for drug traffickers," and added that the South American nation had become the world's third largest producer of cocaine.
The problem was exacerbated by "borders that are virtually defenseless" and a military so weakened that it possessed "planes that don't fly."
Macri addressed the long-standing fight with a group of creditors in the U.S., bluntly framing it as a problem now in the hands of Congress. On Monday, Argentina and the group of creditors led by billionaire investor Paul Singer announced a tentative deal, potentially putting an end to years of legal fights that have kept the South American nation from accessing international credit markets.
The deal, however, must be approved by Congress, where Macri doesn't have majorities in either chamber and will likely face stiff opposition from some sectors of the Peronist Party, which lost the presidency for the first time in 12 years in last year's election.
Macri said he trusted legislators would "be responsible" in their rhetoric and "we'll build the necessary consensus" to pass a deal.
Former President Cristina Fernandez refused to negotiate with the group of creditors she called "vultures," even after New York federal court Judge Thomas Griesa repeatedly ruled against Argentina.
Macri said the decision not to engage had cost Argentina dearly. He said the total hanging debt went from about $3 billion in the beginning to about $11 billion, and that the inability to access international credit markets had cost Argentina $100 billion and millions of jobs. He did not explain how he came to those numbers, but the implicit message to Congress was clear: don't mess this up.
Roberto Bacman, director of the Center for Public Opinion Studies, a South American research firm, said Macri will likely get the votes he needs to pass the deal with the holdouts, but that will mean negotiating on other things, like supreme court nominations.
"Votes are never free," said Bacman, adding that the biggest threat to Macri's ability to govern was the high inflation. Last year, it was estimated around 30 percent. After a sharp devaluation of the peso in December, prices have continued to soar.
Macri commented on the inflation, and said that the solution was to get the economy growing again after four years of virtual stagnation in its gross domestic product. He said the process would take time, and blamed the previous administration for "700 percent inflation in the last 10 years."
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Argentina's President Mauricio Macri kisses supporters as he leaves Congress after giving his first annual State of the Nation address in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macri assumed the presidency in December after campaigning on promises to modernize the economy by attracting foreign investment, root out corruption and solve a long-standing spat with creditors in the U.S. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Argentina's President Mauricio Macri arrives to open the 2016 session of Congress and give the annual State of the Nation address, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. A day after Argentina and a group of U.S. creditors announced a deal in a longstanding debt standoff, has given President Macri a boost. Macri who assumed power in December after campaigning on promises to modernize South America's second-largest economy by solving the dispute and attracting foreign investment. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Argentina's President Mauricio Macri gives an annual State of the Nation address to open the 2016 session of Congress and in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. A day after Argentina and a group of U.S. creditors announced a deal in a longstanding debt standoff, has given President Macri a boost. Macri who assumed power in December after campaigning on promises to modernize South America's second-largest economy by solving the dispute and attracting foreign investment. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Supporters of Argentina's President Mauricio Macri stand outside the National Congress as the President opens the 2016 session of Congress for his annual State of the Nation address, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. A day after Argentina and a group of U.S. creditors announced a deal in a longstanding debt standoff, has given President Macri a boost. Macri assumed power in December after campaigning on promises to modernize South America's second-largest economy by solving the dispute and attracting foreign investment. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Detectives: Woman accused of kidnapping baby had miscarriage
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) A 23-year-old woman who is charged with kidnapping her cousin's baby at gunpoint had a miscarriage in January but told others she had given birth, detectives said.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/1L2ufkG ) that Stephanie Augustin was ordered during a Monday court hearing to be held without bail and to undergo a mental health evaluation.
Augustin and a 14-year-old male cousin are charged with kidnapping 2-month-old Taraji Kemp. Broward County sheriff's detectives said in court documents that Augustin admitted taking the child during their interrogation, "stating 'someone' told her to do it." They wrote that she had told people she was pregnant last summer and announced giving birth in January, but actually had a miscarriage.
Detectives said Taraji and her mother were asleep at a Fort Lauderdale home Friday night when intruders took the girl. The teen allegedly pointed a gun at the mother. His public defender, David Wheeler, said it was a BB gun.
Wheeler said Augustin manipulated him into participating, inviting him to hang out and go shopping. Instead, she drove the boy to the baby's home and coerced him into participating in the kidnapping, Wheeler said.
"She is the chief architect behind this whole scheme," Wheeler said. He wants the boy's case kept in juvenile court.
Taraji was found safe Saturday at an Orlando apartment that Augustin rented. She was still in her car seat and no one else was there, detectives said.
Throughout the search Saturday, detectives were in contact with Augustin by phone but she was uncooperative, they said. She refused to meet with them or give her location, they said.
Augustin was arrested when a highway patrol trooper spotted her on the Florida's Turnpike.
Robbers on trial in France for death of local police woman
PARIS (AP) Five suspected robbers face up to life in prison for taking part in a high-speed highway chase with police in which France's first female local police officer was killed in 2010, raising a wave of indignation and a debate on the duties of the country's local police.
A total of eight defendants, aged 32 to 58, appeared in a Paris court Tuesday for the first day of a high-profile, seven-week trial in which more than 100 witnesses and dozens of plaintiffs and experts are expected to testify. Some 60 reporters attended the opening inside a large crowded courtroom.
Another suspect was never found and is tried in absentia, while yet another has been arrested in Algeria and is the subject of separate proceedings.
Three of the suspects, including the one tried in absentia, are accused of murdering local police woman Aurelie Fouquet, 26, a mother of a 14-month baby boy. The six others appearing in court Tuesday are charged with taking part or helping in the failed hold-up.
The first day of the hearing was dedicated entirely to a draw of the six jurors, a call of the 103 witnesses and a long account of the facts, with no parties speaking. The jury will deliver the verdict at the last day of the trial, set for April 15.
In May 2010, while a gang of 10 robbers divided into several groups was about to attack an armored cash-transportation van, one of their vehicles was spotted by a police car. During the 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) highway chase in morning rush hour, one of the robbers opened the back door of their van, fired at police officers with a submachine gun, unloaded the contents of tear gas canisters and fire extinguishers on their pursuers and threw the empty projectiles at the police car, according to court documents.
Several police officers and people driving their personal cars were wounded. The van used by four of the robbers left the highway and had an accident. The attackers wearing balaclavas, gloves, bulletproofs vests and battledresses got out of the van and immediately fired multiple shots at a local police car that had just arrived, fatally wounding Fouquet.
Bill to block state labeling of genetically modified foods
WASHINGTON (AP) A Senate panel on Tuesday approved a bill that would block state labeling requirements for genetically modified foods.
The Senate Agriculture Committee voted 14-6 to prevent the labeling on packages of foods that include genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Vermont is set to require such labels this summer, and other states are considering similar laws.
Senators have said they want to find a compromise on the labeling issue before Vermont's law kicks in. Sen. Pat Roberts, chairman of the panel, said a patchwork of state laws could be costly for agriculture, food companies and ultimately consumers.
"Now is not the time for Congress to make food more expensive for anybody," Roberts said.
The bill would create voluntary labels for companies that want to use them on food packages that contain genetically modified ingredients.
Genetically modified seeds are engineered in laboratories to have certain traits, like resistance to herbicides. The majority of the country's corn and soybean crop is now genetically modified, with much of that going to animal feed. Corn and soybeans are also made into popular processed food ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, corn starch and soybean oil.
The food industry says about 75 percent to 80 percent of foods contain genetically modified ingredients.
While the Food and Drug Administration says there is little scientific concern about the safety of those GMOs on the market, advocates for labeling say not enough is known about their risks
The legislation approved Tuesday is similar to a bill the House passed last year. The food industry has backed both bills, saying GMOs are safe.
Labeling advocates have been fighting state-by-state to enact the labeling, with the eventual goal of a national standard.
SodaStream layoffs expose Israel boycott conundrum
JERUSALEM (AP) The layoffs of hundreds of workers following the closure of Israeli company SodaStream's West Bank factory has even some Palestinians questioning the wisdom of the anti-Israel boycott movement. The fundamental contradiction: while Palestinians support the international outcry against the occupation of the West Bank, businesses attached to Israel's far richer economy nonetheless offer much-needed jobs.
The West Bank factory employed some 500 Palestinians, providing a lifeline to the workers in an economy where unemployment is high and wages low. But boycott activists said the factory was a product and symbol of Israel's nearly 50-year-old occupation, and part of a network of settlement businesses standing in the way of Palestinians building a vibrant economy of their own.
For years, the factory in Mishor Adumim was a prime target of the BDS movement, which calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions in what it says is a nonviolent struggle against Israeli occupation. BDS activists had lobbied stores around the world to remove the company's fizzy drink makers from their shelves until it shuttered the West Bank factory. In 2014, the company said it would shut the plant and move its operations inside Israel.
File - In this Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015 file photo, employees work at the new SodaStream factory built deep in Israel's Negev Desert next to the city of Rahat, Israel. The layoffs of hundreds of workers following the closure of Israeli drinks maker SodaStreams West Bank factory has even some Palestinians questioning the wisdom of the anti-Israel boycott movement. The fundamental contradiction: While Palestinians support the international outcry against the occupation of the West Bank, businesses attached to Israels far richer economy nonetheless offer much-needed jobs.(Photo/Dan Balilty, File)
Palestinians require permits to work inside Israel, and most of the factory workers, unable to get them, were let go last year. The 100 or so permits SodaStream managed to secure expired Monday and weren't renewed, sending the remaining Palestinian workers packing.
"I'm not against BDS," said Mohammed Jaradat, one of those workers. "They have the right to be political, but they need to find us jobs before they close factories." Jaradat, 36, worked at SodaStream for seven years and is now searching for how to support his four children.
"I cannot work in the Palestinian territories," he said. "First, there are no jobs. And second, the salaries are very low." He said Palestinian factories pay about half of the 5,000 shekel ($1,250) monthly salary he earned at SodaStream.
The BDS movement has grown into a worldwide network of thousands of volunteers lobbying corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with Israel. It has three goals: ending Israel's occupation of territories captured in the 1967 Mideast war, stopping discrimination suffered by Arab citizens of Israel and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to family properties lost in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.
Israel says the Palestinian "right of return" would lead to a massive influx of refugees and mean the end of the country as a Jewish state.
The movement has made gains in recent years. 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, among them SodaStream.
The campaign against SodaStream made global waves when actress Scarlett Johansson parted ways with the international charity Oxfam because of a dispute over her work as brand ambassador for the Tel Aviv-based company.
When SodaStream opened its new factory near the Israeli desert village of Lehavim, it was only able to secure about 100 permits for Palestinians. The company's chief executive, Daniel Birnbaum, reacted angrily Monday when the government did not renew the permits.
"We're sending them to unemployment and anxiety and fear and despair at a time when they have no alternatives," Birnbaum told The Associated Press.
Birnbaum denies that the BDS campaign had any effect on the decision to move the factory, saying the company needed more space. He blames the job losses entirely on a "tangled" Israeli bureaucracy, adding that if Israeli leaders were truly interested in promoting peace, they would have found a way to grant permits to all the Palestinian employees.
Amid the backlash from BDS activists, the company has portrayed itself as a beacon of coexistence. The new factory employs Bedouin Arab women, young Ethiopian Jewish men and Russian immigrants. Palestinian employees had received a shuttle service from the West Bank, and the wages and benefits they received were on par with Israeli standards, the company says.
Palestinians and human rights groups, however, say such arrangements mask an unfair system in which Israeli businesses often exploit a captive labor market by paying low wages and are granted preferential access to land and resources. International organizations like the World Bank have long called on Israel to open up the West Bank to more Palestinian development.
Omar Barghouti, the BDS movement's co-founder, said Israel's "regime of occupation" is to blame for the job losses because it forced Palestinians "to become laborers in its factories in illegal colonies."
"Those who claim that BDS hurts Palestinians are ... making unfounded claims and failing to understand how resistance is always costly at first," said Barghouti.
Cogat, the Israeli military body that oversees Palestinian civilian affairs, says 58,000 Palestinians have permits to work in Israel and 27,000 others can work in settlements, often building the homes widely seen as an obstacle to creating a Palestinian state. Thousands more work in Israel illegally, and plans are reportedly underway to grant an additional 30,000 permits.
A recent report by Human Rights Watch said that businesses operating in settlements contribute to and benefit from "an inherently unlawful and abusive system that violates the rights of Palestinians."
It urged businesses to cease their settlement operations. The report said Palestinian laborers are often paid below Israeli minimum wage, and that settlement companies receive favorable treatment.
Sari Bashi, Human Rights Watch's Israel-Palestine director, said SodaStream made a "wonderful" choice by relocating, and called on Israel to grant its Palestinian workers permits. Israel says it prioritizes Israeli workers.
"The best thing Israel can do for the Palestinian economy would be to remove settlements and settlement businesses," she said.
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Corruption probe targets Brazil's former president
SAO PAULO (AP) A federal task force has begun looking into the suspected involvement of Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with construction companies being investigated in the corruption-kickback probe that has engulfed state-owned oil company Petrobras.
Deltan Dallagnol, the prosecutor coordinating the task force, said in a letter sent to the Supreme Court on Monday that Silva was in office he received "benefits" from the construction companies involving a country home and a luxury seaside apartment in Sao Paulo state.
Dallagnol said the task force is investigating if the construction companies paid for the renovation of the two properties and if the money was part of a laundering scheme.
FILE - In this May 1, 2015, file photo, Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva delivers a speech during a May Day rally in Sao Paulo, Brazil. On Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, its was revealed that a federal task force is probing the suspected involvement of Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with construction companies being investigated in the corruption-kickback probe that has engulfed state-owned oil company Petrobras. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File)
The Sao Paulo-based Lula Institute said on its website that Silva has nothing to hide, nor does he fear being investigated.
Prosecutors investigating Petrobras allege that over $2 billion was paid in bribes by businessmen to obtain contracts from the oil company projects that then subsequently ballooned in costs. Investigators also have said that some of the money made its way to the governing Workers' Party.
$1 million Turing Award winners advocate for encryption
NEW YORK (AP) This year's $1 million A.M. Turing Award goes to a pair of cryptographers whose ideas helped make Internet commerce possible, and who now argue that giving governments a "back door" into encrypted communications puts everyone at risk.
Whitfield Diffie, a former chief security officer of Sun Microsystems, and Martin Hellman, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Stanford University, introduced the ideas of public-key cryptography and digital signatures in 1976. The concepts are used today to secure all kinds of communications and financial transactions.
Their award, from the Association for Computing Machinery and mostly funded by Google Inc., is named for British mathematician Alan Turing and is one of the most prestigious prizes in computing.
This photo combination of images provided by Stanford University show Whitfield Diffie, left, and Martin Hellman. Diffie, a former chief security officer of Sun Microsystems, and Hellman, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Stanford University, have won the year's $1 million A.M. Turing Award, announced Tuesday, March 1, 2016, by the Association for Computing Machinery. (Rod Searcey, Linda A. Cicero/Courtesy of Stanford University via AP)
The honor comes amid a fight between the FBI and Apple, which is resisting government pressure to help the government hack into the iPhone of a gunman in the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, in December.
Hellman told The Associated Press that he's sympathetic to the plight of FBI Director James Comey and those investigating the attack in which an Islamic extremist couple killed 14 people before dying in a gun battle with police.
But Hellman said giving the FBI what it wants would unleash "huge" consequences that could not be contained.
"The problem isn't so much with this first request, it's the precedent that it would set and the avalanche of requests that would follow," Hellman said, adding that many likely would come from less democratic governments such as China, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Hellman said he will sign onto one of the many "friend of the court" briefs backing Apple in the case. Tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter have pledged to participate as well.
Diffie also has advocated against giving "back doors" to law enforcement, co-authoring a paper with other prominent cryptographers last year that urged the U.S. government to carefully consider the risks.
Hellman said the encryption technologies he and Diffie invented didn't make them popular with the government. Before their research, encryption had mainly been the realm of government entities such as the NSA. Their work allowed it to spread to the private sector.
This undated photo provided by Stanford News Service shows Martin Hellman. Hellman, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Stanford University, and Whitfield Diffie, a former chief security officer of Sun Microsystems, have won the year's $1 million A.M. Turing Award, announced Tuesday, March 1, 2016, by the Association for Computing Machinery. (Linda A. Cicero/Stanford News Service via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
2 US bishops hid sex abuse of hundreds of children
ALTOONA, Pennsylvania (AP) Two Roman Catholic bishops who led a Pennsylvania diocese helped cover up the sexual abuse of hundreds of children by over 50 priests or religious leaders over a 40-year period, according to a grand jury report issued Tuesday.
The report on the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese was based partly on evidence from a secret diocesan archive uncovered through a search warrant executed last year, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane.
"These predators desecrated a sacred trust and preyed upon their victims in the very places where they should have felt most safe," Kane said in a statement.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane speaks about the 147-page report on sexual abuse in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese was made public at a news conference, Tuesday, March 1, 2015 in Altoona, Pa. Kane says none of the alleged criminal acts can be prosecuted because some abusers have died, statutes of limitations have run their course and victims are too traumatized to testify. (J.D. Cavrich/Altoona Mirror via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
No criminal charges are being filed because some abusers have died, the statute of limitations has expired and, in some cases, victims are too traumatized to testify, she said.
The report is especially critical of Bishops James Hogan and Joseph Adamec. Hogan, who led the diocese from 1966 to 1986, died in 2005. Adamec, who succeeded him, retired in 2011.
The report said Hogan covered up abuse allegations by transferring offending priests, including by sending one accused clergyman to a school for boys. It said Adamec or his staff threatened some alleged victims with excommunication.
One diocesan official under Hogan, Monsignor Philip Saylor, told the grand jury that church officials held such sway that "the police and civil authorities would often defer to the diocese" when priests were accused of abuse, the report said.
The report said Adamec created a "payout chart" to help guide how much victims would receive from the church. Victims fondled over their clothes were to be paid $10,000 to $25,000; fondled under their clothes or subjected to masturbation, $15,000 to $40,000; subjected to forced oral sex, $25,000 to $75,000; subjected to forced sodomy or intercourse, $50,000 to $175,000.
In a court filing, Adamec's attorney said the accusations against the 80-year-old are unfounded. Adamec required 14 priests accused under his watch to undergo psychiatric evaluation, the filing said. Nine were suspended or removed from ministry, and the five who were reinstated never re-offended, his attorney wrote.
The current bishop, Mark Bartchak, is not accused of wrongdoing. He recently suspended a handful of priests named as alleged abusers in the report, though the grand jury said it remains "concerned the purge of predators is taking too long."
Bartchak, issued a statement saying he deeply regrets "any harm that has come to children." He said the diocese will continue cooperating with authorities.
The clergy sex abuse crisis erupted in 2002, when The Boston Globe persuaded a judge to unseal files from the Boston Archdiocese in the case of a pedophile priest who had been transferred by bishops from parish to parish without warning parents or civil authorities. The scandal then spread nationwide as Catholics and others demanded to know the full scope of wrongdoing.
Dioceses across the country have been forced to release thousands of internal files on accused priests.
The success of a local economy and school district can reflect one another, as Beatrice Public Schools and local agencies are striving to show.
Beatrice Public Schools feeds the local economy by providing diverse programming and partnerships that aim to draw in and maintain families and graduate successful community members, officials said.
I think schools are a valuable tool for economic development and recruitment, said BPS Superintendent Pat Nauroth. I just think that in most communities, people dont think about how we can collaborate. We have made a conscious effort as a community ... about, How do we work together to sell ourselves?
Nauroth said area economic leaders NGage (Gage Area Growth Enterprise), Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, Main Street Beatrice and the city of Beatrice have all been working together, along with the school district.
We need to support each other, Nauroth said. What were seeing on our side is if there are activities that (these agencies) are doing, we try to be supportive of that, if its something we can lend our voice to.
In turn, the same agencies can use their knowledge base of BPS as a tool to sell the community, Nauroth said.
So that when they go off to talk to places, they understand whats going on in the school and, as community partners, they can say, Hey, are you aware that we offer preschool services for 3- and 4-year-olds thats a collaborative venture with Blue Valley Head Start? Those types of things, Nauroth said.
Nauroth, who serves on the NGage (Gage Area Growth Enterprise) Board of Directors, said BPS staff meet periodically with staff of NGage, Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, Main Street Beatrice and the city of Beatrice.
A lot of those entities are part of our strategic planning groups, BPS Director of Curriculum Jackie Nielsen said. One of our strategic planning focuses is that really strong bond between the community and the schools and how (to) build that, because that is key to ensuring the success of the district and also ensuring the success of the community. You have to have the close collaboration.
Nauroth said that after wrapping up a marketing and branding campaign last year, the school district is more actively sharing with the public its positive news and general information about academics and preschool, summer school and other programming.
We do this through social media, the newspaper, radio, quarterly utility bills, our website, Nauroth said. We try to get that message out both locally and regionally just to make sure that parents and people in the community are aware of what happens. Because often when people are thinking of moving here, theyre talking to community people about, How are the schools? Whats offered here? Things like that.
Nielsen said the BPS Facebook page has proven to be a useful tool.
We frequently get messages from patrons and stakeholders just asking questions, Nielsen said. So its nice to be able to quickly answer those questions and simply provide them with resources that they need.
Also new within the last year is the strengthened partnership between BPS, NGage and leaders of industry in the area.
Beatrice High School is in the process of organizing future tours of local manufacturing companies for interested high schoolers. BHS currently transports upperclassmen to select colleges for tours.
The high school also offers dual-credit courses in topics including English, math and Spanish that apply toward students credit at Southeast Community College. Students can sign up for other classes to learn technical skills such as computer-aided design, woodworking and construction.
At half the cost of in-state tuition, BHS students can also enroll in SCC classes under six different academies agriculture; education; welding; health; business, marketing and management; and law enforcement.
A couple of years ago, the high school was not yet involved in the Southeast Nebraska Career Academy Program, BHS principal Jason Sutter said.
Its become a really positive thing for our students and great opportunity for our kids to earn high school credit in areas theyre already interested in, but now also credit through SCC, Sutter said. More importantly, were giving our kids opportunities to learn by different pathways, class work and materials so they can continue to approach those careers. Were putting more focus on (offering) opportunities to help them know what they want to leave BHS with as far as career.
NGage Executive Director Glennis McClure said SCC is a wonderful asset to the high school.
The partnership between Beatrice Public Schools and Southeast Community College is very much needed, McClure said. And they get that. They understand that importance. I think also Southeast Community College believes that their outreach to all students in public schools is important.
Additionally, the high school is in the process of bulking its opportunities in job shadowing, work-based learning and occupational internships for its students.
I think the public schools are becoming more active in helping students connect in business and industry here so they can learn about what opportunities are here for employment, McClure said. It also helps students understand what skills they need to develop to work here or anywhere.
Nielsen said the partnerships between the school district and, for example, NGage and manufacturing businesses, are important to all stakeholders involved who want to keep students in the community after graduation.
Nielsen also mentioned the diverse programming in Best Possible Summer, the districts summer education program. The curriculum is tied to state standards in reading, math, science and writing and is often hands-on and in-depth. Sessions include robotics, art, law and other fields. The districts partnerships during the summer program include YMCA, Beatrice Humane Society, Homestead National Monument of America, the University of Nebraska Extension Office and SCC-Beatrice.
Many Mexican schools: no bathrooms, failing teachers
MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexicans are getting shocking news about their public schools, 11 percent of which don't even have bathrooms.
That figure rises to almost one-third in poor states like Oaxaca, Guerrero and Chiapas, Education Secretary Aurelio Nuno said Tuesday.
Nuno also gave details on how the government plans to handle the relatively poor showing on the nation's first round of teacher evaluations.
About 24 percent of teachers tested at grade schools and middle schools either failed teacher evaluation tests or didn't show up for testing.
The Education Department says the teachers who failed will be given another try.
But Nuno said Tuesday 3,360 teachers who didn't show up twice for testing have now been fired. Because of protests organized by radical teachers' unions, some teachers didn't show up once, but will be presumably be given another chance.
But Nuno said all 3,360 who didn't show up after two invitations are now considered fired without severance pay. He pledged their jobs will be filled by tested applicants as soon as possible.
About 45 percent of the approximately 146,000 teachers tested got good or excellent ratings. The rest got adequate scores.
Mexican public schools are poorly funded, and teachers' unions often control hiring and firing.
PICTURED: Celebrations for Clinton, Trump on Super Tuesday
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Supporters of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton celebrated their candidates' wins in many of the states voting on the busiest day of the 2016 primaries.
Trump and Clinton have so far notched Super Tuesday wins in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, Arkansas and Massachusetts. Trump also won in Massachusetts and Vermont, and Clinton in Texas. Ted Cruz picked up his home state of Texas as well as neighboring Oklahoma, and Marco Rubio scored a lone victory in Minnesota. Sanders won his home state of Vermont, and Oklahoma, Colorado and Minnesota.
Republicans are voting in 11 states, with 595 delegates at stake. Democrats are casting ballots in 11 states plus the territory of American Samoa, with 865 delegates up for grabs.
John Evans points across the room while waiting for Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to take the stage during an election night watch party Tuesday, March 1, 2016, in Stafford, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A collection of photos capturing Super Tuesday, from across the United States and beyond, by The Associated Press.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reacts to supporters as she arrives to speak at her Super Tuesday election night rally in Miami, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Steven Ness, left, watches as returns are displayed on a monitor as he waits for Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to take the stage during an election night watch party Tuesday, March 1, 2016, in Stafford, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Republican presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich kisses the cheek of Kay Ward of Louisville, Miss., as she has her photo taken prior to addressing a Central Mississippi Republican Party fund raising dinner in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, March 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A Marco Rubio supporter displays a sign as she waits for the arrival of Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., at a campaign rally, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton cheer as they watch election returns at her Super Tuesday election night rally in Miami, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Rubio supporters raise they campaign signs as Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., spoke during a campaign rally, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, in Andover, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
A man holds a photo of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump before a rally, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
A supporter takes a selfie with Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., after a campaign rally, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shields his eyes as he listens to a question as he speaks on Super Tuesday primary election night at the White and Gold Ballroom at The Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, March 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addresses supporters at her Super Tuesday election night rally in Miami, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Israel begins installing defense against mid-range rockets
JERUSALEM (AP) Israel said Tuesday it has begun delivering its new mid-range missile defense system to air bases.
The Defense Ministry said the David's Sling system "will allow Israel to more effectively defend against the wide range of current and future threats to its civilians." The delivery process will take a few weeks.
Developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and U.S.-based Raytheon Co., it is designed to intercept rockets between 70 kilometers (45 miles) and 300 kilometers (180 miles). It is primarily meant to defend against attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon.
File - This Monday, Dec. 21, 2015 file photograph provided by the Israeli Ministry of Defense shows a launch of David's Sling missile defense system. Israel said it has begun delivering its new mid-range missile defense system to air bases. The Defense Ministry said Tuesday March 1, 2016 that the David's Sling system "will allow Israel to more effectively defend against the wide range of current and future threats to its civilians." (Ministry of Defense via AP, File)
Young suspect in Ohio school shooting denies charges
HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) A 14-year-old boy accused of shooting students in a school cafeteria denied charges including attempted murder on Tuesday, while the sheriff in the southwest Ohio county urged that he be prosecuted as an adult and that all schools step up security.
James Austin Hancock kept his head down and showed no emotion during a brief juvenile court hearing. His attorney, Ed Perry, said he hasn't been willing to talk much so far.
"I think he's overcome by what's going on," Perry told The Associated Press.
Parents run to see if they are allowed to pick up their kids at Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Perry said he wasn't aware of Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones' contention that Hancock's case should be moved to adult court, but said "that's something we will be concerned about."
The school district said classes will resume Wednesday, with extra staff on buses, greeting students outside, and visible throughout the schools, particularly in the cafeteria where the shooting took place Monday.
Hancock is charged with attempted murder, felonious assault, inducing panic and making terroristic threats. He sat at the defense table with his ankles shackled as a prosecutor read the complaint against him, alleging he took a loaded handgun into school, fired "several shots, hitting two students," causing a lockdown and bringing "a huge law enforcement presence."
Perry entered a denial of the charges, the juvenile court equivalent of a not guilty plea, and a magistrate ordered that the suspect remain in juvenile detention pending a hearing April 5.
The boy's family and supporters declined to talk with reporters thronged outside the courtroom, but Perry said later that they want the families of the students who were hurt and the school community in general to know that they are "very, very concerned" and saddened about the other students.
Jones said authorities believe they know a motive, but they won't reveal it while their investigation is continuing. He said the youth apparently had a .380-caliber handgun obtained from a family member for "some time," including all morning inside the school before he allegedly jumped up from a cafeteria table and opened fire. Authorities also say he was carrying extra ammunition.
Investigators told the Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News that Hancock had told other students he had a gun and showed it to one before shooting. The newspaper reported that Sgt. Rob Whitlock said there was no indication at this point that bullying was involved.
Two students were shot and two others hurt, possibly by shrapnel or while running away, authorities said. All were expected to recover.
In a recorded call, a 911 caller who sounded like a young person reporting the shooting immediately identified the suspect by name. Breathing heavily, the unidentified caller told a dispatcher: "He just pulled out his gun and started shooting."
Jones said he was recommending to the prosecutor that he seek to have the case moved to adult court because of the serious nature of the charges.
"That may sound harsh, but you have to send a message to the kids," Jones told The Associated Press, saying students need to realize that using guns isn't like playing video games.
Madison Local Schools Superintendent Curtis Philpot said crisis counselors were available and that schools were open Tuesday evening for families to walk through and ask questions so students will feel "safe and comfortable" back in class. School was canceled Tuesday for some 1,500 students.
Students were eating in the cafeteria when the shooting happened around 11:30 a.m. Monday, Jones said. The youth threw down his gun as he ran from the school and was soon arrested near the school with the help of a Middletown police K-9 unit, he said.
A sheriff's deputy stationed in the school had just been in the cafeteria, said Jones, who said the shooting underscores the need for every school to have such a police presence and to allow specially trained staff members to have access to firearms, too.
"It could have been much worse," Jones said.
The wounded students were males, 14 and 15 years old, and were hospitalized in stable condition, investigators said.
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Associated Press writer Kantele Franko in Columbus contributed to this report.
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Follow Dan Sewell at http://www.twitter.com/dansewell
To see some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/dan-sewell
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, near Middletown, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting that wounded four classmates, including two who were shot, is in a juvenile lock-up and facing several charges. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says the boy has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Butler County Sheriff Deputies stand on the scene at Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Butler County Sheriff Deputies stand on the scene at Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Cara Owsley/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; NO SALES
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Marshall Gorby/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Parents and community members form a prayer circle as they wait to pick up their kids Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Police vehicles block the entrance of Madison Local Schools, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Madison Township in Butler County, Ohio, after a school shooting. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in the school shooting that wounded multiple classmates is in custody. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
A child is comforted Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, near Middletown, Ohio after a school shooting at Madison Local Schools. An Ohio sheriff says a 14-year-old suspect in a school shooting that wounded four classmates, including two who were shot, is in a juvenile lock-up and facing several charges. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says the boy has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats. (Nick Graham/Dayton Daily News via AP)
Venezuela's high court bans congress from removing justices
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) Venezuela's Supreme Court on Tuesday banned the congress from investigating the government's rushed appointment of 13 high court justices last year.
The ruling came just hours before lawmakers planned to debate the issue. It set up another likely clash between the opposition-controlled National Assembly and President Nicolas Maduro's socialist administration.
A lame duck government-controlled congress approved the appointment of 13 Supreme Court justices just before Christmas in a move that the opposition has said undermined its landslide victory in legislative elections.
Pro government supporters protest outside of the National Assembly building against the law of national production that congress in debating today, in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March. 1, 2016. The sign at right reads in Spanish "Let's defend our patriot businesses." (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
The appointments filled vacancies left by justices who retired early. The opposition has said it has evidence that some of the justices were forced to quit under threat.
The Supreme Court said in its ruling that the National Assembly would be overstepping its authority if it attempted to remove or even review the appointments.
Pro government supporters protest outside of the National Assembly building in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, March. 1, 2016. Venezuelas Supreme Court is banning congress from investigating the governments rushed appointment last year of 13 high court justices. The ruling came just hours before lawmakers are set to debate the issue and sets up another likely clash between the opposition controlled congress and President Nicolas Maduros socialist administration. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
US targets Puerto Rico companies in toxic pesticide case
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) The U.S. government on Tuesday filed complaints against a pest control company in Puerto Rico and two businessmen for the illegal use of a toxic pesticide that nearly killed an American family in the neighboring U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Environmental Protection Agency said the businessmen used methyl bromide to fumigate homes and other unauthorized places in several cities across Puerto Rico from 2013 to early 2015. The men were identified as Edwin Andujar Bermudez with Truly Nolen Pest Control of Caguas and Wilson Torres Rivera of Tower & Son Exterminating Corp. in Bayamon. Tower & Son was named in a separate complaint, but not Truly Nolen.
They face up to $7,500 in civil penalties for each violation as part of a continuing federal investigation in Puerto Rico into the illegal use of methyl bromide, an odorless chemical that can severely damage the brain and lungs. EPA spokesman John Martin said the agency expects to announce more actions in upcoming months.
"Applying methyl bromide products in homes is dangerous and against federal law," said Judith Enck, an EPA regional administrator.
Peter Diaz, a lawyer who represents both Andujar and Torres, told The Associated Press that hundreds of pesticide applicators in Puerto Rico have for decades used products that have recently come under EPA scrutiny.
"After some controversies with the use of these products, both companies voluntarily discontinued its use," he said, adding that he will contest the complaints.
Diaz did not respond to questions, including when the companies stopped using the pesticide. He said the chemical was used only on wood furniture at the companies' workshop and never at homes or other locations. However, the EPA complaint says methyl bromide was used in places such as people's bedrooms and kitchens in cities including the capital of San Juan.
The EPA banned methyl bromide for residential use in 1984. The pesticide is still used in the U.S. mainland for agricultural purposes, but the EPA is phasing out its overall use.
Federal officials began investigating the use of the chemical in Puerto Rico after a Delaware family vacationing in the U.S. Virgin Islands was poisoned in March 2015.
Officials opened a criminal investigation after announcing that Terminix had used methyl bromide at a vacation unit below the one the family had rented at Sirenusa Condominium Resort on the island of St. John. Two teenagers were hospitalized in critical condition while their parents had to undergo therapy.
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What We Know about Turing Award winners
NEW YORK (AP) This year's $1 million A.M. Turing Award was given Tuesday to a pair of cryptographers whose ideas helped create the foundation for the Internet:
WHAT IS IT: The award has been given each year since 1966 by the Association for Computing Machinery, the world's largest scientific computing society, in honor of Alan Mathison Turing, the British mathematician who cracked the Nazis' Enigma code and fostered the field of artificial intelligence. Funding from Google Inc. raised the amount of the prize to $1 million.
THE WINNERS: Whitfield Diffie, a former chief security officer of Sun Microsystems, and Martin Hellman, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Stanford University. Their invention of public-key cryptography and digital signatures in the 1970s put encryption to use outside government hands and created the foundation for the Internet.
This undated photo provided by Stanford University shows Whitfield Diffie. Diffie, a former chief security officer of Sun Microsystems, and Martin Hellman, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Stanford University, have won the year's $1 million A.M. Turing Award, announced Tuesday, March 1, 2016, by the Association for Computing Machinery. (Rod Searcey/Courtesy of Stanford University via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
WHY NOW: "In 1976, Diffie and Hellman imagined a future where people would regularly communicate through electronic networks and be vulnerable to having their communications stolen or altered. Now, after nearly 40 years, we see that their forecasts were remarkably prescient," ACM President Alexander L. Wolf said.
This undated photo provided by Stanford News Service shows Martin Hellman. Hellman, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Stanford University, and Whitfield Diffie, a former chief security officer of Sun Microsystems, have won the year's $1 million A.M. Turing Award, announced Tuesday, March 1, 2016, by the Association for Computing Machinery. (Linda A. Cicero/Stanford News Service via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Gatwick runway reopens after oil spillage chaos
Dozens of flights were delayed and diverted when the runway at Gatwick was closed due to a suspected oil spillage.
A spokesman for the West Sussex airport said the runway was shut shortly after 10.15am and did not reopen until 11.38am.
According to Gatwick's website a t least 19 incoming flights were diverted to other airports, and a number of departing services were delayed.
No flights were able to land or take off after a suspected oil spillage on the runway at Gatwick Airport
An airport spokesman said: " Arriving and departing flights recommenced from Gatwick at 11.38am.
"The runway closure has caused some flights to be diverted to other airports in the area and there will be delays to some departing flights.
"Friends and family waiting for passengers should contact the relevant airline for the latest information."
Passengers on diverted flights took to social media to complain about the delay in completing their journeys to Gatwick.
Ryan Brackpool, who was travelling to the UK from Australia, expressed his anger at being informed the plane he was on - which landed at Heathrow - would not take off again for Gatwick for another three hours.
He posted on Twitter: "Come on @Gatwick_Airport. Sort this out. We can't disembark at LHR. But we have to stay for three hours on the plane! Very poor communication!"
Another passenger, Jade Louise Davis, wrote: "Does Emirates really expect an entire plane to sit at Heathrow for three hours before doing a half hour journey back to Gatwick?!? Let us off!!"
According to reports the spillage was caused by a Virgin Boeing 747 jet.
A passenger going by the username Bunny Hulme posted on Twitter: " Gatwick-Berlin flight delayed nearly 5 hours. Diabolical. I hope you have the decency to refund us all #berlin #notsoeasyjet."
Government to step up warnings over Brexit
The Government is stepping up its warnings over the dangers of leaving the EU, with a fresh analysis by officials concluding that any of the alternative arrangements for relations with Europe would leave Britain worse off.
The paper - which looks at arrangements adopted by Norway, Switzerland and Canada as well as the option of falling back on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules - is expected to say each would carry serious risks if they were adopted by the UK.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the "hard-headed analysis" showed that it was working people who would pay the price - with lost jobs and higher prices - if the country votes for "out" in the referendum on June 23.
The UK would not get 'an easy ride' from other EU countries if it voted to leave Europe, Lord Mandelson believes
But the report was immediately dismissed as another "dodgy dossier" by the pro-Brexit Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith who said it showed the Remain camp was "in denial" about the risks of staying in the EU.
The publication of the report indicates David Cameron is undeterred by accusations he is running an unrelentingly negative campaign - dubbed Project Fear by critics - as he leads the fight to keep Britain in.
It follows hard on the heels of another Government paper earlier this week warning the country would face a "decade or more of uncertainty" if it chose to leave as it painstakingly negotiated new trade deals.
The latest paper examines the arrangements which other countries outside the EU have adopted - and finds none offers the advantages of continued membership.
Pointing to the example of Norway, it is expected to say that Oslo still has to make a significant contribution to EU spending and accept three-quarters of EU laws with no votes or vetoes.
It also has to accept the free movement of people, with EU migrants accounting for a higher proportion of the population - 6% - than they do in the UK where it is 4%.
Looking to Switzerland and Canada, the paper is expected to argue that they have only limited access to the European single market, despite trade deals which have taken years to negotiate.
If similar arrangements were adopted by Britain, it will say, the UK financial services sector would face increased costs as they would no longer have "passports" allowing them to sell to the EU market.
Like Norway, Switzerland has to accept the free movement of people with almost four times as many EU nationals living in the country as a percentage of the population as there are in the UK.
The most drastic option, if the UK failed to reach a deal with the EU, would be to fall back on WTO rules, the paper will say, which would mean new tariffs on UK exports hitting companies with supply chains in Europe.
Mr Hammond said: "Hard-headed analysis shows that every alternative to remaining in a reformed EU would leave Britain weaker, less safe and worse off. Working people would pay the price with few jobs and rising prices."
But in a further deepening of Conservative divisions, Mr Duncan Smith said the "real uncertainty" lay with the EU "project".
"As each day passes we see yet another example - from the utter failure to cope with the migrant crisis, to the increasing disaster of the euro," he said.
"This dodgy dossier won't fool anyone, and is proof that Remain are in denial about the risks of remaining in a crisis ridden EU.
"The truth is we won't copy any other country's deal. We will have a settlement on our own terms - and one that will return control of our borders, and money to Britain. That's the safer choice."
Junior justice minister Dominic Raab, who supports Brexit, accused the In campaign of using fear tactics.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme: "I think that there is far too much scaremongering, it's like Halloween come early.
"We have a scare story each week about the ghoulish prospects outside the European Union. I don't believe in ghosts, and I'm not afraid of these ghoulish stories, or of life outside the EU."
However, he refused to be drawn on whether he thought the analysis was a "dodgy dossier".
He added: "I think the brighter opportunities for Britain in terms of lower food bills, lower energy costs, freer trade from Latin America to Asia - which of course are the growth areas for the British economy and exports - that's where the real advantages lie."
But Mr Hammond told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that the UK enjoys the "best of both worlds" by being "in those parts of the EU that work for Britain" while opting out of those that do not.
He said: "It is not credible to suggest that you could have continued access to the single market without having to accept freedom of movement of labour, without having to accept EU regulations, and without having to contribute to the EU budget.
"Now maybe the Leave campaign wants to say they are prepared to accept all of those things, but if you accept all of those things surely we are better off inside the European Union with our seat at the table, helping to shape those rules as well as being bound by them."
The Prime Minister said the analysis shows the alternatives to EU membership "would damage Britain".
Disappointment for some as pupils allocated places at secondary school
More than a third of children in some parts of England have not been allocated their first choice of secondary school for the autumn, according to a sample of councils.
Around half a million families are finding out which school they have been allocated on National Offer Day.
While for many the day will bring excitement, thousands of pupils are likely to miss out on a place at their first choice of school.
Last year, around one in six children did not get a spot at their first choice of secondary school
Last year there were 533,314 applications for a secondary school place and 84.2% of children across England were offered their preferred school.
Overall figures for this year will not be released by the Department for Education until June, but analysis of a sample of early figures from local councils suggests that one in 10 children could miss out on their first choice.
A wide fluctuation was evident, with vi rtually all 11-year-olds getting their first preferences in some areas, while more than a third missed out in others.
Out of 20 local edu cation authorities that responded to the Press Association, three-quarters reported an increase in the number of applications received from last year.
Figures obtained through the survey of local councils show that:
: : Across 20 councils that responded, an average of 87.6% of applicants received their first preference.
: : In Birmingham, more than one third of children applying for a school missed out on their top choice. Out of 16,664 applications, 10,674 were offered their first preference - 64%.
: :Southend-on-Sea (79.1%), Trafford (80%) and Bolton (82%) also had relatively high numbers of applicants not getting into their top school.
:: In East Riding, 96.4% of children got their first choice. Only 0.8% did not get their first, second or third preference.
: : This was closely followed by Leicester County Council (95.5%) and Norfolk County Council (94.7%). In Sunderland City Council only 34 children - less than 1.3% - did not get their first, second or third choices.
The figures do not include data from the body managing the London borough councils.
Last year, around one in six children across England did not get a spot at their first choice.
Primary schools have been struggling to keep up with demand in recent years due to a rising population and this is now moving through into secondary schools.
The Government has said it pumped 5 billion into creating half a million new places over the last parliament and has committed a further 7 billion over the next six years.
Town hall bosses have warned that c hildren could be left without school places if councils are not given more powers to deal with increasing demand.
The Local Government Association has issued a fresh call for authorities to be handed the ability to open new secondary schools, or force academies - which are not under council control - to expand, arguing that w ithout these powers, councils will not be able to meet their legal duty to ensure every child has a school place.
Justine Roberts, chief executive of parenting website Mumsnet, said w hile many families are happy with the place their child is given, others are left feeling anxious and struggling to find a spot at the school they want for their youngster.
She said: "How well the school admissions system works depends almost entirely on where you live. Lots of parents are very content with the school places allocated to their children, but in some areas - parts of London, Bristol, East Sussex and Birmingham, for example - the admissions system is starting to feel seriously creaky.
"Stories abound of some families cheating the system, which only adds to people's anxiety and sense of injustice; many Mumsnet users say that their children can't get into schools that are a few hundred metres away from their front doors.
"Parents are struggling, and the consensus on Mumsnet is that more needs to be done by central and local government to address the problems now, rather than waiting for places to come online in a few years."
Families who do not win a place at their favoured school can appeal, and one admissions expert said more are now willing to take that step, and get legal help to do so.
Matt Richards, of legal advice firm schoolappeals.com, said: "A few years ago out of 10 phone calls to us, maybe two would pay for some help. Now it's more like 50%.
"People are much more switched on in terms of their legal rights and in terms of not wanting to do it on their own and asking for help."
Last year, there were 54,600 appeals against school allocations - 3.7% of the total number of admissions to state schools. Just over a fifth (22.8%) of the appeals actually heard by a panel were decided in favour of the parents.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "We want every parent to be able to send their children to a good local school. Despite rising pupil numbers the vast majority of parents are able to do so.
Area high school students identified meat cuts, plant species and animal breeds, demonstrated how to give an animal a shot and showed off an array of other agriculture-related skills at Southeast Community College in Beatrice on Tuesday.
FFA teams from 25 area high schools traveled to the college for the Career Development Events, which is the FFA district competition that qualifies teams for the FFA state conference in April in Lincoln.
The hardest part is practicing and preparing for all of the competitions and all of the parts of the competitions, said Pawnee City high school student and FFA member Caetlen Gyhra.
Contests were in categories including agri-science, farm management, food science, nursery and landscaping, livestock management, sales, welding, agronomy, biotechnology and veterinary science.
The anxiety of waiting possibly a day for the results is the hardest part, said Pawnee City high school student and FFA member Leslie Sommerhalder.
The contests were scored by SCC-Beatrice students of agriculture. Results will be published at a later date.
(FFA) broadens your horizons, said Pawnee City high school student and FFA member Macey Gyhra. You get to meet new people. It opens up windows in terms of college (choices and majors). And it looks really good on a resume.
Sommerhalder said participating in FFA is worthwhile and gains members leadership skills.
We get to know whats out there and explore different careers, Sommerhalder said.
The youth organization is rooted in agriculture and includes several broader facets, such as public speaking. The National FFA Organizations mission statement is to provide for each student a path to achievement in premier leadership, personal growth and career success.
The competition on Tuesday included events for individuals and teams. Students said they applied what they learned in agriculture-related classes in school and that their teachers and FFA advisers signed them up for the events they would fare best in.
I didnt do FFA in high school, so this has been kind of a cool experience for me to see what all they do, said SCC agriculture student Dylon Smedra, who helped score events.
Twelve schools of the FFA District 1 and 13 schools of District 5 participated. Participating teams of nearby schools include those of Lewiston, Freeman, Tri County, Diller-Odell, Pawnee City and Fairbury. Teams traveled from as far away as York, Nebraska City, Falls City, Waverly, Omaha and other Nebraska cities for the competition.
Anguish for Omagh victims' families as case against Seamus Daly collapses
A convicted dissident republican who had been accused of murdering 29 people in the Omagh bomb attack has walked free from prison after the prosecution dramatically collapsed.
Co Armagh bricklayer Seamus Daly, 45, spent almost two years in custody on remand charged with the 1998 Real IRA atrocity and a number of other terror offences.
The case against him was dropped before it ever reached trial after inconsistencies were exposed in the evidence of the prosecution's star witness.
Seamus Daly, who was charged with murdering 29 people in the Omagh bombing, leaves Maghaberry prison after the case against him was dropped
Seven years ago, Daly was one of four men successfully sued for bombing the Co Tyrone market town when he was found liable for the attack in a landmark civil case taken by some of the bereaved families.
No-one has ever been convicted of the murders in a criminal court.
Hours after the charges were formally withdrawn at a short hearing in Ballymena Magistrates' Court, Daly was released from Maghaberry high security prison in Co Antrim.
The south Armagh man, who has a previous conviction in the Irish Republic for membership of a dissident republican organisation, declined to make public comment on the case before he was driven away by family members.
His lawyers said there were no current plans to seek compensation for his time behind bars, but that a challenge against the civil case ruling was now being considered.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed by the bomb, was in Ballymena courthouse when the decision to drop the case was announced by a barrister for the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service.
"Here we are again after 18 years. Extremely disappointed," he said afterwards.
"We've been let down by the police service, by the PPS, by the criminal justice system.
"And this is probably, or was probably, the last chance for justice.
"Unfortunately now that's not going to be the case. We'll have to re-evaluate and discuss with our legal team what the best way forward is."
Daly has always denied involvement in the bombing which inflicted the greatest loss of life of any terror atrocity in the history of the Northern Ireland Troubles.
The dead came from both sides of the Irish border, England and Spain. One of the victims was pregnant with twins.
The decision by the PPS came before the case had reached the floor of the Crown Court.
A pre-trial hearing commenced in Omagh Magistrates' Court last week to establish whether the evidence in the case was of sufficient strength to warrant such a trial.
That decision to drop the case only two days into the hearing was forced after serious inconsistencies emerged in the evidence of a crucial prosecution witness, Kilkenny builder Denis O'Connor.
Mr O'Connor had claimed Daly had phoned 20 minutes after the attack from a mobile phone police believe was used by the bomber. During the hearing, the witness conceded Daly may actually have called him a week earlier.
Northern Ireland's Director of Public Prosecutions Barra McGrory made the decision to drop the charges.
"I have great sympathy with the families affected by the Omagh bomb and share their disappointment that we are in a position where we are unable to progress this prosecution," he said.
"There is a shared determination by ourselves and police to take forward the prosecution of those responsible if any new evidence to support this becomes available."
As well as the 29 murder counts, Daly, from Kilnasaggart Road, Jonesborough, Co Armagh, had faced charges of causing the August 1998 explosion and possession of a bomb with intent to endanger life or property.
He was further charged with conspiring to cause an explosion and having explosives with intent in connection with a separate dissident republican bomb plot in Lisburn in April of the same year.
All charges have now been dropped.
In 2009, Daly and three others were ordered to pay 1.6 million in damages to the bereaved relatives - money they are still pursuing.
Daly faced a civil retrial after successfully appealing against the original finding, but the second trial delivered the same outcome as the first, with judge Mr Justice John Gillen ruling him responsible for the attack.
In 2007, south Armagh electrician Sean Hoey, who was then 38 and from Jonesborough, was found not guilty of the 29 murders after a marathon trial at Belfast Crown Court.
At the time, trial judge Mr Justice Weir heavily criticised the Royal Ulster Constabulary and its successor, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, for their handling of the investigation.
Mr Gallagher said he regrettably agreed with the PPS decision in the Daly case.
"This was a difficult case and hinged on the testimony of one individual and that one individual did not seem to be up to meeting the test needed to put someone behind bars," he said.
"For that reason I agree with the decision, regrettably, that happened today.
"There was no other option for the Public Prosecution Service or the judge but to deliver the verdict that we have just heard."
Family and friends who had been campaigning for Daly's release said he had been "interned" for 23 months.
A statement from the Release Seamus Daly group said: "The case against Seamus Daly has been flawed from the beginning. The British Government along with the prosecution proceeded against Seamus with no tangible evidence."
His solicitor, Peter Corrigan, said his client had been held in custody for a considerable period of time for offences which he vehemently denied.
"The defendant has been in custody for two years - the equivalent of a four-year custodial sentence (allowing for 50% remission) - and this was based on a prosecution house of straw in our view," he said.
Mr Corrigan said he would support the call for a public inquiry into the bombing.
Seamus Daly has been released from prison after charges were dropped
Man Utd boss Louis van Gaal confident Marcus Rashford will remain grounded
Louis van Gaal is confident Marcus Rashford will cope with his new-found fame, saying the Manchester United teenager's attitude matches the remarkable aptitude displayed over the past week.
The 18-year-old has gone from relative unknown to one of the country's most feted players in a matter of days, having been given a surprise first-team opportunity last Thursday.
Anthony Martial's hamstring complaint ahead of the Europa League tie with FC Midtjylland saw Rashford thrown in a the deep end - an opportunity the striker capitalised on in style, netting twice as United won the do-or-die last-32 second leg 5-1.
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford will be hoping to continue his dream week
As if that was not enough, Rashford netted another double at Old Trafford on Sunday as title-chasing Arsenal were defeated 3-2 - a fairytale that could be continued if Martial fails to recover in time for Wednesday's match with Watford.
"First, I think that the media have to let him in peace and rest," Van Gaal said of Rashford.
"When you are in front of his house and that kind of stuff, I don't think that is beneficial for a boy of 18 years old.
"Give him the time also to be 18 years old and we shall guide him also in that way, but he is a very modest guy so I don't think that shall be the problem
"But of course when you have so much attention of the media, it can go in another way, but I believe that he shall keep his feet on the ground.
"Too much attention is not always easy to deal with," the United boss added. "And, of course, it is remarkable and I can understand that you are praising him, but he still has to show his consistency."
Van Gaal is doing his best to help Rashford deal with his new status, along with the other four youngsters handed a United debut last week.
That focus on youth has been borne out of necessity due to United's lengthy injury list, although Martial, Chris Smalling and Matteo Darmian could return and add more experience for Watford's visit.
Wednesday's Barclays Premier League match offers United the chance to extend their winning run to four matches in all competitions, but those hoping for more touchline dramatics from Van Gaal look set to be disappointed.
Much of the talk after the win against Arsenal was about Van Gaal hitting the deck during a bizarre touchline spat with fourth official Mike Dean, when the United manager attempted to illustrate his frustration at Alexis Sanchez's supposed diving.
The footage has gone viral and it is not the first time the Dutchman has gone over the top on the sidelines, which he compared to his touchline high-kick when Ajax coach during the 1995 Champions League final following a challenge by AC Milan defender Marcel Desailly on Jari Litmanen.
"It was too emotional and that's why you have to deal with the fourth referee, and the referee and the authority of referee," he said of the most recent incident.
"I think that I have to control my emotions, like I say to my players always.
"That is why I have apologised but I don't feel sorry for it because it is me. I think at that time maybe I was right."
Sunday's colourful outburst certainly appeared to warm the hearts of some doubters, with a rare chorus of 'Louis Van Gaal's red and white army' heard at Old Trafford.
"It is not part of my philosophy because I don't think you can influence the game from that spot," he said, when asked if he would return to the touchline.
"I know (I can influence the fans from there) but I am not a clown, I am Louis van Gaal. I am a human being, a professional manager.
"Part of my philosophy is that my players have to think on the pitch and not the manager, but I want to help them.
"Sometimes I help them with these actions or something like that, but I help them more to train in the brain with what I have said - and I have been training already for 18 months - (so) that they see the solutions on the pitch.
Plastic bag charge blamed as packaging firm enters into administration
A packaging firm has gone out of business, blaming the introduction of a 5p charge for plastic bags in England.
Forty workers have lost their jobs at Nelson Packaging's factory in Lancashire.
Managing director Michael Flynn said: " Unfortunately Nelson Packaging had to enter into administration. This was an outcome primarily of the English bag legislation and the corresponding impact on customer and retailer demand for plastic carrier bags.
The 5p charge for plastic bags was introduced in England last October
"Added to aggressive overseas competition this ultimately proved too devastating for the ongoing viability of the business, despite the continued efforts of the loyal workforce."
The 5p charge for bags was introduced in England last October following similar moves in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The number of single-use carrier bags handed out by shops in Wales fell by 71% since charges were introduced in 2011, a report said last year.
Scotland and Northern Ireland introduced their charges in 2014 and 2013 and have also seen huge drops in usage.
The number of plastic bags handed out in Scottish stores was reduced by 80% - the equivalent of 650 million carriers - in the first year of the 5p charge.
Call for permanent tribunal to support child sex abuse victims
A Government-funded "popular tribunal" should be established on a permanent basis to take evidence from survivors of child sexual abuse, a report has recommended.
The tribunal proposal is the key recommendation from a year-long unofficial inquiry which found that existing institutions had failed to provide survivors with "meaningful opportunities for either healing or justice".
The report of the UK Child Sex Abuse People's Tribunal blamed "a series of institutional failings" for preventing the reporting of abuse, and claimed that there were "clear links" between children left vulnerable as a result and "predatory abuse on an organised scale".
PICTURE POSED BY MODEL.File photo dated 31/07/14 of a silhouette of a person, as a report recommends the establishment of a permanent tribunal to take evidence of child sex abuse.
The People's Tribunal was set up in 2014 on the initiative of survivors and their supporters, and has heard the testimonies of 20 people about their experience of sexual abuse, as well as taking evidence from expert witnesses.
In its report, released in Westminster, the Tribunal recommended:
:: A permanent, state-funded popular tribunal to enable survivors to come forward and tell their stories;
:: Provision of advocates to survivors giving evidence, to assist their access to justice.
:: Mental health services to be linked to police investigations to help victims disclose abuse;
:: Channels to allow victims to give evidence anonymously if they fear reprisals;
:: Training for the police, judiciary and health service on the effects of undisclosed sexual abuse;
:: Establishment of a Royal Commission to enquire whether the criminal and civil justice systems are fit for purpose in investigating allegations of sexual abuse.
The Tribunal's legal adviser Alan Collins, a partner at Hugh James solicitors, said: "The People's Tribunal's preliminary findings reveal that there exists a widespread under-reporting of sexual abuse, which is the result of inadequate systems and safeguards which, if in place, would undoubtedly have led to a greater number of victims coming forward to report historic or ongoing abuse.
"The Tribunal's ability to have gathered the amount of evidence it has in just a year is testament to the fact that by having a proper forum in place that victims feel comfortable participating in, crimes and abuses can be effectively reported, and victims can start to move on with their lives following these extremely traumatic experiences."
Kuwaiti minister hints driver who killed policeman may be a militant
KUWAIT, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Kuwait's interior minister said on Monday that a man who rammed his car into a group of police officers last week, killing one of them, "belonged to an organisation" - a wording that suggested the incident was an Islamist militant attack.
The Western-allied oil exporter has been on alert against Islamist militants since a suicide bomber killed 26 people in June last year at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in an attack claimed by Islamic State.
Sheikh Mohammad al-Hamad al-Sabah, speaking at a ceremony to honour the deceased police officer, said the man who carried out the attack "belonged to an organisation," state news agency KUNA said, quoting a statement by the interior ministry.
It did not elaborate on the type of organisation and the interior ministry spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
Germany says credibility of Minsk peace deal for eastern Ukraine at stake
WASHINGTON, Feb 29 (Reuters) - The credibility of the Minsk peace deal for eastern Ukraine will come under threat unless both sides in the conflict make faster progress in implementing the agreement, Germany's foreign minister said on Monday.
Speaking at a news conference in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Frank-Walter Steinmeier conceded that the readiness of the government in Kiev and pro-Russian separatists to move forward with Minsk was "very limited".
"Implementation must continue. The credibility of the whole process rests on this," Steinmeier said.
Kerry said "both sides need to perform", and that Russia must ensure that the separatists do their part.
Kiev's struggles to get an election law for eastern Ukraine through parliament and an increase in ceasefire violations in the region have raised fears that the deal, sealed one year ago in the Belarus capital, could collapse, sparking a new wave of fighting.
European countries have tied the removal of sanctions against Russia to the implementation of Minsk. Germany and its allies worry that if Ukraine does not implement its side of the agreement, pressure could rise to ease those sanctions when they expire in July.
Earlier on Monday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned the European Union against extending the sanctions automatically when they lapse, urging instead a "serious debate" on the matter.
Steinmeier said he hoped that a meeting of the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine scheduled to take place on Thursday in Paris would lead to progress on planned elections in eastern Ukraine.
More than $1 bln was transferred into Malaysia PM's accounts-WSJ
KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 (Reuters) - Deposits into Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's bank accounts ran to hundreds of millions of dollars more than previously identified by probes into state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
Citing two unnamed people familiar with flows into Najib's accounts and a person familiar with one overseas investigation, the report said that more than $1 billion was deposited from 2011 to 2013, far more than the $681 million earlier identified.
The paper said global investigators believe much of the $1 billion originated with the state fund, known as 1MDB, but did not specify where the extra money came from or what happened to it.
The report contradicts a conclusion reached recently by Malaysia's chief law officer.
Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali cleared Najib in January of any corruption or criminal offences, saying the $681 million transferred into Najib's account was a gift from a member of Saudi Arabia's royal family and that most of it was returned.
The prime minister's office had no immediate comment, a spokesman said when contacted by Reuters.
Najib has been buffeted for months by allegations of graft and financial mismanagement at debt-burdened 1MDB and in particular by revelations of the transfer of around $681 million into his account in 2013.
He has denied wrongdoing, saying the funds were a legal political donation and he did not take any money for personal gain.
The Wall Street Journal report said money beyond the $681 million arrived in Najib's account in 2011 and 2012.
It said investigators in two countries believed funds originated from 1MDB and moved through a complex web of transactions. Najib is chairman of the board of advisors to IMDB, a fund set up in 2009, when he came to office, to invest in projects of national importance.
1MDB has said that it has not paid any funds into the personal accounts of the prime minister. A spokesperson for 1MDB declined to comment on the latest report when contacted by Reuters.
Two French tourists have been raped at knifepoint by a group of Cambodian fishermen who swam ashore on a Thai paradise island and attacked them on the beach.
Thai police said four French tourists, two men and two women, were attacked late on Saturday on Koh Kood, a remote island near Thailand's maritime border with Cambodia.
The two men were injured in the assault but managed to escape and raise the alarm, and the five Cambodian men were caught while trying to escape.
Confessed: The Cambodian men, pictured after their arrest, swam from their fishing boat and assaulted a group of French tourists on Koh Kood, a remote Thai island, raping two women at knifepoint
The five attackers have confessed to assaulting the group of French tourists, and raping the two women on the tourist island, famed for its untamed jungle and pristine beaches.
Investigators said the attackers swam from their fishing boat to assault the group and raped the women at knifepoint.
Cambodia's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that the five fishermen confessed to Eat Sophea, Cambodian Ambassador to Thailand, that they raped and assaulted the tourists.
'During the interview with the Cambodian ambassador the five fishermen confessed to have really been involved in the cases of rape and assault,' the ministry said in a statement.
'It happened while the five fishermen were in a drunk state.'
Attackers: One of the suspects points during a crime re-enactment at Koh Kood island after the group confessed to raping and assaulting French tourists on one of the island's many isolated beaches
Horror in paradise: The attack took place on the Thai island Koh Kood, known for its untamed jungle and pristine beaches
The fishermen, who said they were drunk at the time of the attack, swam ashore and attacked the group of four French tourists
'They (the attackers) all confessed and police have already brought them to do a re-enactment,'police major general Nopparat Rinthaphol said.
Thailand's Channel 7 television broadcast images of angry locals trying to attack the men during the re-enactment on Monday.
The five have been charged with rape and violent assault.
It is the latest high-profile case to hit the popular holiday destination, raising serious questions about tourist safety in the Southeast Asian country.
Anger: Locals on the island reportedly attacked the Cambodian men during the re-enactment on Monday
In December, two migrant workers from Myanmar were found guilty by a Thai court of killing two British tourists on a beach on the southern Thai holiday island of Koh Tao in 2014.
Thailand remains a popular tourist destination, despite a slew of high-profile crimes against tourists last year and an August bomb attack at a popular Bangkok shrine that left 20 people dead, most of them foreigners.
Poland - Factors to Watch March 1
Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Tuesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour):
DATA
Markit will release its February PMI index for Poland at 0800 GMT.
DEBT
Poland's finance ministry will publish its debt supply for a Thursday tender at 1400 GMT.
ASTALDI
Italian Astaldi won a 965 million zlotys ($241.90 million) contract to build a tunnel and a road in southern Poland, Rzeczpospolita daily said.
CENTRAL BANK
The Polish government supports central bank head Marek Belka's candidacy for the post of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's president, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo was quoted as saying by Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily.
BANKS
Puls Biznesu said that GE Capital has put on hold its talks with UniCredit and billionaire Leszek Czarnecki, aimed at selling GE's Polish unit BPH. The daily had previously reported that UniCredit is close to buying a part of BPH.
Insurer PZU, however, is interested again in Raiffeisen Polish unit, Raiffeisen Polbank, the daily said. The bank could be bought via a PZU subsidiary, Alior Bank, it said.
JSW
Polish coking coal producer JSW's fourth-quarter loss widened significantly after it was forced to write off 2.8 billion zlotys ($700 million) due to record-low coal prices that eroded the value of some of its assets.
TAURON
Poland's second-largest energy firm state-run Tauron Polska Energia issued bonds worth 2.25 billion zlotys ($562.42 million) to re-finance debt, it said on Monday in a statement.
****Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.****
Romania - Factors to watch on March 1
BUCHAREST, March 1 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Tuesday.
FX RESERVES DATA
Romania's central bank will release January foreign exchange reserves data.
UNEMPLOYMENT DATA
The National Statistics Board will release unemployment data for January.
CEE MARKETS
Central Europe's main currencies firmed on Monday, with the zloty outperforming the forint after Poland published strong economic output data.
MORTGAGE BILL
Romania's senate approved on Monday a bill that enables Romanians to give up their mortgaged properties and stop paying loans. The bill was initially approved last year, but the president sent it back for reexamination after the central bank, European Commission and the IMF said it posed a systemic risk.
The senate rejected a central bank proposal to exempt from the bill a state-subsidised programme for first-time homebuyers, but approved a property value ceiling of 150,000 euros. The bill now goes to the lower house, which has the final say.
For the long-term Romanian diary, click on
For emerging markets economic events, click on
For an index of all diaries, click on
China aims to lay off 5-6 million state workers -sources
By Benjamin Kang Lim and David Stanway
BEIJING, March 1 (Reuters) - China aims to lay off 5-6 million workers from "zombie enterprises" over the next two to three years as part of efforts to curb industrial overcapacity and pollution, two sources with ties to the country's leadership said.
Beijing is trying to rejuvenate its flagging economy by streamlining bloated industrial sectors, starting with coal and steel, but layoffs have emerged as one of the biggest concerns for cash-strapped regions ahead of next week's annual session of parliament.
The government's plans to lay off five million workers in industries suffering from a supply glut would be the country's boldest retrenchment programme in almost two decades, one source said.
The restructuring of state-owned enterprises from 1998 to 2003 led to around 28 million redundancies and cost the central government about 73.1 billion yuan ($11.2 billion) in resettlement funds.
A second source with leadership ties put the number of layoffs at six million. Both sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media about the politically sensitive subject for fear of sparking social unrest.
The ministry of industry did not immediately respond when asked for comment on the reports.
For China's stability-obsessed government, keeping a lid on unemployment and any possible unrest that may follow has been a top priority.
On Monday, Yin Weimin, the minister for human resources and social security, said China expects to lay off 1.8 million workers in the coal and steel industries. But he did not give a timeframe.
China aims to cut capacity gluts in as many as seven sectors, including cement, glassmaking and shipbuilding, but the oversupplied solar power industry is likely to be spared any large-scale restructuring because it still has growth potential, the first source said.
Shutting down "zombie firms" has been identified as one of the government's priorities this year, with China's Premier Li Keqiang promising in December that they would soon "go under the knife"..
The term refers to companies that have shut down operations but keep staff on their rolls since local governments are worried about the social and economic impact of bankruptcies and unemployment.
RUSTBELT RESISTANCE
The government has already drawn up plans to cut as much as 150 million tonnes of crude steel capacity and 500 million tonnes of surplus coal production in the next three to five years.
It has also earmarked 100 billion yuan ($15.29 billion) in central government funds to deal directly with the layoffs from steel and coal over the next two years, vice-industry minister Feng Fei said last week.
But the overcapacity action plans are still expected to face resistance from hard-hit regions like the northeastern rustbelt provinces of Heilongjiang and Liaoning and the northern province of Hebei, which surrounds the capital Beijing.
"There is bound to be a tussle between the central and local governments," the second source said.
The funds being offered will do little to resolve the problems of debts held by zombie firms, which analysts say could overwhelm local banks if they are not handled correctly.
Factories shut down would have to repay bank loans to avoid saddling state banks with a mountain of non-performing loans, the sources said. "Triangular debt", or money owed by firms to other enterprises, would also have to be resolved, they added.
China has drawn up dozens of policy documents since 2010 to try to deal with industrial overcapacity. The European Chamber of Commerce in China said in a recent report that the government had been "complacent" and had failed to tackle local government obstructionism.
More than $1 bln was transferred into Malaysia PM's accounts-WSJ
KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 (Reuters) - Deposits into Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's bank accounts ran to hundreds of millions of dollars more than previously identified by probes into state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
Citing two unnamed people familiar with flows into Najib's accounts and a person familiar with one overseas investigation, the report said that more than $1 billion was deposited from 2011 to 2013, far more than the $681 million earlier identified.
The paper said global investigators believe much of the $1 billion originated with the state fund, known as 1MDB, but did not specify where the extra money came from or what happened to it.
The report contradicts a conclusion reached recently by Malaysia's chief law officer.
Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali cleared Najib in January of any corruption or criminal offences, saying the $681 million transferred into Najib's account was a gift from a member of Saudi Arabia's royal family and that most of it was returned.
A government spokesman said Malaysian authorities had gone to Saudi Arabia to "examine documentation" and interviewed members of the royal family and officials who handled the donations.
"As stated by the attorney-general of Malaysia, the funds received were a donation from Saudi Arabia," the spokesman said in a statement in response to the latest report.
Najib has been buffeted for months by allegations of graft and financial mismanagement at debt-burdened 1MDB and in particular by revelations of the transfer of around $681 million into his account in 2013.
He has denied wrongdoing, saying the funds were a legal political donation and he did not take any money for personal gain.
The Wall Street Journal report said money beyond the $681 million arrived in Najib's account in 2011 and 2012.
It said investigators in two countries believed funds originated from 1MDB and moved through a complex web of transactions. Najib is chairman of the board of advisors to IMDB, a fund set up in 2009, when he came to office, to invest in projects of national importance.
In response to the WSJ report, 1MDB said it has consistently maintained that it has not paid any funds to the personal accounts of the Prime Minister.
"This has been reiterated by multiple lawful authorities including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Malaysian Attorney General, and various reputable international publications, who have confirmed that these funds came from Saudi Arabia," it said in an email response.
Baghdad attacks signal Iraqi forces stretched thin against Islamic State
By Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed
BAGHDAD, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Islamic State's deadliest attacks for months in and around Baghdad could be a sign that Iraqi forces are stretched thin after recent advances to reclaim territory from the group, according to some military commanders and a provincial official.
Iraqi forces backed by air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition retook the northern city of Baiji in October and then Ramadi, 100 km (60 miles) west of Baghdad, at the end of last year.
But the government's determination to move on the militant stronghold of Mosul in the far north this year has prevented the military from consolidating gains on the northern and eastern outskirts of Ramadi, said the commanders.
They said this has allowed Islamic State fighters to regroup and continue sending weapons from deep inside the "caliphate" to Falluja and Garma - areas just west of Baghdad where security officials said Sunday's attacks were launched from.
A twin suicide bombing in the Sadr City district of Baghdad killed 78 people. Islamic State also said it was behind an assault on police and army positions in the western outskirts of Abu Ghraib, which killed 24 security forces and gave the insurgents control of the country's largest grain silo for most of the day.
Iraqi officials and a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said the Baghdad attacks were aimed primarily at boosting the militants' morale after losing ground in Ramadi two months ago.
But the attacks have raised questions about security in the capital, home to four million people, and the government's ability to move on Mosul this year without letting other reclaimed areas fall back under the group's control.
The closest Islamic State position to Baghdad - which has never been under the group's control - is Falluja, 50 km to the west, which Iraqi forces have been encircling for months. Sunday's attackers were able to breach the military's defences there and in the adjacent area of Garma, officials said.
Two Iraqi army officers stationed near Ramadi told Reuters that a shortage of troops had slowed the military's advance to a crawl in the city's northern and eastern outskirts.
Most of the elite counter-terrorism forces that spearheaded the city's capture have been redeployed elsewhere and replaced by less effective army and police units.
"After the seizure of Ramadi, military operations have abated. That was a tactical mistake as Daesh fighters were given the chance to take a breath and regroup," said a colonel from the ninth division, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
"We need more reinforcements to fill the gap left by the counter-terrorism forces if we want to keep the momentum high."
The colonel also criticised the government's decision to mobilise hundreds of troops this month to Makhmour, a base south of Mosul.
"Every single soldier is needed to drive the remaining pockets of Daesh from rural areas around Ramadi," he said by phone. "This is what I call blundering army tactics."
Fadhil Abu Ragheef, a Baghdad-based security analyst, said a nine-month offensive in Garma by Iraqi forces "had not achieved any victory worth mentioning", leaving Islamic State militants there the space to launch the Abu Ghraib attack.
PROTECTING BAGHDAD
Iraqi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool said Iraq had sufficient forces for operations on multiple fronts.
"We won't neglect anything," he told Reuters. "Everything is planned. There is the joint operations command and a planning committee that includes highly competent senior officers and we are working on the plans."
Yet according to Falih al-Essawi, deputy head of the provincial council of Anbar where Ramadi and Falluja are located, the Abu Ghraib attack should be a "red flag" to the government to review security in the capital.
"When Daesh fighters control an area that is a 15-minute drive from Baghdad, that means there are serious security flaws that need to be addressed," he said.
Islamic State threatened to overrun Baghdad 20 months ago during its advance through northern and western areas after crossing the Syrian border but the capital has since seen relative calm.
The authorities said this month they were reorganising checkpoints and closing gaps in the perimeter around Baghdad in a bid to prevent further militant attacks.
In the Abu Ghraib attack, the militants infiltrated the city from Garma and Falluja using all-terrain vehicles so they could use dirt roads to evade detection by Iraqi forces, security officials said.
Security forces mostly regained control of Abu Ghraib by Sunday evening, including a grain silo and a cemetery where Islamic State had dug in for hours.
Essawi and a trade ministry official suggested the attack was partly motivated by Islamic State's desire to seize wheat stored in the silo to feed residents in the encircled areas of Falluja and Garma, but said the militants had not managed to take the supplies before fleeing.
SLEEPER CELLS
Army Lieutenant Colonel Fadhil al-Mohammadawi said the military was still pursuing militants on Monday in rural areas of Abu Ghraib and checking for sleeper cells suspected of participating in the attacks.
Two witnesses said on Monday that Islamic State paraded the bodies of 12 Iraqi soldiers through the streets of Garma in the back of a pickup truck. Images distributed online by Islamic State supporters showed several bodies clad in military uniforms in the back of a muddy white pickup truck, along with Humvees and army trucks allegedly seized in Sunday's attacks.
Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the photos or the witness accounts.
Coalition spokesman U.S. Army Colonel Christopher Garver said local commanders were right to be concerned about holding territory recently recovered from Islamic State but added that planning already takes such concerns into consideration.
The coalition has so far trained about 2,000 Anbar police to be the main holding force in Ramadi, he added.
Graver said the formation that attacked Abu Ghraib was not "particularly large" and showed that the coalition and the Iraqis were succeeding in preventing Islamic State from conducting major resupply and manoeuvring.
"You'll never be able to get the noose so tight that a well-trained person can't move in and out of the area," he said, but the Iraqi military "now stands its ground and even if they were to tactically fall back as we've seen a couple times, they retake the ground".
Graver said it was up to the Iraqi government to decide how best to mobilise its limited resources to advance towards Mosul.
Smiths says on-going pension contributions to be materially lower
March 1 (Reuters) - British engineering conglomerate Smiths Group Plc said its on-going pension contributions would be materially lower than before, after it agreed to a new pensions funding deal.
The company said the new deal would reduce its cash costs for financial year 2016, as it had agreed to pay its pensions deficit over the next three financial years.
PRESS DIGEST - RUSSIA - March 1
MOSCOW, March 1 (Reuters) - The following are some of the leading stories in Russia's newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
VEDOMOSTI
www.vedomosti.ru
- The Russian government has extended a grace period for heavy trucks under a much-criticised heavy haulers tolling system, known as Platon, until 30 June 2017, the paper says.
- Russia's economy shrank by 2.5 percent in January year on year, the paper writes.
- Prices for mobile Internet in Russia are among the lowest in the world, the paper writes citing a recent Content Review study.
KOMMERSANT
www.kommersant.ru
- Russian travel agents ask the Foreign Ministry to ease rules for foreigners obtaining Russian visas, in a hope to attract some 30-40 percent more tourists to Russia, the paper reports.
- Russia's Komi republic will allocate some 40 million roubles ($541,000) as compensation to the families of miners who died in an accident in the Severnaya mine in Vorkuta last week, the paper reports.
- For the first time in many years, the number of warships built in Russia in 2015 exceeded that of civilian vessels, the paper writes.
NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA
www.ng.ru
- Japan wants to ship some 40 percent of its sea freight via Russia's Northeast Passage and monitor its ice conditions alongside its Russian partners, the paper writes citing Japan's Ambassador in charge of Arctic Affairs Kazuko Shiraishi.
- The Russian Defence Ministry plans to reform logistics support for the Navy in order to extend its presence in the world ocean, the paper writes.
Mali rebel destroyed ancient Timbuktu shrines, ICC told
By Thomas Escritt
AMSTERDAM, March 1 (Reuters) - An Islamist fighter caused irreparable damage to Africa's cultural heritage by destroying religious sites in the ancient city of Timbuktu during the 2012 conflict in Mali, international prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, a former trainee teacher, had led and personally taken part in the attacks on nine mausoleums and mosques in the city with pick-axes and crowbars, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) said.
Al-Mahdi -- an ethnic Tuareg who prosecutors say belonged to the Ansar Dine militant group, an ally of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb -- is the first person to be charged with destroying cultural artefacts by the court.
"This crime affects the soul and spirit of the people," said prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, comparing the attacks on the ancient seat of learning to the destruction wrought by Islamic State militants on Palmyra in Syria and the Taliban's 2001 defacement of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan.
"These were sites dedicated to religion and historic monuments and did not constitute military objectives," she said, adding their destruction hit "the deepest and most intimate part of a human being, their faith."
At the hearing, prosecutors must convince judges, led by Kenya's Joyce Aluoch, that they have marshalled sufficient evidence to justify a full trial.
The ICC has been examining events in Mali since 2012, when Tuareg rebels seized part of the north, imposing a strict interpretation of Islamic law. French and Malian troops pushed them back the following year.
Known as the "City of 333 Saints", Timbuktu was a trading hub and spiritual centre by the 14th century, playing a key role in the spread of Islam across the continent. The mausoleums of those scholars remain important pilgrimage sites.
Al-Mahdi, who was wearing a frilled white shirt and rimless spectacles and rose to confirm he understood the charges, cut a very different figure from the warlords and political leaders who have previously appeared before the international court accused of killings and human rights abuses.
Bensouda said Al-Mahdi, known to his followers as a religious scholar, had helped plan and lead the attacks, implementing rulings of the Islamic Tribunal set up by the rebels occupying Mali.
British manufacturing activity slumps to nearly three-year low
By William Schomberg
LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - British factories had their weakest month in nearly three years in February, a survey showed on Tuesday, raising a warning signal that the country's recovery from the financial crisis could be slowing further.
With growing uncertainty about the health of the global economy and the approach of Britain's European Union membership referendum, the Markit/CIPS manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell sharply to 50.8, below all the forecasts in a Reuters poll, from 52.9 in January. It was just above the reading of 50 delineating expansion from contraction.
The survey showed demand at home slowed while export orders fell, a double whammy for a sector which accounts for about 10 percent of Britain's economic output.
It underscored why the Bank of England has said it is ready to pump more stimulus into the economy if needed.
"The near-stagnation of manufacturing highlights the ongoing fragility of the economic recovery at the start of the year and provides further cover for the Bank of England's increasingly dovish stance," Rob Dobson, a senior economist at Markit, said.
"The breadth of the slowdown is especially worrisome."
New orders in February were their weakest since the turnaround began in 2013. Consumer and investment goods orders bore the brunt of slower growth in demand at home and a further fall in orders from abroad, Markit said.
BREXIT
Kallum Pickering, an economist with Berenberg, said nervousness about Britain's June 23 EU membership referendum suggested a difficult few months ahead for manufacturers.
"As long as the UK votes to stay in the EU, domestic demand will likely pick up again thereafter. If the UK votes to eject itself from its biggest market, things may get much rougher," he said in an email to clients.
The survey was mostly conducted before a latest sharp fall in value of sterling in late February which would make British goods cheaper abroad.
The manufacturing sector cut jobs for a second month in a row although the decline was mild. Companies said they cut the prices of their goods for the sixth month in a row but the fall was slightly less marked than in January.
Manufacturing weighed on Britain's overall economic growth at the end of last year, leaving the country's much bigger services sector as the sole driver of the recovery.
Allan Monks, an economist with JPMorgan, said Thursday's survey of the services sector would help give a better sense of how the economy was faring.
"In recent years the services sector has remained resilient in the face of manufacturing weakness, reflecting in turn the strength of domestic relative to global demand," he said in a note.
A Reuters poll of 29 economists sees the services PMI falling to 55.1 compared with 55.6 a month earlier.
Slovakia's Fico set for election win, reinforcing central Europe's EU dissenters
By Tatiana Jancarikova
BRATISLAVA, March 1 (Reuters) - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is on course to win another term in parliamentary elections on Saturday, maintaining an anti-immigration alliance with his European Union neighbours, Hungary's Viktor Orban and Poland's Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
Fico, 51, is a Social Democrat but fits in with his two conservative peers when it comes to a focus on national pride, social conservatism and strong opposition to immigration.
Opinion polls show Fico's Smer party will win 32.5-38.4 percent of the vote, enough to retain power with a coalition partner or two.
Many in Brussels are watching the election and Fico's views on migration because Slovakia will hold the rotating six-month EU presidency from July, giving it a bigger voice in EU discussions.
Fico has made his tough stand against German Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy the main issue in the election, and could beat his nearest rivals by around 20 percentage points, enough to lead the next cabinet.
Linking the influx of migrants into Europe to the November attacks in Paris and New Year Eve assaults on women in Germany, Fico said Muslim immigrants could not integrate.
"Multi-culturalism is a fiction. Once you let migrants in, you can face such problems," he said. "Virtually every time there's a terror attack, it's... Muslims."
Fico is already openly clashing with the EU, saying Slovakia will not take its share of 160,000 refugees the EU agreed to relocate among its 28 members. He has filed a suit with the European Court of Justice against the plan.
"CEE countries are now willing to break the EU consensus. That could have negative implications for decision-making processes on the EU level," said Otilia Dhand, analyst at Teneo Intelligence in New York.
Fico's line appears to have resonated in the largely Catholic country, which has had trouble integrating its Roma minority and at times had tense relations with its ethnic Hungarians.
The landlocked nation of 5.4 million lies off the route that more than a million people fleeing war and poverty took to Germany last year, when only 330 people sought asylum in Slovakia.
Many Slovaks have never even met an immigrant, so they have not had a chance to confront the television coverage and political messages they see with their own experience.
Fico's line echoes Orban who says the flood of migrants would redraw the cultural, ethnic and religious map of Europe. Kaczynski has said refugees could bring diseases into Poland and threaten the country's Catholic way of life.
Central Europe's anti-Muslim rhetoric stands out in the region, although some of its other views, such as on tighter Schengen border management and rule enforcement, have won wider acceptance as Europe grapples with the refugee crisis.
ILLIBERAL DEMOCRACY?
Some are concerned that Fico may also follow Orban and Kaczynski's path in clamping down on democratic checks and balances. He has had poor relations with a critical press, filing lawsuits and adopting a media law in 2008 that was criticised by human rights groups.
But the former Communist Party member has no deep ideological roots and has shown no urge to control the media or revamp the constitution. He has backed euro zone policies and kept an open door to foreign investors, and last week told Reuters he wanted to maintain a "lively democracy".
"Fico does not have such authoritarian tendencies like Orban. He has ruled alone for four years and he could have done much worse," said analyst Samuel Abraham, head of Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts.
Fico's power will also be checked because Smer is likely to lose its absolute majority in parliament. Surprise gains by centre-right parties could even oust him from the office he has held for eight of the last 10 years.
Tim Haughton from the Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Birmingham said Fico might cool the tone after the election to protect the benefits the trade-dependent country enjoys from free movement in the EU.
"For a country like Slovakia, the Schengen zone is very important, and it's in Fico's interest to ensure that its benefits are not lost," Haughton said.
Hungary passes law to restrict access to data on central bank units
BUDAPEST, March 1 (Reuters) - Hungary's parliament passed a law on Tuesday that will restrict public access to data from business units owned by the National Bank, ignoring a warning from the data protection authority which said it violated the constitution.
Since it came to power in 2010, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party has redrawn the constitution and taken control of state media and public institutions, moves which critics said eroded Hungary's democratic checks and balances.
Turkey's top judge defends court independence after Erdogan criticism
By Gulsen Solaker
ANKARA, March 1 (Reuters) - Turkey's top judge asserted his court's independence on Tuesday after President Tayyip Erdogan and the justice minister both criticised a ruling that the detention of two prominent journalists had violated their rights.
Erdogan said on Sunday he neither recognised nor respected Thursday's ruling by the constitutional court that led to the release of Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper, and its Ankara bureau chief.
Their arrest last November, after Cumhuriyet published video footage purporting to show the state intelligence agency helping to send weapons to Syria, drew international condemnation and concerns about media freedom in Turkey, which aspires to join the European Union membership.
"Decisions taken by the constitutional court using its authority, are binding for everyone and every institution," court chairman Zuhtu Arslan told a legal conference in Ankara.
"We are doing our job. We do not look at who is making the application. We are not on anybody's side or against anyone."
Arslan's predecessor, Hasim Kilic, clashed with Erdogan several times, warning last year that the judiciary could become an "instrument of revenge" for politicians after government-backed candidates strengthened their grip on key courts, heightening concern about judicial independence.
Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag echoed Erdogan's criticism of the court ruling on Tuesday, telling parliament the ruling was a "clear violation of the constitution and law", according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
The Cumhuriyet newspaper infuriated Erdogan last May when it published photos, videos and a report that it said showed Turkish intelligence officials transporting arms to Syria in trucks in 2014.
The two Cumhuriyet journalists were charged with intentionally aiding an armed terrorist organisation and publishing material in violation of state security.
Erdogan, who has cast the newspaper's coverage as part of an attempt to undermine Turkey's global standing, has said he will not forgive such reporting.
"This has nothing to do with press freedom. This is a case of spying," he said on Sunday.
Cameron's morning after: how Brexit divorce gets messy
By Alastair Macdonald
BRUSSELS, Feb 29 (Reuters) - If Britons vote to leave the European Union in their June 23 referendum, Prime Minister David Cameron can effectively file the divorce papers in person to fellow EU leaders the next morning in Brussels.
Just how he will arrange his diary, having scheduled the vote on the first day of the regular midsummer EU summit, is not yet clear; from then on, the process of "Brexit" will only get messier, as Europe's fractious leaders haggle their way through an unprecedented break-up that could take years to complete.
Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union lets a state quit and sets a deadline to negotiate terms within two years. If by mid-2018, Britain has not agreed issues like trade terms or the status of foreign residents, its membership will simply end -- unless it and all 27 other EU states agree an extension.
Cameron's government said this week, however, that rewriting British laws post-Brexit and renegotiating relations in trade and other fields could take a decade, with an EU divided over other crises and smarting from Britain's rejection.
No one has a clear idea how events will unfold once voting ends at 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Thursday, June 23. Instant exit polls will deliver a verdict to Brussels just as EU leaders are finishing dinner at the halfway point of their two-day meeting.
If Cameron stays in London for the result, as some British officials expect, he will fly in the following morning, either triumphant -- or defeated and facing the possible end of his own career and opening negotiations on withdrawing from the bloc.
His experience of sitting out the Thursday summit session, where he may delegate his vote to an ally, possibly the Irish or Dutch, would be one that he, or his successor, would have to get used to. Once Britain gives notice it is quitting, it will be excluded from EU discussions on how to handle that process.
Cameron, who is campaigning to stay on the basis of a reform package that he agreed 10 days ago, says he will not delay in notifying Brussels if Britons vote to leave. It is not clear, however, that he could or would do that formally the next day.
"IT'S OVER"
Some supporters of a Brexit vote have suggested that formal notification of Britain's plan to quit could be delayed to give EU leaders time to offer better terms than Cameron's deal, possibly to a new British premier if Cameron is forced out.
That seems unlikely, however, and EU leaders have insisted there can be no coming back from a 'Leave' vote once London has formally started the clock ticking on Article 50 -- ruling out also that Britons could hold a second referendum and change their minds to stay in if they do not like the outcome of talks.
"We negotiated a package to try and save our marriage," one senior EU official said.
"If Britain votes to go, it's over. We negotiate divorce."
Although no member state has voted to leave in the 60 years of the Union and its earlier incarnations, territories such as Algeria have emerged into independence.
But the most recent departure, when Greenland quit the EEC membership it shared with Denmark until 1985, was so tortuous, even though the trade links were tiny, that the 2009 Lisbon Treaty redrawing EU law set the first rules for withdrawal.
"Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union," states the new Article 50. An agreement on terms needs approval by a qualified majority of the remaining member states and the European Parliament. If there were no deal in two years, which veteran trade negotiators think improbable, Britain's EU membership would lapse unless all 28 states agreed an extension.
Many eurosceptics say an abrupt exit would be no problem and that world trade rules would simply apply. EU states would want to maintain exports into the British market and Britain would be free to cut its own trade deals with others. A variety of models including Norway and Switzerland are available, though most mean trading some independence for access to EU markets.
British law could be reworked, where needed, to cover gaps in lapsing EU rules. And the rights of some 2 million Britons living and working in Europe could be safeguarded reciprocally with those of a similar number of EU citizens in Britain.
The government paper on Monday questioned those assumptions, however. And supporters of EU membership argue that the EU would drive hard bargains, not just to gain economic advantage but to discourage other states from following Britain to the exit.
U.N. aims to restart Syria peace talks on March 9
By Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA, March 1 (Reuters) - The United Nations will delay the next round of Syria peace talks by two days to allow the cessation of hostilities in force since Saturday to take hold, U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said.
International observers have acknowledged violations of the agreement intended to halt nearly five years of fighting while reporting that the level of violence has decreased considerably.
"We are delaying it to the afternoon of (March) 9th for logistical and technical reasons and also for the ceasefire to better settle down," de Mistura told Reuters on Tuesday. The talks had been pencilled in for March 7.
The cessation of hostilities was "a glimmer of hope", Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said, although he accused the opposition of violating the agreement.
The opposition in turn says the Syrian government has breached the fragile truce by repeatedly attacking its positions, which the government denies.
"We will play our part to make the whole thing work," Assad told Germany's ARD television network, adding that the Syrian army had not reacted to truce violations in order to give the agreement a chance.
"The terrorists have breached the deal from the first day. We as the Syrian army are refraining from responding in order to give a chance to sustain the agreement. But in the end there are limits and it all depends on the other side," Assad said.
The cessation of hostilities agreement, drawn up by the United States and Russia, is seen by the U.N. as an opportunity to revive peace talks which collapsed before they had even started a month ago in Geneva.
It also hopes the truce will allow humanitarian aid to be sent into besieged areas where many Syrians are living in dire conditions.
However, the opposition said it had yet to be officially informed of a new round of talks on March 9, insisting that no serious discussions can begin before detainees are freed and blockades are lifted.
Riad Nassan Agha, a member of the High Negotiations Committee, told Reuters the opposition would study the call for talks based on developments on the ground, adding that it heard of the March 9 date only through the media.
NEGOTIATING TABLE
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was an urgent need to implement the agreement and for the warring parties to return to the negotiating table, a U.N. statement said.
"They agreed on the importance of urgently moving forward simultaneously on implementing the cessation of hostilities agreement, providing vital humanitarian assistance to civilians, and returning to political negotiations," the statement said.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that while efforts were being made to track down alleged violations of the cessation of hostilities, there was currently no evidence to suggest they would destabilise the fragile peace.
In a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Lavrov and Kerry reaffirmed the importance of coordination, chiefly military, between Moscow and Washington to strengthen the truce, the Russian foreign ministry reported.
De Mistura expected to see attempts to disrupt the ceasefire, saying these needed to be contained to avoid them spreading and undermining the credibility of the truce.
"We don't want discussions in Geneva to become a discussion about infringements or not of the ceasefire, we want them to actually address the core of everything," he said in an interview.
De Mistura wants the Syrian sides to focus on constitutional reform, governance, and hopes elections can be held in 18 months. Prisoner releases would also be "very much up front on the agenda", he said.
Syria's Ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Hussam Aala, said his government was cooperating over aid deliveries, including to rebel-led areas. It was facilitating "access to humanitarian aid to those who need it without discrimination, between the besieged zones or zones infiltrated by terrorists".
However, addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council, he also accused Saudi Arabia and Qatar of financing jihadist rebel groups including the Nusra Front, which is linked to al Qaeda, and also rejected criticism from France.
JIHADIST GROUPS
The agreement does not include Islamic State or the Nusra Front, and Assad and his Russian backers have made clear they intend to keep attacking them.
The Saudi-backed "moderate" opposition says that because some of their fighters are in areas alongside Nusra, they fear being targeted too.
The Russian Defence Ministry said it was refraining from striking areas where the "moderate opposition" was respecting the ceasefire agreement, Interfax news agency reported.
A total of 15 ceasefire violations have been registered in Syria in the past 24 hours, Interfax quoted the Russian military as saying. The U.S. State Department, however, said it had not received any reports of "significant" violations.
The Syrian military denied it was responsible for any violations and said "terrorist groups", the term it uses to describe its enemies, were to blame. Operations against Islamic State - also known as Daesh - and the Nusra Front were going ahead.
Tunisia backs plan to host German troops to train Libyan army
TUNIS, March 1 (Reuters) - Tunisia's government backs a plan for German forces to come to the country to train troops from neighbouring Libya for the fight against Islamic State militants, the Tunisian defence minister said on Tuesday.
The Islamic State militants have taken advantage of political chaos and a security vacuum in Libya to expand their presence there, taking control of the city of Sirte and staging frequent attacks.
Western officials are discussing ways to counter the group, including through the use of air strikes and special forces operations, though plans for outside assistance have been hampered by the failure of a United Nations-backed unity government in Libya to win wide approval in the country.
Last week a German delegation visited Tunisia to discuss a training programme for Libyan forces.
"We agree on the principle of the project," Tunisian Defence Minister Farhat Harchani said in an interview with the TAP state news agency.
He gave no details on the nature of the training or when it might happen, but said Tunisian forces would also take part.
"We will participate in the formation of the nucleus of the Libyan army and security forces in Tunisia. This is our duty and we will help Libya to get it done," he said.
Tunisia has been struggling to contain its own militant threat, and thousands of Tunisians have gone to fight in Iraq, Syria and Libya. Authorities say gunmen who killed dozens of tourists at a museum and a beach resort in Tunisia last year trained in Libya before returning home.
Tunisia recently completed a 200-km (125 mile) barrier consisting of an earth wall and trenches along its frontier with Libya, aimed at stopping militants from crossing the border. European and U.S. military trainers are to instruct Tunisian forces on improving electronic surveillance there.
Britain said on Monday it had sent a team of 20 military personnel to Tunisia to provide mobile patrolling and surveillance training on the border. It said a similar training mission had been conducted at the end of last year.
EU to call for emergency humanitarian aid to Greece
BRUSSELS, March 1 (Reuters) - The European Union is proposing increased humanitarian aid for Greece, where more than 20,000 refugees and migrants are stuck after borders were tightened along the Balkans preventing them from trekking north to wealthier parts of Europe.
The European Commission, the EU executive, said on Tuesday it will put forward a plan on Wednesday to offer emergency financial assistance for humanitarian crises inside the 28-nation bloc, comparable with operations it has launched elsewhere in the world.
The Commission's spokesman told a regular news briefing in Brussels that the plan was necessary "to prevent humanitarian suffering as a result of an unprecedented number of people arriving in the EU".
Migrant build-up in Greece shows EU solution urgent-Merkel
BERLIN, March 1 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday the build-up of migrants and refugees at Greece's northern border showed Europe needed to find a common solution to the crisis at an EU summit next week and reinstate the Schengen free travel zone.
"The pictures show us clearly every day that there is a need for talks," Merkel told reporters after meeting Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic in Berlin, adding she was in regular contact with Greece's prime minister.
"We need to deal with the difficult situation in Greece and ... return to the Schengen system as soon as possible."
Migrants have become stranded in Greece after Austria and countries along the Balkans migration route imposed restrictions on their borders, limiting the numbers able to cross. Many of the migrants hope to reach Germany.
Macedonian police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of migrants who stormed the border from Greece on Monday, tearing down a metal gate.
Merkel opposes the border restrictions and she, and senior EU officials, have said the suspension of the Schengen passport-free travel zone, one of the pillars of European Union integration, could lead to its collapse.
The restrictions imposed by Austria and other countries have also angered Greece, where an estimated 22,000 migrants and refugees were trapped on Monday and a minister warned the figure could reach 70,000 in the coming weeks.
On Tuesday, Merkel rejected suggestions that the situation on Greece's northern border was similar to that in Budapest last year when Hungary closed the main train station in the capital leaving thousands of migrants stranded. The stand-off ended after the German government intervened to allow about 25,000 migrants to board trains to Austria and Germany.
Asked if she would repeat that if migrants on the Greek-Macedonian border asked for help, Merkel said: "There is actually no right that a refugee can say 'I want to receive asylum in this specific EU state'."
She said the situation was not comparable given that systems to process refugees, who are fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and elsewhere, had been set up in Greece, the first EU country they arrive into, mainly on boats from Turkey.
Merkel said the EU should help Greece deal with the influx.
Senior Iraqi army officer killed in Haditha attack
BAGHDAD, March 1 (Reuters) - A senior Iraqi army officer and seven others were killed overnight when Islamic State militants attacked a military headquarters near the town of Haditha, security officials said on Tuesday.
Haditha and its nearby dam, which the command is charged with protecting, are in one of the few parts of the Sunni Muslim province of Anbar still controlled by Iraq's Shi'ite-led government forces and local police backed by tribal fighters. The area is about 190 km (120 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
Brigadier Ali Abboud, the command's chief of staff, was killed when four suicide bombers attacked an entrance to the base and clashed with soldiers, said Major General Ali Daboun, the commander of Jazeera and Badiya operations in charge of the western desert bordering Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
"Four terrorists attacked the entrance to the command headquarters and our soldiers managed to kill them. Regrettably Brigadier Ali Abboud was martyred in the attacks," Daboun said by phone.
A news flash on state television confirmed Abboud's death.
Seven other police and army personnel were killed, including a second army officer, two police sources said.
Initial investigations showed the militants managed to reach the base by dressing in army uniforms, security officials said.
Islamic State said in an online statement that two of its fighters had infiltrated a police headquarters near Haditha dam and attacked soldiers stationed there with light weapons and hand grenades before detonating their explosive vests.
The statement named Abboud and several other security officers it said were also killed.
The last major attack on Haditha in January by about 200 Islamic State militants was repelled with the help of U.S.-led coalition air strikes. A coalition spokesman said at the time that offensive was in response to the group's losses in the provincial capital of Ramadi, which Iraqi forces recaptured in December.
Spain's Socialist leader presses Podemos to back unlikely leadership bid
By Angus Berwick and Blanca Rodriguez
MADRID, March 1 (Reuters) - Spain's Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez urged the anti-austerity party Podemos on Tuesday to back his proposed coalition with the pro-business Ciudadanos as he geared up for a seemingly doomed parliamentary vote on his bid to form a government.
Sanchez, whose PSOE party came second in an inconclusive election in December, faces a confidence vote on Wednesday after acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy's centre-right People's Party (PP) passed him the baton last month.
Sanchez has secured the backing of Ciudadanos's lawmakers but his coalition is still 46 seats short of the absolute majority, 176 votes from the 350 deputies, that it needs on Wednesday for Sanchez to be elected prime minister.
If he fails then he would only need to secure the most votes in a second ballot on Friday, but such a result is also doubtful as both the PP and Podemos, which together command 192 seats, have already said they will vote against Sanchez.
A failure in both votes would mean other parties will then have two more months to form an alternative majority, prolonging the stalemate at a time when its economic recovery is still fragile and unemployment stubbornly high at over 20 percent.
In a speech to parliament, Sanchez said a government of leftist parties was impossible since it would not achieve a majority. Instead, he said Podemos, which finished third in December, should join his coalition with Ciudadanos.
"In these elections, the left has not won enough seats to form a government of only one political colour," he said. "Rather, those that have won a huge parliamentary majority are the forces of change."
But Podemos has so far refused to join an alliance with Ciudadanos and wants a pact of leftist parties. The party's number two Inigo Errejon told journalists that Sanchez's speech was underwhelming and he was heading for a failed vote.
MONTHS OF DEADLOCK
Sanchez said Rajoy should step aside to allow such a government. "It is an error to think that the party with most votes has to govern," he said to whistles from parliamentarians and a raised eyebrow from the acting prime minister.
Sanchez has ruled out any deal with the PP, which favours a coalition with the Socialists and Ciudadanos, under Rajoy as prime minister.
Spain has been snarled in deadlock since December's ballot, with Rajoy having already failed to form a government a month ago.
The PP said Sanchez's hour-and-a-half speech was pointless given his distance from a parliamentary majority. "Spaniards cannot keep wasting time following Sanchez's whims," Rafael Hernando, the party's spokesman in congress said.
Political analysts expect little to shift in the parties' negotiating positions if parliament rejects Sanchez's proposal.
"The PP will continue to argue that a government led by them is the only realistic choice," said Teneo Intelligence analyst Antonio Barroso. "And Podemos will continue to attack the PSOE for not making a definitive turn to the left."
North Korea vows to shun UN rights forum over political attacks
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA, March 1 (Reuters) - North Korea will boycott any session of the U.N. Human Rights Council that examines its record and will "never, ever" be bound by any such resolutions, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.
The announcement signalled further isolation of North Korea whose leadership has been accused by U.N. investigators of committing crimes against humanity and is poised to be hit with fresh U.N. sanctions for its nuclear programme.
Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong also accused the United States, Japan and South Korea of sending agents into his country to recruit criminals to become "so-called North Korean defectors".
"As a way out and in order to earn their living, they are compelled to continue to fabricate and sell groundless testimonies by trying to make them sound as shocking as possible," Ri said in a speech to the 47-member state forum.
South Korea rejected the accusations, saying that "questioning the credibility of the defectors' testimony is nothing but a denial of truth". Japan urged Pyongyang to take concrete actions to improve human rights at home.
"We shall no longer participate in international sessions singling out the human rights situation of the DPRK (North Korea) for mere political attack," Ri said.
Any resolutions adopted against the DPRK "will be none of our business and we will never ever be bound by them", he said.
Ri said the U.N. rights forum was marked by worsening "politicisation, selectivity and double standards", and criticised gun-related violence in the United States and Europe's migrant crisis.
Japan and South Korea are drafting a resolution for debate at the ongoing four-week session to renew the mandate of the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, currently Marzuki Darusman, and may seek further steps.
Darusman, in a report last month, asked the United Nations to officially notify North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he may be investigated for crimes against humanity, in line with the findings of a landmark 2014 U.N. report.
The U.N. Security Council delayed until Wednesday a vote on a U.S.-Chinese drafted resolution that would dramatically expand U.N. sanctions on North Korea after Russia said it needed more time to review the text, diplomats said.
Guatemala sex slave victims seek $3 mln in damages in historic wartime rape trial
By Anastasia Moloney
BOGOTA, March 1 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A group of Guatemalan women used as sex slaves by two former military officers during the country's civil war are seeking $3 million in compensation following a historic trial, their lawyers said.
On Feb. 26, a Guatemalan court convicted a retired army officer and a former paramilitary for holding 11 indigenous women as sex slaves at a military base, murder and forced disappearances dating back to the early 1980s.
The defendants -- Esteelmer Reyes Giron, a lieutenant colonel and former commander of the Sepur Zarco base and Heriberto Valdez Asij, a civilian with links to the army -- were sentenced to a total of 360 years in prison.
Both deny wrongdoing and will appeal, their lawyers said.
The verdict marks the first time that sexual slavery perpetrated during a conflict has been prosecuted in the country where the crimes took place as opposed to an international tribunal, legal experts said.
"(It) is the first time a national court has recognised and established state troops were responsible for subjecting women, the majority indigenous women in this case, to sexual slavery and exploitation and that sexual violence was used as a weapon of war," said Paula Barrios, a Guatemalan lawyer involved in bringing the case to court.
"This ruling sets a very important example and precedent for criminal proceedings and convictions involving sexual violence in conflict that's not only relevant for Guatemala but other countries like Colombia in armed conflict," Barrios, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview.
HARROWING TESTIMONY
As many as 250,000 people were killed in a bloody civil war lasting from 1960 to 1996 in the Central American country. Up to 45,000 people disappeared in the conflict between state security forces and Marxist guerrillas.
During the trial, prosecutors told the court that in 1982 soldiers killed, captured and were responsible for the disappearances of more than a dozen men in Sepur Zarco village.
Many of the victims had been campaigning for land rights and were accused by the army of sympathising with the rebels. Some of their wives were forced into slavery at the military base.
The court heard recorded and live testimony from the 11 surviving Mayan women, many in their seventies and eighties, who said they were raped at the base and forced to cook, clean and wash for the soldiers.
One woman, Rosario Xoc, told the court she was gang raped by soldiers near a river where she would wash clothes.
"My young son was screaming when he saw what they were doing to me but nobody helped me," she said through a Q'eqchi Mayan language interpreter.
REPARATIONS
The women's lawyers will seek around $3 million in damages, access to health care, a school and land titles for the victims during a hearing on reparations on March 2.
A United Nations-backed Truth Commission set up under a 1996 peace deal concluded that the military was responsible for more than 85 percent of abuses committed during the war.
But until now no members of Guatemala's armed forces had been convicted of wartime rape in the country.
Rigoberta Menchu, Guatemala's Mayan Nobel laureate and a leading rights activist said the trial had set a precedent that would likely pave the way for more women to come forward.
"The bravery of these Mayan women has allowed the silence and impunity surrounding sexual violence to be broken after more than 30 years," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Barrios said around 1,500 testimonies had already been collected from other women who suffered wartime rape and that the Guatemalan authorities were investigating more cases.
Rival of Uganda's Museveni challenges presidential poll result
By Elias Biryabarema
KAMPALA, March 1 (Reuters) - One of the candidates who sought to end Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's thirty years in power in last month's presidential vote filed a petition on Tuesday seeking to nullify Museveni's victory due to widespread irregularities.
Museveni, 71, who came to power in 1986 and is one of Africa's longest-serving rulers, won the Feb. 18 vote with 60 percent of the votes.
Former prime minister Amama Mbabazi, Museveni's ally-turned-challenger, won less than two percent of the vote, but has accused Uganda's security services of intimidating candidates and has questioned how the votes were tallied.
Opposition candidate Kizza Besigye, who won 35 percent of the vote but has dismissed the tally as fraudulent, missed Tuesday's deadline, with officials from his party saying Besigye's repeated detentions had made it impossible to mount a challenge.
Mbabazi's lawyer, Severino Twinobusingye said that delays in getting ballot material to constituencies, which delayed the voting process for hours in some places, improper supervision of voting, and voter-bribery had all tainted the results.
"The offences committed and the non-compliance with the law substantially affected the result," he said, adding the court should annul the results and hold "another election."
The European Union's observer mission said the vote had been conducted in an "intimidating" atmosphere, while the United States has voiced concerns about Besigye's frequent detentions.
Under Uganda's electoral laws, a loser in a presidential election has ten days from the day the results are announced to lodge a challenge in Uganda's Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Registrar, Tom Chemutai, confirmed that Mbabazi had filed a petition, and said the chief justice would form a panel to hear the petition and give a verdict within 30 days.
Deputy government spokesperson, Shaban Bantariza said they welcomed Mbabazi's court challenge but did not comment on the specific assertions.
Francis Mwijukye, a senior official from Besigye's party, said that Ugandan security personnel had repeatedly blocked Besigye from leaving his home or receiving visits from lawyers and party officials in recent days, impeding the party's ability to build its challenge.
"We were failed by the state... We couldn't take a petition to the supreme court," he said.
Hezbollah sees new struggle in Lebanon, denounces Saudi Arabia
By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam
BEIRUT, March 1 (Reuters) - Hezbollah said on Tuesday that Lebanon had been pushed into a new phase of political conflict by Saudi Arabia but was not on the brink of civil war and its government of national unity should survive.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Iranian-backed group, also stepped up criticism of Saudi Arabia, accusing it of directing car bombings in Lebanon, an arena for sectarian-tinged Iranian-Saudi rivalry that is escalating across the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia had no immediate response to the accusation.
Relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia have been plunged into crisis since Riyadh halted $3 billion in aid to the Lebanese army - a response to the Beirut government's failure to condemn attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.
The row has raised concern for Lebanon's political and economic stability by exacerbating tensions between its Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims and prompting concerns about the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese expatriates the Gulf.
Tensions spilled into the streets on Saturday night when a Saudi-owned TV station aired a show mocking Nasrallah that led the group's supporters to block roads with burning tyres.
"It is clear that since ... the announcement to halt grants and other Saudi measures we have entered a new phase of political and media struggle which Saudi Arabia has escalated," Nasrallah said.
The aim of Saudi policy was to force Lebanese to confront Hezbollah to force it to retreat "even if this leads to strife in Lebanon, the collapse of the government in Lebanon, to a civil war in Lebanon", Nasrallah said. "Saudi doesn't care."
"We see that the continuation of the government is a national interest and we do not intend to resign from it."
Sunni-led Saudi Arabia wields big influence in Lebanon through its backing for Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri, a former prime minister who said on Tuesday that "riots, road blocking and tyre burning" were attempts to provoke "chaos and discord". "We should not be dragged to any attempt of this sort," he said.
Tension between Hezbollah and Hariri spilled into armed conflict as recently as 2008, when a political dispute fuelled by Saudi-Iranian rivalry triggered a brief civil war. Nasrallah said there would be no repeat of that conflict.
"We don't want to turn the table on anyone. We want this table to remain," he said in reference to dialogue between Hezbollah and Hariri's Future Movement. He said Hezbollah had nothing to do with recent street protests, telling his supporters there was "no need to go into the streets".
"I ask you not to go out," he said.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have advised citizens against travel to Beirut. Riyadh last week blacklisted four companies and three Lebanese men for having links to Hezbollah.
"REAL JIHAD"
Yemen's Gulf-backed government has accused Hezbollah of training and fighting alongside Houthi forces in that country's war and of planning attacks in Saudi Arabia. Iran and Hezbollah deny accusations they have provided military aid to the Houthis.
Even with regional upheaval, Lebanon has so far avoided the kind of all-out war under way in Yemen or Syria, where Hezbollah is fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. But political conflict has paralysed the Lebanese government and the country has been without a head of state for nearly two years.
Underlining the depth of hostilities, Nasrallah described an anti-Saudi speech he gave last year after the start of its military intervention in Yemen as the "most honourable thing I have done in my life ...
"I feel this is the real jihad," he said, calling it "greater than the July war" - a reference to Hezbollah's month-long conflict with Israel in 2006.
It was that day of the year yesterday. I mean February 29, which comes once in every four years. It is quite literally the Uday Chopra of the Gregorian calendar. You know it's going to strike you and yet there's nothing you can do to prevent it.
Besides this, there were other matters of global prominence too, namely, the Oscars and "OMG, OMG Priyanka Chopra exhaling carbon dioxide at the Oscars." This comes as a bit of a surprise, as Indian emotions in general about American matters are pretty limited to whether or not American customs will allow you to take mango pickle into the country.
However yesterday was also Budget Day in India, or as I would like to call it, the "annual CA planetary relevance reminder". Now Budget speeches are way too boring and require endurance to watch from start to finish. Especially when Indian audiences are accustomed to the "WWE Hell in the Cell" theatrics, which are quite a common sight on an average day in the Parliament.
Budget speeches are filled with way too much of financial jargon for the common man to comprehend. Allow me to, then, put my knowledge of accountancy to some good public use finally and gain some karmic brownie points in the bargain. Trust me, you're in safe hands... well almost!
The budget session of the Parliament started as always with the finance minister posing in front of the press with an age-old briefcase which is supposed to contain the well-guarded Budget papers. In an alternate universe, in case I do get selected for this coveted post, I would love to just open a briefcase full of samosas and kachoris on Budget Day simply to troll the photographers.
The standard operating procedures are pretty simple. News channels across the nation stream Budget updates live and citizens are supposed to act shocked and traumatised over every other announcement as if they didn't know the Budget was going to screw them up eventually. It's like walking into a Barbecue Nation outlet for dinner and getting stunned by diarrhoea next morning.
While hogging away a year worth of calories in one meal, deep within, you knew very well that things won't go too well next morning, but you still carried on shamelessly. Coincidentally, this is how the government works too. When you splurge a bit too much, you need to unload a fraction of your wealth to the government coffers too.
The trauma is usually accompanied by choicest slur words aimed at ministers and their posterity.
Cigarette prices have been raised to promote cohesion amongst teenage addicts and also to teach them the importance of sharing, be it the lunch box or their packet of Gold Flake. Movie tickets are also going to cost more shortly, which is a subtle way of saying "Hey, who the f**k are you to enjoy simple pleasures in life, that too in Dolby Digital Surround Sound, when the movie is going to come up on TV two months down the line?"
Electronic items would get costlier so you might not want to sever ties with your foreign-based relatives even though they usurped all your ancestral property. Branded garments will attract higher excise duties thus giving snobbish kids more things to brag about, besides their cars, houses and that De Beers diamond necklace which coincidentally happens to come with a loving and caring mom attached to it. You see, on a scale of priorities, human emotions come after materialistic possessions for this breed.
Start-ups formed between April 2016 and March 2019 shall enjoy a tax break for three years unless they make a viral YouTube web series midway chronicling their struggles, in which case, they shall get rewarded with a cameo by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Provident funds, that is, the last hope of social security for the salaried class shall become taxable soon. Bet the conversation between a middle class person and a government employee would be as follows:
Middle class guy: "Hey, you can't just tax my whole life's savings, that too when I am about to retire!"
Government guy: "Don't get so emotional. At least you didn't get rammed and killed by the SUV of a drunk celebrity. Isn't that enough mental relief?"
Middle class guy: "Boss, what about my social security?"
Government guy: "You know you could have been struck down by lightening, floods, lamp posts falling, open sewers, what not. India offers some highly creative ways to get killed. Count your blessings."
Middle class guy: "What the..."
Government guy: "Bloody greedy guy you are!"
Telephone bills shall get higher owing to increased telecom spectrum rates. So just in case you're looking around for a credible reason to snap out of your long distance relationship, this is a godsend opportunity indeed.
Food outings at restaurants shall cost more owing to higher service tax which shall inevitably cause a sharp rise of a new breed of foodies who shall overnight discover their passion for street food at roadside stalls.
SUVs shall attract a cess of four per cent from henceforth. However, vehicles registered as ambulances and used solely as ambulances shall be exempt from cess. So just in case you have a habit of going to parties in ambulances, blasting "To Brazil" by Vengaboys on full volume,
a) You are an a**hole indeed!
b) You will have to pay taxes to pursue this noble hobby of yours.
The government is also offering a four-month compliance window for domestic black money holders to search deep within their soul for finding out any last few shreds of morality.
Last, but not the least, here are a few terms for your reference. It's strongly recommended that you use them to sound wise in any conversations remotely revolving around the topic of the Budget.
1. Crony capitalism.
2. Dampened spirits.
3. Creditable credit.
4. Transgressors (a "cooler" synonym for violators).
5. Fiscal deficit target.
6. Financial rationalisation.
Yes, you're welcome!
Here's hoping that we have a prosperous year ahead and also that we get the opportunity to time travel in the future just to see if our green cards get approved or not.
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2011 Civitas article illuminates the history of redistricting arguments
In the past, Democrats admitted drawing voting maps for political purposes
A three-judge panel noted that redistricting is "ultimately the product of democratic elections"
"The years 2000 through 2004 were filled with lawsuits and backdoor wheeling and dealing over lines drawn by a Democratic majority. Those controlling the process ignored complaints from Republicans and even Democratic African-American legislators. ... The process was done with no transparency. Lawmakers were barely able to see their districts before voting on them."
"African-American Democrats revolted at the prospect of a map with very few majority-minority districts, endangering the map's passage in the closely divided House. Democratic Speaker Jim Black told the public that the map was drawn to ensure that Democrats would have control of the body, and that giving African-Americans more seats would endanger that majority.
"'Every time you change one district, you change districts around it. Every time you do that, you change the balance of power in the state,' said Black. 'I personally believe African-American citizens will be better off with Democratic leaders for the next 10 to 20 years.'"
"Democrats have always been keenly aware of the advantage redistricting gave them. As late as 2010, Gov. Bev Perdue told Democrats at the annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner how important it was that they hold onto the General Assembly in a redistricting year. 'We must have Democrats redraw those maps,' she said."
The primary date will remain March 15, 2016, for all other races including Presidential, Gubernatorial, and Legislative.
The Congressional Primary date is June 7.
Reopens the filing period for interested Congressional candidates from March 16 - March 25, 2016.
Explicitly outlines that any and all votes cast for Congressional races via absentee ballot on the March 15th primary date will remain confidential and will not be counted.
Changes the absentee ballot application deadline to 45 days prior to the June 7 primary to help ensure the State Board of Elections has enough time to print and mail ballots.
Establishes that there will be no runoff primaries in the 2016 election cycle.
North Carolina Republican lawmakers have answered a three-judge panel ruling earlier this month with a new congressional map that makes changes to all 13 districts and looks very different from the map it replaced. Since the unveiling, Gov. Pat McCrory has called the General Assembly back into a special session to approve the map.The federal panel ruled that the Republican majority in the legislature relied too heavily on race when they drew the 1st and 12th districts in 2011. They gave the state until Feb. 19 to draw new districts. The Republican-led legislature unveiled the new congressional map two days early, revealing a map that seemed to surprise everyone. While the political outcome seems to remain the same (10 Republican and three Democratic districts), the districts appear to be markedly more compact. The map is being redrawn even though the previous districts were approved by the U.S. Justice Department and the North Carolina Supreme Court and used in the 2012 and 2014 elections.Given that it has been nearly five years since the legislative and congressional maps were first drawn, it is interesting that a Civitas article written in 2011 is so timely. Neal Inman, then a Civitas intern , wrote about North Carolina's newly drawn Congressional and legislative maps in August 2011. Inman helped put this decade's redistricting in perspective by taking a look back at the redistricting that took place after the 2000 census.At that time, it didn't take five years to find a court that would rule against the legislative maps drawn in 2001, he wrote. "Because the 2001 Democratic maps violated the Whole County Provision of the North Carolina Constitution, the state Supreme Court struck down the legislative maps in the Stephenson decisions. The 2002 election maps were drawn by a judge, but Democrats took the opportunity to redraw the maps in 2003."Inman pointed out that there was a stark difference in how the Republican Party drew the districts in 2011 compared to how they were drawn in 2001, 2002 and 2003 when Democrats controlled the legislature:According to Inman, back in 2001, the issue of race was front and center too:In 2011, Inman also noted an irony that is present today: "Many of the same voices calling for increased numbers of minority-majority seats in 2001 are now decrying the Republican maps for doing just that."And while today's Democrats are now denouncing Republicans for drawing maps to their advantage, Inman noted they once aimed to do the same:In 2016, it looks as if the legislature is pushing ahead with the newly drawn congressional map, not waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court will issue a stay of the federal courts ruling. If the new redistricting bill (map) is passed in both houses and signed into law by the governor (a redistricting bill is not subject to the governor's veto), and the federal panel approves of the newly drawn districts, the legislature must then call for a new primary election for congressional districts. In fact the legislature did just that, as this article was being published. In a news release from the Office of the Speaker of the House, a new schedule was announced for the primary elections:Calling the redistricting bill a "contingency plan" the Speaker's Office release states that while they hold-out hope the U.S. Supreme Court will issue stay, but if not, the following schedule will be set in place.We only go through the redistricting process every ten years and it's easy to forget that redistricting is fundamentally a political process. Perhaps another three-judge panel ruling on the same maps in 2013 said it best when they found North Carolina's legislative and congressional maps to be constitutional. Inand, the Superior Court panel concluded: "Redistricting in North Carolina is an inherently political and intensely partisan process that results in political winners and, of course, political losers. The political party controlling the General Assembly hopes, through redistricting legislation, to apportion the citizens of North Carolina in a manner that will secure the prevailing party's political gain for at least another decade. While one might suggest that there are more expedient, and less manipulative, methods of apportioning voters, our redistricting process, as it has been for decades, is ultimately the product of democratic elections and is a compelling reminder that, indeed, 'elections have consequences.'"
The Virginia House of Delegates recently passed House Bill 1090, a bill that would defund all clinics offering abortion services. In Virginia, the state does not provide tax money for the purpose of abortion except in the case of rape, incest or severe threat to the mothers life. Therefore, withdrawing state funding from these clinics simply diminishes programs that provide vital health-care services to women in need.
HB 1090 is not a pragmatic attempt to reduce abortions in our state. It is part of a larger ideological war against women that has very real ramifications taking away essential health-care services that in fact help to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies.
On March 2, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt, the controversial case regarding Texas recent law designed to shut down 75 percent of womens health clinics providing legal abortion services. On this day, womens health advocates from all around the country will gather to rally for their right to safe, legal and affordable medical care. In Virginia, the passage of HB1090 mirrors a national trend of disregard and contempt toward our most vulnerable communities.
The fight for womens health care is at our doorstep. Please choose to stand with women.
Madison Mundy
Charlottesville
The meaning of a written law is determined by its text. (textualism) That text should be interpreted by attributing to its words and phrases their conventional meaning at the time of enactment. (originalism) Laws (including the Constitution as the supreme law of the land) apply, not just to ordinary citizens, but to politicians and bureaucrats as well. (the rule of law)
From our years together at the D.C. Circuit, we were best buddies. We disagreed now and then, but when I wrote for the Court and received a Scalia dissent, the opinion ultimately released was notably better than my initial circulation. Justice Scalia nailed all the weak spots the 'applesauce' and 'argle bargle' and gave me just what I needed to strengthen the majority opinion. He was a jurist of captivating brilliance and wit, with a rare talent to make even the most sober judge laugh. ... He was eminently quotable, his pungent opinions so clearly stated that his words never slipped from the reader's grasp. ...
It was my great good fortune to have known him as working colleague and treasured friend.
If constitutional government survives in this country, much of the credit will go to one man Antonin Scalia, who died on February 13th having served for 30 years on the US Supreme Court. Throughout his life Scalia championed three ideas:Strange as it may seem to non-lawyers, by the time Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1986 the vast majority of legal scholars and judges had come to regard all three of these ideas as outdated and naive. Instead they embraced the progressive theory of law. According to that theory, laws in general, and the Constitution in particular, are "living" documents, the meaning of which can and should be manipulated to suit changing conditions and changing ideas of what is desirable. Furthermore, rather than trying to enforce the misguided and inefficient system of checks and balances specified by the Constitution, the courts should defer to a political elite that can, in the absence of judicial impediment, be relied upon to transform society into a rational, well-organized system, and keep it running smoothly.Thirty years later, the situation is very different. While the progressive point of view still predominates, Scalia's ideas are now fully endorsed by a growing and increasingly influential minority of law professors and judges. What's more, even most of Scalia's opponents now accept that his ideas must be seriously addressed rather than casually dismissed. As several obituary writers have observed , the extent of the change became particularly clear when the Supreme Court upheld the right of individuals to keep and bear arms in District of Columbia v. Heller . The justices who dissented from Scalia's opinion for the majority did not argue that the Constitution should adapt to modern ideas about self-defense and public order, or attempt to reconstruct the founders broad intentions regarding such matters. Instead, they disputed Scalia's claims about the original public meaning of the 2nd Amendment by advancing textualist and originalist arguments of their own.How did one man manage to make such a difference? If I'd been asked that question prior to his death I'd have said it was simply that Scalia's ideas were sound and he expressed them with clarity and logical rigor, and I'm still sure that those factors played a role. After years of vague and portentous pronouncements (that often seemed designed to obfuscate and gloss over the Court's progressive agenda), Scalia's forthright, no-nonsense prose was like a blast of fresh air. Nevertheless, after reading many obituaries and tributes I'm convinced that an equally important factor was his personality, which has been aptly described as "ebullient."Scalia's ebullience came through in his writing, which in addition to being rigorous and clear was always entertaining, and often very funny. His opinions were read with pleasure, not only within the legal profession but outside it as well. (No other Supreme Court justice in modern times has had his or her writings compiled in a popular anthology.) His ebullience also came through at oral argument, where he used his skill as a showman, not just to discomfit the parties' attorneys, but also to influence his fellow justices. And it came through in his public persona, which was widely recognized even among those who would never have thought of reading one of his opinions. (No other Supreme Court justice in history has been the subject of both a play and an opera .)Above all, Scalia's ebullience came through in his day-to-day interactions with others. He formed many close and lasting friendships, and these often crossed political and ideological lines. Indeed, since his death some of the most touching tributes have come from left-of-center academics and jurists who, no matter how much they disagreed with Scalia on the issues, nevertheless found his lively personality irresistible.Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein, who headed the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs during President Obama's first term, described Scalia as,and after listing many of his accomplishments and virtues added,Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who remained a life-long friend despite their political and philosophical differences, said Almost single-handedly, Antonin Scalia transformed textualism, orginalism, and the rule of law from quaint relics of a bygone era to respectable ideas worthy of serious consideration by legal scholars and judicial decision-makers. For the sake of the Republic, we must do what we can to ensure that these ideas continue to be taken seriously. Sadly, however, now that Scalia is gone we will probably have to do so without an exuberant champion on the Supreme Court.An unintended consequence of progressive legal theory has been a change in the Senate's approach to judicial appointments. Traditionally, in the absence of a clear finding of incompetence or wrongdoing the Senate would defer to the President when it came to judicial appointments. That's what happened when Ronald Reagan nominated Scalia in 1986; he was confirmed by the Senate 98-0. Less than a year later, however, the Senate Democrats chose to break with this tradition. Because they regarded him as too conservative, they used every means at their disposal (including releasing his private movie rental records!) to keep Robert Bork off the Court. They were equally ruthless and equally creative in opposing the nominations of Douglas Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito, and they established a new tradition of vigorously opposing even well qualified judicial nominees who are known to harbor the wrong political or philosophical views. The result has been to exclude all but the most reticent and anodyne judicial nominees from serious consideration.Now that a lame-duck Democratic president must win the consent of a Republican Senate in order to appoint a replacement for Justice Scalia, the Democrats claim to be having second thoughts about their break with tradition, but there's no going back. As long as the Constitution means whatever a majority of Supreme Court justices want it to mean, keeping the opposition's preferred candidates off the Court will remain a high priority.Regardless of which party controls which branch of government in the years to come, it's hard to see how anyone as delightfully ebullient as Antonin Scalia can ever again be appointed to the Supreme Court. The legal world is going to be a lot less interesting and a lot less fun! R.I.P.
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 self-anointed pedestal; a functioning society of a good Constitutional people cannot withstand this level of "existential" favoritism as it exists now.
Tom Campbell
It's time for doctors and patients to get off the medical merry-go-roundWe've talked for decades about healthcare reform but the only significant attempt to change the skyrocketing costs of health insurance, escalating pharmaceutical costs and deepening dissatisfaction has been Obamacare. Even its ardent supporters agree The Affordable Care Act is flawed and has not yielded the hoped-for benefits.Patients are fed up with the impersonal treatment and mind-numbing paperwork at doctors' offices. Insurance premiums and deductibles are rising faster than the cost of living. Patients question why our pharmaceutical prices are so outrageous while other countries costs are lower and wonder why millions are spent on television ads promoting drugs. Medicaid and Medicare ranks swell every month, increasing the role of government in healthcare decisions.Doctors, especially primary care doctors, are equally frustrated, awakening to the reality they no longer work for their patients but instead are working for insurance companies. To be economically viable our fee-for-service system requires primary care docs to schedule four to five patients per hour; they don't have the time to improve patient wellness and are essentially relegated to treating symptoms all day, filling out endless forms to receive established Medicaid, Medicare or insurance company reimbursements. After a frantic day seeing patients many go home to complete paperwork. No wonder doctor burnout is rampant and few medical students want to go into primary care.So the medical merry-go-round continues. Nobody can get off, but they can't hang on much longer.There is good news, a radically different approach to healthcare called Direct Primary Care (DPC).Patients pay a monthly fee to become "members" of a practice, usually ranging from $15 to $60 per month, depending on the patient's age. Doctors in DPC typically schedule only one patient per hour, ensuring they have much longer than the 7 minutes or less previously spent with a patient. Not only do DPC physicians treat chronic or symptomatic conditions but spend more time working with patients to improve overall health and wellness. Some have onsite nutrition and exercise consultants and frequently offer an in-house pharmacy or discounted prescription drugs by mail. But DPC practices do not accept, nor will they file insurance claims to the government or insurance companies.The benefits are dramatic. Patients are significantly happier, report greatly reduced admissions to hospitals, take fewer prescription drugs and are healthier, restructuring their health insurance to cover major medical events. Recognizing the significant overall cost savings, a growing number of employers are signing up workers as members. Doctor burnout is reduced, since they no longer race from one patient to the next and their operating overhead is cut by as much as 40 percent due to the reduced paperwork.DPC is not without problems. Only those able to afford the monthly fee can join. If DPC is to be the new model for healthcare something must be done to resolve this situation.Direct primary care is a growing trend across the county and in North Carolina. Over 15 practices with more than 22 physicians now operate in communities as small as Nashville and Williamston and as large as Raleigh and Charlotte. The number of providers and patients is increasing daily as this has promise to be the healthcare revolution that gets doctors and patients off the medical merry-go-round.
"We have met the enemy, and he is us." - Pogo
This year's Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy sees the introduction of the Carl Cox Motorsport sidecar team to the Sure si...
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Dayton Childrens experts say the most important thing you can do is listen and take your cues from them.
Most parents make the mistake of giving too much information, and kids after a while, are either overwhelmed or tune out, says Gregory Ramey, PhD, executive director for Dayton Childrens Center for Pediatric Mental Health Resources. Depending on age, your child may not have any interest or be acutely impacted by the news. The key is to be guided by your child and you cant make a mistake.
Parents should be truthful, but not go into more detail than the child is interested in or can handle. A young child may accept the news at face value without any connection to their life. However, by the time kids reach the age of 7 or 8, they begin to distinguish between fact and fiction, and what they watch on TV can seem all too real. They may ask, "Could I be next? Could that happen to me?
Unless your child is younger than 5 years old, you dont have to stop them from watching the news, says Dr. Ramey. You can use what they see there to provoke discussion. Encourage them to talk openly about what scares them. An adult's willingness to listen will send a powerful message.
Most often, kids are going to ask Am I safe? says Ramey. And that can be a tough one for parents to answer.
Reassurance
Incidents of school violence are terrible and frightening, but fortunately they are rare. Although it might not seem that way, the rate of crime at U.S. schools that involve physical harm has been declining since the early 1990s.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fewer than one percent of all homicides among school-age children happen on school grounds or on the way to and from school. The vast majority of students will never experience violence at school or in college.
Parents can use this information to put a school shooting into context for a child. Share your own feelings, too during a tragedy, kids often look to adults for their reactions. It helps kids to know that they are not alone in feeling anxious. Knowing that their parents have similar feelings helps kids legitimize their own. At the same time, kids often need parents to help them feel safe.
What Schools Are Doing
Talk with your kids about what schools do to help protect their students. Many schools are taking extra precautions some focus on keeping weapons out through random locker and bag checks, limiting entry and exit points at the school, and keeping the entryways under teacher supervision. Others use metal detectors.
Lessons on conflict resolution have been added to many schools' courses to help prevent troubled students from resorting to violence. Peer counseling and active peer programs help students learn to watch for signs that a fellow student might be becoming more troubled or violent.
Tips for Parents
London: Britain is to send troops to Tunisia to help prevent Islamic State (ISIS) fighters from moving into the country from Libya, the British defence minister has said.
"A training team of some 20 troops from the 4th Infantry Brigade is now moving to Tunisia to help to counter illegal cross-border movement from Libya in support of the Tunisian authorities," Michael Fallon told Parliament on Monday.
The move comes after growing Western concern that Islamic State is seeking to use Libya as a base to plan and carry out attacks. In June 2015, 30 British holidaymakers were killed when an Islamist gunman attacked a beach at a hotel on Tunisia's Mediterranean coast. "I ... am extremely concerned about the proliferation of Daesh (ISIS) along the Libyan coastline, which is why we have been urgently assisting the formation of a new Libyan government," Fallon said.
Jihadist groups have taken advantage of political chaos to expand their presence in Libya, and fighters loyal to Islamic State have taken control of the coastal city of Sirte. Western officials say they are discussing air strikes and special forces operations in Libya against the group that is seeking to set up a cross-border Islamic caliphate and has already seized large areas of Syria and neighbouring Iraq.
Fallon said Britain was not currently planning to deploy ground troops to Libya in a combat role. "Before taking any military action in Libya, we would seek an invitation from the new Libyan Government," he said.
Pakistani Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz spoke of the proposed sale at opening of the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue (Photo: PTI)
Washington: Amid India opposing the F-16 deal, Pakistan today said sale of US fighter jets would strengthen its ability to mount counter-terrorist operations and promote regional stability.
The US government this month approved the sale of the aircraft, radar and electronic warfare equipment to Pakistan in a deal worth nearly $700 million.
Pakistani Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz spoke of the proposed sale at opening of the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue. Secretary of State John Kerry, however, did not comment on the issue.
Kerry welcomed Pakistan's commitment to not differentiate among terrorist groups. He said groups like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba seek to undermine Pakistan's relations with its neighbours.
India has opposed the aircraft sale, which has drawn criticism even in the US Congress. US lawmakers could block the deal, although such action is rare.
Islamabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Islamabad in November this year; the Pakistani government announced here Monday.
Pak Prime Ministers Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi said that dates for Prime Minister Modis visit were being finalised.
Dates for the upcoming SAARC Summit in Islamabad are being worked out in consultation with member states, Tariq Fatemi said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to attend the summit, he added. The summit will probably be held in November.
Pakistan has proposed to host the 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad in November 2016.
Further, Fatemi said a five-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed to probe the January 2 terror attack on Indias Pathankot airbase will complete its work this week.
Seven Indian soldiers were killed when militants stormed the airbase, with India claiming involvement of Masood Azhar-led militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed.
The Punjab government had last week formed the JIT to investigate the Pathankot airbase attack case, which was registered a week earlier in Gujranwala.
The newly-formed team is being headed by the same person who heads the six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed earlier by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The team is working on the basis of a First Information Report (FIR) registered in Gujranwala on February 18 under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997.
The FIR was lodged on the recommendations of the SIT formed by the premier in the week of January after India had provided evidence suggesting the attack was planned and handled from Pakistan. The team had, however, termed the proof inadequate to book the suspects, including Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, named by India.
Modi had last visited Pakistan in December to surprise his counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, on his birthday. The ties between the two nations received a boost due to the short trip but the Pathankot attack again spoiled the peace efforts.
JNU did not pay heed to Defence Ministrys request of putting up a hoarding on campus, exhorting students to join the armed forces, the RSS-affiliated ABVP claimed on Monday.
The allegation comes days after a section of ex-servicemen met the JNU Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar over the controversial February 9 event, where students allegedly raised anti-India slogans. The veterans had suggested having an Army memorial on campus and the varsity administration said it was actively considering their proposal.
Earlier, in its February 19, 2015 letter to the varsity registrar, the Directorate General of Recruiting, one of the directorates of Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army), had asked the JNU for its permission to allow installation of a unipole hoarding on the JNU campus.
ABVP member and JNUSU joint secretary Saurabh Kumar Sharma said the university has not acted upon the Armys proposal.
He shot off a letter on Monday to the VC inquiring about the grounds on which it denied permission. The Directorate plans to erect unipole hoarding in selected places in NCR to provide information pertaining to the recruitment in the Indian Army. The proposal has been approved by the Government and the Directorate is in process to get these erected, the letter from the Directorate said.
The letter argued that the unipole structure will add to the beauty of the campus, besides acting as an advert for the Army recruitment.
IPS officer Alok Kumar Verma, who replaced Bhim Sain Bassi as Delhi Police Commissioner on Monday, said his primary focus now is to conduct a fair probe in the sedition case filed against Jawaharlal Nehru University students.
Bassi retired after a three-year term. In his first message to colleagues, Verma called for a new beginning for better policing in the capital.
Delhiites always have high expectations from Delhi Police. It will continue despite our highs and lows. We must ensure that we live up to the expectations and challenges on a daily basis, Verma said in his speech on wireless.
The message comes at a time when the force has been facing criticism over the Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition case and violence by lawyers at Patiala House Courts Complex.
Police must conduct fair probe overlooking religion, caste and status in the society, Verma added.
A 1979-batch Arunachal Pradesh-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre officer, Verma, was previously posted as Director General (Prisons) and will hold the post for 17 months.
Verma got a warm welcome at the police headquarters in central Delhi by senior police officers, including Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deepak Mishra. He went to his office on the second floor of the building around 12.15 pm.
Bassi was there to introduce Verma to the nitty-gritty of the post. Bassi left the building after a brief conversation with Verma and the media, with police officers bidding him farewell near the front lawn.
Verma also met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. During the 15-minute meeting, Verma is believed to have given a list of his priorities, including womens security and maintaining law and order.
High drama
The commissioners office also witnessed high drama when a woman created a ruckus minutes before Verma took charge. Arifa, a resident of south east Delhi's Jamia Nagar, went outside the office claiming that her in-laws were trying to kill her and her two-month-old child. She wanted to meet the commissioner and complain about local police allegedly taking a bribe in a harassment case filed against her husband.
Arifa was carrying a copy of the complaint. She was whisked away before Vermas arrival. In his speech at a farewell parade at north Delhis Kingsway Camp, Bassi said the force does not work under political pressure.
While I take your leave as Delhi Commissioner, I would like to clarify that Delhi Police does not work under any political pressure. Please remove that misunderstanding, Bassi said.
We rely on evidence, whether it's the Sunanda Pushkar case, whether it's about recent Patiala house court incident or the JNU case, he said.
Bassi also denied any strife with anyone. His term was shadowed by constant clashes with the AAP government in Delhi. We reach out to everyone, Bassi said.
Special Commissioner of Police (General Administration) Vimla Mehra, who is Verma's predecessor as Director General (Prisons), also retired on Monday.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitelys proposal to give 100 per cent tax deduction for companies building houses up to 30 sq metres in the four metros is a welcome step to invite private builders to redevelop slums, said Delhi government officials and urban planners after the Union Budget presentation.
The retention of duty relief in the Budget for environment-friendly electric vehicles is also good new for a city fighting a battle to clean its poisonous air by promoting green wheels.
There are 675 slums in Delhi which are home to over 1.5 million people and the Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys proposal is likely to encourage a larger role for private developers in vertical growth of plots where shanties exist.
Since 1994, 220 slums in Delhi have been relocated to new spots and the residents given alternative flats based on their entitlements linked to number of years spent in the city.
Challenge
Rohit Matai, an urban planner and architect, said: Incorporating slum clusters into planned urban development is a challenge for Delhi.
Offering a respectable home to slum dwellers by 2019 is an ambitious proposal, said Matai, referring to Jaitelys plan to offer incentives for developers who build low-end 30 sq-metre homes and deliver the flats between June 2016 and March 2019.
Some 51 per cent of the slums in the city are on DDA land, about 10 percent each are on land owned by the Delhi government, Railways and civic agencies and others, said an official of the citys Urban Development Department.
A Delhi government official said: The details of the scheme are not clear yet but it holds out hope for faster slum redevelopment.
Apart from giving incentives for affordable housing, the capital is likely to gain from the Rs 9,000 crore sanctioned for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
During his Budget speech, Jaitely said: We have introduced ranking of urban areas in sanitation which has resulted in constructive competition among towns and cities. He said Rs 9,000 crore had been provided for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Cleanliness contest
The New Delhi Municipal Council area, a participant in the cleanliness contest, figured in the top three cleanest cities in the country. The civic agency is upgrading public toilets and installing modern bins under the Swachh Bharat Scheme.
Jaitelys sops for the retailers may also benefit businessmen in Delhi and the city government to generate more revenue. A VAT department said: No weekly off for markets would mean more business volume and tax generation.
The Finance Minister in his speech proposed a new model Shops and Establishment Act that would give shopkeepers the option of opening their business without a weekly off.
Jaitley has also proposed scheme for helping job seekers get employment with ease as state employment exchanges would be linked with the national platform. The city labour departments officials, however, said they were not aware of the details and not in a position to react.
Another Budget proposal to make operational 100 model career centres across the country by the end of 2016-17 may help Delhi youths if at least one of these comes up in the city.
Delhi educational institutions may also benefit if they figure in the proposed plan to offer online courses on Entrepreneurship Education and Training at 2,200 colleges, 300 schools, 500 government Industrial training Institutes and 50 vocational training centres.
While some doctors welcomed the Budget announcement on dialysis units at district hospitals, others termed it as half hearted without a renal transplant programme in place. Currently, the government facilities fall short as the burden of patients suffering from kidney problems is huge. The private sector dialysis facilities are expensive.
Dialysis centres is a good move. Thousands of people lose out on treatment as dialysis at private hospitals is extremely expensive and the numbers of centres in the government sector fall short of the demand, said Dr A K Rai, medical superintendent at Safdarjung Hospital.
Units can be helpful for patients suffering from acute renal failure. But a significant number of patients suffer from chronic renal failure and need transplant after a number of dialysis cycles. So there needs to be a proper renal transplant programme in place without which the efforts of setting up these units will only be half-hearted, said Dr Y K Sarin, medical superintendent at Lok Nayak Hospital.
Currently, most renal transplants are conducted in private hospitals. Renal transplant programmes should be boosted in government hospitals, said Dr Sarin.
The funds will be made available through public-private partnership (PPP) mode under the National Health Mission to provide dialysis services in district hospitals.
About 2.2 lakh new patients of End Stage Renal Disease get added in India every year resulting in additional demand for 3.4 crore dialysis sessions. With approximately 4,950 dialysis centres in India, largely in the private sector and concentrated in the major towns, the demand is only half-met, said Minister Arun Jaitley.
The minister added that every dialysis session costs around Rs 2,000 which takes the annual expenditure of a family to more than Rs 3 lakh. The centres are located in the major towns which means families have to travel long distance to access these services, incurring heavy travel costs and loss of wages, he said.
This will help reduce financial suffering of lakhs of patient who cannot afford kidney transplants. About 80 per cent of 2.2 lakh new renal patients cannot afford kidney transplant, said Dr D S Rana, secretary general, Indian Society of Hemodialysis and chairperson, Nephrology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
A centre at every district will help reduce mortality rates of patients suffering from kidney diseases, said Dr K K Aggarwal, honourary general secretary, Indian Medical Association.
The opening of 3,000 generic drug stores was also welcome by doctors. This will provide cheaper medicines to the community, said Dr Aggarwal.
When asked about playing a psychotic obsessive role like "Darr" again in "Fan", SRK said, "No not really... The role (of Gaurav) is different from what one saw me doing in 'Darr', 'Baazigar'. These are anti-hero."
"In this film, he is not a psychotic lover. It's the story of a young boy and his love for a superstar," he said.
The "Chak De India" star feels it is not right on his part to dictate or tell his fans how they should be.
"A fan can be like Devdas, Rahul or Gaurav (referring to his popular roles). They have their own way of expressing ... At times it is so much. I just don't want them to write letter with blood. Today we have email system and social media," he said.
"I am a fan of films. I enjoy being in this space. I remember my first fans were two ladies... I was in Delhi and they looked at me and yelled Abhimanyu Rai. I am thankful to them for making me feel like that," he added.
In real life, if Khan comes across a fan like Gaurav, he said he would sit and make him understand. SRK's admirers were seen in large numbers at the film's trailer launch.
"Today is February 29 and this date comes once in four years. For the first time Yash Raj Films (producers) allowed fans in their studio. Adi (producer Aditya Chopra) did this as he loves me and he knows I love my fans a lot," the 'Dilwale' star said.
Special arrangements were made for the trailer launch like an audio-visual sensor, fan-o-meter that detected the highest level of the sound (referring to people cheering at the venue), after which the trailer was launched.
Khan is thankful to his fans for being with him. "Whenever I am happy, sad I look upto you. I thank you all for making me the star that I am today," he said.
"I feel a fan... Admirer should always take up good things. Like take up good things from Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Sania Mirza," he adds.
Before the trailer launch, SRK recited popular dialogues from his films like "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", "Devdas", "Don" and "Fan". Directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Aditya Chopra, "Fan" releases on April 15.
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has revealed that before he joined the filmdom, he felt he looked like Bollywood actor Kumar Gaurav but at a later stage thought his looks matched that of Hollywood veteran Al Pacino's.In his upcoming film "Fan", Khan will be seen playing two roles, one of a superstar Aryan Khanna and his fan Gaurav, who comes across as his lookalike."Initially I used to feel I look like Kumar Gaurav (son of Rajendra Kumar)...He was the first star I wanted to meet. I was happy that I looked like someone good like him (Kumar Gaurav). Then after some point, I felt I looked like Al Pacino (an American actor)," Khan told reporters here at the trailer launch of "Fan"."Now at the age of 50, I feel I look like my father. I am hopeful a time will come when I would feel I look like myself," he said."Fan" is the story of Gaurav (Khan) a young man, whose world revolves around superstar Aryan Khanna (Khan) or God as he refers to him.From the bylanes of Delhi, young Gaurav embarks on a journey to the city of dreams, Mumbai, in order to wish his God on his birthday. But when things don't go according to plan, Gaurav's love and passion for the superstar turns into a dangerous obsession.
The ruling, by US Magistrate Judge James Orenstein, yesterday applied narrowly to one Brooklyn drug case, but it gives support to the company's position in its fight against a California judge's order that it create specialised software to help the FBI hack into an iPhone linked to the San Bernardino terrorism investigation.
Orenstein belittled some government arguments, saying attorneys were stretching an old law "to produce impermissibly absurd results."
He rejected government claims that Apple was only concerned with public relations. He said he found no limit on how far the government would go to require a person or company to violate the most deeply-rooted values.
And he said claims that Apple must assist the government because it reaped the benefits of being an American company "reflects poorly on a government that exists in part to safeguard the freedom of its citizens."
Both cases hinge partly on whether a law written long before the computer age, the 1789 All Writs Act, could be used to compel Apple to cooperate with efforts to retrieve data from encrypted phones.
"Ultimately, the question to be answered in this matter, and in others like it across the country, is not whether the government should be able to force Apple to help it unlock a specific device; it is instead whether the All Writs Act resolves that issue and many others like it yet to come," Orenstein wrote. "I conclude that it does not."
Apple's opposition to the government's tactics has evoked a national debate over digital privacy rights and national security.
On Thursday, the Cupertino, California-based company formally objected to the California order, accusing the federal government of seeking "dangerous power" through the courts and of trampling on the company's constitutional rights.
The separate California case involves an iPhone 5C owned by San Bernardino County and used by Syed Farook, who was a health inspector.
Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people during a December 2 attack that was at least partly inspired by the Islamic State group. The couple died later in a gun battle with police.
Orenstein, ruling with an eye to the California case, referenced it multiple times in a 50-page ruling and noted that the government request there was far more "intrusive."
The New York case features a government request far less onerous for Apple and its cellphone technology; the extraction technique exists for that older operating system and it's been used before some 70 times before to assist investigators.
A federal judge has ruled that the US Justice Department cannot use a 227-year-old law to force Apple to provide the FBI with access to locked iPhone data, dealing a blow to the government in its battle with the company over privacy and public safety.
Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump today posted a quote on Instagram attributing it to Mahatma Gandhi, but the American media said there is no evidence that the Indian leader had ever used these words.
"First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win Mahatma Gandhi," Trump wrote on social networking site Instagram as part of his effort to rally supporters. The Instagram post included a picture of hordes of supporters rallying at a Trump campaign stop in Alabama.
Soon, the anti-Trump lobby was up in flames on the social media. The Hill, a top US political website, said, "There's no record that Gandhi ever used the phrase, which has been widely attributed to him."
The quotation appears to be similar to words used in a 1918 trade union address by socialist leader Nicholas Klein, it said.
Christian Science Monitor has put this among the top 10 political misquotes. There was no immediate response from the Trump's campaign on the issue.
"Gandhi did not say this," one Scott T Smith wrote on twitter. Trump sought to quote Gandhi a day after he was criticised for re-tweeting Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini early Sunday morning.
"He got tired of quoting Mussolini and he's saving the Hitler quotes until he's really desperate," tweeted Brad Fraser.
Several popular websites have attributed this quote -- First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win to Mahatma Gandhi. According to Wikiquotes, this is the quote which is often misattributed to Mahatma Gandhi.
Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist, had told to a Mumbai court that Jahan was a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative.
"Let it be listed. We will see it then," a bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice U U Lalit said when advocate M L Sharma mentioned the matter for its urgent hearing.
Sharma said that the statement of Headley is significant as it conclusively establishes the fact that Jahan was an LeT operative.
Gujarat Police personnel, including the then DIG D G Vanzara, are facing trial in a Mumbai court for their alleged role in the encounter.
The plea, which cited the recent statements before a special court recorded by Headley, who allegedly conspired with LeT in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, said the facts are now undisputed that all four persons killed by Gujarat Police, including Ishrat Jahan, were terrorists.
"The judicial proceeding and statement of David Headley, who conspired with LeT in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, stated via video conference and recorded in the special court at Mumbai that four persons, including Ishrat Jahan who were killed in June 2004 by Gujarat Police, were a part of LeT terrorist organisation belonging to Pakistan and they were assigned to kill then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi," it said.
The plea sought a direction to close criminal proceedings and action taken in FIRs lodged by CBI against the Gujarat Police personnel and others, saying it was unconstitutional within the judicial facts and evidences of Headley.
It also sought a direction from the court declaring that killing of a terrorist is not an offence under Indian law and proper compensation be paid to the state police personnel in the interest of justice.
It also wanted initiation of suo motu perjury/contempt proceedings against the then Home Minister and CBI Director for concealing true facts before the Supreme Court and the Gujarat High Court and for filing a false affidavit pertaining to facts about Ishrat Jahan case.
The Supreme Court today agreed to hear a plea seeking quashing of criminal prosecution, suspension and other actions taken against Gujarat cops in the 2004 alleged fake encounter killing of Ishrat Jahan in view of recent testimony of jailed LET operative David Headley.
In a first of its kind lawsuit, a decorated Sikh-American soldier has sued the US military, alleging that because of his religious beliefs he is being subjected to "discriminatory" testing that no other soldier in the US Army goes through.
Captain Simratpal Singh, 28 was in December last year granted a temporary religious accommodation to serve in the US Army while maintaining his Sikh turban, unshorn hair and beard.
The accommodation, a rare exception, was scheduled to remain in effect until March 31 but in an unprecedented step backward, the US Army recently ordered Singh to report today for "extraordinary, non-standard additional testing as a precondition for remaining in the Army", international law firm McDermott Will & Emery, representing Singh, said in a statement.
The firm, along with the Sikh Coalition and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, filed the federal lawsuit against the Department of Defence on behalf of Singh, who has earned a Bronze Star for clearing explosives from roads in Afghanistan, and received numerous other military accolades in various positions.
Singh is scheduled to be sequestered for three days to undergo testing that no other soldier in the US Army has ever been subjected to, including the soldiers permitted to maintain beards for medical reasons and previously-accommodated Sikh soldiers, the law firms said.
The New York Times said the tests seek to determine if his helmet would fit over his long hair and if his gas mask could seal to his face.
The lawsuit, which is the first of its kind on behalf of a Sikh officer, demands that the US military continue to accommodate Singh's Sikh turban, unshorn hair, and unshorn beard and "abandon its unfair and discriminatory" testing.
"For years we have worked to avoid litigation under the guiding belief that the US military would finally do the right thing," said Amandeep Sidhu, Partner at McDermott Will and Emery.
"The US Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act make it clear that Captain Singh has the right to practice his faith in the military and we are confident that the court will agree," said Sidhu.
Once the testing is enjoined, Singh seeks a further ruling directing the Army to make his religious accommodation permanent.
"I have so much pride in my Sikh identity and service to my nation," Singh had said in December after receiving his temporary accommodation.
"To feel spiritually whole, while continuing my military career, has always been the dream," he had said.
Singh had enrolled in West Point in 2006 and after failed attempts to obtain an accommodation, he had to cut his hair and shave his beard in order to be able to serve in the Army.
Singh, who graduated from West Point with honours in 2010, filed an accommodation request in October last year and was granted a temporary 30-day accommodation to serve while maintaining his Sikh articles of faith.
"Captain Singh is being subject to discriminatory testing that isn't required of any other soldiers, even those with medical or religious accommodations. The Army cannot delay in providing him his statutory and constitutionally mandated right to an accommodation to serve as an observant Sikh in the Army," said the Sikh Coalition's Legal Director, Harsimran Kaur.
Senior Counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty Eric Baxter said the US Army should be trying to get more soldiers like Singh instead of banning them from serving or punishing them for their beliefs.
"It's time for the Pentagon to stop playing games and start doing the right thing for Captain Singh, for Sikh Americans, and for all Americans," Baxter added.
Last year, 27 retired US Generals called on the US department of Defence to eliminate the ban on observant Sikhs.
These generals join 105 Members of Congress, 15 US Senators and 21 national interfaith and civil rights organisations, who have previously signed letters in support of American Sikhs' right to serve.
On the reported charges of rape and molestation by Jat quota agitators near Murthal town, Selja said the state government's enquiry team cannot be trusted and demanded that the High Court should inquire into it. "We demand a judicial inquiry."
Haryana government has set up a three-member team of women police officers to look into the alleged incidents of rape and molestation of several women by Jat protesters.
Pramod Tiwari of the Congress also demanded a fair probe into the rape and molestation allegations.
T K Rangarajan of the CPI(M) condemned the lodging of a sedition case against party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D Raja and other political leaders in Hyderabad.
An FIR has been registered against Yechury, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, party leaders Anand Sharma and Ajay Maken, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Raja, JD(U)'s KC Tyagi, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid on the order of a Hyderabad court based on a complaint filed by lawyer Janardhan Goud.
Ranjarajan also wanted to know whether the Chair has received any notice of arrest for Yechury and Raja.
Shantaram Naik (Congress) raised the issue of proposed Defence Exposition to be held in South Goa and said the local people were agitated due to the proposed exhibition.
"Goa government has succumbed to the pressure of the Centre," he said, adding that such expositions used to be held at the Pragati Maidan in the national capital.
KVP Ramchandra Rao (Congress) raised the issue of difficulties being faced by palm cultivators in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Sanjiv Kumar of JMM raised took up the issue of farmers affected by the Maithan Power Plant in Jharkhand. He said farmers whose lands were being acquired for the plant should be given permanent jobs and adequate medical facilities.
Congress member Kumari Selja today sought a judicial inquiry into the reports of rape of several women in Haryana during the Jat agitation, saying "jungle raj" was prevailing in the state.Raising the issue during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Selja said there is "jungle raj" in Haryana and the government has been a "mute spectator" to the large-scale violence during the agitation in the state.
With Congress gunning for HRD Minister Smriti Irani with a Privilege Motion, BJP today hit back in Lok Sabha by pressing for similar action against the opposition party's Chief Whip Jyotiraditya Scindia for "defamatory" remarks against Minister Bandaru Dattatreya.
BJP's Chief Whip Arjun Ram Meghwal accused Scindia of "misleading" the House on February 24 by alleging that Dattatreya had called Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student of Hyderabad University who committed suicide, "anti-national, casteist and extremist".
Meghwal said he and many other members, including Dattatreya, had given a notice of breach of privilege against Scindia.
He raised the issue amid uproarious scenes in the House as AIADMK members were demanding action against former Union Minister P Chidambaram's son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis issue.
At this, Congress members too rushed to the Well, demanding that the Speaker decide on their privilege motion.
Dattatreya accused Scindia of "defaming him and tarnishing" his image by attributing such comments to him that he never made about Vemula.
"My mother used to sell onions. I have always worked for OBCs, Dalits... I have made sacrifices for Dalits," he said, recalling his humble background and work for the downtrodden.
He said his letter to Irani, over which he has been attacked by Congress, made no mention of Vemula's name. "I never made such charge against him."
Congress members continued to protest with K C Venugopal showing the rule book to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to which she shot back, saying "Don't show me the rule book. I know."
She repeatedly tried to pacify the members saying all the notices for privilege motion are under her consideration.
With AIADMK and Congress members continuing to protest, she adjourned the House.
The issue of privilege motion against Irani had created a brief uproar in the Lok Sabha yesterday before Finance Minister Arun Jaitely started presenting the Union Budget 2016-17 with opposition members seeking to know the status of their notices against Irani for "misleading" the House on the Rohith Vemula issue.
The terror attack on Pathankot Airbase in January was carried out by Pakistan's "non-state actors" who operate with support of the Pakistani establishment, government suggested in the Rajya Sabha today.
"The complete details will come out in the NIA investigation. But in this, non-state actors from Pakistan are surely involved. This is for sure. Any non-state actors there, they cannot function smoothly without full state support," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said.
He was responding to a question by Shiv Sena member Sanjay Raut who wanted to know whether it was merely a terror attack or an armed operation carried out with the support of Pakistani army.
Replying to supplementaries, Parrikar said intelligence had been received about the possible attack indicating Pathankot Army installations as suspected targets.
Following the attack, steps are underway to ensure that vital defence installations in the country are secure.
"We have now done a security audit in addition to the normal security and are in the process of ensuring that all Army installations will be properly secured," he said.
Asked if the Airbase would be shifted from Pathankot in Punjab as it is perilously close to the border, Parrikar ruled it out.
"A lot of investment has been carried out in Pathankot and it will be very costly to shift the Airbase. But we have other bases which we have created," the Defence Minister said.
"Other bases are strategically located within the country, much inside the border, but Pathankot is also equally important because it is closer to the enemy border," he said.
Parrikar refused to share further details of the attack, saying the NIA is already investigating the matter and investigations are on.
"..Further details about the incident cannot be given till the investigation is complete," he said.
In a written reply, the Minister said "government has constituted a Committee under the chairmanship of a former Vice Chief of Army Staff to inter-alia suggest measures to strengthen security of various military establishments across the country."
He said, "The Committee appointed is to ensure that defence establishment security audit and any lack of security aspects and to further improve the security aspects and to give suggestions on that."
He said in his written reply that a group of terrorists attacked the Air Force base in Pathankot, Punjab, in the intervening night of January and 2, 2016 and a joint operation by the Army, Air Force and National Security Guard (NSG) was conducted to neutralise the terrorist attack.
"The terrorists were confined to non-residential and non-operational area of the base. Thereby, they were successfully prevented from damaging the strategic assets of Indian Air Force," he said.
India cannot afford to lose China's support by joining the US in patrolling the disputed South China Sea as it needs Chinese help for economic growth and for success of BRICS, a state-run daily said today.
In the second commentary within a week on the joint patrol issue, an article in the Global Times said: "The New Delhi government pursues pragmatic diplomacy and strives to reach a balance between the US and China. Some interpret New Delhi's refusal (to jointly patrol the SCS) as retaliation against Washington's approval of weapon sales to Islamabad last year."
"This may be true. Yet, the fundamental reason is that New Delhi understands the significance of a sound China-India relationship to the nation's development. India cannot afford to lose China's support, which serves as an economic engine for the nation's growth.
"In addition, New Delhi has officially taken over the presidency of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) from Moscow last month and will host the eighth summit in a few months' time. A friendly atmosphere is significant for the upcoming summit," the article said.
It said conducting joint patrols in an attempt to court the US in this backdrop is inappropriate. "By refusing the US proposal, India is taking a stand and showing goodwill to China."
The commentary is the second such article in the daily. On February 26, it said "any move by India to join the US navy for jointly patrolling the disputed South China sea will be against its national interest and it would divide Asian countries and further escalate regional tensions."
Chinese media's reactions came after it was reported that the US and India talked about launching joint naval patrols in the South China sea to safeguard freedom of navigation. But soon India clarified there would be no such patrols and the US also subsequently denied having any such plans.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, where several other Asian countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei have overlapping claims.
Today's article also accused the US of attempting to drive a wedge between India and Pakistan.
"Wary of India's rise, US is attempting to instigate conflicts between New Delhi and Islamabad by approving the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. New Delhi is wise to say no to Washington.
"The White House is just manoeuvring India for its own interests, and will not stop supporting Pakistan as a repay to India. The US administration is following a 'divide and rule' policy," it said.
From US perspective, China, Russia and India are all threatening its status as a superpower. The US does not want to see a stronger India, it said.
"In fact, the likelihood for India to station its naval forces in the South China Sea remains quite low. Yet, it may strengthen its military presence in the Indian Ocean. For instance, there is Indian Navy's ambitious Project Seabird, which pursues the construction of facilities to berth the nation's aircraft carriers," the article said.
"In addition, it may also cooperate with Vietnam by selling equipment to Hanoi, conducting military drills, regularly visiting Hanoi's ports, inspecting ships and so forth. Maintaining a close military bond with Vietnam conforms to India's Act East strategy," it said.
"Strengthening its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region is the ultimate purpose for the US to propose US-India joint naval patrols. Washington believes that Beijing, which has already broken through the first island chain, is challenging its maritime hegemony," it said.
"Freedom of navigation is never an issue in the region. The White House is just finding excuses to enter the waters and even attempting to station its forces in Philippine naval bases," it said.
"Apart from drawing countries outside the region, such as India, Japan, South Korea and Australia, the US is also inciting South China Sea claimants to stir up trouble in the region. Over time, these countries will realise that it is the US, rather than China, that is militarising the South China Sea and destroying the peaceful and stable environment there," it said.
Shiv Sena today said it has sacked an office-bearer of its youth wing who allegedly assaulted a shop assistant for refusing to provide free 'vada-pavs'.
"That person was sacked yesterday itself," a source close to Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray told PTI. The incident took place in suburban Vile Parle (West) on Saturday. The accused, Sunil Mahadik, allegedly hit Chetan Geveriya (28), who works at Trupti Sweet and Farsan Mart on D J Road, with a bamboo stick, police had yesterday said.
Mahadik had sent a person to the shop demanding 100 vada pavs, a popular street-food here, free of cost. Chetan told him that they didn't have so much stock, so the person left. Irked, Mahadik then went to the shop and hit Geveria with a bamboo stick and threatened to kill him, they had said.
The incident was captured by the CCTV cameras in the shop and later an FIR was registered with Juhu police. The footage was also aired by some local news channels. The incident comes in the wake of another in neighbouring Thane where a Shiv Sena worker was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman traffic constable three days ago.
CCTV footage of the incident had gone viral. Meanwhile, Swabhiman Sanghatana leader Nitesh Rane said his organisation today held a "free vada pav" distribution event to protest the assault on the shopkeeper.
"These people (Yuva Sena) are strong proponents of night life in Mumbai. This assault shows what will happen if what they call 'night life' is allowed," Nitesh, an MLA, said.
Americans began voting today in the crucial Super primaries and caucuses, with front-runners Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump hoping to finish off their rivals in the US presidential election.
A total of 12 states from Alabama to Alaska are holding primaries or caucuses today. Virginia was the first state to open its polling stations at 6:00 AM (16:30 IST). A new nationwide poll released yesterday said each of them were well ahead of their closest rivals on the eve of the 'Super Tuesday' showdown.
Trump has expanded his lead over the diminished field to capture the support of nearly half of Republican voters, while Clinton tops Bernie Sanders by nearly 20 points on the Democrat votes, according to a CNN/ORC poll.
The 69-year-old real estate tycoon tops his nearest Republican competitor by more than 30 points: 49 per cent back Trump, 16 per cent Marco Rubio, 15 per cent Ted Cruz, 10 per cent Ben Carson and 6 per cent John Kasich.
Trump's rivals, Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, were desperately trying to halt his march toward nomination. If Trump wins the South, it could be lights out for his Republican challengers. Texas is the largest prize today.
Almost 600 Republican delegates are up for grabs today, nearly half the 1,237 needed to secure the nomination. The 'Super Tuesday' is the biggest day of the 2016 US presidential primary primary season, with 12 states and one territory participating: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming and American Samoa.
On the Democratic side, 68-year-old Clinton tops Bernie Sanders 55 per cent to 38 per cent in the new poll, a slightly wider margin than she held in late January before any primaries or caucuses were held, the report said.
Some 865 Democratic delegates are at stake, 36 per cent of those needed to win.
The presidential election is scheduled for November 8.
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has sold 1.81 crore shares in Kotak Mahindra Bank to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in a deal worth over Rs 1,150 crore.
SMBC held a 3.58% stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board held a 3.91%, as per the shareholding pattern table for the quarter ended December 2015, on the BSE. According to sources, Citibank managed the share sale, for which the shares were offered in the price range of Rs 611.34-636.55 per share.
Karnataka State Womens Development Corporation (KSWDC) Chairperson Vasanthi Shivanna on Tuesday asserted that sex workers should be brought to the mainstream of society.
Addressing the gathering during a programme organised to distribute certificates to successful trainees of various vocational skills programme, organised by Guard organisation, in association with L&T Public Charitable Trust at Jaganmohan Palace auditorium here, Vasanthi, who strongly criticised women taking to sex work to eke out a living, described it as a bad culture. It has also led to an increase in the number of AIDS cases, she added.
Vasanthi said such women can be assured of jobs with
the help of job-oriented schemes introduced by the government.
She instead appealed to women to be educated and pursue studies through open and distance learning courses.
L&T Public Charitable Trust, Corporate Training, Vice-President A D Sahaane appealed to the successful trainees to help the needy by enrolling them to such training courses.
He also urged them to share their success stories and experiences to motivate others and also to repay loans advanced by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), with Guard as guarantor.
Sahaane advised the successful trainees to make use of the skills and create employment opportunities for others. Earlier, he said, women had innate talents that should be encouraged with timely support. Under the initiative, over 2,700 women have been trained since five years, he added.
Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was in India on his maiden foreign trip after assuming charge underscoring the importance Kathmandu is placing in restoring normalcy to its ties with India. This was the first bilateral visit by a Nepalese Prime Minister to New Delhi since Baburam Bhattarais in October 2011 and Oli was 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.
Oli was explicit that his main mission behind this bilateral visit to India was to clear the misunderstanding and take ties between the two countries to the same level as in 2014, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Nepal. And after his discussions with Modi, Oli said, The misunderstanding that persisted in the last few months is no longer there. I believe our relationship will greatly benefit from our discussions. It is high time to look at India-Nepal relations with a forward-looking approach in the interest of the two countries and their people. The two nations also signed nine agreements, ranging from infrastructure to rail and road transit.
This visit assumes great significance as Indo-Nepal ties had been strained in the wake of agitation by the communities opposing Nepals Constitution, saying it failed to address their concerns over representation and homeland. The protesters had blocked the trading points for almost four months crippling supply of petroleum products, medicines and other commodities. Olis government had accused India of imposing an unofficial blockade to support the Madhesis and there were even suggestions that the prime minister might visit Beijing first instead of New Delhi, thereby breaking a longstanding tradition.
But after the blockade ended earlier this month, Oli reached out to India.
Before his visit to India, Oli tried to allay Indian concerns by suggesting that his government wanted close ties with both New Delhi and Beijing and that he didnt believe in using one neighbour against another.
India had raised concerns over Nepals constitution through back channels to avoid being accused of interfering with the process. There was a sense that Nepalese parties ignored the concerns, along with a suggestion to delay promulgation for a few days in view of protests. India conveyed a list of seven amendments to make the constitution am-enable for alienated groups living mostly in the Terai region bordering India.
The Nepalese government argued that Nepals constitution is better than the Indian constitution and the most progressive in South Asia. Communist leaders in Nepal have taken a strong anti-India line underlining that the new constitutions promulgation is a matter of conscience and self-respect for the Nep-alese people and any act from anywhere that amounts to undermining our sover-eignty is not acceptable to the Nepalese.
Indo-Nepal relations have taken a nosedive with Kathmandu blaming India for growing fuel shortages, implying that India had imposed an informal blockade by not allowing fuel trucks to cross the border into Nepal. New Delhi blamed this disruption on the mass protests. Nepal imports almost all its oil from India, and road links to China through the Himalayas have been blocked since last years earthquake.
As tensions with India mounted, China reopened its border with Nepal in Tibet. The disruptions underscore the Himalayan kingdoms profound economic vulnerability, further inflaming anti-India passions. China is likely to be a beneficiary of this turmoil in Indias periphery.
Historically, Nepal has had close ties with India. The political uncertainty in Nepal has fuelled anti-Indian sentiments, allowing China to enlarge its presence and even offer financial assistance for drafting the constitution. China overtook India as Nepals biggest foreign investor in 2013 with its funding of a $1.6 billion hydropower project one of countrys biggest outside investments.
Modis Nepal visit
Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made Nepal a priority. He visited in August 2014 and also pledged $1 billion for reconstruction after the earthquake. It was the first bilateral visit to Nepal by an Indian prime minister in 17 years. Nepalese polity, cutting across party lines, had welcomed the assumption of power by Modi, with most expressing hope that Nepal would be a beneficiary of his developmental agenda.
The Nepalese parliament invited Modi for an address, the first by a foreign head of state to that body since 1990, and the Nepalese gave him a rousing welcome. Modis speech was a graceful reflection on the trials and turbulence that have shaped Indo-Nepalese ties in recent years with a promise of a change of course.
Modi also concluded three memoranda of understanding, including one on the 5600-MW Pancheshwar project, a bi-national hydropower project to be developed in Mahakali River bordering Nepal and India. Most significantly, he promised prompt implementation of Indian projects in Nepal, a cause of needless irritation in this bilateral relationship and viewed as symptomatic of Indias lack of seriousness by most Nepalese. India also promised review of the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship within two years on the basis of recommendations from a group of eminent representatives from both countries.
Now, with India welcoming the amendment of the Constitution to accommodate the demands of Madhesis and the lifting of the blockade, the Modi government has another opportunity to reshape the contours of New Delhis relations with Kathmandu especially at a time when India seems to be losing ground in Nepal to China. Nepalese prime minister has reached out to India and India reciprocated well. The challenge will be to ensure that this momentum is not lost in the coming years.
(The writer is Professor of International Relations, Kings College London)
The mandatory helmet rule for pillion riders, which has already come into force across the State, was implemented in the district from Tuesday.
Deputy Commissioner B Ramu, who participated in an awareness programme for government employees at J H Patel Auditorium, here, said government employees should be role models for others in respecting the law.
A major reason for high casualty among motorcyclists is not wearing of helmets, he added.
From March 1, wearing helmet has been made compulsory in the district and everybody should follow the order to protect their lives, he stressed.
Superintendent of Police Kuldeepkumar R Jain said, helmets had been made compulsory across the State, except Chamarajanagar, in an effort to create awareness among the people. Several campaigns will be organised at various parts of the city to create awareness in this regard. Those who violate the law would be penalised. So, both rider and pillion rider should wear helmets, he stressed.
DH News Service
The Opposition disrupted the proceedings of the legislature on Tuesday, demanding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah come clean on his diamond-studded wrist watch or step down immediately.
The BJP and the JD(S) wanted the chief minister to explain why he accepted a Rs 70 lakh worth of Hublot watch from NRI doctor, Girish Chandra Varma, and whether there was some quid pro quo.
In response, the chief minister reiterated that he had done nothing wrong by accepting the gift from the NRI. Congress legislators tried to turn the tables on the BJP members, accusing them of wearing equally expensive watches.
In the Assembly, BJP members led by Jagadish Shettar unsuccessfully attempted to move an adjournment motion, demanding an explanation from the chief minister on the grounds that it was a matter of public interest. The BJP argued that Siddaramaiah not only flouted the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), but also the code of conduct for ministers. Shettar not only sought Varmas details but also an affidavit from him that he had gifted the watch to Siddaramaiah.
At that time, however, the chief minister didnt respond. Interestingly, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, who was the first to highlight that the chief minister wears expensive watches, remained a mute spectator to the war of words between the Congress and the BJP members. But his partymen supported the BJP members in the Council. Amid the din, Siddaramaiah and his Cabinet colleagues tried to declare the watch issue a close chapter.
In the Council, BJP leader K S Eshwarappa said in a preliminary submission on the adjournment motion, The chief minister should reveal why he accepted such an expensive gift and whether the gifter had benefited from him. He also suggested that Siddaramaiah had brought discredit to the State.
Siddaramaiah, who had remained silent for the most part of the screaming match, defended himself by saying he had not violated the FCRA as Dr Varma was not a foreigner and that it was permissible to accept gifts from NRIs. He reiterated that he would mention the watch in his Income Tax returns and to the Lokayukta by June, besides depositing the personal wear with the State government.
The BJP said the Congress party had panicked over the watch issue. Jumping to Siddaramaiahs defence, Congress ministers and members presented photographs which they said showed BJP leaders wearing equally expensive watches.
In the Council, BJP and JD(S) members staged a dharna, seeking permission to make the preliminary submission. But the chairs of both the Houses did not allow the adjournment motion. The House was then adjourned for the day as the Opposition refused to budge.
DH News Service
Stop CM from watch auction: Plea in HC
A petition has urged the High Court to direct Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not to auction the Hublot watch he claimed was a gift from an NRI doctor. The petitioner, Nataraj Sharma, said he had written to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to investigate the source of the watch. He urged the court to order the chief secretary to keep the watch in safe custody. The court is yet to hear the petition.
With the Opposition demanding his resignation over the diamond-studded watch issue, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday evening hosted dinner to the ruling party legislators at a star hotel.
The chief minister has hosted the dinner a day before the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting. The CLP is scheduled to be held on Wednesday at Vidhana Soudha. Siddaramaiah wants the ruling party to counter the Opposition attack on the issue unitedly in both the Assembly and the Council.
Many party legislators, especially seniors, are not happy with Siddaramaiah as far as the watch issue is concerned. They are of the view that the controversy has damaged the partys image. Some of them even believe that the watch issue was a reason for the Congress party putting up a poor show in the recently concluded zilla and taluk panchayat polls, the sources said.
Moreover, the party high command has taken the controversy seriously. The row has embarrassed the Congress which had been accusing the Narendra Modi government as suit boot ki sarkar. A section of Congress leaders are even speculating about the leadership change in Karnataka. Hence, it is important for Siddaramaiah at this juncture to ensure that the CLP members stand by him, the sources pointed out.
Disregarding the Supreme Courts observation that installing CCTV cameras at dance bars is unacceptable and impermissible, the Maharashtra government has claimed before the top court that the proposed measure would help maintain dignity of girls, prevent their exploitation and avoid any unnecessary harassment by the police.
The state government also cited study conducted by institutions and NGOs like Prayas, Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini and Research Centre for Womens Studies in SNDT University, Mumbai and Forum Against Oppression of Women, Mumbai, which stated the bar girls between 18 and 30 years of age are uneducated or less educated.
They are from poor strata of the society. Also further most of the girls or artistes have entered the profession not by their choice but have entered by compulsion. The state being concerned with the dignity and exploitation of such poor uneducated/less educated bar girls, installing the CCTV cameras and live feed of the same to the police control room will help to maintain the dignity of such girls and prevent their exploitation, it said in an affidavit.
In case of installation of CCTV cameras and live feed of the same to the police control room, there will be check on the police and transparency for both the parties will be maintained, it added.
The state government also claimed it had enquired with various restaurants and bar owners who said that they had installed CCTV cameras in the bars, restaurant and public areas like reception, lift, entrance and exist to hotel, which among others, will help reduce crime. The cameras would not only ensure personal safety of the dance bar girls but would result in quick response from police in case of any untoward incident, it said.
It also submitted that the restaurant is a public place as per the provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951. There is no question of encroachment upon privacy of any individual/customer visiting the restaurant/permit room, it said, adding the place of public amusement" meant any place where music, singing dancing, or any game is organised.
The state government also defended its decision to impose conditions like there would not be any concealed room in dance bars, which could be used for immoral purpose.
The apex court, which had struck down in 2013 Maharashtras ban on dance bars, had on February 24 observed the right to practice ones profession cannot be curtailed by using such tools as CCTV cameras on objections raised by the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association over those fresh conditions.
The court had in October, 2015 allowed dance performances, allowing the government to regulate it to check obscenities.
The state government also defended its decision to impose conditions like there would not be any concealed room in dance bars, which could be used for immoral purpose.
The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has made the process of issuing the No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) certificate online with the launch of a web portal www.nori.ac.in for the purpose. The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has made the process of issuing the No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) certificate online with the launch of a web portal www.nori.ac.in for the purpose.
Issuing a notification, however, the ministry has made it clear that it will not entertain applications for NORI from doctors or anyone seeking the certificate to undertake higher training in medical and allied subjects in US, saying the matter pertaining to such individuals comes under the purview of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
With this website, getting a certificate of waiver from two-year stay-back in India condition may now be a hassle free affair for Indian technocrats, researchers and students applying for H1B visa to work in US after the expiry of their J-1 visa period, issued for sponsored study or training exchange programmes.
The Union Health Ministry notified last year that it will not issue NORI to doctors and those with medical degree, in an effort to check migration of medical professionals from India to abroad.
Thought the ministry has made the portal operational for processing of applications from February 27 inviting individuals to apply online, it has notified that it will continue to receive and process the candidates application submitted in physical form only for the next 90 days.
Post 90 days, physical application will not be accepted for the purpose, the Ministry added in its notification.
As per the US Immigration laws, candidates with J-1 visa applying for H1B visa to work in US are required to submit to US authorities a NORI certificate. Many Indians face problems in getting NORI from Indian consulates in US.
With the launch of the website, candidates can not only file an application online, but also track the status of their applications, rectify the shortcoming indicated by the HRD Ministry. Applicants will get alerts through e-mail on every stage. The entire process been simplified to make it a hassle free experience to Indians going US with J-1 visa, official sources added.
Emphasising that India was a pluralistic country, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and Archbishop of Trivananthapuram, Baselios Cleemis Cardinal Thottunkal, on Tuesday asserted that the majority of Hindus in the country were secular.
Politics is certainly good, but not vote-bank politics. If the entire Hindu community in India had decided to be communal, the Christians, Muslims and Sikhs would not have been safe. Thanks be to God the majority of Hindus in India are secular. The virtue of secularism should be celebrated by all, Cardinal Thottunkal told reporters here on the sidelines of a press conference.
The head of the CBCI said attacks on the minority communities in India had come down, but it was derogatory statements that were creating trouble.
There is a dignified space for everyone in India to believe, profess and propagate their faith. But when the secular fabric of the country is under attack, we all should stay together as a nation and face it, he stressed.
He pointed out that the Christians, despite being a minuscule community, had been providing the best healthcare services in the country after the Government of India.
32nd CBCI plenary
The Cardinal said a week-long plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops in India, which will be held in the City from March 2, would discuss various issues related to the Church and India. As many as 180 bishops from all the dioceses in India will deliberate on the theme, The Response of the Church in India to the Present Day Challenges, he told reporters. Several experts and resource persons in the religious, socio-political and economic fields, including scholars from the Hindu and Muslim communities, will address the bishops. The plenary will discuss secularism as well as interreligious dialogue, he said.
The High Court has expressed displeasure over the standard of education being imparted in the colleges and universities of the State.
Justice S Abdul Nazeer - sharing his experience of evaluating the answer sheets of advocates who appeared for the exam for the posts of district judge - observed that the standard of education had deteriorated so badly that he felt like suspending these advocates from practising and cancelling their registration.
While hearing a petition filed by Shree Devi Trust, a study centre of Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), which had challenged the derecognition of the university and the cancellation of the study centre, the bench asked if the KSOU was being run in a building or under a tree and if it had a building and infrastructure of its own.
In September 2015, the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued a notification, derecognising and cancelling the study centres. The study centre has approached the court, saying that UGC does not have the authority to derecognise as it only grants funds to the universities and that the recognition is given under the UGC legislation.
The counsel for the study centre said that there were over 2,000 students in the centre and that they had filed criminal cases against the centre following the derecognition. The UGC has contended that degrees were sold in these study centres and hence, the university has been derecognised. The court asked the vice-chancellor or the registrar of the KSOU to be present before the court and adjourned the hearing to March 3.
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday sealed the Sahara Group-owned Aamby Valley City for non-payment of dues worth Rs 4.82 crore.
However, within hours the township located near the famous twin hill stations of Lonavla-Khandala in Pune district had to be reopened.
The Lonavala-based property was sealed by the Mulshi Taluka Tahsildar for non-payment of non-agricultural tax of Rs. 4.82 crore. For the past two years, the Aamby Valley city has not paid the Non agricultural (NA) land tax amounting to Rs 4.50 crore and hence the action was taken, said Naib Tehsildar Nilesh Gaikwad.
Vivek Kumar, CEO of Aamby Valley & Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai, however, said that the action was illegal and the gates have been reopened. A company which is valued for over Rs 1 lakh crore and is independent Indias first planned hill city, a creative expression of our founder Subrata Roy, came to news for non-payment of Non-Agriculture Tax which is Rs 27 lacs only (Rupees Twenty Seven Lacs only) as of today (Tuesday), because of the other dues aggregating to Rs 2,26,13,870, he said.
"It will only be liable for payment by the closure of current Financial year i.e. 31st March, 2016; therefore we still have 30 days left for payment," he said.
Kumar added that outstanding amount of Rs 2,53,41,610 (outstanding dues of Rs.27,27,740 and Rs.2,26,13,870 is for the current year 2015-2016) paid by cheque onTuesday.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Bar Council of India (BCI) for making it mandatory for every lawyer to pass the All India Bar Examination within two-years after enrolment.
The apex court observed that the clause is in violation of a members fundamental right to practice the profession.
How are you holding this examination? What is its basis without any amendment to the statute? Have you become a law unto yourself, a bench presided over by Chief Justice T S Thakur asked advocate A Prasad, appearing for the BCI.
The counsel for the BCI, the apex regulatory body for the advocates, submitted that the All India Bar Examination, intended to set a minimum benchmark for admission to the practice of law for the advocates, was introduced on the basis of a recommendation by a committee following an apex court judgment. The rules in this regard were notified on June 5, 2010. The bench, also comprising Justice U U Lalit, however, pointed out that the committee itself has recommended for amendment to the Advocates Act before introducing any such examination.
To say that one has to pass an examination for practising as advocate will negate his or her right to profession. A law graduate has a fundamental right to practice. Conditions can't be put after enrolment. If at all it is required, the condition should be put at the enrolment stage, the bench added.
Advocate Sanjay Nuli, appearing for Bengaluru-resident one R Nagabushana, challenged the rules framed by the BCI making it compulsory for every law graduate to clear the examination. To the BCI counsels contention that the decision for examination was taken on the basis of a judgment by the apex court, the bench said the verdict has made suggestion for it but only after making amendment in the statute.
The court also said in the US, it is mandatory to clear an examination to practice as an advocate and it is held regularly to assess the advocates. The court put the matter for further consideration on Wednesday, directing the counsel to produce the Law Commission's reports, which had, if at all, recommended for holding the examination.
To say that one has to pass an examination for practising as advocate will negate his or her right to profession. A law graduate has a fundamental right to practice
The State government has refused the offer made by the Centre to supply power to Karnataka to tide over shortage this summer saying it was way too expensive.
Last Friday (February 26), Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal assured a delegation of Union ministers from Karnataka to supply of 317 MegaWatt (MW) power to the State on a daily basis till March-end. The cost of the power supplied by the Centre was Rs 5.75 per unit.
Energy Minister DK Shivakumar told Deccan Herald that he said no to the power from the Centre as other cheaper options were available for the State. He said that the State had an agreement with the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) to supply 450 MW power at Rs 4.80 per unit.
The power has already started flowing to the State from Monday night through the national grid, he said.
Following an unexpected breakdown of the States major hydel power supplier Sharavathy Generation Station (SGS) and raising mercury levels, the demand-supply gap for power in Karnataka increased from 2,500 MW to 3,775 MW per day. SGS alone accounted for daily power generation of 1,275 MW. Total estimated power requirement of the State is 10,000 MW per day. A few weeks ago, Shivakumar had written Goel seeking 1,000 MW power to meet the demand this summer.
Synchronisation of plants
Meanwhile, the government is also hopeful of adding another 800 MW from Yeramarus Thermal Plant coming up at Raichur. The Energy department is hopeful of successful synchronisation of the first unit of the States first supercritical thermal plant at Yeramarus before the end of this summer. The 2X800 MW project is a joint venture of the State and Indias public sector major Bharath Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). Synchronisation of the first unit which was planned last month delayed again due to technical snags.
Meanwhile, first unit of the 2400 (3X800) MW super thermal power plant at Kudgi in Vijayapura district is likely to be synchronised with the grid on March 18. Like all thermal plants, it will be oil synchronisation followed by coal. The power is likely to flow from June or July, sources said.
As per the agreement, Karnataka is set to get 50 per cent of the total power generated from the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) plant at Kudgi.
DH News Service
The Delhi government has approached the wives of four actors, urging them to encourage their husbands not to endorse pan masala products as they contain areca nuts, a potential cancer causing agent.
The move comes after the government failed to get a response from the actors themselves.
Additional Director (Health), Delhi Government, Dr S K Arora has written to Kajol, wife of actor Ajay Devgn, Gauri Khan, wife of Shah Rukh Khan, Malaika Arora Khan, wife of Arbaaz Khan, and Suneeta Ahuja, wife of actor Govinda, asking them to persuade their husbands not to endorse pan masala products in larger public interest.
Humble appeal to you for encouraging Mr Shah Rukh Khan not to participate in advertisements of pan masala... Earlier, a letter was written to Mr Khan for not participating in such advertisements in public interest. Nonetheless I have not received any response till date nor has he plugged doing such advertisements, Arora said in his letter to Gauri Khan.
He further said that even if these pan masalas do not contain tobacco or nicotine, they surely contain areca nuts (supari).
Now there are a lot of scientific evidence which proves that supari causes cancer. A similar letter was sent to Sunny Leone and I am delighted to inform that I have received an affirmative response that there will be no such promotions in future. Moreover, she is consulting the companies for the terms and conditions of the present contract to stop advertising pan masalas, Arora said.
Padma Vibushan awardee Professor P Rama Rao has stated that the Manhattan Project launched by the United States was perhaps the quintessential example of grand synthesis of knowledge, investment manpower under a magnificent leader.
Rao, who is the chairman of the Governing Council of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru was speaking on the occasion of SRM University's Research Day held in Chennai recently.
Rao said: None of the cutting-edge scientific ideas involved big capital or government, but was conceived by brilliant minds. Rao added that he was delighted when SRM Universitys chancellor and president spoke about the value of research and publications.
I have not heard about these themes or even research day in many universities. SRM scores very uniquely both in terms of a Research Institute and in having a research day, Prof Rao said. He felt that if there are more and more researchers, India has the potential of putting out 25 per cent of graduate students (post Graduate) in the world.
In his speech, professor Biswanath Mukherjee, professor of Computer Science from the University of California at Davis, USA, said: The pre-requisite of extraordinary achievement is extraordinary effort. Not everybody is a super star. Achieve your potential and beyond.
India on Tuesday virtually indicted the Pakistan Army for supporting the non-state actors, who had carried out the January 2-4 terror attack on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in Punjab.
The full details will come out of the investigation being conducted by the National Investigation Agency. But some non-state actors of Pakistan are involved in it (the attack on the IAF base at Pathankot). This much is at least true that no non-state actor there (in Pakistan) can function smoothly without taking support from them (Pakistan Army), Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in Rajya Sabha.
He was responding to a question from Shiv Sena MP, Sanjay Raut, whether the terrorists, who had carried out attack at Pathankot, had been supported by the Pakistan Army.
The defence ministers remark came ahead of the proposed visit of Pakistani investigators to India in connection with the probe into the attack.
Six terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) crossed over from Pakistan to India and carried out the attack in the IAF base, killing a civilian and seven security personnel before being gunned down.
Parrikars remark also came close on the heels of first official confirmation from Islamabad that the JeM founder Moulana Masood Azhar had been placed under police custody in Pakistan after New Delhi had accused him of masterminding the attack and shared with the neighbouring countrys government information about his role in planning the strike.
Three others Khalid Mahmood, Irshadul Haque and Muhammad Shoaib were also arrested in Pakistan in connection with the attack on the airbase in India.
New Delhi did not call off the proposed resumption of the stalled bilateral dialogue with Islamabad, after the cross-border terror attack on the IAF base at Pathankot, particularly taking into account Pakistans offer to act on the information provided by India.
Though the proposed January 15 meeting between the two foreign secretaries to decide the modalities of the bilateral dialogue were postponed after the attack, New Delhi and Islamabad are set to restart formal engagement soon. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and his counterpart A A Chaudhry may meet in Kathmandu middle of this month.
We have now done security audit also in addition to the normal security, and are in the process of ensuring that all army installations will be properly secured, Parrikar said, replying to a question whether security in and around the defence installations stepped up after the attack on the IAF base at Pathankot. The defence minister also said that the government had received intelligence input indicating that the defence facility in Pathankot could be a target of terror attack.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to examine a petition seeking dropping of all proceedings against Gujarat police officers in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case, based on the testimony given by 26/11 Mumbai attack accused David Headley.
A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice U U Lalit directed for listing of the petition filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma.
He relied upon the deposition of Headley who stated that Ishrat and her three companions were Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives on a mission to assassinate then chief minister Narendra Modi.
Plea matters
In his plea, Sharma also urged the SC to initiate suo motu perjury/contempt of court proceeding against the then home minister and CBI director for concealing true facts before the Supreme Court and Gujarat High Court for filing a false affidavit on the facts about Ishrat Jahan.
Notably, the Home Ministry has decided to examine files relating to the 2004 case after then home secretary G K Pillai's claim that the affidavit was changed in 2009 by then minister P Chidambaram.
The UPA government, in its first affidavit, had claimed that the four, who were killed in an alleged fake encounter, were terrorists. Subsequently, within two months, it changed its stand saying there was no conclusive evidence in this regard.
In his petition, Sharma contended that the judicial facts and evidence supplied by Headley via video conference in the 26/11 special court at Mumbai on February 11 proved that the four people, including Ishrat, killed by Gujarat Police in an encounter on June 15, 2004 were members of the LeT.
He contended that there could not be any prosecution of police personnel for killing terrorists.
The petitioner sought direction for compensation to then DIG D G Vanzara and other police officers who had to suffer trial in a Mumbai court for their role in the encounter.
It was a war of privilege motions in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. In a tit-for-tat approach, BJP members hit back at the Congress for giving notice for moving a breach of privilege motion against HRD Minister Smriti Irani.
BJP chief whip Arjun Ram Meghwal and few other party colleagues had given notices for moving a breach of privilege motion against Congress chief whip Jyotiraditya Scindia for misleading the Lok Sabha over purported remarks made by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya.
Scindia, while initiating the debate on the JNU row and the suicide at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU), had claimed Dattatreya had called Rohith Vemula anti-national, casteist and extremist.
War of words
Dattatreya also gave a notice for breach of privilege motion against Scindia accusing the Congress leader of defaming him and tarnishing his image by attributing such comments to him that he never made about Vemula.
The minister said his letter to Irani, over which he has been attacked by the Congress, made no mention of Vemulas name.
I never made such charge against him, Dattatreya said.
Congress members K C Venugopal and Ranjeet Ranjan had given notices for breach of privilege motions against Irani on Monday. CPM member Mohd Salim too gave a similar notice on Tuesday. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had reserved her observations on the notices given by opposition members.
Notice
In his notice against Irani, Salim claimed that the statement made by Irani, while replying to a short duration discussion on April 24 on the recent incidents at JNU and HCU, had glaring inconsistencies.
Parliamentary privilege refers to rights and immunities enjoyed by Parliament as an institution and MPs in their individual capacity, without which they cannot discharge their functions as entrusted upon them by the Constitution. The House can let off the offending person committing a breach of privilege with a warning or even send the person to prison as the case may be.
The Bengaluru Urban district administration has restored seven acres and 20 guntas of prime government land belonging to Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).
The Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishat (JSP) had filed a complaint with the Upalokayukta against the officials of BDA and Revenue department, including Assistant Commissioner (AC) L C Nagaraj, for illegally transferring 10 acres and four guntas of BDA land to four private persons in Doddathogur village, Begur. The land in question is at survey number 105 of Doddathogur village in Bengaluru South taluk.
The complaint was filed with the Upalokayukta and ADGP, Lokayukta on January 30. It said that the land had been allotted to private persons from 2010 to 2016. These private persons are benami for realtors and politicians, the complaint said.
We had approached Upalokayukta Justice N Ananda with this complaint. The Upalokayukta spoke to the DC of Bengaluru Urban V Shankar over the phone and instructed him to ensure restoration of the government land. On February 6, 2015, seven acres and 20 guntas of BDA land has been restored, Adarsh R Iyer of JSP said.
Out of 10 acres and four guntas, seven acres and 20 guntas has been transferred back to the BDA through an order by the AC.
The reversal of his own order does not absolve the AC of his attempt to rob government land by illegally transferring it to private persons. We have filed another application with the ADGP, Lokayukta, seeking action against the AC. As far as the remaining two acres and 24 guntas are concerned, a number of sites have been registered. The revenue officials must ensure that this land also is restored to the government. All these sites have been registered through a GPA holder by name R Prabhakar Reddy, who has given subsequent GPA to a person by name K S Vinod Kumar, Iyer said.
Land meant for poor
The complaint filed by the JSP said that, in 2007, gomala land was transferred to the BDA for building houses for the poor displaced during eviction drives on several government lands in the past 10 years.
The first allotment of this land to a private person happened in 2010, when Ramanjaneya was the Special Deputy Commissioner.
Subsequently, two acres and 24 guntas was transferred to one Annayyappa, four acres was allotted to Mariyappa, one acre and 20 guntas to K D Changappa and two acres to Gangappa, till 2016. As a result, only 18 guntas was left in the name of BDA.
Amid speculations that the PDP and the BJP are inching closer towards government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, a festering war of words has erupted between opposition National Conference (NC) and hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani.
The NC is again openly crying that hardline Hurriyat supports Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Geelani accused the former of playing vote bank politics.
As of now, the hardline Hurriyat and the NC are at daggers drawn, trying to strip each other in public. After some statements by Geelani against NC president Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah, the latter spewed venom against the former. And, theres no end to this.
In the latest, hardline Hurriyat issued a formal statement against the Abdullahs.
The separatist party said the Abdullahs were playing vote bank politics by doing sweet talks.
Whenever NC is out of power, they suddenly start to remember the states autonomy and the betrayal of India and also start to talk about the friendship with Pakistan and the resolution of Kashmir. But when they are in the government, they not only hate to talk about the word autonomy but Farooq Abdullah also suggest India to attack PaKistan and occupy that region too, Hurriyat spokesperson Ayaz Akbar said in a statement.
In a major setback to the Maoists, Venkatapuram Area Committee secretary Kunja Veeriah alias Lachana of Bhadrachalam Division in Telangana and seven others were killed in an encounter with the police.
Five women Maoist cadres were also killed in the encounter that took place at Gottepadu forest area close to the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border in south Bastar region during the early hours of Tuesday.
Sources said Telangana Maoist party secretary Haribhushan aka Narayana and another senior Maoist leader Bade Chokka Rao managed to escape but Haribhushans wife Sammaka alias Sarada was among the killed.
The police recovered one AK 47, three SLRs and three other firearms from the slain Maoists and the bodies were shifted to Bhadrachalam Area Hospital in two helicopters.
According to Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma, the encounter took place when a search party of Telangana Grey Hounds and the Chhattisgarh Police came across the Maoists and surrounded them.
The encounter that went on for an hour and a half, two police personnel were also injured.
A 21-year-old woman is suspected to have jumped from the fifth floor of a building in DRDO Quarters in A Narayanapura, east Bengaluru, on Monday evening, shortly after a heated argument with her boyfriend who was not keen on an early marriage.
Neha, who was studying engineering, was in a relationship with Vighnesh, a BCom student, for the past one year.
The couple had decided to marry. Neha, whose mother died of cancer, introduced Vighnesh to her grandfather and he consented to the marriage. Vighneshs parents were also aware of the relationship but wanted him to focus on his studies instead, said the jurisdictional Mahadevapura police.
From then on, Vighnesh is believed to have started avoiding Neha, and the couple fought over the matter. Neha had been trying to contact Vighnesh for the past one week, but he didnt respond to her calls or text messages.
Frustrated and distraught, she went to his house around 7 pm on Monday. The police believe she wanted to make peace with him, but the couple fought again. An hour later, she darted to the fifth floor and jumped down. She bled to instant death.
A stunned Vighnesh alerted his mother who was in the house. The police and Nehas family were also alerted. The police took Neha to a hospital where she was declared brought dead.
Nehas father, Mallesh Reddy, who lives in Chinnappanahalli, Marathahalli, made a complaint to the police, accusing Vighnesh of abetting in his daughters suicide. Accordingly, the police detained Vighnesh and are interrogating him.
Elderly man run over by bus
An elderly person was killed in a road accident in Peenya traffic police limits Tuesday evening. The deceased was identified as Veerachar, 75, a resident of Soundarya Layout in Peenya and a teacher of acting skills.
According to the police, he boarded a BMTC bus from Kempegowda bus terminal and got down at the junction on Hesaraghatta Cross around 3 pm.
He was crossing the road but walked back as the traffic signal turned green and vehicles rushed at great speed. However, he fell down at the median and came under the wheels of a BMTC bus.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died later. The police arrested Hanumantha Raju, the driver of the bus, and seized the vehicle.
The cases of rape and financial misappropriation involving Alliance University Chancellor Madhukar G Angur are now being probed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
A total of eight cases are registered against Madhukar G Angur at the Anekal police station. The complainant (his elder sister) asked for a CID probe given the gravity of the allegations. Hence, a decision was taken at the top level to transfer the cases to the CID, ADGP (Crime) Bhaskar Rao told Deccan Herald.
Anekal falls under the Bengaluru Rural police jurisdiction. The police need to attend to many other cases and may not be able to focus on such a sensitive investigation. Moreover, they neither have the men nor the machinery to investigate a specialised case like an economic offence. Considering these limitations and the gravity of the allegations against Angur, a decision was taken to transfer all the cases to the CID, Rao said.
The cases were transferred to the CID about two weeks ago after the complainant met the top police officers and made a request in that regard.
The police believe that disputes in Angur family led to complaints and counter-complaints. Dr Angur, 60, who holds a doctoral degree from the University of Texas, Arlington, was arrested in early February after his sister complained to the police that he repeatedly raped her 32-year-old daughter between 2011 and 2014.
Victim in depression
Angurs niece went into depression and quit her job at the university in 2015. Her condition deteriorated and she was hospitalised in January this year. After recovery, she narrated what Angur allegedly did to her. Until then, no one in the family knew about the rape, her mother said in the complaint.
Dr Angur had established Alliance University at Chikkahagade Cross in Chandapura on Anekal Road to fulfil his parents wish. He got his siblings to maintain the university and his property in Bengaluru. He also employed his niece (the victim). He claimed that his siblings had lodged a false complaint to usurp his property.
A fight over a petty issue resulted in the murder of a youth in Chikkajala police limits on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Arun, 21, a resident of Muneshwara Camp at Betta Halasuru.
He had studied till PU and was working in the cargo department at the Kempegowda International Airport, said the police.
The police have detained Aruns college-mate Sandeep and his accomplices Bharath and Yogesh for questioning following a complaint by the victims mother Amaravathi.
Arun, who was junior to Sandeep in the college, had posted a message on Sandeeps Facebook account which read: Hai Shishya (Hey disciple).
Irked by the act
Sandeep was irked by Aruns post calling him a Shishya. He had fought with Arun over the issue. Arun and his friends had thrashed Sandeep in the fight. A fuming Sandeep was waiting to settle the score, said the police.
Meanwhile, Amaravathi, who was worried after the attack, had sent her son to Chennai where his sister stays. Arun had returned to the City on Monday afternoon and Sandeep got to know about Aruns arrival.
He went to Aruns house and invited him for a talk and took him to a hotel around 8.30 pm. Amaravathi went in search of Arun when he did not return, said the police.
She raised an alarm as she saw Sandeep and others assaulting her son. However, the suspects dragged Arun into a car and drove away.
Stabbed repeatedly
They stopped the car at Vidyanagar Cross, repeatedly stabbed him, dumped him on the spot and vanished. A few local residents rushed him to a nearby hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead, added the police.
The response to the pre-budget meeting at the Mangaluru City Corporation on Tuesday was extremely dull.
The meeting was organised to invite suggestions from the public and organisations on the Corporation budget for the year 2016-17. Thin attendance of the public, officials and elected representatives was recorded. The Mayor and the Deputy Mayor too were absent for the meeting.
The meeting witnessed the presence of 15 general public, 15 MCC officials and five corporators.
The very purpose of the meeting, however, remained unfulfilled as most people who were present at the meeting expressed their grievances rather than contributing suggestions towards an effective budget and ideas for revenue generation by the Corporation.
Corporation Commissioner Dr H N Gopalakrishna said that the total budget of the Corporation was Rs 400 crore, out of which, the government funding is Rs 250 crore and Rs 153 crore is the revenue to be generated by the MCC.
Gopalakrishna Bhat from Pumpwell suggested imposing tax on advertisement hoardings. Also parking fee could be collected after creating parking lots in various places within MCC limits. Penalty for illegal parking should be increased, he said.
Rajendra Kumar from Aam Aadmi Party said that the empty spaces in the service bus stand at State Bank could be used as advertisement spaces.
Rohan from AAP felt for a need to allocate funds in the MCC budget for the development of LED street lights in the interior roads. Also empty spaces could be developed as parking lots and revenue could be generated.
Journalist Raviprasad Kamila suggested allocating funds for skywalks in various locations and a flyover at Basaveshwara circle near KPT. Scribe Guruvappa N T Balepuni said that rent should be fixed on daily bases for plastic banners and flexes and concession should be given for cloth banners.
Joint Commissioner Gokuldas Nayak, Chairmen of various Standing Committees Harinath, Keshav Maroli, Deepak Poojary, Prakash Salian and Council Opposition whip Shashidhar Hegde were present.
Titans Hyperion PCIe card integrated into Xanadatas Typhon accelerated threat detection solution
RSA SHOW, SAN FRANCISCO Calif., Mar. 1st, 2016 Titan IC Systems, a pioneer in cyber security and a spin-out out of Queens University Belfasts Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), today announced is partnering with Xanadata, who design, develop and deploy custom systems that rapidly unlock information in unstructured data.
The Titan IC Hyperion platform is a PCI Express product designed for high performance, low latency RegEx processing for content inspection. The 40Gbps version has been integrated in Typhon, Xanadatas Accelerated Threat Detection solution (ATD).
Noel McKenna, CEO, Titan, said, This is a really exciting partnership. The solution means people can rapidly compare network history against todays best threat intelligence. He continued, Weve successfully addressed the issue of how to analyze very large data logs in an economic and portable solution.
Were delighted to be working with Titan. Together our technologies can analyze months of network data in a few minutes giving users vital information regarding threat actor activity., Richard Benson, Xanadata CEO, said. The joint solution gives an understanding of the level of network compromise, but crucially, it achieves this in a portable form factor meaning customers do not need to send sensitive information to the cloud.
Titan and Xanadata will be demonstrating the solution at RSA (San Francisco, March 1-3) and Security & Policing (Farnborough, UK March 8-10).
About Titan IC Systems
Titan IC Systems is a spin-out from the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (CSIT) at Queen's University Belfast, focusing on the development of unique technologies for complex regular expression processing in hardware.
Titans Helios solution is a unique, fully scalable soft IP core bringing hardware accelerated regular expression processing to a FPGA platform. Titan Hyperion is a PCI Express product designed for high performance, low latency RegEx processing for content inspection at speeds of up to 40Gb/s.
The EU and Brazil have signed an agreement to develop 5G, the next generation of communication networks.
The Commission has also started work on an action plan to deploy the technology in the EU by 2020. By this time, it is forecast that there will be 26 billion connected devices and 70% of people will own a smartphone. 5G will be the backbone of the EU Digital Single Market, industries of the future, modern public services and innovative applications such as connected cars, smart homes or mobile health services.
To face this global challenge, the EU joins forces with Brazil to strengthen cooperation in this strategic area and to make sure that 5G does not develop in silos at the international level. The EU and Brazil, which are close trading partners, have been cooperating on information and communication technologies since 2008.
European Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society Gunther H. Oettinger and Brazilian Minister of Communications Andre Figueiredo signed the joint declaration following similar key cooperation initiatives with South Korea, Japan and China.
Vice-President Ansip, responsible for the Digital Single Market said: "This is about essential technology to ensure connectivity. But it is also about building trust and confidence in online services and creating the right conditions for the technology to be deployed across borders. Spectrum coordination is essential to make 5G happen."
Gunther H. Oettinger, in charge of the Digital Economy and Society, said: "Neither Europe, nor Brazil can afford to lag behind in the digital era. With [this] agreement we have notably committed to cooperating on the take-up of 5G in so-called vertical industries such as transport or energy. International agreements are complementary to our efforts to deploy the technology in the EU and the work we are starting today to prepare a 5G action plan for the EU".
The EU and Brazil have committed to developing a global definition of 5G and to identifying the services which should be the first delivered by 5G networks. The two partners will also work to define common standards in order to have a stronger position on the global stage. They will cooperate in identifying the most promising radio frequencies to meet the additional spectrum requirements for 5G, especially in the framework of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In addition, they will promote the deployment of 5G in fields like smart cities, agro-food, education, health, transport or energy as well as possibilities for joint research projects in this area.
Cooperation agreements are also being discussed with India and the United States.
While many of Google's self-driving SUVs have been rear-ended before, this is the first time that the car initiated the accident.
A video footage posted by Associated Press on YouTube shows surveillance camera footage of the accident between Google's self-driving car and the bus. The driver appears astounded, and reacts as if to say, "Why would you do that?" Check the footage here below:
For the first time on record, one of Googles self-driving cars was involved in an accident where it happened to be on the causing end. The incident happened when the self-manoeuvring Lexus SUV hit a public bus in process of skipping across sand bags on a storm drain. At the moment of the accident, the car was travelling at a speed of about 3kph, while the bus was travelling at about 24kph. No individual was injured in the process, although Google has claimed some of the responsibility, for the first time. The accident occurred on February 14.
The batch of self-driving cars around Mountain View, California have been involved in a number of accidents, although until now, it were other cars that were bumping into the self-driving vehicles. The most common incident involving the self-driving cars was of other drivers bumping on to the cars from the rear. As of now, the US federal law requires an individual to be present behind the steering wheel in case of emergency actions.
However, the government has given the nod to artificial intelligence and computers to be considered as the driver and be held accountable for incidents, giving a positive push to the future of autonomous vehicles.
Moneysupermarket.com was given a boost on Tuesday as Canaccord Genuity lifted its target price to 352p from 342p and left its rating at hold after the company reported a rise in full year profit and revenue.
For the year to the end of December, the price comparison service said statutory profit after tax grew 20% to 63.4m as revenue pushed up 14% to 281.7m.
Moneysupermarket pointed to particularly strong growth in the Money and Home Services businesses, while growth in Insurance was lower as a result of strong second half comparatives in the previous year and tougher competition.
Adjusted earnings per share came in at 14.5p from 12.3p the previous year and the group said it will pay a final dividend of 6.6p per share, taking the total dividend for the year to 9.15p from 8p in 2014.
The company said it remained confident of delivering its expectations for the year. The company traded solidly to the end of February, delivering 12% growth, although insurance revenue was down 4% and travel is deteriorating.
Nonetheless, given continued strong growth in Money, which accounts for 27% of group revenues and rising, we are nudging up our forecasts, with EBITA up from 103.9m to 105.1m, said Investec analyst Simon Davies.
This drives a 1% uplift in EPS from 15.0p to 15.1p.
The analyst said there was definite scope for further cash returns as Moneysupermarket.com remains committed to a progressive dividend policy and ongoing monitoring of the appropriate capital structure.
The increase in the target price represents a 15.0x full year 2017 enterprise value/EBITDA, and 21.2x cash adjusted price earnings ratio.
Citigroup downgraded Genel Energy to neutral from buy and slashed the price target to 120p from 253p.
It pointed to the fact the company has reduced the expected gross ultimate recovery from its Taq Taq field in Iraqi Kurdistan on the back of revised assumptions on the fracture porosity within the Shiranish reservoir at the field.
On Monday, Genel downgraded its assumptions for Taq Taq its largest oil field to 356m barrels of oil from 683m.
As a result of the reserve downgrade, Genel also said it expects to record an impairment of around $1bn due to a lower carrying value for the Taq Taq field in its full year 2015 results, which is around 28% of its current equity value.
Our buy case on Genel was based on a view that despite the political uncertainties in the Kurdistan region, Genel held a significant low cost resource base that was undervalued and remained relevant to the wider industry, Citigroup said.
However, Mondays news changes this investment thesis and makes it more challenging for Genel to fund its Miran gas development, Citi said.
With continued political uncertainty (and ongoing pipeline issues), we believe Genel could trade at a discount to core NAV in the near-term.
Goldman Sachs marked down its valuation of ITVs shares as a result of the recent de-rating in its US peers and cut the M&A premium it attached to them, although it still saw the company as a potential takeover target.
Interestingly, the broker lowered its 12-month target price on the stock from 329p to 297p, in part as it lowered the M&A premium on the stocks valuation from 50% to 30%, with the rest of the shares value, 70%, now being a function of the companys fundamentals.
The latter also came down as a result of the de-rating of ITVs US peers and was set at 14.5 times the estimated 2017 P/E, down from 15 times.
We see more limited NT upside given the lack of major positive earnings momentum and the de-rating of US peers, Goldman said.
The broker also downgraded the stock to neutral and removed it from its Pan-Europe Buy list.
Nonetheless, at a price-to-earnings multiple for 2016 of 12.8 the shares were not expensive, the analysts said.
Furthermore, the trend towards a rising value of content and convergence between telcos and media made the company a potential M&A target, Goldman said.
Weak prospects for advertising and poor ratings were also set to weigh on programming costs at ITV, Goldman Sachs said in a research note sent to clients.
The latter had seen ITVs audience decline by 4%-5% in 2014/15, while the end of major shows such as Downton Abbey or Mr.Selfridge - and a change in the Director of Television might result in greater programming reinvestment in the near-term, the broker said.
Nonetheless, the shares were up by 432% since being added to Goldmans Buy list on 12 October 2009, versus an advance of 9.8% for the FTSE World Europe benchmark, analysts Lisa Yang, Otilia Bologan, Sarah Watson and Katherine Tait said in a research note sent to clients.
Goldman was in-line with the company consensus, anticipating 2015 NAR growth of 5.6%, programming costs of 1040m and earnings per share of 16.1p.
However, the broker saw upside to forecasts for ordinary dividends of 5.9p plus an extraordinary pay-out of 7.8p.
For the first quarter of 2015, Goldman anticipated NAR would grow by 1% and for all of 2016 by 3%. The latter was down from a previous projection for a rate of growth of 4.5% and below the consensus estimate for 3.8%.
Programming costs in the first three months of the year were pegged at 1057m.
Earnings per share were now seen reaching 17.8p, 5% less than previously (consensus: 18p).
ITV was also structurally well-positioned and had strong management, the analysts wrote.
Oil futures saw a second successive session on positive turf, as Brent and WTI futures registered appreciable gains on Tuesday.
With Saudi Arabia commenting that it would work with other producers to limit oil market volatility, selected analysts opined there were hints the market had bottomed out.
Overnight, the Saudi cabinet issued a statement noting: "The kingdom (of Saudi Arabia) seeks to achieve stability in the oil markets and will always remain in contact with all main producers in an attempt to limit volatility and it welcomes any cooperative action.
Saudi Arabia and fellow OPEC members Venezuela and Qatar agreed with non-OPEC Russia last month to freeze output at January levels. However, Iran refused to join in while it takes advantage of the recent lifting of its international economic sanctions.
At 1701 GMT, the Brent front month futures contract was up 1.23% or 45 cents to $37.02 per barrel, while the WTI rose 2.16% or 73 cents to $34.48 per barrel.
Chris Beauchamp, senior market analyst at IG, said, Both Brent and WTI are held up well on Tuesday and there is every reason to expect more upside. Too many traders have been caught out trying to short the market over the past week or so, with little sign so far that the bounce has run its course.
Analysts at Barclays noted: The recent output freeze talks are unlikely to have any immediate impact on market balances, given the producers who have agreed to freeze production (as well as those indicating willingness) are already producing close to their full capacity.
We think what it does represent, however, is an exercise in building broader cooperation between producers, and thereby is likely to prove a litmus test for building trust, as Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi recently opined.
Away from oil markets, precious metals slipped into negative territory. The COMEX front-month gold futures contract was down 0.35% or $4.30 at $1,230.10 an ounce, while spot gold was down 0.62% or $7.65 to $1,231.02 an ounce.
COMEX silver fell 0.82% or 12 cents to $14.80 an ounce, but spot platinum bucked wider trends to head 0.46% or $4.26 higher to $938.11 an ounce.
Headline base metal futures were largely higher across the London Metal Exchange board. At 1635 GMT, three-month futures contracts of nickel (up 1.7%), lead (up 0.5%), tin (up 0.9%) and copper (up 0.6%) headed higher, but the primary aluminium (down 0.2%) contract was marginally lower.
Liz Grant, senior account executive at Sucden Financial, said, Base metals were under pressure through the Asian session but recovered towards the end of the session with further gains made during the London morning as equities and oil strengthened and LME stocks showed further declines.
Once again, as the market seeks direction, trading conditions were choppy, prices mostly range bound and turnover was moderate at best.
Finally, agricultural commodity futures were on mixed turf. CBOT corn (down 0.21%), wheat (down 1.54%) and ICE cocoa (down 0.74%) futures headed lower. However, ICE cotton (up 0.34%) and CME live cattle (up 0.0.8%), headed higher in early trading calls stateside.
Volkswagen 's chief executive officer Matthias Mueller has warned that costs associated with its emissions scandal in the US could escalate above the automakers current provisions, and the matter might take longer to resolve.
In an interview with the BBC, Mueller said VW was still in "constructive dialogue" with regulators and hoped the firm would be "judged fairly".
The VW chief also warned a 6.7bn (5.2bn) provision the company had made to cover costs of the scandal might not be enough, but that he was impatient for answers himself.
"I've postponed our year-end financial results and the AGM to improve their quality, so that we can be even more confident and take even more care and diligence in establishing the figures.Then we'll see if we have to make additional provisions, over and above the 6.7bn," Mueller added.
Results of an internal inquiry could be ready in April, the CEO said further.
Last September, US authorities discovered that VW used computer software to alter emissions data during tests, a scandal that led to the resignation of Muellers predecessor. While the scandal originated in the US, it has since emerged around 11m VW vehicles globally had been fitted with such devices.
The US Justice Department taking legal action against VW for breaching environmental laws, and the company has been ordered to fix almost 600,000 diesel vehicles in the country fitted with the devices.
Mueller described his companys actions as a grave mistake.
We have lost a lot of trust with our customers, and we now need to win them back. We need to face the allegations of the authorities, and I expect a fair ruling here. And then it's important to look ahead, and to make VW into an even better company."
However, he insisted that the German automaker had not been "paralysed" by the emissions scandal and it was looking to "the future with confidence".
Oil and gas services firm Wood Group has won a $120m (86m) contract with Babcock International to provide industrial services to a number of its UK sites.
The company said the contact will be delivered by Wood Group PSNs industrial service line business, Wood Group Industrial Services (WGIS) and will run for five years with an option to extend for another five.
Hugh Pelham, managing director of WGIS, said the contract builds on its 15-year relationship with Babcock.
We have a strong history of delivering marine projects safely, to schedule and to budget. I look forward to building on this across further Babcock Group sites, and successfully continuing our long-standing relationship with this key client.
It is the second contract awarded to WGIS this year after a new five-year contact with Valero Energy to provide services to the onshore Pembroke refinery in south west Wales.
Shares rose 0.74% to 628.64p at 1022 GMT.
Barclays confirmed plans to sell its African business on Tuesday as it announced a drop in full year profit and a cut to the dividend.
For the year to 31 December, adjusted pre-tax profit slipped 2% to 5.4bn and the bank announced a 1.45bn provision for PPI misselling.
Analysts had been expecting Barclays to report a profit of around 5.8bn. In addition, it said it will slash its dividend by more than half to 3p per share this year and the next.
Barclays also confirmed that it will sell its 62.3% stake in Barclays Africa, as it looks to focus on Barclays UK and Barclays Corporate & International. Barclays said the sale, along with its restructuring plan, would boost capital by at least 1 percentage point.
Weak metals prices had a significant impact on Fresnillo in 2015, though the company was appearing strong in its results for the calendar year on Tuesday.
The FTSE 100 company saw adjusted revenue rise 2.5% to $1.58bn, with higher volumes more than offsetting lower metal prices.
Gross profit and EBITDA were $433.1m and $547.5m, which represented reductions of 16.9% and 3.5% respectively. Profit from continuing operations was $200.4m, a reduction of 18.4%.
The company said the devaluation of the Mexican peso against the US dollar positively affected production costs, but also resulted in increased deferred taxes with a negative impact on its effective tax rate.
Net cash from operating activities was $542.9m, against $121.6m in 2014. Fresnillo reported capital expenditures of $474m and an exploration spend of $140m.
The company's board said it maintained financial flexibility, with a year-end cash balance of $500.1m and a net debt position of $296.9m on 31 December.
Fresnillo's basic and diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were 9.4c, and adjusted earnings per share were 6.9c, down 36.1% and 6.8%.
The board recommended a final dividend of 3.35c per share, equivalent to $24.7m.
Servelec Group has acquired Tribal Group 's Synergy children's services management information system business for of 20.25m cash, which it is part-funding with a new bank facility.
Using the proceeds to reduce net debt, Tribal, which issued two profit warnings late last year, said the deal would reduce its scheduled rights issue to 21m from the 30m proposed in December.
The deal requires approval of Tribal's shareholders and will see the business purchased on a debt-free cash-free, with the transfer of 63 skilled staff, contracts and maintenance agreements and a property lease on an existing premises.
Synergy's suite of software products, which has been implemented in over 100 local authorities in England and Wales, helps the local authorities manage information within children's services such as education, safeguarding and children's centres.
In calendar 2015 the business recorded revenues of 6.3m, contributing an operating profit and a profit before tax of 2.7m.
Servelec chief executive Alan Stubbs said the acquisition was another step to capitalise on the growth opportunities offered by the government's Converged Care plans.
"Building on a strong year for Servelec's Social Care business, driven by the successful acquisition and integration of Corelogic, Synergy will allow our combined Local Government clients to improve child care by having a single view of a child's needs. It strengthens the suite of products available to new and existing customers and fits within our strategy of acquiring complementary businesses that will provide both short-term and long-term benefit to the group as a whole," he said.
Tribal said after using the proceeds to reduce net debt, the disposal will also strengthen its focus on a core business centred around the management of universities, colleges and schools.
Chief executive Ian Bowles added: "This, together with the intended rights issue, will restore the group's balance sheet, and enable the management team to take the business forward in its domestic and international markets."
Servelec Group has acquired Tribal Group's Synergy children's services management information system business for of 20.25m cash, which it is part-funding with a new bank facility. Using the proceeds to reduce net debt, Tribal, which issued two profit warnings late last year, said the deal would reduce its scheduled rights issue to 21m from the 30m proposed in December.
Eagle Eye Solutions Group has confirmed the retirement of Bob Willett as a non-executive director. In an update on Tuesday, the AIM-listed software as a service (SaaS) technology company that validates and redeems digital promotions in real-time for the grocery, retail and hospitality industries, said Willett was leaving to concentrate on his other investments.
Jaywing was embarking on an ambitious study of consumer behaviour on Tuesday, announcing the formation of a strategic collaboration with the Data Science Institute at Imperial College London. The AIM-traded company said it had agreed to sponsor a three-and-a-half year research programme, to measure cognitive response through neuroimaging technology.
Capital Gearing Trust, a self-managed investment trust listed on the London Stock Exchange, has issued fresh equity. In market update on Tuesday, CGT said it had issued 2,000 Ordinary Shares of 25p from its block listing facility at a price of 3,403 pence per share.
Expansion was the theme of 2015 at Johnson Service Group, and it paid off in its final results on Tuesday, with its two new acquisitions performing well. The AIM-traded textile services business saw revenue in the calendar year increase 11.4% to 234.4m, with adjusted operating profit ahead 28% to 27.9m. Adjusted profit before tax was 25.2m, up 26% on the prior year.
Premier African Minerals received a fresh cash injection on Tuesday, announcing it had received a direct subscription for 500,000 in new ordinary shares. The AIM-traded company said the subscription consisted of an issue of 100 million new ordinary shares, at a subscription price of 0.5p each, conditional on admission.
ULS Technology expanded its B2C offering on Tuesday, acquiring a 35% stake in HomeOwners Alliance (HOA), and integrating its eConveyancer technology into the popular property web destination. The AIM-traded provider of online B2B platforms for the UK conveyancing and financial intermediary markets said the HomeOwners Alliance website was originally launched in 2012 as a membership organisation, serving up independent expert property-related articles and advice to homeowners and prospective buyers in Britain.
Cambridge Cognition was reaching out to a new frontier in the world of wearable technology on Tuesday, announcing a new partnership with London-based design and research agency Ctrl Group for the creation of products for use in mental health applications. The AIM-traded company, which specialises in cognitive assessment technologies, said the partnership would produce novel digital health applications with prototype products expected in the latter half of 2016.
Atlas Development and Support Services formed a major partnership in its development of the Chancho Project bottle manufacturing facility in Ethiopia on Tuesday, appointing local firm MH Engineering to provide design services to the project. The AIM-traded company said the services provided would include architectural, engineering, structural, sanitary, electrical and mechanical design and quantity surveying services at the project, which would have an annual production capacity of 105 million 330mL bottles.
Onzima Ventures has snapped up a 49% share in drug reformulations outfit N4 Pharma for 41,000 cash and 24.27m new shares, which will be locked in by N4's management for two years. Onzima, which changed its name from Ultima Networks after selling off its green energy operations and raising 0.75m in a placing, has agreed to provide a loan facility of 209,000 to N4 Pharma for the development of its business.
Federal appeals court temporarily blocks Biden student debt relief plan
A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the Biden Administration from moving forward with its student debt relief program aiming to forgive billions of dollars in student loans.
Rouhani's reformist partners set to sweep Iran
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani won a strong vote of confidence and reformist partners secured surprise gains in parliament in early results from elections that could speed up the Islamic Republic's emergence from years of isolation.
While advances by moderates and reformists in Friday's polls were most evident in the capital, where they won all Tehran's 30 seats according to early results, the sheer scale of the gains there suggests a legislature more friendly to the pragmatist Rouhani has become a distinct possibility.
Top Rouhani ally Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a shrewd political fixer and veteran pro-reform figure, issued a solemn message on Twitter that no one could resist the people's will.
"No one is able to resist against the will of the majority of the people and whoever the people don't want has to step aside," the message said.
A loosening of control by the anti-Western hardliners who currently dominate the 290-seat parliament could strengthen Rouhani's hand to open Iran further to foreign trade and investment following last year's breakthrough nuclear deal.
A reformist-backed list of candidates aligned with Rouhani was on course to win all 30 parliamentary seats in Tehran, initial results released today showed. Top conservative candidate Gholamali Haddad Adel was set to lose his seat.
"The people showed their power once again and gave more credibility and strength to their elected government," Rouhani said, adding he would work with anyone who won election to build a future for the industrialised, oil-exporting country.
There was silence from the conservative camp.
The polls were seen by analysts as a potential turning point for Iran, where nearly 60 per cent of its 80 million population is under 30 and eager to engage with the world following the lifting of most sanctions.
Principlists, otherwise known as hardliners, hold 65 per cent of the outgoing parliament and the rest is divided between reformists and independents who traditionally support Rouhani.
"It is a very big victory," analyst Saeed Leylaz, a former adviser to former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, told Reuters.
"It is very good news for President Rouhani. We will have a very rational parliament, a less factional parliament, a more expert and technocrat parliament."
Foad Izadi, an assistant professor at the Faculty of World Studies in Tehran University said the reformists' strong showing was prompted by Rouhani's success in reaching a nuclear agreement between Iran and international powers, the removal of most of the sanctions that had strangled the country's economy over the past decade and restoration of relations with the West.
"It is a sweeping victory for Tehran but for other cities it is not yet clear cut. It is beyond expectations," he added.
Etemad, a reformist newspaper whose managing-editor Elias Hazrati won a seat in Tehran, chose the headline of "clean up in the parliament".
"The next parliament will be like no other parliament in the history of Iran as no political faction will have the absolute say," the newspaper said on its front-page.
Millions crowded polling stations on Friday to vote for parliament and the Assembly of Experts, which selects the country's highest authority, the supreme leader. Both bodies have been in the hands of hardliners for years.
Supporters of Rouhani, who promoted the nuclear deal, were pitted against hardliners close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who are wary of detente with Western countries.
Rouhani and Rafsanjani led the race for the Assembly of Experts with most votes counted, and appeared to be sure of winning seats, early results released on Saturday showed.
Choosing Khamenei's successor
Until now, the contest for this seat of clerical power was an unremarkable event, but not now. Because of Khamenei's health and age, 76, the new assembly members who serve eight-year terms are likely to choose his successor. The next leader could well be among those elected this week.
Rafsanjani is among the founders of the Islamic Republic and a former president. Often at the centre of Iran's intricate webs of power, he is famous for his pragmatism and political acumen.
Just one prominent hardliner was on course to be elected in the experts assembly race in Tehran - Ahmad Jannati, in 15th place out of the 16 seats reserved for the capital's candidates.
The assembly's current chairman, Mohammad Yazdi, on 17th, and arch-conservative, Mohammad-Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi, on 19th, appeared unlikely to win seats, according to partial results.
Mesbah-Yazdi is a fierce critic of reformists and has even advocated violence against its supporters. After disputed 2009 presidential elections, Mesbah-Yazdi strongly supported official winner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and was seen as his mentor.
A Reuters tally, based on official results published so far, suggested the pro-Rouhani camp and allied independents were leading in the parliamentary vote. Some moderate conservatives, including current speaker Ali Larijani, support Rouhani.
Reformists had 23 per cent, independents 18 and principlists 36, according to Reuters calculations based on final results, excluding Tehran where results remain preliminary.
Twenty three per cent of candidates will have to go to run-offs in late April because nobody won the required 25 per cent of votes cast. Eight of the initial winners were women.
Analysts say the large number of independents may be significant as they could cooperate across ideological lines with Rouhani's government. Whatever the outcome, Iran's political system places much power in the hands of the conservative Islamic establishment including the Guardian Council, which vets all laws passed by parliament.
The intelligence minister said today that two terrorist plots had been foiled before the election. "Two terrorist groups were identified by the intelligence ministry's agents and their plots were defused," Mahmoud Alavi was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency. He did not elaborate.
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.
Kia Australia has blamed a lack of government incentives for its reluctance to launch a new wave of electric hybrid vehicles onto the local market.
Despite debuting two new hybrids at this week's Geneva motor show, the Korean manufacturer's local arm was unable to confirm either will make it to Australia.
They were a plug-in hybrid version of the large Optima sedan, and the all new Niro crossover which is built on a platform specifically optimized for hybrid powertrains.
The Niro is powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine developing 77kW of power, backed by a 32kW lithium-ion battery with a targeted carbon dioxide emissions output of just 89g/km.
"It's not definitely out but it's more unlikely than not," Kia Australia spokesman Kevin Hepworth said of the Niro's chances of making it to Oz.
"At the moment, as a commercial exercise, hybrids are more expensive and they're not all that popular.
"You've got the problem that there's no government incentive whatsoever for manufacturers to sell a more expensive product in Australia to a market that doesn't want it."
He said that unlike in some countries, the added expense of a hybrid powertrain would be borne by customers, which could be too big a risk for Kia if resulting sales were low.
"As a three per cent market-share company we can't afford to make a mistake," Hepworth added.
"If someone in our position gets it totally wrong then it can be a very awkward situation."
Interestingly, it's a risk that sister company Hyundai seems willing to take.
It has confirmed that its new hybrid Ioniq hatchback based on the same platform as the Kia Niro will be launched in Australia next year.
Kia's European head of powertrain development, Dr Michael Winkler, said there was no doubt a hybrid-powered car would always be more expensive than its purely petrol driven equivalent thanks to the addition of an electrical motor and battery.
"You have two electrical components that you have to pay for so it cannot be the same price as a conventional gasoline engine," he said.
Unlike Australia, some European markets penalize vehicles with higher C02 emissions or offer other benefits, leading to better sales figures.
"In Europe we see the countries where there are high government incentives or high C02 taxes, the more fuel efficient vehicles become more attractive to the customer. That is definitely the case," Dr Winkler said.
Looking at a report published in the Dundalk Democrat of June 1972, later re-printed in Tempest Annual, I see that back forty four years ago there was an expectation that Dundalk would soon have a 'New Satellite Town'.
This was at a time when the town was hoping to emerge from the slump caused by the decline in many of its traditional industries.
The Democrat report was about a special meeting of the Dundalk Urban District to consider a development plan for the 317 acres 'land bank' that the Council had purchased some years earlier at South Marsh, on the eastern side of the town.
This was the first I had ever heard the term 'Satellite Town' used in connection with the development of the lands on the outskirts of a town in Ireland but it went on to be used widely throughout the country.
The report stated that 'in essence, it provides for a satellite township reaching into the outer fringe of Dundalk and has been named by somebody, in advance, Muirhevnmore'.
The development plan had been prepared by MacEoin, Kelly and associates.
It was proposed that 'open space will cover seventy-five acres, roads will cover nineteen acres and the remainder will be used for housing and an industrial site, churches and schools and other ancillary buildings and uses'.
The report goes on to state --- 'On completion there could be upwards of 8,000 people living in Muirhevnamore, around 3,000 going to school there, at least 1,000 working there (if ancillary buildings proceed) and the the total cost of everything, in 1972 prices, should not exceed seventeen million pounds.
The net density of housing, after excluding the central recreational area, is about nine dwellings to the acre.'
In relation to the type of houses to be built the plan stated 'The housing proposed is:
Council housing; three bedroom houses, 724, four-bedroom houses, 140, three-bedroom bungalows, 64, two-apartment old people's dwellings 16 (this can be increased).
Private sites: Maisonettes, 200; bungalows, 57; two-storey houses 218.
Total, 1,619.'
The report concludes by saying --'The Council approved the plan in principle, after a discussion.'
That part of the town has since changed utterly but, I think it is fair to say, not in the way that was envisaged by this ambitious plan. For one thing I believe that people thought at that time that main road between Dublin and Belfast would be passing through the new Satellite Town but the building of the Western By-Pass put paid to that plan.
There was never as many houses built because the Council soon discovered that large housing estates were difficult to maintain.
Not nearly as much employment was provided by the industrial estate as had been hoped and the area never became a distinct township.
The year 1972 was not all that long ago and it might be interesting to research how was actually spent by local government on the development of the area but I would guess that it was not anything like the 17 million suggested in the plan.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!"
- Hotel California
Saturday last dawned with the air of expectation and the knowledge that the next 48 hours would either galvanise the country or launch it into further dismay and confusion (clue, it's not the first part of that sentence).
From a personal point of view it meant taking up residence in the Ramada Hotel out the Armagh Road for an indefinite period of confinement.
First thing first about election counts - there's a lot of waiting. A lot. It's the kind of waiting were you end up eating more junk food than is healthy and you become particularly good friends with the barmen and the hotel staff.
Add to that, you also get to chat idlly with the local gardai in a situation which is removed from the usual tense encounters with such law enforcement personel.
The Democrat team set up base camp in the media centre in the hotel at 9.30am. Across the way the local radio stations were already practicing their vocals for a testing couple of days. The great and good of Irish media made an appearance.
Samantha Libreri and Richard Dowling from RTE looked the part in their Donnybrook wardrobe. Yours truly had to make do with an itchy Penneys jumper and accompanying slacks.
Inside the 'counters' were corralled and penned-in like zoo animals while the rest of us swarmed around, ogling them as they went about their monotonous, yet vital task. No conversation or feeding, please.
Back to the media centre. The tallies were starting to roll in and very quickly we had an idea how the election was going to pan out here - all we had to do now was wait to have it officially confirmed.
Lunch at these things consists of a sandwich of dubious quality at best and a Twix. Samantha and Richard had grander munch - a chinese takeaway. We watched in awe at the way they divided up the food - prawn crackers, oceans of curry and fried rice. I Mopped up the drool and went back to my sandwich.
Plug points were something to be coveted and guarded for dear life. We had four and could have sub-let two out for a reasonable return given the demand - in the end we just shared them over the course of the weekend.
Count 1 came and went, as did a few more and then a few more after that. Saturday drew on and the eyes started to narrow a bit. The smokers outside the reception of the hotel put paid to any notion of grabbing some fresh air. A stroll about the car park was a better option. On Sunday the Sinn Fein folk had commandeered a picnic table outside and Gerry and the crew tucked into some fizzy pop and hang sangwiches - lucky divils.
The entry system into the count centre was intense. Every time you left you got a white, stamped card which allowed to you to gain re-entry upon your return. By Sunday evening I had enough for a full playing deck littered amongst my many pockets.
Saturday came and went with nobody getting the nod or being hoisted atop shoulders. Twitter and Facebook were the communication media for ourselves throughout this fallow period. However, when little is happening, there's little to put up onto the cybersphere. The mind gets creative and the fingers get loose.
The mature gentleman with the Baileys on ice, who drifted around for the two days, should get special mention. He seemed to come and go whenever the mood took him, but the glass always remained.
By Sunday evening the light had gone out of the eyes of most journalists. The thousand yard Vietnam-stare took hold and any mention of the word 'recount' was met with open hostility accompanied with the threat of imminent violence.
As it turned out Fitzer and O'Dowd scraped through and by 7.30pm we were marching out into the cold evening and hoping - nay praying - that the recently elected would be able to form a functioning government. If for no other reason than to spare us having to return here in a few months time.
The chill.
The transparency brought by the internet has changed the way we do business. Business owners no longer size themselves against the competitor on the adjacent street because, irrespective of locality, all stand side-by-side in a list of online search results; each just a click away from the other. But while this ultra-competitive, virtual environment has served the consumer well when it comes to choice and comparison, this transparency appears to be failing business owners themselves in their quest for real insight to drive improvement. Welcome to the minefield of online review websites.
Only 1.5 percent of customers wrote reviews
In a 2014 study involving product reviews at a prominent private label clothing company, it was discovered that only 1.5 percent of customers wrote reviews. Further, the study revealed that 5 per cent of reviews were written by people who hadnt purchased the product in question. As a result, feedback provided through the plethora of review websites often struggles for credibility and influence. One UK-based start-up believes they have the answer to this problem with a solution that promises to change the way people give feedback on their experiences, whether it be in a shop, restaurant, bar, or hotel.
Founded by Georgina Nelson, point-of-payment rating system, truRating, has today announced its official launch in the Australian market after a successful six-month pilot program. Headquartered in London with a team of 45 employees, Sydney will now be home to the organisations first international branch which, so far, has a team of 10.
Using the familiar electronic payment terminal, truRating presents customers with a single feedback question asking them to rate an aspect of their experience using a scale of 0-9 on the keypad. This feedback is then used by truRating to provide companies with a real time view of customer satisfaction and business performance based on key metrics such as service, value or product selection. The data collected can subsequently be used to implement immediate changes and improvements to the business and make better informed decisions that impact the bottom line.
The potential to give Australian consumers a real voice
Unlike many other feedback initiatives implemented by companies, Ms Nelson believes that customers will be incentivised by the anonymity afforded by the system and the ease and speed at which feedback can be passed on. Proving this theory correct, truRating reports that on average, 88 per cent of customers provide a rating. Ms Nelson also comments that the system is particularly useful in scenarios where head offices struggle for visibility on localised issues.
Until now, there has been no straightforward system that provides merchants with validated and trusted ratings of their business, in real-time. Our vision for truRating Australia is to leverage our new technology to transform the way merchants collect feedback from their customer base to drive greater loyalty and profitability, said Ms Nelson.
Since its introduction to the the UK market in January 2015, over 1.3 million ratings have been collected worldwide with 60,000 collected in Australia during the 6-month pilot program.
Paul Greenberg, Executive Chairman of the National Online Retailers Association (NORA) believes that the technology will provide a more accurate reflection of consumer opinion.
Its great to see that Australias startup economy is beginning to attract world-class entrants from leading fintech industries such as the UK. truRating is a welcome addition to our market. Its technology has the potential to give Australian consumers a real voice and transform the way merchants engage with customers, he said.
Looking to capitalise on rapid growth and technology advancements in the region
The 6-month trial has involved a number of local merchants including: Rolld, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, TONI&GUY and Crisp and Jones the Grocer. All of which are now live with the system.
Ray Esquieres, Co-Founder and CFO at Rolld said: From a franchise perspective, truRating gives us the ability to benchmark performance across our stores, which is very beneficial from a business point of view.
truRating has also secured partnerships with some of the top-tier institutions in the payments space, including a formal partnership with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, as well as PC- EFTPOS to introduce the first iteration of their technology in Australia.
Now, after winning a number of awards for their ground breaking technology, Ms Nelson comments that shes thrilled truRating has been able to partner with some of the biggest names in the Australian payments and banking industries, who are embracing innovative solutions in order to continue to provide fantastic support to their merchant customers.
For the months ahead, the APAC team will be looking to capitalise on rapid growth and technology advancements in the region.
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Sir Suma will officially open the EBRD Representative Office in Athens
Sir Suma Chakrabarti, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is today paying his first official visit to Greece since the Bank started investing in the country last year.
In Athens Sir Suma is meeting Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Minister of Finance Euclid Tsakalotos, Minister of Economy and EBRD Governor George Stathakis, Governor of the Bank of Greece Yannis Stournaras and the Mayor of Athens, George Kaminis.
The EBRD President said: We are determined to make a significant contribution to Greeces recovery and my visit today will provide us with first-hand insight into the most urgent tasks. In the first months since we started operating in Greece we have made good progress in laying the foundations for strong delivery. The most important thing now is to act in order to mobilise investment, strengthen the private sector and deepen regional integration.
During his stay the President is also meeting local and international business representatives and chairing a roundtable with banks. Sir Suma will also officially open the EBRD Representative Office in Athens. The office has a staff of eight and is lead by Sabina Dziurman, the Regional Director for Greece and Cyprus.
In his speech at the office inauguration, Sir Suma will set out the Banks strategic priorities for its work in Greece. Getting the right policies in place, strengthening institutions, making sure that reforms work in the long-term and that they are supported by real leadership, not just in the political sphere but across the board, are going to be vital, he will say.
During the visit the President will also sign an agreement with National Bank of Greece to provide a facility under the EBRDs Trade Facilitation Programme. Integrating Greek companies and banks into international trade is seen as vital for the recovery of the economy.
Following a decision by its shareholders the EBRD started investing in Greece last year on a temporary basis until 2020. To date, the Bank has already invested 320 million in six projects and is currently working with the authorities in a country strategy that will define the Banks activities for the period until 2020.
Brought to you by your friends in the GOP
Theres a good chance that the Republican Primary will essentially end on Super Tuesday and people will stop pretending that Marco Rubio was ever winning by losing.
Since Donald Trump easily won the Nevada Caucus, America has been wandering around, bumping into things, wondering if everyone else is in the same dream.
As low of an opinion as many of us had of the Republican Party, the idea that bigoted charlatan could commandeer the party, while using the last Republican president and last Republican nominee as a urinal, seemed far fetched.
Clearly, we had too much faith in GOP voters. Now we have to wonder if the rest of America could fall prey to the same wacky egoism thats inspired by a man whose policies all involve some sort of figurative sodomizing of his enemies.
The Clintons have began the effort of reassuring supporters that they have a real plan to defeat Trump. It involves taking him very seriously, something Republicans never really did until Nevada. From there the early attacks include pointing out that hes a sexist racist, undermining his business record and questioning his ability to competently serve as commander-in-chief.
Will their plan work?
The last two strategies sound suspiciously like what Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are doing now and Jeb Bush tried to do before he faded into a cup of Earl Grey tea, right?
All we know for sure is that they cant do any worse than Republicans have. Lets review what Republicans taught us about how not to defeat Trump.
I have had a number of people ask me about the difference between Michigans March 8th primary a week from today and the primary on August 2nd. So, heres a short explainer.
The March primary on Tuesday, March 8th is a Presidential Primary. This is the election when Michigan voters weigh in on who they want to receive their Partys nomination and compete in the General Election on November 8th.
This year Michigan is holding a closed primary. That means that you will need to choose between a ballot for the Republican candidates (what I like to call the List of Loonies) and one for the Democratic candidates (aka, The Good Guys/Gals.)
You do NOT have to be a member of one party or the other to vote, you simply need to pick a ballot. Although I personally dont like it, some Democrats will take a Republican ballot and vote for the person they think is the least likely to win or choose the person they think is the least insane just in case.
On the ballot you will also be asked whether or not you are uncommitted. When a voter selects uncommitted, this indicates the voter is exercising a vote for that political party, but is not committed to any of the candidates listed on the ballot. If enough voters cast uncommitted votes, the party may send delegates to the national nominating convention who are not committed to a specific candidate.
In addition to voting for the presidential candidates, some municipalities may have other things on the ballot (special ballot proposals and special elections to fill unanticipated vacancies are the most common.) In that case, you will have a additional items to fill out to vote on beyond the presidential candidates. You can, in fact, skip the presidential candidate ballot entirely and receive a ballot that has just the other stuff if you choose to.
The August primary is where we will choose the candidates running in the General Election in November for all the other offices. This includes state legislators, members of Congress, judicial positions, local elected officials, etc. In partisan races, this is where we sort out which Republican and which Democrats (and which Green Party candidate and which Libertarian Party candidate, etc.) will face each other on November 8th. We also choose precinct delegates in August and their may be some ballot initiatives thrown in for good measure in some municipalities, as well.
The August primary is NOT a closed primary so everyone gets the same ballot. You can vote for all the candidates of a single party or you can split your vote between two or more political parties. However, you may only vote for candidates in a single party. From the Secretary of States website:
Voters in an open primary are given a ballot with a column listing each qualified partys candidates. Voters then decide which party primary they wish to participate in by voting only in the column of their party choice while in the privacy of the voting station. Voting for candidates in more than a single partys column will void the entire partisan ballot.
A few other tidbits:
No matter how you voted in March, you can vote however you wish in August. In other words, if you chose a Democratic ballot in March, you can still vote for a Green Party candidate in August.
The ballot you chose in the March presidential primary is public and FOIAable. WHO you voted for is not, however. So nobody will know if you voted for Senator Bernie Sanders or Secretary Hillary Clinton, for example, unless you tell them. The information on which ballot you chose will be destroyed after a 22-month retention period.
The deadline to be registered to vote in the August 2nd primary is July 6, 2016.
Despite what you may have been told, according to the Michigan Secretary of States Office, Michigan does have a voter identification requirement at the polls:
Voters are asked to present an acceptable photo ID such as a Michigan drivers license or identification card. Please note that voters who do not have an acceptable form of ID or failed to bring it with them to the polls still can vote. They simply sign a brief affidavit stating that theyre not in possession of a photo ID. Their ballots are included with all others and counted on Election Day. The following types of photo ID are acceptable:
Michigan drivers license or state-issued ID card
Drivers license or personal identification card issued by another state
Federal or state government-issued photo identification
U.S. passport
Military ID with photo
Student identification with photo from a high school or accredited institution of higher learning
Tribal identification card with photo The ID does not need your address.
Got more questions? Check HERE or ask them in the comments!
The following guest post was written by Nick Krieger, an attorney and former clerk in the Court of Appeals. Follow him on Twitter at @nckrieger. His essay is published here with permission.
Enjoy.
Republican senators have dishonored the original meaning of the United States Constitution
We hear it almost every day. Like a broken record, the Republicans in the United States Senate repeat the incessant refrain that they will not schedule hearings or hold a vote on President Obamas forthcoming nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the United States Supreme Court. Indeed, this particular Republican talking point has taken on a life of its own, gaining increasing popularity on social media platforms like Twitter with the hashtag #NoHearingsNoVotes.
But lets pause the insanity for a moment and delve deeper into the meat of the controversy.
As is true of most disputes between different branches of government, this controversy begins with the text of the United States Constitution itself. The Appointments Clause of Article II, section 2 provides in relevant part that the President shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint . . . Judges of the supreme Court . . . . It is beyond dispute that the word shall is a term of mandate, denoting a compulsory requirement just as it was when the Constitution was drafted in 1787. Substituting the term must in place of the word shall, the meaning of the Appointments Clause becomes more apparent: The President must nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate must appoint Justices of the Supreme Court.
There are other clear indications that the Framers intended this language to create a mandatory obligation as well. Look no further than the Treaties Clause of Article II, section 2, which states that the President shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur. The Treaties Clausethe only other clause in the United States Constitution to mention the advice and consent of the Senate is particularly useful in interpreting the Appointments Clause. It does not require the President to make treaties, but provides only that the President has the power to make them. This is classic language of discretion. It confers upon the President the power to enter into treaties, but does not compel him to do so. If the Framers had intended to make presidential nominations optional rather than mandatory, they could have simply duplicated the discretionary language of the Treaties Clause.
Thus, when you hear Senate Republicans complaining that no one should be nominated to fill the Supreme Court vacancy until after the next President is inaugurated on January 20, 2017, remember that it is President Obamas constitutional obligation to nominate someone to fill the seat formerly occupied by Justice Scalia. Quite simply, the President has no choice in the matterhe is constitutionally required to choose a nominee and forward that individuals name to the Senate for consideration.
Republicans also argue that the Senate has no duty to schedule hearings or hold a vote on a presidential nominee. Albeit more complicated, this argument is belied by the text of the Constitution as well.
The Appointments Clause does not merely state that the President must nominate Supreme Court justices. It also says that the President must appoint Supreme Court justices by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. What does this mean?
The most compelling understanding of the Appointments Clause is that advanced by Alexander Hamilton in The Federalist. You will recall from civics class that The Federalist (also referred to as the Federalist Papers) is a collection of 85 essays written anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in 1787 and 1788 to promote the ratification of the proposed United States Constitution. The essays form a point-by-point analysis of the various sections of the proposed Constitution, and are considered to be valuable evidence of the Constitutions original meaning at the time of ratification.
In The Federalist No. 66, Hamilton envisioned that the Senate would hold a vote with respect to each nominee put forward by the President either approving or rejecting the individual nominated for each position. As Hamilton wrote, [The senators] may defeat one choice of the Executive, and oblige him to make another; but they cannot themselves choose they can only ratify or reject the choice of the President. Hamilton expanded on the advice-and-consent role in The Federalist No. 76, explaining that the Senates only recourse when faced with an unacceptable nominee would be to hold a vote and reject the nomination, thereby requiring the President to nominate a different individual. Through this process, Hamilton observed, the President would ultimately find a mutually satisfactory nominee someone, even if not the Presidents first choice, who would be acceptable to both the President and a majority of the senators. At the same time, Hamilton also cautioned that the Senate should be wary of rejecting the Presidents first choice. As Hamilton explained, senators who vote to reject a presidential nominee can never know for sure whether the next person nominated to fill the position might be even less acceptable.
The Framers did not merely intend for the Senate to provide an up-or-down vote on every nominee; they also intended that the Senate would exercise this advice-and-consent function without delay. Consider the purpose underlying the Recess Appointments Clause of Article II, section 2. At the time of ratification, the United States Senate took more and longer recesses than it does today. If the Framers had intended to allow federal positions to remain vacant for long periods, they would not have included the Recess Appointments Clause. After all, had the clause not been included, the President would have been required to wait for the Senate to reconvene possibly months later before making any appointments. The fact that the Framers included the Recess Appointments Clause is strong evidence of their intent to ensure that federal positions, like judgeships, would be promptly filled to facilitate the seamless continuation of government upon the death, removal, or resignation of an incumbent officeholder. The Framers would be aghast at the thought of a system wherein the Senate, while in session, could simply refuse to consider a nominee put forward by the President.
It is important to remember that the Senate Republicans who are now insisting on an incorrect, confused reading of the Appointments Clause are the very same senators who championed an erroneous interpretation of the Treaties Clause last year. Remember the now-infamous letter to Iran, in which 47 Republican senators asserted that [i]n the case of a treaty, the Senate must ratify it by a two-thirds vote? This fundamental misunderstanding of the Senates constitutional role was rather astounding, especially given that attorneys such as Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio signed the Iran missive.
While it might seem like an exercise in semantics, the point is well established: The Senate does not make or even ratify treaties. Instead, it provides advice and consent to the President during the treaty-making process. The power to make a treaty belongs to the President alone. Thereafter, if two-thirds of the senators give their consent, the President may finalize or ratify the treaty, thereby making it the supreme law of the land.
The same misunderstanding of the Senates advice-and-consent role has infected the current debate. The Senate Republicans many of whom disingenuously claim to follow an originalist interpretation of the Constitution now wish to impermissibly expand the meaning of advice and consent beyond anything the Framers ever imagined. But, just like the advice and consent that is essential to the treaty-making process, the advice and consent essential to the appointment process is restricted in scope it does not imbue the Senate with its own plenary authority over appointments, but only with the responsibility to affirm or reject the Presidents personal choice.
The constitutional text and weight of primary authority compel but one conclusion: The Framers intended that the Senate would, without unnecessary delay, provide an up-or-down vote for each nominee put forward by the President. By announcing that they will not schedule hearings or hold a vote on President Obamas nominee for the Supreme Court, Republican senators have dishonored the original meaning of the United States Constitution. The choice of a nominee belongs to the President alone, and the Senate is obligated to promptly approve or reject each nominee. If the senators find President Obamas nominee to be unacceptable for any reason, they may vote to reject him or her. But the President must then forward the name of a new nominee, and the process must start afresh continuing in the same fashion until a nominee is eventually approved by the Senate and appointed. Thats the exactly how our Constitution was designed to work, and it demands nothing less.
[CC photo credit: Mark Nester | Flickr]
Apple has changed the date for the launch event for its 4-inch iPhone and new iPad Air from March 15 to March 21, according to news reports.
If the rumor is correct, Apple will be holding the event the day before it appears in a federal court in California to contest a controversial court order. Apple has filed a motion to vacate the order requiring it to comply with the U.S. Justice Departments request for assistance in accessing data on an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists.
The timing seems to be a miscalculation on Apples part, said John Carroll, a mass communications professor at Boston University.
Theyre stepping on their own story because the focus on the following days new coverage is going to be all about the FBI, he told the E-Commerce Times.
Worse yet, the whole event could backfire on Apple in a bad way.
If their product rollout gets any kind of coverage, its possible it will be covered as an attempted smokescreen to divert attention away from the FBI issue, Carroll added.
Trial Balloon
On the other hand, the date change could be a calculated move by a company known for its marketing acumen.
Its possible the rumor is a trial balloon from Apple to see what kind of reaction it gets, Carroll said. If the reaction is skeptical enough or critical enough, thats their signal to pull back.
Although just a rumor, the March 21 date makes sense, noted Patrick Moorhead, founder and principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy.
Apple has reasons to refresh their lineup to be more competitive in emerging regions and to help turnaround declining iPad sales, he told the E-Commerce Times.
Grief Over Shipping
If Apple did indeed change the date of the event, maybe its because they want the announcement to be made closer to when the products are going to ship, suggested Bob ODonnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research.
They caught a fair amount of grief for the big gap between the time of the announcement and shipping of the Apple watch, he told the E-Commerce Times. That was an unusually long gap, so maybe theyre trying to make a statement about being able to deliver products immediately after an event.
Theres also the possibility that everything rumored to be announced at the event wont be announced there, remarked Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
We have seen before when products are incremental, Apple will just put out a press release about them, she told the E-Commerce Times. It could be we will not see everything, and some will just come out in a press release at a different date.
Maturing Market
Apple is expected to schedule an event to unveil an iPhone with a 4-inch display and upgraded components, as well as a new iPad Air that will have features similar to the iPad Pro.
If you look around and see the other devices doing well, its not tablets Its two-in-ones, ODonnell said. This new iPad looks like it will be another form of two-in-one because you can use a keyboard and pencil with it.
If the rumors prove true, Apple appears to be adjusting its product line to meet the demands of a maturing market.
Overall, theyre filling out their options in terms of screen sizes to address a wide range of interests, ODonnell said. Thats how the world works now. As you get a more mature market, you need to have a few different buckets into which people can find a product that best meets their needs.
As for the event being overshadowed by Apples tussle with the FBI, from the consumer perspective, it doesnt matter, Milanesi observed. What consumers think about when a new product is out is the new product.
The Obama administration plans to increase the amount of private communications the National Security Agency can share with other government agencies without first adding privacy protections, according to a report published last week in The New York Times.
The plan would ease restrictions on the amount of intercepted email and telephone intelligence the NSA gathers, including bulk collection of satellite communications, phone data between foreigners, and messages from overseas that U.S. allies provide, according to the report, which cited unnamed officials familiar with the deliberations.
The move represents a major expansion of surveillance and data sharing authority and has been a longstanding concern of privacy groups, according to Marc Rotenberg, president of theElectronic Privacy Information Center.
There are significant privacy implications that EPIC will examine in detail, he told the E-Commerce Times.
The data subject to the expansion includes system-of-record notices, such as individuals of interest in foreign intelligence or counterintelligence activity.
Past Expansion Attempts
EPIC opposed the NSAs attempt last year to expand the use of operations records, which include names, Social Security numbers, email addresses, phone numbers and other publicly available information. The expanded use would allow this information to be shared with law enforcement and other intelligence agencies.
Given the massive expansion of the NSAs spying efforts over the past decade, now is not the time to jettison the very rules that are supposed to protect Americans from misuse of their private information, said Patrick Toomey, an attorney for theACLU.
The government claims this surveillance is directed at foreigners, but it actually vacuums up vast quantities of Americans communications as well, he told the E-Commerce Times.
The NSA should not be warrantlessly spying on Americans in the first place, yet it now wants the ability to share all that raw data more widely, Toomey added.
The disclosures came at a sensitive time for the intelligence community. The administration has come under increasing pressure to get ahead of intelligence estimates in light of last years attacks in San Bernardino, California, and Paris.
Apple Wont Share
The FBI is demanding that Apple create code that would let the agency access the encrypted data on the iPhone of one of the suspects in the San Bernardino shootings.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has publicly opposed the demand and is fighting a court order, arguing that allowing the government to force a private technology company to compromise the security of one of its products would open the door for additional requests in future cases.
Such a request could open Apple up to similar demands from governments around the world.
Over the weekend, rival technology firms agreed to join Apple in its fight against the Obama administration.
The U.S. is facing increased threats from overseas in both the virtual and physical worlds, James Clapper, director of national intelligence, told theHouse Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence last week.
A major U.S network equipment maker has acknowledged that someone repeatedly gained access to its source code to make its default products encryption unbreakable, he testified. The intruders also introduced a default password that would give them undetectable access to some of the target networks worldwide.
Clapper did not name the manufacturer.
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(Photo: REUTERS / Robert Paterson) Related Pope Francis asks forgiveness for Catholic clergy involved in sexual abuse
UN counts on Catholics to promote dignity for all, Ban tells Pope Francis
UN committee accuses Vatican of violating child rights convention
Pope won't be lenient with predator priests - ex-prosecutor
Holy See faces grilling over child abuse before UN rights body Australian Governor General Dr Peter Hollingwoth inspects The Royal Guard of Honour on the lawn of Government House in Wellington, New Zealand February 21, 2002. Australia's embattled governor-general defied calls to resign on Thursday as a row over his handling of child sex abuse in the Anglican church flared just days before a visit by British monarch Queen Elizabeth.
Australian police have charged a Roman Catholic bishop, who is a military chaplain, on three charges of indecent treatment of children under the age of 14 said to have been committed 45 years ago.
Bishop Max Davis, the head of the Catholic Church's military diocese, was on Friday charged by West Australian police for the alleged crime, the Australian Associated Press reported.
It is believed Davis is the first Australian bishop and the most senior Australian church official charged with a child sex offence.
The 68-year-old bishop appeared in the Perth Magistrate Courts on July 25.
Bishop Davis is accused of indecently assaulting a 13-year-old boy in 1969.
That is when Davis was a teacher at St. Benedict's College in New Norcia, northeast of Perth, two years before he was to be ordained.
At the Perth Magistrate Courts, the bishop's lawyer requested that his client not be required to appear in court if his presence is not important as Davis now resides in the Australian Capital Territory.
The magistrate granted the request and agreed that Davis only report to Belconnen Police Station in Canberra.
Accusations of Catholic priests' involvement in child sexual abuse have been prevalent in Australia.
On July 24, Father Patrick Holmes was jailed for sexually abusing two young girls in Western Australia. Holmes was sentenced in the District Court of Western Australia after pleading guilty to six child-sex charges.
In July, a Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse wrote to the Vatican to seek copies of all documents relating to abuse complaints involving priests in Australia.
The Vatican declined the royal commission's request.
The Catholic Military Ordinariate of Australia acknowledged the allegation in a statement on Sunday saying Davis was not an ordained priest when the incident is alleged to have occurred.
It also said he "emphatically denies" the charge.
(Photo: Royal Commission)Judge Peter McClennan and Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald arrive for a hearing of the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney on September 19, 2014.
An Australian inquiry into child sex abuse is looking into how Melbourne's Northside Christian College handled complaints against a teacher accused and convicted of sexually abusing his students.
The teacher, Kenneth Sandilands, 69, was jailed for two years in 2000 for 13 counts of indecent assault of eight victims, the Guardian reported.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which has far reaching powers to call witnesses, was examining the abuses committed by Sandilands in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Margaret Furlong, who still teaches at the college, said three children complained that Sandilands was touching them.
One girl, Emma Fretton, said she wanted to be transferred to another class "because he did bad things" to her.
Now 34, she told the commission that Sandilands abused her for three years, "touching her, beating her with a wooden paddle and making her sign obscene stories which the teacher dictates to her."
Furlong said she reported the complaints to the then principal but there was no action. She said the victims as well as the teachers got no support from the administration and a "climate of fear" pervaded the school.
She said at the time she trusted "godly men" to do the right thing.
Pastor Dennis Smith, a senior Pentecostal pastor, was asked why he did not question a report about the abuse.
"I was again being guided by the educators, the principal, because they would know what is right and what is wrong," he said. His answers also reveal that it did not occur to him that the reported contact may be a sexual contact with a child.
Smith also told the commission he had no reason to suspect Sandilands was touching children inappropriately because it was not his job to check previous employments of teachers.
On 10 September 2014, Sandilands was jailed for 26 months on a further six counts of indecent assault at St Paul's Anglican primary school in Frankston, Victoria, where he had worked in the 1970s before he joined Northside.
The commission was sitting in Sydney on Wednesday.
(Reuters)Apple tightens security measures on the iPhone to make it harder for government to hack a locked iPhone, with the company's chief executive claiming it is their job to protect their customers. In the light of revelations of government surveillance made by Edward J. Snowden, companies like Apple have been retooling their products to protect against government intrusion.
With Republican candidate Donald Trump calling for a boycott of Apple products until the company complies with a court order to unlock an iPhone used by the shooter in the San Bernardino attacks, Apple tech masters are working on new security measures that will prevent the government from breaking into a locked iPhone.
Security from government intrusion is also a marketing strategy that allows investors and customers to feel assured of their privacy and freedom. Apple is only one company that has been able to resist strongly the requirements on data access set forth in Federal wiretapping laws.
In tightening security measures in upcoming devices, Apple itself may not be able to break into any future devices. The iPhone 7 coming out this year may be totally unhackable, such that Apple itself will not even be able to break in. ValueWalk sees the benefit in it that makes it impossible for others to exploit any backdoor that Apple leaves for itself.
Apple's chief executive Timothy D. Cook states in an interview with ABC News, "For all of those people who want to have a voice but they're afraid, we are standing up, and we are standing up for our customers because protecting them we view as our job."
Apple has already started working on its unhackable security measures, but it has not confirmed whether this will be in the iPhone 7 to be launched sometime in September. It appears that this measure may become part of an iOS update so that any iPhone updated with the new iOS will become unhackable, too.
As to the San Bernardino iPhone, the company has revealed that all information it has about the unit were already turned over to the authorities, although it is not yet complete. Apple's use of end-to-end encryption does not allow access into anything on the device, which is why the Federal Bureau of Investigation was not able to turn up with anything.
Apple has vowed to fight the order by the Justice Department asking them to crack the iPhone in question, with Cook declaring that this would put their customers at risk, not to mention having their civil rights "trampled."
"If a court can ask us to write this piece of software, think about what else they could ask us to write maybe it's an operating system for surveillance, maybe the ability for the law enforcement to turn on the camera," according to Cook. "I don't know where this stops. But I do know that this is not what should be happening in this country."
And in a tweet by Trump on his iPhone, "If Apple doesn't give the information to the authorities on the radical Islamic terrorists, I'll only be using a Samsung until such time as they give the information."
"Hopefully others will follow suit. Our country needs and should demand security. It is time to get tough and be smart!"
(Facebook/MadamSecretary)Elizabeth and Henry meets Stevie's new boyfriend in the upcoming episode of "Madam Secretary."
Elizabeth (Tea Leoni) may be a bigwig in the U.S. political arena, but many forget she is still a mother to her three children. In the upcoming episode of the CBS series "Madam Secretary," viewers will see her in action as a protective parent to Stevie (Wallis Currie-Wood).
In "Hijriyah," CarterMatt reports that the McCords' eldest daughter will decide that it is time for her parents to meet her new boyfriend Jareth (Chris O'Shea). She will be bringing him to dinner, where Elizabeth and Henry (Tim Daly) can get to know him better. After her failed relationship with President Dalton's (Keith Carradine) son, Harrison (Jason Ralph), Stevie has become guarded when it comes to her relationships. This will be the first time she will bring a guy home to meet the family, and she cannot help but feel nervous for her and for Jareth (Chris O'Shea).
After his close call with the uranium bombing, Henry is still feeling shaky and anxious for his family. The bomb could have taken them all out of the picture and the fact that they are all safe is a blessing indeed. Henry has been a good father to Stevie, even during the times that she and Elizabeth were having difficulty communicating. He was particularly worried about his daughter when photos of her and the POTUS' son were exposed on the Internet in the past. How will Henry evaluate Jared as Stevie's new boyfriend? For that matter, how will Elizabeth do it?
Meanwhile, Elizabeth will once again be busy doing her work as Secretary of State. After the recent bombing in the convention she hosted, the state department must not lose time tracking down the mastermind of the attack. Jibral Disah (Bobak Bakhtiari) has officially become the most-wanted terrorist in the world after his attack in the American soil. The U.S. has difficulty getting intel about his location, even after working with the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
In the upcoming episode, a Libyan refugee on board a ship in distress will claim that he knows valuable information about Disah. The Italian warship that came to the ship's aid will contact Elizabeth about the matter and give her only 20 minutes to decide whether she wants to interrogate the informer. Is this the break that they have been praying for?
"Madam Secretary" season 2 airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.
Microsoft just released a series of ads highlighting the features of the Windows 10 that the Mac and its operating system don't have.
(THOMAS MUKOYA / REUTERS) Windows 10 launch in Nairobi, Kenya.
During the live broadcast of the Academy Awards' red carpet on E!, the Windows 10 ads aired over and over at almost every break.
Two women, named Kristie and Jess, are introduced in the spots. There is a fine text near bottom of the video that describes the two ladies as "real people paid for real opinions." They talk about how Windows 10 fits with their businesses. They talked about the features of Cortana, integrating touchscreen technology to PCs, and Windows Hello.
In all four ads, the lines, "Even on the new Macs, they don't have that," and the tagline, "Windows 10 PCs do more," are noticeably uttered and displayed. The ads are clearly sending a message that they have special features that Apple does not offer.
One ad talked about Cortana, Microsoft's personal voice search assistant, and how it is useful with the Windows 10 PCs. Apple's Cortana equivalent, Siri, might also come to Macs soon. The Cupertino-based tech giant plans to extend Siri's functionality to its computers this June. The feature will be introduced in the OS X 10.12 update, 9to5Mac reported.
Another spot showed drawing a bug on the PowerPoint presentation using the touchscreen technology. One of the women in the video then commented, "I don't have a touchscreen on my Mac, I'm jealous of that." Despite numerous touchscreen enabled PCs and laptops in the market today, Apple still has not joined in on the trend and continues to stick with their iPhones and iPads as touch exclusive.
Meanwhile, the third ad discussed more on the face login feature, which enables Windows users to login to their account using the face recognition technology via the front camera of their computers. Apple, however, has not incorporated this technology to any of its products because of privacy concerns, according to a separate story from 9to5mac.
(FACEBOOK/Daniel Schooler)August 22, 2014 Facebook image
While services were going on at the St. Peters Missionary Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio, a pastor was shot multiple times and was killed inside his office.
Local police said Pastor William Schooler was shot by his own brother, Daniel Schooler. The 68-year-old gunman reportedly had one main target since no other people were shot or injured during the shooting.
According to WHIO News, the 70-year-old Reverend was gunned down before 12:30 p.m., just before the Sunday services ended. The choir was still singing the final numbers when the shooting started and people attending the services scrambled out of the building. A witness said she saw the pastor's brother walk toward the pastor's office, which is located at the back of the church building. "I just got everybody out of the church and we just kept hearing shooting and shooting," Alberta Blayth said.
Choir director Curtis Booker also said he saw the accused follow his brother into the back of the building after the service had been turned over to the choir for wrapping up the service.
Photos obtained by the outlet show some church members giving each other hugs and consoling themselves as the accused was led out of the facility in handcuffs. Sgt. Creigee Coleman said, "I want to make sure the public understands this is not a random act of violence. This was somewhat a domestic situation between family members."
The shooter is currently detained at the Montgomery County Jail, and while the church people continue to grieve their leader's loss, a Schooler family member explained that Daniel had been dealing with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The family is also grieving, but they have decided to stick together and move forward as a team.
Both the accused and the victim have children and a niece of the two said the family won't turn away from each other despite the unfortunate events that their family has been involved in lately.
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.
The EIB is hosting a seminar by Professor Mariana Mazzucato from the University of Sussex to discuss The Entrepreneurial State and the Role of Public Banks.
Professor Mazzucato, who holds the RM Phillips Chair in the Economics of Innovation at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex, has undertaken extensive research into the role of public banks in fostering innovation. As a result she will be able to provide valuable insights into how the EIB can further enhance its impact in this area, with a particular focus on utilising EFSI resources.
This is demonstrated by Mazzucatos recent book The Entrepreneurial State: debunking public vs. private sector myths (Anthem, 2013) focusing on the need to develop new frameworks to understand the role of the state in economic growth and how to enable rewards from innovation to be just as social as the risks taken. A publication which was on the 2013 Books of the Year list of the Financial Times.
Prior to working at the University of Sussex Mazzucato has held academic positions at the University of Denver, London Business School, Open University, and Bocconi University. She also was winner of the 2014 New Statesman SPERI Prize in Political Economy, the 2015 Wirtschaft Weiter Denken German book prize and in 2013 the New Republic called her one of the '3 most important thinkers about innovation'.
For more information contact economics@eib.org . The event will also be tweeted live and a video will become available online shortly after the seminar.
Bogota, Feb 29 (EFE).- The younger brother of former President Alvaro Uribe was arrested Monday on suspicion of ties to right-wing paramilitaries, Colombian Justice Minister Yesid Reyes said.
"It is an autonomous decision of the Attorney General's Office. I understand that it's a process that has been open many years and a formal investigation began just a few years ago," the minister said.
The warrant for the arrest of Sen. Santiago Uribe, a member of the opposition party led by his brother, was issued by a prosecutor in his home province of Antioquia and specifies the charges of aggravated homicide and criminal conspiracy.
The senator is also under investigation for his alleged role two decades ago in the creation of the paramilitary group known as "The 12 Apostles," which operated in the area of Yarumal, Antioquia.
The administration has nothing to with "any decision made either by the judicial branch, or the judges of the republic or, in this case, the AG Office," Reyes said.
Whenever prosecutors or the courts take action in the case of a national figure, the minister said, "the country divides."
"At times the decision is praised, at times it is criticized, as in this case, because not all of the decisions of the judicial branch please everybody."
Opposition politicians say the arrest of Sen. Uribe is part of Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre's "persecution" of former President Uribe.
Alvaro Uribe, who governed from 2002-2010, is a harsh critic of current President Juan Manuel Santos' peace process with the FARC guerrillas.
Ely, Cambridgeshire is best known for its majestic cathedral dubbed the 'Ship of the Fens' because it dominates the flat landscape. The city, which is the second smallest in England, is about 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about 80 miles by road from London.
17:55, 17 OCT 2022
Re: Discount on sales of clothes Just a random data point: I was shopping for a new suit in Zurich so I went to Suitsupply, a European-base men's suit chain... I found a great suit for 459 CHF. They also have a store in Los Angeles so I figured it would probably be cheaper here in L.A. for the same suit... nope! It was US $599, plus 9.9% California sales tax!
So for roughly CHF200 less... I'll be buying the suit in Zurich... and I can't believe I found something that is actually cheaper in Switzerland, let alone a "luxury good"!
Re: Guitar players, musicians in Basel Hello, I'm new to the forum and haven't exactly figured it out yet, outstanding that I've made it this far. My name's Johnny and I've been living in der Schweiz for five and a half years. I live in Zeiningen which is about 20 minutes from Basel. I play the guitar and have looked for people to jam with since I've been here which has been very unfruitful. I am from the US where finding musician friends is as easy as finding drinking buddies. So, I was quite surprised to find such an closed society. Music rooms where hard to find, expensive when they where available and they had to be shared with as many as four other bands. Time schedules and taste often clashed so I pretty much gave up.
I lived in Basel at that time and after being in an apartment for year one the other tenants moved out and that freed up a basement room which my land-lady
let me turn into a small studio. I bought a small PA, a key board started collecting jam tracks learned how to use the computer for drum loops. Musically it's worked out but, aside from occasional visits to Liverpool, it's been kinda lonely and sometimes repetitious. Anyhow, that's a little bit about where I'm at.
I've got two guitars and a couple of amps, a yamaha psr 1500(key board), and 80 watt PA, a couple of mic.s, 4 channel mixing board and other musical stuff here and abouts. I love playing the blues-soul, funky, clean and a high gain hard edge, although I'm hip to all sorts of music - been around awhile.
I haven't played any Neil Young for years and I see one of you guys are into that - Right On! I just started teaching a Canadian guy the guitar. He's Swiss by birth but spent most of his life in Ontario.
I play rhythm and some lead and basically just looking for some folks to jam with - maybe write some stuff. Sorry about the long windy thread but I'm not all that savvy with these forums...Johnny E.
Re: ETH Zurich offer Thank you for your reply Meerkat33. They sent me an email informing me that I will receive an offer for this master course, but I will need to wait up to 6 weeks in order to receive the official letter with any conditions that I will need to achieve in order to be officially accepted and possibly list of modules I might need to take from their undergraduate list if they feel that my modules are not sufficient. As TU Delft asked me for just completion of my degree in time for their masters course, while Imperial College asked me for a specific grade.
UK universities tend to ask for a specific grade, while from my understanding TU Delft always asks for completion of the degree (the same offer for another two friends of mine), raised the question what approach ETH Zurich tend to follow.
Re: English speaking therapist Enge/Zurich city center
Edward Bernhardt (has availability, native english speaker, grew up in the States, down to earth and the only person on this list who I've met in person so far) --
Mac Bischof-Campbell (native english speaker) --
Emily Szemere (native english speaker, American?, offers free in-person consultation, is booked a ways out but has openings) --
Judith Humbel (has openings, native english speaker, Swiss-Irish) --
Katy Remark (native English speaker, American?, fully booked in the Spring) --
Martina Famos (non-native english speaker but very nice, has availability) --
Nicole Zuellig (non-native english speaker but also very nice, did her MA in the US, has availability) --
Dennis Gyurina (native english speaker with no current availability) --
Free consultations from Jungian-therapists in training, some in English:
Article with unfortunately outdated contact info for councilors Jeanette Wyrsch and Christine Young, so don't even bother trying (
Great list of Anglo psychologists and therapists: Here is the fruit of my research. Please note that I didn't include folks with Jung Institute-oriented methods in my search.Edward Bernhardt (has availability, native english speaker, grew up in the States, down to earth and the only person on this list who I've met in person so far) -- http://www.englishpsychologist.ch/ Mac Bischof-Campbell (native english speaker) -- http://www.bischof-campbell.com/approach.html Emily Szemere (native english speaker, American?, offers free in-person consultation, is booked a ways out but has openings) -- http://www.psychologyinzurich.com/ Judith Humbel (has openings, native english speaker, Swiss-Irish) -- http://zentrumamgubel.ch/team.php?id=1 Katy Remark (native English speaker, American?, fully booked in the Spring) -- http://www.xpatxchange.ch/health-care/123-therapists Martina Famos (non-native english speaker but very nice, has availability) -- http://www.martina-famos.ch/ Nicole Zuellig (non-native english speaker but also very nice, did her MA in the US, has availability) -- http://www.nicole-zuellig.ch/#!therapies/cjg9 Dennis Gyurina (native english speaker with no current availability) -- http://www.psychotherapie-gyurina.ch/ Free consultations from Jungian-therapists in training, some in English: http://www.isapzurich.com/en/counseling-service/ Article with unfortunately outdated contact info for councilors Jeanette Wyrsch and Christine Young, so don't even bother trying ( http://www.xpatxchange.ch/health-care/105-counseling ).Great list of Anglo psychologists and therapists: http://zurich.angloinfo.com/af/715/p...herapists.html
Re: Non-residents Maintaining Swiss Bank Account I'm an EU resident (within the Euro area, not bordering CH) ). I want a swiss bank account to diversify currency (CHF instead of EUR) and jurisdiction (non-EU).
Also I would prefer a Cantonal Bank due to their A+ solvability ratings and governmental shareholder structure. (UBS and CS are too big to fail, however as they are global banks, with global risk exposure)
I understand German, so I've read trough most of the bank ToS'. Most banks require a extra fee for non-domiciled accounts. However if you go to the ZKB of BKB website, account openings are only for domiciled persons.
Bankcoop and Migros seems to levy extra fees for non-domiciled but it is not very clear they offer these accounts on their website. PostFinance does sent a papermail they require you to come to a Swiss PostOffice.
BCGE (Geneva) has a website in English, has very moderate fees (16 CHF p/m for account and 5 CHF for non-domiciled).
Any readers here can advise on what documentation is needed for PF and BCGE to open a non-domiciled account (if at all)? Anyone has experience with opening at BKB and ZKB?
Re: Moving to Lucerne
Also you'll need to do the mandatory SKN dog ownership course - theory and practical. You can do the theory online in English.
Online BLV approved SKN theory courses
But you'll need to find a certified trainer to do the practical part with your dog within a year of moving here. The Swiss take dog ownership very seriously so you'll need to know not only the Federal part (SKN), but also Lucerne canton's rules and those of the gemeinde (town) too.
You also need to check what you need to do to bring your dog to Switzerland. Use the online tool you'll find here:
http://www.blv.admin.ch/themen/04670...x.html?lang=en
I hope your dog doesn't have a docked tail or cropped ears as they are not allowed in Switzerland. Check and double check that your dog will be allowed when applying for a place to rent. Make sure it's written into the rental contract if you can and be prepared to spend a few more francs for doggie damage cover on your personal liability insurance.Also you'll need to do the mandatory SKN dog ownership course - theory and practical. You can do the theory online in English.But you'll need to find a certified trainer to do the practical part with your dog within a year of moving here. The Swiss take dog ownership very seriously so you'll need to know not only the Federal part (SKN), but also Lucerne canton's rules and those of the gemeinde (town) too.You also need to check what you need to do to bring your dog to Switzerland. Use the online tool you'll find here:I hope your dog doesn't have a docked tail or cropped ears as they are not allowed in Switzerland. Last edited by Medea Fleecestealer; 01.03.2016 at 18:04 .
Moving to my possession to Switzerland Hello.
I already checked the official website and spoke with the swiss customs. Still it is not clear what should I do in my specific situation, for this reason I'd like to ask the advice of the forum members.
I am Italian, living and working in Japan. I got a contract signed with a Swiss company and move with my Japanese wife to Lausanne in April.
In order to send our belongings to Switzerland (used for at least 6 months and not prohibited items) I was told to compile the "Application for clearance of household effects" document. Unfortunately, we don't have yet an accommodation in Switzerland (we will look for it once arrived asap). Furthermore we will be shipping just a couple of boxes using standard post service as we don't have so many belongings. The Swiss custom suggested to put on each box the list of what is inside as well as a partially compiled "Application for clearance of household effects" document with my email and my company contact as I will be shipping my belongings to my company.
What scared us is that the Swiss customs said, "do that and hope that the customs contact you or you will have to pay customs and TVA".
My first question is: does anybody ever did like that? Are there any suggestions?
The second point concerns the luggages we will be bringing with us from Japan (in the airplane). We will arrive probably with 4 luggages and try to bring breakable stuff, such as some of our kitchen pans, glass stuff, some objects we have around the house, clothes and other small stuff (everything used and more than 6 months old). Once again the Swiss customs weren't too clear about what we should do. They said that if it's our stuff we shouldn't declare anything and go through the green exit. But on the website I've read otherwise.
My second question is: What would you recommend to do with the belongings we are bringing from Japan in our luggages? Should I prepare a list and another "Application for clearance of household effects" document?
Third and last point. Being Italian I might want in the future to bring something from my family house in Italy.
My third question is: everytime that I bring something owned by me or my family for years/decades/centuries into Switzerland I should pay the customs? For instance, my 300+ cd collection or some old VHS or some forniture from my house.
Thank you so much for your time.
He was driven by his jealousy and his rage over the scam she pulled on his family, which led to his doing the unthinkable and suffocating her to death, and the guilt of committing the crime will cause Joey (James Lastovic) to make an emotional confession to his mother, Kayla (Mary Beth Evans), on Days of Our Lives.
JJ & Gabi Take Their Relationship To The Next Level
After he smothered Ava (Tamara Braun) in her hospital room, his father, Steve (Stephen Nichols) walked in and realized what he did--and made a shocking decision to cover for his son and confessed to committing the crime himself. Considering that Ava had blackmailed him into sleeping with her, kidnapped Kayla, and later shared a video of herself and Steve in bed together, it wasn't hard to believe that Steve tried to get revenge.
However, Joey, who learned that his father had slept with Ava, was driven to commit the crime because of the feelings Ava had gotten him to have for her while they schemed to bring Kayla and Steve back together--something that isn't public knowledge outside of his family. Since no one knows about that, he doesn't seem to have a motive, and no one is suspecting him instead of his father.
Chad Is Unsettled By Rafe's News
But, as his father potentially faces charges for murder, Joey will feel compelled to tell his mother what he really did. And though Kayla will be stunned by his confession, she may still also make sure her young son doesn't face any sort of punishment either, and will back up Steve's decision to take the fall.
Days of Our Lives airs Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. on NBC.
Astronaut Scott Kelly is set to return to Earth after one year in space today; find out how you can watch his landing live online.
Kelly is making his big landing today along with spacecraft commander Sergey Volkov and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko and NASA is providing a live stream for the whole process. Farewells and hatch closure coverage are set to begin at 4.15 p.m. ET, with the hatch closure scheduled for 4:40 p.m. ET.
Then at 8:02 p.m. ET it's the spacecraft undocking process. At 10:32 p.m. you can watch coverage of the deorbit burn.
Finally, 11:25 p.m. ET is set to be the official landing time for Kelly, Volkov and Kornienko in Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.
Kelly recently spoke (via CBS News) about one of the main highlights of his trip through space, the Soyuz re-entry.
"Once you get past the initial shock of the drogue chute opening and all the pyrotechnics firing for various reasons, certainly coming through the atmosphere, the plasma that's right next to your head ... (it) definitely gets your attention," he said. "It's so much fun for me that I said after my last flight, if I'd hated being in space for six months I'd have done it all over again just for that last 20 minutes in the Soyuz. It's that type of an experience."
Watch Kelly's Return From Space Online Or Via Mobile Devices
You can live stream the entire process of Kelly and company's return from space via NASA TV.
Keep Up With Kelly's Return From Space On Social Media
If you wish to live tweet Kelly's big return, simply use hashtag #YearInSpace on Twitter.
Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA), which promotes green building development in the country, has re-elected Seana Nkhahle as its non-executive chairman and Rudolf Pienaar as non-executive deputy chairman for a second term.
They will continue as key role-players on the board of one of the most active green building councils worldwide.
GBCSA has also welcomed three new board members, expanding its knowledge-base with leading minds in their fields of speciality. They are: Nkosinathi Manzana, Colin Devenish, and Anthony Stroebel.
Commenting on the appointments, Brian Wilkinson, CEO of GBCSA, says: We are fortunate to have such experienced and passionate people on our board. The leadership that Seana and Rudolf bring to our vision and agenda are invaluable, especially with the huge environmental challenges South Africa, and indeed the world, face. We need to respond with innovative thinking and bold action, and the pioneering insights of Nkosinathi, Colin and Anthony will no doubt support this.
Seana Nkhahle is the Executive Manager in the Office of the Chief Executive Officer at the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). SALGA is mandated by the South African constitution to transform local government towards continuous improvement in the delivery of their constitutional mandates.
He is widely recognised as an innovator and activist for sustainable development. Nkhahle has extensive experience in sustainable urban development and local governance. He has facilitated numerous partnerships to support municipalities to improve sustainability and environmental responsiveness in their operations. Before joining SALGA, Nkhahle worked as the Executive Manager for Programming at the South African Cities Network (SACN). Prior to SACN, he was the Managing Director at Syn-Consult, a consulting firm that focuses on managing sustainability in the built environment. He is also chairperson of Planact.
Rudolf Pienaar is the Divisional Director: Office Sector for South Africas largest JSE-listed REIT, Growthpoint Properties. Growthpoint, a JSE ALSI 40 company, owns or co-owns the largest portfolio of green buildings of any company in South Africa. With 30 years experience in the property industry, Pienaar has served in senior management positions of five listed property companies. He is a director of Growthpoint, Acucap and a member of the property committee of the V&A Waterfront, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Department of Construction Economics at the University of Pretoria. Pienaar has been a member of the GBCSA board since 2010 and sits on its executive committee. He is also a director of the World Green Building Council (World GBC).
Nkosinathi Manzana is the Head: Professional and Technical Services within the Group Real Estate Services of Standard Bank. In this role, he is responsible for development management of strategic properties, maintenance, engineering and energy management.
He has over nineteen years of experience in the built environment in South Africa. Manzana has been involved in the planning, design and implementation of a broad range of multidisciplinary projects such as transport infrastructure, buildings, petrochemical pipelines and pump stations, ports and municipal engineering services.
He is passionate about sustainability, green buildings and energy management. He forms part of the core Standard Bank team that has overseen the green building certification of four bank-owned buildings in the last three years.
Colin Devenish is the Executive Manager of Operations at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, one of South Africas most iconic and visited destinations. Colin is responsible for all operations-related services for both its existing and development properties. Prior to the V&A he was National Facilities Manager at Old Mutual Properties.
Colin also spent 14 years in the mining industry where he was involved in rehabilitating old mines back into agricultural land. He chairs the V&A Waterfronts Sustainability Committee. Under his guidance, the V&A Waterfront achieved a Platinum rating on the Heritage Environmental Rating System and various other sustainability awards.
He was integral in implementing practices which led to the V&A Waterfront being awarded Best Destination at the World Responsible Tourism Awards for its focus on sustainable development and the role it plays in creating jobs and boosting the local economy.
Anthony Stroebel is Group Marketing Director at Pam Golding Properties, where his role is to engineer a sustainable future through innovative strategies for the company, which includes integrating a green agenda into the future of residential property in South Africa.
His personal mission is to drive green consciousness in the minds of homeowners to the extent that the green credentials of a home become integral to their value as perceived by buyers and, in so doing, become part of the journey towards a more sustainable planet. Prior to Pam Golding Properties, Anthony spent 13 years in the advertising industry, the last five of which he was CEO of J. Walter Thompson in Cape Town.
GBCSA is an independent, non-profit, membership-based organisation formed in 2007 by leaders from all sectors of the commercial property industry. It is the official certification body of commercial buildings under the Green Star SA Rating System and residential buildings under the EDGE certification system. The organisation aims to ensure that all buildings are built and operated in an environmentally sustainable way so all South Africans work and live in healthy, effective and productive environments.
A total of 25 Green Building Councils from around the world unveiled national commitments to transform the sustainability of their buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure that the building and construction industry plays its part in limiting global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees. The GBCSA made an ambitious commitment at COP21 in Paris to introduce a net zero/positive building certification scheme by 2020.
Buildings currently account for around one third of global emissions. But, green building is one of the most cost-effective solutions to climate change, and generates significant environmental, economic and societal benefits.
Snapchat yesterday acknowledged that one of its employees had fallen for a spear phishing scam and revealed employee payroll information.
The good news is that our servers were not breached, and our users data was totally unaffected by this, the company stated in a blog post. The bad new is that a number of our employees have now had their identity compromised. And for that, were just impossibly sorry.
On February 26, the company says, an email claiming to come from the CEO and asking for payroll data was sent to Snapchats payroll department. Unfortunately, the phishing email wasnt recognized for what it was a scam and payroll information about some current and former employees was disclosed externally.
All those affected have been offered two years of free access to an identity theft monitoring service, and the company says it will redouble our already rigorous training programs around privacy and security in the coming weeks.
Unfortunately for those affected employees, employee payroll information includes the necessary data that crooks could use to file fraudulent tax returns and request a refund, Sophos John Zorabedian noted in a blog post.
Tripwire directory of IT security and risk strategy Tim Erlin told eSecurity Planet by email that criminals continue to use phishing because it works. While training employees can definitely help, phishing tactics evolve continuously to beat the training, he said.
A recent Mimecast survey of 600 IT security professionals found that 65 percent of respondents dont feel fully equipped to defend against email-based attacks, and one third of respondents believe their email is more vulnerable today than it was five years ago.
Fifty-five percent of respondents reported an increase in whaling attacks on their companies.
Organizations are target-rich environments for cybercriminals, Mimecast cybersecurity strategist Orlando Scott-Cowley told eSecurity Planet by email. Whaling or CEO fraud uses effectively simple social engineering to trick employees into handing over critical data or making fraudulent financial transactions.
This Snapchat email fraud is a prime example of fraudsters getting hold of valuable data in order to launch secondary attacks, Scott-Cowley added. These attacks usually do not include any malware and evade traditional email security techniques.
Recent eSecurity Planet articles have examined the importance of user security training?and offered advice on stopping phishing attacks.
Younited Italia, Nicola Manzari e il nuovo Coo, Luca Faccini e Head of Growth e Domenico Petraroli e General Counsel
New research on the molecular structure of suckerin proteins is presented at the annual meeting of the Biophysical Society this week in Los Angeles
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 29, 2016 -- A squid has more in common with a spider than you may think. The razor-sharp 'teeth' that ring the suckers found on some squid tentacles are made up entirely of proteins remarkably similar -- and in some ways superior -- to the ones found in silks. Those proteins, called suckerins, give the teeth their strength and stretchiness, and could one day be used as the basis for biomaterials with many potential biomedical applications.
Hoping to harness the power of suckerin proteins, a team of researchers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR in Singapore are continuing to unravel the proteins' molecular structures. Akshita Kumar, a graduate student at NTU, will present the group's latest findings at the 60th annual meeting of the Biophysical Society, held Feb. 27 - March 2 in Los Angeles, Calif.
In the recent work, the group found that suckerin proteins are composed of what are known as "beta-sheet" polymer networks, which help give the teeth their strength. The researchers also discovered that the networks are thermoplastic, meaning that they melt when heated and harden again when cooled. That makes the material moldable and reusable like thermoplastic synthetic polymers such as the ones used to make PVC pipes.
"Suckerin proteins constitute a unique combination of mechanical and biophysical properties that appear to make them superior to other synthetic or natural polymers," said Kumar. "And these materials provide a new paradigm by showing that a strong biomaterial can be entirely made of proteins, without the need to add a second hard phase, for instance a mineral like in bone, to strengthen it."
To probe the suckerin's architecture at the molecular level, the researchers used a recombinant bacterial expression system to produce the most abundant suckerin protein, known as Suckerin-19 and found in the crown of jumbo squid sucker ring teeth. They then used a combination of biophysical and computational techniques to determine the 3-D structure of the protein in solution.
Silks also form "beta-sheet" polymer networks and are being studied as potential templates for synthetic silks that mimic their natural counterparts. "But silk proteins are difficult to produce and process," said Kumar. Suckerin proteins, however, have a smaller molecular weight and, given their thermoplasticity, could be easier to make in the lab and more environmentally friendly to process into practical biomaterials, she said.
Their previous results have been partially published in several journals including ACS Nano, Nature Communications, Nature Biotechnology and Advanced Materials.
The team plans to focus on characterizing the structure of other suckerin proteins -- there are 21 -- and their self-assembly in the future. And they're exploring various biomedical applications, too, such as using the biomaterial for scaffolds to grow tissues and fibers like the ones in artificial ligaments.
Although such applications are far from being commercially viable at present, continuing to unlock the secrets of suckerin proteins in the lab and using the knowledge to produce recyclable eco-friendly substrates inspired by suckerins is key to their future development, said Kumar.
The poster #B661,"Squid's suckerin proteins in bits and bytes," by Akshita Kumar, Srinivasaraghavan Kannan, Julien Lescar, Chandra Verma and Ali Miserez will be in a poster session beginning at 1:45 p.m. PT on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. ABSTRACT: http://tinyurl.com/hdvqchy
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MORE MEETING INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEETING
Each year, the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting brings together more than 6,500 researchers working in the multidisciplinary fields representing biophysics. With more than 3,600 poster presentations, over 200 exhibits, and more than 20 symposia, the BPS Annual Meeting is the largest meeting of biophysicists in the world. Despite its size, the meeting retains its small-meeting flavor through its subgroup symposia, platform sessions, social activities and committee programs. The 60th Annual Meeting will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
PRESS REGISTRATION
The Biophysical Society invites professional journalists, freelance science writers and public information officers to attend its Annual Meeting free of charge. For press registration, contact Ellen Weiss or the media line at the American Institute of Physics at or 301-209-3090.
NEWS RELEASES
Embargoed press releases describing in detail some of the breakthroughs to be discussed at the meeting are available on Eurekalert, Newswise and Alpha Galileo or by contacting the media line at the American Institute of Physics at or 301-209-3090.
QUICK LINKS
Main Meeting Page: http://tinyurl.com/hewekyj
Symposia: http://tinyurl.com/h7lnk4p
Itinerary planner: http://tinyurl.com/hslnx3p
ABOUT THE SOCIETY
The Biophysical Society, founded in 1958, is a professional, scientific Society established to encourage development and dissemination of knowledge in biophysics. The Society promotes growth in this expanding field through its annual meeting, monthly journal, and committee and outreach activities. Its 9,000 members are located throughout the U.S. and the world, where they teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, laboratories, government agencies, and industry. For more information on the Society, or the 2016 Annual Meeting, visit http://www.biophysics.org
An unidentified fossilised bone in a museum has revealed the size of a fearsome abelisaur and may have solved a hundred-year old puzzle.
Alessandro Chiarenza, a PhD student from Imperial College London, last year stumbled across a fossilised femur bone, left forgotten in a drawer, during his visit to the Museum of Geology and Palaeontology in Palermo Italy. He and a colleague Andrea Cau, a researcher from the University of Bologna, got permission from the museum to analyse the femur. They discovered that the bone was from a dinosaur called abelisaur, which roamed the Earth around 95 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period.
Abelisauridae were a group of predatory, carnivorous dinosaurs, characterised by extremely small forelimbs, a short deep face, small razor sharp teeth, and powerful muscular hind limbs. Scientists suspect they were also covered in fluffy feathers. The abelisaur in today's study would have lived in North Africa, which at that time was a lush savannah criss-crossed by rivers and mangrove swamps. This ancient tropical world would have provided the abelisaur with an ideal habitat for hunting aquatic animals like turtles, crocodiles, large fish and other dinosaurs.
By studying the bone, the team deduced that this abelisaur may have been nine metres long and weighed between one and two tonnes, making it potentially one of the largest abelisaurs ever found. This is helping researchers to determine the maximum sizes that these dinosaurs may have reached during their peak.
Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, co-author of the study from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial, said: "Smaller abelisaur fossils have been previously found by palaeontologists, but this find shows how truly huge these flesh eating predators had become. Their appearance may have looked a bit odd as they were probably covered in feathers with tiny, useless forelimbs, but make no mistake they were fearsome killers in their time."
The fossil originated from a sedimentary outcrop in Morocco called the Kem Kem Beds, which are well known for the unusual abundance of giant predatory dinosaur fossils. This phenomenon is called Stromer's Riddle, in honour the German palaeontologist Ernst Stromer, who first identified this abundance in 1912. Since then scientists have been asking how abelisaurs and five other groupings of predatory dinosaurs could have co-existed in this region at the same time, without hunting each other into extinction.
Now the researchers in today's study suggest that these predatory dinosaur groups may not have co-existed so closely together. They believe that the harsh and changing geology of the region mixed the fossil fragment records together, destroying its chronological ordering in the Kem Kem beds, and giving the illusion that the abelisaurs and their predatory cousins shared the same terrain at the same time. Similar studies of fossil beds in nearby Tunisia, for example, show that creatures like abelisaurs were inland hunters, while other predators like the fish eating spinosaurs probably lived near mangroves and rivers.
Chiarenza added: "This fossil find, along with the accumulated wealth of previous studies, is helping to solve the question of whether abelisaurs may have co-existed with a range of other predators in the same region. Rather than sharing the same environment, which the jumbled up fossil records may be leading us to believe, we think these creatures probably lived far away from one another in different types of environments."
Fossilised femora are useful for palaeontologists to study because they can determine the overall size of the dinosaur. This is because femora are attached to the thigh and tail muscles and have scars, or bumps, which tell palaeontologists where the ligaments and muscles were attached to the bone and how big those muscles and ligaments would have been.
Andrea Cau, co-author from the University of Bologna, said: "While palaeontologists usually venture to remote and inaccessible locations, like the deserts of Mongolia or the Badlands of Montana, our study shows how museums still play an important role in preserving specimens of primary scientific value, in which sometimes the most unexpected surprises can be discovered. As Stephen Gould, an influential palaeontologist and evolutionary biologist, once said, sometimes the greatest discoveries are made in museum drawers."
The study is published today in the journal Peer J. Chiarenza did the underpinning analysis with Cau while at the University of Bologna.
The next step will see the team looking for more complete remains from these predatory dinosaurs trying to better understand their environment and evolutionary history.
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For further information please contact:
Colin Smith
Senior Research Media Officer
Communications and Public Affairs
Imperial College London
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London SW7 2AZ
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Notes to editors:
"A large abelisaurid from Morocco and comments on the Cenomanian theropods from North Africa" paper published in Peer J
[1] Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, [2] Andrea Cau
[1] Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London
[2] Geological and Paleontological Museum, University of Bologna
Download copy of proof paper: https://peerj.com/articles/1754/
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Scientists of the Tomsk State University have found preserved moose in Western Siberia that have unique features of DNA structure. This discovery of Tomsk scientists will help determine the origin and path of moose movement in the last few tens of thousands of years and gives reason to believe that Siberia is a unique genetic repository. The research has been presented at International Conference "Theriofauna of Russia and adjacent territories" (X Congress of Russian Theriological Society).
Unique moose were found in the southeastern part of Western Siberia. Hunters of the Tomsk Region assisted in this discovery. Along with the license for opening the animals, they got set for the capture of prototypes and a small profile.
After the genetic analysis of samples, the scientists codified data and compared them with data from GenBank, the international computer database. In this way zoologists have discovered previously unexplored genetic lines, on the basis of whose similarity they were able to draw a conclusion about the existence of a new West Siberian haplogroup of moose similar in DNA structure. It is assumed that these genetic lines were widespread 30-40 thousand years ago, but disappeared throughout the last glacial maximum about 18-24 thousand years ago.
Western Siberia remains a white spot, where molecular studies of animals almost never take place, - said Olga Nemoykina, an employee of the Laboratory of Biodiversity Monitoring of Institute of Biology TSU. - This discovery confirms the existence of a refugium - places with favorable conditions in the south of the region, where groups of forest species might be saved during global cooling.
According to Olga, the mitochondrial DNA fragment that is not subjected to recombination was used for analysis. That is, for the entire time from ancient moose to our contemporaries they have only mutation changes. At the same time, according to the hypothesis about the molecular clock, the mutation process is going on at a certain speed: about three thousand years was needed for the emergence and consolidation of one mutation in the DNA fragment used by scientists.
The scientist emphasizes that moose of Western Siberia are characterized by a high (for moose) level of genetic diversity.
It allows us to assume that we also have the chance to find an unusually high genetic diversity of other forest species of our region, - says Olga Nemoykina. - Due to the fact that the high genetic diversity of populations increases the likelihood of their survival when environmental conditions change, wildlife is Western Siberia can be a repository of such diversity for those species that are well represented here. The zoologists' next step will be identifying patterns between the genotype and the appearance of new species of moose.
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A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows a weak link in the chain of events that causes an aggressive subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The study also suggests a possible tool to break this link.
"There's a gene called meningioma-1 or MN1. When it's overexpressed in AML, the prognosis is poor. And when you take this gene and put it in mouse bone marrow, it causes aggressive leukemia. However, it hasn't been clear quite what this gene does," says Kathrin Bernt, MD, investigator at the CU Cancer Center and assistant professor in the Molecular Biology Program at the CU School of Medicine.
In other words, the field has a known cause (MN1) and a known effect (aggressive leukemia), but between these two has been a black box in which the mechanism of oncogenesis takes place.
"Unfortunately, it is currently impossible to use a medicine to directly target a gene. We can't simply switch off MN1. Instead, we must look for essential steps between the existence of gene alteration and the advent of cancer in which to intervene. We can't target MN1, but we can target the program that has to be there for MN1 to do its job," Bernt says.
Discovering this program required opening the black box of oncogenesis between MN1 alteration and aggressive AML. Bernt and colleagues did this by inducing the overexpression of MN1 in mouse models and noticing the genes that changed in response. These genes looked familiar - MN1 overexpression resulted in the activation of genes previously known to predispose cells to develop AML, namely HoxA9 and Meis1.
"Interestingly, these genes also depend on chromatin regulators," Bernt says. Chromatin regulators help to control the structure of DNA as it is packed for storage or unpacked to be "read". The Bernt lab identified two chromatin regulators essential for creating the environment that MN1 needs to cause leukemia: Mll1 and Dot1l. While MN1 can currently not be "drugged", these molecules that remodel chromatin can. One obvious question is whether it would do any good.
"In mice, we put MN1 in first, leading to AML. Then we knocked out these chromatic regulating molecules, Mll1 or Dot1l. When we did that, the leukemia collapsed," Bernt says.
With promising results in mouse models, the group gathered samples of human AML defined by the over-abundance of MN1, as well as two additional genes, HOXA9 and MEIS1, which are key targets of DOT1L and MLL1. When Bernt and colleagues used the same mouse-model strategy of Dot1l inhibition, these samples of human AML were killed.
Anti-cancer agents targeting Dot1l are already in clinical trials. For example, the experimental anti-cancer agent EPZ-5676 inhibits Dot1l and is currently being tested in a phase I clinical trial in pediatric patients with aggressive leukemias (NCT02141828) marked by a different gene rearrangement, namely aberrations in the MLL1 gene.
"The existing trial targets patients with rearrangements in the gene MLL1. Our study shows another subset of patients that may benefit from this or other therapies aimed at DOT1L inhibition, namely patients with MN1 overexpression," Bernt says.
Challenges exist before the group hopes to collaborate in a clinical trial of EPZ-5676 against AML marked by MN1 overexpression. For example, "Overexpression exists along a spectrum. At what degree of MN1 overexpression does it become clinically significant?" Bernt asks. Defining the cutoff of MN1 overexpression at which the disease is susceptible to Dot1l inhibition will require further work with AML samples. However, the group remains optimistic that further study could lead to targeted treatment for this subsample of patients with especially aggressive AML.
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Researchers find that a universe that contains some big objects and many small objects relieves gravitational tension faster than a uniform universe
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 1, 2016 - Our solar system contains one massive object -- the sun -- and many smaller planets and asteroids. Now researchers from Duke University in Durham, N.C. have proposed a new explanation for the size diversity, which is found throughout the universe and is called hierarchy. The researchers report their finding in the Journal of Applied Physics, from AIP Publishing.
"Since the 1700s scientists have known that gravity causes objects in the universe to get bigger, but the phenomenon of growth does not explain the hierarchy," said Adrian Bejan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Duke University. "To my huge surprise this question has been overlooked."
Bejan's specialty is in thermodynamics and he is the author of the Constructal Law, which states that natural systems evolve to facilitate flow (see http://us.macmillan.com/thephysicsoflife/adrianbejan). He had already applied the law of evolution to explain the shape of snowflakes, river basins, lungs and even airplanes, when a conversation with an undergraduate student prompted him to consider how the Constructal Law would manifest itself in the cosmos.
"This is my first trespass into planetary science," he said.
Bejan and his student, Russell Wagstaff, started by calculating the tension caused by gravitational attraction between bodies of the same size, uniformly distributed in space. They showed that if the bodies coalesce into some large bodies and some small bodies, the tension is reduced faster than if the bodies merged uniformly.
"The discovery is that hierarchy 'snaps' from the very beginning, spontaneously," Bejan said. The break-up of the uniform suspension of bodies into a few large and many small bodies occurs because it's the fastest way to ease the internal tension caused by gravity, he said.
The natural tendency of a system to evolve toward a state of reduced tension is a manifestation of the Constructal Law, Bejan said, and can be seen in other phenomena, such as soil cracking under a drying wind. "The working title for our paper was actually 'The Universe as Cracked Mud,'" he said.
Bejan said he hopes the application of the Constructal Law to the cosmological scale will inspire other researchers to consider how the law could be applied in their own fields.
"I never thought I would have anything to say about celestial bodies in pure physics, but by chance I realized I have a key to open a new door," he said. "Everything has evolution and the Constructal Law can help predict it. The plan is to keep exploring."
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The article, "The physics origin of the hierarchy of bodies in space," is authored by A. Bejan and R.W. Wagstaff. It will be published in the Journal of Applied Physics on March 1, 2016 (DOI: 10.1063/1.4941986). After that date, it can be accessed at: http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/jap/119/9/10.1063/1.4941986
The authors of this paper are affiliated with Duke University.
ABOUT THE JOURNAL
Journal of Applied Physics is an influential international journal publishing significant new experimental and theoretical results of applied physics research. See: http://jap.aip.org
A technique called acoustic force spectroscopy uses standing sound waves in a fluid channel to tug on DNA and other biomolecules in a precise and easily controllable way, revealing information about the molecules' structure and mechanical properties
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 1, 2016 -- If you give a toy to a baby, she might investigate its properties by squeezing, throwing or chewing it. Scientists can similarly investigate the properties of materials by applying different forces, albeit in a much more controlled way.
Researchers have recently developed a new and improved way to controllably manipulate materials, in this case biomolecules that are far too small to see with the naked eye. By stretching molecules like DNA and proteins, scientists can find out important information about the structure, chemical bonding and mechanical properties of the individual molecules that make up our bodies. This understanding could shed light on diseases like cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The new technique is called acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS). The research team first described AFS in a 2015 Nature Methods paper and have since then upgraded it so that it is compatible with more imaging techniques, can produce a stronger stretching force, and can stretch from a designated distance. The researchers dubbed the upgrade AFS 2.0 and they will present it at the annual meeting of the Biophysical Society, held Feb. 27 - March 1 in Los Angeles, Calif.
"AFS is a new and promising technique that still has some tricks up his sleeve," said Douwe Kamsma, a graduate student in biophysics at the VU University in Amsterdam who was an author on the first AFS paper and is currently working on AFS 2.0.
AFS works by using sound waves to generate forces in a fluid channel. The fluidic channel is located in a glass slide and a piezo element is glued on top of the slide. The sound waves are produced by the piezo element, which vibrates in response to an applied alternating voltage. Researchers can tune the frequency to bring the system in resonance and make a standing wave. A standing wave is a wave in which specific points, called nodes, appear to be standing still.
To stretch DNA or other molecules, the researchers tether one end to the surface of the fluid channel and attach the other end to a microsphere. When the piezo element is turned on to create a standing wave in the fluid layer, the microspheres are forced toward the nodes of the standing waves. The selected resonance frequency of the wave determines the direction of the force and the amplitude determines the strength of the force. Researchers can change these two parameters almost instantaneously to manipulate the microspheres, and hence tug the DNA with varying degrees of force.
"The big advantage of AFS is that we can coat the whole surface with these tethered constructs and so measure thousands of single biomolecules in parallel," Kamsma said.
AFS 1.0 has already been commercialized by LUMICKS, which is a spinoff company from the VU University lab where Kamsma works. To upgrade the product to AFS 2.0, the researchers integrated an optically transparent piezo element, which would not block the view of the channel, and demonstrated that the AFS chip was compatible with a wide range of microscopes.
They also developed a model to optimize the thicknesses of the different system layers, making it possible to apply higher forces. Finally, they demonstrated a fast and easy method to quantify the force profile within the fluid layer, and showed that the AFS system could be used to stretch molecules by manipulating the distance of the attachments points of the biomolecule, a function called a distance clamp.
A distance clamp is better than a force clamp in probing multiple rupture events on the same molecule, Kamsma said. This could be used, for example, to study the overstretching of DNA as well as protein unfolding, he said.
"AFS is a very good example where the instruments and techniques that are developed by physicists are used to study cells and biomolecules," Kamsma said. To make the system work required knowledge from fluid dynamics, software development, manufacturing and molecular biology. "Bringing all this together is very exciting," he said. Most of the technical challenges of developing the new tool have been overcome, so "now is the time to apply it to very exciting biomolecular problems."
Presentation #2472, "Tuning the music: Acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS) 2.0.," is authored by Douwe Kamsma, Ramon Creyghton, Gerrit Sitters, Erwin J.G. Peterman and Gijs J.L. Wuite. It will be in a poster session that begins at 1:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday, March 1, 2016 in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. ABSTRACT: http://tinyurl.com/hwmmetd
###
ABOUT THE MEETING
Each year, the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting brings together more than 6,500 researchers working in the multidisciplinary fields representing biophysics. With more than 3,600 poster presentations, over 200 exhibits, and more than 20 symposia, the BPS Annual Meeting is the largest meeting of biophysicists in the world. Despite its size, the meeting retains its small-meeting flavor through its subgroup symposia, platform sessions, social activities and committee programs. The 60th Annual Meeting will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
PRESS REGISTRATION
The Biophysical Society invites professional journalists, freelance science writers and public information officers to attend its Annual Meeting free of charge. For press registration, contact Ellen Weiss or the media line at the American Institute of Physics at or 301-209-3090.
NEWS RELEASES
Embargoed press releases describing in detail some of the breakthroughs to be discussed at the meeting are available on Eurekalert, Newswise and Alpha Galileo or by contacting the media line at the American Institute of Physics at or 301-209-3090.
QUICK LINKS
Main Meeting Page: http://tinyurl.com/hewekyj
Symposia: http://tinyurl.com/h7lnk4p
Itinerary planner: http://tinyurl.com/hslnx3p
ABOUT THE SOCIETY
The Biophysical Society, founded in 1958, is a professional, scientific Society established to encourage development and dissemination of knowledge in biophysics. The Society promotes growth in this expanding field through its annual meeting, monthly journal, and committee and outreach activities. Its 9,000 members are located throughout the U.S. and the world, where they teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, laboratories, government agencies, and industry. For more information on the Society, or the 2016 Annual Meeting, visit http://www.biophysics.org
Researchers uncover structural markers to differentiate between smaller and larger forms of "Jekyll and Hyde" amyloid beta molecular bundles--providing a basis for understanding why smaller bundles of the protein are more toxic than larger bundles
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 1, 2016 -- A tiny protein known as an "amyloid beta" acts like Jekyll and Hyde in mysterious ways within the human body. Outsized human suffering is linked to this otherwise tiny, innocuous-looking molecule, as it is suspected to be a key player in the neurodegenerative mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease.
The action of any protein, whether it is life-supporting or toxic, is tied to its shape. Amyloid beta molecules appear to become toxic within our bodies when they make contact with each other and form small bundles. Oddly, they may become less toxic again as the bundles grow larger in size and form ordered fibrillary plaque deposits.
This begs the question: What's different about these bundles than the single protein molecule and the fibrils? During the Biophysical Society's 60th Annual Meeting, being held in Los Angeles, Calif., Feb. 27-March 2, 2016, a group of researchers from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India, will describe what they discovered while exploring a suspected critical change in the protein shape as the molecular bundle grows in size.
"Determining this difference in shape was a challenge, however, because standard tools fail to decipher much about this shape-changing molecule," explained Sudipta Maiti, who co-directed this research. "The power of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) couldn't be applied, because the shape change involved is too fast to be captured by it." Faster tools like optical spectroscopy can monitor these fast changes, but don't have high enough resolution to provide detailed information about the molecule's shape.
So the researchers decided to go back to NMR. They "froze" time by literally freezing the structurally evolving sample at "appropriate" times, determined via optical spectroscopic techniques.
"The frozen sample can then be studied at leisure with a variation of NMR called 'solid-state NMR,' as well as other spectroscopy techniques," noted Maiti.
Solid-state NMR "has the power to yield atomic-scale resolution and molecular geometry information in a direct manner," pointed out P.K. Madhu of TIFR Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Hyderabad, co-director of this work.
To zero in on underlying changes, they also used high-resolution modeling and simulations, which, according to co-author Ravindra Venkatramani, helped them to visualize the shapes of the molecular components.
One of the biggest questions within this field of study is: How does toxicity evolve? Until now, it's been difficult to explain why toxicity decreases as larger fibrils form.
"By figuring this out, it may be possible to tweak the small bundles so that they take a nontoxic route to forming fibrils," Maiti said. "Our previous research didn't uncover any major differences in the shape of the protein as it evolves from the small bundles to the larger fibrils."
But, with this new approach, they discovered a "twist" within the structure--as the small bundle grows, an intramolecular-to-intermolecular beta sheet transition occurs--that was hidden until now.
"This feature seems to bring the protein closer in shape to some other well-understood proteins with established mechanisms of toxicity," said Maiti. "An intriguing aspect is that this transformation--from toxic to benign--appears to be governed by a sort of 'kiss' between two parts of the protein molecule, an interaction also known as a 'salt bridge.'"
This provides clear structural markers to differentiate between the small and larger forms of the protein, and provides a basis for understanding why the smaller bundles are more toxic.
If the group is correct, their work will open the door to diagnosing the toxic forms of the protein--and possibly even manipulating them. With a greater understanding of the protein's shape, the researchers are now determined to explore how it takes an insidious turn. "Ideally, we'd like to figure out how to manipulate the toxic forms of the protein to make it take the nontoxic path," Maiti said.
For example, "if a potential drug molecule can be synthesized to make the 'kiss' happen at the earliest stage, it may dramatically reduce the toxicity," he added. "We're also excited because our technology can be applied to help understand the molecular basis for other diseases, such as Parkinson's and Type-II diabetes, which are also linked to small proteins."
The group plans to put their theories to the test to see if they work as a general principle, and then "pharmaceutical scientists can pursue it further as a promising avenue for developing drugs to treat many diseases--or even develop a cure," Maiti said.
Presentation #1765, "A hidden structural transition accompanies the progression of amyloid-eta oligomers to mature fibrils," is authored by Bappaditya Chandra, Debanjan Bhowmik, Barun K. Maity, Debabrata Dhara, Kaustubh Mote, Ravindra Venkatramani, Perunthiruthy K. Madhu and Sudipta Maiti. It will be at 11:00 a.m. PT on Tuesday, March 1, 2016 in Room 515A of the Los Angeles Convention Center. ABSTRACT: http://tinyurl.com/jncs49m
###
ABOUT THE MEETING
Each year, the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting brings together more than 6,500 researchers working in the multidisciplinary fields representing biophysics. With more than 3,600 poster presentations, over 200 exhibits, and more than 20 symposia, the BPS Annual Meeting is the largest meeting of biophysicists in the world. Despite its size, the meeting retains its small-meeting flavor through its subgroup symposia, platform sessions, social activities and committee programs. The 60th Annual Meeting will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
PRESS REGISTRATION
The Biophysical Society invites professional journalists, freelance science writers and public information officers to attend its Annual Meeting free of charge. For press registration, contact Ellen Weiss or the media line at the American Institute of Physics at or 301-209-3090.
NEWS RELEASES
Embargoed press releases describing in detail some of the breakthroughs to be discussed at the meeting are available on Eurekalert, Newswise and Alpha Galileo or by contacting the media line at the American Institute of Physics at or 301-209-3090.
QUICK LINKS
Main Meeting Page: http://tinyurl.com/hewekyj
Symposia: http://tinyurl.com/h7lnk4p
Itinerary planner: http://tinyurl.com/hslnx3p
ABOUT THE SOCIETY
The Biophysical Society, founded in 1958, is a professional, scientific Society established to encourage development and dissemination of knowledge in biophysics. The Society promotes growth in this expanding field through its annual meeting, monthly journal, and committee and outreach activities. Its 9,000 members are located throughout the U.S. and the world, where they teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, laboratories, government agencies, and industry. For more information on the Society, or the 2016 Annual Meeting, visit http://www.biophysics.org
New Issue of the Annals of Global Health explores the health consequences of climate change and doctors urge action to help mitigate risks and prepare for new challenges
New York, NY, March 1, 2016 - Climate change is already having a noticeable impact on the environment and global health. Around the world extreme weather events, increased temperatures, drought, and rising sea levels are all adversely affecting our ability to grow food, access clean water, and work safely outdoors. Soon in some areas, the transformation will be so drastic and devastating that native populations will be displaced and forced to find new homes as environmental refugees. In a review published in the Annals of Global Health, doctors warn of the impending public health crisis brought on by climate change and call for action to help prepare the world for what is ahead.
As we begin to experience an unprecedented shift in temperature, we are starting to see the immense impact climate change will have on people around the world, especially those living in low-income countries. Bearing the brunt of the damage caused by climate change, low-income nations are especially susceptible because their economies often rely solely on agriculture and most do not possess the resources to ease the risks posed by climate events.
Low-income countries contribute just a tiny fraction of greenhouse gases (GHG), yet, they stand to lose the most if something is not done to curb emissions. In 2004, the United States, Canada, and Australia approached 6 metric tons (mt) of GHG per capita, while per-capita GHG emissions in low-income countries was only 0.6 mt overall.
"As global temperature increases, rich countries' economies continue to prosper, but the economic growth of poor countries is seriously impaired," explained co-author Barry S. Levy, MD, MPH, Adjunct Professor, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine. "The consequences for economic growth in poor countries will be substantial if we continue on a 'business-as-usual' path of increasing carbon dioxide concentrations and rapid climate change, with poor countries' mean annual growth rate decreasing from 3.2% to 2.6%."
The adverse health effects of climate change will be broad and will tax public health resources globally. Vector-borne diseases, foodborne and waterborne illnesses, malnutrition, respiratory and allergic disorders, heat-related disorders, collective violence, and mental health problems will all likely increase due to climate change. Already vulnerable populations including the poor, minority groups, women, children, and older people will face the greatest challenges brought on by climate-caused illness. Malaria, Rift Valley fever, tick-borne encephalitis, and West Nile virus disease are spreading due to climate change.
Along with minority populations and poor people, women are more vulnerable to the health consequences of climate change. Co-author investigator Jonathan A. Patz, MD, MPH, Director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin--Madison explained, "There are many ways in which climate change disproportionately affects women, including and especially adolescent girls. In low-income countries, women and adolescent girls generally assume primary responsibility for gathering water, food, and fuel for their households. Climate change-induced droughts make this work much more difficult."
Because the challenges presented by climate change disproportionately affect already vulnerable groups, investigators warn that caution must be exercised when trying to manage the effects of climate change. "International organizations and governments at the national, state/provincial, and local levels should ensure that human rights are considered in developing and implementing mitigation and adaptation measures," noted Dr. Levy. "Nongovernmental and humanitarian organizations need to hold governments accountable in protecting and promoting these human rights."
Positive progress on this front emerged last December in Paris from the UN Conference of the Parties (COP21) on climate change. World leaders gathered there agreed to establish a $100 billion fund to pay for both energy development as well as damages already incurred by poorer nations. "The agreement, which included the concept of 'damages,' clearly shows a recognition of the imbalance between industrialized nations that have caused climate change and those countries already bearing the brunt of extreme weather impacts," said Dr. Patz, who attended the Paris meeting.
Now is the time to address these issues and determine proper plans of action. In this issue of Annals of Global Health, "Climate Change, Global Health, and Human Rights," guest editor Holly G. Atkinson, MD, Program Director of Human Rights, Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explained, "In many places around the globe where upheavals are occurring, public health systems have broken down. As a consequence, for example, we have witnessed the resurgence of polio--an ancient disease almost eradicated in 2012. Despite the evidence, many people remain substantially uninformed about the link between climate change and global health."
Public health problems resulting from climate change continue to increase, and yet, we are slow to react. With the most vulnerable populations among us set to sustain the most damage, this review in the Annals of Global Health urges swift and decisive action to protect poor people, women, children, older people, and other vulnerable populations from the health consequences of climate change now and in the future.
"The global climate crisis threatens most people and their human rights," concluded Dr. Patz. "The adverse consequences of climate change will worsen. Addressing climate change is a health and human rights priority, and action cannot be delayed. Mitigation and adaptation measures must be equitable, respecting, protecting and promoting human rights."
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Almost all patients wish they received more information at diagnosis; new Health Union website offers community for patients and supporters to find information about managing the condition
Philadelphia, March 1, 2016 - In a new national survey of Crohn's disease patients, Health Union reveals that it was not uncommon for patients to see multiple healthcare professionals (HCPs), have numerous office visits, and endure multiple diagnostic tests before receiving a diagnosis. Results demonstrate an impact on such things as the ability to work or exercise, but also on overall quality of life and social activities. Respondents wished more people understood the disease and its impact.
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the digestive tract affecting about 780,000 people in the U.S. Typical symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and fever. In addition, as an inflammatory disease, Crohn's can have symptoms outside of the digestive tract affecting the joints, skin, eyes, and liver.
The exact cause of Crohn's is unknown. It is believed that it may be an autoimmune reaction - the immune system overreacts and attacks the body's healthy cells. The survey shows that 45% of respondents had a family member with an autoimmune disease other than Crohn's. Forty-two percent had a family member also diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's or ulcerative colitis. Various stimuli, such as a bacteria or virus, can be responsible for triggering the immune system reaction.
Crohn's disease is often life altering and 22.5% of respondents experienced their first symptoms before the age of 15. Seventy-eight percent say that Crohn's at least sometimes impacts their ability to work and over half report that it often or always negatively impacts their overall quality of life. "I wish people would become more educated about Crohn's Disease," says Paul Richman, CrohnsDisease.com patient contributor. "If everyone was more well-read about Crohn's, they would understand how it affects people's lives in every way. They would realize how many people are affected by it, and how hard it is to keep friendships and relationships because of the embarrassing impact it has on our daily lives and routines."
In addition to gastrointestinal issues, 85% of respondents experience complications, with the most prevalent being:
arthritis/swollen joints (60%),
malnutrition/nutritional difficulties (37%), and
anemia (36%).
Crohn's proves very difficult to diagnose with 44% of respondents needing 10 or more office visits and 59% seeing three or more HCPs. More than 3/4 started off with a moderate to severe Crohn's diagnosis.
On a more positive note, once diagnosed, patients actively pursue treatment and are generally happy with their medical care. Eighty-seven percent began treatment immediately or within one month of diagnosis and 95% are under the care of an HCP. Over 3/4 are satisfied with their HCP, with those unsatisfied most often wanting more empathy and education/communication. Patients found HCPs most valuable for monitoring progression, treatment suggestions, and education.
"When it comes to Crohn's, health care providers can do a lot more than just provide treatment. Openly discussing the unsavory aspects of this condition is really important as many patients feel they can't talk to their friends/family. This is why a site like CrohnsDisease.com is so important. It provides the open, non-judgmental support so necessary for management," says Tim Armand, president and co-founder of Health Union.
Just as diagnosing Crohn's is difficult, so is symptom management. Less than three percent of respondents were not experiencing symptoms and those with symptoms experienced an average of seven, with 68% citing fatigue/low energy as the most difficult to manage. One quarter have never been in remission and those who have been experienced remission for less than three years. Almost 3/4 experience flares every few months, if not more often. The primary trigger was stress, followed by greasy foods and raw fruits and vegetables.
Finding the right treatment is difficult. More than half of respondents have been on their current treatment plan less than two years and about 70% may be changing in the next year. The most common treatment is biologics. Sixty percent would be interested in participating in a clinical trial.
"Inflammatory Bowel Disease is incredibly difficult to live with and not very well understood by the public. It does makes me feel good to know that some pharmaceutical companies and doctors are working hard for the first time ever to collaborate with patient advocates to improve quality of care for those suffering from this debilitating disease. This helps to mitigate some of the unique challenges faced by IBD patients," said CrohnsDisease.com patient contributor Marisa Lauren-Troy.
The Crohn's Disease in America survey was conducted online October 29, 2015, to January 10, 2016, with 2,018 respondents who were diagnosed with Crohn's disease and a resident of the U.S. or U.S. citizen living abroad. More details about the survey are available on request.
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About Health Union, LLC and CrohnsDisease.com
Health Union inspires people to live better with challenging health conditions - combining new, original content every day with digital, social and mobile technologies to cultivate active, engaged online communities. Health Union platforms are unique ecosystems dedicated to illuminating the voices and experiences of people with migraine, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis C, and more. Its services and offerings foster open and honest interactions about these health conditions between and among patients, caregivers, professionals, providers and industry partners to help all stakeholders make more informed decisions about healthcare. CrohnsDisease.com is Health Union's newest online community dedicated to Crohn's disease, where patients and supporters of people living with this condition can connect, share experiences and learn about managing the condition.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Is your boss always a jerk? You still may be better off than those workers whose supervisor is courteous one moment and rude the next.
New research by a team of current and former Michigan State University business scholars suggests employees whose superior is consistently unfair are actually less stressed and more satisfied with their job than employees with an erratic boss.
The study, online in the Academy of Management Journal, included both a lab experiment in which participants' heart rates were monitored for stress levels and a separate field study of workers and supervisors from 95 employers representing a host of industries.
"Our findings essentially show that employees are better off if their boss is a consistent jerk rather than being a loose cannon who's fair at times and unfair at other times," said Fadel Matta, lead author of the study and a researcher in MSU's Broad College of Business. "We found that inconsistent treatment is much more stressful than being treated poorly all the time."
In the lab experiment, about 160 college students were split into two rooms and given a stock-pricing task. The students in each room were told the students in the other room would act as their supervisor; however, the feedback the students received was actually sent from the researchers.
A third of the students were always treated fairly, a third were always treated unfairly and a third received erratic treatment that bounced back and forth between fair and unfair. Examples of unfair statements included "You should be ashamed of your efforts on that last round" and "It sucks to work with an unmotivated person."
The researchers monitored participants' heart rates - a common indicator of stress - and found that those who were treated inconsistently experienced more stress than those who were treated unfairly all the time.
The findings were replicated in a field study in which the researchers surveyed workers and their bosses daily over a three-week period. Participants worked in industries ranging from retail to health care to technology. According to this study, employees with fickle bosses were more prone to stress, job dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion than workers who were treated poorly all the time.
Why is this the case? Brent Scott, MSU associate professor of management and study co-author, said people appear to value consistency and predictability in fair treatment as much or more than fair treatment itself.
"Let's not lose sight of the fact that the best outcomes for employees occurred when their supervisors were consistently fair," said Scott. "However, if supervisors are going to be unfair, the results suggest that they would be better off behaving that way all of the time."
Developing consistently fair supervisors may require more than the occasional training session offered by many companies, the study notes. Instead, this goal could be woven into routine development programs and supervisor assessments.
In addition, the researchers suggest personality and integrity tests - typically used when hiring or promoting a supervisor to predict job performance - could also be used to predict their ability to treat employees fairly on a consistent basis.
"Prioritizing self-discipline, focus and careful thinking could help deliver leaders who are not just fair some of the time, but who are instead fair almost all of the time," the study concludes.
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Matta is a doctoral candidate in MSU's Department of Management who will start as an assistant professor at the University of Georgia after he completes his degree in May. In addition to Scott, his co-authors are Liana Passantino, MSU doctoral candidate in management, and two MSU graduates - Jason Colquitt, faculty member at the University of Georgia, and Joel Koopman, faculty member at the University of Cincinnati.
Spending nearly a year in space, 249 miles from Earth, could be a lonely prospect, but an office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, made sure astronaut Scott Kelly could reach home for the entire 340-day duration of his mission. Not only could Kelly communicate with mission control in Houston, but Goddard's Network Integration Center connected him with reporters and even family.
Reliable space-to-ground communication is critical to all missions - when astronauts venture outside the International Space Station to install new equipment and perform important maintenance, as well as for any other on-orbit needs.
Data collected in space, like video transmission of a spacewalk, travel as radio signals from antennas on spacecraft to much larger antennas on Earth, some with diameters up to 230 feet. From there, they travel via cables underground, or even under the ocean, to data centers around the world where scientists collect and analyze the data.
With hundreds of satellites operating in orbit around Earth and elsewhere in the solar system, it's easy to imagine that communication channels might become overwhelmed with data from the satellites. To prevent this, NASA manages and maintains three large communications networks. A spacecraft's distance from Earth decides which network it will use. Spacecraft in the far reaches of our solar system, such as New Horizons, just past Pluto, communicate via the Deep Space Network, while spacecraft closer to home, such as the ISS, use the Space Network or the Near Earth Network. Spacecraft utilizing the Space Network communicate using a constellation of geosynchronous Tracking and Data Relay Satellites known as TDRS. The Near Earth Network consists of ground-based stations located around the Earth. While the Space Network generally services spacecraft in low Earth orbit, the Near Earth Network can service spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, geosynchronous orbit and even in orbit around the moon.
The Space Communications and Navigation Program office is located at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Engineers and technicians at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, are primarily responsible for the management and operation of the Space Network and the Near Earth Network. The Deep Space Network is managed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Goddard's Network Integration Center (NIC) is the primary operations center for coordinating the communications for missions using the Near Earth Network and Space Network. Capabilities include robotic satellite missions as well as all human spaceflight missions. Service capabilities typically begin with the preflight testing of a spacecraft's communications systems prior to launch and culminates with the launch and initial in-orbit activities of the spacecraft.
Human spaceflight missions are the NIC's specialty. The center has been operational in one form or another since Project Mercury, NASA's first human spaceflight program. Maintaining communications with human-occupied spacecraft is essential for mission success regardless of whether it is in low-Earth orbit or beyond. Today the NIC is involved in all human space missions and regularly supports the ISS and the visiting cargo and crew transport vehicles that service the space station. The NIC will provide similar communication and navigation to the new commercial crew spacecraft being built by Boeing and SpaceX.
Communication and navigation for most spacecraft in low-Earth orbit is relatively straightforward, said Human Spaceflight Network Director Mark Severance, who manages the communications services from all networks during human spaceflight missions. Most low-Earth-orbit spacecraft connect with and maintain communications with one or two NASA communications networks. Future exploration missions will be more complicated.
"Typically when you fly a mission beyond Earth orbit, you launch and go around Earth a couple times, and you communicate through the Near Earth Network and the Space Network," Severance said. "Then you do a big rocket firing, you depart from Earth orbit and you're not going to return. You're then on the Deep Space Network forever. However, the return trips of human missions will require not only network handovers as the spacecraft leaves Earth, but return handovers between networks as well."
Because of this, future exploration missions will use all three of NASA's space communication's networks at various times during the mission. Not only must the NIC team ensure that all networks are functioning correctly, but that the handovers between networks are orchestrated to maintain communications between the spacecraft and mission control as it leaves Earth or approaches on its return journey. These plans can change rapidly due to in-flight complications, leaving the team to coordinate a new handover plan between the networks.
A preview of this type of mission capabilities occurred during the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) in December 2014. The flight orbited Earth twice to test NASA's new Orion spacecraft, designed to carry astronauts to destinations in deep space, including an asteroid and Mars. EFT-1 flew the Orion capsule to more than 15 times further from Earth than the International Space Station, about 3,600 miles above the planet's surface. Data collected during the flight will help finalize Orion's designs and show how the capsule performs during, and returns from, deep-space journeys. This includes testing Orion's communications capabilities with the Space Network, which was overseen by Severance's team in the NIC.
The NIC Human Space Flight team at Goddard is already planning the communications for Exploration Mission-1, the first flight of the agency's new Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to demonstrate the integrated system performance prior to the first crewed flight. Severance said this mission would be the biggest communications challenge moving forward into the next several years.
As NASA soars into space beyond Earth orbit once more, a legacy of space communications that began at Goddard more than 50 years ago continues.
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To see video - transmitted to Earth via the NIC - of a new commander taking over control of the ISS from returning astronaut Scott Kelly on Feb. 29, please visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-SzZXTKWS0
A team of researchers, led by scientists in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, will launch a project designed to improve nutrition and empower women in Cambodia by promoting their production and marketing of horticultural crops and rice produced via sustainable intensification practices.
Funding for the $1 million project, Women in Agriculture Network Cambodia: Gender and Ecologically Sensitive Agriculture, was awarded by the Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab, which is based at Kansas State University. The program is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development as part of Feed the Future, the U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative.
Smallholder farmers produce nearly half of the world's food, but they often have notoriously low yields, strong gendered divisions of labor and limited financial resources, according to lead investigator Rick Bates, professor of horticulture at Penn State.
"Small-scale farming systems such as these -- prevalent in many developing countries -- have been called 'very resilient poverty traps' that are characterized by chronic food and nutrition insecurity," said Bates, whose expertise includes horticulture enterprise development and sustainable food production systems. "Such is the situation in Cambodia, where some regions have 45 percent poverty rates and high concentrations of stunting and malnutrition."
To overcome these challenges, the researchers aim to improve the socio-economic and nutritional status of women and their families by promoting existing and potential sustainable intensification technologies, practices and policies that foster production of nutritious and marketable food while protecting agro-ecological resources.
Sustainable intensification, or SI, is defined as the process of enhancing crop yields on existing agricultural lands while minimizing environmental impact. The concept grew out of the realization that a growing global population is increasing the demand for food at a time when land, water, energy and other inputs are in short supply.
Bates noted that the project has three major objectives:
To identify and promote adoption of gender-sensitive SI technologies and practices in rice and horticulture value chains, targeted to improve ecological resilience and the nutritional status and income of poor households.
To identify and foster the conditions and social networks that will enable women to fully participate in the local, regional and international value chains for horticultural and rice-based foods produced via SI.
To build capacity in local agricultural institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and international universities and research institutes to develop and promote the adoption of innovations in gender-sensitive and ecologically sensitive SI.
The researchers contend that horticultural and other foods grown by smallholder farmers via SI are produced and distributed through value chains that can be exploited to create new opportunities for women and improve the nutrition of their families.
"Cambodia represents a best-case scenario for promoting SI through the increased involvement of women, who already play a significant and often nearly autonomous role in agriculture in much of the country," Bates said. "Our project stresses the importance of markets and will promote efforts to move Cambodian agriculture toward a market-driven system."
However, explained co-principal investigator Leif Jensen, because markets can work differently for women and men, the researchers will bring a gendered-economy perspective to the project.
"Our value chain analysis will address normative, cultural, economic and political forces and barriers that affect access to and control of resources in the production of horticultural goods via SI in Cambodia," said Jensen, Distinguished Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography. "Although the project will focus on four of the country's provinces, we hope our approach will serve as a model for the entire country and region."
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The project's 14 other co-principal investigators include researchers from Penn State and several other universities and research centers, with expertise in areas such as gender and agriculture, international agriculture and development, crop protection and integrated pest management, agricultural economics, agroecology, soil science, agribusiness development, food science, and animal science.
Women's Agricultural Network Cambodia falls under the umbrella of the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences' new Gender, Agriculture and Environment Initiative, led by Carolyn Sachs, professor of rural sociology and women's studies, and Ann Tickamyer, professor and head, Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education.
The initiative draws together a network of scholars and researchers who can initiate and respond to new opportunities for research, instruction and evidence-based outreach that address the intersections of gender with agricultural and environmental sciences. For more information about the initiative, contact Deanna Behring, the college's director of international programs, at dmb37@psu.edu.
A team led by Prof. Tae-Woo Lee (Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering) at POSTECH have fabricated highly-efficient, solution-processed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using pure-organic thermally-activated delayed-fluorescence (TADF) emitters. The research was published in Advanced Materials journal. This research is selected as a most significant paper and open to the public as a "Layman's abstract".
Conventional OLEDs use the phosphorescent emitters which have shown high internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of nearly 100%. However, they should incorporate precious heavy metals such as iridium and platinum into phosphorescent metal-complexes; these limit their commercialization. In order to overcome these disadvantages, the research team uses pure-organic TADF emitters which can show a very high IQE of nearly 100% without precious metals. Furthermore, TADF emitters have advantages of easy synthesis using pure-organic molecules and versatile molecular design, thus, reduce the synthesis cost.
They also introduced the inexpensive, simple solution-process to fabricate the TADF-OLEDs by solving fundamental problems which limit the high efficiency in solution processed TADF-OLEDs. A multi-functional buffer hole injection layer (Buf-HIL) that can increase the hole injection capability to the emitting layer (EML) due to its high work function, and also improve the luminescence efficiency of TADF-OLEDs by preventing exciton quenching at the HIL/EML interface was employed. Furthermore, new polar aprotic solvent improved the device efficiency by improving the solubility of pure-organic TADF emitters, reducing the surface roughness and the aggregation of dopants, and managing the exciton quenching in the emitting layer.
This improvement in solution processed TADF-OLEDs will remedy the disadvantages of a complex and expensive vacuum-deposition process and thus lower the production cost of the devices. It is of prime importance to reduce the production cost of the devices from the perspective of industrial mass-production of OLED displays and solid-state lightings.
Prof. Tae-Woo Lee mentioned, "This technology is a big leap toward the development of inexpensive and solution-processed OLED displays and solid-state lightings because this method uses only low-cost pure-organic molecules and simple solution process to realize the extremely high efficiency solution-processed OLEDs."
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This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIP), and by the Center for Advanced Soft-Electronics funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning as Global Frontier Project.
Reston, Va. (March 1, 2016) - A recent study, reported in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, found evidence that genetic influence on cerebral glucose metabolism played a major role in the bilateral parietal lobes and the left temporal lobe of the human brain, while environmental influences after birth dominated in other regions.
Twins have long been the subject of studies in the quest to determine the influences of nature vs. nurture. An earlier study, published in the journal "Nature Genetics" in May 2015, examined more than half a century of research collected on 14.5 million pairs of twins and concluded that the nature versus nurture debate is a draw; both have nearly identical influences on a person's traits and diseases. But we still didn't know specifically how nature and environment can affect our brains.
Now, researchers at Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan have begun to focus in on just that. In their study of 40 monozygotic (identical) and 18 dizygotic (fraternal) twin pairs, ages 30 or older, they used positron emission tomography (PET) scans with the radiopharmaceutical 2-deoxy-2-F-18-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) targeting regional cerebral glucose metabolism. Eighteen control pairs matched genetically unrelated individuals of the same age and gender as the twins in the study.
Jun Hatazawa, MD, PhD, corresponding author of the study, explains, "Glucose is an essential fuel for brain energy metabolism as well as oxygen. Functional activation of neurons is normally associated with increases in the local cerebral glucose utilization and blood flow."
They evaluated the F-18 FDG uptake in each cerebral lobe for the identical and fraternal twins as well as the controls. By comparing differences, they could estimate the genetic and environmental contributions.
Hatazawa notes that previous studies have revealed strong genetic influence on the volume of frontal gray matter, whereas this study shows that frontal glucose metabolism is preferentially influenced by environmental factors. Knowing which areas of the brain are more influenced by the environment will help with understanding particular neurological and psychiatric disorders.
He states, "The frontal lobes of monozygotic twins are anatomically identical, but they are metabolically and functionally different under environmental influences. This twin-imaging research can be applied to amyloid imaging in Alzheimer's disease and neurotransmitter-receptor imaging in psychiatric disorders where genetic, epigenetic and environmental influences remain unknown. In future twin studies, we may be able to identify specific environmental risk factors."
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Authors of the article "Genetic and Environmental Influences on Regional Brain Uptake of 2-deoxy-2-18F-fluoro-D-glucose: a PET Study in Monozygotic and Dizygotic Twins" include Shinichiro Watanabe, Hiroki Kato, Eku Shimosegawa, and Jun Hatazawa of Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine.
Please visit the SNMMI Media Center to view the PDF of the study, including images, and more information about molecular imaging and personalized medicine. To schedule an interview with the researchers, please contact Laurie Callahan at (703) 652-6773 or lcallahan@snmmi.org. Current and past issues of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine can be found online at http://jnm.snmjournals.org.
About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated and helping provide patients with the best health care possible.
SNMMI's more than 17,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit http://www.snmmi.org.
Researchers see alternative ways of using knowledge in indigenous societies as a way to improve our own societies in Europe
In the indigenous societies that still exist on the planet, those who possess greater knowledge of natural resources, traditions and age-old beliefs have a greater capacity to obtain food and safeguard their health.
However, in spite of their privileged situation, these individuals do not enjoy a better nutritional status or general well-being than the other members of the group, probably because these societies prioritise information sharing and equal distribution of resources.
This is the conclusion of a study by scientists at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) led by Dr Victoria Reyes-Garcia, in the framework of a research project on the adaptive nature of culture and the benefits of local environmental knowledge as seen in three indigenous societies in Borneo, the Congo and Amazonia.
The project, with one million Euros in funding through a Starting Grant awarded by the European Research Council (within the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Union) to Victoria Reyes-Garcia, has carried out an in-depth study of these three indigenous societies over five years, in order to gain greater insights into their systems of knowledge, which are often forgotten. Though the societies being studied may appear to be far removed from our own lives, the results point to alternative ways of producing and using knowledge that could be of great significance for our "knowledge society".
"We call our own society the 'knowledge society' but this is a commodified knowledge; if we can learn to use knowledge in a different way, as these indigenous populations do, we could gain great benefits", explains Dr Reyes-Garcia. The members of the research group lived for a year and a half in the communities of the Punan Tubu (hunter-gatherers of Borneo, Indonesia), the Baka (semi-nomads from the River Congo basin) and the Tsimane' (forager-horticulturists from Bolivian Amazonia).
The local environmental knowledge (LEK) studied in this period encompasses all the ancestral knowledge that the members of the group have of natural resources and of the functions and dynamics of their ecosystems, along with the management practices, beliefs, traditions and institutions associated with this knowledge that the society has built up over thousands of years. LEK is dynamic, is transmitted from one generation to another in unwritten form by observation and imitation and it facilitates the adaptive strategies of indigenous peoples in the face of change. The researchers note, however, that this knowledge is losing importance in these indigenous societies, which are gradually abandoning their subsistence economy and adopting new forms of economy based on the market, along with formal education and modern health systems.
The project focused on knowledge relating to hunting and medicinal plants. In indigenous societies, greater knowledge of hunting techniques is a guarantee of having food available daily, while knowing about medicinal plants is key to the survival of groups with limited access to national health systems.
"We tried to find out if people who have accumulated more knowledge (LEK) about hunting or medicinal plants enjoy better living conditions; for example, whether knowing more about medicinal plants means they get fewer illnesses or whether catching more game means they enjoy a better nutritional status", explains Dr Reyes-Garcia. The results showed that individuals with greater hunting knowledge caught more animals per hour of hunting and that those who knew more about medicinal plants reported fewer days of illness. However, In spite of these results these persons were not necessarily found to enjoy a better nutritional status.
The explanation for this paradox seems to lie in the prevalence of sharing and reciprocity in the three societies being studied: practices that affect both knowledge and access to resources. "They share information on the properties of a plant or where in the forest it can be found and they also share meat, with all members of the community. The frequency with which information and resources are shared could be the reason why individuals' nutritional status is not directly related to their LEK level".
The researchers suggest that knowledge of LEK systems should not only be taken into account when making policy with regard to indigenous peoples but should be seen from the perspective of European societies as "alternative ways of producing, transmitting and using knowledge".
On completing this project (The adaptive nature of culture: A cross-cultural analysis of the returns of Local Environmental Knowledge in three indigenous societies"), the group has issued a comprehensive report with the principal conclusions drawn, in Spanish, English and French.
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- University of California, Riverside researchers may have found a better, more environmentally friendly way to stop the procession of Argentine ants, which have been spreading across the United States for the past few decades, despite pest control efforts.
The Argentine ant is an invasive species that has become a major nuisance in California and southern states, including Georgia, South Carolina. Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina. In fact, a 2007 survey found that 85 percent of all urban pest control services in California were focused on the Argentine ant.
A common weapon for managing the Argentine ant has been residual insecticide sprays, insecticides that remain effective for a length of time after being sprayed on a surface. However, the downside of this tactic is that the insecticides can find their way into water systems and harm some aquatic species.
Another common management technique is baiting, where the ants take food mixed with insecticides back to their colony and then expose other ants to the toxins. This method is more environmentally friendly, but it can be tricky to perfect because the baits need to be palatable, non-repellent, slow-acting, transferable, and inaccessible to non-ants.
In an effort to improve the baiting technique, a team from the UC Riverside added ant pheromones to the bait. They found that baits with pheromones reduced ant activity by 74 percent after four weeks. Baits without pheromones reduced ant activity only 42 percent after four weeks.
The researchers used the Argentine ant pheromone (Z)-9-hexadecenal, which is inexpensive enough that the researchers believe they could be an economically viable modification to existing bait products.
This result came as a bit of a surprise to the authors.
"We expected the pheromone-assisted gel bait to attract more ants, but the amount of Argentine ant control in homes was quite remarkable," said Kevin Welzel, an author of the paper and a graduate student at UC Riverside who works with Dong-Hwan Choe, an assistant professor of entomology and an assistant cooperative extension specialist.
Welzel added: "A good way to explain why the pheromone bait worked better is to think about it like the smell of your favorite food. Once you smell your favorite food, you tend to go to the source of the food and you may find it difficult to resist the temptation to consume it. Essentially, we just added an attractive smell to bait that didn't have an odor. This attractive smell allows the Argentine ants to quickly locate and then consume more of the bait."
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The findings were outlined in a paper, "Development of a Pheromone-Assisted Baiting Technique for Argentine Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)," that was published last week in the Journal of Economic Entomology.
The UC Riverside Office of Technology Commercialization has filed a patent on the technique outlined in this paper.
Josh Lancette, manager of publications at the Entomological Society of America, contributed to this press release.
Losing the ability to fly gave ancient penguins their unique locomotion style. But leaving the sky behind didn't cause major changes in their brain structure, researchers from The University of Texas at Austin suggest after examining the skull of the oldest known penguin fossil.
The findings were published in the Journal of Anatomy in February.
"What this seems to indicate is that becoming larger, losing flight and becoming a wing-propelled diver does not necessarily change the [brain] anatomy quickly," said James Proffitt, a graduate student at the university's Jackson School of Geosciences who led the research. "The way the modern penguin brain looks doesn't show up until millions and millions of years later."
Proffitt conducted the research with Julia Clarke, a professor in the Jackson School's Department of Geological Sciences, and Paul Scofield, the senior curator of Natural History at the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand, where the skull fossil is from.
The skull is from a penguin that lived in New Zealand over 60 million years ago during the Paleocene epoch. According to Proffitt, it likely lived much like penguins today. But while today's penguins have been diving instead of flying for tens of millions of years, the change was relatively new for the ancient penguin.
"It's the oldest [penguin] following pretty closely after the loss of flight and the evolution of flightless wing-propelled diving that we know of," Proffitt said.
The shape of bird skulls is influenced by the structure of the brain. To learn about early penguin brain anatomy, Proffitt used X-ray CT-scanning to digitally capture fine features of the skull's anatomy, and then used computer modeling software to create a digital mold of the brain, called an endocast.
The researchers thought that loss of flight would impact brain structure--making the brains of ancient penguins and modern penguins similar in certain regions. However, after analyzing the endocast and comparing it to modern penguin brain anatomy, no such similarity was found, Proffitt said. The brain anatomy had more in common with skulls of modern relatives that both fly and dive such as petrels and loons, than modern penguins.
It's difficult to know why modern penguins' brains look different than their ancestors' brains, Proffitt said. It's possible that millions of years of flightless living created gradual changes in the brain structure. But the analysis shows that these changes are not directly related to initial loss of flight because they are not shared by the ancient penguin brain.
However, similarities in the brain shape between the ancient species and diving birds living today suggest that diving behavior may be associated with certain anatomical structures in the brain.
"The question now is do the old fossil penguins' brains look that way because that's the way their ancestors looked, or does it have something maybe to do with diving?" Proffitt said. "I think that's an open question right now."
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The research was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
A Canadian government panel charged with recommending terms for the Supreme Court-imposed right to euthanasia wants MDs (and nurses) to have lower conscience rights than veterinarians. What do I mean? If someone presents a pet to be euthanized, the veterinarian can say no if she thinks the condition of the animal does not warrant that extreme action.
But if the panel gets its way, not so with doctors. It wants all MDs required by law to either kill the legally qualified patient or if they have a religious or other predicated conscience objection to committing homicide to provide an effective referral to a colleague to perform the lethal injection.
Effective referral will likely mean procuring a death doctor they know will be willing to do the deed, which is the law in Victoria, Australia, around abortion. From the report:
RECOMMENDATION 10 That the Government of Canada work with the provinces and territories and their medical regulatory bodies to establish a process that respects a health care practitioners freedom of conscience while at the same time respecting the needs of a patient who seeks medical assistance in dying. At a minimum, the objecting practitioner must provide an effective referral for the patient.
Some objecting doctors might try to get around the effective referral requirement by claiming they didnt find the patient legally qualified medically. But conscientiously, religiously, or morally objecting nurses would have no such wiggle room.
The panel wants nurses to be allowed to kill. But since they wouldnt be the ones determining whether a patient was qualified legally for euthanasia, nurses would face the stark choice of administering the lethal injection when directed by a doctor, or being insubordinate and losing their livelihood. The same would no doubt apply to pharmacists who would concoct the death brew.
Not only that, but religious medical institutions will be required to permit euthanasia in their facilities if the panel has its way. This includes Catholic nursing homes if they receive government funding, which, I am told, is how Canadas system works. Again, from the report:
RECOMMENDATION 11 That the Government of Canada work with the provinces and territories to ensure that all publicly funded health care institutions provide medical assistance in dying.
Heres the bottom line: If the panels recommendations are enacted, to practice medicine, nursing, pharmacy, or run a nursing home or hospice in Canada will require participation or complicity in the killing of sick, disabled, and mentally ill patients.
Theres a word for that. Hint: It is the antithesis of liberty.
Image credit: 135pixels / Dollar Photo Club.
Cross-posted at The Corner.
New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Conversion Rates Take a Dive after Business Confidence Declined Significantly
Downwards pressures from the US Dollar following todays strong US labour market data have so far failed to weaken the New Zealand Dollar, which is beginning to advance.
The GBP to NZD remains bullish today, although the New Zealand Dollar is now trending positively against the majority of currencies.
New Zealands antipodean neighbours have stolen focus today after Australia posted better-than-expected GDP growth of 3%, making the Australian Dollar (AUD) the high-risk currency of choice today at the expense of the New Zealand Dollar (NZD).
The Pound is currently making a bullish recovery after the NZD exchange rate advanced yesterday due to a small uptick in dairy prices.
The GlobalDairyTrade auction has yielded the first price rise in nearly three months, strengthening the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) and eroding the British Pounds earlier gains.
The 1.4% price increase takes the average value of a metric tonne of dairy derivatives up to US$2,253 per metric tonne.
Here are the latest live FX rates as a reference:
On Saturday the Pound to British Pound exchange rate (GBP/GBP) converts at 1
The live inter-bank GBP-GBP spot rate is quoted as 1 today.
At time of writing the pound to us dollar exchange rate is quoted at 1.13.
The pound conversion rate (against australian dollar) is quoted at 1.778 AUD/GBP.
Please note: the FX rates above, updated 22nd Oct 2022, will have a commission applied by your typical high street bank. Currency brokers specialise in these type of foreign currency transactions and can save you up to 5% on international payments compared to the banks.
Todays pound to NZ dollar spot rate remains strong, although UK data has printed poorly.
The latest Markit PMI shows that UK manufacturing sector growth slowed from 52.9 to 50.8, its worst performance in 34 months, with new orders making little improvement and more jobs being cut.
In response to disappointing domestic data the New Zealand Dollar dived versus its major currency peers.
Even intervention from the Peoples Bank of China (PBoC) wasnt enough to aid a recovery in the NZD exchange rate.
As traders await the Global Dairy Trade Auction the NZ Dollar is predicted to hold its current weak position.
Popular Foreign Exchange News
The GBP/NZD exchange rate advanced thanks to disappointing NZ data.
On Monday afternoon the New Zealand Dollar held significant losses versus nearly all of its major peers.
The depreciation was the result of particularly disappointing domestic data which showed Business Confidence dived from 23 to 7.1 in February.
In reaction to the disappointing data, ANZ New Zealand Chief Economist Cameron Bagrie said;
Firms are still flagging reasonable prospects; it's just that the foot is planted less firmly on the accelerator. We put the move down to global unease. Our composite indicator still flags pretty solid prospects over the year ahead, albeit in a lower gear. The finger can be pointed at the global scene. It's been a rough start to the year. Our economy is not immune from global pressures. We are a small, commodity dependent, debtor nation.
The forthcoming Global Dairy Auction, the result of which is due during Tuesdays European session, will be very likely to provoke significant NZD/GBP and NZD/AUD exchange rate volatility.
Pound Sterling (GBP) Exchange Rate Edges Higher but EU Referendum Uncertainty Predicted to Weigh on Gains
During Mondays European session the British Pound edged higher versus the majority of its most traded currency rivals.
This was due to positive domestic data results which showed Net Consumer Credit, Net Lending Securities on Dwellings, Mortgage Approvals and M4 Money Supply data all eclipsed the respective median market forecasts.
Sterling gains are predicted to be short-lived, however, as EU referendum uncertainty continues to dominate trader focus.
Any mention from a prominent British official of support to leave will likely be met with a large Sterling depreciation.
This weeks main focus, in terms of British economic data, will be Thursdays Services PMI.
A positive result could see the Pound extend the recovery, but political uncertainty will limit the advance.
US Dollar (USD) Softens after Pending Home Sales Unexpectedly Slump
The combination of heightened demand for high-yielding assets in response to intervention from the Peoples Bank of China, and disappointing domestic data caused the US Dollar to soften versus its major peers.
Of particular disappointment was Januarys Pending Home Sales which unexpectedly contracted by -0.9%.
While pending home sales have been weak lately, some other housing indicatorsincluding the mortgage purchase application data reported through most of Februaryhave looked strong, giving us hope that the housing market is continuing to recover, Daniel Silver, an economist at J.P. Morgan Chase, wrote in an analyst note.
Today's CAD dollar exchange rate remains bearish against currency peers such as the pound, euro and US dollar. Supportive oil and gold costs had previously counteracted the Canadian Current Account flop, leaving Canadian exchange rates static.
Demand for oil is predicted to fall, along with crude prices, in the coming days after the news that the US inventories of crude oil swelled to an historically high level, potentially weakening the Canadian dollar (CAD) against currency rivals.
Inventories were expected to fall from 3.5 million barrels to 1.1 million barrels, but instead leapt up to 10.3 million barrels.
Before we continue, here are some key forex conversion rates as a reference:
On Saturday the Pound to British Pound exchange rate (GBP/GBP) converts at 1
At time of writing the pound to pound exchange rate is quoted at 1.
The live inter-bank GBP-EUR spot rate is quoted as 1.146 today.
The GBP to USD exchange rate converts at 1.13 today.
Please note: the FX rates above, updated 22nd Oct 2022, will have a commission applied by your typical high street bank. Currency brokers specialise in these type of foreign currency transactions and can save you up to 5% on international payments compared to the banks.
Canadian Exchange Rates Fall as Investors Examine Wider Economic Conditions
While yesterdays GDP data bettered expectations, the Canadian dollar exchange rate is falling today as investors take a closer look at the data and the wider economic conditions.
The figures show that the Canadian economy saw less-than half the rate of growth it experienced in 2014 and expanded at the slowest rate since the 2009 recession.
Economic growth figures for Canada have bettered expectations, relieving economists and boosting the CAD exchange rates today.
Monthly GDP only slowed by half as much as forecast to 0.2%, while Year-on-Year (YoY) GDP remained at 0.5% and annualised GDP in the fourth quarter of 2015 only slowed from 2.4% to 0.8%, despite both figures having been expected to hit 0%.
The day has begun favourably for the Canadian Dollar, which has advanced by respectable amounts against its major peers including the Euro and US Dollar. This positive movement can be attributed to a recent favourable shift in the cost of nationally relevant commodities.
The price of crude oil per barrel has risen to $34.15 today on the WTI index, while the cost of gold per 100 ounces has been similarly beneficial, having climbed to $1239.9.
Yesterday saw the Loonie devalued somewhat by its biggest piece of domestic data; during the afternoon, the Q4 current account fell from -$15.31bn to -$15.38bn.
CAD/GBP, CAD/USD Exchange Rate Movement Expected on High-Impact Canadian Ecostats
The near afternoon will bring a number of potentially impactful Canadian economic announcements, beginning with the earlier December and Q4 GDP figures. Current forecasts are negative across the board, with expectations being for declines from 0.3% to 0.1% on the month, 0.2% to 0% on the year and for a shift from 2.3% to 0% for the annualised quarterly figure.
Following on from this will be the RBC February manufacturing PMI, which has no forecasts assigned but previously came in near the growth range at 49.3. If the result manages to breach the 50 mark, the Loonie could be bolstered by such a development.
After this afternoon, the future is expected to be fairly quiet for the Canadian Dollar until Friday, when the next (and last) ecostats are due to be announced. These will mainly be comprised of the Ivey purchasing managers index for February, which was expected to fall from 66 to 58 at the time of writing.
Pound Sterling on the Up Today after Optimistic CBI Report
The appeal of the UK currency has increased substantially today, with the Pound as yet being untroubled by the usual battering of UK Referendum news that has characterised its movement of late.
One of the most beneficial developments has been the announcement from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) that although January was a lacklustre time for UK economic growth, there is nonetheless a strong hope that the economy will pick up in the coming quarter.
According to Rain Newton-Smith, the CBIs Director of Economics:
Its important that the Budget later this month gives business a clear signal that the Government stands behind it in driving growth.
US Dollar (USD) Fails to Attract Investors Today as Super Tuesday Gets Underway
The US Dollar hasnt been particularly appealing today, having slipped against many of its major economic peers at the start of the trading session. A potential cause for this decline is the occurrence of the potentially-destabilising Super Tuesday.
Today is a key one in the race to become the Republican or Democrat candidate for the US presidency, given that the most states are voting at one time to make their decision.
At the time of writing, expectations were that either Donald Trump or Marco Rubio would end the day in the lead for the Republican Party, while despite initial windfalls, Democrat candidate Bernie Sanders was predicted to fall behind the more popular Hilary Clinton.
BOC Predicted to Act if GDP Forecasts Prove Accurate - Canadian Dollar Forecast
Although further stimulus measures would likely send the appeal of the Canadian Dollar diving if they were announced, current opinions are that weak GDP stats today could ensure this very outcome from the Canadian government.
Scotiabank economist Derek Holt has stated that:
The issue is whether the economy slightly expanded or contracted in the final quarter of last year. Q4 GDP could increase pressure on Ottawa to add stimulus on March 22nd, when the Federal budget lands.
For anyone interested in exploring the geneses of and backgrounds to Graham Greene's novels (not to mention his plays, screenplays and travelogues), I can highly recommend(Bodley Head, 1980, dust jacket design by Michael Harvey). A kind of sequel to(1971) Greene's autobiography, which covers his life up to the age of twenty-seven and the publication of his fourth novel,(1932) is part memoir, part book-by-book exploration of the author's backlist, drawing on his introductions to the 19701982 Bodley Head/Heinemann Collected Edition of his works along with assorted essays for assorted newspapers and magazines. I read the whole thing last year (after buying a first edition for a fiver at the Lewes Book Fair) and touched on it briefly in my review of(1943) and my year-end books top ten ; but I'm minded to dwell on it a little more in regard to another Greene book I read last year:(Heinemann, 1958, dust jacket design by Donald Green said wrapper also to be found, naturally, in Beautiful British Book Jacket Design of the 1950s and 1960s ). The story of a middle-aged Havana-based vacuum-cleaner salesman, Jim Wormold, who winds up spying for British Intelligence after a fashion; he fabricates all of his reports also featured in my top ten books of the year, placing at number ten, just below the ninth placedin fact. While I enjoyed it, I'd venture that it isn't as rich a piece of fiction as, say, the aforementioned, or(1955), or(1978). However, like those novels it does deal with matters of espionage a subject Greene had plenty of experience with, having spied for the Secret Service in Africa during the war and in many ways is perhaps more illuminating on the realities of spying than any of them.Greene notes inthatstarted life as an outline for a film, written shortly after the war at the request of the Brazilian director Alberto Cavalcanti but never developed into a full screenplay. (In the event the book was filmed after publication by British director Carol Reed .) "I thought I would write a Secret Service comedy based on what I had learned from my work in 19344 of German Abwehr activity in Portugal," Greene explains, before continuing:Our Man in HavanaIn their absurdity and especially their apparent veracity, Greene's recollections of spying inand their fictionalised versions inremind me of W. Somerset Maugham's magnificent Ashenden, or, The British Agent (1928). Admittedly there's less humour in the latter, but despite the differences in tone (although less marked differences in the clarity of their prose; Greene and Maugham were both beautifully clear writers), in its own waystrikes me as being as authentic a (fictional) depiction of spying as. And regarding the lighter tenor of, as Greene reasons, "It seemed to me that either the Foreign Office or the Intelligence Service had amply merited a little ridicule."Incidentally, the chapter oninis revealing in ways entirely unrelated to espionage as well, not least when Greene recounts the episode in Cuba when he tried to score some cocaine. And equally incidentally, the copy ofpictured in this post is a first edition (and first impression) I bought on eBay last year, partly because I wanted to read the book, partly because I love Donald Green's wrapper , but also because this particular copy bears the ownership signature of a Georgina Greene on the front free endpaper. I haven't been able to establish any kind of familial connection with Graham Greene, but Greene did have quite an extended family he had five brothers and sisters so you never know. In any case, as a collector of books himself , in particular signed editions, Graham Greene would surely have approved of the purchase.
Health board officials from Scotland are travelling to Australia to try to persuade expat GPs to return to the country which has a shortage of doctors.The NHS Education Scotland delegates are attending the 2016 Ottawa medical conference in Perth but are also planning face to face with GPs working in Australia who are interested in returning to General Practice in Scotland."Scotland needs its trained GPs back. With the development of a new GMC contract underway, more investment in General Practice, access to the NHS pension scheme and a health service that is arguably one of the best in the world, there is much to commend working as a General Practitioner in Scotland right now," said a spokesman.Those interested in doing so would need nothing more than a simple two to four week induction programme, managed by the Health Board whose Performers List they choose to join.Those who have worked in NHS General Practice before and are currently working in a clinical post comparable to General Practice in the UK, for example in Australia, New Zealand or Canada, face no entry assessment and no lengthy waits to get a position."We are interested in attracting GPs in particular but are always looking to talk to any medics, specialists and healthcare staff who are interested in choosing Scotland as a place to live and work," the NES spokesman explained."Recruiting abroad is not new to the NHS across the UK. Efforts have stepped up exponentially in the last few years as a lack of staff in key areas leads to higher costs in terms of locum or temporary staff, as well as the knock on effect to the continuity of care for patients," he said.He added that he did not know how many expat GPs were working in Australia but said Scots medics were in high demand because their education and training was first class.One doctor who graduated in medicine from Edinburgh University in 2004 explained why he moved to Australia and has now moved back to Scotland. "We planned to go to Australia for one year and do some travelling on the way out, work for a year and then do some travelling on the way back and see it as an 18 month to two year period out and then come back and find something more permanent," he said."However, before we knew it, I had spent five years as a GP in Australia, during which time my wife and I had a baby and, after she got towards the end of her maternity leave, we were at that tipping point where you either stay long term in Australia or move back," he explained."Given we both have very close families, we decided to come back so they could play some part in the upbringing of our wee boy and so that we could help them as they get on a bit and become a bit more dependent," he added.He found the process of coming back to work in Scotland easier than he thought it would be. "I thought it might entail a retainer scheme that I would have to go on. I was pleasantly surprised when I only had to complete a two week supervised position," he pointed out."It was decided that, given I trained in Edinburgh and was familiar with the area, two weeks of supervised practice would suffice. It all came back pretty quickly. Nothing had changed from when I was last working here," he added.However, he found the colder climate a shock. "But there are things that Australia really doesn't have like the history, the proximity to Europe and all the cultural aspects of Edinburgh. Being so close to family was the main reason we came back and it is great to be nearer them. We've seen my family and my wife's family a lot since we've been back and that's been good," he said.
WOOSTER, Ohio Three years ago, the first Ohio hops conference was held with just a handful of producers in attendance. There were roughly 10 hop farms, 15 acres in hop production and 50 craft brewers in the state. Today, Ohio boasts about 120 farms and 200 acres in hop production and 220 craft brewers.
Its really grown a lot in 800 days, said Brad Bergefurd,OSU Extension horticulture specialist at the South Centers in Piketon, Ohio. A lot of this resurgence in hops production is due to a spike in craft brewing in the state.
Conference
This years Ohio Hops and Malting Barley Conference, held Feb. 24-25, at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, sold out with more than 2,000 producers, from beginner to advanced, in attendance. Sessions offered new producers the opportunity to get involved in the growing industry while also helping advanced and established growers take their crop to the next level.
Hop dreams
Allen Conti, of High Point Farms, Leetonia, Ohio, is looking into adding hops to the family farm, and Brian Conti, of Cleveland, hopes to start a craft brewery with those hops. While the Contis are only in the talking stages, Brian said he attended the conference to learn all he can about the plant, from how its grown to how it is used in the brewing process. Its good to learn from the ground up.
Bug zoo
In between presentations, growers had an opportunity to take a closer look at the bugs that affect hop growth. Mary Gardiner, associate professor of entomology at Ohio State University, set up a Bug Zoo at the conference.
Gardiner and student researchers showed growers what spider mite damage looks like, and the tiny bugs themselves, as well as aphids and other pests. The Bug Zoo also showcased a variety of beneficial bugs that aid in plant production.
Ann George, executive director of Hop Growers of America, gave a national and international overview of the hop industry. Nationally, there are currently 45,000 acres is hop production, which is the highest production has ever been in the U.S., said George. This is a fun time to be in the hop industry. I just hope it stays, said George.
Markets
Hop markets are historically unstable, said George. While there is a stable demand for hops in the craft brewing industry, there is not enough acreage to support the demand. Varietal differences, growing practices, pests, Mother Nature, and even brewers changing recipes to develop the next best beer, all affect the market.
Craft brews
Overall U.S. beer sales in 2014 increased by 0.5 percent, while craft beer increased by 17.6 percent, according to the Brewers Association. The overall beer market was $101.5 billion, with the craft beer market at $19.6 billion (a 22 percent sales growth).
Annually, the U.S. exports 50 percent of its hop crop to more than 60 markets. Just five years ago, that number was closer to 70 percent, explained George. This shift is being driven by the craft brewing boom. In the past three years, overall hop acreage has increased 52.4 percent to meet the demands of domestic craft brewers.
The craft brewing industry had a 15 percent growth rate going into 2015. Craft brewing is also driving a shift in the varieties that are being grown in the U.S. Historically, U.S. production has centered around Alpha varieties of hops, which are high yielding. Craft brewers are searching for aroma varieties which require certain climates to achieve desired flavors. These varieties also produce fewer hops per bind. Brewers are also experimenting with the use of wet or fresh hops and organic hops, which could open the door for niche growers.
Coming soon
George said new hops farms are being established across the country, but with this growth, there is a need for quality and food safety standards. Hop Growers of America is working on a self-certifying program that will allow growers to identify themselves as quality hops producers and help local brewers find them. Online modules will be available for growers to take and print out a certificate of completion. The first module will be available around harvest time (mid-2016) at usahops.org.
The group is also working on a database system that will issue each certified grower a grower number. This will help with traceability knowing what varieties are being grown, how much acreage is being used and where it is being grown, for better reporting.
Do homework
George told beginning growers that there are a lot of considerations before one decides to put a plant in the ground. Growers should first identify a market to sell their crop. Ask area brewers what varieties they would be interested in purchasing and how much they need. Then, try to secure a contract with brewers if possible.
Varieties
Growers should seek out quality plant stock to begin a hop yard; know what diseases to be prepared for; and what tools (pesticides/herbicides) are approved for treatment of those diseases. Finding the right variety that grows well in an area may require research and test plots. George notes that what works well for one grower may not necessarily work for another. It may take a couple years to find what grows well.
Infrastructure is key
How will the grower harvest and process his crop? It could mean an investment in machinery or teaming up with another grower who would provide the service. It can cost a grower $10,000-$15,000 in start-up costs to build the trellis system that is required for growing hops. Develop a realistic five-year budget, mapping costs of production and potential market prices.
It doesnt take very much acreage to have something of high value and provide extra income for the family, said Tom Worley, director of Ohio State Universitys South Centers. But it does take a lot of careful planning and hard work to be successful.
Read more about Ohio hops here
Shropshire
A Full-Time position is available for an assistant herdsperson on a family dairy farm in mid Shropshire. We have a 250 dairy herd rearing own replacements together with a b...
Copa and Cogeca welcome a new report published today by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) showing EU farmers and agri-cooperatives stand to gain if import duties on fertilizers and anti-dumping duties were removed.
With farmers facing increasing challenges especially high fertilizer prices, the report, commissioned by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), shows the huge benefits for farmers if input costs were removed.
Speaking at the press event organized by the IFA in Brussels, Copa and Cogeca Secretary General Pekka Pesonen said: We welcome the report. We have sent a letter to EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom underlining our concerns and also presented our views to EU Farm Commissioner Phil Hogan as one of the ways to alleviate the current crisis hitting EU agricultural markets.
Fertilisers make up a large share of the production costs for wheat, barley, maize, oilseeds and fodder (grass) for animal feed. Copa and Cogeca member organisations believe that the significant drop in prices on the global energy markets, even allowing for the appreciation of the US Dollar against the Euro, has not resulted in a proportional decrease in the price of mineral fertilisers along the entire chain, from the blending stage, through distribution, right down to farm level.
Tools to manage risks on the mineral fertiliser market do exist, yet they are inappropriate and unavailable at farm level. We call on the EU Commission to temporarily set import duties at zero with immediate effect for the products listed in chapter 31 of the customs code and for ammonia (chapter 2814) and remove anti-dumping duties on ammonium nitrates from Russia, he added.
Jer Bergin from IFA said: Fertiliser is the second biggest expenditure for Irish farmers with an annual spend of over 500m and the Commission must take action as family farm incomes are on the floor. The report takes an in-depth look at how the European fertiliser market functions comparing it to other major agricultural producing regions of the world. It is clear from the data collected that Europes market is not functioning as the duties and tariffs protect European manufacturers at the expense of farm families. For example, prices in Europe increased by 123% between 1970 and 2002, while prices in other countries like Brazil decreased by 65%.
IFA Inputs Project Team Leader James McCarthy said: The ongoing concentration of Europes fertiliser manufacturing industry, coupled with greater vertical integration of the sectors supply chain, has seen farmgate fertiliser prices increase at an unjustified rate relative to other input costs. The industry historically blamed the disparity on rising energy costs. However, the steep fall in energy prices over the last two years has not been reflected in retail fertiliser prices to the primary producer.
A new 70 million innovation centre will bring together the food industry and academic researchers to transform the productivity of the UK livestock industry.
The Centre of Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIELivestock) has been allocated 31.7 million funding from the Governments Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) to set up state-of-the-art facilities across the UK, providing the livestock industry with world-beating access to research.
Additional funding from industry for projects in the Centre and investments by the participating research institutions will bring total investment to over 70 million.
Speaking as the Centre was officially handed over from Innovate UK, Sam Hoste, Interim Chief Operating Officer of CIELivestock, said: CIELs objective is to increase the economic performance of UK farming and associated industries by 12 for each 1 spent in research. By bringing together the best research in areas such as breeding, animal health, biotechnology, feeding and genomics the centre will create a state of the art, one-stop-shop for the industry that we expect to increase productivity and drive innovation.
The universities of Edinburgh (The Roslin Institute), Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle, Aberystwyth, Bristol, Queens (Belfast) and Harper Adams are receiving investment from CIEL, as well as the UKs leading research institutes including Rothamsted Research, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute Northern Ireland (AFBI), Scotlands Rural College (SRUC), Fera and Duchy College.
Nick Major, Corporate Affairs Director of ForFarmers and CIEL Interim Board Chairman, said: CIEL will be the global lead for livestock nutrition, health and genetics, linking transformational research for industry-led innovation with commercial farms on the ground, generating wealth and business competitiveness through the growth in profitability of the UK livestock sector.
CIEL will:
Provide the UK livestock sector with the research capability that it needs on its own doorstep through one entry point, so the industry does not have to go abroad to do work and/or wait for work done overseas to be translated for a UK market
Provide an uplift in livestock productivity and exports for the UK and speed up rates of innovation and discovery in livestock R&D
Drive improvements in equipment, products and services, working with industry partners to translate new research outputs into practical and exploitable solutions
Encourage and support high growth potential start-up businesses, who can deliver innovation with agility and timeliness
Increase the UKs productivity potential by translating research findings into improved food products and promoting best practice and training and using the industry and academic networks already embedded in CIEL
Work with industry and academia to provide succession solutions from undergraduate training to post graduate study, coaching the industry innovators and leaders of the future
Senior leaders across the UK food industry are backing the centre:
Andrew Caines, Group Technical Director, Cranswick plc: I see CIEL as a fantastic opportunity to provide world class research facilities to the UK livestock and meat processing industries. In so doing it will establish a forum that will link leading research providers with forward thinking processors to ensure that the innovative research, for which the UK is renowned, is more easily converted into commercial reality and thereby giving the UK livestock supply chain a real point of difference
Kim Matthews, Head of R&D, AHDB Beef and Lamb: AHDB is delighted that CIEL is finally established. The investment in livestock research facilities in the UK will provide opportunities to take the next steps in animal science to deliver new tools and techniques to our farmers. Bringing together many of the worlds leading animal scientists to work together on problems faced by the livestock sector will catalyse new approaches to help our levy payers to improve the sustainability of their businesses. CIEL will be well placed to deliver AHDBs R&D programmes.
Jon Lightner, Chief Scientific Officer, Genus plc: Genus is the worlds leading livestock genetics company selling improved bovine and porcine genetics in over 30 countries worldwide. As a UK-based company, we are very encouraged to see the creation of CIEL and the development of state-of-the-art large animal research and testing facilities within the UK. Such facilities will provide important resources as we develop novel products over the next few years.
Richard Kennedy, Group CEO Devenish Nutrition: Devenish Nutrition owes its success to research and innovation conducted in collaboration with leading UK academics and we look forward to CIEL contributing to the future development of Devenish Nutrition. I am confident that CIEL will uplift the productivity and profitability of the UKs livestock industry as a whole through the unique relationship it offers between our leading academics and diversity of industry partners which have committed to CIEL.
Jason Rankin, General Manager, AgriSearch: CIEL will deliver a long overdue and transformative upgrade of the UKs livestock research capacity. In addition, the integration of scientists, industry and farmer levy bodies in one centre will help ensure that future research meets the needs of farmers and the wider agri-food sector in these most challenging times. AgriSearch is delighted to be a foundation member and we are already developing plans to commission research using the new state-of-the-art facilities.
Mike Steele, Chief Executive, BSAS: CIEL is truly game changing bringing together the UK research capabilities in livestock science to redirect industry R&D back to the UK. BSAS is delighted to be a part of this exciting initiative as a critical component of linking academia and industry to deliver impact for the livestock sector.
Jonathan Statham, Chief Executive, RAFT Solutions Ltd: CIEL is hugely important because the so-called valley of death between the UKs world leading blue sky research institutions and their effective translation and application into industry and UK benefit has existed for too long. CIEL offers a transformational opportunity to coordinate the world leading science just at a time when the industry is under great pressure and offers optimism and positive opportunity to make UK Agri-tech a world leader once again.
Ian Nanjiani, Head of Research at Westpoint Research, part of the Origin group: Research and innovation are essential for a successful livestock industry in our changing world, and are bedrocks of our livestock businesses. CIEL combines the talents and facilities of world leading research institutes, universities and organisations active in the fields of agriculture and animal health and we are delighted to be part of CIEL as foundation members.
The combined facilities, knowledge and expertise of the consortium members means CIEL is ideally placed to address the challenges facing sustainable food production in the UK. We are very much looking forward to making our contribution within CIEL to build the new knowledge and understanding that will keep the UK at the forefront of sustainable food production.
Professor Martin Green is leading on the project for The University of Nottingham, he said: We are delighted to be taking part in this important project. We have a team of dedicated academics with a wealth of experience in livestock research at Nottingham. We are all looking forward to working closely with colleagues in industry and academia, in order to find innovative new solutions to the issues facing livestock producers and food manufacturers.
With spring fast approaching the parasite Nematodirus is a deadly threat to the lives of lambing flocks.
An online risk forecast could help UK sheep farmers assess the risk of outbreaks of the parasite in their lambs and take action before it is too late. The forecast maps will be updated daily to track changes in risk throughout the spring and early summer and include treatment and management advice.
The online risk forecast has been developed by SCOPS (Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep) and researchers at the University of Bristols School of Veterinary Sciences to predict when Nematodirus eggs will hatch and when outbreaks are likely to happen.
Nematodirosis, caused by the gutworm Nematodirus battus, is a deadly disease affecting young lambs. Eggs deposited on pasture by lambs the previous year hatch together in spring, triggered by a period of chilling over winter followed by warmer weather. Young lambs take in large numbers of larvae as they graze, which damage their gut leading to foetid black diarrhoea (black scour) and death.
Predicting when outbreaks might happen is becoming increasingly difficult due to variation in spring temperatures from year to year. Farmers can no longer rely on a standard timetable of treatments to avoid disease. As the damage is done by the larvae, faecal egg counts are of little use in detecting and controlling Nematodirus in young lambs.
The forecast takes advantage of the temperature-driven synchronised hatching of the Nematodirus larvae and uses weather data from 140 weather stations provided by the Met Office and Forecast.io. The interactive Google map allows farmers and advisers to select the nearest or most representative weather station and provides advice on how to relate the predicted risk to their particular farm and treatment options.
Cases of nematodirosis and eggs detected in routine faecal worm egg counts will also be mapped anonymously as they arise to improve the forecasts and SCOPS are asking farmers, advisors and diagnostic labs to contribute to these records by emailing researcher Dr Hannah Rose at the University of Bristols Vet School.
Dr Rose said: In previous years 64 per cent of farmers and advisors surveyed changed the timing or extent of treatment or advised treatment - after consulting the forecast, which has been running since 2013, and 93 per cent felt that their approach to control of this parasite had changed as a result of the forecast.
UK Government funding provided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council has enabled further development of the forecast and it is hoped that even more farmers will benefit in 2016.
SCOPS is an industry led group that represents the interests of the sheep industry. It recognises that, left unchecked, anthelmintic resistance (AR) is one of the biggest challenges to the future health and profitability of the UK sheep industry.
The SCOPS group was formed to develop sustainable strategies for parasite control in sheep, facilitate and oversee the delivery of these recommendations to the industry and ensure that new research and development is incorporated to refine and improve advice given to the sheep industry.
Julie Sedgewick, who has led the northern region of the National Sheep Association [NSA] for 25 years, has stepped down from her role as Manager.
The end of her stay in office was marked by the NSA at the Northern Region AGM, when the association presented her with a beautifully engraved glass tablet in thanks for the work she has done promoting the Association and the industry.
In addition at the Northern Region AGM Julie was presented with the T I Allinson Memorial Award which is awarded to a person for lifetime achievement to the northern sheep industry. The award was presented by Greg Dalton current Chairman of NSA Northern Region.
Julie took on the role of NSA Northern Region Secretary in 1989 when her son Tim was only four months old. Her first NSA North Sheep event was held in 1990 at East Fourstones, Hexham, followed by a further 12 successful NSA North Sheep events around the region.
Greg Dalton, NSA Northern Region Chairman, said: For many years Julie has been a stalwart for the northern region, the sheep industry and the North Sheep event. Julie works incredibly hard and she just gets it done. Everything we do now, and have done from the very beginning has evolved as a result of Julies hard work, culminating with last years fantastic record breaking event held at Millstone Moor Farm, near Cockermouth. She will be such a huge miss, which may make it difficult to follow in her footsteps! Anyone who has worked for her would say the same thing.
Julie is sad to be going, but feels the time has come for her to stand down and let someone else contribute their ideas. She says: I think one of our greatest achievements in the many years I have been working for the NSA in the north of England has been raising the profile of our specialist sheep events, run by the NSA for sheep farmers, sheep breed societies and the trade. They were originally initiated to promote the newly formed sheep breed societies that were being formed in the UK in the 80s and 90s. There was usually a farm tour, with perhaps 500 local farmers attending; now they are key occasions attended by thousands of people from across the UK.
If Julie is responsible for the appearance of NSA North Sheep and NSA Scotsheep in the sheep farmers diary, she also made her mark on the National Sheep Event, held in Malvern. The NSA and Julie took it over from the Royal Agricultural Society of England [RASE] and turned it into a profit-making event.
Julie has always been committed to bringing young people into the industry. She was responsible for the re-introduction of the Young Shepherd of the Year finals, which now take place at the Sheep Event in Malvern every two years. Choosing their candidates from heats held at all of the NSA regional events, she adds: I have always believed that young sheep farmers should get involved in the running and planning of the specialist sheep events, it is really important that they do so to ensure the future survival of these events.
The NSA represents the views and interests of sheep producers throughout the UK. It is funded by its membership of sheep farmers, and its activities involve it in every aspect of the sheep industry. It encourages enthusiasm, knowledge and best practice and wants those not keeping sheep to be made increasingly aware of the contribution sheep make to society, and of the core aspects of the sector.
As the National Sheep Breeders Association it was founded in 1892 as a forum for progressive breeders, and to provide a strong and common voice for the industry. Its title changed to its present form in 1969 to reflect the more comprehensive work of the organisation and its representation of both pedigree and non-pedigree producers in all aspects of the sheep sector.
NSA Northern Region is one of the largest in England, taking in the counties of Cumbria, Co. Durham, Humberside, Lancashire, Northumberland, north and west Yorkshire and the Isle of Man. NSA North Sheep is held every other year and offers free entry to NSA members. Details of regional meetings and events can be found in the events section of the NSAs website.
A decade ago, the Hungarian philosopher and former dissident Gaspar Miklos Tamas observed that the Enlightenment, in which the idea of the European Union is intellectually rooted, demands universal citizenship. But universal citizenship requires one of two things to happen: Either poor and dysfunctional countries become places in which it is worthwhile to become a citizen, or Europe opens its borders to everybody. None of these two is going to happen soon if ever. Today the world is populated by many failed states nobody wants to be citizen of and Europe neither has the capacity nor its citizens-voters will ever allow keeping the borders open. So, the real debate in Europe is not should the European Union make its borders harder to cross, it is clear that it should, the split is on whether we should feel morally right doing it and how we should help best to the most vulnerable people in the world.
In 1981 when the researchers of the University of Michigan conducted the first world value survey they were surprised to find that nations happiness was not determined by material well-being. Back then Nigerians were as happy as West Germans. But now, 35 years later, the situation has changed. According to the latest surveys in most of the places in the world people are as happy as their GDP will predict. What has happened meanwhile is that Nigerians got TV sets and the spread of Internet made it possible that young Africans or Afghans with one click of the mouse can see how Europeans live and how do their schools and hospitals look like. Globalization made the world a village but this village lives in dictatorship- dictatorship of global comparisons. People do not compare their lives with the lives of their neighbors any more they compare themselves with the lives of most prosperous inhabitants of the planet.
In this connected world of ours migration is the new revolution not the 20th century revolution of the masses, but the 21st century exit driven revolution performed by individuals and families and inspired nit by the ideologues painted pictures of the future but by the Google map inspired photos of life on the other side of the border. It offers radical change now. In order to succeed, this new revolution does not require ideology, political movement or political leaders. So, we should not be surprised that for many of the wretched on earth crossing Europe Unions border is more attractive than any utopia. For a growing number of people the idea of change means to change your country, not your government.
The problem with migrants revolution is that it has worrying capacity to inspire a counter-revolution in Europe.
The myriad acts of solidarity toward refugees fleeing war and persecution that we saw months ago are today overshadowed by their inverse: a raging anxiety that these same foreigners will compromise Europes welfare model and historic culture and that they will destroy our liberal societies. Fear of Islam, terrorism, rising criminality and a general anxiety over the unfamiliar are at the core of Europes moral panic. Europeans are overwhelmed not by those more than one million refugees that have asked for asylum but by the perspective of a future in which European Unions borders are constantly stormed by refugees or migrants.
Olympus Corporation of the Americas said Tuesday it settled two separate U.S. investigations, including one involving Foreign Corrupt Practices Act offenses.
The companys Latin America unit agreed to pay $22.8 million to resolve criminal allegations that it violated the FCPA.
Olympus Latin America, Inc. also entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with enhanced compliance obligations.
A compliance monitor will assess and monitor Olympus Corporation of the Americass FCPA compliance program.
Olympus is the biggest distributor of endoscopes and related medical equipment in the United States and sells the devices world wide.
Olympus Latin America provided cash, money transfers, personal or non-Olympus medical education travel, free or heavily discounted equipment, and other things of value to doctors working at government hospitals and clinics, according to the deferred prosecution agreement.
The offenses occurred in Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, and Costa Rica.
From 2006 to 2011, the unlawful payments totalled about $3 million, the DOJ said. The payments resulted in profits for Olympus Latin America of more than $7.5 million.
Company executives kept a spread sheet of the illegal payments and linked them to sales and revenues. They also instructed other employees how to keep the payments secret.
In the deferred prosecution agreement (available here as pdf), the DOJ said Olympus did not timely, voluntarily disclose the FCPA violations at issue.
But Olympus ultimately cooperated and received sentencing credit for conducting an extensive internal investigation, translating documents as necessary, and collecting, analyzing, and organizing voluminous evidence and information, according to the DPA.
Olympus ended its involvement with numerous responsible parties, including employees and third-party distributor relationships in Latin America, the DPA said. And it enhanced its due diligence for third-party agents and consultants.
* * *
Separately, Olympus Corporation of the Americas or OCA agreed to pay $612 million plus interest to resolve parallel criminal and civil investigations into alleged violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act.
The second settlement resolved allegations by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Jersey concerning interactions and financial relationships with U.S. medical business customers and doctors who use Olympus products.
OCA agreed to pay a $312.4 million criminal penalty under the Anti- Kickback Statute and an additional $310.8 million to settle civil state and federal charges under the False Claims Act.
The civil settlement resolved a lawsuit filed by John Slowik, the former chief compliance officer of OCA.
Slowik will collect $51 million from Tuesdays settlement $44 million from the federal share and $7 million from the state share of the civil settlement amount.
He filed suit in the District of New Jersey under the whistleblower provisions of the federal False Claims Act and various state versions of the law.
The FCA permits private parties to sue for false claims against government entities and to share in any recovery.
The DOJ said in connection with the Anti-Kickback Statute case,
The criminal complaint against OCA, which OCA agrees is true, charges that OCA won new business and rewarded sales by giving doctors and hospitals kickbacks, including consulting payments, foreign travel, lavish meals, millions of dollars in grants and free endoscopes.
The kickbacks helped OCA win more than $600 million in U.S. sales and earn profits of more than $230 million, the DOJ said.
As part of the settlement, OCA entered into a separate three-year deferred prosecution agreement and a five-year corporate integrity agreement that requires appointment of a compliance monitor.
The monitor will also perform duties under the FCPA-related DPA.
The DOJ said the monitor is Larry Mackey, a former federal prosecutor best known for trying the Oklahoma City bombing cases, the DOJ said.
His three-year term can be extended for two more years if Olympus violates the DPA.
The DOJs March 1, 2016 release is here.
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Olympus Corporation of the Americas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Olympus Corporation in Tokyo, Japan.
OCA is headquartered in Center Valley, Pennsylvania and has about 5,000 employees in North and South America.
OCA President and CEO Nacho Abia said Tuesday, Olympus leadership acknowledges the Companys responsibility for the past conduct, which does not represent the values of Olympus or its employees.
The Company has implemented and will continue to enhance its robust compliance program, he said.
Olympus Corporation in Tokyo first acknowledged the investigations publicly a year ago, OCA said, and last month announced the booking of reserves against the potential settlement amounts.
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Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. He can be contacted here.
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Joe Russo has revealed that he and filmmaking brother Anthony were more 'aggressive in tone' for Captain America: Civil War.
Captain America: Civil War
Anthony and Joe Russo return to the director's chair for the already highly anticipated movie Civil War, which could go on to be the most successful film in the Captain America franchise to date.
This is the first time we have seen them in the director's chair since they steered The Winter Solider to both critical and commercial success back in 2014. This really is the 2016 film I cannot wait to see.
Speaking at Wizard World Cleveland Comic Con over the weekend, Joe said: "We really did a radical reinterpretation of Captain America in Winter Soldier. We were twice as aggressive in tone and execution on Civil War."
Civil War sees the Russo brothers reunite with actors Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, and Sebastian Stan as they return to the franchise to reprise their roles as Captain America, Black Widow, Falcon, and the Winter Soldier.
However, there are some big new additions as we are going to see Robert Downey Jr, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, and Paul Rudd appear in a Captain America movie for the first time. It really is a wonderful cast that has been brought together as we see the Avengers torn apart and going head to head.
Captain America: Civil War will kick off Phase 3 of Marvel films and is the first of two Marvel films to be released this year; the second comes in the form of Doctor Strange in the autumn.
Civil War is set to lay some of the foundations for the upcoming double Avengers film Infinity War, which will see Anthony and Joe Russo take over the director's chair from Joss Whedon.
Captain America: Civil War is released 29th April.
by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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Sarah Wayne Callies is set to return to the big screen this week as she leads the cast in the new horror film The Other Side of the Door, which sees her team up with writer and director Johannes Roberts for the first time.
Sarah Wayne Callies in The Other Side of the Door
We caught up with the actress to chat about the new film, filming in Mumbai, and the writing projects that she has on the horizon this year.
- Your new film The Other Side of the Door is about to be released here in the UK, so can you tell me a bit about the film?
The Other Side of the Door is about a white family from the U.S. living in Mumbai, where it is all going really well. Then there is this car accident and things stop going really well. Maria is able to save one of her children but not the other; as a result, she falls into this spiral of grief, depression and a form of madness.
As a means of trying to help her, her Indian housekeeper suggests a ritual that might be able to help her get some closure and some forgiveness. Maybe because she isn't Indian or Hindu, Maria messes up the ritual and all hell breaks loose - that is the horror part of the film right there.
- You take on the central role of Maria in the film, so what was it about the character and the script that was the major draw for you?
For me, it has everything to do with that journey of grief and madness and just how close they are to each other. I watched someone very close to me lose a daughter when I was quite young and I never got over the impression that that kind of grief is unpredictable and can change people's minds and hearts in totally unforeseeable ways; their behaviour can be unlike anything you have ever seen before. The actor part of me thought that that would be interesting to play and the human part of me thought it would be interesting to try and explore those corners of my own brain.
- The Other Side of the Door does explore Indian mythology and Hindu symbolism did you do any research into this as you were preparing for the role? How much is this aspect of the film something that interested you?
I chose not to do any research because my character doesn't know anything about it. I chose to take on board Maria's level of education when it came to that. I grew up in Hawaii and I grew up surrounded by Hawaiian mythology, language and culture; I think that this is part of what made this project interesting to me.
This is a story about ancestors, gods and goddesses that are very much outside the Judeo-Christian paradigm and I am always curious about those beliefs because they are so endemic to the way that I was raised and yet, they are considered foreign to most people in North America and Britain as well.
- Can you talk a bit about Maria? We see her go on a huge emotional journey in the film, what was that like to tackle as an actress?
One of the interesting things for me about this process was the fact that this is an extraordinary role for a woman, which was written and directed by a man. That is exciting to me. We are starting to make pretty good strides as far as roles for women in Hollywood go, but, of course, we can't do that without the complicity of the men, who are writing and directing as well. It was encouraging to see that a role of this complexity is being written by a man. And yet, when Johannes Roberts wrote it, he didn't have any children - he has since had a young son - and there were several scenes he would come to me and say 'as a mum, can we collaborate on this together?'
The scene where things got really interesting was the scene where Oliver is back, she goes up to his bedroom and reads to him as a ghost. When I read the scene, I figured that she would be thrilled because if I had lost a child - god forbid - any part of them that I could have back would be a cause for celebration for me. Johannes turned to me and said 'to me, this should have been a creepy scene and a scene of fear'. And I was like 'why? She has got her kid back, who cares if she can't see him,' and Johannes was like 'that's interesting. That is really dark and really weird, but I think it can work'.
We plotted backwards through the rest of the story together, we decided that we could make that decision and then we shot it together and collaborated on that bit. Hopefully, that is a bit that works. It was a journey for her, both emotionally and intellectually, that was very much a collaboration between the two of us.
- You have mentioned Johannes Roberts already and he is back in the director's chair, so how did you find working with the filmmaker?
I loved it. One of the things that I really respect about Johannes as the director of the film is that he comes to it as a true believer; Johannes loves horror movies and he has seen every one that has ever been made and he has directed them before and has a huge amount of experience. He said to me 'this is the movie that I always wanted to make,' and I think that that is really terrific. You get directors who come into a horror movie to just make money or because someone told them that they should, and it is just not the case with him. He taught me a lot about it because I don't watch horror movies, I get really scared, and so it is a genre I know nothing about; he was a great collaborator in that sense.
- How was the experience of filming in India? How much was the Indian location a draw when you were reading the script for the first time?
I have always been quite intimidated by India and I have always thought that it was a place where things were so big and there was so much need, in terms of the poverty. I really could see myself swallowed whole. In a way, the idea of going to shoot a film there was a really interesting prospect because you are not going there to be a tourist, you are going there to work. It means that you are going to get to know people who live there and you are going to get to work with people who live there; you get to know it at another level. It was quite an intense experience.
We shot in the slums for a few days and we got to know people there, hang around with the kids, and we laughed and played together. It gave me a sense of India that I would never have had before. But I will say, overwhelmingly, my experience of Mumbai, was of being very unsettled; I am sure that it is a place that makes sense to people who are from there but, since I am not, I was always a little confused, a little lost, a little under the weather, and very overwhelmed. However, I think all of that served the character really well (laughs).
- Sofia Rosinsky and Logan Creran - who play your children in the film - are terrific, how did you find working with them?
Working with kids is always terrific because they love make-believe, they get it, and they just do it. Kids don't worry about process or preparation and all of those stupid actor homework things, they just get on with it and give a great performance. When they are done, they bop off and are like 'is make-believe time over? Great, let's go and get a pizza'. Kids are terrific that way. I loved working with them because they make it all looks so easy.
- As you said earlier, you are not a big fan of the horror film genre, so how did you find taking on a movie like this?
I expected to come back from Mumbai a shivering wreck (laughs) having not slept the entire time. The hours and the heat were so intense that I did sleep quite well. I think so much of the tension that is built in a horror film, is built from camera angles, lighting, and music and when you are in the moment and shooting it, it really isn't that bad. I will say, when the Myrtu was all done up in the makeup and looking creepy, I didn't want to sit too close. I was much less afraid of it than I expected to be.
- Away from The Other Side of the Door, we are also going to be seeing you in This Is Your Death this year, so can you tell me a bit about that project?
That was a really cool one. Leave it to me to have a career primarily in television and then to a film about TV. It is a very very dark satire about an American show where people commit suicide live on TV. It is a look at the culture of fame at all costs that we have built. It was a sensational script and it has been directed by Giancarlo Esposito, who most people will know as Gustavo 'Gus' Fring from Breaking Bad. Giancarlo is also one of the stars of the film and watching him both star in and direct something, was one of the most extraordinary things that I have ever seen. It is a fascinating film and I cannot wait to see it cut together.
- During your career, we have seen you move between television, film, and theatre, so how do you find that the mediums compare? And how much do you like moving between them?
I do. They have all got upside and pitfalls but it is nice to be able to move between them with fluidity. A generation ago, if you were a television actor you were going to stay on TV and if you were a film actor, you wouldn't be caught dead doing TV. Now, that is all up on its head because some of the best roles of women are on television and that is really exciting.
The great thing about a film is that you have a beginning, a middle and an end and you can craft a performance with more intentional coherence than you can in TV. But in TV, you have got so much more time to develop a character because you have got years to live with her and watch her evolve. I learn a lot from each process. Theatre is like going to boot camp and getting back to the heart and the soul of what it means to repeat the same moments over and over all week. I always emerge from a play feeling much sharper and much clearer.
- Finally, what's next for you?
We have got the second season of Colony to shoot, that will start in the summer. I have two films that I have written that are in various stages of development. One is casting right now, Gale Anne Hurd - who produced The Walking Dead - is producing it and we have a director lined up. We are in the process of getting that together. The other is an animation feature, which is based on a children's book.
We have a director in Paris who is going to be doing that and we have just got a grant from the French film board to get that started. All of those things are under way and it is allowing me to be part of the storytelling process a little earlier than casting; which is the last thing that is done before a story is told.
- What made now the right time to make that transition into writing? Have you any desire to direct?
I really don't have any interest in directing. If the only way to get a script that I had written made was to direct it, I would do that. However, it is not an aspiration. It looks too hard and it looks like too much work (laughs). Sitting in an editing room, in the dark, for six months doesn't sound like my cup of tea.
I have been working on writing for a couple of years and we are finally at a point when... the things that I write largely star women and women of colour and I think we are just at a point where people are open to telling those stories and believing that they can get made and get financed. I think that it has to do with a moment where my kind of storytelling is becoming something that is becoming viable in Hollywood.
The Other Side of the Door is released 4th March. For more information about The Other Side of the Door, visit www.theothersideofthedoor.co.uk
by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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Justin Bieber has met with the members of the the Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir.
Justin Bieber
The 22-year-old pop star was beaten to the coveted UK Christmas number one spot by the choir after he actively called on his fans to buy their record 'A Bridge Over You' instead of his own hits 'What Do You Mean', 'Sorry', and 'Love Yourself'.
Justin greeted the choir members, and subsequently told OfficialCharts.com: "I was honoured to meet everyone from the choir and I'm really happy that they got their number one."
Justin was widely praised for his selfless gesture, which included messages on his Twitter account imploring his legion of fans to support the choir's track.
Back in December, at the height of speculation regarding the Christmas number one spot, Justin tweeted: "So for 1 week it's ok not to be #1. Let's do the right thing & help them win. It's Christmas. @Choir_NHS good luck. (sic)"
Katie Rogerson, a junior doctor and choir spokesperson, said: "We are all delighted to meet Justin Bieber today, and congratulate him on his tremendous achievements. It was wonderful that Justin supported the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS choir.
"By doing this, he not only recognised our mental health charities and Carers UK, but also acknowledged every single member of our hardworking NHS team across the UK.
"On a personal note, it gives me a bit of street cred with my paediatric patients as Dr Katie! I'm now a Belieber in every sense of the word!"
Rakhee Thakrar is reportedly being lined up for 'Doctor Who'.
Rakhee Thakrar
The 'EastEnders' star - who is known for playing temperamental Shabnam Masood in the BBC One soap - is set to step into the shoes of Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) and become the new companion of the Time Lord (Peter Capaldi) in the sci-fi show following her departure last year.
A source told the RadioTimes.com that auditions for the coveted role are taking place now but bosses already have their sights set on snapping up the 32-year-old actress.
And the brunette beauty's schedule should have no problem accommodating filming for the next series as she's just turned her back on 'EastEnders' following two years on the show.
And, although the rumours about the casting are yet to be confirmed, if she does take on the role, Rakhee will be the first non-white main companion since Freema Agyeman's medic Martha Jones left David Tennant's side back in 2008.
Meanwhile, the popular sci-fi series is set for a huge shake-up next year when current producer Steve Moffat hands over the production reins to the new show runner Chris Chibnall.
But it's not just behind the scenes that will change, as Peter - who has played the Time Lord for two years - has also hinted he'll be stepping down in 2017 to give Chris a "fresh start."
Christopher Peterson, president, Global Brands at Ralph Lauren Corporation will step down as of May 31, 2016 and will work closely with CEO Stefan Larsson to transition his responsibilities.According to a press release from Ralph Lauren, the position of president, Global Brands, which was created in April 2015, is being eliminated.
Christopher Peterson, president, Global Brands at Ralph Lauren Corporation will step down as of May 31, 2016 and will work closely with CEO Stefan#
The company's Global Brand presidents will now report directly to Stefan Larsson, streamlining the senior leadership structure and giving Larsson direct oversight of brands.Christopher Peterson joined the company in 2012 and until April 2015, held the position of executive vice president, chief administrative officer and chief financial officer.Stefan Larsson said, I would like to thank Chris for his many valuable contributions to Ralph Lauren, especially during this time of transition and his dedication and loyalty are greatly appreciated.Under the new structure, I will work directly with the Global Brand presidents as we drive long-term growth and further strengthen this iconic brand, he addedChristopher Peterson said, It has been a privilege to work for such an iconic company and I believe the company is well positioned for future success under Stefan's leadership.I am committed to transitioning my responsibilities in a high-quality manner and believe this transition makes the most sense for me as well as for the company, Peterson informed.Ralph Lauren Corporation is a designer, marketer and distributor of premium lifestyle products in four categories: apparel, home, accessories and fragrances.Its brand names include; Polo Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Ralph Lauren Collection, Black Label, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Double RL, RLX, Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren, etc. (AR)
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
Cinte Techtextil China has categorised exhibitors in 12 product application areas to offer visitors a diverse range of sourcing options from around the world.Exhibitors hail from countries like Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US.
Cinte Techtextil China has categorised exhibitors in 12 product application areas to offer visitors a diverse range of sourcing options from around#
The biennial fair will take place from October 1214, 2016 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, a press release from the organizer, Messe Frankfurt stated.The 2016 edition features a number of first-time participants as well as returning exhibitors.One of these new exhibitors is Johns Manville from the US, a manufacturer of insulation, roofing materials and engineered products.After exhibiting at Techtextil in Frankfurt, they will join Cinte Techtextil for the first time having already experienced the potential in China, Messe Frankfurt added.The Chinese market showed the biggest growth potential in the last couple of years and it will remain, although slowing down a bit right now, that way in future, Anke Weidinger said.Johns Manville sees big opportunities for its specialty polyester spunbond and glass fibre nonwoven product range in China, she too added.The company will exhibit a broad variety of nonwovens, including chemically, mechanically and thermally bonded PET spunbond nonwovens, glass fibre wet laid mats, etc.The products are suitable for a wide range of applications including luxury vinyl tiles, ceiling tiles, wall coverings, roofing, geotextiles, battery, air and liquid filtration, and windmill blades.Also participating for the first time from America is Coats, a world-leading industrial thread and consumer textile crafts business with a presence in more than 70 countries.The Coats-branded products that will feature at the fair include wire & cable or fibre optics, flame retardant protective wear, automotive items, teabag threads, etc.According to Messe Frankfurt, returning participants within 12 product application areas add to diversity of sourcing options. (AR)
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
Apparel Textile Sourcing Expo is set to make its debut in Canada this year. The three-day expo organised in coordination with the China chamber of commerce for import and export of textile and apparel (CCCT) will be held from August 22 in Toronto, the organisers said in a media release.
The expo would connect Canada's retailers with the world's major apparel and textile manufacturers on a single platform without the time or expense travelling outside the borders of Canada.
The event would also provide a comprehensive seminar tract led by acclaimed industry and government experts covering topics likes the TPP, best practices, the changing Canadian market, tips on how to choose whom to work with overseas, and much more.
Apparel Textile Sourcing Expo is set to make its debut in Canada this year. The three-day expo organised in coordination with the China chamber of#
JP Communications, parent company of Manufacturer.com and TopTenwholesale.com, has been awarded the exclusive contract to produce the expo. We are honoured to have received such a distinguished and globally significant opportunity, our brands have been connecting millions online since 2005 and now we are able to serve our growing community offline in Toronto this summer as well as with other major events we will be producing, said Jason Prescott, CEO of TopTenWholesale.com and Manufacturer.com.
Canada has needed a trade show where apparel and textile importers and retailers can learn about sourcing best practices while meeting international producers from around the world. The event offers an important new resource for our domestic market and we are excited to support this endeavour, said Bob Kirke, Canadian apparel federation executive director.
Confirming China's participation in the event, Jiang Hui, chairman of CCCT said, This event is a new project started for the promotion of global textile and apparel trade by CCCT. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the international textile and apparel market, we are convinced that the Canadian apparel and textile sourcing expo will become an efficient and convenient trade platform for the global textile and apparel industry.
Textile and apparel companies from China, India, Bangladesh, Mexico, US, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mauritius, Honduras, Jordan, Peru, Burma, Myanmar, Colombia and Guatemala are expected to participate in the expo. (NA)
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
Archroma organised an exclusive denim art exhibition, in collaboration with the consulate general of Switzerland, at Mohatta Palace in Karachi.An Archroma press release explained that under the theme 'Jewels of the Sea', the exhibition highlighted how denim and indigo together inspire designers and artists.
Archroma organised an exclusive denim art exhibition, in collaboration with the consulate general of Switzerland, at Mohatta Palace in Karachi#
The exhibits comprised of original paintings, artifacts, and antique objects exploring the interrelation between indigo and denim.The exhibition was visited by a number of dignitaries, brand owners and retailers, as well as denim manufacturers, from Pakistan and abroad.According to Archroma, interestingly, indigo was first discovered centuries ago in the vicinity of Jamshoro, Pakistan, from where its trade was initiated to other parts of the world.Archroma addes that it has the distinction of bringing indigo back to its roots by starting production of liquid indigo at its plant at Jamshoro.Speaking on the occasion, Emil Wyss, consul general of Switzerland, said, Pakistan has a rich cultural heritage and its connectivity with its main crop, cotton ; is fascinating.The local textile industry has grown manifolds due to ample availability of cotton and the exhibition gave a deep insight of the past and present and is an excellent chronicle, Wyss too added.This exhibition, showcased pieces of art produced by the team of Archroma to pay tribute to the Pakistan denim industry for their extraordinary efforts, said Mujtaba Rahim, CEO of Archroma Pakistan.Today a denim apparel from Pakistan carries strong brand image of being of high quality, durability and style, he stated.We are inspired to see the rousing response of our patrons and hopefully our efforts will facilitate to make our denim industry sustainable, Rahim informed. (AR)
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
The HKS 4-M EL from Karl Mayer is a new, innovative machine for efficiently processing even small runs and for producing patterns flexibly.It was presented to the public for the first time at ITMA 2015 in Milan in a gauge of E 28, a press release from Karl Mayer said.
The HKS 4-M EL from Karl Mayer is a new, innovative machine for efficiently processing even small runs and for producing patterns flexibly.#
Interconnected, adjacent arrangement of the waves and the pronounced 3D effects are produced by the clever patterning technology and a specific drawing-in arrangement on the HKS 4-M EL.The EL facility is needed to work the long shog movements of the ground guide bars of over 1" and the pattern repeat length of 474 courses.Whereas the fully threaded ground guide bar, GB 2, works a plain lapping for the ground, GB 3 and GB 4 process elastane in a block-wise arrangement from a beam, the company added.According to Karl Mayer, the yarns are laid from the two ground guide bars in wavy lines running against each other, basically in a tricot lapping, which is shogged step-wise by means of pilgrim steps.The elastane is used double at the intersecting points between the waves, which produces zones with a high stretch having a three-dimensional look.Showcasing a creation made on this machine, Karl Mayer further said that this attractive high and low design was developed by Karl Mayer using the Texion ProCad warpknit software.It was produced by one of Karl Mayer's customer, who processed elastane having a count of dtex 78 and polyamide 6.6 of dtex 44 f 34 on an HKS 4-M EL in a gauge of E32.The stretch warp-knitted fabric has an oval, Gothic design, and the scalloped shapes have a distinct, three-dimensional appearance, the company stated. (AR)
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
Developer of spider silk based fibres Kraig Biocraft Laboratories has signed a cooperative agreement with a governmental entity in Vietnam to develop and produce its advanced silk technologies.Under the terms of the agreement Kraig Labs has agreed to form a subsidiary company in Vietnam and to open an advanced hybrid silk research and pilot production operation, Kraig informed in a press release.
Developer of spider silk based fibres Kraig Biocraft Laboratories has signed a cooperative agreement with a governmental entity in Vietnam to develop #
Kraig Labs has created an efficient method of producing high strength silks using its innovative genetic engineering technologies.According to the company, demonstrating superior strength and elasticity, in some cases higher strength and elasticity than native spider silks, Kraig Labs' Dragon Silk has the potential to reshape the textile industry.The research and production agreement announced with the Vietnamese entity lays the groundwork for the production and further development of these advanced hybrid textiles, it added.This agreement represents a major advancement for Kraig Labs and is the successful culmination of two years of negotiations and many more years of scientific research and development, said CEO Kim Thompson.It is a key milestone in the advancement of our longstanding business plan to bring these advanced materials to the multi-billion dollar marketplace for advanced technical textiles, she added.Thompson further added that this agreement is important because of the tremendous existing silk and textile production infrastructure, while also bringing new technology and capability to Vietnam.The company is currently in the process of obtaining the necessary approvals for the subsidiary and its operational plan.Over the next several months, Kraig Labs plans to finalise the formation of the subsidiary, lease a facility, hire and train local staff, obtain permits, and begin cross breeding its silkworms with local commercial silkworm lines.Kraig Biocraft has achieved a series of scientific breakthroughs in the area of spider silk technology with implications for the global textile industry. (AR)
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
Priyanka Chopra revealed in a recent interview that she wanted to look very feminine at the Oscars and she wanted her gown to be 'very classic'.
After the Oscar ceremony, Priyanka Chopra told eonline.com in an interview,"I wanted to make sure that it lasts all night and I wanted it to be pretty and feminine...very classic for the Oscars.''
She added, ''I can't be told what to wear. So, when I told Sophia I was like... It has to be a moment... the outfit. That I definitely want.''
BEWITCHING: These Very Rare Pictures Of Young Katrina Kaif Will Leave You Spellbound
'It's one of the biggest red carpets in the world. It's super long so, I want to be comfortable for sure. And something that lasts the whole evening...you know it's not ripping,''she said.
At the Oscars, Priyanka Chopra looked gorgeous in a structured cage bustier mermaid dress, which was designed by Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad.
Priyanka Chopra also talked about her Hollywood Debut in the same interview, ''Baywatch is such a big brand... I grew up watching the show. Baywatch and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' were my favourites. When I read the script, it was hilarious. So funny that it will be really something that people will wanna watch.''
Priyanka Chopra further added, "It's a lot of work. I am flying back and forth because I am going from Montreal to Miami. The show (Quantico) is coming back on March 6.''
"I am perennially physically exhausted, but I am doing so many amazing things and these are such great opportunities and I am a greedy actor," the diva said.
Chinas big commodity companies could instigate another round of global mergers and acquisitions to help meet the countrys long-term objectives at a time of market weakness, said Hernan Cristerna, JP Morgans global co-head of M&A.
Speaking to FinanceAsia during a visit to Hong Kong, Cristerna predicted a continued increase in M&A in 2016 over the record $1.27 trillion-worth of deals seen in the Asia-Pacific region last year, according to data provider Dealogic.
He said he believes Chinese state-owned enterprises in particular are likely to initiate consolidation in the oil and gas sector after two quiet years.
The sector we are focusing most closely on [in Asia-related M&A] is oil and gas, Cristerna told FinanceAsia. Fundamentally there is excess capacity in the world and it requires consolidation.
Chinas economy may be slowing but its overall electricity consumption continues to rise albeit at a slower pace than the countrys official GDP growth rate. And much of its production depends on oil and gas that it has to import. So because Beijing's long-term focus remains fixed on energy security, the country's SOEs are likely to remain active in offshore acquisitions, Cristerna said.
Cristerna said the big issue preventing such M&A to date was the lack of certainty about the direction in which oil and gas prices would move over the coming months.
If theres no consensus about whether oil will be worth $30, $40, $50, $70 or $80 [per barrel], how can you value a company? he asked, rhetorically. Companies are not concerned whether there is a high or a low consensus, as long as there is one.
Stabilising
But that is now changing as the market stabilises. We hope through the course of this year we will see more of a consensus emerge, and it seems likely [for the foreseeable future] oil will remain closer to $50 than to $100, Cristerna said.
Growing confidence in the range-bound nature of oil and gas prices will likely help to solidify China's energy acquisition plans and spur the country's SOEs into buying, whereas its unlikely to provide enough comfort to their publicly traded international rivals.
For Cristerna, "now looks like a decent time to consider M&A" for companies such as China's SOEs, which are not subject to immediate investor scrutiny and could therefore think in terms of years rather than quarters.
Oil and gas companies have seen their valuations fall over the past year, along with the price of the products they sell. Royal Dutch Shells share price has dropped by more than 26% since the beginning of 2015, whilst Exxon Mobils is down almost 14% and BPs down 24%.
Potential sellers are likely to demand premiums to their current market valuations in the belief that todays prices are near the bottom of the oil and gas cycle. However, Chinese companies will still be able to acquire companies or individual assets a lot more cheaply than, say, two years ago.
Cristerna declined to specify any companies that could be targets for Chinese buyers, beyond noting that they would likely look towards larger targets.
Quiet times
Chinas energy companies have been quiet for the last two years. They announced $6.75 billion in outbound M&A in 2015 and just $3.45 billion in 2014, according to Dealogic.
That compares to $21.7 billion in 2013, when Cnooc acquired Canadian oil sands company Nexen for $15.1 billion. The acquisition was something of a flop in retrospect, given the slump in oil and gas prices seen in the years since.
Oil sands production is expensive and requires a high oil price to be profitable. When Cnooc acquired Nexen, the price of oil was at around $100 a barrel and some banks were predicting it could rise to $150 or even $200. Instead it dived to as low $27 a barrel by February 2016. Nexen cut 400 workers in 2015 in response to falling oil prices.
There are already signs of consolidation within commodity industries. China National Chemical Corporations (ChemChina) $43 billion takeover bid for Swiss fertiliser and seed maker Syngenta is one example.
Syngenta was previously approached by US rival Monsanto in 2015 but rejected its advances. In contrast, Syngenta's board has approved the bid by ChemChina, subject to regulatory approval, not least from US foreign investment watchdog CFIUS.
JP Morgan is advising Syngenta on its M&A discussions with ChemChina but Cristerna declined to discuss the deal.
Aside from energy M&A, Cristerna said JP Morgan believes Chinese companies will spearhead rising Asian appetite to buy media, manufacturing, consumer goods, and retail assets, as the country continues to seek access to better technology and manufacturing capabilities and to source more products for internal consumption.
We anticipate a continued increase in overall Asian M&A volumes this year, he said.
Asias equity capital markets could soon see a flurry of financial leasing company IPOs as China Development Bank filed an application to list its financial leasing unit in Hong Kong on Monday.
China Development Bank Financial Leasing (CDB Leasing) could be the first of a trio of financial lessors going public in Hong Kong this year as BOC Aviation, the aircraft leasing unit of Bank of China, and Minsheng Financial Leasing are also preparing IPOs.
All three companies operate in the highly capital intensive aircraft leasing business, which has been growing rapidly in recent years because of the rise of low-cost carriers, which tend to lease planes instead of owning them to minimize capital expenditure.
The company's fleet of 371 aircraft as of the end of September last year falls short of BOC Aviations 511 planes but it engages in a wider range of leasing business that includes infrastructure, shipping, commercial vehicle and construction machinery.
In the first nine months of last year, CDB Leasing derived 43.4% of revenue from its aircraft leasing business while its infrastructure leasing contributed to 32.8%.
The company mandated Deutsche Bank, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Citic CLSA Securities as joint sponsors for the planned IPO, according to filings with the Hong Kong stock exchange.
Fair value
CDB Leasing is one of five wide-ranging financial leasing companies backed by Chinese banks. It competes with CCB Financial Leasing, Bocom Financial Leasing, ICBC Financial Leasing and Minsheng Financial Leasing, as well as other non-bank affiliated financial lessors.
The fact that financial leasing is a relatively new sector to stock market investors in Asia mean there is not much reference as to determining the fair value of these companies at the time of their IPOs.
However, China Aircraft Leasing, backed by state-owned financial conglomerate China Everbright Group, is one of Asia's two listed financial leasing companies. Its shares closed at HK$6.28 on Monday, giving it a market capitalization of HK$3.8 billion ($490 million), equating to 1.95 times net asset value.
Another reference is Shenzhen-listed Bohai Leasing, which trades at the equivalent of 2.2 times book value. The company announced last month the completion of a $2.51 billion acquisition of Irish aircraft lessor Avolon in a deal fixed at 1.72 times the latest reported book value.
Should CDB Leasing sell its IPO shares at two times book value, it will have a market capitalization of $4.5 billion based on its net asset value of Rmb14.6 billion ($2.23 billion) as of the end of September last year. At that valuation the IPO could raise a little more than $1 billion assuming a standard 25% free float.
Promising prospects
Financial leasing companies have been growing rapidly in China because of rising market demand and a more supportive regulatory environment, according to Chris Lee, an associate director in the Financial Services practice at Standard & Poor's Ratings Services.
The number of financial leasing companies surged to 2,202 as of the end of 2014 from 80 in 2007, while total leasing assets increased more than 12 times to Rmb3.2 trillion from Rmb24 billion in the same period.
The market is growing particularly for aircraft lessors because more carriers are increasingly turning to a light asset model amid fears of a global economic slowdown. The emergence of new low-cost carriers in recent years has also boosted demand for aircraft lessors.
Air China, the countrys flag carrier, leases 73 aircraft from the likes of Bocom Leasing and ICBC Leasing. The proportion of leased aircraft accounts for about 20% of its 356-strong fleet.
The figure is higher for budget airlines. Spring Airlines, Chinas largest low-cost carrier by fleet size, leases more than half of its 57-strong fleet. According to aviation database Planespotters, the Shanghai-based airline owns 23 planes and rents 34 from aircraft lessors globally.
AirAsia, the largest budget airline in Asia by fleet size, announced in July last year it intended to sell 120 aircraft to aircraft lessors under a sale-and-lease-back program in an attempt to reduce its debt level.
Good prospects for the aviation leasing industry have attracted investment from business tycoons including Li Ka-shing, Asias richest man, whose flagship listed entity Cheung Kong Holdings bought a portfolio of aircraft for about $1.9 billion in 2014.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/29/16 -- Northern Vertex Mining Corp. (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: NEE) announces that the Company's unaudited interim consolidated financial results for the second quarter fiscal 2016 ended December 31, 2015 have been filed on SEDAR. The full version of the Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis can be viewed on the Company's website at www.northernvertex.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Financial and Corporate Highlights for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2015
-- For the quarter, net loss was $1.28 million (2015: $0.31 million), excluding a non-cash, unrealized foreign exchange gain of $1.75 million (2015: $1.21 million); -- Net gain for the quarter was $0.46 million ($0.005 per share) due to a $1.75 million non-cash, unrealized foreign exchange gain compared to a net gain of $0.90 million ($0.012 per share), after a $1.21 million non-cash, unrealized foreign exchange gain, for the same period last year; -- Year-to-date net loss, excluding a non-cash, unrealized foreign exchange gain, was $1.94 million compared to a net loss of $0.67 million for the comparative period last year; -- Year-to-date net gain was $2.61 million ($0.031 per share), primarily due to a $4.56 million non-cash, unrealized foreign exchange gain compared to a net gain of $2.14 million ($0.030 per share) for the same period last year; -- Cash and cash equivalents was $2.21 million at December 31, 2015, compared to $3.98 million at December 31, 2014. The variance was primarily due to legal fees regarding the recent arbitration, consulting fees pertaining to the Macquarie debt financing due diligence and exploration and evaluation spend at the Moss Mine Project that included the feasibility study; -- Total costs incurred to December 31, 2015 for the Moss Mine Project, including the Silver Creek Project, increased to $34.30 million, compared to $26.71 million for the same period in the prior year.
Dick Whittington, President & CEO, states, "2016 promises to be a transformative year for the Company. We are looking forward to finalizing our JV LLC agreement with Patriot Gold, completing the Macquarie debt financing and securing the necessary equity funds to commence our development plans for the Moss Mine. The robust economics, the excellent location and the relatively straightforward nature of the planned operation put us in a good position to deliver on these plans. It is an exciting time for the Company and its shareholders."
Cost Management
-- The Company has taken significant measures to optimize and preserve its cash position and will continue to adapt to the challenging external environment.
Operating Results
Operations
-- Phase I - Pilot Plant Operations continues to be on a scheduled care and maintenance program. Company staff maintain the site Monday to Friday on day shifts, while Mohave Security monitors the site on night shifts, weekends and holidays. The Company continues to safeguard the facilities on site in preparation of a future construction decision relating to Phase II - Commercial Operations.
Exploration
-- The Company has previously completed a field geological mapping and sampling program on areas outside of the main Moss vein system, indicating the property wide potential. Exploration potential is considered to be excellent both adjacent to the main Moss Vein System, both on strike and to depth, as well as property wide. Several target areas remain to be sampled and others require follow-up sampling to further define their potential. This potential will be evaluated once the Moss Mine is in production.
Feasibility Study
-- The Bankable Feasibility Study was delivered and received by Patriot Gold on July 20, 2015 which completed the final requirement of the "earn-in" obligation under an Exploration and Option to enter Joint Venture Agreement Moss Mine Project with Patriot Gold Corp. ("Patriot Gold") effective March 7, 2011, whereby the Company was granted the right to earn a 70% interest in the Moss Mine project located in Mohave County, Arizona ("2011 Agreement"). The NI 43-101, Disclosure Standards for Mineral Projects Technical Report was filed on SEDAR on July 23, 2015. It is the Company's position that all costs incurred for services rendered or supplies received after July 20, 2015 will be shared on a 70:30 basis with Patriot Gold. -- The economic highlights of the Feasibility Study ("FS"), at prices of US$1,250/oz Gold and US$20/oz Silver, 100% Project basis using a discount factor of 5% in arriving at the Project Net Present Value ("NPV") and recoveries to dore for gold and silver of 82% and 65%, respectively, are summarized in the following table: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Tax After-Tax ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NPV@ 5% US$75.30 M US$55.30 M IRR% 54.6% 44.3% Payback (yrs) 2.3 2.4 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Debt Financing
-- On September 15, 2015, the Company signed an Engagement Letter with indicative terms for Macquarie Bank Limited to provide project finance facilities of up to US$20 million (the "Macquarie Facility") to be used to fund the majority of the projected development costs of the Company's 70% owned Moss Mine Project. The Company has also received indicative terms for a US$6.5 million Equipment Finance Facility (the "Equipment Facility") from a major US bank. The Macquarie Facility and the Equipment Facility are complementary and together would provide up to US$26.5 million towards the estimated pre-production capital of US$33.0 million required to construct the planned gold-silver mine at the Moss Mine site. Due diligence work continues on the debt financings.
Corporate
-- The Advance Notice Policy was approved by shareholders at the annual general and special meeting held on December 29, 2015.
Tax Pools
-- As of December 31, 2015, the Company has approximately US$31.8 million in tax deduction pools that can be applied directly to the Company's 70% share of taxable income from the Moss Mine, to off-set future tax liabilities. Utilizing these tax deduction pools to the Company's portion of the joint venture will significantly enhance the Company's economics of the Moss Mine over and above the analysis of the Feasibility Study.
Arbitration
-- On January 22, 2016, the Company announced that it had received the arbitrator's award arising out of the December 2015 arbitration with Patriot Gold, the details of which were previously disclosed. The Company prevailed on both the disputed matters. The arbitration award confirmed that the BFS delivered to Patriot Gold on July 20, 2015, met the requirements of the 2011 Agreement and the Company has earned a vested 70% interest in the Moss Mine. The arbitrator also dismissed Patriot Gold's claims to be paid US$5.5 million for the gold and silver proceeds from the 2013 Pilot Plant Operation.
Strategic Priorities
-- The key strategic priorities for the Company are to finalize a formal joint venture agreement in the nearer term on a 70:30 basis with Patriot Gold and complete debt, equipment and equity financings, following which the Company's development plans for the Moss Mine Project will commence. -- Additional priorities involve the continued exploration of the Moss and Silver Creek properties where the potential exists to make new discoveries and to continue to support the various community related initiatives that the Company has started in both the educational and community development areas.
The Company's directors and management believe that these priorities are formulating a solid foundation for Northern Vertex Mining Corp., and its shareholders, as it continues working towards building a prosperous, well-respected and long-term mining company.
About Northern Vertex
Northern Vertex Mining Corp. is a Canadian based exploration and mining company focused on the reactivation of the Moss Mine Gold-Silver Project located in NW Arizona, USA where the Company has recently earned a 70% property interest and will form an LLC joint venture with Patriot Gold Corp. The Moss Mine Gold-Silver Project is an epithermal, brecciated, low sulphidation quartz-calcite vein and stockwork system which extends over a strike length of 1,400 meters and has been drill tested to depths of 370 meters vertically. It is a potential heap leach, open pit project that has been advanced to the Feasibility Study stage to ensure that technical, economic, permitting and funding requirements are met prior to proceeding with the development of the mine. The Company's management comprises an experienced management team with a strong background in all aspects of acquisition, exploration, development, operations and financing of mining projects worldwide. The Company is focused on working effectively and respectfully with our stakeholders in the vicinity of the historical Moss Mine and enhancing the capacity of the local communities in the area.
Qualified Persons:
The foregoing technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Mr. L.J. Bardswich, P. Eng., General Manager Moss Project, and a Qualified Person ("QP") for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects).
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
J.R.H. (Dick) Whittington, President & CEO
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.
Cautionary Note About Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains statements about our future business and planned activities. These are "forward-looking" because we have used what we know and expect today to make a statement about the future. Forward-looking statements including but are not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work and analyses. Forward-looking statements usually include words such as may, intend, plan, expect, anticipate, believe or other similar words. We believe the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable. However, actual events and results could be substantially different because of the risks and uncertainties associated with our business or events that happen after the date of this news release. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. As a general policy, we do not update forward-looking statements except as required by securities laws and regulations.
Cautionary Note to US Investors:
This news release uses the terms "Measured", "Indicated", and "Inferred" resources. US investors are advised that while such terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize them. "Inferred Mineral Resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and 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 other economic studies. US investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources will ever be converted into Mineral Reserves. US Investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a Mineral Resource is economically or legally mineable.
2016 number 03
Contacts:
Northern Vertex Mining Corp.
Investor Relations
604-601-3656 or 1-855-633-8798
www.northernvertex.com
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/29/16 -- Results of the 2016 Oski Formal Puzzler "Chessboard Challenge" were announced today by Oski Technology, Inc., the only dedicated formal verification service provider, during the Decoding Formal Club meeting sponsored by Synopsys.
Oski challenged the Semiconductor Industry in December to solve two problems that involved moving a chess king around a 5-by-5 chessboard. Contestants were invited to use paper and pencil to solve the puzzles, but encouraged to run formal verification tools to solve them with model checking, a formal verification technique. Oski ran each entry using Synopsys VC Formal Solution to determine which Verilog model and formal testbench ran the fastest.
The winning entry, announced by Anshul Jain, an engineer at Oski Technology, during the Decoding Formal Club meeting's "CheckMate" session and award ceremony, was submitted by Jesse Bingham who solved both problems. His entry had the fastest runtime of all entries on one of the two problems.
Oski Technology will exhibit at DVCon 2016 in Booth #205 later today from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. and again Tuesday, March 1, and Wednesday, March 2, from 2:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. It will demonstrate how to achieve End-to-End Formal verification and complete coverage with Oski Formal Methodology and Abstraction Models, and explain how the chessboard problem relates to structures often seen in Verilog hardware designs.
More information about Oski Technology can be found at: www.oskitechnology.com
DVCon will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose, Calif. The DVCon website can be found at: www.dvcon.org
About Oski Technology
Oski Technology is a formal verification services company with expertise in deploying formal verification on complex, digital designs. Oski Technology has developed a unique Formal Sign-off Methodology and Oski Abstraction Models to solve challenging capacity problems with formal verification. Its formal methods bring a higher level of productivity than traditional simulation and formal verification approaches. Oski Technology, headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., with a design center in India, has built a team of the world's foremost experts in formal verification. More information about Oski Technology can be found at: www.oskitechnology.com
Formal Sign-off Methodology is a trademark of Oski Technology, Inc. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For more information, contact:
Nanette Collins
Public Relations for Oski Technology
(617) 437-1822
Email Contact
HSINCHU, Taiwan, Feb. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --JHL Biotech, Inc. (Stock Code: 6540.TWO) announced it has entered into a contract manufacturing master service agreement with Affinita Biotech. The agreement covers a development and manufacturing partnership for Affinita's oncology monoclonal antibodies.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160213/333015LOGO
The agreement, extending to 2020, is estimated to be worth up to US$20 million in value. JHL will provide cell line development, process development, and manufacturing expertise. The activities will be carried out in JHL's Zhubei site in Taiwan as well as at JHL's manufacturing facility in Wuhan, China.
About Affinita Biotech
Affinita Biotech, based in South San Francisco, California, is a preclinical stage biotech company focusing on research and development of certain novel cancer therapies. The company was founded in 2015 by a group of industry experts to focus on research and development of targeted, immunity-based oncology therapies.
About JHL Biotech
JHL Biotech was founded by a group of industry veterans with deep experience in pharmaceutical development and operations. JHL is supported by the commitment of premier financial firms, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sequoia Capital, Biomark Capital, Milestone Capital, Fidelity, and the China Development Industrial Bank. JHL Biotech's mission is to provide the world with low-cost medicines of exceptional quality.
JHL Biotech has built world-class facilities in accordance with United States, European Union, and ICH cGMP regulations and standards. The JHL Center of Excellence in Taiwan can support biosimilar pre-clinical and early-clinical phase R&D work; JHL's facility in Wuhan, China will be able to support commercial-scale manufacturing of biologic therapies. This infrastructure gives JHL the unique ability to manufacture its own product and execute contract orders for select clients. For more information about JHL Biotech, please visit the JHL Biotech website at www.jhlbiotech.com.
Media Contact:
JHL Biotech, Inc.
Max Chan, Chief Financial Officer
Contact Phone Number: +886-(0)3-658-3899 #700
Contact Email: mchan@jhlbiotech.com
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/29/16 -- EEStor Corporation (TSX VENTURE: ESU) ("EEStor" or the "Company"), today announced its financial results for the three months ended December 31, 2015. All amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars.
Financial Results
The net loss for the three months ended was $661,526 (2014 - $941,463) with the amount of $536,867 (2014 - $699,432) attributable to the Company and $124,659 (2014 - $242,031) attributable to the minority owners of EEStor Inc. which incurred a loss for the three months ended of $231,023 (2014 - $485,032).
About EEStor Corporation
EEStor Corporation's mission is to be the provider of leading edge capacitor and energy storage solutions and related technologies. The Company operates on the principle and belief that a fundamental breakthrough in high voltage capacitance and related energy storage will be the catalyst for positive environmental and economic change globally. The Company's current business strategy is focused on licensing and partnership opportunities across a broad spectrum of industries and applications building on its recent technology achievements in the capacitor industry.
The Company holds an approximate 71.3% as-converted equity and voting interest and certain technology rights to a solid-state capacitor and related energy storage technologies currently under development by EEStor, Inc. The acquisition of the controlling interest in EEStor, Inc. aligns the businesses of both companies and now allows EEStor Corporation to benefit from other revenue streams that should be available to EEStor, Inc., including applications throughout the capacitor industry and not limited to high density energy storage applications.
EEStor, Inc.'s capacitor and energy storage technology is still under development and a number of further development milestones must be achieved before commercial viability can be fully established. There are significant risks associated with the development of new technologies such as EEStor, Inc.'s capacitor and energy storage technology and readers are directed to the "Risk Factors" disclosed in EEStor Corporation's most recent Annual Information Form filed on SEDAR.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contacts:
EEstor Corporation
Ian Clifford
Chief Executive Officer
416-535-8395
ia.clifford@eestorcorp.com
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Skriver Will Lead Client Management in Denmark & Scandinavia for the Mobile Commerce Solutions
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Buoyed by several years of high growth and Boersen recognition for two consecutive years as a prestigious Gazelle price company, CellPoint Mobile has selected Copenhagen as its operational headquarters in Europe.
In addition, Knud Skriver has joined CellPoint Mobile (www.cellpointmobile.com) as Area Manager-Nordic, a new position that expands the company's presence in Denmark and across Scandinavia. Skriver will provide account management, client services and sales support to the company's Nordic region customers.
Skriver's hiring strengthens Copenhagen as CellPoint Mobile's EU operational headquarters, said CEO Kristian Gjerding in today's announcement. Skriver, who started his career as a mainframe systems programmer, brings to his new role more than 30 years of experience in management, sales, finance and enterprise solutions at Amdahl, EMC, StorageTek and other global technology firms. He specializes in client relationships and enterprise-level sales of technology solutions.
CellPoint Mobile helps global and large regional clients, including ground and air transportation companies, generate direct-channel revenues of USD billions with payment solutions that simplify complex payments and enable direct-channel transactions. Its solutions support mobile payments, mobile wallets, alternate payment methods, fraud monitoring, a converged payment gateway and mobile support for reservations, ticketing, retailing and customer service.
CellPoint Mobile's platform handles millions of ticket and payment transactions daily across all direct channels and devices. Clients include DSB (Danish Rail), SpecSavers and Emirates, a leading global airline. Gazelle designation is awarded to high-growth Danish firms by Boersen, a leading business publication.
"CellPoint Mobile's expansion provides the expertise that clients in Denmark, the EU and around the world need to capture new, emerging revenue streams as rail, airline and retail payments shift to mobile devices and mobile technologies," Gjerding said. "We welcome Knud Skriver to our team and are proud of our company's continued growth in Denmark."
About CellPoint Mobile: Making Travel Payments Easier
CellPoint Mobile helps airlines, transportation firms and global clients navigate and own the complex payments ecosystem, regardless of their customers' preferred currency, payment method, device or channel. The company has offices in Copenhagen, London, Miami and Pune. www.cellpointmobile.comor email info@cellpointmobile.com.
WELLINGTON, Florida, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Armed with international industry stakeholder support, Sam Stathis-Founder and Chairman of Stathis Enterprises and the World Chariot Racing Federation-is on a mission to save harness racing in Florida before it is too late.
The recently proposed "decoupling" legislation has a chance to pass and Stathis explained "This decision could cause a ripple effect with millions of dollars lost in business, agricultural and tax revenues plus thousands of lost jobs and countless number of horses being slaughtered. Not to mention the long term effects to tracks in other states where the same will happen. This could be provedevastating to the world's horse racing industry in the process.
"I am completely disappointed that the United States Trotting Association approved $250,000 for market studies and social media and only $10,000 to help save harness racing in Florida." Stathis added, "If decoupling passes in Florida, it would likely spread across all race horse tracks in the USA like wildfire. "I'm putting my money where my mouth is and donating a minimum of $11,000 in cash and $100,000 in services to stop decoupling." Stathis said. When asked about the decoupling legislation's impact on the horse racing economy, 2014 State of Florida CFO candidate William Rankin says, "I am opposed to any legislation that may cause a negative economic, social or environmental impact on the people in the state of Florida.Furthermore, I believe this decision may have unintended consequences that should be analyzed and all involved parties should have a chance to play a part in the ultimate solution."
Stathis is calling upon all opponents of the legislation to meet at Pompano Parkon Tuesdaynight.
"I am not asking for a donation. Come bet on me, enjoy the races, and let's discuss how we can work together to stop this legislation."
Stathis, who is a licensed owner, driver, trainer, will have his work cut out for him Tuesdayat Pompano Park. The morning line has both his horses at odds of 12-1. Celebrity Lambo starts from post one in the first race and Celebrity Artemis goes from post four in the seventh race. "With a little luck, I hope to see everyone for a win photo after my races." Stathis added. "I want this story to reach at least one million supporters and to get the legislature to realize what they are doing to Florida is wrong."
ADDISON, TX--(Marketwired - March 01, 2016) -Nerium International continues to broaden its global footprint and establish itself as one of the top leaders in the direct sales industry around the world! After opening its business in the Korean market in August 2015, the company will celebrate its full launch with a monumental Grand Opening in KINTEX, Ilsan March 5.
Nerium International Founder and CEO Jeff Olson, other members of Nerium's executive team and top executives from Signum Biosciences and Cosmax are scheduled to deliver key company announcements at the event.
The historic event will include the announcement of additions to Nerium's revolutionary product line in Korea, expanding the company's well-established international product portfolio.
Nerium will also offer attendees a chance to purchase brand new tools, gear and marketing materials at the Nerium Store on site, making the Grand Opening Event the first time the Korean Brand Partners have access to the Nerium store.
As part of Nerium International's commitment to global philanthropy, its executives will announce it's plans to expand it's Nerium Ripple Foundation to Korea.
With this historic event just weeks away, it's clear Nerium is committed to continuing its remarkable success in markets across the world.
About Nerium International
Based in Addison, TX, Nerium International is a global relationship marketing company with Age-Defying products created in cutting-edge research and science. Founded in 2011, Nerium International has shattered industry records for sales while developing a strong customer base in both the North American and Asian markets. This unprecedented success has allowed Nerium to generate $1 billion in sales after just four years. Nerium was recognized for its historic growth by ranking No.1 on the 2015 Inc. 500 List of fastest-growing private US companies in consumer products and services and No. 40 on the 2015 Direct Selling News Global 100 List. Led by an executive team with more than 220 combined years of experience, Nerium International is committed to distributing an excellent product line based in real science and providing its Brand Partners with a life-changing and outstanding business opportunity through relationship marketing.
Ashley Julian
Krupp Kommunications
646-797-2041
AJulian@KruppNYC.com
GAM Holding AG / GAM Holding AG announces changes in the Board of Directors . Processed and transmitted by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Daniel Daeniker will not stand for re-election at the upcoming Annual General Meeting
Nancy Mistretta, Ezra S. Field and Benjamin Meuli are nominated for election
Daniel Daeniker decided not to stand for re-election to the Board of Directors at the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for 27 April 2016. Daniel Daeniker has been a member of the Board since 2010 and served most recently as its Vice Chairman and a member of the Compensation Committee and of the Governance and Nomination Committee.
The Board proposes to elect Nancy Mistretta, Ezra S. Field and Benjamin Meuli to the Board of Directors at the upcoming AGM, subject to customary regulatory approval. Johannes A. de Gier, Diego du Monceau and Hugh Scott-Barrett will stand for re-election.
Nancy Mistretta is a former partner of Russell Reynolds Associates, an executive search firm, where she worked from February 2005 until June 2009. Prior to joining Russell Reynolds, Nancy Mistretta was with JPMorgan Chase and its heritage institutions for 29 years and served as a Managing Director in Investment Banking from 1991 to 2005. Nancy Mistretta is a director of Scotts Miracle-Gro, where she currently chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Finance Committee. She is also a director of the North American Holding Company of HSBC, where she serves on both the Nomination and Governance Committee and the Audit Committee. A resident of Bedford, New York, she is a graduate of Smith College with a BA in Psychology. She is a US citizen.
Ezra S. Field is a Managing Director of Roark Capital Group, an Atlanta-based private equity firm. Prior to joining Roark, Ezra Field was a Managing Director at New York-based ACI Capital, where he played a lead role in all aspects of the firm's investing activities. Ezra Field was previously also an Adjunct Professor at Pace Law School, where he taught Mergers & Acquisitions. Before joining ACI Capital in 2001, Ezra Field was an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. From 1998 to 1999, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Ralph K. Winter, then Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Ezra Field received a BA (Honors) from Wesleyan University, an MBA from Columbia Business School and a JD from Columbia Law School. He is a US citizen.
Benjamin Meuli is the Chief Investment Officer at XL Group, a position he has held since 2015. Between 2009 and 2015, he was the Chief Financial Officer and member of both the Group Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of Catlin Group Ltd. Benjamin Meuli was the Chief Investment Officer and a member of the Executive Board at Swiss Re between 2004 and 2008. Prior to joining Swiss Re, he was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley with responsibility for coverage of large multinational insurance groups. He started his career at JPMorgan, where he spent 20 years in a variety of roles mostly in investment banking. Benjamin Meuli received an MA in politics, philosophy and economics from Worcester College, Oxford and an MSc in agricultural economics from Oxford University. He is a Swiss and UK citizen.
Johannes A. de Gier, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: "On behalf of the full Board of Directors I would like to thank Daniel Daeniker for his invaluable contribution to the Board and his impact in the evolution of the company over the past six years. We look forward to welcoming Nancy Mistretta, Ezra Field and Benjamin Meuli. Their experience and diverse backgrounds will be a great addition to our Board, and we are delighted that they have agreed to stand for election at our next AGM."
For further information please contact:
Larissa Alghisi
T +41 (0) 58 426 62 15
Visit us at: www.gam.com (http://www.gam.com)
Follow us on: Twitter (https://twitter.com/gaminsights), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/gam?trk=company_logo) and XING (https://www.xing.com/companies/gam)
About GAM
GAM is one of the world's leading independent, pure-play asset managers. The company provides active investment solutions and products for institutions, financial intermediaries and private investors under two brands: GAM and Julius Baer Funds. The core investment business is complemented by private labelling services, which include management company and other support services to third-party asset managers. GAM employs over 1,000 people in 11 countries with investment centres in London, Zurich, Hong Kong, New York, Milan and Lugano. The investment managers are supported by an extensive global distribution network.
Headquartered in Zurich, GAM is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and is a component of the Swiss Market Index Mid (SMIM) with the symbol 'GAM'. The Group has assets under management of CHF 119.0 billion (USD 119.2 billion) as at 31 December 2015.
English Press Release (http://hugin.info/142256/R/1990377/731268.pdf)
Oslo, 1 March 2016: Yara International ASA today meets with investors and analysts for Yara's Capital Markets Day to present market prospects, segment strategies, improvement activities and financial scenarios.
"Yara's return on investment demonstrates the value creation and robustness of its business model. But although we have delivered strong results, we cannot rest on our laurels", says Svein Tore Holsether, President and Chief Executive Officer of Yara.
Yara presents new scenarios for future earnings at the Capital Markets Day. The scenarios are not a prediction of future results, but are "what if" examples based on selected fertilizer and energy price scenarios and Yara's current business.
A run rate scenario reflecting current market prices translates into an estimated Earnings Per Share (EPS) of NOK 35. A full-cost scenario reflecting recently observable plant construction and production costs indicates a urea price around 300 USD/t which translates into an estimated Earnings Per Share (EPS) of NOK 57. Adding Yara's committed growth adds an additional estimated 6 NOK per share by 2018, or 7 NOK per share under the full-cost urea scenario.
"We believe growth is key to creating further shareholder value, and sustain and grow our competitive edge. Also, improving our relative cost position and productivity is a key priority. During the next six months we will establish a Corporate Improvement Program, consisting of several initiatives aimed at reducing cost and increasing efficiency", says Svein Tore Holsether, President and Chief Executive Officer of Yara.
Link to Yara Capital Markets Day presentation material:
http://yara.com/investor_relations/financial_webcasts/capital_markets_day_2016/ (http://yara.com/investor_relations/financial_webcasts/capital_markets_day_2016/)
The webcast of Yara's Capital Markets Day will start 01 March 2016 at 08:30 CET.
Contact
Thor Giver, Investor Relations
Mobile: (+47) 48 07 53 56
E-mail: thor.giaver@yara.com (mailto:thor.giaver@yara.com)
Esben Tuman, Media Relations
Cellular (+47) 90 50 84 00
E-mail esben.tuman@yara.com (mailto:esben.tuman@yara.com)
About Yara
Yara's knowledge, products and solutions grow farmers', distributors' and industrial customers' businesses profitably and responsibly, while nurturing and protecting the earth's resources, food and environment.
Our fertilizers, crop nutrition programs and technologies increase yields, improve product quality and reduce the environmental impact of agricultural practices. Our industrial and environmental solutions improve air quality by reducing emissions from industry and transportation, and serve as key ingredients in the production of a wide range of goods. We foster a culture that promotes the safety of our employees, contractors and societies.
Founded in 1905 to solve emerging famine in Europe, today, Yara has a worldwide presence, with close to 13,000 employees and sales to more than 150 countries.
www.yara.com (http://www.yara.com/)
This information is subject of the disclosure requirements acc. to 5-12 vphl (Norwegian Securities Trading Act)
Yara CMD 2016 with notes (http://hugin.info/134793/R/1990401/731275.pdf)
This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Yara International ASA via Globenewswire
HUG#1990401
STOCKHOLM (dpa-AFX) - Sweden's manufacturing growth slowed more-than-expected in February to its lowest level in one-and-a-half years, mainly driven by a slump in new orders, survey data from Swedbank and the purchasing managers' lobby SILF showed Tuesday. The purchasing managers' index for the manufacturing sector fell to 51.7 from January's 55.4. Economists had forecast a modest decline to 55. The latest reading was the lowest since August 2014, the report said. While declines were seen across the board, the biggest negative contribution came from the sub-index of new orders. Orders fell for the first time since 2013. 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.
Skive, Denmark, 2016-03-01 09:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --Dantherm has extended an option agreement on the divestment of its Telecom business segment until 9 March 2016.In 2014, Dantherm entered into a binding agreement with the parent company of China Technologies Holdings Group Co. (Hong Kong) (CTHG) concerning the divestment of the Telecom business segment. So far, the buyer has been unable to complete the transaction.The divestment of the HVAC business segment to Procuritas on 15 January 2016 (see company announcement no. 1) included the Telecom EMEA companies, for which reason the agreement with CTHG was terminated by Dantherm, while giving CTHG the option of re-entering into the former agreement by the end of February 2016.Based on an agreed extension of the deadline for re-entering into the agreement up until Wednesday 9 March 2016, Dantherm is negotiating an updated agreement with CTHG on the acquisition of the entire Telecom segment including the Telecom EMEA companies.If the divestment to CTHG is realised, Dantherm's only remaining activities will be the company's 43% stake in Dantherm Power.If the divestment of the Telecom activities to CTHG is not realised, Dantherm will seek to divest the operating activities individually.The proceeds from any sale cannot be calculated until the agreements have been finalised, but in both scenarios, the net proceeds are at present expected to be considerably lower than the company's interest-bearing debt, and Dantherm moving into negative equity, after which Dantherm will be in a capital loss situation as defined by the Danish Act on Public and Private Limited Companies.Following the divestment of all operating activities, a winding-up process will - subject to agreement with Dantherm's credit institutions - commence, which will include exploring the possible sale of the listed company and its tax asset, although this would be conditional upon the making of a composition concerning the outstanding debt with the credit institutions. Whether the divestment of the listed company is possible is uncertain, and it is therefore doubtful whether the final winding-up process will result in minimal proceeds for the company's shareholders.The Board of Directors will update the market further as soon as new information becomes available.Financial statementsThe financial statements for 2015 will be published on 29 March, and not as previously announced on 18 March. As announced earlier, the annual general meeting will be held on 27 April 2016.The deadline for submitting items for the agenda is 18 March 2016.Any enquiries concerning this announcement can be directed to Chairman of Dantherm's Board of Directors Jrgen Mller-Rasmussen on tel. +45 23 20 50 50.In case of doubt the Danish version of this announcement is applicableAttachment:https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=549731
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 3:45 am ET Tuesday, Markit Economics is due to release its February manufacturing PMI figures for Italy and France at 3:45 am ET and 3:50 am ET, respectively. German manufacturing PMI and unemployment data for February are slated for release at 3:55 am ET. Subsequently, the manufacturing PMI for the Eurozone is due 4:00 am ET. Ahead of these reports, the euro showed mixed trading against the other major currencies. While the euro fell against the U.S. dollar and the pound, it rose against the yen and the Swiss franc. As of 3:40 am ET, the euro was trading at 0.7792 against the pound, 1.0866 against the Swiss franc, 1.0868 against the U.S. dollar and 123.02 against the yen. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DySIS Colposcope to be incorporated into national cervical screening programme
DySIS Medical Ltd. (DySIS) today announces that it has signed a multi-million pound contract with medical technology distributor, ITEM Medical Technologies as part of the national cervical screening programme in Turkey. No financial details have been disclosed.
As part of plans to advance the country's cervical screening programme, the Turkish Ministry of Health selected DySIS's Colposcope over other technologies. The aim is to install a DySIS Colposcope in every City hospital in the country. ITEM Medical Technologies has purchased an initial instalment of 75 instruments from DySIS in order to begin the roll-out during 2016.
Alastair Atkinson, CEO of DySIS, said: "This order is another clear endorsement of our technology. ITEM Medical Technologies is working closely with the Turkish Ministry of Health to bring better standards of healthcare to women. Adopting the DySIS Colposcope will enhance Turkey's screening programme."
Zafer Yazici, Managing Director of ITEM Medical Technologies, said: "Cervical cancer screening in Turkey is a vital component of women's healthcare, delivered thorough approximately 1,000 screening centres. The advantages offered by the DySIS Colposcope were proven in the clinical evaluation that was performed and are strongly appreciated by gynaecologists."
The DySIS Colposcope differs from traditional colposcopes by measuring the cervical epithelium, producing a map of the cervix. The DySISmap assists the clinician with the processes of evaluating the cervix, selecting biopsy sites or performing treatment if needed. The DySISmap technology acts as an adjunct to conventional methods.
Alastair Atkinson added, "This contract builds on the strong adoption of our products in the UK, US and Middle Eastern markets where over 80,000 DySIS examinations have now been undertaken. We continue to receive very positive feedback from consultants and we know our technology is saving women's lives. DySIS is proving itself as the new standard of care for cervical cancer prevention."
Sales of the DySIS Colposcope continue to grow. The instrument is now installed within 70 centres within selected US states and is available in the UK, northern Europe and the United Arab Emirates.
Ends
Notes to Editors
DySIS Medical Ltd
DySIS Medical, a medical devices company active within Women's Health, has developed an advanced cervical scan which, in addition to performing traditional colposcopy examinations, uses dynamic spectral imaging to scan, quantify and map the cervix.
www.dysismedical.com
About the DySIS colposcope
The DySIS colposcope differs from traditional colposcopes by measuring the cervical epithelium automatically, producing a map of the cervix which assists the clinician with assessing the cervix, identifying biopsy locations and performing treatment if needed.
DySIS delivers dynamic spectral imaging, in vivo quantified assessment of the cervix, high sensitivity quantified mapping of the aceto-whitening effect and HD digital imaging video with intuitive touch screen interface. The DySIS colposcope's ergonomic design is compatible with all patient beds.
About cervical cancer
Worldwide, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer for women and the seventh most common cancer overall. While it is the only entirely preventable cancer, approximately half a million women are diagnosed with the disease every year.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160301005924/en/
Contacts:
DySIS Medical, Inc.
Alastair Atkinson
E: info@dysismedical.com
T: 01506 592159
or
Instinctif Partners
Melanie Toyne Sewell/Gemma Howe
E: dysis@instinctif.com
T: 020 7866 7860
LONDON, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Portr, the London based travel-technology company, and Capita, the UK's leading specialist travel and events provider, are excited to announce their supplier partnership deal to offer Capita Travel and Events customers the travel transformation service - AirPortr.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150805/256168LOGO )
AirPortr delivers passenger bags within hours between London locations (homes/ hotels/ offices) and London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick and London City Airport) - providing same-day, on demand bag free travel for business and leisure travellers alike.
Lugging luggage to and from the airport and around London has historically been a real inconvenience for the corporate traveller but now air travellers can experience a much more efficient journey to and from the airport. Bags are either dropped off in the airport with an AirPortr concierge, before being securely transported by an AirPortr driver to their London destination, or, bags are collected from any London address and delivered to the airport at a time suited to the customer before their flight. Travelling bag free changes the whole journey dynamic, allowing quicker, lighter and stress free travel. The end result is that travellers can focus on doing what they need to, rather than having their baggage dictate their itinerary. The service allows travellers to benefit from: avoidance of rush hour traffic and hotel check-in restrictions; extra and unplanned business meetings; making the best use of their time in London.
AirPortr will be digitally integrated into the Capita Travel and Events travel management workflow, facilitating bookings in advance of, or on the day of travel.
Chris Walsh, Director & Head of Customer Experience at Portr, said:
"Our vision is to fundamentally change how people travel, putting them back in control of their own agenda. AirPortr is all about increasing the efficiency of travellers' time, they know that their bags are being securely delivered, which leaves them to make the most of their first or last day in London, we like to call it 'Luggage Freedom'."
Raj Sachdave MCIPS, Head of Auxiliary Partnerships & Innovation, Capita Travel and Events, said: "Business travellers' needs and expectations are constantly evolving. Capita is listening to our customers call for better experiences brought by less stress, greater connectivity and streamlined services. We're always on the lookout for innovative suppliers like AirPortr; it means we can continue to enhance the customer experience, aiding the productivity and business performance of our customers. This approach still provides visibility of spend and allows greater insight into the total cost of travel."
About AirPortr:
AirPortr was set up by three frustrated frequent flyers that met through coincidence, but shared a vision to create and shape a better way to travel. Operational since 2014 it is the first service of its kind in Europe. AirPortr have delivered thousands of bags to-date and all with a 100% customer satisfaction record.
Editor's Notes:
AirPortr launched in May 2014 in London City Airport, Gatwick in July 2015 and Heathrow in December 2015 .
in London City Airport, in and in . Pricing: 15 to Airport addresses and local hotels, 25 to central London and 35 to outer London . Each additional bag costs 5 (with no size or weight restrictions).
and 35 to outer . Each additional bag costs 5 (with no size or weight restrictions). Delivery locations include airports (airport to airport), hotels, homes and offices within the London M25 area
M25 area Customers include business, leisure, families on holiday, global adventurers and city break millennial travellers.
All luggage can be GPS tracked in real time from a users smartphone/ as well as seeing their dedicated driver; covered for 10,000; there are no amendment or cancellation fees*; customers receive delivery updates by text/ email.
All bags are X-rayed, tagged, sealed and tracked with their own unique number to ensure safe and secure delivery.
* Terms & Conditions Apply, please refer to http://www.portr.com for full details.
About Capita Travel and Events
Capita Travel and Events brings together the leading specialists in business travel, accommodation, meetings and events, to create one powerfully unique business. An established business travel portfolio, incorporating Capita Business Travel, BSI, Expotel and Venues Event Management, allows customers to benefit from a new multi-specialist offer without compromise.
Whether customers choose one specialist service, all of them or a combination, Capita Travel and Events provide trusted and proven expertise through one coherent solution.
With an annual customer turnover in excess of over 500m, the combined business employs 900 people across 7 UK sites and provides services for organisations including Santander, BT, EE, Pinsent Masons LLP, Royal Mail Group and E.ON.
http://www.capitatravelandevents.co.uk
@CapTravelEvents
Part of Capita plc
For further information, imagery or to ensure you experience Luggage Freedom the next time you travel please contact Marie-Claire at Portr:
(M) +44-(0)7990-453-910 (DD) +44-(0)203-384-6677 (E)mclalor@portr.com
Please Explore More at http://www.portr.com
AUSTIN, Texas and NYON, Switzerland, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Endocare, Inc announced today the signing of an exclusive agreement with R-Action Distribution SA rl, a subsidiary of R-Action SAS, for the distribution of its Endocare' Cryoablation technology in France and Switzerland coinciding with a first installation at Institut Mutualiste Montsouris in Paris, France.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160223/336402 )
Endocare' cryoablation therapy is a specialized type of cryotherapy for the minimally invasive treatment of cancer of the prostate, kidney and lung as well as liver metastases and palliative intervention. Prostate salvage cryotherapy is a form of treatment administered when radiation therapy has not been successful and a growing amount of evidence supports the use of cryotherapy for patients with localized prostate cancer following radiation therapy (Jones JS. European Urology 2011; 60:411-412).
Utilization of cryotherapy for the treatment of small tumors of the kidney has also increased in recent years due to the fact that, in addition to urologic cryosurgeons, interventional radiologists can perform cryotherapy with high precision using computerized tomography (CT) scanning under either general anesthesia or conscious sedation.
About Endocare
Endocare, Inc is a subsidiary of HealthTronics, Inc. dedicated to treating cancer with innovative minimally invasive approaches. The current core of its technologies is cryoablation for destruction of tumors in the kidney and lung as well as treating prostate cancer, liver metastases and providing palliative intervention for cancer.
ENDOCARE is a trademark of Endocare, Inc, registered in the U.S. and other countries.
www.endocare.com
About R-Action Distribution
R-Action Distribution SA rl is a manufacturer and distributor of medical devices for use in urology, coloproctology, OB/GYN, paediatric and general surgery.
R-Action Distribution represents leading North American and European manufacturers through direct operations in Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, the Benelux countries and a joint venture in Russia.
www.radistribution.com
Media contact:
Toby Hamblin, toby.hamblin@radistribution.com, +41(0)223627682
Scania is launching its most powerful marine engine ever at the Dubai International Boat Show this March. The compact 16-litre V8 engine delivers 1,200 hp and boasts low weight and unsurpassed fuel economy, allowing for a significantly increased range of operation.
Scania's pleasure-craft engine is based on the company's modular system, which has been developed over the past 50 years. It guarantees reliability and availability, as well as simplifying service and reducing the need for spare parts.
"This new V8 can provide the powerful heart needed in high-speed pleasure craft, regardless of whether they have a propeller or are driven by waterjet," says Joel Granath, Senior Vice President for Scania Engines. "It's the most powerful engine in Scania's entire portfolio the most outstanding that we have developed to date."
The new engine builds on Scania's long and deep experience with marine installations and different applications. Scania's V8 engines are well known for their unsurpassed power-to-weight ratios and powerful torque, something that gives boat owners the best acceleration in the class. The new pleasure-craft engine takes these characteristics a step further. The power ranges from 1000 through to 1200 hp.
The Dubai International Boat Show takes place between 1 and 5 March and is primarily focused on large yachts and luxury boats. Scania will display both the new V8 and a 13-litre straight six cylinder, today capable of producing up to 750 hp.
"The fair is a tremendously good meeting place for meeting new customer groups and creating new contacts," says Granath. "It attracts major attention, both in and outside of the pleasure-craft industry. That's why we see great value in being on the ground in Dubai and displaying our offering.
Scania is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks and buses for heavy transport applications, and of industrial and marine engines. Service-related products account for a growing proportion of the company's operations, assuring Scania customers of cost-effective transport solutions and maximum uptime. Scania also offers financial services. Employing some 44,000 people, the company operates in about 100 countries. Research and development activities are concentrated in Sweden, while production takes place in Europe and South America, with facilities for global interchange of both components and complete vehicles. In 2015, net sales totalled SEK 95 billion and net income amounted to SEK 6.8 billion. Scania's press releases are available on www.scania.com (http://www.scania.com/se)
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160301005958/en/
Contacts:
Scania Engines
Joel Granath
Senior Vice President
Phone: +46 8 553 820 37
E-mail: Joel.Granath@scania.com
or
Torben Dabrowski
Global Product Manager Marine
Scania Engines
Phone: +46 8 553 836 92
E-mail: Torben.Dabrowski@scania.com
VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - German shares rose on Tuesday as downbeat Chinese manufacturing data and Japanese capital spending figures strengthened expectations of more monetary stimulus. Also, Europe's manufacturing sector expanded at the slowest rate in a year in February, adding pressure on the European Central bank to unveil another round of stimulus next week. The Markit's manufacturing PMI for the euro zone dropped to 51.2 from January's 52.3. German data painted a mixed picture, with the manufacturing PMI slowing sharply to a 15-month low, while the unemployment rate remained at the record low of 6.2 percent. The benchmark DAX was up 102 points or 1.08 percent at 9,587 after closing 0.2 percent lower the previous day on disappointment over the outcome of the weekend meeting of G20 finance minister and central bankers. Stocks pared early gains after the release of Eurozone manufacturing data. Automakers paced the gainers, with BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen rising 1-2 percent on the opening day of the Geneva motor show. Klockner & Co shares jumped over 4 percent even as the metals trader posted fiscal 2015 net loss of 349 million euros, hit by goodwill impairments in North America activities. Deutsche Boerse shares advanced 1 percent. Intercontinental Exchange confirmed that it is considering making an offer for LSE, which is in talks over a potential merger with Deutsche Boerse. 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.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The euro showed mixed trading against the other major currencies in the early European session on Tuesday, following the release of Eurozone PMI report for February.
Data from Markit showed that Eurozone manufacturing growth eased to a one-year low in February. The final manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 51.2 in February, a 12-month low, from 52.3 in January. It was slightly above the flash estimate of 51.
Separate data showed that Germany's PMI reached a 15-month low in February. The final Markit/BME PMI dropped to 50.5 from 52.3 in January. The flash score was 50.2.
Meanwhile, data from the Federal Labor Agency showed that Germany's unemployment declined for the fifth consecutive month in February. The number of people out of work decreased 10,000 from January as expected by economists.
The unemployment rate held steady at 6.2 percent, the lowest since German reunification. The rate also matched economists' forecast.
Meanwhile, the European share markets traded higher, as investor sentiment boosted after China's central bank cut its reserve requirement ratio to support the nation's economy.
In Asian trading, the euro held steady against its major rivals.
In early European trading, the euro fell to more than a 4-week low of 1.0858 against the U.S. dollar and a 1-week low of 0.7784 against the pound, from early highs of 1.0893 and 0.7821, respectively. Thereafter, the euro held steady against both the currencies.
Against the yen, the euro rose to 123.32, from an early near 3-year low of 122.07. If the euro extends its uptrend, it is likely to find resistance around the 127.00 area.
The euro edged up to 1.0877 against the Swiss franc, from an early low of 1.0848. On the upside, 1.10 is seen as the next resistance level for the euro.
Looking ahead, at 7:00 am ET, New Zealand's GlobalDairyTrade auction is due to be held.
In the New York session, Canada GDP data for the December, Canada RBC manufacturing PMI for February, Markit's U.S. manufacturing PMI for February and the ISM's manufacturing PMI for February and U.S. construction spending data for January are due to be released.
At 9:05 am ET, European Central Bank executive board member Sabine Lautenschlaeger is expected to speak at the GARP 17th Annual Risk Management Convention in New York.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
For immediate release 1 March 2016 CBO Investments (Jersey) Limited Series 2002-1 6,000,000 Secured CDO Linked Floating Rate Notes due 2020 ISIN: XS0144097853 Disclosure of Home Member State EU Directives 2004/109/EC, 2007/14/EC and 2013/50/EU, which are frequently referred to together as the EU Transparency Directive ('EUTD') require issuers to disclose their Home Member State. In accordance with the EUTD, CBO Investments (Jersey) Limited hereby discloses that its Home Member State is the United Kingdom. This announcement is distributed by GlobeNewswire on behalf of GlobeNewswire clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: CBO Investments (Jersey) Limited via GlobeNewswire [HUG#1990348] 3146202R11 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.
BSD Crown Ltd. (LSE: BSD)
(the "Company")
Company Update
Ramat Gan, 01 March 2016
The Company hereby announces that on 3 February 2016, it received a request from Rotenstreich Gitzelter Trust Company Ltd (the "Trustee") to convene an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of the Company in order to remove the directors of the Company (other than Mr Zvi Shur) and replace such directors with nominees of the Trustee. So far as the Company is aware, the Trustee holds 10,278,451 shares in the Company (representing approximately 9.34 percent of the issued share capital of the Company) (the "Secured Shares") on trust for the Naftali Shani Group ("NSG"), amongst others, as a security in connection with a share purchase agreement entered into by Israel 18 (the indirect controlling shareholder of the Company) relating to the acquisition by it of shares in BSD.
The Company has considered the validity of such request with its advisers and notes the following:
The Trustee asserts that ownership of (and control of the voting rights with respect to) the Secured Shares has transferred to NSG and therefore the Trustee is entitled to call for an extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders of the Company for the purposes set out above. The Company has been informed by Israel 18's legal counsel that Israel 18 rejects this assertion and that since the Trustee and/or NSG have not become the owners of the Secured Shares, they have no right to call for an extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders of the Company. Israel 18 referred to a similar request made by the Trustee regarding B.G.I Investments (1961) Ltd. (as referenced in the Company announcement of 29 December 2015 ) in which Israel 18 received the expert opinion of a leading expert in Israel pledge law (the "Expert"). Israel 18's position, based on the opinion received from the Expert that NSG is a secured creditor, is that NSG cannot ask the board of the Company to call for a general meeting of the shareholders of the Company for the purpose of replacing its board of directors absent it having asserted its right to realise its security as secured creditor with respect to the Secured Shares.
In light of the dispute between NSG and Israel 18, the Board of the Company has resolved not to take any further action at this time whilst such dispute remains outstanding and the request to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company cannot be validated. As a matter of course, the Company and the board will comply with any competent judicial decision with regard to this matter.
The Company will provide further updates, as required.
Enquiries:
Yossi Schneorson, CEO: yossi@bsd-c.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Effective March 1, 2016, JET Group (Jet Equipment & Tools Ltd., American Forge & Foundry Inc. and Sellstrom Manufacturing Co.), a leading supplier of tools, equipment and safety products, has rebranded the corporate identity to "SureWerx". The SureWerx name not only represents a change in our brand but also embodies a new brand promise to our distributors and to the end users of our products. Our product brands remain unchanged and will continue to take centre stage in all of our marketing and sales materials.
SureWerx as a parent brand is designed to tie all of our product brands together globally. This opens the door for further global expansion and allows our company to look beyond its traditional geographical markets.
"This is more than just a brand name change; this enhances our ability to deliver on our promise to our customer to always find a better way," said Chris Baby, President & COO, SureWerx. "Rebranding JET Group to SureWerx is another evolutionary step in our corporate culture, allowing us to integrate confidence and safety in all that we do."
SureWerx will build on all of the success that our company has achieved with our partner distributors, and accelerate it in new ways. The SureWerx message of confidence and safety will enable us to convert end users to our brands and, when combined with our excellent service, will deliver new business growth to our partner distributors.
About SureWerx
Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, SureWerx is a leading supplier of professional tool, equipment and safety products. SureWerx markets its products in Canada under the JET, Strongarm, ITC, STARTECH, Pioneer, Ranpro, PeakWorks, and Sellstrom brands, and in the United States under the American Forge & Foundry, Pioneer, Ranpro, PeakWorks, and Sellstrom brands. SureWerx offers an unparalleled access to its brands through its partner distributor network servicing the North American industrial, construction, safety markets as well as the automotive aftermarket. SureWerx is owned by Penfund, one of Canada's oldest independent private equity firms. For more information, please visit us at www.surewerx.com or www.surewerx.ca.
Contacts:
SureWerx
Bill Jeffery
SVP Corporate Development
604.523.7634
bjeffery@surewerx.com
Tikkurila Oyj
Press Release
March 1, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. (CET+1)
Today on March 1, 2016, there has been discussion in the media about the request for preliminary investigation regarding Tikkurila Oyj by Tikkurila's former software provider. Tikkurila has received the preliminary request for clarification from the authorities. Tikkurila will give its response to the authorities in charge of the preliminary investigation in the near future.
In Tikkurila's view, the request for preliminary investigation in unfounded. The issue at stake is a civil action that has already been handled in arbitral tribunal. The arbitral tribunal has given its award at the beginning of February 2016. According to the award, Tikkurila Oyj has no liability towards the claimant. Tikkurila's interpretation is that the software provider was disappointed to the termination of cooperation and to the award of the arbitration court, and have now unfoundedly started to drive the civil action through preliminary investigation and media publicity.
For further information, please contact:
Antti Kiuru, Tikkurila Oyj, Group Vice President, Legal, mobile +358 400 686 488, antti.kiuru@tikkurila.com (mailto:antti.kiuru@tikkurila.com)
Tikkurila is the leading paints and coatings professional in the Nordic region and Russia. With our roots in Finland, we now operate in 16 countries. Our high-quality products and extensive services ensure the best possible user experience in the market. Sustainable beauty since 1862.
www.tikkurilagroup.com (http://www.tikkurilagroup.com)
This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Tikkurila Oyj via Globenewswire
HUG#1990531
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The first case of Zika virus infection has been reported from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. WHO said Tuesday that the National IHR Focal Point of the southern Caribbean island nation notified PAHO/WHO of its first Zika case. The patient is a 34-year-old female who visited on 16 February a health center in Union Island after experiencing fever, headache, chills, cough and weakness of the lower extremities. She was kept for observation at the hospital overnight. The patient has no history of travel in the 30 days prior to being admitted to hospital. No clusters of febrile-like illness were noted on the island. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) tested a venous blood sample positive for Zika virus infection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Health authorities in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are taking several precautionary measures in the wake of the outbreak news. The detection of autochthonous cases of Zika virus infection indicates that the virus is spreading geographically to previously unaffected areas, and in this case to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. 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.
Transaction Marks Waypoint's Continued Partnership with Bristow and Further Expansion into Latin America
Waypoint Leasing (Ireland) Limited ("Waypoint"), the largest independent global helicopter leasing company, today announced that it has closed a multi-aircraft agreement with Bristow Group Inc. ("Bristow") for the purchase and leaseback of three AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters. All three helicopters will operate offshore in crew change and limited Search and Rescue roles, on long-term contract in Guyana.
"We are pleased to announce yet another lease transaction with Bristow, and appreciate the opportunity to provide leasing solutions to one of the leading offshore helicopter operators in the world," said Waypoint CEO Ed Washecka. "We deeply value our partnerships and are proud to support Bristow's continued success while furthering our own expansion in Latin America."
Waypoint's portfolio includes more than 120 aircraft with total assets in excess of $1.5 billion. Waypoint's fleet operates for 16 customers in 27 countries. Additionally, Waypoint has firm and option orders with aircraft manufacturers for more than 125 helicopters valued at more than $1.7 billion, to be delivered over the next five years.
About Waypoint Leasing (Ireland) Limited
Waypoint Leasing is a global helicopter leasing company that provides operating lease and financing solutions to helicopter operators worldwide. Headquartered in Limerick, Ireland, Waypoint differentiates itself with a senior management team that has direct helicopter operating and leasing experience in key helicopter markets around the world, having leased helicopters across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. Waypoint serves a wide range of sectors including oil and gas, emergency medical service, search and rescue, firefighting and governmental support. In addition to Ireland, Waypoint has offices in the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, and Brazil. Waypoint plans to open additional regional offices in Australia and South Africa in the second quarter of 2016. Further information is available at www.waypointleasing.com.
About Bristow Group
Bristow Group Inc. is the leading provider of helicopter services to the worldwide offshore energy industry based on the number of aircraft operated and one of two helicopter service providers to the offshore energy industry with global operations. The Company has major transportation operations in the North Sea, Nigeria and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and in most of the other major offshore oil and gas producing regions of the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia and Trinidad. For more information, visit the Company's website at www.bristowgroup.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160301005572/en/
Contacts:
Media:
For Waypoint
Sard Verbinnen Co
Andrew Cole/Jared Levy, 212-687-8080
waypoint-svc@sardverb.com
ANKARA (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Department of State has warned U.S. citizens to avoid travel to southeastern Turkey. Given the recent terrorist attacks and increased threats from international and indigenous groups, U.S. citizens should exercise caution when traveling throughout the country, the State Department said in a Travel Warning Monday. Recent terrorist attacks from international and indigenous groups have targeted popular tourist sites, U.S. government buildings, police, and other local authorities throughout Turkey. The threat of kidnapping remains a concern, especially in the southeast. There have been incidents of cross-border shelling from Syria into Turkey. US citizens have been advised to avoid travel to southeastern Turkey, particularly near the Syrian border. Travel restrictions remain in place for U.S. government employees to southeastern Turkey for the provinces of Hatay, Kilis, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Sirnak, Diyarbakir, Van, Siirt, Mus, Mardin, Batman, Bingol, Tunceli, Hakkari, Bitlis, and Elazig. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Aria Systems, which helps enterprises grow recurring revenue, today announced that Edmunds.com, the premier destination for car shoppers with 20 million monthly visitors, has chosen Aria's active monetization platform to help scale their billing operations to meet the skyrocketing demands of its customer base.
Edmunds.com, named one of "The World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2015 in Automotive" by Fast Company, selected Aria as the best solution for its current and future business models after an extensive market evaluation. The Aria platform will provide end-to-end monetization and billing capabilities for the Edmunds Program, which gives its dealer partners a powerful online platform to reach millions of in-market car shoppers, and to close deals faster, and with higher customer satisfaction.
Edmunds.com chose Aria for its robust API suite and ability to ramp up new products and billing methods that tailor meet their evolving customer needs. Aria's #1 ranked cloud-based billing and active monetization platform is designed to help enterprises, like Edmunds.com, rapidly test and iterate on their monetization strategies to better respond to evolving market conditions. Aria will help Edmunds.com to automate their processes, and greatly reduce the manual overhead currently required to manage customer lifecycles.
"Efficient and scalable billing operations are becoming critical for any company that is looking to drive unparalleled choice and an unsurpassed customer experience," said Sheryl Washington, Edmunds.com VP of Dealer Operations. "Aria offers us a flexible and powerful billing platform that can adapt as we look to launch new offerings that expand our business footprint."
"We're delighted to partner with Edmunds.com, an innovative disrupter in the automotive industry," said Tom Dibble, CEO of Aria Systems. "We look forward to being a part of their promise to drive higher customer lifetime value through unique products and offers."
About Aria Systems
Proven by the world's most demanding enterprises, including AAA NCNU, Atlassian, Constant Contact, Edmunds.com, Experian, Falck, Pitney Bowes, Roku, VMware, and Zipcar, Aria helps enterprises grow their recurring revenue businesses. With Aria's end-to-end active monetization platform, global brands can get to market faster with a wider variety of products and services, while maximizing customer satisfaction, retention, and lifetime value.
To learn more, visit www.ariasystems.com.
About Edmunds.com: Car shopping destination Edmunds.com serves nearly 20 million visitors each month. With Edmunds.com Price Promise, shoppers can buy smarter with instant, upfront prices for cars and trucks currently for sale at 13,000 dealer franchises across the U.S. Shoppers can browse not only dealer inventory, but also vehicle reviews, shopping tips, photos, videos and feature stories on both Edmunds' wired site and on its acclaimed mobile apps. Regarded as one of the best places to work in Southern California, Edmunds.com was also named one of "The World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2015 in Automotive" by Fast Company. Edmunds welcomes all car-shopping questions on its free Live Help Line at 1-855-782-4711 and help@edmunds.com, via text at ED411 and on Twitter and Facebook. The company is based in Santa Monica, Calif. and has a satellite office in downtown Detroit, Mich., but you can find Edmunds from anywhere on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google+ and Flipboard.
Aria Systems and the Aria logo are trademarks of Aria Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Press Contacts
Parker Trewin
Aria Systems
+ 1 415 549 2531
Email Contact
Aaron Lewis
Edmunds.com
+ 1 310 309 4934
Email Contact
DUBAI, UAE, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Aster DM Healthcare, a Dubai-based healthcare conglomerate is reiterating its call amongst journalists in the GCC to submit their work that is socially-relevant and has impacted the community. The deadline for submission to the Aster Media Awards is on March 15, 2016 via http://www.astermediaawards.com .
Aster Media Awards was launched last February to recognize the efforts of journalists in India and the GCC in highlighting stories about the community which has driven social impact. The awards comprise three categories: National (open to works written in all Indian languages except Malayalam), Regional (open to works written in Malayalam) and International/GCC (open for works in English and Arabic from media in the six Gulf countries).
Prizes for the winning pieces are: AED25,000 for International (GCC), Rs. 10 Lakhs for National (India), and, Rs. 5 Lakhs for Regional (Kerala).
The award-giving body also just announced its panel of jurors who will select the winning entries such as:Shri. Venu Rajamony, IFS, Diplomat & Press Club Secretary to the Hon. President of India; Ms. Shahnaz Pakravan, Journalist with exposure in Middle East & Western Media - BBC, Channel 4, Al Jazira, Channel 33 and Arab Publications, Mr. Rajrishi Singhal, India National Journalist, a Senior Fellow in Geo-economics Studies, and, Dr. Azad Moopen - Chairman & Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare & Founder of Dr. Moopen's Foundation.
The inaugural 2016 Award ceremonies willbe held in three cities - Delhi, Kochi and Dubai, for National, Regional and International categories, respectively.
Commenting on the awards, Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare stated: "The Aster Media Awards is designed to recognize journalists who bring to light stories of our fellowmen and the community and the positive change that it has brought. We are also extremely grateful to have the commitment of the jury to review and award deserving journalists who made an impact to the community through their works. We believe that the Aster Media Awards will support and encourage more journalists, who put the spotlight on development, growth and sustenance of communities and focus on journalism of consequence with stories having a social impact. All together, we trust that the jury will help elevate the exemplary works of journalists in India and the GCC who deserve to on the spotlight."
The Aster Media Awards was conceptualized by Aster DM Healthcare in recognition of the impact of the media in shaping public awareness, acknowledgement and actions in the respective region. As part of the social responsibility of the Group, Aster DM Healthcare is keen to provide a platform to applaud the efforts of the media, whose talent, efforts and commitment are rarely noticed in society. Journalism plays a key role in keeping a check on societal conscience and vision of collective development. This needs to be applauded in the purest form - be it stories around protecting the way of life of communities, curbing social-ills, protecting our environment, educating on health and wellness, inspiring young minds towards education and empowerment of disadvantaged communities by highlighting their cause, CSR & Community Initiatives and Innovations.
About Aster DM Healthcare
Established in 1987, Aster DM Healthcare currently owns and operates a network of more than 290 plus units across the Middle East and India, covering an array of healthcare verticals including clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and a modern medical city. These network units are consolidated under the brand names ASTER, MEDCARE, ACCESS, ASTER Medcity and ASTER MIMS. The multitude of health facilities that include 14 hospitals offer primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary care in order to meet the requirements of people from a cross section of the society.
Regulatory News:
Leading live marketing group to deploy comprehensive IFS (STO:IFSA)(STO:IFSB) solution across its international business
IFS (http://www.ifsworld.com/), the global enterprise applications company, announces that the Live Marketing Solutions division of MCH Group (http://www.mch-group.com/en-US.aspx), comprising subsidiaries such as Expomobilia (based in Effretikon, Switzerland) and Winkler (Wohlen, Switzerland), has decided to implement IFS Applications 9 (http://www.ifsworld.com/en/solutions/ifs-applications/ifs-applications-9/) to optimize its global business processes. The contract includes licenses and services worth approximately 1.4 million euros.
The MCH Group is a leading international group of live marketing companies with a comprehensive services network spanning the entire exhibition and event market.
MCH was looking for a new unified ERP solution since its legacy systems were not providing optimal support for the group's numerous cross-company processes. After an extensive selection process, the Live Marketing Solutions division opted for IFS Applications.
When fully implemented, IFS Applications will empower some 200 staff with enhanced support for mission-critical processes such as multi-site and multi-currency project management and costing. The solution will also provide optimized support for material and rental management, helping the company increase its competitiveness and cost efficiency throughout its international value chain.
The IFS solution will support business processes such as financials, distribution, manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, sales service, collaboration, human resource, CRM, project management and reporting, rentals, document management and quality management.
"We chose IFS because of the international orientation of the company and its software as well as its robust support of inter-company processes," Richard Hammerli, CFO, Live Marketing Solutions, MCH Group, said. "With IFS Applications, we can further increase the efficiency of our operations as well as accelerate them. This is of enormous importance with regard to international project management. Only with optimized processes can we remain competitive in the long term."
"The agreement with MCH Group is further proof of our expertise in the project-based industries," IFS Europe Central Vice President Sales Marketing Peter Hohne said. "For companies that are active in this field, IFS offers an integrated lifecycle management solution that supports the individual requirements. We are very excited to start the implementation project and look forward to a long and successful relationship with the MCH Group."
The implementation will start at MCH Group subsidiary Expomobilia, which constructs exhibition stands and pavilions, and event service provider Winkler Multi Media Events. These will be followed by Techno Fot AG, Rufener Events AG, Reflection Marketing AG, and MCH Global AG.
About MCH Group
The MCH Group is a leading international group of live marketing companies with a comprehensive services network spanning the entire exhibition and event market. It creates effective and efficient marketing platforms in the form of internationally and nationally leading exhibitions. And it offers bespoke marketing solutions for successful participation in exhibitions and also for other corporate and public events of all kinds all over the world.
The MCH Group has its roots in the "Schweizer Mustermesse" (Swiss Sample Fair) which was established in Basel in 1916 and later became Messe Basel. The MCH Group takes in the exhibition companies in Basel, Zurich and Lausanne and several companies in the fields of "Live Marketing Solutions". The holding company, MCH Group Ltd., with its head office in Basel, is a joint stock company with the participation of public sector entities under the terms of Article 762 of the Swiss Code of Obligations. It is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The group has around 730 permanent employees.
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 2,800 employees. IFS supports more than 1 million users 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 Blog on technology, innovation and creativity: http://blog.ifsworld.com/
IFS discloses the information herein pursuant to the Financial Instruments Act (1991:980) and/or the Securities Markets Act (2007:528). The information was submitted for publication on March 1, 2016, at 2 p.m. CET.
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160301006092/en/
Contacts:
IFS
Anders Lundin
Corporate Communications.
Phone: 46 8 58 78 45 00
press@ifsworld.com
or
Frederic Guigues
Investor Relations.
Phone: 46 8 58 78 45 00
frederic.guigues@ifsworld.com
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil prices continued to rise Tuesday morning despite troubling economic data from China. China released manufacturing PMI data showing further contraction by the sector, prompting speculation that Beijing will splurge on economic stimulus. WTI crude oil for April was up 55 cents at $34.30 a barrel, having bottomed at a 13-year low near $26 a month ago. Hopes of a deal between major producers to freeze output also helped oil prices rise in February. Markit is due to release its final U.S. manufacturing PMI at 9:45 am ET. Economists expect the PMI to come in at 51.3 for February, up from the flash estimate of 51 but down from January's 52.4. 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.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Darrel Hackett, President, BMO Wealth Management (U.S.), has been named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine.
The Savoy Top 100 honors African American executives, influencers and achievers who represent a diverse range of industries with a national and global focus. Honorees contribute not only within their companies, but also in their surrounding communities.
In selecting Mr. Hackett, Savoy Magazine singled him out for his strong record of professional accomplishments and for his longstanding and dedicated commitment to bettering his community.
Since joining BMO Financial Group in 2004, Mr. Hackett has served in a variety of commercial banking, retail banking and wealth management leadership roles. In his current position, he is responsible for the performance, strategy, and delivery of BMO Financial Group's personal wealth management businesses throughout the United States. This includes leading three distinct businesses across the mass affluent, high net worth and ultra-high net worth segments: BMO Harris Financial Advisors, BMO Private Bank (U.S.) and CTC myCFO.
Mr. Hackett serves on the Board of Directors for the Art Institute of Chicago and the Adler Planetarium. He is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emmanuel to the Chicago Cook Workforce Investment Committee in 2013. Some of Mr. Hackett's recognitions include being listed in Crain's Chicago Business' 2009 "40 Under 40," being identified as a Business Leader of Color by Chicago United and being named a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow.
"Darrel is a great role model and strong advocate for the African American community," stated L.P. Green, II, Publisher of Savoy Magazine. "We are continually inspired by the success of executives such as Darrel and we salute the corporations that support and value their diverse contributions."
"Savoy Magazine is such a positive publication and showcases the amazing efforts of African Americans across the country," said Mr. Hackett. "Their Most Influential list always includes accomplished, impressive individuals. I feel very fortunate and honored to be among them."
"We take great pride in the diverse group of leaders we have at BMO, and we are very happy for Darrel and his wonderful family that he has been included on this prestigious list," said David Casper, President and CEO, BMO Harris Bank. "I've had the distinct pleasure of working with Darrel for over ten years, and I know firsthand that his focus on helping clients achieve their financial goals is matched only by his commitment to the community."
Mr. Hackett has a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science (Cum Laude) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
About BMO Financial Group
Established in 1817, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified financial services provider based in North America. With total assets of CDN $699 billion as of January 31, 2016, and close to 47,000 employees, BMO provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.
Contacts:
Media contact:
Amanda Robinson
416-867-3996
Amanda.Robinson@bmo.com
Media contact:
Nicholas Gaffney
415-732-7801
ngaffney@infinitespada.com
INDIANAPOLIS, IN--(Marketwired - March 01, 2016) - Scale Computing, the leader in hyperconverged storage, server, and virtualization solutions for mid-sized companies, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Fairsystems, a leading provider of business solutions and technology services, to distribute its HC3 hyperconverged virtualization platform throughout the Middle East territory. This agreement is the latest major international expansion by Scale to extend its hyperconverged technology around the world.
Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Fairsystems will leverage its extensive technical expertise in infrastructure deployment and consultancy to market, sell and service Scale products to medium and large organizations in local markets as an exclusive value added distributor. With core principles of passion, simplicity and efficiency, Fairsystems understands the value proposition that hyperconvergence offers customers and is positioning the technology as ideally suited for overcoming the complexity associated with traditional data center architectures.
"We were looking for the right hyperconvergence solution to position locally and we lucked out and found Scale Computing," said Wissam Stouhi, CEO of Fairsystems. "Most IT managers in mid-sized organizations don't have the time or resources to manage complex infrastructures. Scale has an edge over competitors in terms of not only its completeness of vision and comprehensive roadmap, but more importantly, in its actual simplicity of usage. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to use, configure and manage Scale's solution. This is where Scale technology really excels. I believe there is quite a big opportunity for them in the Middle East."
Scale Computing's HC3 platform brings storage, servers, virtualization and management together in a single, comprehensive system. With no virtualization software to license and no external storage to buy, HC3 products lower out-of-pocket costs and radically simplify the infrastructure needed to keep applications running. HC3 products make the deployment and management of a highly available and scalable infrastructure as easy to manage as a single server.
Solution providers and resellers are a critical piece of the company's go-to-market strategy, with Scale Computing selling all of its products through channel partners rather than through direct sales. With competitive margins, marketing support and award-winning technology, Scale Computing's Platinum Partners have the opportunities to deliver a solution that has been specifically built for easy deployment and managed by IT administrators who want to spend more time focused on business needs and applications rather than troubleshooting infrastructure and hardware issues.
"It is imperative to team up with the right partners who understand the local markets and ideologies driving purchasing decisions in their regions as we continue to expand the reach of our HC3 virtualization platform," said Jeff Ready, CEO and co-founder of Scale Computing. "With Fairsystems, we are confident that their passion and drive will best suit us in not only penetrating the Middle East market but in quickly achieving critical mass there. We believe that we have built the proverbial better mouse trap and look forward to a strong partnership with Fairsystems to ensure local organizations know about the value it provides."
About Scale Computing
Scale Computing integrates storage, servers, and virtualization software into an all-in-one appliance based system that is scalable, self-healing, and as easy to manage as a single server. Using industry standard components, the HC3 appliances install in under an hour, and can be expanded and upgraded with no downtime. High availability insulates the user from any disk or server failure and a unified management capability driven by the patented HyperCore Software', efficiently integrates all functionality. The result is a data center solution that reduces operational complexity, allows a faster response to business issues, and dramatically reduces costs.
Media Contact:
Scott Kline
JPR Communications
818-798-1474
Scottk@jprcom.com
MARKHAM, ONTARIO and OSLO, NORWAY -- (Marketwired) -- 03/04/16 -- Enghouse Systems Limited (TSX: ESL) announced today it has acquired CellVision AS.
Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, CellVision enables spatial intelligence and visual dashboard analytics for network operators. The company's mBOSS product line includes a suite of applications that integrates with data sources in the telecommunications service provider's operating environment, including OSS and BSS systems, geographic information systems (GIS), coverage planning, trouble ticketing, fault management, CRM, probes, configuration management systems, element management systems and more, and delivers a holistic operating view of the network. CellVision's solutions visualize network impact on customer experience and deliver network operations efficiencies in handling customer complaints, customer care and mobile coverage marketing.
"CellVision extends our capabilities in GIS, enabling real time analytics and visualization dashboards, especially for mobile network operators but can also be extended to other fixed line converged operators and utilities," said Sunil Diaz, General Manager, Enghouse Networks. "This acquisition helps Enghouse address an emerging need among network operators for improved customer experience and expectation management, which are increasingly important for incumbent as well as competitive mobile service providers. We are pleased to welcome CellVision's customers and employees to our organization."
About Enghouse Systems Limited
Enghouse Systems Limited is a leading global provider of enterprise software solutions serving a variety of vertical markets. Its strategy is to build a more diverse enterprise software company through strategic acquisitions and managed growth within its business sectors: Contact Center, Networks (OSS/BSS) and Transportation/Public Safety. Enghouse shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: ESL). Further information about Enghouse is available at www.enghouse.com.
About CellVision AS
Founded in 2000 in Oslo, CellVision is focused on advanced and streamlined network analysis and customer communications to improve the customer experience and reduce mobile operator costs. CellVision's mBOSS family of products provides engineering and analytics, and shifts customer calls from a call center onto the web. For more information, please visit www.cellvision.com.
Contacts:
Sam Anidjar
VP, Corporate Development
Enghouse Systems Limited
(905) 946-3300
PRINCETON, New Jersey, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Chengdu Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd. to Strengthen Pharmacovigilance Process using ArisGlobal's ARISg' Solution.
ArisGlobal, a leading provider of software solutions to the life science industry, has announced that Chengdu Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd. (CDIBP) has selected ARISg' to strengthen and build a solid foundation for its pharmacovigilance process.
Located in Chengdu, CDIBP (a subsidiary of China National Biotec Group Co., Ltd. (CNBG)) is one of the largest developing and manufacturing bases of vaccines and biological products in China. CDIBP, in partnership with PATH, an international nonprofit focused on improving health, has been working on building a pharmacovigilance database that meets the World Health Organization's requirements to provide affordable vaccines to a broader market.
With the implementation of ARISg', a safety information management system chosen by life sciences companies worldwide, CDIBP will be able to establish an effective clinical safety and pharmacovigilance system from case data entry to automatic generation of submission-ready adverse event reports that fully support all global regulatory reporting requirements. The system will also be available in the Chinese language to more efficiently support Chinese users.
"It's a very nice experience to work with ArisGlobal. They provide us with not only their excellent product, but also their leading expertise in pharmacovigilance systems and first class service to meet customer requirements," said Mr. Zhang Lei, International Cooperation Project Manager, Chengdu Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd.
"We are very pleased that CDIBP has selected ARISg' for its safety system and will be our first customer in the Chinese Market," said Kazushi Iwai, Business Development Director for North Asia at ArisGlobal KK. "Because of the growing pharmaceutical market in China, combined with a more stringent regulatory environment, meeting an increased demand for expertise in pharmacovigilance practices can be one of the challenges faced by domestic companies and healthcare practitioners. ArisGlobal's in-depth knowledge and experience in the pharmacovigilance domain will support CDIBP in implementing and understanding the best practices and requirements that are critically important in drug safety and risk management."
CDIBP's ARISg' safety system will be implemented by ArisGlobal KK, the Japanese subsidiary of ArisGlobal, located in Tokyo Japan.
About ArisGlobal:
ArisGlobal (http://www.arisglobal.com) specializes in the delivery of innovative, cloud compliant software solutions that facilitate global drug development and regulatory compliance within the Life Sciences and Healthcare industries. Its comprehensive portfolio supports the entire product life cycle including Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacovigilance and Medical Communications.
ArisGlobal's advanced technology solutions currently empower over 200 drug and device manufacturers, CROs and regulatory agencies to make better and more informed decisions, facilitate compliance, reduce risk and improve operational efficiency. Headquartered in the United States, ArisGlobal has regional offices in Europe, India and Japan.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA and DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Kelso Technologies Inc. (TSX: KLS)(NYSE MKT: KIQ) ("Kelso" or the "Company") reports that it has made a scheduled change to its management team. Effective March 1, 2016 Mr. Anthony (Tony) J. Andrukaitis becomes the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Company and Neil Gambow will become the Managing Director of Corporate Development.
Mr. Andrukaitis is an accomplished business executive with over 25 years of senior management experience in the railroad sector. He is the past Chief Operations Officer of Trinity Rail and past President of Trinity Tank Car Inc., both subsidiaries of Trinity Industries of Dallas, Texas. He is also the past President and CEO of GATX Terminals Corporation of Chicago, IL. He is a CPA and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Illinois and an MBA from DePaul University. Tony joined the Board of Directors of Kelso as an independent director on August 24, 2011 and going forward will continue to serve Kelso as a non-independent director.
Mr. Gambow has been a key figure in the development of Kelso from its near bankruptcy in 2010 to one of the most respected corporate brands in the railway equipment supply industry. He will remain an active executive manager of the Company and be a key advisor to both the CEO and COO of the Company. He will continue to concentrate on design engineering, sales and lobbying for use of the best available equipment for a work safe environment; marketing of future and current products; and the challenges of regulatory and government matters that affect the future of the Company.
James R. Bond, CEO of the Company, comments that: "We have made these scheduled changes to our executive management team to strengthen the effectiveness of our business practices, maintain our management expertise and spread increasing workloads more effectively. Kelso is growing its commercial product catalogue substantially to get ready for the next up-cycle in rail tank car production that is expected to commence later this year triggered by required compliance with new hazardous material regulations and laws. The railway industry has been bogged down with regulatory and economic challenges over the past year and despite the current severe slowdown in rail tank car production we have the necessary capital resources to survive throughout 2016. Management remains optimistic that our long-term strategic plans should lead to enhanced financial performance in the future."
About Kelso Technologies
Kelso is a railway equipment supplier that designs, produces and sells proprietary tank car service equipment used in the safe handling and containment of hazardous materials during transport. Products are specifically designed to provide economic and operational advantages while reducing the potential effects of human error and environmental harm during the transport of hazardous materials. The Company is recognized as a reliable supplier of AAR approved railway equipment that addresses the regulatory concerns about railroad safety in North America.
For a more complete business and financial profile of the Company, please view the Company's website at www.kelsotech.com and public documents posted under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com in Canada and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov in the United States.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
James R. Bond, CEO and President
Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are indicated expectations or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include that Kelso is growing its product catalogue substantially to get ready for the next up-cycle in rail tank car production that is expected to commence later this year triggered by required compliance with new hazardous material regulations and laws; that despite the current severe slowdown in rail tank car production we have the necessary capital resources to survive throughout 2016; and that management remains optimistic that our long-term strategic plans should lead to enhanced financial performance in the future. Although Kelso believes its anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, they can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information as such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Kelso to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information, including without limitation the risk that the Company's products may not provide the intended economic or operational advantages; or reduce the potential effects of human error and environmental harm during the transport of hazardous materials; or grow and sustain anticipated revenue streams; AAR approvals may not be attained; the rail tank car market may not improve in 2016; new hazardous material regulations and laws may not come into effect when expected, or at all; orders may be cancelled and competitors may enter the market with new product offerings which could capture some of our expected market share. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this news release.
Contacts:
Kelso Technologies Inc.
James R. Bond
CEO and President
bond@kelsotech.com
Kelso Technologies Inc.
Richard Lee
Chief Financial Officer
lee@kelsotech.com
Kelso Technologies Inc.
Corporate Address:
13966 - 18B Avenue
South Surrey, BC V4A 8J1
www.kelsotech.com
JEFFERSON CITY, MO--(Marketwired - March 01, 2016) - BidNet has officially launched the Missouri Purchasing Group. The online community provides a central location for companies interested in doing business with local government agencies in Missouri to access bids and RFPs posted directly by the City of Poplar Bluff, City of Dardenne Prairie, and other participating local governments and not-for-profits in the state. Vendors looking to increase government contract opportunities are encouraged to visit www.BidNetDirect.com/missouri to access upcoming solicitations.
The Missouri Purchasing Group makes it easy for government vendors to find and respond to public solicitations throughout the state. Vendors registered on the Missouri Purchasing Group gain access to bids, quotes, RFPs, related documents, addendum, and award information published directly by participating public agencies. In addition, vendors have the option to be alerted of open statewide bids from agency buyers throughout the entire state of Missouri. Companies interested in local Missouri government bids are invited to register here: https://www.BidNetDirect.com/register.
Government agencies and not-for-profit organizations in Missouri utilize the bid and vendor management e-sourcing solution to simplify the purchasing process. The Missouri Purchasing Group includes time-saving solutions for buyers and purchasing professionals to publish, distribute, amend, track and award solicitations. The Missouri Purchasing Group facilitates collaboration between local government purchasing departments, resulting in a shared bid library and vendor database, lower cost of goods, and an increased outreach to local vendors.
Any public purchasing professionals in Missouri interested in learning more about the benefits of joining the Missouri Purchasing Group can schedule a personalized demonstration at www.BidNetDirect.com/buyer-demo.
About The Missouri Purchasing Group
The Missouri Purchasing Group is a regional network for local counties, municipalities, school districts and special district governments to directly publish and distribute solicitations to registered vendors. Registered vendors get more bid information, manage less paperwork, and receive an easier method of doing business with local Missouri government agencies. For more information, visit www.BidNetDirect.com/missouri.
About BidNet's E-Sourcing Solution
BidNet's e-Sourcing solution provides over 1,100 local government agencies and over 9,000 departments with vendor management, document distribution, and audit control tools. With years of input from procurement professionals, BidNet has designed 17 regional purchasing groups to address the specific bid and supplier management needs of local government agencies across the country. To learn more about the benefits, features and modules available to government agencies, please visit www.BidNetDirect.com/buyers or www.SourceSuite.com.
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Media Inquiries:
Kim Cullen
Director of Marketing
518-689-7036
Kcullen@bidnet.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 1, 2016) - CircuitMeter has been selected to install its real time, circuit level metering technology at the Pembina Institute head office in Calgary. Pembina Institute, a leading clean energy think tank, chose CircuitMeter to analyze and reduce energy consumption in its head office as part of its drive to encourage industry and commerce to reduce energy consumption. This initiative is in keeping with the Pembina Institute's support for climate change legislation and carbon pricing, and is intended to highlight the growing focus on energy efficiency, conservation and demand management techniques that are coming to market.
Simple Solar, a Calgary-based company and a CircuitMeter channel partner, installed CircuitMeter's technology at the Pembina Institute. Simple Solar develops patented solar energy systems and supports solar energy research, energy monitoring and analysis, low-energy building development and energy/ environment training programs.
"We are delighted to have been selected by the Pembina Institute, long recognized as a prominent thought leader and advocate for a low carbon economy in Canada, as their electricity submetering technology of choice. We are of the view that our sophisticated energy submetering technology and big data analytics are on the leading edge of clean energy advancements globally. Acknowledgment from one of the foremost clean energy advocacy organizations in North America will help us build market recognition of "behind the meter" energy management as a growing area of opportunity in industrial and commercial markets and encourage companies to consider the opportunities to reduce costs and energy usage, as well as their greenhouse gas footprint," stated Paul Mertes, President and CEO, CircuitMeter Inc.
"Selecting CircuitMeter's submetering technology for our Calgary head office is part of the Institute's mandate to promote energy efficiency and the low carbon economy," stated Ed Whittingham, Executive Director, Pembina Institute. "In our report on clean energy in Canada that we released a couple of years ago (Competing in Clean Energy at http://www.pembina.org/pub/2406), we summarized discussions the Pembina Institute had with business executives, entrepreneurs, investors and academics about what Canada needs to do to compete in the global race for clean energy and how Canada could better tap into this sector's potential. The Pembina Institute remains committed to furthering clean energy initiatives throughout Canada and the rest of the world. We view CircuitMeter's technology for our head office as an important part of our ongoing efforts to promote sustainability and the clean tech sector in Canada."
About the Pembina Institute
The Pembina Institute is a Canadian non-profit think tank forum focused on energy. Founded in 1985, the Institute has offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver. The mission of the Pembina Institute is to advance clean energy solutions through innovative research, education consulting and advocacy. The Pembina Institute advocates policies that reduce the use of fossil fuels and supports the transition to cleaner energy sources. The Institute promotes renewable energy sources including wind and solar. The Pembina Institute supports energy efficiency policies and actions in communities and businesses and improved building efficiency. The Institute works on regional energy priorities and major national energy-related issues. In Alberta, the Institute advocates for an approach to energy development that respects science-based limits and protects air, land, water, species and communities. In British Columbia, the Institute supports the carbon tax and the province's emerging clean energy economy. In Ontario, the Institute advocates for expanding rapid transit infrastructure and supporting urban and suburban development policies that reduce traffic congestion. At the national level, the Institute holds the federal government of Canada responsible for stronger climate action. Additional information is available at www.pembina.org.
About CircuitMeter
CircuitMeter builds and markets advanced electrical energy submetering systems and integrated Big Data, cloud based software designed to analyze real time, detailed energy usage and enable energy users to better manage their energy consumption and reduce their costs. CircuitMeter's low cost WebMeterTM permits facility managers to capture data related to energy usage from every circuit in an electrical panel within the building. CircuitMonitoringTM operates as a cloud based energy management platform and dashboard, providing building operators with a circuit-by-circuit view of their electrical usage and trends, as well as notifications of trends and anomalies. The combination of WebMeterTM and CircuitMonitoringTM provides historical and real-time detailed analysis through the use of visual dashboards and reports. Facility managers have the ability to receive their energy information at an enterprise level, and at the individual circuit level within a facility. In September 2015, CircuitMeter Inc. was named as a recipient of one of Canada's 2016 Clean50 awards that annually recognize national leaders in sustainability. Additional information is available at www.circuitmeter.com.
For additional information:
Kirk Heuser
Communications Lead
Pembina Institute
C: 587 585 4522
kirkh@pembina.org
B. Paul Mertes, MBA, P.Eng.
President & CEO
CircuitMeter Inc.
O: 888 350 1790 X201
D: 647.494.9730
Paul.mertes@circuitmeter.com
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Dundee Sustainable Technologies Inc. ("DST" or the "Corporation") (CSE: DST) is proud to announce that it has successfully completed its piloting campaign ("Piloting") on gold concentrates (the "Concentrate") provided by Empresa Nacional de Mineria, Chile ("ENAMI"), using DST's proprietary technology.
In September 2015, DST received 2 Tonnes of Concentrate from ENAMI to be used for Piloting (refer to September 23, 2015 press release). The Concentrate contained 121 g/T of gold, 9.2% copper and a mercury content of 787 g/T. Through controlled oxidation, DST removed 99.7% of the sulphide and 99.6% of the mercury content. The calcine material was then submitted to acid and water leaching where 99% of the copper was recovered as copper sulphate. DST's chlorination process that followed achieved a gold recovery of 98.8% and a final gold deposition over silica recovery of 99.8%.
DST is pleased with the results of the piloting phase. This Piloting is part of a phased approach established between DST and ENAMI with the objective of implementing a processing facility, utilizing DST's patented technology, in Chile.
DST and ENAMI will advance towards developing the technical and economic feasibility criteria for the implementation on a commercial scale of the DST process in Chile.
About ENAMI, a Chilean state-owned company
ENAMI's mission is to promote the small and medium size private mining sector in Chile, by supplying technical, financial, metallurgical, production and trading services to small and medium size miners. ENAMI's assets include one smelter, five processing plants and a network of technical support and facilities. ENAMI purchases ore and concentrate from producers in various purchasing agencies located throughout Chile.
About Dundee Sustainable Technologies, a company controlled by Dundee Corporation
The Corporation is engaged in the development of environment-friendly technologies for the treatment of materials in the mining industry. Through the development of patented, proprietary processes, DST extracts precious and base metals from ores, concentrates and tailing, while stabilizing contaminants such as arsenic, which could not otherwise be extracted or stabilized with conventional processes because of metallurgical issues or environmental considerations.
At present, DST most advanced proprietary processes are associated to the extraction of precious metals using a chlorination process which provides a cyanide-free alternative for the exploitation of gold deposits. The primary benefits of this innovative technology are shorter processing times, a closed-loop operation eliminating the need for costly tailings pond, and a reduced environmental footprint related to the inert and stable characteristics of the cyanide free tailings.
The chlorination process developed by DST is a recognized "green technology" for which it was awarded a $5 million grant by the Government of Canada for the construction and operation of a demonstration plant. The plant will serve as a demonstration platform for the chlorination process on an industrial scale and under continuous operating conditions.
In addition to this chlorination process, DST completed the construction of a pilot plant designed to demonstrate its arsenic stabilization process which is designed for the sequestration of arsenic in a stable glass form. This process is becoming an attractive technique to segregate the arsenic and is therefore opening opportunities for materials considered to contain too much of this toxic material to be exploited or stabilized using conventional approaches.
DST has filed, published and was granted patents for these processes in several countries.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward-looking statements that address future events and conditions, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors, some of which may be beyond the Corporation's control. These factors include: general market and industry conditions, risks related to continuous operations and to commercialization of new technologies and other risks disclosed in the Corporation's filings with Canadian Securities Regulators.
Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Corporation's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Corporation 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 applicable law.
Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contacts:
Dundee Sustainable Technologies Inc.
John W. Mercer
President and CEO
(514) 866-6001 # 239
(514) 866-6193 (FAX)
info@dundeetechnologies.com
ALPHARETTA, GA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- SECUDE, a leading data security provider specializing in security for SAP software, and Boldon James, the market leader in data classification and secure messaging software, today announced a new technology partnership. A joint solution from Boldon James and SECUDE provides enterprises with a comprehensive classification framework to protect data originating from SAP systems. By integrating Boldon James Classifier with SECUDE Halocore, companies can identify and classify data at the point of creation both within and outside SAP systems for a cohesive and seamless data protection experience across the entire organization.
"We're thrilled to announce our partnership with Boldon James," said Michael Kummer, President Americas at SECUDE. "Data classification is an essential part of a successful security strategy, ranking in the top three of most important security controls for any organization. By bridging the gap that currently exists between enterprise-wide and SAP-specific data classification tools, Boldon James and SECUDE can help enterprises make intelligent decisions about data handling and protection consistently across the entire enterprise. We're extremely pleased to offer this phenomenal solution that integrates our companies' offerings in the most efficient and seamless way possible."
Keith Vallance, Product Director at Boldon James commented, "We are delighted to be partnering with SECUDE as a leader in SAP data classification to help ensure any type of data within the enterprise can be seamlessly protected. With our combined solution with SECUDE, enterprises are now able to enhance data protection and governance consistency, ensuring sensitive data is adequately protected throughout its lifecycle regardless if it is created manually by a user or generated by an SAP application. The Boldon James/SECUDE partnership further demonstrates the value of our Classifier360 approach to data classification, which blends the virtues of automated and user-applied classification in a manner that best suits each enterprise."
Companies can now take a unified and proactive approach toward data classification by labeling data at the point of creation, whether the label is applied interactively by a user with Boldon James Classifier, or automatically when extracted from SAP systems with SECUDE Halocore. Every time a document is created and exported from an SAP system, Halocore applies its knowledge of the content to automatically apply a metadata label to the document in a manner compatible with Boldon James Classifier. Classifier then continues the downstream management of the SAP exported file as it is shared, exchanged and revised, ensuring consistent protection throughout its lifecycle.
Consistent data classification helps reduce inadvertent disclosure and data spillage of sensitive information. The result is streamlined business processes with data security at the core, reducing risk and allowing companies to cut data management costs while ensuring compliance with global and national regulations.
To learn more about the joint solution, register for the Boldon James and SECUDE exclusive live webinar Data Classification: Closing the Gap Between Enterprise and SAP Data on Thursday on March 17, 2016 at 11:00 A.M. (EST) / 4:00 P.M. (GMT).
About SECUDE - www.secude.com
SECUDE is an innovative global provider of IT data protection solutions for SAP customers. The company was founded in 1996 as a partnership between SAP AG and Europe's largest application-oriented research organization, Fraunhofer institute in Germany. SECUDE helps customers protect sensitive data from loss or theft and to meet legal and industry requirements and guidelines. Since 2011, SECUDE has been part of the SAP PartnerEdge Value Added Reseller program and an SAP distribution partner in Germany and Switzerland. SECUDE's solutions enable enterprises that run on SAP to identify sensitive data exports from SAP applications with intelligent classification and secure information with strong encryption and fine-grained permission policies, allowing it to be safely accessed, stored, and shared inside the enterprise and across cloud and mobile platforms. Today, SECUDE is trusted by a large number of Fortune 500 companies, including many DAX companies. With offices in Europe, North America and Asia, SECUDE embraces global IT security.
About Boldon James - www.boldonjames.com
For over 30 years, Boldon James has been a leader in data classification and secure messaging solutions, helping organisations of all sizes manage sensitive information securely and in compliance with legislation and standards. Our Classifier product range extends the capabilities of Microsoft products and other solutions to allow users to apply relevant visual & metadata labels to messages and documents in order to enforce information assurance policies, raise user awareness of security policies and orchestrate multiple security technologies, such as DLP and Rights Management.
Our customers range from corporates, including global Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Financial and Professional Services businesses, to Government, Defence & Intelligence organisations. Boldon James is a wholly-owned subsidiary of QinetiQ plc, a FTSE 250 company, with offices in the UK, US, Australia and Europe and channel partners worldwide.
About QinetiQ
A FTSE250 company, QinetiQ uses its world class knowledge, research and innovation to provide high-end technical expertise and advice, to customers in the global aerospace, defence and security markets. Visit the website at www.QinetiQ.com
PDF Attachment Available: http://media.marketwire.com/attachments/201602/28007_BoldonJamesSECUDESolutionbrief.pdf
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2971429
Media Contacts:
Marina Vasilyeva
Marketing Manager
SECUDE
+1 (404) 862-0210
Email Contact
Joanne Hogue
Partner
Smart Connections PR
+1 (410) 658-8246
Email Contact
Georgina Stockley
PR Team
Boldon James
+44 1270 507800
Email Contact
BETHESDA, MD -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Paley Rothman, a full service law firm serving corporate and individual clients throughout the Washington metropolitan area, is pleased to announce that veteran litigator, Rick Claxton, has joined the firm as Principal, effective March 1, 2016. With over 30 years of courtroom experience representing clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 50 corporations, Claxton will play an integral role in the firm's Litigation, Appellate and Alternative Dispute Resolution practices.
"Rick will be the 40th attorney at Paley Rothman and we are delighted that his arrival marks this milestone for the firm. His diverse practice, combined with his substantial trial work, will be invaluable assets for our firm as we continue to provide our clients with innovative solutions to complex corporate and individual disputes," noted firm Co-President, James R. Hammerschmidt. "Rick will offer our Employment, Estate Planning, Healthcare and Real Estate clients with the incisive expertise and judgment that his extensive experience provides and we look forward to working with him."
Prior to joining Paley Rothman, Claxton was Principal with Garson Claxton LLC, where he was head of the firm's Litigation practice. A veteran of dozens of jury and bench trials, Claxton's practice has focused on complex business cases, such as corporate and partnership disputes, construction litigation, business torts, and employment litigation. He also has substantial appellate court experience, having briefed and argued cases before the highest courts of the District of Columbia and Maryland, as well as before various federal circuit courts.
Lauded by peers and organizations for his legal ability and ethical standards, Claxton has received numerous awards and recognition over the course of his career. Claxton received his Juris Doctor, with honors, from Boston University School of Law (1978), where he served as executive editor of the American Journal of Law and Medicine. He received his Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri, School of Journalism (1972).
Claxton Photo: http://bit.ly/RickClaxton
Founded in 1972, Paley Rothman (http://www.paleyrothman.com) is committed to anticipating client needs and providing practical and cost-effective solutions to its corporate and individual clients. The attorneys handle a wide-range of legal counsel and representation in diverse and demanding areas, including tax, real estate, employment law, estate planning, litigation and a variety of other matters for clients nationally and throughout the Washington metropolitan area.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Susan E. Jacobsen
202.251.8184
Email Contact
BOUCHERVILLE, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- RONA inc. (TSX: RON)(TSX: RON.PR.A) ("RONA" or the "Corporation") announced today that it has filed its Management Proxy Circular (the "Circular") with securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada in preparation for its special meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") to be held on Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. (Montreal time) at Hotel Omni Mont-Royal, 1050 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2R6, Canada. The Circular is available at www.rona.ca and www.sedar.com.
On February 25, 2016, the Quebec Superior Court issued an interim order pursuant to which, among other things, RONA is authorized to hold and conduct the Meeting at which RONA common and preferred shareholders, voting separately, will be asked to approve the previously announced statutory arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Quebec) (the "Arrangement") involving RONA, Lowe's Companies, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lowe's Companies Canada, ULC, pursuant to the arrangement agreement entered into on February 2, 2016.
The Board of Directors of the Corporation has unanimously determined that the Arrangement is in the best interests of RONA and unanimously recommends, for the reasons set out in the Circular, that RONA common and preferred shareholders vote FOR the special resolutions to approve the Arrangement.
Shareholders of record on February 25, 2016 will receive notice of and be entitled to vote at the Meeting. The Circular, which shareholders are expected to receive in the coming days, provides information on, among other things, the Arrangement and voting procedures.
Completion of the Arrangement is conditional upon approval of at least 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the common shareholders at the Meeting and satisfaction of other customary conditions including regulatory approvals in Canada and the issuance of a final order by the Quebec Superior Court. As described in further detail in the Circular, the implementation of the Arrangement is not conditional on its approval by preferred shareholders. It is expected that the Arrangement will be completed in the second half of 2016.
RONA has retained Kingsdale Shareholder Services to act as proxy solicitation agent and to respond to inquiries from shareholders. Kingsdale Shareholder Services may be contacted either (i) by email at contactus@kingsdaleshareholder.com, (ii) by toll-free telephone in North America at 1-866-851-2743 or call collect outside North America at 416-867-2272 or (iii) by mail at Kingsdale Shareholder Services, The Exchange Tower, 130 King Street West, Suite 2950, P.O. Box 361, Toronto, Ontario, M5X 1E2.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated timing of the Meeting and the anticipated timing for completion and the outcome of the Arrangement, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Canadian securities legislation and regulations. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "plan," "foresee," "believe" or "continue" or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct.
In respect of the forward-looking statements and information concerning the anticipated timing of the Meeting and the anticipated timing for completion and the outcome of the Arrangement, the Corporation has provided such in reliance on certain assumptions that it believes are reasonable at this time, including assumptions as to the ability of the parties to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory, court, and shareholder approvals, including but not limited to the receipt of applicable foreign investment approval required in Canada; that the business of the Meeting concludes as anticipated; the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the closing of the Arrangement including that there be no material adverse effect and that registered holders of common shares shall not have exercised their rights to demand repurchase of their common shares with respect to more than 10% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Corporation; and other expectations and assumptions concerning the Arrangement. The anticipated dates provided may change for a number of reasons, such as the inability to secure the necessary shareholder, regulatory or court approvals in the time assumed or the need for additional time to satisfy the other conditions to the completion of the Arrangement. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding certain key elements of the Corporation's objectives, strategic priorities, management's current expectations and plans, and in obtaining a better understanding of the Corporation's business and anticipated operating environment as at and for, the periods ended on certain dates and the reader is cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Investors and others are cautioned that undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statements.
Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Risks and uncertainties inherent in the nature of the Arrangement include the failure of the parties to obtain the necessary shareholder, regulatory and court approvals, or to otherwise satisfy the conditions to the completion of the Arrangement, in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to obtain such approvals, or the failure of the parties to otherwise satisfy the conditions to or complete the Arrangement, may result in the Arrangement not being completed on the proposed terms, or at all. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. For more information on the risks and uncertainties that could cause the Corporation's actual results to differ materially from current expectations, and about material factors or assumptions applied in making forward-looking statements, please also refer to the Corporation's public filings available at www.sedar.com. In particular, further details and descriptions of these and other factors are disclosed in the "Risks and uncertainties" section of the Corporation's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2015.
The forward-looking statements in this press release reflect the Corporation's expectations as at March 1st, 2016, and are subject to change after this date. The Corporation expressly disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by the applicable securities laws.
ABOUT RONA
RONA inc. is a major Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, building materials and home renovation products. The Corporation operates a network of nearly 500 corporate and independent affiliate stores of complementary formats. With its nine distribution centers, RONA serves its own network as well as many independent dealers operating under different banners, including Ace, for which RONA owns the licensing rights and is the exclusive distributor in Canada. With the help of its nearly 22,000 employees, the Corporation generates annual consolidated sales of $4.2 billion. For more information, visit www.rona.ca.
Contacts:
Media
Valerie Gonzalo
Media Relations
514-626-6976
media@rona.ca
Financial Community
Stephane Milot
Vice President - Development, Real Estate and
Investor Relations
514-599-5951
stephane.milot@rona.ca
Webinar reveals Frost & Sullivan's analysis of the trends shaping the global economy in 2016
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
WHEN: 11:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, March 3, 2016 LOCATION: Online, with free registration (Email kayla.belcher@frost.com) EXPERT PANELIST: Frost & Sullivan's Global President and Managing Partner, Aroop Zutshi; Program Manager for Mobility and Senior Economist for Africa, Craig Parker and Industry Analyst Sanghamitra Chatterjee
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160229/338713LOGO
The global economy is currently at a crossroads that can diverge either into an era of stable growth or one that feels the downward pressures of the next global recession.
This webinar will focus on the economic outlook and the macroeconomic trends shaping the global economy in 2016, and aims to discover how the combined risks and opportunities will affect the economy. Experts will evaluate the excess oil supply, declining commodity prices, devaluing currencies and geopolitical unrest.
Frost & Sullivan thought leaders will examine past global recessions and draw parallels with the current economic scenario. The webinar will be followed by an interactive Q&A session.
Attend this webinar to discover:
Top 2016 trends influencing global economic growth
Risks and drivers influencing investment decisions and expansion strategies
What markets are being considered as growing investment hotbeds
This webinar will benefit the business community, developmental agencies and university students interested in understanding economic trends and their potential implications.
Thought leader insights:
"The world economy is going through a transition period. CEOs need to be concerned with what the economy is transitioning toward," Frost & Sullivan's Global President and Managing Partner Aroop Zutshi. "Companies need to understand the interplay of risks and opportunities in 2016 to make lucrative investment decisions and take part in this transformational global growth. Additionally, companies need to prepare themselves for the future, given the disruption, collapse and transformations we are seeing in markets, industries and regions."
"On one hand, declining oil and additional commodity prices can help support stronger economic growth, however these factors can also raise vulnerabilities in countries dependent on oil and commodity exports," Frost & Sullivan's Emerging Market Innovation Industry Analyst, Sanghamitra Chatterjee. "A country's macroeconomic fundamentals and policy choices will play a major role in determining the effect lower commodity prices will have on the 2016 global growth trajectory."
"Advanced economies, such as the United States and Europe, should recover in 2016 with the support of accommodative monetary policies," Frost & Sullivan's Mobility Program Manager and Senior Economist, Africa, Craig Parker. "However, emerging markets are experiencing a slowdown due to falling prices, depreciating currencies and capital outflow. Additionally, a new wave of economies may occur, frontier markets are positioning themselves as emerging market frontrunners in Africa, Asia andLatin America."
Register:
To attend the briefing, email Kayla Belcher, Corporate Communications - kayla.belcher@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/1x.
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:
Kayla Belcher
Corporate Communications - North America
+1.210.247.2450
kayla.belcher@frost.com
The Management Board of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS (registry code 10223439, seat Gonsiori 2, 10143 Tallinn), convenes an annual general meeting of shareholders on 12 April 2016 at 14:00, in the Conference centre of Nordic Hotel Forum Radisson, Viru valjak 3, Tallinn.Registration of the participants begins on 12 April 2016 at 13.30. The list of shareholders entitled to participate in the general meeting will be decided at 5 April 2016 at 23.59.The Supervisory Board of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS has determined the following agenda of the annual general meeting and makes the following proposals.1. Approval of the annual report of 2015 of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp ASTo approve the annual report of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS for 2015 prepared by the Management Board of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS and approved by the Supervisory Board, according to which the consolidated balance sheet of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS as at 31.12.2015 is 347,980 thousand euros, the sales revenue for the accounting year is 555,447 thousand euros and the net profit 22,071 thousand euros.2. Distribution of profitTo approve the profit distribution proposal of 2015 of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS, presented by the Management Board and approved by the Supervisory Board, as follows:Retained profits of previous years 73,197 thousand euros Net profit of 2015 22,071 thousand euros Total distributable profit as at 31.12.2015 95,268 thousand euros To pay dividends 0.52 euros per share 21,179 thousand euros Retained profits after distribution of profits 74,089 thousand eurosThe list of shareholders with a right to receive dividends shall be fixed as at 26 April 2016 at 23.59. Dividends shall be paid to the bank accounts of shareholders via transfer on 27 April 2016.The shareholders whose shares represent at least 1/20 of the share capital may request the inclusion of additional issues to the agenda of the general meeting, provided that the respective request has been submitted in writing no later than by 28 March 2016. The shareholders whose shares represent at least 1/20 of the share capital may submit a written draft of the resolution in respect to each item on the agenda no later than by 8 April 2016. More detailed information available on 287 of the Commercial Code (right of shareholder to information), 293 (2) (right to demand the inclusion of additional issues in the agenda) and 2931 (3) (obligation to submit simultaneously with the request on the modification of the agenda a draft of the resolution or substantiation) and 2931 (4) (right to submit a draft of the resolution in respect to each item on the agenda) about the rules and term of exercising these rights have been published on the homepage of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS at www.tkmgroup.ee. The drafts of the resolutions and substantiations submitted by the shareholders will be published on the same homepage, if any are received. After the items on the agenda of the general meeting, including additional issues, have been discussed, the shareholders can ask for information from the management board about the activity of the public limited company.The documents of the annual general meeting, including the annual report, sworn auditor's report, proposal for profit distribution, report of the supervisory board, drafts of the resolutions of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS are made available on the homepage of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS at www.tkmgroup.ee, and from the publication of the notice on calling the general meeting until the day of the general meeting is held, in the secretariat of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS at Gonsiori 2 (2nd floor) in Tallinn on business days from 10 AM to 4 PM. Questions about the topics included in the agenda of the general meeting can be sent to the following e-mail address sekretar.gonsiori@kaubamaja.ee or by post to the address of the public limited company or by telephone 66 73 300.Please submit the following documents to register the participants of the general meeting:a shareholder that is a natural person - personal identification document; a representative of a shareholder that is a natural person - personal identification document and a written letter of authorisation; a legal representative of a shareholder that is a legal person - an extract of the relevant (commercial) register in which the legal person is registered, and the personal identification document of the representative; a transactional representative of a shareholder that is a legal person is also required to submit a written authorisation issued by the legal representative of the legal person in addition to the above listed documents. We ask the documents of a legal person registered in a foreign country to be legalised or having an apostil attached to the documents beforehand, unless specified otherwise in an international agreement. Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS may register a shareholder that is a legal person from a foreign country to the general meeting also in case all required information on the legal person and its representative are included in a notarised letter of authorisation issued in the foreign country and the respective letter of authorisation is accepted in Estonia.We ask you to present a passport or an ID-card as a personal identification document.A shareholder may inform of the appointment of a representative or withdrawal of an authorisation given to a representative before the general meeting by e-mail on sekretar.gonsiori@kaubamaja.ee or by submitting the mentioned document(s) on business days from 10 AM to 4 PM no later than by 8 April 2016 to the secretariat of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS at Gonsiori 2 (2nd floor) in Tallinn, prepared on the respective forms published on the homepage of Tallinna Kaubamaja Grupp AS at www.tkmgroup.ee. You can find information about appointment of a representative or withdrawal of an authorisation on the same homepage.Raul Puusepp Chairman of the Board Phone: +372 731 5000
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- The Minister of Science, Kirsty Duncan, today announced more than $48 million in federal funding for 76 research teams across the country - through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council's (NSERC) Strategic Partnership Grants. Together, discovery and innovation help create clean jobs, grow our economy, and protect our environment.
The announcement was made at Ryerson University, where one of this year's recipients - a team led by Dr. Bala Venkatesh - is making it easier and cleaner to store energy. Dr. Venkatesh's team of 27 researchers is part of the NSERC Energy Storage Technology Network (NEST), and will use its $5 million investment to create more reliable, environmentally responsible, and efficient technologies for storing energy - an essential technology for the global transition to clean energy.
These partnerships demonstrate the rich diversity of Canada's research and innovation ecosystem. Through initiatives like these, knowledge is being translated into practical applications to improve our wealth, wellness and well-being. Before making the announcement, Minister Duncan also had the opportunity to meet with researchers and was given a tour of the NEST facilities.
Quotes
"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to congratulate Dr. Venkatesh and all of today's recipients. This support represents a big investment in connecting our country's talented scientists and engineers with industry."
The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science
"Strategic Partnerships connect companies and governments with Canada's brain trust to advance research in areas where we can be a world leader. By accessing deep research expertise, these collaborations can help provide tangible outcomes to solve fundamental societal and economic issues."
Dr. B. Mario Pinto, President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
"Ryerson University is truly honoured to have been awarded the Strategic Partnership grant for the NSERC Energy Storage Technology (NEST) Network. Leading a network of 15 universities and many industry partners across Canada, our researchers will explore innovative energy storage technologies and their impact on our electricity system. The network will enable direct progress - without duplication of efforts - towards a strong domestic energy storage industry while benefiting consumers and helping make Canada a world leader in clean energy."
Dr. Bala Venkatesh, Academic Director, Centre for Urban Energy at Ryerson University
Quick Facts
- The Strategic Partnerships connects universities, businesses, and government organizations in research collaborations.
- This round of Strategic Partnership Grants comprises two research networks and 74 projects across Canada. The competition focused on four areas: environmental science and technologies; information and communications technologies; manufacturing; and natural resources and energy.
Associated Links
- Full list of Recipients
- Strategic Partnership Grants Overview
- Ryerson University
- NSERC 2020
- NSERC Funding Dashboard: Where we invest and why
About NSERC
NSERC invests over $1 billion each year in natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. Our investments deliver discoveries, valuable world-firsts in knowledge claimed by a brain trust of over 11,000 professors, world-leading researchers in their fields. Our investments enable partnerships and collaborations that connect industry with discoveries and the people behind them. Researcher-industry partnerships established by NSERC help inform R&D, solve scale-up challenges and reduce the risks of developing high-potential technology.
Our investments provide scholarships and hands-on training experience for the next generation of science and engineering leaders in Canada, more than 30,000 post-secondary students and post-doctoral fellows.
Contacts:
Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
343-291-1777
ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca
Martin Leroux
Media and Public Affairs Officer
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
613-943-7618
media@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Alexandria Minerals Corporation (TSX VENTURE: AZX)(OTC PINK: ALXDF)(FRANKFURT: A9D) is pleased to announce that it has signed an Option Agreement with Prosper Gold Corporation ("PGC") giving Prosper the right to earn up to 90% interest in Alexandria's Wydee and Matachewan properties, in Matachewan, Ontario.
The Option/JV agreement specifies that, in order to earn a 75% interest in both properties, Prosper will issue 750,000 shares to Alexandria, and expend $5,000,000 on exploration over 5 years on the two properties. To earn a further 15%, Prosper must prepare a resource estimate compliant with National Instrument 43-101 totaling a minimum of 1.5 million ounces of gold.
Eric Owens, President and CEO, said, "This agreement allows us to continue to focus on our more advanced projects, while maintaining an interest in Wydee and Matachewan. These properties are early stage exploration properties which have been subject to variable amounts of exploration work over the years."
Alexandria's extensive mineral property portfolio stretches over 3 of the most important mining provinces in Canada - Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba. The properties lie within world-class mining districts, including Val d'Or, Quebec, Red Lake, Ontario and Flin-Flon-Snow Lake, Manitoba.
Since 2012, during some of the most difficult mining markets in recent memory, Alexandria has had considerable success. It has completed 4 separate equity financings, totaling $6.5 million, all at considerable premium to market (between 70% and 300% over market price), it discovered and monetized what will likely become Quebec's next gold mine, it acquired another junior exploration company with an excellent property portfolio (Murgor Resources), and tripled its gold resource base.
The Company recently announced a drill program on its flagship Cadillac Break property package in Val d'Or, Quebec, a 35 km-long group of properties assembled between 2006 and 2008. The current focus emphasizes porphyry gold-copper targets on the western half of the property package. The direction of this exploration program is a result of the Company's discovery of the Akasaba West Zone in 2012, sold in 2014 to Agnico Eagle for $5 million and 2% Net Smelter Return.
Further information about the Company is available on the Company's website, www.azx.ca, or our social media sites listed below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alexandria-Minerals-Corporation-AZXTSXV/186115074772628
Twitter: https://twitter.com/azxmineralscorp
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/AlexandriaMinerals
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/alexandriaminerals/
About Alexandria Minerals Corporation
Alexandria Minerals Corporation is a Toronto-based junior gold exploration and development company with important gold resources on one of the largest properties along the prolific, gold-producing Cadillac Break in Val d'Or, Quebec, additional gold-copper resources in the world class Snow Lake-Flin Flon mining district of Manitoba, and the notable Red Lake Mining District of northern Ontario.
WARNING: This News Release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of up-coming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Alexandria Minerals Corporation relies upon litigation protection for forward-looking statements.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contacts:
Alexandria Minerals Corporation
Mary Vorvis
Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations
(416) 305-4999
Alexandria Minerals Corporation
Eric Owens
President/CEO
416-363-9372
info@azx.ca
www.azx.ca
DUBLIN, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/m9c8vv/hospitalacquired) has announced the addition of the"Hospital-Acquired Infection (HAI) Control Market (Disinfection, Sterilization, Treatment, Testing)" report to their offering.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769 )
Infection control in health care facilities deals largely with protecting building occupants from patients with communicable infectious diseases. Infections, which may result from activities and procedures taking place within the facility, have become a cause for great concern. Infection that is acquired during the course of healthcare is known as a nosocomial, or hospital acquired, infection.
This Hospital-Acquired Infections report takes a solid look at
Hospital-Acquired Infection Statistics
Device Sterilization Market
Hospital Area Disinfection Market
HAI Testing Market
Treatment Market
Market Segmentation by Healthcare Location: Hospital, Nursing Home, Other
Market Segmentation by Geographic Location: US, EU, Asia , Other
The following companies are among those discussed in the report:
Advanced Sterilization Products
Becton Dickinson
Belimed AG
bioMerieux
Cantel
Cepheid
Getinge
Merck & Co.
Nordion
Pfizer
Roche
Sakura Seiki
Steris
TSO3
Key Topics Covered:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Overview
The Nosocomial Infection
Market Scope
Research Methodology
Industry Challenges
Total Size and Growth of the Market
Issues and Trends Affecting Market
Leading Competitors
INTRODUCTION AND INDUSTRY TRENDS
Overview
Introduction to Pathogens
Classification of Antibacterial Organisms
Common Hospital (nosocomial) Infections
Description of Infections
Acinetobacter Baumannii
Clostridium Difficile
Gastroenteritis
Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP)
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
Staphylococcus Aureus/Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia
Tuberculosis
Urinary Tract Infections
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP)
Patient Risk Factors
General Populations at Risk for Infection
World Demographics
Assessing the Problem: Nosocomial Infection Statistics
Infection Risk Assessments by Hospital Department
Burn Units
Intensive Care Units
Emergency Departments
Hospital Length of Stay
Increased Hospital Length of Stay for HAIs
Extended Stay Environments
International Trends in Nursing Facilities
Economic Trends
Comparison between Healthcare Spending and Real Health Outcomes
U.S. Government's National Plan to Prevent Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs)43
Steering Committee
Affordable Care Act (ACA) Funding
Government Funding for HAI Prevention Infrastructure Activities
The Department of Health and Human Services: 2016 Budget Highlights
National Healthcare Safety Network
Hospital infection Surveillance Process
Screening Hospitalized Patients
Pharmaceutical Manufacturer and Marketer Trends
Trends in Partnerships and Alliances
Developers Trends
INFECTION PREVENTION
Overview
Methods of Transmission
Airborne
Contact
Droplet
Vehicle
High-Risk Facilities or Departments
Technology Overview
Potential Use of Copper for Reducing Infections
Wide Area Disinfection Methods
Software for Infection Detection and Control
Antiseptic-Coated Catheters
UV-C Reflective Coatings
Specialized Disinfection/Sterilization Systems
Sterilization vs. Disinfection
Sterilization
Disinfection
Equipment and Solutions
Heat/Steam Sterilization
Product Examples
Chemical Sterilization
Sterilants
Product Examples
Mid-Level Disinfectants
Suppliers
Radiation Sterilization
Product Examples
Sterilization and Disinfection Verification Systems
Market Overview
Hospital infection Prevention Market by Geographical Region
Competitive Analysis
INFECTION TESTING
Overview
Drug-Resistance/Susceptibility Testing
Genotypic Methods
DNA Sequencing
Solid-phase Hybridization Techniques
Microarrays
Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction Techniques
Phenotypic Methods
Phage-based Assays
Colorimetric Methods
The Nitrate Reductase Assay
Specific Serious Hospital infection Testing
Acinetobacter Baumannii
Clostridium Difficile
Product Examples
Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
Staphylococcus Aureus
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
Vancomycin-Intermediate/Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (VISA/VRSA)
Product Examples
Tuberculosis
Product Examples
Urinary Tract Infections
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
New Developments
Market Overview
Total Market Size and Forecast
Hospital infection Testing Market by Geographical Region
Competitive Analysis
INFECTION TREATMENT
Overview
Principles of Anti-bacterial Therapy
Infecting Organism
Antibiotic Sensitivity Testing
Site of Infection
Host Defenses and Organ Function
Antibiotic Pharmacokinetics
Monitoring Therapy
Classifications of Antibacterial Products
Carbapenems
Cephalosporins
Macrolides
Penicillins
Quinolones
Sulfonamides
Tetracyclines
Infections and Drug Resistance
Easing Approvals of Antibiotics
Causes of Drug Resistance
Antibiotic Abuse
Antibiotic Use in Agriculture
Drug Resistance in Select Populations
Children
The Elderly
Compromised Individuals
Measures for Reducing Resistance
Testing for the Selection of Anti-bacterial Therapy
Monitoring Therapy
Treatment Guidelines
Clostridium Difficile
Gastroenteritis
Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia
Ventilator-associated Pneumonia
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
Staphylococcus Aureus
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
Tuberculosis
Urinary Tract Infections
Leading Products
New Developments
Development Incentives
Total Market Size and Forecast
Hospital infection Treatment Market by Geographical Region
Competitive Analysis
MARKET OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOSPITAL INFECTION CONTROL
Market Considerations
Market Overview
Healthcare-Acquired Infection Distribution by Setting
The Global Market for Hospital infection Control Estimated Market Share by Facility Setting, 2015
The Global Market for Hospital infection Control Estimated Market Share by Hospital Department,2015
Hospital infection Control Market by Geographical Region
Developed and Emerging Market Analysis
COMPANY PROFILES
Becton, Dickinson and Company
Belimed
bioMerieux
Cantel
Cepheid
Getinge Group
Merck & Co
Nordion
Pfizer
Roche
Sakura Seiki
Steris
Tso3
For more information visithttp://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/m9c8vv/hospitalacquired
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Senior Manager
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EDMONTON, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Ceapro Inc. (TSX VENTURE: CZO) ("Ceapro" or the "Company"), a growth-stage biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of active ingredients for healthcare and cosmetic industries, announced today that the Company will initiate an extensive research program in collaboration with McMaster University to develop novel chemistries for stabilizing Ceapro's Pressurized Gas eXpanded (PGX) derived products.
Professors Todd Hoare and David Latulippe from the Department of Chemical Engineering at McMaster University have been awarded a $370,300 research grant from The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to support this strategic research collaboration.
This strategic research project is a three-year agreement and will contribute to the training in applied research of three doctorate-level students as well as two undergraduate students per year. The study will focus on the development and application of highly tunable porous biopolymer and smart polymer scaffolds using Ceapro's PGX technology.
Gilles Gagnon, M.Sc., MBA, President and CEO of Ceapro, stated, "The PGX research project with McMaster University is perfectly aligned with our expressed vision to strategically position Ceapro as a "green" company as well as our desire to expand the applications for our PGX technology."
Mr. Gagnon added, "The successful completion of this research will offer significant economic, environmental and health benefits. Due to the expected outcomes of this project, we anticipate being able to generate more exports of Ceapro's products, while significantly developing an industrial sector. In expanding our partnership network with universities, we unreservedly support this NSERC Strategic Grant and look forward to building a long-term relationship with Todd Hoare and David Latulippe from the Department of Chemical Engineering at McMaster University."
Given the significant potential to both develop and expand the utility of PGX Technology and open new market opportunities through proof-of-concept demonstrations of innovative application of the PGX material, Ceapro will provide in-kind financial support to match the award received by McMaster University.
Ceapro anticipates that the strategic research collaboration with McMaster University will commence in the first half of 2016 and will remain active for three years. The study aims to develop novel chemistries for stabilizing PGX-derived products based on both sustainable biopolymers and "smart" environmentally-responsive polymers that change properties in response to an environmental stimulus, which is temperature in this instance. These novel chemistries will then be leveraged by the combined expertise of the Hoare lab in bioactives delivery and tissue engineering and the Latulippe lab in bioseparations and environmental adsorption technologies to apply these stabilized porous constructs to improve delivery of drugs and agricultural chemicals, generate 3D cell scaffolds maintaining high cell viability, generate low-cost alternatives for purification of antibodies and viruses, improve methods of removing heavy metal ions from industrial waste water, and enhance the capture of carbon dioxide from polluted air.
One of the key driving features of the materials design in this proposal is to expand the use of renewable biopolymers (starch, pectin, chitosan and crystalline nanocellulose) as scaffolding materials.
Over the last 10 years, NSERC has invested more than $7 billion in basic research, projects involving partnerships between postsecondary institutions and industry, and the training of Canada's next generation of scientists and engineers.
About Pressurized Gas eXpanded Liquid Technology (PGX)
PGX is a unique and disruptive technology with several key advantages over conventional drying and purification technologies that can be used to process biopolymers into high-value, nano-sized polymer structures and novel bio-nanocomposites. PGX is ideally suited for processing challenging high-molecular-weight, water-soluble biopolymers. It has the ability to make ultra-light, highly porous polymer structures on a continuous basis, which is not possible using today's conventional technologies. PGX was co-invented by Ceapro researcher Dr. Bernhard Seifried and University of Alberta professor, Dr. Feral Temelli.
About McMaster University
McMaster University, one of four Canadian universities listed among the Top 100 universities in the world, is renowned for its innovation in both learning and discovery. It has a student population of 23,000, and more than 175,000 alumni in 140 countries.
About The National Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC)
NSERC invests over $1 billion each year in natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. Our investments deliver discoveries, valuable world-firsts in knowledge claimed by a brain trust of over 11,000 professors, world-leading researchers in their fields. Our investments enable partnerships and collaborations that connect industry with discoveries and the people behind them. Researcher-industry partnerships established by NSERC help inform R&D, solve scale-up challenges and reduce the risks of developing high-potential technology.
Our investments provide scholarships and hands-on training experience for the next generation of science and engineering leaders in Canada, more than 30,000 post-secondary students and post-doctoral fellows.
About Ceapro Inc.
Ceapro Inc. is a Canadian biotechnology company involved in the development of proprietary extraction technology and the application of this technology to the production of extracts and "active ingredients" from oats and other renewable plant resources. Ceapro adds further value to its extracts by supporting their use in cosmeceutical, nutraceutical and therapeutics products for humans and animals. The Company has a broad range of expertise in natural product chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, immunology and process engineering. These skills merge in the fields of active ingredients, biopharmaceuticals and drug-delivery solutions. For more information on Ceapro, please visit the Company's website at www.ceapro.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contacts:
INVESTOR AND MEDIA CONTACT:
Jenene Thomas
Jenene Thomas Communications, LLC
Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Advisor
(US): 908-938-1475
jenene@jenenethomascommunications.com
Favier will manage global business operations for CPFD, developers of Barracuda Virtual Reactor simulation software for design and process optimization of fluidized reactor systems.
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CPFD Software LLC, developers of process engineering software for fluidized reactor systems, today announced that Dr. John Favier has been appointed as President. He will manage business operations for the Albuquerque-based company, which markets its Barracuda Virtual Reactor simulation software and provides support services to process industries worldwide for design and optimization of fluidized systems.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160301/338961LOGO
Dr. Favier brings over 20 years experience in development and marketing of simulation software for granular solids and is the founder, and formerly CEO, of DEM Solutions Ltd, the market leader in bulk solids simulation software.
Dr. Ken Williams, co-founder of CPFD Software stated: "We are delighted that John Favier has joined CPFD to lead the company in its next phase of growth. He has extensive experience in developing advanced engineering software and is focused on supporting customers and partners in maximizing their return on investment in simulation software."
Dr. Favier said: "I am excited to be joining the leader in software for design and process optimization of particle fluidization systems. The Barracuda Virtual Reactor uniquely enables designers and operators of industrial fluidization units to run virtual process performance tests. The results provide key engineering and process control information for a wide range of fluidization equipment. I look forward to working with the CPFD team to support our customers in leveraging the power of Barracuda VR to transform the engineering of their fluidization processes."
About CPFD
Founded in 2006, CPFD Software has invented the only engineering simulation technology with the ability to serve as a true Virtual Reactor' for the design optimization of industrial fluidization units used in: oil refining; coal and bio-mass power generation and gasification; petrochemical reactors, e.g., polyolefins/plastics, acrylonitrile, titanium dioxide, polysilicon for photovoltaics; and for numerous clean-tech applications, such as chemical-looping and flue gas scrubbing. CPFD's Barracuda Virtual Reactor software can simulate complex 3D fluid-particle flows, including thermal effects and heterogenous chemical reactions in any environment.
CPFD's customers are using Barracuda VR simulation to predict key process performance characteristics such as: fluidization regime; particle entrainment; mixing and segregation; location and severity of erosion; catalyst residence time; feedstock conversion; and yield. CPFD provides its Barracuda VR simulation solutions worldwide through licensing, applications support, and engineering services. Barracuda VR simulation is deployed in design and scale-up of fluidized reactors to increase production efficiency, to fix off-design performance problems, to reduce catalyst and product losses, to minimize operational risk in plant upgrades, and to reduce emissions and gas cleanup.
Barracuda Virtual Reactor is used internationally by industry leaders including GE, SABIC, Shell, BASF, Dow, Chemours, Alstom, Technip, INEOS, and B&W to increase on-stream reliability and gross margins, to reduce capital and operating costs, to support regulatory compliance, and to develop next-generation fluidization technology.
Barracuda Virtual Reactor, Barracuda VR, Barracuda and CPFD are registered trademarks of CPFD Software, LLC.
Web: www.cpfd-software.com
PUNE, India, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
According to the new market research report"Microgrid Marketby Grid Type (Grid-Connected, Remote, Hybrid), Component, Power Source (Fuel Cell, CHP, Renewables), Vertical (Government & Education, Residential & Commercial, Military & Others), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2022", published by MarketsandMarkets, the is estimated to reach USD 34.94 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 10.9% between 2016 and 2022.
Browse 77 Tables and 68 Figures spread through 154 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Microgrid Market"
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/micro-grid-electronics-market-917.html
Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.
Factors such as drop in renewable prices, especially solar PV cells has encouraged companies to switch to renewables, moreover, other benefits associated such as drop in energy costs and low gas emissions among others are some of the key drivers for the microgrid market. Additionally, increase in number of rural electrification projects in Africa and APAC provide huge opportunities for further growth of this market.
Renewable power source is expected to lead the microgrid market:
The renewable market is expected to grow rapidly during the forecast period. The key reason behind this growth can be attributed to the launch of programs focused on demonstrating and subsidizing solar farm projects in the Asian and African countries, such as India, China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, and countries in Africa among others. This has also helped to drive the market for remote/ island microgrids also known as, off-grids.
The market for residential & commercial vertical is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2016 and 2022
The key reason behind a sharp growth in the residential & commercial vertical is because of the increase in number of projects for rural electrification in Africa and India. Recent developments have also occurred in this market. In July 2014, Dharnai village located at Bihar, India, successfully completed the construction of a solar microgrid, making itself the first village to meet 100% of its own energy needs using off-grid solar power.
The market in APAC expected to grow at a high CAGR during forecast period
The market in Americas held the highest share for the microgrids in 2015, whereas APAC is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2016 and 2022. This growth in APAC can be attributed to the large number of investments being made by both national and international companies, such as ABB, Siemens, GE and, Schneider Electric among others in this region.
Major players operating in this market are ABB Ltd. (Switzerland), Anbaric Transmission (U.S.), Eaton Corp plc (Ireland), Exelon Corp. (U.S.), General Electric (U.S.), Honeywell International, Inc. (U.S.), Northern Power Systems Corp. (U.S.), NRG Energy, Inc. (U.S.), Pareto Energy (U.S.), Siemens AG (Germany), and Spirae, Inc. (U.S.).
Inquiry Before Buying: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=917
This research report categorizes the global Microgrid Market based on grid-type, component, power source, vertical, and region. This report describes the drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges with respect to the microgrid market. This report gives a detailed view of the market across the four geographies, namely, the Americas, Europe, APAC, and Rest of the World (RoW), which includes Middle East and Africa. The Porter's Five Forces analysis has been included in the report with a description of each of its forces and their respective impact on the microgrid market.
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Orava Residential REIT plcNotice of Annual General Meeting 1 March 2016 at 5:45 p.m.NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF ORAVA RESIDENTIAL REIT PLCThe shareholders of Orava Residential REIT plc are invited to the Annual General Meeting, which is held on TUESDAY 22 March 2016 at 9:00 a.m. in the 'Porssisali' of the Stock Exchange Building at Fabianinkatu 14, Helsinki. The reception of those registered for the meeting will start at 8:30 a.m. After the meeting, coffee will be served for the attendees.A. Matters dealt with at the Annual General Meeting1. Opening of the meeting2. Organisation of the meeting3. Election of the examiners of the minutes and supervisors of vote counting4. Establishment of the legality of the meeting5. Verification of attendees and confirmation of the list of votes6. Presentation of the financial statements, Board of Directors' report and auditor's report for 20157. Adoption of the financial statements8. Use of the profit shown by the statement of financial position and deciding on payment of dividendsThe Board of Directors proposes that the Board of Directors is authorised to decide on distribution of profit for 2016 before 31 December 2015 as follows: No more than EUR 1.08 per share will be paid in dividends for shares (ISIN code FI4000068614) not in the company's possession and issued in the book-entry system no later than on 1 March 2016 according to the following table.ISIN code Dividend right Shares(pcs) Dividend/y() Total/y()FI4000068614 100 % 8,327,567 1.08 8,993,772,36No more than EUR 8,993,772.36 will be distributed in dividends. The dividends will be paid in four instalments of EUR 0.27. The dividend payment dates are 4 April 2015, 30 June 2015, 30 September 2015 and 30 December 2015. The Board of Directors will be authorised to decide on the amount of dividends for each quarter within the limits.The Board of Directors will be obligated to supervise solvency before the payment of each dividend and, as necessary, reduce the amount of dividends to be paid in each quarter if the company's solvency were to be endangered due to the distribution of dividends. The Board of Directors will be authorised to decide at its meetings on the dividend record dates9. Deciding on discharge from liability for members of the Board of Directors and the CEO10. Deciding on the remuneration of members of the Board of DirectorsThe Board of Directors proposes that the remuneration of Board members be as follows: chairman EUR 2,000 and members EUR 1,200 per month, plus a meeting-specific fee of EUR 600 for the chairman and EUR 300 for a member for attendance at meetings.11. Deciding on the number of members of the Board of DirectorsThe Board of Directors proposes that 6 members be elected for the Board of Directors.12. Election of members of the Board of DirectorsThe Board of Directors proposes that Patrik Hertsberg, Mikko Larvala, Tapani Rautiainen, Veli Matti Salmenkyla, Jouni Torasvirta and Timo Valjakka be re-elected as the members of the Board of Directors.13. Deciding on the remuneration of the auditorThe Board of Directors proposes that the fees of auditors be paid according to the invoice.14. Election of the auditorThe Board of Directors proposes that PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy, Authorised Public Accountants, with Tuomas Honkamaki, Authorised Public Accountant, as the chief auditor, be elected as the company's auditor.15. Authorisation of the Board of Directors to decide on share issues and issues of option rights and other special rights entitling to sharesThe Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting decide to authorise the Board of Directors to issue shares so that, on the basis of the authorisation, the Board of Directors may issue no more than 6,000,000 of the company's shares without dividend rights during year 2016.On the basis of the authorisation, the Board of Directors may use directed issues. Shares may be issued in deviation from shareholders' pre-emptive rights through a directed issue if there is a weighty financial reason for it from the point of view of the company, such as developing the company's capital structure or financing or implementing transactions in shares in housing companies. The subscription price of shares may be paid in cash or, instead of cash, in its entirety or partly in subscriptions in kind.The Board of Directors proposes that the authorisation be valid until the next Annual General Meeting. The authorisation will repeal the previous authorisation given on 19 March 2015.16. Amending the rules for investments operationsUnder section 14 of the rules for the investment operations of Orava Residential Real Estate Investment Trust plc, the General Meeting of Shareholders decides on amendments to the rules for investment operations.The Board of Directors proposes an amendment to the chapter 3 of section 11 of the rules for investment operations concerning the management services and the related fees. The hurdle rate (previously six per cent) of the performance-related management fee the Trust pays Orava Funds plc of the Trust's annual return exceeding twenty per cent (20%) is to be seven per cent (7%).The Board of Directors proposes amendments to the chapter 2 of section 14 of the rules for investment operations concerning the amendments of the rules for investment operations. The rules enter into force after a month form their communication to shareholders by publishing the information in the manner required in the case of information falling within the sphere of the Trust's duty of disclosure in accordance with Section 10. Previously an approval by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority was required. In addition the Board of Directors proposes that the sentences that ruled the time before the listing will be removed.The amended first sentence in chapter 3 of section 11 of the rules is as follows (change in bold):As a performance-related management fee, the Trust pays Orava Funds plc twenty per cent (20%) of the Trust's annual return exceeding the hurdle rate of seven per cent (7%). The performance-related management fee is calculated on the basis of earnings per share for the financial period and the number of shares at the end of the financial period.The amended chapter 2 of section 11 of the rules is as follows:Amendments to the rules enter into force after a month from their communication to shareholders by publishing the information in the manner required in the case of information falling within the sphere of the Trust's duty of disclosure in accordance with Section 10.17. Closing of the meetingB. Annual General Meeting documentsThe aforementioned decision proposals concerning the agenda of the Annual General Meeting and this notice of meeting are available on the website of Orava Residential REIT plc at www.oravaresidentialreit.com. The financial statements, Board of Directors' report and auditor's report of Orava Residential Real Estate Investment Trust plc are available on the aforementioned website no later than on 1 March 2016. The decision proposals and other aforementioned documents are also available at the Annual General Meeting, and, on request, copies of them and this notice of meeting will be sent to shareholders. The minutes of the Annual General Meeting (in Finnish) will be available on the aforementioned website as of 5 April 2016.C. Instructions for meeting attendees1. Shareholder registered in the shareholders' registerA shareholder who is registered in the company's shareholders' register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd on the record date of the Annual General Meeting 10 March 2016 has the right to attend the Annual General Meeting. A shareholder whose shares are entered in their personal Finnish book-entry account is registered in the company's shareholders' register.A shareholder registered in the shareholders' register who wants to take part in the Annual General Meeting shall register with the company no later than on 17 March 2016 at 5:00 p.m. Registration may take place:a) by email to yhtiokokous@oravarahastot.fib) by letter to Orava Residential REIT plc, Annual General Meeting, Fabianinkatu 14 B, FI-00100 HELSINKI, Finland.In connection with registration, the name of the shareholder, personal identity code/business ID, address, telephone number and the name of any potential assistant, authorised agent or legal representative shall be notified. The personal information disclosed by the shareholder to the Orava Residential REIT plc will only be used in connection with the Annual General Meeting and the handling of the related necessary registrations.The shareholder, their representative or agent shall be able to prove their identity and/or right of representation at the place of the meeting.2. Owner of nominee-registered sharesThe owner of nominee-registered shares has the right to attend the Annual General Meeting pursuant to shares on the basis of which they would have the right to be registered in the shareholders' register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd on the record date of the Annual General Meeting on 10 March 2016. Attendance also requires that the shareholder is temporarily entered in the shareholders' register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd no later than 17 March 2016 by 10:00 a.m. With regard to nominee-registered shares, this is considered as a registration for the Annual General Meeting.The owner of nominee-registered shares is instructed to well in advance request the necessary instructions from the administrator of their property concerning the registration in the temporary shareholders' register, provision of powers of attorney and registration for the Annual General Meeting. The account manager entity of the administrator of property shall announce the owner of nominee-registered shares who wants to take part in the Annual General Meeting to be temporarily registered in the company's shareholders' register no later than at the aforementioned time.3. Use of an agent and powers of attorneyA shareholder may take part in the Annual General Meeting and exercise their rights there through an agent. A shareholder's agent shall present a dated power of attorney, or they must otherwise in a reliable manner prove that they are entitled to represent the shareholder. If a shareholder participates in the Annual General Meeting using several agents that represent the shareholder using shares on different book-entry accounts, they shall in connection with registration announce the shares based on which each agent represents the shareholder.It is requested that any potential powers of attorney be delivered in the original to Orava Residential REIT plc, Shareholders' register, Fabianinkatu 14 B, FI-00100 HELSINKI, Finland, before the end of the registration period.4. Other instructions/informationA shareholder present at the Annual General Meeting has the right to pose questions on matters dealt with at the meeting in accordance with chapter 5, section 25, of the Limited Liability Companies Act.On the date of the notice of meeting, 1 March 2016, Orava Residential REIT plc has a total of 9,206,619 shares that represent 9,206,619 votes.Helsinki 1 March 2016Orava Residential REIT plcBoard of DirectorsAdditional informationPekka Peiponen, CEO, tel. +358 (0)10 420 3104Veli Matti Salmenkyla, CFO and administrative director, tel. +358 (0)10 420 3102
NASHVILLE, TN -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Considered among many as the next musical sensation, Nashville's own Annie Moses Band marked the release of their newest WMG/Warner Classics project, The Art Of The Love Song last Friday February 26th. The cd with bonus track and DVD and Blu-Ray featuring band interview footage are also available, including a corresponding 60-minute concert footage special airing on PBS stations beginning this month and running throughout the coming months. AMB celebrated their newest WMG release with a return to The Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, February 27th, 2016. Already a favorite at the legendary venue where The Art Of The Love Song special was filmed, the band will perform favorites from the album, previewing what fans can expect from the PBS special.
"The Grand Ole Opry is about honoring the great artists of the past and building upon their musical legacy, and that's what we wanted to do in 'The Art Of The Love Song,'" the band stated, adding, "So it was incredible to perform these classic songs with the signature sound of the Annie Moses Band for all the music lovers at the Opry."
In addition to their performance, the band hosted a signing for fans at the venue immediately following the show, meeting and taking photos with fans who gathered.
A sweeping musical collection and presentation of the greatest love songs ever written, The Art Of The Love Song showcases the most classic love songs of the century from the lush strings of Nat King Cole to the heartfelt songwriting of artists like Paul Williams' "Evergreen," Ewan MacColl's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," and Lennon-McCartney's "And I Love Her," among countless other gems.
The Annie Moses Band has already won over thousands who appreciate the group's unique mix of musical brilliance, family ties and beauty of heart, mind and spirit. Their live shows are transformative, their recordings inspirational to critics and general audiences, and with The Art Of The Love Song, these six siblings offer the world exactly the music needed in these challenging times.
More than an artistic and conceptual milestone in modern popular music, The Art Of The Love Song ultimately will be remembered as the moment that these young performers stake their claim as one of America's most valuable ensembles. They are individually instrumentalists of the highest order as well as accessible and distinctive personalities. Collectively, they challenge and inspire each other and invite more listeners to savor the results, whether sculpting a landmark George Gershwin composition into a humorous but exhilarating Rhapsody In Bluegrass or, with The Art Of The Love Song, marrying two of humanity's greatest attributes, love and music, into one unforgettable achievement.
Having already undertaken several exciting projects, leading up to last year's American Rhapsody tribute to classic American repertoire The Art Of The Love Song boldly and beautifully marks a shift from this sweeping perspective to an intimate examination of romance through song.
ABOUT THE ANNIE MOSES BAND:
Six siblings from the musically accomplished Wolaver family comprise The Annie Moses Band. Four of the band members are graduates of the prestigious Juilliard School with -- Annie on violin and lead vocals, Alex on viola, Benjamin on cello, Camille on keyboards and harp, Gretchen on violin, mandolin and guitar, and Jeremiah on electric guitar. Their charisma is undeniable; vocally and instrumentally, they radiate excitement onstage. Whether playing at Carnegie Hall, on tour in the United Kingdom or at the Fine Arts Summer Academy they host each summer in their Nashville hometown, they manifest love for each other and their burgeoning fan base.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND CONTACT INFO:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anniemosesband
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anniemosesband?_rdr=p
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/anniemosesband/
WebSite: anniemosesband.com
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PLAN A MEDIA, LLC
Patti Conte
212 337 1406 ext. 2
PattiConte@planamedia.com
Kaylin Johnson
212 337 1406 ext. 3
kaylin.planamedia@gmail.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Goldstrike Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: GSR)(OTC PINK: APRAF)(FRANKFURT: KCG1) and Petro One Energy Corp. (TSX VENTURE: POP) announced on December 22, 2015 that they had entered into a definitive agreement providing for the acquisition by Goldstrike of all issued and outstanding shares of Petro One, to be carried out by way of a statutory arrangement involving Goldstrike, Petro One and the shareholders of Petro One (the "Arrangement"). On February 12, 2016 the companies announced that the Arrangement had been approved by the shareholders of Petro One and on February 15, 2016 the companies announced that the Arrangement had been approved by Order of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, which satisfied the final requirement for a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia).
The Companies are now pleased to report that, with the consent of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Arrangement has completed with an Effective Date of February 29, 2016 and Petro One is now a wholly- owned subsidiary of Goldstrike. Accordingly, the Companies have requested that trading in shares of Petro One be halted pending delisting of Petro One shares by the Exchange.
About Goldstrike
Commencing in 2011, Goldstrike systematically explored thirty-three prospects in Yukon, ultimately leading to the discovery of its flagship "Plateau" property and the Lucky Strike project. Petro One's 30% interest in the Lucky Strike Property was transferred to Goldstrike on completion of the Arrangement.
The Plateau South property is 100% owned by Goldstrike and covers a district scale gold-mineralized system known as the Yellow Giant Trend. Multiple high grade gold showings have been exposed along the Hess River valley over a strike length of more than 25 kilometres and a vertical extent of more than 1,000 metres, and significant drill results have been obtained in multiple holes (best intersection to date 13.25 grams per tonne gold over 17.5 metres in the Goldstack Zone, including 35.88 grams per tonne gold over 5.7 metres) (News Release September 9, 2015). Fifty per cent of the holes drilled in 2015 intersected grains of native gold in the core. The gold is coarse, and appears to be free milling.
In recognition of the significance of this discovery, Goldstrike has been invited to display its Plateau drill core at the Prospectors and Developers Association (PDAC) conference, being held March 6-9, 2016 in Toronto. Goldstrike's geological team will be presenting the drill core in the Core Shack, Booth 3118A.
Trevor J. Bremner, P. Geo., Chief Consulting Geologist and Goldstrike Board Member, is a qualified person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101) for Goldstrike's Yukon exploration projects and has supervised the preparation of, and reviewed and approved, the technical information in this release.
Further information and maps on the Plateau and Lucky Strike projects can be found at
www.goldstrikeresources.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD PETRO ONE ENERGY CORP. Peter Bryant, President & Director ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD GOLDSTRIKE RESOURCES LTD. Terrence E. King, President & Director
For further information, please visit the companies' websites, follow the companies's tweets or contact the Jeff Stuart of King James Capital Corporation, handling Investor Relations for the Company, by telephone at (604) 805 0375 or by email at jstuart@kingjamescapital.com.
PETRO ONE ENERGY CORP. GOLDSTRIKE RESOURCES LTD. Telephone: 604 566 9089 Telephone: 604 681 1820 Facsimile: 604 564 8003 Facsimile: 604 681 1864 IR: 604 805 0375 IR: 604 805 0375 PetroOneEnergy.com GoldStrikeResources.com Twitter.com/PetroOneEnergy Twitter.com/GoldstrikeRes
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contacts:
King James Capital Corporation
Jeff Stuart
Investor Relations
(604) 210-2150
jstuart@kingjamescapital.com
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - March 01, 2016) - MRO Americas Conference and Exhibition (MROAM), produced by Penton's Aviation Week Network, is taking place in Dallas at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, April 5-7.
Focused on commercial aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), the event offers networking among industry leaders representing airlines, regulators, suppliers, and service providers. For 21 years, MRO Americas has served as the flagship of Aviation Week Network's MRO event series and recognized throughout the industry as the premiere event, attracting more than 800 exhibitors and 14,000 registered attendees.
Highlights will include:
Six major airlines disclose their fleet needs and MRO requirements. American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest, UPS and FedEx will provide an in-depth overview of the carrier's fleet status, what's new in tech-ops, major and upcoming projects, challenges and issues facing its supply chain.
Keynote address speakers are Doug Parker, CEO of American Airlines; Lt. General Lee K. Levy II, Commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center Air Force Material Command; and Kevin McAllister, President and CEO, Services, GE Aviation.
This year's conference will collocate with MRO Military under the direction of Lt. General Lee Levy, Commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center, Air Force Material Command. He will also lead a panel with Commanding General Jim Richardson, AMCOM; Paul Verrastro, NAVAUP Weapon Systems Support, U.S. Navy; and Brigadier General Mark Johnson, Commander, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex.
The show's supporting sponsor is Team Texas and MRO Americas Diamond sponsors are: AeroTurbine, HEICO, Pratt & Whitney, Rhinesthal CTS, and UTC Aerospace Systems.
ABOUT AVIATION WEEK NETWORK
Penton's Aviation Week Network is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries. Click here to learn more about Aviation Week MRO Events; follow @AvWeekEvents; and like us at facebook.com/avweek.
ABOUT PENTON
Penton is an innovative information services company that empowers nearly 20 million business decision makers in markets that drive more than 12 trillion dollars in purchases each year. Headquartered in New York, Penton is privately owned by MidOcean Partners and Wasserstein & Co., LP. For more information, visit http://www.penton.com or follow us on Twitter @PentonNow.
CONTACT:
Elizabeth Kelley Grace
855-525-2899
Elizabeth@thebuzzagency.net
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Editors Note: There are three photos and one video associated with this press release.
The Corel Painter team is honored to introduce the newest members of its prestigious Painter Master program. Ten new Painter Masters were selected from an impressive collection of applicants demonstrating some of the most influential and talented digital artists working today. Each of the selected Painter Masters represent the top of their fields and have been chosen for their ability to captivate, motivate and educate Painter enthusiasts of all levels.
"Without question, Painter artists are the number one source of inspiration for our team. Their creativity, imaginations and incredible talent leave us awestruck every day. With the 2016 Painter Master program, we've once again reached out to our community to find the best of the best and are honored to have them as outstanding evangelists for Painter our community," said Chris Pierce, Product Manager for Painter.
The stunning work created by the 2016 Painter Masters covers the full spectrum of art from the classical to the fantastic and span industries from film and gaming to editorial and commission fine art. Each Painter Master shares a few things in common: proven technical skills, a signature style, a desire to develop others in the community, and a passion for Painter.
Congratulations to the 2016 Painter Masters:
-- Borislav Mitkov -- Brigid Ashwood -- Collin Chan -- David Harrington -- Dominick Saponaro -- Eric Scala -- Joel Payne -- Katarina Sokolova -- Melanie Rose -- Robert Stacy
For more information about the 2016 Painter Masters and to find samples of their art and links to their work, please visit www.painterartist.com/masters.
To learn more about Corel Painter 2016 and to download a trial, please visit www.painterartist.com.
About Corel Painter:
Corel is the proud creator of Corel Painter, the world's most realistic paint program. Whether you're a budding artist or a creative professional, Painter gives you the freedom to create digital art without boundaries. The Corel Paint Program lineup also includes Painter Essentials, the complete home art studio, ParticleShop, a Particle brush plugin for Adobe users, and mobile apps that let you create digital art on the go.
Boasting some of the industry's best-known brands, Corel's product lines also include CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, Corel PaintShop Pro, Corel VideoStudio, Corel WordPerfect Office, and titles from Roxio, Pinnacle, ReviverSoft and WinZip. For more information about Corel Paint Programs, please visit www.corel.com.
2016 Corel Corporation. All rights reserved. Corel, the Corel logo, the Corel Balloon logo, Painter, CorelDRAW, Essentials, PaintShop, Particle, ParticleShop, Pinnacle, ReviverSoft, Roxio, VideoStudio, WinZip and WordPerfect are trademarks or registered trademarks of Corel Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. Patents: www.corel.com/patent.
To view the photos associated with this press release, please visit the following links:
http://www.marketwire.com/library/20160301-Painter_Master_2016.jpg
http://www.marketwire.com/library/20160301-Painter_Master_Wordmark.jpg
http://www.marketwire.com/library/20160301-COREL-Painter_2016_Box.jpg
To view the video associated with this press release, please visit the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgQVB9OEQj4
Contacts:
Media Contact
Alex Brazeau
Corel PR
alex.brazeau@corel.com
www.painterartist.com
Mississauga, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 1, 2016) - Pioneering Technology Corp. (TSXV: PTE) ("Pioneering"), a technology company and North America's leader in cooking fire prevention technologies and products, is pleased to report its financial results for the three months ended December 31, 2015. Pioneering reported revenue of $1.34 million, net income of $191,257 ($0.01 per share) and adjusted EBITDA of $273,700. This marks Pioneering's fifth consecutive quarter of operating profitability.
Kevin Callahan, President & CEO of Pioneering said, "We are pleased to report record quarterly financial results and continued profitability. Year over year revenue for the 12 months ended December 31, 2015 is up over 50% and we expect this trend to continue based on the strength of growing awareness of the home cooking fire problem, the need for our technology solutions, our new distribution relationships and the changing regulatory environment. We have led the creation of the home cooking fire prevention category and the disruption of the cooking appliance industry and are now just starting to see the beginnings of what we believe will be a very sizeable market opportunity."
Financial Highlights for the First Quarter Ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 First Quarter Ended December 31 2015 ($) 2014 ($) Revenue 1,336,549 1,193,626 Gross Profit 806,411 692,838 Expenses 546,154 575,330 Net Income 191,257 81,460 EPS 0.01 $0.00 Adjusted EBITDA 273,700 141,891
In addition to the quarterly highlights noted above, the following metrics highlight Pioneering's growth over the past 12 months:
Net income over the past 12 months is $250.9K versus a loss in the previous 12 months of $1.23M or a net increase of $1.48M.
Adjusted EBITDA over the past 12 months is $784.5K versus a loss in the previous 12 months of $1.5M or a net increase of $2.3M.
Kevin Callahan continued, "Pioneering's business is definitely heading in the right direction. We met our Q1 forecast and expect our revenue and profitability to continue to grow significantly. We look forward to providing our shareholders with updates as we continue to achieve our sales and earning milestones."
Pioneering's unaudited financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended December 31, 2015 are available for review at www.sedar.com.
Financing Developments
Pioneering has historically funded its working capital requirements through a combination of cash flow generated by operations and debt and equity financing. The cost of debt financing as Pioneering has been growing has been expensive. Pioneering is currently pursuing a number of lower cost financing opportunities . In the short term the Company expects to complete a non-brokered private placement of units for gross proceeds of up to $1.5 million at a price of $0.125 per unit. Each unit is expected to consist of one common share and one-half of one share purchase warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one common share at a price of $0.25 for eighteen months. Finder's fees in accordance with TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") policies may be payable in respect of the placement. The proposed placement is subject to TSXV approval.
##
About Pioneering Technology Corp:Pioneering, based in Mississauga, Ontario is an "energy smart" technology company and North America's leader in cooking fire prevention technologies and products. Pioneering engineers and brings to market energy-smart solutions for everyday consumer appliances making them safer, smarter, and more efficient. Pioneering's patented cooking-fire prevention technologies/products are engineered to help prevent cooking fires, the number one cause of household fire (a multi-billion dollar problem) in North America. According to the National Fire Protection Association, stovetop cooking is the number one cause of household fire and fire injuries in North America (48% of all household fires - up from 20% in 1980). Pioneering has proprietary cooking fire prevention solutions for the majority of the more than 140 million stoves/ranges and over 140M microwave ovens throughout North America. Pioneering's cooking fire prevention trademarks include Safe-T-element, SmartBurner, RangeMinder & Safe-T-sensor. For more information go to www.pioneeringtech.com.
For more information please contact:
Kevin Callahan, President & CEO of Pioneering, 905-712-2061 ext.222 kcallahan@pioneeringtech.com
Forward Looking Statements
The statements made in this press release include forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. A number of factors could cause actual events, performance or results to differ materially from the events, performance and results discussed in the forward-looking statements, such as the economy, generally, competition in Pioneering's target markets, the demand for Pioneering's products, the availability of funding and the efficacy of Pioneering's technology and governmental regulation. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof an, except as required by applicable law, Pioneering does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from Pioneering's expectations and projections.
Non-GAAP Measures
Adjusted EBITDA is a measure not recognized under Canadian generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). However, management of Pioneering believes that most shareholders, creditors, other stakeholders and investment analysts prefer to have these measures included as reported measures of operating performance, a proxy for cash flow, and to facilitate valuation analysis. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest income, taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock based compensation, restructuring costs, impairment charges and other non-recurring gains or losses. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is a useful measure that facilitates period-to-period operating comparisons.
Adjusted EBITDA does not have any standard meanings prescribed by GAAP and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Readers are cautioned that Adjusted EBITDA is not an alternative to measures determined in accordance with GAAP and should not, on its own, be construed as indicators of performance, cash flow or profitability. References to the Pioneering's Adjusted EBITDA should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and management's discussion and analysis of Pioneering posted on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements reflecting the Company's current views or expectations on its performance, business and future events. Such statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual results and events may vary significantly.
The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy and accuracy of this release.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Simeio Solutions, a global, industry-leader in identity and access management, today announced its latest, most advanced release of Simeio Solutions Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) using the identity and access management (IAM) portfolio from CA Technologies. Simeio's IDaaS provides a simple and low-cost alternative to building and maintaining an IAM infrastructure. By using CA's IAM technology, Simeio IDaaS offers customers a fast track to a business-focused IAM implementation that can be deployed in a fraction of the time it takes to deploy traditional IAM implementations.
Simeio IDaaS integrates CA Identity Suite, CA SSO, CA Advanced Authentication, and CA Privileged Access Management to provide clients with best-in-class IAM, while eliminating the hardware costs, ongoing maintenance and upgrade costs. With automated workflows for user access request submission and review, provisioning and attestation, and the ability to enable federation and simplify compliance with regulatory mandates, Simeio Identity-as-a-Service offers complete, end-to-end identity services tailored to customers' specific requirements, including:
Identity administration
Access request
Role and access governance
Identity risk and intelligence
At CFA Institute, Simeio IDaaS is used by well over two million identities globally. Elaine Cheng, CIO of CFA Institute said, "Simeio IDaaS using CA's IAM technology supports both our long-term business and technology strategies to provide services and infrastructure for optimum online engagement and transaction. Identity and access governance is critical for our organization's members and candidates who need access to CFA Institute resources. Managing their identities and governing their access is critical to upholding the very basis of our mission: ethics and professional excellence."
Simeio IDaaS customers also enjoy the features and capabilities of the Simeio Identity Intelligence Center (IIC), the first and only solution of its kind designed specifically to operate, monitor and defend complex, multi-vendor IAM and security infrastructures.
Simeio IIC is designed to help anticipate disruptive events -- operational vulnerabilities and inefficiencies, as well as security risks tied to identity -- before they become problems. Simeio IIC goes even further by offering insights into how accounts are being used -- or misused -- and analytics that can help identify new business opportunities.
Simeio Solutions CEO Hemen Vimadalal said, "We recognize CA's leadership when it comes to delivering a comprehensive IAM solution, and we are pleased to partner with an industry leader like CA to offer full-featured Identity-as-a-Service for organizations that struggle to address IAM needs in house. Unlike other companies who offer a partial IAM solution, Simeio leverages the breadth of CA's IAM portfolio to deliver a comprehensive IAM offering in a single solution. Simeio IDaaS delivered via the industry's first and only Identity Intelligence Center, provides our clients with a higher level of security and reliability."
In today's IT environment, Identity has become the new security perimeter. Maintaining the integrity of this perimeter requires highly specialized solutions designed to manage identities and monitor privileged accounts, and to detect and prevent malicious activity across a wide range of cloud-based services that live well outside the traditional corporate firewall. Given the complexity of most IT environments, installing and managing these solutions can be a difficult, expensive and time-consuming effort, and requires finding a team of people with niche skills and expertise.
Michael Trubatch, vice president, CA identity and access management solutions, said, "Partnering with Simeio Solutions puts the breadth of CA's robust and highly scalable IAM technology into the hands of many organizations. Simeio and CA are offering companies the ability to do IAM in an easier way. By pairing CA's category leading products into a single solution backed by Simeio's industry-leading IDaaS platform, customers get all the security capabilities to implement a truly effective IAM strategy and address a full range of IAM needs, from provisioning and identity governance, to access control and single sign-on."
About Simeio Solutions
Simeio Solutions, Inc. offers complete, end-to-end Identity and Access Management (IAM) services and solutions powered by the Simeio Identity Intelligence Center (IIC). A single-source for all your identity and access management needs, our offering spans plan to build to operate, with a la carte access to professional services (strategy and implementation), business-ready IAM cloud solutions, and expert managed services for on-going operational support.
Simeio is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with offices around the world. Simeio provides services to numerous Fortune 1000 companies across all industries including financial services, high technology, health care, public utilities, education and more. To learn more about Simeio Solutions visit http://www.simeiosolutions.com. See the video to learn more about Simeio IDaaS Video.
Trademarks
All trademarks and registered trademarks are those of their respective companies.
Simeio Identity Intelligence Center (IIC) is a trademark of Simeio Solutions, Inc.
For more information:
Simeio Solutions
Ed Pascua
(678) 665-0281
mailto: epascua@simeiosolutions.com
IRVINE, CA--(Marketwired - March 01, 2016) - SmartBug Media, a leading inbound marketing agency assisting businesses in generating leads, increasing awareness, and building brand loyalty, is pleased to announce the recent hire of Kyle McMillan James as Interactive Manager. James will play a lead role in incorporating inbound and content marketing strategies into creating engaging digital experiences for a portfolio of clients.
James has worked professionally in Web marketing and development since 2006. He was one of the first 50 employees at HubSpot and spent three years with the company in a variety of roles, including Inbound Marketing Consultant, Manager of Consulting Services, and Blogging Platform Product Manager.
In 2008, James co-founded nuCloud, which specializes in providing low-cost, highly customizable map solutions for schools and other organizations. The company has twice (2013-2014 and 2014-2015) won the Reader's Choice Award from eSchool News and also was honored with the Reader's Choice Top Products Award from University Businessin 2013. Between 2008 and 2014, James also served as founder and blogger of .eduGuru, a blog and brand about Internet marketing and Web development in higher education.
"I have known Ryan for years and followed SmartBug Media's growth into HubSpot's biggest and best agency partners," says James. "It only made sense if I was going to come back into HubSpot's orbit, after a hiatus of building my own company, to do it at the best agency partner. I've been drinking the inbound marketing Kool-Aid since the beginning and am excited to join another fast-growing inbound marketing company in its early stages. I hope to become a positive cog in SmartBug's growth, scale, and development."
James first discovered Web development in 1996 when he built his first website using Netscape Composer. In 1997, he created The Magic Bazaar, a popular website dedicated to the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering. Though the site is long since defunct, at its peak it was averaging 40,000 hits a month. James is a 2003 graduate of Wofford College, is a diehard Atlanta Braves fan and an avid home brewer, and lives in South Carolina with his wife and two beagles.
"Kyle has excelled in a variety of roles over his inbound career: development, sales, support, consulting, management, entrepreneurship, and product," says Ryan Malone, Founder and CEO of SmartBug Media. "That versatility will be an asset to our team and serve our clients well. We are thrilled to have someone of Kyle's experience and enthusiasm on board."
About SmartBug
For more than seven years, SmartBug Media has been helping businesses increase sales leads, close more customers, and enhance the reach of their brands. SmartBug is one of a handful of HubSpot Diamond partners in the world and is the highest rated agency in the history of the HubSpot ecosystem. We also boast the highest ROI documented from any HubSpot partner -- 3,558% and 14,500% ROI on a six-month and three-year campaign.
For a free inbound marketing or web design consultation, or to learn more, visit http://www.smartbugmedia.com/ or call 949-236-6448.
Ryan Malone
SmartBug Media
949-236-6448 x700
pr@smartbugmedia.com
VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - The European markets ended Tuesday's session in the green, despite some weak global economic data. Employment data from the Eurozone was viewed positively, but manufacturing data was disappointing. Chinese manufacturing data also came in weaker than expected.
The weak Chinese data lead to speculation that China will need to expand its stimulus measures. In addition, the European Central Bank will hold its meeting next week. Investors are expecting the ECB to announce further quantitative easing measures at the meeting.
The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks increased 1.72 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, added 1.31 percent.
The DAX of Germany climbed 2.34 percent and the CAC 40 of France rose 1.22 percent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. gained 0.92 percent and the SMI of Switzerland finished higher by 1.51 percent.
In Frankfurt, Automakers climbed on the opening day of the Geneva motor show. BMW increased 4.26 percent, Daimler added 2.52 percent and Volkswagen rose 4.69 percent.
RWE advanced 6.07 percent and peer E.ON gained 4.17 percent.
Klockner & Co. jumped 8.02 percent even as the metals trader posted fiscal 2015 net loss of 349 million euros, hit by goodwill impairments in North America activities.
In Paris, Peugeot rose 4.29 percent and Renault added 1.76 percent. Car parts maker Valeo also advanced 2.07 percent.
In London, Barclays slumped 8.11 percent after announcing further restructuring and halving its dividend in a bid to boost its capital buffer.
London Stock Exchange Group soared 7.17 percent. Intercontinental Exchange confirmed that it is considering making an offer for LSE, which is in talks over a potential merger with Deutsche Boerse.
Glencore dropped 2.06 percent. The mining giant reported a 70 percent fall in annual adjusted net income after being hit by weak commodity prices.
Fresnillo tumbled 6.20 percent. The company reported profit before income tax of $212.4 million for the full year ended 31 December 2015 compared to $251.1 million, last year.
Ashtead Group sank 8.82 percent. The company's third quarter earnings per share were 17.2 pence, 18 percent higher than 14.1 pence a year ago.
Eurozone manufacturing growth eased to a one-year low in February, final data from Markit showed Tuesday. The final manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 51.2 in February, a 12-month low, from 52.3 in January. It was slightly above the flash estimate of 51.
The euro area unemployment rate fell to the lowest level in more than four years in January despite sluggish economic growth and weak confidence. The jobless rate came in at 10.3 percent in January, down from 10.4 percent in December, data from Eurostat showed Tuesday. This was the lowest since August 2011. It was forecast to remain at 10.4 percent.
Germany's unemployment declined for the fifth consecutive month in February, the Federal Labor Agency reportedly said Tuesday. The number of people out of work decreased 10,000 from January as expected by economists.
Germany's unemployment rate declined marginally in January, provisional data from Destatis showed Tuesday. The jobless rate fell slightly to adjusted 4.3 percent in January from 4.4 percent in December. In the same period last year, the rate was 4.8 percent.
The U.K. manufacturing sector expanded at the slowest pace since early 2013 in February, data from Markit showed Tuesday. The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply/Markit Purchasing Managers' Index fell more-than-expected to 50.8 in February from 52.9 in January. This was the lowest reading since April 2013. It was forecast to drop to 52.3 in February.
Manufacturing activity in China continued to contract in February, as output declined at the steepest pace since last September on a sharp decrease in new work.
The Caixin manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell unexpectedly to 48 in February from 48.4 in January, survey results from Markit showed Tuesday. This was the lowest reading in five months. Economists had forecast the index to have remained unchanged at 48.4.
The official manufacturing PMI slid to 49 in February from 49.4 in January. Likewise, the non-manufacturing PMI fell to 52.7 from 53.5 in the prior month. Although the sector logged an expansion, the pace was the weakest since late 2008.
While the Institute for Supply Management released a report on Tuesday showing a much bigger than expected increase by its index of manufacturing activity in the month of February, the index still pointed to the fifth straight month of contraction.
The ISM said its purchasing managers index rose to 49.5 in February from 48.2 in January, but a reading below 50 continues to indicate a contraction in manufacturing activity. Economists had expected the index to inch up to 48.5.
Construction spending in the U.S. increased by much more than anticipated in the month of January, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday.
The report construction spending surged up by 1.5 percent to an annual rate of $1.141 trillion in January from the revised December estimate of $1.124 trillion. Spending had been expected to rise by 0.5 percent.
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TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Augusta Industries Inc. (the "Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: AAO) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Marcon International Inc. ("Marcon"), has entered into various agreements with various departments of the United States government for the supply of instrumentation and equipment. The aggregate value of the agreements signed in February is $196,839 and the current value of Macron's backlog is $963,707.32 as of February 26, 2016.
"The Corporation is pleased with the entering of these new agreements," stated Allen Lone, President of the Corporation. "These new contracts are a great way to start off the New Year and the Corporation will continue to work to ensure that these new contracts, along with the current backlog, are fulfilled in a timely and efficient manner. These agreements are evidence of the continuing confidence that the various entities of the United States government have in Marcon. The Corporation and Marcon have worked and continue to work in building an ongoing successful relationship with these clients."
About the Corporation:
Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Marcon and Fox-Tek Canada Inc. ("Fox-Tek"), the Corporation provides a variety of services and products to a number of clients.
Marcon is an industrial supply contractor servicing the energy sector and a number of US Government entities. Marcon's principal business is the sale and distribution of industrial parts and equipment (Electrical, mechanical and Instrumentation.) In addition to departments and agencies of the U.S. Government, Marcon's major clients include Saudi Arabia-Sabic Services (Refining and Petrochemical), Bahrain National Gas Co, Bahrain Petroleum, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Gas, Qatar Petrochemical, Gulf of Suez Petroleum, Agiba Petroleum and Burullus Gas Co.
Fox Tek develops non-intrusive asset health monitoring sensor systems for the oil and gas market to help operators track the thinning of pipelines and refinery vessels due to corrosion/erosion, strain due to bending/buckling and process pressure and temperature. The Corporation's FT fiber optic sensor and corrosion monitoring systems allow cost-effective, 24/7 remote monitoring capabilities to improve scheduled maintenance operations, avoid unnecessary shutdowns, and prevent accidents and leaks.
The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.
This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimates of future events. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements are detailed from time to time in the Corporation's periodic reports filed with the Ontario Securities Commission and other regulatory authorities. The Corporation has no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts:
Corporation contact:
Augusta Industries Inc.
Allen Lone
President, CEO
(905) 275-8111 Ext 226
atlone@fox-tek.com
Technavio analysts forecast the power rental market in Southeast Asiato post a CAGR of close to 11% by 2020, according to their latest report.
The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the power rental market in Southeast Asia for 2016-2020. A detailed study of the product type (diesel, gas, and hybrid generators) and the revenue and growth patterns of the market are covered in this report. The report also discusses the key end-users of the market, including oil and gas, construction, utilities, industrial, and others.
Technavio energy research analysts highlight the following three factors that are contributing to the growth of the power rental market in Southeast Asia:
Need for continuous power supply
Increase in infrastructure activities
Increased demand from utilities and industrial sectors
Need for continuous power supply
Rapid development and increased investments in various businesses due to favorable foreign direct investment (FDI) has increased power consumption by 2.5 times in the past 20 years in Southeast Asia. According to the IEA's World Energy Outlook 2015 for Southeast Asia, the region's electricity demand is likely to triple by 2040, for which an additional power generation capacity of 400 gigawatts (GW) is required. Utilities are unable to meet the rising electricity consumption due to poor T&D and low power production. This has increased power outages, driving the need for rental power in the region.
For instance, in 2013, 14 provinces in Thailand experienced blackouts because the required power was 2,500 megawatt (MW) while the local power plants were capable of producing only 2,000 MW. The remaining power deficit was purchased from other sources such as private players and neighboring countries. Such instances surged the need for emergency power supply, thus fueling the need for power rentals in the region.
Vishu Rai, a lead analyst from Technavio, specializing in research on power, says, "Indonesia, the largest country in the region, had an 80% electrification rate at the end of 2013. This, along with poor grid connectivity in remote areas, has also increased the need for temporary power supply in the region."
Increase in infrastructure activities
Southeast Asian countries have a steady economic growth rate between 2% and 8%. Governments across these countries are aiming to achieve economic sustenance through industrial development. In order to attract investors to set up bases in these countries, basic infrastructure facilities such as roads, railways, water, and power supply play a crucial role. Therefore, many countries in the region are increasing their annual infrastructure spending.
Though governments of various countries in this region are investing in building new power plants as long-term power sources, shortage of power supply in the region is restricting power companies to meet the immediate demand. "The surge in residential and commercial infrastructure developments have resulted in peak-hour supply constraints. These factors have compelled power companies to rely on temporary power generation sources such as rentals to cater to the growing demand," adds Vishu.
Increased demand for power rental from utilities and industrial sectors
The need for temporary power supply across utilities and industrial sectors is increasing due to the supply-demand gap for electricity. Many industries require constant power supply to achieve optimum operational capacity and avoid financial losses due to outages.
Some industries in Southeast Asia are located in remote locations that are not yet connected to the grid and have poor T&D infrastructure. For instance, the Philippines is an archipelago that constitutes over 7,000 islands with a population of over 100 million. The power supply shortages have encouraged the government to take short-term initiatives such as leasing additional power from different islands and using diesel generators for additional capacity.
Browse Related Reports:
Global Power Rental Market 2015-2019
Power Rental Market in Americas 2015-2019
North America Power Rental Market 2015-2019
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About Technavio
Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.
Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.
If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160301005160/en/
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Technavio Research
Jesse Maida
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www.technavio.com
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Biosenta Inc. (Biosenta) (CSE: ZRO) is pleased to announce that on February 29, 2016 it received approval from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to proceed with the implementation of the restructuring proposal to creditors (the "Proposal"). The Proposal was announced on November 19, 2015.
The Proposal is made under the Canadian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (The Act). A copy has been filed on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. The Proposal had been approved by the board of the Company and then by the creditors at the meeting held on December 7, 2015.
The Company expects to implement the requirements of the Proposal over the coming weeks.
On behalf of the board of Biosenta, interim Chairman, Dene Rogers, said "the acceptance of the Proposal to creditors by both our creditors and the court gives Biosenta a much healthier balance sheet and the opportunity to continue the rollout of the consumer products to the U.S. and to begin the approval process for the industrial product, Tri-Filler. We are very grateful to our creditors for their support.
Forward looking information
There can be no assurance that The Proposal will be successfully completed, or even if it is successfully completed, that the Company will achieve success.
About Biosenta Inc.
Biosenta Inc. develops and manufactures a range of chemical compounds for household and industrial applications using advanced nanotechnology.
Other household disinfectants and cleaners possess similar levels of efficacy as traditional disinfectants. But Biosenta products contain significantly lower concentrations of active ingredients resulting in lower toxicity.
Biosenta disinfectants and cleaners will kill 100% of potentially deadly mold, fungi, bacteria and viruses on contact and prevent re-growth. Biosenta disinfectants are very safe due to the very low toxicity.
Biosenta industrial compounds are embedded to protect various materials, including drywall, plastics and resins, from microbe formation.
These compounds remain active for decades and protect the drywall of buildings, objects such as resin furniture, and carpet which contain plastic or resin, as well as textiles and paper from mold, fungi, bacteria and viruses. Both the Biosenta household and industrial products are environmentally safe and biodegradable.
Disclaimer
The CSE has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contacts:
Biosenta Inc.
Dene Rogers, President and CEO
Ph: 416-410-2019
Email: dene@biosenta.com
3080 Yonge Street, Suite 6020
Toronto, ON M4N 3N1
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- DiaMedica Inc. (TSX VENTURE: DMA)(OTCQB: DMCAF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the engagement of JV Public Relations New York ("JVPRNY") to lead its PR efforts in the United States.
JVPRNY is a boutique life science communications agency working to meet the needs of emerging and innovative life science companies. With a collective 30 years of experience, the firm's founder, Janet Vasquez, ran award-winning global and local public relations campaigns for an array of life science, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology clients, while simultaneously managing highly successful programs for companies in laboratory, medical device diagnostics/companion diagnostics industries. In addition, the JVPRNY team is well-versed in the social media landscape, having designed and implemented social media programs for several clients that span from biotechnology, consumer health to non-profit firms.
The firm's goal is to elevate DiaMedica's profile in the US markets and engage proactive dialogues on the rising interest with the scientific and investment community. JVPRNY's targeted media campaign includes traditional media interviews with print, broadcast, and online publications outlets including expert opinion pieces targeting healthcare decision makers. Media outlets interested in learning more about DiaMedica and its pipeline of protein therapeutics for vascular diseases should reach out to Janet Vasquez at jvasquez@jvprny.com or 212-645-5498.
About DiaMedica
DiaMedica is a publicly traded clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel protein therapeutics for vascular diseases, including stroke, and kidney diseases. DiaMedica's common shares are listed on the TSX-V Exchange under the trading symbol "DMA" and on the OTCQB under the trading symbol "DMCAF".
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The statements made in this press release that are not historical facts contain forward-looking information that involves risk and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, which address DiaMedica's expectations, should be considered forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's exercise of business judgment as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. When used in this document, the words "may", "will", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and words of similar import, are intended to identify any forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals, future plans and statements regarding the use of proceeds from the private placement. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information described in detail in the DiaMedica's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, all of which are available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. DiaMedica undertakes no obligation, and does not intend, to update, revise or otherwise publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, or to reflect the occurrence of any unanticipated events, unless required by law. Although management believes that expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, no assurance can be given that these expectations will materialize.
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 the contents of this press release.
Contacts:
DiaMedica Inc.
Rick Pauls
President & CEO
763-270-0603
info@diamedica.com
AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FRANCE -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- SuperSonic Imagine (EURONEXT PARIS: SSI) (FR0010526814), the highly innovative ultrasound company, announced today its participation in the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) March 2 - 6, in Vienna, Austria, to demonstrate the clinical benefits of real-time ShearWave Elastography (SWE) in assessing major diseases such as chronic liver disease and cancer of the breast, prostate and thyroid as well as in the domain of musculoskeletal imaging. The Company is also featuring two new innovations during the Congress, which they will be demonstrating on the show floor (booth #4 in Exhibit Hall A).
SuperSonic Imagine will showcase its new solution for microvascular visualization, Angio PL.U.S. -- Planewave UltraSensitive imaging. Angio PL.U.S. is a significant advancement in Color Doppler Imaging. Conventional Doppler is limited in its ability to show microvascular slow flow. Angio PL.U.S. provides a new level of microvascular imaging through significantly improved color sensitivity and spatial resolution while maintaining exceptional 2D imaging. It increases the detail of real-time flow information available during ultrasound diagnostic exams. This information is instrumental in helping the diagnosis of cancerous tissues in areas such as the liver, lymph nodes and thyroid as well as musculoskeletal pathologies such as inflammation in tendons. Angio PL.U.S. leverages SuperSonic Imagine's previous innovation, UltraFast Doppler, providing an advanced solution for vascular evaluation.
Also during ECR, SuperSonic Imagine will be highlighting the clinical benefits a new SuperEndocavity Volumetric transducer, the unique endo transducer on the market that enables 2D AND 3D imaging for B-Mode, Color modes and SWE. This information is very useful in the diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer as well as for gynecologic and obstetrics applications.
Both of these latest innovations can be found as part of SuperSonic Imagine's platform Aixplorer, the only ultrasound system available that provides SWE in real-time. SWE is a quick, non-invasive exam that provides color coded maps and quantitative measurement of tissue stiffness. This information is used by physicians to help identify potentially malignant or other diseased tissue. As of today, over 300 peer-reviewed articles have demonstrated the clinical benefits of SWE in a wide range of clinical applications.
"Clinicians are eager for imaging advances and new tools to help identify and diagnose suspicious lesions while avoiding unnecessary imaging or biopsies," said Jacques Souquet, SuperSonic Imagine's Chief Innovation Officer and Founder. "Angio PL.U.S. and our new 3D endo transducer combined with our existing innovations, SWE and UltraFast Doppler, represent significant advancements to the arsenal of non-invasive diagnostic tools for cancer or other major diseases."
"From my experience, the new 3D endocavity transducer brings significant improvement to prostate imaging with ultrasound and could provide a true alternative to multi-parametric MRI imaging currently used for prostate cancer," said Pr. Jean-Michel Correas, Vice Chairman of the Adult Radiology Department at Necker University Hospital, Paris, France. "With 3D ShearWave Elastography, for the first time, we are able to clearly identify and target suspicious regions of the prostate with an ultrasound based technique."
During the ECR (March 2, 12:30 - 1:30pm, Room N), SSI will host a symposium "UltraFast Imaging: A New Paradigm for Ultrasound Diagnosis - How innovations derived from UltraFast Imaging are improving diagnosis and patient management across diseases." Participants will include Dr. Maja Thiele, Prof. FKW. Schafer, Prof. JM. Correas, and Mr. Mickael Tanter. For additional information or to register can be found HERE.
Additional information about ECR can be found here. The Company will be exhibiting at booth #4 in Exhibit Hall A and will be hosting live demonstrations at the booth throughout the meeting.
About SuperSonic Imagine
Founded in 2005 and based in Aix-en-Provence (France), SuperSonic Imagine is a company specializing in medical imaging. The company designs, develops and markets a revolutionary ultrasound system, Aixplorer, with an UltraFast platform that can acquire images 200 times faster than conventional ultrasound systems. Aixplorer is the only system that can image two types of waves: ultrasound waves ensure excellent image quality and shear waves, which allow physicians to visualize and analyze the stiffness of tissue in a real-time, reliable, reproducible and non-invasive manner. This innovation, ShearWave Elastography, significantly improves the detection and characterization of numerous pathologies in several applications including breast, thyroid, liver and prostate. SuperSonic Imagine has been granted regulatory clearances for the commercialization of Aixplorer in the main global markets. Over the past years, SuperSonic Imagine enjoyed the backing of several prestigious investors, among which Auriga Partners, Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, Bpifrance, Omnes Capital and NBGI.
For more information about SuperSonic Imagine, please go to www.supersonicimagine.com.
SuperSonic Imagine
Corporate
Bernard Doorenbos
Email Contact
+33 6 15 66 64 68
SuperSonic Imagine
Marketing & Communication
Emmanuelle Vella
Email Contact
+33 4 86 79 03 27
NewCap
Investor Relations - EU
Pierre Laurent / Florent Alba
Email Contact
+33 1 44 71 98 55
Pascale Communication
Media Relations - US
Amy Phillips
Email Contact
+1 412 327 9499
EIZO today announced the Re/Vue Pro compact lossless encoding and streaming solution for mission-critical applications. Designed for air traffic control (ATC) system integrators and recording solution providers, the new device is equipped with a DisplayPort digital interface to support higher stream resolutions of up to 4K x 2K.
The Re/Vue Pro supports both DVI and DisplayPort connectivity and offers lossless capture and streaming of resolutions of 4096 x 2160 at 60 Hz via DisplayPort and up to 2048 x 2160 at 60 Hz via DVI. Industry-leading compression ratios of 8,000:1 to 30,000:1 minimize required storage for large volume image data.
Mission-critical redundancy is provided by dual Ethernet outputs and two external power supplies. Fully detailed APIs including playback decoding and streaming are provided together with full Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) interface details to support remote configuration and diagnostic monitoring of connected Re/Vue devices.
David Hindon, ATC Business Development Manager for EIZO commented, "With Re/Vue Pro, ATC/ATM system integrators can confidently choose a lossless video streaming solution to deploy that will be ready for the future with both DVI and DisplayPort support and SDK/API and SNMP command set, providing backwards compatibility."
Re/Vue Pro joins EIZO's line-up of screen capture, encoding and streaming technology to enable ATM/ATC system integrators to deploy industry-leading video, audio, and data recording systems. Re/Vue products are ideal for typical requirements of mission-critical recording in live ATC operational centers, training and simulation, and R&D applications.
EIZO will be demonstrating the Re/Vue Pro at World ATM Congress 2016 in Madrid, Spain from March 8-10. Visit booth #349 to see the new product along with EIZO's full line of ATC visual display solutions.
Data sheet for Re/Vue Pro
http://www.eizoglobal.com/products/atc/re_vue_pro/index.html
Media photo
http://www.eizoglobal.com/press/releases/images/ReVue_Pro_press.jpg
About EIZO
EIZO (TSE:6737), which means image in Japanese, is a visual technology company that develops and manufactures high-end display solutions. EIZO integrates hardware and software technologies with consulting, web hosting, and other services to help customers in business, graphics, gaming, medicine, maritime, and other fields work more comfortably, efficiently, and creatively. Headquartered in Hakusan, Japan, EIZO has R&D and manufacturing facilities in Japan, China, Germany, and the US, and representation in more than 80 countries.
All product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. EIZO and Re/Vue are registered trademarks of EIZO Corporation.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160301006794/en/
Contacts:
Media and sales contact:
David Hindon
Business Development Manager ATC
Email: david.hindon@eizo.com
Tel: +44 (0) 3330 117488
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In an apparent shot at Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., declared Tuesday there can be 'no evasion and no games' on the issue of white supremacist groups.
Ryan argued the presidential campaign has recently turned into a conversation about white supremacist groups rather than a serious debate about the policies needed to restore the American idea.
'As you know, I try to stay out of the day-to-day ups and downs of the primary,' Ryan told reporters. 'But I've also said when I see something that runs counter to who we are as a party and as a country, I will speak up.'
'So today I want to be very clear about something: If a person wants to be the nominee of the Republican Party, there can be no evasion and no games,' he added. 'They must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry.'
The remarks by Ryan come after Trump declined to disavow support from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke an in interview with CNN on Sunday.
Trump later blamed a 'bad earpiece' for misunderstanding the question and claimed he previously disavowed Duke.
Ryan asserted that the Republican Party does not prey on people's prejudices, noting that the GOP is the 'Party of Lincoln.'
'We believe all people are created equal in the eyes of God and our government,' Ryan said. 'This is fundamental, and if someone wants to be our nominee, they must understand this.'
He added, 'It's time we get back to focusing on how-very specifically, how-we are going to get to solving the problems that American families are facing after seven years of Barack Obama.'
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also weighed in on Trump's refusal to disavow the KKK, which she called a breathtaking low-point for the country.
Pelosi claimed Trump's 'radical agenda' does not reflect the values of the American people but is a perfect reflection of many House Republicans.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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Technavio has announced the top five leading vendors in their recent global ground-based augmentation systems market 2016-2020 report. This research report also lists numerous prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period.
Competitive vendor landscape
The global ground-based augmentation systems (GBAS) market is highly competitive and vendors compete on the basis of cost, product quality, reliability, and aftermarket service. To survive and succeed in such an intensely competitive environment, it is crucial for vendors to provide cost-effective and high-quality landing systems with latest technology and materials.
"Government organizations like ICAO, IATA, FAA, EASA, and CASA, and the EU, certify and encourage the use of GBAS landing systems. These systems enhance flight safety as well as improving the landing and navigation of aircraft. "Therefore, vendors invest in creating new, cost-efficient and effective GBAS for use by the airports, globally," says Abhay Singh, lead research analyst at Technavio for aerospace components
Request sample report: http://goo.gl/oRSDTI
Honeywell
Honeywell was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, US. Honeywell provides aerospace products and services; electronic and advanced materials; and energy-efficient products and solutions for homes, business, and transportation industries globally.
The company offers SmartPath, which is a GBAS, used for ensuring precision landing solution for aircraft. SmartPath provides digital navigation data to the aircraft and terminal operators and helps them in reducing delays in landings, as well as air traffic noise. This system is certified with CAT I precision approaches.
In 2009, they launched two ground proximity warning systems, SmartRunway and SmartLanding solutions, for global airport operators. Honeywell has installed over 2,300 SmartRunway and SmartLanding solutions in various airports across the globe.
Indra Navia
Indra Navia was founded in 2012, after the acquisition of Park Air Systems by Spain-based consulting and technology solutions provider Indra Sistemas. The company is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and was formerly owned by aerospace and defense technology provider Northrop Grumman. The company engages in the design, development, and integration of airport communication, navigation, and surveillance systems for global airport operators and aviation companies. Since its inception, the company has provided its solutions to over 1,200 airports across the world.
In May 2015, Indra Navia entered into a strategic partnership with UK-based provider of air traffic control services NATS. The two companies have collaborated on a development program, which is focused on the capability enhancement of existing GBAS technology.
NEC
NEC was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company, along with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets computers, electronic devices, navigation and telecommunication equipment, and software across the globe.
NEC provides ground-based navigation systems that are designed to provide a seamless navigational aid to the operators for safe landing of aircraft. This GBAS is designed to operate in all weather conditions for precision approach and landing of aircraft. The company's GBASs are composed of GBAS reference stations, VHF data broadcast antennas, GBAS processors, and GBAS VHF data broadcast equipment.
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, US. The company provides systems, products, and solutions focusing on aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services for government and commercial customers across the globe.
Northrop Grumman provides navigation and positioning systems that enable airport operators and pilots to acquire information about location and direction while landing. The company through its European subsidiary, Park Air Systems, provides communication, surveillance, navigation, and solutions for airspace operations globally. It also engages in the design and installation of ground-based systems that are used in ATC and air defense applications globally.
Thales
Thales was founded in 1893 and is headquartered in Paris, France. The company provides solutions primarily to the aerospace and defense industries globally.
Thales, along with its diversified portfolio of navigation and aircraft control systems, provides a satellite based augmentation system (SBAS) solution that helps airport operators and pilots in aircraft landing with the support of wide-area or regional augmentation by using additional satellite-broadcast messages.
Browse related reports:
Global Commercial Aircraft Seat Actuation Market 2016-2020
Global Automotive Sensors Market 2016-2020
Commercial Aircraft Autopilot System Market 2015-2019
Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.
About Technavio
Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.
Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.
If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160301005220/en/
Contacts:
Technavio Research
Jesse Maida
Media Marketing Executive
US: +1 630 333 9501
UK: +44 208 123 1770
www.technavio.com
BELGRADE, Serbia, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Calling on the nation to unite behind his party "to complete the transformation of Serbia into a modern economy with European living standards," Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic today set early Parliamentary elections for April 24.
Mr. Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) was elected in 2014. In his announcement today he said over the past two years Serbia had turned its back on "the disastrous old ways we inherited" of populism and chauvinism and now needed to move forward.
"For that we need another full term to continue the reforms and complete the transformation of Serbia into a modern economy, with European living standards, which can offer a decent place for raising children," he said.
In a nationally televised announcement on the RTS network, Mr. Vucic said:
"I will tell you what I want to achieve in the next four years - I want our education and health system to reach a modern European level. I want every person in Serbia to have decent job so we can eradicate poverty and offer families a higher living standard. We have to continue our fight against corruption and establish our country with one rule of law for all.
"These are all very big challenges. They are not easy but if we all stay united together we can deliver on that. For that we need another full term to continue the reforms and complete the transformation of Serbia into a modern economy, with European living standards, which can offer a decent place for raising children."
In the last election, on April 27, 2014, the SNS party won 158 of the parliament's 250 seats. In that campaign, the SNS promised to stabilize the nation and begin to rebuild. Since then, there has been considerable progress.
The country officially exited the recession and recorded 0.8% growth for 2015, expected to continue towards double-digit numbers in 2016 and 2017. Central government deficit for this year will remain below the 3% Maastricht rule and the acceleration of the growth in public debt has been stemmed, intended to start declining in 2017.
The official unemployment rate of 3Q 2015 stood at 16.7%, coming down from 20.9% in 2Q 2014. The Government Statistics Office indicates that in 2015 alone, 80,000 new jobs were created.
Despite the cuts in public sector salaries, overall the country's wages remained stable, pointing to a healthy increase in private sector salaries in 2015.
The Government attracted EUR1.7B of foreign direct investment in 2015 thanks to increased credibility among investors. Government investment increased, resulting mainly in completing overdue infrastructure works around the country - 300 km of newly paved or reconstructed highways and new bridges. Only recently the World Bank's "Ease of Doing Business" index indicated that Serbia has made a significant jump in two years from 91st to 59th place.
"The hard work is starting to pay off and there is room for optimism," Mr. Vucic said. "2016 will be better for citizens, and 2017 even better, with dynamic growth as a result of the reforms and of even more in foreign investment. We will deliver on a four-year plan to bring Serbia to European standards of living: a decent job, a modern health system, good education, and one rule of law for all. This year-by-year plan will give young people and young families stability and hope to build their future in Serbia."
About the Serbian Progressive Party
Founded in 2008 by a breakaway group from the Serbian Radical Party, the SNS aimed to draw a line under the country's challenging post-war legacy in order to pursue Serbia's ambitious plans towards membership of the European Union. As party leader, Aleksandar Vucic has made strong progress on modernizing the Serbian economy by positioning the country as a key investment hub in the region. Serbia has emerged as an attractive business destination due to a number of government led policies and initiatives. Building on the strength of its partnerships with its neighbours, Serbia under Mr. Vucic's leadership aims to see EU entry by 2020 and position itself as a key political and economic player in Europe.
Further information:Aleksandar Belevski - belevski.aleksandar@gmail.com or +381-63-8262241
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 1, 2016) - Data Deposit Box Inc. (the "Company") (CSE: DDB) (OTCQB: DDBXF) (FSE: 2DD), a global provider of cloud backup and recovery technology, is pleased to announce a regional distribution engagement with Singapore-based TechServe Pte. Ltd. ("TechServe").
With this engagement, TechServe Pte. Ltd becomes the Company's dedicated regional distributor of its new Smart Storage product line. This agreement will provide the Company with a direct local presence in the Aisa-Pacific region ("AsiaPac"), providing TechServe with exclusive distribution rights.
Customers and existing partners of the Company based in AsiaPac are now able to order the Smart Storage products and all orders will be processed locally, ensuring a faster time to market while enabling a local support infrastructure. Partners are now able to order all versions of the Company's new Smart Storage solution to evaluate or resell to clients knowing that the assembly, shipping and delivery will come from within the local AsiaPac region. The Smart Storage product solution is the first of its kind to offer a patented continuous cloud backup and agentless cloud backup solution within a 4-bay hard drive system with additional cloud storage, offering the industry's most cost-effective business continuity solution for small to medium sized businesses globally ("SMB").
"We are incredibly excited to begin selling and shipping the Smart Storage product to our partners in the AsiaPac region. One of the most important aspects of any hardware product and technical ecosystem is to have a trusted and technically strong distributor within each region. We are pleased to have TechServe Pte. Ltd as a partner and distributor for the Singapore and AsiaPac region. This is an essential step in the success of our Smart Storage offering. The Smart Storage solution offers a very attractive pricing model that allows the reseller and partner to generate margin on the initial purchase and on a monthly recurring basis" said Tim Jewell, the Company's CEO.
"With the product offering and target pricing, we are very excited to become the exclusive distributor for the Data Deposit Box Smart Storage product within our region. We feel the pricing and technology will have a good market within our existing customer base in Singapore and AsiaPac. We chose to partner with Data Deposit Box because together we can offer the most advanced cloud backup technology for the SMB. It will blend perfectly with our existing cloud services" says Farhad Mohamed, CEO of TechServe.
Data Deposit Box's "Smart Storage" local storage device is a 4-bay storage system that is designed to provide a local and cloud based business continuity solution at an SMB price. The hardware is designed with redundant "NAS quality" hard drives that provide maximum storage capacity and system uptime. Cloud storage is coupled with the hardware product to provide a low cost offsite recovery point. This offers a one-time revenue gain from the device while creating a reoccurring monthly revenue stream from the bundled cloud storage.
"The global SMB market is largely unserved with this type of product and service at the price offered by Data Deposit Box. Having direct access to two major regions will make the device available to over 40MM small and medium businesses. We continue to move on our Managed Services Provider and End Device strategy and launching the DDB200 is the beginning of the execution of our strategy" said Troy Cheeseman, the Company's President & COO.
About TechServe Pte. Ltd
TechServe is a Singapore-based company that has a long-standing reputation for achieving excellence, and bringing forth dedication towards building relationships with business partners. Furthermore, TechServe is committed to forging a long-term and trusting relationship with customers, not only on its suite of cloud services, online business solutions, business analytics, infrastructure, security, focused solutions group and service response solutions, but also on its expertise and reliability.
TechServe has provided IT and technological solutions to its customers, supporting them in achieving their short and long-term objectives. Its customer-oriented approach has assisted many organisations in navigating an ever-increasing array of technological choices. This approach consists of analysis of day-to-day challenges, designing a secured collaborative network, implementation, free cloud assessment and supporting best practices to ensure that customers' needs are accurately identified and serviced professionally to achieve their business efficiency and productivity.
About Data Deposit Box
Data Deposit Box, a pioneer of cloud backup and recovery technology, has set a new industry standard by providing the SMB market with the same level of security and protection that is available to large enterprises. Data Deposit Box patented backup technology, known for its Exabyte scalability, advanced data reduction capabilities and ease-of-use, has won prestigious industry awards and has been featured in many key industry publications.
Data Deposit Box technologies and solutions are currently used daily by over 200,000 customers, 1,000 resellers, 25 MSPs and private label partners for online backup and recovery, archiving, disaster readiness, secure file sharing and remote access.
Investor Inquiries
W. Clark Kent
Corporate Development
Telephone: 647-519-2646
Email: ckent@currentmca.com
This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is 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. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.
Bullying, peer pressure, youth violence and delinquency are just a few of the realities faced by our inner city children daily. Our kids severely lack leadership opportunities, and in turn they risk becoming targets of negative influences. How can we help close the opportunity gap and give our kids the chance to shine as leaders?
On Thursday, March 3rd, 7 pm, over 130 kids from 14 Etobicoke schools will showcase their inner leader as they share music, dance and drama presentations on stage at North Albion Collegiate Institute (NACI). Please join the community in celebrating the accomplishments of the children. They are finding the confidence they need to define their own paths to success, and to combat the many challenges along the way. Special guests will include MP Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science; Deputy Mayor Vincent Crisanti; and TDSB Systems Superintendent for School Effectiveness, Annie Appleby.
DAREarts is helping the community combat the severe issues of gang violence, bullying, and poverty facing the kids in the Rexdale area. Children who are at risk of not reaching their full potential are becoming young leaders who will ignite change in their lives and in their community.
Fourteen Northwest Etobicoke schools selected two students each from grades 4 to 8 who need life skills opportunities. These children are challenged by circumstances such as economic, academic, peer pressure or bullying. But at DAREarts, they are equals who see a wider world of opportunities.
DAREarts uses the arts as a tool to empower kids with the courage and confidence to be their best. They are dared to opt out of destructive behaviour and expectations of failure. They are given a safe space where all of their new peers are in the same situation; labels cannot follow them from school and they are given the chance to redefine themselves in a positive environment.
DAREarts Lead Teacher, Laura MacKinnon, has taken these children to arts venues across Toronto to expand their horizons including: the AGO, the Aga Khan Museum, Ballet Jorgen, the Canadian Opera Company, the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, and the Toronto School of Art. She was joined by accomplished Canadian artists including: Juno-nominated songwriter, Glenn Marais; Dora-winning actor, Jamie Robinson; co-artistic director of Opera Atelier, Jeannette Zingg; founder & artistic director of Kashedance, Kevin Ormsby; and the first conductor of the Toronto Symphony, Victor Feldbrill.
The children are tasked with the job of going back to their schools after each DAREarts Day to peer teach their classmates, sharing knowledge and experience. Participating schools include Albion Heights JMS, Beaumonde Heights JMS, The Boys Leadership Academy, Broadacres JS, Claireville JS, Cookstown Central PS, Elmbank JMA, The Elms JMS, Melody Village JS, Rivercrest JS, Smithfield MS, West Humber JMS, and Westmount JS.
Kids say of DAREarts: "Thank you for helping me with hard situations." - Gr. 6 student. "At school people make like you have a reputation, and so you have to act the same. DAREarts helps people remember to be unique." - Gr. 6 student
Parents say of DAREarts, "I enjoyed knowing my daughter was learning and building leadership skills. She was having a hard time with the kids at school but it seems the problems have subsided!"
Backgrounder: DAREarts is a Canadian charity that stands for Discipline, Action, Responsibility and Excellence in Education. DAREarts Toronto program works with 9-14 year olds from schools in high-priority neighbourhoods, empowering them to become leaders. Visit www.darearts.com.
DAREarts thanks its lead supporters: Northbridge Insurance, Scotiabank, Guy Carpenter, and the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20160301-1045204_photo_800.jpg
Contacts:
Marilyn Field
Founder & President
o. 905-729-0097
m. 416-616-2821
mfield@darearts.com
Brenda Norton
Director of Operations
o. 905-729-0097
m. 905-967-2149
bnorton@darearts.com
CHICAGO, IL and SEATTLE, WA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- JLL (NYSE: JLL) has expanded its real estate leasing services with the acquisition of Washington Partners Inc., one of the leading tenant representation firms in Seattle. The acquisition is consistent with JLL's disciplined growth strategy and immediately expands the firm's tenant representation and brokerage capabilities across the region.
"Washington Partners is one of the top-ranked real estate service providers with some of the best tenant representation professionals in the market and we're delighted to combine our two firms in this way. The combination of Washington Partners' tenant representation expertise with our own expands our presence in the Greater Puget Sound market and further enhances our services to our clients," said JLL Market Director Joe Smurdon.
A total of 15 professionals, including 11 brokers, will join JLL's 58 employee-strong team in Seattle and work closely with Smurdon. They include Ed Curtis, Doug Hanafin, Pat Pendergast and Clay Nielsen, who co-founded Pike in 1997, as well as partners Larry Almeleh, Mark To, Mark Fox and Adam Chapman. Also joining are Blair Stern, Kevin Harris and Darrick Thompson.
The changing needs of Seattle's tenants require a broader perspective and this move will enable the Seattle-based Washington Partners to deliver more comprehensive services to corporate clients across the Pacific Northwest.
"Joining JLL gives us the opportunity to plug into national and global trends and provide our clients with a broader perspective," said Curtis. "With the deep resources and expertise of JLL, we will be able to serve our clients' space needs anywhere in this country and around the world."
Hanafin mentioned that the entire Washington Partners group is honored to join one of the finest real estate services firms in the world. "Our people will be immersed in a rich, diverse culture that will allow each individual to best support our clients with a more comprehensive service delivery model."
Across the Puget Sound region, JLL provides a broad platform of specialized real estate services including landlord and tenant representation, capital markets, project and development services, corporate solutions and property management. It serves all of the main commercial real estate sectors including office, retail, industrial, hospitality and multifamily markets as well as specialized segments such as data centers, healthcare and life science facilities.
For more news, videos and research resources on JLL, please visit the firm's U.S. media center Web page: http://bit.ly/18P2tkv
About JLL
JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a professional services and investment management firm offering specialized real estate services to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying and investing in real estate. A Fortune 500 company with annual fee revenue of $5.2 billion and gross revenue of $6.0 billion, JLL has more than 230 corporate offices, operates in more than 80 countries and has a global workforce of more than 60,000. On behalf of its clients, the firm provides management and real estate outsourcing services for a property portfolio of 4.0 billion square feet, or 372 million square meters, and completed $138 billion in sales, acquisitions and finance transactions in 2015. Its investment management business, LaSalle Investment Management, has $56.4 billion of real estate assets under management. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit www.jll.com.
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Contact:
Andrew Neilly
Phone: +1 925 930 9848
Email: Andrew@gallen.com
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Shaw Communications Inc. ("Shaw") (TSX: SJR.B)(NYSE: SJR) today confirms that it has closed its previously announced acquisition of Mid-Bowline Group Corp. ("Mid-Bowline") and its wholly-owned subsidiary, WIND Mobile Corp., for an enterprise value of approximately $1.6 billion.
Chief Executive Officer, Brad Shaw said, "We know Canadians want options when it comes to their wireless provider and, in time, customers can expect to see integrated offerings that provide them with the best value for their dollar in quality of coverage and connectivity. We are excited about our growth prospects in mobile and welcome the WIND team of 1200 employees. With the transformative power of this transaction, Shaw will become a leading pure-play connectivity provider."
WIND is Canada's largest non-incumbent wireless services provider, serving approximately 940,000 subscribers across Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta with 50MHz of spectrum in each of these regions. Shaw will continue to invest in the wireless network and service offering, including the upgrade of its network to 4G LTE.
"With Shaw's long-term commitment, customer focus and breadth of product offering, we are better positioned to deliver better value and capability to WIND customers," said Alek Krstajic, Executive Vice President & President, WIND. "The strength of Shaw as a company and as a brand will provide Canadians with more choice and opportunities to stay connected."
About Shaw
Shaw is a leading pure-play connectivity provider focused on delivering superior consumer and business broadband communications over its wireline, WiFi and wireless infrastructure. Shaw serves consumers with broadband Internet, WiFi, video and digital phone. Shaw Business Network Services provides business customers with Internet, data, WiFi, telephony, video and fleet tracking services. WIND provides wireless services in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Shaw Business Infrastructure Services provides enterprises colocation, cloud and managed services through ViaWest. Shaw Media provides Canadians with engaging programming content through one of Canada's largest conventional television networks and 19 specialty networks. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX - SJR.B, NYSE - SJR). For more information, please visit www.shaw.ca.
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this news release relating to operational and growth plans constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements are based on assumptions made by Shaw that it believes are appropriate in the circumstances, including without limit, that: expected business and financial results for Shaw will be realized; the pricing environment for WIND is stable relative to current rates; there is no significant market disruption or other significant changes in economic conditions, competition or regulation; the upgrade to 4G LTE, other growth plans and the converged network solution can be executed in a timely and cost effective manner to yield the results expected for Shaw; and WIND will provide expected benefits to the Shaw and the service offering for its customers. There is the risk that one or more of these assumptions will not prove to be accurate and this may affect the business, operational and financial results for Shaw. Undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statement. Except as required by law, Shaw disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
Contacts:
Investor Inquires: Shaw Communications Inc.
Investor Relations
investor.relations@sjrb.ca
www.shaw.ca
Media Inquires: Shaw Communications Inc.
Chethan Lakshman
VP External Affairs
(403) 930-8448
chethan.lakshman@sjrb.ca
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 03/01/16 -- Miles Technology Inc. ("Miles") is pleased to announce that, effective March 1, 2016, Miles, APTN Property Development Corp. ("APTN"), and 2497302 Ontario Inc. ("Miles Subco"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Miles, have completed a three-cornered amalgamation transaction (the "Transaction") under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario), whereby shareholders of APTN were issued shares of Miles, and Miles Subco and APTN amalgamated to form a new entity named "APTN Property Development Corp." ("Amalco"), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Miles, all in accordance with an amalgamation agreement (the "Amalgamation Agreement") dated as of February 29, 2016 among Miles, APTN, and Miles Subco.
Pursuant to the terms of the Amalgamation Agreement, each shareholder of APTN received one (1) common share of Miles (a "Miles Share") issued from treasury for every one (1) common share of APTN held by such shareholder. Immediately prior to the Transaction becoming effective, APTN had outstanding 1,700,200 common shares, and no convertible or other securities outstanding. After completion of the Transaction an aggregate of 2,795,200 Miles Shares are now issued and outstanding with former shareholders of APTN holding 1,700,200 Miles Shares, representing approximately 60.8% of the outstanding Miles Shares, and the original shareholders of Miles holding 1,095,000 Miles Shares, representing approximately 39.2% of the outstanding Miles Shares.
In addition AireSurf Networks Holdings Inc., a shareholder of Miles holding 1,010,000 Miles Shares has agreed to sell an aggregate of 750,000 Miles Shares, including an aggregate of 725,000 to be held directly or indirectly, or over which control or direction is to be held, by existing shareholders of APTN.
The board of directors of each of the companies approved the Transaction and the Transaction was also approved by the shareholders of each of APTN and Miles Subco.
Miles Management
Each of the four (4) directors of Miles and each of its officers has resigned, and the following three (3) nominees of APTN have been appointed to the board and to the following management positions:
Paolo Abate, President - Chief Executive Officer and Director
Nick Tsimidis - Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director
Vince Abate - Director
Early Warning Requirement
Pursuant to the Transaction, Paolo Abate (address c/o APTN Property Development Corp., 1-71 Marycroft Avenue Vaughan, Ontario, L4L 5Y6) the new Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, has acquired a combination of registered ownership and control or direction over an aggregate 850,100 Miles Shares, and also has the right to acquire control or direction over an additional 375,000 Miles Shares, representing approximately 43.8% in the aggregate of the outstanding Miles Shares. Nick Tsimidis (address c/o APTN Property Development Corp., 1-71 Marycroft Avenue Vaughan, Ontario, L4L 5Y6), the new Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and a director of the Company, has become the registered holder of 850,100 Miles Shares, and also has the right to acquire indirect ownership over an additional 350,000 Miles Shares, representing approximately 42.9% in the aggregate of the outstanding Miles Shares.
For the purposes of National Instrument 62-103 early warning reporting, the Miles Shares were acquired as a result of the Transaction and the Miles Shares are held for investment purposes and the holder may, from time to time, acquire additional securities of the Company or dispose of such securities as it may deem appropriate. A copy of the applicable early warning reports can be obtained under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
About APTN Property Development Corp.
Amalco is a holding company amalgamated under the laws of the Province of Ontario. It is currently reviewing various venture opportunities for possible investment and or acquisition.
Shares Outstanding: 2,795,200
This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is 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. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing Miles and its business and affairs, readers should refer to Miles's Management's Discussion and Analysis. Miles undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.
Contacts:
Miles Technologies Inc.
Nick Tsimidis
CFO & Secretary
Telephone: 289.371.3080
Email: ntsimidis@nstprofessionalcorp.com
San Francisco, CA-based refinancing company SoFi announced that Anshu Jain, former co-CEO of Deutsche Bank, has become an advisor to the firm.
Jain, who joined Deutsche Bank in 1995, is also expected to join SoFi as a board member in the coming months.
Led by Mike Cagney, co-founder and CEO, SoFi provides mortgages, personal loans and student loan refinancing having funded more than $7 billion to date.
In Autumn 2015, the company added SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt as a board advisor and announced a $1 billion funding round led by SoftBank and existing investors.
FinSMEs
29/02/2016
Cycle GmbH, a Hamburg, Germany-based developer of synchronization systems based on fiber-optic technology and ultra-short pulsed lasers, closed a seed financing round of undisclosed amount.
Backers included High-Tech Grunderfonds (HTGF), business angel Tim Bode and the Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg (IFH).
Founded in Spring 2015 by Dr Damian Barre and Prof. Franz Kartner, Cycle has developed a synchronization process that allows high-profile research facilities to shoot movies of molecules, which enables better understanding of active substances on a molecular level, and impacts development of new medication to cure (until now) incurable diseases.
The company was founded as a spin-off from the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron one of the worlds leading center for photon and molecular science, accelerator technology, and particle physics.
The spin-off is supported by a Helmholtz Enterprise project of the Helmholtz Association as well as a InnoRampUp start-up project by the Hamburgische Investition- und Forderbank.
FinSMEs
01/03/2016
hiQ Labs, a San Francisco and New York-based provider of a people analytics platform, raised a funding round of undisclosed amount.
Tokyo-based Temp Holdings Co. Ltd., Japans largest human resources (HR) company, made the investment via its Temp Innovation Fund, a corporate venture capital fund.
The investment will enable hiQ Labs to expand sales and marketing, as well as drive further product innovation.
Founded in 2013, hiQ Labs provides SaaS-based solutions that apply predictive analytics to the enterprise workforce, enabling companies to leverage internal and external data to improve employee retention.
Led by Darren Kaplan, CEO and co-founder, the company applies data science and machine learning to internal and external data to allow HR teams to make people decisions.
FinSMEs
01/03/2016
Pets Deli, a Berlin, Germany-based company for fresh and natural pet food, raised an eight-figure Series A financing round.
Backers included Global Founders Capital (GFC) and existing investors Index Ventures and Project A Ventures.
The company intends to use the funds to expand its multi-channel approach.
Founded in January 2014 by David Spanier and David Reinecke, Pets Deli is a multichannel pet food brand, which delivers human grade quality basic food, snacks, supplements, dried meat, etc., to owners in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria.
The company, which runs two physical branches in Berlin, produces the majority of its products in-house. All products are free of animal by-products, slaughter waste, and artificial additives and preservatives.
FinSMEs
01/03/2016
Redline Assured Security Ltd, a Doncaster, UK-based provider of security training, quality assurance and consulting services, primarily to the aviation sector, raised 3.7m in funding.
Mobeus Equity Partners made the investment.
The company will use the funds to accelerate the roll out of its products and services into Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Founded by Paul Mason and Jim Termini, Redline provides security training and support services to the regulated aviation industry, but our products and services are now applied in high value and high threat environments.
With 80 staff and 200 associates, the company offers training and covert quality assurance services to a large number of customers, including the majority of UK airports.
FinSMEs
01/03/2016
Stackla, a Sidney, Australia-based social aggregation and curation platform for brands, publishers and events, closed an AU$6.1M Series A round of funding.
The round was led by Bailador Technology Investments with participation from existing investors Rampersand and Tony Faure.
The company intends to use the funds to grow operations globally, particularly across US, EMEA, and Singapore, to invest in the product, and increase marketing efforts.
Co-founded in 2012 by Damien Mahoney and Peter Cassidy, Stackla provides brands, publishers and events with a platform to curate and publish the best content from across the social web, powering experiences for live events, social commerce, social advertising, competitions, and data visualizations.
The company currently has more than 40 employees in Sydney, London, San Francisco and New York and more than 500 customers.
FinSMEs
01/03/2016
TD4 Brands, the Manchester, UK-based parent company of Boost Juice Bars and The Shake Lab, raised approx. 3.5m in equity funding.
Business Growth Fund made the additional investment.
The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the roll-out of its national retail chains and open up to eight stores this year.
Co-founded by Richard and Dawn OSullivan in 2007, TD4 Brands is on course to achieve sales in excess of 13m this year, up from 5m in 2013 when BGF first invested in the business (read here). Since 2013, the company has increased the number of bars from 10 to 32, opening up seven new sites in the 2015 alone, including in Cambridge, Reading, Southampton, Sheffield, Manchester and London.
As part of its growth, TD4 Brands introduced its milkshake concept, The Shake Lab to Manchesters Trafford Centre in December 2015, with Londons White City and six other schemes targeted for 2016s roll-out.
TD4 Brand, which currently employs nearly 400 people, independently owns and operates all stores in the UK and Ireland and has a franchise network of more than 400 stores worldwide.
FinSMEs
01/03/2016
New Delhi: Last year, while replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the Presidents address in Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, a UPA legacy, was a living monument of poverty in the country. Since then, the Modi government has obviously done some re-think on the efficacy of this scheme since no one now refers to the scheme and poverty in the same breath.
In fact, with the Budget Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented on Monday entirely focused on reviving the rural economy though, it is no surprise that MNREGA is now the cynosure of all eyes. The allocation for MNREGA was the "highest ever" according to the FM at Rs 38,500 crore for 2016-17. This year the amount stood at Rs 36,967 crore.
MNREGA guarantees 100 days of employment to a household or an unemployment allowance within 15 days of an applicant seeking a job under it. Enhanced allocation in the Budget for this scheme is a welcome move but even more money may yet be needed under this scheme as the Mahendra Dev Committee has recommended that wages under MNREGA be linked to CPI (Rural) against the CPIL (Agricultural Labour or AL) index wages are linked to as of now. In 2015, the average wage of a beneficiary was just Rs 150.
This, Rural Develpoment Minister Birender Singh said on Tuesday, could mean additional burden of Rs 2,000 crore. "We have accepted the recommendations of the Mahendra Dev Committee and have written to the Finance Ministry, seeking the Rs 2,000 crore needed for this."
Earlier this year, MNREGA completed a decade of offering employment guarantee to the rural poor, with mixed results. Enhanced allocation for next fiscal could mean the scheme may get more people employment or an unemployment allowance (which the states are mandated to offer if no work is provided within 15 days of request). But a glance at the parameters so far, even under the NDA government, does not paint a pretty picture of this scheme.
The 21 months of this government have shown improvement in some parameters under the MNREGA compared to the last two-three years of the UPA regime but even now, the scheme needs far better focus. And yes, it could do with more funds than allocated for even 2016-17.
According to the latest data from the ministry of rural development:
1) Only 6.35% households or 27.17 lakh households have completed 100 days of employment as of February 25. Though the ministry says another 38.58 lakh households are expected to reach the 100-day employment completion benckmark by 31 March, this obviously leaves a lot to be desired as far as offering employment to the needy is concerned.
During 2014-15, only 24.92 or less than 6.35% households had completed 100 days of employment. Will increased Budgetary allocation for MNREGA in FY17 help more households find jobs?
2) Delayed wage payments is one of the biggest problems under MNREGA. Even when employment is offered under the scheme, delayed payments don't help the intended beneficiary in any way.
According to the ministry's own statistics, 45% of payments under MNREGA have been made in the stipulated time period against just 28% in 2014-15. This is an improvement for sure but look at it this way: more than half the payments are still delayed.
The ministry has already introduced the facility of electronic transfer of payments in Kerala from January to ease this payments delay and 10 more states are to be brought into this scheme through 2016-17. It remains to be seen whether these efforts are enough to cut wage delays substantially.
3) Let's now look at total expenditure under the scheme. In 2012-13, the penultimate UPA year, Rs 39,778 crore was spent under MNREGA and this fell to Rs 38,553 crore in 2013-14.
In the first year of the NDA too, the expenditure on this scheme declined further to Rs 36,024 crore. But now, ministry officials say Rs 47,000 crore is the estimated expenditure for the current fiscal, of which Rs 43,000 crore has been spent till February 25. This includes the share of states' expenditure too under MNREGA.
4) This brings us to another issue plaguing this programme. Each year, back payments or payments of arrears under MNREGA have been criticised by social activists who say this propensity then leads to under-funding and delays in release of payments to states.
According to ministry officials, pending liability this fiscal (which will be carried over to 2016-17) is estimated at Rs 6,500 crore, a tad lower than the Rs 6,955 crore carried forward this fiscal from 2014-15.
A senior ministry official said already nine states are offering not 100 but 150 days of work under MNREGA and these are mostly drought affected states. She also said there has been a substantial increase in the number of person days generated under MNREGA this fiscal, refuting a charge that employment under this scheme is shrinking.
As we have said earlier, the Centre has done well to hike the allocation under MNREGA for 2016-17 but now, it must ensure much better implementation of this scheme than the last years of the UPA and its own 21 month regime.
New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys federal Budget for the fiscal year 2016-17, has done well in propelling investment in the right places and maintaining the guidance on the fiscal deficit. The Budget displays a strong Narendra Modi touch but wherever the PMs hand is missing, it is much of the same, with incremental tinkering rather than making bold departures from the UPA budgetary template.
Many of the finance ministrys tax proposals betray an entrenched mindset steeped in an unsavoury and complex cocktail of communist and socialist philosophies. This reflects in how tax proposals are collected. Markets would have appreciated a single tax, even at a higher rate, rather than sneaking in multiple small taxes to mask the real tax burden.
For example, Service Tax at 15% versus a slab of 14% + 0.5% + 0.5% is about collecting the same tax, but with maximum distress (because the rules for all the three 14%, 0.5% and the next 0.5% are different). This is a continuation of the UPAs policies, where P. Chidambaram, former Finance Minister, mastered the concept of multiple cesses and levies and cess on cess - or basically, taxing the same thing again and again and again.
The tax proposals additionally lack the principle of equity and fairness. A capitalist, market-oriented nation rewards meritocracy and hard work, incentivising people to get rich. These budget proposals do just the opposite. Some glaring examples:
1) Another VDIS The Black Money Act failed to curb black money, by failing to bring politicians and political parties under the tax net. Yet, it is incentivizing the corrupt once again by bringing in another amnesty scheme. The VDIS disincentives people who work hard and pay their taxes while encouraging people to evade taxes. Though the government has not explained the need for another VDIS, it is being viewed as a tacit acceptance of defeat.
2) Abolition of STT - The first hint that the government is toying with the idea of removing exemptions given to dividends in the hands of shareholders and Long Term Capital Gains Tax (LTCG) where STT is already paid, came from Mr. Modi in a public speech in February. This got a universal thumbs down from the market and the stock market sold till the budget day.
It should be remembered that a new Securities Transaction Tax (STT) was introduced by P. Chidambaram, former finance minister, on all stock market transactions to cover FIIs who do not pay capital gains due to Mauritius and similar treaties and the LTCG threshold on shares where STT is paid, was reduced to 1 year from 3 years as partial compensation to domestic shareholders. STT was a blow to the domestic stock market participants which lives in continuing hope that some government in future will remove this special tax on capital markets and bring normalcy.
Since there was vociferous resistance to reducing the LTCG threshold without removing STT, the government has taken a half step by increasing STT on options and lowering the LTCG ceiling for unlisted shares and off market transaction of shares from 3 years to 2 years. However, this has fueled apprehensions that next year, the LTCG ceiling may be increased to 2 years on shares where STT is paid and STT may stay. The markets want the removal of STT for domestic participants and restoration of the earlier tax position but this tinkering of LTCG and STT is another example that the government wants to discourage capital markets, not deepen or broaden it so that it becomes a more effective source of capital mobilization and investment. At the same time, GIFT city in Gujarat is exempt from all such shenanigans. Why should citizens get second hand treatment ?
3) Dividend Tax - Dividends received above Rs 10 lakh from domestic companies (Section 115O) will now be taxed in the hands of shareholders. This is essentially a tax on promoters and large shareholders of firms and discourages entrepreneurship despite the governments stated objective of wanting to incentivise startups.
It would have been simpler and more equitable to abolish the Dividend Distribution Tax and let dividends be taxed as any other income, but the government has chosen to retain it.
The interpretation of this move by the market is that the government believes paying of dividends is not desirable. It is also feared that the move could be disguising a hidden, longer term agenda, like bringing down the Rs 10 lakh ceiling or sneaking in a cess on the 10% rate next year, in effect, taxing dividends at a rate higher than other sources of incomes. The Budget fails to explain the logic behind this tax or how it ties up with the principles of fair and equitable taxation.
4) Tax on EPF - Employer contributions to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) were tax exempt so far. This has been brought under the tax net above a certain limit going forward. Employee contributions to EPF were always taxable beyond the 80C exemption limit of Rs 1.5 lakh, which includes other investments like LIC, PPF, etc. Now withdrawals from EPF for contributions made from FY17 onwards will also be taxed with 40% deduction.
This requires salaried employees to maintain separate records of such contributions and income. The headache apart, in a country where there is no social security, this is detrimental to the salaried class by reducing their retirement savings. The government should be asked to explain, through a position paper what its long term fiscal objectives are so that the common man can try to relate to its logic.
5) Exemptions to startups - These exemptions make good headlines. The Registrar of Companies has been directed to register a startup within a day but it may take months to first even get a startup status from the government. The government has announced other concessions pandering to foreign private equity investors while treating local entrepreneurs and businessmen who are not connected to such foreign and private investors unfairly.
6) The government has missed the bus on the most obvious source of saving on expenditure and raising tax revenue cutting the perquisites given to politicians and civil servants. This would have curbed wasted expenditure. Further, the valuation norms for perquisites given to civil servants and politicians is ridiculously low. In the interest of equity, can the finance ministry explain the rationale behind giving preferential treatment to this class of tax payers?
7) The Budget has also failed to tax rich farmers with agricultural income exceeding Rs 1 crore (or people with farm houses) to mobilise additional tax revenue, which would have signaled the fact that all sources of income are dealt with in an equitable manner.
In summary, the government, now more than ever, considering Indias demographics, needs to incentivize people to work hard and get rich. Instead, this Budget reflects a jaded mindset that screeches: If you have enough money, you should not mind giving some more (politicians and the like exempted).
In order to bring about parity in New Pension Scheme and other retirement schemes, the government while announcing the Union Budget on Monday, decided to impose tax at the time of withdrawal on 60 percent of the contributions made after 1 April, 2016, to EPF and other schemes. The proposal has come as an unexpected shocker for the salaried class.
What the FM announced in Union Budget 2616: Finance Minister announced that EPF contributions made after 1 April 2016 will no longer be a part of EEE tax regime. As per the FM's speech: "In case of superannuation funds and recognized provident funds, including EPF, the same norm of 40% of corpus to be tax free will apply in respect of corpus created out of contributions made after 1.4.2016."
As per the new proposal, withdrawal up to 40% of the corpus at the time of retirement (58 years) will be tax exempt. In English that means, the amount of money that you get when you exit will be taxed, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Firstly, whatever amount you have invest and the interest you earn till the age of 58 on that amount will continue to be tax free. But, any amount you invest after 1.04.16 the interest you earn on this amount will be taxed when you exit. So, going by the FMs proposal 40% of that corpus will be tax free, and out of the remaining 60% , only the accrued interest on the 60% contribution will be taxed, while the principal amount will remain tax exempt.
What's the status now: Currently EPF falls under the EEE tax regime. Which means, the money you put (12% of salary) in the EFP account, and a matching contribution from your employer is tax free as per Section 80 C of the India Income Tax Act. Even the interest you earn is exempt from tax. And, finally when you turn 58 years old, you get your entire corpus (amount + interest earned) tax free. So, it's EEE or Exempt, Exempt, Exempt tax regimen.
There is resistance and clarity is needed: Social media has already seen an outrage on this matter. And, those who aren't outraged are demanding further clarity. Jayant Sinha, MoS Finance, said on Twitter, We have noted concerns about changes in the tax treatment for EPF/PPF/NPS. Full clarification with FAQs will be issued shortly. In any case please recognize that we are only talking about prospective changes. Existing savings are not impacted in any way.
What are the experts saying: Of course social media reactions are against the proposal, whose fine print is even out yet. Experts too are divided partially if not full on this matter. Pankaj Mathpal, Certified Financial Planner based out of Mumbai says, "It may seem like a bad move, but again it's too early to say anything until the fine print comes. My guess is while 40% withdrawal is tax free, the investor might have to buy annuity with remaining 60% amount." He isn't the only one who thinks the annuity is a possibility.
Harsh Roongta, a Mumbai based Certified Financial Planner says, "I think the fine print may have a clause, where with the remaining 60% the investor will have to buy annuity on retirement. And, if that's the case, a rough estimate will show that around 70-80% of people will not be affected. And, those who don't want to buy into annuity, should pay the tax." The truth is that most of us are not prepared for retirement. Mathpal says, "When the EPF amount was available for withdrawal, many exhausted the corpus and were left with nothing for years to come. Bringing in an annuity would make sense." Watch the above video for more Harsh Roongta's elaborate views
Suresh Sadagopan, Mumbai based CFP says, "But assuming you don't want to convert the 60% of the corpus on retirement into annuity, you will have to pay tax and to get your own money. If you need cash to say buy a house or put it in Fixed Deposit, the current proposal will defiantly hurt. This announcement regarding EPF in the budget seem like a retrograde move."
What you should do: Seriously, what can you do? Common sense says wait for the fine print. Experts expect amendments will be made to the current announcements. If the current proposed EPF rules change there is a good possibility that NPS might turn out to be a better alternative, though it is not entirely a fixed return product. As of now, we suggest, keep tracking this space as we bring you more updates.
NEW YORK A federal jury on Monday found two former New York stockbrokers liable for trading on confidential tips about an IBM Corp (IBM.N) acquisition, despite a major appeals court ruling that made insider trading cases harder to pursue.
In a victory for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a federal jury in Manhattan found former Euro Pacific Capital Inc brokers Daryl Payton and Benjamin Durant liable for engaging in insider trading.
The trial came after a 2014 appellate ruling limiting the scope of insider trading laws forced prosecutors to drop criminal charges against Payton, Durant and three others.
The SEC continued to press civil charges over trades the two men placed before IBM announced its $1.2 billion acquisition of SPSS Inc in 2009.
Payton, 39, and Durant, 40, conceded they traded on non-public information. But they argued that their trades did not constitute illegal insider trading, a position they adopted after the appellate ruling.
Scott Morvillo, Durant's lawyer, said he was confident the verdict would be reversed on appeal. Payton's lawyers declined to comment.
The trial came amid ongoing litigation over what constitutes insider trading, an issue the U.S. Supreme Court last month said it would review.
The trial followed a December 2014 ruling by a federal appeals court in New York holding that traders could be held liable only if they knew a tip's source received a benefit of "some consequence," not just friendship, in exchange.
After the ruling, which overturned two hedge fund managers' convictions, a federal judge threw out guilty pleas by Payton and three other men in the IBM case.
While prosecutors then dropped the criminal case, the SEC, facing a lower burden of proof, elected to move forward.
According to the SEC, in 2009, Michael Dallas, an attorney at IBM's law firm, told his friend Trent Martin that he was working on IBM's acquisition of SPSS.
While Dallas expected Martin, a Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc analyst, not to tell anyone, Martin bought SPSS stock and told his roommate, Thomas Conradt, a Euro Pacific employee, the SEC said.
Conradt then told four Euro Pacific colleagues, including Payton and Durant, who made $629,472 and $254,141, respectively, trading in SPSS before the deal's announcement, the SEC said.
Payton and Durant countered that Martin received nothing that would constitute an illegal benefit for his information, nor did they know about any benefit if it existed.
The case is Securities and Exchange Commission v. Payton et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 14-04644.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Chris Reese and Dan Grebler)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi: Joining the debate, former Union Home Secretary R K Singh on Tuesday claimed that the affidavit on the controversial Ishrat Jahan case was changed due to political reasons.
"The main question is who asked for a change and for what reason. Obviously politics was played," he told PTI.
Singh's predecessor G K Pillai said ex-Home Minister P Chidambaram had changed the affidavit, which originally described Ishrat and her slain aides as LeT operatives.
Singh, now BJP MP from Bihar, said what was the reason for the change of the affidavit when the Intelligence Bureau had said that Ishrat had links with Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists.
"She knew about her accomplice Javed Sheikh, that Javed had links with terrorists. She went to two places with Javed. She knew what was she doing with Javed," he said.
Pillai on Sunday claimed that as Home Minister during UPA government, Congress leader Chidambaram had recalled the file a month after the original affidavit, which described Ishrat and her slain aides as LeT operatives, was filed in Supreme Court.
"Only after the affidavit was revised, as directed by the minister, did the file come to me," Pillai was quoted as saying by a media report.
The then UPA government had submitted two affidavits - one that the four, who were killed in an alleged fake encounter, were terrorists and the second saying there was no conclusive evidence - within two months in 2009.
Chidambaram on Monday said the second affidavit in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case was "absolutely correct" and as minister then "I accept the responsibility".
Chidambaram also expressed disappointment over Pillai distancing himself from the affidavit issue despite being "equally responsible".
Ishrat, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an encounter with Gujarat Police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004.
The city crime branch had then said that those killed in the encounters were LeT terrorists and had landed in Gujarat to kill the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
PTI
What is common between an amnesty-like scheme announced by governments for black money holders and a state-sponsored farm loan waiver for borrowers? The honest citizen, who till then paid his dues to the state, is made to feel dejected and fooled by the same Government in both casesthe taxpayer during the amnesty scheme and the bank loan borrower in the other.
Finance minister, Arun Jaitley, in the Union Budget 2016, announced that a four month (June 1 to September 30, 2016) amnesty-like scheme will be given to domestic black money holders in India to disclose their illegal, unaccounted wealth by paying a total of 45 per cent tax. Jaitley hasnt called it an amnesty, but in principle, it is nothing but an amnesty offered to the outlaws.
This is the second such scheme for domestic blackmoney holders announced by Indian government in recent times. The first was in 1997, during UPA, when P Chidambaram was Finance Minister (when the government collected Rs10,000 crore). Besides that, after the Narendra Modi-government came to power, it announced a 90-days amnesty-like window for foreign blackmoney holders charging them 60 per cent tax. A total of Rs 4,147 crore of undeclared wealth was declared and the government garnered Rs 2,500 crore from the whole exercise, a paltry sum considering the kind of blackmoney stashed abroad.
The fate of this current exercise wouldnt be too different (to be sure, it is quite possible the domestic black money would be much bigger in quantum than what is across the border since someone who developed the guts to accumulate unaccounted wealth for years and keep it safe fooling the government and the fellow-taxpayers, would not want to forgo 45 per cent (nearly half) of his booty and be in the good book of the state. This is one reason why the amnesty for foreign blackmoney holders failed miserably.
But the larger point here is by extending a helping hand to the black money holders, the Government is being unfair to the honest taxpayer. This will send a signal to him that it doesnt make sense to pay tax anymore. Instead, the better idea is to stash it in real estate or gold (where blackmoney is easily accepted), below the bed or safe in the septic tank and wait for the next round of amnesty to come clean.
In a separate context, this is what happened during the 2008, Rs70000 crore farm debt waiver by Chidambaram too. The government promised to waive off all the loans of farmers, leaving the honest borrower feel like an idiot. More recently, the same happened in Andhra Pradesh too, when the new twin states announced a waiver of farm debt. At the very first mention of the waiver, even those who paid their installments regularly to banks stopped paying thinking that even their loans would be waived off at some stage. The credit culture was destroyed and broke the back of state-run banks.
Weak State?
When it comes to amnesty for blackmoney holders, one can not blame the Narendra Modi-government alone for this. This is precisely what the UPA too did. What this proves is the weakness of the government to unearth blackmoney hidden right under its nose despite having all state machinery at its disposal.
And the blackmoney holder knows it, hence he wouldnt be too perturbed to do what he does bestkeep making a mockery of the law of the land. This is evident from the last round of amnesty announced by the NDA-government for foreign blackmoney holders. Only abut 600, possibly the vulnerable small fishes in the pond, agreed to enter the net, while the sharks and whales smiled at the idiotic lot from their dark safe havens. This time too the story would be not so different. The point here is does the government have enough machinery to hunt down blackmoney holders and recover their ill gotten wealth instead of offering them asylum.
Secondly, the governments own credibility to hunt blackmoney holders is questionable. Thats because a good part of their election spending is done using the same blackmoney. If the whole of black money turns white, then who will fund the political extravaganza, the spectacles and the chest thumping in mega rallies during election festivals? It cant be from the miniscule subscription fee by workers and donations by sympathizers.
Going by an analysis of Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch for 2013-14, the source of funds for most political parties remain opaque. At present, about 75 percent of the sources of funds to political parties remain unknown. This is in contrast to the system in place in many other countries such as Bhutan, Nepal, Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, Bulgaria, the US and Japan, where the complete details of the donors to political parties are publicly available. When one of the biggest beneficiaries of unrecorded financial transactions are political parties themselves, how do one expect politicians to act honestly to put an end to black money dealings in the domestic economy? There is no escape from this evil unless the root cause of the problem is addressed. Period.
The question is will the Modi-government fist take firm initiatives to make every penny of political funding transparent? Returning blackmoney from the foreign lands (the Swiss accounts of the world) was a much-hyped election promise made by Modi himself during the run upto the 2014 general elections. Till this point, the government hasnt had much luck in fulfilling its promise.
The bottomline is this: Jaitleys 4-month window is unlikely to win major goodies for the government exchequer, going by the past experience. But the larger concern is offering amnesty to people who chose to fool the state for years is an injustice shown to honest taxpayers and can send a wrong message to him. That can complicate the problem.
By Shantanu Guha Ray
A number of schools in Delhi have happily used jammers some even proudly informed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to clog handsets they suspect could be smuggled by students for board examinations which started on Monday, 29 February.
Parents accompanying their children to examination centres found it a case of total paranoia, complaining they had to walk for at least a mile to get their handsets buzzing.
If this was not enough, across many centres, students were frisked twice, sometimes thrice as if they were boarding flights at airports.
Many found the search totally unwarranted, only adding to what many claim is an insurmountable parental pressure to garner an aggregate of 96 percent plus marks, the borderline for getting into top colleges in Delhi and other parts of India.
The countrys HRD minister, Smriti Irani, now in the news for her feisty speech in Parliament following controversies over the death of a Dalit student in faraway Hyderabad, has not found time to address this growing pressure of marks which has already forced an estimated 35 students to commit suicide in just the first two months of 2016. Those who consumed poison, set themselves ablaze, jumped from buildings or hanged themselves were unable to handle unrealistic ambitions of their parents, poor teaching standards in schools and the countrys fiercely competitive college admission race.
As per information with the National Crime Research Bureau, almost 4,000 students committed suicide because of examination pressures in India in 2013, the last computed official data. The numbers, claim many, has increased manifold since then. Police say thousands more suicides go unreported because parents keep the cause of death a secret.
No one is letting the steam off the system. Every year is a repeat of the previous year, says social theorist Ashish Nandy.Children are being put into a pressure cooker, adds Nandy, reminding educationists that India has one of the worlds highest rates of suicides. Each year, between 30 and 40 people per 100,000 Indians aged between 15 and 29 kill themselves; one third of the countrys suicides is made up of students.
Test preparations are nightmarish. Gruelling schedules, frequent testing and round-the-clock stress are taking a deadly toll, says Dr Rakesh Aggarwal, a top psychiatrist.
Recently in Kota, a small town in Rajasthan that is considered Indias capital for examination training centers, a young student hanged himself from the ceiling fan. His suicide note read: I am responsible for my suicide. I cannot fulfil papas dream. His parents, the cops said in their report, had put extra pressure on their son, calling him a doctor when he was in school.
This was totally unnecessary, it only adds up intense psychological pressure, adds Dr Aggarwal.
Education counsellors have routinely blamed schools for sending results of bimonthly tests to parents via text messages but the practice has not stopped. Some schools have special coats for meritorious students; rest wear generic ones.
Approximately 1.5 million students take the joint entrance examinations for engineering, medicine and a few other specialised courses every year, while fewer than 10,000 are accepted.
This creates a class difference, keeps students perpetually on the edge says Ashok Lahiri, a retired principal in Kolkata. He says sales of memory pills are highest in India during examination times, many companies even sell brain food and newspapers run special supplements advising how to tackle stress. Many parents push their unfulfilled ambitions on students.
Almost a decade ago, a study by the University of Mumbai showed students were more frightened of examinations than earthquakes, accidents or explosions.
Recently, a top government official in Kota urged students in the town to stop studying and watch squirrels play on branches, and visit a riverside. Clearing an exam or two is not everything, he wrote in his letter.
But India refuses to change. Last week, Army chief General Dalbir Suhag was asked by Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar, to explain why candidates for an army examination in Muzaffarpur, the biggest city of north Bihar, were made to strip before handing over question and answer sheets for an examination where fitness was the overriding criteria.
Parrikar is yet to get an answer, like many parents in India.
The Haryana police continued to deny the allegations of gangrape by Jat protesters in Murthal in Sonepat district in its status report submitted before a bench in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday.
The status report was filed before a division bench comprising of justices SK Mittal and HS Sidhu, with the police denying incidents of alleged rapes said to have occurred on the intervening night of 22-23 February, according to a report on India Today. The case has been adjourned to 14 March.
The ADGP Law and Order Mohammad Akil and DIG Rajshree Singh, who is heading an all-women Special Investigative Team (SIT) currently investigating the matter, were present at the hearing.
The Punjab and Haryana HC had taken suo moto cognizance of the matter after The Tribune reported of the alleged gangrapes at the time of the Jat quota agitations. The bench had appointed Anupam Gupta as amicus curiae to assist in the matter.
Meanwhile, Congress has slammed the report filed by the Haryana Police, as well as the ruling government in the state, demanding the imposition of President's rule in the state.
"I fully contradict the report of the DGP. There was no law and order. Three truck drivers have given statement that women were dragged into the field there. One victim has lodged an FIR that there was mass gangrapes, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari was quoted as saying according to a report on The New Indian Express.
Tiwari added that the CBI should enquire into the matter and should take severe action against the guilty as the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government has failed to maintain law and order in the state.
Meanwhile, amid the round of denial from both the police and the government, the first FIR has been lodged on the matter by the SIT with a Delhi-based woman coming forward and alleging that she was dragged out of her car, and gangraped in Murthal on the night of 22 February.
The FIR includes the name of the complainant's brother-in-law among the seven others against whom the case has been lodged. According to her statement, she was on her way to Narela in Delhi from Haridwar in a van along with her 15-year-old daughter, who was not raped during the incident, according to India Today.
"Prima facie this seems to be a family dispute... the woman has mentioned her brother in law's name in FIR," SIT head Singh was quoted as saying in a report on The Economic Times.
Meanwhile, residents of the Hasanpur village, one of the hamlets near the spot of the alleged crimes, have also denied the occurrence of the alleged crimes. They went on to add that they were defending the local eateries at the time of the protests.
"The locals surrounded our perimeter and ensured not even a glass pane was broken. I called the village heads as I feared my dhaba will be burnt.
"They assured me the eateries were the pride of the village and no harm would come to them, ," Amrik Singh, the owner of Sukhdev Dhaba on National Highway-1, was quoted as saying in report on The Economic Times.
"Will villagers who saved the dhabas pull out women and rape them?," asked Hasanpur village head Jai Narayan in the report.
Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal has promised help to the women allegedly raped by the protesters.
New Delhi: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday approached a court here seeking summoning of certain documents related to the financial details of Indian National Congress (INC), Associated Journals Pvt Ltd and Young Indian Pvt Ltd for the purpose of investigation in the National Herald case.
In an application moved before Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen, Swamy has sought to summon balance sheet, receipts, income and expenditure statements for assessment years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 of INC, Associated Journals Pvt Ltd (AJL) and Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI).
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda are accused in the case.
Swamy had accused Sonia, Rahul and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by just paying Rs 50 lakh by which YI obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which the AJL had owed to the Congress party.
In the application, which will be considered by the court on March 8, the complainant claimed that these documents were necessary for the interest of justice in the matter. On 20 February, the court had directed that some documents summoned from the Ministries of Finance, Urban Development and Corporate Affairs, Income Tax Department and other agencies in the case would be kept in a sealed cover till further orders, after noting that Delhi High Court was seized of the matter.
The direction had come after the accused in the case had argued that Swamy should first satisfy the court about the relevance of the documents which were ordered to be summoned. The court had on 19 December 2015, granted bail to Sonia, Rahul, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who had appeared before it pursuant to the summons issued earlier.
Pitroda was granted bail on 20 February when he had appeared in the court. The Supreme Court had earlier granted exemption to Gandhis from personal appearance in the trial court. Sonia, Rahul, Vora (AICC Treasurer), Fernandes (AICC General Secretary), Dubey and Pitroda were summoned for alleged offences under section 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420(cheating) read with section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
PTI
Raipur: Maoists have killed at least ten villagers in the Abhujmad area of Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Narayanpur district after suspecting them to be informers in the last few days, police said on Tuesday.
"The incidents took place at various villages located inside the core area of Abhujmad under Narayanpur and Orchha police station limits during the past week," a senior police officer told PTI.
So far police had received specific information about the killing of ten villagers by the ultras, he said, adding that security forces had been rushed to these villages. The forces have been directed to be extra cautious while moving into the forests so as not to fall into any trap, he said.
"We have reports of the four murders in past two-three days in remote pockets of Abhujmad," Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena told PTI.
There were similar reports from elsewhere too and police teams had been sent to verify them, he said.
According to police sources, some senior Maoist leaders recently met in Abhujmad after the ultras suffered major
setbacks in encounters with police in the region.
"These killings are the outcome of the frustration of their senior leaders with the increasing pressure of security forces in their so-called liberated zone," the SP said.
On February 27, a local man named Sukhram Poyam was shot dead by rebels at Kundla village under Kurusnar police station limits, who suspected him to be a police informer.
PTI
New Delhi: As many as 24 people were arrested by the NIA for their suspected links with Islamic State and the outfit's funding in India is mostly through self-financing mechanism, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said the National Investigation Agency and police of some states have registered cases and arrested some active cadres affiliated to Islamic State in the recent past.
"So far, NIA has arrested 24 accused (Jammu and Kashmir -1, Karnataka - 7, Madhya Pradesh - 1, Maharashtra - 7, Tamil Nadu - 1, Telangana - 4 and Uttar Pradesh - 3) in the cases being investigated by the agency," he said in a written reply. Chaudhary said the Islamic State funding in India is mostly through the self financing mechanism.
"However, hawala channel has also been used in one or two instances to raise funds," he said. The Minister said Islamic State uses both positive and negative imagery to attract recruits from across the world but it has influenced or attracted very few youths from India.
Chaudhary said the dreaded terror group is using various internet based platforms for propaganda and to propagate its ideology. The intelligence and security agencies monitor the cyber space closely to identify potential recruits and keep them under surveillance and take further action if necessary.
In order to assess the threat posed by Islamic State and to devise a national strategy to deal with it, "meetings have been held by the Ministry of Home Affairs with all the central agencies concerned and the state governments," he said. Chaudhary said government has taken all necessary measures to counter the incipient threat posed by the ISIS and further details cannot be disclosed in the interest of national security.
PTI
New Delhi: NCP Chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday faulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remaining silent on issues like the JNU row and demanded immediate sacking of Union Minister Ram Shankar Katheria over his alleged hate speech in Agra.
A former Agriculture Minister, Pawar said he did not find the Union budget to be a "pro-farmer exercise" but felt there were only "lot of slogans".
Replying to questions at a press conference, Pawar alleged politics of communal polarisation was being played in the country since the Narendra Modi government assumed office.
"Communal fever... Temperature is rising. An atmosphere of fear is being created in which small groups and minorities are being targeted. But there is no place for such an important issue in the Prime Minister's Man Ki Baat programme," he said.
Asked whether he felt the Modi government was vindictive after NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal faced ED raids, Pawar initially said one should not react immediately to such actions.
Later, he said there are "no bad days" for those who have been agreeing with the government.
Briefing on the deliberations at NCP's working committee meeting here yesterday, Pawar said the party adopted a resolution, condemning the "blatantly communal" speech of Katheria, Union Minister of State for HRD, while addressing a condolence meeting for VHP worker Arun Mahaur, who was shot dead on February 25.
"The NCP demands that the minister be immediately dismissed and legal action be taken against him," he said.
Criticisng the budget proposals, he said the move to tax 60 per cent of withdrawals from provident fund and a ceiling on employers contribution would "lead to unrest".
He said the raising of the service tax to 15 per cent would lead to further price rise.
Pawar, who was Agriculture Minister for 10 years during UPA rule, did not share the government's optimism that the income of farmers could be doubled within the next few years.
"If this was to be achieved, there should be substantial step-up in the outlay for agriculture each year," he said.
PTI
The issue of 'triple talaq' has been an emotive issue which has fueled much religious tension for several decades, and has been hotly debated by both Hindu and Muslim hardliners. With the Supreme Court issuing notice to the central government over a plea challenging the practice of triple talaq, the issue is back in the limelight.
Here is a brief history of the issue-
- As noted by Islamic scholar Asghar Ali Engineer in an article on the website Counter Currents, the British government established its own courts of law after it seized power from the Mughals. In most of these courts, there were either British or non-Muslim judges who heard the cases. These judges consulted the English translation of Hidayah, written by a Hanafi scholar. The judgments delivered in these cases became precedents and gradually formed what is now known as Muslim personal law. Over the years, 'triple talaq' under which a husband can unilaterlly divorce his wife merely by uttering the word 'talaq' thrice been cited as representational of how Muslim personal law is unfair to women.
-Soon after independence, the Constituent Assembly dealt with the tricky question of the desirability of a uniform civil code for different religious communities. In 1948, while Dr B R Ambedkar defended the inclusion of the uniform civil code in the directive principles (which are non-binding), he opposed introducing such a code by force, saying that it would be 'mad' to do so by 'provoking Muslims,' as reported by The Hindu. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the precursor to the BJP also favoured a uniform civil code for both Hindus and Muslims. However, the organisation also sought a ban on cow slaughter and ending the special status for the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which led to questions over whether its demands were motivated by an agenda of Hindu domination.
-The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, which claims to represent the demands of the Muslim community in India, says on its website: 'These laws of Muslims are an integral and inseparable part of their religion which are based on the guidance given by the Prophet under divine inspiration. Therefore the issue of their Personal Law is not merely a cultural issue or an issue of customary practices for the Muslims rather it is an issue which concerns the safeguarding and conservation of their religion which burdens them with grave responsibilities and they are, as a result, very sensitive about it.'
-However, several voices from within the Muslim community have called for reforms in Muslim personal law, including the provision of triple talaq. The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) in November last year called for a ban on the triple talaq divorce system, saying it was un-Islamic and outlawed in several Muslim countries. The Quran gives rights to Muslim women during marriage and does not recognise triple talaq, the group said in a resolution passed at its ninth annual convention. In a letter addressed to PM Modi, the organisation said that from the Shah Bano case in 1985, Muslim women had never been heard in matters concerning their lives "thanks to the politics in our country. "Certain orthodox and patriarchal males have dominated the debate on rights of Muslim women and have stone-walled any attempt towards reform in Muslim personal law," the organisation has said.
-This is not the first time that the issue of triple talaq has been dealt with by the Supreme Court. In December last year, the Supreme Court declined to intervene in a petition seeking the implementation of a uniform civil code, as reported by The Times of India. The court, however, had then said that it could examine the legality of triple talaq if a woman approaches the court questioning the validity of the divorce procedure. The petition in response to which the court has now issued notices has been filed by a woman who has alleged that she was subjected to cruelty and dowry demands by her husband. The woman, Shayara Bano has contended that such practices 'have reduced women to mere chattels, and that such practices do not have a place in progressive society'.
With inputs from IANS
Mumbai: CBI is separately probing the financial angle in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case in which former media baron Peter Mukerjea and his wife Indrani are among the accused, a top agency official said on Tuesday.
"We are separately probing the financial angle in the Sheena Bora murder case," the official said.
Besides Peter and Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and ex-driver Shyam Rai are also accused in the case, in which the central agency has filed two chargesheets.
All accused are in jail under judicial custody.
Sheena, Indrani's daughter from an earlier relationship, was murdered on 24 April, 2012 and her body was burnt before it was dumped in a forest in adjoining Raigad district of Maharashtra.
The murder came to light in August 2015 and it was initially probed by Mumbai Police before being handed over to CBI in September.
In the second chargesheet filed in mid-February, CBI claimed that the 24-year-old was killed as her father and Indrani strongly disapproved of her relationship with Peter's son Rahul. Both Peter and Indrani were part of the murder plot, it said.
Sheena was working with Mumbai Metro before she went missing in April 2012.
The first chargesheet was filed on 19 November by CBI and it named Indrani, Khanna and Rai as accused. The document, running into more than 1,000 pages and containing statements of 150 witnesses, 200 documents and seven statements recorded before a magistrate, was submitted before Magistrate RV Adone at Esplanade court in South Mumbai.
The same day Peter was arrested for his alleged role in the murder and his name figured in the second document. He was in CBI custody for two weeks before being sent to judicial custody.
The second chargesheet did not mention details of the financial transactions and the agency had then indicated it may submit another document in future.
PTI
by Bhavya Dore
Former Gujarat police officer and alleged fake encounter accused DG Vanzara has been permitted to enter the state of Gujarat following an order from the Bombay High Court on Tuesday modifying the conditions of his bail.
Vanzara, accused in the alleged staged encounter of Sohrabbudin Shaikh while he was in the Gujarat state anti-terror squad, was allowed bail by the high court in this case in September 2014. At the time the court had given bail on the condition that he stay in Mumbai, report to the sessions court three times a week, surrender his passport and make no attempt to contact witnesses connected with the pending cases.
Last year Vanzara then moved the high court seeking to amend the condition prohibiting him from entering Gujarat on the ground that he had retired from service.
On Tuesday Justice Abhay M Thipsay allowed Vanzaras application while imposing a condition that he would have to report to the CBI office in Gandhinagar every day except on Sundays or public holidays. Any failure to report to the CBI office shall be reported by the concerned officer to the trial court which shall take appropriate action as it
deems fit, he dictated.
Previously, bail conditions were imposed on Vanzara in line with what had been imposed in the cases of co-accused and police personnel B Chaubey and S Pandian.
I have carefully considered the matter, said the court, while dictating the order. Since the other accused upon whom such conditions were imposed were deputed for duty in Maharashtra itself, the condition not to enter Gujarat doesnt operate as harshly against them. Moreover, [Vanzara] was released after custody of eight years. All the accused are on bail. The trial has not yet commenced...
In an earlier order the court had recorded the submission that it would be difficult for him to interfere in the case. It is also submitted that the application has been provided with security and is always surrounded by police escort, and that, as such, it would not be possible for the application to abscond or tamper with the evidence, it said.
In a light pink shirt and white pants, Vanzara was present in court on Tuesday instructing his lawyer Hitesh Shah, when the matter came up. He has also been accused in the fake encounter case of Mumbra student and alleged terrorist Ishrat Jahan.
He was granted bail in this matter in February 2015. An application to modify similar conditions in this bail order debarring him from entering Gujarat is still pending hearing in the Ahmedabad sessions court. The high court on Tuesday however, clarified that its own order should not be construed as modifying that order or its effect.
Is the government finally saying sorry to farmers and rural India? Yes, if you go by the slew of Budget announcements for the benefit of both.
For nearly two years, both were a marginal presence in the government's grand plan for the country's economic revival. While all its talk revolved around headline-grabbing big ticket investments, multi-billion dollar projects and making India an attractive destination for global money, the farmers suffered in silence. The government was throwing platitudes but hardly looked serious about them.
Goaded by economists who firmly believed that the concern for both was a frivolous obsession of an intellectually bankrupt political class and that industry-driven high growth was the only solution to the country's economic woes, it shifted to an alien trajectory. It even called the rural safety net programme MGNREGA the living example of the failure of six decades of Congress rule. In the initial days, it was aggressive on revising the Land Act of the UPA to make it more industry-friendly. India was finding it difficult to be comfortable with the drift.
The approach invited ridicule from the government's political opponents. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi invented the derisive expression 'suit-boot ka sarkar' to describe the government. "Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi seen with industrialists and the well-heeled all the time? He has no time for the poor and the country's farmers," he would say. There was a political price to pay too. In Delhi and Bihar assembly elections, the BJP lost miserably. Obviously, a good chunk of the voters were from rural areas.
It seems the government is now convinced that its politics and agenda for the economy won't be viable with a disenchanted and demoralised rural populace. It desperately needed a course correction and needs to break free from the image of being anti-farmer which the opposition had managed to create through a sustained campaign. The immediate concern could be the upcoming assembly elections in some important states. With a severe drubbing in two elections and an indifferent showing in several isolated elections across the country, it cannot afford political losses anymore.
In less than two years in power it has ceded a lot of space to political rivals through a rather rigid pro-industry stand. Now, it wants to wrest it back. Prime Minister Modi has been more vocal about farmers over the last few months. The Budget of his Finance minister is another big effort in wooing back rural India. Consider these:
-Rs 35, 984 crore for welfare of farmers
-Rs 20,000 crore for irrigation
-Rs 5,500 crore for prime minister's Fasal Bima Yojana
-Allocation for Krishi Sinchai Yojana
-Soil health cards for 14,000 farms this year
These are a few of the measures announced by the finance minister for farmers, which could have an effect on a massive part of the rural community. While we don't know how on-ground execution plays out, the course-correction is significant considering the rural economy is in distress and the lot of the farming community is worrisome. Suicides by farmers have shown no sign of abating and migration of impoverished farmers to urban areas continues. The causes of rural distress - scanty rainfall, inadequate or absent irrigation facility, low productivity and indebtedness etc - remain unchanged despite lofty promises by governments. In combination with MNREGA, the government's initiatives could change all that. That, however, is expecting too much too early.
The big takeaway from the budget is the apparent shift in the government's attitude. Perhaps it has learnt its lesson. It realises that it cannot be arrogant and dismissive of rural India and, at a more general level, cannot have a economic worldview that is perceived to be anti-people.
The Narendra Modi government's third budget has come as a shocker to the salaried even as it addressed the much important issue of the rural poor.
Here are a few steps that are aimed at the salaried class:
EPF taxed: This has come as a real shocker for the salaried. The government has decided to tax on withdrawal 60 percent of the contributions made to EPF and other schemes. This aimed at bringing about parity in New Pension Scheme. This is effective 1 April 2016. At present, EPFO is tax free while making the contribution, while interest is being accured and while withdrawing (exempt, exempt, exempt or EEE).
Krishi Kalyan Cess: This is another dampener for the salaried middle class. The porposal is to impose a Krishi Kalyan Cess of 0.5 percent on all taxable services effective from June 1 this year. With the effective tax rate stands at 15 percent, including the 0.5 percent Swachch Bharat Cess. This will help the Centre get Rs 5,000 crore which it need not share with the state governments (unlike tax). The proceeds would be "exclusively used for financing initiatives relating to improvement of agriculture and welfare of farmers", said the finance minister.
Infrastructure cess: This could be mood dampener for those looking to buy vehicles as they will have to fork out 1 percent more. The cess has been imposed on small petrol, LPG, CNG cars, 2.5 per cent on diesel cars of certain capacity and 4 per cent on other higher engine capacity vehicles, SUVs and bigger sedans. This will help the government garner Rs 3,000 crore next fiscal.
Excise on branded garments: The government proposes to levy excise duty on ready-made products of Rs 1,000 or more. "I propose to change the excise duty on branded readymade garments and made up articles of textiles with a retail sale price of Rs 1,000 and above from Nil without input tax credit or 6 per cent/12.5 per cent with input tax credit to 2 per cent without input tax credit or 12.5 per cent with input tax credit," this is what Jaitley said in the budget. If this may appear Greek or Latin for many, here's how the garment industry has explained it: the prices of branded garments will go up by 2-5 percent. Ajit Lakra, Head Textile, Federation of Industry and Commercial Organisation, has said it is the "most deplorable" move. "We strongly condemn this move of the Finance Minister as it will hurt small and medium size industries which are manufacturing garments for big brands," he has said. With branded garments becoming pricier, the urban consumer may start downtrading (or switching to lower priced cloths). The garment companies are likely to feel the pinch, if that happens.
This is not to say that the budget has only negatives for the salaried. There are some that will give relief to the salaries class. For example, the tax deduction limit on housing rent has been raised to Rs 60,000 per annum from the current Rs 24,000. But with the above steps, chances are the government's urban constituency will feel the heat and is also likely to boomerang politically.
Government formation in Jammu and Kashmir has suffered a major setback after the Centre skipped announcing any specific allocations for the state in the Union Budget 2016-17, irking its former ally, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), whose leaders were anticipating sops from the BJP.
The PDP leaders were hoping that the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who reportedly met Jammu and Kashmir's former finance minister, Dr Haseeb Drabu recently would make some announcements for Jammu and Kashmir and give the party some reason to continue the alliance. For weeks now, a group of PDP leaders had in off-the-record conversations with newspapers of the state, said there would be major announcements for Jammu and Kashmir in the coming union budget which would ultimately pave way for government formation in the state.
The PDP has been demanding the return of the NHPC-owned power projects from the Centre, removal of armed forces from civilians areas, withdrawal of the draconian AFSPA from the state, resumption of dialogue with the Hurriyat and Pakistan, along with major economic measures from the BJP-led Centre before continuing the alliance.
According to insiders in the PDP, there were expectations within the party leadership that the Centre would allocate money to the state for buying back two key power projects owned by NHPC in the state.
However, after the finance minister failed to make a statement to this effect, senior PDP leaders told Firstpost that government formation would get further delayed and the party would not give up on its demands before forming the government in the state.
A senior PDP leader told Firstpost that the party had expected major announcements regarding economic empowerment of the state, including the strengthening of the all-important power sector of the energy-starved state which has to foot a bill worth millions to export power from NHPC.
Of course there were expectations that the budget will set the tone right for government formation in the state. However, the absence of any measures will certainly delay the government formation. It will also impact the parleys that are currently taking place, a senior PDP leader told Firstpost.
Although the two parties are holding back-channel negotiations to break the ice over government formations, the PDP was waiting for a major announcement in the union budget. "The PDP was eyeing a massive financial announcement in the Union Budget. It is the PDP that must have got disappointed with the budget today, noted economist and industrialist, Shakeel Qalander, told Firstpost.
Post-2014 floods, the economy of the state has been stagnant in all sectors; be it real estate, retail trade or service sector, there has been a deep lull in the economy in the state, experts say. Two things could have done; one is the assistance or relief, whatever you call it. Some compensation could have been announced for the communities affected by the floods and some segments of the economy to take off. Qalander added.
Secondly, lending could have been made more easier through banks. We still have 37 percent of the credit deposit ration; money is being collected in the shape of deposits by banks, but it is being invested elsewhere in the country. We have a very low CD ratio, they had not given us money. If you double the CD ration or bring it to some credible point, then a lot of money could have been flown in to the economic sector, he added.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir has largely lagged behind the growth trajectory of the rest of mainland India. Governments at the Centre have tried to give sops by announcing investments in certain sectors In past budgets to balance that lagging behind factor.
But in the budget this year, nothing of that sort has happened, which will further strain the relations between the two parties who were in an alliance till January 7 when the chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away at Aiims, bringing down curtains on the alliance.
"We are in favour of continuing the alliance. We want to work together for prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir. So what if there is no major announcement for the state in the (Union) Budget. We are holding talks and you will soon see a government in office," a senior BJP leader said.
Athens: Greece has asked the EU for 480 million euros ($534 million) in emergency funds to help shelter 100,000 refugees, the government said Tuesday, warning that the migrant influx threatened to overwhelm its crisis-hit resources.
"Greece has submitted an emergency plan to the European Commission .. corresponding to around 100,000 refugees," government spokeswoman Olga Gerovassili told reporters.
"We cannot bear the strain of all the refugees coming here...these are temporary measures, there needs to be a permanent solution on where the refugees will be relocated," she added.
"Greece has made it clear that it will use every diplomatic means available to find the best possible solution," Gerovassili said.
With Austria and Balkan states capping the numbers of migrants entering their soil, there has been a swift build-up along the Greece-Macedonia border.
Athens had previously warned that it could be stuck with up to 70,000 people trapped on its territory.
Gerovassili said there were 25,000 migrants and refugees currently in the country and that Macedonia was only allowing "a few dozen" through every day.
Over 7,000 people -- many of them stranded in near the Idomeni border crossing for days -- spent a freezing night and awoke under wet canvas among sodden wheat fields.
Greek news agency ANA said another 6,000 people were waiting to cross to the mainland after landing on islands in the Aegean from neighbouring Turkey.
The spokeswoman said the Greek army was helping feed some 10,000 people.
Thousands more are fed by aid and church groups and the government has put out a call for private donations of food, medicine and health supplies.
Gerovassili added that migration flows from Turkey showed no sign of slowing down despite the recent deployment of NATO warships to help the Turkish coastguard tackle people-smugglers sending migrants to Greece.
"There has not been a significant reduction in the flow...today there were just over 1,000 (new arrivals) which is considered ordinary," she said.
AFP
New Delhi: With the budget underlining his government's rural pitch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked NDA MPs to bring maximum farmers under the new crop insurance policy while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asserted that it will address agriculture distress.
At a meeting attended by MPs of BJP and its allies, except Shiv Sena, Jaitley spoke in detail about the budget, underscoring that it also seeks to give a fillip to economic growth by improving infrastructure and business and investment climate.
Sena MPs did not attend the meeting, saying they were not "informed" about it. "There was some communication gap," its MP Anandrao Adsul said.
Jaitley told the MPs that the government was making all out efforts to created an "insured and pensioned" society and highlighted steps like health insurance and life cover announced for the masses, sources said.
BJP and its allies expect that the budget will help them blunt the opposition's charge that the government had an "anti-farmer" bias at a time when assembly polls are due in five states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal, in April-May. Crucial UP election is scheduled for next year.
The over one-hour meeting saw a brief intervention by Modi when he asked MPs to work towards taking the benefit of newly announced 'Pradhan Manti Fasal Bima Yojana' to farmers.
He urged NDA MPs to take this as a challenge in their constituencies, the sources said.
BJP chief Amit Shah, who was also present, lauded the budget for its pro-farmer and pro-village thrust.
The JNU row and the debate in Parliament over it also found a mention with Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu giving an account of developments in JNU and Hyderabad Central University and urging the members to counter opposition's charges.
He praised HRD Minister Smriti Irani's "spirited reply" and members too joined in with "loud clapping", they said.
Irani's reply has sparked a row with opposition members giving notice for privilege motion against her, accusing her of "misleading" the House.
PTI
The Parliament was disrupted yet again on Tuesday, this time over corruption charges against former Home Minister P Chidambaram's son. The Lok Sabha was adjourned till Wednesday after the Opposition members created a ruckus in the House, with the AIADMK members demanding action against Chidambaram's son.
Soon after the Lok Sabha met for the day, AIADMK members trooped near the speaker's podium shouting "We want justice" and waving newspapers which claimed that Karti had invested in real estate across the world.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned twice in the first hour before noon on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Chidambaram's son Karti countered the charges against him and told reporters, "All my businesses are completely compliant. All my filings are up to date. That's all I have to say."
When the house reassembled at 12 noon, the AIADMK members continued their protest demanding action against Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram over the recent IT and ED raids.
Meanwhile, the Congress members sought to know from the Speaker about the status of their notices of privilege motion against Irani.
The Rajya Sabha also saw massive protests taking place in the House over the same issue. Some of the members stormed the Well of the House, forcing the Deputy Chairman to adjourn the House till 3.45 pm.
Amid the din in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan laid the papers on the table of the house.
"I have received the notices but those are under my consideration," Mahajan said.
As the Congress members didn't relent, Mahajan adjourned the House till 2 pm.
Earlier in the morning, soon after the house met, the AIADMK members trooped near the Speaker's podium holding newspapers reports. They were raising slogans like "we want justice".
Mahajan adjourned the house till 11.15 am.
When the House reassembled at noon, AIADMK members again trooped near the speaker's podium shouting slogans.
AIADMK members levelled corruption charges against the former minister's son citing revelations made by some media report.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu urged the members to raise the issue after giving proper notice.
"The issue being raised here is very important. But please go to your seats. Give a notice. The government has no problem to discuss the issue," he said.
The Speaker also requested the members to let the house function.
Amid the din, the Speaker tried to conduct the Question Hour but the AIADMK members were not relenting.
She then again adjourned the house till 12 noon.
With inputs from agencies
Geneva: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Tuesday for the closure of Syria's border with Turkey to cut off outside supplies to "terrorists", including through humanitarian convoys.
"Of course, neither in ceasefire agreements, nor in the process of political settlement is there a place for terrorists and extremists," Lavrov told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
"A very special task is to cut the terrorists' supply from the outside. For this purpose it is important to close the Syrian-Turkish border, since across this border those gangs receive arms, including with humanitarian convoys," Lavrov said, according to an official transcript in English of his remarks.
He insisted that a "landslide defeat of (the Islamic State group)... al-Nusra and those of their kind is a necessary precondition for securing the rights of long-suffering peoples of Syria" and the rest of the region.
His comments came after aid workers on Monday made the first delivery of desperately-needed assistance since the start of Syria's fragile ceasefire four days ago.
Moscow and Washington drafted the UN-backed cessation of hostilities deal, and the two countries are co-chairing an international task force evaluating how the ceasefire is holding.
At an earlier meeting in Geneva, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon thanked Lavrov for "his significant role in achieving recent progress on Syria," a UN statement said.
"They agreed on the importance of urgently moving forward simultaneously on implementing the cessation of hostilities agreement, providing vital humanitarian assistance to civilians, and returning to political negotiations," the statement further said.
The deal meanwhile does not apply to the vast swaths of territory held by the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.
It is meanwhile hoped that the flow of much-needed assistance could create a more favourable backdrop for peace talks that collapsed in acrimony in early February.
UN envoy Steffan de Mistura aims to relaunch negotiations on March 7 if the ceasefire lasts and more aid is delivered.
AFP
ANKARA/WASHINGTON Defense ministers from the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State militant group discussed the possibility of a Syrian ground incursion two weeks ago but they have not made a decision, an aide to Saudi Arabia's defence minister said on Monday.
"It was discussed two weeks ago in Brussels," Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said in a telephone interview from Riyadh. "It was discussed at the political level but it wasn't discussed as a military mission," he said.
"Once this is organised, and decided how many troops and how they will go and where they will go, we will participate in that," he said. "We need to discuss at the military level very extensively with the military experts to make sure that we have a plan."
Asseri also said the kingdom was now ready to strike Islamic State from Turkey's southern Incirlik air base, where four Saudi fighter jets arrived last week. The jets have not yet participated in any attacks, he added.
The U.S. State Department said the Saudis had previously talked about the possibility of introducing ground forces in Syria to fight Islamic State, but there were many issues that needed to be discussed about a potential incursion.
Deploying ground forces would be a major escalation for the 66-member U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, which has so far relied mainly on air strikes and arming and equipping moderate Syrian opposition groups.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said at a news briefing in Washington that the Saudis had talked about "the potential of an introduction of some sort of ground force element in Syria" and that the United States would welcome such a contribution in the fight against Islamic State.
"But there's a lot that needs to be discussed in terms of what they would do, what their makeup would be, how they would need to be supported by the coalition going forward. So there's a lot of homework that needs to be done," Kirby said.
A U.S. defence official said supporting indigenous anti-Islamic State forces on the ground was a key component of the U.S. strategy against the group.
"We will continue to provide equipment packages to vetted leaders and their units so that over time they can make a concerted push into territory still controlled" by Islamic State, the official said.
"As a matter of policy, we won't comment or speculate on potential future operations," the official added.
(Writing by Humeyra Pamuk and Mohammad Zargham; Editing by David Dolan and Lisa Shumaker)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington: Pakistan today said the proposed US sale of F-16 fighter jets to the country would strengthen its ability to carry out counter-terrorism operations and promote regional stability. "We appreciate the public assessment of the US leadership in response to Congressional inquiries that Pakistan has used the F-16s effectively against the terrorists in the region," Sartaj Aziz, Pakistani Foreign Affairs Advisor, said in his address to the opening session of the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, which he co-chaired with US Secretary of State John Kerry.
"The prospective sale of F-16s will strengthen Pakistan's capabilities to successfully continue these vital operations for our mutual benefit and stability in the region," Aziz said as he praised Kerry's recent defence of sale of F-16, which is being vehemently opposed in the US Congress.
"We are grateful to you Secretary Kerry for your recent positive testimony on the Hill," Aziz said. Last week, testifying before a Congressional committee, Kerry strongly defended the decision and argued these fighter jets are a critical part of the Pakistan's fight against terrorists.
Citing the example of the US and Russia which are working to further reduce their nuclear arsenal, Kerry asked Pakistan to understand this reality and review its policy in this regard. "So we (US and Russia) are moving in the other direction," Kerry said.
"I think, it is important for Pakistan to really process that reality and put that front and center in its policy," he said in an apparent reference to the reports that Pakistan has the fastest growing stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world. Kerry's remarks come ahead of the next month's Nuclear Security Summit that would be attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
"We look forward to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's participation in the nuclear security summit next month," Kerry said, adding "non-proliferation" and "nuclear safety" is obvious concern to both the countries. "I expect that we continue to discuss the obligation of being a responsible State with nuclear weapons in the coming year," he said.
"As you know United States of America once had 50,000 (nuclear) warheads pointing at another country/entity the Soviet Union. Soviet Union had 50,000 pointing at us. It took two (Mikhail) Garbachev and (Ronald) Reagan to decide that this did not make sense," Kerry said.
"We have moved in a completely opposite direction. And today, Russia and the United States are operating under a treaty that has about 1500 or so nuclear warheads and we are seeking to reduce that," said the top American diplomat. On the other hand, Aziz sought nuclear mainstreaming of Pakistan.
"Our engagement on non-proliferation and strategic stability will continue and Pakistan hopes to see greater US understanding of Pakistan's security concerns and its desire to contribute actively as a mainstream nuclear power," he said.
(Reopens FES 144) Ruing about the widespread and strong anti-Pakistan sentiment prevailing at the Capitol Hill, Aziz told Obama administration that it needs to do a better job on highlighting the positive aspects of US-Pak relationship to the Congress. Such an observation from Aziz comes amidst massive opposition that the Obama Administration has been facing in the Congress on the its decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.
"Regrettably, there is tendency to blame Pakistan in somewhat simplistic fashion for most of the difficulties and challenges that engage Afghanistan. We are blamed to be pursuing a duplicitous policy," Aziz said.
Bob Corker, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who was in Afghanistan a few months ago, had said he "witnessed that continued duplicity on Pakistan's part, outright blatant duplicity, where they continue to support" the Taliban, the Haqqani network and give safe haven to al-Qaida.
"This narrative revives the unpleasant memory of the past when our relations had dipped to perhaps its lowest levels in recent years. Nothing can be further from the truth than to hold Pakistan responsible for the Afghan problems. Who would like to set one's own neighbour on fire with the hope to save one's backyard?" Aziz questioned.
"Pakistan has suffered the most due to the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. Actions taken by Pakistan against terrorist group of all shades and colours in Afghanistan have been unprecedented. At this critical juncture, we have to avoid blame game, admit mistakes committed by all, and closely cooperate and coordinate our respective policies," Aziz asserted. Kerry in his remarks said this relationship is based on mutual respect and mutual interest. "Cooperation along Pakistan's borders is absolutely essential.
We recognise the extraordinary and real sacrifices that Pakistan's military, especially in Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the ongoing missions in North Waziristan, and the United States has pledged USD 250 million to help rebuild the communities of persons who have been displaced by the fighting in these operations," he said. "We'll also continue to coordinate with Pakistan on the overall counter-terrorist strategy, and we recognise that every country can do more to intensify to destroy and defeat violent radical extremists," he added.
PTI
New York: Indian artist Nasreen Mohamedi's works - the largest such exhibition of an Indian artist's retrospective in America, opened to rave media reviews Tuesday at New York's audacious new temple to contemporary art Met Breuer.
Supported by the Nita Ambani-led Reliance Foundation, which is pushing for more Indian art on a global stage, the Mohamedi exhibition will be open to public from March 18 to June 5 at a landmark 'brutalist' building designed by Hungarian architect Marcel Breuer. Asian Americans are the highest-income, best-educated and fastest-growing racial group in the United States and Reliance Foundation is rooting to give art mobility even as the Met -one of the world's great museums attempts an epic tweak to appeal to a swiftly changing demographic.
Inaugurating the "historic!" exhibition, Ambani said Mohamedi had been an inspiration to her as "in a patriarchal culture she created strong and assertive works".
"It is a proud moment for every Indian, especially so, for Indian women," she said expressing her strong belief that Indian art needs wider global appreciation.
"The richness and diversity of Indian art is truly brilliant," she said. "Over the years, I have come to share a very special bond with the arts."
Chief of the Met's contemporary treasures, Sheena Wagstaff walked Nita Ambani through the intricate and layered works of Nasreen Mohamedi which the Met ran live on its Facebook page and pulled in viewers from around the world.
Ambani said her love for art started at the age of 5 with Bharatanatyam, and her training in the Indian classical dance form "has helped me develop a deep appreciation for all forms of art, leading to what we do at the Reliance Foundation today".
Her husband Mukesh Ambani and she believe that "social sector development is most important for India as its economy grows. It is integral to building an inclusive India".
That is why they established Reliance Foundation in 2010 with the vision of sustainable development and economic growth.
Working in the areas of rural transformation, health, education, sports, arts and culture, and disaster response, the Foundation has already transformed the lives of over 6 million Indians, she said.
Sheena Wagstaff, the chair of the Met's modern and contemporary division, got Nita Ambani interested in the whole project.
"One of our goals with The Met Breuer is to present thoughtful exhibitions that posit a broader meaning of modernism across vast geographies of art," Wagstaff said.
"The poignant story of Mohamedi, a relatively little-known but significant artist, reveals a highly-individual artistic quest, drawing on historic sources from across the world, alongside her evocative photography as an unexpected form of visual note-taking."
The exhibition is being co-hosted by the Queen Sofia Museum of Spain and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art.
"One of the most significant artists to emerge in post-Independence India, Nasreen Mohamedi (1937-1990) created a body of work that demonstrates a singular and sustained engagement with abstraction," The Met said.
What has come for praise is her minimalist practice, which not only adds a rich layer to the history of South Asian art, but also enrages the scope of the narratives into international modernism.
Mohamedi's inspirations came from poetry of Bohemian-Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke and French philosopher-author Albert Camus, as also classical music and the modernist architecture of Le Corbusier's Chandigarh.
Mohamedi is also believed to have had an exposure to Western and Eastern philosophy, poetry and literature, which can be seen in her diaries that include quotes by Rumi, Ghalib, and Mohammad Iqbal.
With IANS
Disclaimer: Firstpost is part of Network18, owned by Reliance Industries Limited.
Washington: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Washington later this month on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit, a top aide to Pakistan Premier said on Tuesday.
"There are chances of meeting between the two (prime ministers)," Sartaj Aziz, the Foreign Affairs Advisor to Sharif, told PTI.
"There are possibilities, when they are here (in Washington DC). They would interact with each other. Whether there would be a structured meeting I do not know. Depends on...Chances are there (for a meeting)," Aziz said.
The top Pakistani diplomat is in Washington to attend the sixth US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue which he co-chaired with Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday.
Aziz said Sharif would be travelling to Washington to attend the Nuclear Security Summit at the invitation of US President Barack Obama.
Modi too has been invited to the Summit on 31 March and 1 April.
No official announcement has been made yet.
Responding to a question on the status of India-Pak relationship after Modi came to power in May 2014, Aziz said in the first year the situation was "not good".
"But the last two months are better," Aziz said.
Ahead of the Modi-Sharif meeting, Aziz said there is likelihood of a meeting between the foreign secretaries of the two countries.
The timing of which has not been decided yet, he noted.
"We do not know (when foreign secretaries would meet). He (Indian Foreign Secretary) has to come to Islamabad first. We are hoping that now," Aziz said after the breakfast meeting with Defence Writers Group in Washington.
PTI
BEIJING/TAIPEI Taiwan President-elect Tsai Ing-wen's diplomatic honeymoon with China could be shortlived if she allows the Dalai Lama to visit the self-ruled democratic island that Beijing claims as its own, two senior political sources said.
China regards Tibet's exiled spiritual leader as a separatist, and Ma Ying-jeou, the outgoing president who favours closer economic ties with the mainland, refused the Dalai Lama entry several times since his last visit to Taiwan in 2009.
On that occasion Ma did allow him in, although he did not meet the 80-year-old.
With invitations pending from Buddhist groups that are likely to be renewed after Tsai and her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party easily won January elections, the incoming leader faces a dilemma, said a Taiwanese source close to the DPP and another with direct knowledge of the matter.
"The Dalai Lama could visit as early as around national day," said the source close to the DPP, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The Republic of China, Taiwan's official name, marks its national day on Oct. 10.
Since sweeping to victory at the polls, Tsai has vowed to seek to maintain the "status quo of peace and stability" with China, Taiwan's biggest trading partner, and Chinese state-run media have noted her pledges.
Since the election, Beijing has also warned against any moves towards formal independence and said it would defend its sovereignty.
Tsai, who takes office on May 20, must decide whether to let the Dalai Lama in and risk riling China at a time when tensions in the region have already been raised over rival claims to the vital waterways of the South China Sea.
The Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, fled into exile in India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Communist rule.
China has accused him of being a separatist, but the monk says he only wants genuine autonomy for his Himalayan homeland.
Tsai could try and seek a compromise, the sources said, by convincing Beijing to keep dialogue open, rather than stonewalling her, in exchange for allowing the Dalai Lama into Taiwan but not meeting him one-on-one.
The DPP said in a statement it was not aware of an invitation for the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan.
The Dalai Lama's office in India, where he lives in exile, said: "His Holiness the Dalai Lama has no plans to visit Taiwan at the present time".
China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment.
The Dalai Lama congratulated Tsai on her "remarkable" victory, according to www.dalailama.com.
"It is indeed encouraging to see how firmly rooted democracy has become in Taiwan," the Dalai Lama wrote. "It is a model and source of inspiration to those who aspire (to) freedom and accountable leadership."
Beijing and Taipei have been diplomatic and military rivals since their split in 1949 after the Nationalists lost the Chinese civil war and fled to Taiwan. But trade, investment and tourism have blossomed during outgoing Ma's eight-year rule.
(Additional reporting by J.R. Wu in TAIPEI, Ben Blanchard in BEIJING and Abhishek Madhukar in DHARAMSALA, India; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Americans vote on Tuesday in what is deemed the most pivotal day in the presidential nominating process, with front-runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump hoping to finish off their challengers.
Voters in a dozen states will take part in "Super Tuesday" a series of primaries and caucuses in a dozen states ranging from Alaska to Virginia.
If Democrat Clinton and Republican Trump an outspoken billionaire political neophyte who has unexpectedly tapped into a reservoir of conservative rage at conventional politics win big, it could spell doom for their challengers.
With just hours to go before polls open, the duo made last-ditch appeals to supporters ahead of a day like few others on the calendar leading to the November election for the White House.
Trump's Republican rivals, Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, were trying frantically to halt the real estate magnate's march toward the nomination, seeking to unite the party against the man they see as a non-conservative political interloper.
Clinton meanwhile was riding high after thrashing rival Bernie Sanders in South Carolina over the weekend, securing an astronomical 86 percent of the African-American vote in her third win in four contests.
Here is what is at stake on "Super Tuesday," which could have a big impact on Democratic and Republican contenders still in the race for the White House:
Twelve states vote
A dozen states are holding contests, including several in the South. For the most part, they are both Republican and Democratic in nature. Two exceptions are Alaska, where only Republican caucuses are being held, and Colorado, where only Democratic caucuses will take place.
Democrats will be voting in 11 states and American Samoa, with 865 delegates at stake. Democrats abroad are allocated 17 of those delegates. Republicans, meanwhile, will be voting in 11 states on Super Tuesday.
In contrast to primary elections, caucuses are meetings which voters attend and where they indicate their preference.
Here is the list of "Super Tuesday" states in alphabetical order:
Alabama (south)
Alaska (northeast, Republican caucus)
Arkansas (south)
Colorado (west, Democratic caucus)
Georgia (south)
Massachusetts (northeast)
Minnesota (north)
Oklahoma (south)
Tennessee (south)
Texas (south)
Vermont (northeast)
Virginia (east)
Democrats are also voting in American Samoa in the Pacific.
Delegates in play
Around a quarter of all delegates doled out during the primary process will be up for grabs.
Texas has the largest number of delegates in play (222 on the Democratic side and 155 on the Republican side.) Alaska and Vermont have the fewest.
Primaries and caucuses serve to elect delegates to national Democratic and Republican conventions where a party's presidential candidate is chosen ahead of the November elections.
The Republican National Convention will be held 18-21 July in Cleveland, Ohio. The Democratic National Convention takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 25-28 July.
For Republicans, the first candidate to reach 1,237 delegates out of 2,472 will get the party's nomination.
On the Democratic side, the support of at least 2,382 delegates out of 4,763 is needed.
With inputs from agencies
Washington: Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump on Sunday posted a quote on Instagram attributing it to Mahatma Gandhi, but the American media said there is no evidence that the Indian leader had ever used these words.
"First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win Mahatma Gandhi," Trump wrote on social networking site Instagram as part of his effort to rally supporters.
The Instagram post included a picture of hordes of supporters rallying at a Trump campaign stop in Alabama.
#MakeAmericaGreatAgain #Trump2016 #TrumpTrain A photo posted by Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on Feb 29, 2016 at 8:12am PST
Soon, the anti-Trump lobby was up in flames on the social media.
The Hill, a top US political website, said, "There's no record that Gandhi ever used the phrase, which has been widely attributed to him."
The quotation appears to be similar to words used in a 1918 trade union address by socialist leader Nicholas Klein, it said.
Christian Science Monitor has put this among the top 10 political misquotes.
There was no immediate response from the Trump's campaign on the issue.
"Gandhi did not say this," one Scott T Smith wrote on twitter.
Trump sought to quote Gandhi a day after he was criticised for re-tweeting Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini early Sunday morning.
"He got tired of quoting Mussolini and he's saving the Hitler quotes until he's really desperate," tweeted Brad Fraser.
Several popular websites have attributed this quote First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win to Mahatma Gandhi.
According to Wikiquotes, this is the quote which is often misattributed to Mahatma Gandhi.
PTI
Washington: The US has deployed its elite counter-terrorism unit Delta Force for covert operations in Iraq to capture or kill high-ranking ISIS operatives and gather intelligence, according to a media report.
Army's elite Delta Force operations to target, capture or kill top ISIS operatives have begun in Iraq, after several weeks of covert preparation, an official with direct knowledge of the force's activities was quoted as saying by CNN.
The official said the group has spent the last several weeks preparing, including setting up safe houses, establishing informant networks and coordinating operations with Iraqi and Peshmerga units. It is the same strategy that Special Operations forces have used in previous deployments to combat zones.
The Delta Force plans to replicate the strategy that Special Operations forces used for years in Iraq and Afghanistan, the report said. It said the plan is to gather enough intelligence to stage raids on terror compounds and hideouts. Then from intelligence gathered at those sites, such as laptops and cellphones, forces will try to learn more about ISIS networks and quickly attack additional related targets. It is a strategy that worked in May 2015, when Delta raided a compound in Syria, killing ISIS operative Abu Sayyaf and capturing his wife, the report said.
The Expeditionary Targeting Force which numbers about 200 personnel -- has collected enough intelligence now about ISIS operations in Iraq in up to half a dozen locations that raids and field operations are ready inside Iraq, the report said.
Several Pentagon and military officials have declined to discuss specifics of the so-called Expeditionary Targeting Force. But Defense Secretary Ash Carter seemed to confirm in comments made at the Pentagon yesterday that the Special Operations forces had begun missions. "The only thing I'll say is the (Expeditionary Targeting Force) is in position, it is having an effect and operating, and I expect it to be a very effective part of our acceleration campaign," he said during a press conference.
According to Carter, the force will conduct raids, seize places and people, and free ISIS-held hostages and prisoners. Carter also said that the force would cause ISIS "to fear that anywhere, anytime, it may be struck." A US official said Carter's statement reflects that Delta operations have begun.
While the ETF is not yet operating in Syria, a separate group of about 50 US special forces have greatly expanded their initial operations there in recent weeks after the Pentagon announced they were going to Syria.
PTI
Human Rights Watch has slammed "virginity exams" conducted on Afghan women and girls accused of so-called moral crimes, saying the invasive tests by government doctors were tantamount to sexual assault.
Women face growing levels of violence and harassment in Afghanistan more than 14 years after the Islamist Taliban regime was toppled from power by a 2001 US-led invasion.
Of 53 women and girls as young as 13 accused of pre-marital sex -- punishable by up to 15 years in jail -- 48 were subjected to virginity exams, Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission found in a recent study.
Nearly half of them were examined more than once, often in the presence of multiple people, according to the study which was highlighted in a new HRW report on Monday.
"These so-called virginity exams are not just demeaning - they constitute sexual assault and are often used as evidence against women in court for the 'crime' of zina, or sex outside of marriage," said HRW researcher Heather Barr.
"The continued use of degrading and unscientific virginity exams by the Afghan government is part of a broader pattern of abuses in which women and girls are jailed on spurious 'moral crimes' accusations, often in situations where they are fleeing forced marriage or domestic violence."
Virginity testing is a widely discredited practice in several conservative Islamic nations.
In 2014 the World Health Organization issued guidelines that the test had "no scientific validity".
"The Afghan government should end arrests (for moral crimes) entirely and reform the law that permits them. Banning all 'virginity exams' could be an important first step toward reform," Barr said.
Afghanistan has witnessed a sea change in women's rights since the ousting of the Taliban regime, with female lawmakers and even pilots now commonplace.
But gender equality remains a distant dream amid endemic violence against women and strong patriarchal attitudes.
AFP
In the past few months Donald Trump has become too popular to ignore. He was the clear winner in the latest Nevada Republican caucus, and we can foresee a future where he becomes the president of the United States. Various late night show hosts have rededicated their hours to take Trump down. John Oliver the famous British comedian (trained under Jon Stewart) who hosts the HBO's Last Week Tonight and has mainly been ignoring Trumps popularity up until now, was the latest in line to take Trumps case.
"Our main story tonight and I can't believe I'm saying this, is Donald Trump," Oliver started Sunday's episode. "I say that knowing that every time his name is said out loud, he has a shattering orgasm."
Oliver and Trump have had a history of public feuding, when Trump called Olivers show boring on social media platform Twitter. Today Oliver uses Trumps remark as a publicity tool.
On Sundays show, the 38-year-old comedian remarked on Donalds wealth (or the lack of it), his campaign tactics, his ivy-league education, his love for words, the art of suing and his short stubby fingers. He went on to dig into his past and highlighted the holes in Trump's lies.
Trump has on various occasions made reference to the power of his name. In light of that, Oliver reveals "The name 'Trump' was not always his family's name. One biographer had found that a prescient ancestor had changed it from, and this is true, 'Drumpf.' Yes, f---ing Drumpf. And Drumpf is much less magical."
He went on to launch the hashtag #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain and a website called donaldjdrumpf.com where one can download drumpfinator chrome extension to replace the word Trump with Drumpf wherever it appears on the browser.
The 22-minute show ended with a new campaign anthem where Oliver said, We cannot keep getting blinded by the magic of his name Dont think of him as Donald Trump, think of him as Donald Drumpf.
Earlier, it was expected that if you pack the latest processor from Qualcomm, it would in effect be able to have the fast charging properties of the particular processor. However, the OnePlus 2 showed that it is possible to remove the fast charging abilities if needed. Similarly, now it seems that Samsung have bundled only QuickCharge 2.0 with their Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge while LGs G5 is capable of doing QuickCharge 3.0.
Both the variants of the Galaxy S7 as well as the LG G5 are powered by Snapdragon 820 processors so by right, they both should support QuickCharge 3.0. While QuickCharge 3.0 is better off with a USB Type-C port like on the LG G5, the faster speeds are possible with a microUSB port as well. QuickCharge 3.0 is about 45% more efficient than 2.0 and wouldve been a great thing to have on the S7.
One of the reasons we believe for the omission is to unify the user experiences on the Exynos 8890 and Snapdragon 820 powered S7 variants. Instead of putting QuickCharge 3.0 on the Snapdragon 820 variant and giving it an advantage, Samsung has decided to provide similar charging speeds on both. While it could be a bummer for those who are getting the Snapdragon version, others will feel like they are treated equally especially since most people would get the Exynos variant in their region.
Despite the lack of the QuickCharge 3.0 certification, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge should still be able to charge quite fast and Samsung is likely to bundle a quick charger in the box. Whether or not the handsets would yeild the same results with Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 certified chargers is something that remains to be seen.
Source 1 | Source 2 | Via
The DOLE packaged salad listeria outbreak is far from over with three more cases recently confirmed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their February 25, 2016 Case Count Update. All three recent victims come from the United States: one from Missouri and two from Ohio.
This brings to a total of 29 confirmed listeriosis cases linked to the DOLE packaged salads contamination incident according to an article by Food Safety News. Total case count for the United States is 18 while the remaining 11 are in Canada. All 18 US listeria monocytogenes outbreak victims required hospitalization and one from Minnesota died. The Canadian's latest update last February 5, 2016 still stands at 11 cases and covers 5 Canadian provinces.
According to the same article from Food Safety News, the listeria monocytogenes outbreak started seven months ago on July 5, 2015. CDC, together with the FDA, started collaborating with local health officials in affected states as early as September 2015. However it was only on January 2016 that CDC was able to link the listeria outbreak to DOLE's Springfield, Ohio processing facility which prompted the recall on the potentially contaminated packaged salads.
According to CDC, these recalled salads are packaged under the following brands:
Dole
Fresh Selections
Simple Truth
MarketSide
The Little Salad Bar
President's Choice Organics
In the FDA's website, the agency warns that while listeriosis is rare, it is a serious illness caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. Common symptoms include fever and muscle aches, soon followed by diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms as well as chills.
No new DOLE packaged salads from their Springfield, Ohio facility were produced since the discovery as DOLE has ceased its salad production in the affected facility since January 21, 2016. For now, FDA reminds consumers to remain vigilant on their purchases and take corrective steps detailed on their sites, such as thoroughly cleaning their refrigerator and other food preparation surfaces, if they suspect of contact with the contaminated products.
How far does one go to deliver an excellent customer service? The answers might vary but learning a new language is probably not one of them. Yet, that is exactly what one barista did to give her regular customer who is deaf the same Starbucks experience as everyone else. This heartwarming story has been making the rounds in the social media lately with thousands of shares which just show all of us need a dose of goodness in our lives.
The customer, Ibby Piracha, is a regular of the local Starbucks outlet at Leesburg, Virginia according to an article by Tod Perry for The Daily Good. He usually orders by writing a note to his order in it before passing it to the barista. This time, however, he did not need to. When his turn came, it was the barista who asked him what he wanted to drink in a language he could understand - in sign language.
This took Piracha by surprise as it does not happen every day that people get out of their way to communicate with the hearing-impaired. However, what is more impressive is that the lady barista learned sign language using tutorial videos on youtube.
Piracha was deeply touched by the effort of this particular barista to communicate with him in his own terms. Learning the American Sign Language (ASL) is like learning a new language altogether, more so because she did it on her own accord and not as a requirement of her job. This may seem to be a simple gesture to some but for Piracha, this simple act of trying to understand him, a hearing-impaired, reignited in him a feeling of connection with the rest of humanity.
Unrealized by the population with normal hearing, the world can be a tough place for those who are hearing-impaired given the fact that only a handful knows how to sign language. Because of this communication barrier, the hearing-impaired minority somehow end up feeling alienated from the rest.
Realizing that this act of kindness and understanding had to be shared with everyone, Piracha posted his experience via Facebook which has since gone viral. As for the amazing lady barista, she was just motivated to learn ASL because Piracha was a customer according to the WJLA article. What a kind-hearted lady indeed.
The name, as well as the branding, are important in any business especially when you want to tackle the fast food industry.
Think about this; would you be intrigued to try the flavors of a new restaurant if its name is not appealing, has no charm and is boring? We guess not.
So, having said that, did you know how your favorite fast food chains got theirs? What's the story behind the names and who said it was the perfect fit?
Of course, our list doesn't include McDonald's, Wendy's and Jimmy John's which are all named after their founders.
STARBUCKS
Did you know that your favorite coffee chain could have been named "Pee-Quod"? Thank god, they changed it.
Getting its name from the same book would have called Starbucks the name of the first mate in the classic novel 'Moby Dick'.
According to Starbucks co-founder Gordon Bowker, the company's founders began looking into names that started with "st" after Terry Heckler, founder of ad agency Heckler Associates, mentioned that words beginning with "st" were powerful.
"Somebody somehow came up with an old mining map of the Cascades and Mount Rainier, and there was an old mining town called Starbo," Bowker told the Seattle Times. "As soon as I saw Starbo, I, of course, jumped to Melville's first mate [named Starbuck] in 'Moby-Dick'."
Today, Starbucks' website says its name "evoked the romance of the high seas and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders."
PANERA
Lucky for those who speak, read and understand Latin, having to decode the origins of the name "Panera" is no challenge.
The company was originally called St. Louis Bread in 1998. However, founder Ron Shaich has changed it to its name today following the literal meaning "breadbasket."
Afterward, the name Panera was adopted by the French language and was given the translation "the place of good bread." by owner Au Bon Pain.
LITTLE CAESARS
No, Little Caesars is not owned by a little man named Caesar, well, not exactly. In fact, their founders, Mike and Marian Ilitch originally considered calling the restaurant 'Pizza Treat' but decided to change it after Marian thought the name was "too generic".
Being married for four years before launching the pizza chain, Marian has always believed that her spouse will eventually be a pizza emperor, that's why she calls him "Little Caesar" as her term of endearment and pet name.
Mike is definitely not little at 5-foot-9!
Arby's
Some people speculate that Arby came from the initials; R and B that came after their famous roast beef. Rumors said that people would always ask "Do you want some R.B?" and people mistook it for Arby.
As much as the story is cute and charming, owners said that their name came from Leroy and Forrest Raffel, the Raffel Brothers, or "RB," the chain says on its website.
PIZZA HUT
Owners Dan and Frank Carney scored a deal when a local Coca-Cola distributor gave them a complimentary sign upon opening their first store. But, here is the catch; the layout of the sign is not really proportional; it was larger (in width) on top than at the bottom.
The top can fit the five letters of pizza perfectly but the lower portion allows only three. So what now? They thought of three letter words that made sense-Inn, Pad and then bingo! They picked Hut! Thanks to Dan's wife Beverly who said their building looks like a hut.
CHICK-FIL-A
In case you didn't get it, it's a word play with fillet. Fillet-Fil-A. Get it? Try reading it with a British accent! Also, the company says that the"A" in their name also says the quality of their food and service.
SONIC
The monumental root beer stand was originally called "Top Hat" but, someone has taken the name and got it trademarked, so founder Troy Smith had to think of another.
Basing on their existing tagline: "Service at the Speed of Sound," Smith decided that Sonic fits their store perfectly. The first official Sonic drive-in opened in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1959.
Noodles and Company is a restaurant located in Broomfield, Colorado, that offers worldwide and American noodle cuisine and also soups, plates of mixed greens, pasta and sandwiches.
The thought for Noodles and Company was brought about by previous Pepsi marketing executive Aaron Kennedy. He felt there were insufficient restaurants that served noodle dishes, which are a staple for some worldwide food after eating at Mamie's Asian Noodle Shop in Greenwich Village, New York. Kennedy began creating recipes out of his relative kitchen with the future COO, Joe Serafin and head culinary specialist, Ross Kamens, in 1994.
Kennedy brought $73,000 up in personal assets and $200,000 in ventures from 24 loved ones. The primary Noodles and Company was opened in October 1995, in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. Kennedy was merged by partner Tom Weigand, who he had met at Augustana College. And then they opened a second branch in Madison, Wisconsin.
Interests in the chain's new "Made. Different." situating and adaptable children's menu is paying off, CEO Kevin Reddy said, noting that Noodles and Company hope to encourage profit by its exceptional diversity throughout today's millennial families.
Executives declined to share the precise effect of the adjustable child's meal the chain took off during the final quarter, noting that it's still somewhat early to survey. Q4 comps at Noodles and Company fell 1.1 percent year over year, proceeding with the pattern of declines the chain posted before in the year. Traffic is enhancing, executives noted and to-date comp development for Q1 has rolled positive.
Ventures made to bolster the chain's expanded media presence and additionally its new positioning has put weight on income. The chain acquired $4.3 million damage during the quarter. Noodles and Company additionally closed 17 restaurants amid Q4 but hopes to lift future performance.
It's finally confirmed. People who have suspected that their "parmesan" cheese tasted something other than cheese are not paranoid at all. In fact, there is no real parmesan in it but other kinds of cheeses as well as wood pulp.
Michelle Myrter, an executive of the now-defunct two cheese companies Universal Cheese & Drying Inc. and International Packing LLC, who were accused of selling "real parmesan cheese" that contained wood pulp instead of parmesan, finally entered guilty pleas for herself and the companies last Friday.
Myrter was released by District Judge Mark Hornak on a personal recognizance bond after Myrter pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor criminal count in the Western District of Pennsylvania Court. According to the Food Safety News article, Myrter could face a one-year sentence or a $100,000 fine or both.
Michelle Myrter also entered guilty pleas on behalf of her two cheese companies to one count each of "conspiring to introduce misbranded and adulterated cheese products into interstate commerce and to commit money laundering."
Michelle is the daughter of Castle Cheese Inc co-CEO George Myrter who told FDA inspectors last November 2012 that he knew that the companies' cheeses were made with fillers. Acting on a tip from a fired plant manager, the FDA inspected a Castle Cheese facility. According to a geek.com article by Ryan Whitman, the FDA found that the "100% grated parmesan" cheese do not actually contain any parmesan component at all but is a mixture of swiss, mozzarella, white cheddar and cellulose also known as wood pulp.
According to the same article, manufacturers usually resort to the use of a small amount of wood pulp or cellulose as a bulking agent. However, the FDA set a strict limit that the cellulose content must not exceed two percent of the total weight. Past offenders caught by FDA that introduced cellulose way much more than is allowed include Jewel-Osco at 8.8% as well as Wallmart's Great Value brand at 7.8 percent but they were still better because, at least, they were still mostly parmesan cheese.
To be safer for now, consumers are advised to buy block cheese and grate it as needed according to a CBS article by Mary Marcus.
Disney's (DIS 3.50%) grand opening of its Shanghai Disnelyland resort is just three and a half months away. With Parks and Resorts revenue representing over a fourth of the media company's revenue, and considering the sheer size of the China market, investors are watching Disney's important international park opening closely.
One key question some investors may have is whether or not management is concerned with the timing of economic headwinds in China ahead of the company's Shanghai resort debut on June 16. But management appears undeterred.
The 10,000-foot view is what matters
The resort is just as important to the company as is to investors. It is Disney's "most important single new initiative" for its Parks and Resorts segment, said Disney COO Tom Staggs, who continues to play a critical role in overseeing the Shanghai Disneyland even after being named COO about a year ago, during the company's first fiscal quarter earnings call of 2016 (via Reuters transcript).
The stakes are high for the park to be an excellent performer for the company. Disney has invested heavily in Disneyland Shanghai. Staggs even dubbed referred to it as "one of the most extraordinarily creative and innovative projects in the history of [Disney]."
But could economic headwinds become a hurdle for Disney's Shanghai at least initially?
Staggs isn't concerned. The focus for Disney, he explains goes much further than near-term economic struggles.
"This is a very long-term proposition, so what's going on in the economy at any given moment is not a big concern for us," explained Staggs during a recent Wall Street Journal interview." We look at the trends over the long term and continue to be as bullish as we've ever been in terms of the number of income-qualified people, the prospect for continued growth of the middle class in China, etc.
While Staggs said during the WSJ interview Disney was hoping for a big initial reception, he emphasized that the company builds parks "for generations."
"We won't judge where we are a week out, a month out, or even a year or two out," he said.
Planning for a big launch
The company's bet on a big opening is evident. Disney's resorts and parks operating income benefited from growth in domestic operations during the company's most recent quarter but growth was partially offset by lower operating income in Disneyland Paris "as well as pre opening spending at Shanghai," Staggs explained in Disney's earnings call.
Though the company isn't jumping in to Shanghai Disneyland blindly; management has reason to believe the opening will be a hit. A recent announcement that tickets will go on sale on March 28 was "incredibly well-received in China," Staggs said during Disney's earnings call. "[T]he anticipation is palpable and growing," he explained.
Staggs predicts Shanghai Disneyland represents "an attractive and profitable place to deploy Disney's capital for the long term," he said in the first-quarter call.
If Shanghai turns out to be what management expects, investors will likely welcome the international resort with open arms as it begins to contribute to Disney's revenue and bottom line.
What happened?
Consumer PC retail giant Dell's attempts to move into the enterprise space are now one step closer to realization. The privately held company has won a key approval in its proposed buyout of storage company EMC Corporation (EMC) -- which is the majority owner of VMware (VMW 1.89%) -- as the European Commission has cleared the transaction.
The commission does not believe either of the combined entity's two major business lines will limit competition or be negative for consumers. In the press release announcing its decision, it said that even together, Dell and EMC will contend with strong competition for external enterprise storage systems. It also believes that "the merged entity would have neither the ability nor the incentive to shut out competitors," in the virtualization software segment.
The European Commission is the executive arm of the European Union. Among other functions, it acts as the economic bloc's antitrust regulator.
Does it matter?
The European Commission's nod was the last remaining big regulatory hurdle to the merger, following last week's clearance from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. That's a huge win for the ambitious Dell, which is laboring mightily to shift toward higher-end, corporate segments from its traditional focus on the individual consumer. The deal is expected to close by July.
It's really committing to this. It agreed to pay around $67 billion for EMC in order to create what company founder Michael Dell characterized as "a dream combination." That's the largest tech industry buyout in history, which is saying something given the multitude of big-ticket deals that have occurred in the sector over the years.
RCD Mallorca 100 Years Anniversary Kit
The t-shirt reflects the history of the club and it is characterized by details which make it an exclusive product. In fact, it maintains the classic red, predominant on all the t-shirt, and the black, which is used in some details to create contrast. The long sleeves, mandarin collar and V-neck with black laces give the t-shirt a vintage look. At the end of the neckline are embroidered the dates 1916-2016, while on the heart side of the chest is embroidered the logo celebrating the 100 years of Real Mallorca. In addition to the personalized black neck, the numbered label Edicion Limitada embellishes the bottom left of the t-shirt. Real Mallorca's logo is on the back of the neck.
Italian sportswear supplier Macron today revealed a special kit that celebrates RCD Mallorca's 100th anniversary. The new Macron RCD Mallorca 100th Years Anniversary Kit will be worn on March 5 against Real Oviedo, the same date the Spanish club was founded. This is the new RCD Mallorca 100-Years Anniversary Shirt.Boasting a vintage look, the new RCD Mallorca 2016 100 Years Anniversary Shirt is designed to be an instant classic. It has no brandings, in line with the classy design.Black shorts and socks are set to complement the special RCD Mallorca Jersey.Pure class. What's your verdict on the new Macron RCD Mallorca Kit? Let us know in the comments below.
Rosbergs best time of 1m 23.022s, set on soft tyres, put him two-tenths clear of Williams Valtteri Bottas - who clocked his best lap on Pirellis ultrasoft compound.
It was the first time Mercedes have run the soft rubber, the world champions having used only mediums and hards in last weeks opening test. And it was another busy day for the Silver Arrows, with Rosberg notching up 82 laps in the morning and Lewis Hamilton another 90 as he completed a race simulation in the afternoon.
Fernando Alonso brought out the red flags just before lunch when his McLaren stopped on track, but the team bounced back in the afternoon, with the Spaniard totalling 93 laps en route to a highly encouraging third in the times.
Just behind Alonso was Kimi Raikkonen, who spent much of the afternoon in the Ferrari garage thanks to technical problems, and Red Bulls Daniil Kvyat who also lost track time thanks to a brake problem which caused a small fire on his RB12.
It was also a frustrating day for newcomers Haas, who were forced to abandon their programme early thanks to a fuel system problem which left Esteban Gutierrez 11th in the times on just 23 laps.
By contrast, Toro Rosso and Force India enjoyed excellent reliability, with Max Verstappen completing a mammoth 144 laps in his newly race-liveried STR11 and Nico Hulkenberg 121 in his VJM09.
They finished seventh and eighth respectively, just ahead of Felipe Nasr who gave Sauber's 2016 machine, the C35, a solid debut as he racked up 103 laps.
Tuesday's unofficial testing times from Barcelona
A former Disney (NYSE:DIS) employee is speaking out about U.S. companies hiring foreign workers with H1-B visas, at lower wages, to replace U.S. workers.
The foreign workers that replaced the hundreds of us here in Orlando, and Anaheim, were just flown in weeks before, former Disney IT employee Leo Perrero told the FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney.
Perrero then discussed the difference in wages paid to the foreign replacements.
They came in on a visa called the H1-B visa, I dont know exactly what they pay, however the bulk of these people that applied for this visa are at the very lowest pay scale out of the four. They all claim to come in on this visa because they are better than Americans, yet they come in on the lowest pay scales.
More on this... A visit to Disney will now cost you more
According to Perrero this is not a trend unique to Disney.
Disney is not an anomaly and in fact, right now, this is happening at Abbott Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:ABT) in Illinois, and one of the senators that was at the hearing, Durbin, sent a letter to the CEO yesterday demanding that he rethink his plans to replace hundreds of IT workers in Illinois, his home state.
Perrero then addressed why he is supporting Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential race.
Trump has been the most vocal about this, hes publicly stated that Disney should hire everybody back that was replaced by the foreign worker, he is the most vocal about it, Cruz has also brought it up as well, so this is an issue that is coming to the presidential level and gaining more and more attention. But Americans are really starting to slowly see whats happening and starting to fight back on this issue.
Jay-Z and Beyonce use it and Kayne West thinks its cool enough to put in his songs. For nearly 20 years the invitation only American Express (NYSE:AXP) Black Card, known formally as the Centurion Card, has worked its way into the hands of high profile celebrities including Britney Spears.
But just as Britney toned down her persona, other big spenders may be doing the same when it comes to ringing up hefty bills on elite cards. Sources in touch with high net worth individuals tell FOXBusiness.com their sentiment these days is that the high fees American Express charges is not worth the current set of benefits.
The fees will set you back $10,000 according to AmExs card member agreement.
While American Express has historically remained tight lipped on what it takes to be invited, most agree that it requires annual spending of approximately $250,000 on a lower level AmEx card, like the Platinum card.
An AmEx spokesperson tells FOXBusiness.com that the company does not share details of Centurion benefits and services outside of those who are members.
Despite sky-high fees and deep-pocket spenders, AmExs most recent quarterly earnings, released in January, tell another story. Profits fell 39.2% and the company announced a $1 billion cost cutting plan. That day the stock tumbled 12% and has lost 32% over the past 12-months. Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) is the companys largest shareholder with a 15.7% stake. Buffett reaffirmed his support for AmEx's management team in his 2015 annual report.
Fee income is AmExs bread and butter: AmExs card revenue was composed of 70% fee income and 30% spread income, according to a report from Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS).
American Express used to be the undisputed champ of upscale credit cards for a long time. Now, theres a lot of competition coming after that crown says Matt Schulz, CreditCards.coms (NYSE:RATE) chief industry analyst.
Rivals are moving in for the kill by offering lower fees for luxury cards and a more competitive suite of perks. Mastercard (NYSE:MA) offers a Black Card with a much lower annual fee of $495, while the Citi (NYSE:C) Prestige card has a fee of $450. The Chase Palladium card has a higher fee at $595 and Mastercard has a gold card with a $995 fee, but those are still significantly less than AmExs $2,500 fee for the Centurion card.
All but one analyst interviewed by FOXBusiness.com agreed that focusing on the high end consumer should be American Express goal moving forward to not only retain brand image but also as their key business strategy. Indeed, AmEx notes on their website that the average AmEx cardholder has an income 26% higher and spends 64% more than non-AmEx users.
Brian Kelly, also known as The Points Guy, would like to see AmEx enter the area of lucrative perks that most credit card companies have not tapped into yet: private jets. Airlines to an extent are the most coveted perks says Kelly who believes if AmEx were to offer private jet point accumulation, they could regain their luxury client base. Credit card companies rank airline deals high on the list of preferred partnerships as they generally come with annual fees and free trips that result from spending more.
AmExs Black Card isnt the only segment taking a beating. Last month AmEx CEO and chairman of the board Kenneth Chennault cited merchant fees among several reasons for the companys poor financial results.
This summer, the company will lose its 16 year co-branded partnership with Costco (NASDAQ:COST) for its TrueEarnings card as the big box retailer has partnered with Citi. AmEx expects to make up to a billion dollars from the sale, according to a press release issued on Monday. And adding insult to injury, JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) ditched AmEx last year after ten years for the Barclaycard an agreement with Barclays (NYSE:BCS) and Mastercard.
The companys partnership with Starwood Hotels (NYSE:HOT) is in limbo after the hotel company was acquired by Marriott (NASDAQ:MAR) which partners with Chase (NYSE:JPM).
Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway's 2014 annual meeting.
Warren Buffett's 2015 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders was released last Saturday. I wanted to share the three things that I, as an investor, learned from it.
1. Berkshire's low-cost advantageThe biggest thing that struck me in Buffett's letter this year was the way he tied together the cost advantages that many of Berkshire's wholly owned business units share.
The low cost model of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, one of Berkshire's five most profitable noninsurance subsidiaries, charges an average $0.068 per kilowatt hour to customers in Iowa. The other major electric utility in Iowa charges $0.095 per kilowatt hour. And the rates charged by utilities in adjacent states are equally high.
"Those outstanding performances explain why [Berkshire Hathaway Energy] is welcomed by regulators when it proposes to buy a utility in their jurisdiction," Buffett wrote. "The regulators know the company will run an efficient, safe and reliable operation and also arrive with unlimited capital to fund whatever projects make sense."
The same thing is true at Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the nation's largest railroad which was purchased by Berkshire in 2009. While price comparisons between railroads is difficult because of differences in both their mix of cargo and the distance over which it's carried, Buffett's admittedly "crude" analysis estimates that BNSF's cost advantages allow it to charge 40% less per ton-mile than its competitors.
And, of course, there's Geico insurance, the longtime low-cost insurance provider. Geico's promise that new customers can save at least 15% in 15 minutes or less is grounded in a model that eschews an expensive and cumbersome network of agents in exchange for direct-to-consumer sales. Its underwriting expenses in 2015, for instance, were 14.7% of its premiums, which is second in the industry only to USAA when it comes to efficiency.
In all of these cases, Berkshire's low-cost advantage creates a moat -- "an enduring one," says Buffett -- that its competitors are unable to cross. It allows Berkshire to not only underprice competitors while still generating wide margins, but it also builds goodwill among both customers and industry regulators.
2. Important points about riskRisk management is critical to Berkshire Hathaway, which is made up in no small part of insurance companies. Berkshire's success in this regard can be summed up by Buffett's observation that the Omaha-based conglomerate is "far more conservative in avoiding risk than most large insurers."
One key is that Berkshire never overextends itself. "The nature of our insurance contracts is such that we can never be subject to immediate or near-term demands for sums that are of significance to our cash resources," Buffett wrote. "This structure is by design and is a key component in the strength of Berkshire's economic fortress."
Buffett goes on to explain that among the biggest shortcomings of most insurance companies is that they're unwilling to walk away from business even if they can't charge high enough premiums to adequately offset their risk. "They simply can't turn their back on business that is being eagerly written by their competitors," wrote Buffett. "That old line, 'The other guy is doing it, so we must as well,' spells trouble in any business, but none more so than insurance."
Regardless of how conservative Berkshire is, however, Buffett recognizes that some events will cause trouble for even it -- namely, an attack on the United States. As he explained:
3. Berkshire's partnership with 3G CapitalBuffett also spent time in his letter addressing 3G Capital, a Brazil-based investment firm that Berkshire has teamed up with to invest in Kraft Heinz and Tim Hortons. As Buffett explained, the two companies employ different strategies when identifying investments:
Despite their different approaches, Buffett noted that Berkshire "share[s] with [3G Capital] a passion to buy, build and hold large businesses that satisfy basic needs and desires." As Berkshire continues to grow, it's likely to come across fewer acquisitions that will meet its stringent criteria. One way to get around this increasingly sparse landscape, in turn, is to team up with other investors that come at it from a different angle.
The article 3 Takeaways From Warren Buffett's 2015 Letter to Shareholders originally appeared on Fool.com.
John Maxfield has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway. 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.
Since mid-September,Cablevision has been in that weird limbo a company operates in when it has accepted a buyout offer but has not received regulatory approval.
The Long Island-based cable and Internet provider reached agreement with Altice, which trades on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange under the ATC.AS symbol, to be acquired for $34.90 per share. That's slightly higher thanthe company's $32.51 close on Feb. 26 and a decent jump from the $28.54 it closed at on Sept. 16, the day before the deal was announced.
Cablevision operates in what is known as the New York metropolitan area comprised of New York, New Jersey, and pats of Connecticut. The company has more than 3.1 million residential and business customers, with approximately 65% of its cable customers subscribing to triple-play services, according to a press release.
Despite it being a public entity, the company has always been controlled by the Dolan family, and CEO James Dolan released a statement on the pending merger.
"Since Charles Dolan founded Cablevision in 1973, the Dolan family has been honored to help shepherd our customers and employees through the most extraordinary communications revolution in modern history," he said. "Now, nearly half a century later, the time is right for new ownership of Cablevision and its considerable assets. We believe that Patrick Drahi and Altice will be truly worthy successors, and we look forward to doing all we can to affect this transition for our customers and employees."
Not everyone agrees, and the deal will face a number of hurdles as the company looks to get it approved at the both the national and local level. That will almost certainly impact the stock price going forward.
Source: YCharts.com.
The deal is approvedAltice is trying to become a player in the United States, and it would be adding Cablevision to holdings that include SuddenLink, which would make it the fourth largest U.S. cable and Internet provider. Should that happen, Cablevision shareholders will see their stock purchased at prices higher than where it has traded since any point after the deal was announced.
This is the most likely scenario for the company, because even though New York Cityregulators and Mayor Bill de Blasiohave made noise about fighting the deal, there are no clear reasons it should be stopped. This is notComcast grabbing up another system to make the top provider even bigger. It's a foreign company trying to gain a U.S. footprint, where the objection from the city is mostly due to the job cuts that would almost certainly occur.
The deal is denied, and CVC goes it aloneThe current Federal Communications Commission, chaired by Tom Wheeler, denied the Comcast purchase ofTime Warner Cableand basically threw down a gauntlet to all cable/Internet companies. Even though this deal does not pose the same anti-competition issues the Comcast deal did, it's not out of the question that public sentiment would force the FCC to say no, or offer approval with conditions that cause one company or the other to walk away.
For example, Altice has claimed it will save nearly $1 billion between its foreign holdings, Suddenlink, and Cablevision. If the FCC demanded it keep certain levels of jobs, or stopped it from raising prices for a period of time, it's possible the company would walk. If that happens, Cablevision could see a stock increase merely because it would immediately become the most desirable asset in play in the cable/Internet space.
The deal is denied, and a better one comes alongWhen the Comcast deal was quashed, its intended purchase target was immediately swooped up byCharter Communications in what was arguably a better deal for shareholders. It's very possible that if the Altice deal is denied or falls apart, one of the other players in the space could immediately make an offer at a better price.
Cablevision has a very attractive subscriber base concentrated in one of the richest parts of the country. Those users would be an asset for any company, but they would be especially attractive to Comcast, which operates in adjacent markets.
It's possible that given the tightening market, the best thing that could happen for Cablevision shareholders would be for the company to be up for sale to the highest bidder. If that happened, it's very likely it would get a better price per share than Altice is paying.
The article 3 Reasons Cablevision Stock Could Rise originally appeared on Fool.com.
Daniel Kline has no position in any stocks mentioned. He's tired of winter and wants to go swimming. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.
Wynn Palace, which is currently under construction in Macau. Image source: Wynn Resorts.
Steve Wynn doesn't give a lot of interviews, so when he talks on conference calls with analysts each quarter, investors should pay attention. There are a lot of changes taking place at Wynn Resorts ; here are my five biggest takeaways from the conference call with management after the first quarter (transcript from Seeking Alpha).
Will Wynn Palace in Macau be able to stand out?
The $4.1 billion Wynn Palace in the Cotai region of Macau will open this summer, and it should be a transformational property for the company. But analysts were wondering how it will stand out versus the competition. Steve Wynn doesn't think that will be a problem, saying:
The larger point was that Wynn is selling to customers looking for exclusivity, and are willing to pay for it. He isn't after the mass-market players whoMelco Crown or Las Vegas Sands have targeted with their new resorts, including thousands of hotel rooms. Like Las Vegas, he wants high rollers and premium mass-market players who are willing and able to pay for the experience Wynn provides.
Will there be table games?
After Melco Crown's Studio City was only given 200 table games when it opened -- less than the 500 or so it expected -- there was concern that Wynn Palace would get the same treatment. Complicating matters is Las Vegas Sands' The Parisian, which will open later this year. If the government wants to limit table-game growth, the resorts may have to split the year's allocation. When asked about table-game allocation, Wynn had this to say:
I'm not sure if that's reassuring, but it's the closest we're going to get to an answer to the table-game question until probably shortly before the casino opens.
Early renderings of Wynn Paradise Park, the next addition in Las Vegas. Image source: Wynn Resorts.
Paradise Park is getting more audacious
Wynn recently started talking about the next stage of development in Las Vegas, known as Paradise Park. Early renderings (above) show a lake with a beach, and a hotel addition with about 1,000 rooms. But since then, the plans have gotten bigger:
Steve Wynn hasn't even gotten to the planning point where he's taking the project to the Board of Directors, but it sounds like it'll be wild, no matter what ends up being built.
How to pay for a $1.5 billion project in Las Vegas
The next question is about paying for this planned $1.5 billion addition. And that's where Steve Wynn was very upfront about his plans.
To put that into perspective, $300,000 per day would be about $110 million in new revenue for Wynn Las Vegas. That alone doesn't make the addition a great investment, but when added to hotel rooms, convention spaces, bars, restaurants, shops, and anything else that's added, you can see how it could make a lot of money very quickly.
Wynn Resorts and the massive buyback program
In April, Wynn Resorts authorized up to $1 billion in a buyback program, which could be a large percentage of shares given the current $9.5 billion market cap, and the stock's recent volatility. Here's how Steve Wynn explained the move:
Wynn went on to talk about how crazy the market is, but the broader point is that the company will buy back shares aggressively if it feels they're undervalued. If you're bullish on Wynn Resorts, that's great news.
The article 5 Things Wynn Resorts' Management Wants You to Know originally appeared on Fool.com.
Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.
The compact Jeep Compass posted a big sales gain in February. Image source: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said on Tuesday that its U.S. sales rose 12%, powered by strong gains by its Jeep and Ram brands.
Shocked, shocked, to discover strong Jeep sales in this establishment It's a story we've been hearing for quite a while now. While some parts of FCA's global business are struggling, the Jeep and Ram brands have been doing just fine -- better than fine, in fact.
U.S. sales of Jeep SUVs rose 23% last month versus results in the year-ago month. That jump was powered by a big (54%) gain for the compact Compass and the addition of the subcompact Renegade, which wasn't yet available at this time last year.
Sales of the big Grand Cherokee were up 12% year-over-year, but other Jeeps posted just modest year-over-year increases. No matter: FCA said that the Cherokee (up 7%), Wrangler (up 3%), Patriot (up 3%), and Compass all posted their best February results ever.
It's an impressive result especially in light of FCA's manufacturing situation. The Toledo factory that makes the Wrangler and Cherokee is running at full speed and has been for a while; until that changes, year-over-year sales gains are likely to be modest simply because supplies are limited.
Ram trucks also had a good month The Ram brand also had a great February, with sales up 27% year-over-year. While FCA didn't quite come out and say it, the big story here is probably a jump in the company's sales to commercial fleet buyers.
Last year, FCA CFO Richard Palmer said that the company would look to gain ground in sales of trucks and vans to commercial fleets in the United States. That market has long been dominated by Chrysler's old Detroit rivals, Ford and General Motors -- and unlike rental-car fleet sales, sales of work trucks to commercial fleets are good, profitable business.
The Ram ProMaster City, a small commercial van, is off to a good start. Image source: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Those profits were probably strong in February. Ram pickup sales rose 23%, accounting for much of the brand's volume -- but its Fiat-derived ProMaster and smaller ProMaster City commercial vans are also doing well. ProMaster van sales were up 83% year-over-year, while the ProMaster City (which was new this time last year) added another 1,763 units to the brand's total.
FCA's car models continue to struggle On the car front, here's the good news: Sales of the Dodge Challenger coupe rose 6%, and the big Chrysler 300 sedan was up 10%.
The bad news is that those two are niche products, and the volume models are hurting. The bread-and-butter compact Dodge Dart (down 9%) and midsize Chrysler 200 (down a disturbing 58%) both continue to slide into oblivion. The two were supposed to be FCA's mass-market volume car models, but neither has managed to get much momentum in the market.
Buyers are ignoring FCA's mainstream sedans, but the big Dodge Challenger muscle car is selling quite well. Image source: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Sales of the 300's sibling, the Dodge Charger, dropped 15% year over year. On the bright side for the Dodge brand, sales of the Durango SUV (a sibling of the Jeep Grand Cherokee) rose 22%, and the Caravan minivan, which is set to be discontinued, posted a 95% year-over-year gain as dealers began selling off inventories.
The upshot: FCA's sales roll continues In what was likely a good month for U.S. sales overall, FCA's results show its ongoing strengths: The powerhouse Jeep brand, its well-regarded Ram pickup line, and its appealing niche cars. This was the company's 71st consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains in the United States.
Compared to its rivals, FCA still lacks a credible luxury offering, and at this point it's almost a non-player in the mass-market sedan segments. Both are likely to hurt the company in coming years. But the things FCA does best are still working for it in a still-strong U.S. new-car market.
The article Fiat Chrysler is Living on Jeep and Ram Sales Right Now originally appeared on Fool.com.
John Rosevear owns shares of Ford and General Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Ford. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. 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.
The Building Efficiency headquarters of Johnson Controls in Milwaukee. Image source: Johnson Controls.
In an emerging market, like the Internet of Things (IoT), today's leaders can easily become tomorrow's laggards. Currently,Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) is at the forefront of developing building automation systems (BASes) and following several strategic maneuvers, redoubling its efforts to seize the burgeoning smart building market. Let's take a closer to see how these moves improve upon the company's strengths.What's in a nameOne competitive advantage which Johnson Controls retains is its highly respected brand name and reputation. The company, for the ninth year in a row, ranked as one of the world's most ethical companies by Ethisphere, and it ranked 14th in Corporate Responsibility Magazine's 100 Best Corporate Citizens list. Regarding BAS, Johnson Controls, due to Metasys, is an esteemed industry stalwart, that wonFrost and Sullivan's 2009North American Award for Market Leadership of the Year. According to the research firm: "Outstanding expertise in customer care coupled with the ability to combine technology and successful marketing has benefited Johnson Controls in its quest for market leadership within the BAS industry."The company's edge extends beyond Metasys and into the respected names of its other properties. With nine heating and cooling brands -- such as York and Coleman -- in its portfolio, three leading refrigeration brands, and 11 air distribution brands, Johnson Controls offers its customers a variety of industry-leading products to pair with Metasys. Thus, it can provide more competitive pricing to customers who avoid third-party equipment. The commercial market provides ample opportunity for the company. According to Navigant Research,global revenue from commercial energy-efficient HVAC systems alone is expected to total $340 billion from 2015 to 2024.Thanks to a joint venture with Hitachi completed last October, Johnson Controls is adding yet another respected name to its portfolio. Retaining 60% ownership in the partnership, Johnson Controls will broaden its reach in several Asian markets: China, Taiwan, Japan, and India. Not to be underestimated, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) is a substantial opportunity. According to research from Technavio, theglobal residential HVAC market in APAC was valued at $31.7 billion in 2014 and is likely to reach $51.4 in billion in 2019.
In announcing its merger with Tyco International last month, Johnson Controls is further demonstrating its commitment to building automation and trusted brand names.
Johnson Controls and Tyco investor presentation.Image source: Johnson Controls.
The merger unites two IoT- savvy companies that lead in separate niches: Johnson Controls in HVAC and Tyco in fire and security. Once Tyco's proficiencies are integrated with the current iteration of Metasys, Johnson Controls will enjoy another competitive advantage: offering the market a more comprehensive solution -- one that's not just smarter, but safer as well.Consequently, the joining of the two business presents a formidable force in BAS; Tyco will contribute 17 fire and security brands to Johnson Controls' already extensive portfolio. It will also contribute its own BAS, Tyco On. And with expected synergies to yield about $650 million in savings, Johnson Controls will be able to offer customers a more competitive Metasys at a more attractive price.Committing to the front lineAnother competitive advantage that Johnson Controls enjoys is its technology lead in regards to Metasys and its battery products and solutions. The company has no intention of resting on its laurels -- instead it continues to pursue innovation. Over the past three years, the company's research and development cost has averaged $772 million per year -- accounting for 2.3% of average revenue over the same period. Tyco will fit in nicely in this regard as it is also committed; its average R&D spending has accounted for 1.9% of its revenue over the past three years. Conversely, competitors likeIngersoll-Rand are not as committed -- ithas averaged 1.7% on R&D over the past three years.Johnson Controls' commitment ensures that it retains its competitive position as an industry leader.Another significant competitive advantage for Johnson Controls is the high switching costs for customers who already employ the company's building automation solutions -- and for customers who have adopted solutions from Tyco. Developing a system for a building is no easy feat: sensors and controllers must be deployed, and personnel must be trained in using the system's software. Transitioning to a new system is not as simple as changing out a couple of smoke detectors. The switching costs become even higher for campus operators, like hospitals and higher education institutions.Subsequently, as Johnson Controls builds its building automation customer base (both organically and from Tyco), another competitive advantage emerges -- an established channel through which it can provide distributed energy solutions. The companyis growing stronger by turning inward, looking to leverage its proficiency in batteries to gain yet another edge in the BAS market. In an investor presentation from last December, management discussed its intent to pursue the distributed power generation and storage market.
Source:Johnson Controls strategic review and 2016 outlook.
In one of the first of several planned projects in North America, Johnson Controls is implementing its distributed energy solution in Chicago's Merchandise Mart. The facility has benefited from the company's other solutions to improve its energy efficiency. Paired with the company's energy management strategy, the distributed energy storage solution is expected to reduce this facility's (and others') electricity spending by up to 35%.Industry experts expect the distributed energy storage market to grow substantially over the next few years. According to Navigant,worldwide revenue from distributed energy storage systems is expected to grow from $452 million annually in 2014 to more than $16.5 billion in 2024. Johnson Controls' proficiency in both BAS and battery technology provide a significant competitive advantage which uniquely positions the company to seize a significant portion of the market opportunity.The takeaway In addition to the joint venture and merger, Johnson Controls is spinning off of its automotive business in October. When completed, it will only have two operating segments -- building efficiency and power supply.Granted, there is substantial competition as companies likeGE and Honeywell look to grow their BAS businesses and companies likeTesla Motors look to grow in the energy storage market.
Nonetheless, Johnson Controls is uniquely positioned in that it has proficiency in both building efficiency solutions and battery technology. As it provides more solutions which combine these two areas of expertise, the company should prove that it has the ability to succeed in this rapidly growing market.
The article How Strong Is Johnson Controls' Internet of Things Position? originally appeared on Fool.com.
Scott Levine has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of General Electric Company and Johnson Controls,. 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.
Image Source: Cheniere Energy investor presentation
A good indication that people think highly of your ability in a profession is when they're willing to pay $1,600 on Amazonfor a book you wrote on that profession. That's the case for hedge fund manager and value investor Seth Klarman, who wrote a limited-edition value-investing book called Margin of Safety.In 2015, Klarman's hedge fund, the Baupost Group had just its third down year in its three decade-plus history.
Given Klarman's long-term track record, it seems that now is a good time to be looking into his portfolio for undervalued securities.
He redoubled his analysis and then bought more Cheniere EnergyWhen a stock moves against you, there are three things you can do: Sell the stock, buy more of it, or do nothing.
With some of his stocks moving against him, Klarman and his team went back to the drawing board and carefully reassessed the intrinsic value of each position. Here's what he said in his Q4 2015 letter to investors:
In the case of Cheniere Energy (NYSEMKT: LNG), a critical reevaluation led Klarman to buy a lot more of the company. In January he filed with the SEC, revealing that he had increased Baupost's stake in the company by 50% and now owned 15% of Cheniere.
His doubling down on Cheniere is even more interesting, considering the SEC filings reveal that Baupost was happy to hold Cheniere at over $80 and was buying shares early in 2015. His Q4 letter provides some color on why Klarman still likes Cheniere: "Even Cheniere Energy, with limited exposure to oil and gas prices, was significantly penalized by this unforgiving market."
What is Klarman talking about? How does Cheniere have limited commodity price exposure?
Cheniere is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, and global LNG prices have worsened significantly. Cheniere, however, is relatively unaffected by this drop because of pricing contracts it's locked into. Cheniere has signed contracts both to sell all of its production and the price that it will be sold for. Here's a list of 20-year contracts Cheniere agreed to on its Sabine Pass facility:
Source: Cheniere January 2016 presentation.
Cheniere purchases its natural gas based on the Henry Hub spot price. That Henry Hub price will fluctuate, but Cheniere's contracts to sell LNG are locked in at Henry Hub plus 15%. That means it doesn't matter if natural gas prices rise or fall. Cheniere will make the same amount either way.
On top of the 15% markup is a fixed fee of roughly $3 per MMBtu. At today's prices, that would mean Cheniere is buying natural gas for $1.91 and selling it for $5.19.
While he was buying Cheniere, he was dumping Pioneer Natural Resources At the end of March 2015, shale oil producer Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE: PXD) wasn't in the Baupost portfolio. By the end of June the Baupost portfolio had over 4 million Pioneer shares worth more than $560 million. That position was unchanged as of last September.
By the end of December, the Baupost portfolio held no Pioneer shares.
PXD data by YCharts
Why might that be?
While we can't know for certain, since he didn't refer to the sale publicly, it seems quite possible that Klarman became less bullish on the price of oil. Given that few people could have imagined that we'd be looking at $30 WTI in February 2016, the length and depth of this collapse may have caught Klarman by surprise.
Perhaps with Saudi Arabia, Iraq and now Iran (with sanctions removed) willing to continue to increase production into an oversupplied market Klarman believes his assumptions on where oil might go have changed. There were more than a few of us who believed that OPEC at the very least would not intentionally increase production to keep oil down for longer.
It would make sense that Klarman would sell if he now believes that OPEC could keep oil prices much lower for much longer than expected.
Alternatively Klarman may have changed is mind on Pioneer specifically. Pioneer has been one of the most aggressive drillers of wells into these low oil prices. While companies like EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG) have adopted the policy of not growing production into low oil prices Pioneer has been quite vocal (until very recently) about continuing to grow.
While Pioneer is very well hedged against low prices, it isn't fully hedged so these incremental growth barrels would be sold at very low prices. It is quite possible that Klarman does not approve of this strategy which could be viewed as drilling marginally economic (at best) or money losing wells.
Either way, Klarman is out of Pioneer.
Implications for investorsIf you believe that Klarman's 30-year track record of significant investing outperformance is due to something other than luck, then you might want to take a hard look at Cheniere Energy. Following a great investor into one stock doesn't guarantee success, but taking a hard look at what a great investor is buying makes a lot of sense.
The article Seth Klarman Doubled Down On This Energy Stock While He Dumped Another originally appeared on Fool.com.
TMFWolfpack has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon.com. 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.
Source: ExxonMobil corporate website.
Oil and gas behemoth ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) recently released its 2014 reserve report, and with it came the end of a mighty streak.
After 21 consecutive years of growing its oil and gas reserves, Exxon told us that in 2015 the company replaced only 67% of the reserves it produced. The cause of the decline wasn't an issue with Exxon not being able to find oil and gas.The issue was low commodity prices resulting in the company being forced to deem previously existing reserves as uneconomic.
Oil and gas prices have dipped so low that even the strongest companies in the industry are suffering.
The guilty culprit -- natural gasThe oil price collapse is what gets the most headlines these days. The financial news is regularly littered with what the energy minister from one OPEC nation or another may have said.
But it wasn't the low price of oil that put the big dent in Exxon's reserves. It was natural gas.
While Exxon more than replaced its oil production in 2015, it had to reduce its proven natural gas reserves by roughly 5 trillion cubic feet. The issue wasn't that the natural gas itself disappeared; the problem is that prices are so low that the gas is now uneconomic to produce. So the good news is that if natural gas prices rebound in the coming years, some or all of those reserves could come back to Exxon.
This is a continuation of a tough period for Exxon when it comes to natural gas. In December 2009, Exxon acquired shale gas producer XTO Energy for a dizzying $31 billion in Exxon shares. Exxon hasn't even been drilling XTO's legacy natural gas assets in the past couple of years and has instead been focused on oil acreage in the Permian and Bakken that came in the deal.
Two and a half years after that acquisition in June 2012, Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson was famously quoted as saying that the company was "losing their shirts" drilling for natural gas.
With natural gas prices currently trading for a sickly $1.76, I think it's safe to say that those shirts are still in short supply around Exxon's corporate headquarters when it comes to shale gas.
Now obviously for a company the size of Exxon not replacing 33% of one year's production is not that big of a deal. This company has a vast reserve base and the current stressed environment could actually benefit the company in the long run if it can acquire some very attractively priced assets.
Another streak ends -- share buybacks are discontinuedBefore releasing the information about its reserves, Exxon had released its Q4 earnings. Included in that was this news about its share repurchase program:
"In the first quarter of 2016, the corporation will continue to acquire shares to offset dilution in conjunction with its benefit plans and programs but does not plan on making purchases to reduce shares outstanding."
This is yet another sign of how big of an impact low oil and gas prices are having on everyone in this industry. In the previous several years, Exxon had been a major acquirer of its own shares at higher stock prices. Now with a lower stock price, the share repurchase plan has been kicked to the curb in order to protect the balance sheet.
From 2011 through the end of 2014, Exxon spent an incredible amount repurchasing shares:
2011: $22.0 billion
2012: $21.1 billion
2013: $16.0 billion
2014: $13.2 billion
In 2015, that number is down to just under $4 billion, and in 2016 the numbers are apparently going to be pretty close to zero, with just enough being repurchased to offset option issuances.
Will the XTO mistake keep Exxon on the M&A sidelines?Despite all of the damage being done by low commodity prices to Exxon's reserves and its share repurchase plan, Exxon's share price has held up very well.
At just over $80, Exxon is trading only about 20% below its 2014 high.
Meanwhile, there are all kinds of attractive acquisition candidates with share prices that are down 50%, 60%, 70%, and more. You can't help thinking that now would be a perfect time for Exxon to use its much more richly valued share price to scoop up some significant assets on the cheap.
Companies such as Continental Resourcesor Whiting Petroleum have very beaten-down share prices and large, high-quality positions in the Bakken. Acquiring one of these companies would provide Exxon with decades worth of development drilling locations that involve no exploration or political risk. Surely shareholders in these companies would welcome an ExxonMobil takeover at a nice premium from where the stocks currently trade.
Last time commodity prices collapsed, Exxon did make a major move acquiring XTO. Since that hasn't worked out very well, perhaps Exxon will remain on the sidelines this time if the mergers-and-acquisitions market heats up.
We will have to wait and see.
The article Should You Worry About ExxonMobil's 21-Year Reserve Replacement Streak Ending? originally appeared on Fool.com.
TMFWolfpack has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of ExxonMobil. 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.
Image source: Veolia.
Water, waste, and energy goliath Veolia Environnement reported its annual results for 2015 last week. And even though the market had a muted response, the company continues to perform admirably in light of the significant debt and overextension it had experienced coming out of the Great Recession.
With so many moving parts in such a large company, let's focus on the story from 30,000 feet first -- it's relatively easy to understand:
The company benefited from favorable currency exchange rates and the divestiture of certain businesses in 2015.
Without those effects, revenue actually fell 0.6%.
But that doesn't matter, because Veolia has been all about becoming a leaner company for the past five years.
Net income rose almost 80% to 1.06 euros per share, and free cash flow rose to a record 856 million euros.
Digging deeperAs I said, there are a lot of moving parts here; diving too deep into any one of them would turn this into an arduously long article. Instead, I'd like to focus on results in two different lights -- by segment and by geography.
Here's how each of the company's three main segments performed in 2015.
Segment Revenue Growth Water 11.35 billion (2.5%) Waste 8.69billion 0.5% Energy 4.93billion 0.1%
All figures in euros and for 2015 fiscal year. Growth is at constant scope and exchange rates. Data source: Veolia.
Water revenues were hit the hardest by contract renegotiations in France that were eventually resolved butthat were unfavorable for the company on a year-over-year basis. Waste revenues grew thanks to new commercial contracts, which help offset a drop in the volume of waste in almost all corners of the globe (that's a good thing for most of us). And energy activities actually performed quite well given weak commodity prices, and contracts outside of Europe were mostly to thank for that.
But to get a better picture of the state of the company, it's worth viewing more geographically, as management spends much more time providing this type of granularity. Also, note that the "Global" business is mainly a construction business.
Geography Revenue Growth EBITDA Growth France 5.47billion (1.5%) 816 million (2.5%) Europe ex-France 8.57billion (1.2%) 1,104million 9.1% Rest of world 5.93billion 3.5% 805million 3.7% Global 4.88billion (3.3%) 226million (3.7%)
All figures in euros and for 2015 fiscal year. Growth is at constant scope and exchange rates. Data source: Veolia. EBITDA = earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
As I stated above, the renegotiation of contracts in France along with lower energy prices and waste volumes drove both revenue and EBITDA down. And while the global construction business provides one-fifth of revenue, it is a low-margin business -- providing just 7% of EBITDA -- and the downfall didn't hurt shareholders too much.
The real strength came from cost-cutting in Europe and growth in the "Rest of World" division. Specifically, revenue growth in Latin America (+12.8%) and China (+7.9%) helped offset a decline in North America. Management went out of their way to talk about how the company's China operations benefited from the energy sold through the Jiamusi and Harbin heating networks, as well as construction of waste incinerators.
Valuing the businessIt's worth noting that management also announced that the company's dividend would be raised from 0.70 euros to 0.73 euros, an increase of 4%. They further stated that they expect to grow the dividend by a hefty 10% per year between 2016 and 2018. While investors may have been hoping for more, that's promising growth on the horizon for a stock that already has a 3.5% yield.
With 856 million euros of free cash flow, the company now trades for 13 times that figure. Given the stabilization of the company's revenue streams, the promise of further dividend increases, and cost-cutting measures that will continue through 2018, the company is definitely healthier today than it was just a few years back.
The article Veolia Environnement Continues to Stabilize Its Ship originally appeared on Fool.com.
Brian Stoffel has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Veolia Environnement. 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.
Last Thursday, Republic Airways , the No. 2 U.S. regional airline operator, filed for bankruptcy. This might seem like bad news for Brazilian jet maker Embraer , because Republic is one of its biggest customers.
Republic Airways is the No. 1 operator of Embraer's E175 jet. Photo: Embraer
However, while Republic is facing some financial distress right now, it is likely to keep most or all of its outstanding aircraft orders, as Embraer's E175 jet remains profitable for regional airlines to operate. Furthermore, even if Republic had to cancel some of its orders, they would likely be picked up by other U.S. regional airlines.
Republic files for bankruptcyRegional airlines have faced a growing pilot shortage in recent years, due in part to low starting pay. Republic Airways was particularly hard hit last year because of an ugly battle with its labor union that prevented it from raising its first-year pilot pay.
Republic finally reached an agreement with its pilot union in late 2015. However, while the resulting pay increase helped somewhat in terms of hiring new pilots, the company was woefully understaffed by that point and couldn't catch up. This made it impossible for Republic to operate all the flights it had promised to fly for mainline partners like United Continental .
Republic hints at its strategyRepublic expects to continue business as usual while going through the bankruptcy process. To restructure successfully, it will need to match its aircraft fleet and flying commitments to the amount of flying it can handle based on pilot availability.
Given that pilot staffing is Republic's key constraint, the company has a strong incentive to keep its most profitable flying contracts (and the associated aircraft) while dumping more marginal ones.
This means that Republic is likely to accelerate its shift toward a single fleet type consisting of Embraer's E170 and E175 jets. Indeed, in the press release announcing its Chapter 11 filing, the company stated, "Our restructuring will maintain Republic as the world's largest operator of EJET aircraft."
Republic Airways will retire its last Q400 turboprops this year.
Republic had already planned to remove all of its Q400 turboprops within the next couple of quarters. It had also intended to retire its fleet of 50-seat Embraer 145 jets by mid-2016, but last year, Delta Air Lines unexpectedly extended Republic Airways' contract to operate these marginally profitable jets until 2021.
Republic's best move is to get out of its E145 contract in order to free up pilots to fly the more profitable E170 and E175 jets. These two models are the most popular regional jets today due to their wider seats, tall ceilings, and low operating costs. They also share the same type rating, so pilots can fly either model without the need for retraining.
Republic's E175 orders are safeAt the end of 2015, Republic Airways had 28 outstanding E175 orders with Embraer, with deliveries scheduled for 2016 and 2017. Embraer has already delivered four E175s to Republic in the first two months of the year, leaving 24 firm orders in its backlog.
These orders are probably safe. The operational and financial benefits of operating a single fleet type and the relative profitability of the E175 should push Republic to keep growing its E175 fleet, even as it shrinks overall.
Republic Airways will standardize its fleet on the E170 and E175 jets. Image source: Republic Airways.
Additionally, it's important to remember that Republic is ultimately operating regional flights on behalf of major airlines. Its current E175 orders are part of a contract with United Continental. Even if Republic can't or won't buy the remaining E175s it has ordered, United still needs these planes to retire older, less-efficient jets in its regional fleet.
As a result, if Republic were to reject any of its remaining E175 orders, United Continental would probably find another regional airline to operate those planes. Today, Republic is one of three companies operating E175 regional flights for United. There might be some changes to the timing of the delivery schedule, but Republic's woes aren't likely to change United's long-term regional fleet plan.
No major cause for concernIn short, Republic Airways will probably restructure by moving to a single fleet type of E170 and E175 jets. While this would entail getting rid of its smaller Embraer 145 jets, that model is already out of production, so it wouldn't matter much for Embraer.
The E170 and E175 planes (particularly the latter) remain in high demand among the big U.S. airlines for their regional fleets. That means Republic is likely to keep its existing orders with Embraer. And even if it has to cancel some E175 orders, United Continental or its other regional affiliates will step into the gap in short order.
The article Why Republic Airways' Bankruptcy Won't Hurt Embraer originally appeared on Fool.com.
Adam Levine-Weinberg owns shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira and United Continental Holdings, and is long July 2016 $25 calls on Embraer-Empresa Brasileira and long Jan. 2017 $40 calls on Delta Air Lines, The Motley Fool recommends Embraer-Empresa Brasileira. 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.
As the presidential candidates look to Super Tuesday, Ben Carson discusses what he sees as his path to victory.
The path to victory would be people awakening and recognizing that what we are offering is exactly what they asked for, someone who was an outsider, someone who could not be bought or sold, someone who has a life of achievement, the Republican presidential candidate told the FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney.
Carson addressed concerns he hasnt won a primary or caucus yet and cant win the nomination without delegates.
No question about that. But at the same time, recognize that my candidacy is non-traditional, this was not something that was part of my plan, but it was rather a response to millions of Americans and continues to be that. We have millions of people on social media pushing us to stay in, who are supporting us. Were bringing in a lot more money this month than we did last month.
Carson also discussed whether he would support Donald Trump if he were to become the Republican nominee.
Of course I would support whoever the nominee is. And that is something that all Republicans and conservatives must understand, that if they decide that no, Im not going to support this person, then they are voting for the other side.
On Varneys statement that it is not a unified party, Carson responded: No question. And I remember after the last debate, if you can call it that, so many of the international reporters asked me, arent you embarrassed, isnt this embarrassing for your country? You know, we have just reached a point where we dont seem to understand whats going on in the world anymore and its a little bit alarming. Its almost like the Roman Coliseum, and Rome was being destroyed and the people were only interested in what was going on in the coliseum.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith opened up to fans Monday about the medical scare he and his pregnant wife are currently going through with their unborn child. Smith and his wife Chanel, who are already parents to son TJ, were initially told by doctors that their baby had a 1 in 25 chance of trisomy 18.
I wasnt familiar with it, so I began to Google it while she was explaining what it was all about, Smith wrote in a blog post entitled Prayers Up. My heart dropped and my wife was in tears. I still had no worries because even though its high risk, I still viewed it as a 24-1 chance that he is fine.
Trisomy 18, also called Edwards syndrome, is a condition caused by an error in cell division and disrupts the normal pattern of development. It occurs in about 1 out of every 2,500 pregnancies in the United States, and can be fatal before birth, according to the Trisomy 18 Foundation. About 10 percent of children with trisomy survive their first birthday.
The Smiths returned to the doctor the next day where another test showed the odds were heightened to 1 in 10. After the initial shock, Smith said his wife began to show strength that made him realize they could handle whichever way the diagnosis went. The couple decided abortion was not an option, and they would carry the baby to term.
Being in this situation has changed the way I view everything about it. I realized I have no right to suggest to [Chanel] what she should do, Smith wrote. I can talk about the pros and cons of each, or maybe even make suggestions, but I couldnt pressure her one way or the other. When I realized that, it hurt me to the core. I feared I could lose both of them.
Four days later, tests revealed the initial and second diagnosis was wrong, their son, who theyve decided to name Kameron, does not have trisomy 18, but there may be other issues.
We are excited to know that our child has a shot at life and nothing else even matters. My wife is fearless waiting for the final test results. I never knew my admiration for her could grow any more than it did the day she gave birth to Torrey [TJ], he wrote.
Now we are praying that our little fighter continues to grow and we can meet him. Im praying for life, not for his health. A disability doesnt make you unhealthy; it just means you may have different challenges. We all have challenges, and we are ready for ours that will soon come. Prayers Up for Kameron!
Doctors are increasingly marrying other well-educated people with careers, and that may be exacerbating the shortage of doctors in already underserved rural areas of the U.S., suggests new research.
More than half of U.S. doctors are now married to other highly educated people, and those marriages are tied to a 38 percent reduced odds of the doctors working in rural underserved areas, researchers report in JAMA.
"It's making it increasingly difficult for rural areas to attract physicians," said lead author Douglas O. Staiger of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
The researchers used Census and survey records to study one percent of all employed physicians age 25 to 70 working in the U.S. every decade from 1960 to 2000 - totaling almost 20,000 doctors, and every year from 2005 to 2011 - totaling more than 55,000 doctors.
From the data, the researchers determined if a doctor's spouse had six or more years of college before 1990 or a master's degree or higher from 1990 to 2011.
They sorted rural Census blocks into primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Doctors with highly educated spouses increased from 9 percent in 1960 to 54 percent in 2010, and one third of highly educated spouses were also doctors consistently over time.
In 1960, 4 percent of married physicians were women, but that number rose to 31 percent in 2010. They were more likely than men to be married to a spouse with a graduate degree.
Between 2005 and 2011, about 11 percent of the U.S. population lived in Health Professional Shortage Areas, while only about 5 percent of doctors worked in these areas.
About 4 percent of married doctors with a highly educated spouse worked in underserved areas, compared to about 7 percent of married doctors without highly educated spouses.
Single, young, female, black and Hispanic doctors were also less likely to work in underserved areas, compared to married doctors without highly educated spouses.
"People have focused on lots of the other reasons for the physician shortage, and we were just trying to emphasize that an increasingly important barrier is this joint location issue for married couples who both have careers," Staiger said.
Cities offer more general amenities, higher average incomes and more opportunities for professional development, he said.
"People who haven't grown up in rural areas are unlikely to locate there, and fewer and fewer people have grown up in rural areas," he said.
But rural areas still need doctors, particularly primary care and urgent care doctors, he said. These areas try to attract doctors by offering more money.
Other ways to address the problem may include training nurse practitioners or other health professionals to act as primary care providers, or to use telemedicine to connect urban doctors to rural patients, Staiger said.
"A lot of research for decades has shown that the two most powerful factors are having grown up in a rural area and being committed to particular specialties that fit in a rural area, like family practice," said Dr. Howard Rabinowitz of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
"The first way people approach it is to try and preferentially admit to medical school students who are likely to go rural," said Rabinowitz, who was not part of the new study.
Some rural practices will pay off a doctor's student loans to attract them to the job, he told Reuters Health.
Identifying people who actually want to go rural and support them has been the most effective way to address the shortage so far, he said.
Justin and Dahlia Constantine had only known each other for a few months when he was deployed with his Marine Corps unit to Iraq in summer of 2006. They had met while taking a Spanish class in Argentina, where he had mentioned that he was a lawyer in the Marines but hadnt been deployed before. Less than two months after arriving in Al Anbar Province, Justin was shot by an enemy sniper behind his left ear, with the bullet exploding while exiting through his mouth.
I talked to everyone who was involved that day, apparently I was awake and I was still functioning at the time, trying to fight when I was in shock, Justin, 46, told FoxNews.com. I remember a little from that morning but I dont remember from the site when I was shot, I dont remember walking in to the aid station and communicating with doctors or anything like that.
A medic performed an emergency tracheotomy on Justin, saving his life during the live firefight. He was eventually airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany, which is when Dahlia, then enrolled in a doctoral program in Cambridge, England, would learn about his injury.
Justin was expected to return to base that night, promising hed call or send an email when he did. But as the day went on, Dahlia began to worry. Coming back from a conference she passed an American cemetery from World War II, and her heart sunk as she realized that something might have gone wrong. She eventually received an email from his mother with the subject Justins OK, but nobody had any idea as to what had happened. A few reports said that he had been killed in action.
Dahlia boarded a plane to Germany the next day and learned firsthand what had happened.
We were in a long-distance relationship, I was just eager to see him no matter what he looked like, Dahlia, 37, told FoxNews.com. I just missed him.
The doctor sat with me trying to explain that he was medicated, he wouldnt recognize me, that I wouldnt recognize him and trying to emotionally prepare me for what was about to happen, she said. They opened the door and he was bandaged from head to toe, except for one eye. I looked at that one eye and it was him.
Justin lost nearly all of his teeth, part of his jaw, his palate, the end of his tongue, and nearly all sight in his left eye. Doctors placed him on a feeding tube and in an induced coma. His vocal cord was also swollen, leaving doctors to believe he wouldnt be able to speak.
Everything else was a mess and a disaster, but it was him, and it was me, and we would be OK, Dahlia said.
Transitioning to a new life
The road to recovery and ensuing years would forge a bond between Justin and Dahlia that would connect them on a deep emotional level. Dahlia, a California native, dropped out of her program at Cambridge and followed him to Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland, to become his fulltime caregiver. Justin would undergo two dozen facial reconstruction procedures, including one to rebuild his jaw which involved taking bone and bone marrow from his leg and hip.
The transition home was difficult, as Justin had to learn how to rely on others for help. The Marine who lead eight other Marines into battle now had to wear a towel over his shoulder and down his front, because the injury to his jaw caused him to drool excessively. He cannot run, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury.
We didnt go out to eat in public for about a year because it was such an embarrassing situation for me, he said. I didnt like walking around in public because people would look and wonder what happen.
You have to get used to asking for help for everything, Justin said. Dahlia did everything helped me take my clothes off, helped me wash, helped me with PTSD, I needed Dahlias support in everything.
The couple spent many days during his recovery creating lists of places they wanted to visit and things they wanted to see. They wed in 2008, which was the same year Justin received a Purple Heart and wore his uniform for the first time since the injury.
The couple is also careful to say that Justins injury didnt necessarily change their outlook on life, because they had been positive from the start, which helped them through their dark days. However, the accident did help them realize that they needed to prioritize their lives and spend time doing more things together, which is true to this day. Just as importantly, they know they need to take time apart to appreciate what they have.
Some advice for caregivers in general, whether its your child, parents, spouse, is to take some time for yourself. Its much easier said than done, Dahlia said. I would go to Starbucks and have a coffee, even if its just 15 minutes a day, to rejuvenate and be a better caregiver and be better for yourself because you lose sight of yourself.
As they approach the 10-year anniversary of Justins injury, the Constantines dont have any grand plans to commemorate it. They honor it in their own way, but dont allow it to define them as a couple.
Justin retired from the Marines as a Lt. Colonel in 2013, and recently published his first book, My Battlefield, Your Office, which targets mid-level corporate managers and shares ways to become a better leader. Dahlia has enrolled at Colombia University to pursue the doctoral degree in education curriculum and teaching that she put aside to care for Justin.
We know we can tackle things now, we had the hard part up front, Dahlia said. Even when things get hard which they do because thats life we can go back and say look, we accomplished this, how do we do this and use those same ideas now.
They both work to give back to the community they live in, and are exploring the possibility of writing a book together. Justin is also a motivational speaker and works with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help returning soldiers, injured veterans and their caregivers find employment. He works extensively with veterans groups to help soldiers find available resources. Justin may undergo a few more facial surgeries for symmetry, but has stopped going to counseling as he feels he is in a much better place than he was when he returned.
He also credits Dahlia with helping him return to his former self.
She was there every single day, Justin said of Dahlia. That was a cornerstone to my recovery this isnt just for wounded warriors, this is for anyone having a loved one with you makes a huge difference in what youre going through.
Hannah Kiresuk, 19, was diagnosed with juvenile refractory myasthenia, a rare autoimmune neuromuscular disease, when she was a teen. Through her four years of treatment, Hammy, a stuffed cow toy, has stayed by her side as she endured more than 30 surgeries and procedures. Hammy went missing Sunday and Kiresuks family is hoping for the toys safe return before her next chemotherapy infusion on Friday which would be her first without the beloved toy.
Losing him is a BIG deal, hammy can't be replaced, Kiresuk, of Roseville, Minn., wrote on the Team Hannahs Courage Facebook page.
Hammy is lost Hannah needs hammy home! It will be her first chemo infusion without him if he's not back home Friday Posted by Team Hannah's courage on Sunday, February 28, 2016
Hammy has undergone the same medical procedures as Kiresuk, including excision of the bone cyst, eye surgery, thymectomy, fistula placement, and tracheostomy. The cow was created at the Minnesota State Fair and Kiresuk made his hospital gown out of her favorite baby shirt and two of the zipper pouches were made from her cats blanket.
He cant be replaced, I need him, she wrote on Sunday.
According to The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, myasthenia gravis (MG) patients nerves and muscles are unable to communicate properly, leading to muscular weakness. The disease occurs in about 10 in one million people, 10 percent of which are children.
Kiresuks MG worsened as she got older and shes now in chronic respiratory failure she is hooked up to a breathing machine 18 hours a day. According to her Facebook page, she receives most of her medical care in San Diego because of the severity of her disease. Shes also been diagnosed with a number of other illnesses, including reflex sympathetic dystrophy and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Kiresuk and her family hope she can receive a bone marrow transplant, one of few FDA-approved treatments for MG, according to her fundraising page on the Childrens Organ Transplant Association. Shes been denied coverage by insurance companies and the transplant would cost about $500,000. There is no known cure for MG.
Hammy fell out of Kiresuks bag Sunday as she was on her way to a benefit held in her honor in Minneapolis. Shes asked anyone who sees the stuffed animal to please contact her via her Facebook page.
Researchers are testing an intriguing new weapon for patients battling cancer: rigorous physical exercise.
Studies and clinical trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City aim to find out if a regimen of exercise training can inhibit or delay the spread of a malignant tumor and help prevent its recurrence. An early-stage trial currently under way involves 72 women with stage 4 breast cancer, which has spread to other parts of the body and is generally considered incurable.
Scientists say the research, part of an emerging field known as exercise oncology, could take years to prove a link between exercise and cancer. If successful, they hope exercise someday will become a standard of care in cancer treatment, along with conventional therapies such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
Previous studies have found, for example, that breast-cancer patients who exercise have a lower risk of recurrence and are less likely to die from their disease than women who are inactive. But the findings, from observational studies, arent definitive, experts say. Exercise also has been shown to help some cancer patients tolerate the debilitating effects of chemo and radiation treatments.
The new research at Sloan Kettering includes randomized, controlled studiesconsidered the gold standard for scientific inquiryseeking to prove that exercise can alter the biology of a tumor, thereby inhibiting or slowing its growth, says Lee Jones, who is leading the Sloan Kettering effort.
Dr. Jones, an exercise scientist with Sloan Ketterings Cardiology Service, whose research has focused on oncology, says studies with animals suggest the idea of reversing tumor growth with exercise may be possible. A study he co-authored, published last year in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that exercise statistically significantly reduced tumor growth in mice with breast cancer.
Some doctors caution that some cancer patients cant tolerate even moderate exercise. Chemo drugs can take a heavy toll on the body, for example, and cancers that metastasize to the bones could raise the risk of fractures, says Anne McTiernan, a doctor and researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle.
Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.
A Chinese toddler narrowly cheated death after tripping while holding a screwdriver, causing the tool to become lodged in her brain. Han Han, 1, was learning how to walk when she managed to get her hands on the tool, Central European News (CEN) reported.
The screwdriver pierced through the childs right cheek before becoming stuck in her brain. Han Han was initially crying after the accident, CEN reported, but eventually fell unconscious, causing her parents to fear the worst.
She was taken to Xuzhou Central Hospital where doctors convinced her worried parents to allow them to perform surgery.
Seven centimeters (2.75 inches) of the screwdriver were inside the childs skull, and three centimeters (1.2 inches) had penetrated her brain, Dr. Jiang Dehua, head neurosurgeon, told CEN. But luckily it missed her right eye and major blood vessels.
We could not just pull the screwdriver out that could have caused unforeseen complications so we eventually convinced the parents to let us operate, he said.
Surgeons took five hours to remove the tool, leaving Han Han, of Xuzhou City, in Chinas eastern Jiangsu Province, in stable condition with a good prognosis. Doctors are now monitoring for infection, CEN reported.
Shred the political playbook. The 2016 campaign will be remembered as the year in which the conventional wisdom was anything but wise. Most political pundits have been wrong. And almost every assumption about presidential campaigns since the birth of modern politics in 1960, with the first televised debate and widespread use of TV advertising, has been debunked. Our political catechism has been upended. Consider the following:
1. Money trumps all (pun intended).
When the Supreme Court ruled in the 2010 Citizens United case that corporations were people and therefore could spend unlimited amounts of money without disclosure, in some instances on political campaigns, Democrats and other critics warned that democracy was now for sale and that the candidate who raised the most money would invariably prevail over less well-funded contenders. Enter Jeb Bush, the Republican Partys inevitable nominee, who raised over $130 million for his campaign and Super Pac even before he formally declared. Eight months later, exit Jeb!, the low-energy candidate who, having spent the vast majority of the money he had raised, quit the race, dragging his exclamation point behind him. Donald Trump, by contrast, may be wealthy just how rich remains in dispute but he has spent less overall than any other candidate and, because of the nonstop coverage his slurs and antics have received, virtually nothing on TV advertising.
2. Organization is everything.
Ted Cruz was supposed to win all the early GOP contests because of his heavy investment in his ground game. But, with the exception of Iowa which he first visited in 2008, only months after being elected a first-term senator from Texas organization, like money, has meant little this year. Cruz won Iowa thanks to a large evangelical turnout after Trump skipped what turned out to be a critical debate days before the nations first caucus, but he has steadily faded ever since. Polls suggest that Trump won in Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina with the most modest of campaign ground organizations because of his powerful slogan of American revitalization; because he is seen as a consummate political outsider, a blunt businessman who says what ordinary people think, a problem-solver and anti-politician; and because of his celebrity status and tempestuous rallies, complete with the by now almost ritualistic ejection of a protester. While Trump has repeatedly flown to primary states in his private jet, he rarely spends a night outside his baronial residence on Fifth Avenue.
3. Endorsements matter.
Apparently not this year. Almost no establishment politician endorsed Trump during the first two primaries. The only other celebrity politician who rallied to Trumps side was Sarah Palin, whose rambling, incoherent 45-minute endorsement prior to the Iowa caucus, if anything, may have cost him votes there. Marco Rubio, the candidate who has garnered the most endorsements, has yet to win a primary and is unlikely to do so, despite his growing support from a still reeling Republican establishment.
4. You cant run against the media.
Trump has mocked this political platitude, repeatedly. If anything, one of the bumptious billionaires most reliable applause lines is his frequent declaration that the media are terrible, among the most dishonest groups of people hes ever met. Apparently his rivals have gotten the message. During the debate in Houston last Thursday, every candidate except John Kasich, who is running a poor fifth except in his home state of Ohio, attacked the press.
5. A candidate cant prevail with high negatives.
Quite the contrary. In 2016, given Americas deep political polarization, no candidate seems able to win without high negatives. The nations bitter frustration seems to require candidates to make increasingly stark, even extreme, appeals. The GOP field has no shortage of candidates with high positive ratings, especially Ben Carson and Marco Rubio, neither of whom has carried a single state primary or caucus. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders has far higher favorability ratings than Hillary Clinton, who in poll after poll is widely viewed by potential voters of most ages, ethnicities and genders as untrustworthy and perhaps even dishonest. Yet Clinton got 73.5 percent of the Democratic vote in South Carolina on Saturday.
Many Trump critics continue to assert that he will ultimately stumble, because no candidate can win his partys nomination or be elected to the nations highest office without substantial political experience. While the 2008 election of a junior senator from Illinois whose resume featured only a brief stint as a community organizer began to challenge that political bromide, the crucial primaries on March 1 and March 15 will be the ultimate referee.
Given the pundits predictive record so far, a degree of humility is in order. Trump, once the unthinkable, may soon become inevitable. For better or worse, the 2016 race is anything but politics as usual.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will take up a major abortion case, Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt. Even without Justice Scalias feisty presence, sparks will be flying. At issue is a Texas law that simply requires abortion clinics to meet the same reasonable health and safety standards as other outpatient surgical clinics. Abortion, after all, is an invasive surgical procedure requiring anesthesia, and one that results in 3,000 women annually being sent to the hospital due to complications, according to Planned Parenthoods research affiliate the Guttmacher Institute. Some of these complications are life threatening.
Yet pro-choice advocates, claiming to speak for women, have fought against these safety standards, right up to the highest court in the land. They argue that a majority of clinics in Texas will have to shut down because they dont meet the safety standards. Really? Thats quite an admission. Advocates for womens health are fighting to continue to send women to clinics that offer substandard care?
Lets review a little recent history to see why the Texas law was passed in the first place. The abortion industry, because of politics surrounding the issue, has traditionally operated under a shroud of secrecy with little oversight from health regulators. Abortion clinics do not tend to attract the medical professions best and brightest; in fact, they attract a disproportionate number of incompetent and even grossly negligent doctors. Inept, unscrupulous doctors dealing with women at a vulnerable time, with very little regulatory oversight -- its a deadly combination. Literally.
If Karnamaya Mongar were still alive, we could ask her if there should have been more regulatory oversight of Dr. Kermit Gosnells abortion clinic in Philadelphia, where she suffered deadly uterine and bowel perforation. His notoriously unsanitary clinic operated for 17 years without a health inspection, and finally received a visit from regulators only after he was snagged for unrelated offenses related to his dealing in illegal prescription drugs.
I wonder what 22-year-old Semika Shaw would think of the clinic regulations before the Court, but we cant ask her either because she, too, died at the hands of Dr. Gosnell. Semikas cousin, who happens to be a Democrat state legislator in Pennsylvania, pushed for clinic safety regulations just like those in the Texas law, arguing, Today I honor (my cousins) memory by voting yes on this legislation, that seeks to safeguard the health of women so that never again will a woman walk into a licensed health care facility in the State of Pennsylvania and be butchered as she waswith her uterus perforated and her death of sepsis and infection.
The abortion lobby quickly disowned Gosnell, calling him an outlier. He may have been particularly gross in his malpractice, but unfortunately, there are Gosnell types crawling all over the abortion industry.
Consider other cases, most only known because Gosnells publicity caused some regulators to take a closer look behind the veil of the abortion industry. Two more abortionists at a Gosnell-affiliated clinic in Delaware, Drs. Albert Sworkin and Arturo Apolinario, had their medical licenses revoked for unscrupulous and illegal practices.
Around the same time, two nurses at Planned Parenthood clinics in Delaware quit, citing unsafe and unsanitary abortions after 5 women ended up in the hospital that year due to botched abortions. One of those negligent doctors, Timothy Liveright, also operated clinics in California, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Dr. Liveright was accused by the Delaware deputy attorney general of incompetence and negligence and of being an immediate danger to the public, as well as sexual misconduct, but it seems hes been re-hired by a California Planned Parenthood where he apparently currently works!
Another woman who would have benefited from tighter abortion regulations is 29-year-old kindergarten teacher, Jennifer Morbelli, who tragically died in February of 2013 at the hands of Dr. Leroy Carhart in Maryland. After publicity surrounding Morbellis death, four clinics in Maryland were shut down in March, then allowed to reopen again before being shuttered again in May, but only after yet another woman died at a Baltimore clinic. One of the doctors had previously been suspended for unwanted sexual contact with patients.
Also in 2013, Dr. Robert Alexanders abortion clinic in Michigan was cited for violations including filthy conditions, and reports of a botched abortion resulting in uterine rupture (and a live birth oops, babies that survive are not supposed to happen during an abortion). Dr. Alexander, according to the Huffington Post, had previously lost his medical license twice and served time in prison for prescription drug dealing.
Two more Michigan abortion clinics operated by Dr. Reginald Sharpe were closed in 2013 after the discovery of illegally dumped fetal remains. Dr. Sharpes distinguished medical career included a previous suspension of his medical license and a lawsuit due to the perforation of a 26-year-old womans uterus resulting in her death.
In Ohio, Capital Care Network abortion was cited for multiple violations of basic health and safety standards in 2013. After complications at another Ohio clinic in 2014, 22-year-old Lakisha Wilson died. Look back a little further to find the death of Tonya Reaves at a Chicago Planned Parenthood in 2012 (Planned Parenthood was forced to pay a $2 million settlement), the drugs decades past their expiration dates, inadequate or inoperable equipment at Dr. Soleiman Solis clinic in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, and the complaints of serial disregard for health regulations at Dr. Steven Brighams clinic in Allentown. Dr. James Pendergraft had his medical license suspended in Virginia and was convicted of attempted extortion, but apparently continues to run multiple abortion clinics in Florida. Dr. Brian Finkel of Arizona was convicted on 22 counts of sexually abusing 30 patients over 17 years.
There is a pattern of little regulation and oversight, and dodgy doctors who lose a license in one state but set up shop in another, until women end up abused, in the hospital or the morgue. The Court should uphold the Texas law, which would help weed out the creepy cast of characters posing as purveyors of womens health care.
I was going to write about how the Republican presidential campaign has become gutter politics, but given Donald Trumps horrid statements, the gutter would be a step up, because things have descended into the sewer.
Never in modern times has there been a presidential candidate who has hurled more personal insults and hurtful accusations at his fellow candidates and others who disagree with him. It should embarrass a normal person, but Trump appears beyond embarrassment.
He criticizes Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, for dropping the F-bomb when he did the same thing during the New Hampshire primary campaign. He attacks Marco Rubio for repeating himself when Trump repeats himself repeatedly. He has criticized the personal appearance of Carly Fiorina, Rosie ODonnell and Arianna Huffington, among others, when he isnt much to look at. He tosses out words like loser and during the Houston debate responded to a question from radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt by saying no one listens to his program and his ratings are lousy.
The country is not served by such language. Neither does the political debate format serve the public when it resembles a cage match rather than a serious discussion about the multiple challenges facing America. There must be a better way to elect a president than this.
Bully backs blowhard for president, was the headline on The Daily Beast, referring to New Jersey Governor Chris Christies endorsement of Trump.
What continues to amaze is the strong backing of Trump by so many evangelicals. If their church members behaved as Trump does, they would receive a serious talking to by the deacons or pastor and if they didnt repent and change their ways they might face expulsion. With Trump, most evangelical leaders have remained largely silent, offering neither criticism nor praise. This is what can happen when some pastors who are called to a different kingdom and a different King settle for an earthly kingdom and lesser king.
Does anyone know what Donald Trumps position is on anything? Do they care? Apparently not from the sycophants who cheer his every insult at packed rallies around the country. He belittles, he whines and he complains that some in the media dont treat him fairly when he has been on TV more than all of the other candidates combined. The reason for all the coverage he receives? He gets big ratings and the networks live for ratings.
One of the few evangelical leaders to take Trump on is San Antonio pastor and best-selling author, Max Lucado. In a recent blog post, Lucado says Trumps antics wouldnt even be acceptable for a middle-school student body election.
In an interview with Christianity Today, Lucado was asked why he published his post, which he titled Decency for President. While saying he doesnt bring politics into his church, he said he felt the need to speak out because of Trumps derision of people, adding, It would be none of my business, I would have absolutely no right to speak up except that he repeatedly brandishes the Bible and calls himself a Christian.
If hes going to call himself a Christian one day and call someone a bimbo the next or make fun of somebodys menstrual cycle, its just beyond reason to me.
Beyond reason best describes the Trump campaign. It also explains the fealty so many have for a man with whom one hopes they have nothing in common from his lifestyle, to his indecipherable politics, to his fact-challenged pronouncements.
In past elections some voters have complained about being forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. If the nominee for the Democratic Party is Hillary Clinton, and if Republicans select Donald Trump, this election may force voters to choose between the least evil of two lessers.
Free speech isnt free the saying goes. Certainly not when we count on private institutions like colleges, Twitter or Facebook to keep it that way.
Twitter is in an uproar as conservatives are exiled, silenced or abandon the venue in protest. Facebook is increasingly using its power to silence views it opposes. And colleges, once bastions of freedom, now limit speech they dont like and intimidate those who dare speak out.
Conservative Ben Shapiro got a scary reminder of just how bad things are. He was first disinvited from California State University, Los Angeles and then needed police escort to protect him and his supporters last Thursday from berserk lefty protesters intent on disruption.
The left wants to turn the world into one giant unsafe space for anything they oppose. And its working.
This fight has been especially visible on campuses. Mizzous resident academic activist Melissa Click just found out that she had lost her job for urging an assault on a student photographer. That was some rare good news.
Williams College went from protecting free speech to dropping a speaker because allegedly many of his expressions clearly constitute hate speech.
On most colleges, that means you dare disagree with the party line.
As Shapiro found out recently. Left wingers tried shouting, blocking doors, pulling a fire alarm and even violence to stop the Breitbart editor from speaking. -- If conservatives had treated Black Lives Matter protesters this way, it would have become a major national news story. Instead, journalists just dont care.
But conservatives have to. Silencing conservative speakers, attacking Christians or Israel supporters, even shutting down Chick-fil-A have all become part of the lefty academic handbook.
The University of South Carolina even interrogated two of its own students for a free speech event about campus censorship.
The fight online is just as rough.
Twitter was founded nearly 10 years ago and has grown into an essential site for breaking news with 320 million active users. But PC executives seem intent on breaking what they built.
To address complaints of harassment and cyber bullying, the company created the Soviet-sounding "Trust & Safety Council," including groups like GLAAD, which despises the right.
Twitter unverified Breitbart technology editor Milo Yiannopouloss account in January and ignored repeated requests to reinstate it.
It was a shot across the bow of the conservative movement.
Popular blogger Robert Stacy McCain was suspended and then kicked off of Twitter for the vague thought crime of violating the Twitter Rules. The hashtag #FreeStacy trended for a while on Twitter. Even his book account was shut down.
Conservative actor Adam Baldwin called to disband the 'Trust and Safety' Council, and said he was quitting Twitter. Baldwin, who starred in the cult classic "Firefly" and the current apocalyptic drama "The Last Ship," has been one of Hollywoods more visible conservatives. And now Sci-fi author Larry Correia all-but shut his account down in sympathy.
Conservative blogger Ace of Spades declared: I no longer use Twitter except to exploit it as a promotional tool. It's for ads only. Censorship is the art of idiots, cowards, and thugs.
Somehow new Twitter CEO claims, Twitter stands for freedom of expression. Really?
Facebook, while not as bad, seems to be trying to catch up. The lefty organization once instituted more than 50 gender options to placate its supporters. It recently took down the page for the controversial comic Viz and shut down sales of guns on the site. It has also been slow to pull posts attacking Jewish people. Remember, anti-Semitism remains a liberal virtue.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is now fighting a PC war against his own staff after incidents in which employees crossed out Black Lives Matter and wrote All Lives Matter on the walls of the company's Menlo Park, Calif., campus, according to USA Today.
Things will only get worse. Americans have turned over our constitutional rights to third party tech companies that pretend to believe in free exchange, but really bow to every left-wing agenda. And we can no longer trust to academia. Administrators have made it clear the 60s free speech movement is dead and only liberal speech is now welcome.
Ultimately, when free speech isnt free, neither are we.
Isnt it obvious?
As an act of political theater, President Obama should pick Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. Then the nation will find out if McConnells distaste for the president is so great that he is willing to obstruct his own nomination to punish Obama.
At the moment, McConnell, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and the majority of the Senate GOP conference are continuing their strategy of obstructing anything and everyone associated with this president.
By pledging not to hold confirmation hearings for any Obama nominee to the high court, McConnell has reached new depths of disdain for the president. That is saying something. Remember, during the presidents first term, McConnell said his greatest aspiration as leader of the Senate was preventing Obama from winning a second term.
Now McConnells view of responsibly governing descends to the unprecedented low of refusing any Obama nominee the courtesy of a simple visit to the Senate for an introductory meeting.
For all of you who have been paying attention for the last seven years, there is little news in the McConnell and Tea Party-effort to obstruct the twice-elected president. What is newsworthy is that the strategy has now reached a nadir that involves a vulgar show of disrespect for the constitution, the presidency and the courts.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest pulled no punches last week when he told reporters this would be a historic and unprecedented acceleration of politicizing a branch of government [the Supreme Court] thats supposed to be insulated from politics. Earnest also noted on Twitter that every Supreme Court nominee since 1875 has received a hearing or a vote.
Obama himself tweeted a petition calling for McConnell to reconsider: Refusing to even consider the President's Supreme Court nominee is unprecedented. Tell the Senate: #DoYourJob.
Doing the job of allowing the nations courts to function does not seem to be on the GOP agenda.
As Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell recently reported: 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.
A year of 4-4 rulings by the divided Supreme Court will negate the constitutional role of the high court. The courts docket in the coming year contains high-profile cases on everything from congressional redistricting to lifting the threat of deportation from 5 million undocumented immigrants to the collective bargaining rights of unions. In the absence of a Supreme Court ruling on these cases, the lower courts rulings will be the law of the land.
That is in direct contravention of the power placed in the high court by the founding fathers.
Republicans like to cite a speech by Vice President Biden, when he was in the Senate, calling for Republicans not to appoint a Supreme Court justice in the last year of a presidency. And when President Obama was in the Senate, he gave support to the idea of a filibuster to stop a high court nominee.
But that GOP charge of hypocrisy falls flat in both cases. In Bidens 1992 speech, he was not referring to an actual nominee but discussing a hypothetical vacancy. And when Senator Obama gave support to a possible filibuster in 2006, the GOP nominee to the high court, Samuel Alito, was not only given hearings but confirmed by the Republican majority in the Senate.
In addition, there was no pattern of persistent obstruction by the Democrats of all federal court nominations, in addition to ambassadorships and other top federal jobs. For example, despite the Republican lament about the slow economic recovery, the Senates banking committee has not confirmed a single nominee in this Congress to the Federal Reserve or other top agencies handling the nations economic concerns.
McConnell and Grassleys obstruction of Obamas judicial nominees for lower courts has already created a crisis in which there arent enough judges on the federal bench to hear cases requiring timely adjudication.
While this intransigence may have delighted the House Freedom Caucus, their Senate allies and cheerleaders in the conservative media, it is not a sound strategy if McConnell hopes to preserve the GOPs Senate majority.
A Pew Research poll from last week found that the majority of Americans, 56 percent, say McConnells Senate should hold hearings and vote on [President] Obamas nominee. Just 38 percent agree with McConnells "no hearings, no vote" approach.
Those findings track with a Fox News poll that found 62 percent of all Americans want the opening on the court filled by an Obama nominee, whoever that may be including 61 percent of independents. The same poll found that position was held by just 36 percent of self-described Republicans.
Senate Republicans up for reelection in November include Ohios Rob Portman and Pennsylvanias Pat Toomey.
A PPP poll from last week shows that 58 percent of voters in Ohio and 57 percent in Pennsylvania think that Scalias Supreme Court seat should be filled this year.
The real political poison for incumbents like Portman and Toomey is how strongly independent voters oppose the hardline McConnell approach. A whopping 70 percent of Ohio independents and 60 percent of Pennsylvania independents say the new justice should be named this year, according to PPP.
Those numbers constitute a harsh verdict on the GOP congressional failure to responsibly govern. The result may be another Democrat in the White House and a return to a Democratic-majority in the Senate.
There was a time in American politics when the term socialism conjured up images of the Cold War, the U.S.S.R, Joseph Stalin and Karl Marx, nuclear threats, government domination of private industry and gulags. For most Americans who came of age during the height of the Cold War, who remember being taught to hide under their desks at school, socialism like communism has long been a dirty word.
But, as the popularity of Bernie Sanders shows, that is no longer the case especially when it comes to millennials, for whom socialism has a whole new meaning.
Sanders has run a far more competitive primary campaign against Hillary Clinton than anyone thought possible. He not only trounced her in the New Hampshire primary, but he came in a very close second in the Iowa caucuses. He has raised millions in small donations and is drawing crowds that in size and enthusiasm are second only to Donald Trumps.
What is perhaps even more shocking is that Sanders is a self-described Democratic Socialist who, far from running from the label, has embraced it. As he told The Nation, Im not afraid of the word.
He later gave a speech at Georgetown University where he defined and explained the term: Let me define for you what democratic socialism means to me. It builds on what Franklin Delano Roosevelt said when he fought for guaranteed economic rights for all Americans.
Sanders seems to be on to something. The latest polls show that rather than rejecting the term, Democratic voters are embracing it.
A poll commissioned by the American Action Network finds that almost 60 percent of likely Democratic primary voters believe socialism has a positive impact on society. This is particularly true among voters 45 and younger, who prefer socialism to capitalism by 46 to 19 percent, as well as those 46-55 who prefer it 48 to 22 percent. These findings are in line with other polls, including a survey of likely Democratic primary voters in Pennsylvania which found that approximately 70 percent have a favorable or somewhat favorable view of socialism. Similarly, a Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register poll taken in early January found that more Iowa Democratic caucus goers identify as socialist (43 percent) than capitalist (38 percent).
One question these polls raise is: What explains the sudden popularity on the left of a term that was once forbidden? Part of it may have to do with the way the term is defined and understood by younger generations of Democrats.
Far from equating socialism with communism (something that was once so common, even Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels used the terms interchangeably), today the term is much more closely associated with the notions of democracy, equity and justice. As Sanders often says, an increasing number of Democrats now see democratic socialism as the path to creating a more just and equitable society.
In making this case, Sanders often harkens back to FDR: [Roosevelt] saw one-third of the nation ill-housed, ill-clad and ill-nourished and he acted, against the ferocious opposition of the ruling class of his day. Roosevelt implemented a series of programs that put millions of Americans back to work, took them out of dire poverty and restored their faith in government. Almost every program he produced, every idea he introduced, was called socialist.
Despite being its current and most popular proponent, Sanders did not invent this notion by any means. In 1962 Michael Harrington published The Other America, in which he argued that the problems of the American underclass, defined by poverty and inequality, were the result of an unregulated capitalist system, and that they could be solved only by a government that redesigned and refocused itself to promote equality and social justice.
Harringtons work was not only a precursor to Lyndon Johnsons Great Society, but it had a profound impact on Martin Luther King and many others.
Also, it is eerily similar in tone and rhetoric to the arguments Sanders is making today. And without question in the aftermath of the 2008 economic recession, years of war and the Occupy Wall Street movement, among other things it is a message that resonates with many on the left who, like those on the right, feel America is on the wrong track. And for whom the notion of a socialist state does not conjure up Stalin, Marx, the Bolsheviks, gulags and state-control of production, but rather economic equality and social justice in as Sanders likes to say the European sense.
Justice delayed for Army sergeant who defended Afghan boy from rapist
By ,
The old Army adage, Hurry up and wait, applies once again to a decorated Green Beret who protected an Afghan boy from a child molester only to see his actions jeopardize his military career.
A decision from the military on the fate of Sgt. First Class Charles Martland was due Tuesday, but now has been put off for a third time, until at least May 1. Martland, an 11-year Special Forces veteran, was stationed in Afghanistan in 2011 when he confronted a local police commander who allegedly had raped a 12-year-old boy.
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-Calif., whose office has been assisting Martland, told FoxNews.com earlier this month. Permitting Charles to continue serving is in the best interest of the Army and the nation.
Martland is not being discharged specifically for the incident, but having it on his record put him on the chopping block amid ongoing military cuts.
A spokesman for Hunter noted that Vice President Biden appeared with Lady Gaga at the Academy Awards Sunday and spoke out about sexual abuse, urging the crowd to intervene in situations where consent cannot or has not been given.
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.
The 2011 incident occurred at the remote outpost where Martland was stationed. The 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 identified 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. When Martland and Quinn roughed him up, Rahman reported them.
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 more than 300,000 signatures in a petition calling for the decision to be overturned.
URL
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/justice-delayed-for-army-sergeant-who-defended-afghan-boy-from-rapist
On the eve of Super Tuesday, the State Department released the final installment of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's emails from her private server, bringing the total to more than 2,000 emails containing classified information.
The 261 new classified emails are among the approximately 1,700 emails in 3,800 pages released by State Department in the 14th, and final, Clinton email release.
Mondays release brings the total number of classified Clinton emails to 2,080 among the more than 52,000 pages of emails she turned in to the State Department last year.
In releasing the final batch of 3,800 documents, the department also settled a long-running dispute over one sensitive email as intelligence agencies dropped a months-long demand an exchange on North Korea's nuclear program be designated "top secret," the highest level of classification.
The State Department, which had insisted the information was not classified at all, partially won its battle over the document as the intelligence community revised its initial assessment and determined the information was "secret," the next lower classification.
"Based on subsequent review, the intelligence community revisited its earlier assessment," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters. He added: "The original assessment was not correct and the document does not contain top secret information."
The announcement came a day before Clinton competes in 11 Democratic primary contests. She is the front-runner to win the Democratic presidential nomination.
The department faced a Monday deadline set by a federal judge to release the final documents from the private server Clinton exclusively used while in government. Clinton aides went through her emails and turned over the ones they determined to be work-related.
The North Korea email is one of two that Charles I. McCullough, lead auditor for U.S. intelligence agencies, identified last year as particularly problematic. The other concerned the CIA's drone program and led to officials classifying 22 emails from Clinton's private account last month as "top secret." They were withheld from publication.
The State Department claims that no emails Clinton wrote or received were marked as classified at the time of transmission, which Clinton has repeatedly cited in her own defense.
Intelligence officials however tell Fox News this is a dubious claim, and that all the emails were born classified.
As with earlier releases, Monday's contained emails with information that has been upgraded to "secret" and "confidential." 261 were so identified, bring the total of such upgrades to more than 2,050 for the entire set. No material in Monday's release contained documents with information now deemed "top secret."
However, the current batch did include one message with an attachment that purported to be a classified note that Tom Donilon, Obama's national security adviser, slipped into Jerusalem's Wailing Wall on a trip to Israel in 2012.
However, officials said the attachment along with its contents were, in fact, a joke sent to Clinton by an aide.
The attachment is addressed to "Hashem," a Hebrew word for God, and includes inside jokes poking fun at then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and Clinton's top Asia aide, Kurt Campbell. It bears a "TOP SECRET" stamp.
"This document, and the email chain to which it was attached, are unclassified," a State Department official said. "This document is not a real note. It is a joke written by Secretary Clinton's communications adviser, Philippe Reines, and was attached to an email chain discussing senior officials' travel to Israel in July 2012." The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.
On the North Korea document, Kirby stressed that the exchange had only been "provisionally" upgraded in classification, suggesting the department doesn't even fully accept the lesser finding.
"The information available to diplomats and the judgments they form do not necessarily need to be classified just because there are parallel intelligence sources," Kirby said.
In addition to portions of that document being censored, one email between Clinton and President Barack Obama was also withheld from publication on Monday, bringing to 19 the total of such messages that have been kept private to protect the president's ability to receive advice from his aides.
Those emails are not classified and will be released eventually like other presidential records.
Another email on an unidentified law enforcement matter was also withheld from Monday's release, which was done in accordance with Freedom of Information Act standards. Kirby said that one also is unclassified.
In another exchange at the end of 2009, Clinton received some early advice from her confidant Sidney Blumenthal on how to take a "different approach" from President Obama in dealing with the aftermath of the attempted bombing of a Delta Airlines flight in Detroit.
Blumenthal encouraged Clinton to channel her inner John F. Kennedy following the aftermath of the botched Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, saying that JFK took personal responsibility for the failure and encouraged her to do the same.
"Don't blame anyone in public! he encouraged Clinton.
He added that said President Obama's refusal to take responsibility for the underwear bomber was a "failure."
Years later, critics faulted Hillary Clinton for not taking personal responsibility immediately following the terrorist attack on her consulate in Libya, killing the ambassador and three other Americans.
The White House refused to let Clinton hire Blumenthal to join her team officially. Instead, he relayed advice to her on the private server.
Late last year Clinton told the Benghazi Select Committee the emails and advice from Blumenthal were "unsolicited."
In another email, Sid told Clinton the "very clever" Denis McDonough then working in the National Security Council was "inadvertently" setting up the president "for a fall."
He also accused New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd of a drive by shooting, which he called a drive-by "machine gunning."
Fox News Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Seventeen months before he was killed in the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, Ambassador Chris Stevens was seriously considering leaving the country as its civil war widened.
The ambassador's concerns are reflected in emails sent to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's inner circle. The emails were released by the State Department Monday as part of the 14th and final batch of messages from Clinton's private server.
One email in particular, dated April 10, 2011, relays Stevens' safety concerns to the State Department. It was sent by a State Department official named Timmy Davis to several key Clinton aides, including Jake Sullivan, now the top foreign policy adviser on Clinton's presidential campaign, and Huma Abedin.
The message, with the subject line "Stevens update" reads, in part, "The situation in Ajdabiyah [a town approximately 90 miles southeast of Benghazi] has worsened to the point where Stevens is considering departure from Benghazi. The envoy's delegation is currently doing a phased checkout (paying the hotel bills, moving some comms to the boat, etc) ... He will wait 2-3 more hours, then revisit the decision on departure."
The message from Davis indicates there is heavy sniper fire and shelling in Ajdabiyah. According to the message, Stevens is apparently trying to see if this is an irreversible situation. Departure would send a significant political signal that the U.S. had lost confidence in Libya's Transitional National Council, which oversaw the rebel forces fighting to overthrow dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
Davis' message was forwarded to Clinton by Abedin. The secretary of state's response is not known.
The latest email release also indicates that State Department official Wendy Sherman sent at least one classified email to Clinton in August 2012. The email, which Sherman sent with the attached message, "I don't usually forward emails such as below", dealt with Egyptian troop movements.
Sherman, who left the State Department this past October, led the U.S. delegation at last summer's nuclear talks with Iran. Fox News previously reported that Sherman appears in a 2013 State Department video saying that in the interest of speed, Clinton and her aides shared information that "would never be on an unclassified system" normally.
Another revelation in the latest email dump is that Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal urged Clinton to approve the showing of Usama bin Laden's death photos to members of Congress after the Al Qaeda leader was killed by Navy SEALs in May 2011.
In an email to Clinton, Blumenthal argued that the photos would provide a boost to President Obama's political capital ahead of that summer's lengthy debt ceiling fight with the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
"Having the members file through [a special secure room] will provide testimony to the President's feat," Blumenthal wrote in the May 5, 2011 message. "They will be not only be acknowledging but also enhancing his power. They will in effect become liegemen bowing before him, but not in any way they will resent or will protest. They will serve as witnesses to the magnitude of what he has done."
Members of Senate and House committees who deal with intelligence and military matters were later invited to view the photos, but they have not been made public.
State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday that one additional email between Clinton and Obama was withheld from the final batch of messages, bringing the total number of such messages to 19.
Kirby also said that 52,000 pages of emails, not 55,000 as previously stated, have been released to the public from Clinton's private server, which was kept in her bathroom in her Chappaqua, N.Y. home. Kirby said 55,000 was a "colloquial" term used previously by the State Department and the real number of pages is between 52 or 53,000.
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Ahead of a possible make-or-break Super Tuesday, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign announced that it had raised more than $42 million in February.
Sanders' campaign claimed the total was the most raised in a single month by any of the 2016 candidates, adding that the self-described democratic socialist had received more than $6 million in donations on the final day of the month.
Not only are we going to smash Secretary [Hillary] Clintons personal goal of raising $50 million in the first quarter of 2016, our supporters are putting Bernie on the path to win the nomination, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said in a statement.
Sanders' campaign has made much of its reliance on small donations, and the candidate himself has contrasted his comparatively shoestring fundraising operation with the far wealthier Clinton campaign.
Since thumping Clinton by 20 points in the New Hampshire primary, Sanders has seen his fortunes fade. He suffered a narrow loss in the Nevada caucuses and a blowout defeat in Saturday's South Carolina primary.
Even Sanders' wife, Jane, admitted Monday that her husband's campaign faces a "rough map", with most of Tuesday's nominating contests taking place in states expected to favor Clinton. However, Sanders has vowed to carry on his run through this summer's Democratic convention.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
David Duke, a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, denied Monday that he had formally endorsed Republican front-runner Donald Trump, but said he would vote for the real estate mogul and had encouraged others to do the same.
"When you say you endorse someone you're basically endorsing the person and basically people get the impression you're endorsing everything about them," Duke told Fox News Radio's "The Alan Colmes Show" Monday night. "I think that voting sometimes is not a question of endorsing someone, but sometimes you vote strategically."
Trump was criticized over the weekend by his opponents as well as by several prominent Republicans for failing to immediately repudiate Duke's support. Trump said Monday he had not understood the interviewer who first raised the question about Duke, and he did later repudiate him. "How many times do I have to continue to disavow people?" he said.
"I don't know if [Trump] ever studied me, my writings or what I've actually said," Duke said Monday.
When asked what he would say to Trump if given the chance, Duke responded, "I would say, 'Donald Trump, we hope you keep all your promises. You've spoken like no other candidate in recent history.'" The former Louisiana state representative and gubernatorial candidate did criticize Trump for what he described as "lip service to Israel."
Duke spoke on the eve of Super Tuesday, when 13 states hold presidential nominating contests to award 595 delegates in the Republican race.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rarely have the stakes been so high in a race for second place.
Barring a seismic shift in voter sentiment, Donald Trump is expected to dominate the Republican primary field on Super Tuesday, adding to his already-sizable delegate lead but Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are battling fiercely to be the definitive alternative to take on Trump in what could be a bruising, to-the-convention fight for the future of the party.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who's expressed low expectations for Super Tuesday -- though his presence continues to frustrate efforts by Rubio and Cruz to consolidate support -- remains in the race in hopes of making it to the Ohio contest in two weeks.
Super Tuesday was never anything that we ever thought was going to be some great thing for us, Kasich openly acknowledged to Fox News on Tuesday, also telling Fox Business Network there's "zero chance" he'd be anyone's running mate.
Rubio, too, is looking ahead to the March 15 contest in his home state, even planning to hold his primary night rally there Tuesday.
But first, hell need to stay competitive with Cruz in the 11 Super Tuesday states awarding 595 total delegates.
Theres at least one state he stands a decent chance of winning, according to recent polling, and that is Minnesota. Rubio was holding a rally there Tuesday before heading to Miami.
Cruz, meanwhile, is the odds-on favorite in his home state of Texas which, with 155 delegates, is the biggest prize of the night. In a sign of his expectations, Cruz planned his election night party in Stafford, Texas.
But because delegates can be allocated proportionally in the Super Tuesday contests (provided the winners margin of victory is not colossal), Rubio and Cruz both want to rack up a substantial number of second-place finishes.
A Rubio campaign aide told Fox News they are "focused on only one thing today: delegates."
The polling is varied and in some states sparse, but RealClearPolitics averages show Cruz and Rubio likely are competing closely for second place in Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma and elsewhere. Rubio appears to have the edge over Cruz in Virginia and Massachusetts, while Cruz was actually leading one recent poll in Arkansas.
In the run-up to Tuesday, Cruz and Rubio both have stepped up their attacks on the front-runner, resorting to the kinds of personal insults and attacks that have defined Trumps campaign style.
Rubio defended the new tack in an interview with Fox News.
Every now and then, someone like that needs a taste of their own medicine because that's called a bully and hes using the pulpit of the presidency or the presidential run to insult people, Rubio said.
Cruz told Fox News that while Trump will have a big chunk of delegates come Wednesday morning, We're going to have a big chunk of delegates, and there's going to be a huge drop off for everybody else.
Trump, for his part, suggested Tuesday he wants to see Rubio get out of the race.
He hasnt won anything, Trump told Fox News. As for Rubios goal of a big win later this month in Florida, Trump said, I dont think right now he could be elected a dogcatcher in Florida.
Trump wasnt conceding the race against Cruz for Texas, either.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, meanwhile, defended his continued presence in the race on Tuesday.
People have asked for somebody who is not a politician, who was a member of we the people, who has an outstanding life of achievement and who thinks the way they do, he told Fox News.
Remember in June 2014 when House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor was upset by a Virginia college professor named Dave Brat?
Well, the Super Tuesday balloting has the potential to produce a few more Dave Brats, or at least force some well-established Republican lawmakers like Cantor was into runoffs if they fail to get more than 50 percent of the vote.
Many of the races are in Texas, which because of its size has 38 House members -- 27 Republicans and 11 Democrats.
Their outcomes could be influenced by the GOP presidential primary turnout for Sen. Ted Cruz, trying to win his home state and close on front-runner Donald Trump, to say nothing of the general animus toward Washington.
And groups aligned with Cruz have gone after several House GOP incumbents since he came to Capitol Hill in 2013.
Three chairmen of GOP-led House committees, who are all from Texas, are in competitive races: Reps. Lamar Smith at Science; Pete Sessions at House Rules and Kevin Brady at House Ways and Means, who took the gavel just months ago when Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan became House speaker.
GOP Rep. John Culberson, another Texan, also faces a primary challenge.
He isnt a full committee chairman. Hes known on Capitol Hill as a cardinal because hes chairman of the influential House Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds Commerce, Justice & Science programs (CJS).
Appropriations subcommittee chairmen are referred to as cardinals because they wield particular eminence over that section of federal spending.
Even Texas GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert, one of the most-conservative House members, faces a primary challenge Tuesday.
GOP incumbents from Alabama are also in close races.
At the top of the list is Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Shelby. He came to Washington as a Democrat, then switched to a Republican after the GOP took control of the upper chamber in 1994.
His record is being criticized amid the Supreme Court debate about whether President Obama should make a nomination to replace the late Antonin Scalia, and whether the GOP-led Senate should block such an effort.
Shelby has been criticized for holding up the nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court (who ultimately wasnt confirmed) in 1987 when Shelby was a Democrat.
Unlike fellow Alabama GOP Sen. Jeff Sessions, Shelby has not endorsed Trump.
Two House GOP members could face challenges tonight -- Reps. Martha Roby and Bradley Byrne.
At least one of the races not going to a runoff would be a surprise.
In 2014, Texas GOP Rep. Ralph Hall, then the oldest member of Congress, was forced into a runoff by John Ratcliffe, who eventually defeated Hall.
Runoff elections are frequently more challenging to incumbents because the challengers supporters are more energized and go to the polls.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton each scored a string of impressive primary victories Tuesday night that sent an emphatic message to voters and their respective political rivals that the primary season might be all but over, and the race for the White House is on -- though Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, with victories in delegate-rich Texas and in Oklahoma and Alaska, is far from conceding anything.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, too, found reason to press on, with Super Tuesday wins in Minnesota, Oklahoma, Colorado and his home state of Vermont. Even Marco Rubio, after a string of second- and third-place finishes, found his first win in Minnesota.
But with Clinton amassing a huge delegate lead, the more competitive race is on the Republican side where Cruz clearly edged Rubio in the Super Tuesday battle for second and quickly positioned himself as the better candidate to take on Trump.
Tonight was another decision point, and the voters have spoken, Cruz said in Texas, urging voters to unite behind him so he could take on Trump head to head.
Even with the senators' victories, Trump emerged from Tuesdays contests closer than ever to the nomination, and acting more and more like a general election candidate eager to take on Democratic front-runner Clinton.
Once we get all of this finished, Im going to go after one person, and thats Hillary Clinton, he said, at an unusual primary night press conference in Florida. I think thats frankly going to be an easy race.
Speaking in Florida after notching several wins, Clinton also seemed to look beyond Sanders taking implicit shots at Trumps make America great again campaign slogan.
America never stopped being great, Clinton said. We have to make America whole.
She also mocked his proposal for a southern border wall, saying, Instead of building walls, were going to break down barriers.
Trump answered right back, quipping: "Make America great again is going to be much better than making America whole again."
With results still coming in, Trump is projected to win in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. Clinton is projected to win Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Across 11 states, 595 Republican delegates were up for grabs Tuesday nearly half the number needed to clinch the nomination. And on the Democratic side, Clinton and Vermont Sen. Sanders were battling for 865 delegates in 11 states roughly a third of the number needed to clinch the nomination.
No matter how the delegate math shakes out, the primary races are not over yet.
While the Super Tuesday contests marked the biggest day of primary season voting to date, the states were mostly allocating delegates proportionally, meaning even the runner-ups could add to their totals.
Rubio stressed that point, as he began to focus on the March 15 contest in his home state.
We never said Super Tuesday was going to be our night, he told Fox News.
Cruz clearly had the better night.
Texas was the biggest prize on the Super Tuesday map, offering 222 Democratic delegates and 155 Republican delegates. A win for Cruz in his home state was considered critical, and he was able to thwart any potential late-hour surge by Trump there.
While Cruz put subtle pressure on Rubio to step aside, Trump openly mocked the Florida senator after earlier calling on him to drop out a call Rubio rebuffed. Trump again called him a "lightweight" while threatening to take on the Florida senator in his home state in two weeks.
Clinton entered Super Tuesday with a head of steam following her landslide win over Sanders in South Carolina this past Saturday.
Sanders, though, savored his home-state win all the same, rallying cheering supporters in Vermont Tuesday evening.
"It is good to be home," he said, before shifting to his stump speech slams against a "corrupt campaign finance system."
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who expressed low expectations for Super Tuesday, remains in the GOP race in hopes of making it to the Ohio contest in two weeks, though his presence continues to frustrate efforts by Rubio and Cruz to consolidate support.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, meanwhile, has defended his continued presence in the race.
People have asked for somebody who is not a politician, who was a member of we the people, who has an outstanding life of achievement and who thinks the way they do, he told Fox News.
Seven minutes to midnight. Five minutes to midnight. Three minutes to midnight.
Last month, experts with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced that the "Doomsday Clock," an iconic symbol meant to represent humanity's risk of facing global calamity, was stuck at 3 minutes to midnight, despite a historic climate agreement reached in Paris just a few months earlier. As part of their reasoning, the atomic bulletin scientists cited the nonbinding nature of those Paris climate accords, the rise of hostility between superpowers and the proliferation of more "modernized" nuclear weapons that may be more tempting to use.
But the minute hand of the clock has been stuck just a snack break away from global apocalypse for decades. And the Doomsday Clock now encompasses more than just nuclear threats. [End of the World? Top 10 Doomsday Threats]
Given that, the Doomsday Clock may not be the right tool to mobilize people to actually change things for the better, experts say.
"I don't think that using apocalyptic rhetoric helps us to do the hard work of discussing difficult and complicated issues in a democracy," said Katherine Pandora, a history of science researcher at the University of Oklahoma.
Powerful symbol, muddled message
Originally conceived in 1947 by a cadre of former Manhattan Project physicists, the clock was meant to symbolize how close humans were to nuclear annihilation.
And as a visceral and powerful symbol, it hit the mark.
"All of us have experienced events in our lives when the matter of a few moments could change everything," Pandora told Live Science in an email. "The clock metaphor calls up associations with the gut-level emotional impact of living through those moments and their aftermath, adding to its power as a symbol."
Now, however, the Doomsday Clock represents not just the threat of nuclear annihilation, but also the threat of global climate change, hostile killer robots, malevolent genetic engineering experiments and cyberterrorism. All those threats are legitimately frightening, but with such a grab bag of threats, the symbolism of the clock has been a bit muddied, said Anders Sandberg, a philosopher at the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford in England.
"It's not an exact measure and it's also combining several things," Sandberg told Live Science. "It was perhaps much easier when they started, when it was just nuclear war, but since then we have gained other existential risks."
From alarm to action
What's more, focusing on the big picture may not be the most effective strategy for getting people to fix the problems. Solving nuclear proliferation is tricky enough; add in forestalling climate change meltdown, and many people feel paralyzed, Sandberg said.
People typically do better with more bite-size challenges. For instance, adding buttons to prevent the accidental detonation of nuclear weapons was a small but significant step in avoiding nuclear war, Sandberg said.
The clock's conflation of current risks is also tricky because it's not really a numerical risk estimate, Sandberg said. And the clock publishers don't explain how they factor in potential future risks, such as artificial intelligence, he added.
"Without the right safeguards, it might be tremendously dangerous," Sandberg told Live Science. "With the right safeguards, it's probably the opposite; it's probably the best things you can imagine: Having smart systems that actually help us."
Persistent panic
The clock may be on target when it depicts how close humanity is to global catastrophe, Sandberg said. But persistently living on the precipice of destruction may inure people to the justifiably scary threats the Bulletin hopes to emphasize, Sandberg said.
"You can't live your life at 3 minutes to midnight," Sandberg said.
Pandora thinks the clock could even be counterproductive.
"Having authorities state that an emergency is at hand is an effective way to gain someone's attention and have them primed to take immediate action, which is the logic behind the clock's minutes-to-midnight gambit," Pandora said. "Asking successive generations of people to sustain a constant sense of emergency is a contradiction in terms. The unintended effects of this directive can impede a successful resolution of the issue at hand and undermine the working relationship between experts and nonexperts."
While the Doomsday Clock itself may not be an effective symbol, that doesn't mean all the work put into creating it is useless, she said.
"It is the prodigious amount of research and analysis that ground the conclusions in the reports that the [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists] issues that are the real tools for mobilizing discussion among all of us on critical issues," Pandora said.
Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
NASA has released a new image of Mars moon Phobos, allowing scientists to better assess the mysterious object.
The space agencys Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission made a series of close approaches to Phobos in late November and early December 2015, according to a NASA statement.
Related: Mars' moon Phobos could be headed for destruction
Among the data returned were spectral images of Phobos in the ultraviolet, NASA explained. The images will allow MAVEN scientists to better assess the composition of this enigmatic object, whose origin is unknown.
NASA explained that comparing MAVEN's images and spectra of the surface of Phobos to data from asteroids and meteorites will help scientists understand whether the moon is a captured asteroid or was formed in orbit around Mars. The data will be useful to scientists look for organic molecules on Phobos surface, the space agency said.
Related: Hubble captures star's stunning blue bubble
Last year scientists explained that Phobos may be heading for destruction, noting the spatial cracks crisscrossing the moons surface - much like cracks in the foundation of your home
The U.S. Justice Department's efforts to compel Apple to provide the FBI with access to a locked iPhone in the San Bernardino terror investigation could set a precedent for future cases, FBI Director James Comey said Tuesday.
Comey, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee about the encryption debate, acknowledged that other prosecutors and lawyers would likely look to the outcome of the San Bernardino case.
"Any decision about a court is particularly useful to another court," Comey said.
During his testimony, Apple General Counsel Bruce Sewell said that the FBI is asking the tech giant to weaken the security of its products. Sewell said, however, that Apple would comply with the courts order to unlock the iPhone if the court process ends in the governments favor on the issue, according to Reuters.
Comey disputed that the Justice Department was requesting a "key" to open the iPhone, one which Apple has argued could not remain secure.
"There's already a door," Comey said. "Take the vicious guard dog away and let us pick the lock. I have a lot of faith in the company's ability to secure their info."
Comey's testimoney comes a day after the Justice Department suffered a setback when a federal judge ruled Apple could not be forced to provide the FBI with access to a locked iPhone's data in a Brooklyn drug case.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein's written decision provided support to Apple's decision as it fights a California judge's order to create specialized software to help the FBI hack the San Bernardino phone.
The San Bernardino County-owned iPhone 5C was used by Syed Farook, who along with his wife Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people during an attack on Dec. 2 that was at least partly inspired by ISIS. Farook worked for the country as a health inspector.
Apple on Thursday formally objected to the order in a brief filed with the court.
The company's opposition to the government's tactics has evoked a national debate over digital privacy rights and national security.
Orenstein concluded that Apple is not obligated to assist government investigators against its will and noted that Congress has not adopted legislation that would achieve the result sought by the government.
"How best to balance those interests is a matter of critical importance to our society, and the need for an answer becomes more pressing daily, as the tide of technological advance flows ever farther past the boundaries of what seemed possible even a few decades ago," Orenstein wrote. "But that debate must happen today, and it must take place among legislators who are equipped to consider the technological and cultural realities of a world their predecessors could not begin to conceive."
"We are disappointed in the Magistrate's ruling and plan to ask the District Judge to review the matter in the coming days," a Justice Department spokesman said in a statement. "As our prior court filings make clear, Apple expressly agreed to assist the government in accessing the data on this iPhone -- as it had many times before in similar circumstances -- and only changed course when the government's application for assistance was made public by the court. This phone may contain evidence that will assist us in an active criminal investigation and we will continue to use the judicial system in our attempt to obtain it."
Attorneys for Apple and company officials said they were still reading opinion and will comment later.
In October, Orenstein invited Apple to challenge the government's use of a 227-year-old law to compel Apple to help it recover iPhone data in criminal cases.
The Cupertino, California-based computer maker did, saying in court papers that extracting information from an iPhone "could threaten the trust between Apple and its customers and substantially tarnish the Apple brand."
It followed up by declining to cooperate in a dozen more instances in four states involving government requests to aid criminal probes by retrieving data from individual iPhones.
Federal prosecutors say Apple has stopped short of challenging court orders judicially, except in the cases before Orenstein and the California jurist who ruled about the San Bernardino shooter's phone.
"Ultimately, the question to be answered in this matter, and in others like it across the country, is not whether the government should be able to force Apple to help it unlock a specific device; it is instead whether the All Writs Act resolves that issue and many others like it yet to come," Orenstein wrote. "For the reasons set forth above, I conclude that it does not."
Several tech companies have already voiced their concern about creating so-called backdoors into encrypted devices for government.
My experience in security technology tells me that the creation of the firmware in question would give away enough blueprint for government (and the hackers who have demonstrated proficiency at hacking government) to exploit millions of other iPhones, wrote Pravin Kothari, CEO of cloud security specialist CipherCloud, in a statement emailed to FoxNews.com. I believe that national security and privacy can and should co-exist. As a civilian, I rely on the government to protect us within the rule of law."
Fox News' Matt Dean and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Tech giants Google and Twitter have teamed with the Associated Press to launch AP Election Buzz, a tool for tracking online activity during the election.
Powered by Google Trends and Twitter, the tools charts show Google search interest in political terms, and election-related conversation on Twitter. The Google political index measures search interest in a list of 2016 election topics, such as presidential candidates, policy issues and current events. Twitter election conversation analyzes tweets containing data such as candidate names, campaign hashtags and other election-related terms. Both charts use Iowa caucus day on Feb.1 as a baseline.
Related: Trump jumps into iPhone security row, calls for boycott of Apple products
"Spikes typically coincide with political events, such as debates, primaries and caucuses, though they may occur at different times on Google and Twitter, in part because the measurements differ," explained AP. The Twitter numbers measure what people are saying online, while Google search data reflect what people want to find or learn about.
Citing Google Trends data, the tool reports that Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump accounted for 59.3 percent of search interest in the past 24 hours, ahead of his Democratic counterparts Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton with 13.3 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively. Trump was also the main driver of conversation on Twitter, accounting for 58.4 percent of conversation, compared to Sanders 14.2 percent and Clintons 12.8 percent.
The most mentioned issues on Twitter in the past 24 hours are energy and the environment, national security and foreign affairs, which took 19.5 percent, 16.9 percent and 13.7 percent of conversation, respectively.
A professor at a prestigious Ohio school still has her job despite a blitz of Facebook posts blaming Israel and Jews for everything from 9/11 to the creation of ISIS.
Joy Karega, an assistant professor of "rhetoric and composition" at Oberlin College, claims the Jewish state secretly planned the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris and that its national intelligence agency, the Mossad, formed the terror group. Critics acknowledge that she is free to cling to kooky theories, but question why a school that charges students $50,000 per year would subject them to the ravings of a crackpot.
This is the worst kind of anti-Semitic rhetoric, said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of the Shurat HaDinIsrael Law Center, an Israeli-based civil rights organization. "It is not acceptable for the dean to hide behind academic freedom and claim this is freedom of speech.
She (Karega) is not a tenured professor," she added. "She needs to be thrown off campus immediately.
According to the colleges web site, Karega focuses her research and instruction on social justice and social change, covering a breadth of topics with her students from journalism basics, grant writing, economic and social inequity, homosexuality and gender roles. She published a book that draws upon archival research and oral history and historicizes the political literacy education of the Black Liberation Front International, and is working on another book project, covering in part, the backlash of bullying she claims on her Facebook page to have received since The Tower first published its report on her.
The college, ranked by US World & News Report as the 23rd best National Liberal Arts College and one of the best undergraduate music schools in the country, does not endorse Karega's wacky and bigoted statements, but pays her salary.
"Oberlin College respects the rights of its faculty, students, staff, and alumni to express their personal views," the school said in a statment.
"Acknowledgement of this right does not signal institutional support for, or endorsement of, any specific position. The statements posted on social media by Dr. Joy Karega, assistant professor of rhetoric and composition, are hers alone and do not represent the views of Oberlin College."
But at some point an academic institution has a responsibility to repudiate hate speech, according to Darshan-Leitner.
There is a difference between freedom of expression and hate speech, said Darshan-Leitner. There is no place for hate speech on campus. If she was attacking gays or Hispanics, there would be no tolerance for that.
A series of posts on social media have been offensive, Darshan-Leitner said, including a picture she posted after the Jan. 7, 2015, Charlie Hebdo shooting that showed an Islamic State terrorist with a Star of David tattoo pulling off a mask, exposing the face of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In text accompanying the image, she called the murder of the French cartoonists part of a conspiracy to stop French support for Palestinians. Under the picture, she wrote This aint even hard. They unleashed Mossad on France and its clear why.
Another post claimed Netanyahu attended a free speech rally in Paris after the attacks uninvited, but did not mention Netanayhu was actually in Paris to honor four Jews killed in a related terror attack.
She also claimed the Islamic State is not Islamic, but rather a CIA and Mossad operation, writing "theres too much information out here for the general public not to know this.
Another offensive post, Darshan-Leitner said, claimed Israeli and Zionist Jews orchestrated the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.
Just under 3,000 students pay more than $50,000 a year to attend Oberlin College and live on its spacious 440-acre campus. Anti-Semitism has been a concern at the school in recent months.
Some 250 alumni and students published an open letter to the Oberlin President Krislov, the trustees, faculty, staff and students last month, voicing their concern that the movement to Boycott, Divest from, and Sanction Israel (BDS) has become increasingly active on American college campuses, including Oberlin.
Several student organizations at Oberlin have assumed the role as the mouthpiece of the BDS movement, which claims to be a defender of Palestinian rights, but whose inflammatory language falsely portraying Israel as an illegitimate, colonialist and murderous regime demonstrates that its primary goal is to demonize the Jewish state, the letter said.
The letter also noted Jewish students dont feel welcome at the college. The Oberlin Review quoted one student who said, I quickly learned that at Oberlin, love for my own nation (Israel) was not something I could freely express. The student, who was quoted in The Jewish Exponent, also explained that she transferred out of Oberlin due to its toxic climate...around Israel.
Melissa Landa, who heads a group fighting anti-Semitism at Oberlin, said physical intimidation, verbal harassment and vandalism is prevalent at Oberlin.
Hanan Yadin, an Israeli whose Texas-based company, Instinctive Shooting, trains military and law enforcement about terrorism related conflicts, said anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide. He said the propaganda at the university against Jews, including Karega's rantings, could get people hurt.
Could this incite violence against Jews worldwide and against Israelis in Israel?" he said. "Of course. It will give more fuel to those who are anti-Semitic already and for those who are indecisive and need an extra push to make up their mind.
Karega, who received her Ph.D. from the University of Louisville in 2014, also did not respond to an inquiry from FoxNews.com for this report, but said in a statement on her Facebook page, that she will use the push back shes received for material for her new book. She also criticized the antisemitism call-out culture."
I can generate articles for days on what I can describe as "antisemitism call-out culture" and some of its accompanying practices. I don't have to tell some of you that these recent activities in my own professional life have handed me a LARGE body of data (emails, voicemail messages, tweets, Facebook inbox messages, etc.) that will shed light on and provide insight into how and to what extent anti-Blackness rhetorics show up in antisemitic call-out culture and practices, Karega wrote.
A volunteer school aide accused of sexually abusing students at a suburban Washington elementary school has now been indicted and faces additional charges.
Twenty-two-year-old Deonte Carraway was charged last week with eight counts of producing child pornography. A grand jury indicted him Monday on 13 counts, involving 11 victims ranging in age from 9 to 12.
If convicted, Carraway could spend the rest of his life in prison. Each count carries a minimum 15-year sentence. He is also facing charges in state court. His attorney has declined to comment.
Parents of some of the children have alleged in lawsuits that Carraway was given unrestricted access to students at Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School in Glenarden, Maryland. The lawsuits say the principal was warned about Carraway's conduct but didn't inform authorities.
A California school has asked about a dozen students wearing anti-gay stickers to remove the badges at least for now, The Desert Sun reported.
Both anti-gay stickers and pro-gay rights symbols previously had been allowed as a matter of free speech at Shadow Hills High School in Indio, a city outside Palm Springs. But Superintendent Gary Rutherford wrote in a letter to Shadow Hills staff on Monday that new information had prompted an additional review. He didnt note what that information was.
Recently some information has been brought forward that requires additional investigation and follow-up to determine a proper course of action, Rutherford wrote. Pending further investigation, we are going to ask students who are displaying the symbol showing a rainbow pattern with a circle and a line, at least for now, to remove symbols while at school.
Federal courts have allowed some limits on student speech, allowing schools to prohibit items like banners and T-shirts that mentioned drug use or came at a school with racial strife.
At the Shadow Hills, some students and staff object to the stickers because they felt the gay and lesbian community has been targeted, said Amy Oberman, an Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher.
Yes, there is freedom of speech established by [The Supreme Court decision] Tinker, but at least in my view, it's a hate crime because a group was targeted, Oberman said.
District administrators said last week they thought allowing the stickers was the right course of action.
"Sometimes people can be uncomfortable because of an opinion, but that doesn't mean it's bullying," said Laura Fisher, assistant superintendent of personnel services.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
As many as 30 girls who engaged in a bloody brawl at a Pittsburgh prep school Monday were arrested and could face charges, officials said.
Initial reports claimed it was a fight over a boy that got out of hand, but investigators later said it stemmed from ongoing tensions between University Prep School students from different neighborhoods, WPXI reports.
The school, which serves grades 6 through 12, was taken off lockdown after the students were removed from the grounds. One student was taken to a hospital for an asthma attack, Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said.
TV news footage showed a large police presence and ambulances outside the school.
Pugh said she wasn't sure of the ages of those involved. The fight began around 9:45 a.m.
She says injuries other than the asthma attack were minor scratches and bruises.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Bible emphasizes the true weight of words and how they serve as a reflection of ourselves and God, says evangelical speaker Jefferson Bethke.
In his "Monday Message" posted to YouTube, Bethke discusses the gravity our words carry and answers the question: "Is swearing a sin?"
The answer to this question may not be as "black and white" as it first seems, Bethke says, although Christians can look to the Bible for the answer as it has "a ton to say about our speech, our words, our mouth."
Bethke points to James 3 which states that the same mouth Christians use to praise God is the same mouth used to mock or gossip about others.
"When we make fun of someone, or reap pain, or gossip, or damage upon them, we are actually assaulting our Creator," Bethke argues.
He goes on to explain that a Christian doesn't have to say a traditional "curse word" to speak out against their Creator, but this verse applies to anyone who partakes in gossip or mockery of their fellow man.
While hurtful words damage a Christian's relationship with God, they also make a bad impression on non-Christians. Followers of Christ have a responsibility to speak lovingly so they may represent what it means to be a real Christian, Bethke says.
Click Here to Read the Full Story at ChristianPost.com
A shooting at the home of a military couple near Augusta, Ga. left the husband dead and the wife critically wounded, investigators said Tuesday.
The husband was in the Army and the wife is in the Air Force, Grovetown Public Safety Chief Scott Wheatley told WRDW. He said both were active duty, but did not give their names or ranks.
The shooting appeared to be an attempted murder-suicide, Wheatley told WJBF. It stemmed from a domestic dispute and the husband was believed to be the aggressor, WRDW adds.
Paramedics rushed the wife to the hospital in critical condition Tuesday morning, The Columbia County News-Times reports. The husband was declared dead inside the home.
Grovetown is approximately 10 miles west of Augusta, and 130 miles southeast of Atlanta.
A New Jersey pet store owner accused of hiding three dead dogs in a freezer and failing to keep infections under control was charged with 267 counts of animal cruelty on Monday.
Vincent "Vinnie" LoSacco, the owner of Just Pups in East Brunswick, is due in court next week, according to the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
"I cannot stress enough, this is an ongoing investigation and it is highly likely that more animal cruelty charges will be filed," the society's president Steve Shatkin told MyCentralJersey.com.
Investigators say the shop lacked proper infection control procedures, exposed sick animals to new, healthy animals and displayed other signs of poor veterinary care. They said people who visited the store were at risk of contracting infections as well.
LoSacco told the website his animals receive "proactive" care, adding, "All of our dogs get more than enough food, water and veterinarian care. Just like humans, they can get sick."
The store reports it was closed for "interior improvements." WNBC reports a judge had granted a temporary restraining order to shut it down.
Other veterinarians had determined the dogs were unfit for sale after they were purchased, according to investigators who said they found three dead dogs in a freezer during a search.
East Brunswick is roughly 2 hours southwest of New York City. LoSacco reportedly owns three other Just Pups stores across New Jersey.
A man who police warn has exhibited "violent behavior" escaped from a Virginia mental health facility Monday triggering a comprehensive search.
Michael Marshall, 33, was reported missing from the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute in Falls Church Monday evening, Fox 5 reports.
Investigator urged people who see Marshall not to approach him, but to call police instead. They say he's roughly 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 235 pounds, with black hair and glasses.
Man fled mental health facility. Could be around Annandale; ties to C-ville & Sterling areashttps://t.co/3lYpigkHS5 pic.twitter.com/poP1tjLpPG FairfaxCounty Police (@fairfaxpolice) March 1, 2016
Marshall could be in the areas of Annandale or Falls Church but also has ties to nearby Centreville and Sterling, investigators add.
Falls Church is about 8 miles west of Washington, DC.
Click here for more from Fox 5.
The State Bureau of Investigation has confirmed the identity of a black man who was fatally shot by a police officer on Monday.
The agency said 24-year-old Akiel Denkins, of Raleigh, was killed and that agents have talked to his mother, Rolonda Byrd. She had earlier complained that authorities had not told her that her son had been killed and that they wouldn't let her see his body.
The news release from the State Bureau of Investigation said its report would be delivered to the Wake County District Attorney's office upon its completion. It did not release any other details.
Raleigh police said Monday that Senior Officer D.C. Twiddy opened fire on the suspect when he was serving an arrest warrant. Police say a gun was found near Denkins, but it's not clear if he was armed during the chase.
The head of the North Carolina NAACP is calling on authorities to conduct a fair and transparent investigation into the shooting.
The Rev. William Barber II said at a news conference Tuesday that if someone is running away, that is not a "license to kill."
The neighborhood where an officer fatally shot a black man during a foot chase is on edge Tuesday, awaiting answers in one of the latest police shootings in a predominantly African-American community.
Eyewitnesses have offered descriptions of what happened Monday, including a woman who said a black man was shot in the back by a white police officer, but authorities have so far been tightlipped. Raleigh police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown said an officer was pursuing a man who was wanted on a felony drug charge when the officer opened fire. The chief said a gun was found near the suspect's body, but she did not say whether it was his.
After the shooting, neighborhood residents began chanting "no justice, no peace" -- a slogan used by the Black Lives Matter movement. Later in the evening, about a dozen people gathered around an anti-police sign with an expletive that was hoisted on a utility pole.
The head of the North Carolina National Association for the Advancement of Colored People called for a fair and transparent investigation.
"If one is running away, that is not a license to kill," the Rev. William Barber II said.
Rolonda Byrd says she is the mother of the man who is believed to have been killed. She said she has talked to the medical examiner and police chief, but they have not told her definitively that her 24-year-old son Akiel Denkins is dead. She said she went to the medical examiner's office, but wasn't allowed to look at the body.
"They stopped me at the door. Somehow they knew I was on my way," Byrd said.
A day earlier, she questioned the police officer's use of force.
"Why should we show our calm when they're not showing theirs? Why wasn't there a Taser pulled out to Taser him while he was jumping over that fence? What happened to beanbags guns? They used to use those to stop a criminal. They don't do that anymore. Now it's just bullets -- all bullets. Why?" she said.
Denkins had previous drug convictions and was released on $10,000 secured bond in October after being charged with two counts of selling or delivering cocaine and one count of felony possession of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver, according to court documents. He failed to show up for a court date and an order for his arrest was filed Friday.
The officer involved in the shooting was identified as senior officer D.C. Twiddy, 29, according to police spokesman Jim Sughrue. He said Twiddy has been placed on administrative leave, in accordance with department policy, while the State Bureau of Investigation looks into the matter. Twiddy's race was not released.
Witness Claresa Williams said she was standing on the curb in front of her apartment when she saw an officer drive up. A man she knows as "Lock Man" in the neighborhood was standing in front of a convenience store and began to run, she said.
"When the police came, he jumped the fence" into the backyard of a house next door, Williams told The Associated Press. "The officer jumped the fence, pulled his gun out and shot him down six times."
Williams said her view was blocked so she didn't see the man fall from the bullets.
"To me, you pulled your gun out and you fired at that man six times in his back because he was running," Williams said.
Judith Lewis, a woman who described herself as a community activist who has lived in the area for years, said a lot of drug activity takes place in the neighborhood at night. She blamed it on buyers coming in from elsewhere.
"It's an open-air market," she said.
Deck-Brown said the Raleigh Police Department's Internal Affairs unit will investigate whether any departmental policies were violated. She said she will send a report to the city manager within five working days.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II reflects on Jesus' central role in her life in a new book ahead of her 90th birthday, calling Christ "the King she serves" in the title.
"I have been and remain very grateful to you for your prayers and to God for his steadfast love," the British monarch writes in the foreword to The Servant Queen and the King She Serves, which is to be released in April.
"I have indeed seen His faithfulness," she adds.
Thousands of churches will reportedly be giving away copies of the book, which is being published by HOPE, Bible Society and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, according to the Church of England.
"As I've been writing this book and talking about it to friends, to family who don't know Jesus, to my Jewish barber, I've been struck how very interested they are to discover more about the Queen's faith," said Mark Greene, executive director of LICC, who is the co-author of the book.
"The Queen has served us all her adult life, with amazing consistency of character, concern for others and a clear dependence on Christ. The more I've read what she's written and talked to people who know her, the clearer that is," he added.
Click Here to Read the Full Story at ChristianPost.com
Its Super Tuesday!
Democrats and Republicans head to the polls today in primaries and caucuses from Texas to Massachusetts. 12 states are holding elections today.
Texas is seen as must-win for Ted Cruz. Marco Rubios best chance may be Minnesota. It looks good for Donald Trump in most other states.
On the Democratic side, Hillary is likely to dominate in the South. Bernie Sanders has a shot in Oklahoma and the caucus in Colorado. Hes likely to win Vermont. Massachusetts is considered a must-win for Sanders.
Weve got reporters all over, and will be checking in on various states today.
Rich Edson is in VA, Jonathan Serrie is in Atlanta, Casey Stegall in Dallas, Molly Line in Newton, MA, Peter Doocy in St Paul, Shannon Bream in Manassas, VA, Doug McKelway is in Atlanta, Mike Emanuel in Burlington, VT, John Roberts is in Miami, Carl Cameron is in West Palm Beach, FL, Ed Henry in Miami and James Rosen is in Katy, Texas.
0700EST -- Sen Sanders votes in the VT Primary. Burlington, VT. POOL COVER
1230EST -- Sen Rubio holds a rally. Courtyards of Andover Events Center, Andover, MN. LIVE via LiveU
1200EST -- Donald Trump holds a rally. Signature Flight Hangar, Port-Columbus Intl Airport, Columbus, OH. LIVE
1230EST -- Hillary Clinton makes a campaign stop. Minneapolis, MN. LIVE via LiveU
1300EST -- Hillary Clinton makes a campaign stop. Minneapolis, MN. LIVE via LiveU
1115EST -- Sen Ted Cruz votes in the TX Primary. West Gray Community Center, Houston, TX. LIVE via LiveU
1200EST -- OH Gov Kasich holds a rally. George Mason Univ Law School, Arlington, VA. FNC TAPE
Clinton and Trump are looking like the big winners according to most recent polls.
The way the GOP structured the primaries this season are working towards a quick nomination for Donald Trump. The new system was designed to make up for perceived flaws during the Romney nomination in 2012, but its front-weighting the nomination battle and that is helping Donald Trump. Nearly half the delegates for the nomination are at stake today.
Some in the GOP are saying they will not support Trump if he gets the nomination.
Reid Epstein in the Wall Street Journal today writes:
A divisive battle is brewing in the Republican Party over the potential nomination of Donald Trump, as some party leaders warn they won't back him and could support third-party or write-in candidates.
Most party leaders still say they will back the party's nominee, and until recent days even Mr. Trump's loudest critics maintained they would back him in the general election if he wins the nomination.
That is beginning to change -- even as Mr. Trump is poised to win a string of Super Tuesday contests, and likely take the lion's share of the 595 delegates up for grabs today.
Meantime, Hillary Clinton is already looking past Bernie Sanders to a likely battle with Donald Trump in the general election.
The Washington Post reporters Anne Gearan and Abby Phillip write today:
Hillary Clinton and her allies are shifting their attention to a likely general-election contest against Donald Trump that they expect to be strongly negative - and for which they are planning an intensive effort to draw out minority voters who feel demonized by the billionaire real estate mogul. Clinton is still waging a hard-fought nomination battle against Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont - including 11 contests on Tuesday - and some Democrats supporting her are wary of looking too far over the horizon. But increasingly sure that Trump will win the Republican nomination, Clinton appears this week to be running a two-pronged campaign against both Sanders and an eventual Republican opponent who sounds a lot like Trump.
The WSJ reports that as many as 40% of the votes in some Super Tuesday states were already cast.. before polls even open.
The final batch of Hillary Clinton emails were released by the State Department.
President Obama meets with Senator Mitch McConnell today along with the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley to discuss the vacancy on the Supreme Court. Both men have suggested they wouldnt even consider any Obama nomination to fill the hole left by the death of Antonin Scalia.
1130EST -- POTUS holds meeting with Senate ldrs and members of Senate Judiciary Cmte to talk about the Supreme Court. POOL TAPE SPRAY
A House committee will hold a hearing with the FBI and Apple. Yesterday a federal judge denied a government request to open an iPhone in a drug case.
The Obama Administration will release the second set of documents related to the 2011 raid that killed Usama bin Laden.
For more news, follow me on Twitter: @ClintPHenderson
A teacher in South Carolina resigned after a student took a nude picture from her phone and sent it to friends through texts and social media, officials said Monday.
The Union County Career and Technology Center teacher, Leigh Anne Arthur, said the photo was meant for her husband, according to WYFF. She told reporters, "The student who actually took my phone and took pictures turned around and told me, 'your day of reckoning is coming.'"
She reportedly said the unnamed student took her phone while she was patrolling a hallway on Feb. 19. Still, interim superintendent David Eubanks said Arthur should not have kept her phone unlocked, WYFF adds.
I think we have a right to privacy, but when we take inappropriate information or pictures, we had best make sure it remains private, Eubanks told The State. He said Arthur could be contributing to the delinquency of a minor, but it's unclear whether the student will face charges.
Arthur claims the school pressured her to resign. She had taught in Union County for more than a decade, according to WSPA.
She says a petition has circulated among students and parents to get her back into the classroom.
A physics major one semester away from graduation is suing to stop University of Texas-Austin from expelling him based on the unproven accusation he sexually assaulted a woman in a drunken, off-campus encounter.
In one of the latest cases of male college students turning to the courts after being punished by public universities for being accused of sexual assaults, the 21-year-old man identified as John Doe in legal papers claims the school is violating his Constitutional right to due process. His alleged victim, who did not attend the school, never filed a police report, according to his lawyer, yet the school took action based on her fathers complaint.
What were seeing here is a nationwide movement that has gone too far in what the system sees as victims of campus assaults, said Brian Roark. "Give us a fair hearing, and we'll deal with the consequences."
My law office gets phone calls every day from students who want to defend their right to due process. Andrew Miltenberg
Doe, who claims the sex was consensual, is facing a disciplinary hearing that could result in his expulsion, The College Fix reported. He filed the suit about two months ago with the goal of clearing his name.
The alleged incident occurred on March 6, 2015, after a night of heavy drinking at a house party where Doe met two unnamed women, according to the lawsuit. The three spent the night at an off-campus apartment belonging to one of the women, where Doe had sex with one woman that night and the other the next morning, according to the lawsuit.
The father of the woman who had sex with Doe the next morning told campus police of the encounter a month later, prompting a school investigation. Doe told investigators that the woman was enthusiastic about the encounter and talked about being in a pornographic movie.
Its not just me raping this drunk girl, Doe told investigators, according to the lawsuit.
But the alleged victim later told her friend, who had had sex with Doe hours earlier, that she was still intoxicated from the previous night and was in fact unconscious during sex.
I dont remember throwing up, or coming home, or having this random guy in my bed, the alleged victim texted her friend, according to the lawsuit. I didnt want this guy. At all. This guy wanted me and got me when I wasnt conscious.
Her friend reportedly responded, Dude I didnt realize you were unconscious, you were talking to me, according to the lawsuit.
Differing accounts of drunken sexual encounters are at the core of most similar cases being dealt with by colleges and universities in the wake of a 2011 directive from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. In that letter, the federal government threatened to withhold funding under the gender equity law known as Title IX if schools did not demonstrate they were taking serious action to halt the epidemic of sexual assaults on campus.
While proponents say the federal efforts have protected women on campus, critics say it sparked a rush to judgment against young men who can have their lives ruined by unproven accusations.
"The university has been placed under enormous political pressure to appear tough on those accused of sexual assault and as a result have adopted a practice of expelling males from the university without regard to the rights of the accused student of the evidence, the lawsuit states.
Roark said UT-Austin's policy barred Doe from having legal representation, cross-examining the accuser or even calling on testimony from corroborating witnesses, including the other woman. He scoffed at the 27-year-old education grads he said typically staff the school-run probes.
UT-Austin declined to comment, citing a policy of not discussing ongoing litigation or student discipline.
Dozens of young men are going to court to seek relief from punishment and reputational damage meted out by schools for alleged sexual assaults, according to Inside Higher Ed. As of November, there are more than 50 pending lawsuits filed by men who claim they were unfairly expelled from college after being accused of sexual assault.
I think you can have a system that encourages victims to come forward while protecting the rights of the accused, Andrew Miltenberg, a lawyer who specializes in campus assault due process, told FoxNews.com. But are we there yet? No.
Miltenberg gained national attention when he represented a Columbia University student accused of raping a fellow student who went on to conduct a campaign against the man by carrying a mattress around campus and making a video re-enactment of her alleged rape.
Paul Nungesser was cleared of rape charges, but is now suing the school in federal court for failing to stop Emma Sulkowicz from harassing him. Sulkowicz, with the help of three friends, carried the mattress when she received her diploma during graduation to the cheers of fellow students.
Nungessers mother, who was at the graduation ceremony, told Newsweek, I would have liked to go to every single parent in that audience and say, I am the mother of Paul, and I am very proud of my son, and I hope you discuss with your sons and daughters what they did to him.
In one of the first of its kind, the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island on Monday ruled to allow a former students lawsuit to proceed against Brown University, alleging that the school violated his due process and discriminated against him based on gender during a wrongful sexual misconduct investigation.
My law office gets phone calls every day from students who want to defend their right to due process, Miltenberg said. The courts are going to have to see enough of these that there is a sense across the country that, Wait, this is coming up too much, there really must be something wrong.
Europe's leading human rights body has slammed conditions in Greek prisons and criticized the handling of police brutality allegations, saying not enough improvements have been made despite repeated recommendations.
The situation in Greece's prisons has "further deteriorated to the point where lives are being lost," the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture said in a report released Tuesday. It cited severe overcrowding, lack of health care and major staff shortages.
The report said many prisons were "merely acting as warehouses in which to hold people" and likened the situation to "a boiling cauldron left to simmer away with violent eruptions every few months."
The government response, also released Tuesday, noted improvements in some areas, and said efforts were being made to address other issues.
A series of artillery shells exploded near the main street of a Syrian village close to the border with Turkey on Tuesday, sending a group of visiting international reporters running for cover and underscoring the limits of Syria's partial cease-fire.
The shelling came as Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with German television that rebels who lay down their arms can expect a "full amnesty." Assad was asked in the interview with ARD television airing Tuesday what a moderate rebel could do to be accepted by him as a Syrian civilian again.
According to excerpts released by the channel, he replied: "Just to give up your armament, whether you want to join the political process or (are) not interested about the political process."
He added that the most important thing for him is that citizens can't hold machine guns and hurt people -- "This is the only thing that we ask. We don't ask for anything. As I said, we give them full amnesty."
Assad has made similar gestures in the past, but opposition and rebel groups have rejected such offers saying he has no role to play in the future of Syria.
The journalists were visiting the government-controlled village of Kinsibba, in the coastal province of Latakia, on a trip organized by Russia's defense and foreign ministries.
Russian defense ministry spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov, who was on the trip, said the projectiles came from positions held by the Nusra Front, al-Qaida's branch in Syria, which is excluded from the Russian and U.S.-brokered cease-fire, along with Islamic State group.
The journalists were traveling in armored trucks provided by the Russian military, and were escorted by Russian special forces.
Reporters were walking across the village, which was seized in a recent government offensive, and talking to locals when the first shell struck a hillside a few hundred meters away. Russian officers yelled at journalists to lie down, and they ducked as more shells fell and landed closer to the group. A Russian armored personnel carrier rushed forward to screen the reporters from direct hits.
A couple of journalists suffered minor scratches as they ran for cover and were quickly treated by Russian military medics. No other casualties were reported.
Just after reporters left, more shells landed in the area, killing three Syrian troops and wounding eight others, Konashenkov said.
The partial cease-fire, which began at midnight Friday, has brought a notable reduction in hostilities for the first time in the five-year war that has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced half of Syria's population.
Yet the truce has remained fragile, with violations reported in many areas and the opposition and Syrian government blaming each other. Russia's defense ministry said on Tuesday the cease-fire has been violated 15 times in the past 24 hours.
Opposition activists and state media reported some violence in different parts of Syria, including the southern city of Daraa, where residential areas were shelled.
Before their trip to Kinsibba, the foreign reporters visited the nearby village of Ghunaymiyah, where residents recently began returning to their homes after the government last month captured the village from Nusra Front fighters.
Most of the buildings in Ghunaymiyah are just concrete shells, with windows and doors missing.
One resident, Musa Magardish, stood in shock in front of his ruined home. "I don't have any money for rebuilding my house, and I have no idea how I can do it," he said.
Just across the street from his house, dozens lined up in front of a Russian military truck to receive food aid including canned meat, beans and other staples.
"I have a big family, there are seven of us, we feel grateful for that," said Nabila Chine, as one of her daughters stood next to her, smiling.
Konashenkov said Russia has delivered around 580 tons of food aid to government-held areas since it began airstrikes in support of Syria's government in September 2015.
At the village's church, which was damaged in the fighting, a few people gathered to clean up the shards of glass and pieces of concrete littering the floor, before praying.
One of the parishioners, Farah Arijan, said Nusra Front militants badly damaged the church when they captured the village in 2012. "They also killed many of our people, one woman was killed when she was trying to flee," he said.
A terror suspect nabbed last week in North Africa is the latest in a mounting and alarming list of former Guantanamo Bay detainees to return to the battlefield, say experts who have tracked Gitmo prisoners in and out of the facility for the last 14 years.
Hamed Abderrahaman Ahmed, nicknamed the Spanish Taliban, was arrested with three others Feb. 23 by Spanish and Moroccan authorities on the North African coast. He reportedly led a jihadist effort aimed at recruiting teens to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and was prepared to commit terrorist acts on Spanish soil. Ahmed was deemed particularly dangerous by Spanish law enforcement because he was trained in handling weapons, explosives and in military tactics (which) makes this cell particularly dangerous.
The prisoners in Gitmo now should not be released," said Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and editor of the Long War Journal. "These are dangerous members of Al Qaeda and allied jihadist groups. It is suicidal in my opinion to release members of a group you are at war with while you continue to be at war with them.
Often after they are released to their home country, they are freed and return to fight Americans and their allies, Roggio said.
"It is suicidal in my opinion to release members of a group you are at war with while you continue to be at war with them. Bill Roggio, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
In the case of Ahmed, a 2004 Joint Task Force Guantanamo report said he should not be released because he poses a high threat to the U.S., its interests and its allies and remains dedicated to the cause of jihad against the U.S., but the U.S. transferred him into the hands of the Spanish government, which released him after the Spanish Supreme Court overturned his conviction on terrorism related activities.
Some 779 prisoners were held at Guantanamo since January 2002 when the facility opened, and since, 678 were transferred or released, nine died while in custody, and another 91 are still behind bars.
There are petitions being circulated by those who want to see the Gitmo prisoners released, including groups like the American Civil Liberties Union. They are pushing President Obama to keep his 2008 campaign pledge to close the facility. Obama transferred 10 of the prisoners in January without the approval of Congress. Obama traded another five prisoners to the Taliban in a highly controversial deal for the return of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured by the Taliban after he deserted.
Obama has maintained holding prisoners at Gitmo feeds the terrorist recruitment efforts, but Roggio said Guantanamo is not a recruiting tool for terror groups.
We are closing Guantanamo for all the wrong reasons. For reasons that continue to be repeated and are flat out wrong, Roggio said.
Congress has passed numerous measures opposing the prisoners' transfer to U.S. soil, and military and defense experts have opposed their outright release, maintaining the prisoners are still extremely dangerous.
There is pretty strong evidence, even from the Obama administration, that the majority of the folks we released and sent back have eventually made their way to the country we sent them to, back into the fight somehow, said Steve Bucci, director of the Allison Center for Foreign and National Security Policy at the Heritage Foundation and a retired Army Special Forces officer. Who does that in the middle of a war?
Some of the most notorious former Guantanamo Bay prisoners who rejoined the jihadist movement include:
Backed by paramilitary forces and aerial support, Iraqi troops on Tuesday launched a new push to retake a key area north of the capital, Baghdad, and dislodge Islamic State militants from there, officials said.
The operation came as a group of suicide bombers targeted a military headquarters in western Iraq, killing eight officers on Tuesday. No one immediately claimed responsibility for that attack.
According to a statement by the Joint Operations Command, the "new offensive" began at dawn in a swath agricultural area northeast of the city of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, with the aim to cut ISIS supply lines and to tighten the grip around the ISIS-held northern city of Mosul.
The command says paramilitary forces, mostly Shiite militias, and the Iraqi air force were backing the push on the area, called Jazerat Samarra. The statement did not say if the U.S.-led international coalition was involved in the operation.
Controlling the Jazerat Samarra area will not only restrict ISIS militants' movements between the three provinces in the region, but willalso be essential for future operations to retake parts of Anbar province and Mosul, said Sabah al-Numan, the spokesman of the counter-terrorism forces.
Al-Numan told The Associated Press that two vehicles loaded with militants were bombed on Tuesday, and that the security forces managed to hit a would-be suicide car bomber before he reached his target.
The offensive comes on the heels of two massive bombings in as many days by the Islamic State group in the area in the town of Muqdadiyah and in Baghdad that killed at least 110 people.
Shiite lawmaker and spokesman for the paramilitary forces, Ahmed al-Asadi, said the offensive "is in retaliation for the blood of our martyrs and to annihilate the terrorist gangs that have wreaked havoc."
Meanwhile, four suicide bombers disguised in army uniform struck at dawn at the military headquarters in the city of Haditha, 150 miles northwest of Baghdad, killing eight troops, including a local army commander, councilman Khalid Salman told the AP.
One of the bombers first attacked the gate of the building, then the others blew up themselves up when people gathered at the scene to help the victims. Salman said eight soldiers were also wounded in the attack.
ISIS still controls much of northern and western Iraq, but has been driven back in recent months in some areas, such as the cities of Ramadi and Tikrit. The government last month declared the western city of Ramadi, the Anbar provincial capital, "fully liberated" after it had been captured by ISIS last year.
Iraqi ground offensives despite heavy backing from U.S.-led coalition airstrikes have been slow in scoring key victories against the Islamic State. A campaign to retake Mosul, the main city held by Islamic State in Iraq, has long been believed to be imminent but has not taken off the ground yet.
Eight Dutch members of ISIS have been executed after they allegedly attempted to desert from the terror group, a Syrian activist said Monday.
Abu Mohammad, a member of the citizen journalist group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), said on Twitter that the killings had taken place Friday in Maadan, Raqqa Province, not far from the capital of the self-proclaimed caliphate.
RBSS said that the attempted desertions stemmed from a dispute between approximately 75 Dutch militants and some of the terror group's Iraqi intelligence operatives. It claimed that ISIS leaders in Raqqa had sent an intermediary to resolve the conflict, but the intermediary was killed.
In response, ISIS leaders in Iraq reportedly ordered the arrest of all the members of the Dutch cell.
RBSS also said that three other Dutch jihadists had arrested by Iraqi ISIS members who accused them of attempting to flee, and one of those men had been beaten to death during an interrogation.
The Dutch security services estimate that approximately 200 people from the Netherlands, including 50 women, have joined ISIS. Some of them are believed to have previously immigrated to Holland from Morocco.
Click for more from Sky News.
A nanny whom Russian police have described as being clearly insane for parading the severed head of a child around Moscows streets Monday reportedly told authorities that she was driven mad after discovering her husband had been cheating on her.
Gyulcherkhra Bobokulova, a native of Uzbekistan, was arrested Monday morning outside a Moscow subway station after carrying the head of a 4-year-old child, while yelling "I'm a terrorist!" and "Allahu Akbar, The Telegraph reports.
Authorities believe the nanny, 38, strangled and then beheaded the girl -- who had been in her care for 18 months -- with a kitchen knife before setting fire to the familys Moscow apartment and running out the door with the head in a plastic bag.
Russian police said the woman was clearly insane and have yet to establish a motive for the crime, according to The Telegraph. But Bobokulova reportedly told authorities that she had gone mad after learning that her husband whose current whereabouts are unknown is with another woman.
About a month ago she returned to Uzbekistan to get a new passport, a police source told the Russian newspaper Life News. When she got home she learnt that her husband had taken a new family. He offered to make her his second wife.
The childs parents who were not identified said in an interview with police that Bobokulova got along great with their daughter and did not consider her a threat, despite noticing that she had become emotionally unstable in recent weeks, The Telegraph reports.
She was taken back to the apartment around midnight Monday to lead police through the scene of the crime.
As she walked the streets, hecklers gathered and shouted at Bobokulova that her head needs to be needs to be torn off as retribution for the killing, The Sun reported.
Hundreds of flowers and toys have since been laid around the subway station where Bobokulova was taken into custody, in memory of the girl.
While Russian newspapers and websites covered the murder, the countrys state-owned television channels appeared to ignore the story, The Telegraph reports.
The story was kept off-air because of government concerns that the murder could stoke ethnic tensions, two employees of the stations told the Russian newspaper RBK.
But the Kremlin denied that it had imposed a blackout.
Its not like that. The broadcasters themselves chose not to show insanity. But we support their decision, said Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putins press secretary.
Click for more from The Sun.
Russia on Tuesday again delayed a requested United Nations vote on new sanctions against North Korea in response to its recent nuclear test and rocket launch.
After the U.S. mission to the U.N. requested a vote for Tuesday afternoon, Russia demanded a procedural review of the resolution, pushing back the vote to Wednesday morning. Russia had already delayed the vote over the weekend, asking for more time to study the lengthy text and reportedly suggesting some changes.
The proposal, drafted by the U.S. and China, would require every U.N. member to inspect all cargo heading to and from North Korea for illicit goods.
Some western diplomats told Fox News the delay can be attributed to Kremlin muscle flexing, signaling to Washington and Beijing that they may agree on the resolutions text, but ultimately both governments must fully include Moscow in considerations.
China and Russia, both permanent members of the Security Council, historically have been North Koreas allies, often delaying and blocking action that would punish their Cold War partner.
The White House announced last week that Beijing was on board to let the U.S. resolution pass.
Negotiations over the resolution started after Pyongyangs fourth nuclear test on January 6.
Fox News' Jonathan Wachtel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
IHG Grows Luxury Portfolio with First InterContinental Resort in Pattaya
156-room InterContinental Pattaya Resort to open along Pattaya Bay beachfront
March 01, 2016 // Franchising.com // InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of worlds leading hotel companies, has signed a management agreement with Amburaya Resort Company Limited to rebrand the Sheraton Pattaya Resort, a luxury resort nestled in the Phratamnak Hills south of Pattaya Bay, to InterContinental Pattaya Resort.
The Resort will be operating under the InterContinental brand in April 2016. The 156-room beachfront resort located five-minute walk from the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Center, will offer a selection of superior, premium rooms and villas, in a lush, exotic locale, coupled with unparalleled service.
Guests can look forward to a variety of cuisine at the hotels all day dining and signature restaurant, and unwind by the three lagoon swimming pools, work out at the fitness centre or indulge in an array of relaxing treatments at the spa. In the months following the opening, the resort will also feature a Club InterContinental lounge and Planet Trekkers, a dedicated space for young guests, as part of the new offerings to reposition the property to an InterContinental Resort. Guest rooms will be renovated including the creation of Club InterContinental rooms on a dedicated floor. InterContinental Pattaya Resort will join Holiday Inn Pattaya to be the second resort managed by IHG in the popular beach destination.
Clarence Tan, Senior Vice President, Development, AMEA, IHG said: As one of Thailands top beach destinations, Pattaya attracts both international visitors and locals from other Thai cities looking for an idyllic weekend getaway. Phratamnak Hill is a prime location and one of the most exclusive areas along the coastline, which is perfect for the first InterContinental resort to cater to guests who want a luxurious experience. Weve had a great partnership with Amburaya Resort Company Limited who we launched our Holiday Inn Express brand in Bangkok with, and we are delighted to work with them again to provide guests with exceptional experiences in Pattaya.
Amburaya, who owns Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Siam, has a proven track record in high quality hotel developments and continue to expand its portfolio of hotels and resorts in key cities across Thailand.
Sunny Bajaj, Managing Director, Amburaya Resort Company Limited, said, The InterContinental brand is globally recognised for its consistency in delivering top-notch luxury travel standards. With the growing popularity of Pattaya amongst luxury travellers, partnering with IHG is a strategic decision for us to bring our property up to the next level catering to guests seeking luxurious experiences. We are confident InterContinental Pattaya Resort will be one of the most highly sought-after hotels in Pattaya, and look forward to a great partnership with IHG for many years to come.
InterContinental Hotels and Resorts is one of the world's leading hotel brands with a long and successful heritage since the first InterContinental was founded in 1946. Today, InterContinental is an award-winning brand, picking up accolades such as the coveted title of "World's Leading Hotel Brand" at the World Travel Awards last year an award it has held for six consecutive years; and the title of "Best Hotel Brand Worldwide" in this year's Business Traveller Middle East Awards.
Globally, IHG operates 184 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, with 52 hotels due to open in the next three to five years.
In Thailand, there are three InterContinental Hotels & Resorts: InterContinental Bangkok, InterContinental Hua Hin Resort and InterContinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort, and 15 other hotels acrossCrowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express,Hotel Indigo. The company has 15 hotels and resorts in its development pipeline, due to open in the country within the next three to five years.
About IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, EVEN Hotels, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites andCandlewood Suites.
IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 5,000 hotels and 744,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries, with more than 1,300 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG Rewards Club, the worlds first and largest hotel loyalty programme with more than 92 million members worldwide.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Groups holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 350,000 people work across IHGs hotels and corporate offices globally.
Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihg.com/media and follow us on social media at: www.twitter.com/ihg, www.facebook.com/ihg and www.youtube.com/ihgplc.
SOURCE IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)
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Louisiana-Based Independent Brokerage Chooses To Affiliate With Century 21 Real Estate
March 01, 2016 // Franchising.com // MADISON, N.J. In keeping with its expanding growth of new affiliates in 2015, Century 21 Real Estate LLC, the franchisor with the largest global network in the residential real estate industry, announced today that Realty Executives SELA has chosen to affiliate with the CENTURY 21 brand, and the firm will now operate as CENTURY 21 SELA. Led by President Tammy Randles, CENTURY 21 SELA provides residential real estate, investment real estate and land development services to buyers and sellers throughout southeast Louisiana. Currently, the firm has four offices and a wealth of sales associates serving this regional market.
Our brand is defined by the way our local affiliated C21 professionals approach every consumer and industry professional they encounter, and Tammy Randles and her sales professionals truly reflect our SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER. CENTURY 21 brand, said Rick Davidson, president and chief executive officer, Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Tammys commitment to growing her four offices while supporting and advocating for the revitalization efforts in her community is reflective of the CENTURY 21 value proposition, and we are fortunate to have her as a brand ambassador. Im looking forward to watching CENTURY 21 SELA grow and thrive as part of the CENTURY 21 System.
Randles has tripled the size of her brokerage in the past three years, which she attributes to providing sales associates with a positive, growth-oriented working environment.
At CENTURY 21 SELA, we truly believe in order to be the best, we have to align with the very best, said Randles. The CENTURY 21 global brand awareness, combined with access to incredible lead-generating tools and technologies that engage and connect with todays consumers, will take our brokerage to the next level and give our affiliated agents access to the tools and resources to provide the best real estate services in the Southeast Louisiana area.
CENTURY 21 SELA is an independently owned and operated franchise affiliate of Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Century 21 Real Estate has numerous websites to help answer specific consumer needs. They are:
century21.com
century21Global.com
commercial.century21.com
century21.com/finehomes, and
century21espanol.com.
About Century 21 Real Estate LLC
Century 21 Real Estate LLC (century21.com) is comprised of approximately 6,900 independently owned and operated offices in 78 countries and territories worldwide with more than 101,000 independent sales professionals.
Century 21 Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in real estate franchising and provider of real estate brokerage, relocation and settlement services.
2016 Century 21 Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. CENTURY 21, the CENTURY 21 Logo are registered service marks owned by Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Century 21 Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each office is independently owned and operated.
SOURCE Century 21 Real Estate LLC
Contact:
Meaghan Quinn
Account Executive
O. 617-226-9538
M. 774-573-2361
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Pacific Passion Coffee Returns to Maui Wowi for Limited Time Only
Global Beverage Franchise to Offer Popular Hawaiian Coffee Blend this Spring
DENVER - March 1, 2016 // PRNewswire // - Forget about spring fever; it's all about the passion! For the seventh consecutive year, Maui Wowi, known globally for its tiki huts and brightly colored kiosks, is bringing back its popular Pacific Passion coffee blend for a limited time only.
Available starting March 1, Maui Wowi will combine the best of the Pacific Islands with Hawaiian and Papua New Guinea coffee beans to serve up the Pacific Passion blend. With a naturally sweet taste and fruity aroma, the blend has a full-body finish and clean flavor.
"The reviews of our Pacific Passion coffee have been overwhelmingly positive and we are excited for its return to the brewers this spring," said Mike Weinberger, brand president of Maui Wowi. "The gourmet quality of this limited time coffee is the perfect brew to enjoy as we transition into warmer days ahead."
Maui Wowi, a global coffee and smoothie franchise that has more than 450 stores, kiosks and mobile units, will offer the special roast at participating locations and online at www.shop.mauiwowi.com, giving its loyal customers the opportunity to experience the flavors of the Pacific Rim with ease.
For more information on Maui Wowi, visit http://www.MauiWowi.com.
About Maui Wowi
Since 1982, Maui Wowi has embraced the Hawaiian culture and has been serving paradise in a cup since the day it began, over 30 years ago. From event carts, mall kiosks and stand-alone retail locations, Maui Wowi offers premium, all-natural, gluten-free, fresh-fruit smoothies, as well as gourmet Hawaiian coffees and espresso beverages. The company maintains strong community involvement through fundraising efforts by its franchisees, in addition to Team Karma; an initiative that promotes corporate responsibility and giving back to the community. In November 2015 Maui Wowi was acquired by Kahala Brands. The brand has more than 450 operating units and an online store, shop.mauiwowi.com.
To learn more information about Maui Wowi products, locations or flexible, low-cost franchising opportunities, visit http://www.MauiWowiFranchise.com.
About Kahala Brands
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Kahala Brands is one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world with a portfolio of 18 quick-service restaurant brands with approximately 3000 locations in 34 countries including Cold Stone Creamery, Blimpie, TacoTime, Pinkberry, Samurai Sam's Teriyaki Grill, The Great Steak & Potato Company, NrGize Lifestyle Cafe, Surf City Squeeze, Planet Smoothie, tasti D-lite, Maui Wowi, Johnnie's New York Pizzeria, Cereality, Kahala Coffee Traders , Frullati Cafe & Bakery, Rollerz, Ranch One and America's Taco Shop.
For more information about Kahala Brands, visit www.KahalaBrands.com.
SOURCE Maui Wowi
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TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Gears Up for 4th Annual Career Move Month
With one-third of franchisees starting as movers or drivers, company aims to hire 1,000 people and create franchisees of tomorrow.
LANSING, Mich. - March 1, 2016 // PRNewswire // - When it comes to Moving People Forward, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK takes its core purpose seriously. From movers and drivers to marketing specialists and general managers, the industry's fastest-growing moving services franchise is dedicated to providing hardworking employees with a rewarding career path that offers plenty of room to grow - just ask the 75 percent of management staff that started out in entry-level positions. Now, as TWO MEN AND A TRUCK enters its fourth annual Career Move Month campaign, thousands of people will have a chance to become a part of the company employing "Movers Who Care."
Career Move Month is an initiative dedicated to recruiting new hires to join the rapidly expanding brand. In 2015 alone, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK had more than 1,200 new hires emerge from the celebrated month and a total of 8,919 hires throughout the year. Demonstrating growing success of the nationally recognized moving company, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has announced this year, it hopes to hire at least 1,000 applicants from the March Career Move Month initiative.
"Career Move Month is an essential endeavor for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK to extend opportunities to potential hires and encourage them to join a company focused as heavily on the satisfaction of its customers as it is of its employees' success," said Randy Shacka, president of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. "We're eager to continue growing our successful team, responsible for all of our accomplishments for the past 30 years."
Looking to expand overall staff throughout its franchises across the country as well as corporate office located in Lansing, Mich., TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is hiring in all departments, including movers, drivers, marketing specialists and management-level staff. Career Move Month also honors the moving franchise's focus on providing employees with not just a job, but a lasting and meaningful career. Hiring from within is an initiative that's championed by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, and the brand encourages upward mobility amongst all of its employees.
"A big factor in our brand's success and consistent growth is the commitment we have to all levels of staff, giving them the tools to succeed and move up within our brand," said Jeff Wesley, CEO of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. "Our president, Randy Shacka, even started out as an intern in the corporate office, showcasing just one of our special stories of Moving People Forward. We understand our people are a vital part of our brand, and we're better able to serve our customers because of the talents they bring to the table. That's why we're committing an entire month to the growth of the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK team and to further add to our talent pool that will help mold the franchisees of tomorrow."
In line with this successful annual program, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK also introduced Mary Ellen's Moving People Forward Scholarship program in 2015, named after the company Founder Mary Ellen Sheets. This initiative was created to show system managers the ropes through various training opportunities and eventually molding them into successful franchisees themselves. The entire executive team at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK believes in grooming employees to become franchisees by giving them the right tools and mentorship. This scholarship's inaugural winner Randi Bloodworth was awarded a franchise inPearland, Texas, in partnership with existing franchisees Jeff Knowles and Ryan Knowles. Scholarship runner-up Michael Sham is also partnering with his current franchisee Jeff Taylor to become a franchisee himself.
"Everyone deserves a fulfilling career where they can grow and make a difference in their community," Wesley said. "We want to foster that opportunity by providing new job options for long-term careers at every level of our organization. We are so much more than a moving company. We're in this business to change people's lives."
To inquire about franchising, visit twomenandatruckfranchising.com
To inquire about career opportunities, visit careers.twomenandatruck.com
About TWO MEN AND A TRUCK
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is the largest franchised moving company both in the United States and internationally. Currently there are 330 national locations and 2,534 trucks operating in the U.S.; in total, the company operates more than 350 locations and 2,600 trucks. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has performed more than 5.5 million moves since its inception in 1985. The company has seen consistent monthly growth dating back to December 2009 and more than 57 consecutive months of record growth. Each location is independently owned and operated. For franchising opportunities, visit https://franchise.twomenandatruck.com/.
SOURCE Two Men And A Truck
Contact:
Lauren Kaminski
No Limit Agency
312.526.3996
lauren@nolimitagency.com
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Waves beat against the pylons of offshore wind turbines, and winds shake the rotors. Because of this, the base of the turbine, which is located underwater near the seabed, must be able to withstand severe stresses. Corrosive saltwater can also damage the foundations. Divers descend periodically to inspect the highly vulnerable welding seams of these anchor points. They need to determine if these are still in good order, or whether any cracks or defects have appeared that pose a safety risk. To get to the bottom of these questions, the divers first blast the weld with a high-pressure cleaning tool to remove growths like algae and crustaceans. Then they apply an electromagnetic field to the weld and cover it with iron filings. If a crack is present, the field will be forced outwards, and the iron filings will accumulate there. This is a difficult task for the divers, who must carry down a lot of equipment while braving strong currents and allowing themselves enough time to adjust to changing water pressures during the dive. Currently, the inspection of one wind turbine installation takes about a day.
Automated measurement using a sensor ring
In the future, this arduous and sometimes dangerous task can be performed by a robot; more specifically, a box-shaped remote operating vehicle, or ROV for short. The groundwork for this technology has been laid by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS in Dresden in cooperation with various industry partners. We have developed a sensor ring that simplifies these measurements and will allow them to be performed automatically in the future, says Andreas Schnabel, project manager at the IKTS. This system offers a number of benefits. It is far more precise than other methods used to date, because for instance it can also analyze the dimensions and depth of cracks, which until now was impossible. Furthermore, this type of inspection is much faster than labor-intensive manual methods the job is complete in just ten minutes.
But how does the system work? The heart of the system is the sensor ring, which is placed around the weld and remains there for the entire service life of the wind turbine, Schnabel explains. This ring is composed of numerous sensor elements arranged like a string of pearls, with spaces of five to seven centimeters between them. To take the measurements, the diver first connects a battery-powered handheld device to the interface port on the ring and then begins the analysis with the press of a button. In the future, this task will be performed by the robot. The laborious task of cleaning the area using high pressure is no longer needed.
Each of the sensor elements takes its turn in functioning as an actuator. Heres how it works: the sensor hits the weld with ultrasound waves, which then permeate the entire structure. If there is a crack somewhere, the waves will be reflected back from the damaged area, while passing unobstructed through the intact areas. The other sensors detect these signals, and in this way they can home in on the damaged areas. The next sensor then takes its turn as an actuator: it transfers the data via cable connection to the handheld reader, whose data is transferred to a PC. As a result, the researchers receive data similar to that of a CT scanner at a doctors office. The end user, or in this case the inspector of the offshore wind farm, receives an image of the weld with damaged areas color-coded according to severity.
Practical trials in the Baltic Sea concluded successfully
Working together with staff from Baltic Taucher in Rostock, the researchers successfully demonstrated the viability of the process in an on-site trial at the Baltic 1 offshore wind farm. For this trial, they made a crack measuring 0.9 millimeters in width, 45 millimeters in length, and 7 millimeters in depth in a branched metal pipe, and lowered it to the bottom of the Baltic Sea at a depth of 18 meters. The trial was a success: not only was the system able to locate the crack with excellent precision, but it even determined its length, height and depth. Researchers are hopeful that the system will be certified and ready for robotic operation in approximately five years. Their goal is to sustainably ensure a long service life for the wind turbines while supporting the transition to new energy sources.
Current CFRP production often involves large, expensive equipment. The molten polymer is pressed between the reinforcing carbon or glass fibers. Using this method, the plastic is only heated indirectly by the massive mold. The molds have to be moved, cyclically heated with variotherm process control, and cooled again. Depending on the process, this can require a significant amount of energy and time. The often high investment costs for presses and other large systems mean that smaller and medium-range batches are not profitable. However, there is an alternative for this: Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Pfinztal can heat the CFRP directly in a vacuum with infrared radiation. The energy acts where it is needed. Immediately. For the mold wall, the researchers have found a material that transmits infrared radiation in the desired wavelength range, but which undergoes almost no internal heat expansion. Usually, vacuum based variotherm manufacturing processes take between 30 minutes and several hours, depending on the thickness of the component. Using the ICTs approach, this is done in less than 60 seconds.
Our method is faster, more economical and more energy efficient than the current state of the art, says Sebastian Baumgartner, mechanical engineer at the institute in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Processing in a vacuum protects the material. The plastic does not oxidize, as it does in open procedures. Trapped air and possible exhaust gases are sucked out. The process is very stable and easy to use. All forms of electromagnetic radiation are suitable for heating CFRP in our approach, including microwave radiation, Baumgartner explains. The industry saves energy, costs and materials and can manufacture more quickly. The method is suitable for both large and small series. It will particularly benefit smaller and medium-sized companies that do not want to pay for expensive system technology, Baumgartner clarifies.
Exhibit at the JEC
In a test plant, the researchers use the process to produce 40 x 40 centimeter wide CFRP sheets. Similarly large parts are already found in sporting goods and automotive applications. Our system fits on a normal shop floor, Baumgartner explains. Unlike with large presses, no superstructures, substructures or special foundations are needed. The scientists will present the project at the JEC (the trade fair for composite materials) from March 8th to 10th in Paris (Pavilion 5A, Booth E70).
The system produces distortion-free plates. This is a major challenge when manufacturing with CFRP. We heat and cool symmetrically, use a mold wall with minimal thermal expansion and operate at relatively low process pressures, in order to avoid squeeze flow, says Baumgartner. The smooth surface of the mold wall also creates an almost reflective CFRP plate surface. This is very advantageous in the final component, particularly for applications in visible areas.
The plastic heats up immediately once the infrared radiator is switched on. Scientists cannot yet say exactly how much energy is saved. We dont have the precise comparative figures. The effect is evident, though, since there are no large thermal masses that have to be heated up and cooled down again, as is the case with the pressing process, the researcher adds.
In cars, airplanes and sporting goods
Carbon fibers are thinner than a human hair. In new developments, thermoplastics often serve as suitable matrices for CFRP. They can be melted repeatedly and recycled completely. Fibers and plastics are stacked layer by layer until the desired component thickness is reached. Heat and pressure bring fibers and melted plastic together. A particular challenge is to manufacture the panels without any gaps or air pockets without any shifting of the fibers. Unidirectional CFRP is stiff in the direction of the fiber and flexible perpendicularly. As a result, components with customizable properties can be manufactured through a specific arrangement of the layers. CFRP is not only interesting for aerospace and Formula 1. It is currently used in cars, airplanes and sporting goods.
IDOMENI, GreecePressed against coils of razor wire and shouting Help us!, refugees stranded at Greeces northern border were pushed back Monday by Macedonian police using tear gas and stun grenades, as the European Union scrambled to ease the escalating number of stranded migrants in Greece.
In a chaotic scene, Syrian and Iraqi refugees forced their way through part of a Macedonian border fence, some clutching infants or struggling to free duffel bags caught in the razor-wire fence. They were met by Macedonian riot police, bolstered by dozens of special forces officers flown in by helicopter to quell a refugee protest.
Amnesty International condemned European government for failing to adequately help stranded migrants.
Tragically, there seems to be more willingness among European countries to coordinate blocking borders than to provide refugees and asylum-seekers with protection and basic services, said Giorgos Kosmopoulos, Amnestys director in Greece.
Some 7,000 migrants, including many from Syria and Iraq, are crammed into a tiny camp at the Greek border village of Idomeni, and hundreds more are arriving daily. The border pileup began ten days ago, when Austria and four ex-Yugoslav countries on the Balkan migrant route north into Western Europe decided to slow border access for migrants to a trickle and stopped letting Afghan migrants travel through their territory.
A U.N. official says those nations never did explain who made the decision on Afghan migrants, or why.
Donald Tusk, the European Council President, begins of tour of those countries Tuesday, starting in Vienna, which has been strongly criticized by other EU nations for its caps on asylum-seekers, and ending Thursday in Athens. Tusk is aiming to prepare for a meeting of leaders from the EU and Turkey on March 7, where the key topic will be trying to halt the flow of migrants from Turkey to Greece.
The number of migrants stranded in Greece topped 22,000 over the weekend, according to government estimates. Thousands have been sleeping outside in parks and along northbound highways, as refugee shelters quickly overflowed.
Very many people were forced to sleep in the open, without tents, wrapped in blankets, said 45-year-old Syrian refugee Nidal Jojack, who has been camped out with her family at Idomeni for three days.
It was very cold. The borders are effectively closed, its a huge problem. To get food, we have to wait in very long queues, she said.
Jojack said she hopes to reach Germany, where her 18-year-old son has already arrived.
Despite receiving the bulk of the refugees seeking the safety of Europe, Germany has opposed unilateral border restrictions and continued to back an EU-wide solution for the migrant crisis. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is resisting calls at home and elsewhere in Europe for limits on refugees like Austria.
We cant do this in such a way that we simply abandon Greece, she told public ARD television. This is exactly what I fear: When one country defines its limit, another must suffer. That is not my Europe.
At next Mondays summit, EU leaders will discuss how we can restore the (passport-free) Schengen system step by step with Greece, Merkel said.
But Austrias deputy chancellor, Reinhold Mitterlehnerin a sign of continued diplomatic tensionsdeclared Monday that the refugee restrictions are necessary (and) were going to maintain them.
Wolf Piccoli, head of research the global advisory firm Teneo Intelligence, said the EU was making a risky bet with its strategy on migration.
The EU is betting on incremental steps, hoping that the backlog will deter potential migrants before tensions in Greece raise concerns over the countrys institutions, he said.
So far, border closures have not stopped migrants from coming.
Greek authorities say over 1,800 people a day have reached Greeces islands from Turkey in February, slightly down from 2,175 a day in January.
Accidents are frequent as dozens cram into unseaworthy boats provided for a high price by smuggling gangs. Ninety-six people have drowned in Greek waters alone so far this year, with another 34 missing at sea.
Struggling to cope with the crisis, Greeces government has issued a temporary ban on journalists visiting migrant camps and called opposition party leaders to an emergency meeting Friday with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
Nicholas Paphitis and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Konstantin Testorides in Skopje, Macedonia and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.
The state is one of a dozen Super Tuesday contests whose outcomes could go a long way in determining each party's eventual winner.
States holding voting contests in both parties Tuesday are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. Republicans vote in Alaska and Democrats in Colorado. Democrats also have a contest in American Samoa and for Democrats Abroad.
John Whitbeck, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, said GOP voters are fired up to get to the polls.
"The evidence is clear that we're looking at a record turnout in Virginia," he said.
The limited polling available in Virginia shows Donald Trump ahead in the Republican primary and Hillary Clinton leading in the Democratic race.
Susan Swecker, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, said she expects turnout on the Democratic side to be "robust," but isn't sure whether it will be record setting. She noted that there are only two candidates running for the Democratic side, Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, compared with five GOP candidates.
Whoever wins Virginia is also likely to bolster their case that they can do well in the general election, as the Old Dominion has a diverse electorate and is expected to be a pivotal swing state.
"Virginia is America in miniature," said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. "A win here means more than a win in a lot of other states."
Virtually every candidate in both parties made at least one stop in Virginia in the run-up to the primary.
Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio held a four-stop tour across the state Sunday and has recently consolidated a large amount of the state GOP establishment's support.
Trump was at Virginia Beach's Regent University last week and held a rally Monday at Radford University in southwest Virginia, home to a large number of blue-collar voters more likely to support him.
Clinton spoke Monday in northern Virginia, home to wealthier, more liberal voters, and in Hampton Roads, which has a high concentration of African-American voters.
The Clinton campaign has focused on courting black voters in Virginia, lining up support from most African-American state lawmakers. And Gov. Terry McAuliffe is a longtime family friend and confidante.
The Sanders campaign has shown momentum in Virginia. A rally he held in Norfolk drew thousands.
Rubio and a super PAC supporting him have recently purchased more than $400,000 of airtime in Virginia's four biggest TV markets, according to the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project. Clinton's campaign has bought more than $360,000.
Trump has made small TV ad buys across the state. A super PAC devoted to attacking Trump announced Friday that it is running radio ads attacking him in parts of central Virginia.
Zarr Tech Announces Being Nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year at Oakville Awards for Business Excellence
Zarr Tech is proud to announce it has been nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year at this year's Oakville Awards for Business Excellence.
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Zarr Tech (www.ZarrTech.net) a company that solves and diagnoses business technology problems and offers local IT consultation, announces its nomination for Entrepreneur of the Year at the Oakville Awards for Business Excellence
The nominees for the 21st Annual Oakville Awards for Business Excellence were announced in early February, and among the nominees is Zarr Tech founder, Matthew Zarrillo. (Source: "Congratulations to 2015 Nominees for Oakville Awards for Business Excellence," Oakville Chamber of Commerce web site, February 4, 2016; https://www.oakvillechamber.com/congratulations-to-2015-nominees-for-oakville-awards-for-business-excellence/.)
"I can't tell you how much of an honour it is to be acknowledged by a group with such a respected history," says Zarrillo. "This is definitely an acknowledgement that is shared with my team of amazing technicians and staff who come to work every day with the goal of helping our clients as their first priority. We've created an environment here that encourages everyone to be their best."
There are eight other categories represented in the awards show, including Small Business of the Year, Professional Service Provider of the Year, and Franchise of the Year. Two additional awards--the Charity or Not-for-Profit Excellence Award and the Oakville Business Icon Award--will be announced at the gala, which will take place at the Oakville Conference Centre on Wednesday March 23 and is presented by The Rotary Club of Oakville and the Oakville Chamber of Commerce.
"When putting all that work into a business and all the time spent just trying to provide the very best service possible, winning awards is never really a big consideration," says Zarrillo. "There are so many other businesses in Oakville doing great things, so I really am grateful for this nomination."
Zarr Tech helps small businesses in the GTA better manage its IT. It strives to implement or improve technology for the businesses it works with, which include clients from the retail, medical, and communications industries. More information can be found at www.ZarrTech.net.
For more information about us, please visit http://www.zarrtech.net/
Contact Info:
Name: Matthew Zarrillo
Organization: Zarr Tech
Address: 2275 Upper Middle Road E Suite 101 Oakville, ON L6H 0C3
Phone: (289) 813-3791
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/zarr-tech-announces-being-nominated-for-entrepreneur-of-the-year-at-oakville-awards-for-business-excellence/105473
Release ID: 105473
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Simon & Geherin, PLLC, Announces the Firm Has Been Ranked in "Best Law Firms"
The firm received this honor for their work in criminal defense and the founding partners were named "The Best Lawyers in America" in the 2016 edition of this publication.
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Simon & Geherin, PLLC recently received a ranking in the 2016 Edition of U.S. News & World Report-Best Lawyers in America "Best Law Firms" in the practice area of criminal defense. In addition, founding partners Joseph A. Simon and Daniel T. Geherin were individually named in The Best Lawyers in America 22nd Edition 2016 publication, Simon for his work in criminal defense-non white collar and Geherin for his work in criminal defense-DUI/OWI defense. Inclusion in Best Lawyers requires an attorney undergo an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey compromising more than 6.7 million confidential evaluations by top attorneys.
"For more than three decades, Best Lawyers has been regarded-by both the general public and those in the profession-as one of the most definitive and credible guides to legal excellence in the United States, Because there is no fee or purchase required to be included in the guide, being listed is considered a singular honor. The firm is honored to have both of its founding attorneys recognized in this manner. In our experience, consumers find this listing to be of great help when they are in need of a criminal defense attorney in Washtenaw County, as they know our firm has been thoroughly and positively vetted by those who rate attorneys," states Daniel Geherin, founding partner at Simon & Geherin, PLLC.
"At Simon & Geherin, PLLC, we take great pride in providing clients the highest quality of legal representation. I find it very rewarding that both clients and other members of the legal community appreciate our hard work and success. It is great that both US News and World Report and Martindale-Hubbell recognize the firm's combined success and the founding partners' individual accomplishments," notes Associate Attorney Philip M. Jacques.
In addition, in September 2015 Martindale-Hubbell ranked Daniel T. Geherin, a firm partner and experienced criminal defense lawyer in Ann Arbor, as AV-Preeminent. This remains the highest ranking available for attorneys and is granted to only those individuals who have been awarded the highest ratings for their legal ability and professional ethics by their peers. As the standards are so high, only ten percent of attorneys benefit from this advantage, yet Simon & Geherin PLLC has two attorneys who have been rated AV-Preeminent. Martindale-Hubbell honored Joseph A. Simon with this distinction in 2006.
"When the time came to make a career move, I knew I wanted to look at Simon & Geherin, PLLC. Not only would I be able to work on cases that I am passionate about, such as juvenile delinquency matters and state criminal defense, but I would be working in a firm that has been honored a number of times, not merely at the firm level, but also at the attorney level. Joining the firm in 2013 was one of the wisest decisions I have ever made, as I get to work with those who have been named the Best Lawyers in America and my work only improves as a result," Brian Montoye, a Ann Arbor criminal defense lawyer and associate of Simon & Geherin, PLLC, states.
Simon & Geherin, PLLC stands out from other firms in the area in additional ways also. The firm offers client services not found in many practices, including an on-staff private investigator, on-staff notary publics, full-time paralegals, expert referrals, a 24-hour answering service and more. This ensures clients have access to the tools and resources they need in a timely manner.
"Simon & Geherin, PLLC strives to be the only firm a person needs to contact when they are facing legal trouble. In addition to our outstanding attorneys, we offer ways to reduce the stress associated with a criminal proceeding or the restoration of a Michigan driver's license. Contact us today for a free consultation and see why we have been recognized by clients and peers alike for our outstanding work," Joseph A. Simon declares.
About Simon & Geherin PLLC:
Simon & Geherin, PLLC, is a full-service criminal defense law firm know for defending those who face OWI, misdemeanor or felony charges in Washtenaw County, including Ann Arbor and all of Southeast Michigan. The firm likewise represents those who are seeking to restore their revoked driver's license in the state of Michigan.
For more information about us, please visit http://simongeherin.com/
Contact Info:
Name: Joseph A. Simon
Organization: Simon & Geherin PLLC
Address: Ann Arbor, MI, 48104
Phone: 734-997-0870
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/simon-geherin-pllc-announces-the-firm-has-been-ranked-in-best-law-firms/105499
Release ID: 105499
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2016 Women's Walking Shoe Review Launched in Light of Recent Exercise Uptick
Choosing the right walking shoe can make a world of difference where health and fitness are concerned, publishes womenswalkingshoereview.com
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Recently released reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point out approximately half of Americans are currently making an effort to ramp up their levels of aerobic exercise; of those, 60 percent list walking as their activity of choice. These figures exhibit a 6 percent increase over the CDC's previous findings. In light of this uptick, Melissa Rowland, also known as the Female Fitness Geek, has launched her Women's Walking Shoe Review for 2016.
Said Rowland, "Walking is a great form of exercise, and it's a wonderful way to relieve stress and get fresh air. In addition to building muscle tone, burning calories and improving overall health, it can also help save money on transportation for those who are able to walk to work or when running errands. Though there really aren't any disadvantages to walking, having the right shoes can make a world of difference. The purpose of my website is to provide honest reviews of the best options on the market and help women decide which ones may be right for them, so I encourage anyone interested to click here and view my top picks in several different categories."
Consumers who visit this website will find Rowland's summary of the top walking shoes currently available in small, medium and large budget categories. Positive and negative aspects of each model are discussed as well as notable features. Videos offering further information along with links to manufacturers' and distributors' websites are likewise provided.
Shoes for walkers with flat feet and prime sandals for this type of exercise are also covered in the latest edition of the review with previously mentioned elements in these categories as well. Aside from specific types, brands and models of walking shoes, the review explains the significance of each variety as well as any listed features. Additional advice on appropriate shoe choice is additionally furnished.
Concluded Rowland, "I will continue to update the website on a regular basis and share my thoughts on an array of topics in this genre. A number of other categories are discussed as well, like hiking shoes and walking accessories; not to mention, I offer information on weight loss, mental health benefits of walking and other subjects. I encourage anyone thinking about starting a routine or simply looking for a more comfortable and supportive pair of shoes to visit my website to learn more here. Visitor may also feel free to post their questions, concerns and comments on each discussion."
About Women's Walking Shoe Review:
Published by Female Fitness Geek Melissa Rowland, the Women's Walking Shoe Review provides a wide range of information on walking shoes. The review covers such topics as price and selecting suitable options based on personal style, foot type and level of dedication to this type of exercise.
For more information about us, please visit http://womenswalkingshoereview.com/
Contact Info:
Name: Melissa Rowland
Organization: Womens Walking Shoe Review
Address: State College, PA 16801
Phone: (814) 708-9845
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/2016-womens-walking-shoe-review-launched-in-light-of-recent-exercise-uptick/105487
Release ID: 105487
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Mobile Wallet Market Is Expected To Reach USD 2,950.2 Billion by 2020: Radiant Insights
Radiant Insights, Inc has announced the addition of the "Mobile Wallet Market Analysis By Application (Grocery Stores, Public Transportation, Restaurants, Retail, Vending Machines) And Segment Forecasts To 2020" report to their offering.
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Increasing Smartphone penetration, exponential growth of mobile internet applications and advancement of 3G and 4G networks are expected to serve as key market drivers over the forecast period. Technological advancement and the advent of NFC (Near-Field Communication) are also expected to positively impact market growth over the forecast period.
Download Full Research Report @ http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/mobile-wallet-market-analysis-by-application-grocery-stores-public-transportation-restaurants-retail-vending-machines-and-segment-forecasts-to-2020
The market is characterized by consumer demand for easy and convenient payment modes that consume minimum time as against traditional banking channels. Furthermore, surging demand for high-end mobile devices and integration of technologies such as RFID, Bluetooth and NFC across POS (Point of Sale) terminals is expected to significantly contribute to industry growth. Additionally, secure and easy payment processes and enhanced user experience offered by mobile wallet solutions are expected to fuel global demand.
Browse All Reports of This Category @
http://www.radiantinsights.com/catalog/technology-and-media
Further key findings from the study suggest:
o The global mobile wallet market was estimated to comprise 230 million users in 2013, which is expected to reach 1,420.8 million users by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 30.0% from 2014 to 2020.
o Retail was the largest application area in 2013 and accounted for over 40% of the overall market. This can be primarily attributed to initiatives to equip retail stores with easy mobile device payment options along with integration of POS terminals and various loyalty schemes, which result in better customer engagement. In public transportation, mobile wallet facilitates the purchase of tickets for air, rail, bus, and other forms of transport in an efficient manner.
Request a Sample Copy of this Report @ http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/mobile-wallet-market-analysis-by-application-grocery-stores-public-transportation-restaurants-retail-vending-machines-and-segment-forecasts-to-2020#tabs-4
o Asia Pacific accounted for over 30% of the global market volume in 2013. Furthermore, the region is expected to witness the fastest growth over the next six years, which can be primarily attributed to the surge in number of Smartphone and internet users.
o Key industry participants include American Express Inc., BlackBerry, Apple Inc., First Data, Google, ISIS, MasterCard, PayPal Inc., Samsung and Visa Inc. Developing easy-to-use and secure mobile wallet solutions delivering enhanced user experience is expected to be a critical success factor for gaining market share.
About Radiant Insight
Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. It assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. The Organization has a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets.
For more information about us, please visit http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/mobile-wallet-market-analysis-by-application-grocery-stores-public-transportation-restaurants-retail-vending-machines-and-segment-forecasts-to-2020
Contact Info:
Name: Michelle Thoras
Email: sales@radiantinsights.com
Organization: Radiant Insights Inc
Address: 28 2nd Street, Suite 3036
Phone: 1-415-349-0058
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/mobile-wallet-market-is-expected-to-reach-usd-2950-2-billion-by-2020-radiant-insights/105534
Release ID: 105534
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Super Blinds Mart Presents Exclusive Offers for both Custom and Ready Made Blinds
Super Binds Mart, a leading supplier of custom and readymade blinds has announced 15% off on all types of blinds. They also offer FREE shipping Australian wide.
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With over 40 years of experience in the industry, Super Binds Mart has been recognised as the leading supplier of quality blinds at super competitive prices. They stock a huge variety of blinds including venetian blinds, roller blinds, roman blinds, vertical blinds and more. They also supply curtain accessories, eyelet curtains, pelmets and brackets custom, and more.
"Whether it's our locally manufactured custom made blinds or our internationally sourced ready-made blinds, we ensure that our entire range meets the strictest quality standards. Our store lets you buy blinds online Australia wide via a safe and secure shopping experience from the comfort of your own home," quoted the spokesperson of Super Binds Mart.
Super Binds Mart has just announced their exclusive offers for blinds and curtains. They provide a 15% off on all types of blinds accompanies by FREE shipping worldwide.
When asked about the discounts, "Our family has been selling custom and readymade blinds and curtains for over 40 years. Most of our happy customers buying online blinds from us have rated us 4.5/5. his means when you buy blinds online from us, you can be rest assured you'll not only get high quality, durable blinds at a cheap price, you'll be treated to even better after sales service. We provide various offers and discounts on all brands of blinds with a free shipping Australian wide. All our blinds carry a flat 15% discount, no matter what the size or brand is!" exclaimed the spokesperson.
At Super Binds Mart, they stock blinds from the leading brands in Australia and those products come with a two year warranty.
"In most cases, your blinds will be delivered to your door in less than 7 days no matter whether you're in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Canberra, Darwin or regional Australia. We also provide free colour samples before you buy to help you get a feel for the quality of our fabrics, too," added the spokesperson lastly.
About Super Binds Mart:
With more than 40 years of experience in retail window industry, Super Binds Mart has been supplying blinds of varied colour and sizes from all the leading brands of Australia.
For more information about us, please visit http://www.superblindsmart.com.au
Contact Info:
Name: Stewart Graham
Email: sales@superblindsmart.com.au
Organization: Super Blinds Mart
Address: 125 Stirling Highway, Nedlands, Perth, West Australia, Australia, 6009
Phone: 1300 652 027
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/super-blinds-mart-presents-exclusive-offers-for-both-custom-and-ready-made-blinds/105512
Release ID: 105512
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JPMorgan Asset Management (JPMAM) has hired Dale Erdei as head of adviser sales for its UK funds business.
Mr Erdei will lead client relationship development to independent financial advisers in the UK, and will report to Jasper Berens, head of UK funds. His arrival follows the departure of Mike Parsons, head of UK fund field sales, at the start of this year.
Mr Erdei has been with JPMAM for over 11 years and was most recently divisional sales manager for the wealth management channel in the US funds team, based in Chicago.
Mr Berens said: Dale has a huge amount of experience and enthusiasm for our business. He has been managing sales divisions for the last six years and was a highly successful client adviser for a number of years before that.
The JPMAM team has made a number of hires over the past two years following a restructure in late 2013, including head of global strategic relationships Andrew Larkin, and Nick Webb, sales manager for UK platforms and life companies.
The European Commissioner responsible for the financial sector has said he is open to a review of the bankers bonus cap.
Lord Hill, the British representative on the European Commission, suggested he shared the UK governments position in opposing the measure.
Speaking to the Treasury select committee today (1 March) he said he agreed with the original proposals from the commission that centred around measures such as claw-back but which were changed by EU member states and the European Parliament.
While being questioned by the committees chairman Andrew Tyrie Lord Hill - who was not in post when the bonus cap was agreed - conceded it could end up pushing basic pay up.
He said: My approach would have been that you have an approach which has deferred payments and claw-back so you can do it over time without having a cap.
That is what I would have argued for and I would at the time have been arguing for there not to be a cap, I am sure, as the commission was.
What I have been concentrating on is generally trying to get a new approach on financial regulation which is proportioned, which is where we regulate far less and where we review the effect of regulation which has already been passed.
It is the case we are looking at the question of the bonus cap from the point of view of proportionality and whether it in future would make sense for it to be applied in a uniform way to all sized credit institutions or whether it makes sense to do it proportionately.
The UK government attempted to challenge the introduction of a bonus cap, which restricts bonuses to 100 per cent of bankers pay or 200 per cent with shareholder approval and is due to come into effect in January 2017.
HM Treasury had argued the cap would drive talent out of Europe and inflate basic pay but it abandoned its challenge in 2014, recognising that it was unlikely to overturn the decision made in Brussels.
Lord Hill also touched on the financial transaction tax (FTT), which 10 member states are proposing to levy, and its effects on the Capital Markets Union proposals.
He said: I have always taken the view on the FTT that if one were to go down the route of the FTT these things are best done at a global level.
We need to see where this proposal gets to which, as you know, has been a long time in the coming. Where it will end up and what form it will end up in is not clear.
People have been pointing out that if a group of member states proceed with this, they dont do so in a way that cuts against the objectives of the Capital Markets Union.
New entrants in Scotland who are looking to get their first foothold in the farming industry are being urged to apply for the tenancies of three small farms.
The Scottish government has announced it is making two more part-time starter farms available using public land.
Applications are now being invited for a 27ha five-year let at Lochnameal on the Isle of Mull, which is grazing land surrounding a former forest workers holding.
See also: Young farmers chosen for government starter farm
A 9.3ha five-year let at Ardentinny in Cowal on the National Forest Estate, which is being brought back into agricultural use after many years, has also been made available.
Ensuring the next generation of farmers can get a foothold on the farming ladder is absolutely crucial for the future of the industry that puts food on our tables
Richard Lochhead, rural affairs secretary
While not an official publicly owned starter farm, young farmers are also being encouraged to apply for a 10-year limited duration tenancy being advertised for Den Farm on The Crown Estates Fochabers estate in Moray.
Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said: Ensuring the next generation of farmers can get a foothold on the farming ladder is absolutely crucial for the future of the industry that puts food on our tables.
Our innovative approach of creating starter farms on public land has been a hugely successful way of doing this which is why I last year established an expert group to maximise the amount of publicly owned land available to young farmers.
Even though the group has yet to submit its final report, we are now beginning to reap the rewards of its endeavours with even more starter farms and opportunities for young farmers coming onto the market.
Since 2012, 11 starter farms have been created on Scottish government land.
The policy is to offer the farms for a defined period with the intention that successful applicants will be able to build their business experience and capital in that period and then move on at the end.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise are looking to identify land on their estates suitable for starter farm opportunities.
Story Highlights 38% of Americans say U.N. is doing a good job
Job rating is highest since start of Iraq War in 2003
Independents much more likely to give good rating than in 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans are slightly more likely than they were a year ago to think the United Nations is doing a good job of trying to solve the problems it faces. The small gain -- from 35% in 2015 to 38% now -- pushes the U.N.'s job rating to its highest level since before it balked at supporting the Iraq War in 2003.
The percentage of Americans judging the U.N.'s work favorably has now risen 12 percentage points since 2009. At that time, 26% of Americans said the U.N. was doing a good job -- the lowest point in the 38 times Gallup has polled on the subject, going back to 1953. This year's slight climb comes after the percentage saying the U.N. was doing a good job stalled at 35% for three consecutive years.
Fourteen years have passed since a majority of U.S. adults have said the U.N. is doing a good job, following a familiar pattern that goes back decades. Fifty-five percent of Americans supported the U.N.'s efforts when the question was first asked in 1953, and 50% did so in 1967. However, the percentage dropped to 44% in 1970, and since then, attitudes about the U.N.'s work have been marked by lengthy stretches of negative ratings. The two exceptions since then were brief periods of majority support around the times of the first Gulf War in 1991 and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
2015 a Tumultuous Year for the UN
In judging the U.N.'s performance this year, U.S. adults had several major events on which to base their opinions:
In July, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved an agreement designed to limit Iran's nuclear program -- a deal that has not been popular in the United States.
In November, the Security Council unanimously approved a resolution calling for action against the Islamic State group. The action came a week after attacks by Islamic extremists killed 130 people in Paris.
In December, the United Nations Climate Change Conference produced the Paris Agreement, a global deal on the reduction of climate change reached after 20 years of negotiations on the subject.
On Feb. 3, the U.N. suspended peace talks focused on ending Syria's civil war just a few days after they began.
The United Nations' support of the Iran nuclear deal touched on an issue that a majority of Americans opposed, but its action on global warming dealt with a subject that has strong support overall in the U.S. The U.N.'s quick reaction against the Islamic State group after the Paris attacks also mirrored the attitudes of most Americans.
UN Job Rating Improves Most Among Independents
Over the past year, the United Nations' support of the global warming treaty and the Iran nuclear deal drew criticism from Republicans in Congress. Not surprisingly, the percentage of Republicans saying the U.N. is doing a good job fell from 25% in 2015 to 17% now. Nevertheless, the overall U.N. job rating rose because the percentage of independents saying it is doing a good job spiked from 29% to 43%. In doing so, independents -- for the second time in a decade -- moved closer to the Democratic view than to the Republican view. Democrats' opinions of the U.N. showed no significant change in 2016 after improving by 11 percentage points last year.
Meanwhile, the partisan gap between the two parties, after widening from 15 points in 2014 to 27 points last year, now stands at 37 points -- the largest divide since Gallup began asking the question annually in the February World Affairs poll in 2004.
Bottom Line
Although the United Nations has made incremental advances in the eyes of the American public over the past seven years, only slightly more than a third of Americans think it is doing a good job. Furthermore, the U.N. lost ground among Republicans in the past year, possibly as a result of its support for the Iran nuclear deal and the global warming treaty.
But despite Americans' consistent disapproval of the United Nations since 2003, the American public has indicated again and again that the U.N. has a vital role to play. More than 60% said in 2014 that the U.N. should play a leading or major role in world affairs. In 2013, 58% said that working with the U.N. should be a very important foreign policy goal for the U.S., and 66% said that the U.N. "plays a necessary role in the world today." While the majority of Americans generally have not been happy with the way the United Nations deals with the world's problems, few have wanted to see it fade into oblivion, as did its post-World War I predecessor, the ill-fated League of Nations.
Survey Methods
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Feb. 3-7, 2016, 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.
Her profile does not match! According to the Bank, the socioeconomic profile of the type of manager does not fit with that of a person who, abroad, handles hundreds of millions of dollars and, on the other hand, fits with a person in a managerial position (regular employer).
Carvajal, as corroborated by the newspaper La Nacion, now is the manager of sportsbook 5Dimes.
5Dimes business name is Red Planet S. A., another company headed by Carvajal, this business also received money from Malta and Panama through bank transfers from Woodtree Equipment Limited, according to research by Banco De Costa Rica Security Department.
As for companies domiciled in Malta and Dubai (United Arab Emirates), there are no audited financial statements of 2014 -a which accessed the bench, where revenues of more than $ 1,500 million were reported.
The more records is Woodtree Equipment Limited, with revenues of $ 1,444 million and $ 1,282 million expense. And Latitude Global FZE reported $ 84 million entries and expenses by $ 72 million, the statement said
Marisol Carvajal, meanwhile, borrowed, on national soil, with two mortgages totaling $ 241,000 ( 130 million) to build a house in San Rafael de Escazu, from a private bank. In the writings of the loans, she was identified as "administrator" in 2006 and 2014.
Besides this, the company Red Planet S. A. -under which operates the sportsbook - owes little more than $ 1 million to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) per worker-employer contributions.
According to a report by the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), she obtained the baccalaureate high school in 1997, under the distance mode.
Latco accounts, which received $ 67 million over three years Carvajal firms are being investigated by the Public Prosecutor for the alleged crime of money laundering.
Since September 2013, this is the only income recorded in the accounts in the BCR Latco.
87% of the shares are Latco lawyer Manfred Pino and the rest of his wife, while the generalissimo is empowered Jennifer Morsink, member of the Board of the National Bank since 2012.
Money transfers. The $ 67 million was deposited by 25 transfers from Malta and Arab Emirates, through banks in Germany, Spain, Britain and the United States.
With these resources, two escrows, which are administered by Latco with the intention to develop real estate projects, were formed. The executor of these works is Pino, owner of the trust company.
This follows the report of the Administrative Office of Compliance from Banco de Costa Rica (BCR), which was sent to the prosecutor, the November 19, 2015 .
In that document, the bank sets out the reasons why he closed the four Latco accounts and is the basis of the preliminary investigation by the Assistant Prosecutor for Money Laundering.
Suspicions. The Bank's attention to this case occurred after Latco provided partial information on the origin of the resources Woodtree Latitude Global FZE and Equipment Limited.
Even Morsink, says BCR report, in the first instance, refused to receive a notice in which she was requested additional information on the work or nature of these two companies. She alleged that many of these documents had already been handed over to the state bank.
However, the BCR team was not satisfied. For example, Woodtree Equipment Limited, Latco only provided some financial statements audited by a certified public accountant (CPA) Costa Rican, although the company is registered in Malta.
The CPA said that the document lacks implementation of international financial reporting standards. Of the 2,000 shares of Woodtree, 1,999 belong to Carvajal and the firm Reliance Management Ltd.
According to those same financial statements, Woodtree is dedicated to software development and high-tech business, and has clients such as Allianz, Air France-KLM Group and L'Oreal.
"No specific references obtained about the business of companies senders funds (...). There is information company registration, but this is not satisfactory to make a relationship that satisfies the natural questions that the bank has had to consider "the report said.
Concentration. Another observation that reveals the study of BCR team is a "major mismatch" between the origin and destination of resources entering Latco bank accounts.
After entering Costa Rica, 30% of the money left the country to accounts in Panama, United States and Peru. Another 67% was sent to accounts at other banks Latco on national soil as BCT, Scotiabank and BAC San Jose, while the remaining 3% are cashier checks.
Of the $ 67 million to Carvajal he wrote a check for $ 75,000 ( 40 million) here and Pino was deposited transactions $ 702,000 ( 380 million) in his accounts in the United States.
"The transfer of funds by such high amounts, from untraditional countries, Arab and Malta Emirates for constituted by a Costa Rican businesses and to others with no clear organizational and operational qualities, suggest at least an unusual situation," the report GG-11-459-2015.
on Newspaper tried to locate Marisol Carvajal at her home, mobile, office, email and social networks. However, at the closing of this edition was impossible, because she left the country since February 15, confirmed the press office of the Directorate of Immigration.
Manfred Pino, owner of Latco, agreed to an interview, but until later Tuesday.
Pesquisas. The Public Ministry initiated the investigation following the report which referred the BCR, last November, for the alleged crime of money laundering. So far, no persons charged because the case is in the preparatory stage.
Leovigildo Rodriguez of the Legal Division of BCR, declined to comment on the allegations. He argued that "evil would," because the case is already pending in the prosecutor's office.
A "fistulated" cow that played an important role in research at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University died last week.
"Beatrice" was about 21 years old and had been at the college since at least 1993.
Her abdomen was fitted with a small plastic device call a "cannula," through which researchers and students could directly observe the digestive process.
"It's like a rubber stopper," explained Betsy Snyder, a technician with the large-animal program at OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine. After a hole was cut in Beatrice's side, a donut-shaped implement was fitted to the incision. The "hole" of the piece was removable and allowed researchers and students to actually reach inside the cow.
The Jersey cow was the college's resident donor of rumen fluid to cows and camelids at the Lois Bates Acheson Teaching Hospital. Rumen fluid contains numerous bacteria that aid in digestion and promote the absorption of nutrients into an animal. The fluid could be "harvested" from Beatrice via the cannula.
Several of the hospital's clients also purchased this "liquid gold" to help their animals at home, Snyder said.
"If you've got an animal at home that's not eating, or it's been off food and you need to kind of jump start their intestinal tract ... you can introduce the rumen fluid from another animal and it'll jump-start their system."
Snyder wasn't sure exactly what Beatrice's cause of death was, but she said 21 years was "ancient" for a cow. The bovine also had bad arthritis in her joints and had been having difficulty moving around.
But she used to be quite spry.
"B-Cow,' as she was known, had quite a personality in her younger days," Snyder said. "She even made it into a couple of faculty offices on occasion, put in an appearance or two at holiday parties, and there wasn't a gate on the grounds she couldn't open if it wasn't safely secured."
Beatrice was donated to the veterinary college by Willaval Dairy. Her escapes from her home barn and pasture at the college were often ended when faculty exploited her fondness for grain to lure her back.
"She loved her food," Snyder said.
There has been some talk of getting another fistulated cow for the college, but Beatrice, who made popular appearances at OSU's Pet Day and Adventures in Learning classes, will never be replaced.
"She was a lot of fun," Snyder said.
OSU faculty, staff and students are donating money toward a small memorial for Beatrice - a paver stone that will be placed in front of the college.
"We'll miss her in both a personal and educational sense," Snyder said, "but we hope she's in cow heaven, where the grain never runs out and there's always someone to scratch her chin."
The crowd was utterly silent and the steady sound of rain pouring off the Student Experience Center Plazas roof was the only accompaniment to a list of names, some familiar in the news: Freddie Grey, Sandra Bland, Walter Scott, Trayvon Martin and many others.
For several minutes students took turns reading the names that have become rallying cries for the Black Lives Matter movement, during a candlelight vigil at Oregon State University on Monday night. The movement protests systematic violence against black people, and most of the names were of black people killed by police over the last year and a half.
The last student to read names ended by saying, We will not forget you.
Several students spoke during the event.
If we dont love each other enough, this will continue, said one student.
Capreece Kelsaw, the events organizer and an OSU sophomore in political science, also spoke at the event.
Im here and my voice needs to be heard, along with those that have been taken from us, she said to the audience.
After the vigil, she said attending the events like it and sending out supportive tweets was not enough.
If you build a relationship with someone and you grow and like them you are not going to kill them, she said.
Kelsaw, vice president of the OSU chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said she organized the event because while there is a national conversation about the issues of the Black Lives Matter movement, it is not widely discussed on campus. She said she was pleased by the turnout: the event had more than 100 participants.
I think there was a lot of support, studentwise, facultywise and communitywise, she said.
Kelsaw, an Oregon native, said in this state it can be easy for people to say that the problem of police killings of black people is a distant problem.
Id like for more people to realize the whole black community is affected by this, just because it hasnt happened here doesnt mean it wont, she said.
The vigil overlapped with a town hall discussion on social justice with Ed Ray, OSUs president, held at the Learning Innovation Center. Kelsaw said she was a bit upset when the administration announced the town hall last week, since the vigil had been scheduled well before the town hall as part of the universitys celebration of Black History Month. However, she said appreciated that the administration revised its plans by shortening the town hall so its attendees could also go to the vigil.
Ray announced that he would hold town halls every quarter as part of his response to a student-organized forum in the fall of 2015 about racism at OSU, during which around 20 students described their personal experiences with racism on campus. The town hall was the first of its kind.
However, the questions from students and faculty at the town hall, which had an audience of about 150, were often on other topics. Two students talked about how the rising tuition rate at OSU was stifling the ability for the college to help people rise up; one woman said the lack of accessible facilities on campus made it hard for students with disabilities to get to class and use bathrooms; one student said the university needed to do more for veterans; and two students asked about how OSU curriculum could be improved to help raise awareness of social issues.
Ray said after the meeting that he thought there were good questions at the meeting.
I thought it was a great start, but there is so much more to talk about, he said.
He added that attendance of future meetings would be a good measure of whether they are being done right; if it drops it may be a sign of a need to rethink the events.
Angela Batista, the interim chief diversity officer, said during the meeting the administration plans to hold its next town hall in May.
Its a typical Monday at the Benton County Fairgrounds.
The arena is set up for horseback riding, the RV park is full and the Benton County Sheriffs Office is conducting a physical fitness test for job applicants in the auditorium. Of course, its even busier on the weekends.
The ever-changing array of community activities is part of what Lonny Wunder likes about being the fairgrounds manager. But it also makes it hard to take time off.
This is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week job, Wunder said. I cant be too far away in case something happens.
Thats about to change. Today is Wunders last day on the job he has held since September of 2009, retiring after a 6-year tenure that makes him the longest-serving fairgrounds manager the county has had in 35 years.
At 59, he decided it was time to slow down.
Im going to go do something else, Wunder said. I dont know what it is yet, but Im moving on.
Wunder came to the Benton County job with more than 20 years experience in the fair business in California, having worked as the manager of the Heidrick Ag History Center and CEO of the Yolo County Fair, both in Woodland.
Part of what he brought to the job was respect for tradition, and he didnt do a lot to shake things up at the Benton County Fair and Rodeo. Instead, he focused on sprucing up the facilities and making sure the operation ran smoothly.
Wunder oversaw the installation of new siding on the Benton Arena, construction of a new livestock barn equipped with solar panels, upgrades to the auditorium and the replacement of the old fairgrounds marquee with an electronic reader board. He also updated some of the old signage and got all of the buildings on the 33-acre fairgrounds painted the same chipper shade of red.
It just looks good, he said. It looks a lot better than when I got here.
Revenue from the RV park has more than doubled since Wunders arrival, from just over $100,000 a year to about $250,000.
That said, attendance at the four-day Benton County Fair & Rodeo has been flat during Wunders tenure, and the fairgrounds requires a substantial subsidy from the county to break even ($393,000 this year from a total budget of just over $1 million).
That shouldnt be seen as a knock on Wunders performance, according to Benton County Commissioner Jay Dixon, who pointed out that county fairs all over the state and across the country are struggling to stay financially viable.
I think Lonnys done a good job, Dixon said. Its probably unrealistic (for the fairgrounds) to be self-supporting, but wed like it to be as close as we can make it.
That task is not likely to get any easier for the next fair manager, who will have to grapple with the same issues Wunder did: How to generate more revenue from fair operations and facilities rentals without raising ticket prices and rental fees so much that local residents cant afford them.
Budgetwise, its really difficult, Wunder said. Theyre supposed to pay for themselves, but how can they pay for themselves when theyre supposed to be community-focused and not charge too much?
Since Wunder announced his retirement plans last October, the Benton County Fair Board has been looking for a new fairgrounds manager. According to Board Chairman Bill Blair, a number of viable candidates have applied for the position, although interviews have not yet begun.
Blair will serve as interim manager until the position is filled.
Wunder and his wife, Dawn, who works at Linn-Benton Community College, have no plans to leave the area. When they made the decision to relocate from California, it was with the intention of becoming permanent residents.
One of the reasons I took this job is we wanted to move to Oregon, Wunder said. We love the people. We love the communities. I cant think of a better place to retire to.
Wunder said hes looking forward to spending more time at the couples home on Riverside Drive and working on welding projects in his shop. He also hopes to get in some fishing and crabbing in his 14-foot motorboat.
Ive had it six years and Ive put it in the water once, he said.
But he wont just disappear from the Benton County Fairgrounds, either, he added.
Hes got one last chore to finish first: installing some decorative tiles created by children for a community art project led by Alsea artist Kathi Jederlinich. The 12-inch-by-12-inch terra cotta squares, adorned with colorful flower mosaics, will form a new border for the planter beds around the Floral Pavilion.
Over the next two months or so, hell come in a couple of times a week until the jobs done. The new tiles will form a companion piece to another childrens art project led by Jederlinich, which is now a permanent part of the pavilion.
Kids will come back (and say) Theres my tile. I love projects like that. It gets kids involved, makes them feel special, Wunder said.
Ive always liked when people do things at the fairgrounds they can come back and admire.
F.Y.I. is a community calendar. To accommodate demand for the print edition, we ask that items be brief and include time, date, place, address, admission cost and a contact number for publication. Inclusion of items is at the discretion of the Gazette-Times. Further information is available at 541-758-9524 or jane.stoltz@lee.net.
Assistance
TUESDAY
Emergency food boxes, by appointment, North Corvallis Ministry Center, 5050 N.E. Elliott Circle. Appointments: 541-220-1040.
Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA), 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., Corvallis Senior Center, 2601 N.W. Tyler Ave. Free, confidential, impartial Medicare counseling and education. Appointments required; call 541-812-0849.
Screenings for Emergency Adult Dental Voucher Program eligibility, 9 a.m. to noon, Benton County Health Center, 530 N.W. 27th St. For Benton County residents with proof of residency, such as an ID card, piece of mail or utility bill. Information: 541-207-5875.
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Corvallis Senior Center, 2601 N.W. Tyler Ave., appointments only, 541-602-5829; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave., walk-ins and appointments, 541-602-5829. Free tax service open to taxpayers of all ages and backgrounds, with special attention to those 60 or over; AARP membership not required. Information: 888-227-7669 or www.aarp.org/taxaide.
Emergency food boxes, 1:30 to 4 p.m., St. Vincent de Paul Society Corvallis Conference Food Pantry, campus of St. Marys Catholic Church, 501 N.W. 25th St. No appointment needed. Information: 541-757-1988, ext. 317.
Stone Soup dinner, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., McLean Hall, First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave. Free meal for those in need.
Classes
TUESDAY
Academy for Lifelong Learning, 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., First Congregational United Church of Christ, 4515 S.W. West Hills Road. At 9:30: Marcia Gilson and Beth Rietveld present Quilts: Not Just Your Grandmothers Bedcover Anymore! At 1:30: Art Bervin presents the Video English: Birth of a Language, followed by the talk Indo-European to Internet in 45 Minutes. Information: 541-737-9405 or admin@academyforlifelonglearning.org.
Strength and Endurance, 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Recreation Room, North Star Manufactured Housing Community, 2601 N.E. Jack London St. Full-body, gentle, effective. Cost: $20 per month, or $4 drop in; first class free. Information: 541-754-6554.
Chair yoga, 3 p.m., Live Well Studio, 971 N.W. Spruce Ave. Suited to those with medical or physical limitations. By donation. Information: 541-224-6566 or www.livewellstudio.com.
Introduction to the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act, 6 p.m., CAN! Research office, 551 S.W. Fourth St.
Events
TUESDAY
Infant story time, 10 a.m., Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. For children from birth through age 1.
Dont Worry, Be Happy, 3 to 5 p.m. or later, Old World Deli, 341 S.W. Second St. Join in games; bring your favorites or just show up at any point. Fragrance-free, please. Information: 541-752-0135.
Government
TUESDAY
Corvallis Airport Advisory Board, 7 a.m., Madison Avenue Meeting Room, 500 S.W. Madison Ave.
Benton County Board of Commissioners, 9 a.m., board meeting room, commissioners office, 205 N.W. Fifth St. Work session.
Benton County Board of Commissioners, noon, board meeting room, commissioners office, 205 N.W. Fifth St. Alpine, Alsea, Cascade View and South Third service district meetings immediately to follow.
Philomath Park Advisory Board, 5 p.m., Kugler Hall, City Park, 299 S. 23rd St.
Benton County Mental Health, Addiction, Developmental Disabilities Advisory Committee, 5:15 p.m., Siletz Conference Room, second floor (use north-side entrance), health department, 530 N.W. 27th St.
Philomath Finance/Administration Committee, 5:15 p.m., city hall, 980 Applegate St.
Adair Village City Council, 6 p.m., city hall, 6030 William R. Carr Ave.
Health
TUESDAY
Monroe Family Medicine, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 610 Dragon Drive, Monroe. Insurance, Medicare, Medicaid accepted. Information: 541-847-5143.
Rapid HIV testing, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave. Free testing and counseling. Information: 541-740-0405.
Opportunities
The Nuts and Bolts of Writing and Selling Short Stories, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 30, Comfort Inn Suites, 1730 N.W. Ninth St. Early-bird rate, Tuesday through April 1: $35 for Willamette Writers on the River members, $45 for nonmembers. Registration: http://willamettewriters.org/wwotr/workshops.
Organizations
TUESDAY
Running and walking group, 5:45 a.m., Corvallis High School track, 1400 N.W. Buchanan Ave. Information: 541-754-0441 or www.hotvrunners.com.
Zonta Club of Corvallis, 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Clubhouse at Adair, 6097 N.E. Ebony Lane, Adair Village. Information: info@zontacorvallis.org.
Philomath Rotary Club, noon, Peace Lutheran Church, 2540 Applegate St. Presentation: What Is Your Hearing Aid IQ? by Ron Leavitt. Cost: $10 for lunch; no charge for first-time guests.
Corvallis Bridge Club, 1 p.m., 6:30 p.m., Heart of the Valley Bridge Center, 1931 N.W. Circle Blvd. Sign up 20 minutes before game. Partners/information: 541-740-1072 or www.corvallisbridge.org.
Rotary Club of Corvallis After Five, 5:15 p.m., downstairs, Tommys 4th St. Bar & Grill, 350 S.W. Fourth St. Information: 503-559-0971.
Corvallis Meditation Community, 5:30 p.m., 3311 N.W. Polk Ave. Information: 971-218-6798 or rasalila2@yahoo.com.
Corvallis Community Choir, 7 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis, 2945 N.W. Circle Blvd. Newcomers welcome; no audition; no experience necessary. Cost: $50 per term. Information: 541-740-6068 or nonandjay1@gmail.com.
Gospel Choir, 7 p.m., social hall, College United Methodist Church, 1123 Main St., Philomath. Information: 541-929-2412.
Heart of the Valley Astronomers, 7 p.m., Corvallis Masonic Temple, 306 S.W. Madison Ave.
Society for Creative Anachronism, 7 p.m., Avery Park Boy Scout Lodge, Southwest Allen Avenue. Information: 541-754-2372 or rudesheim@juno.com.
Schools
TUESDAY
Open House: An Evening at Zion, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Hand-in-Hand Early Learning Center, Zion Lutheran School, 2800 N.W. Tyler Ave. Information: 541-753-7503.
Support groups
TUESDAY
Support group for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Information: Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence hotline, 541-754-0110.
Alcoholics Anonymous:
7 a.m., noon, room 11, First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave.
6:30 p.m. (open meeting), basement, New Life Fellowship, 1412 Applegate St., Philomath.
7 p.m., Alsea Community Library, 19192 Alsea Highway.
7 p.m., Crossroads Christian Fellowship, 2555 N.W. Highland Drive.
Information (24 hours): 541-967-4252 or www.aa-oregon.org.
Narcotics Anonymous, noon, 7:30 p.m., room 11, First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave. Information (24 hours) 877-233-4287 or www.lblna.org.
Stroke Support Group, 1:30 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, 333 N.W. 35th St. Information: 541-768-5157.
National Alliance on Mental Illness Mid-Valley Support Group, 7 p.m., conference room, fourth floor, Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, 3600 N.W. Samaritan Drive. Information: 541-745-2064 or www.namimidvalley.org.
Alanon, 7:30 p.m., room 12, Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, 333 N.W. 35th St. Support group for families and friends of alcoholics. Message center: 541-967-6262.
Mens Support Group, 7:30 p.m., 1975 S.E. Crystal Lake Drive, No. 131. Information: 541-752-6261.
As the Oregon Legislature heads into the final week of its short session, its interesting to note which bills are beginning to fade.
Of course, its not at all unusual for bills to die in the Legislature; in fact, you can make a credible argument that the most important function of any legislative assembly is to kill bills.
But whats interesting is the reason why many of these bills are fading and its a reason you wish would have been trotted out on other bills.
For example, consider House Bill 4026, which was written in response to a planned ballot measure to end Oregons monopoly on the liquor industry. The initiative does not outline a way in which the state can make money off liquor sales, which now are allowed only in state-run stores. The bill would have created an alternative funding source for the state through a sales tax on wholesalers. But legislators have decided that the issue is too complex for a short session.
The same fate might await a bill that would allow police agencies to temporarily withhold the identity of officers involved in deadly force incidents, if a judge finds that the officers face a credible threat to their safety. (The bill aims to protect the unidentified officer who shot and killed Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupier Robert LaVoy Finicum.) The bill passed the House easily, but now has stalled in the Senate as legislators realize that the issues involved are more complicated than they first appeared.
A similar fate has befallen what appears to be the sessions primary bill involving genetically modified organisms, a bill that would have required genetically engineered fish to be labeled in Oregon. Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson said there wasnt enough time in the session to discuss such a complex issue.
The argument that these five-week legislative sessions simply are too short to consider complicated issues is valid. Thats part of the reason why these sessions were initially designed to handle housekeeping items budget alterations such as the measure to reimburse Harney County for some of its standoff expenses, or loose ends from previously passed legislation.
But the argument cuts both ways. For example: The complicated three-tiered system that legislators came up to increase the states minimum wage could have benefited from additional analysis, but that didnt stop the Legislature from passing it. (The argument that the measure needed to be dealt with in the short session to prevent a ballot measure also seems to cut both ways: Ballot measures are pending on privatization of liquor and a bit of business to dramatically increase Oregons corporate taxes, but youve seen what happened to the liquor bill and the tax issue never got any traction in this session because you guessed it its too complicated.)
The sessions remaining big policy bill, the so-called Coal to Clean measure to phase out coal-fired energy provided by Oregons two major utilities and to double the states existing renewable energy standards, might survive the sessions final week. But it wouldnt be a bad idea for legislators to dump the bill in the Too Complicated bin and to head home at the earliest opportunity.
31 kilos heroin : International drug smuggler gets 7 years
Bonn A heroin smuggler with an apartment in Bonn is sentenced to 7 years of prison for his role in smuggling in 31 kilos of heroin from Turkey.
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Following a court trial lasting several months, a 47-year old man was sentenced to 7 years in prison for his role in smuggling 31 kilos of heroin from Turkey. The enormous amount of heroin had a street value of over 1.5 million Euro.
The man lived with his family in Prague but kept an apartment in Bonn. In March of 2014, he and a 43-year-old accomplice from Bonn drove in their car to Istanbul. Before the trip, they had taken their BMW to Poland where they had an extra gas tank built in the trunk of the car. After arriving in Istanbul, the 47-year-old flew back alone. It was left to the 43-year-old drug courier to smuggle the heroin back into Bonn on his own.
On his drive back to Bonn, the 43-year-old was stopped at the Turkish/Bulgarian border. Customs inspectors searching the car discovered the gas tank in the trunk was two thirds full with heroin. The smuggler was arrested and sentenced to 7 years prison in Sofia, Bulgaria in June of 2014. It was through this arrest that criminal investigators became aware of the 47-year-old accomplice back in Bonn. They had the electrician placed under surveillance, until evidence that he was working with a Turkish drug cartel became firm. Countries involved in the smuggling scheme included Germany, Austria, Poland, The Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Turkey.
The 47-year-old man was taken into custody in Spring of 2015 in Prague and brought to Germany. In District Court in Bonn, the man refused to give any information about others involved in the smuggling ring. Video interviews with the jailed drug courier in Bulgaria also did not produce any further information.
Cologne/Bonn Airport : Police woman raises major security alarm
Cologne/Bonn A 23-year-old policewoman barges through security at Cologne/Bonn airport, setting of an alarm. 1,000 passengers were affected.
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A 23-year-old police woman in civilian clothing barged uncontrolled through a security barrier Tuesday morning at Cologne/Bonn airport. This set off a security alarm at around 10:00 a.m. and affected 1,000 passengers. Police are now looking into the matter to see if it was a misunderstanding. German daily Bild first reported that the woman was a police officer.
The woman said she told security personnel that she was police. Maybe she thought that was all that needed to be said and she rushed through. In any case, she could not be identified or found after setting off the alarm and Terminal 2 was completely evacuated and closed. Police went through with sniffing dogs looking for traces of explosives. All the passengers, even those already sitting at their gates had to evacuate and go through security again.
Two aircraft were also evacuated and five flights were delayed up to two hours. One flight was cancelled. Incoming flights were not affected. A police spokesperson said This is of course aggravating for travelers but security has the highest priority.
After one and a half hours, the security area was opened again. The woman was identified in security video cameras. She told police in her interview that she had informed security personnel that she was a member of the police force, and didnt mean to break through a barrier. She was reminded that even police have to go through the security checks.
Treehouse hotel : Venusberg hotel gets Newcomer of the Year Award
Venusberg An unusual Bonn hotel with some treehouses as guest rooms wins the Newcomer of the Year award from Top-Hotel magazine.
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V-Hotel on Venusberg received the Newcomer of the Year Award from Top-Hotel magazine. The Bonn hotel on Haager Weg 42 was honored with first prize in the category Exceptional for the most extraordinary new opening in 2015. Hotels are not allowed to submit competition applications but are rather chosen by the magazine. Hotel manager Christina Voigt said We really never expected to win this prize. But her father Harald added that Its of course a wonderful thing for our small hotel. The hotel has 42 rooms and 3 treehouses also used as guest rooms.
V-Hotel was opened in 2014, but only added the treehouses in the following year. Each treehouse is one room and allow guests to overnight 4 feet up in the trees, in the middle of nature. The houses are made of stone pine, which is thought by some to promote positive health, and has the smell of a Tyrolean cottage.
nametalkam at 1-03-2016 09:42 AM (6 years ago) (m)
A 22-year-old Nigerian asylum seeker who claimed to be gay but then raped a woman has been sentenced to serve five years in prison in the Republic of Ireland. Kenneth Udeh entered Ireland in 2009 and applied for asylum, claiming he had been persecuted because of his Christian faith in Nigeria.
However when that bid to be accepted as a refugee was rejected he then reapplied, claiming that he was a homosegxwal fleeing homophobic persecution.
That too was rejected.
But despite that claim, a court has found him guilty of molesting a woman in the early hours of 12 September in 2014.
The court heard that the woman had been outside a pub in Waterford City, Munster county, when she had gotten chatting to a group of men who were smoking.
When she said goodbye to the men and went to leave Udeh, who had been with the group of men, offered her a lift home.
She agreed and Udeh lead her to a place where he claimed to have parked his car.
However the woman told the court that the next thing she remembered was finding herself on the ground with Udeh on top of her with his trousers down.
The woman told the court that she had told Udeh to stop but he raped her without a condom and did not stop until a local man who was leaving work shouted at him.
Udeh fled and was chased by the man and a passing taxi driver while a female passer-by comforted the victim until police arrived on the scene.
Udeh was able to evade the men who were chasing him but the police were able to track him to a nearby hostel.
Udeh initially denied molesting the woman but pleaded guilty when he was presented with the forensic evidence against him.
Despite being sentenced for the rape Udeh is still appealing the rejection of his refugee application to Irelands Refugee Appeals Tribunal.
Justice Patrick McCarthy noted that the victim did not feel Udeh should be allowed to remain in the country but said that was not a matter for his court to decide. Kenneth Udeh entered Ireland in 2009 and applied for asylum, claiming he had been persecuted because of his Christian faith in Nigeria.However when that bid to be accepted as a refugee was rejected he then reapplied, claiming that he was a homosegxwal fleeing homophobic persecution.That too was rejected.But despite that claim, a court has found him guilty of molesting a woman in the early hours of 12 September in 2014.The court heard that the woman had been outside a pub in Waterford City, Munster county, when she had gotten chatting to a group of men who were smoking.When she said goodbye to the men and went to leave Udeh, who had been with the group of men, offered her a lift home.She agreed and Udeh lead her to a place where he claimed to have parked his car.However the woman told the court that the next thing she remembered was finding herself on the ground with Udeh on top of her with his trousers down.The woman told the court that she had told Udeh to stop but he raped her without a condom and did not stop until a local man who was leaving work shouted at him.Udeh fled and was chased by the man and a passing taxi driver while a female passer-by comforted the victim until police arrived on the scene.Udeh was able to evade the men who were chasing him but the police were able to track him to a nearby hostel.Udeh initially denied molesting the woman but pleaded guilty when he was presented with the forensic evidence against him.Despite being sentenced for the rape Udeh is still appealing the rejection of his refugee application to Irelands Refugee Appeals Tribunal.Justice Patrick McCarthy noted that the victim did not feel Udeh should be allowed to remain in the country but said that was not a matter for his court to decide.
Post Reply I specialize in investigative reportage across several subject matter and sectors but mainly focus on metro events and investigation. Do leave your thoughts and opinion on my reports to let me know what you think about them. Thank you Posted: at 1-03-2016 09:42 AM (6 years ago) | Addicted Hero
Union Budget 2016: Key takeaways for tech companies and consumers Features oi -Ankit
The Union Budget 2016 was tabled in the Lower House of the Indian Parliament on 29th February 2016, as is done each financial year. Presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the Budget saw majority of the announcements aimed towards the rural sector. Emphasis was also on the government's ambitious projects - Start Up India and Digital India.
Here are all of the top tech announcements - extracted from the complete speech - that are relevant from a consumer technology point of view.
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1. National digital literacy programs
Enabling millions of Indians to get online and become digitally literate, the Indian government announced two new programmes under the Digital India campaign - the National Digital Literacy Mission and the Digital Saksharta Abhiyan. Aimed at connecting the rural and urban demographics through the capacity of Internet provision, these programs will also help the rural youth by generating digital employment opportunities and enhancing skill development in industrial training institutions.
2. Approval for Start Up India campaign
Initiated in January 2016 by PM Narendra Modi, the StartUp India campaign is aimed at bringing benefits to entrepreneurs, especially in the innovation and technology sector. With the Union Budget 2016, the government announced the approval from Cabinet and offered tax rebates to eligible entrepreneurs for the first 3-5 years from commencement of business.
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3. E-Platform for rural agricultural producers
The Union Budget is focused primarily on rural development and a promising feature is the setting up of an online e-commerce portal enabling rural agricultural producers to register and sell their products online. Without the hassle of traders and middlemen, the government claims at developing a transparent and easy to use e-platform that will be further complimented by the digital literacy programs. With this project, the government aims to connect upto 250 local mandis by September 2016 and 585 mandis by March 2018.
4. Plans to reduce the digital divide
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley claimed that out of the 168 million rural households in the country, over 120 million are not connected to the Internet, thus leading to a significant digital divide. Through the efforts of the Digital Literacy campaigns and providing subsidy and awareness on sale of computers, tablet PCs and smartphones, the government aims at reducing that divide and getting more of the untapped demographic, online.
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5. Digital Depository for schools/universities
Jaitley also proposed a Digital Depository for all major schools and universities in the country. This Depository will digitally store all school-leaving documents of students, to be easily accessed in the future. The practice of physically storing such documents has been prevalent in rural as well as urban areas, increasing the probability of non-procurement of student documents on demand.
6. Technology for creating accountability
In a first, the Finance Minister announced that technological advancements would be used appropriately to create a sense of accountability in all departments. He said, "Technology is a boon for mankind. We plan to use technology in taxation Department in a big way to make life simpler for a law abiding citizen, and also for data mining to track tax evaders."
SEE ALSO: Hottest Tech Rumor Roundup: Apple iPad, iPhone SE, Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro And More
7. Resolve Income Tax return complaints online
Running a pilot since last year, Arun Jaitley announced that the Income Tax Department would finally be implementing the 'e-Sahyog' initiative that aims at reducing compliance cost and time through resolutions via an online portal of the department. This project will be beneficial for small income tax payers - enabling them to resolve any mismatches in their income tax returns - without having to physically visit the Income Tax office.
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Hottest Tech Rumor Roundup: Apple iPad, iPhone SE, Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro And More Features oi -Vigneshwar
Rumours are the integral part of the technology sector, where the information about the upcoming devices is shared to everyone over the Internet by some means. Most of the time information leaked by some reputed leakster, tends to be true.
While we have no idea, how they get it, let us go through some famous rumours and leaks, that's been doing rounds on the Internet!
Rumour #1
Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro
After Zauba and GFXBench, the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro has been spotted on AnTuTu, revealing the specifications. As per the report, the so-called A9 Pro comes packed with 6-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display with 19201080 pixels. As per the reports, it comes powered by an Octa-Core Snapdragon 652 processor, Adreno 510 GPU
If the rumour turns out to be true, Galaxy device comes packed with 4GB RAM, 32GB ROM with an expandable option up to 128GB via microSD card, Android 6.0, 16MP/8MP camera package, 4G LTE, 4000mAh battery under the hood.
Rumour #2
Oppo R9
Few hours back, the Chinese handset Oppo has sent out the media invites for it upcoming R9 smartphone. This device is camera centric, targeting the photographers and as per the teaser, it shows the glimpse of metal body and SIM slots.
However, as per the report, the company will launch R9 and R9 Plus in the event. As per the leaked information, the so-called R9 and R9 Plus is expected to come packed with 5.5-inch display and 6-inch display respectively, 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM, Android 6.0 on board.
On the camera, the R9 will sport a 16MP/13MP camera, while the R9 Plus is expected to come with 16MP camera on both sides. Talking about the battery life, the R9 comes powered by 2850mAh battery and the Oppo R9 Plus with 4120mAh battery. Further, the leak suggests that, both the smartphones will come with either Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor or Deca-Core MediaTek Helio 20 SoC.
Rumour #3
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2016 or Galaxy Tab E 7.0
We all know, that the South Korean techie Samsung is terrible at keeping secrets. The new Samsung Galaxy tablet has surfaced from @evleaks, dubbed as Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2016 and Galaxy Tab E 7.0. As per the earlier report, the tablet is rumoured to launch as Galaxy Tab E 7.0 in the US and as the Galaxy Tab A 2016 in Europe.
This tablet comes in two variant with the model number - SM-T280 (WiFi-only) and SM-T285 (4G connectivity). Moving on to the specs, both the tablets come with 7-inch display, 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB of inbuilt memory with expandable options, Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, 5MP/2MP camera, 4G LTE and juiced with a 4000mAh battery.
Rumour #4
Apple iPhone SE & iPad Pro
As per the report, the company is expected to unveil the 4-inch iPhone SE, a 9.7-inch iPad Pro and new ranges of Apple Watches. The iPhone 5SE or iPhone SE will come with the latest A9 chip, with more curvy edges. Moreover, this device wont be supporting 3D Touch also. The iPhone SE will be priced not more than $500 (approx Rs. 34,300) and it might slash the price of iPhone 5S into half.
On the other hand, the so-called iPad Pro 2 will be scaled down to 9.7-inch display, along with 12MP camera on the back, capable of taking 4K videos as well. Further, it will also have four speakers, A9X processor, smart connector and support for Apple Pencil.
Rumour #5
Zuk Next Smartphones
Handset maker Zuk is now working on its latest smartphone, which is reportedly called as mini variant of Z1. As per the report, this rumoured Z1 variant will have 4.7-inch display, with two variants in terms of storage, 2GB RAM with 16GB ROM, and 3GB RAM with 32GB ROM. Moreover, this device is expected to run on Mediatek Helio P10 chipset and will come with ZUI.
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Facebook to reveal people's sleeping habits soon News oi -GizBot Bureau
The social networking website Facebook can be used to track people's sleeping habits by building up a database of when your friends were seen last online busy chatting or "liking" posts on Facebook, a media report said.
"Many people visit Facebook as the first thing in the morning and the last thing before going to bed. It is, therefore, possible to get a good impression of their sleeping habits," said San Francisco-based software engineer Soren Louv-Jansen in a Mail Online report.
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For the study, Louv-Jansen used "time stamps" from Facebook's Messenger service to see when his friends were asleep. He was curious to see where the "last seen" data was coming from and after doing some research, he found a list of his Facebook friends' user IDs and last activity "time stamps".
This, he added, is embedded in the initial mark-up of Messenger.com and can be viewed by simply visiting the website and clicking "View Source" to see for yourself.
"By creating a simple service that checks Facebook every 10 minutes, I'm able to get an accurate picture of my friends' Facebook usage," said Louv-Jansen, who published the programme's source code onto GitHub.
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GitHub is used by many developers and hackers to put large amounts of information for developer communities to see and take advantage of, the report said.
Source IANS
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Pushkar-Gayathris Vikram Vedha showcases that a film can be made in any language or for any audience, can be told with the premise & outcome without deviating and keeping the narrative tight.
Hill's F-35s drop first weapons
By Nathan Simmons, 388th Fighter Wing / Published February 29, 2016
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AFNS) -- Airmen from the 388th and 419th fighter wings dropped laser-guided bombs at the Utah Test and Training Range the week of Feb. 25, marking the first time an F-35 Lightning II combat unit has deployed weapons from the F-35A.
Lt. Col. George Watkins, the 34th Fighter Squadron commander, said dropping weapons from the F-35 allows pilots to more fully engage the aircraft and confirm that everything works as planned.
"This is significant because we're building the confidence of our pilots by actually dropping something off the airplane instead of simulating weapon employment," Watkins said.
Air Force F-35s have dropped weapons in test environments, but this is the first time it's been done on jets designed to deploy once the Air Force declares initial operational capability, which it plans to do between August and December. IOC will be announced when the Air Force deems the F-35 combat capable.
Lt. Col. Darrin Dronoff, the director of Hill's F-35 Program Integration Office, said that while this achievement is a significant step toward Air Force IOC, the milestone goes beyond that mark.
"The pilots and weapons loaders in the 388th and 419th fighter wings are perfecting their skills not only to prove aircraft capabilities, but they'll also be the Airmen called upon to take the F-35 to combat, whenever that call may come," he said.
Hill's F-35 pilots will begin flying the F-35 in four-ship formations, which is the standard configuration flown in contested combat scenarios, as early as March.
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Keeping the C-17 in the fight
By Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs / Published February 29, 2016
AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar (AFNS) -- The C-17 Globemaster III is a versatile aircraft in high demand across the globe. The airframe is used to haul cargo, transport passengers and medically evacuate wounded service members.
The 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron maintenance team at Al Udeid Air Base helps keep the base's C-17 fleet mission ready by performing regular maintenance on each aircraft. The unit provides the only tier two C-17 maintenance capability in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility with the ability to replace engines and perform fuel cell work.
"Our goal is to maintain our C-17s so they're ready to go at a moment's notice," said Senior Airman Matthew Vanderbosch, a 8th EAMS C-17 crew chief from Buffalo, New York. "We need to make sure the aircraft is crew ready. We configure the cargo bay for each mission, inspect everything on the aircraft and call in specialists, as needed, to fix problems quickly."
Conducting preflight inspections is one of the many responsibilities of 8th EAMS crew chiefs. During inspections, nearly a half dozen crew chiefs inspect every system on the aircraft, Vanderbosch said.
"We inspect the interior and exterior of the aircraft, all lights, computer systems, hydraulics, every brake and tire everything," said Staff Sgt. Robert Hill, a 8th EAMS C-17 crew chief from Helena, Montana. "Each inspection consists of hundreds of items."
Ensuring the C-17, an aircraft called upon to evacuate 80 U.S. Embassy personnel from Yemen in February 2015, is mission ready is vital, Hill said.
"Everything we do here has an impact. Every time we support a jet launch we're making things happen," Hill said. "Whether it's moving passengers across the AOR, delivering munitions or delivering humanitarian aid like water, blankets or food to people in need; we are here to support all of that."
One day, Vanderbosch was informed of a C-17 waiting to takeoff to transport wounded Soldiers out of Afghanistan. The aircraft was fueled up, the pilot was ready to start engines and the aeromedical evacuation crew was ready to go. However, there was one problem -- two tires needed to be replaced.
"Without hesitation, a team of us went out to the jet, jacked it up and replaced the tires," Vanderbosch said. "Behind every flight crew, there's a team of crew chiefs and specialists ensuring they can do their jobs, because if we don't do our jobs, the flight crews can't do their jobs.
"Knowing we were able to help bring those Soldiers home and get them the care they needed being a part of that, was pretty cool," he continued.
During his time at AUAB, Vanderbosch said he's replaced C-17 brakes, lights and more tires than any other time in his Air Force career.
The 8th EAMS maintainers perform maintenance actions on a routine basis in an effort to ensure assets are available at the time of need, Hill said.
"We track the maintenance needs for every aircraft; we assign people as necessary, perform our inspections and focus on preventative maintenance so we take care of problems before they arise," Hill said.
The 8th EAMS currently has a logistics departure reliability rate of nearly 93 percent. That means for every 10 aircraft assigned to missions, nine take off on time.
The LDRR is one of many achievements made possible by the hard work of the 8th EAMS maintenance team, said Capt. Danielle Rogowski, a 8th EAMS maintenance operations officer from St. Cloud, Minnesota.
"Our guys understand the importance of what they're doing and they see the impact of what they do every day," she said. "When a C-17 is transporting service members across the AOR or when someone needs to get medevac'd out, that's possible because of the work my Airmen do."
Rogowski said she's impressed with the dedication her Airmen bring to the mission.
"I'm so proud of our people, to do what they do every day in extreme heat; I'm having to pull them off of stands to take breaks because they won't stop. If something is broke, they won't stop until it's fixed," she said. "To display such tenacity, that's impressive and they bring that tenacity every day. They come here ready to go, focused on getting the mission done."
In 2015, the 8th EAMS supported more than 1,700 sorties delivering nearly 24,000 tons of cargo and more than 9,000 people to locations across the CENTCOM AOR.
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Bombers receive warm welcome for Cold Response
By Senior Airman Joseph Raatz, 2nd Expeditionary Bomb Group Public Affairs / Published February 29, 2016
MORON AIR BASE, Spain (AFNS) -- B-52 Stratofortresses from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, arrived in Europe Feb. 27, in preparation for their participation in a large-scale NATO training exercise.
This year's iteration of the biennial Cold Response will be held in the central Trndelag region of Norway and feature air, ground and maritime operations. Approximately 16,000 troops from a dozen nations will participate in the exercise, working together to collectively develop tactics, techniques and procedures for combat operations in an extreme cold-weather environment.
'We appreciate the opportunity to take part in such a large multinational exercise at the invitation of our Norwegian allies, and we are especially thankful for the opportunity to test our skills in such unique cold weather conditions,' said Lt. Col. Dennis Cummings, the 2nd Expeditionary Bomb Group commander. 'The ability to train bomber aircrews in different geographic combatant commands is essential to maintaining a strong, credible bomber force that enhances the security and stability of our allies and partners.'
The B-52s will conduct multiple sorties over the course of the exercise, engaging in simulated strikes against ground targets inside the training area. As the Air Force's premier nuclear-capable, strategic heavy bomber, the B-52 is capable of delivering a large payload of precision nuclear or conventional ordnance over long distances while also providing decision makers the ability to rapidly project military power.
'Bomber participation in joint military exercises like this one are an expression of the U.S. commitment to supporting our allies and partners, demonstrating our shared dedication to promoting global security and stability,' said Maj. Matt Spinelli, the 2nd EBG assistant director of operations.
The B-52s will join with KC-135 Stratotankers and F-16 Fighting Falcons to serve as the American air component for the duration of Cold Response 16. A number of C-130 Hercules will also be on hand to provide support to ground forces.
'This exercise provides a great opportunity for allies to train together and better understand how we each operate and communicate,' Cummings said. 'The increased understanding and cooperative efforts between our countries enable us to work together effectively, while also addressing any and all security challenges that may arise in the region or other parts of the world.'
Cold Response 16 is scheduled to run through March 9.
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Military Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq
From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release
SOUTHWEST ASIA, February 29, 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 12 strikes in Syria:
-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike struck an ISIL gas and oil separation plant.
-- Near Raqqah, a strike struck an ISIL gas and oil separation plant.
-- Near Ayn Isa, three strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed eight ISIL buildings, an ISIL fuel tanker, an ISIL tactical vehicle and seven ISIL vehicles.
-- Near Mar'a, three strikes destroyed four ISIL fighting positions.
-- Near Tal Abyad, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units, destroyed two ISIL buildings and an ISIL vehicle and suppressed an ISIL fighting position.
Strikes in Iraq
Fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 12 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:
-- Near Baghdadi, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb.
-- Near Fallujah, a strike destroyed an ISIL front end loader and an ISIL tunnel system.
-- Near Kisik, a strike suppressed an ISIL rocket fire position.
-- Near Mosul, a strike struck an ISIL vehicle bomb factory.
-- Near Ramadi, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL fighting position, two ISIL staging areas and two ISIL petroleum, oil and lubricant trucks.
-- Near Sinjar, three strikes destroyed six ISIL fighting positions and suppressed an ISIL mortar position and an ISIL sniper position.
-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is 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 terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.
Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
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Dunford: Counter-ISIL Shaping Operations Have Begun in Mosul
By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, February 29, 2016 Operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have begun in Mosul, Iraq, and the United States will increase support to Iraqi forces, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today during a news briefing at the Pentagon.
Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. and Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Iraqis will continue to lead efforts against the terror group in Iraq's second-largest city.
Mosul is the largest city under ISIL control in either Syria or Iraq. With a population of around 665,000 people, the operation against the group will be much more complicated than the successful operation against ISIL in Ramadi late last year, Dunford said.
"Operations against Mosul have already started," he said. "We're isolating Mosul, even as we speak. The same thing with Raqqa," the chairman added, referring to an ISIL-controlled city in Syria.
These shaping operations are both kinetic and cyber, Dunford said. Iraqi and free Syrian forces are working to cut the physical lines of communications between Raqqa -- the terror group's "capital" -- and Mosul, he said. In addition, the coalition has launched cyberattacks against the group, seeking to virtually isolate the terrorists, the general said.
Coalition officials also are helping to train the Iraqi forces that will be used in the operation, the chairman said.
Operations in Mosul
The Iraqis have developed their plan of attack against ISIL in Mosul and have shared it with Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, the commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, who has briefed it to senior U.S. officials.
Dunford said American military officials are looking at the Iraqi plan to see where U.S. capabilities can work and how those capabilities can accelerate the process. "I, like the secretary, think we would do more in Mosul than Ramadi, just because of the order of magnitude of the operation in Mosul," he said.
U.S. forces will apply the lessons learned from operations against ISIL in Ramadi to Mosul, Dunford said. "It isn't fundamentally different than what we are doing in Ramadi; it's doing the things we were doing in Ramadi better -- which is train Iraqi forces, provide combined arms and provide logistics support," the chairman said.
The chairman also discussed operations in Afghanistan. Coalition forces continue to work with Afghan security forces to build the capabilities they will need to provide security and stability in the nation, Dunford said. These include building ministerial capacity, building corps-level capabilities, perfecting the intelligence enterprise, and enhancing Afghan special operations forces and the country's aviation capabilities, the chairman said.
Some of the capabilities are not building as fast as the coalition -- or Dunford -- would like, he said. "The aviation capability is not developing as fast as we would've wanted to," the chairman said. "And frankly, many of the Afghan forces were tied up, focused on supporting two major elections and a difficult political transition."
Last year was a learning experience for both the Afghans and the coalition, he said. "I would say that this summer probably, we have lessons learned," the chairman added. "One is [that] the Afghan forces, at the end of the day, were resilient."
Moving forward, the coalition and the Afghan government will apply the lessons learned in 2015 to operations in 2016, he said. "It would certainly be premature now to talk about force levels or capabilities or those kinds of things," Dunford said.
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Carter Highlights Momentum in ISIL Fight
By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, February 29, 2016 Momentum is on the side of the coalition fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today, noting significant gains in Iraq and Syria.
The secretary spoke in a joint news conference at the Pentagon with Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Forces on the ground in Iraq have retaken Ramadi and are making progress in Anbar, while the coalition is making 'operationally significant strides' in Syria, he said.
'Because of our strategy and our determination to accelerate our campaign, momentum is now on our side and not on ISIL's,' Carter said.
Gains Include Reclaiming Shadadi
The secretary highlighted how coalition forces recently reclaimed Shadadi, a town in northeastern Syria, that he described as a 'critical node' for ISIL training, logistics and its oil enterprise. 'As our partners take control of Shadadi, I believe we will learn a great deal more about ISIL's criminal networks, its criminal enterprise and what it does to sustain them,' Carter said.
Shadadi is important in efforts to sever the 'last major artery' between the Syrian city of Raqqa -- ISIL's putative headquarters -- and the Iraqi city of Mosul, an 'operation critical to dissecting ISIL's parent tumor into two parts,' he said.
Accelerated Efforts Include Cyber
The campaign to defeat ISIL is being accelerated across Syria and Iraq, the defense secretary said.
Coalition members are bombing ISIL's banks and oil wells, he said, and cyber tools are being used to disrupt ISIL's ability to operate and communicate over the virtual battlefield.
The cyber efforts are being used, particularly in Syria, Carter said, to disrupt ISIL's command and control operations, cause the terrorists to lose confidence in their networks and to interrupt their ability to control the population and the economy.
Cyber is an 'important new capability,' he said. 'This is something that's new in this war, not something you would've seen back in the Gulf War. It is an important use of our Cyber Command -- and the reason that Cyber Command was established in the first place.'
ISIL is one of five challenges that must be addressed as part of DoD's mission to defend the nation, Carter told reporters.
The other challenges are Russian aggression in Europe, a rising China that is 'behaving aggressively,' and the threats of North Korea and Iran in their respective regions, he said.
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U.S. Department of Defense
Press Operations
News Release
No. NR-068-16 February 29, 2016
Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook on US-Russia Video Conference Discussing the Flight Safety Memorandum of Understanding
The Department of Defense today held a video conference co-chaired by Acting Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs Elissa Slotkin and Joint Staff Director for Strategic Plans and Policy Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr. with Russian Ministry of Defense counterparts to discuss ongoing implementation of the U.S.-Russia memorandum of understanding (MOU) on flight safety over Syrian airspace.
The two sides discussed measures to enhance operational safety for counter-ISIL coalition and Russian military forces operating in Syria, including the means to avoid accidents and unintended confrontation between coalition and Russian forces whenever the two sides operate in close proximity.
Separate consultations are ongoing through other channels to address the Cessation of Hostilities agreement developed by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) members in Munich on February 12, 2016. Today's video conference was intended to focus solely on safety issues and is not a forum to discuss issues related to the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities agreement.
Today's meeting follows previous video conferences between the Department of Defense and the Russian Ministry of Defense in January 2016 and October 2015 to discuss the safety of coalition air operations in Syria.
The conversation was constructive and the two sides agreed to continue safety discussions in this format in the future.
http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/682038/
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Exercise Iron Fist 2016: Final push; U.S. Marines, sailors, Japanese soldiers hit beach, beyond for PHIBLEX
US Marine Corps News
By Cpl. April Price | February 29, 2016
After a month of training at Exercise Iron Fist 2016, U.S. Marines, sailors, and Japanese soldiers concluded Iron Fist training with a scenario based, battalion-sized amphibious landing exercise, or PHIBLEX, at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton on Feb. 24-27, 2016.
PHIBLEX began with the insertion of reconnaissance and intelligence units ahead of the main-body landing, followed by an amphibious assault launched from the USS Somerset (LPD 25), airborne troop movements, and coordinated attacks from the beach deep into the training ranges of Camp Pendleton.
Exercise Iron Fist is an annual exercise, which focuses on improving combined amphibious operation capabilities while simultaneously enhancing Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and U.S Marine Corps ability to plan, communicate and conduct amphibious operations at the platoon, company and battalions levels.
Over the course of its five-week training schedule, U.S. Marines and sailors, and their Japanese counterparts trained sidebyside to hone their skills in a broad spectrum of military tasks, to include: combat marksmanship, sniper tactics, military planning, fire support operations, amphibious reconnaissance, casualty evacuation procedures and amphibious operations.
"This [Exercise Iron Fist] is the largest bilateral exercise conducted by the I Marine Expeditionary Force, here in southern California," said Brig. Gen. David Coffman, deputy commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary Force at a press conference during PHIBLEX. "It's a shining example of U.S. and Japanese alliance at work."
During PHIBLEX, more than a dozen Amphibious Assault Vehicles transported Marines from 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force, and Japanese soldiers from the Western Army Infantry Regiment, JGSDF, from ship-to-shore where they assaulted and secured a simulated contested beach before progressing to additional objectives further inland.
Once on the beach, the Marines and Japanese soldiers established defensive perimeters and executed a series of spearheaded attacks on simulated combat towns using many of the skillsets they had worked on in the previous month of Iron Fist training.
Since 2006, this bilateral exercise has showcased the partnership between the U.S. and Japan, and the dedication to the security treaty between the two countries.
"For more than 55 years, the U.S. and Japan have been security treaty allies," said Coffman. "Our governments have pledged to strengthen the bond of peace and friendship between our two nations and to uphold the principles of democracy, liberty and the rule of law."
This year's Iron Fist saw the addition of a Japanese higher headquarters that partnered with the 11th MEU's command element and provided command and control for the two forces.
"The bilateral training with the U.S. Marine Corps for Iron Fist has directly allowed us to observe and learn the Marine Corps planning and operations skills," said Maj. Gen. Shinichi Aoki, deputy chief of staff (operations), Western Army, JGSDF. "The training environment is great here and helped to promote a great opportunity to build our capabilities and practice them with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and I Marine Expeditionary Force."
Training side-by-side allows both U.S. Marines and JSGDF soldiers to learn about each other, work through communication issues and move around the in same battlespace. By working closely with the JGSDF, U.S. forces have a familiar friend ready to respond quickly and effectively to crises that may occur in the Pacific Region.
The Japan-U.S. alliance can help with counter-terrorism, counter-piracy, peacekeeping, capacity building, ballistic missile defense, and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief stated Coffman.
"This training is a testament to the discipline and spirit of the fine warriors you'll see here today and very beneficial to both services as the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force develops their Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade," said Coffman.
As the U.S. Marine Corps continues to conduct exercises with the JGSDF, their work here at Exercise Iron Fist 2016 paves the way for future coalition success as an expeditionary force in readiness.
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'Target is in the sky': U.S. Marines, Norwegian forces launch Stingers
US Marine Corps News
By Cpl. Dalton Precht | February 29, 2016
U.S. Marines with 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Norwegian forces launched Stinger missiles Feb. 24 and 25, 2016, at rland, Norway.
"The Norwegians are helping the Marines with range safety and host-nation support. We are supporting with everything from security on site, transportation, logistics and accommodation," said Norwegian Air Force Maj. Michael Bottenvik-Hartmann, the G-bad officer of the 138 Air Wing staff and range safety officer for the training.
The Marines were firing the missiles at remote controlled aircraft piloted by Norwegian service members.
Marine Cpl. Justin T. Heslep, a Low Altitude Air Defense Gunner with the unit, Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, talked about the partnership with the Norwegians and the interoperability the two units had throughout the live-fire.
"In order to fire the Stinger missile there are a few steps, but it all comes down to you being able to find the target and firing the system," said Heslep.
The Marines shot down nine out of the ten R.C. planes launched during the live-fire.
"Exercises like this are important for future cooperation and Cold Response itself," said Bottenvik-Hartman. "It helps us familiarize and integrate in a better way."
The live-fire exercise was held in preparation for Exercise Cold Response 16, a joint exercise comprised of 12 NATO allies and partnered nations and approximately 16,000 troops. Throughout the preparation for the exercise, U.S. Marines and Norwegian service members have worked side-by-side to include multiple live-fire ranges, cold-weather survival training and driving courses.
Cold Response will kick off in March and is designed to help bolster transnational relations while enhancing the participating countries' abilities to respond to global crises.
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NATO and Kuwait take cooperation to a new level
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
29 Feb. 2016
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed closer cooperation between the Alliance and Kuwait during his first official visit to Kuwait on 29 February 2016. Speaking at the site of the future NATO-Kuwait Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) Regional Centre, Mr. Stoltenberg praised Kuwait's commitment and vision in bringing NATO closer to the Gulf region. As the Alliance's first presence in the Gulf, the NATO-ICI Regional Centre will be a hub for NATO's practical cooperation with Kuwait and other ICI partners, as well as Saudi Arabia and Oman.
"Today, we are taking our partnership to the next level" said the Secretary General. The NATO-ICI Centre will foster cooperation between NATO and Gulf partners in a number of areas, including strategic analysis, civil emergency planning, military-to-military cooperation and public diplomacy. It will also serve as a link between NATO and the Gulf region, to share expertise and improve understanding.
During his visit, Mr. Stoltenberg underlined that the security of the Gulf region is directly linked to the security of the Alliance. He praised Kuwait's active role in promoting regional stability and supporting the international coalition's fight against ISIL. The Secretary General also commended Kuwait's leadership in responding to humanitarian emergencies, such as the Syrian refugee crisis. "In a dangerous world, NATO and Kuwait share the same objective: to safeguard peace. So it is important that we cooperate even more closely in the years ahead," said Mr. Stoltenberg.
As part of NATO's deepening cooperation with Kuwait, the Secretary General signed a NATO-Kuwait Transit Agreement with First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah. This agreement, NATO's first in the Gulf region, allows the movement of NATO personnel and military equipment through Kuwait. This will enable improved logistical support for NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan and for other missions in the future, contributing to international security.
While in Kuwait, the Secretary General also met with the Emir of the State of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Prime Minister, His Excellency Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and the President of the Kuwait National Security Bureau, His Excellency Sheikh Thamer Ali Al-Sabah.
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Statement by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the signing of the NATO-Kuwait Transit Agreement with His Excellency Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, Foreign Minister of Kuwait
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
29 Feb. 2016
(As prepared)
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted to be here with you in Kuwait.
This is my first visit to your country as NATO Secretary General.
Kuwait has long been a strong and committed partner for NATO.
Playing a crucial role in promoting political dialogue and practical cooperation between NATO and Gulf countries.
In 2004, Kuwait became the first country to join the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, the ICI.
It was the first country in the region to host meetings of Gulf countries and the North Atlantic Council.
It was the first ICI country to sign an information security agreement with NATO, to facilitate the exchange of sensitive information.
And it was the first to agree an Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme with NATO, tailoring our cooperation to the specific needs of your country.
Today, our countries face many challenges.
Challenges from failed and failing states across the wider Middle East.
From extremism and terrorism.
And from the proliferation of ballistic missile technology and weapons of mass destruction.
Kuwait has shown leadership in promoting regional security, playing an important role in the fight against ISIL as part of the Global Coalition.
It has also shown compassion through its humanitarian work to alleviate the refugee crisis.
The security of Kuwait and of the other Istanbul Cooperation Initiative countries is of key strategic importance to NATO.
In this climate of instability, it is essential that we work together in partnership.
To find common solutions to common challenges.
For together, we are stronger.
Kuwait's long history of partnership with NATO, and its strategic location in the Gulf, make it the ideal partner for NATO as we tackle common security challenges.
Including the threat posed by ISIL.
That is why this NATO-Kuwait Transit Agreement that we have just signed is so important.
It is yet another example in our cooperation.
This agreement will greatly facilitate the transit of personnel, supplies and equipment to our Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.
It will also make any future NATO activities in the region significantly more effective.
This is the first such agreement that NATO has signed in the Gulf region.
I thank Kuwait.
And I hope it will lead to similar agreements with other nations in the region.
Later today, I will visit the site of the first NATO-ICI Regional Centre.
When complete, it will be a focal point for NATO's cooperation with Kuwait and the other countries of the ICI.
As well as others in the Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia and Oman, and with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
This center is another concrete sign of the maturity reached in our cooperation under the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Our nations share the same challenges.
We face the same threats.
And we share the same desire for peace and security.
So on behalf of the NATO Alliance, I would like to thank the Government of Kuwait for their strong and enduring support.
And for signing this agreement today.
Thank you.
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USS Ashland Completes South China Sea Patrol
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS160229-08
Release Date: 2/29/2016 12:22:00 PM
From Expeditionary Strike Group 7/Task Force 76 Public Affairs
SOUTH CHINA SEA (NNS) -- Amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) conducted a routine patrol in international waters of the South China Sea Feb. 26 after participating in exercise Cobra Gold 16.
In recent months, other U.S. Navy ships have conducted similar operations in the 7th Fleet area of operations including the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54), USS Lassen (DDG 82) and USS Preble (DDG 88), the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) and the Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3).
USS McCampbell (DDG 85) completed a similar patrol Feb. 22.
'As always, the officers and crew navigated the ship in a highly professional manner,' said Cmdr. Dan Duhan, commanding officer of Ashland. 'Routine in execution, transits like these have the additional benefit of training our junior officers and watch standers on real world applications associated with International Maritime Law.'
The transit followed Ashland's recent participation in exercise Cobra Gold 16, a Thai-U.S. co-sponsored multinational joint exercise that is an integral part of the U.S. commitment toward advancing prosperity and security in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.
Ashland, with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is currently on patrol in 7th Fleet as part of the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). The Bonhomme Richard ARG is comprised of amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), Ashland and amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42).
Ashland is forward deployed to Sasebo, Japan, and operates in U.S. 7th Fleet to support a full range of theater contingencies, ranging from humanitarian and disaster relief operations to full combat operations.
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US 7th Fleet Forges Friendships in Osaka
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS160229-15
Release Date: 2/29/2016 2:11:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Indra Bosko, U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs
OSAKA, Japan (NNS) -- The U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), and its embarked 7th Fleet staff, kicked off its spring patrol with a three-day port visit to Japan's cultural center, that concluded Feb. 27.
'It was great seeing old friends, and making new ones,' said Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet. 'Thank you to the generous people of Osaka for being great hosts.'
Aucoin described Japan as a country that enables the stability and security in the Indo-Asia Pacific.
'Our visit here represents our alliance, which continues to grow stronger,' Aucoin said. 'I'm proud that our partnership has proven to be key to the security, peace and prosperity of the Pacific region.'
Blue Ridge's last visit to Osaka was after the ship provided command and control during Operation Tomodachi, where the U.S. and Japan demonstrated its strong partnership, providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake, registering a magnitude of 9.0, quickly followed by a massive tsunami.
'The presence of the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship in the Osaka area is incredible, incredibly reliable and meaningful to us,' said Shojiro Takenaka, the director general of Kinku-Chubu Defense Bureau, in his remarks during a reception aboard Blue Ridge.
'Day in, day out, our Navy works alongside Japan's Maritime Self Defense Force, coordinating operations and training together,' Aucoin said. 'Our forces are better because of our ability to learn from each other and exchange information and technologies.'
The U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward deployed naval operations in support of U.S. national interests in the Indo-Asia-Pacific area of operations. As the U.S. Navy's largest numbered fleet, 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build maritime partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability and prevent conflict.
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Mount Whitney Departs Cyprus
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS160229-12
Release Date: 2/29/2016 1:56:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Wright
LIMASSOL, Cyprus (NNS) -- U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) departed Limassol, Cyprus, after a successful port visit Feb. 29.
During the visit, Sailors hosted ship tours, participated in two community relations (COMREL) projects, and held a reception aboard the ship.
Quote:
'The service projects out in the community and the events we held on board show how much this hybrid [military-civilian] crew values being ambassadors and in building friendships in places we visit. I'm proud of the whole team. We were thankful for the hospitality of the Cypriot people and look forward to coming back. '
-Command Master Chief Matt Dickinson, USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20)
Quick Facts:
Vice Adm. James Foggo III, commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, and the Honorable Kathleen Doherty, U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, hosted a reception aboard Mount Whitney for Cypriot military and government officials, in order to further strengthen ties between U.S. and Cyprus.
Sailors from Mount Whitney and the embarked U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet (CNE-CNA/C6F) staff volunteered at Cypriot community organizations Theotokos Foundation and the St. Loukas Parents Association for Adults with Disabilities during the ship's port visit, Feb. 27.
Mount Whitney made the port visit in Cyprus in order to enhance U.S.-Cyprus relations as the two nations work together for a stable, secure and prosperous region.
Mount Whitney is currently underway conducting unit-level training, performing duties as the fleet command and control ship, and working to strengthen ties with partners and allies in the region.
Mount Whitney, forward-deployed to Gaeta, Italy, operates with a combined crew of U.S. Navy Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners. The civil service mariners perform navigation, deck, engineering and supply service operations, while military personnel support communications, weapons systems and security. It is one of only two seaborne Joint Command Platforms in the U.S. Navy, both of which are forward deployed.
U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.
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US Delta Force to begin operations in Iraq
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 29, 2016 5:32PM
The US Army's elite Delta Force units are preparing for operations to target, detain or kill the main Daesh (ISIL) operators in Iraq, says a US official.
The official told CNN on Monday that the troops have been preparing over the last few weeks, setting up safe houses and establishing informant networks while coordinating their missions with Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
This is similar to the strategy US special operation forces have been using during previous deployments to similar combat zones, including the northern parts of Syria.
The report could not verify where or when the operations were going to take place but it noted that the strategy worked in May 2015 when the forces raided a building in Syria, allegedly killing major Daesh operator Abu Sayyaf and capturing his wife.
US military officials declined to comment on the matter or discuss any details of the operations.
'We will not comment on their operations or their location to maintain operational security,' Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.
Devices and documents gathered from the building, along with confessions from Sayyaf's wife gave a detailed insight into the terror group's network, laying the basis for other missions, US commanders claim.
In December of last year, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter initially detailed such missions at a congressional testimony, saying the Pentagon was sending a 'specialized expeditionary targeting force (ETF)' to conduct 'raids and intelligence gathering missions.'
The Pentagon's ETF, comprised of 200 personnel deployed to Iraq last December, have gathered enough intelligence to conduct missions against about half a dozen "targeted missions" inside Iraq and to go after certain leaders of the group.
As part of its so-called war on Daesh Takfiri terrorists, the Pentagon had announced there were 3,500 US forces on the ground in Iraq to 'train and equip' local security forces against the foreign-backed militants.
That tally has now been increased to 3,870, according to US Army Colonel Steve Warren.
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At least a dozen killed by Ugandan rebels in Congo
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 29, 2016 3:51PM
An attack by Ugandan rebels has left at least 12 civilians killed in a village in the restive east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say.
According to a top official, the incident occurred early Monday in Ntombi village, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of the Beni territory in the troubled North Kivu Province.
'The village of Ntombi in the Beni territory was the scene of an attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Two bodies have just been found, decapitated by machetes,' territorial administrator Amisi Kalonda said, adding that the health center in the village was completely looted.
This is while the army officials gave a higher toll for the attack, with military spokesman Lieutenant Mak Hazukay, saying 'a total of 13 bodies, cut to death, including four women" were found.
The Study Center for the Promotion of Peace, Democracy and Human Rights (CEPADHO), a local organization that documents violence in the region, confirmed the killings in a statement, saying 12 were killed.
The Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-NALU) rebel group, which was founded in Uganda in 1995 and later moved to Congo, is believed to have roughly 400 members and has been accused of committing serious human rights violations, including recruiting child soldiers and rape.
ADF-NALU and dozens of other armed groups have been active in eastern Congo since the 1996-2003 Congo wars.
The Congolese army, joined by UN troops, is on the offensive against the rebel group which is blamed for more than two decades of violence that has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
More than 300 people were killed by ADF-NALU militants last year in and around Beni.
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Yemeni infrastructure reduced to rubble in Saudi raids: Group
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 29, 2016 8:52AM
A human rights group in Yemen says the country's infrastructure has been severely damaged in Saudi Arabia's atrocious war on the conflict-stricken Arab country.
Yemen's Human Rights Center, in a report released on Sunday, announced that more than 800 schools, 240 medical centers and hundreds of fuel depots and power plants have been targeted ever since Saudi Arabia launched its military strikes late March last year to bring fugitive former Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi back to power.
The rights group added that Saudi military assaults have also destroyed airports, docks, harbors, bridges and hundreds of roads across Yemen.
The report indicated that many tourism centers, historical sites, mosques, food warehouses, water reserve tanks, communications towers and stadiums have also been struck in Saudi attacks.
In a separate development, tens of Saudi-sponsored mercenaries have been killed in a missile attack by Yemeni forces backed by Popular Committees against the Sahn al-Jin military base in the central Yemeni province of Ma'rib.
Tens of Saudi-backed and pro-Hadi militiamen were also killed or wounded during clashes in the western part of the same province.
On Monday, Amnesty International called for an arms embargo on all warring parties in Yemen, including Saudi Arabia and its regional allies.
The rights watchdog said it has documented grave violations of humanitarian and human rights law, including possible war crimes, during the nearly a year of war in Yemen.
"Amnesty International is urging all states to ensure that no party to the conflict in Yemen is suppliedeither directly or indirectlywith weapons, munitions, military equipment or technology that would be used in the conflict until they end such serious violations," it said in a statement.
The group called "for any authorization of arms transfers to any party to the Yemen conflict to include a strict, legally binding guarantee that the end use will be in line with international humanitarian and human rights law, and that such arms transfers will not be used in Yemen."
"The embargo call goes far beyond existing international sanctions on parties to the conflict in Yemen," it added.
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6 Arrested in Al-Shabab Attack on Somali Town
by Mohamed Olad February 29, 2016
Somali authorities arrested six people in connection with Sunday's double bomb attack by al-Shabab in the town of Baidoa that killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 60 others.
"We have arrested six people suspected to be the organizers and the masterminds of the explosion, and they will be brought before justice,' said Abdullahi Ali Watiin, the district commissioner of Baidoa.
Police and the local government said the center of the town, located 245 kilometers west of Mogadishu, was very busy when a car bomb exploded near the main market.
A second blast, believed to be from a suicide bomber, went off moments later at a restaurant.
Meanwhile, Somali Cabinet ministers held an extraordinary security meeting late Sunday in Mogadishu to discuss recent al-Shabab attacks.
Security Minister Abdirisaq Omar Mohamed spoke to VOA Somali about the effort to defeat the militant group.
"We know, only military force cannot defeat al-Shabab. We need to launch an ideological war against them so that we can at least convince the young Somalis they brainwashed to refrain from the violence, and of course political solution for those who want to take the peaceful way is a vital,' Mohamed said.
Al-Shabab had time to plan
Former Somali Intelligence Chief Ahmed Fiqi said the Islamist militant group was given a chance to plan and carry out their attacks because no major military operation against the group's hideouts has been launched in the past two years.
"The last two years, no major attack to pursue the militants were taken,' Fiqi told VOA. 'So that gave them a chance to think and plan their attacks accordingly, whether it is guerilla and hit-and-run attacks on the AU bases or suicide attacks on civilian targets."
He said the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia lacks central command and pursues different agendas.
'To my knowledge, the troops involving into the mission take the final orders from their individual countries, not a central command run by the mission commanders. We also know that each troop-contributing country focuses on [its] interests rather than the return of peace in Somalia. So, how can they succeed their mission?' he asked.
Consecutive attacks
Sunday's attacks in Baidoa came two days after two massive explosions killed 25 people and wounded nearly 60 others in Mogadishu. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for those bombings as well.
The militant group, which has links to al-Qaida, carries out frequent attacks in Somalia, often targeting government officials and African Union troops.
Al-Shabab controlled most of southern Somalia as recently as 2010, but has been pushed into the countryside by AU and Somali government forces.
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AU to Send Monitors to Burundi
by Mohammed Yusuf February 29, 2016
The African Union says it will send 200 military advisers and human rights observers to Burundi, 10 months into the country's violent political crisis over President Pierre Nkrunziza's third term. International diplomatic efforts appear to be making little headway.
Five African heads of state were in Burundi last week to push for an end to the crisis. The outcome has been underwhelming for some.
Pancase Cimpanye is deputy spokesman for the political opposition now in exile, CNARED.
"We are a bit disappointed with AU delegation because they did not emphasize the importance of the peace accord agreement of Arusha. They did not emphasize the need to come around a table of talks outside the country, talks between Nkurunziza and CNARED, I mean the opposition, and they did not talk about the AU force,' said Cimpanye.
Rights agencies say at least 400 people have been killed during the crisis. Another 200,000 have fled the country.
In December, the African Union proposed sending 5,000 troops to Burundi, but the bloc backed off when the government rejected the initiative.
Zuma said Saturday the African Union will now send 100 human rights monitors and 100 military advisers to Burundi.
Those monitors may find their work difficult, says Amnesty International researcher Rachel Nicholson.
"The situation in Burundi is very tense at the moment and it is very difficult for human rights observers to carry out their work. We have seen situations deteriorate rapidly over the last 10 months, and current trends are frequent arrests of young people particularly from opposition neighborhood, the security situation has also deteriorated,' said Nicholson.
Zuma also reiterated the African Union's calls for inclusive dialogue. The Burundi government has insisted it is ready.
But research associate at the Institute for Security Studies in Nairobi, Yolande Bouka, says there is still disagreement about who will participate, even in the wake of these high-level A.U. and U.N. visits.
"When Ban Ki-moon went to visit Bujumbura a few days ago, the government agreed to inclusive dialogue, but they turned around and said the armed opposition, CNARED and people who are believed to involved in the coup will not be invited or involved in the mediation so this a bit contradictory when we know the international community is expecting mediation to be all among the stakeholders,' said Bouka.
The Burundi opposition says the African Union's choice of mediator could also be holding things up. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was preoccupied with his own bid for a fifth term in office February 18. It is a distraction that may continue as tensions remain high in Kampala over the arrest of opposition challengers and alleged vote rigging.
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Coalition Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq
From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release
SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 1, 2016 U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 12 strikes in Syria:
-- Near Hasakah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed five ISIL buildings.
-- Near Hawl, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL vehicles and two ISIL buildings.
-- Near Ayn Isa, three strikes destroyed an ISIL building, an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL mortar system.
-- Near Manbij, two strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb and an ISIL mortar system.
-- Near Mar'a, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions.
Strikes in Iraq
Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 15 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:
-- Near Fallujah, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL anti-air artillery piece, an ISIL building, an ISIL bunker, an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL staging area and denied ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Habbaniyah, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
-- Near Mosul, two strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL fighting position and damaged a separate ISIL vehicle.
-- Near Ramadi, three strikes destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle, two ISIL tunnel systems and two ISIL vehicle bombs.
-- Near Sinjar, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
-- Near Tal Afar, a strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
-- Near Tikrit, two strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle and two ISIL mortar positions.
Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is 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 terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.
Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
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Marine aircraft wing provides assets in Cobra Gold
US Marine Corps News
By Cpl. William Hester | March 1, 2016
Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 is among one of the squadrons aiding in the air-ground capabilities. HMLA 167 is currently supporting Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force in Thailand during Cobra Gold 16 as part of the unit deployment program.
Cobra Gold is a multi-national exercise designed to increase interoperability and cooperation through training events that are meant to advance solution solving skills between the participating nations. The goal of this exercise is to preserve and promote peace in the Asia-Pacific region.
"We're proud to be part of this exercise as we participate with the Thais and other partner nations here," said Capt. Ryan R. Morrison. "We're expanding our influence in the region, learning from them, hopefully showing them some ways we do things and building relationships."
Throughout this Cobra Gold, this year's being the 35th iteration, HMLA has been able to exercise this trait in an atmosphere foreign than the traditional training areas in the United States.
"Generally speaking, HMLA will be responsible for going in and conducting reconnaissance of landing sites and objective areas and ensuring any threats are attrite before (other aircraft) come," said Morrison.
HMLA is home to the UH-1Y Huey and the AH-1 Cobra. The two caveat off each other with the Huey providing highly capable sensors and a "God's eye view" and the Cobra bringing longer distance weapon capabilities.
"HMLA really does provide a lot of noncombatant opportunities," said Morrison. "We've already seen a lot of that in Nepal and in other humanitarian disaster relief situations where we are able to provide access to zones a lot of larger aircraft such as MV-22 Ospreys and CH-53E Super Stallions aren't able to get into."
HMLA is capable of bringing in supplies, limited CASEVAC and troop transportation assets during these humanitarian type situations.
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UN warns Central Africa faces 'dire' food shortage
Iran Press TV
Tue Mar 1, 2016 5:30PM
The United Nations has raised alarm about extreme food shortage in the Central African Republic (CAR).
Two UN agencies warned on Tuesday that CAR faces a 'dire' food crisis with over half the population suffering hunger following three years of conflict.
'The situation is dire. Half of the population faces hunger,' said Bienvenu Djossa, the World Food Program (WFP) Country Director in CAR.
Overall crop production in 2015 remained 54 percent below average levels prior to a March 2013 coup which plunged the impoverished country into chaos, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and WFP said in a report.
Production was up 10 percent on 2014 but this was largely due to an increase in the cassava crop. Grain harvests were 70 percent down on pre-crisis levels.
The CAR conflict has led to one million people being displaced from their homes in a country of less than five million where 75 percent depend on agriculture for their living.
The conflict has also reduced the number of cows, goats and sheep in the country by almost a half, the agencies said.
Lake and river fishing has been disrupted, resulting in a 40 percent fall in the catch since the onset of the crisis and a 70 percent rise in prices.
Other important sources of protein have also seen sharp price spikes with groundnut flour up 74 percent and beef nearly twice as expensive as pre-crisis.
The FAO said it had provided 170,900 households with seeds and tools during 2015, benefiting an estimated 850,000 people. The WFP supported the operation by providing food rations to more than 65,000 farming families to prevent them from using their remaining seeds for food rather than planting.
Separately, the WFP provided food through various activities including school meals and emergency food assistance to some 900,000 people.
The two agencies said they would need more funding from donor states to continue their work in 2016.
The FAO is seeking $86 million while the WFP said it needs $89 million to respond to urgent needs of 1.4 million people until the end of July in CAR and in neighboring countries.
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ICC charges Malian over attacking historical sites in Timbutku
Iran Press TV
Tue Mar 1, 2016 11:26AM
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have charged a Malian Takfiri militant with war crimes over attacks on centuries-old shrines at the world heritage site of Timbuktu in 2012.
Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, arrested in Niger and moved into ICC custody in The Hague in September 2015, will be the first Takfiri militant to appear before the ICC.
He will be the first person to face a main war crimes charge for an attack on a global historic and cultural monument.
"We must stand up to the destruction and defacing of our common heritage," chief ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said as she unveiled a single war crimes charge against Faqi.
Bensouda said it was incumbent on the tribunal to ensure that those responsible for annihilating ancient sites be punished.
ICC prosecutors say Faqi was a leader of Ansar Dine, a mainly Tuareg group that captured Mali's northern desert together with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and a third local group from early 2012 until 2013.
Faqi is said to have jointly ordered or carried out the destruction of nine mausoleums and Timbuktu's fabled Sidi Yahia mosque in 2012.
The destruction of cultural and religious heritage is clearly set out in the ICC's guiding Rome Statute as a war crime, Bensouda said.
Prosecutors are seeking to persuade the three judges that there is enough evidence against Faqi to proceed to a trial.
The news comes at a time when Takfiri Daesh terrorists are wrecking havoc in Syria and Iraq and destroying cultural and historic monuments in the Arab countries.
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Saudi envoy defends military intervention in Yemen
Iran Press TV
Tue Mar 1, 2016 11:11AM
Saudi Arabia defends its war in Yemen after an EU call for arms embargo on Riyadh amid reports of high civilian casualties in the impoverished country.
"Saudi Arabia is bombing in Yemen to bring peace and stability," Saudi Ambassador to Britain Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz wrote in The Telegraph daily on Monday.
"While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia deeply regrets any civilian deaths, it firmly denies allegations of deliberately targeting civilians," he said.
A recent report by a United Nations panel tasked with examining Saudi airstrikes on Yemen has found "widespread and systemic" attacks on civilian targets.
Prince Mohammed said the Saudi military was making "extensive efforts" to avoid civilian casualties.
"For instance, UK military personnel are providing assistance in targeting and its legal aspects, precision weapons are being used over cluster munitions," he said.
A new report from Human Rights Watch has accused Saudi Arabia in Yemen of using American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas.
Riyadh, the report said, is responsible for all or nearly all the cluster munitions attacks in Yemen because it is the only entity operating aircraft capable of delivering the weapon.
US officials have acknowledged reports of civilian casualties in Yemen but stopped short of recognizing the use of cluster munitions or accepting any direct responsibility for collateral damage resulting from Saudi strikes.
'We are aware of the Human Rights Watch report and are reviewing it,' Christopher Sherwood, a spokesman for the Department of Defense, told CNN on Monday.
On Thursday, the European Parliament called on the European Union to impose an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia in response to allegations of civilian casualties in Yemen.
'Our duty is to the civilians in Yemen, and given widespread and very valid concerns over the conduct of the war by Saudi forces, our call for an EU-wide arms embargo is proportionate and necessary,' said Alyn Smith, one of the lawmakers who spearheaded the vote.
Human rights groups have called for President Barack Obama to follow the EU Parliament's lead and impose an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia, but US security experts said Washington was unlikely to do that.
'The Obama administration is basically tolerating civilian casualties in Yemen and giving lip service that they are concerned,' said William Hartung, an adviser to the Security Assistance Monitor.
He said the United States continues to sell cluster bombs to the Saudis because of a number of geopolitical and economic factors.
Washington's long-standing role as an arms supplier to Saudi Arabia, he said, has been very lucrative for American companies.
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Saudi airstrike kills over two dozen in Yemen
Iran Press TV
Tue Mar 1, 2016 10:26AM
More than two dozen civilians have lost their lives in another Saudi aerial attack against a residential neighborhood in Yemen's west-central Yemen province of Sana'a.
On Tuesday, Saudi fighter jets launched an airstrike against the mountainous Jabal Bani Yusuf district of the province, leaving 25 people dead and tens of others injured, the al-Mayadeen news network reported.
Elsewhere, a child was injured and a number of houses were destroyed when Saudi warplanes struck Razeh district in the northern province of Sa'ada.
Saudi military aircraft also carried out several aerial assaults against the strategic Dhubab district in the southwestern Ta'izz Province, though no immediate reports of casualties were available.
The airstrikes took place shortly after Yemeni army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Committees mounted a missile attack against Saudi-backed mercenaries in the same area, killing tens of them.
Moreover, Saudi jets bombarded al-Rabouah city, which is controlled by Yemeni forces, in the kingdom's southwestern Asir province. There were no reports of possible casualties and the extent of damage caused.
Saudi aircraft also pounded parts of Harad and Hayran districts in the northwestern Yemen province of Hajjah, with no casualties reported so far.
Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia since late March. The Saudi military strikes were launched to supposedly undermine the Ansarullah movement and bring fugitive former President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi back to power.
At least 8,300 people, among them 2,236 children, have reportedly been killed and 16,015 others injured, since March. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.
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UNHCR: Europe On 'Cusp' Of Self-Induced Humanitarian Crisis
March 01, 2016
by Eugen Tomiuc
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has criticized European countries over a 'domino-like' buildup of tens of thousands of refugees in Greece, warning that the continent is on the 'cusp of a self-induced' humanitarian crisis if governments fail to work together.
The UNHCR's warning on March 1 came after Macedonia used tear gas and stun grenades to repel hundreds of migrants attempting to ram through a barbed-wire fence at a crossing in Idomeni.
The UNHCR also warned that crowded conditions in Greece have led to a 'completely unmanageable' situation that includes shortages of food, shelter, and water among migrants, stoking tensions and 'fueling violence.'
'We are faced with an extremely alarming situation at the moment, with Europe on the cusp of a new and largely self-induced humanitarian crisis,' UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told RFE/RL on March 1.
Edwards said Mediterranean arrivals in January and February totaled 131,000, compared to around 147,000 in the first six months of last year, more than 122,000 of them coming to Greece after fleeing conflict in Syria.
The UN agency said an estimated 24,000 refugees were in need of accommodation in Greece as of February 29, while Greek police said the number of people massed at the Idomeni crossing has reached 10,000.
The UNHCR spokesman noted that 'compared to refugee crises that we see in the Syria region, in Afghanistan, in parts of Africa, these are still relatively small numbers.'
Greece has been left to cope with much of the burden of new arrivals since a cap on migrant entries was imposed by its Balkan neighbors and Austria, which is further along a route used by people trying to reach Germany and other rich European Union countries.
Large numbers of migrants have built up in the country as a result.
'Governments across Europe are not working together despite agreements that have already been reached in a number of areas,' Edwards said.
The 28-member European Union, which has been struggling to cope with a surge in migration that saw more than 1 million new arrivals last year, has been criticized for its failure to show a united front in protecting the rights of the refugees.
'Country after country is imposing new border restrictions and a series of inconsistent practices across Europe causing both unnecessary suffering and risk being at variance with EU and international law,' Edwards said. 'And most serious still, bring Europe back into a crisis over a situation which should be entirely manageable.'
The UNHCR said that for many months European countries simply waved refugees and migrants through without any proper screening system to establish who was a refugee and who wasn't and without functioning mechanisms that could have ensured that help is available for people who need asylum.
'Now we're seeing a turning of the tide that's forcing people country-by-country domino-like back towards Greece into a situation which is completely unmanageable. We urgently, urgently need now to see Europe return to trying to address this together,' Edwards told RFE/RL.
Meanwhile the border remained closed on March 1, as Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov warned he could shut down the Balkan migrant route altogether later this year.
Ivanov told German newspaper Der Spiegel that, when Austria reaches its limit of 37,500 migrant entries, Macedonia will close its border with Greece, effectively shutting down a path to northern Europe used by hundreds of thousands of migrants.
'When Austria reaches its limit, it will happen,' Ivanov said, suggesting that could occur very soon, 'perhaps right at this moment.'
The UNHCR warned that such moves 'risk being at variance with EU and international law and are causing unnecessary suffering to many people.'
Edwards urged European countries to work together to solve this 'manageable' situation instead of taking unilateral action.
'The crisis that Europe has now is one of failing to work together to address this properly. It's a self-induced crisis. It's also one solvable and avoidable,' he said.
With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and AP
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/unhcr-humanitarian- crisis-greece-refugees/27582690.html
Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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Afghan Rights Group Says Women, Girls Face Invasive 'Virginity Tests'
March 01, 2016
by RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan
An Afghan human rights watchdog has urged the government to take measures against the practice of 'virginity' tests by state doctors that it says amount to 'torture' and 'sexual harassment.'
Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) says women and girls accused of having sex outside marriage -- a criminal offense in Afghanistan -- are often forced to undergo 'invasive' and 'humiliating' tests by government doctors.
In a report published on February 29, the Afghan rights group said 48 of 53 women whom it interviewed during 2015 had been subjected to compulsory gynecological exams by law-enforcement officials.
'Since gynecological tests are conducted without consent of the victim, it can be considered sexual harassment and human rights violation,' the commission said.
The report said most of the tests included invasive genital and anal exams that were carried out in the presence of male guards and others, and often amounted to 'torture' with 'horrible effects and consequences.'
Nearly half of those tested were examined more than once, the study said.
Sorya Sobhrang, the women's rights commissioner at the AIHRC, said the tests damaged the women's 'personal integrity and emotional well-being.'
The exams purportedly verify whether a woman has been sexually active outside of marriage.
However, Sobhrang, a gynecologist by profession, said the veracity of such tests has been widely challenged by medical doctors and scientists.
'There are no medical forensics specialists...[or] DNA tests in Afghanistan, therefore it's impossible here to determine...whether the woman was raped or had sex outside marriage,' Sobhrang told RFE/RL's Tajik Service.
The report said the tests also violate the spirit of Afghanistan's constitution, which states that 'no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam.'
According to the study, a number of the women forced to endure the tests were accused merely of leaving their homes without permission, which is not a crime under Afghan law.
In Afghanistan's conservative society, a bride's virginity is regarded by many as proof of her purity.
There are cases of women who were unable to prove their virginity being killed in so-called honor killings whose perpetrators claim to be preserving a family's integrity.
Sobhrang cited an Afghan practice in which a bride may be returned to her family with her face painted black -- as a sign of disgrace -- if she is thought not to be a virgin. In such cases, she said, the bride's parents must repay the dowry and wedding expenses. In some cases, she said, a groom might then marry the 'disgraced' bride's sister.
'Law-enforcement agencies or any other institutions should not be allowed to conduct such tests on women or girls to determine their virginity, adultery, or sex outside marriage, unless a victim asks for such a test.' Sobhrang said.
Millions of Afghan women regained their rights to education and work following the fall of the hard-line Taliban regime more than a decade ago, but domestic abuse and violations of women's rights are still widespread in Afghan society.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and RFE/RL's Tajik Service
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-virginity- tests-human-rights-violation/27582267.html
Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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Tunisia Confirms British Instructors to Train Local Border Guards
Sputnik News
19:01 01.03.2016(updated 19:17 01.03.2016)
British instructors will arrive in Tunisia to assist in training of local border guards, a spokesman for the Tunisian Defense Ministry told Sputnik on Tuesday.
TUNIS (Sputnik) Earlier in the day, UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said a group of about 20 instructors had been sent to Tunisia to provide assistance to local troops working on prevention of illegal crossing of the country's border with Libya.
'The group of British soldiers will arrive in Tunisia to assist in the training of the Tunisian military controlling the borders,' Belhassen Oueslati said.
He added that the instructors will teach the local border guards to operate specialized military equipment and will not directly participate in any military operation.
Libya has been in a state of turmoil since its longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011. IS, which is outlawed in many countries including Russia, seized a pocket of Libyan territory centered in Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte in November 2014.
In early February, Tunisian Defense Minister Farhat Horchani said the construction of the 196-kilometer (122-mile) protective wall all along the border with Libya had been completed in order to prevent IS militants from reaching Tunisia.
The wall's construction was announced after the June 2015 attack on a tourist resort in the city of Sousse that resulted in nearly 40 deaths.
Sputnik
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Update: air strikes against Daesh
1 March 2016
British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh
Latest update
Royal Air Force aircraft have inflicted further losses on Daesh terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
Wednesday 24 February Tornados destroyed a terrorist weapons factory in Mosul.
Thursday 25 February Tornados and Typhoons conducted five attacks in Iraq and Syria, silencing mortar and machine-gun positions, and destroying bunkers.
Friday 26 February Tornados and Typhoons conducted three attacks in northern Iraq against Daesh mortar and rocket teams, and a checkpoint.
Sunday 28 February Tornados and Typhoons conducted three attacks in northern Iraq against mortar and sniper teams; a Reaper conducted five attacks in northern Syria.
Detail
RAF Tornado GR4s, supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, successfully bombed a Daesh weapons factory in Mosul on Wednesday 24 February.
The following day, Typhoon FGR4s patrolled the area north-west of Mosul, and assisted Kurdish peshmerga forces who had come under fire from a terrorist mortar position, destroying it with a Paveway IV guided bomb. A second Typhoon mission, near Tall Afar, used a Paveway to eliminate a machine-gun team that was also firing on Iraqi forces. Further south, Tornados operated near Fallujah, where they delivered two successful Paveway attacks on two groups of terrorists entrenched in a network of bunkers. In eastern Syria, a Tornado patrol supported Syrian Democratic Forces as they mounted an offensive against Daesh near As Shadadi; our aircraft destroyed a terrorist mortar position with a Paveway IV.
On Friday 26 February, Tornados and Typhoons flew missions over northern Iraq. Typhoons bombed a Daesh mortar team that was firing on Kurdish troops near Kisik, while a pair of Tornados used a Brimstone missile to attack a checkpoint east of Bayji. They then headed north to the Mosul area where they used a Paveway against a rocket-launcher position.
Typhoons and Tornados were active again over northern Iraq on Sunday 28 February: a Typhoon flight struck two mortar positions with Paveways and Tornados also used a Paveway IV to demolish a large isolated building from which a terrorist sniper was engaging Kurdish forces south of Sinjar. Across the border in northern Syria, an RAF Reaper conducted five attacks with Hellfire missiles and a GBU-12 guided bomb against Daesh extremists, including an armed team in a truck, near Tell Dehlis.
In addition to these strikes, the Tornados, Typhoons and Reapers undertook extensive reconnaissance activity, complemented by the strategic surveillance capabilities of the RAF's Sentinel aircraft. On the ground, British military instructors continue to play a major role in the coalition programme to help train and equip the Iraqi security forces. The equipment and training provided by the UK to help counter the threat from improvised explosive devices is proving of particular importance as the Iraqis work to clear the streets of Ramadi of thousands of booby-traps left behind by the defeated terrorists in an attempt to prevent the civilian population from returning.
Previous air strikes
1 February: Two Tornados flew reconnaissance and close air support for the Kurdish peshmerga in northern Iraq. Near Kisik Junction, they used a Brimstone missile and three Paveways to attack three rocket launchers and a Daesh vehicle, then over Qayyarah, a further Brimstone and Paveway destroyed an ammunition truck and a mortar position. Typhoons operated in the area of Ramadi, where they conducted successful attacks on three terrorist strongpoints.
2 February: Typhoons worked closely with other coalition aircraft to target a group of terrorists manoeuvring in the open near Ramadi, hitting them with a Paveway IV guided bomb. The Typhoons then flew to the area north of Habbaniyah, where they conducted a Paveway attack on a terrorist-held building. Further north, a pair of Tornado GR4s bombed a Daesh mortar team that was firing on Iraqi troops near Bayji.
3 February: Typhoons and Tornados providing close air support to Iraqi forces clearing Daesh positions in the area around Ramadi. The Typhoons destroyed a terrorist building with a Paveway, then used two more Paveways to engage a pair of Daesh groups, armed with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, which were engaged in close combat with Iraqi troops. Despite the proximity of the friendly forces, the precision of the Paveways and careful planning by the aircrew allowed both targets to be struck successfully. The Tornados similarly had to attack a series of Daesh positions close to Iraqi forces, and these were also highly successful: Paveway attacks accounted for four groups of terrorist fighters, including one heavy machine-gun and two mortar teams, and when machine-gunners opened fire on the Iraqis from the windows of a single storey building, the Tornados launched a pair of Brimstone missiles which accurately struck both windows.
Later in the day, Typhoons used a Paveway to destroy a mechanical excavator which had been converted into a large booby-trap, positioned amongst trees next to a road east of Ramadi.
4 February: RAF patrols over the countryside around Ramadi and Fallujah. Typhoons bombed three Daesh positions, as well as a group of terrorists caught moving in the open, whilst Tornado GR4s again attacked extremists engaged in very close combat with Iraqi forces; Paveways were used to destroy a heavy machine-gun team and a strongpoint, but in one instance, the terrorists were so close to the Iraqi troops that even a Paveway could not be used safely. Fortunately, the Brimstone missile's precision and small warhead allowed one to be fired into the midst of the Daesh fighters to significant effect. The following day, Typhoons operated around Habbaniyah and Ramadi, using eight Paveways to destroy an armed truck, a recoilless gun, two Daesh-held buildings, a command and control position, two weapons caches and a workshop producing truck-bombs.
7 February: Tornados used a Brimstone missile to destroy a truck-bomb near Habbaniyah, while Typhoon missions near Ramadi successfully attacked a garage containing an armed pick-up truck which was firing through the doorway at advancing Iraqi soldiers, and a terrorist-held building. Throughout all these missions, the Typhoons and Tornados were supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, with Sentinel aircraft providing essential strategic surveillance support to the coalition.
9 February: A pair of Typhoon FGR4s, supported by an RAF Voyager air refuelling tanker, destroyed an armoured vehicle, converted into a large truck-bomb, blocking a road with a Paveway IV guided bomb south-west of Kirkuk.10 February: Typhoons provided close air support to Iraqi troops engaged in close combat with Daesh extremists north of Habbaniyah. The Typhoons struck the terrorists with a pair of Paveway IVs.
11 February: As Iraqi ground forces clear the remaining pockets of Daesh within Ramadi city they are also turning their efforts to Daesh strongpoints to the north and east of the city, supported by coalition aircraft. A pair of Typhoons, working in close cooperation with a coalition surveillance aircraft, successfully conducted two Paveway attacks on groups of terrorist fighters. Later that day, a second Typhoon mission over the area used Paveways to destroy a heavy machine-gun position and an accommodation block used by Daesh.
12 February: Typhoons were also active east of Ramadi, bombing two groups of terrorists, as well as a team planting improvised explosive devices.
14 February: A Tornado mission successfully targeted a compound north of Habbaniyah, where around 16 Daesh extremists had been observed, striking it with a pair of Paveway IVs.
15 February: Two Tornado GR4s conducted an armed reconnaissance patrol over northern Iraq in support of Kurdish security forces. A group of Daesh extremists were identified in a pair of buildings south-west of Kirkuk and were able to attack both at the same time with Paveway IV bombs. A Brimstone missile destroyed a terrorist vehicle and before the Tornados returned to base a Paveway was used to attack a weapons cache.Meanwhile, RAF Typhoons alongside other coalition aircraft conducted a series of coordinated attacks on Daesh facilities. The targets included a large weapons store at Abu Kamal, on the Syrian bank of the Euphrates which was destroyed with four Paveway IVs. An RAF Reaper provided surveillance support to several of the other coalition attacks.
16 February: Tornados patrolled over northern Iraq and came to the assistance of advancing Kurdish forces who were under fire from Daesh heavy machine-gun and mortar teams south-east of Mosul. Paveway attacks successfully dealt with the threat.
17 February: A Tornado mission interrupted a Daesh team preparing to fire nine artillery rockets, hitting them with Paveway to impact the middle of the line of launch rails.
18 February: RAF Tornado GR4s and a Reaper remotely piloted aircraft conducted counter-Daesh missions over Syria. North of Abu Kamal, a Tornado patrol used a pair of Brimstone missiles to strike a large engineering vehicle being used for wellhead repair and maintenance in a Daesh-controlled oilfield. Meanwhile, north-west of Raqqa, a Reaper worked closely with coalition jets to prosecute a group of Daesh extremists who were attacking members of the moderate Syrian armed opposition. The Reaper provided targeting and surveillance support to three successful coalition air attacks, then conducted a fourth attack using its own Hellfire missile. Over Iraq, other Tornados continued to support Iraqi army operations around Ramadi, in the course of which they used Paveway IVs to bomb three Daesh-held buildings.
19 February: Typhoon FGR4s and Tornados patrolled over western Iraq. North-east of Ramadi, an Iraqi helicopter reported coming under fire from an anti-aircraft gun concealed beneath a carport. A Paveway IV delivered by a Typhoon removed the threat. The Typhoons then dropped two Paveways on a large building where a group of terrorists, armed with rocket-propelled grenades, were holding out against the advancing Iraqi troops. North-east of Al Asad airbase, a coalition surveillance aircraft identified a set of five rocket launchers and an ammunition stockpile set up in a palm grove, and was able to guide in a Tornado flight which destroyed both targets with Paveways, then used a third Paveway to eliminate a group of terrorists caught in the open. Later in the day, a second Tornado patrol used Paveways to destroy four Daesh-held buildings north-east of Ramadi, including two used to prepare truck-bombs. In northern Iraq, a Typhoon mission operated north-east of Mosul, supporting the Kurdish peshmerga, and destroyed two buildings from which the terrorists had been fighting. Over Syria, a Reaper and other coalition aircraft supported moderate Syrian opposition forces north-west of Raqqa; our Reaper assisted in one coalition air strike, then used a Hellfire to destroy an Daesh improvised armoured vehicle.
20 February: RAF Reapers in action over both Syria and Iraq again. North-west of Raqqa, a Reaper tracked a Daesh machine-gun team that had been firing on Syrian opposition fighters. The terrorists retreated to a small building, where they were joined by other extremists. The Reaper then successfully attacked the group with a Hellfire missile. In Iraq, again north-east of Ramadi, another Reaper worked closely with another coalition remotely piloted aircraft to provide close air support to the Iraqi ground forces. The Reaper assisted its coalition partner in an attack, then conducted two attacks with its own Hellfires on two Daesh groups engaged in close combat with the Iraqi troops.
22 February: A Typhoon flight patrolled east of Mosul and was able to identify a Daesh team that was planting improvised explosive devices, they hit with a Paveway.
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ICC Mulls Unprecedented War Crimes Trial
by Lisa Bryant March 01, 2016
Judges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague began considering arguments Tuesday on whether to open the court's first-ever war crimes trial targeting the destruction of religious or cultural heritage. Malian citizen Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi is accused of overseeing 2012 attacks on cherished religious sites in Mali's ancient city of Timbuktu.
The hearing was unprecedented for a court better known for judging crimes such as rape, killing and sexual slavery. On Tuesday, judges at the International Criminal Court instead considered whether there was enough evidence to bring to trial another kind of crime the destruction of cultural and religious heritage.
Destruction of monuments
Former trainee teacher and alleged jihadist Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi is accused of planning and leading the destruction of nine mausoleums and the door of an ancient mosque in the northern Malian city of Timbuktu in June and July of 2012. All but one of the buildings were designated United Nations (UNESCO) world heritage sites.
Timbuktu is known as the "city of 333 saints," and has been an important trading and religious hub for centuries.
In opening remarks before a pre-trial chamber, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda argued the mausoleums' demolition by Islamist radicals amounts to nothing less than the destruction of the soul and history of a community and a loss for the world.
"What is at stake here is not just walls and stones. The destroyed mausoleums were important from a religious point of view, from an historical point of view and from an identity point of view. Such an attack against buildings dedicated to religion and historic monuments falls into the category of crimes that destroy the roots of an entire people and profoundly and irremediably affect its social practices and structures."
Ansar Dine militant group
The prosecution claims al-Mahdi, an ethnic Tuareg who is believed to be in his 30s, led a morality squad in Timbuktu and was a member of militant group Ansar Dine, an ally of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.
The Islamists captured Timbuktu in May 2012, imposing a harsh rule on the local population before French soldiers finally drove them out, almost a year later.
Al-Mahdi appeared to listen carefully to the prosecution's arguments. He sported long hair, a beard and spectacles.
He spoke briefly, saying he understood the charges against him. He has previously denied them and his lawyers will make his case during the hearing.
Besides the Timbuktu monuments, the Islamic State militant group's destruction of temples in Syria's ancient city of Palmyra and the Taliban's 2001 demolition of massive Buddha statues in Afghanistan have also sparked global outcry.
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La Cosa Nostra
La Cosa Nostra, translated into English means this thing of ours. It is a nationwide alliance of criminals linked by blood ties or through conspiracy dedicated to pursuing crime and protecting its members. La Cosa Nostra, or the LCN as it is known by the FBI, consists of different families or groups that are generally arranged geographically and engaged in significant and organized racketeering activity. It is also known as the Mafia, a term also used to describe other organized crime groups.
The LCN is most active in the New York metropolitan area, parts of New Jersey, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, and New England. It has members in other major cities and is involved in international crimes.
Over the years, FBI investigations have revealed how organized criminal groups have proliferated and impacted much of the world. Partnerships with foreign law enforcement agencies are essential to combat global organized crime groups. Among the partnerships the FBI is involved with is the Italian American Working Group, which meets every year. The group addresses organized crime, cyber crime, money laundering, international terrorism, illegal immigration, cooperating witnesses, drug smuggling, art theft, extradition matters, and cigarette smuggling. The US and Italy take turns hosting the meetings.
Since their appearance in the 1800s, the Italian criminal societies known as the Mafia have infiltrated the social and economic fabric of Italy and now impact the world. They are some of the most notorious and widespread of all criminal societies. There are several groups currently active in the U.S.: the Sicilian Mafia; the Camorra or Neapolitan Mafia; the Ndrangheta or Calabrian Mafia; and the Sacra Corona Unita or United Sacred Crown. The FBI estimated the four groups had approximately 25,000 members total, with 250,000 affiliates worldwide. There were more than 3,000 members and affiliates in the US, scattered mostly throughout the major cities in the Northeast, the Midwest, California, and the South. Their largest presence centers around New York, southern New Jersey, and Philadelphia.
Their criminal activities are international with members and affiliates in Canada, South America, Australia, and parts of Europe. They are also known to collaborate with other international organized crime groups from all over the world, especially in drug trafficking.
The major threats to American society posed by these groups are drug trafficking and money laundering. They have been involved in heroin trafficking for decades. Two major investigations that targeted Italian organized crime drug trafficking in the 1980s are known as the French Connection and the Pizza Connection. These groups dont limit themselves to drug running, though. Theyre also involved in illegal gambling, political corruption, extortion, kidnapping, fraud, counterfeiting, infiltration of legitimate businesses, murders, bombings, and weapons trafficking.
History of La Cosa Nostra
Although La Cosa Nostra has its roots in Italian organized crime, it has been a separate organization for many years. Today, La Cosa Nostra cooperates in various criminal activities with different criminal groups that are headquartered in Italy.
Giuseppe Esposito was the first known Sicilian Mafia member to emigrate to the U.S. He and six other Sicilians fled to New York after murdering the chancellor and a vice chancellor of a Sicilian province and 11 wealthy landowners. He was arrested in New Orleans in 1881 and extradited to Italy.
The Mano Nera (Black Hand) was not an imaginary band of blackmailers and assassins, but a powerful and widespread criminal organization, having members in various large American cities, where they have given evidence of their existence, not only with the bomb, but the pistol and the knife. The letters they sent to their victims, bearing such sinister signs as the dagger, the blood'red hand, and the skull and crossbones, were not merely idle threats; they had a deadly purpose behind them.
By around the year 1890 the first indications of the unwelcome fact that the murderous customs of the outlaws of Sicily had been introduced into America were perceived. By 1910 the New York Times estimated the number of Black Handers in New York at 5,000, which was probably an overstatement. However, they must be very numerous, because when a band of the criminals has been captured, accomplices hire lawyers, procure bail, terrorize possible witnesses and prosecutors, and write threatening letters to American officials having to do with the trial. In Greater New York there were over 500,000 Italians, of whom only 3 per cent, are naturalized citizens of the United States. The others were huddled into swarming colonics, Sicilians in one place, Calabrians in another, Neapolitans in another, and so on.
These were men who did no visible work and yet had plenty of money. The hard-working Italians with whom they were surrounded knew these men well and shrank from them. In describing them, County Judge Norman S. Dike, of Brooklyn, said: "They are not exactly bullies, in the American sense of the word; rather treacherous, sinister men, who, if offended, may do harm. They are well satisfied with themselves, and say: 'No, we do not work. Work does not agree with us. We have friends, they work and give us money. Why not?' It is these men, living as parasites upon their fellows, who are responsible for most of the crime among Italians. Their countrymen do not expose them, partly because they were fellow townsmen in Italy, but mostly because of fear.
Italians in America are, as a rule, so afraid of saying anything about these mysterious criminals, working beneath the surface of society, that doubt existed as to whether the Black Hand, or Mano Nera, is allied with the Sicilian secret society known as the Mafia, or is an entirely separate organization. Italians in the American detective service state that the object of the Mafia is principally to avenge wrongs which its members think have been done to them.
When an Italian received a notice from the Mano Nera, the others called him the marked man. While the band did not hesitate to extort money from the poorest labourer, if its members thought they can get it, the wealthier class were their special victims. They apparently possessed lists of the leading bankers, merchants, and manufacturers in each of the large cities; and when one was singled out for attack they got information about his vocation, habits, family, and even his friends.
The members of the Mano Nera committed all kinds of crime in their efforts to secure money, and do not hesitate at murder in its most horrible form. Apparently they are not only merciless, but savage and brutal to a degree, so it is not strange that they hold so many of their countrymen in abject terror. Taking advantage of parental love, a favourite plan of the blackmailers is to employ the threat of kidnapping or stealing children, and, as in other instances, the threat is not an idle one by any means. The resort to the bomb and other infernal machines shows that the band cares little for human life in accomplishing its purpose, and apparently has no objection to wholesale murder.
New Orleans was also the site of the first major Mafia incident in the USA. On October 15, 1890, New Orleans Police Superintendent David Hennessey was murdered execution-style. Hundreds of Sicilians were arrested, and 19 were eventually indicted for the murder. An acquittal generated rumors of widespread bribery and intimidated witnesses. Outraged citizens of New Orleans organized a lynch mob and killed 11 of the 19 defendants. Two were hanged, nine were shot, and the remaining eight escaped.
The American Mafia has evolved over the years as various gangs assumedand lostdominance over the years: the Black Hand gangs around 1900; the Five Points Gang in the 1910s and 20s in New York City; Al Capones Syndicate in Chicago in the 1920s. By the end of the 20s, two primary factions had emerged, leading to a war for control of organized crime in New York City.
The murder of faction leader Joseph Masseria brought an end to the gang warfare, and the two groups united to form the organization now dubbed La Cosa Nostra. It was not a peaceful beginning: Salvatore Maranzano, the first leader of La Cosa Nostra, was murdered within six months.
Charles Lucky Luciano became the new leader. Maranzano had established the La Cosa Nostra code of conduct, set up the family divisions and structure, and established procedures for resolving disputes. Luciano set up the Commission to rule all La Cosa Nostra activities. The Commission included bosses from six or seven families. Luciano was deported back to Italy in 1946 based on his conviction for operating a prostitution ring. There, he became a liaison between the Sicilian Mafia and La Cosa Nostra.
Other Historical Highlights:
1951: A U.S. Senate committee led by Democrat Estes Kefauver of Tennessee determined that a sinister criminal organization known as the Mafia operated in this nation.
1957: The New York State Police uncovered a meeting of major LCN figures from around the country in the small upstate New York town of Apalachin. Many of the attendees were arrested. The event was the catalyst that changed the way law enforcement battles organized crime.
1963: Joseph Valachi became the first La Cosa Nostra member to provide a detailed looked inside the organization. Recruited by FBI agents, Valachi revealed to a U.S. Senate committee numerous secrets of the organization, including its name, structure, power bases, codes, swearing-in ceremony, and members of the organization.
Today, La Cosa Nostra is involved in a broad spectrum of illegal activities: murder, extortion, drug trafficking, corruption of public officials, gambling, infiltration of legitimate businesses, labor racketeering, loan sharking, prostitution, pornography, tax-fraud schemes, and stock manipulation schemes.
The Genovese Crime Family
Named after legendary boss Vito Genovese, the Genovese crime family was once considered the most powerful organized crime family in the nation. Members and their numerous associates engaged in drug trafficking, murder, assault, gambling, extortion, loansharking, labor racketeering, money laundering, arson, gasoline bootlegging, and infiltration of legitimate businesses.
Genovese family members are also involved in stock market manipulation and other illegal frauds and schemes as evidenced by the recent FBI investigation code named Mobstocks. The Genovese crime family has its roots in the Italian criminal groups in New York controlled by Joseph Masseria in the 1920s. The family history is rife with murder, violence, and greed.
Early History Masseria and Maranzano
Masseria sparked the so-called Castellammarese War in 1928 when he tried to gain control of organized crime across the country. The war ended in 1931 when Salvatore Maranzano conspired with Masserias top soldier, Charles Lucky Luciano, to have Masseria killed. Maranzano emerged as the most powerful Mafia boss in the nation, setting up five separate criminal groups in New York and calling himself Boss of Bosses.
Two of the most powerful La Cosa Nostra families known today as the Genovese and Gambino families emerged from Maranzanos restructuring efforts. Maranzano named Luciano the first boss of what would later be known as the Genovese family. Luciano showed his appreciation less than five months later by sending five men dressed as police officers to Maranzanos office to murder him.
Luciano, Costello, and Genovese
With Maranzano out of the way, Luciano become the most powerful Mafia boss in America and used his position to run La Cosa Nostra like a major corporation. He set up the LCN Commission, or ruling body, composed of seven bosses, and divided the different rackets among the families.
In 1936, Luciano was sentenced to 30 to 50 years in prison. Ten years later, he was released from prison and deported to Italy, never to return. When he was convicted, Frank Costello became acting boss because Genovese then just an underboss had fled to Italy to avoid a murder charge. His return to the states was cleared when a key witness against him was poisoned and the charges were dropped.
Costello led the family for approximately 20 years until May of 1957 when Genovese took control by sending soldier Vincent the Chin Gigante to murder him. Costello survived the attack but relinquished control of the family to Genovese. Attempted murder charges against Gigante were dismissed when Costello refused to identify him as the shooter.
In 1959, it was Genoveses turn to go to prison following a conviction of conspiracy to violate narcotics laws. He received a 15-year sentence but continued to run the family through his underlings from his prison cell in Atlanta, Georgia.
Valachi Sings
About this time, Joseph Valachi, a made man, was sent to the same prison as Genovese on a narcotics conviction. Labeled an informer, Valachi survived three attempts on his life behind bars. Still in prison in 1962, he killed a man he thought Genovese had sent to kill him. He was sentenced to life for the murder.
The sentencing was a turning point for Valachi, who decided to cooperate with the U.S. government. On September 27, 1963, he appeared before the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and testified that he was a member of a secret criminal society in the U.S. known as La Cosa Nostra.
In 1969, several years after Valachi began cooperating with the FBI, Vito Genovese died in his prison cell. By then the Genovese family was under the control of Philip Benny Squint Lombardo. Unlike the bosses before him, Lombardo preferred to rule behind his underboss. His first, Thomas Eboli, was murdered in 1972. Lombardo promoted Frank Funzi Tieri, and later Anthony Fat Tony Salerno as his front men.
Throughout the 1980s, the Genovese family hierarchy went through several changes. Tieri, recognized on the street as the Genovese family boss in the late 1970s, was convicted for operating a criminal organization through a pattern of racketeering that included murder and extortion.
Salerno then fronted as boss until he had stroke in 1981. In 1985, Salerno and the bosses of the other four New York families were convicted for operating a criminal enterprisethe LCN Commission. Lombardo, his two captains in prison and his health failing, turned full control of the Genovese family over to Gigantethe man who tried to kill Costello 30 years earlier.
Fish on the Hook
In 1986, a second member turned against the Genovese family when Vincent Fish Cafaro, a soldier and right-hand-man to Anthony Salerno, decided to cooperate with the FBI and testify. According to Cafaros sworn statement, Gigante ran the family from behind the scenes while pretending to be mentally ill. Cafaro said this behavior helped further insulate Gigante from authorities while he ran the Genovese familys criminal activities.
Gigantes odd behavior and mumbling while he walked around New Yorks East Village in a bathrobe earned him the nickname the Odd Father. After an FBI investigation, Gigante was convicted of racketeering and murder conspiracy in December 1997 and sentenced to 12 years. Another FBI investigation led to his indictment on January 17, 2002, accusing him of continuing to run the Genovese family from prison. He pled guilty to obstruction of justice in 2003. Gigante died in prison in December 2005 in the same federal hospital where Gambino family leader John Gotti had died in 2002.
Labor Racketeering
Labor racketeering is the domination, manipulation, and control of a labor movement in order to affect related businesses and industries. It can lead to the denial of workers rights and inflicts an economic loss on the workers, business, industry, insurer, or consumer.
The historical involvement of La Cosa Nostra in labor racketeering has been thoroughly documented:
More than one-third of the 58 members arrested in 1957 at the Apalachin conference in New York listed their employment as labor or labor-management relations.
Three major U.S. Senate investigations have documented La Cosa Nostras involvement in labor racketeering. One of these, the McClellan Committee, in the late-1950s, found systemic racketeering in both the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union.
In 1986, the Presidents Council on Organized Crime reported that five major unionsincluding the Teamsters and the Laborers International Union of North Americawere dominated by organized crime.
In the early 1980s, former Gambino Family Boss Paul Castellano was overheard saying, Our job is to run the unions.
Labor racketeering has become one of La Cosa Nostras fundamental sources of profit, national power, and influence. FBI investigations over the years have clearly demonstrated that labor racketeering costs the American public millions of dollars each year through increased labor costs that are eventually passed on to consumers. Labor unions provide a rich source for organized criminal groups to exploit: their pension, welfare, and health funds. There are approximately 75,000 union locals in the U.S., and many of them maintain their own benefit funds. In the mid-1980s, the Teamsters controlled more than 1,000 funds with total assets of more than $9 billion.
Labor racketeers attempt to control health, welfare, and pension plans by offering sweetheart contracts, peaceful labor relations, and relaxed work rules to companies, or by rigging union elections. Labor law violations occur primarily in large cities with both a strong industrial base and strong labor unions, like New York, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. These cities also have a large presence of organized crime figures.
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO)
The US Government has several investigative techniques to root out labor law violations: electronic surveillance, undercover operations, confidential sources, and victim interviews. It also has numerous criminal and civil statutes to use at our disposal, primarily through the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Statute.
The civil provisions of the RICO statute have proven to be very powerful weapons, especially the consent decrees. They are often more productive because they attack the entire corrupt entity instead of imprisoning individuals, who can easily be replaced with other organized crime members or associates.
Consent decrees are most effective when there is long-term, systemic corruption at virtually every level of a labor union by criminal organizations. A civil RICO complaint and subsequent consent decree can restore democracy to a corrupt union by imposing civil remedies designed to eliminate such corruption and deter its re-emergence.
The Teamsters are the best example of how efficiently the civil RICO process can be used. For decades, the Teamsters has been substantially controlled by La Cosa Nostra. In recent years, four of eight Teamster presidents were indicted, yet the union continued to be controlled by organized crime elements. The government has been fairly successful at removing the extensive criminal influence from this 1.4 million-member union by using the civil process.
Chris Christie
Tino Fiumara, the brother of Chris Christie's aunts husband, was a ranking member of the Genovese crime family. Tino was twice convicted of racketeering, sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, and linked by investigators to several grisly murders, including one in which a victim was strangled with piano wire. Christie says that as United States attorney he was tough on organized crime, but it did not rank as high as public corruption, terrorism, violent street gangs or human trafficking. And he said he stands by a 2007 remark that the Mafia is much more prominent on HBO than in New Jersey. By 2009 Fiumara sat on a the three-man committee that ran the Genovese family following the death of Vincent Gigante in 2005. Tino (the Greek) Fiumara died in 2010 of pancreatic cancer.
The Christie crew engaged in a mafia-esque episode for four days in September 2013, abrupt and unexpected lane closures on the George Washington Bridge - that links New Jersey to New York City and carried some 300,000 vehicles on a typical day - brought traffic to a standstill. Christie denied charges he or his team ordered the closing to punish Democratic Mayor Mark Sokolich of Fort Lee, New Jersey for refusing to support his bid for reelection. But e-mails from one of the governors aides confirmed his teams involvement. The governor said he did not know. At least two aides have been indicted in the alleged scheme to shut down lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge as political retribution for a mayor who refused to endorse the governor's re-election.
Mayor Dawn Zimmer of Hoboken said the Christie administration was prepared to deny Hoboken Sandy relief aid if she didnt favor a redevelopment project represented by David Samson, Chairman of the Port Authority and a close confidante of Governor Christie. Had Zimmer succumbed to the pressure, Samsons law firm could ultimately have made millions of dollars in legal fees.
On February 26, 2016 Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump won the endorsement of one of his formal rivals, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who said Trump had the best chance to win the November election.
Meg Whitman, who served in the role of National Finance Co-Chair for Christie's campaign, said "Chris Christie's endorsement of Donald Trump is an astonishing display of political opportunism. Donald Trump is unfit to be President. He is a dishonest demagogue who plays to our worst fears. Trump would take America on a dangerous journey. Christie knows all that and indicated as much many times publicly. The Governor is mistaken if he believes he can now count on my support, and I call on Christie's donors and supporters to reject the Governor and Donald Trump outright. I believe they will. For some of us, principle and country still matter."
Donald Trump
Real-estate mogul Donald Trump has long faced allegations of connections to the mob. Trump joined his dads real estate business in his 20s, giving him a multitude of contacts ranging from political and real estate power brokers to mob connections. Trump's father, Fred Trump, was reportedly worth $200-$400 million when he died. James Tomasello was the bricklayer contractor on one of Fred Trump's early projects. Tomasello was a source capital for Trump, and the source of that capital was something Trump didn't inquire about too closely. According to the Organized Crime Task Force in the 1950s, a complex web of relationships linked Tomasello to the Gambino and Genovese crime families. Prior to joining Trump, William Willie Tomasello had partnered with figures in the Genovese and Gambino crime families in a number of real estate developments in New York and Florida.
Trump's alleged ties to New York and Philadelphia crime families go back decades and have been recounted in a book, newspapers and government records. "The mob connections of Donald are extraordinarily extensive," New York investigative journalist Wayne Barrett told CNN in an interview. In the 1980s and early 1990s organized crime' ties to the New York and New Jersey construction industries made contact between developers and mafia-controlled companies unavoidable.
Writing in the Washington Post October 16, 2015, Robert O'Harrow Jr. noted "No serious presidential candidate has ever had Trumps depth of documented business relationships with mob-controlled entities. ... Throughout his early career, Trump routinely gave large campaign contributions to politicians who held sway over his projects, and he worked with mob-controlled companies and unions to build them... He was never accused of illegality, and observers of the time say that working with the mob-related figures and politicos came with the territory."
Trump bought the property that his Atlantic City casino Trump Plaza would one day occupy -- for twice market price -- from Salvatore Testa, a Philly mobster and son of Philip Chicken Man Testa, who was briefly head of the Philly mob after Angelo Brunos 1980 killing. Trump used the mob-controlled concrete company S&A Concrete to build Trump Plaza condos. Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno, head of the Genovese crime family, and Paul Castellano, the don of New York's Gambino family, controlled S&A. The Trump Tower was built out of concrete, instead of steel - the mafia controlled much the concrete industry. Trump and Salerno were both represented by high-power attorney Roy Cohn.
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Russian Organized Crime
Belarus, Chechnya and Russia are virtual "mafia states" and Ukraine is going to be one. For each of those countries, one cannot differentiate between the activities of the government and organized crime groups. Economic influence, sooner or later always reaches political power. a key factor in a government's ability to combat OC depends on the extent to which the country's best attorneys and law firms represent the mafia.
The vory v zakone do not engage in racketeering and murder, preferring to distance themselves from this activity and focus on crimes that are further up in the hierarchy, such as corruption of high-level ministers. The level of power that vory v zakone operate at is indicated by their level of interaction with these public servants, because cabinet-level officials do not spend time with unimportant people and cannot be tempted by those who do not have something important to offer.
Whereas terrorists aim to substitute the essence of the state itself, organized crime [OC] seeks to be a complement to state structures. The Governmetn of Russia [GOR] strategy is to use OC groups to do whatever the GOR cannot acceptably do as a government. As an example, Kalashov worked for Russian military intelligence to sell weapons to the Kurds to destabilize Turkey. The GOR takes the relationship with OC leaders even further by granting them the privileges of politics, in order to grant them immunity from racketeering charges.
Putins power is founded on his links to organised crime. Putin has a close circle of criminal oligarchs at his disposal and has spent his career cultivating this circle. Karen Dawishas book, "Putins Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia" documents how during Putin's time as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg he was alleged to be was involved with the local Mafia, ex-KGB apparatchiks and bureaucrats in schemes involving the diversion of municipal funds, illegal arms shipments, the food shortage scandal of 1991, the local gambling industry, and money laundering for the Cali drug cartel through the Real Estate Board of St. Petersburg.
Gennady Petrov is believed to be the head of a prominent ring known as the Tambov organized-crime group, and is alleged to have ties to Putin and members of Putin's inner circle that stretch back to their days in St. Petersburg. Petrov got his start as a co-owner of the Bank Rossia in 1998-99, together with close Putin friends Nikolai Shamalov, Viktor Myachin, and Yury Kovalchuk. All three were founding members of the Ozero collective, which was formed in 1996 and included Putin.
Petrov used Spain as a base to carry out criminal activities mainly in Russia, including murder, arms trafficking, drug smuggling, extortion and fraud. Petrov was arrested during a raid on his villa in Majorca in 2008 in a sweep that also netted 20 other suspected members of the Spanish branch of the Tambov gang. In a surprise move, Spanish judges granted bail to Petrov, who was out on house arrest as of January 31, 2010. He was later allowed to travel to Russia and has been living peacefully in St. Petersburg ever since. Russia doesnt allow the extradition of its citizens, and Spain doesnt try people in absentia.
A 488-page petition to the Central Court in Madrid filed in 29 May 2015 was the product of a decade of investigations into Russian organized crime during the Putin era. It depicts they links between the criminal enterprise and top law-enforcement officials and policy makers in Moscow, including some of Vladimir Putins closest allies - Viktor Zubkov, the chairman of gas exporter Gazprom who was prime minister and first deputy premier from 2007 to 2012, and Zubkovs son-in-law, former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.
In the mid-1990s several vory v zakone began to enter Spain. Since 2004 Spanish prosecutors have created a formal strategy to "behead" the Russian mafia in Spain. This has been a top-down strategy done through extensive investigations of criminal actions by these vory v zakone living in Spain. These individuals have no known jobs and unknown sources of income, yet they live in large mansions. Spanish prosecutors have concluded that money-laundering is likely involved and the challenge has been how to prove this. Spain's longtime experience in fighting drug traffickers' use of money laundering has proven valuable in this regard.
The term "Eurasian mafia" is more socially acceptable and what the Russians certainly prefer. The term Russian mafia can be a misnomer since these criminal groups sometimes involve Ukrainians, Georgians, Belarusians or Chechens. There is a stigma surrounding the phrase "Russian mafia", but it is acceptable to say "Sicilian mafia."
The Thieves-in-Law (a.k.a. KANONIERI KURDEBI; a.k.a. KANONIERI QURDEBI; a.k.a. KANONIERI QURDI; a.k.a. RAMKIANI QURDEBI; a.k.a. RAMKIANI QURDI; a.k.a. SINIE; a.k.a. THIEF-IN-LAW; a.k.a. THIEVES PROFESSING THE CODE; a.k.a. THIEVES-WITHIN-THE-LAW; a.k.a. VOR V ZAKONYE; a.k.a. VOR-V-ZAKONE a.k.a. VORY V ZAKONI; a.k.a. VORY V ZAKONYE; a.k.a. VORY-V-ZAKONE; a.k.a. VOR-ZAKONNIK; a.k.a. ZAKONNIK , United States; Russia; Greece; Ukraine; Spain [TCO] is a Eurasian crime syndicate that has been linked to a long list of illicit activity across the globe. The Thieves-in-Law originated in Stalinist prison camps. Its members are initiated or crowned after demonstrating an ideal criminal biography and take an oath to uphold a code that includes living exclusively off their criminal profits and supporting other Thieves-in-Law. Gatherings of Thieves-in-Law are called skhodka, during which decisions are made on issues, such as specific criminal activity, redistribution of criminal spheres of interest, responses to law enforcement operations, crowning of new Thieves-in-Law, and punishment of those who violate Thieves-in-Law traditions and customs. Law enforcement in various countries have attempted to break up such gatherings in order to prevent Thieves-in-Law from coordinating activities by raiding them and detaining the participants.
The Thieves-in-Law has grown into a vast criminal organization which has spread throughout the former Soviet Union, Europe, and the United States, engaging in a variety of crimes, such as money laundering, extortion, bribery, and robbery. These criminals and their activities within the United States have become a target for U.S. law enforcement. In 1995, a Thief-in-Law was arrested in New York and later deported to Russia after serving a nine-year sentence on extortion charges; another Thief-in-Law was sentenced to three years in prison in 2013 after pleading guilty in Manhattan to a racketeering conspiracy. As recently as this year, U.S. law enforcement indicted over two dozen people, including a Thief-in-Law, for their involvement in crimes including acts of violence, fraud, identity theft, and trafficking in stolen goods.
There are two reasons to worry about the Russian mafia. First, it exercises tremendous control over certain strategic sectors of the global economy, such as aluminum. The US has a strategic problem in that the Russian mafia is suspected of having a sizable investment in General Motors via its interest in Canadian auto parts maker Magna International.
The second reason is the unanswered question regarding the extent to which Putin is implicated in the Russian mafia and whether he controls the mafia's actions. Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian intelligence official who worked on OC issues before he died in late 2006 in London from poisoning under mysterious circumstances, that the Russian intelligence and security services - Grinda cited the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), and military intelligence (GRU) - control OC in Russia.
By 2010 the FSB was "absorbing" the Russian mafia but they can also "eliminate" them in two ways: by killing OC leaders who do not do what the security services want them to do or by putting them behind bars to eliminate them as a competitor for influence. The crimelords can also be put in jail for their own protection.
Certain political parties in Russia operate "hand in hand" with OC. For example, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was created by the KGB and its successor, the SVR, and is home to many serious criminals. Grinda further alleged that there are proven ties between the Russian political parties, organized crime and arms trafficking. Some cite the strange case of the "Arctic Sea" ship in mid-2009 as "a clear example" of arms trafficking.
The threat and use of violence is a defining characteristic of Russian organized crime. Violence is used to gain and maintain control of criminal markets, and retributive violence is used within and between criminal groups. The common use of violence is not surprising since extortion and protection rackets are such a staple of Russian criminal activity.
ROC had relatively little or no involvement in some of the more traditional crimes of US organized crime, such as drug trafficking, gambling, loan sharking, etc. On the other hand, these varied criminal groups are extensively engaged in a broad array of frauds and scams [of teh sort they perferctd in the Soviet Union during the Period of Stagnation], including health care fraud, insurance scams, stock frauds, antiquities swindles, forgery and gasoline tax evasion schemes.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the world became the target of a new global crime threat from criminal organizations and criminal activities that have poured forth over the borders of Russia and other former Soviet republics such as Ukraine. The nature and variety of the crimes being committed seems unlimiteddrugs, arms trafficking, stolen automobiles, trafficking in women and children, and money laundering are among the most prevalent.
The spillover was particularly troubling to Europe (and especially Eastern Europe) because of its geographical proximity to Russia, and to Israel, because of its large numbers of Russian immigrants. But no area of the world seems immune to this menace, especially not the United States. America is the land of opportunity for unloading criminal goods and laundering dirty money. The transnational character of Russian organized crime, when coupled with its high degree of sophistication and ruthlessness, attracted the worlds attention and concern.
The privatization of state property that began in Russia in 1992 when public property began to be sold to private investors both expanded and solidified the complex relationship that had developed between the state and organized crime. Because of its connections to officialdom and to the shadow economy, organized crime took part in what has become the enormously lucrative scheme of privatization. As a result, the assets controlled by organized crime give it enormous economic power, and hence political power as well. These assets enable criminal organizations (in various guises) to deal directly with the stateon behalf of their own economic interests from a position of parity.
Organized crime in Russia uses legal businesses as fronts for illegal activities and for setting up illegal product lines. It creates political clans to exercise political power and seeks to create and regulate markets to exercise economic power. Russian criminals make extensive use of the state governmental apparatus to protect and promote their criminal activities. For example, most businesses in Russialegal, quasi-legal, and illegalmust operate with the protection of a krysha (roof). The protection is often provided by police or security officials employed outside their official capacities for this purpose. In other cases, officials are silent partners in criminal enterprises that they, in turn, protect.
Through networks of financial-industrial groups or holding companies, central and regional organized crime groups penetrate into each others territory, where they struggled for political and economic spheres of influence. The expansion of organized crime in Moscow, for example, occurred through buying real estate, and through gaining controlling shares of banks and other enterprises. These crime groups, in turn, bought up controlling shares in various regional banks and enterprises on a broader regional level outside of Moscow.
Because of the proliferation of groups, there is not a specific organizational structure that can be delineated as if it described one criminal organization. Even the characterization "Russian" is used generically to refer to a variety of Eurasian crime groups - many of which are not Russian. Among the active criminals in the U.S. are Armenians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, and persons from the Caucasus region of the former Soviet Union (Chechens, Dagestanis, and Georgians). The media and law enforcement call these groups various names - Russian mafia, Russian mob, Organizatsya, Bor, Bratva, etc. Some of the group names refer to geographical locations in Russia - Izmailovskaya, Dagestantsy, Kazanskaya, and Solntsenskaya. The latter are indicative of the local geographically defined roots of some Russian crime groups.
It was estimated in 2007 that approximately 15 of these loosely categorized criminal groups were operating in the United States, and that 8 or 9 of them maintain links to Russia. The estimated membership of those groups is 5 - 6,000 members. To put these estimates into context, a June 2000 report published by the Global Organized Crime Project of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies ("Russian Organized Crime: Putin's Challenge") estimated that 200 large ROC groups were operating in 58 countries worldwide, including the United States.
Donald Trump
To all evidence, Donald Trump is the Manchurian Candidate. Trump has a variety of prior connections with Russian interests. He has said strangely friendly things about Russia, and early on in 2015 the Russians had clearly endorsed him as their preferred candidate.
The term Manchurian Candidate has evolved into common day political usage to refer to someone who is secretly working for an opposing hostile interest. Salman Rushdie proposed on the HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher a theory he had heard that Republican campaigner Donald Trump is in fact a manchurian candidate, planted by the Democrats to split apart the Republican Party. A number of other pundits and think-piece artists have minded the same vein of pop-culture reference, but none agree precisely how Trump fulfilled that role.
Starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, and Angela Lansbury, The Manchurian Candidate [United Artists, 1962] is a bleak, mordant spy thriller. A US Army platoon, captured in the Korean conflict, is whisked to Manchuria for three nightmarish days of brainwashing. Returned to the United States as war heroes, one of them - Raymond Shaw, with a Medal of Honor - is used by his mother and the Communists to promote her Joe McCarthy-like husband's political career. Raymonds trigger mechanism is the Queen of Diamonds. The Denzel Washington version of the Manchurian Candidate [Paramount, c2004] is an homage to the first verion. During the first Gulf War, Sergeant Raymond Shaw saves his fellow soldiers. Using the incident for political gain, Shaw eventually becomes a vice-presidential nominee, for the the Manchurian Global corporation.
Human rights lawyer Scott Horton reported "Among the powerful facts that DNI missed were a series of very deep studies published in the [Financial Times] that examined the structure and history of several major Trump real estate projects from the last decadethe period after his seventh bankruptcy and the cancellation of all his bank lines of credit. ... The money to build these projects flowed almost entirely from Russian sources. In other words, after his business crashed, Trump was floated and made to appear to operate a successful business enterprise through the infusion of hundreds in millions of cash from dark Russian sources. He was their man.
"... his real estate deals were used to hide not just an infusion of capital from Russia and former Soviet states, but to launder hundreds of millions looted by oligarchs. All Trump had to do was close his eyes to the source of the money, and suddenly empty apartments were going for top dollar.... real estate has an arbitrary value. Is that apartment worth $1 million? Two million? Why not $3 million for a buyer who really wants it? When the whole transaction is just one LLC with undisclosed ownership paying another LLC with undisclosed ownership, its even neater than hiding the money in an offshore account."
Donald Trump used the mob-controlled concrete company S&A Concrete to build Trump Plaza condos. The company used underpaid undocumented Polish workers, most of whom entered the country illegally, lacked hard hats, and slept on the site. Trump avoided labor troubles, like picketing and strikes, and job safety inspections. But Trump and his associates were found guilty in 1991 of conspiring to avoid paying pension and welfare fund contributions.
Michael Cohen joined the Trump Organization in 2006, and eventually became Trump's personal lawyer, a role once occupied by Roy Cohn, Senator Joseph McCarthy's heavy-lidded hatchet man. Glenn Simpson, the private investigator who was hired to examine Trump's Russia connections during the 2016 election, testified in November 2017 before the House Intelligence Committee that Cohen "had a lot of connections to the former Soviet Union, and that he seemed to have associations with organized crime figures in New York and Florida Russian organized crime figures". During the 2016 campaign, "One of the things that we learned that caught my interest," Simpson testified, "serious questions about Donald Trump's activities in Russia and the former Soviet Union went to Michael Cohen, and that he was the only person who had information on that subject or was in a position to answer those questions." Cohen was involved in the negotiation of Trump Organization business deals with oligarchs in Russia and Kazakhstan. Before he connected with Trump, Cohen had family ties to the Russian underworld. His uncle, Morton Levine, ran the El Caribe Country Club, a Brooklyn "social club" that was a popular watering hole for Italian and Russian gangsters in the 1980s and 1990s. Cohen and his siblings all had ownership stakes in the club. The club also served as the headquarters of Boris Nayfeld, once the most feared Russian crime boss in the US (though Levine himself was never accused of wrongdoing.) Cohen was a longtime friend of Trump business associate Felix Sater, who pleaded guilty to his involvement in a money-laundering scheme with the Russian mob before helping develop the Trump SoHo hotel. According to the FBI, Saters father was a right-hand man of Russian mafia chieftain Semion Mogilevich, considered to be the boss of bosses overseeing Russian organized crime worldwide.
The relationship beteen Donald Trump and Felix Sater represented a rather direct link between the presidential candidate and Russian Organized Crime. The Russian emigre a twice-convicted felon with ties to the Mafia appeared in photos with Trump, and carried a Trump Organization business card with the title Senior Advisor to Donald Trump. Trump confused when asked under oath in a 2013 about his relationship to the Russian emigre.
Sater served prison time for a grisly 1991 assault at the El Rio Grande restaurant and bar in New York. According to court documents, Sater allegedly told a man at the bar, Ill kill you. Ill rip your f****** head off and stick it down your throat. Sater then allegedly grabbed a frozen margarita from the bar, flung the contents in the air, smashed the glass on the bar, and stabbed the man in the cheek and neck, breaking his cheek and jaw, lacerating face and neck and severing nerves. He was convicted of first degree assault.
Sater emailed Cohen in November 2015. "I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected. We both know no one else knows how to pull this off without stupidity or greed getting in the way. I know how to play it and we will get this done. Buddy our boy can become President of the USA and we can engineer. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this."
Bayrock Group LLC was a real estate development firm that partnered with Trump on numerous projects after renting office space from the Trump Organization. Sater is a top Bayrock executive in the Bayrock Group, which is headquartered in Trump Tower. The founding chairman of Bayrock is Tevfik Arif, who has reputed Russian organized crime ties. In 2010 he was charged in Turkey for smuggling underage girls into the country for prostitution. Another principal in the deal is Russian emigre Tamir Sapir, who also lives in Trump Tower. Sapirs executive vice president and top aide, Fred Contini, pled guilty in 2004 to participating in a racketeering conspiracy with the Gambino crime family for 13 years.
Sater pled guilty in 1998 to one count of racketeering for his role in a $40 million stock fraud scheme involving the Genovese and Bonanno crime families. The connection to Felix Sater dated to the early 2000s. After Sater's criminal history and past ties to organized crime came to light in 2007, Trump distanced himself from Sater. Less than three years later, Trump tapped Sater for a business development role that came with the title of senior adviser to Donald Trump.
Donald J. Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, FL, describes itself as one of the most highly regarded private clubs in the world. In all but a handful of cases, Mar-a-Lago sought to fill the jobs with hundreds of foreign guest workers from Romania and other countries. Trump uses a recruiter based in upstate New York, Peter Petrina, to find foreign workers for his resorts, golf clubs and vineyard. Petrina is of Romanian descent and has an office in Romania.
Trump pursued more than 500 visas for foreign workers at Mar-a-Lago since 2010, while hundreds of domestic applicants failed to get the same jobs. Guest workers can be attractive to employers because they are essentially a captive work force, since they can work only for the company that sponsored the visa.
Louise I. Shelley presciently noted in 1999 that " ... the increasing wealth and power of transnational organized crime groups has the potential to undermine even the strongest democracies and impede the transition to democracy in transitional countries. The coordinated international effort needed to combat transnational organized crime does not presently exist. This situation may usher in a new form of authoritarianism with severe long-term consequences for much of the world's citizenry."
In an interview Sunday with ABCs This Week, Trump commended campaign manager Corey Lewandowski for his spirit after the aide was caught on camera grabbing a protester by the collar at a weekend rally in Arizona. In Redstate, streiff wrote on 22 March 2016 that "This kind of vicious, suck-up-kick-down toady is attracted to Trump the way lint is attracted to Velcro. ... This is a warning about the people a Trump administration would attract and the way a Trump administration would operate. This is your preview of a Trump administration."
Sunny Isles Beach condominium towers drew in new moneyed Russians all too eager to pay millions. Kenneth McCallion, a former prosecutor who tracked the flows of Russian criminal money into Trump's properties, told Seth Hettena, "Trump's genius or evil genius was, instead of Russian criminal money being passive, incidental income, it became a central part of his business plan." McCallion continued, "It's not called 'Little Moscow' for nothing. The street signs are in Russian. But his towers there were built specifically for the Russian middle-class criminal."
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Al-Qaida Recruitment in Syria May Jump
by Jamie Dettmer March 01, 2016
Rebel commanders and opposition activists are warning that jihadist recruitment of Syrian fighters is likely to jump in the coming months because of the collapse of some moderate militias and a shake-up of others in the wake of a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive in northern Syria.
But it is not Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Islamic State that will benefit the most, but al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, they warn.
Al-Nusra has pursued a stealthier approach in Syria than its jihadist rival, alternately intermingling with other rebel militias and assisting them when more is to be gained or turning on them and seeking to dominate when circumstances change.
With the majority of Jabhat al-Nusra's fighters being Syrian analysts estimate only about 20 percent of the group's fighters are from overseas the group has appeared less alien than IS and more rooted in the country.
Battlefield effectiveness
Jabhat al-Nusra and ally Ahrar al-Sham, a hardline Islamist faction al-Qaida veterans were instrumental in forming, have legitimacy among Syrian rebels, not so much for ideological reasons but because of their effectiveness on the battlefield, say rebel commanders.
Jabhat al-Nusra is being seen by rebel fighters as the best vehicle to continue the fight against President Bashar al-Assad and his foreign Shi'ite allies from Iran and Lebanon.
"Many fighters already furious with the West for its passivity in the face of the Russian airstrikes and Assad offensive will feel they have no other option but to join with the jihadists," says Bassam al-Kuwaitli, a well-known figure in political opposition circles. "They will follow the money and join who can supply them with arms," he laments.
Al-Qaida's affiliate is expanding geographically, sending fighters back into Aleppo a year-and-half after it withdrew from the city to focus on building control of neighboring Idlib province as a counter to the Islamic State's presence in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.
Redeployment into Aleppo
The redeployment back into Aleppo came as the Russian-backed Assad offensive unfolded last month in northern Syria. Al-Nusra fighters set up checkpoints to protect larger incoming conveys. The group also expropriated several large buildings and warehouses in rebel-held districts of Aleppo for use as offices and barracks.
Political activists quickly raised an alarm about the large presence of al-Nusra fighters, arguing it would make more sense to have them on the outskirts of the city if they were there to combat the Assad offensive in the suburbs of Aleppo.
Anger beyond borders
Al-Nusra's rejection of a proposal by moderate rebels and Islamic nationalists for a unified police force to be formed in Aleppo also prompted concern and fears the al-Qaida affiliate will impose its will on rebel-held districts, helped by the rising bitterness among Syrian rebel factions and civilians directed at the West for not confronting Assad and his allies, the Russians.
The anger can be heard in southern Turkish border towns.
"The Americans, the Russians, the regime, they are all responsible for the deaths, for the killing of Syrians," said Mustafa, a refugee in Kilis. His words were greeted with vigorous nods by a small crowd of Syrians.
In a joint study issued last month by the Institute for the Study of War and the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, both Washington-based research organizations, analysts warned Western powers "must alter the popular narrative that the West has abandoned the Syrian Sunni Arabs in favor of Iran, Assad, and Russia."
In search of a strategy
In the report, "Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS: Sources of Strength," the analysts concluded, "Identifying means of separating Jabhat al-Nusra from the opposition in order to destroy it is the most difficult intellectual task in developing a strategy for Syria.'
Developing such a strategy and countering al-Nusra is not being helped by the Assad government or the Russians. The targeting of al-Nusra, which has been excluded from the shaky U.N.-mediated cessation of hostilities, is building up even more sympathy among rebel fighters for al-Qaida's affiliate, cautions Nader Othman, deputy prime minister in the opposition's Syrian Interim Government.
"The Assad offensive has damaged the moderates, and more fighters will move over to al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham," he says. "This is the logical result. Only five percent of Russian airstrikes were on ISIS, most were on us, the moderate rebels. And the regime's idea was to demolish the moderate alternative to the regime."
"People will keep on fighting, but we should worry about where the fighters whose militias collapse will go," he adds.
"There is huge danger," says a Turkey-based European diplomat. "This war is going to become more terrorist-based, more of an underground fight. Many more fighters are going to become highly radicalized and we are going to be seen as much the enemy as Assad."
"They feel the world is against them and they will lash out," he adds.
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China to conduct more than 20 satellite launches in 2016
People's Daily Online
By Yuan Can (People's Daily Online) 14:56, February 29, 2016
The year 2016 is a big year for China's aerospace industry, as several rockets will be sent into space, including Tiangong-2, an orbiting space lab and Shenzhou-11, a manned spacecraft with two people on board.
Two new types of rockets will be launched in 2016. Long March-7, scheduled to be launched in June, will put the country's first cargo ship, Tianzhou-1, into space in the first half of 2017 to dock with Tiangong-2 and conduct experiments.
Furthermore, Long March-5 is slotted to be sent into space in September of this year. This type of rocket has the largest carrying capacity among the new generation of rockets in China, with a maximum payload capacity of 25 tons to low Earth orbit and 14 tons to geosynchronous transfer orbit.
Both of the launches will take place at the newly constructed Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in south China's Hainan province.
In addition, China will send several experimental satellites into space in 2016. China's retrievable Shijian-10 satellite will be launched in April at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. China will also send a Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope, an X-ray space observatory, and a quantum communication satellite. China plans to launch its first ever carbon-tracking satellite into space in August.
According to a staff member from China's Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China plans to conduct more than 20 satellite launch missions in 2016, which positions China to exceed U.S. launches. Among them, a total of 15 launches are significant projects or first flights.
China launched the first of a new generation of navigation satellites for its BeiDou navigation system in 2015. The next of these satellites is set to be launched this year. Gaofen-3 satellite, a Chinese civilian remote sensing satellite, will also be sent into space in 2016.
In addition, China sent a Belarusian communications satellite into space, and will also help the country with its commercial sensing satellites.
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China's Y-20 to be put into military use in 2016, experts say
People's Daily Online
By Yuan Can (People's Daily Online) 16:56, February 29, 2016
China's own domestically built military cargo jet, Y-20, will likely be put into service in the army this year, a military expert said in an interview with People's Daily Online.
According to Xu Yongling, a military expert, the test flight period for large aircraft is generally between three and five years. Since there have been no bottlenecks during development or manufacturing, the Y-20 will be put into use this year.
The first flight of the Y-20 took place in 2013, making China the fourth country in the world, following the U.S., Russia and Ukraine, to develop a 200-ton military cargo jet.
'This is not only progress for China's national defense industry, but also a milestone of industrial and military modernization,' Xu said.
The official code name of the aircraft is Kunpeng, after the mythical bird of ancient China that can fly for thousands of kilometers. However, within the Chinese aviation industry, the aircraft is more commonly known by its nickname, Chubby Girl, named by military fans for its relatively wide fuselage.
Military expert Chen Hong said in an interview with People's Daily Online that the carrying capacity of the Y-20, around 60 tons, is higher than that of Russia's Ilyushin Il-76, a multi-purpose four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter. The Y-20's engine, aerodynamic arrangement and combat performance are all better than those of the Russian aircraft.
The cargo jet can be used to refit significant special operations platforms, as it has a long flying period and flying distance. The Y-20 is also a good choice for maritime detection and early warning, according to Chen.
As for future military developments, airborne transportation depends not only on the Y-20, but also on other military cargo jets, which China may develop in the next five to ten years, according to Xu.
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China Arms Exports Double as Regional Tensions Mount
by Shannon Van Sant February 29, 2016
A research group says China's arms exports have almost doubled in five years as the country has moved to become a major player in the global industry.
Chinese exports of major arms grew by 88 percent between 2011 and 2015, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
"China is actively pushing for exports. A lot of the exports are going to countries where China has had good relations for a long time, so there's also a strategic incentive for China to supply weapons. Pakistan for example, Bangladesh, Myanmar," said Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher with the institute.
China is now the world's third largest arms exporter behind the U.S. and Russia, and the country accounted for nearly six percent of arms exports between 2011 and 2015.
The U.S. and Russia's weapons exports grew by 27 and 28 percent respectively during the same period, although both countries are still far ahead of China and the rest of the world in total sales.
Imports of arms to China fell 25 percent compared with the previous five-year period, indicating that China now has the technological capability and know how to produce many of its own weapons.
Wezeman said territorial disputes and the growing modernization of China's military may be spurring an arms race in Asia. China's military budget was up 10 percent from the year before, to more than $141 billion.
"You can see a general arms build-up in Asia. You can see countries reacting to what neighbors are doing, and a strong driver for this is Chinese military modernization, expanding Chinese capabilities, linked to a quite assertive Chinese policy," he said.
Vietnam jumped from 43rd place to become the eighth-largest arms importer from 2011 to 2015. The country now accounts for roughly 3 percent of world-wide arms purchases during that period. India imported 14 percent of globally traded arms during that time period.
Tensions rising across Asia
Gregory Poling is the director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and a fellow with the Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies at CSIS. Poling said China's recent actions in the South China Sea are raising tensions throughout Southeast Asia.
"More immediately this is clearly destabilizing the wider region, for states like Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, would much rather be focused on economic development and boosting regional architecture,' Poling said. 'Instead they're caught in what they see as an almost existential need to boost their militaries, to purchase arms, to divert budgets towards modernization in ways that they would rather not but they're facing a Beijing that they see as an increasing security threat."
Five trillion dollars in global trade passes through the waterway every year, and the sea is thought to be rich in oil and gas reserves.
Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at CSIS, said while territorial disputes may boost arms sales in Asia, China's neighbors' won't be able to keep up with the pace of China's military modernization.
"They want to have other choices rather than feeling that they simply have to accommodate to China, and they don't have enough capability, even with their increased weapons spending and procurements, no country on China's border is going to be able to keep up with China,' Glaser said. 'Look at its defense spending. So countries are going to have to find more creative ways. They can certainly enhance their own capabilities."
Collaboration among China's neighbors has already increased to protect their territorial claims. Earlier this month Vietnam announced it will allow India to set up a satellite tracking center in southern Vietnam that will provide it with access to overhead images of the South China Sea.
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American Arrestee Interviewed
Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)
Pyongyang, February 29 (KCNA) -- Otto Frederick Warmbier, student at the University of Virginia, the U.S., was interviewed with domestic and foreign journalists in Pyongyang Monday. He was arrested for committing anti-DPRK hostile acts.
Present there were domestic and foreign journalists, members of foreign diplomatic missions and missions of international bodies here and overseas Koreans staying in the homeland.
Warmbier spoke first.
He said:
On December 29, 2015, I entered the DPRK as a tourist.
On January 1, 2016, I committed severe crimes against the DPRK.
I am 21 years old. I am a student at the University of Virginia. I am in my third year of the university. My residential address is Ohio, United States with my family. At the moment, I lived in a rented apartment near the university. My father owns a very small factory that barely makes enough to support my family. My mother is a housewife. I am the oldest son in my family. My brother and my sister are both high school students.
I committed the crime of taking out a political slogan from the staff-only area of the Yanggakdo International Hotel. The slogan inspires the Korean people's love for their system.
The task was given to me by the Friendship United Methodist Church. At the encouragement of the Z Society and the connivance of the United States Administration, I came to commit this task. The aim of my task was to harm the motivation and work ethic of the Korean people. This was a very foolish aim.
Growing up in the United States, I was taught that the DPRK is a mysterious, 'isolated communist nation' from the mass media and education. This made me an innocent thinking adventurous young man like myself, want to show my bravery in this mysterious country in order to improve my reputation and show Western victory over the DPRK.
I was scheduled to take part in a university-sponsored financial class in Hong Kong and I decided to use this opportunity to visit the DPRK as a tourist.
Based on my application's confirmation, I chose to have my tour at the end of December 2015.
On September 23, 2015, I was having dinner at my friend Stefan Webb's home with him and his mother, Sharon Webb. Sharon Webb is a deaconess in the Friendship United Methodist Church and her son Stefan Webb is an active believer in this same church.
Sharon emphasized that her church does not support the Government of North Korea and that communism should be ended. She said that communist nations rally around political slogans. She asked me to take an important political slogan from North Korea to be hung in her church as a 'trophy'. She continued to say that by taking this slogan, we would harm the unity and motivation of the North Korean people and show this country an insult from the West.
She offered me a used car worth $10,000 if I was successful. And she said if I was detained and not returned, her church would pay $200,000 to my mother in a way of charitable donations.
Since my family is suffering from very severe financial difficulties, I started to consider this as my only golden opportunity to earn money. Most importantly, Sharon said to never mention the Friendship United Methodist Church's involvement or no payments would come.
In early October, 2015, I informed my mother very little of my crime attempt offer, but I told that I planned to steal something precious from North Korea and if I was detained I told her that her bank account would receive transfers for my brother and sister's university tuition. She cried and said not to do anything dangerous. I considered less, not wanting to hurt my mother. But since then, I got several alluring pressures from the Friendship United Methodist Church, leading me to finally decide my crime attempt.
In the meantime, the Z Society also clandestinely encouraged my act. After I came to know that all members become very wealthy with high-paying jobs after they graduate university, I eagerly wanted to join the Z Society. That is why, in late November 2015, I intentionally revealed my plan of my act to a member of Z Society. He said my plan of action would certainly help the Z Society's goal of spreading 'freedom' and eliminating 'tyranny'. He said if I was successful, he promised me that he would help me become a member in the Z Society. And he even said if I was caught, the Z Society could help pressure North Korea for my release. Finally, he said to never mention the Z Society's encouragement.
I arrived in Pyongyang through Beijing and committed my crime against the people and Government of the DPRK.
My crime is very severe and pre-planned.
Then he answered questions raised by journalists.
He said:
The politicians and United States Administration use the Friendship United Methodist Church to harm the DPRK by all dirty means and ways. The Friendship United Methodist Church gave me my crime task, which is matched to United States' consistent hostile policy against the DPRK, with aims to spread Christianity in the DPRK and increase the support from the United States Administration.
Therefore, my crime was the expected output of the U.S. Administration's consistent hostile policy against the DPRK and its implementation by the Friendship United Methodist Church.
There is no doubt that the CIA knows the Z Society's encouragement of my crime.
I took many detailed steps to prepare for my crime in the DPRK while I was in the United States.
I have been very impressed by the DPRK Government's humanitarian treatment of severe criminals like myself and of the very fair and square legal procedures in the DPRK.
And I've come to see that the current 'human right issues' in the DPRK, consistently highlighted by the United States Administration is simply nothing more than a hypocritical excuse to eventually overthrow the Government of the DPRK.
I apologize to the people and the Government of the DPRK and beg for forgiveness. -0-
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DPRK arrests American student for attempt to take political slogan from hotel
People's Daily Online
(Xinhua) 17:44, February 29, 2016
PYONGYANG, Feb. 29 -- An American student held by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since January told a press conference here Monday that he tried to take a political slogan from a hotel and was later arrested.
Otto Frederick Warmbier, a 21-year-old undergraduate student of commerce from Virginia University, confessed at the press conference to 'committing severe crimes against the DPRK people and government' on New Year's Day, 2016.
He said that on the early morning of Jan. 1, he attempted to take a political slogan which inspired people's love for the DPRK from a staff-only area at Yanggakdo International Hotel, where he stayed during his tour in Pyongyang.
He committed the crime with the connivance of the U.S. government and the task was given by the Friendship United Methodist Church, which promised him a good reward in return, he said.
'The aim was to harm the work ethics and motivation of the DPRK people,' Warmbier said. He was later arrested and detained at Pyongyang International Airport on Jan. 2.
Warmbier apologized to the DPRK people and the government and he repeatedly begged for forgiveness and for help in any possible way to rescue him, claiming that he was only a 'political victim of the U.S. consistent hostile policy against the DPRK.'
He also stressed that he was treated in a humanitarian way during the investigation and is now in good health. He said he did not know what penalty he might face, but he fervently hoped he could return home to reunite with his family.
The DPRK's state media KCNA reported on Jan. 22 that Warmbier had been arrested by the authorities because he entered the country under the guise of a tourist and aimed to undermine the foundation of the country's single-minded unity.
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Detained American in North Korea Makes 'Public Confession'
by VOA News February 29, 2016
An American college student detained in North Korea has publicly confessed to attempting to steal a political banner from a Pyongyang hotel.
Otto Warmbier appeared before a group of domestic and foreign journalists Monday in the North Korean capital, accompanied by North Korean guards.
The 21-year-old University of Virginia student, who was visiting North Korea with a tour group, was arrested last month before boarding a plane out of the country. He has been charged with committing a hostile act against the state, with the help of the United States.
Warmbier told reporters he removed a political slogan from a staff-only area of the hotel where the group was staying to give to a member of his church who wanted the banner to display as a 'trophy.'
He said the church member offered him a used car worth $10,000 and told him that if he was caught and unable to return, Warmbier's mother would get $200,000.
'I understand the severity of my crime, and I have no idea what sort of penalty I may face, but I am begging to the Korean people and government for my forgiveness. And I am praying to the heavens so that I may be returned home to my family," he said during the statement.
Pyongyang has not said what possible punishment Warmbier may face.
North Korea has often detained Americans and other foreign citizens on trumped up charges.
Statements, confessions
The detainees are usually brought before foreign journalists to read statements confessing to crimes committed against the dictatorial regime. The statements are widely considered to have been coerced, and detainees often recant their confessions after their release.
Analysts say Pyongyang often tries to use the detainees as bargaining chips with the West.
Tour groups sponsor regular visits to the North for sightseers curious to see what life is like under the repressive regime.
The U.S. and Canadian governments both advise against travel to North Korea.
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Sanctions on North Korea Hurting Businesses in South Korea
by Brian Padden February 29, 2016
South Korean factories that were forced to halt operations in North Korea's Kaesong Industrial Complex are asking the Seoul government to compensate them for their losses.
The South Korean government suspended all activities at the industrial zone it operated jointly with North Korea, to punish the Kim Jong Un government for its recent nuclear test and latest long-range rocket launch.
The Corporate Association of Kaesong Industrial Complex represents the 123 small and medium South Korean manufacturing companies that operate there and were forced to close.
Estimated losses
The organization estimates its initial losses of assets and raw material to near $644 million (820 billion won).
When announcing the closure of the Kaesong complex, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said the government would offer aid and support to the affected companies.
"By utilizing insurance from inter-Korean cooperative funds, the government will quickly offer up to 90 percent of [the] investment cost for the Kaesong Industrial Complex," Park said.
The Kaesong association, however, said the insurance will only cover $220 million (280 billion won) of their losses.
The group has been in talks with the South Korean government to determine fair compensation, but so far the two sides remain far apart.
"The government did not say we are exaggerating the amount, but they said it has not been objectively proven," said Jeong Gi-seob, chairman of the Corporate Association of Kaesong Industrial Complex.
South Korea's Unification Ministry Monday issued a statement defending the shutdown of the complex and said it is offering a range of tax deductions, loans and other support to affected business
"The government has been conducting one-on-one site visits for each company and preparing measures tailored for companies by listening to their requests," the Unification Ministry said in its statement.
Fall into disrepair
The closure of the faculty put 54,000 North Korean employees out of work and cut off the flow of about $100 million a year into North Korea. South Korean officials said 70 percent of Kaesong funding, paid in U.S. dollars, was used to finance the North's illicit nuclear weapons program.
After the closure of the facility was announced, Pyongyang imposed military control of the site, froze all assets of the Kaesong companies, and deported the remaining South Korean managers and staff still there.
The Kaesong association criticized the sudden closure it said violated a 2013 joint agreement to maintain a stable operation, unimpeded by political disagreements or provocations.
Seoul, however, said the existential threat to national security and public safety posed by Pyongyang's defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons justified the harsh and sudden response.
South Korea cut electrical power and water to the Kaesong complex, making it very difficult for North Korea to utilize the facilities. If the complex remains unused for six months, some operators say, rust will set in and the equipment will fall into permanent disrepair.
Permanent closure?
The Kaesong corporate association is asking for the complex to be re-opened, but that seems highly unlikely given the increasing diplomatic and military tensions in the region.
Since 2006 the U.N. Security Council has imposed increasingly severe sanctions on North Korea for developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technology.
This week, the U.S. is expected to approve the strongest set of sanctions yet against the Pyongyang government, intended to cut off the trade and funding of North Korea's nuclear program and its military, and to target the North Korean leadership and officials directly involved in these illicit activities.
The Kaesong complex was once part of a range of assistance projects meant to build trust between the North and South. But support in the South for unqualified engagement faded as Pyongyang continued its defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons and continued to initiate provocations.
Other South Korean aid programs were halted and sanctions imposed against North Korea in 2010 after Seoul accused Pyongyang of sinking a South Korean warship and killing 46 sailors.
Youmi Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.
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Security Council to vote fresh North Korea sanctions
Iran Press TV
Tue Mar 1, 2016 6:3AM
The UN Security Council is set to vote on a US-engineered resolution that would impose a package of unprecedented sanctions on North Korea after its recent nuclear test and rocket launch.
The council is expected to convene at 2000 GMT on Tuesday to decide on the resolution that was presented by the US last week, according to Washington's mission to the UN.
US Ambassador Samantha Power said "if adopted, it will break new ground and represent the strongest new set of sanctions in two decades.
The new sanctions would require UN member states, for the first time, to inspect all cargo going to and from North Korea by air, sea and land. A complete ban would also be imposed on all types of weapons transfers to and from the country.
On January 6, Pyongyang said it had successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb, its fourth nuclear test, vowing to build up its nuclear program as deterrence against potential aggression from the United States.
A month later, North Korea launched a long-range rocket that it said placed an earth observation satellite into orbit. However, Washington and South Korea denounced it as a cover for an intercontinental ballistic missile test.
Power further said the new punitive measures would send "an unambiguous and unyielding message to [Pyongyang]. The world will not accept your proliferation. There will be consequences for your actions," she added.
Washington has said it had submitted the proposed resolution after reaching an agreement with China. Russia, however, said it needed time to analyze the content of the draft resolution.
Pyongyang has already been under UN sanctions over launching missiles considered by the US and South Korea as ballistic and aimed at delivering nuclear warheads.
The North accuses the US of plotting with its regional allies to topple the government in Pyongyang, stressing that will not relinquish its nuclear deterrence unless Washington ends its hostile policy toward it.
It also wants the US to dissolve its military command in South Korea.
Earlier this month, South Korea called on the Security Council to adopt "extraordinary" measures in response to its neighbor's recent nuclear test and rocket launch.
Amid the new wave on tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Washington and Seoul have reportedly worked out an agreement on the deployment of an advanced US missile system, called THAAD, to South Korea. They said they would begin talks on the issue at the earliest time possible.
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Pyongyang Rejects Seoul's Call to Abandon Nuke Program Before Peace Treaty
Sputnik News
19:27 01.03.2016
North Korea has rejected the call made by its south neighbor to abandon its nuclear program before having any discussions on a peace agreement, it was reported in the media Tuesday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Earlier, a representative of the South Korea Unification Ministry said that North Korea giving up its nuclear program must be a precondition for peace treaty talks to begin, Yonhap news agency reported.
Pyongyang dismissed the call, saying that if Washington and Seoul refused to desist with their hostile policy toward Pyongyang, any discussion about peace on the Korean peninsula would be impossible.
Under the bilateral pact between Seoul and Washington, the US has the right to support South Korea in response to a nuclear threat from a third party.
In January, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test and launched a ballistic missile a month later in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
Later on Tuesday, the UN Security Council is set to vote on a draft resolution that would tighten the existing sanctions against North Korea and limit the activities of several sectors of its economy.
Sputnik
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China to Strictly Follow Measures Stipulated in UN Resolution on N Korea
Sputnik News
12:49 01.03.2016(updated 12:50 01.03.2016)
China will strictly follow the measures stipulated in a new UN Security Council resolution on North Korea which aims to limit Pyongyang's nuclear and military development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Tuesday.
BEIJING (Sputnik) The UN Security Council is expected to approve the proposed resolution expanding sanctions against North Korea later in the day.
'As we have said before, the nuclear test and the missile launch by North Korea violated UN Security Council resolutions, and it is important that the Security Council adopt a new resolution to restrict the development of nuclear and missile programs by North Korea. If the resolution is adopted, China will strictly abide by it,' Hong said at a press briefing.
The spokesman added that China intended to discuss the issue with all interested parties.
In January, Pyongyang conducted its fourth nuclear test and launched a ballistic missile in February in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
On February 25, US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said that Washington had circulated a draft resolution to expand the sanctions against North Korea due to its nuclear activities, bringing the restrictive measures against Pyongyang to what has been described as an unprecedented level.
Sputnik
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UN Security Council Delays Vote on North Korea Sanctions
by VOA News March 01, 2016
The U.N. Security Council has postponed until Wednesday a vote on resolution that would impose new sanctions on North Korea in response to its latest nuclear test and long-range missile launch.
The vote had been expected Tuesday afternoon but Russia invoked a 24 hour procedural review, according to the U.S. mission to the United Nations.
The resolution, drafted by the United States and introduced last Thursday, calls for a total arms embargo on Pyongyang, a mandatory inspection of all cargo in and out of North Korea, whether by land, sea or air, and halts imports of all products that could be used for military purposes. The vote was already delayed for a few days when Russia declared it needed to study the document.
Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said the resolution 'would break new ground and represent the strongest set of sanctions imposed by the Security Council in more than two decades.' The U.N. already has imposed a number of sanctions on North Korea in response to past nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
The U.S. submitted the resolution after several weeks of negotiations with China, North Korea's closest ally and largest trading partner. Beijing was angered by the North's January nuclear test and its February 7 ballistic missile test, but it has been reluctant to support harsh international sanctions on Pyongyang for fear of destabilizing the country and triggering a surge of refugees across their border.
The resolution also bans imports to North Korea of aviation and rocket fuel, as well as exports of commodities such as coal, iron, gold, titanium and rare earth minerals. It also adds 17 individuals and 12 entities to the U.N.'s sanctions blacklist, including North Korea's space agency NADA, and requires nations to expel North Korean diplomats engaging in illegal activities.
In a televised speech Tuesday ahead of the vote, South Korean President Park Geun-hye says the international community must continue to pressure North Korea until the regime proves it is committed to giving up its nuclear weapons development program.
VOA United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report
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India to Allocate $440Mln Annually for Nuclear Power Investments
Sputnik News
14:22 29.02.2016(updated 14:43 29.02.2016)
India will increase its investment in nuclear power to up to 30 billion rupees (almost $440 million) per year, the country's finance minister, Arun Jaitley, said on Monday, unveiling a budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year.
NEW DELHI (Sputnik) The government is drafting a comprehensive plan for nuclear energy, which will be implemented in the next 15 to 20 years, according to the minister.
The Indian budget features a number of tax reforms, infrastructure investments as well as measures to promote ease of doing business, agriculture, the rural and social sectors, education and job creation.
In 2002, India and Russia launched a much-delayed joint project to build the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. The first unit reached full capacity in 2014, and is currently India's most powerful reactor with a maximum operating capacity of 1,000 megawatts.
The construction of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant was initially agreed by the Soviet Union and India in 1988, but the project was shelved for a prolonged period.
In December 2015, India and Moscow agreed that a total of 12 nuclear power units would be built in India in 20 years based on Russian design.
Sputnik
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Iran unveils five new pieces of defense equipment
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:5AM
Iran has unveiled five new domestically-built pieces of defense equipment during a ceremony attended by top military officials.
The defense achievements, unveiled in Tehran on Monday, comprised the Pars Cam detector device, an explosives and drugs detector device, anti-shock and explosion-proof polymer covers, a new generation of NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) suits, and a production line for Obidoxime Chloride, a medicine for countering chemical agents.
During the ceremony, Iran's Minister of Defense Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan hailed the country's recent defense achievements.
"In spite of the sanctions against [Iran's] defense sector, the armed forces have foiled enemies' intentions and objectives by attaining self-sufficiency and producing new achievements, and will do the same in the future," Dehqan said.
He added that the Iranian Defense Ministry is working on the design and development of "advanced and sophisticated defensive equipment" as an "important mission."
In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and reached self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.
The Islamic Republic has repeatedly assured other nations, especially regional neighbors, that its military might poses no threat to other countries, stating that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.
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Iran needs 'no permission' to develop missile program: Zarif
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 29, 2016 7:36AM
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Islamic Republic will continue to develop its missile program and that Tehran needs "no permission" to enhance the country's defense capabilities.
"We have announced that we will not ask permission from anyone to [strengthen] our defense and missile capability," Zarif said in an interview with Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA, on Sunday.
The top Iranian diplomat went on to say that the country's missile program does not breach the July nuclear agreement struck between Tehran and six world powers and that the deal does not ban Iran from boosting its defense capabilities.
Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany finalized the text of the accord known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the Austrian capital Vienna on July 14.
Based on the JCPOA, Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the lifting of all economic and financial sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Zarif said that Iran's missile program will continue apace and will be provided with all necessary materials and equipment.
He further dismissed as "unacceptable" claims by US officials that the Islamic Republic's missile tests are in breach of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, saying none of the Iranian missiles have been designed to carry "nuclear warheads."
On October 11, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully test-fired its first guided ballistic missile dubbed Emad. Washington slammed the test, claiming the projectile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
In January, the US Treasury Department said in a statement that it had imposed new sanctions on several individuals and firms over Iran's ballistic missile program, claiming that the program "poses a significant threat to regional and global security."
The statement said five Iranian citizens and a network of companies based in the United Arab Emirates and China were added to a US blacklist.
Iranian officials say none of the country's missiles, including ballistic ones, have been "designed to carry nuclear warheads," and thus their production and test are not in contravention of Resolution 2231.
The Islamic Republic has repeatedly said that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence and Iran's military power poses no threat to other countries.
'US should abandon sanction mentality'
Touching upon Iran's relations with the United States, Zarif told ISNA that the US should abandon its "mentality of sanctions."
"We are still waiting to see whether the US is serious in its commitments" concerning the lifting of sanctions, he noted.
Zarif further criticized Washington's "wrong" policies in the Middle East region. "US policies even harm their own interests in the region since they have caused unrest and created Daesh [terrorist group]," he noted.
Zarif said that Iranian officials have reached no agreement with US officials on regional issues, saying Tehran would take a decision on extending talks with the US should Americans "correct their policies."
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Rohani, Reformist Allies Win Control Of Iran's Powerful Assembly Of Experts
February 29, 2016
by RFE/RL
Final results from Iran's February 26 elections show relative moderate President Hassan Rohani and his allies winning a majority in the powerful Assembly of Experts and making a strong return to parliament as one of three dominant blocs.
The elections were Iran's first since international sanctions were lifted in connection with a landmark nuclear deal in July, and reformist gains against hard-liners will almost certainly affect Tehran's efforts to rebound from decades of political and economic isolation.
The strong showing by the reformist-and-moderate camp came despite intense vetting that moderates said had excluded many of their preferred candidates, and appeared to be most pronounced in the capital.
Rohani and centrist ex-President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani easily won seats in the Assembly of Experts, the chamber of clerics that chooses and supervises Iran's most powerful official, the supreme leader.
In all, reformist-backed candidates claimed 52 of the assembly's 88 seats, according to the Interior Ministry, including 15 of 16 races in Tehran. In doing so, they managed to unseat several prominent hard-liners, including the current chief of the assembly, Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, and Ayatollah Taghi Mesbah Yazdi.
But several prominent hard-liners were reelected to the assembly, including Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who narrowly clung to his seat. Jannati also heads the Guardians Council, the unelected, constitutional watchdog that disqualified hundreds of reformist candidates from the parliamentary and assembly votes.
After the voting, the conservative head of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani, accused reformists of working with "American and English media outlets" to prevent hard-liners from being reelected to the Assembly of Experts.
'Is this type of coordination with foreigners in order to push out these figures from the Assembly of Experts in the interests of the regime?' Larijani asked in a statement on February 29, referring to Yazdi's and Mesbah Yazdi's election defeats.
During its next eight-year term, the assembly could name the successor to fiercely anti-Western Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is 76 and has been in power since 1989.
Reformists had urged voters to cast ballots for a coalition of pro-reform and relative moderate candidates to prevent the reelection of hard-liners and ultraconservative clerics.
Interior Minister Rahmani Fazli on February 29 announced a final combined turnout figure of 62 percent among Iran's 55 million or so registered voters.
The parliamentary vote count suggested the best showing there by opponents of hard-liners in more than a decade.
None of Iran's three main political camps -- reformists, independents, or hard-liners -- was expected to win an outright majority in the 290-seat legislature, known as the Majlis.
But reformists, together with moderate conservatives who supported the July 2015 deal curbing Iran's atomic activities in exchange for relief from UN and Western sanctions, would collectively control a legislative majority if they decided to join forces.
Rohani and Rafsanjani's allies won all 30 of Tehran's contested seats in the parliament.
Hard-liners, who opposed the nuclear deal, won just 68 seats, down from more than 100.
Reports suggested as many as 50 parliamentary races had no clear winner and could require a second-round runoff vote, most likely in April.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, IRNA, and ISNA
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/rohani- reformist-allies-win-control- irans-assembly-of-experts/27580613.html
Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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Rouhani, Allies Win Majorities in Iranian Elections
by VOA News February 29, 2016
Iranian hard-liners have been dealt an electoral setback, with moderates winning a majority in the country's top clerical body, the Assembly of Experts, and parliament.
Two leading conservatives, Ayatollahs Mohammad Yazdi and Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi, were defeated in their bid for re-election to the important 88-member Assembly.
The body will pick the country's next supreme leader, to succeed the 76-year-old incumbent, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader since 1989
State television reported Monday that moderate President Hassan Rouhani and his allies won 15 out of Tehran's 16 seats in the election for the Assembly, where members serve eight-year terms. Overall, the moderates will hold a 59 percent majority.
The Iranian Interior Ministry said that reformers, who favor social freedoms and engagement with the West, won at least 85 seats in parliament, while moderate conservatives, who also favor Iran's nuclear agreement with six world powers, won 73, giving the two groups a majority in the 290-seat parliament.
Interior Minister Abdel Reda Rahmani Fazli says 62 percent of Iranians across the country and 50 percent in the capital, Tehran, participated. He added that candidates would have several days to appeal the election results.
Hardliners, who opposed the deal halting Iran's development of nuclear weaponry in exchange for lifting sanctions that had hobbled the country's economy, won 68 seats in parliament, down from the more than 100 in the current parliament.
Rouhani said Friday's election has given the government more credibility and clout.
'The competition is over. It's time to open a new chapter in Iran's economic development based on domestic abilities and international opportunities,' the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.
Rouhani made last year's nuclear agreement with a group of six world powers, including the United States, a key objective of his administration and the electoral outcome could be interpreted as support for his policies.
Khamenei called on those elected to act in the interests of Iran and stand against the influence of other countries.
The state-run IRNA news agency quoted the leader saying development is the country's top goal.
'Nominal development without independence or national dignity is not accepted,' Khamenei said.
Former Iranian president Abolhassan Bani Sadr tells VOA the election was a clear victory for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, despite reports that "moderates" won more seats.
Former Iranian diplomat Mehrdad Khonsari argues the outcome of the election was at the very least an opportunity for the Iranian public to express its dissatisfaction with the hardliners.
'There is a feel-good factor for the population in the sense that the general outcome is one that satisfies public opinion because it sees stark improvement in the situation of moderates and because it gave the public an opportunity to express dissatisfaction with the hardliners, even though they are aware that in actual policy terms that might not make a difference,' said Khonsari.
Iranian-born analyst Alex Vatanka tells VOA many Iranians decided to vote after being persuaded it would be foolish not to do so.
"There was more enthusiasm than many had actually anticipated only a few weeks ago, and that goes to the fact that [former president] Mohamed Khatami and others really put in a lot of effort to bring out the vote with a very simple message, which is, ''We know these elections are not free and fair, but even within the limited confines of this election, voting for moderates who are allowed to run will prevent the hardliners from getting a total grip on the system,'' said Vatanka.
Former deputy U.S. State Department spokesman, Adam Ereli, told VOA that despite the electoral changes in Iran, 'I don't think that we're going to see a huge change in Iranian behavior, either internally or externally. It's like saying the far-right wing of the party didn't win, but that still means that the center of the party, which is very, very conservative, is in power.'
Edward Yeranian contributed to this report from Cairo.
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Iran Navy flotilla docks at Tanzania port
Iran Press TV
Tue Mar 1, 2016 5:58PM
An Iranian Navy fleet has docked at Tanzania's Port city of Dar es Salaam in line with the Islamic Republic's strategy of expanding its naval presence in high seas.
The flotilla, comprising of Shaheed Naqdi, Lavan and Bushehr warships, berthed at the African port on Tuesday as part of Iranian naval forces' training.
Speaking to reporters, Iran's Ambassador to Dar es Salaam Mehdi Aqa Ja'fari said the visit is aimed at conveying the Iranian nation's message of peace and friendship to East African countries, particularly Tanzania.
He added that the flotilla's four-day journey indicates good relations between the two countries and their keenness to improve cooperation, particularly in defense.
The envoy emphasized that Iran's strong presence in the north and west of the Indian Ocean is in line with the country's plans to help improve international peace and security.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran's close relations with African countries play an important role in maintaining stability and security as well as safe and secure shipping in this region," Aqa Ja'fari pointed out.
During their stay in Dar es Salaam, the Iranian naval forces will meet Tanzania's military officials and visit military zones of the country.
An Iranian naval flotilla visited Dar es Salaam in June 2014.
Over the past few years, Iran's Navy has increased its presence in high seas to safeguard naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.
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US Warning of 'Catastrophic Failure' of Iraq's Mosul Dam
by Sharon Behn February 29, 2016
Iraq's Mosul Dam risks 'catastrophic failure' and a massive wall of water that would sweep downstream anything in its path, including bodies, buildings, cars, unexploded ordnances and hazardous chemicals, the U.S. is warning.
The dam, located on the Tigris River just north of Mosul, is the largest in the country. Built in 1984, the dam is structurally flawed and has required constant maintenance and shoring up with cement grout.
At full capacity, the dam can hold 11 cubic kilometers of water. If it were to burst at that level, a huge wave would roll down the river, potentially killing hundreds of thousands of people who are not able to move out of the way in time.
'The approximately 500,000 to 1.47 million Iraqis residing along the Tigris River in areas at highest risk from the projected floodway probably would not survive its impact,' according to a statement released by the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
Flood would reach Baghdad, devastate infrastructure
Flood waters could reach depths greater than 15 meters in some parts of Mosul city in as little as one to four hours, giving residents little time to flee.
In three to four days, the water would reach Baghdad, swelling the river that dissects the city by some 10 meters, and likely forcing the closure of the capital's international airport.
The 500-kilometer flood path would also damage or destroy large sections of infrastructure, and knock power plants offline, causing the entire Iraqi electricity grid to shut down. Farmland would also be severely damaged.
Mosul and the area down river are largely controlled by Islamic State militants, which could complicate any international relief effort, the U.S. embassy said.
After months of downplaying the seriousness of the risk, the Iraqi government recently acknowledged the need to strengthen the dam and contracted the Italian engineering firm Trevi to repair and maintain the structure.
NGOs and humanitarian agencies have already started work on contingency plans in case the dam bursts.
But it is unclear what would happen to the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people already displaced by violence in Iraq.
Although it said had no specific information as to when the dam would collapse, the U.S. embassy said an early warning system and clear evacuation procedures could reduce the loss of life.
The U.S. embassy public warning comes after weeks of private notices calling on the international community and the government in Iraq to be prepared for such a disaster.
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Secretary General in Baghdad: NATO stands with Iraq in the fight against extremism
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
01 Mar. 2016
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg praised the bravery of Iraqi security forces and highlighted NATO support during an official visit to Iraq on 1 March 2016. Meeting with Prime Minister Al-Abadi, Mr. Stoltenberg commended the success of Iraqi forces in pushing ISIL back and retaking territory in Ramadi and elsewhere. He welcomed the government's ongoing efforts to build confidence across Iraq's different communities, which is vital for the country's long-term stability.
Mr. Stoltenberg also underlined NATO's commitment to an enduring partnership with Iraq. For over a decade, NATO and Iraq have worked together, enhancing security dialogue and promoting the development of Iraqi Security Forces through capacity building, education and training. This month, NATO will begin training Iraqi officers in Jordan, as part of NATO's Defence Capacity Building Package for Iraq, the Secretary General said. Iraqi officers will receive training in key priority fields, including countering Improvised Explosive Devices, military medicine and civil-military planning. NATO experts will also provide advice for Iraq's ongoing security sector reform efforts.
The Secretary General also met with President Fouad Massoum and Defence Minister Khaled al-Obaidi, underscoring NATO's commitment to high-level political dialogue with Iraq. In his bilateral meetings, Mr. Stoltenberg highlighted NATO's efforts to step up support for the Global Coalition to counter ISIL. Last month, NATO Defence Ministers agreed in principle to use NATO AWACS surveillance planes to backfill national AWACS capabilities, increasing the coalition's ability to degrade and destroy ISIL. The Secretary General stressed that by working more closely together, NATO and Iraq can enhance stability in the Middle East region.
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Israel Defense Ministry Starts Supplying New SAM Missile System to Army
Sputnik News
18:40 01.03.2016(updated 18:41 01.03.2016)
Israel's Defense Ministry has begun supplying the David's Sling surface-to-air missile system, jointly developed by Israel and the United States, to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the ministry said Tuesday.
TEL AVIV (Sputnik) David's Sling has been designed by Israel's state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems corporation and the US defense contractor Raytheon.
'After tests have successfully been completed in December the Defense Ministry, jointly with the US Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency, has begun to supply the Israeli Air Force with the main components of the system,' the ministry said in a press statement.
The system is to be used in conjunction with the Iron Dome air defense system designed to intercept short-range rockets, as well as the US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
It is intended to intercept Hamas-developed Palestinian Qassam rockets and Hezbollah's Katyusha rockets.
Sputnik
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Covert Affairs: UK 'Commandos' Deployed in Libya to Tackle Daesh
Sputnik News
14:20 28.02.2016(updated 15:13 28.02.2016)
The United Kingdom has secretly deployed a group of special forces commandos to advise Libya on repelling the Daesh advance, Western officials and sources on the ground told British media.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) A 'small number' of British advisers are said to be working 'very much in the background' alongside US counterparts in Misrata, sources told The Telegraph daily late Saturday.
US military operatives have reportedly begun 'giving tactical training' to select local militias earlier, according to the daily.
Libya has been in a state of turmoil since the 2011 Arab Spring movement, which later led to a civil war and the overthrow of the country's leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The instability in the country facilitated the emergence of numerous militant groups, particularly Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including the United States and Russia.
US forces are known to carry out regular drone strikes against Daesh targets over Libya. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said this week President Barack Obama planned to address the terrorist organization's advances in Libya with top military officials.
Also this week, Libyan military officials said 15 French special forces members have been assisting national troops in fighting the extremists in Benghazi for two months.
Sputnik
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Pakistan Says It Needs F-16s From US for Counterterrorism
by Nike Ching February 29, 2016
Pakistan said Monday at the start of strategic talks with the United States that a contentious sale of F-16 fighter jets would strengthen the South Asian nation's ability to mount counterterrorist operations and promote regional stability.
"The prospective sale of F-16s will strengthen Pakistan capabilities to successfully continue these vital operations for our mutual benefit and stability in the region," said Sartaj Aziz, Pakistani adviser on foreign affairs.
Aziz met with U.S. Secretary of the State John Kerry at the State Department for the sixth Ministerial Level U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue.
The U.S. government this month approved the sale of the aircraft, radar and electronic warfare equipment to Pakistan in a deal worth nearly $700 million. Neighboring India opposes the sale, which has drawn criticism from some U.S. lawmakers. Congress could block the deal, although such action is rare.
Kerry last week told a House committee that Pakistan's existing fleet of F-16s has been critical for its counterterrorism fight on its western border with Afghanistan. Kerry did not mention the F-16 sale in his remarks Monday, but he commended Pakistan's counterterrorism operations, including in North Waziristan, a tribal area where militants have launched cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.
"Cooperation along Pakistan's borders is absolutely essential, Kerry said after Monday's meeting with Aziz. We recognize the extraordinary and real sacrifices that Pakistan's military, especially in Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the ongoing missions in North Waziristan, and the United States has pledged $250 million to help rebuild the communities of persons who have been displaced by the fighting in these operations."
Picking and choosing militants
Pakistan has been accused of targeting some militant groups but nurturing or turning a blind eye to others. Kerry welcomed Pakistan's commitment to not differentiate among terrorist groups. He said groups like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba seek to undermine Pakistan's relations with its neighbors.
Kerry also said they would also discuss Pakistan's "obligations of being a responsible state with nuclear weapons."
Adam Ereli, a former U.S. ambassador to Bahrain, said Pakistan is a country of enormous geo-strategic consequences.
"Given the fact that it is a nuclear power [with] an ongoing conflict with India, given its role in Afghanistan, given the fact that it's a Muslim nation of 150 to 160 million, with severe economic and political challenges ... the U.S. has a very, very strong interest in a stable and cooperative relationship with Pakistan," Ereli said.
As the threat of Islamic extremism has grown in Pakistan, so has international concern about the security of the nation's nuclear arsenal.
Experts say Pakistan's nuclear stockpile is growing fast, and it is developing tactical nuclear weapons to deter rival India's larger conventional forces.
Kerry and Aziz also reviewed progress made by six working groups under the framework of the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, including nonproliferation, education, defense consultation group, law enforcement and counterterrorism, economic and finance, as well as the energy working groups, according to spokesman John Kirby.
The U.S. and Pakistan are among members of the so-called "Quadrilateral Coordination Group," which also includes China and Afghanistan, to support a peace process in Afghanistan.
While voicing support for an Afghan-led and an Afghan-all peace talk, Aziz said: "In coming days and weeks, all members of the Quadrilateral process will intensify their efforts toward achieving a broader national consensus in support of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan."
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S. Korea appoints new chief envoy for six-party talks
People's Daily Online
(Xinhua) 19:32, February 29, 2016
SEOUL, Feb. 29 -- South KoreaMonday replaced its representative at the six-party talks for the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula with Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Hong-Kyun.
Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement Monday that Kim Hong-Kyun will be the new special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs who represents South Korea at the long-stalled six-way dialogue.
Hwang Joon-Kook, South Korea's former chief envoy for the six-party talks, has been named as the country's ambassador to Britain.
The six-party talks, which involve South Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), China, the United States, Russiaand Japan, have been stalled since late 2008.
The replacement came amid ongoing discussions at the UN Security Council about fresh sanctions on the DPRK for its latest nuclear test and rocket launch.
Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7 to test what is believed to be a banned ballistic missile technology after conducting its first 'hydrogen bomb' test on Jan. 6, the fourth of its nuclear detonations.
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Five Russian Weapons Which Made Their Deadly Debut in Syria
Sputnik News
17:19 28.02.2016
Russia's ongoing airborne campaign in Syria wouldn't have been such a game changer without the help of some of the country's most sophisticated weapons.
The Sukhoi Su-34 strike fighter, adopted by the Russian Aerospace Forces in 2015, has been deployed against the radical Islamists in Syria from the beginning of Russia's anti-Daesh campaign there. In 2016 the Russian aircraft contingent deployed at Hmeymim Airbase was further bolstered by four Sukhoi Su-35S super maneuverable multirole fighters. The impressive combat performance of these aircraft has already attracted the attention of many prospective buyers from around the globe.
In October 2015 the world became suddenly aware that Russia possesses sophisticated long-range cruise missiles. The message was spread by the country's Caspian Flotilla in the most no-nonsense, matter-of-fact way possible, as its warships successfully obliterated a number of Daesh targets in Syria by launching Kalibr-NK missiles from hundreds of miles away. While many of this new cruise missile's parameters still remain classified, apparently it has an effective range of 350 kilometers when deployed against naval targets and can hit assets on the ground from a distance of up to 2,600 kilometers.
The Tupolev Tu-160 supersonic strategic bomber, known as the 'White Swan' in Russia and as 'Blackjack' abroad, is usually considered a deterrent, a nuclear weapon delivery system capable of crossing a distance of up to 14,000 kilometers without refueling. In Syria, however, these bombers wiped out numerous Daesh targets using conventional ordnance, such as KAB-500 guided bombs, Kh-29L laser-guided missiles and Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles.
The TOS-1A Solntsepyok ('Blazing Sun') multiple rocket launcher has also proved to be an effective weapon in the Syrian conflict. Its thermobaric projectiles are especially effective in mountain areas as their blast waves resonate and are boosted in confined environments an unwelcome surprise for Daesh militants who sought to use elevated positions in the mountains to their advantage or to take cover in ruined buildings.
And last but not least, there are BTR-82A1 armored personnel carriers an invaluable tool for every infantry assault operation. The vehicle's 30mm autocannon with a coaxial 7.62mm machinegun virtually tears apart concrete structures while its digital targeting systems ensure that the crew's vision won't be impaired by nighttime, leaving the militants almost no place to hide.
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Radio-Electronic Systems Stripped From Mistrals, Returned to Russian Navy
Sputnik News
09:30 29.02.2016(updated 09:34 29.02.2016)
According to a spokesman from Rostec's United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation, Russian radio and electronic equipment stripped from the Mistral-class helicopter carriers that were not delivered by France to Russia has been returned to the Russian Navy.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Russian radio and electronic equipment stripped from the Mistral-class helicopter carriers that were not delivered by France to Russia has been returned to the Russian Navy, a spokesman from Rostec's United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation said Monday.
'[The equipment] has been taken from France and given to the Russian fleet to use and train sailors,' the spokesman said.
Moscow and Paris officially terminated the $1.3-billion contract on the delivery of the warships in August. Moscow has received some $1 billion in compensation.
Cairo and Paris signed a contract in October for the purchase of two French-made Mistral-class helicopter carriers originally built for Russia.
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Russia's S-400 Missile Systems Enter Combat Duty in Western Siberia
Sputnik News
08:19 01.03.2016(updated 11:51 01.03.2016)
Advanced S-400 air defense systems entered combat duty in Western Siberia.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russia's S-400 Triumf (SA-21) air defense system formations have entered combat duty in Western Siberia, the Central Military District's (CMD) press service said Tuesday.
'Position development and camouflaging were performed for the deployment of new [S-400] systems.'
The Triumf is by far Russia's most advanced surface-to-air missile system that has a range of 248 miles and is capable of tracking and destroying all existing aerial targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles.
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NATO Commander: Russia Threat to US, Its Allies and Partners
by Isabela Cocoli March 01, 2016
NATO's military commander has told the U.S. lawmakers that Russia poses a long-term threat to the United States and to its European allies and partners.
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove said that Russia is eager to exert unquestioned influence over neighboring countries.
"Russia has used military force to violate the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine, Georgia and others like Moldova. In Ukraine specifically, Russia continues to use all elements of national power to hinder Kyiv," he said.
Breedlove said Tuesday that NATO has recently observed an increase in violence along the line of contact in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and a number of diplomatic, economic and propaganda efforts on Moscow's part to keep Ukraine from moving closer to the West.
Moscow seeking 'leading role'
Breedlove told senators Russia has also undertaken a massive military deployment in Russia's Kaliningrad province, the Black Sea and, most recently, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and western Syria, sharply constraining the alliance's access to those areas.
"Russia seeks to re-establish a leading role on the world stage. Russia does not just want to challenge the agreed rules of the international order, it wants to re-write them. Russia sees the U.S. and NATO as threats to its objectives and as constraints on its aspirations. So, Russia seeks to fraction our unity and challenge our resolve. Russia recognizes strength and sees weakness as opportunity," he said.
To that end Russia is using what some call unconventional or hybrid warfare, Breedlove said. Russia is using diplomatic, economic and informational tools in addition to military pressure to shake and influence nations, while trying to remain below triggering a military response, he said. Russia is using snap exercises to mask and desensitize real military deployment, he added.
Russia's entry into the fight in Syria has changed the dynamic in the air and on the ground, despite public statements to the contrary, Breedlove said. He added that Russia has done little to counter the Islamic State militant group, but has greatly bolstered the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and his allies.
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Saudi says discussed Syria incursion with US
Iran Press TV
Tue Mar 1, 2016 6:50AM
A Saudi official says the kingdom and the US discussed the possibility of a ground incursion in Syria two weeks ago but they have not made a decision.
'It was discussed two weeks ago in Brussels,' Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, an aide to Saudi Arabia's defense minister, said on Monday.
'It was discussed at the political level but it wasn't discussed as a military mission,' Reuters quoted him as saying in an interview.
Saudi Defense Minister Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud met his counterparts from the US-led coalition which has been carrying out airstrikes inside Syria since September 2014, Asseri said.
'Once this is organized, and decided how many troops and how they will go and where they will go, we will participate in that,' he said.
'We need to discuss at the military level very extensively with the military experts to make sure that we have a plan,' Asseri said.
The kingdom, he said, was now ready to carry out airstrikes from Turkey's Incirlik air base, where four Saudi fighter jets arrived last week.
The US is already using Incirlik for attacks inside Syria.
Turkey has also urged allies to launch ground operations in Syria. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said Ankara and Riyadh could launch a ground operation in Syria "if there is a strategy."
Threat to ceasefire
There is currently a fragile ceasefire in Syria, which has held for the fourth day despite reports of breaches by various warring sides.
On Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called out Turkey and other countries, saying they were damaging efforts made by all parties in relation to the Syrian peace process.
He said Russia had noticed several incidents that violated the ceasefire deal on Syria, especially from Turkey and other countries neighboring Syria.
'We are concerned about the increasing military activities on the Syrian border. If the countries that are doing so intend to fulfill some agenda by force, then it would be a fatal blow to the prolonged efforts all sides have made to solve the Syria crisis,' he said.
'The governments of these nations, including the Turkish government, should fully realize their responsibility in what has happened,' said Ryabkov.
Ryabkov said the US-led coalition should pay more attention inside its own circle, and not pass blame to Russia and the Syrian government.
Syrian Popular Front for Change and Liberation leader Qadri Jamil also criticized Turkey for allegedly breaking the agreement. He called for the international community to impose sanctions on Turkey for its actions.
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Saudi Jets to Launch Missions From Turkish Airbase Upon US Order - Riyadh
Sputnik News
17:36 01.03.2016(updated 17:39 01.03.2016)
According to the Saudi Defense Ministry, Riyadh will kick off it's combat missions in Syria as soon as the United States gives the green light.
CAIRO (Sputnik) Four Saudi Arabian military aircraft that arrived at the Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey last week will begin carrying out combat missions in Syria after receiving corresponding orders from the US-run operation center, Saudi Defense Ministry adviser Ahmed Asiri told Sputnik Tuesday.
'The aircraft have not carried out any operations yet since they only arrived on Friday. Air operations are coordinated by the operational center of the coalition, based in Qatar and run by the United States. If they give the order to conduct combat operations, they will be fulfilled,' Asiri said.
Riyadh's deployment of four F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bombers joins US, German and Qatari aircraft taking part in the anti-Daesh airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.
The US-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the group, banned in a number of countries including Russia, in Syria since mid-2014 without approval from Damascus or the United Nations.
The Incirlik base is 5 miles north of the Turkish city of Adana near the Syrian border.
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Turkey 'Main Violator' of Ceasefire Regime in Syria's North
Sputnik News
18:07 28.02.2016(updated 19:22 28.02.2016)
The Syrian ceasefire is generally holding, apart from Turkey violating it in the country's north, a member of the Syrian opposition delegation formed after meetings in Moscow and Cairo told Sputnik on Sunday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Turkey has been shelling towns in northern Syria recently.
'The most serious violation of ceasefire is in the north of Syria on the border with Turkey. This is a violation of the ceasefire regime by Turkey. The rest are separate cases. The overall situation is fine,' Qadri Jamil, one of the leaders of the Syrian Popular Front for Change and Liberation, said.
Ankara has claimed the Syrian Kurds have links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is fighting for Kurdish independence from Turkey and is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara.
Russia and the United States reached an agreement on the ceasefire in Syria on February 22. The ceasefire took effect at midnight on Saturday Damascus time (22:00 GMT on Friday).
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268 endorsing the Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria on Friday, shortly before the ceasefire came into force. The cessation of hostilities does not apply to designated terrorist organizations operating in Syria, including Islamic State (IS) and the Nusra Front, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda.
Turkish Presdient Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized the ceasefire deal, arguing Syria's Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) should be excluded from the ceasefire process in the same way that the Islamic State is. Ankara considers the PYD and YPG to be terrorist organizations.
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Nusra Front Shells Syrian Opposition in Latakia, Killing Civilians
Sputnik News
16:29 28.02.2016(updated 17:27 28.02.2016)
The Nusra Front terrorists shelled a Desert Falcons opposition unit in Syria's Latakia, killing and wounding militia members and civilians, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russia and the United States reached an agreement on the ceasefire in Syria on February 22. The ceasefire took effect at midnight on Saturday Damascus time (22:00 GMT on Friday).
'The terrorists of the Nusra Front international terrorist organization carried out a mortar attack against the Desert Falcons people's opposition unit from the area controlled by the 'moderate' opposition in the Latakia province near the settlement of Kbana. There are large numbers of killed and wounded people among the opposition and local residents,' the statement read.
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268 endorsing the Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria on Friday, shortly before the ceasefire came into force. The cessation of hostilities does not apply to designated terrorist organizations operating in Syria, including Islamic State (IS) and the Nusra Front, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda.
The Syrian government has confirmed its readiness to halt its military actions in accordance with the Russia-US agreement. Some opposition forces have been skeptical about the ceasefire, but in general have agreed to adhere to it. According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the conflicting Syrian sides that are ready to abide by the ceasefire have contacted the Russian coordination center for reconciliation in Syria's Latakia province over 10 times during the first day it has been in operation.
Russia and the United States can bomb any Syrian militant groups that have expressed their unwillingness to observe the ceasefire, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov noted. Washington, in its turn, said it was discussing a so-called Plan B to be implemented in the event that the Syrian ceasefire agreement is violated. Moscow has ruled out any Plan B for Syria.
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Syrian Army Not Returning Fire at Russian Request After Damascus Shelled
Sputnik News
15:45 28.02.2016(updated 16:30 28.02.2016)
The Syrian army, following a request from the Russian center on reconciliation, did not return fire after Damascus was shelled Saturday from the regions of Ghuta and Jobar, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) According to the statement, the Syrian capital of Damascus was shelled six times on Saturday morning from the regions of eastern Ghuta and Jobar, where the so-called 'moderate opposition' is stationed.
'The Syrian government troops did not return fire, upon the request of the Russian center on reconciliation,' the statement read.
A ceasefire between Syrian government and rebel forces that entered its second day is largely holding, the head of Russia's ceasefire monitoring center at the Hmeymim airbase in Latakia said Sunday.
On Wednesday, Russian servicemen started their work at a coordination center for reconciliation in Syria's Latakia province at the Hmeymim airbase.
Russia and the United States reached an agreement on the ceasefire in Syria on February 22. The ceasefire took effect at midnight on Saturday Damascus time (22:00 GMT on Friday).
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268 endorsing the Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria on Friday, shortly before the ceasefire came into force. The cessation of hostilities does not apply to designated terrorist organizations operating in Syria, including Daesh and the Nusra Front, a terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaeda.
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Carter: Cease-Fire in Syria Could Be 'First Step' in Ending Civil War
By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, February 29, 2016 The cessation of hostilities in Syria could be a 'first step' in ending Syria's civil war, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today during a Pentagon news conference.
The agreement, which went into effect over the weekend, could also be a move toward helping the Syrian people, Carter said.
Brokered by the U.S. and Russia, the cessation of hostilities includes the Syrian government, Russia and several rebel factions.
'If properly implemented and adhered to, we believe this cessation can lead to an overall decline in violence and hasten the delivery of humanitarian aid,' Carter said. 'It could be a first step towards an end of the civil war and the suffering of the Syrian people.'
Other Issues Require Resolution
Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was with Carter at the news conference and said other issues will have to be resolved for the violence to permanently end.
'A lasting peace in Syria is going to require addressing the grievances associated with the civil war and a political process that leads to transition,' Dunford said.
Officials are constantly monitoring the situation on the ground, the defense secretary said. 'We will see in coming days if all parties back commitments they have made in words with their actions,' he added.
Carter made it clear the developments would not impact coalition efforts to accelerate the operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The Syrian civil war was one of the causes that led to the creation of ISIL in the first place, he said.
'There is no cessation of hostilities in the counter-ISIL campaign,' Carter said.
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Saudi Arabia trying to thwart truce in Syria: Damascus
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 29, 2016 5:2PM
The Syrian government has warned against Saudi Arabia's attempts to undermine a cessation of hostilities agreement that recently came into effect across the war-hit country.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that remarks by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir about a plan B in Syria are clearly aimed at derailing the truce.
'What Adel al-Jubeir says ... about a plan B regarding the current developments in Syria is merely a delusion in the mind of the Saudi regime,' a Syrian Foreign Ministry official said in the statement, adding, 'Jubeir's statements are ... an attempt to thwart the cessation of combat operations.'
It also stressed that recent statements by the Saudi minister demonstrate the kingdom's 'destructive role' in Syria.
Jubeir's comments are 'lies meant to boost the morale' of Saudi-backed militants who have suffered setbacks in recent weeks in different parts of Syria, it noted.
Saudi Arabia is among the regional countries known as the main supporters of the militants fighting the Syrian government forces.
The Saudi foreign minister on Sunday said Riyadh will consider an alternate plan if it becomes clear that Syria and Russia are not serious about the ceasefire.
The comments by the Saudi minister prompted Russia to say a Syria plan B is totally out of the question.
A ceasefire agreed by the United States and Russia took effect in Syria on February 27 midnight Damascus time. The Syrian government also accepted the terms of the truce on condition that military efforts against Daesh and the al-Nusra Front Takfiri militants, who are not included in the ceasefire agreement, continue.
According to a statement by Syrian Foreign Ministry, the country's military, however, reserves the right to 'respond to any breach by these groups against Syrian citizens or against its armed forces.'
The ceasefire agreement in Syria has revived hopes that the truce would lead to an end of nearly five years of war in the country.
Over the past few weeks, Syrian government forces have managed to retake major positions from the foreign-backed militants in Syria.
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.
Syria accuses Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar of funding and arming terrorist groups operating inside the country, including Daesh.
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Syrian forces regain control of strategic road in Aleppo
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:54AM
Syrian government forces have managed to retake control of a strategic road in northern Syria in a new major advancement that paves the way for purging the northern city of Aleppo of the Takfiri Daesh terrorists.
The Syrian forces liberated Khanasir-Ithriya road in the southeast of Aleppo Province from Daesh on Monday, and are currently defusing the explosive devices planted by the terrorist group.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the advance, adding that government forces engaged in battles with Daesh terrorists in the area.
The Syrian forces had been relying on the route to reach Aleppo because terrorists control the main highway to the city further west.
Syrian troops regained control of the village and the hill of Tal al-Hamam south of the town of Khanasir earlier on Monday. Khanasir, which lies 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of the city of Aleppo, had been liberated from terrorists on Friday.
Syria has been grappling with foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to a recent 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.
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Turkey's Reinforcement of Syria Border May Derail Truce - Russian Military
Sputnik News
22:48 29.02.2016
The commander of the Russian center on reconciliation in Syria stated that the deployment of reinforcements, including armed vehicles, by Turkey on the Syrian border could lead to the derailment of a fragile truce in war-torn Syria.
LATAKIA (Sputnik) The deployment of reinforcements, including armed vehicles, by Turkey on the Syrian border could lead to the derailment of a fragile truce in war-torn Syria, the commander of the Russian center on reconciliation in Syria said Monday.
A footage by a Russian television channel circulated on Sunday showed deployment of additional armored vehicles and strengthening of firing positions by the Turkish military near the town of Tell Abyad.
'We consider these actions as provocative acts that could derail the ceasefire regime and the entire reconciliation process in Syria,' Lt. Gen. Sergei Kuralenko told reporters at the Hmeimim airbase near Latakia.
Turkey has also been shelling other towns in northern Syria, claiming that the Syrian Kurds have links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is fighting for Kurdish independence from Turkey and is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara.
Russia and the United States reached an agreement on the ceasefire in Syria on February 22. The ceasefire took effect at midnight on Saturday Damascus time.
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268 endorsing the Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria on Friday, shortly before the ceasefire came into force. The cessation of hostilities does not apply to designated terrorist organizations operating in Syria, including IS and the Nusra Front, both outlawed in Russia.
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Syrian Government Blasts Saudi Attempts to Undermine Ceasefire
Sputnik News
22:33 29.02.2016(updated 22:42 29.02.2016)
Damascus condemns Saudi Arabia's Plan B as a delusion designed to 'boost morale of terrorists.'
On Monday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry blasted remarks by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir as an attempt to undermine the recently enacted cessation of hostilities agreement.
'What Adel al-Jubeir says about a Plan B regarding the current developments in Syria is merely a delusion in the mind of the Saudi regime,' the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in the statement. 'Jubeir's statements are an attempt to thwart the cessation of combat operations.'
The Syrian government warned of Riyadh's 'destructive role' in the country, questioning their commitment to combat Daesh and other Islamic fundamentalist terror organizations. Jubeir's comments are a 'lie meant to boost the morale of militants,' retorted the statement.
Saudi Arabia is recognized as the primary financial supporter of militants fighting against Syrian governmental forces, with conflicting reports on whether these militants are associated with Daesh or other terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and with differing opinions as to the implications of this support on the battle to degrade Daesh.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry along with Russian officials have repeatedly charged Saudi Arabia, along with Turkey and Qatar, with funding, arming, and providing material support to terrorist groups within the country, including Daesh.
The US government nonetheless maintains that Saudi, Turkey, and Qatar are allies in the fight against Daesh, and have called for the transition of the Assad regime as a necessary predicate for stabilizing the internal politics in Syria to better contain the spread of Daesh.
On Sunday, only hours after the ceasefire went into effect, Riyadh declared that they will 'consider an alternate plan if it becomes clear that Syria and Russia are not serious about the ceasefire.' Russian officials responded fiercely saying that 'a Syria plan B is totally out of the question.'
The ceasefire, negotiated between Russian and US leaders, took effect on midnight Saturday. The Syrian government accepted the terms of the truce, which provided that the military effort against Daesh and the al-Nusra Front Takfiri militants would continue unabated.
In a related statement, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that Syria 'reserves the right to respond to any breach by these groups (Daesh or al-Nusra) against Syrian citizens or against its armed forces.'
Saturday's ceasefire agreement inspired hope that the five-year civil war in Syria would soon come to a close. The conflict in Syria, which began in March 2011, has claimed the lives of 470,000, left over 1.9 million injured, and have displaced over 13.5 million Syrians or roughly 60% of the country's entire population, according to the Syrian Center for Policy Research.
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Russian Jets Bomb Nusra Front Near Aleppo to Stabilize Situation - MoD
Sputnik News
22:14 29.02.2016(updated 22:15 29.02.2016)
The Russian center on Syrian reconciliation said Monday that Russian combat jets have carried out airstrikes against the Nusra Front militant group, which is forbidden in Russia, north of the Syrian city of Aleppo to stabilize the situation.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russian combat jets have carried out airstrikes against the Nusra Front militant group, which is forbidden in Russia, north of the Syrian city of Aleppo to stabilize the situation, the Russian center on Syrian reconciliation said Monday as quoted by the country's Defense Ministry.
According to the statement, the Nusra Front has been shelling the Syrian army positions from the Narb-Nafsa settlement.
'In order to stabilize the situation, the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out missile and bomb attacks against the attacking units of the Nusra Front militants in regions north of Aleppo and attack positions of terrorists near the Narb-Nafsa settlement,' the statement reads.
The center reiterated that no attacks were being carried out against the opposition groups in Syria which had agreed to the ceasefire.
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Russian MoD Says Truce in Syria 'Holding in General'
Sputnik News
21:29 29.02.2016(updated 22:55 29.02.2016)
The ceasefire regime in Syria has been respected in general by the government forces and armed opposition groups, only seven violations have been registered, the commander of the Russian center on reconciliation in Syria said Monday.
LATAKIA (Sputnik) The Russian center carried out round-the-clock monitoring of cessation of hostilities in the Hama, Homs, Latakia, Damascus, Aleppo and Daraa provinces.
'The ceasefire regime between government troops and opposition forces in Syria is being respected in general,' Lt. Gen. Sergei Kuralenko told reporters at the Hmeimim airbase near Latakia.
'Officers at the Russian center on Syrian reconciliation registered only seven ceasefire violations in the past 24 hours,' Kuralenko stressed.
The ceasefire regime in Syria, which came into force last Saturday has been respected in general by the government forces and armed opposition groups, only seven violations have been registered, the commander of the Russian center on reconciliation in Syria said Monday.
'The ceasefire regime between government troops and opposition forces in Syria is being respected in general,' Lt. Gen. Sergei Kuralenko told reporters at the Hmeimim airbase near Latakia.
Kuralenko said the Russian center carried out round-the-clock monitoring of cessation of hostilities in the Hama, Homs, Latakia, Damascus, Aleppo and Daraa provinces.
'Officers at the Russian center on Syrian reconciliation registered only seven ceasefire violations in the past 24 hours,' Kuralenko stressed.
Russia and the United States reached an agreement on the ceasefire in Syria on February 22. The truce excluded the terrorist groups Islamic State and the Nusra Front, both of which are outlawed in Russia.
The Syrian government has confirmed its readiness to halt its military actions in accordance with the Russia-US agreement. Some opposition forces have been skeptical about the ceasefire, but in general have agreed to adhere to it. The ceasefire took effect at midnight on Saturday Damascus time.
On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Russia's ceasefire monitoring center at the Hmeimim airbase in Syria's Latakia had received from the United States the list of 69 opposition groups pledging to stick to the ceasefire regime in the country. The ministry added the US-run monitoring center in the Jordanian capital of Amman had been informed about all facts of ceasefire violation in Syria.
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Russia Refutes Reports Moscow, Damascus Violating Syria Truce - Ministry
Sputnik News
16:31 29.02.2016(updated 17:11 29.02.2016)
Sergei Ryabkov dismissed reports that Moscow and Damascus are violating the ceasefire in Syria.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov dismissed reports on Monday that Moscow and Damascus are violating the ceasefire in Syria.
On Sunday, media reports emerged claiming that Russia and Syria were carrying out airstrikes against areas controlled by the so-called moderate opposition factions which had agreed to ceasefire.
'We investigate such reports. I have to tell you that as of today, there is no truth to these reports,' Ryabkov told reporters.
'We believe that instead of using unsuitable means to try and blame Russia for the fragility of the current ceasefire, the US-led anti-IS coalition should urge some of its subordinates to be more careful at this time,' he added.
Russia and the United States reached an agreement on the ceasefire in Syria on February 22. The ceasefire took effect at midnight on Saturday Damascus time.
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268 endorsing the Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria on Friday, shortly before the ceasefire came into force. The cessation of hostilities does not apply to designated terrorist organizations operating in Syria, including Islamic State and the Nusra Front, both outlawed in Russia.
Late on Sunday, Russian top diplomat Sergei Lavrov and US State Secretary John Kerry held a phone conversation calling on media not to broadcast unconfirmed provocative information on Syria ceasefire violations, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
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Moscow Disturbed Over Military Preparations Along Syria's Borders
Sputnik News
15:59 29.02.2016(updated 16:23 29.02.2016)
Deputy Foreign Minister said that Russia is very disturbed by the military preparations along the Syrian border which threaten fragile ceasefire agreement.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Military preparations along the Syrian borders are very disturbing. If countries like Turkey plan to use force, this would become a fatal blow to everything that has been done so far, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Monday.
"We cannot but be disturbed by the military preparation and the strengthening activity along the Syrian border. If the governments of those countries, which are involved in this activity, plan on using military force to reach some sort of goals, this by all means would be the final fatal blow to everything that has been done with great labor up to now," Ryabkov said at a press conference in Moscow.
He said that Turkey, as well as other countries, needs to fully understand their responsibility for what is happening.
Other countries, including Turkey, using force in Syria would be a fatal blow to everything that has been achieved in terms of Syrian settlement so far, Sergei Ryabkov said Monday.
'We, of course, cannot but be concerned about intensified military preparations near Syria's border. If the governments of countries engaged in these activities intend to use military force in Syria, this would, basically, be a fatal blow to everything that has been achieved so far through much hard work,' Ryabkov told reporters.
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Syrian Army Drives Terrorists Out of Key Areas in Hama Province Amid Truce
Sputnik News
14:49 29.02.2016(updated 16:51 29.02.2016)
The Syrian Army and the country's National Defense Force have managed to liberate more strategic territories in Hama Province from Daesh terrorists, media reports said.
More key areas in the central province of Hama have been won back by the Syrian Army and the country's National Defense Force (NDF), in an offensive that has left dozens of Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) terrorists dead and many more wounded, according to the Iranian news agency FARS.
The moping-up operation was launched after Syrian troops retook full control over the village of Hammam, 'after a violent battle with the ISIL' in the northeastern part of Hama Province, FARS quoted sources as saying.
During the operation, the Syrian forces managed to clean the heights surrounding the village, including Hammam Height, from the terrorists so as to restore more security to the Ithriya-Khanaser road.
'Clashes are still ongoing between the Syrian Armed Forces and ISIL along the Sheikh Hillal-Ithriyah Road; however, the government forces are steadily advancing amid the Russian Air Force's non-stop bombardment in northeastern Hama,' sources said.
The Syrian Army and the NDF cleared the village after Daesh attempted to recapture it late last week, when more than 30 terrorists were killed and 40 more injured in the army's offensive, according to sources.
Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting against a number of opposition factions and extremist groups, including Daesh and the Al-Nusra Front, which are prohibited in many countries, including Russia.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268, endorsing the Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria, shortly before the ceasefire came into force at midnight last Saturday, Damascus time (22:00 GMT on Friday).
The cessation of hostilities does not apply to designated terrorist organizations operating in Syria, including Daesh and the Al-Nusra Front, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda.
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 President Assad.
The Russian Defense Ministry said, in turn, that 'Russian aircraft aren't performing strikes in those regions where a willingness to cease fire and to start negotiations were expressed.
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Nusra Front Terrorists Attack Kurdish Residential Areas in Syria's Aleppo
Sputnik News
14:08 29.02.2016(updated 14:29 29.02.2016)
According to a source in a local militia, Nusra Front extremist fighters on Monday fired rockets at several mainly Kurdish-populated residential areas in city of Aleppo in northern Syria.
BEIRUT (Sputnik) Nusra Front extremist fighters on Monday fired rockets at several mainly Kurdish-populated residential areas in city of Aleppo in northern Syria, a source in a local militia said.
'Jabhat al-Nusra today fired rockets into the neighborhoods of Mashariq, Ashrafiya, Zahra and Sheikh Maqsoud places where Kurds live. The streets of the Bani Zaid block have been attacked by snipers for several hours,' the source told RIA Novosti.
The group also reportedly attacked a number of Syrian army and people's militia checkpoints in Aleppo, the source said.
'The number of terrorists was small, the fight was short-lived and the militants retreated,' the source added.
The attacks have resulted in no casualties, according to the source.
Russia and the United States reached an agreement on a ceasefire in Syria on February 22. The ceasefire took effect at midnight on Saturday, Damascus time (22:00 GMT on Friday).
The cessation of hostilities does not apply to terrorist groups operating in Syria, such as the Nusra Front, which is banned in Russia.
A source told RIA Novosti on Saturday that militant groups allied with the Nusra Front opened fire in civilian areas of Aleppo and Homs after midnight.
Sputnik
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UN agency restores full rations in Syria with boost in donor funding
29 February 2016 The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that new funding pledged during a conference in London earlier this month will enable the agency to fully reinstate its food assistance to Syrians.
The record pledge of $675 million made during the 'Supporting Syria and the Region Conference' will support a "comprehensive restoration" of food assistance for refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt from March until the end of the year, WFP said in a press release today.
"On behalf of the Syrian people whose lives have been torn apart by the conflict, we thank those world leaders who stepped up in London. Their generosity means we are able to fully meet the immediate basic food assistance needs of 1.8 million refugees in the region and 4.5 million Syrians inside the country who rely on WFP assistance every day," said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin.
The funds will also enable WFP to provide a full food basket for families inside Syria from April until October 2016.
WFP noted that the pledges will also support increased school meals and other in-kind activities in Syria that will "help restore hope for a better future for the millions of people affected by the crisis."
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UN: Syria Cease-fire Largely Holding Despite 'Incidents'
by VOA News February 29, 2016
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that despite 'some incidents' the cessation of hostilities in Syria is largely holding on its third day.
Ban said several reported violations of the agreement are troubling; however, he noted that a multinational task force monitoring the truce is working to make sure violations do not spread and the halt in fighting can continue.
He stressed that the break in fighting continue. "We can continue to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to many people, at least 400,000 people who are living in besieged areas. ... So, it is absolutely important and crucial that the parties keep their promise. That is a very important one."
Attack allegations
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called for a meeting of the task force 'without delay' to discuss reported air attacks on rebel-held areas.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said 'if properly adhered to,' the cessation can lead to an overall decline in violence. 'It could be the first step towards a political solution that would end the civil war and the suffering of the Syrian people,' he added.
The cease-fire began Saturday.
There was a noticeable uptick in violation claims on Monday with Syrian rebels alleging the Assad regime attacked towns and villages they hold 26 times. Seven of the breeches they claimed consisted of barrel bombing by low-flying regime helicopters.
Targeting 'populated areas'
"The regime has continued to target populated areas using helicopter raids using explosive barrels, resulting in a large number of fatalities and causing significant injuries, most of whom were innocent women and children," Riad Hijab, the rebels' chief negotiator, complained in a formal letter to the United Nations.
Rebels claim there have been 24 recorded breaches involving regime artillery shelling and five incidents of offensive ground operations.
"Hostilities committed by Russian, Iranian, the Syrian regime, and foreign militias and mercenaries allied to them have continued against the Syrian people despite the truce taking effect on 27 February 2016," Hijab's said. He added: "Right from the onset of the truce, a large number of violations have been committed by the regime and its allies in several parts of Syria."
Hijab said on Sunday Russian fighter jets launched twenty-six air strikes against territory held by opposition groups which have announced and entered into the truce. "Disturbingly significant is the fact that cluster bombs as well as Thermobaric weapons have been used," he wrote.
Map of opposition groups
Rebels say a map issued publicly at the start of the truce by the Russian Ministry of Defense detailing the positions of moderate opposition groups is full of errors. They are urging the U.N. to draw up a separate map.
Russian monitors Sunday said they have recorded nine violations of the truce, attributing most to the rebels.
Meanwhile, the U.N. planned to begin aid deliveries Monday in hopes of reaching more than 150,000 Syrians in besieged areas. Many of these people have been without any aid for up to a year, the U.N. said.
The U.N.'s humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Yacoub El Hillo, said the shipments are scheduled for multiple areas across Syria between Monday and Friday.
'It is the best opportunity that the Syrian people have had over the last five years for lasting peace and stability,' he said.
The U.N. plans to provide those trapped by fighting with food, water and sanitation supplies, medicine and other relief items. Ban said the U.N. needs about two weeks to deliver the humanitarian deliveries.
UN endorsement
Less than an hour before the temporary truce went into effect, members of the U.N. Security Council unanimously endorsed the deal.
At the same meeting, the U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced that if the truce largely holds and humanitarian aid access continues he will reconvene intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva on March 7.
The co-chairs of the International Support Group for Syria (ISSG), Russia and the United States, will be responsible for addressing violations, not the United Nations.
President Barack Obama said the United States will do everything it can to make the agreement hold.
Jamie Dettmer in Turkey and Lisa Schlein in Geneva contributed to this report.
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Refugee Crisis Deepens Amid Shaky Syria Cease-fire
by Heather Murdock February 29, 2016
On the Greek side of the border with Macedonia on Monday, refugees and other migrants tried to break through a border fence as anger boiled over at barriers impeding their access. Police in Macedonia fired tear gas hoping to keep the throngs of people out of the country.
As the unrest among refugees fleeing the Middle East spreads along European borders, a shaky cease-fire that began on Saturday has reduced the level of violence in Syria; but, until major power players in the region figure out how to overcome mutually exclusive positions, battles will continue to flare and the refugee crisis will continue to deepen, according to analysts.
And with the approach of spring weather, the crisis will worsen, according to Yan St. Pierre of Berlin-based security group, Mosecon.
"That is everybody's fear," he said, adding, "that once the weather becomes milder, that there will be a much larger influx of refugees and certainly more attempts to cross over into Europe."
All sides have accused their enemies of violating the terms of the cease-fire, but the United Nations says the relative calm may allow them to deliver emergency aid to 150,000 people this week.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault warned on Monday that reports of continued airstrikes could threaten the cease-fire. "France has therefore demanded that the task force charged with overseeing the cessation of hostilities meet without delay,' he said.
End in sight?
Actually ending the war will require rival powers, including Saudi Arabia and Iran and their respective allies, to negotiate deals on issues on which they take opposing, hard-line views, according to Khaled Almaeena, a veteran Saudi journalist and former editor-in-chief of Saudi Gazette.
For example, he said, Saudi Arabia will accept no future for Syria that includes President Bashar al-Assad, a staunch Iran ally who has vowed to retake all of Syria.
"I think we are politically mature enough that there has to be a transition period," he added. "If Assad goes, then who will fill in the vacuum?"
He said negotiating peace in Syria is a seemingly impossible task that cannot be completed quickly.
The current cease-fire may contribute to the peace process, according to St. Pierre, but it also may give some groups of fighters the chance to regroup and prepare for long-term battle.
Additionally, militant groups like Islamic State and al-Nusra Front are not part of the peace talks or the cease-fire and vow to continue the violence, despite any international agreements.
Continued U.S. coalition and Russian attacks on Islamic State militants are contributing to the refugee crisis, as families flee U.S.-led coalition and Russian airstrikes in addition to the ground war, said St. Pierre.
"The more they keep bombing," he said, "the more refugees they produce."
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Russia after Turkey-Syria border closure over arms flow
Iran Press TV
Tue Mar 1, 2016 1:30PM
Russia's foreign minister has called for the closure of the Turkish border with Syria, saying the region is used to smuggle weapons into the Arab country to supply terror groups operating in Syria.
Sergei Lavrov told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday that some of the smuggled arms are hidden in humanitarian aid cargo.
'A very special task is to cut the terrorists' supply from the outside. For this purpose it is important to close the Syrian-Turkish border, since across this border those gangs receive arms, including with humanitarian convoys,' he noted.
Lavrov further described a landslide defeat of the Daesh Takfiri terror group, the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and those of their kind as 'a necessary precondition for securing the rights of long-suffering peoples of Syria' and the rest of the region.
Turkey has been among the main supporters of the militant groups operating in Syria, with reports saying that Ankara actively trains and arms the Takfiri terrorists there and facilitates their safe passage into the crisis-hit Arab state.
Ankara has also been accused on numerous occasions of being involved in illegal oil trade with the Daesh. Russia has released pictures and videos purportedly showing the movement of oil tankers from Daesh-controlled areas in Syria toward Turkey.
On February 28, the Russian ceasefire monitoring center in Syria said it was verifying reports that an attack on the Kurdish town of Tal Abyad in Syria was carried out by militants coming from Turkey.
Daesh militants launched an assault to capture Tal Abyad and Suluk early on February 27, an official of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), Redur Xelil, said, adding that the towns were attacked from two sides with some terrorists progressing from across the Turkish border and some others from the south.
On February 16, Russia's Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov also announced that terrorists active in Syria's volatile northwestern region receive arms smuggled through the Turkish border during night.
Back in May 2015, the center-left Turkish daily Cumhuriyet posted on its website footage showing trucks belonging to Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, also known as the MIT, allegedly carrying weapons for militant groups in Syria. The Cumhuriyet video also purportedly showed trucks of the MIT being inspected by security officers.
The daily reported that the trucks were carrying some 1,000 mortar shells, hundreds of grenade launchers and more than 80,000 rounds of ammunition for light and heavy weapons.
The Turkish government denied the allegations, saying the trucks had been carrying humanitarian aid to Syria.
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Syria patience limited on truce breaches: President Assad
Iran Press TV
Tue Mar 1, 2016 12:11PM
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria says the army has so far refrained from responding to breaches of the ceasefire in the country but there are 'limits' to its patience.
'The terrorists have breached the deal from the first day,' the Syrian president was quoted Tuesday by state media as saying in an interview with German broadcaster ARD's Weltspiegel Extra program which will be aired in full later.
'We as the Syrian army are refraining from responding in order to give a chance to sustain the agreement and that is what we can do. But in the end there are limits and it all depends on the other side.'
President Assad said the cessation of hostilities is a 'glimmer of hope,' adding, 'We will play our part to make the whole thing work.'
The ceasefire went into effect on February 27. It was brokered by the United States and Russia.
Assad also stated that people living in Syria are suffering from a 'humanitarian disaster.'
The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which started 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 president offered amnesty to those militants who will put down their arms, and said they can 'return to normal civilian life' on that condition.
Also on Tuesday, the UN said in a statement that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed that there is an urgent need to implement the ceasefire agreement.
'They agreed on the importance of urgently moving forward simultaneously on implementing the cessation of hostilities agreement, providing vital humanitarian assistance to civilians, and returning to political negotiations,' the statement said, referring to the two officials.
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Syria Ground Operation Yet to Be Discussed at Military Level - Riyadh
Sputnik News
17:07 01.03.2016(updated 17:25 01.03.2016)
A ground operation in Syria is yet to be discussed at a military level, Saudi Defense Ministry adviser Ahmed Asiri told Sputnik.
CAIRO (Sputnik) A possible ground operation in Syria has been discussed at a political level but military discussions have yet to start, Saudi Defense Ministry adviser Ahmed Asiri told Sputnik on Tuesday.
'Defense ministers made this decision in Brussels at a political level. So far, no preparatory work has been carried out at a military level. When we have a plan ready, we will act in accordance with it and [a ground operation] will be carried out,' Asiri said.
On February 5, media reported that Saudi Arabia could send thousands of ground forces to Syria, most likely in coordination with Turkey, to take part in the fight against the Daesh jihadist group. Shortly after that, Turkey reportedly sent troops to its border, and also intensified the shelling of Kurdish-held areas in northern border regions of Syria.
Syrian President Bashar Assad said Syria would regard Saudi and Turkish troops, if they are to be sent to Syria, as terrorists.
Riyadh and Ankara have been members of the US-led coalition that has been launching airstrikes against Daesh in Syria since September 2014, without the permission of Damascus or the United Nations. Daesh is a terrorist group, outlawed in a number of countries, including the United States and Russia.
Sputnik
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Daesh Prepares 'Powerful Attack' on Key Kurdish-Held Syrian City
Sputnik News
15:43 01.03.2016(updated 15:46 01.03.2016)
Daesh terrorists are preparing a new attack on the Kurdish-held city of Tell Abyad in Syria, Kurdistan National Congress spokesman Selahattin Soro said Tuesday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Soro said that Daesh terrorists are reinforcing themselves in their so-called capital of Raqqa in Syria.
"There's information that Daesh is currently preparing a new, more powerful attack on Tell Abyad, it is reinforcing its ranks in its 'capital' city of Raqqa that's not far from Tell Abyad," Soro told RIA Novosti in an interview.
He said Tell Abyad is a strategically important city for the Daesh due to oil smuggling routes.
"This is a strategically important city. Oil is transferred from Daesh's territory into Turkey through it. Moreover, if the militants take Tell Abyad, the Kurdish territory will be split and communication between the cantons of Kobani and Cizre will be disrupted. Kobani will again fall to the militants as in 2014," Soro said.
He said that the Kurds are counting on US help in attacking Daesh terrorists in the area, which also includes Syrian Kurdistan.
"The [Americans] are helping, including from the air. They are conducting sorties from the Rumilan Base as well as from the Incirlik Base in Turkey," Soro said.
More than 150 Kurdish militants died in the city of Aleppo and the canton of Afrin in the last four days since the Syrian truce came into effect, Kurdistan National Congress spokesman Selahattin Soro said Tuesday.
"In the Afrin canton and the city of Aleppo alone around 150 Kurds have died since the truce came into effect. Most of them are civilians and only 25 were YPG [People's Protection Units] militants," Soro told RIA Novosti in an interview.
He said that Russian Aerospace Forces were supporting Kurdish units in the Afrin canton and in Aleppo, "but now the Russians are observing the truce and aren't flying."
Sputnik
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Russian Jets Not Striking Syrian Moderate Opposition Observing Truce
Sputnik News
15:10 01.03.2016(updated 15:13 01.03.2016)
Russian warplanes did not attack regions controlled by Syria's 'moderate' opposition whose members joined the Moscow-Washington ceasefire agreement.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russian Aerospace Forces have not delivered any airstrikes in regions under control of Syrian moderate opposition units that are observing the truce agreements, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
"The Russian Aerospace Forces have not carried out any airstrikes in regions controlled by units of the moderate opposition that have joined the truce agreement and are observing its conditions," the Defense Ministry said in a bulletin.
On February 23, the United States and Russia reached an agreement to implement a ceasefire in Syria, to ensure humanitarian aid flows and take a tangible step toward a political resolution of the five-year-old conflict.
The cessation of hostilities went into effect on Saturday, following the passage of resolution 2268 by the UN Security Council. The ceasefire applies to all fighting parties in Syria, except Daesh, Nusra Front and other groups designated as terrorist by the United Nations.
Sputnik
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Syrian Army Wins Back Hama-Aleppo Supply Line Amid Nationwide Offensive
Sputnik News
09:52 01.03.2016(updated 13:26 01.03.2016)
The Syrian Army and its popular allies have recaptured the government forces' main supply line from Hama to Aleppo after a series of fierce firefights with Daesh terrorists, Iran's Fars news agency reported.
'The Syrian government forces pushed Daesh militants back from their last positions along the strategic road connecting Ithriya in Hama province to Khanaser in Aleppo province,' the army said.
"The engineering units of the army are working to defuse roadside bombs planted by the terrorists to reopen the road as soon as possible,' the army went on to say.
Earlier reports said that the strategic village of Abu al-Karouz had been retaken from the terrorists and at least 14 militants had been killed in the government forces' ongoing offensive against Daesh terrorists in the southeastern parts of Aleppo province, Fars News wrote.
Meanwhile, government troops, backed by the Republican Guard and the National Defense Forces, scored more military gains in other key provinces across the country, killing a number of militants and inflicting major damage to their military hardware.
Russian fighter jets, in a fresh round of combat missions on Sunday, bombed several concentration centers of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front in the eastern part of Aleppo province, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.
In the coastal province of Latakia, Syrian Army commandos pushed the militant groups back from their positions and won back a strategic height overlooking Turkey.
The terrorists left behind scores of dead and wounded members and fled their strongholds in the northern part of the province after coming under heavy attacks by the Syrian Army and National Defense Forces.
The Syrian Army's anti-terrorism operation in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor near the border with Iraq left at least 20 Daesh fighters dead and their military grid severely damaged.
On Sunday Daesh pulled its fighters back from a key town in the north of Raqqa province on the border with Turkey under heavy attacks by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Sputnik
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Assad: Syria Truce a 'Glimmer of Hope'
by VOA News March 01, 2016
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Tuesday the cessation of hostilities in his country's five-year war is a 'glimmer of hope.'
In a German television interview, Assad said his government will do its part to make the truce work.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the next few days 'critical' in building momentum toward the goal of de-escalating the Syrian conflict.
He spoke to reporters Monday evening in Washington as Syria entered its fourth day under a cessation of hostilities that includes pro-government fighters and opposition forces, but not Islamic State militants or those from al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra.
Kerry said he and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agree there have been a number of violations since the truce began Saturday, but that they do not want to litigate them publicly. Instead, they will rely on a task force led by their two countries to investigate every reported violation and promote compliance with the halt in fighting.
'This is hard,' Kerry said. 'But the fact is that we need to stop the cycle of fighting and of bloodshed that is destroying Syria. It is that simple.'
The task force monitoring the truce met Monday and Kerry said it will continue to do so regularly.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also said that despite 'some incidents' the cessation of hostilities was largely holding.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said 'if properly adhered to,' the cessation can lead to an overall decline in violence.
'It could be the first step towards a political solution that would end the civil war and the suffering of the Syrian people,' he added.
There was a noticeable uptick in violation claims on Monday with Syrian rebels alleging the Assad regime attacked towns and villages they hold 26 times. Seven of the breeches they claimed consisted of barrel bombing by low-flying regime helicopters.
"The regime has continued to target populated areas using helicopter raids using explosive barrels, resulting in a large number of fatalities and causing significant injuries, most of whom were innocent women and children," Riad Hijab, the rebels' chief negotiator, complained in a formal letter to the United Nations.
Rebels claim there have been 24 recorded breaches involving regime artillery shelling and five incidents of offensive ground operations.
"Hostilities committed by Russian, Iranian, the Syrian regime, and foreign militias and mercenaries allied to them have continued against the Syrian people despite the truce taking effect on 27 February 2016," Hijab's said. He added: "Right from the onset of the truce, a large number of violations have been committed by the regime and its allies in several parts of Syria."
Rebels claim 26 Russian airstrikes
Hijab said on Sunday Russian fighter jets launched 26 air strikes against territory held by opposition groups which have announced and entered into the truce. "Disturbingly significant is the fact that cluster bombs as well as Thermobaric weapons have been used," he wrote.
Rebels say a map issued publicly at the start of the truce by the Russian Ministry of Defense detailing the positions of moderate opposition groups is full of errors. They are urging the U.N. to draw up a separate map.
Russian monitors Sunday said they have recorded nine violations of the truce, attributing most to the rebels.
Meanwhile, the U.N. and aid partners began deliveries Monday in hopes of reaching more than 150,000 Syrians in besieged areas.
The U.N.'s humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Yacoub El Hillo, said the shipments are scheduled for multiple areas across Syria through Friday.
'It is the best opportunity that the Syrian people have had over the last five years for lasting peace and stability,' he said.
U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said he will reconvene intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva on March 9, two days later than the original target date. The delay was needed to 'allow adequate time to address logistical and practical matters,' a U.N. spokesman said.
United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer and Jamie Dettmer contributed to this report .
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Turkey's 'Hidden War' Against Kurds May Be Deadlier Than Syria
Sputnik News
21:55 29.02.2016(updated 22:06 29.02.2016)
According to numbers supplied by Turkey's Human Rights Association, Turkey's military operation against Kurds in the country has been deadlier than the opening of the Syrian conflict.
Turkey's operations in Kurdish areas have turned into an all-out was with hundreds of dead, head of Turkey's Human Rights Association Ozturk Turkdogan told Sputnik Turkiye.
The intensity of the violence reported by Turkdogan can be compared to the opening months of the Syrian conflict in terms of both the scope of violence and civilian deaths reported by human rights bodies. Turkey's violence is somewhat more local when compared to Syria, although attacks on Turkish soldiers have taken place outside the restive Diyarbakir province.
'It is known that in Diyarbakir's Sur, the military is conducting an operation. That is, there is now a real war. Similarly, in Cizre, where, according to our estimates, the military has killed more than 200 civilians. The death toll among the civilian population in the area Sur already stands at about 100 people. In addition, about 130 people are injured and waiting to be saved,' Turkdogan told Sputnik Turkiye.
Turkey's operation against Kurdish activists in the country's southeast began on December 2, 2015, subjecting the region's people to a round-the-clock curfew declared by the governor, despite such a measure being illegal in Turkey, Turkdogan said.
'With this in mind we can say that the curfew, is in fact the shell of a hidden war which is currently underway,' Turkdogan added.
Turkey is also considering relocating civilians living in the areas, which the residents oppose because that would make them de facto prisoners of war.
Sputnik
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Gen. Breedlove: US Begins Training of Ukraine Defense Ministry Forces
Sputnik News
19:46 01.03.2016
The United States has started training of Ukrainian Ministry of Defense forces in the western part of the country, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Philip Breedlove told the US Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The United States has also recently completed training the 'first generation' of Ukrainian special operations forces, Breedlove said. 'We are just starting the second class,' he added.
'We have just finished that iteration [of training for Ukrainian national guard forces] and now we are beginning to train the Ministry of Defense Forces in Yavoriv, and this is an incredibly successful program,' Breedlove said.
As part of NATO partnership-building with Ukraine, Washington began providing additional military training to Ukraine in 2014.
The training and increased joint NATO-Ukrainian military exercises followed western allegations that Russia was meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs. Moscow has repeatedly denied interfering militarily in Ukraine.
Sputnik
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For the quarter, net loss was $1.28 million (2015: $0.31 million), excluding a non-cash, unrealized foreign exchange gain of $1.75 million (2015: $1.21 million);
Net gain for the quarter was $0.46 million ($0.005 per share) due to a $1.75 million non-cash, unrealized foreign exchange gain compared to a net gain of $0.90 million ($0.012 per share), after a $1.21 million non-cash, unrealized foreign exchange gain, for the same period last year;
Year-to-date net loss, excluding a non-cash, unrealized foreign exchange gain, was $1.94 million compared to a net loss of $0.67 million for the comparative period last year;
Year-to-date net gain was $2.61 million ($0.031 per share), primarily due to a $4.56 million non-cash, unrealized foreign exchange gain compared to a net gain of $2.14 million ($0.030 per share) for the same period last year;
Cash and cash equivalents was $2.21 million at December 31, 2015, compared to $3.98 million at December 31, 2014. The variance was primarily due to legal fees regarding the recent arbitration, consulting fees pertaining to the Macquarie debt financing due diligence and exploration and evaluation spend at the Moss Mine Project that included the feasibility study;
Total costs incurred to December 31, 2015 for the Moss Mine Project, including the Silver Creek Project, increased to $34.30 million, compared to $26.71 million for the same period in the prior year.
The Company has taken significant measures to optimize and preserve its cash position and will continue to adapt to the challenging external environment.
Phase I - Pilot Plant Operations continues to be on a scheduled care and maintenance program. Company staff maintain the site Monday to Friday on day shifts, while Mohave Security monitors the site on night shifts, weekends and holidays. The Company continues to safeguard the facilities on site in preparation of a future construction decision relating to Phase II - Commercial Operations.
The Company has previously completed a field geological mapping and sampling program on areas outside of the main Moss vein system, indicating the property wide potential. Exploration potential is considered to be excellent both adjacent to the main Moss Vein System, both on strike and to depth, as well as property wide. Several target areas remain to be sampled and others require follow-up sampling to further define their potential. This potential will be evaluated once the Moss Mine is in production.
The Bankable Feasibility Study was delivered and received by Patriot Gold on July 20, 2015 which completed the final requirement of the "earn-in" obligation under an Exploration and Option to enter Joint Venture Agreement Moss Mine Project with Patriot Gold Corp. ("Patriot Gold") effective March 7, 2011, whereby the Company was granted the right to earn a 70% interest in the Moss Mine project located in Mohave County, Arizona ("2011 Agreement"). The NI 43-101, Disclosure Standards for Mineral Projects Technical Report was filed on SEDAR on July 23, 2015. It is the Company's position that all costs incurred for services rendered or supplies received after July 20, 2015 will be shared on a 70:30 basis with Patriot Gold.
The economic highlights of the Feasibility Study ("FS"), at prices of US$1,250/oz Gold and US$20/oz Silver, 100% Project basis using a discount factor of 5% in arriving at the Project Net Present Value ("NPV") and recoveries to dore for gold and silver of 82% and 65%, respectively, are summarized in the following table:
Pre-Tax After-Tax NPV@ 5% US$75.30 M US$55.30 M IRR% 54.6% 44.3% Payback (yrs) 2.3 2.4
On September 15, 2015, the Company signed an Engagement Letter with indicative terms for Macquarie Bank Limited to provide project finance facilities of up to US$20 million (the "Macquarie Facility") to be used to fund the majority of the projected development costs of the Company's 70% owned Moss Mine Project. The Company has also received indicative terms for a US$6.5 million Equipment Finance Facility (the "Equipment Facility") from a major US bank. The Macquarie Facility and the Equipment Facility are complementary and together would provide up to US$26.5 million towards the estimated pre-production capital of US$33.0 million required to construct the planned gold-silver mine at the Moss Mine site. Due diligence work continues on the debt financings.
The Advance Notice Policy was approved by shareholders at the annual general and special meeting held on December 29, 2015.
As of December 31, 2015, the Company has approximately US$31.8 million in tax deduction pools that can be applied directly to the Company's 70% share of taxable income from the Moss Mine, to off-set future tax liabilities. Utilizing these tax deduction pools to the Company's portion of the joint venture will significantly enhance the Company's economics of the Moss Mine over and above the analysis of the Feasibility Study.
On January 22, 2016, the Company announced that it had received the arbitrator's award arising out of the December 2015 arbitration with Patriot Gold, the details of which were previously disclosed. The Company prevailed on both the disputed matters. The arbitration award confirmed that the BFS delivered to Patriot Gold on July 20, 2015, met the requirements of the 2011 Agreement and the Company has earned a vested 70% interest in the Moss Mine. The arbitrator also dismissed Patriot Gold's claims to be paid US$5.5 million for the gold and silver proceeds from the 2013 Pilot Plant Operation.
The key strategic priorities for the Company are to finalize a formal joint venture agreement in the nearer term on a 70:30 basis with Patriot Gold and complete debt, equipment and equity financings, following which the Company's development plans for the Moss Mine Project will commence.
Additional priorities involve the continued exploration of the Moss and Silver Creek properties where the potential exists to make new discoveries and to continue to support the various community related initiatives that the Company has started in both the educational and community development areas.
VANCOUVER, Feb 29, 2016 - Northern Vertex Mining Corp. (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:NEE) announces that the Company's unaudited interim consolidated financial results for the second quarter fiscal 2016 ended December 31, 2015 have been filed on SEDAR. The full version of the Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis can be viewed on the Company's website at www.northernvertex.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.Dick Whittington, President & CEO, states, "2016 promises to be a transformative year for the Company. We are looking forward to finalizing our JV LLC agreement with Patriot Gold, completing the Macquarie debt financing and securing the necessary equity funds to commence our development plans for the Moss Mine. The robust economics, the excellent location and the relatively straightforward nature of the planned operation put us in a good position to deliver on these plans. It is an exciting time for the Company and its shareholders."The Company's directors and management believe that these priorities are formulating a solid foundation for Northern Vertex Mining Corp. , and its shareholders, as it continues working towards building a prosperous, well-respected and long-term mining company. Northern Vertex Mining Corp. is a Canadian based exploration and mining company focused on the reactivation of the Moss Mine Gold-Silver Project located in NW Arizona, USA where the Company has recently earned a 70% property interest and will form an LLC joint venture with Patriot Gold Corp. The Moss Mine Gold-Silver Project is an epithermal, brecciated, low sulphidation quartz-calcite vein and stockwork system which extends over a strike length of 1,400 meters and has been drill tested to depths of 370 meters vertically. It is a potential heap leach, open pit project that has been advanced to the Feasibility Study stage to ensure that technical, economic, permitting and funding requirements are met prior to proceeding with the development of the mine. The Company's management comprises an experienced management team with a strong background in all aspects of acquisition, exploration, development, operations and financing of mining projects worldwide. The Company is focused on working effectively and respectfully with our stakeholders in the vicinity of the historical Moss Mine and enhancing the capacity of the local communities in the area.The foregoing technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Mr. L.J. Bardswich, P. Eng., General Manager Moss Project, and a Qualified Person ("QP") for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects).ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORSJ.R.H. (Dick) WhittingtonPresident & CEONeither 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.Cautionary Note About Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains statements about our future business and planned activities. These are "forward-looking" because we have used what we know and expect today to make a statement about the future. Forward-looking statements including but are not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work and analyses. Forward-looking statements usually include words such as may, intend, plan, expect, anticipate, believe or other similar words. We believe the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable. However, actual events and results could be substantially different because of the risks and uncertainties associated with our business or events that happen after the date of this news release. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. As a general policy, we do not update forward-looking statements except as required by securities laws and regulations.Cautionary Note to US Investors: This news release uses the terms "Measured", "Indicated", and "Inferred" resources. US investors are advised that while such terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize them. "Inferred Mineral Resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and 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 other economic studies. US investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources will ever be converted into Mineral Reserves. US Investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a Mineral Resource is economically or legally mineable.2016 number 03Investor Relations604-601-3656 or 1-855-633-8798www.northernvertex.com
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Kings Bay Gold Corporation (TSXv: KBG) (Kings Bay or the Company) announces that it has changed its auditors from Magnus Chartered Accountants (the "Former Auditors") to MNP LLP (the "Successor Auditors") effective February 29, 2016.
At the request of the Company, the Former Auditors resigned as auditors of the Company effective February 29, 2016. The Board of Directors of the Company on the recommendation of management has appointed the Successor Auditors as the Company's auditors in place of the Former Auditors effective February 29, 2016.
There were no reservations in the Former Auditors' reports for the two most recently completed fiscal years or for any period subsequent to the most recently completed period for which an audit report was issued and preceding the date of the Former Auditors' resignation. There are no reportable events between the Company and the Former Auditors.
The Notice of Change of Auditors, together with the letter from the Former Auditors and the letter from the Successor Auditors, has been reviewed by the Company's Board of Directors and has been posted on SEDAR.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kings Bay Gold Corporation
Dusan Berka
Dusan Berka
Director, President
Tel: (604) 681-1568
This news release includes certain forward-looking statements concerning the future performance of Kings Bay Gold Corporations business, its operations and its financial performance and condition, as well as management's objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as "may", "plan", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend" and similar words referring to future events and results. These forward-looking statements represent management's best judgment based on current facts and assumptions that management considers reasonable. The Company makes no representation that reasonable business people in possession of the same information would reach the same conclusions. All forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, competitive risks and the availability of financing and as described in more detail in the Companys recent securities filings available at www.sedar.com. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements and readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance thereon.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange Inc.) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/kingsbay02292016.pdfSource: Kings Bay Gold Corporation (TSX Venture:KBG) http://www.kingsbaygold.com/
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Copyright 2016 Filing Services Canada Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - 92 Resources Corp. (the Company) (TSXV: NTY) (FSE: R9G2) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Property Purchase Agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the Hidden Lake Lithium Property (the Property) near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
Hidden Lake Lithium Property
The Hidden Lake Lithium Property consists of two mineral claims, totalling approximately 1,100 hectares. It is located just north of Highway 4, approximately 40 km northeast of the city of Yellowknife, NT. The property is highly prospective for spodumene-bearing lithium pegmatites. The lithium potential of pegmatites within the Yellowknife area was first recognized in the mid-1950s, when a number of the regions pegmatites were sampled and found to contain highly anomalous concentrations of lithium. Prior to 1955, small shipments of lithium ore were reported for two deposits within the region (Mulligan, 1965; p.6). It was also at this time that several pegmatites were identified at the Hidden Lake Property.
At Hidden Lake, the LU#12 pegmatite was mapped and sampled over an approximate exposure that measures 10 by 300 meters. Seven samples were collected from surface trenches, and contained between 1.37 and 3.01% Li 2 O. The very high grades of lithium were attributed to observed concentrations of coarse-grained spodumene. Crystals up to 36 inches long were noted, with visual estimates across the dyke(s) in some places of 20 to 35%.
In Lithium Resources in the Yellowknife Area, Northwest Territories Canada, (Lasmanis, 1977) provides the following summary:
Detailed mapping and surface sampling of fourteen properties within the district has demonstrated the presence of 49,000,000 tons of rock to a depth of 152m (500ft) having an average grade of 1.40% Li 2 O. These resources could be developed if and when the market conditions place a strain on available supplies.*
Spodumene within the Yellowknife district is also described as generally light in colour and of good quality.
* The foregoing district-scale resource estimate includes fourteen separate properties in the Yellowknife area, and does not include the LU#12 dyke of the Hidden Lake Property. The estimates are not considered reliable; however, are relevant given that they suggested the potential for significant tonnages of spodumene-bearing lithium pegmatite(s) within the vicinity of the Hidden Lake Property. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves and the company is not treating the historical estimate as current.
About Hard-Rock (Spodumene Pegmatites) Deposits
Spodumene-bearing pegmatites continue to be an important supply of lithium despite the advent of low-cost production from lithium brine deposits in South America in the mid-1990s. As the demand for lithium is increasing, other pegmatite deposits around the world are gaining attention. In many lithium pegmatite districts, including the Yellowknife district, other rare and specialty-metals have been recovered. Tin, beryllium, tantalum and niobium are often associated with spodumene pegmatite deposits.
The worlds largest active lithium mine is the Greenbushes Lithium Project in Australia with reported reserves (as of Sept 30, 2012) of 61.5Mt at 2.8% Li 2 0. The mine has been in operation since 1985, and produces approximately 740,000 tpa of lithium (spodumene) concentrates.
92 Resources Corp. anticipates conducting fieldwork as soon as weather conditions permit. Initial fieldwork will consist of mapping and sampling all known pegmatites at the property to assess grade and mineralogy, and approximate surface dimensions of the pegmatites.
NI 43-101 Disclosure
Neil McCallum, P. Geo. of Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.
Acquisition Terms
The Company has entered into a Property Purchase Agreement (the Agreement) with DG Resource Management Ltd. (DG Resource), Zimtu Capital Corp. (Zimtu) and Michael V. Sklavenitis (MS), collectively the Vendors. In consideration for a 100% interest in the Property, 92 Resources Corp. will:
pay $5,000 non-refundable deposit upon execution of the Agreement to DG Resource (paid);
upon regulatory approval, issue 2,000,000 common shares as to 50% to DG Resource (1,000,000), 25% to Zimtu (500,000) and 25% to MS (500,000);
within 30 days of regulatory approval, pay DG Resource project acquisition costs of $50,000 ($5,000 paid);
twelve months after the regulatory approval, pay additional $35,000 to DG Resource;
twelve months after the regulatory approval, issue further 2,000,000 common shares as to 50% to DG Resource (1,000,000), 25% to Zimtu (500,000) and 25% to MS (500,000); and
incur $250,000 of exploration expenditures prior to September 30, 2016 and additional $250,000 of exploration expenditures prior to May 31, 2017;
The Agreement is subject to a 2% NSR of which the Company has the right to purchase 1% from DG Resource within 5 years of the regulatory approval for the sum of $2,000,000 per property.
Financing
The Company also announces that it has arranged a non-brokered private placement of up to 6,000,000 units (the Units) at a price of $0.05 per Unit to raise gross proceeds of up to $300,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company and one half of one transferable share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each whole Warrant will permit the Warrant holder to acquire one additional common share of the Company (a Warrant Share) at a price of $0.10 per Warrant Share for a period of two years after closing.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement for general working capital, and for expenditures on the Hidden Lake Lithium Property. The private placement is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. All the securities issued under the Private Placement will be subject to resale restrictions under applicable securities legislation. Finders fees may be paid by the Company in conjunction with the completion of the private placement.
For further information, please contact Adrian Lamoureux, Pres. & CEO at: Tel: 778-945-2950
adrian@92resources.com or visit www.92resources.com
On Behalf of the Board of Directors,
ADRIAN LAMOUREUX
Adrian Lamoureux, President & CEO
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.
Forward Looking Statements:
This News Release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results that may prove to be inaccurate as a result of exploration and other risk factors beyond its control. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements about the possible raising of capital and exploration of our properties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors beyond the Companys control. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval, that we may not be able to raise funds required, that conditions to closing may not be fulfilled, we may not be able to organize and carry out an exploration program, and other risks associated with being a mineral exploration and development company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable laws, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements.
To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/92resources03012016.pdfSource: 92 Resources Corp. (TSX Venture:NTY) http://www.92resources.com/
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Copyright 2016 Filing Services Canada Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Klondike Gold Corp. (TSX.V:KG) (Klondike Gold or the Company) announces the resignation of Jeremy Crichton from the position of Chief Financial Officer of the Company. The Board would like to thank Mr. Crichton for his contributions over the past years working for Klondike Gold, and wish him well in his future endeavours. Harpreet Dhaliwal has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer effective immediately.
ABOUT KLONDIKE GOLD CORP.
Klondike Gold Corp. is a Canadian exploration company with offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Dawson City, Yukon Territory. The company is focused on exploration and development of its road accessible Yukon gold projects located on the outskirts of Dawson City, YT in the historic Klondike region covering 25,000 hectares of hard rock and 2,000 hectares of placer claims including McKinnon Creek leased to Todd Hoffman/Jerusalem Mining LLC and featured on the Discovery Channel show Gold Rush.
On behalf of Klondike Gold Corp.
Peter Tallman
President and CEO
(604) 559-4440
E-mail: info@klondikegoldcorp.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/Klondike03012016.pdfSource: Klondike Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:KG)
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Copyright 2016 Filing Services Canada Inc.
Vancouver - Uracan Resources Ltd. (Uracan or the Company) (TSX.V:URC) announces the resignation of Jeremy Crichton from the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of the Company. The Board would like to thank Mr. Crichton for his contributions over the past years working for Uracan, and wish him well in his future endeavours. Harpreet Dhaliwal has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer, and Melinda Coghill as Corporate Secretary effective immediately. Uracan Resources Ltd. (TSX.V:URC; OTC:URCFF) is a Canadian-based exploration company focused on exploring for uranium deposits in Saskatchewan and Quebec, Canada. In early 2013, Uracan signed an agreement with UEX Corp. , whereby Uracan acquired the option to earn from UEX a 60% participating interest in the Black Lake Property along the northern margin of the Athabasca Basin. UEX currently holds an 89.99% interest in the Black Lake Project with AREVA Resources Canada Inc. (AREVA) holding the remaining 10.01% interest.In July 2014, Uracan signed an agreement with Forum Uranium whereby Uracan can acquire up to a 70% interest in the Clearwater Property near the southwestern margin of the Athabasca Basin, immediately adjacent to Fission Uraniums Patterson Lake South discovery. Forum is the 100% owner of the Clearwater Property.Uracan continues to review additional opportunities worldwide to capitalize on management's exploration and financing capabilities.On behalf of Uracan Resources Ltd. Clive JohnsonChairmanMarc SimpsonPresident and CEOMarc Simpson, President and CEO604-506-6996www.uracan.caNeither 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.
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A 25-year-old San Angelo man has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he attacked another man with a knife. The suspect, Nathaniel Gamez, could face additional charges once the investigation is complete, according to a news release issued by the San Angelo Police Department.
The victim, Carlos Hernandez was transported to, and treated for what police say were "nonlife threatening injuries" at Shannon Medical Center. Police would not specify the exact injuries suffered by Hernandez and said they did not know his current condition.
According to the news release, police responded to a reported stabbing on the 1600 block of Austin Street at 9:25 p.m., Saturday. Police provided first aid to the injured Hernandez until he could be transported to the hospital.
Gamez was located and arrested in an apartment at Capri Apartments, 602 West Avenue M. Police investigators say Gamez is believed to have gone to Hernandez's home and began slashing the tires of a vehicle owned by the victim.
Hernandez was stabbed by Gamez when he went outside to confront the suspect.
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By Federico Martinez, Federico.Martinez@gosanangelo.com / @Federico_SAST
Paint Rock resident Ed Lloyd, 79, turned out to vote Tuesday morning only to be turned away and told only Republicans could vote at the community's eight voting precincts. Election officials informed Lloyd and other Democrats in Concho County that they only had one option - cast their votes in Eden.
"I had to drive 35 miles away to vote just because I'm a Democrat," said an upset Lloyd. "A lot of older people live here and can't drive or don't have transportation."
Democrats in Paint Rock, Eola, Lowake, Eden and Millersview could cast their votes only in Eden on Tuesday, said Melissa Campos, chief deputy clerk for Concho County.
The decision to have only one voting location for Democrats is because so few Democrats are registered in the area, Campos explained. For example, an average of 10-15 Paint Rock residents cast votes for Democrats during elections, she said. About 1,600 people are registered to vote in Concho County.
A vast majority of Concho County voters identify themselves as Republicans, Campos said. The county does not even have a Democratic chairman, whose duty includes making sure a Democrat is posted at each voting site.
To save money and because it's difficult to find enough registered Democrats to serve as election monitors, the county has been offering only one location for Democrats to vote, Campos said. The decision saves the county thousands of dollars each election because fewer workers are needed.
"We checked with the state Democratic Chair to make sure it was OK that we did this," Campos said. "We also published the information in the local newspaper two weeks before the election.
"Republican and Democrat voters also had the option of casting an early vote at the county."
Lloyd wasn't satisfied with the response. He said that voting is an important American right and it's worth the extra cost and effort to ensure everyone has equal access.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach on Monday endorsed Donald Trump for president -- and he backed Trump's plan to force Mexico to pay for a border wall.Kobach, a conservative Republican, lauded Trump's strong stand against illegal immigration, a cause Kobach has championed for years."On that issue, Mr. Trump stands head and shoulders above the other candidates," Kobach said in his written endorsement. "Now, more than ever, America needs Mr. Trump's aggressive approach to the problem of illegal immigration."In a telephone interview with The Star , Kobach said he disagreed with critics of the billionaire businessman, who leads the Republican field going into the Super Tuesday primaries. Kansas holds its presidential caucuses Saturday.About white supremacist David Duke's endorsement of Trump and Trump's response to it, Kobach said that nothing in Trump's remarks indicated "any sort of agreement with the KKK," calling such a conclusion "outrageous." Kobach said Trump's lack of government experience can be seen as a positive."The way he would operate as president is he would surround himself with a talented, conservative team," Kobach said. "That's exactly what (Ronald) Reagan did."Kobach said he appreciates Trump's boldness. And at least the harsh rhetoric against opponents comes directly from him rather than third parties, he said. Many politicians unleash negative ads for that purpose, he said."Trump is actually doing it himself, and in some ways that's more honest than having a super PAC do your insulting for you," Kobach said.Kobach is the first major elected official in Kansas to endorse Trump. Sam Brownback has endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, although the governor has said he would vote for Trump if he wins the Republican nomination.Kobach, who has advocated nationally for laws curbing to curb illegal immigration, said that Trump is correct that the United States can compel Mexico to pay for construction of a wall between the countries to keep out illegal immigrants."We have the ability to shut down the flow of remittances to Mexico from illegal aliens working in the United States," he said. "Mexico will then have to make a choice: Either make a single payment of $5 billion to $10 billion to the United States to pay for the wall, or lose most of the $23 billion in remittances that Mexico receives every year from its nationals working illegally in the United States."A lawyer, Kobach has represented U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in lawsuits against the Obama administration. In 2001-2003, he served as U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's chief adviser on immigration law and border security.
California's system of seizing and spending "unclaimed" cash from banks, mutual funds and defunct businesses has survived a Supreme Court challenge.The state says it is now holding $8 billion in lost assets. And from this fund, it takes about $450 million a year to add to the state budget.After considering an appeal for four months, the justices said Monday they would not hear a long-running lawsuit that contends the state does not do enough to notify the rightful owners before seizing their assets.Under the state's law, accounts can be seized if a bank or retirement fund has lost track of the owner for three years.State Controller Betty Yee says her office holds these assets so they can be returned to their rightful owner. Its website _ www.claimit.ca.gov _ permits people to check to see if any of their assets are being held by the state. Amounts under $5,000 can be quickly reclaimed, she said.But lawyers who sued called the state's system a "recipe for abuse" because many people are unaware that their assets or those of a relative are being held by the state.In a concurrence, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said the justices should decide "in a future case" whether states must do more to contact owners of lost property."As advances in technology make it easier and easier to identify and locate property owners, many states appear to be doing less and less to meet their constitutional obligation to provide adequate notice" before seizing the accounts, Alito said in Taylor vs. Yee. "Cash-strapped states undoubtedly have a real interest in taking advantage of truly abandoned property to shore up state budgets. But they also have an obligation to return property when its owner can be located." Justice Clarence Thomas said he agreed.Separately, the court turned down a building-industry challenge to a San Jose ordinance that says at least 15 percent of new residential units must be reserved for low-income buyers. These units must be sold at a below-market price that cannot exceed 30 percent of the buyers' median income.The California Building Association sued, contending the ordinance amounted to an unconstitutional taking of private property. But the California Supreme Court ruled the ordinance can be enforced, and the Supreme Court said Monday it would not hear the builders' appeal.
'Diagnose and Adios'
Invisible Health-Care Workers
State Mortality Data
'It Should Be About Living'
As advances in medicine and public health help people live longer, a new health crisis has been created: a tidal wave of Americans living with Alzheimers and other dementia-related diseases.Nowadays, about 1 in 9 people age 65 and older will getAlzheimer's, and that number increases to 1 in 3 once someone reaches 85. It's the most common form of dementia, making up 75 percent of dementia-related diagnoses.It's a problem that health-care providers and states are struggling to handle. The current system often fails to care for patients and aid their millions of unpaid caregivers.The structure we have in place no longer fits the frame, said Elaine Ryan, vice president of state advocacy for AARP.States, however, are starting to consider the issue more seriously.In the health-care community, Alzheimer's is often referred to as a diagnose and adios disease, meaning once someone is formally diagnosed, there often arent medical interventions until that person needs hospice care (which can be years later). Many of the "treatments" are more social work focused and not in the purview of a medical doctor. But even given that, Alzheimer's care advocates say health-care policymakers have failed at providing help."Doctors will never be social workers, but they need to start showing family members all of their resources in order to get support they need -- even if it's not from them," said Terry Barclay, a neuropsychologist in the Center for Memory and Aging at HealthPartners, a Minnesota-based health-care organization.More than 40 states have an Alzheimer's state plan" created by policymakers. They often include plans for more research, public awareness campaigns, training for health-care professionals and data collection.In terms of actual implementation, Minnesota has surpassed the rest, according to Ryan.We saw a smattering of guidelines relating to the disease, but no one had actually put the pieces together yet, said Barclay.So Barclay, along with other members of the Alzheimer's Association's Minnesota chapter, created ActOnALZ.org. In the absence of a national standard for testing cognitive impairment, the website offers providers a cognitive screening tool and information on how best to coordinate care once a diagnosis is delivered. It also helps caregivers learn the best ways to speak with people inflicted with the disease.Unlike many states, Minnesota also immediately connects people to a social worker with a speciality in aging care after they've been diagnosed."The landscape of the political scene in many states doesn't allow money for initiatives like ours," said Barclay. "But we just decided money or not, this is important."There are an estimated 34 million unpaid caregivers (often family and friends of the patient) serving the 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's. They are considered an invisible workforce within the health-care system, and their workload takes a toll on their own lives. study this month from the National Institutes of Health found that people who provide substantial care for a loved one were three times more likely to lose productivity in other areas of their life and five times more likely to neglect activities like socializing, working out or attending a religious service.About 400,000 of these unpaid caregivers are in Maricopa County, Ariz., where Alzheimer's is the fourth-leading cause of death (it's the eighth-leading cause of death among Americans overall).Many of these caregivers are older themselves, said Wayne Tormala, chief of the Bureau of Tobacco and Chronic Disease for the Arizona Department of Health. These are people under a lot of stress, so often we see them dying before the person they are caring for. We have a major public health problem on our hands.In the past year, 40 laws have been enacted in 31 states aimed at giving these caregivers a helping hand. California, for example, now requires hospitals to keep family caregivers in the loop during the hospitalization and discharge process. That may seem like a no-brainer, but its something that both Alzheimer's health advocates and caregivers have been begging for for some time.I work in medicine and I dont even think we have a good standard in place to deliver information to caregivers, said Tena Alonzo, education and research director at Beatitudes Campus, a retirement community in Phoenix. If we cant give caregivers all of the medical information in a language they can understand, then how is someone supposed to make the best decision for that person?States across the country, though, are starting to take this issue more seriously.About a dozen family caregiving task forces have recently been established, and some states have expanded their respite care services, which give caregivers a break while a professional looks after them. Its currently underutilized, with only 27 percent of caregivers using respite services, either because they aren't aware of the resources or because it isn't covered by Medicare.Many advocates argue that in order to create a more holistic care system, there needs to be more funding and focus on palliative care.A board-certified field of medicine since 2006, palliative care focuses on making a patient with a chronic illness as comfortable as possible. Its a system of managed care where relief can be as varied as a prescription for painkillers or a visit to a spiritual leader. It's similar to hospice care but instead focuses on patients before they reach a terminal stage.Hospice care is always palliative care, but palliative care is not necessarily hospice care,said Carol Long, founder of Palliative Care Essentials, a consulting firm specializing in care for aging adults.It simply just takes the principles of hospice care and moves it upstream. Its the best way to ensure that the stress of the illness is managed from the get-go.But Ryan of the AARP is unconvinced that a more palliative-focused framework is the answer because it isn't on policymakers' radars just yet. She does, however, agree that there needs to be a better way to treat the ill.The system of care has to change," said Ryan. "What it needs to look like remains to be seen, but we have to figure out a way to support this rising need. We dont have a way to meet demands right now."A good place to start, according to experts, is to think of Alzheimer's less as a disease and more as a phase of life that needs extra attention.This disease shouldnt be about dying, it should be about living, said Ryan. Whats the best and most humane way we can help people live out their last years?
A federal judge overrode Gov. Mike Pence's attempt to stop Syrian refugee resettlement in Indiana, issuing a preliminary injunction Monday that the state immediately contested.At question is whether Pence has the authority to stop federal dollars that flow through the state to help refugees resettle in Indiana. He suspended Syrian refugee resettlement in the state last year, citing security concerns after terrorist attacks in Paris and questions about the screening of Syrian refugees.But U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sided Monday with Exodus Refugee Immigration, a local nonprofit that aids refugees, in its lawsuit contending that Pence's decision is unconstitutionally unfair to Syrians.She ordered the state to stop blocking those funds until the case is resolved."The withholding of funds from Exodus that are meant to provide social services to Syrian refugees in no way directly, or even indirectly, promotes the safety of Indiana citizens," Pratt wrote in the injunction.Because Pence is targeting only Syrians and no refugees from other countries, Pratt later added: "The State's conduct clearly constitutes national origin discrimination."The state failed to prove, she said, "that temporary national origin discrimination is any more constitutionally acceptable than permanent discrimination."But Pence said in a statement Monday that he stands by his decision to suspend Syrian refugee resettlement in Indiana. He ordered the attorney general's office to seek an immediate stay on the judge's action and appeal it."So long as the Obama administration continues to refuse to address gaps in the screening of Syrian refugees acknowledged by the FBI and a bipartisan majority in Congress," Pence said, "Hoosiers can be assured that my administration will continue to use every legal means available to suspend this program in Indiana unless and until federal officials take steps to ensure the safety and security of our citizens."In court records, the state argued that the suspension of funds was meant to deter resettlement agencies from bringing in Syrians until the federal government can assure that Syrian refugees are sufficiently screened and pose no public safety threat.The financial support goes toward services for refugees such as employment training and English language classes. Exodus pays for those services and is reimbursed by the state."The bottom line here is what the court said -- you have to treat all refugees equally," said Ken Falk, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. The ACLU of Indiana is representing Exodus in its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.Falk said Syrian refugees are extensively vetted before being allowed to resettle in the United States. "We're not talking about opening up floodgates."Pence's directive hasn't stopped Syrians from moving to Indiana. Though one family slated to come to Indianapolis in December was redirected to Connecticut, Exodus brought to Indiana another family of four in January and is planning for others to arrive in the coming months, said interim executive director Cole Varga.The federal judge wrote in her court order that the state is not deterring the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Indiana, nor could the state know that it would be stopping people who could pose a security risk.
1. Security
2. Emerging Technologies
3. Allocation of Resources
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Public and private officials looked to the future of government technology in a discussion about the opportunities and obstacles facing the public sector in the coming years.The conversation, part of the California Public CIO Academy held Feb. 24-25 in downtown Sacramento, identified several key areas technology leaders should focus on when it comes to enterprise efficiencies, embracing the fast-paced change of technology and meeting public expectations.Security is a top concern facing the public-sector CIO, and is something that Robert Schmidt, chief of the Office of Technology Services, says remains a manageable but unsolvable problem in the technology space.In terms of things that keep me awake at night, I think most of us in the room wouldnt argue about security, he said. Im seeing security now as something as I cant necessarily solve, but its something I can manage, and thats what we need to do."The tectonic shift, or rapid development, of new technologies was a focus of EMC's David Nicholson. From his perspective as a vendor, the disruptive shift of technology of this magnitude has not been seen since the advent of the minicomputer.Were sort of going back to this world of convergence, where that convergence is happening in both on-premises private data centers as well as public data centers, where everything is in a stack, Nicholson told the crowd. So, this is a once in a generation kind of shift.As new technologies become available to the public at large, Schmidt and Nicholson said the demands of constituents will only continue to increase. The ability to do more from mobile devices more quickly, puts additional pressure on agencies with limited resources.Schmidt said there is often a disconnect between the creative process and implementation of new technologies and solutions. The fact that government agencies are often risk averse drives Schmidt to ask his staff, What would you do if you knew you could not fail?Ownership is key. You need to find folks who are excited by the technology, are excited by the business problem and can actually implement, he said.Moderator Chris Maio, director of the 21st Century Project at the California State Controllers Office, said even in light of more efficient technologies in areas like procurement, there is little that can be done to expedite more cumbersome processes, like the formulation of the states considerable budget.Even with these increases in proficiencies, we still have budget cycles we have to pass through. If Im going to do anything major, I have to ask for the cash to do that, and that is still, as we all know, a long process, he said. I dont see an agile way of approaching that yet.Nicholson also noted that a challenge he sees facing his public customer base is mirrored in the private sector resource allocation.Were all resource constrained, and such a large share of budget goes toward simply keeping the lights on," he said. "When you start talking about innovation, innovation has to be funded somehow. So, its the concern about how do we foster innovation while keeping the lights on and, oh, by the way, how do we figure out how to leverage what we already have in the direction of innovation?Despite limited resources, Nicholson said the demands placed on IT organizations are not static and continue to increase.Schmidt echoed that sentiment."The speed of business, having worked as a CIO for five years, business is moving much faster than IT can keep up, there never seems to be enough resources," he said. "So we need to figure out how do we best partner with the business, how do we gain their trust? Through that trust we can gain additional resources But given unlimited resources, Schmidt said he would implement programmable data centers and scalable server systems as a valuable resource for state agencies, as well as standardize, centralize and consolidate software and services on a statewide basis.
(TNS) -- Google Fiber's road to Portland has included a pair of city council votes, two bills in the Oregon Legislature, nearly a year of state utility rulemaking, and an unfavorable state Supreme Court ruling that nearly derailed the whole thing.Now, two years after Google Fiber first announced interest in serving Portland, the way looks nearly clear. Utility regulators vote Tuesday on whether the company qualifies for a tax exemption created specifically for its high-speed service.While Portland has been on the sidelines, Google Fiber has committed to serve eight other U.S. cities. For customers in Oregon awaiting Google, the 24-month delay has been exasperating and bewildering.For Google, though, clearing the field of regulatory obstacles may have been what it really wanted all along."Google Fiber still has something of the feel of a science experiment to it," said Craig Moffett, a nationally known telecommunications analyst who has followed the company's rollout closely.What Google really wants is to promote high-speed Internet access, anticipating faster connections will enable more online services Google's primary business. By experimenting with a number of different rollouts, in various cities with distinct legal and regulatory conditions, Google is setting a precedent for how to build super-fast networks.And in the two years since Google began eyeing Portland, Comcast, CenturyLink and Frontier have all announced plans for significantly faster connections for their Oregon customers. Comcast and Frontier have each applied to take advantage of the same Oregon tax breaks Google is seeking."Google's ambition seems to be primarily to create broader regulatory and policy precedents, not to provide service per se to a particularly large number of people," Moffett wrote in an email commenting on Portland's experience.Google Fiber runs high-capacity fiber-optic lines directly to customers' homes to provide Internet service at 1 gigabit per second, 40 times faster than the current federal broadband standard. That's much faster than almost any residential customer needs today, but Google hopes faster speeds will enable new online services.It typically charges $70 a month, which is more expensive than slower connections from other companies but considerably cheaper than similar speeds from other companies. And unlike its rivals, Google's pricing is transparent it doesn't subject subscribers to substantial rate hikes after introductory periods.Regardless of Google's ambitions, it wants to put a cap on its costs. Portland estimates it will cost Google $300 million to build its fiber network in the city. It'll cost a lot more than that if Google adds on suburban communities it's also considering, including Gresham, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Beaverton, Hillsboro and parts of unincorporated Washington County.An unusual Oregon tax may be the major factor that delayed the company's Portland rollout. The Oregon Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that cable TV and Internet companies are subject to "central assessment," a rare practice dating to the 19th Century that levies property taxes based partly on the value of certain companies' brands.Applying the tax to Google would have added millions of dollars perhaps tens of millions of dollars to its annual operating costs, and the company threatened to drop its Portland plans if Oregon lawmakers didn't exempt it from the tax. The Legislature complied, and the Oregon Public Utility Commission votes Tuesday on Google's eligibility for the tax break.Google declined to comment in detail on the Portland market, except to note the company has continued to map the network and make plans to build it."We are working closely with city leaders to determine if we can bring Google Fiber to the Portland metro area, making progress in areas ranging from permitting to construction planning to digital inclusion," said Chris Taylor, hired last year as Google Fiber's Portland manager . "We continue to move toward a decision and look forward to sharing an update soon."Fiber networks take a long time to build, so even if Google greenlights Portland in the first half of this year, it's unlikely service would be available anywhere in the city before late 2017 or early 2018. It could take several more years to build out the network into the suburbs.As Google Fiber has rolled out cities elsewhere, it's adopted a variety of models taking over existing networks, targeting only apartments or building a network from scratch. Just this week, Google announced plans to serve Huntsville, Alabama, using fiber built by the local electric utility, and parts of San Francisco using other companies' existing fiber."The markets that they've chosen seem to be carefully selected almost as experiments to see what works and what doesn't," Moffett said. "They all have a certain showcase feel to them, as if the point isn't so much to see if they can make money so much as it is to showcase what is and isn't possible."That's probably right, said Mary Beth Henry, director of Portland's office of Community Technology and the regional point person working with Google Fiber."They are a company that tries things and learns," she said. "I don't think they're afraid to change a recipe."In Oregon, then, Google has learned a lot. But while Henry said she remains optimistic on the company's plans for Portland, she said it has made no promises."All I can do," she said, "is just keep working at it."
High-pressure issue
Seeking right balance
(TNS) -- Questions over Che Andre Taylors death have been constant since Seattle police fatally shot him.Were his hands up, as supporters say? Was he reaching for a gun, as police contend?If officers were wearing body cameras, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said afterward , the footage would provide some clarity. Since the Feb. 21 incident, city officials have faced intense criticism from community members who say the death of Taylor, 46, is yet another in a series of senseless killings of blacks by white cops.Months from now, Seattle police say, that kind of evidence from body-worn cameras will be a reality. After completing a pilot project last year, the agency is on track to join others nationwide that have fully adopted the small, battery-powered devices, a trend that accelerated after the Ferguson, Mo., officer-involved shooting of Michael Brown. But exactly how Seattle police will release the footage, which is a matter of public record, remains unknown. Like departments nationwide, the agency has struggled to come up with possible solutions for meeting public requests for the videohow Seattle police will release the footage, which is a matter of public record, remains unknown.Body cameras are more intimate than the in-car videos are. You dont walk into somebodys house with an in-car video, said Mary Perry, the Seattle Police Departments new director of transparency and privacy. You dont go into the E.R. You dont lean over somebody who is getting health care.In Washington, where the Public Records Act is broad, legislators are considering a change to add new privacy protections so that video of murder victims, private homes, sex crimes and other sensitive images captured by the cameras is not publicly available. Supporters of the measure say it would also help agencies handle and afford the costs of large public-records requests. Critics say the measure doesnt go far enough.All sorts of situations that you really dont want on YouTube can go up on YouTube under current law, Rep. Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge Island, House Bill 2362s sponsor, said at a Jan. 14 public hearing. This is brand-new technology its evolving very quickly.That conversation in Olympia comes amid a sweeping movement nationwide for legislatures to pass laws on how agencies use the devices and release their recordings, sparked by the growing interest in police accountability.Im often asked, When will body-worn video become a reality? Seattle Police Chief Kathleen OToole said in a Feb. 20 written statement . The community has made it abundantly clear they welcome this technology.Several smaller Washington police departments, including those at Bainbridge Island and Airway Heights, Spokane County, already use the devices. And in Spokane, more than 200 police officers now use the cameras after a smaller group tested them in a pilot project, according to a city spokesman.The Seattle department, under advice from the City Attorneys Office, removes legally exempted information, such as footage of minors, from any police videos before release under public disclosure. And according to the departments blotter, a simple redaction in a one-minute video can take specialists upward of half an hour, whereas more complicated edits can take much longer.Tedious redaction work nearly caused the Seattle Police Department to shelve its body-camera plan in 2014 after an individual asked for all videos from dash-cams; the anonymous person also planned to request copies of all body-cam videos. The department later launched its own YouTube channel to show redacted body-camera and dash-cam videos.Perry, a former assistant city attorney who police hired in January, said the department has more than 700,000 hours of dash-cam video. That would take someone nearly 330 years to simply watch not edit working eight hours a day, every business day, she said.For perspective, she said the department expects the body cameras to generate about 220,000 hours of footage each year.Supporters of HB 2362 say it would limit those broad requests in addition to adding privacy protections. The proposal requires individuals to give specific details on footage sought, such as the name of an individual depicted in the footage and a police case number, among others. It also allows agencies to require most people to pay for the redaction work.This is a huge issue because we have all of this content, Perry said in support of the legislation at the Jan. 14 public hearing. We dont have the technology that really makes it efficient to produce thisat this point.In the wake of Taylors shooting, some community members demanded that the officers involved be criminally charged, and the citys police chief be fired.Taylor, a felon under supervision by the state Department of Corrections, was shot in Northeast Seattle on Feb. 21 after police say he didnt follow commands and reached for a handgun as officers tried to arrest him with a prohibited weapon.Investigators are looking into the incident under protocols arising from a 2012 consent decree, in which the city agreed to adopt court-ordered reforms to address excessive force and biased policing cited by the U.S. Justice Department, city officials said in a statement Friday. If we had body cameras up right now in this situation we would have a clearer video, Mayor Murray said soon after the shooting, adding the proposal at the state Capitol would advance efforts to put the cameras on officers.The citys police department is in the process of building on policies it formed during its six-month pilot program, where officers tested two types of cameras, some of which they wore as eyewear and others on their uniforms.Officials are still penciling out the body-camera budget before some 640 officers the department employed 1,289 officers in 2015 start wearing the devices this fall. Among the concerns is how much it will cost to store the video. The citys 2016 budget sets aside $1.8 million for the cameras, augmented by $600,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice.The department hopes to begin training officers on how to use the devices shortly after buying them in July or August, Perry said, adding vendors are taking a special look at the agencys requests because of the states broad requirements for public disclosure.Companies are paying attention to us, she said, because if they can satisfy Washington, theyve got it made for everybody else.Because of Washingtons limited privacy protections in the public-records law, stakeholders say they face unique headaches on balancing full disclosure while protecting citizens privacy rights.Were going into unchartered territory, said Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes, who is working with the citys police department on the body-camera issue.The Washington, D.C.-based Urban Institute recently compiled a state-by-state breakdown of body-camera policies, a report that shows considerable difference in how states balance privacy and disclosure.According to the breakdown, nine states have passed legislation specifying when and where officers can use the cameras, while 16 other states are considering similar bills. Every state besides New Hampshire has exemptions to public disclosure for law enforcement, the report found, such as records that are part of an ongoing criminal investigation.The Washington bill would create a task force to continue the discussion on body cameras and require agencies that use them to create policies, such as when the cameras should be on and how police should inform citizens theyre being recorded, for instance.If passed, the provisions in the law would expire in the summer of 2019, a deadline Hansen said allows stakeholders to consider changes, if necessary.Opponents, however, argue the legislation does not go far enough to define what footage is protected from disclosure, and that law-enforcement agencies should not be tasked with making policies on the cameras because of their inherent conflict of interest.Body cameras are a police accountability tool, and this bill does nothing to ensure police use the cameras properly, said Jared Friend, technology and liberty director of ACLU-WA. He called the proposal a Band-Aid solution on the issue of adequate transparency that needs a more comprehensive solution.Toby Nixon, president of the Washington Coalition for Open Government, said because the proposal is temporary, the coalition is taking a neutral stance on it. But the coalition will oppose certain provisions if it becomes permanent, he added.The measure has bipartisan support among its sponsors. The House of Representatives has approved the measure, and now its sitting in the Senate Rules Committee; its last stop before the Senate floor. The legislative session ends March 10.Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess said Seattle is highly likely to launch its full body-camera plan, regardless of whether the measure passes.The city is ready to go forward, he said.When city leaders introduced the use of dash-cam video, Burgess said, they faced similar sorts of issues over balancing accountability and privacy, though he thinks that technology eventually proved to make a positive change.And over time well see the use of body cameras in the exact same way, he added. More often than not, they will clear officers of misconduct, and they [the cameras] will certainly help in the gathering of evidence.Information from The Seattle Times archives was included in this report.
Mixed emotions
Morality different
(TNS) -- Apples resistance to providing the FBI with access to a mass killers iPhone has laid bare more than a disconnect between cybersecurity and national security. It has also exposed the absence of a unified code of ethics in an increasingly crucial realm of technology.Unlike older professions medicine with the Hippocratic oath, the law with its codes of conduct cybersecurity has no codified ethical standards.Thats made much of the debate over the FBIs demands and Apples resistance about more than the legal argument.There is no single reason such ethical standards dont yet exist, or even a consensus that they should let alone exactly what they might consist of or what impact they might have.While there is overwhelming support for Apple inside the industry, outside in law enforcement, in government and even around dinner tables the lack of clearly communicated ethical lines contributes to some of the questions raised.If you could prevent a 9/11-type attack from happening by unlocking an iPhone, would you do it? wrote one recent commenter on a Chronicle story on the issue.Another shot back: If Apple loses this, your kids will be less safe. Their locations will be exposed to hackers and the government.Perhaps this dispute, now playing out in federal court, might lead to a clearer idea on what rules should apply.On Thursday, the Cupertino company filed a motion to vacate a federal magistrates mandate that Apple comply with the FBIs request.In fighting the court order, Apple is making both a legal and moral appeal.If it agrees to break into just one iPhone on behalf of U.S. law enforcement, it argues, it could face an undue burden to do so elsewhere.Some experts have made the case that it would leave Apple open not just to demands from other U.S. law enforcement agencies, but possibly also to similar pressure from authoritarian countries with abysmal human rights records.The company says it should not be compelled to take that risk, or the risk of creating software that it fears could be used to access data securely stored on its other products.On a practical level, Apples argument might be meant to assure individuals that they can entrust their iPhone with financial information ( Apple Pay ), health information ( ResearchKit ) and even fingerprints ( Touch ID ).But without agreed-upon standards of ethics, says Ryan Kalember, a senior vice president of cybersecurity strategy at Proofpoint, a Sunnyvale cloud-security company, its difficult for people to determine whether Apple is on solid ground.In what ways should they be a conscientious objector? he said. On what principles and morals?Basically, Apple is saying we could (help the FBI), but we shouldnt, said David Brumley, the director of CyLab, Carnegie Mellon Universitys security and privacy institute.Law enforcement, meanwhile, is saying that while that might be so, it still needs to solve crimes, he said.Brumley agrees that the lack of ethical standards makes the situation difficult to judge. I dont think theres an industry-wide definition, he said. Theres a lot of discussion of ethics, but that really hasnt involved modern computer security and privacy experts.While computer science students learn basic codes of conduct, professional security engineers are often more driven by a sense of morality. A majority are committed to universal rights, chief among them a users right to privacy. Its a tenet apparent in their work.Safeguards, such as those that thwart attackers from guessing an iPhones passcode an unlimited amount of times, are installed with individual security in mind.We are in the largest crime wave the human race has ever seen, and that massive amount of crime (the loss of information through cyberattacks) cannot be ignored, said security researcher Dan Kaminsky. There are individual events that are awful, but we have to talk about the universal vulnerability threatening our civilization.People are losing their businesses. People are losing their jobs, he added. People are losing faith in information technology itself, with good reason.That sentiment, shared by many in the cybersecurity industry, is pervasive in Silicon Valley. Kaminsky concedes, however, that the sense of moral urgency he and other insiders feel isnt being articulated well to the rest of society.But morality, or an individuals personal belief, is not the same as ethics, or what the community as a whole expects from individuals, said Brumley.On another level, Apple, which is famously close-mouthed about its products, is essentially the only source for what is possible or not regarding accessing its software. That makes some skeptical of its supposedly principled stand.I think its good that Apple is framing things in this matter, trying to attend to the consequences to human, democratic rights, but I also think that Apple is a little disingenuous in making these arguments, said Phillip Rogaway, a professor of computer science at UC Davis.While he is firmly on Apples side in the showdown, he said: They dont seem to have acknowledged that its really a failure of their own security architecture that they have the ability to comply with this order.Apple has been claiming for quite a long time that even their latest phones are designed in such a way that they cant unlock the data at rest, Rogaway added. I think thats not really true.The challenge, in cases like this, is the definition of welfare, of the public good, and the definition of safety is being defined differently by Apple on the one hand and the (Justice Department) on the other, said Andrea Matwyshyn, a law professor at Northeastern University.A cybersecurity ethics code could include exceptions for instances where the normal rules wouldnt apply, said Nate Cardozo, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.In almost all (written codes of conduct), there are law enforcement exceptions, he said. If your client is going to tell you they are going to commit a crime, for instance, attorney-client privilege goes out the window.But not everyone thinks that such a code can, or even should, exist.The difference with doctors and lawyers is that they are licensed by the states and therefore the states law enforces ethical standards, said Tenable Network Security strategist Cris Thomas, a member of the hacker collective L0pht Heavy Industries, who goes by the name Space Rogue, in an email.There are no such review boards for car mechanics or plumbers, which are usually also licensed by the state, he said. Should there be an ethics review board for (information security) professionals like there are for doctors and lawyers?His answer: Not until the states force infosec people to become licensed like doctors and lawyers.
(TNS) -- U.S. commanders mounted a cyberoffensive against Islamic State in Syria for the first time in recent weeks by deploying military hackers against the extremist groups computer and cellphone networks, according to the Pentagon.The digital assault, launched from Ft. Meade in Maryland, marked the first major integration of U.S. Cyber Command into a major battlefield operation since the command was established in 2009.More importantly, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carters disclosure of a government-sanctioned cyberattack represents a shift in Americas war-fighting strategy and power projection. No other nation has publicly acknowledged launching cyberwar.But in December, after deadly terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, frustrated officials in the White House pushed the Pentagon and intelligence agencies to crack down harder on Islamic States use of the digital realm to recruit and radicalize followers, handle logistics and communicate with commanders and fighting units.Carter said Monday at the Pentagon that the goal was to overload their networks and interrupt their ability to command and control forces with jamming and other cybertools.This is something thats new in this war, Carter said before he left on a four-day swing through the West Coast to meet Silicon Valley executives, address a cybersecurity conference in San Francisco and visit Amazon and Microsoft in Seattle.Carter did not reveal details of the new cybercampaign, and its effect and extent are difficult to assess.Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who appeared with Carter, said secrecy was necessary to ensure Islamic State commanders dont know if theyre under attack, or just suffering technical problems.We dont want the enemy to know when, where and how were conducting cyberoperations, he said. We dont want them to have information that allows them to adapt over time.Just as the Pentagon seeks to avert civilian casualties in airstrikes, it needs to calibrate cyberattacks to avoid unintended consequences.Blocking all communications in territory held by the militants, for example, could hamper U.S. collection of intelligence on their locations, operations and plans. It also could affect civilian networks or those used by humanitarian groups in Syrias civil war.But U.S. officials said targeted denial of service and other cyberattacks, plus more than 85 coalition airstrikes, helped U.S.-backed Syrian rebels retake the strategic town of Shaddada and nearby oil fields in mid-February, a major prize in the war.The officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly about ongoing operations, said teams working from Ft. Meade identified and jammed Islamic State online communication networks during the four-day battle.The victory severed a critical route that the militants used to funnel fighters and supplies from the Iraqi border to Raqqah, their self-declared capital and chief stronghold in northeastern Syria.Pentagon officials described the growing role of Cyber Command as part of a strategic shift from cyberdefense to cyberoffense as the military adopts digital sabotage as a new tool for combat and counter-terrorism.Cyberoffense doctrine remains secret, but Carter has spoken about the need to mobilize Cyber Command to counter Islamic States sophisticated use of social media and other Internet platforms.The effort was set in motion in December, shortly after Islamic State sponsored an attack in Paris that killed 130 people, and a couple loyal to the group killed 14 in San Bernardino. In a White House meeting, officials directed senior Pentagon officials to prepare options for more aggressive cyberoperations.Carter ordered Adm. Michael S. Rogers, head of both Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, to develop the strategy.The capacity and capability is starting to come online, Rogers said in a Jan. 21 speech at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington. The military will rely on cyberattacks in a broader and broader way.Hacker teams working with U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, were ordered to focus on disrupting [Islamic States] ability to command and control, to communicate, and to run the so-called state, according to a Defense Department official.The Obama administrations budget request to Congress for the next fiscal year includes $6.8 billion for Cyber Command and other Pentagon cybersecurity operations. Thats a 15% increase over this year even as the Pentagon has faced budget cuts.Martin Libicki, a cyber and national security analyst at the nonpartisan Rand Corp. think tank in Arlington, Va., said Cyber Command has far greater resources than Islamic State and should be able to overwhelm the group, which is also known as ISIS.They probably couldnt do this so easily with a sophisticated enemy, but ISIS is not a sophisticated enemy, he said. Let's face it, ISIS is not going to reengineer its computer systems after they realize they've been breached.Experts say Russia, China, North Korea and other countries have hacked U.S. government networks in recent years, mostly to steal information. But none has publicly acknowledged it.Cybersabotage also has begun to emerge in conflict zones.In January, Ukraines military blamed hackers in Russia for malware that caused massive power outages. Moscow, which is supporting insurgents in eastern Ukraine, denied involvement.One reason for the caution is fear of potential blowback. U.S. communication and digital networks, from finance to public safety, are potentially at risk of counterattacks.There is no end to what the enemy could do to us, Lani Kass, a former senior Pentagon official now with defense contractor CACI International, warned at a recent symposium.Its clear those concerns no longer are enough to stop Americas use of cyberweapons.Theres a monumental shift in global security happening right now, from simply protecting systems and equipment to having the capability to attack and control them, said Alan Paller, research director at SANS Institute, a cybertraining center in Bethesda, Md. No military campaign in the future will be fought without a cybercomponent.
(TNS) -- A single, instantly updated list of registered voters in California became reality on Monday, as two final counties plugged in to an electronic database mandated by a federal law enacted in the wake of the contentious 2000 presidential campaign.In other words, a database that was long overdue."It's been more than a decade in coming," Secretary of State Alex Padilla said.The $98-million project allows elections officials in each of California's 58 counties to easily track voters who move from one place to another and to quickly update their records in the event of a death or a voter deemed ineligible after conviction of a felony.The database will allow voters to check if they are registered at their current address, their party affiliation and whether a ballot sent by mail was actually counted."Usually, it is the poorer or more rural counties that lack these tools," said Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation. "That creates an uneven playing field for California voters and undermines voters' constitutional right to equal protection."In an interview Monday, Padilla said a public awareness campaign will be needed to ensure Californians know there soon will be a new tool at their disposal."What it means for the voters is most important," he said.The VoteCal database will undergo a battery of operational testing to sort out any remaining problems before being officially certified in June. But the final hookup to Stanislaus and Monterey counties Monday marked an important milestone.Since 2003, the project has been waylaid by a scandal that led to the resignation of a former secretary of state, a threatened federal lawsuit, a private company that walked away from the technology project and the cumbersome process of re-awarding the government contract."All that is thankfully behind us," Padilla said.Where voter records used to largely depend on the accuracy of the work done in individual counties, the database project has created a uniform process for inputting and sharing information on the state's 17.2 million registered voters."It's huge," said Neal Kelley, registrar of voters in Orange County and president of the state association representing local elections officials.Orange County was one of the five initial counties to be connected to the VoteCal system last summer. Kelley said that from the very first moment, the database paid off by displaying 460 voters who had duplicate registration records in Orange and Sacramento counties."It was right in front of our eyes," he said. "You never would have seen that before."Getting a reliable list of registered voters was one of the principal goals of the federal Help America Vote Act, passed in the wake of the chaotic events in the 2000 presidential race that led to the legal standoff and ultimate election of President George W. Bush. California was awarded $400 million for a variety of voting modernization projects, and state officials say a portion of that money is still on hand and available for maintenance and operation of the VoteCal system.The database also is the key step toward implementing a 2015 state law that will automate voter registration for every citizen who applies for a driver's license and a 2012 law allowing election-day voter registration Monday's announcement also allows California to set aside its dubious distinction as the very last state in the nation to launch a comprehensive voter registration system, the end to a system that Kelley said was based on voter data collection methods dating back to the 1920s."Getting in to the 21st century is a good feeling," he said.
Home Motorcycles & Bikes Top 10 Best Motorcycle GPS Trackers Of 2022 Reviews & Buying Guide Motorcycles & Bikes Top 10 Best Motorcycle GPS Trackers Of 2022 Reviews & Buying Guide
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Motorcycles are excellent vehicles for travel and adventure both on and off-road. It is an investment you need to keep safe from those who would love to take that treasure off your hands. Wheel-locking systems may not be enough for those with enough mechanical ability to hot-wire it, and in some cases, one or two people could simply load it onto a truck without unlocking anything.
You dont want to wait months for the police to try to get it back. You want to know where it is right now.
A GPS tracking system is the perfect security investment for your motorcycle, and we have reviews of the best motorcycle GPS trackers here for you.
Top 10 Best Motorcycle GPS Trackers You Should Buy Of 2022 Reviews
1 AMERICALOC GL300W Mini Portable Real-Time GPS Tracker. XW Series
Leta start with this Americaloc mini portable GPS tracker. This is a mid-range GPS tracker both regarding cost and ability. It comes in about the size of a heavy keychain, so if you are looking for something tiny, this is not it. It is detectable by someone who knew what they were looking for but depending on where you attached it to your motorcycle, it may take them a bit of time to identify it.
There are diverse opinions in the reviews about its battery life. It appears that it will last at least 3-4 days, but there are sometimes problems when recharging it. Make sure to follow the instruction guide that comes with this tracker.
You also need to recognize that this service is run by a tech that is not as widespread as most cellphone GPS trackers. While is advertises real-time the reality is that it updates once per minute, thirty, or ten seconds depending on your setting. This setting will affect battery life, and depending on where it is, the updates may not be entirely accurate. It is not a bad tracker, but you need to have realistic expectations for it.
Pros GPS Tracker for vehicles, people, assets
GPS Tracker for vehicles, people, assets This GPS tracker has the longest battery life version with extended multicarrier coverage. Battery life is measured in weeks.
This GPS tracker has the longest battery life version with extended multicarrier coverage. Battery life is measured in weeks. Alerts: movement, parked, speeding, device on/off, low battery, entering or leaving zones
Alerts: movement, parked, speeding, device on/off, low battery, entering or leaving zones Real-Time Tracking and 1 year of tracking history. Track from any computer, tablet or phone or just download our Android and iPhone APP.
Real-Time Tracking and 1 year of tracking history. Track from any computer, tablet or phone or just download our Android and iPhone APP. Works in the US, Canada, Europe and in almost every country in the world
Works in the US, Canada, Europe and in almost every country in the world 1-minute location updates while moving. Can be configured for location updates every 60, 30 or 10 seconds with no additional cost. Cons Slightly bigger than something described as mini.
Slightly bigger than something described as mini. Sometimes faces battery charging issues
Sometimes faces battery charging issues Behind cellphone GPS technology and occasionally is off a block or so in tracking
Behind cellphone GPS technology and occasionally is off a block or so in tracking No mobile app and website can be buggy
2 Spy Tec STI GL300 Mini Portable Real-Time Personal and Vehicle GPS Tracker
Spy Tecs GL300 GPS is about the same size as the Americaloc, but about half the price. As with most GPS devices, there is a monthly subscription fee that can quickly add up over time. In practice, this GPS seems to function a little more smoothly than others, with many short-term satisfied customers.
For this GPS to work well for you, you need three things. First, you need to be using it in an area covered by T-mobile, or else you may have accuracy problems. Second, you need to be able to recharge it every few days. Finally, this is a short-term solution. The charging cable seems to break down over months, not years, and the customer and tech service can be a pain to deal with. If you are looking for a long-term GPS, you may want to take a pass on Spy Tec.
Pros Perfect for tracking vehicles, people, or assets
Perfect for tracking vehicles, people, or assets Compact size can go anywhere
Compact size can go anywhere Tracks with Google Maps in real-time over the Internet
Tracks with Google Maps in real-time over the Internet Get text or email when a person leaves an area (geo-fencing) Cons Inconsistent customer service
Inconsistent customer service Works primarily in T-mobile coverage areas
Works primarily in T-mobile coverage areas Problems with charging cable
Problems with charging cable Short life span
3 Amcrest AM-GL300 V3 Portable Mini Real-Time GPS Tracker for Vehicles
Here is another low-end GPS tracker for your motorcycle. What makes this one of the best motorcycle GPS trackers is that it works with mobile apps from Google and Apple, so you can track your motorcycle from your phone and not just your computer or a webpage.
It comes with lots of tracking options as well. You can create zones and be alerted if your motorcycle moves outside of it. You can set speed alerts or other proximity alerts, which will be pushed to your phone via text and email. The Amcrest is a solid package for taking care of your needs, and there is no contract required to use it.
How you use it will determine the battery strength, and, like other devices in this low-cost range, the batteries are a weak point, particularly if not re-charged correctly. Also, it relies on 2G coverage and does not connect with all carriers. To get your moneys worth out of this motorcycle GPS tracker, make sure to inquire about coverage in your area and this tracker, and be sure to read the instructions about recharging your GPS.
Pros Works with apps from Google and Apple store
Works with apps from Google and Apple store This GPS device allows you to create zones that you specifically want to monitor, such as your home to you know when your loved one leaves or returns. Set maximum speed alerts and proximity alerts for your vehicles to suit your needs.
This GPS device allows you to create zones that you specifically want to monitor, such as your home to you know when your loved one leaves or returns. Set maximum speed alerts and proximity alerts for your vehicles to suit your needs. Receive text, push and email notifications straight to your personal device.
Receive text, push and email notifications straight to your personal device. Long-lasting Stay connected with a longer battery life of 10-14 days on a full charge.
Long-lasting Stay connected with a longer battery life of 10-14 days on a full charge. Access the reports from your GPS device from your PC, Mac or smartphone.
Access the reports from your GPS device from your PC, Mac or smartphone. No contract required Cons GPS Tracker is limited to 2G and will only work in areas where there is 2G coverage.
GPS Tracker is limited to 2G and will only work in areas where there is 2G coverage. Batteries can be faulty leading to short lifespan of the device
4 GPS Tracker Optimus 2.0
This low-end tracker has a better performance record than some of the others, making it one of the best motorcycle GPS trackers on the market. This GPS has a monthly subscription fee but no contract required and it comes with apps you can use to track your motorcycle from your phone. There is no limit to how much data you can save on the secure databases, and so will update you every 30 seconds while your motorcycle is moving, or you can upgrade it to update you every 10 seconds.
Fortunately, there are only two reported issues from the reviews of this GPS tracker. It is slightly larger than some of the other models, making it a bit more challenging to hide securely. It also sends out false reports occasionally if the cell service is interrupted.
Pros No Contract
No Contract Adjustable position report frequency from 30 Seconds while moving.
Adjustable position report frequency from 30 Seconds while moving. iPhone and Android App
iPhone and Android App Email and Text Message notifications for Movement, Speeding, Leaving or Entering Areas, etc.
Email and Text Message notifications for Movement, Speeding, Leaving or Entering Areas, etc. Unlimited Tracking Data Saved During Service
Unlimited Tracking Data Saved During Service SIM Card and Data Plan all Included
SIM Card and Data Plan all Included Easy to install and use Cons Will occasionally send out false reports if it loses cell service
Will occasionally send out false reports if it loses cell service Slightly larger than other models
Which of the best motorcycle GPS trackers have the best batteries?
5 Trackmate Mini 3G H GPS Tracker for Vehicles
Unlike the previous models of the best motorcycle GPS trackers, the Trackmate does not rely on a rechargeable lithium battery. Instead, it is hardwired directly into the motorcycle battery itself. This has the benefit of preventing the GPS from turning off when the battery dies at inopportune times.
The downside of this setup is that installation is more difficult, and while the device is easily concealable, it also has wires running between it and the battery. This connection can cause your motorcycle battery to run down if you do not monitor it closely, causing both the device and motorcycle to fail to operate.
This is a 3G tracker and has better accuracy than the previous 2G GPS trackers, making this one of the best motorcycle GPS trackers on the market.
Pros On/Off Detection, Speed Indicator, and Live Map Tracking.
On/Off Detection, Speed Indicator, and Live Map Tracking. Numerous alerts such as low-battery, tampering and towing. Historical location reports available.
Numerous alerts such as low-battery, tampering and towing. Historical location reports available. All-Weather Resistant and Waterproof.
All-Weather Resistant and Waterproof. STAY IN TUNE: Unique system Tracks via AT&T and T-Mobile networks, simultaneously.
STAY IN TUNE: Unique system Tracks via AT&T and T-Mobile networks, simultaneously. EASILY CONCEALABLE: 3.4 X 1.75 X 0.50 , 2oz. No visible external light. Cons Can drain the motorcycle battery
Can drain the motorcycle battery Challenging to install since it is hardwired to the motorcycle battery
6 MotoSafety Mwaas1P1 Wired 3G GPS Car Tracker
The MotoSafety Mwaas1P1 is another hardwired GPS tracker that you can use on your motorcycle. It also uses 3G service and, as long as you are in the United States, typically does an excellent job of tracking through mobile apps. It sends detailed reports, particularly useful for tracking teen drivers, such as speeding, hard braking, and curfew notices. You must subscribe to a monthly fee, but there are no contracts.
Overall, this is one of the best motorcycle GPS trackers. There are about 10% of customers though who encounter significant issues trying to get this GPS to function properly. Many of these are being used in cars, rather than motorcycles. However, since this GPS is hardwired into the vehicle system, the fault seems to be a compatibility issue, between the GPS and the vehicle. There are no reports of which vehicles are incompatible or why.
You take a small risk with this GPS that it may not be compatible with your motorcycle. Otherwise, this is one of the best motorcycle GPS trackers.
Pros Monitor driving activity using Google Maps.
Monitor driving activity using Google Maps. Use GPS to review driving routes, set geofences around key locations and know when the vehicle is in use after curfew.
Use GPS to review driving routes, set geofences around key locations and know when the vehicle is in use after curfew. No contracts or cancellation fees.
No contracts or cancellation fees. Track anywhere with free GPS tracking mobile apps with real-time email & text message alerts. Cons Has some issues updating consistently
Has some issues updating consistently Only works in the United States
7 ATian Vehicle Car personal GPS/GSM/GPRS/SMS Tracker
The ATian GPS Tracker is one of the less expensive of the best motorcycle GPS trackers available. It comes with both a Lithium-ion battery and power supply to be installed to the motorcycle battery. Be warned though, that it will drain both rather quickly if you use it continuously. The lithium-ion battery, for example, is only rated up to 29 hours of continuous use, meaning you have to recharge it daily.
This GPS is not waterproof so some kind of external cover may be necessary to keep it working correctly. It comes with a remote control though, to turn it on and off without getting on the motorcycle yourself.
The biggest challenge with this GPS is that they do not provide a SIM card in it. Being foreign made, they have adapted to the global cellular service challenge by forcing you to get your own SIM card for it. This means that, although there is only a minimal service fee for using this GPS, you have to pay a cell service company to use it. With the frequent false alerts reported in the reviews on this GPS, that cell service bill can cost you a pretty penny.
Pros Single Locating
Single Locating Auto track continuously
Auto track continuously Track with limited times upon time interval, Smart track upon time and distance interval
Track with limited times upon time interval, Smart track upon time and distance interval The tracker will update the positions automatically to web server once the vehicle changing driving direction over preset angle value to form a smooth trajectory consistent with the actual road, this function works only in GPRS /GSM mode Cons Drains motorcycle battery
Drains motorcycle battery May often send false alerts
May often send false alerts Requires a SIM card and the additional cost of that cellular service.
Looking for a higher end GPS for your motorcycle?
8 AES RGT90 GPS Tracker
The difference (besides the price) between the AES RGT90 and some of the other best motorcycle GPS trackers that operate with a lithium-ion battery, is that the folks over at AES implemented a sleep mode into their device. That saves you hours and hours of battery use wasted when your motorcycle is simply sitting in your garage. That is how they are able to get 90 days worth of use out of their battery.
The other reason that this GPS tracker costs so much is that it has the broadest range of the best motorcycle GPS trackers extending all through North America and over 100 other countries as well. By comparison, most other trackers have difficulty even covering the USA alone.
Pros Works Anywhere in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, plus over 100 other countries
Works Anywhere in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, plus over 100 other countries Internal battery Operates GPS tracker up to 90 days on a single charge. Recharges by Micro USB for better convenience. Charge using any USB Charger.
Internal battery Operates GPS tracker up to 90 days on a single charge. Recharges by Micro USB for better convenience. Charge using any USB Charger. Covert, Discrete, Waterproof Magnetic Case
Covert, Discrete, Waterproof Magnetic Case Goes to sleep when the vehicle is parked for 5 minutes or more. Displays the last location before going into Sleep Mode. Access anytime via text.
Goes to sleep when the vehicle is parked for 5 minutes or more. Displays the last location before going into Sleep Mode. Access anytime via text. Track on your phone or on the website. You can also receive GPS coordinates via SMS Text. Cons Phone app is not the easiest to use
Phone app is not the easiest to use Relies on magnetic attachment
What is the best reviewed of the best motorcycle GPS trackers?
9 Goome 3G/WCDMA/GSM/GPS GM36W
The Goome has the least amount of negative reviews of the best motorcycle GPS trackers on the market. It also has the fewest reviews in total, so take that with a grain of salt. Many of the reviews commented that they got more value than they expected from this GPS. It is easy to install and very accurate, and the company offers global service.
The only problem the reviews have reported is that the app associated with this tracker is in Chinese and can be difficult to navigate. Even so, most customers were able to use this GPS quite well directly through SMS communication between their phones and devices.
Pros Support 3G/WCDMA/GSM/ Network
Support 3G/WCDMA/GSM/ Network Waterproof features, level IP67 will prevent water damage the inter electric components.
Waterproof features, level IP67 will prevent water damage the inter electric components. Geo-fencing, playback history tracks, speeding alarm, low power &battery alerts, etc.
Geo-fencing, playback history tracks, speeding alarm, low power &battery alerts, etc. OTA Upgrade Program, Anti-theft
OTA Upgrade Program, Anti-theft One year free trial for North America customers Cons App is Chinese and hard to navigate
App is Chinese and hard to navigate Can be difficult to find to purchase
What is the least expensive best motorcycle GPS tracker on the market?
10 MOTOsafety OBD GPS Tracker Device
Here is the least expensive of the best motorcycle GPS trackers you can find. This GPS, like several of the others reviewed, was made with teen drivers in mind. It gives comprehensive reports on driving stats, but it is not meant to be long-lasting.
If you are looking for a short-term GPS tracker, and you are living in the US, this is an inexpensive option for you. If you are looking for a GPS for security reasons, you may want to see another option.
Pros Monitor driving activity using Google Maps.
Monitor driving activity using Google Maps. Get a complete driving report cards that score safe driving habits such as speeding, harsh braking, and rapid acceleration to improve driving habits.
Get a complete driving report cards that score safe driving habits such as speeding, harsh braking, and rapid acceleration to improve driving habits. 3G vehicle tracking coverage that updates every minute in the US, Canada, and Mexico
3G vehicle tracking coverage that updates every minute in the US, Canada, and Mexico Track anywhere with the free GPS tracking mobile apps and real-time email & text message alerts.
Track anywhere with the free GPS tracking mobile apps and real-time email & text message alerts. Use the GPS tracking to review reports such as driving routes, set geofences around key locations (school, home, or friends house) and know when the vehicle is in use after curfew. Cons Inconsistent updating
Inconsistent updating Only works in the US
So, how do these reviews line up?
Best Motorcycle GPS Trackers Buying Guide
Best Value
The MOTOSafety OBD GPS Tracker is the least expensive option if you are looking for a short-term tracker for your motorcycle. It is made for tracking the driving habits of teenage drivers.
The Trackmate is a more expensive device, but it has a lower monthly subscription cost and is hardwired into your motorcycle, so you dont have to worry about recharging the battery.
The ATian GPS tracker is inexpensive as well, but you may end up paying more for your SIM card (not included) usage.
Accuracy
The AES is the most expensive of the best motorcycle GPS trackers but can provide you with some of the best accuracy across the greatest number of countries. The ATian is one of the least expensive devices but can offer service in any country you can get a SIM card to use in it. The Goome GPS also provides excellent service if you can navigate the Chinese app or use SMS to connect to the device.
Durability
How long do the best motorcycle GPS trackers last?
The most durable of these trackers are the ones that are hardwired into your motorcycle battery. The lithium-ion battery is one of the earliest failing points on these devices, and if it doesnt have one, it lasts that much longer. You also want one that is waterproof, to prevent moisture from damaging the electronics.
The Trackmate is a great hardwired GPS that is recommended for motorcycles and is waterproof. It is one of the more durable of the best motorcycle GPS trackers.
There is one exception to the battery rule, and that is the AES RGT90 GPS tracker. This tracker, because of its sleep mode, causes less wear on the battery and ends up lasting much longer than any other GPS with a lithium-ion battery.
Conclusion You can get inexpensive GPS trackers if you are only interested in short-term use. If you want something to last longer, you need to spend a little more money. You also need to be able to install it to your motorcycle battery. It is also important to watch for the subscription costs. The device may be inexpensive, but most subscriptions are around $20 each month. Some may require cell phone contracts (although most do not). Also, the more expensive GPS trackers have better service (3G instead of 2G) and a much wider area of coverage. If youre looking for the best motorcycle GPS trackers, the reviews suggest checking out the AES RGT90 and the Trackmate Mini 3G H GPS Tracker.
The new Phideon was developed in Germany with the assistance of VWs Chinese partner SAIC Volkswagen. The sedan will be offered with high-efficiency turbocharged gasoline TSI engines, and a plug-in hybrid drive is also planned.
Volkswagen unveiled the new Volkswagen Phideon luxury sedan ahead of the Geneva International Motor Show 2016. The future of Volkswagens premium segment will go into production in China initially for the China market in the third quarter of 2016.
Phideon is positioned above the Passat and the Magotan, which is available in China. Volkswagens design team derived the Phideon almost directly from the C Coupe GTE concept car, which was presented at Auto Shanghai in 2015, with only minor changes. (Earlier post.) From a technical perspective, Phideon is the first Volkswagen brand car to be based on the Modular Longitudinal Matrix (MLB). Its namePhideonis a construct standing for elegance and reliability, and phonetically and symbolically evokes Fides, the Roman goddess of fidelity.
The top-of-the-range modelthe Phideon 3.0 TSI 4MOTION, which comes with four-wheel drive as standardis powered by a 3.0 liter V6 turbocharged direct injection gasoline engine that produces 220 kW/295 hp. This efficient TSI develops maximum torque of 440 Nm (325 lb-ft). In addition to the planned plug-in hybrid model, the new five-seater will also be available as a 2.0 TSI (with four-cylinder engines) with front-wheel drive.
Convenience and driver assistance systems high-end technologies. The new Phideon continues the Volkswagen tradition introduced to the top segment with the Phaeton of a chassis equipped with an air suspension system, similar to the systems used by fellow Volkswagen Group brand Bentley. The Phideon is equipped with latest generation of this technology, with five individually selectable driving modes.
Another new feature is the electric soft-closing system for the doors, called Soft Close, which harmonizes perfectly with the stylish, luxurious and noiseless ambience on board.
MLB assistance systems. This new sedan has the full technology spectrum of the Modular Longitudinal Matrix (MLB) at its disposal. When it comes to driving information, this includes features such as a head-up display (which projects information onto the windshield) and a camera-based night vision system that warns the driver if there are people or animals on or near the road, even in pitch-black darkness or in fog, allowing the driver to react significantly faster.
When maneuvering, Area Viewa system with four wide-angle camerasimproves all-round visibility. Other assistance systems include ACC (adaptive cruise control); Front Assist (surroundings monitoring system); Park Assist (assisted parking with automatic steering and braking); Lane Assist (camera-based lane-departure warning system); Side Assist (lane-changing assistant); the proactive occupant protection system (which tensions the safety belts and closes the windows or the sunroof) and Light Assist (which automatically dips the high beam).
The new Volkswagen also features connectivity provided by the integrated Modular Infotainment Platform (MIB). CarPlay (Apple) and MirrorLink (Android) can be used to integrate almost any common smartphone, using various apps to control the infotainment system.
TREV is a range extender system that uses a micro-turbine (fueled either by liquid or gaseous fuels) to generate electricity that charges a battery pack. The battery powers the motors that drive the wheels. In 2010, Jaguar introduced a similar concept, the C-X75 extended range electric vehicle that used twin gas micro-turbines from Bladon Jets to power two switched reluctance generators from SR Drives. ( Earlier post .)
Techrules, a new China-based automotive R&D company, made its global debut at the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show with the unveiling of a Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle (TREV) series hybrid system applied in a 6-motor, all-wheel drive supercar concept.
Techrules AT96 (liquid fueled) TREV supercar on the track. Click to enlarge.
Techrules said that its newly developed battery management technologies enable superior charging efficiency. The high efficiency of the TREV range extender results in a requirement for fewer batteries, saving weight and space.
Techrules started testing a development prototype of the TREV supercar last month at the Silverstone race circuit in the UK.
Performance specs for the TREV include peak power of 768 kW (1,030 bhp), with a projected 0 - 100 km/h time of 2.5 seconds, 350 km/h (217 mph) restricted top speed). Projections, based on initial testing, indicate that the range of a future production supercar under battery power alone will be up to 150 km (93 miles).
Where charging points are unavailable TREV technology can recharge batteries anywhere, either while underway or when parked. It is envisioned that this parked recharging process could be completed unsupervisedovernight for example.
Maximum rangebased on the battery configuration in the concept supercar presented at Genevais projected to be more than 2,000 km (1,243 miles) from 80 liters (21 gallons) of aviation keroseneor a fuel with equivalent calorific valuein urban driving conditions.
There is no direct electrical feed from the generator to the electric traction motors: the TREV system is purely a series hybrid range extender system.
Air drawn into the micro turbine is passed through a heat exchanger where heat from the exhaust air is transferred to the cold intake air after it has been compressed. Ignition of the compressed and heated fuel-air mixture generates energy which is channelled at very high speeds to turn the turbine vanes. As this hot exhaust gas is expelled, it passes through the heat exchanger to ensure the heat energy is recuperated and transferred to cold intake air.
Because turbines have always been a very inefficient way to convert chemical energy into useful wheel turning mechanical energy, only a few have tried to use a turbine in the powertrain system, and none have ever succeeded commercially. But, with electric vehicles, an electric motor is used to drive the wheels, which effectively frees the combustion engine to exclusively convert chemical energy into mechanical energy and finally into electric energy. This is a major breakthrough, making it possible for us to use the highly efficient turbine engine as a superb range extender on our vehicles. Techrules Chief Technology Officer, Matthew Jin
The turbine shaft powers a generator that produces electricity to charge the battery cells. In Techrules TREV configuration, the turbine and the generator share the same shaft and rotate at the same speed: over 96,000 revolutions per minute.
The turbine produces 36 kW. Of this output, 30 kW powers the generator, with 6 kW directly powering auxiliary equipment such as the inverters. The 30 kW electrical output from the generator is used to charge the battery pack.
The total weight of the TREV range extender system (micro-turbine, inverters, fuel pumps, air pumps, and generator, but excluding batteries and motors) is approximately 100 kg (220 lbs).
The TREV system incorporates several new technologies that make it approximately 50% more efficient than range extender systems using gasoline engines, Techrules said.
The high rotational speeds that the shaft requires in order to draw in the required volume of air means that achieving low friction is paramount to the efficiency of the TREV system.
Techrules employs air bearing technologya high pressure feed of compressed airinstead of a traditional oil lubricant film to separate the shaft from the bearing. This results in fewer frictional energy losses, since it eliminates parasitic losses of a mechanical bearing. The use of an air bearing system is not unique, but how Techrules uses the air bearing involves innovations.
Of particular note is that the air bearing is also supported by a magnetic field that allows for precise adjustment of the high speed shaft. Both bearing solutions work together to maintain stability. The magnetic bearing allows a far greater clearance between the shaft and its wall lining, which delivers significant advantages for the long-term durability of the system.
This is an especially important consideration in automotive applications of turbine systems becauseunlike in stable power generation conditionsthe entire assembly must be able to be capable of withstanding volatile operating conditions that result from, for example, vertical shocks from uneven road surfaces and lateral forces in cornering. Techrules hybrid bearing system is also more economic to produce, because the built-in extra clearance space reduces the extreme tolerances usually required.
In addition, a new design of internal foilan intrinsic component within an air bearingis used for the bearing liner that supports the air pressure and flow. It is made of a new compound material that gives it superior durability. Of equal importance is that the new foil enables the mass production of the bearing liner at the required production tolerances to be achieved at a high volume scale at low cost.
Techrules has also introduced a new and innovative heat exchanger design that is more thermally efficient than conventional designs. A new material has been introduced in the hybrid heat exchanger which greatly increases the efficiency of heat recuperation from the exhaust gases.
New charge balancing strategy. The TREV system employs an innovative smart battery management system that optimizes the efficiency of battery charging and power balancing between battery cells.
In a conventional lithium-ion battery management system, to avoid cells being damaged by overcharging, the cellswhich each charge at a slightly different ratemust be balanced as they charge. This balancing is conventionally achieved by actively discharging the cells that are charging more quickly in order to enable the other cells to catch up. This process sees a proportion of energy wasted during the charging process and increases the time required to charge all cells fully.
To address the shortcomings with this standard industry practice, Techrules battery balancing system harnesses the excess voltage in cells that are charging more quickly, sharing their charge with slower-charging neighboring cells to achieve the required balance. As a result, the entire pack charges more quickly, and there is no energy wasted in actively discharging the best-performing cells, the company says.
Power-dense cells. The TREV system uses readily available cylindrical 18650 Lithium-Manganese-Oxide battery cells. Techrules is focusing its capabilities on the efficiency of the battery management rather than the battery chemistry itself. Its insight and smart battery management system will be applicable to any future, higher capacity battery technology.
Because the TREV system incorporates a series hybrid range extender, Techrules is prioritizing power density ahead of energy density.
With a common core architecture, the TREV system can be tailored to run on one of a variety of fuels. This means that the configuration of the TREV system can be matched to the fuel which is already prevalent in a specific market with a comprehensive supply and distribution infrastructure. As a result, adoption of the TREV system by the fuel supply industry, vehicle manufacturers and consumers requires no major investment in new networks. The TREV systems turbine has been tested in various guises, with alternative versions running natural gas, biogas, diesel, gasoline and aviation kerosene.
The two concepts. Techrules is showcasing its TREV technology at the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show in a two-seater all-wheel drive concept supercar. The turbine generator is carried behind the passenger cabin and in front of the rear wheels, making the concept a mid-engined extended-range electric vehicle.
It is presented in two designs, the AT96 and GT96. These designseach offering an alternative configuration of the TREV systemare two variations of a vision of how turbine-recharging supercars might look when the technology enters production in Chinas first supercar.
AT refers to Aviation Turbine, indicating that the turbine is configured to run on a liquid fuel such as aviation kerosene, diesel and gasoline. The AT96 is a vision of a track-focused version of the supercar and features management large rear wing, which provides both straight-line stability as well as downforce to aid high speed cornering. The GT96 (gas turbine) is designed to run on a gaseous fuel such as biogas and natural gas and is styled as a road-going hypercar.
The supercar also incorporates plug-in charging capability for markets where public or residential off-street parking charging networks are in place.
A first supercar development prototype based on the AT96 aviation turbine configuration has been produced by Techrules specialist vehicle engineering partners in Italy and the UK.
Initial testing began in February 2016 at the iconic Silverstone race circuit in the UK.
At the heart of the concept is a carbon-fiber monocoque to provide exceptional torsional rigidity and passenger safety. The body structure is also lightweight carbon fiber, including the dihedral doors.
The rear subframe carries the primary range extender components, including the micro turbine generator and direct ancillary systems, as well as the cooling systems for the electric traction motors and battery pack, and the rear motors and inverters.
Under the carbon-fibre body, a longitudinal T-shaped battery back runs down a central spine of the car, providing the same appearance in the passenger cabin as a transmission tunnel would in a front-engine, rear wheel drive car. The battery pack is liquid cooled to maintain an optimal operating temperature for the cells.
The battery pack comprises 2,376 individual 18650 cylindrical cells that use Lithium-Manganese-Oxide chemistry chemistry with a capacity of 20 kWh usable and with a voltage of 720 V. Thanks to its smart battery management system, the battery pack can be charged by the turbine generator in approximately 40 minutes.
The supercar concept is driven by six electric traction motors, each weighing 13 kg and each one of which is coupled to its own dedicated inverter. Each front wheel is driven by a single motor, while each rear wheel is driven by a pair of motors.
The primary advantage of using two smaller motors instead of a single larger motor for each rear wheel is packaging efficiency and simpler mounting to the monocoque, Techrules said.
This six-motor layout with independent power feeding each wheel provides an ideal configuration for torque vectoring which is managed by an electronic control unit. Four-way torque vectoring guarantees maximum cornering stability at high speed and eliminates the requirement for complex and heavy mechanical differentials.
With such power and speed available from the accelerator pedal, so is there due consideration for high performance stopping power. Rapid retardation is achieved with 405 mm ventilated discs with six-piston calipers at the front, and 380 mm ventilated discs with four-piston calipers at the rear.
Techrules is a subsidiary of Txr-S, a research and development company which has other subsidiaries operating in the fields of new materials development, biogas production and aerospace.
Techrules plans to begin series production of TREV technology in a low volume supercar of its own design within a couple of years. It then plans to begin production of higher volume city cars a few years later.
Deflection-induced PVIwhich results from a vehicle overcoming a resisting force (i.e. dissipating energy due to deformation of the pavement structure)results in wasted fuel because the dissipated energy does not contribute to the vehicles forward movement. Past studies on PVI and the three elements that impact PVItexture, roughness, and deflectionhave been empirical in approach, using actual trucks on actual pavements. This approach has ignored the pavement layer structure and material properties, and has led to high variability in the reported results.
A recent collaboration between the MITs Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) showed that phenomena associated with deflection-induced pavement-vehicle interaction (PVI) accounts for 1% of overall fuel consumption on California highways.
In contrast, the CSHub researchers employed a novel small-scale experimental approach in which a rigid steel tire rolls along a polymer pavement while they measured the horizontal force required to move the tire forward at different speeds and with different loads. This approach allowed them to look directly at the interaction between the wheel and pavement structure.
The experimental pavement system was represented as a viscoelastic beam on an elastic subgrade through a two-layered silicone elastomer pavement. The researchers gave the model pavement a range of top layer thicknesses, top layer elastic moduli, and top layer viscoelastic properties and observed the model pavements response to a moving wheel of varying loads and speeds both visually and through the resulting horizontal force resisting its motion.
Using a technique called photoelasticity, they looked inside the pavement structure and measure the PVI-induced dissipation. The team ran nearly 200 experimental configurations to investigate the scaling of the key PVI parameters with excess energy dissipation.
Among their findings were that:
The stresses created in the material are not symmetricalan indication that the wheel is moving on an uphill slope.
Dissipated energy is greatest at lower speeds and under high loads; an increase in load results in a rapid increase in dissipated energy, which increases fuel usage.
An increase in pavement stiffness minimizes the impact of deflection-induced PVI.
For the research, Caltrans provided the CSHub with a wealth of data collected using ground-penetrating radar. The data identified the roads structure, including the materials beneath the pavement, and included GPS coordinates on every crack, rut, and bump in Californias 50,000 lane-mile system.
CSHub researchers ran 40,000 to 50,000 calculations for each mile in the network and then made a ranking to determine the fastest path reduction of fuel consumption.
While a passenger car wouldnt achieve significant gas savings, road stiffness could make an enormous difference for 40-ton trucks, with up to 4 percent gas mileage savings, said MIT professor of civil and environmental engineering Franz-Josef Ulm, faculty director of CSHub, in an interview with Engineering News-Record (ENR) magazine. If we can save 2 million tons of CO 2 per year, at the aggregate level, this becomes extremely important in a low-carbon economy.
Most of the world is looking from the tires up to understand how to produce less greenhouse gas, Tom Pyle, pavement management engineer with Caltrans, told ENR. But were looking from the tires down, to the pavement, to achieve efficiencies the public never sees by significantly reducing greenhouse gases.
Pyle noted that some studies already show a 2 to 3 percent reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions in high-traffic volume locations.
The Caltrans research specifically looked at the use phase of the pavement life cycle, but CSHub research is not just focused on this phase, nor just on PVI; it looks broadly at the entire life cycle of paving and building materials. The CSHub has also conducted life cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis studies for numerous locations including Virginia, Colorado, Arizona, Florida, Missouri, and Minnesota.
In an interview, Ulm said the ultimate goal of the Caltrans research, and all CSHub research, is for decision makers, including engineers and politicians, to think of infrastructure as part of the solution in a carbon constrained environment.
The Caltrans research offers a new way of thinking of pavement management systems. Ulm said, In an environment where we deal with carbon restriction and where carbon has a price, making it part of the equationmaking it part of the cultural baggage of engineers to improve our infrastructureis the ultimate focus, this where we want this research to end up.
HARTFORD - A bill that would allow motorists to register cars while owing back taxes for the first time in 81 years is hitting a wall of opposition from legislators and others worried about towns and cities losing millions in annual revenue.
The loss would be particularly hard hitting in our inner cities where there are more renters, said State Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton. Lets face it most of us are not happy with the car tax. But we have it and towns have become dependent on it.
In an effort to reduce wait times at Department of Motor Vehicle offices, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is asking the General Assembly to eliminate a requirement dating back to the mid-1930s that back car taxes and parking tickets be paid before a car can be registered.
The legislation also delays issuing boat titles until 2019 and allows Triple A to register cars in addition to issuing drivers licenses.
Dennis Murphy, acting DMV commissioner, told the General Assemblys transportation committee at least 50,000 people annually come to a DMV office only to learn they owe back taxes. After paying those taxes, the customers return at least once more, further increasing wait times, he said.
Towns can be creative about collecting taxes, Murphy said.
But legislators and town officials said its not realistic to expect municipalities to collect car taxes without the leverage provided by the registration requirement, in part because liens cannot be placed on cars.
Estimates of annual revenue losses ranged from $1.3 million in Hartford to $17,000 in Bridgewater.
DMV has been besieged over the last year with delays, long lines and malfunctions of all types after a new $25 million computer system was installed. The problems forced some offices to close.
Long lines
Murphy said forcing DMV to enforce car tax laws is contributing to longer lines, irate customers and arguments with staff.
Two thirds of all compliance issues concern local property taxes, Murphy said. A large number of people come twice. We believe it results in 10 to 15 percent of all transactions. Maybe if someone can register their car they can get to work and pay their taxes.
Art Schaller, who owns a large car dealership in New Britain, said the bill will also eliminate a burden on dealers.
I heard from many of our customers about the long hours at DMV, Schaller said. All of our dealers experienced problems. This bill will eliminate regulation that forces DMV and dealers to become tax collectors.
Cant collect
While no one supported long lines at DMV offices, the committee heard far more testimony opposing the bill than supporting it.
We ought to find a way to do this that does not place additional burdens on our municipalities, said state Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton.
State Rep. Angel Arce, D Hartford, said the bill will cost his city $1.3 million annually in lost car taxes. The taxes are not going to get paid. The last thing we want is to not be able to collect property taxes, he said.
Litchfield First Selectman Leo Paul said his town would see a 5 percent reduction in car tax revenue, representing a $105,000 annual loss.
We cannot support eliminating the ban on registering vehicles, Paul said. We would have to raise taxes.
Patricia Strauss, Westports town clerk, noted long lines at DMV are not only caused by people learning they owe taxes.
There are many reasons why people are turned away, she said, adding lack of insurance is at the top of the list.
Betsy Gara, director of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns, added This will result in a five percent drop in local property taxes. Im surprised this is being discussed as delaying lines. Its pretty clear its not as much of a problem as they are stating.
With startups popping-up everywhere in Silicon Valley across all types of industries, founders are looking to develop a sense of community with their colleagues. These startup community organizations have developed from a desire to exchange ideas, get assistance and tap into a support system to help get through the barriers and challenges on the horizon.
Related: How Angel Investing Is Different Outside of Silicon Valley
Here are some of the top startup communities in Silicon Valley and nearby San Francisco:
1. Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs
Founded in 2007 and headquartered in San Francisco, this is a grassroots community organization that shares opportunities to share knowledge and experience. They have over 23,000 members that are invited to join in weekly events that can include pitch events, panel discussions, social mixers and co-founder matching nights.
2. Cuckoo's Nest Club
This social club offers a comfortable environment in which to socialize, share ideas, connect with colleagues and potential co-founders and pick entrepreneurs' brains about the best approach to launching and managing a startup. The club has an impressive roster of charter, founding and new members that come together in a community atmosphere for special events and networking. They also provide an atmosphere to connect with impressive investors from the valley.
3. SV Forum
Headquartered in San Jose, this community organization has developed numerous ways to create connections and offer education to all types of startup founders and business professionals throughout Silicon Valley. The organization offers events and conferences as well as forums and numerous strategic partners that provide additional resources that can be leveraged to help your startup.
4. Startup Grind Silicon Valley
This is a global network of startup founders, mentors, entrepreneurs and investors with a strong presence in Silicon Valley. This years global conference was held in Redwood City on Feb. 23 and offered an excellent opportunity to get in front of even more startup founders. The group features various speakers who share their stories and offer additional opportunities to network with local entrepreneurs.
5. Entrepreneurs Organization
This is a global entrepreneur network with an online presence as well as a physical presence through its Silicon Valley chapter. Its been around since 1987 and has thousands of members all over the world. There are numerous events and meet-ups plus online resources that help your startup. This offers opportunities for friendships and mentoring.
Related: For Tech Companies in the Bay Area, Gender Diversity Still Lags
6. VLAB
This is the Bay Area chapter of The MIT Enterprise Forum, which is a global non-profit that brings together investors, industry experts and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to assist in the growth of startups, industries and the economy. Since 1990, VLAB has been an established community in Silicon Valley with well-known Silicon Valley companies and leaders volunteering to help entrepreneurs find their way to startup success.
7. Silicon Valley American Marketing Association
Since marketing is such a critical component to a startups success, the American Marketing Association formed a chapter within the Silicon Valley to help the local entrepreneurial community with this aspect of business as well as offer networking, professional development, resources and research. The chapter is located in San Jose, but it holds events throughout Silicon Valley.
8. Black Founders
Founded in 2011 as a community organization designed to encourage black founders to create and follow through on their startups, the organization is open to all entrepreneurs as a way to encourage diversity and foster success for all types of founders. They offer events, conferences, "hackathons" and funding opportunities.
9. Startup Embassy
Started by entrepreneurs who realized it would help to have a community available to welcome new entrepreneurs to the Silicon Valley and help them get settled, Startup Embassy has been assisting other entrepreneurs since 2012. Located in Palo Alto, it is a hacker house where international tech entrepreneurs that come to Silicon Valley, can get acclimated and accustomed to a new way of life. Depending on what is needed, you can find collaboration, workspace and physical living space by joining this community.
10. SCORE Silicon Valley
This national small business community organization has a local chapter that is designed to help through consulting and classes, focusing on specific problems and issues that each entrepreneur is currently facing in their operations. Located in San Jose, this chapter of SCORE also has a library of resources on-site as well as events that encourage entrepreneurs to network and help each other.
Related: Why Venture Capital Deals Stay in Silicon Valley
All of these startup community organizations are designed to fuel innovation and the next round of disruptive products and services that are driving a sustainable national economy. The objective is to keep the idea that this country was founded on, which is that free enterprise and hard work breed success and bolster a nation.
Related:
Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Not so fast.
The debate over whether adding salt warnings to restaurant menus has been nothing if not interesting. Health officials, youll recall, want warnings next to chain-restaurant menu items that contain at least a days worth of sodium, which the FDA defines as 2,300 milligrams. The National Restaurant Association, the main industry-trade group, says the warnings will be bad for business and will lead to warning fatigue among diners. But five days ago, a state judge denied the National Restaurant Associations lawsuit to block the warnings, meaning things would proceed accordingly and the warnings would go into effect tomorrow. Now, though, theres a new twist: Today, an appeals court is giving the NRA another chance.
That means the NRA has successfully managed to stop the warnings from going into effect, at least a little longer. The court agreed to the groups request to delay the rule so that it could consider the NRAs case that the restaurants it represents will suffer irreparable harm if salt labels become mandatory. If the group can make a convincing case, it may mean the salt warnings may never take effect. That might happen. The NRA, of course, fought the city government in the past, successfully blocking Mayor Bloombergs soda ban.
[Law360]
Maslow, when hes just high on life. Photo: Yoon S. Byun/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Tim Maslow, a Momofuku Ssam Bar alum currently up for a James Beard award, may unfortunately have to add convicted felon to that list. The Boston-based chef was in Canada this weekend for a Montreal cooking festival, but on his way back Friday night, he got busted by Vermont border patrol for carrying 22.5 pounds of marijuana edibles, plus some other controlled substances. There were four other people in the car with him, but police tell the Boston Globe that Maslow immediately claimed the drugs all belonged to him and was very cooperative during the subsequent arrest. Hes been charged with four counts of felony possession (marijuana, a depressant, a stimulant, and a narcotic), pleaded not guilty, and is out on $5,000 bail. If his mugshot is any indication, the conversation he managed to have with police was probably an interesting one:
Boston-area chef Timothy Maslow is arrested at Canadian border with edible marijuana https://t.co/clnDTXcr6R pic.twitter.com/zyCZ94pMw9 The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) February 28, 2016
Maslow worked as chef de cuisine at Ssam Bar before returning to the Boston area to take over his dads sandwich shop Strip-Ts. After getting some acclaim for innovating it, he opened Ribelle, which the Globe gave four stars in 2013. Time in the pokey, or even a felony record, would complicate life, and anyone who caught Maslows Instagram meltdown after the arrest (hes since deleted the posts) would have definitely had additional cause for concern: One is a video of him burning Ribelle business cards, with the caption Last service @ribellebkline in the books. So looking forward to gutting this bitch like a pig and getting it right. In another, he sets the Globes review on fire, and its caption reads: Im done with this one too. Have your 4 stars back @bostonglobe. Give it to someone who wants it. #ripribelle.
According to Ribelles official Twitter account, the restaurant has been renamed 1665 Beacon St., which is the spots address. Anyone hungry for great food with maybe a side of drama in the Boston area will be happy to know that the restaurant, whatever its called now, still plans to serve dinner tonight:
In case you were wondering, yes we are open for dinner! See you at 6pm. Ribelle (@RibelleBKline) February 29, 2016
[Globe]
Earlier today a teaser confirmed that Oppo is getting ready to launch the Oppo R9, a possible successor to the R7 duo from last year. One thing that hasn't so far been clear is when exactly the new device will be announced.
Thankfully, that's now been revealed thanks to Oppo itself. The Chinese company has plastered a very large number of ads all over subway and bus stations in China, ads that look like this one:
The ads state that there will be an event on March 17, during which Oppo will out a handset that has "9" in the name. So that pretty much settles it.
Unlike its predecessors, the R9 is rumored to sport some very high-end specs. It should be marketed as Oppo's top camera phone, and may include support for the company's recently unveiled Super VOOC fast charging.
The Oppo R9 will allegedly have a 6-inch QHD touchscreen, a 21 MP rear camera, a 13 MP selfie snapper, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset, 3 or 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, and a 3,700 mAh battery. It should run Android 6.0 Marshmallow from day one, and could look almost identical to Apple's iPhone 6s Plus.
Source
Haiti - Politic : PHTK accuses Privert to violate the agreement
Monday, Guichard Dore, strategic advisor to the PHTK denounced in a press conference the nomination of Fritz-Alphonse Jean as Prime Minister. For PHTK Jocelerme Privert, who was President of the Senate and who assumes the provisional presidency provisional presidency "does not respect the agreement and his promises during the negotiations [...] he violates the terms of the agreement signed on February 6 between former President Michel Martelly and the presidents of both Chambers of Parliament," saying the PHTK does not recognize the Prime Minister named joining in his position, other political actors that ensure that the election of Jean Fritz was not the result of a consensus and regretted that it was installed before they go to parliament.
Guichard Dore also said that the President a.i. Privert "starts very badly and may aggravate the crisis," arguing that the PHTK will fight all the excesses of the agreement so that the latter "is the card to out the crisis," adding "we have done our part when President Martelly left office."
He also said that consultations with parliamentarians and allied parties were underway "to give an adequate response, because we will not accept that the President and the Prime Minister is of the same political tendency [Lavalas] . We want to out of the crisis and not create more crisis [...] We ask Mr. Privert to take advice by correcting the shot and by designating under the agreement of February 6, a Prime Minister of consensus for the proper functioning of country and to find a solution to the political crisis [...]"
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16745-haiti-politic-vote-of-confidence-the-pm-in-the-hunt-for-votes.html
HL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Quebec : The CPH asks Canada to not interfere in Haitian affairs
The Concertation pour Haiti (CPH) a group of organizations of the civil society and individual members of Quebec (diaspora and others) involved in the movement of solidarity with the Haitian people, reiterates its support for the Haitian population in this difficult period of transition and recovery of the electoral process.
In a note the CPH questions on the involvement of the International Community in this crisis "Is there not a need for all nations to respect the national sovereignty of a people and not to interfere in the internal affairs of a State ?" This is why the CPH is supporting the democratic process in Haiti, without external interference.
"The CPH request to the Canadian Government to refrain from interfering in the ongoing electoral process in order to let the Haitians the opportunity to see their affairs without external intervention to dictate them what to do."
HL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Security : New DG to the Central Directorate of Administrative Police
Monday in Petionville, Godson Orelus, the Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) proceeded during a ceremony attended by many executives of the institution, to the installation of the former head of the West Departmental, the Divisional Commissioner, recently promoted inspector general, Michel-Ange Gedeon, as the new Director of the Central Directorate of Administrative Police (DCPA). He takes over this position, the Inspector General Destorel Germain (45 year career) who held the post for nearly 10 years.
In his words of circumstance, Michel-Ange Gedeon thank the Director General of the PNH for the choice of him and promised to fulfill its mission with professionalism before invited the audience to observe a minute of silence in memory of officers who died in service.
He took the opportunity to seek the support of all police staff to enable the institution to effectively respond to its primary mission to protect the lives and property of the population.
HL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Petit-Goave : One fight, two versions...
On the night of Sunday, February 29 to Monday, March 1, 2016 at about 1:00 am the former deputy of Petit-Goave, Jacques Stevenson Thimoleon and a young boy, Frederic Dito have a fight in the street Lamarre during the passage of a band of "Full rasta".
Two versions of the facts...
Version of the young Dito :
Frederic Dito said Monday on the waves of the Radio Preference FM "The rara band 'Full rasta' headed for the Street Lamarre. Former Deputy Thimoleon came cordially greet us, a group of young people from the city who do not share his political position... He gave me his hand, I have categorically refused [...] I told him I do not want shake your hand because you're a criminal. You made me assaulted at your house, there a year ago. Suddenly the deputyangry, took me by the collar and I have responded, I made the same... We have jostled and brutalized under the watchful eye of security guards of the parliamentary... Finally, I was able to escape and I rushed home to the street Lamarre. Security officers of the former deputy then fired into the air."
Version of Journalists of radio Thim FM :
The version of the journalists from radio Thim FM, station of the former deputy Thimoleon which he is the CEO is very different "[...] the former deputy Jacques S. Thimoleon was nearly killed early Monday morning February 29 to the Lamarre street while he was playing in a group of 'Full Rasta' returning from Radio TV Thim. According to people who were on the scene, everything went very well, in a festive atmosphere when a young man wearing a shirt, verbally attacked Thilmoleon and suddenly stones were thrown at the crowd followed by shots. One could easily identify with gunpoint the named Dukens thus known and Fat Mitou. Thanks to the vigilance of the crowd, Mr. Thimoleon escaped unharmed.
Radio TV Thim strongly condemns this dishonest and unhealthy act exercised over its CEO and asks the police and judicial authorities to assume their responsibility in the context of this case."
HL/ HaitiLibre / Guyto Mathieu (Correspondant Petit-Goave)
Haiti - Environment : Cooperation Cuba-Haiti in the forestry sector
The Minister of the Environment, the engineer Dominique Pierre, held a working meeting with the Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Cuba, Liliana Garcia Socarras around the development and continuity of the Cuban cooperation in the sector forest with his Ministry.
During the meeting, the Minister stressed the importance of these exchanges through the Cuban experts in forestry, while four of them end their mission in Haiti.
Liliana Garcia Socarras evoked the arrival of 6 new Cuban experts who will give continuity to the bilateral cooperation in education and environmental protection.
During a brief ceremony, the Minister of the Environment welcomed the departure of 4 members of the Cuban forest brigade who worked for two years in Haiti. He commended the work of the Brigade in different parts of the country, highlighted the level of coordination and support of Cuban experts in a friendly atmosphere and expressed the gratitude of the Ministry, for their significant contribution in the development of programs for the protection and management of protected areas and reforestation in various zones of Haiti.
The four Cuban specialists expressed their satisfaction at having cooperate in this ministry and have been able to strengthen the ties of friendship and solidarity between the two countries, in addition to the work done on the ground.
The Minister Dominique Pierre added that Haiti was ready to host the next Cuban team which should arrive in the country in April.
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-14362-haiti-environment-cooperation-between-cuba-and-haiti.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-10421-haiti-environment-phase-ii-of-the-reforestation-project-of-haiti-with-cuban.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-9826-haiti-environment-signature-of-a-cooperation-agreement-in-the-forestry-sector.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8974-haiti-environment-congratulations-to-the-cuban-cooperation.html
SL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - News : Zapping politics...
A statement to fuel the crisis
Dr. Schiller Louidor, a Fanmi Lavalas party member, said on a radio station of the capital that with the arrival of Jocelerme Privert at the National Palace, there was no question of holding a second round between Jovenel Moise and Jude Celestin. Fednel Montchery, the National Coordinator of "Repon Peyizan" denounced this statement that raises serious doubts...
"Pitit Desalin" and Fanmi Lavalas require
"Pitit Dessalin" and Fanmi Lavalas require the formation of an independent commission of assessment and verification of the ballot of 25 October 2015, while the Haitian Tet Kale Party (PHTK) and the Consortium of political parties wish the formation of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) and the continuation of the process with the second round of presidential elections between candidates Jovenel Moise and Jude Celestin.
Fritz Jean unlikely to get a vote of confidence...
Jean Robert Bosse, Deputy of Aquin (OPL) (member of the majority group G48) estimates that the Prime Minister named has no chance to reach the stage of Parliament, a view shared by the deputies of the majority group in the Lower House and the Senators of the minority group in the Senate (G9) who advise the Prime Minister named Fritz-Alphonse Jean to not waste time, claiming that he has no chance to get a vote of confidence in Parliament (16 votes in the Senate and 60 in the lower chamber required).
The Deputy Bosse also vigorously denounces this nomination and installation, in violation of the agreement of 6 February and the amended Constitution. He believes detect a clear willingness of the President a.i. Jocelerme Privert "to spend time with a view to an extension of the transition and its mandate."
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16745-haiti-politic-vote-of-confidence-the-pm-in-the-hunt-for-votes.html
The Senator of Francisco de la Cruz advocates agreement in the Senate
The majority group in the Senate expressed support for the choice of the economist Fritz Jean as the new Prime Minister. Senator Francisco de la Cruz (OPL) who believes that the position of the minority group in the Senate is correct " Because it is not normal that a single political ideology wants to take everything and it must be accepted that there is a problem in the choice of the Prime Minister," he nevertheless calls upon its colleagues not to be guided by political passion and encourages them to agree to facilitate the vote of confidence of the General Policy of the Prime Minister named.
"Privert made a mistake" dixit Moise J-C...
According Moise Jean Charles leader of "Pitit Desalin" President a.i. Privert have made a mistake by launching the formation processes of Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), because according to him it is necessary firstly that the investigation of the Independent Commission allow to publish the final results of the first round of presidential elections of 25 October 2015.
HL/ HaitiLibre
Jacquie Gales Webb, an award-winning radio/television producer and gospel music announcer, has selected Indiana University's Archives of African American Music and Culture (AAAMC) as the repository for her collected papers and an array of production materials related to her career. The collection will provide an invaluable resource for scholarly research and course development on Black-oriented radio, radio documentary production, media history, African American music-including gospel and jazz-as well as broader issues on music, mass communication and culture.
On March 9, Jacquie Gales Webb will visit the IU campus to present a free public lecture in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center's Grand Hall at 4:00 p.m. The lecture will be followed by a reception honoring her distinguished career and celebrating the establishment of the Jacquie Gales Webb Collection.
An exhibit currently on display through March 11 in the Neal-Marshall's Bridgwater Lounge provides an overview of Gales Webb's career as well as the history of Black radio. As producer of the groundbreaking 1996 Smithsonian radio series, Black Radio: Telling It Like It Was, Webb was among the first to explore the history and development of Black-oriented radio through interviews with pioneering disc jockeys, producers, radio station executives and recording artists.
On March 7, a publicly accessible online multi-media exhibit celebrating Gales Webb's career will be added to the AAAMC's website (aaamc.indiana.edu). Drawing upon materials in the Jacquie Gales Webb Collection, the exhibit will include many images of her work within radio, the gospel music industry, and the Washington, DC community.
The Gales Webb Collection was also the source of many items used in the AAAMC's online multi-media exhibit, "The Golden Age of Black Radio," which debuted February 1 on the Google Cultural Institute website. Included are audio clips of interviews conducted by Gales Webb with Black radio pioneers, many available to the public for the first time. Following the format of Gales Webb's Black Radio series, the four-part exhibit traces the birth of Black-oriented radio in Chicago, the role of radio during the Civil Rights Movement, women in radio, and the role of personality deejays in "breaking the hits" and promoting Black music and artists. The AAAMC was one of 50 institutions invited to partner with Google to celebrate Black History Month by curating new online exhibits. Gales Webb has hosted the number one "Sunday Afternoon Gospel" music program in Washington, D.C. since 1990 on 96.3 WHUR. She is also a freelance arts reporter for WAMU in Washington, D.C.
Tags : Jacquie Gales Webb Jacquie Gales Webb news Jacquie Gales Webb latest
The full Federal Court has ordered the Fair Work Commission to reconsider announced an unfair dismissal appeal by a sacked Qantas pilot who groped his female colleague in a taxi after an alcohol and drug-fuelled stopover.
The long-serving pilot Steven Gregory, who tested positive to alcohol and cannabis, was dismissed by Qantas for serious misconduct after touching his colleagues breast during a weekend stopover in Santiago in 2014.
Commissioner Cambridge found Qantas had acted fairly when deciding to dismiss Gregory and a Full Bench of the FWC denied Gregory permission to appeal, saying that the Commissioner had properly considered whether his termination was harsh or unreasonable and there had been no lack of procedural fairness.
But a ruling by the full Federal Court has granted Gregory another chance to press for an appeal against his dismissal in the Fair Work Commission.
The full Federal Court said Qantas's decision to terminate Mr Gregory's employment was based on the inappropriate touching of a female co-pilot rather than the elevated levels of cannabinoids.
However, Gregory says he didnt knowingly ingest the cannabis and claimed his drink was spiked, leading to his unusual behaviour. He claimed no memory of the event and apologised to his female colleague.
The FWC had rejected Gregory's claim that his drink was spiked with cannabis as "plainly implausible" and backed the airline's decision to fire him.
Patricia Ryan from The Workplace lawyers says employers can avoid these situations by ensuring employees are aware of what conduct is expected of them.
She says that while Qantas did not appear to lack procedural fairness when approaching Gregorys termination, the airline giant could have built a stronger dismissal case if incorporating the drug test results along with the inappropriate sexual touching.
The reason given was the sexual misconduct and not because cannabis was found in a drug test, Ryan says, adding that it is reasonable for employers to take a strong stand against sexual misconduct.
However, the grounds for dismissal may have been stronger if Qantas relied on both,
When using drug tests as evidence for disciplinary action or dismissal, HR should ensure workplace policies are followed, have reasonable cause to conduct the tests and give the employee an opportunity to respond to any findings.
HR should carefully consider the appropriate outcome based on the findings, Ryan says.
She says employers can look at alternatives such as demotion or warnings before deciding to terminate employees.
In order to succeed in his unfair dismissal case, Gregory would need to show that his dismissal was unfair in that Qantas did not take into account that his drink may have been spiked (but no evidence of this) and that this led to his conduct, Ryan says.
He would also need to show that whatever the reason for the conduct, the dismissal was harsh based on his long and good service and the consequences for him.
It is possible that FWC may find it was harsh but equally that a similar conclusion to that of Commissioner Cambridge may be reached, Ryan says.
This case could go either way.
By Jesse Wood
Early voting for the March 15 primary begins on Thursday, March 3 at several locations around Watauga County and at the Avery County Board of Elections office in Avery County.
Although the voter registration deadline prior to early voting has passed, same-day registration is available at any of the one-stop voting locations.
Voters should be ready to show their acceptable photo IDs, Watauga County Board of Elections Director Matt Snyder said.
A list of acceptable IDs and other voter information is available at the state sponsored, http://voterid.nc.gov. 2016 marks the first year of North Carolinas controversial Voter ID law. However, voters who request a mail-in absentee ballot arent required to show ID, according to the State Board of Elections.
The last day to request an absentee ballot for the 2016 primary is Tuesday, March 8.
Another thing to note, especially in a county like Watauga, where unaffiliated voters outrank Republicans and Democrats on a one-on-one basis, is that if you are an unaffiliated voter, you must request a specific ballot or else precinct workers will automatically give you a non-partisan ballot, according to Snyder.
The non-partisan ballot only features the Connect NC Bond, while the partisan ballots feature races from within the Republican, Democrat or Libertarian ballots.
For more information, contact the Watauga County Board of Elections office at 828-265-8061 or the Avery County Board of Elections office at 828-733-8282.
To figure out your Election Day polling place, click here.
Early Voting Sites, Hours
AVERY COUNTY
Avery County Board of Elections Office in Courthouse, 200 Montezuma St. #307, Newland
March 3- 4 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
March 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
March 7-9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
March 10 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
March 11 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
March 12 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Early Voting Sites, Hours
WATAUGA COUNTY
Watauga County Administration Building, 814 West King St. Boone
March 3-4 from 9 a.m. 5 p.m.
March 7- 11 from 9 a.m. 5 p.m.
March 12 from 8 a.m. 1 p.m.
ASU Plemmons Student Union, Blue Ridge Ballroom, 263 Locust Street, Boone
March 3-4 from 10 a.m. 6 p.m.
March 8-11 from 10 a.m. 6 p.m.
March 12 from 8 a.m. 1 p.m.
Blowing Rock Town Hall, 1036 Main Street, Blowing Rock
March 3-4 from 10 a.m. 6 p.m.
March 8-11 from 10 a.m. 6 p.m.
March 12 from 8 a.m. 1 p.m.
Deep Gap Fire Department, 6583 Old U.S. 421 South, Deep Gap
March 3-4 from 10 a.m. 6 p.m.
March 8-11 from 10 a.m. 6 p.m.
March 12 from 8 a.m. 1 p.m.
Meat Camp Fire Department 4797 N.C. 194 North, Boone
March 3-4 from 10 a.m. 6 p.m.
March 8-11 from 10 a.m. 6 p.m.
March 12 from 8 a.m. 1 p.m.
Western Watauga Community Center 1081 Old U.S. 421, Sugar Grove
March 3-4 from 10 a.m. 6 p.m.
March 8-11 from 10 a.m. 6 p.m.
March 12 from 8 a.m. 1 p.m.
See sample ballots for Avery and Watauga counties below:
Avery County Ballots
Note that young adults that are not yet 18 years old but will be by the November election wont be allowed to vote on the bond referendum. So 17-year-old voters will see similar ballots minus the bond referendum selection.
Republican Primary Ballot
Democratic Primary Ballot
Libertarian Primary
Nonpartisan
Watauga County Ballots
Republican Ballot
Democratic Ballot
Libertarian Ballot
Nonpartisan Ballot
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We've tried [to agree on] a competitiveness pact for ten-and-a-half months. Sometimes perseverance pays off. We now have a concrete proposal on the table for the very first time, thanks to labour market organisations, he said at a news conference on Monday.
The preliminary agreement on a social contract reached by labour market confederations in the wee hours of Monday appears to create the preconditions for scrapping the competitiveness pact of the Government, gauges Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre).
Sipila also reminded that a number of questions remain unanswered and that the proposal has yet to receive the approval of the Government. The Government has set its on conditions for the competitiveness pact as well as for local bargaining. We have a couple of further questions for labour market confederations, he stated.
The Government will according to him discuss the proposal with labour market confederations on Tuesday.
The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) has similarly yet to approve the proposal, with Helsingin Sanomat reporting that SAK will not make its decision until 7 March after consulting its member organisations.
The Federation of Finnish Enterprises has already questioned the merits of the agreement by estimating that in regards to local bargaining it does not satisfy the objectives set by the Government.
Alexander Stubb (NCP), the Minister of Finance, acknowledged at the press conference that the issue of local bargaining has yet been resolved. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, he reminded.
Sipila similarly estimated that questions pertaining to local bargaining have been addressed rather vaguely in the proposal presented by labour market confederations. We want to know in more detail what has been agreed on wages and working times and how local bargaining would work in practice, he said.
The proposal, for example, fails to elaborate the extent to which wages and working times can be determined at workplaces.
The Government declared in a press release later on Monday that it will examine the results of the negotiations from the viewpoint of the objectives set forth in the government programme as well as evaluate, based on the state of the public economy, whether additional spending cuts are necessary and whether income tax concessions are viable.
It originally promised to introduce income tax concessions worth a total of one billion euros if the labour market confederations agree on measures to bring down unit labour costs by five per cent.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Antti Aimo-Koivisto Lehtikuva
Source: Uusi Suomi
Dandelion wins $100k grant to expand catering
John William Pope Foundation President John Hood praises Safelight's Dandelion Eatery, which received a $100,000 grant to expand its commercial kitchen.
Men in suits and the director of Safelight made comments during the announcement of a big grant that will help Safelights Dandelion Eatery expand its commercial kitchen.
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But the real star of the show the reason the show happened at all was invisible to the crowd of supporters that cheered the grant. A former client of the womens domestic abuse shelter wrote the application that won Safelight (formerly Mainstay) a $100,000 grant the first of its kind by the John William Pope Foundation.
The grant writer, who did not want her name used because of concerns for her family, said in an interview outside the glare of a news conference that low self-esteem had caused her to drop out of school. Always a passionate writer, she took on the assignment to write a grant proposal that described how the kitchen expansion would train more wome and make them marketable in the work force and financially independent.
I received help and its come full circle with the awarding of the grant, she said. She now works at a church office and is returning to college.
Her commitment to the mission came through in the application, said David Stover, a Pope Foundation board member.
As a board I can say that the proposal for this project was outstanding, he said. You could feel the passion come through in that proposal. The end goal that you have here is to help people help themselves. And that was another thing that really stuck, to us. If we can help people help themselves and break that cycle and be productive citizens theres nothing more beautiful than that.
Pope Foundation president John Hood praised the Dandelion for its solution-based program that hires domestic violence victims as interns and by training them as cooks and servers helps them break the cycle of dependence and abuse.
The Dandelion project is not just something that is benefiting one community but we hope a program that will inspire others to do similar things in their community, Hood said. Thats one of the things we were looking for when we created the Joy Pope Memorial grants. We need people to come to us and say this is how you should do it. Thats why we seek out organizations that know things we dont know solutions on the ground that work. This is one of them.
The two grants it awarded came from nonprofits
That was great because part of our purpose was to learn, he said. We have some ideas about how that might work but we know theres a lot we dont know, and one of the purposes of the Joy Pope Memorial Grant was to discover ideas, to support them, to nurture them and to make other people aware of them across the state.
Safelights mission to make hope real is a fitting match for the Pope Foundations mission to find and spread the word about nongovernment human services solutions that work.
That is a mission we are privileged to invest in, Hood added. This grant proposal resulted in nearly 100 proposals from around North Carolina. We chose Safelight and Dandelion Eatery to be the first recipient of the Joy Pope Memorial Grant.
Tanya Blackford, Safelights executive director, recalled that when she and board members first began talking about the Dandelion, she had to admit to doubters that she knew nothing about running a restaurant.
We were willing to invest this money for the possibility that we can change lives in the future, she said. We have watched this project change peoples lives not only the interns but in the community. It is a privilege to watch that change happen.
Utilities panel OKs Duke conversion, rejects backup
The North Carolina Utilities Commission on Monday approved Duke Energy's application to replace its Lake Julian coal plant with a new gas-fired power plant but went along with the public staff in rejecting a 186-megawatt backup unit that Duke said it might need by 2023.
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The commission issued its decision on Duke's request for a certificate of public convenience and necessity to build two 280-megawatt natural gas units to replace the 379 MW coal plant when it retires in 2020.
Under a special law the Legislature passed last year to accelerate the review, the commission had 45 days to make a decision on Dukes proposal. The commission will issue a more detailed decision at a later date.
Were disappointed in the North Carolina Utilities Commissions decision to approve Duke Energys plans for a huge new gas-fired power plant near Asheville, said Gudrun Thompson, the senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, which represented MountainTrue and Sierra Club. The environmental organizations applauded the panel's decision to reject what it described as "Dukes premature application for the third unit."
"But replacing the coal plant with an oversized, billion-dollar gas plant will lock the region into dependence on dirty fossil-fueled power for decades when the rest of the nation is transitioning to cleaner, cheaper energy resources, Thompson said.
Duke Energy officials praised the regulators' decision.
"We appreciate the North Carolina Utilities Commissions thorough consideration and decision on our Western Carolinas Modernization Project, David Fountain, Duke Energys North Carolina president, said in a news release. We are fully committed to creating a smarter and cleaner energy future for the region.
"We also have a unique opportunity to work with the community to reduce energy demand and invest in technology that will provide cleaner energy to power the growing region of Western North Carolina, he added. This project will allow us to continue to provide cost-effective, reliable power for all of our customers in North Carolina and South Carolina.
The company is working with the Asheville, Buncombe County and surrounding communities to explore solutions that will reduce energy use in the fast-growing, nine-county Duke Energy Progress-West region, which serves more than 350,000 people.
The company will closely track collective progress toward reducing daily and peak power demand and will file annual updates on the progress of the communitys efforts to reduce peak load growth.
If these efforts are successful, Duke Energy Progress will delay or cancel plans to file a future Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) application for the commercial operation of the Asheville 186-megawatt simple-cycle power plant.
Duke said it will file a future application to for a minimum of 15 megawatts of new solar generation over the next seven years after the Asheville coal units have been decommissioned and coal ash excavation is completed.
Thirteen members of an organised crime gang with Irish links - dubbed the Dead Zoo Gang - are facing jail after plotting to steal a rhino horn and Chinese artefacts worth up to 73m.
A jury convicted four of the gang's "generals", who helped to plan and oversee a string of offences, including break-ins at Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum and Durham's Oriental Museum in the UK in 2012.
John 'Kerry' O'Brien Jr (26), Richard 'Kerry' O'Brien (31), Michael Hegarty (43) and Daniel 'Turkey' O'Brien (45), were found guilty after a trial which could not be reported because of similar offences committed by travelling criminals dubbed the 'Rathkeale Rovers'.
The two-month hearing at Birmingham Crown Court was told that 10 other men had previously been convicted for their parts in the conspiracy, which included a bungled attempt to steal a rhino head from Norwich Castle Museum.
Although jurors heard that exhibits stolen in Durham and Cambridge were valued at around 21.7m, detectives believe they might have fetched up to 73m on the "booming" Chinese auction market. The gang masterminded an offence at Gorringes Auction House in East Sussex, and organised the disposal of stolen artefacts.
Eight of the men convicted after a four-year international police inquiry have family or business links to Rathkeale, Co Limerick. The latest trial was told that a computer used to make incriminating internet searches was found at a house in the town.
Other defendants from Cambridgeshire, London, Southend-on-Sea, Wolverhampton, Kent and Belfast either admitted the offences or were found guilty.
They included six members of the same Rathkeale family, travellers' rights campaigner Richard Sheridan, and Donald Wong, a London-based "fence".
Sheridan (47), Wong (56) and Richard O'Brien denied taking part in the plot between September 2011 and August 2012.
Hegarty, John O'Brien and Daniel O'Brien, all of Orchard Drive, Smithy Fen, also denied any involvement in the offences but were unanimously convicted. None of the 18 jade exhibits stolen from Fitzwilliam Museum have been recovered, but a bowl and figurine stolen in Durham were found.
One of the men convicted has been jailed and served his sentence. The other 13 offenders will be sentenced in April.
Independent Averil Power watches a recount of votes for Dublin Bay North at the RDS Photo: Damien Eagers
A recount in the "group of death" Dublin Bay North constituency will continue today and maybe even tomorrow as two other counts in the capital face court battles following the general election.
The agonising process, which began when senator Averil Power requested a recount late on Sunday night, ended with no clear resolution late last night.
Speaking shortly before the recount began yesterday, Ms Power said the recount needed to take "as long as necessary" to ensure it is fair and accurate.
Struggle
But she added that she was delighted to have got this far in what has been a highly competitive struggle for seats.
So far, only Richard Bruton has been elected to the five-seat constituency after he exceeded the quota of 12,271.
Meanwhile, PBP-AAA candidate John Lyons said he believed he would not win a seat.
"If things had fallen slightly differently, I think we would have been in with a very good chance, so it's disappointing in that respect," he said last night.
By the time the re-examination of Labour's Aodhan O Riordain votes began yesterday, it was presumed the count would continue into today.
In Dublin South Central, a legal challenge of disputed votes was not off the cards.
Catherine Ardagh (FF) was vying with AAA/PBP Brid Smith for the final seat in the constituency last night, following a recount.
Ms Ardagh called for the recount of votes after only 35 ballots separated her and Ms Smith.
"We'll have a look at the results and see how close it is and see from there," she said. "I'm not gunning to go to court, but if it's warranted I'll have to consider it."
Ms Smith, who was ahead in the race, said there were 160 disputed votes to be decided on by the returning officer.
Katherine Zappone took the final seat in Dublin South West following two days of re-checks and recounts.
"Politics is a tough game, even though I haven't been in it very long," she said.
A significant number of Fianna Fail's first-time TDs say they would be open to supporting a minority Fine Gael government in order to avoid another election.
But many of the newcomers are completely opposed to a Fine Gael-Fianna Fail 'grand coalition' and insist Enda Kenny should be replaced as Taoiseach by Micheal Martin.
In an extraordinary election result for the party, 19 of the newly-elected Fianna Fail TDs were first-time candidates.
The election also saw the return of several older faces, including ex-TDs Eamon Scanlon, Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher and John Curran, as well as Seanad members Thomas Byrne, Marc MacSharry and Darragh O'Brien.
While a number of the party's veteran politicians have ruled out entering government with Fine Gael on civil war grounds, the party's newcomers insist their opposition relates to policy and public perception.
"Civil war politics never meant anything to me," Dublin South West TD John Lahart told the Herald.
"But we need to respect the message we heard loud and clear on the doorsteps - this government has been rejected," he added.
Cork North West TD Andrias Moynihan said the public have voted for Micheal Martin as Taoiseach.
"The people have clearly voted against this outfit. It would be wrong to force them to have them back in," he said.
Meanwhile, several first-time deputies - such as Pat Casey (Wicklow), Declan Breatnach (Louth), Eugene Murphy (Roscommon), Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East) and James Lawless (Kildare North) - said they are open to supporting a minority Fine Gael government.
But all five insisted that this could only happen if a series of demands were met, including a substantial package for rural Ireland.
The Dail's youngest TD, Jack Chambers, said politicians must look to the example set in Nordic countries where government's are minority-based.
"I think fragmentation is here to stay. It would be an insult to the Irish people to go back to the polls just because what they chose doesn't suit what conventional-type politics wants."
The Fianna Fail parliamentary party is due to meet on Thursday, during which the formation of the next government is set to be discussed.
Party leader Micheal Martin has already begun phoning TDs following their election.
Mr Martin last night insisted there must be significant political reform in what is seen as his first public demand for any form of support for a Fine Gael minority government.
Garda Eoin Cox was stabbed and beaten by several men Photo: Ciara Wilkinson
The father of a garda who was beaten and stabbed as he attempted to arrest a man, yesterday said some people "have lost all respect for the gardai".
Brian Cox was speaking as his son Eoin (35) was recovering from the assault which has left him with a suspected fracture of his shoulder and concussion.
Garda Cox has been discharged from hospital but it is not known when he will be well enough to return to work at Dundrum Garda Station.
He was beaten around his head and doctors think he was also stabbed in the leg with either a knife or a screwdriver.
His family confirmed that he was attacked as he tried to arrest a man in the Hillview housing estate in Ballinteer, Co Dublin, around 6am on Sunday after gardai were investigating the theft of a car.
Chased
Gda Cox and his partner spotted the car, a Kia, and went to stop it when it stopped and the men inside ran off.
Gda Cox chased one of them into the housing estate.
The man ran up to a house and just as Gda Cox was about to handcuff him a number of men, possibly up to six, came out of a downstairs front window and attacked him.
Gda Cox was in his uniform and was clearly identifiable as a garda on duty.
"If Eoin's colleagues had not arrived so quickly and intervened we dread to think what injuries he would have sustained," his father Brian said.
Recruits
He revealed that his father, John, Eoin's grandfather, was one of the first recruits in Ireland's fledgling police force in 1922.
"I remember growing up in the garda station in Howth, and it was a different world. Then, the public had great respect for the gardai.
"Along with many parents, I was so proud when Eoin chose to become a garda, but what people don't appreciate is the danger they place themselves in every single day.
"Eoin was just doing his job - the job he is asked to do by the State - when this attack happened," he said.
"We have had enormous support from friends and from strangers since the attack."
The garda press office confirmed that two men, aged 18 and 20, were arrested and are due to appear before Dun Laoghaire District Court next month.
Nobel Prize winner, IU grad fondly remembers his time in Bloomington
Philip H. Dybvig said he loves Bloomington and thought it was a great place to be an undergraduate.
This weekend at least [beg ital]felt[end ital] like a tipping point in the Donald Trump phenomenon. Partly the feeling is attributable to Sen. Marco Rubio's demonstrated ability to draw huge crowds and substantial free media to his all-out battle against Trump.
In taunting Trump, denouncing him for failure to condemn David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan and making his own campaign into a crusade to stop Trump from absconding with the GOP, the senator from Florida helped dispel the sense of fatalism gripping many Republicans and shred the mainstream-media narrative that the race is all but over. The media -- which slavishly covered every Trump rally and afforded endless free media access -- is now aghast that Rubio would make fun of Trump's spray tan, tiny hands and business failures. Rubio, it seems, has hit a nerve and deprived liberal pundits of the certainty that Hillary Clinton will get to face in the general election a vulgar bigot.
Trump is now sputtering, backtracking and trying to defend his Trump University racket. Even Joe Scarborough, one of his most reliable apologists, has turned against him. ("It's breathtaking. That is disqualifying right there. To say you don't know about the Ku Klux Klan? You don't know about David Duke. . . . I mean, is he really so stupid that he thinks Southerners aren't offended by the Ku Klux Klan and David Duke? Is he really so ignorant of Southern voters that he thinks this is the way to their heart -- to go neutral, to play Switzerland when you're talking about the Klan?")
Moreover, the floodgates have now opened and the Trump business failures and scandals are pouring out. The Post reports today:
In the spring of 2006, the tycoon hosted a glitzy event at Trump Tower to introduce Trump Mortgage LLC, a new firm that specialized in selling residential and commercial real estate loans. He devoted a floor of the Trump Organization headquarters at 40 Wall Street to the new business. And his picture appeared atop the company website with the instruction: "Talk to My Mortgage Professionals now!"
He ignored repeated warnings about the housing bubble. And when the business failed -- no surprise -- "Trump blamed the people he hired to run the company." Then he failed again: "After Trump Mortgage closed, Trump tried again to enter the world of mortgage lending, licensing his name to a firm once known as Meridian Mortgage, which would also be known as Trump Financial for a few years going forward. It was led by an experienced New York mortgage executive, David Brecher. But, like its predecessor, Trump Financial quietly ceased operations." Like his ventures into steaks, the United States Football League, airlines, casinos and other flops, Trump moved on while employees lost jobs.
If Trump's image as a "winner" is shattered, will his fan base stick around? We will find out soon. If his image as the Midas-touch mogul is replaced with that of a privileged scion of a successful father who went from one glitzy business to another, never making good on his marketing, voters may come to suspect, just as Rubio claims, that he is a lucky con artist who cares not one whit about the little guy.
Political expectations and voting preferences do not change overnight, so Trump is still likely to do very, very well Tuesday. A funny thing happened in the expectations game, however. Trump is now expected to win everywhere and rack up an insurmountable delegate lead. If he does wind up losing in some states, his aura of invincibility may take a hit. And many pundits still do not appreciate how the campaign calendar and proportional delegate count buy Rubio and others some time.
After Super Tuesday, about 25 percent of the available delegates will have been awarded. After March 15, that number goes to about 50 percent. If the tide turns, Rubio has plenty of winner-take-all contests and delegate-rich states such as Florida (99), Illinois (69), Pennsylvania (71), California (172) and New Jersey (51). In short, even a lead of a few hundred delegates after March 1 does not lock in the nomination for Trump.
But what about history? Momentum? The normal pattern is that the consensus candidate/eventual winner emerges early on and then continues to rack up wins. But there is no "normal" in 2016. The front-runner has a vibrant but limited base of support and, for now, extremely high negatives. The field has only just shrunk from 17 or so to five, and is likely to get down to 2 or 3 in the next couple of weeks. Like all bubbles, the Trump bubble can burst as quickly as it inflated.
In short, what Rubio -- who after Super Tuesday may be the only candidate capable of stopping Trump -- needs to do is prompt a huge change in momentum. Did he start that this weekend? Maybe. What we can say is that this is the sort of shift in tactics, style and energy that one would need to accomplish that needed about-face.
Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Washington Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.
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The Supreme Court has asked Bollywood actor Karisma Kapoor and her estranged husband, businessman Sunjay Kapur, to resolve their matrimonial dispute amicably.
Stating that it would help the couple resolve their differences, a bench headed by Justice AK Sikri asked them to appear before it on March 8 for a personal hearing. It also asked their counsels to work out the terms of settlement before the next date.
Read: Karisma Kapoor files domestic violence case against husband Sunjay
The apex court is hearing a plea from Sunjay, seeking the transfer of the divorce petition from Mumbai to Delhi because the businessman was allegedly warned by underworld don Ravi Pujari against entering the city. The bench at the outset advised the couple to settle their dispute in the Supreme Court itself, instead of going back to the trial court in Mumbai. To this, the counsels for both the parties agreed to a full and final hearing in the apex court.
Karisma Kapoor and Sunjay Kapur with daughter Samaira.
Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani and Sandeep Kapoor, counsels of the Bollywood actor, alleged that Sunjay had violated certain clauses of their agreement before filing a mutual consent divorce petition in Mumbai. They said there were encumbrances on Rs 8 crore of the bonds worth Rs 14 crore that the businessman had deposited on behalf of their children, so the latter a boy and a girl could receive a monthly interest of Rs 10 lakh for their upkeep.
The counsels submitted that Karisma had apprehensions about Sunjay keeping his promise to pay the maintenance money, considering that more than half of the deposit was in the form of bonds that could fluctuate with the share market.
Responding to this, Sunjays counsel Aman Hingorani said that his client was willing to pay the children Rs 10 lakh every month. We dont mind giving the amount. Even this amount of Rs 14 crore can go to the kids upon its maturity. But then, she has to assure access to the children, he told the bench, which later heard the counsels in the chambers.
A matrimonial dispute filed by the couple is still pending before a court in Bandra, Mumbai.
Karisma and her husband had initially moved a mutual consent divorce petition before the court in 2014. The consent was later withdrawn after differences cropped up between the two over the financial settlement as well as the childrens custody. Sunjay filed a fresh petition to seek judicial separation in December last.
Read: We are Kapoors, we dont need anybodys money, says Randhir
According to the petition filed by counsels Aman and Priya Hingorani, the businessman had gone to Mumbai for attending a court hearing on January 18 when his secretary received two threat calls. The caller, who identified himself as Pujari, threatened to shoot Sunjay if he returned to the city on February 2 the next date of the hearing. A police complaint was filed, and the number was verified as the underworld dons.
The couple had tied the knot in 2003, but the marriage turned sour soon after. The actor moved out of Sunjays house and shifted base to Mumbai in 2010. Four years later, the two decided to end their 12-year-old marriage.
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There are millions of Shah Rukh Khans fans who want to look like him but the superstar himself used to believe he looked like Kumar Gaurav. While unveiling the trailer of his upcoming film, Fan, SRK said that before he joined the filmdom, he felt he looked like Bollywood actor Kumar Gaurav but at a later stage thought his looks matched that of Hollywood veteran Al Pacinos.
In his upcoming film Fan, Khan will be seen playing two roles, one of a superstar Aryan Khanna and his fan Gaurav, who comes across as his lookalike. Initially I used to feel I look like Kumar Gaurav (son of Rajendra Kumar)... He was the first star I wanted to meet. I was happy that I looked like someone good like him (Kumar Gaurav). Then after some point, I felt I looked like Al Pacino, Khan said.
Read: Shah Rukhs back with dark, edgy Fan
Now at the age of 50, I feel I look like my father. I am hopeful a time will come when I would feel I look like myself, he said.
Shah Rukh Khan goes a long way from his loverboy image for Fan. Check out the poster.
After the launch of the trailer, appreciation poured in from Fans and Bollywood alike. A special recommendation came from friend Salman Khan who called himself a fan of Shah Rukh and tweeted the trailer of the film.
Fan is the story of Gaurav, a young man whose world revolves around superstar Aryan Khanna or God as he refers to him. From the bylanes of Delhi, young Gaurav embarks on a journey to the city of dreams, Mumbai, in order to wish his God on his birthday. But when things dont go according to plan, Gauravs love and passion for the superstar turns in to a dangerous obsession.
When asked about playing a psychotic obsessive role like Darr again in Fan, SRK said, No not really...the role (of Gaurav) is different from what one saw me doing in Darr, Baazigar. These are anti-hero. In this film, he is not a psychotic lover. Its the story of a young boy and his love for a superstar, he said.
And we're not done yet! @iamsrk lives up to this FANtastic moment and interacts with his beloved FANs! pic.twitter.com/1PL0PBkAlj FAN (@FanTheFilm) February 29, 2016
The Chak De India star feels it is not right on his part to dictate or tell his fans how they should be. A fan should be however he pleases. I dont think of people as fans I think of them as admirers. I cant tell anyone how to love or admire. Yes it does get out of hand sometimes, but I cant tell how a fan should be.
Talking about his earlier days, Khan said, I came by train for the first time when I came to Mumbai. The train would turn into a local after entering Mumbai which I was not aware of. So I did not let a few people sit on my berth saying that it is mine, I paid for it. I did offer it to a lady though saying that you can sit but not the men with you. She slapped me real hard saying try that it isnt yours, it is everybodys.
Faced with huge uproar over the proposed tax on 60% withdrawal of your EPF, NPS and other pension funds, the government today issued a clarification and a minor roll back of the proposal.
But are you still confused and lost in jargon? Heres a quick guide to the tax impact on your investments:
What is this tax: This is tax under section 10 of the Income Tax Act.
As it stands now: With the clarification only interest accrued on 60% of pension funds will be taxed during withdrawal.
ETE: Your EPF and NPS now comes under ETE. It means that the investments made into the scheme are tax free. The interest on 60% of your accumulated money is taxable. However, your corpus is tax free.
Tax is prospective: This tax is applicable only from April 1, 2016. And on deposits made after April 1, 2016.
Employee Provident Fund & National Pension Scheme: Interest accrued on 60% of the corpus will be taxed during withdrawal. But the tax is applicable only on deposits made after April 1, 2016.
Other government approved pension funds: Your investments in government approves pension funds will also come under the new measure.
Employer managed pension funds: This will also come under the new tax.
Superannuation funds managed by employers: This will be subject to the new tax.
PPF: Public Provident Fund and other small savings schemes remain tax free.
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The Maharashtra government on Tuesday sealed the Sahara Group-owned Aamby Valley Resort for non-payment of dues worth Rs 4.82 crore, television channels reported.
The Lonavala-based property was sealed by the Mulshi Taluka Tahsildar for failing to pay the non-agricultural tax.
The Sahara conglomerate has been funnelling cash from small savers to fund the luxury resort south of Mumbai, according to documents Reuters reviewed recently.
Sahara has ploughed at least Rs 1,500 crore from two of its credit cooperatives into the Aamby Valley resort project through investments in preference shares, according to documents filed with the companies regulator, as some investors in its credit cooperatives complained of having struggled to get Sahara to pay out their matured time deposits even for sums as low as Rs 30,000.
Read: Sahara funnels cash from small savers to keep Aamby Valley afloat
Sahara has been struggling financially since the Supreme Court ordered it in 2014 to repay investors in a 2008-11 Sahara time deposit plan that it declared was illegal. Founder Subrata Roy has been in jail for the past 22 months for not complying with the Courts order.
Sahara said in a statement to Reuters the Aamby Valley project was valued at about Rs 1,00,000 crore, citing a 2014 report of property consultant Knight Franks India unit.
Markets regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which had asked the Supreme Court to order Sahara to repay investors, has pegged its value at about Rs 40,500 crore.
The high valuation claim of Sahara contrasts with the flagging financial profile of the project: Aamby Valley posted an after-tax profit of Rs 9 crore in the year ended March 2013.
Elections in Iran offer the world a window to the workings of the countrys unique brand of democracy and can be used to gauge the pace and depth of change in the Islamic republic.
The initial analysis of the elections held on Friday, to the 88-member Assembly of Experts and the 290-member National Consultative Assembly or parliament, show the moderates gaining the upper hand over the hardliners.
The polls are significant for two reasons: First, it is the Assembly of Experts who will choose the next Supreme Leader in the event of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei passing away. Second, the polls are being seen as a referendum on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the Iran nuclear deal, signed in July.
The fact that moderates have done better than hardliners in many places, especially in Tehran and other urban centres, is a sign that President Hassan Rouhanis push for economic reforms and better ties with the West has been appreciated by the middle class.
Read | Reaction against radicals: Rouhani secures a moderate Iran parliament
Like elections anywhere in the world there were many issues that dictated the course of the campaign and decided its outcome. The economy, jobs and the environment were among the topics discussed, but the JCPOA (signed by Iran and P5+1 nations) was the topic most hotly debated.
It would be a mistake to see the election as a dichotomous fight between moderates and hardliners: This battle was more a contest between groups backing the nuclear deal, under Mr Rouhanis leadership, and those who opposed it.
Not all hardliners oppose the deal and not all moderates support it, but a win for the moderates was seen as important to keep the deal on track. Western observers, in particular, have spun the narrative that the JCPOA cannot be entrusted to a Tehran run by hardliners.
Read | Iran President Rouhanis allies lead elections after Tehran rout
A win for the moderates strengthens Mr Rouhanis hand at world forums where stability in West Asia and the future of Syria are discussed. In turn, he will be expected to help bring peace and stability to the region. Domestically, his challenge lies in how he positions the economy to gain from the lifting of sanctions.
A debate underway in Iran is about the supervisory roles of the Assembly of Experts with respect to the Supreme Leader. While moderates like Mr Rouhani and former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani want more supervision, conservatives like the head of the judicial system, Sadeq Ardeshir Amoli Larijani, are against giving such powers to the assembly.
Some observers are of the view that with these powers the assembly would be authoritarian and power would be in the hands of a select few who are not accountable.
Democracy in Iran is very different to that practised in the West, but such debates show that far from being a rigid theocracy there are checks and balances that make Iran a bright spot in the general gloom that covers much of West Asia today.
One mans fiscal problem is another mans lifeline. Economists may love shooting down subsidies because they bloat the fiscal deficit and burden the government but the fact is that a one-billion-strong nation, in which nearly one in three lives below the poverty line, needs an efficient social security method. The governments proposal to partially tax provident fund (PF) withdrawals from the next financial year needs to be seen through this prism.
The big change in the Budget announcement was that the National Pension System (NPS), which was taxable on maturity, has now been made partially tax-exempt, and the employees provident fund (EPF) and superannuation funds, which were tax-free on maturity, are now partially taxable.
The EPF corpus consists of employers contribution, employees contribution and interest on both. Until now, the EPF has enjoyed an EEE (exempt-exempt-exempt) status of tax treatment, which meant that the maturity proceeds after five years were tax-free. But this is not the case any more.
Some analysts have the hailed the measure as a smart move to nudge people into switching to the mark-to-market-based NPS system. In the accounting world mark-to-market represents the price or value of a security, portfolio or account to reflect its current market value rather than its book value.
The argument is that over the longer term, subscribers will reap substantial gains by switching to a market-based pension system. The other argument in favour of a long-term annuity scheme such as NPS is that pension products are long-term schemes. India needs resources to fund its infrastructure needs to build highways, ports, airports and railways. Creating a well-developed and regulated pensions market can ensure that thrifty Indians help bridge the cash deficit for Indias infrastructure sector. Frugal households could well turn out to be the primary financiers of these mammoth projects.
Indeed, the same arguments can be applied to EPF as well, begging the question as to what prompted the government to make Indias largest workers welfare scheme that bit more taxing rather than marking it to the market.
Most mature economies have highly developed and efficient social security systems. Thats not quite the case with India where an organised pension market is, at best, fledgling. Pensions do need a leg up. But should it come at the cost of provident funds? Both should co-exist and flourish together. Only then can Indias savings rate reach 40% of GDP in the next few years and potentially be sustained at high levels for well over a decade primarily by armies of young people entering the workforce.
Its make or break time for thousands of students across India appearing for the Class 12 board examinations of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which began on Tuesday with English for core as well as elective papers. A total of 10,67,900 students will appear for these exams, which end on April 22.
While some students were seen offering prayers at local temples before going inside the examination hall, their teachers and principals wished them good luck, and even helped them clear last-minute doubts. Many students were seen revising their notes and discussing important questions with friends moments before the exam began.
In Jaipur, students were seen revising notes from textbooks and discussing important questions with friends moments before the commencement of Class 12 examination.
A total of 1,24,304 students appeared for the first paper (English elective) of the Class 12 boards in 476 examination centers across the state. Many parents, who had come with their wards to the centre, were seen patiently waiting for the examination to begin.
Read more: Stay focused ahead of board exams: Modi, Sachin, Anand tell students
Class 12 board is obviously a big examination for my entire family and not just my son. Its a stepping stone for his career. I dont want him to feel alone and paranoid at the exam centre that is why I have decided to accompany him today, said Veerendra Singh Hada, a parent accompanying his child.
Students were seen discussing questions from the last few years question papers of the English paper. Majority of students seemed quite relaxed before the exams commencement.
Peace of mind is the most crucial aspect of board exams. Since, the first paper is English so there is no need to mug up the syllabus and come to the centre. What matters is how fresh our mind and how prepared we are with the syllabus. Stress occurs only when we appear in an exam with half baked knowledge, said Rajat Pareek, an applicant.
The entry of students inside the centers was monitored by the CBSE officials as no applicants was allowed without his/her admit card. Students were only asked to carry a pen to the centre.
Read more | Boards 2016: Not worried, say CBSE Class 10, 12 examinees
There is no point putting pressure on our children before the exam as it will only ruin things further. Our childrens school teachers have been very helpful as they have been conducting pre board mock exams to give them an idea of the boards, said Srilekha Gupta.
In Lucknow, school teachers and principals wished good luck to CBSE Class 12 examines by applying tilak and offering sweets as they walked inside the examination hall to write English paper.
As the students were a touch nervous, teachers helped and guided the examinees to locate their examination centre. Rani Laxmibai Senior Secondary School was the biggest exam centre where students of many schools took exam.
With prayers on their lips and kicking the last minute nervousness, more than 12,400 class 12 CBSE examines entered the examination hall. Ishita and Harshita both from City International School said they are confident of doing well in the examination as they have prepared well throughout the year.
Sparsh Tamta, a Class 12 boy of Central Academy was unlucky. He fractured his right hand a day before the examination as he slipped from stairs. The school provided him with a writer Amisha Katiyar of class 11. Im little unlucky as I will not be able to write my own paper, he said. A total of 12,407 students will write the Class 12 CBSE exams in Lucknow.
Teachers and experts say students should not treat these exams as a make or break situation and remain stress-free. Students should treat it as any other examination. This is not the first exam a student takes and neither will it be the last. Students should remain stress free and focus on what they have studied till now, Ameeta Mulla Wattal, principal of Springdales School, Pusa Road, said.
Teachers advised students to manage time judiciously while appearing in the exam and not to leave any question unanswered.
Students should first read the paper thoroughly. Students should not spend too much time on one question. Under no circumstance should they leave any question unanswered, Ashok Pandey, chairman of National Progressive Schools Conference, said.
Our English question paper was easy but lengthy was the reaction of majority of Class 12 students who appeared for the first exam of CBSE boards 2016 on Tuesday. About 25 lakh students have registered for the Class 10 and Class 12 CBSE board exams this year. In Class 12 boards as many as 10,67,900 students have registered with 2,70,835 students from Delhi region alone.
Delhi
The first day saw students appearing for the English core as well as elective paper. The exam began at 10.30 am and ended at 1.30 pm. There are 691 exam centres in Delhi region.
It was a very balanced paper and wasnt tough at all. Like all English papers it was lengthy, but who ever managed time well would have done well, said Solani Sukul, a student of Bloom Public School.
This years English paper was perhaps the easiest compared to the last five years as both language and literature portions were such that scoring above 80 is almost assured, said Firoz Bakht Ahmed, who teaches English at Modern School Barakhamba.
Jaipur
There were mixed reactions from students who appeared in the English elective paper in Jaipur on Tuesday. The paper was not at all tough as there were balanced set of questions from all the portions of the syllabus. Anyone who has prepared the syllabus thoroughly wont find it difficult, said Priya Mathur, a student of Maharani Gayatri Devi School.
Many students, however, found the paper to be lengthy and did not seem satisfied with the allotted time. The question paper was extremely lengthy and I couldnt get sufficient time to answer all the questions. I could only answer 80 marks question. I think the examiners should keep the allotted time in mind while framing the question, said another student Vagyashree.
A total of 124,304 students appeared for the first paper of CBSE 12 boards in 476 examination centers across Rajasthan. In the morning, parents were seen accompanying their wards to the centers. The entry of students inside the center was closely monitored by CBSE officials. No examinee was allowed without his/her admit card and they were asked to only carry a pen.
A student walking to enter her board exam centre at Saint Soldier School in Jaipur. (Prabhakar Sharma/HT photo)
Lucknow
Ishita and Harshita both from Lucknows City International School said that the paper was awesome. Since we did a lot writing practice we were able to finish the paper in the nick of time, the duo said.
Children said the paper was awesome. They attempted all the questions. Even if few found it a touch lengthy yet they were able to attempt all the questions, said Sunita Gandhi director of City International School.
Earlier before the start of the paper she had a quick word with examinees to make them feel relaxed. Teachers told students to read the question paper carefully. Many of the teachers were seen applying tilak and wished good luck to their students as they walked inside exam hall with confidence.
Rani Laxmibai Senior Secondary School was the biggest exam centre where students of many schools took exam. With prayers on their lips and kicking the last minute nervousness, more than 12,400 class 12 CBSE examinees took the exam in the Uttar Pradesh capital.
Class 12 English paper was lengthy but awesome: Lucknow students
Kolkata
In Kolkata, the first day of CBSE Class 12 and Class 10 board exams went without much problems. I was nervous as I do not like English but after reading the question paper I was comfortable and the paper went on well, said Sneha Chatterjee, a student of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy after taking her Class 12 English core exam.
For Rupam Banerjee, reaching the exam hall became a challenge. We stay at Behala. Because of ongoing metro rail construction the area is prone to traffic snarls. But on Tuesday, I almost had a panic attack when the traffic refused to move for over 15 minutes. Luckily, we made it to the exam centre on time, said Kalpana Banerjee, mother of Rupam, who is taking the Class 12 board exams from Birla High School for Boys.
Ranchi
Shruti Arya, a class 12 student of Arts discipline in Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Ranchi said, The paper was easy and many of us are expecting a 90-above in the paper. It covered all portions of the syllabusnothing was left out. Anybody who had thoroughly studied the entire syllabus can score a 90 plus.
Rohit Verma, a class 12 student of DPS Ranchi said, The paper was not difficult. The grammar and reading portions were relatively easier than the literature part.
Read more | MP: Board exams begin, schools distribute sweets to help students relax
Bhopal
Bhopals Class 12 student Sarvagya Pathak of St Josephs Co-ed School said, The paper was a lengthy one but at the same time I found it easy. There was not a single question which I found complicated. I can hope for good marks in the exam.
Read more | CBSE board exams begin, teachers, principals wish good luck to students
Infrastructure and development projects, including the transfer of five colonies to the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG), are in limbo as government officials are busy with the Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit 2016.
Gurgaon will host Haryanas first global investors meet on March 7 and 8.
Two urgent meetings that were to be held with deputy commissioner TL Satyaparakash, who is also the acting commissioner of the MCG, to plan the transfer of private colonies were postponed.
Considering the importance of Happening Haryana, the scheduled meeting of taking over private licensed colonies in Gurgaon by MCG has been postponed to Monday i.e, 29.02.2016 at 3pm,Satyaprakashs letter to MCG and Huda officials, and DLF Universal Ltd, Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Ltd said. The meeting was scheduled for February 26.
On Monday, Satyaprakash told officials that the meeting was rescheduled again to Wednesday as the superintending engineers of the MCG were not free.
But, sources said the meeting is unlikely to take place as civic officials concerned might not be available on Wednesday either.
On February 8, the Haryana government approved the transfer of five private colonies DLF phases 1 to 3, Palam Vihar and Sushant Lok Phase 1 to the MCG. The private developers had to file a compliance report in this regard by March 8, an order by the department of town and country planning said.
Similarly, other projects delayed are free Wi-Fi on MG Road, Sadar Bazaar, Sector 29 and Sirhaul village. The service was to be inaugurated on February 15. But, the date was postponed indefinitely.
Less than three weeks after the inception of Green Raahgiri, an MCG initiative to increase tree cover and to beautify Gurgaon, the project was deferred.
Last month, the civic body sent a report to the Haryana government, listing the companies to be roped in for reviving Gurgaons sole solid waste management plant at Bandhwari. The plant, off the Gurgaon-Faridabad expressway, is defunct for the last three years.
According to MCG officials, 10 companies were selected through a tender process. Despite receiving approval from the directorate of urban local bodies, the task was not taken forward as officials were occupied with the global investors summit.
Christophe Novou, a 47-year-old Frenchman who had suffered a crippling accident, was told that his leg might have to be amputated at the hip given his persistent bacterial infection. He thought it would be better to die than be wheelchair bound. Till an article caught his eye about a clinic in Georgia which followed an obscure treatment for hard-to-treat infections using live virus. Its called Phage Therapy. Within hours, he was on a plane to Tblisi.
Without it, I wouldnt be here, said Novou on the sidelines of a conference in Paris about the mostly forgotten therapy, which remains marginal outside a few former Soviet bloc countries.
Read: India has one of the highest global rates of antibiotic resistance
The treatment harnesses viruses called phages to attack and kill dangerous bacteria, including superbugs which have become progressively resistant to antibiotics.
In Novous case, it was Staphylococcus, a common bacteria which can cause anything from a simple boil to horrible flesh-eating infections.
Mostly ignored up to now by mainstream medicine, the alternative treatment has started to gain adherents over the last 15 years, especially in France, Belgium and the United States.
The renewed interest is partly driven by a problem which the World Health Organization (WHO) recently described as a global health crisis: the dramatic rise of antibiotic-resistant strains of deadly pathogens.
Read: Alarming! The growing resistance to antibiotics
WHO chief Margaret Chan warned last November of a post-antibiotic era in which common infections will become killers once more.
Show us the money
Phage therapy is especially effective for infections that affect bones and articulation, but can also be used for urinary, pulmonary and eye infections, said Alain Dublanchet, a doctor at the forefront of the movement to resurrect the treatment in France.
Discovered during World War I and developed during the 1920s and 1930s, it has few undesirable side-effects.
Dublanchet, now retired, claims to have cured at least 15 patients of infections they contracted mainly after road accidents, and for whom antibiotics did not work.
WHO has warned of a post-antibiotic era in which common infections will become killers once more. (Shutterstock)
Treatment usually lasts a few weeks, and is generally far less expensive than last-resort antibiotics which can cost tens of thousands of dollars or euros.
Pharmaceutical companies have shown little interest in phage therapy, in large part because viruses cannot be patented, according to participants at the Paris conference.
The laboratories have turned their back on this because the return on investment is just too small, said Jean Carlet, an expert on infectious diseases and a consultant for the WHO.
Read: Seasonal flu is stoppable, heres how
A few startups have invested in phage therapy, which the European Union classified as a medicine in 2011.
But the cycle of drug trials can easily take a decade, so these are long-term -- and perhaps long-shot -- investments.
To date no virus used in phage therapy has been approved as a treatment. It will take years and a lot of money, said Jean-Paul Pirnay, a doctor at the Reine Astrid military hospital in Brussels, one of few actively researching the technique outside the ex-Soviet bloc.
Because phage therapy is not recognised in France, Dublanchet and other practitioners -- working in a grey zone -- often wind up going to eastern Europe to procure the viruses.
In the United States, the only phages on the market are used in the anti-bacterial treatment of food products.
The EU has launched a clinical trial called Phagoburn to test the effectiveness of virus-based treatments on victims of severe burns. Half of a group of 220 participants are to be treated with established techniques, and the other half with phage therapy.
Temporary authorisation for phage therapy may be granted in France if the products are of sufficient quality and there is a presumption of efficacy, said Caroline Semaille, a spokeswoman for ANSM, the French government agency that monitors drug approval and use.
Novou spent 8,000 euros ($8,700) on going to Tbilisi in 2013 for his treatment, but has no regrets.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other French people with similar problems have done the same, said Dublanchet, and most come back in better shape.
Its not a matter of replacing antibiotics with phage therapy, he said. They should be complimentary.
Dublanchet also warned of the possible spread of therapeutic viruses into the environment, saying medical use should be strictly monitored.
George Millers dystopian action film Mad Max: Fury Road, which won six Oscars at the 88th Academy Awards, is all set to re-release in India on March 11.
Warner Bros has decided to release the film in 3D & IMAX 3D. Fury Road, one of the most reviewed films of 2015, won maximum trophies at the Oscars on Sunday where it was honoured for Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.
Read: Mad Max review: Bold and bizarre, this film is pulse-pounding fun
Set in the post-apocalyptic world, the film revolves around a female warrior (Charlize Theron) who decides to rebel against the warlord to rescue his five wives.
Read: Full list of Oscar 2016 winners: From Spotlight to Leonardo DiCaprio
She is helped in her mission by films titular hero, Max Rockatansky, played by Tom Hardy.
Watch the trailer here
Follow @htshowbiz for more
After making it big in Hollywood with the television series Quantico and charming all at the Oscars, Bollywoods desi girl Priyanka Chopra has begun phase two of her Hollywood adventure. The actor has started shooting for Baywatch, which also stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.
The 33-year-old actor recently took to her Instagram page to share the first day shooting pic, captioning it as, Everything u need on a beach.. And day 1 on set! Amazing! Everyone is so great! Yay team #Baywatch.
Everything u need on a beach.. And day 1 on set! Amazing! Everyone is so great! Yay team #Baywatch A photo posted by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on Feb 29, 2016 at 10:39pm PST
Shortly after Oscars 2016 ended, Priyanka headed back to Miami to start shooting for Baywatch.
Read: Priyanka Chopras Baywatch has a release date, and it is...
Notably, she made her Oscar debut, stunning the 88th Academy Awards red carpet in a white Zuhair Murad strapless gown and looked ravishing in a structured cage bustier mermaid dress in white silk tulle adorn with 3D shimmering climbing flowers.
Read: The big day is here: Look how Priyanka Chopra is prepping for Oscars
The upcoming flick also stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron in key roles and the Mary Kom star will be seen in a negative role in director Seth Gordons film.
Follow @htshowbiz for more
The Vatican newspaper praised Oscar-winning film Spotlight on Monday as having given voice to the profound pain of the faithful over the reality of clerical sex abuse, and insisted its not an anti-Catholic film. LOsservatore Romano dedicated two articles in its afternoon editions to the Academy Awards and the Best Picture won by Spotlight, about the Boston Globes 2002 expose of the hundreds of Boston children who were raped and molested by Catholic priests and the churchs systematic cover-up of the crimes.
Read: Spotlight is a compelling film all Indians must watch
Read the investigative series that led to the Oscar-winning movie "Spotlight": https://t.co/92yWaoKNuQ The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) March 1, 2016
LOsservatore quoted producer Michael Sugars acceptance speech- Pope Francis, its time to protect the children and restore the faith - saying even his appeal was positive. It means theres still faith in the institution, theres faith in a pope who is continuing the clean-up started by his predecessor as cardinal. And theres still trust in a faith that has at its heart the defence of victims and the protection of innocents, said the piece by Lucetta Scaraffia, one of LOsservatores main columnists and the editor of its monthly edition on womens issues.
Read: Spotlight wins Best Picture Oscar, trumps Revenant
She said the film wasnt anti-Catholic because it manages to give voice to the shock and profound pain of the faithful when confronted with discovery of this horrible reality. Vatican Radio, which gave the film an enthusiastically positive review in October when it screened at the Venice Film Festival, also praised Spotlight in its Oscar wrap as a rigorous and authentic reconstruction, and cited Sugars appeal.
The cast of Spotlight: Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schrieber and Brian dArcy James.
The reaction marks a dramatic turnabout by the Vatican from a decade ago and even as recently as 2010, when the last convulsion of the long-running scandal flared as thousands of new victims came forward in Europe, Latin America and beyond. Then, the Vatican paper of record was a vehicle for ringing defences of how the Holy See had responded and criticism for the unjust attacks being hurled against its pope.
Vatican praise for Spotlight reflects the generally positive reviews the film has had in Catholic circles: Just a few weeks ago, it was screened in the Vatican for members of Francis sex abuse advisory commission. And the Rev. Tim Kesicki, president of the Jesuit Conference in the US, said he had recently invited his staff to see it at a Washington theatre. He said they left feeling both moved and devastated.
We were moved by the courage of those survivors who came forward and shared their truth, and we were devastated by the size and scope of the suffering, Kesicki told the AP in an email. It is a painful story that has to be told.
The Oscar was handed out just hours after one of the most senior officials in the Vatican, Australian Cardinal George Pell, testified before Australias Royal Commission, which is investigating the scope of the abuse scandal there. The public hearing is evidence that more than a decade after the churchs cover-up was exposed, some level of accountability is beginning to take hold.
In the eye of a raging political storm in Parliament over his allegedly inflammatory speech, junior HRD minister Ram Shankar Katheria said on Tuesday he did not name any community. But another BJP MP Babu Lal, faced with similar charges, remained unapologetic and said Hindus could not watch silently when they were being targeted.
What has been published in one of the newspapers is false. I had not taken the name of any community. I had said that the culprits, who had murdered the VHP leader, should be given death sentence. I had also said that the Hindu community should unite for their safety. I will send a notice to the newspaper, Katheria, minister of state for human resource development, said.
Katheria, along with BJP MP from Fatehpur Sikri Babu Lal, had on Sunday attended a condolence meeting held for VHP leader Arun Mahaur, who was allegedly killed by some youths from another community in Agra on Thursday.
At the meeting, Katheria reportedly said, This conspiracy that is being hatched against the Hindu community, we have to be alert to recognise it and strengthen ourselves. We will have to fight it because if we do not do it now, today we have lost one Arun, tomorrow it could be another Arun... the killers should also go, we have to set such an example.
Addressing the same gathering, Babu Lal said, If the Muslims have something in their mind, then draw a line and you will see the strength of the Hindu community.
Tell me if we dont take revenge, should we worship them instead? Is the community only meant to worship others while the other communities come and shoot us down, was the MPs defence on Tuesday.
Opposition parties reacted sharply to the remarks by BJP leaders with leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge alleging the BJP and the RSS had plans to divide the country. In the Rajya Sabha, deputy leader of the Congress Anand Sharma had given an adjournment motion even as Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav urged the PM to sack the minister.
They speak whenever elections are nearing polls. They talk about dividing the country and not uniting. If they continue to speak like this, there will be repercussions across the country. Today we are raising this issue because Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh are silent on this issue, Kharge said.
Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, said he was not surprised by the ministers remarks. But the BJP said the matter should end following the clarification by the minister.
Katheria has made it clear in his statement that he has said nothing wrong. And after this clarification, there is nothing to comment on, BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said.
A senior Air India pilot, who came to work drunk, has been banned from flying for three months by the countrys aviation safety regulator.
The commander-rank pilot was scheduled to operate a Boeing 777 aircraft from Delhi to Hyderabad, said sources in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), when he failed the preflight alcohol test.
According to the DGCAs rule book on flight crew caught drunk on duty the pilot would not be allowed to operate flights for at least three months. The regulator is also in the process of scanning his records to check any similar offences earlier.
If the pilot is a repeat offender the licence would be cancelled for three years, said a senior DGCA official, requesting anonymity.
The official added that the pilot might also lose his check pilot status.
Check pilots are among the senior-most in an airline who are authorised by the DGCA to double up as in-house watchdogs and conduct routine safety checks for other pilots.
The Air India spokesperson did not respond to the HTs call and a query sent over email on the matter.
Sources in the regulators office added that the amount of alcohol found in the pilots blood in this case was by far the highest they had recorded in the recent past. The breathalyzer readings showed 0.16, said officials.
The readings indicate that the pilot could have had four to five drinks within 12 hours ahead of the flight, the DGCA official added.
This was not a stray case. On January 1, this year a Boeing commander and a first officer with a private airline were grounded for three months for the same offence, officials added.
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Candidates appearing in army recruitment examination in Bihars Muzaffarpur District were asked to sit in their underwear to prevent cheating.
Around 1150 candidates had appeared for the exam on Sunday when they were ordered to take off their clothes and sit in only underwear in an open ground.
The examination was being conducted for the recruitment of clerks in the army.
Read more: The kids are not all right: Going beyond the Bihar paper cheats
According to a report in the Indian Express, candidates were asked to remove their clothes to save time on frisking so many people.
The director of the army recruitment board defending the outrageous order by saying, We earlier had a bad experience while conducting exams. This has been done to avoid cheating.
Last year, photographs of the mass cheating in Bihar parents climbing the wall of a school building trying to pass on chits to their wards in the exam hall grabbed eyeballs because of the spectacle it was.
Read more: Caught cheating in exam, Jamshedpur college girl jumps off building
But the reactions it elicited were mostly pretentious all this happens only in Bihar or What kind of parents are these They want their wards to cheat? or, lastly, What will these kids grow up to?
Large scale cheating was also reported in Madhya Pradeshs Bhind town only a few days before the Bihar incident. There too relatives of candidates gathered at examination centres to help them submit a perfect answer-script.
A detailed story by the Los Angeles Times, documents how, in states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal cheating in school exams is a very common phenomenon. The report showcases practices of writing formula on classroom walls, teachers being bribed to allow copying in exams, students breaking CCTV cameras to avoid being caught on camera cheating, and even parents tossing chits wrapped around small stones through windows into the exam halls.
With inputs from Agencies
The Maharashtra government has told the Supreme Court that close circuit television cameras would check obscenity and ensure the personal safety of the dance bar girls, while maintaining that as restaurants are public places, installation of CCTV cameras would not violate anyones right to privacy.
The state on Monday refused to do away with conditions for granting licenses to dance bars across the state like providing live CCTV feed of performances to police, five days after the top court had called the Devendra Fadnavis governments move as absurd and asked it to review it.
It needs to be seen that from the point of view of the security and law and order situation, it is necessary to install CCTV cameras in the dance bars. Because of the CCTV cameras, personal safety of the dance bar girls/artists can be secured in case of any untoward incident by quick response by the police machinery, read the states reply to the courts advice.
A bench headed by justice Dipak Misra had, on the last hearing, questioned the condition saying it not only impinged on ones right to privacy but also violated the fundamental right of a dancer to pursue the profession.
It added that the local police will be able to effectively prevent obscenity, which is a paramount concern of the state, with the help of the live feed. Even untoward incidents such as fights between customers can be avoided.
The top court will take up the matter on Tuesday.
The state said the recording shall not violate anyones privacy because the dance bars are in restaurants that are defined as public places under the local law. Cameras, it added, are installed above the bar to check the distribution of liquor by bar tenders these days.
There are many women who feel that this is an avenue for them as they may not be able to do other professions. They have a right to a profession. That right has to be respected. We have to respect that right. It is possible that this is also a source of livelihood for transgenders, the bench had told additional solicitor general Pinky Anand during the hearing.
The judges told Anand the administration should clamp down obscenity, if there is any, and not view dance as a form of vulgarity. It is an art and has to be understood as an art bereft of obscenity. If it ceases to be an art, then you can regulate. It seems you havent recognised them as artists, the bench told Anand, who insisted one loses the right to privacy at a public place.
Justice Misra observed every individual has his own taste, style of eating or drinking and certainly would not like to be photographed or videographed.
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The Congress party plans to move another notice of breach of privilege against Union minister for human resource development, Smriti Irani, this time for allegedly insulting one of their members of Parliament.
MP Ranjita Ranjan, representing Supaul (Bihar) in Lok Sabha, said Irani insulted her by mentioning that her husband Lok Sabha MP Rajesh Ranjan had written letters seeking favours from the minister.
Countering Irani, the Congress argued that an MP can always send letters to ministers to help people. Theres nothing wrong in it. But the way she mentioned her name was a deliberate attempt to malign the image of our MP, Congress MP, K C Venugopal said.
Ranjan is expected to give the notice to the Lok Sabha Speaker on Tuesday.
Watch: Smriti Irani take on Rahul over Rohith Vemula suicide issue
Venugopal had earlier moved the breach of privilege motion against Irani in the lower house, signaling a showdown between the government and Opposition over the issue of the Dalit scholar, Rohit Vemulas suicide at the Hyderabad central university.
The motion was moved against the minister in both Houses of Parliament over her speech on the Jawaharlal Nehru University row and the Hyderabad University issue.
Apart from the Congress, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Janata Dal (United) have also moved charges against Irani.
Read: Irani slams Cong over Vemula suicide, JNU row; Modi tweets her speech
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Three people were booked on Tuesday for alleged hate speech during a condolence meet in Agra. Union minister Ram Shankar Katheria and Fatehpur Sikri MP Chaudhary Babulal, who too allegedly made inflammatory comments, were not named in the FIR.
District secretary of eastern unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Ashok Lavania, corporator and vice-president of the BJPs Braj Kshetra unit, Kundanika Sharma, and Prashant Chaudhary were booked for their speeches during a condolence meet for Arun Mahaur, vice-president of Agras VHP unit who was shot dead in the communally sensitive Mantola locality on February 25.
Senior superintendent of police, Agra, Dr Preetinder Singh said the role of others present at the event was also being examined.
Meanwhile, the National Students Union of India handed over a memorandum to the Agra SSP, demanding that a case be registered against Katheria as well.
Katheria, however, denied his involvement.
What has been published in one of the newspapers is false. I had not taken the name of any community. I had said that the culprits, who had murdered the VHP leader, should be given death sentence. I had also said that the Hindu community should unite for (its) safety, he said.
Nonetheless, the Samajwadi Party demanded that Katheria be sacked, alleging that his remarks were anti-national, while Congress alleged it showed that the BJP and RSS resorted to divisive agenda, especially ahead of elections.
Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, said the real agenda of the NDA government was being exposed.
The VHP, however, claimed it was a government tactic against the organisation.
If the state government is resorting to such acts, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad will launch a statewide agitation, said Surendra Jain, joint secretary, central unit of the VHP.
The police are applying pressure tactics at the behest of state government. The party organisation would deal with the matter, said Sharma, one of the accused.
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When 18-year-old Sataparna Mukherjee appeared in her school leaving exam on Monday, she was slightly tenser than she had been before. After being one of five to be selected by the prestigious Goddard Internship Programme of Nasa (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), she is starting to feel the pressure.
Regardless of her performance in the ISC exams, she will be going this August to Oxford University and complete her graduation, post-graduation and doctoral thesis as Nasa faculty. All her expenses, including food and lodging, will be covered by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS).
Mukherjee is confident when speaking about her goal to help change how people and society think, and to promote a scientific rationale.
I have chosen English and science as my subjects. The languages of both help expressing and interpreting observations. And that is all what I want. Getting high salaried jobs had never been my on my agenda, she says.
I want to change the thinking pattern of man. Im confident science and literature will help me do so, she told HT prior to leaving for her exams.
The daughter of a primary schoolteacher and a student of St. Judes School in Madhyamgram, about 30 kilometers from Kolkata, Mukherjee had neither a computer nor a private tutor to help her pursue her passion for science.
Mukherjee is one of the many beneficiaries of Barang, a group which offers free tuition to schoolchildren in economically deprived areas.
Her father, Pradip Mukherjee, is well known in West Bengal for being one of the leaders of the Kamduni Pratibadi Mancha - a forum created to demand justice for a Barasat Derozio College student who was gangraped and murdered in Kamduni village. She had been his student.
She had always been an inspiration for me. When our forum came under threat from ruling party, many people told me to delink myself from the movement. But my daughter kept telling me that I should not stop protesting and that the victim was not only my student but also a daughter, Mukherjee said.
Sataparnas big break came after she posted her observations about the Black Hole Theory on Nasas website, catching the eye of scientists.
She was offered a scholarship last August but we could not accept the offer as we would have had to pay for her food and living expenses there. In October, Nasa said they were ready to bear all her expenses, he beamed.
Unfazed by BJPs attacks, former Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday stood by the second affidavit in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, insisting it was absolutely correct and as the minister I accept the responsibility.
Talking to reporters at the Congress headquarters, former Finance Minister expressed disappointment over former Home Secretary G K Pillai distancing himself from the affidavit issue despite being equally responsible.
Pillai had said the decision to change the affidavit was taken at the political level.
He also justified his remarks on the issue of hanging of Afzal Guru. I was part of the government (at that time). How can I distance myself from the government? Replying to a host of questions on the affidavit issue, Chidambaram said that the second affidavit in the case was filed as the first was ambiguous.
He said that it was his duty to correct the affidavit which was drafted without his approval and was being misinterpreted.
After consultations with the Home Secretary, Director, Intelligence Bureau and other officers, the second affidavit clarified what the real intention of the central government was, he said.
The primary concern of the central government was input gathered by central agencies. Such inputs do not constitute a conclusive proof. It is for the state government to act. Central government does not condone nor endorse any unjustified action, he said.
When told that the Ministry of Home Affairs has sought all files in this connection, he said they are most welcome to do that.
Seeking to turn the heat on Congress, BJP has demanded a thorough probe into the alleged change of affidavits during the UPA rule in the Ishrat case and charged Chidambaram with saving the accused.
Chidambaram said the second affidavit clarified what the real intention was. The second affidavit says the central government did not address any issue relating to the merits or otherwise of the police action, he said adding it was essentially concerned with dealing with allegations relating to intelligence inputs which were available with the Centre.
Chidambaram insisted the primary concern of the central government is to see that inputs gathered by security agencies and the references are credible.
It should be clear to all that such inputs do not constitute conclusive proof and it is for the state government and the state police to act on such inputs. The central government is in no way concerned with such action nor does it condone or endorse any unjustified or excessive action, he said.
Besides, he said if on proper consideration of facts, it is found that an independent enquiry and investigation has to be carried by CBI or otherwise, the Union of India would have no objection to such a course and would abide by such order which the court may deem fit to pass.
Chidambaram, who had come under attack from BJP for his reported remarks that perhaps Afzal Gurus hanging was not a correct decision, said it was possible to have an honest opinion on the issue, but it does not become anti-national, it does not become seditious.
When told that he was quoted as having said in an interview that he had grave doubts in the matter, he took a veiled dig at Pillai. My position is position of the government. I cannot distance myself from it... That luxury is there for former civil servants and not ministers.
The Delhi high court is likely to pronounce on Wednesday its order on whether JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested on sedition charges, should be released on bail.
Justice Pratibha Rani, who heard arguments from Delhi Police, and Kumars advocates senior counsel Kapil Sibal and lawyer Vrinda Grover for three hours on Monday, reserved her order for March 2.
On Tuesday, Kumars co-accused -- JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya -- were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House Court.
Both Khalid and Bhattacharya are accused of organising the February 9 event in the JNU campus where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.
The police had told court that there were over 22 people present at the JNU event, including some outsiders, who had been identified after the joint interrogation of Khalid, Anirban and Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar arrested in the same case.
An uncle and brother of Kanhaiya Kumar said the kind of support shown by the students and global intellectuals makes them proud of the JNU students Union president, currently in jail on charges of sedition.
I never knew so many people liked Kanhaiya and he inspired people so much. Though he is in jail today, we are proud of him.
For any boy from our village going to JNU is an impossible task and Kanhaiya making it there and garnering support not only from his friends but intellectuals across the globe has made us optimistic, Kanhaiyas uncle Rajendra Singh said while addressing students at the varsity on Monday night.
Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said, Our ancestors were part of the freedom struggle, people from our village had confronted the Britishers and a boy from same village is being called a terrorist for raising his voice. Modi ji called himself a chai wala and now he is not saying anything when a farmers son is being targeted.
Kanhaiyas uncle and brother, who are in Delhi to meet him in Tihar jail, visited the varsitys administration block on Monday night where students are agitating against the student leaders arrest over an on-campus event against 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Gurus hanging.
They encouraged the students to continue with their struggle, asserting the fight is not just for JNU but for the entire nation.
This is a struggle for ideology. One Kanhaiya going to jail during this fight is no big deal. The way you people have taken up the battle demanding freedom of speech and from poverty, is a difficult route. You need to show courage and keep fighting, Singh said in his address.
When we went to meet him in jail he calmly said I am walking on the way shown to me by you and I will fight my way out, Singh told the students.
Kanhaiya Kumar's brother, Manikant talks to JNU students at the JNU campus in New Delhi on Monday. (Sanjeev Verma/ HT Photo)
Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh spent a few tense moments mid-air on Monday, when his helicopter dropped over 50 feet in a few seconds while returning to Raipur from strife-torn Sukma district in south Chhattisgarh. However, the pilot managed to take manual control of the chopper and stabilise it before any damage was done.
Singh was travelling with state education minister Kedar Kashyap Kedar Kashyap when the incident occurred.
Prima facie, it appears as if the choppers flight director suffered some minor technical glitch, causing it to drop altitude by around 50 feet. However, the pilot quickly took control shifting the flight mode from auto to manual. There was no panic, aviation department director Rajat Kumar told Hindustan Times.
The Chhattisgarh chief minister travels in a double-engine Augusta 109, which is regularly tested on all technical parameters of safety.
The pilot, GK Panda, said that the chopper was flying on auto mode when it suddenly jerked mid-air and began falling. We immediately switched to manual mode and took control. This does happen at times, but we pilots are trained to handle such situations, he added.
The chopper will be put through a thorough technical check before it is used again.
Union minister of state for labour (independent charge) Bandaru Dattatreya on Tuesday denied mentioning the name of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit research scholar at University of Hyderabad who committed suicide, in his letter to the HRD ministry.
I never mentioned Rohiths name (in the letter to the HRD ministry). I never mentioned any students name or any organisation of the university as casteist or anti-social or anti-national element? Jyotiraditya has tarnished my image, Dattatreya told reporters.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia had on February 24 accused the BJP-led government of creating an atmosphere of intolerance in the country and alleged that efforts were on to crush any opposing point of view. Speaking in Lok Sabha, Scindia had demanded action against human resource development minister Smriti Irani and Dattatreya over Vemulas suicide.
But, I have mentioned the petition which came to me through a BJP vice-president which I forwarded to the HRD minister because whatever activities were prevailing in the university, I wanted to make it correct. I dont want any punishment for anybody but my intention was only to see that these activities when Yakub Memon incident was glorified, I thought that I should mention that one, Dattatreya said.
On Tuesday, the BJP hit back in Lok Sabha by pressing for a privilege motion against Congress chief whip Scindia for defamatory remarks against Dattatreya. BJPs chief whip Arjun Ram Meghwal accused Scindia of misleading the House on February 24 by alleging that Dattatreya had called Vemula anti-national, casteist and extremist.
Meghwal said he and many other members, including Dattatreya, had given a notice of breach of privilege against Scindia. He raised the issue amid uproarious scenes in the House as AIADMK members were demanding action against former Union minister P Chidambarams son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis issue.
Congress members too rushed to the Well, demanding Speaker Sumitra Mahajan decide on their privilege motion.
Dattatreya accused Scindia of defaming him and tarnishing his image by attributing such comments to him that he never made about Vemula.
My mother used to sell onions. I have always worked for OBCs, Dalits... I have made sacrifices for Dalits, he said talking about his humble background.
He said his letter to Irani he made no mention of Vemulas name. I never made such charge against him.
Congress members continued to protest with KC Venugopal showing the rule book to Mahajan to which she shot back, saying Dont show me the rule book. I know.
The issue of privilege motion against Irani had created a brief uproar in Lok Sabha on Monday before finance minister Arun Jaitley started presenting the Union Budget 2016-17 with opposition members seeking to know the status of their notices against Irani for misleading the House on the Vemula issue.
Vemula and four other Dalit students were allegedly expelled from their hostels following a tussle with students affiliated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) - the student wing of the BJP.
(With ANI and PTI inputs)
Signalling another showdown between the government and the opposition, Congress MP KC Venugopal on Monday moved a privilege motion against Union minister Smriti Irani over her remarks on Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in the Lok Sabha.
The CPI (M) will join the Congress with another motion as the Opposition parties have joined hands to corner the human resources and development minister for misleading Parliament and speaking untruths in the House.
Read: Smriti Irani under fire for lying in Dalit students suicide case
When Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked finance minister Arun Jaitley to present the Union Budget, Venugopal stood up and sought to know from the speaker the status of his privilege motion against the human resource development minister.
It is painful for me to do that on the day of General Budget, I had to move a privilege motion against the HRD minister, Venugopal said. Other Congress members, including the partys Leader in the House Mallikarjun Kharge, asked the speaker to clarify the status of the notice.
Read: Rohith Vermulas suicide: BSP seeks apology from Smriti Irani
I have received the notices given on February 26 and 29 against Smriti Irani. The matter is under my consideration, Mahajan responded. Through mere rhetoric the minister was misleading the House and the nation by deliberately hiding the truths, Venugopal said. He said the minister misled the House when she said no doctor was allowed to reach near Rohith to confirm his death. The chief medical officer at University of Hyderabad had contested her statement.
Read: Nationalism debate: Fight over Smriti Irani may escalate in Parliament
Meanwhile, CPI(M) member Mohammed Salim said his privilege motion will come up on Tuesday. The CPI(M) also plans to move a motion in the Rajya Sabha, if the Lok Sabha speaker rejects the motion. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the motion can be moved because Irani is a minister, also a RS member and she spoke untruths in Parliament which is against her oath of office taken.
The Pakistan high commission said on Tuesday that a team of its diplomats was denied access to inmates in Jaipur prison and the matter has been taken up with the external affairs ministry.
The incident occurred on February 25 when the delegation came here to meet the Pakistani prisoners, which also includes Pakistani fishermen consisting minors and women, the high commission said.
It said the matter has been taken up with the Ministry of External Affairs asking them to look into it and ensuring that such lapses do not recur in future.
Pakistan has always given top priority to such humanitarian issues and facilitated the access of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to Indian prisoners, it said.
According to an official at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, the four-member team had permission from the Ministry of External Affairs to give consular access to Pakistani prisoners but they were denied access.
The Pakistani High Commission official said there are 25 Pakistani prisoners in Jaipur jail, including minors and women.
A Delhi court on Monday allowed the custodial interrogation of two JNU students, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, arrested in a sedition case, by one more day.
The court extended the police custody of the duo, which had allegedly organised a controversial event at the JNU on February 9 where anti-India slogans were said to have been raised, after police contended that they were required for further probe in the case to unearth the larger conspiracy.
According to the police sources, the anti-terror unit of Delhi police special cell to which the case has been transferred, needed some time to interrogate both the accused.
The police has claimed that around 22 people present at the flashpoint JNU event, including some outsiders, have been identified after the joint interrogation of Khalid, Anirban and JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar arrested in the same case.
Khalid and Anirban are in police remand since their surrender and subsequent arrest on February 24.
Earlier, the Delhi high court had ordered that confidentiality be maintained during the remand proceedings of Umar and Anirban, besides Kumar, while directing the police to ensure that no one suffers even a scratch and there is no ruckus this time.
Lawyers had allegedly assaulted Kumar when he was brought to Patiala House Court for remand proceedings, in defiance of a Supreme Court order, on February 17.
Two days earlier, when Kumar was to be brought to the court, the same set of lawyers had thrashed journalists and JNU students and teachers
The battle between human resource development minister Smriti Irani and the Opposition may escalate on Tuesday as Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is likely to speak in the Lok Sabha .
Irani, too, is slated to speak in Parliament and might defend her position in the wake of a series of privilege motions against her.
Gandhi, who didn't participate in the debate on incidents related to the Jawaharlal Nehru University and the University of Hyderabad , may take the opportunity to hit out at the government when he speaks on the discussions on the motion to thank the President for his speech.
Gandhi had been very critical of the government over its handling of the JNU students protests as well as the Hyderabad incident where Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide.
Gandhi visited both places and stood beside the students, earning flak from the ruling quarters. He was criticised for supporting anti-national elements.
Irani too, also targeted Gandhi for supporting students in JNU. In her speech in the Lok Sabha on the students issue, Irani questioned if the Congress was attacking her because she dared to contest against Gandhi in Amethi during the Lok Sabha polls.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to consider a plea asking it to initiate contempt and perjury proceedings against former home minister P Chidambaram for allegedly facilitating a false affidavit and concealing facts about Mumbai teenager Ishrat Jahan, an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operative shot to death in an alleged fake encounter.
Filed by advocate ML Sharma, the public interest litigation also wants the court to pass a direction that police and security forces should not be dealt as an offender if they kill a terrorist.
Sharma mentioned his petition before a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur, who told him that his petition would be listed in normal course. The petitioner did not impress upon the court for an urgent hearing.
Sharma had cited the recent testimony of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks conspirator David Headley -- member of the LeT revealing that Jahan was part of the organisation who was on a botched up mission.
Read: File sedition charge against Chidambaram: Shiv Sena on Ishrat Jahan
Headley told the court that LeT leader Zaki-ur-Rehman had told him about operative Muzammil Butts botched up operation in India. It was some shootout with the police. I dont know which part in India. But there was one female who was killed in the shootout, Headley said.
A team of Gujarat police officials facing trial for murdering Jahan in the alleged fake encounter have defended their action stating the teenager was part of a four member team that hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Narendra Modi, then the state chief minister.
The shootout, they said, took place after the police received specific inputs from the Intelligence Bureau. The officers were, however, charged with murder after the Union ministry of home affairs denied sharing any intelligence inputs with the Gujarat police on Jahan being an LeT operative.
Sharma has referred to former Union home secretary GK Pillais recent interview holding Chidambaram responsible for the U-turn. Pillai said the former minister had summoned the files relating to the case and had withdrawn certain references to her alleged links with the LeT in the second affidavit filed in the Gujarat high court in 2009. In an earlier affidavit, the Centre had at that time stated that Jahan was part of the LeT group.
Congress member Kumari Selja on Tuesday sought a judicial inquiry into the reports of rape of several women in Haryana during the Jat agitation, saying jungle raj was prevailing in the state.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Selja said there was jungle raj in Haryana and the government has been a mute spectator to the large-scale violence during the agitation in the state.
On the reported charges of rape and molestation by Jat quota agitators near Murthal town, Selja said the state governments inquiry team could not be trusted and demanded that the high court inquire into it: We demand a judicial inquiry.
Haryana government has set up a three-member team of women police officers to look into the alleged incidents of rape and molestation of several women by Jat protesters.
Congress Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari also demanded a fair probe into the rape and molestation allegations.
An office-bearer of the youth wing of Shiv Sena was on Monday arrested for allegedly assaulting a shop assistant for refusing to provide free vada-pavs.
The member has been sacked by the party.
The incident took place in suburban Vile Parle (West) on Saturday but the FIR was registered on Monday.
The accused, Sunil Mahadik, allegedly hit Chetan Geveriya (28), who works at Trupti Sweet and Farsan Mart on D J Road, with a bamboo stick, police said.
A day ago, Mahadik had sent another person to the shop demanding 100 vada pavs, a popular street-food here, free of cost. Chetan told him that they didnt have so much stock, so the person left.
The next day, Mahadik allegedly called Geveriya on his mobile phone and abused him, and said he must hand over 100 vada pavs immediately to a person he was sending.
Geveria said Mahadik should speak to the owner of the shop first. Irked, Mahadik himself went to the shop and hit Geveria with a bamboo stick and threatened to kill him, police said.
Geveria, though not seriously injured, was taken to Cooper hospital in Juhu, police said.
The incident was captured by the CCTV cameras in the shop and Juhu police registered an FIR. The footage was also aired by some local news channels. Mahadik was arrested and a local court sent him to police custody.
This incident comes in the wake of another in neighbouring Thane where a Shiv Sena worker was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman traffic constable three days ago. CCTV footage of the incident had gone viral.
Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who are fighting for the release of fellow friends Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya are in a fix with the varsity photocopy shops refusing to print their posters.
Most of the student organisations print pamphlets, leaflets to mobilise students and also disseminate information.
The problem is more acute as the students have planned a protest march to Parliament for March 2 demanding the release of jailed students and the removal of sedition charges slapped against them.
When one of these photocopy shops was visited on Monday near Tapti hostel, the shopkeeper refused to make copies of the pamphlets.
Our owner has asked us not to print any of the posters or pamphlets, said the worker at the shop.
The owner of the shop, Pankaj, said the police had asked them not to print any of such publicity material.
We have been told by the police not to print it, we cannot get into trouble. We cant get into this politics, said Pankaj.
Outside the campus at Ber Sarai, Delhi Police had on Saturday detained one of the shopkeepers of a printing shop. Since then all the shops in the area have been refusing to print any of the publicity material.
It is getting really difficult for us now. Now the shops in the varsity are refusing to print any of their posters or pamphlets and it is on the instruction of the university administration, said Shehla Rashid, JNUSU vice-president.
However, the officiating registrar of JNU, Bupinder Zutshi denied the charges.
No verbal or written communication has gone from the administration to the shopowners, said Zutshi.
This restriction is costing JNU students a lot as they are now being forced to go to Delhi University and the surrounding areas in north campus to get copies of their pamphlets and other publicity posters.
The state cabinet on Tuesday gave its nod to the Maharashtra Prohibition of Social Boycott Act one of the first legislations in the country that aims to put an end to practices of social boycott and excommunication.
The draft bill by the state home department will now be tabled in the upcoming budget session of the state legislature, a year after the BJP-led governments assurance on the floor of the state assembly. Those found guilty of imposing such a boycott can face imprisonment of up to three years with a maximum penalty of Rs1 lakh. The offence is bailable.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the draft bill has also proposed the case against the accused can be compounded if the victim is agreeable and on the condition that the accused agrees to do community service. The kind of community service has been left to the discretion of the magistrate concerned.
The final legislation cleared by the cabinet, however, is a diluted version of the earlier draft that sought imprisonment of up to seven years and a maximum penalty of Rs5 lakh.
The law was promised by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis during the budget session of the state legislature last year, following a debate initiated by the Opposition on growing incidents of such practices, largely in cases of inter-caste marriages and personal relationships. Typically, extra judicial bodies such as caste panchayats or gavkais or community and religious heads order such boycott dictats. Last year, around 60 such cases (conservative figure) had been reported in the state.
We feel the law should have be made non-bailable as that means bail is granted under court supervision and those committing the offence will be more accountable. Also, we felt a stricter punishment was needed along with a penalty. Making it a bailable offence takes the sting out of the law, but on the whole we are happy the government deliberated with us and has prepared a legislation to tackle a menace that is far spread, said advocate Asim Sarode. Sarode and his wife Rama first highlighted the need for such a law following a case they represented from Harihareshwar, Raigad. This had led to the court in Raigad to ask the government to forumulate guidelines.
While the draft law has not abolished caste panchayats or such groups, it has prohibited the assembly of any such groups with the intention of imposing a boycott. The law covers all religions, castes and communities in the state.
Errors in the hall-tickets triggered panic among students appearing for language papers on day one of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams on Tuesday.
The hall-tickets of a few students were riddled with mistakes; they had the wrong medium of instruction, name and birth dates printed on them. The school principals were forced to make changes to the hall-tickets at the last minute.
We faced a lot of problems while conducting the exam as many students had wrong information printed on their hall-tickets, said Rajesh Pandya, senior teacher, Fatimadevi English School, Malad. We had to get the hall-tickets corrected from the school principal.
In one of the hall-tickets, for instance, the medium of instruction was wrongly mentioned as Gujarati, while the candidates medium of instruction was English. If we had not corrected the hall-ticket, the child would have had to appear for the exam in Gujarati, said Pandya.
The errors had cropped up despite the schools suggesting changes in the pre-list sent by the board before issuing the hall-tickets, added teachers. Despite this, the students had to pay Rs 100 to the board authorities as fine to make the corrections, said Pandya.
On the other hand, the board officials said that the students should have approached them sooner. We had issued hall-tickets several weeks ago but students do not check them carefully. For this reason only we have given rights to the principals to rectify the mistakes at the last minute, said Siddheshwar Chandekar, secretary of the board, Mumbai division including Thane, Raigad and Palghar.Adding to the chaos, some students misread the exam timetable and showed up for the wrong exam. We received calls from students who had chosen their first language as English enquiring whether they had their exam today (Tuesday), said Shrikant Shingare, counsellor manning the board helpline. These students were mistaken because the exams started today, but we informed them that their papers were scheduled on Thursday and Saturday.
Poor health facilities in Nalibar district, Assam, forced chronic kidney failure patient Akhil Khalita (29) to leave his hometown and live in Chandigarh.
With finance minister Arun Jaitley announcing the setting up of dialysis centres in every district hospital, he has much reason to cheer.
Akhil has been undergoing treatment for the last two years at the PGIMER (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research) and has spent more than Rs 2 lakh on dialysis only and this expensive treatment has left him cashless.
In Nalibar, there is no facility for dialysis. Hence, I had come to PGI for treatment. I undergo dialysis at a private clinic in Sector 16 and spent around Rs 1,200 per dialysis session and Rs 1,000 on injections, he said.
For patients like Akhil, who were forced to leave their homes for better treatment, the finance ministers announcement, while presenting the Union Budget, has come as a relief.
In his speech, Jaitley said about 2.2 lakh new patients of end stage renal disease get added in India every year, resulting in an additional demand for 3.4 crore dialysis sessions.
He further added that the demand is only half met, as majority of dialysis centres are in the private sector and that too concentrated in the major towns.
He said patients have to travel long distances to get access to dialysis centres incurring heavy expenditure, including travel and loss of wages. Every dialysis session costs about Rs 2,000, an annual expenditure of more than Rs 3 lakh.
ADDRESSING THE CONCERN
To address this situation, the minister has proposed to start a National Dialysis Services Programme. To provide dialysis services in all district hospitals across the country, funds will be raised through publicprivate partnership (PPP) mode under the national health mission. Further, to reduce the cost, the minister also proposed to exempt certain parts of dialysis equipment from basic customs duty, excise and other taxes.
An official from PGI said, Last week, they held a meeting in New Delhi to discuss this issue. It was decided that space and dialysis machine will be provided by the government and the rest of the expenditure will be borne by private units. Government will bear the cost of treatment.
BURDEN ON PGI
The number of cases of kidney disease is only increasing. In Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, the cases have increased from 8,000 in 2012 to 22,000 in 2015.
Dr KL Gupta, head, nephrology department, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research said out of these, 50% are suffering from chronic kidney failure and hardly 20% get treatment. Further, there are nearly 200 kidney failure cases awaiting (live donor) transplant and 800 are in the waiting list for ( cadaveric donor) transplant.
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The UT administration has suffered a major setback with a cut of Rs 160 crore in the budget for the fiscal year 2016-17.
In 2015-16, the allocated budget was Rs 860 crore as against Rs 700 crore this year. The UT administration had sought a budget of Rs 2,834 crore from the Centre but have got just Rs 700 crore as against the Rs 634 crore revised estimates last year.
The failure of the UT administration to spend even half of the plan budget it spent only 43% has resulted in the cut. As a result, major projects like setting up hospitals, schools, water supply augmentation and housing projects could be affected. Even the forest and science and technology departments require funds for various projects.
The below-average performance of the Chandigarh administration in 2015-16 has cost them dear. The plan head, which is used for development works, has seen a decline; as a result, important projects may be hit.
This year, under the non-plan head, Rs 2,834 crore has been sanctioned as against last years Rs 2,586 crore. Both are roughly 110% of last years final figures.
The maximum allocation has been made for the housing and urban development sector with Rs 214 crore allocated for various projects. Though in 2015-16, Rs 215 crore was allocated, the administration could spend only Rs 146 crore. In the education sector, the administration has got Rs 172 crore as against Rs 238 crore allocated last year. But the department had spent only Rs 162 crore. The heath sector has also seen a cut with the budget allocation coming down from Rs 176 crore to Rs 135 crore, though the health department fared much better on using the funds by spending Rs 167 crore.
In the energy sector, the budget has been slashed from Rs 31 crore to Rs 26 crore, as only Rs 20.5 crore was used by the department last year. The police department has got Rs 20 crore allocated instead of the Rs 17 crore sanctioned last year.
The administration claims to make Chandigarh a Smart city with transport being the major component to sort out the traffic congestion. However, there is almost 40% cut in the transport sector. Last year, the allocated budget was Rs 103 crore out of which only Rs 57 crore was spent, so the Centre has allocated only Rs 63 crore this year.
The administration had projected a plan of Rs 2,095 crore on account of a larger share for the municipal corporation of Rs 660 crore as per recommendations of the Delhi Finance Commission. The projects planned to be undertaken by the administration are expansion of the high court, flats for police and expansion of the secretariat building. Administration officials said they would spend the money efficiently and seek more funds when the exercise of revision of estimates took place in October.
ADVISER HAD PULLED UP OFFICIALS LAST YEAR
Taking a serious view of Chandigarhs budget cut by the Centre, UT adviser Vijay Dev last year had pulled up officials and directed the heads of all departments to ensure timely completion of projects or face action.
The adviser had said that the performance assessment of the officials would be done on the basis of completion of works in their departments. The UT administration had faced a cut of over Rs 225 crore owing to its poor performance. The budget has been curtailed under the plan head by the ministry of finance. It has come down from ` 860 crore to about ` 634 crore, following performance review of the administration between April and September.
The administration had failed to get timely execution of projects and check the expenditures involved in various projects. Among the bad performers was the engineering department, which spent just about 36% of the allocated budget. The transport department also did not fare well in its performance.
The Plan budget for the city increased by 19% in 2013-14 with Rs 876.5 crore sanctioned. The maximum budget was allocated to urban development. In 2012-13, the allocated budget under the plan head was Rs 737.23 crore. Even in the 201112 budget, Chandigarh had got 47% increase in the budget and was allocated Rs 661.89 crore with major priority to education.
Also Read: Budget allocation for PGI cut, gets only Rs 728 crore
Chandigarh MC gets Rs 84 cr, had sought Rs 572 cr
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved the court of the district and sessions judge, Ludhiana, seeking a copy of the challan in its probe into the multi-crore Ludhiana City Centre scam.
Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh is one of the accused in the case.
Punjab Police had failed to provide the copy of the challan filed on December 12, 2007 to the ED despite around 10 reminders to the police since the agency, taking suo motu action, had registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR) in 2013.
According to an application moved by the ED dated December 18, 2015, a copy of which is with HT, the agency has requested the court to provide it the copy of the challan. We have started the probe but the actual investigation would begin when the challan copy is available with the ED, the agency has told the court. The next hearing is scheduled for March 19.
According to the challan, Amarinder, son Raninder Singh and son-in-law Raminder Singh are among the accused in the scam that allegedly took place during the 2002-07 tenure of Amarinder as Punjab chief minister. The state vigilance bureau had registered the FIR in March 2007 under various sections of the IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.
In the challan, the vigilance bureau had accused Amarinder of diluting the terms and conditions to favour Delhi-based company Today Homes to execute the project.
Information from the ED said the agency had already summoned GK Gambhir, managing director of Today Homes.
Former state Congress chief HS Hanspal, former local bodies minister late Choudhary Jagjit Singh and the then chairman of Ludhiana Improvement Trust, Wg Cdr Paramjit Singh Sibia (retd) were among the 19 people named in the FIR.
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An accused in the murder case of Congress sarpanch Rajwinder Singh Grewal Ravi Khwajke, Dharminder Singh Gugni of the Kala Hawas gang has reportedly told police that he had two options to kill or be killed.
Khwajke was killed to reportedly avenge the murder of rival gang leader Kala Hawas. The leads gathered from Gugni suggest the contract to kill Khwajke was given to gangster Davinder Bambiha Davinder Shooter. Gugni is under police interrogation in the Central Jail here since February 25. Later, police also brought accused Karamveer Singh over on production warrant, and on Monday, secured two more days from the court to grill them. Seven accused remain at large.
Read: Sarpanch gunned down at marriage function in Ludhiana
After the murder of student leader Kala Hawas on September 6, 2014, the two gangs had many gunfights. Last month, Gugni was arrested in an attempt-to-murder case and sent to the Ludhiana Central Jail. Khwajke pursued the case against him. Gugni has told police that he was afraid that once he got out, Khwajke would kill him, so he first tried to smuggle in firearms for his safety but when these were seized, he hired Davinder Shooter and his gang to kill Khwajke on February 20. They shot the Congress sarpanch 14 times at a marriage function on the Malerkotla road.
Sadar station house officer (SHO) inspector Amandeep Singh Brar said the attempt would be to establish whether or not Khwajkes murder was contract killing but a manhunt was on for the rests of the accused. Police had booked nine people in the murder case.
Read: Khwajke sarpanch murder: Culprits hatched plan in jail, say police
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The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday admitted an appeal filed by Punjab seeking enhancement of punishment to former Akali leader Ranjit Singh Rana, principal accused in murder of assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Ravinderpal Singh, who was trying to protect his daughters honour.
The high court on Tuesday admitted the appeal for hearing while ordering that it be heard as per the turn of the case. As of now, the court has admitted appeal in respect of Rana only.
The state government while seeking enhancement of sentence had argued that the social abhorrent nature of the crime ought not to be ignored in the present case. If this is not revolting or dastardly, then it is beyond comprehension as to whatever act can be so described, the government had submitted.
Besides, Rana four others had also got rigorous life imprisonment in the case. They include Dharamjit Singh, Sandeep Rampal, Gurbir Singh and Vikram Ohri.
On December 5, 2012, Rana and others had shot police officer Ravinderpal Singh when he confronted them for harassing his daughter.
The government had argued that case fell in the rarest of rare category and ends of justice would be met if the death penalty was given to all the accused.
This is a case of broad day light murder of a police official in the heart of city with firearms and the entire incident continued for about 30 minutes with no one daring to come to the rescue of the cop, the state had argued while seeking death sentence for Rana and four other accused.
A day after the attack on the cavalcade of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Ludhiana rural police have claimed that only one stone thrown by an unidentified person hit the windshield of the vehicle.
The police have scanned the CCTVs installed at the marriage palace. The police are also taking the help of the video clips of the attack that went viral on social networking sites.
Broken windshield of the car that was attacked when AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was in the front seat, at Hasanpur village in Ludhiana on Monday. (HT Photo)
The police in the FIR have mentioned that members of associations of Sikh riot victims and some Hindu organisations were protesting against Kejriwal outside the marriage palace, where a stone thrown by an unidentified person hit the windshield of the vehicle.
The police have recorded the statements of eyewitnesses and heads of organisations leading the protest. The Danga Peerit Welfare Society and Hindu organisations, who were protesting with black flags, claimed that the attackers were not from their groups.
Police said as there were hundreds of protestors from various groups, it was difficult to identify the attackers.
SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, whose name was dragged into the controversy, denied the attackers belonged to the SAD. Ayali said it might by the work of AAP leaders to gain publicity and peoples sympathy.
Meanwhile, the AAP asked state home minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to get the investigation done and arrest the culprits soon. In a statement issued on Tuesday, AAP leaders claimed that the video footage showed the attackers and police should arrest them immediately.
Ludhiana range DIG SK Kalia said they were on the job and would identify the attackers soon.
In a Punjab cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday here, the government decided to increase ex-gratia aid to the families of the soldiers killed or disabled in counter-insurgency operations.
The assistance goes up from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh in case of death, from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh in case of 75% disability; from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh in case of 51-to-75% handicap; and from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh in case of 25-to-50% disability.
City bus service in all towns
After Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar, the cabinet has now extended the city bus service to all towns. The state transport undertakings will operate their stage-carriage buses as laid down in the recent city bus service scheme notification. These buses will operate within the respective municipal limits along with up to 10 kilometres outside. The government expects it will bring down the number of personal vehicles on road and help reduce both congestion and pollution.
Food-grain project for Tarn Taran
Seron village in Tarn Taran district will get an Integrated Foodgrain Management Project where a sugar mill stood earlier. The state co-operative department has transferred the land to the food and civil supplies department. The storage facility will have modern silos and a laboratory for scientific storage of grains. After it is operational, the procurement agencies will not have to send paddy far for shelling. Basmati/paddy will be shelled locally, which will save the agencies a lot of money and generate employment in the border area, a government spokesperson has said.
Food panel appointments
The Cabinet gave clearance to appointing three members on the Food Commission constituted in the light of the Centres National Food Security Act, 2013. The members will monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Act.
Ordinance to become bill
The cabinet approved converting the Punjab Infrastructure (Development and Regulation) (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2015, into a bill. In its earlier meeting on November 19, 2015, the cabinet had approved certain amendments in the Punjab Infrastructure (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002 by promulgating an ordinance.
FDA posts: Nod to framing rules
The cabinet approved the framing of new service rules for the upgrading/promotion of 33 posts and creating another 44 to be filled by direct recruitment for the newly created Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). A major objective of implementing the amended Drugs and Cosmetics Act is to make standard quality drugs, blood, and cosmetics available and take inferior drugs off the market.
Pilgrim train for Christians
The cabinet accorded ex-post-facto approval for running a pilgrim train under Mukh Mantri Teerath Darshan Yatra Scheme for Christian community as well. The train will run between Punjab and Chennai from March 8 to 13. The Cabinet also gave ex-post-facto approval for presently operated four buses going to Salasar and Chintpurni under this scheme daily since January 4.
Bill banning plastic bags
To minimise pollution because of the excessive use of plastic carry bags, the cabinet gave nod to Punjab Plastic Carry Bags (manufacture, usage and disposal) Control (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The Haryana and Himachal Pradesh governments have already implemented the ban. On December 22, 2015, the state cabinet had approved the issuing of an ordinance to insert Clause 2 in Section 7 of the Punjab Plastic Carry Bags (manufacture, usage and disposal) Control Act, 2005. After the ordinance was out, the government had prohibited the manufacture, sale and use of plastic carry bag in the jurisdictions of all municipal corporations and councils, besides nagar panchayats, from April 1.
Bill on regularising Amritsar structures
To regularise unauthorised construction in the walled city of Amritsar on the as is where is basis, the cabinet gave its approval to the recommendations of the cabinet subcommittee for presenting a bill to this effect in the ensuing Budget session. It was, however, decided that the government would notify the compounding charges separately.
E-governance
The cabinet also approved the recommendations of Punjab State e-Governance Society (PSeGS) for implementing the operation, maintenance, and management proposals of 2,174 Unified Service Delivery Centres in the state, from where all services of all departments were to be made available to citizens near their homes.
A gang here exploited the easy-return policy of leading e-commerce portal Flipkart to cheat the company of at least Rs 25 lakh; police said the con may be worth Rs 1 crore.
The district police have arrested five people under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (punishment for forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) , 471 (using a forged item as genuine), and 120-B (punishment for criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
Accused Suresh Kumar, Gagandeep Singh, Yadvendra Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Sandeep Singh used to book orders online and return goods on delivery after replacing them with fakes, said station house officer (SHO) concerned Harpal Singh.
How they did it
o The gang included a mobile-phone retailer, besides a SIM-card seller who created fake email IDs and booked orders. They would order only costly mobile phones and when these were delivered, would call up the company to complain about quality issues. To the representatives sent to collect these handsets, they would hand over fake mobile phones in the box. The money paid through different banks would come back to their accounts before the goods reached the dealer.
o Police claim to have recovered Rs 17 lakh cash, 10 handsets, and a laptop computer from the gang. They say this fraud might run into more than Rs 1 crore once we track all the mobile phones that the gang has sold further. The accused, so far, has accepted making at least Rs 80 lakh in the swindle, said SHO Harvinder Singh Sra, who is part of the investigation team.
o A senior official at Flipkart told HT how the network was busted. Whenever a customer contacts us to return any item, we credit the money into his account immediately and check the item later when it gets to us within a week. In this case, a number of complaints from the same area prompted us to call the Mansa cops, said Flipkart deputy general manager Manoj Chaudhary.
A local court has remanded all accused in police custody for five days.
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Lee Road in South Kolkata will now be called Satyajit Ray Dharani, in memory of the legendary filmmaker who lived in the vicinity, announced West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday.
Ray resided close to Lee Road on Bishop Lefroy Road for years till his death in 1992, and many of his masterpieces were planned and conceived from this house.
As a token of our humble dedication to the memory and phenomenal contribution of legendary personality Satyajit Ray, we have decided to rename Lee Road, near Bishop Lefroy Road where his house stands, as Satyajit Ray Dharani, Banerjee said in a Facebook post.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor-in-Council held an important meeting during the day and passed a resolution rechristening the road after Ray.
Read: 10 pearls of wisdom from Satyajit Ray for aspiring filmmakers
Lee Road will now be called Satyajit Ray Dharani, in memory of the legendary director. (HT Photo)
Earlier, Banerjee unveiled a spruced-up 150 metre stretch of Bishop Lefroy Road.
The multifaceted genius (screenwriter, lyricist, music composer, calligrapher, illustrator, writer) worked on cult films like Agantuk, Pratidwandi, Ghare Baire and others.
Read: Satyajit Rays sketches missing from Kolkata film centre
A popular tourist destination, the colossal 1/1 Bishop Lefroy Road residence is a timeless reminder to the legacy of the master behind cinematic jewels such as Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Charulata, the Apu trilogy, and the Feluda series among others. It stands as a silent testimony to the man who took Indian cinema to the world.
The locality has undergone a major makeover to accord a Ray touch.
From re-laying the dilapidated pavements with designer blocks, installing Victorian-era street lights to replica of his films original posters, the famous locality has been transformed in consultation with filmmaker and son Sandip.
Ray became the first, and currently only, Indian to receive an Honorary Academy Award in 1992.
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Mumbai-born Anish Kapoor has often hit the headlines with his work, some of it controversial, but he is now in the news for securing exclusive rights to use the blackest material ever produced, angering many in the art fraternity.
The material, called Vantablack, absorbs 99.96% of the light that hits it and was originally developed for military use. Kapoor, 61, was reported to be interested in the colour for years and has now secured exclusive rights from its maker, Surrey NanoSystems.
The company launched it at Farnborough International Air Show in 2014, and described it as super black material with the ability to be applied to lightweight, temperature-sensitive structures such as aluminium while absorbing 99.96% of incident radiation.
Kapoors exclusive rights to the material has angered some in the art world, who say it should be free for anyone to use.
Anish Kapoor exclusive rights to use the blackest material ever produced has angered many in the art fraternity. (Reuters Photo)
Ive never heard of an artist monopolising a material. Using pure black in an artwork grounds it, artist Christian Furr told Daily Mail. All the best artists have had a thing for pure blackTurner, Manet, Goya. This black is like dynamite in the art world.
Jonathan Jones wrote in The Guardian: It is a clever move by NanoSystems to associate their material with the greatest colourist in 21st-century art. With all due respect not much, really to the minor painters who are kicking up a fuss, Kapoor is an ideal artist to experiment with this freaky black.
Jones added, He loves deep, dark, sensual coloursThis creator of sublime chromatic effects is just the guy to make Vantablack look like the new black.
Knighted in 2013, Kapoor is best known in Britain for designing the 376-foot ArcelorMittal Orbit, built for the 2012 London Olympics.
Kapoor told Artforum website in 2014: The nanostructure of Vantablack is so small that it virtually has no materiality. Its thinner than a coat of paint and rests on the liminal edge between an imagined thing and an actual one. Its a physical thing that you cannot see, giving it a transcendent or even transcendental dimension, which I think is very compelling.
Republican frontrunner Donald Trump sought Mahatma Gandhis support for his rampantly divisive campaign on Monday, using a quote that has been found to be wrongly but frequently attributed to him.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win, Trump tweeted the quote with a picture from his rally in Alabama, attributing it to Mahatma Gandhi.
This quote is not from Gandhi at all, it seems.
Christian Science Monitor news magazine included it in its 2011 list of Political misquotes: The 10 most famous things never actually said.
This line is probably the best summary of Gandhis philosophy of satyagraha as you can get in 16 words. But theres no evidence that the Great Soul ever said this.
It said that though the source of those exact words was not known, a strikingly similar version was attributed to an American trade union leader, Nicholas Klein, in a 1918 address -- First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you. And that, is what is going to happen to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.
There was no response from the Trump campaign to a request for comments.
The quote Trump attributed to Gandhi does capture the candidates pet peeve that he is often criticised and mocked for things he says, and then every one comes around.
He likes to talk about the initial response to his remarks about illegal immigration that they are criminals and rapists that he was derided as rude, offensive and bigoted.
But he has since found many takers, at least the sentiment behind them. And the wall that he has promised to build along the Mexican border, has since popped up in other poll agendas.
But roping in Gandhi?
This is not the first time this quote has been used for Trump. Sarah Palin, a former Alaska governor and a strong supporter of the candidate, used the same quote for him.
She used it, once again attributed wrongly to Gandhi, imprinting it on a picture of Trump at a rally, in a post on her Facebook page on February 14. It got 19,000 likes and 3,782 shares.
Palin ought to have been a little more careful as a victim of mis-representative quote herself. Christian Science Monitors list of famous misquotes included one comment often attributed to her.
Palin never said, I can see Russia from my house. It was a line used by a comedian Tina Fey who was impersonating her in a Saturday Night Live skit in 2008.
But it came to be widely attributed to Palin, who was then John McCains running mate, probably because it captured well her lack of knowledge on national security and foreign policy issues.
The line came from an interview in which Palin had said, Theyre (Russia) our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.
Thats true, as Slate news magazine pointed out subsequently. On a clear day, Those on the Alaskan island of Little Diomede can see the Russian island of Big Diomede, located across the International Date Line some two and a half miles away.
Canadian federal police has charged an American, a Briton and two Canadians with stealing sensitive satellite imaging technology and selling it to China in violation of export laws.
Two of them stole the sensor from their employer Teledyne Dalsa of Waterloo, Ontario with help from a former employee, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
They then sold it to two Chinese firms, one of them state-owned, in violation of the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and other laws.
The fourth accused works for one of the Chinese companies allegedly involved in the scheme.
The microelectronics were intended for space satellite use, the RCMP said in a statement on Monday.
This investigation is an example of foreign governments having an interest in Canadian-based controlled technology and it highlights the RCMPs commitment to keeping Canadians safe from the potential misuse of that technology, RCMP Superintendent Jamie Jagoe said.
The two-year probe also involved the Canadian Space Agency, the military, the US Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.
Canadians Arthur Xin Pang, 46, and Binqiao Li, 59, were arrested and charged with more than a dozen related crimes.
Meanwhile, arrest warrants have been issued for Nick Tasker, 62, of Britain, and Hugh Ciao, 50, of California, who is currently in China.
Heavy clashes broke out overnight after two Israeli soldiers using a traffic app mistakenly entered a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, leaving one Palestinian killed and 15 people wounded, officials said on Tuesday.
The two soldiers travelling in a jeep mistakenly entered the Qalandiya refugee camp while using the popular Israeli navigation app Waze and were targeted with rocks and Molotov cocktails, an Israeli military spokesperson said.
Israeli reinforcements were sent to the camp between Jerusalem and Ramallah to rescue them, provoking further clashes.
According to an Israeli police spokesperson, Palestinians threw homemade explosives and shot at the forces, who also opened fire.
The Palestinian health ministry said one Palestinian was killed and 10 wounded. The dead man was identified as Eyad Omar Sajdia, a 22-year-old student.
Five Israeli border police were also wounded, one of them seriously, police said.
The two soldiers, who first entered the camp, abandoned their jeep, with one hiding in the courtyard of a house and shooting to defend himself and signal his position, the military spokesperson said.
The other fled towards the nearby Israeli settlement of Kochav Yaakov. Both soldiers were rescued unharmed.
Waze is an excellent tool, but it can have its limits, Israeli military spokesperson, General Moti Almoz told army radio. We are going to investigate what happened.
Israeli raids on Qalandiya to arrest suspects have sparked heavy clashes in the past.
A wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories since October has killed 178 Palestinians as well as 28 Israelis, an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, according to an AFP toll.
Most of the Palestinians who died in the violence were killed by Israeli forces while carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.
Others were shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes or demonstrations.
On Sunday John Oliver, the popular host of Last Week Tonight, finally sat down to dissect the political campaign of the controversial tycoon, Donald Trump.
Oliver, known for his scathing analyses of members of the American political establishment, took down the billionaire real-estate tycoon by sifting through public statements in support of him.
I get that the character of Donald Trump is entertaining, and that he says things that people want to hear, Oliver said. And I know that his very name is powerful.
Watch: John Oliver finally takes down Trump
That name, though, may be misleading US voters.
Oliver concluded his searing character-assassination of the Republican frontrunner by saying that Trumps family name used to be Drumpf, and that Americans should always keep that in mind when deciding whether to vote for him or not.
If you are thinking of voting for Donald Trump, the charismatic guy promising to make America great again, stop and take a moment to imagine how you would feel if you just met a guy named Donald Drumpf, a litigious serial liar with a string of broken business ventures and the support of a former Klan leader who he cant decide whether or not to condemn. Would you think he would make a good president, or is the spell now somewhat broken? he said.
That is why tonight I am asking America to make Donald Drumpf again, Oliver added.
The British comedian then announced the launch of the #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain campaign, and the website DonaldJDrumpf.com, where anyone can download a browser extension that replaces the tycoons name with Drumpf.
Twitter reacted, with parody accounts and tweets carrying forth Olivers desire to reconcile Trump with his Germanic ancestry.
One user, @RealDonalDrumpf, has found great success in parodying Trump.
People are saying I got schlonged by @iamjohnoliver. But white supremacists are delighted to know I'm really German #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain Donald J. Drumpf (@RealDonalDrumpf) 1 March 2016
For Republican presidential contender Marco Rubio, Arkansas holds outsize significance since its the only one among the states holding their primaries on Super Tuesday which has shown him with a lead in the polls.
This is despite the broad consensus that Rubio is the Republican establishments favoured candidate to clinch their partys nomination.
Joseph Giammo, chair of the department of political science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, believes Rubio needs to win Arkansas because of the psychological momentum that comes with it. Of the three major Republican contenders, hes the only one without a victory.
While Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is expected to sweep the majority of Super Tuesday states, Texas Senator Ted Cruz has an edge in his home state.
Republican strategist Bill Vickery sees Arkansas as a three way race. As for Rubio, Vickery said, It certainly seems Arkansas is his best opportunity on Tuesday to win a state.
He added, Rubio has done an excellent job of trying to build momentum right up to election day. This is his second trip inside about 10 days.
Watch | Marco Rubio and the three way race in Arkansas
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On the eve of Super Tuesday, Rubio addressed a crowd at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. Given how Arkansas could be the closest race, it isnt surprising that Trump and Cruz too campaigned here this past weekend.
Susanna Samson of the Arkansas Young Republicans said the state establishments endorsement for Rubio could generate an extra percentage or two that could make the difference for him.
Rubio knows where his real threat comes from, as he launched a fiery attack on Trump in Conway, about 50 km from Little Rock. Hes asking you for the presidency of the United States, and if you look at it, he has no policy positions on anything. None. Zero. How can you elect someone that wont tell you what theyre going to do? he asked.
A loss in Arkansas will truly hurt Rubio and some Republican analysts do not expect him to last even until March 15, when the primary in his home state of Florida is scheduled. Even there, he trails Trump by over a double-digit margin in recent polling. Arkansas, therefore, may be his last chance to stay relevant in the race.
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Nepal and China are expected to ink a long-term deal on the supply of petroleum products from the northern neighbour, ending Indias monopoly, during Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis visit to Beijing this month.
An official agreement on import of petroleum products from China, as discussed during Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapas visit in December, is likely during Olijis visit, Gopal Khanal, the prime ministers foreign affairs adviser, told Hindustan Times.
After his six-day state visit to India last month, Oli is expected to travel to China later this month. The visit, likely to begin on March 20, was cleared by the cabinet on Monday.
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), the state-run organisation that deals with procuring and distribution of petroleum products, had signed a framework agreement with Petro China last October for importing one-third of Nepals fuel requirements.
The country currently imports all its petroleum products from India under an agreement between NOC and Indian Oil Corporation.
During Thapas visit to China, both sides signed an eight-point deal for the long-term supply of petroleum products, improving connectivity and increasing bilateral trade.
Both NOC and Petro China were directed to work out details on pricing, taxation, transportation and other issues before a formal deal is sealed. But the deal got stuck because Nepal sought the waiver of certain taxes.
A four-member team of senior bureaucrats and NOC officials left for China on Tuesday and it is expected to resolve all these issues before Olis visit.
Nepal imported 287,473 kilolitres of petrol, 921,714 kilolitres of diesel, 19,653 kilolitres of kerosene, 141,404 kilolitres of aviation fuel and 258,299 metric tons of LPG from India during the last financial year.
But a severe shortage of petroleum products, caused by a blockade imposed by Madhesi parties opposed to the countrys new Constitution, forced Kathmandu to look for other suppliers to diversify and reduce its reliance on New Delhi for energy supplies.
The 135-day blockade was lifted last month and supplies from India are entering the country smoothly, though there is still paucity of fuel and LPG cylinders.
In August last year, Nepal and India signed a deal to construct a 41-km pipeline connecting Raxaul in Bihar to Amlekhganj in Nepal at a cost of Rs 275 crores to ensure the smooth supply of petroleum products.
During his visit to China, Oli is also expected to take part in the Boao Forum for Asia conference in Hainan province. The three-day annual conference will begin on March 22.
Nepal and China are also likely to sign a Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (BIPPA) and transit treaties.
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New Zealand may be thousands of miles from the US presidential campaign trail but local Democratic Party supporters could boast about being the first in the world to cast ballots in multi-state primaries dubbed Super Tuesday and in a bar, no less.
American voters living in Wellington and registered as Democrats voted just after midnight early on Tuesday local time, almost a day ahead of compatriots back home. In keeping with the South Pacific nations informal style, the votes, all 28 of them, were cast in local drinking spot, the Public Bar and Eatery.
Handily winning the day in New Zealand was senator Bernie Sanders, who picked up 21 votes, while former secretary of state Hillary Clinton got six. One ballot was spoiled. The results will be confirmed later this month at the global voter tally centre in Germany.
Wellington is the first of 111 cities in 41 countries outside the US to cast ballots in the primary for Democrats abroad. Republicans living overseas wont be able to do the same because the party doesnt have a similar mechanism for its supporters to vote in primaries.
So far, four states have held primaries or caucuses to choose each partys nominee in Novembers presidential election. On Tuesday, Democrats will be voting in 11 states and American Samoa, with 865 delegates at stake. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the partys nomination. Democrats abroad are allocated 17 of those delegates.
Republicans, meanwhile, will be voting in 11 states on Super Tuesday, with 595 delegates at stake towards the 1,237 delegates needed to capture the partys nomination.
Americans living in New Zealand include students, people with specialised jobs, and retirees, said Kat Allikian, chair of the Democrats Abroad New Zealand.
She said a big motivation for local voters was to stop Republicans winning the White House in particular, leading candidate Donald Trump.
The overwhelming concern of all Democrats overseas is this Trump phenomenon that is happening on the Republican side, she said. Its mind-boggling that hes running away with the nomination. Although its not set yet.
Allikian said it was an honour to lead the vote among those living overseas.
People are really tickled that were the very first in the world, she said.
A Sikh Army captain has filed a lawsuit against the US military on Monday after being ordered to undergo extraordinary, targeted, repetitive testing before receiving permanent permission to wear a beard and long hair for his religion, court papers said.
Captain Simratpal Singh, a member of the 349th Engineer Battalion who was awarded the Bronze Star for his work clearing explosives from roads in Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, was granted a temporary accommodation last year allowing him to dress according to his religious beliefs, the court filing said.
But Assistant Army Secretary Debra Wada recently ordered additional tests before she would grant him a permanent exemption, saying she wanted to be certain he could safely wear a helmet and gas mask if he had a turban, uncut hair and a beard, the lawsuit said.
Defendants abruptly informed Captain Singh that, because of his Sikh religion, he must immediately undergo extraordinary, targeted, repetitive testing ostensibly to ensure he can properly wear a combat helmet and safety mask, the lawsuit said.
This discriminatory treatment is unfounded and violates the Armys own regulations, it said, adding that other soldiers had not been subjected to testing beyond what is given to most troops. Singh recently passed the standard gas mask testing with the rest of his unit, his supporters said.
Read: Sikh soldier in US Army allowed to keep beard, wear turban
Air Force Major Ben Sakrisson, a Pentagon spokesman, said the department did not comment on ongoing litigation. But he said the military worked to the maximum extent possible to enable the free exercise of religion by all troops.
The US military took steps in early 2014 to give individual troops greater latitude to wear turbans, head scarves, yarmulkes and tattoos if required by their religion.
The policy shift was mainly expected to affect Sikhs, Muslims, Jews and members of other groups that wear beards or articles of clothing for religious purposes. It also affected Wiccans and others who obtain tattoos for religious reasons.
Read: Obama urged to remove restrictions on Sikhs in US army
Only three Sikhs have been granted permission by the US military to wear turbans, beards and uncut hair over the past six years, court filings said. Singh and two other Sikhs are awaiting decisions on their requests for a waiver.
Singh is unusual among Sikhs seeking accommodations because in 2006 he attended West Point, where he gave in to pressure to cut his hair and beard.
But after a decade of service, including completing Army Ranger School, he obtained a temporary accommodation last year to enable him to follow the grooming traditions of his religion.
Super Tuesday, when 12 US states hold their nominating contests, could help frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton take complete control of their respective races.
Or watch rivals upend polls, and open up the fight.
On the Republican side
Donald Trump is leading polls in most of the 11 states holding Republican nominating contests in Super Tuesday, except Texas, where Ted Cruz is ahead and by far, and Minnesota, where Marco Rubio is leading according to the last poll, done in January. If Trump runs the table, he may become unstoppable, according to pollster John Zobgy. Trump has already won three of the partys four nominating contests New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
Pollsters will also be watching for the impact of Trumps recent comments failure to disavow white supremacists and the racist Ku Klux Klan, for instance on his popularity.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz speaks at a campaign event in Jefferson. (REUTERS)
Ted Cruz is expected to win Texas, his home-state. But he has to win big to stay in the race. After winning the Iowa caucuses, the first in the nominating contests, Cruz hasnt won any other state. He is locked in a close fight for the second slot with Marco Rubio in national polls, 19.8% to 17.4%.
Marco Rubio has not won any contest yet, but remains in contention because of finishing second in South Carolina and Nevada, and as someone, the party establishment hopes, who can take on Trump, and stop him. Rubio is polling second in some of the big states polling Tuesday Virginia, Georgia, Massachusetts and Oklahoma. But he has to win something to stay in the race. He is trailing Trump, however in his home-state Florida, which holds its primaries on March 15.
Ben Carson has not only won nothing yet, but has performed poorly in the contests held so far, and has been confined towards the bottom of polls for some time now. News reports suggest pressure is mounting on him to leave the race.
John Kasich has not won any contest yet, but remains in the race after finishing second in New Hampshire, and is expected to do well in his home-state Ohio, which primaries on March 15, but he trails Trump there in the RealClearPolitics average of polls.
On the Democratic side
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally to promote early voting ahead of Super Tuesday. (AP)
Hillary Clinton, who has won three of the partys four nominating contests so far, is expected to do well on Super Tuesday specially in the southern states, which are demographically similar to South Carolina, where she posted a resounding victory last week. She is ahead in polls in Texas, Georgia, Virginia, Arkansas (home-state of the Clintons), Alabama and Tennessee, and mostly by double-digits, and up north in Massachusetts. A strong showing on Super Tuesday, as forecast by polls, could set her on the path to party nomination.
Bernie Sanders is leading in home-state Vermont, Colorado and Minnesota, and could turn Massachusetts and Oklahoma into close contests. Sanders has the enthusiasm and money, Zobgy said, adding, Look for him to go to the very end. He has won one contest so far, the New Hampshire primary.
Tens of thousands of Pakistanis on Tuesday joined the funeral of Mumtaz Qadri, the policeman who was executed for assassinating Governor Salmaan Taseer over his call for changes to the controversial blasphemy law.
Hundreds more joined prayers offered in Islamabad and principal cities across the country. No untoward incident was reported as security personnel remained on high alert through the day.
Schools and colleges were closed in most cities because of fears of violence after Qadris supporters vowed to protest against his hanging on Monday.
Read | Pakistan hangs cop who assassinated Governor Salmaan Taseer
Thousands of policemen were deployed at key junctions and sensitive buildings in the capital Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi, from where the funeral procession started. Police blocked roads to Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi, where the funeral prayers were held, but thousands arrived on foot.
Supporters cheered and threw flowers at the coffin of Qadri, hailed by his supporters as a hero for gunning down Taseer in 2011. Qadri, who was angered by the governors criticism of the law that mandates the death penalty for insulting Islam, was hanged on Monday.
Thousands of people move with an ambulance carrying the body of police officer Mumtaz Qadri, the convicted killer of former governor Salmaan Taseer, during funeral prayers in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. (AP Photo)
He lives! Qadri lives! chanted supporters who surrounded the coffin. From your blood, the revolution will come!
Activists of Sunni Tehreek, a right wing religious group, supervised the funeral procession. They recited religious verses and abused the government for hanging their hero.
He was the man who stood up against blasphemy and look what the government has done to him, said Sunni Tehreek leader Saleem Qadri.
At the same, a large number of Pakistanis quietly praised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs government for going ahead with the hanging. The head of the Council of Islamic Ideology declined to endorse Qadris action. No one is above the law. I respect Qadris religious sentiments but I respect Pakistans Constitution more, Mohammad Sherani told reporters.
Analyst Imran Sherwani said Qadris execution meant the government was finally getting serious about fighting religious extremism.
Read | Qadri execution a turning point in Paks fight against extremism?
Sherwani said the Sunni Tehreek may be at odds with more radical Deobandi groups, which included those who support the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, but the message had gone out that the government would not allow extremists to hold the country hostage.
Analysts also gave credit to army chief Gen Raheel Sharif, who is believed to have pressured the civilian government into action. Gen Raheel is behind the move and it is significant not only because the army is pushing the government to take firm action but also because in the past, the Sunni Tehreek was supported by the army, said journalist Abid Hussayn.
The media maintained a near-blackout of protests for the second consecutive day, a move that analysts said had helped limit the fallout from the execution.
While the hanging is largely symbolic, it paved the way for more action against religious extremism, said another observer.
At the time of the killing of Taseer, a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Nawaz Sharif and his brother, chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, had distanced themselves from condemning the murder for fear of upsetting their political allies in Punjab, which include a number of religious groups, some of them banned under anti-terror laws.
The US has nudged Pakistan to reduce its growing nuclear arsenal but Islamabad has refused to accept any curbs, saying Washington must show greater understanding of its security concerns in South Asia.
Citing the example of the US and Russia, which are working to further reduce their atomic arsenals, secretary of state John Kerry asked Pakistan to acknowledge this reality and review its nuclear policy.
I think, it is important for Pakistan to really process that reality and put that front and centre in its policy, Kerry said in an apparent reference to reports that Pakistan has the worlds fastest growing stockpile of nuclear weapons.
The nuclear issue figured during security talks held here on Monday under the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue. Kerrys remarks came ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit to be hosted by President Barack Obama. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is among the world leaders who will attend the meet.
Kerry said non-proliferation and nuclear safety is of obvious concern to the US and Pakistan. I expect that we continue to discuss the obligation of being a responsible state with nuclear weapons in the coming year, he said.
He noted the US and the erstwhile Soviet Union had 50,000 nuclear warheads pointed at each other. We have moved in a completely opposite direction. And today, Russia and the US are operating under a treaty that has about 1,500 or so nuclear warheads and we are seeking to reduce that, he said.
Pakistans foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz sought the nuclear mainstreaming of his country. Our engagement on non-proliferation and strategic stability will continue and Pakistan hopes to see greater US understanding of Pakistans security concerns and its desire to contribute actively as a mainstream nuclear power, he said.
Pakistan has said it will not accept any unilateral curbs on its nuclear programme and any reduction should apply to India as well.
At the start of the talks, Pakistan said the sale of eight F-16 jets would strengthen its ability to mount counter-terrorist operations and promote regional stability. The US this month approved the sale of the aircraft, radars and electronic warfare equipment to Pakistan in a deal worth nearly $700 million.
The sale has been criticised by India and by US lawmakers.
The US also commended Pakistans commitment not to differentiate between terrorist groups, including those targeting India.
We commend Pakistan for its whole-of-government approach to implement the National Action Plan and eliminate the ability of militant groups to recruit, to finance, and to incite violence, Kerry said at the inaugural session of the dialogue.
And we welcome Pakistans commitment not to differentiate between terrorist groups in the implementation of this strategy, he said. Groups like the Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Taiba (that) seek to undermine Pakistans efforts to foster strong, positive relations with its neighbours.
Groups like the Haqqani Network, LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed, he said, are literally stealing the sovereignty of a nation.
Sartaj Aziz said Pakistan had reached out to India as part of its policy for a peaceful neighbourhood. We believe the resolution of all outstanding issues, including the Kashmir dispute, is possible through resumption of full-scale and uninterrupted dialogue with India, he said.
It is unfortunate that the agreement on resuming the dialogue process was disrupted by the attack on Pathankot airbase on 2nd January, he added.
Pakistan has taken some important steps in the aftermath of the attack, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif immediately called his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and assured him of Pakistans support in the investigation.
The national security advisers are maintaining frequent contacts, a case has been registered, and a special investigation team is likely to visit Indian in the next few days, he said.
The US-Pakistan strategic dialogue process started in 2010 but it was interrupted the following year after a US raid in Abbottabad killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The process resumed in 2014.
Its no longer Yes Minister in Whitehall a more realistic picture of the interaction between bureaucrats and ministers in the build-up to the EU referendum is No Minister.
In a reversal of sorts of the theme of Yes Minister, Britains iconic political television series, a piquant situation has arisen after bureaucrats were told by the Cabinet secretary not to show documents related to European Union, brief or help write speeches by six ministers favouring the countrys exit from the EU.
The David Camerons government official position is that Britain should remain in the 28-member bloc. Following this position, bureaucrats in departments headed by the six ministers have been told to deny any help to them to make the Brexit case.
Called the Gang of Six, the ministers are Priti Patel, Iain Duncan-Smith, Michael Gove, Chris Grayling, John Whittingdale and Theresa Villiers. Cameron lifted the obligation of collective responsibility to enable ministers to take different positions before the June 23 referendum.
As Duncan-Smith asked bureaucrats to ignore the directive and others claimed it was unconstitutional, his cabinet colleague, foreign secretary Philip Hammond, defended the order. The pro-Brexit ministers alleged officials cannot be used for pro-EU propaganda.
But Hammond said: Whitehall civil servants and Whitehall papers are produced in support of the governments position on an issue. Now, those ministers who want to argue another case are being allowed to do so but the civil service cant support them in doing that.
He added: Theyll have to find their own external support to do that and the Leave campaign will provide them with that capability.
Cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood told MPs that far from being unconstitutional, the civil service is upholding its primary role of carrying out government policy: What my letter does is put flesh on the bones of the prime ministers own letter of the January 11 saying the government would have a position on this subject.
There are fears the impasse will lead to stalling of work in the six departments before the referendum.
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Hi my name is Andrea. I'm an artist, wanderer, and lover of Hi my name is Andrea.
living life as simple as possible.
I remain thankful for things
like running
water, freedom, sunshine, and love. A Florida Native
,
I've recently moved from
Australia to Door County. I've left my beautiful East Coast ocean for the monster Great Lakes. I spend my time traveling the world, swimming in every body of water I can get my toes in. I use film photography and art to remain inspired and inspire others.
This is who is behind Cruz' nasty, deceitful campaign. This is who Cruz sought to advance him into the Presidency.
Now one has to ask; if Cruz were to win, what would the make-up of his 'staff' look like and be? That's a scary image and one I can't endorse.
Coral bleaching, the process that turns corals white or causes their colors to fade, is currently threatening reef symbiosis, the mutually beneficial relationship between two coral reef organisms. This process is a valuable source of biodiversity, tourism and fishing, and scientists are now warning that coral bleaching is occurring in the Great Barrier Reef due to the warming sea temperatures, something that could rapidly accelerate unless its temperature cools down over the next few weeks.
Just last year, authorities pointed to a potential massive coral bleaching event stemming from the effects of El Nino, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies attempted to raise public awareness of the severity of its dangers.
"Current reports of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef do not equate to a mass bleaching event," said the center's director, Terry Hughes. "But we are concerned about a growing incidence of minor to moderate bleaching at multiple locations along the reef as the peak of summer approaches."
Janice Lough, senior research scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, added to this concern.
"The latest Bureau of Meteorology forecasts suggest that we could see significant above average temperatures through the month of March, which may mean more bleaching ahead for corals on the Great Barrier Reef unless we get some windy and cloudy weather soon," she said.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's biggest coral reef system, and it is already facing challenges posed by climate change, farming run-off and the starfish that feed off of them. In fact, it was almost put on the U.N. World Heritage in danger list last year, although it missed the classification by a hair.
The Australian Conservation Foundation is currently challenging their government's approval of Adani's Carimichael mine due to the fact that the coal industry in one of the factors that is stimulating climate change and warming temperatures.
Ultimately, scientists believe that reducing greenhouse emissions as soon as possible and keeping the rate of climate change under control is the most effective way to combat the negative effects of coral bleaching that are currently manifesting in the Great Barrier Reef.
"Global warming - fueled by burning fossil fuels - is increasing the water temperature and bleaching coral reefs," said World Wildlife Foundation Great Barrier Reef campaigner Louise Matthiesson. "Right now, the Great Barrier Reef is on a knife-edge."
@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
March is Women's History Month. It's a time to highlight the achievements of amazing women throughout history. This month, we'll likely hear all about Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Malala Yousafzai, JK Rowling - all incredible, history-altering women who deserve to be celebrated all year round, not only in March.
However, to kick off Women's History Month, we want to show you you some truly inspiring quotes from women in history that you may not have heard of.
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any," said Alice Walker, author of "The Color Purple."
"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn," said Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of 19th century abolitionist novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
"Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live," said Mae C. Jemison, the first female African-American astronaut.
"You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe," said Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian peace campaigner and Nobel Prize winner.
"I need to listen well so that I hear what is not said," said Thuli Madonsela, South Africa's Public Protector and anti-corruption advocate.
"It is a source of happiness to do whatever can be done for our country that suffers so many anguishes, it is sad to stay with one's arms crossed," said Minerva Mirabal, one of the three Mirabal sisters who fought against the Dominican Republic's dictator, Rafael Trujillo.
"I have an almost complete disregard of precedent, and a faith in the possibility of something better. It irritates me to be told how things have always been done. I defy the tyranny of precedent. I go for anything new that might improve the past," said Clara Barton, the woman who started The Red Cross.
@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Background
Though Expedia's new Accelerator Program has not officially launched, it has been widely discussed by the company's top management during investor calls and TV interviews. It is also being promoted to hotels in a number of locations by Expedia's market managers.
What exactly is the Accelerator program? Simply put, it is a "bid for position" commission program in which hoteliers are encouraged to provide Expedia with a higher commission in exchange for better visibility (read higher ranking) of the property listing in Expedia's search/availability results pages.
The idea is that if a property is in a dire occupancy need, they will be willing to give Expedia a 30%, 40%, or even 50% commission for better "visibility," which in turn means more bookings for the property.
Why is Expedia introducing this program? Over the past 10 years or so, OTA commissions have been going down at a steady clip. Many major brands were able to push down commission/margin levels from as high as 20% down to less than 14%. The proliferation of "soft" brands such as Autograph Collections, Luxury Collections, etc., have added a multitude of independent properties to the lower commission levels negotiated by the major brands. The true independent hotels have seen only slight improvement in commission levels yet some properties in strategic locations have been able to push down commissions below the 20% mark.
If you exclude CPC revenue from Trivago.com, Expedia's other major revenue stream, Expedia Media Solutions is stagnant at best and generates revenues in the lower teens. Expedia has never been able to convince hoteliers to spend serious advertising dollars on its sites since hoteliers resent the "double taxation" nature of this advertising spend: paying for advertising while paying commissions for bookings on Expedia.com at the same time.
So here comes the Accelerator Program, an attempt to reverse the trend of decreasing commissions and generate an additional revenue stream for the OTA.
"Pay for Better Placement" is not a new concept
Expedia's main rival Booking.com has been offering a static version of a similar "pay for better placement" program for over 15 years now. The OTA offers a two-tiered program: standard and premium listings, the latter offering higher ranking of the property in search/availability results. Naturally the premium listings come at a steeper commission of 18% and above.
All the meta search sites utilize a similar "pay for better placement" business model: the higher you bid, the better the ranking on the page.
Is the Accelerator Program good for hotels?
With the new Accelerator Program the cost of distribution will go up, up and further up. What happened to the Internet being the most transparent and cost-efficient distribution channel ever invented? Even before this new Accelerator Program, the online OTA channel has become the most expensive distribution channel in hospitality: more expensive than traditional travel agents and tour operators, more expensive than the voice channel.
This program will not only increase cost of distribution and further damage the bottom line, but will engage precious revenue management resources at the property and corporate level. In other words, the Accelerator Program will have a downward spiral effect on hotel profitability.
Is it good for travel consumers?
With this new "pay for better placement" program, Expedia will push properties that provide higher commissions to the top of search/availability results. How could this be good for travel consumers? Less-than-stellar hotels that offer bigger commissions to Expedia will "outshine" the rest of the pack who offer "regular" commissions. Naturally, Expedia will not be disclosing to its users that the top 10 or 15 hotels they see in search/availability results are paying a higher commission to be there.
So who is the winner?
The only winner is Expedia and its self-centered interests. Hoteliers and travel consumers are both losers from the Accelerator Program.
What can and should hoteliers do?
The new Accelerator Program should be a wake-up call for the whole industry. Now is the time for hotel owners, managers, franchisors and franchisees to take charge of their online distribution "destiny" and focus on the direct online channel.
What should hoteliers do?
First, hoteliers should have the confidence that they CAN drive more direct bookings. We are enjoying a great time in the hospitality industry and have more tools and technology available than ever before to shift share and improve the hotel's bottom line. Now is the time to take back control and not allow the OTAs to increase their market share further.
Second , every property, hotel management company, hotel chain or brand should adopt a "Direct is Better" top-down strategy with the primary goal of generating more direct online bookings. Without such a strategy, the property and hotel company end up with under-staffed and under-budgeted in direct online marketing efforts, bandwidth and focus. A "Direct is Better" top-down strategy includes accountability for owning the property's website performance and determines whose salaries/bonuses are affected by the website's ROI (therefore incentivizing direct online bookings).
Recent "direct is better" initiatives by Marriott and Hilton deserve the industry's admiration and should serve as a "shining example" worth following.
Third, fix once and for all the highly unusual way hospitality accounts for costs of distribution: the OTA commissions are considered as acceptable "cost of distribution fees" together with travel agent commissions, GDS pass-through and other transaction fees, while direct online channel expenses come from the Marketing and Advertising Budget of the property. Many hoteliers account for the transaction cost for the website booking engine as a distribution expense, but the cost to generate this same booking (website, SEO, SEM, Online Media and retargeting, etc.) is considered an advertising expense. Why?
Any expense to generate direct online bookings should be considered not as an advertising expense, but as cost of distribution expense, similar to the OTA and travel agency commissions and other distribution fees. This is the only way to compare "apples to apples" and provide much needed resources to boost direct online channel bookings.
For example, in 2015 across our client portfolio, the average cost of distribution (Cost-of-Sale) in the direct online channel was 4%. Compare this to 18% from booking.com and 22%-25% from Expedia. Unfortunately, the 4% direct online channel cost of distribution came from the very limited hotel marketing and advertising budget, while the hefty OTA commissions came from the unlimited cost of distribution fund and were simply deducted from the booking revenue without any limitations.
Fourth , invest the appropriate amount to digital technology and marketing to generate more direct bookings. Under-spending by independent and branded properties alike in digital marketing and technology has been a problem in our industry for many years. The limitations from the backwards way of accounting the cost of distribution in the direct online channel as an advertising and marketing expense (described above) is one of the main reasons for this systemic under-spend.
We have entered a new era of online distribution and digital marketing in which just having a website, a few paid search campaigns and occasional email marketing initiatives no longer allows hoteliers to achieve any level of real success and only deepens their dependence on the OTAs.
In 2016, the majority of hotel rooms (55%) will be booked online (Google Research). The vast majority of travel consumers, leisure and corporate alike, plus corporate group planners and SMERF group organizers, do their travel planning and research online. Hoteliers simply cannot afford to under-spend in digital!
In addition, the process of planning travel has become increasingly complex, requiring hoteliers to engage the travel consumer at every possible touch point. The average travel consumer journey takes about 17 days, and the average visitor goes through eight research sessions, 18 site visits, and six clicks before making a booking (Google Research).
We have a very concrete whitepaper on the subject: The Smart Hotelier's Guide to 2016 Digital Marketing Budget Planning. Page 21 offers a 2016 Digital Marketing Budget Snapshot and the "Budget Outline & Allocations" section (pages 6 19) outlines exactly how to structure your budget to achieve the right mix of ROI-generating initiatives.
Conclusion:
Expedia's new Accelerator Program is bad news for the industry. It will no doubt lure some weak and "asleep at the wheel" hoteliers, resulting in further over-dependence on the OTA channel and destruction of their bottom line.
The industry must resist the temptation of "easy" bookings that come at the expense of irreparable "OTA drug addiction," deprive the property from gaining valuable payroll, capital and digital knowledge resources and lead to a downward race to lost hotel profitability.
Investing in the direct online channel should become the ultimate strategic objective for any property and hotel company. Direct bookings should be the benchmark by which salary increases and bonuses are determined at the property and corporate level. Employees should be incentivized when the market share needle is moved from OTAs to direct online bookings.
2016 should be the year for investing in the right digital technology and marketing techniques, adopting optimum digital marketing budgets that will allow hoteliers to boost their direct online channel presence, and implementing a full-blown merchandising strategy to engage users and drive direct bookings.
ABOUT NEXTGUEST
NextGuest provides hoteliers with everything they need to thrive in the digital world, with bespoke technology solutions developed to meet the needs of luxury hotel clients coupled with elegant design capabilities that bring brands to life. We marry the power of data with brand discovery to uncover unique strategies that apply to everything from website design, content marketing, CRM, and more, helping the world's top hotel brands maximize ROI as they acquire, convert, and retain guests throughout the travel planning journey. While each of our services is available on its own, the integrated technologies, marketing, and consulting offerings work together to increase digital engagement and generate revenue for hoteliers, allowing them to focus on what matters most serving their guests. www.nextguest.com | [email protected]
Mariana Safer
SVP Global Marketing
NextGuest merged with Cendyn
One of the most iconic hotels in the Nordic region, the Hotel Kamp, is to join The Leading Hotels of the World.
Hotel Kamp, part of Kamp Collection Hotels and located in the heart of Helsinki, has played an important, cultural role in Finland since it opened in 1887. The hotel has been the home to heads of state, celebrities and influencers for over 100 years and was founded before Finland became an independent state in 1917. The hotel sits at the gateway between east and west and architecturally brings Parisian flair and European elegance to Helsinki.
The prestigious hotel has 179 rooms and suites, including the 258 sq.m Mannerheim Suite which has its own private sauna, as well as a spa, two restaurants including YUME offering contemporary Asian cuisine, and a bar and summer terrace. There is also an impressive art collection with 450 pieces of artwork showcasing the breathtaking diversity of Finnish contemporary graphic art.
Marc Skvorc, General Manager at Hotel Kamp, commented: "Hotel Kamp is Helsinkis crown jewel among hotels and a major landmark for the city. It is an historical Finnish icon which breathes accessible exclusivity and luxury. As a team, we are honored to become a part of the distinctive The Leading Hotels of the World collection. A significant sense of heritage and personalized service is our forte. Membership of The Leading Hotels of the World is a perfect match and will bring even more benefits to our guests."
In January 2016, the Kamp Group introduced its new corporate identity, which also involved renaming the group as Kamp Collection Hotels. The start of the year also featured the launch of an extensive international recruitment campaign to find top managers for the hotels. The new strategy aims to strengthen the positioning of the luxury and lifestyle hotels in the group's portfolio and the membership of Hotel Kamp in The Leading Hotels of the World is an important step in the new direction.
"For more than 125 years, Hotel Kamp has played a central role at the heart of social life in Helsinki. Having hosted key international political leaders and military dignitaries, the hotel has witnessed eras and events integral to the recent history of Finland," said Deniz Omurgonulsen, Vice President, Membership, The Leading Hotels of the World. "We are delighted to welcome Hotel Kamp to our collection, as it will enrich the variety of our portfolio of uncommon luxury hotels, and will offer an ideal hotel for our customers visiting this major European capital."
Laura Tarkka, CEO of Kamp Collection Hotels, says: "We are proud and privileged to become a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. We also felt that timing was right for the most legendary luxury hotel in Finland to join the collection."
The Leading Hotels of the World was established in 1928 under the name Luxury Hotels of Europe and Egypt. It initially included 38 member hotels, among them the elegant Hotel Negresco in Nice, the legendary Mena House in Cairo, and King David Hotel in Jerusalem.
Comprising more than 375 hotels and holiday resorts in over 75 countries today, The Leading Hotels of the World is one of the largest collections of luxury hotels in the world. The individual hotels are strongly rooted in their locations. As highly prestigious hospitality brands, they embody the very essence of their distinctive destinations. Through varied styles of architecture and design, LHW hotels embrace distinct cultural experiences with exclusive services. LHW is headquartered in New York City. The company maintains offices in 25 cities around the globe.
About The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. (LHW)
Comprised of more than 400 hotels in over 80 countries, LHW is the largest collection of independent luxury hotels. In 1928, 38 independent hoteliers came together to create LHW. Since then, the Company has carefully curated distinctive hotels, resorts, inns, chalets, villas, and safari camps from the snow-capped Alps of Europe to the African veldt, to share them with adventurous souls who seek the remarkably uncommon. The LHW community is filled of exceptional individuals, united by a passion for the surprising discoveries and details that come with every experience. LHW hoteliers are artisans of hospitality whose expertise, commitment to excellence, and individual flair allows them to create story-worthy moments for their guests. And it is these authentic, individualized experiences combined with the warm hospitality and high-touch service they provide that keeps discerning travelers returning again and again. LHW's collection covers the globe and promises a broad range of destinations and uncommon experiences, enhanced by LHW's tiered guest loyalty program Leaders Club. From converted former palaces, and countryside retreats run by the same families for generations, to gleaming skyscrapers in dynamic urban centers, serene private island escapes, glamorous tented camps and beyond explore, find inspiration, and experience unforgettable travel moments. For more information visit: www.lhw.com, Facebook at @LeadingHotels, Twitter at @LeadingHotels and Instagram @leadinghotelsoftheworld
Mirkku Kullberg
Marketing Director - Kamp Collection Hotels
+358 40 5636636
LHW
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Ford C. Barton, Principal of Lodging Partners located in Charlotte, North Carolina, has joined the Hotel Brokers International. Mr. Barton is a 33-year veteran of the hospitality industry and holds a Brokers real estate license in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Hotel Brokers International, the hospitality industrys leading hotel real estate sales organization, announced today that Ford C. Barton has joined their network of experienced, successful hotel asset brokerage specialists. Mr. Barton, a 33-year veteran of the hospitality industry, serves as the Principal of Lodging Partners a specialized hotel brokerage firm located in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Mr. Barton and Lodging Partners offer a range of hotel real estate services, including brokerage, valuation consulting, and strategic acquisition planning. Mr. Barton holds a Brokers real estate license in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia and has acted on hundreds of hotel transactions. Lodging Partners serves a broad spectrum of clients, from single hotel owner-operators to large private equity groups and international hotel chains.
Prior to his role with Lodging Partners, Mr. Bartons hospitality industry experience includes more than 24 years at the executive level with Marriott Hotels, Manor Care Hotels/Sunburst Hospitality, and Choice Hotels International. His experiences include hotel ownership, operations, development, and senior level real estate acquisition and disposition, asset management, and franchise development.
Mr. Bartons new affiliation with Hotel Brokers International, combined with his proven track record in the industry, will reinforce Lodging Partners strong marketing presence in the industry, and will strengthen the HBI network's reach into the Carolinas and Georgia. This addition of Ford Barton and Lodging Partners to our network continues HBIs long history of tapping the industrys most experienced and knowledgeable brokerage talents to provide the hotel investment community confidence that they are working with a hotel real estate expert when they engage an HBI Broker, said Tony DeGeorge, HBI Membership Liaison.
Founded in 1959, Hotel Brokers International members lead the industry in hotel real estate sales. HBI hotel brokerage specialists have successfully negotiated nearly 10,500 hotel real estate transactions and consistently account for the largest share of all select-service and economy hotel sales in the United States. The organizations database currently comprises more than 100 property listings and the HBI website attracts more than 55,000 monthly site visitors. Founder and host of the popular Hotel Investors Marketplace Webcast, HBI also developed the Certified Hotel Broker professional designation program. In addition to hospitality real estate advisory services, HBI offers affiliate membership to professionals in allied fields, including franchising, lending, appraisals and investment services. For more information about HBIs hotel listings or to become a broker or affiliate member, visit www.hbihotels.com.
For more information contact:
Ford C. Barton, Principal
Lodging Partners
Phone 704.341.8488
ford@lodging-partners.com
Glenda J. Webb, Managing Director
Hotel Brokers International
Phone 816.505.4315
gwebb@hbihotels.com
Joseph P. Kennedy, President of Crystal Investment Property, LLC, a licensed Oregon broker, has structured the sale of the 26-key Silver Spur Motel in Burns, Oregon. The final sale price was $735,000. Burns, Oregon, was recently in the national spotlight during the standoff at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge.
Crystal Investment Property, LLC, a member of Hotel Brokers International, announced the successful sale of the Silver Spur Motel in Burns, Oregon. Crystal Investment Property, LLC, a licensed Oregon broker, exclusively represented the Seller in the sale. Joseph P. Kennedy, President of CIP, worked closely with the Seller as well as the Buyer and Buyers Broker, lender and other professionals to negotiate a mutually acceptable sale. The final sale price was $735,000.
The classic 26 key highway motel has an outstanding location in the heart of town on the main highway through Central Oregon to Boise, Idaho and beyond. The property offers western themed rooms with unique artwork and nice amenities for travelers.
Joseph Kennedy, President of Crystal Investment Property said, We worked with the Seller for 6 years as he prepared for the eventual marketing and sale of his motel. We had multiple competing offers and feel like we achieved top of market value for the Seller. There was quite a bit of excitement during the process as the national spotlight shone on Burns during the standoff at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, however we were able to work around the disruption to achieve a successful and timely sale. We congratulate the Seller as he moves on and look forward to the energy and enthusiasm the Buyers bring to their new motel and the community!
Crystal Investment Property, a premiere hospitality investment advisory and brokerage company located in the Pacific Northwest, maintains the most cutting-edge technological, online and social media presence as well as a full range of traditional and web-based marketing reaching local, regional, national and international clientele. The firms core services of hospitality asset acquisition/disposition are supported by innovative and creative solutions to maintain position as the most active and successful hotel broker in the region. Crystal Investment Property represents the full spectrum of hospitality real estate owners and their experience covers all hospitality assets types, including: full service hotels, boutique hotels, select service hotels, limited service hotels, as well as development projects, and leasehold transactions. Crystal Investment Property may be accessed online at www.crystalip.com.
Founded in 1959, Hotel Brokers International members lead the industry in hotel real estate sales. HBI hotel brokerage specialists have successfully negotiated nearly 10,500 hotel real estate transactions and consistently account for the largest share of all select-service and economy hotel sales in the United States. The organizations database currently comprises more than 100 property listings and the HBI website attracts more than 55,000 monthly site visitors. Founder and host of the popular Hotel Investors Marketplace Webcast, HBI also developed the Certified Hotel Broker professional designation program. In addition to hospitality real estate advisory services, HBI offers affiliate membership to professionals in allied fields, including franchising, lending, appraisals and investment services. For more information about HBIs hotel listings or to become a broker or affiliate member, visit www.hbihotels.com.
For more information contact:
Joseph P. Kennedy, President
Crystal Investment Property, LLC
Portland, Oregon
503.530.1316
joe@crystalip.com
Glenda J. Webb, Managing Director
Hotel Brokers International
Kansas City, Missouri
816.505.4315
gwebb@hbihotels.com
Reykjavik Consulate Hotel
Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) has reached an agreement with longstanding partner Icelandair Hotels to bring Curio - A Collection by Hilton to Reykjavik with two new city center hotels.
Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) has reached an agreement with longstanding partner Icelandair Hotels to bring Curio - A Collection by Hilton to Reykjavik with two new city center hotels.
Reykjavik Consulate Hotel and Iceland Parliament Hotel will be the latest hotels developed in collaboration with Icelandair Hotels - a wholly owned subsidiary of Icelandair Group. The hotels will join Hilton Reykjavik Nordica, which opened in 2007, and the worlds first Canopy by Hilton, currently under construction in downtown Reykjavik, and due to open in Summer 2016.
Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president, development, EMEA, Hilton Worldwide said:
Icelandair has been instrumental in showcasing Iceland as an upscale leisure destination, supporting a 25% growth in tourism over the past 12 months, and welcoming more than 1.3 million visitors in 2015. In joining Curio A Collection by Hilton, the hotels will appeal to visitors seeking local experiences and Icelandic hospitality, while also benefitting from Hiltons superior commercial engine and global distribution. These hotels build on Curios early success in Europe, bringing impressive heritage properties for the modern traveller to the brands growing footprint in the region.
Magnea Thorey Hjalmarsdottir, managing director, Icelandair Hotels said:
Were proud to showcase Icelands beauty to international guests, and these two properties support our ambitions to provide sophisticated accommodation in Reykjavik. In introducing Curio to our established portfolio, we will bring a new style of premium hospitality to this legendary part of Reykjavik.
Reykjavik Consulate Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton
Reykjavik Consulate Hotel will join luxury and upscale Curio properties in cities around the world, including the recently opened Reichshof Hamburg, and properties under development in London, Paris, Dubai and Istanbul. Situated meters from the Harpa Conference and Concert Hall, the hotel is expected to welcome its first guests in 2018.
Consistent with the capitals eclectic architecture, the development will restore a number of traditional properties and reflect the Icelandic aesthetic. Amongst these is the building which housed Thomsens Magasin Reykjaviks first department store. Detlev Thomsen was the German consul for Iceland and in welcoming the first foreign dignitaries in the 19th Century, established a lasting legacy of international hospitality on the island.
With 50 guest rooms, the hotels interiors draw influence from Reykjaviks heritage, with natural building materials used throughout. The hotels spa will incorporate an original 19th century stone wall, and its interior reflects the tradition of natural bathing in Icelandic culture.
Award-winning restaurateur and Icelandair Hotels Executive Chef, Stefan Vidarsson, will oversee the restaurant and bar concepts at both hotels, serving authentic Nordic cuisine and the highest quality ingredients.
Iceland Parliament Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton
Directly opposite Reykjaviks parliament building and the citys main square, which plays host to public celebrations throughout the year, The Iceland Parliament Hotel will offer 160 stylish guest rooms and suites when it opens in 2018. The development plans also include provision for a museum on the ground floor, which will publically display Icelands long history of democracy.
Iceland Parliament Hotels elegant presidential suite on the top floor of the building will capture the imagination of distinguished luxury travellers, with 360 degree views of the harbour and Reykjavik, whilst the city centers only luxury spa will provide a sanctuary for visitors and local residents alike. The hotel will complement the Reykjavik Consulate Hotel in providing a number of high-end catering and conference facilities.
Dianna Vaughan, global head, Curio A Collection by Hilton said:
These remarkable hotels, which will differ considerably in look and feel, celebrate the diversity of the Curio collection. Reykjaviks vibrant cultural scene and stunning natural surroundings make it the perfect city destination for upscale travelers, and The Reykjavik Consulate Hotel and Iceland Parliament Hotel will be anticipated additions to our global portfolio of more than 80 properties open or in various stages of development.
Reykjavik Consulate Hotel will be located on Hafnarstraeti, whilst Iceland Parliament Hotel will be located on Thorvaldsensstraeti.
The Internet, especially with the proliferation of social media, has changed the music industry in a drastic way. Artists can act as their own A&Rs, and though its common for ones management to seize control of his or her Twitter account, theres much less of a middleman between the brand an artist seeks to project and the one that fans receive.
The increased access to new fans and markets doesnt always guarantee success, though. Many rappers are for lack of a better word thirsty when it comes to self-promotion, leading fans to think he or she might be overcompensating for potential artistic weaknesses. It can also be off-putting to see an artist whose online behavior is much the same as anyone else on the timeline. When it comes to our favorite artists, we like it when every word they utter neatly fits into an ingenious persona, one thats often imagined.
For these reasons, many young artists have been taking an opposite route. Instead of trying to market every aspect of themselves, they surround their artistic aliases with total anonymity. When nothing is known of an alluring figure, each piece of new music allows fans to build their own narratives and the audience-driven speculation can serve to boost the excitement around a particularly mysterious artist. Cause who doesnt love a good mystery?
This strategy has long been in use within electronic music, especially due to the absence of song lyrics from much of the genre. When a face is removed from a song, theres more focus on the pure feeling of the music which is the goal in the first place. The trend has now seeped into the worlds of rap and R&B, especially the latter, as the genre is often more about mood-setting than first-person storytelling.
Weve seen it recently with artists like THEY. just look at the name as well as dvsn, the latest act to sign to OVO, as reported yesterday. All thats known of dvsn is theres a vocalist and a producer, who could be one in the same. Nineteen85, who produced The Line, the track that first earned dvsn recognition, could be one of the members, the only member, or not a member at all. Whatever the makeup of dvsn, its likely that Drake will leave the mystery up to dedicated forum diggers for at least the next few months, as hes done with other artists on his roster at OVO.
While the trend is far from over perhaps nearing exhaustion, even here are 5 prominent hip-hop/R&B artists who used anonymity to help achieve sizable followings.
In the past two weeks, The Weeknd has performed at both the Grammys and the Academy Awards. His last album, Beauty Behind the Madness, contained two No. 1 singles and one more thats currently on its way to the top 10. Its hard to believe that, about four years ago, he had already achieved mainstream recognition when few knew his face or his story.
In 2011, the then-unknown artist released three mixtapes, each receiving widespread acclaim and steadily fueling a buzz that made him seem like one of the hottest prospects to ever come out of Canada. The only side of his persona he shed any light on was the dark one: we saw a sex-crazed, drug-abusing late-night marauder, whose songs were fueled by an encompassing sense of pain.
In contrast with all the hurt was a voice of stunning purity, akin to Michael Jackson the comparison came ready-made on his third mixtape, Echoes of Silence, with a sinister cover of Dirty Diana. Fans desperately wanted to know how such a talent could be riddled with such darkness, and even as hes achieved the type of success no one couldve imagined, the mystery surrounding the Beauty Behind the Madness is still alive, suggesting his stardom has only just begun.
Remember when Odd Future took over the world? Their macabre humor and raucous live shows felt like something unprecedented in rap. The fearless and charismatic Tyler, the Creator was the leader, but the next member to garner the most fanfare was one of whom no one knew the true identity: Earl Sweatshirt.
To be fair, Earl didnt deliberately use anonymity to his advantage. He was sent to a remote reform school in Samoa for almost two years, only to be uncovered by a couple of particularly resourceful Complex writers. Upon discovering Earls whereabouts, fans imagined a delinquent whose artful expression was being restrained by his mother. Earl has since, angrily and through his music, revealed that not to be the case whatsoever, but regardless, all the conspiracies led a reformed Earl to return home to a record deal and a fanbase of millions.
As mentioned, none of this was strategic on Earls part, though it can be argued that the mystery worked on his behalf, as he remains one of the most successful artists to emerge out of the Odd Future camp.
Post Malone
Upon dropping his loose, melodic trap-n-b hybrid, produced by Atlanta duo FKi, all that was known about Post Malone was the color of the skin. Indeed, the image of a White Iverson seemed a lot cooler before Post, upon being discovered, had to actually explain himself.
The song achieved 1,000,000 plays in its first month on soundcloud. Post has released a few near-hits since, and his talents have been enlisted by 50 Cent and Kanye West. Hes been tested by Charlamagne and the Black Lives Matter movement to see if he lives up to the title of his hit single not exactly, but he seems likable enough to make a dent in the industry with his debut album on Republic Records, which is set to arrive this month. Come to think of it, whenever the album does drop, hell still be riding off the hotness of White Iverson.
Bryson Tiller
In October 2014, Bryson Tiller, hailing from the oft-ignored town of Louisville, Kentucky, uploaded Dont to his soundcloud from almost total obscurity. In the months that followed, he watched as the track garnered millions upon millions of plays, including a couple from Drake, who flew Tiller up to the 6 and offered him a deal with OVO.
The next year, as Tiller continued to crack six-digit soundcloud streams with each of his ensuing drops, all that was known of the guy was that he specialized in a sound branded as Trapsoul and that he had the balls to turn down a record deal from Drake.
He released his debut album, named after his signature sound, on RCA in October 2015, and since, with little radio play or promo, the album has, as of earlier this month, moved almost 180,000 copies. And Dont the track he released almost a year and half ago is still on soundcloud, but its also on Billboard, as the No. 17 song in the country.
PartyNextDoor
PartyNextDoors first song was uploaded to soundcloud in April 2013, and it was immediately reposted on a prominent account that of Octobers Very Own, who used the track to announce the signing of the then-unknown artist.
PND has followed in the footsteps of his fellow Toronto suburbanite The Weeknd, though he opted for a deal with the citys premier tastemaking label instead of starting his own brand, as Abel did with XO. Of course, Party hasnt achieved nearly the same level of success as The Weeknd, though its unclear if thats what he wants. Its unclear because very little is known of his persona, except that he enjoys styrofoam cups, trap couture, and lacing dark R&B songs with abstract, off-the-cuff vocals, sang with a hint of Caribbean patois.
While Partys goals in the industry remain unknown, hes managed a string of solid releases, a few worthy contributions on platinum Drake albums, and hes been able to make serious cash and sustain a healthy buzz amid lengthy hibernation periods. Cant knock that hustle.
In some ways, the thought process to this crime was in the right place. Air Force 1s are some of the bulkiest and heaviest sneakers out there, so when Perez Beltran decided to smuggle 3 pound of heroin into the United States, at least he was trying to think logically. However, he underestimated just how good US Customs is at catching people just like him.
Perez Beltran, who is a United States citizen, flew in from the Dominican Republic to John F. Kennedy International Airport with three pounds of heroin stuffed into three separate pairs of Air Force 1s. During his customs search, officers discovered the three pairs of Forces were unusually heavy. Upon further inspection, they discovered powdered heroin had been hidden in the lining and under the insole of the sneaker.
The three pounds of heroin has an estimated street value of $90,000, which doesnt really seem worth the risk. Besides, hes hardly the first person to try to sneak something illegal in his shoes and those people always seem to get caught. Perez has been charged with federal narcotics smuggling. Dont smuggle drugs, kids.
[via]
heroin-AF1
Following the announcement of a reunion tour Belly have just added a Dublin date to their schedule
Following the announcement of a reunion in early February Belly have just announced a date in Dublin's Academy on July 23rd
The American alt-rock legends disbanded in 1996 after releasing only long players '92s Star and King in '95. On February 8 the band announced that they would be making a comeback with Gail Greenwood taking the place of Fred Abong who left just after the release of their second LP.
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Tickets for Belly go on sale this Friday, March 4 at 9am and are priced at 25 including booking fee.
Their tenth anniversary celebrations will feature a surprise or three
Knockanstockan is headed back to its home on the banks of Blessington Lakes for the tenth straight year - and they've got some surprises in store.
While lips are well and truly sealed as to exactly what we can expect, we do know that bookers have been busy lining up well-known mavericks on the Irish scene to perform as honorary guests, sprinkled throughout a line-up of the best and brightest in fresh homegrown talent. Who, exactly, the acts are is still very much a secret - and will remain so until they take the stage.
"We really want the element of a birthday surprise at this years festival, so our lineup is under lock and key right now," says Bettine McMahon, one of the festivals bookers. "Even most of the crew don't know who is playing! You will have to be there to witness history."
And if witnessing history sounds like your thing, then there'll be three days in the Wicklow sunshine to be enjoyed this year; the festival takes place July 22-24, with weekend camping tickets priced at 115.
Donegal folk-pop duo Little Hours have just joined Kodaline and Walking On Cars as part of the stellar line-up for the next Jameson Bow St. Sessions gig. Singer John Doherty takes TIME OUT from working on the bands debut album to tell Paul Nolan why hes hugely excited about the show.
Donegal folk-pop duo Little Hours arent the type to hang around. John Doherty and Ryan McCloskey played their first ever gig at Electric Picnic; mere months later, their debut single Is This Love was jostling with Hozier and The Script for Choice Music Prize Song Of The Year honours. Theyve just been selected to join Kodaline, Walking On Cars and Canadian blues-rockers July Talk on an extraordinary Jameson Bow St. Sessions show line-up set for The Academy on March 16.
Oh, and theres the small matter of a debut album to think about too.
Yeah, weve been working away up here in Donegal, Doherty explains. Some of the ideas weve had for months, and were sifting through them now. And then theres other stuff weve literally just come up with over the past week. Its a process of surveying everything we have and picking the best material to go on the album. Were trying to nail the direction we want to go in and how we want to sound.
It is a vital moment in any bands career but these guys have shown an ability beyond their years.
In terms of standout material, weve got a track called Wires I love doing it live, John says. Theres another one, Call Somebody, which has also gone down very well at gigs. I mean, you might never hear of them again but theyre two Im excited about right now (laughs). Hopefully well head into the studio over the next two or three months itll definitely be before summer.
But first theres the Bow St. Sessions gig. Little Hours have previously crossed paths with the Kodaline boys, joining Steve Garrigan and co. on their UK and Ireland tour last year.
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We got very lucky with supports in 2015, reflects John. As well as Kodaline, we also played with Hudson Taylor, and Walking On Cars too. One brilliant aspect of the Kodaline tour was that we played 3Arena before Christmas. That was unbelievable! And then we played 3Arena again on New Years Eve! It was a really eclectic lineup, with ourselves, Kila, The Coronas and Fatboy Slim. I didnt know what to think beforehand, but Fatboy Slim actually blew my mind.
So can we expect a dance element to Little Hours debut? It is a question asked at least half in jest!
After that show, well definitely work with Fatboy Slim, chuckles John. In fact, hes up here with us in Donegal at the moment (Laughs)!
The Jameson family motto is Sine Metu, which is Latin for Fear Less. Was there a moment when Little Hours decided to go for broke and pursue their musical dream?
Yeah, there was, nods John. When we started the band, I was going to college at BIMM in Dublin, and Ryan was working as a software engineer. At the beginning of last year, we started to get a bit of radio-play and we got some support gigs. But Ryan was having a hard time getting off work, so there was a moment where we said, Look, weve got to do this full time now. Luckily enough, my college was very supportive, which was great. Anyway, Ryan left his job and shortly after that, we did a headline show in the Pepper Canister. Sony got interested as a result of that and then we signed a deal. Since then, its been a crazy year.
Little Hours became friendly with Walking On Cars when they supported them.
We were huge fans of theirs beforehand, he recalls, so it was brilliant to get the invite. To meet them and see how sound they were, it was great. That tour was actually the first run of bigger gigs that we did. It was a new environment, but afterwards, we knew we wanted to go on to that level.
Theyre gas lads. We actually did a bit of writing with Pa we went down to his house in Dingle and worked on some stuff. We wanted to see how he writes and vice versa. Im not sure if any of that material will ever see the light of day, but there was one track in particular that was very cool, so you never know.
John is clearly excited about returning to live performance starting with the Bow St.
Sessions gig.
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Its going to be a great night, he enthuses. We cant wait to do it and we feel very privileged to be playing with the other acts. Its going to be really special.
Little Hours play Bow St. Sessions @ The Academy on 16 March with Kodaline, Walking On Cars and July Talk. For your chance to be there, apply for complimentary tickets at hotpress.com/bowstreetsessions
Following days of speculation The Rolling Stones have now officially confirmed that they will play Havana on March 25
The Rolling Stones have officially confirmed via their website that they will be playing a date in Havana over the Easter weekend.
The news comes after days of speculation after a Cuban news network posted the news on their official Facebook page. An article in Granma confirming the show then followed this. Granma is the official newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party, in their article they claim that the show "will open the doors for other great bands to arrive in Havana."
This will be The Rolling Stones first show in Cuba and it is seen as another positive step that the country is taking towards lifting tensions that have existed between them and the United States since the 1950's.
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The Stones are not the only band to ever play in Cuba, The Manic Street Preachers famously played Havana in 2001 and our man Stuart Clark took the trip over to see the historic occasion take place. We searched the archive to find his review of that show and you can read it here.
You can also watch the MTV 2 documentary about the Manic's historic trip to Cuba below:
During yesterday's trading the stock of American Green Inc (OTCMKTS:ERBB, ERBB message board) failed to sustain its move in the right direction and instead tumbled downwards closing the session with a loss of over 10% at $0.0017. Throughout the session over 134 million shares changed hands, which is the biggest daily volume seen by the stock since August 2015.
Despite the steady influx of positive PRs ERBB hasn't been able to form a more consistent uptrend and their stock is still sitting precariously close to the 52-week low of $0.001 that was registered in January. In its February 17 press release ERBB stated that the American Green-branded Live Rosin is now available in eleven locations in Colorado while their premium joints can be found in five dispensaries in Oregon. Last Thursday the company also announced that it has created The American Green Xpress for the delivery of cannabis to approved recipients. It appears that ERBB are moving forwards with their plans but the company has to do a lot more if it wants to move to higher price ranges.
And there certainly isn't a shortage of reasons for investors to be skeptical about ERBB. For years the company was talking about their ZaZZZ machines, which were supposed to be the first consumer-operated, ID-verifying vending machines for pot. In December, however, the company announced that each machine will be returned to them for "re-tooling" and now, over two months later, there has been virtually no new information about the vending machines.
The development of the ZaZZZ machines did leave its mark on the financials of the company, though. Taking a single glance at the latest financial report filed by ERBB is enough to reveal the truly abysmal state of the company - as of December, 21, 2015, American Green had:
$4888 cash
$228 thousand total current assets
$7.95 million total current liabilities
$108 thousand revenue
$732 thousand net loss
Unfortunately, the depressing balance sheet is just the start of the red flags surrounding the company. Out of the reported liabilities over $5.6 million consisted of outstanding debentures and accrued interest. The myriad outstanding convertible notes can be turned into shares at a 50% discount allowing their owners to reap significant gains regardless of the current market price of the stock. Not to mention the simply atrocious dilution that has been taking place - in second half of 2015 over a billion fresh shares saw the light of day. Out of them around 894 million were issued for debentures and accrued interest. As of December 31, 2015, ERBB have approximately 5.53 BILLION outstanding shares out of the 7.75 BILLION authorized.
While some investors might still be excited by ERBB's potential the risks around the company simply cannot be ignored. Any trades involving the stock must be preceded by extensive research and careful planning. Investors should also take into account that after the end of yesterday's session the pump newsletters owned by Stellar Media Group issued a round of email alerts touting the stock of ERBB. Naturally, they didn't do it for free disclosing a $10 thousand compensation. The CEO of the company will also hold a new conference call today and will be answering questions submitted by the shareholders. It remains to be seen if his answers coupled with the hype generated by the pump will be enough to stop the stock from losing even more of its value.
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Applying To a New Opportunity? Here Is How To Be Job-Ready.
Posted by Saurabh Tyagi on Monday, 02-29-2016 11:50 pm
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For many, the current job is just perfect. It might be enough to pay their bills and more. Or for some it might be just the ideal role they ever wanted. But, for many its not the case. If you are one of those then this post is for you. With the job market being more competitive than ever, it might seem a tough game for any jobseeker to get a role of their dream. You might be good, or even great at what you do and that is enough to keep you in the race, but not good enough to win it. In this mad, cut-throat competition there are people who can do your job as well as you or even better. So how do you compete with them? Those who are willing to change their career with a better job prospect need to be more employable. Even if you are satisfied with your job, you need to be employable too as you never know when you need to look for a new one. Lets discuss few of the most effective ways that can help you to become more job-ready: Update your resume Do not forget to keep ...
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You are an experienced human resources professional. Youve attended numerous trainings, conferences, seminars, workshops, and HR association meetings. Maybe you have a national HR certification, or several. However, youve never received a sexual harassment complaint before. Before today, that is. On receiving a sexual harassment complaint, youre likely to feel bombarded. No wonder. A complaint has legal implications. It can damage careers and personal lives, seriously disrupt the work environment, harm the organizations reputation, lead to spiraling legal costs, and put a serious crimp on the workplace improvement projects you were working on. Breathe. And then, take it one step at a time. Following are the top 10 things to do after receiving a sexual harassment complaint: 1. Get the Diagnosis Right. Your main goal is to determine: Is it really sexual harassment? A generally accepted definition of sexual harassment is unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature. This can include offensive remarks, gestures, objects, jokes, or behaviors. The harassment can fall into two distinct categories, hostile environment and quid pro quo. Hostile environment harassment occurs when verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or ongoing to alter the conditions of employment or create an abusive working environment for the harassed employee(s). ...
The short answer is. well, there is no short answer. What? Do independent contractors and non-compete agreements mix or not? Maybe. Most often probably not, but sometimes yes. OK, thats more double-talk than usual. What gives? When can and cant a company compel an independent contractor to sign a binding non-compete without a risk of liability for worker misclassification? That is this weeks loaded question, which we will parse out after the jump Generally speaking, if a person or entity truly is an independent contractor, a non-compete clause or agreement will not be enforceable against him/her/it. Why not? Two basic principles are involved here. The first speaks of whether the non-compete is the only effective means for protecting a companys legitimate business interests.(Click here, here and here to review the basics of non-competes.) Most often, with an independent contractor, whose relationship with your company is, by definition, more limited than that of an employer and employee, confidentiality, nondisclosure and non-solicitation agreements will be sufficient to protect whatever legitimate business interests do exist. Those will often be enforceable against an independent contractor. However, an independent contractor is in business for themselves and the services/products it provides you are its business. Generally, you cannot compel an independent contractor to forfeit their livelihood just because you hon...
One of the inevitable outcomes of sending employees on an international assignment is the occasional need to off-board or terminate the employee. There can be a number of reasons why an expat employee may be terminated, and there are often specific justifiable causes, or even agreed and amicable terminations. A successful off-boarding process will depend on whether the employment ends while still in the host country or after a return to the home country, company policy and which countrys employment laws will be applied. Overview of Off-boarding Off-boarding an employee on assignment needs to be handled in a way that protects the interests of both the employer and employee. This article will primarily address the complete termination of employment, and not instances of repatriation with continued employment in the home country. In some countries, such as the US, termination processes and reasons will be spelled out in the employment contract, and a company may wrongly assume that those terms will control off-boarding of employees abroad. However, many countries have statutory termination rules that will supersede contract terms, even if the employee initially agreed to the terms. Since most jurisdictions require that long-term foreign employees are pay rolled and sponsored by a local entity, the employee will also enjoy the protections of host country labor and employment laws. This becomes a factor in the event that an employee feels entitled to addi...
Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-03-01 Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW No. 41/16 01.03.2016 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Ak?nc? discussed the latest developments on the Cyprus problem with the German EU Minister [02] The Turkish Minister of Science, Industry and Technology is visiting the breakaway regime [03] Atun evaluated the recent visit of the Turkish Minister of Customs and Trade [04] Kalyoncu is going to Ankara escorted by three "ministers" [05] Eroglu claims that a former US Ambassador has told that the USA had spent 30 million dollars for the Turkish Cypriot "yes" vote [06] Tacoy accused the Greek Cypriot side of unwillingness towards a federal solution in Cyprus [07] Turkey and the occupation regime signed an agreement for the improvement of the monitoring system for forest fires [08] The Turkish Cypriot newspapers are struggling to survive; Columnist assesses the situation of the press in occupied Cyprus [09] The breakaway regime participated in the "Ferie for Alle 2016 Tourism Fair" that took place in Denmark [10] Kurtulmus called political parties to attend talks for a new Constitution; Reaction statements by opposition parties [11] Erdogan filed a lawsuit against HDP' co-chairman Demirtas for allegedly "insulting" him [12] Two Gulen-linked broadcasters shut down [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Ak?nc? discussed the latest developments on the Cyprus problem with the German EU Minister According to illegal Bayrak television (01.03.16) Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Ak?nc? met today with the German Minister for EU Affairs Michael Roth. The latest developments in the Cyprus negotiations process as well as the ongoing work to prepare the Turkish Cypriots for the EU acquis communautaire were discussed at the meeting held at the so-called presidential palace. The "chief negotiator", Ozdil Nami, the so-called presidential spokesman Bar?s Burcu and the "undersecretary" of the so-called foreign ministry Erhan Ercin were present at the meeting. No statements were made before or after the meeting. [02] The Turkish Minister of Science, Industry and Technology is visiting the breakaway regime Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (01.03.16) reports that Fikri Isik, the Turkish Minister of Science, Industry and Technology is visiting the breakaway regime upon an invitation of the "minister of economy, industry and trade", Sunat Atun. Isik will arrive in the breakaway regime tonight and will participate in the 1st KOBI (SMEs, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) Summit that will take place tomorrow. (CS) [03] Atun evaluated the recent visit of the Turkish Minister of Customs and Trade Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (01.03.16) reports that Sunat Atun, the "minister of economy, trade and industry" stated that the breakaway regime does not negotiate but cooperates with "motherland" Turkey. Atun made these statements commenting about the recent visit of the Turkish Minister of Customs and Trade Bulent Tufekci. Atun stated that Turkey is the biggest market for the breakaway regime and added that having good relations with Turkey will increase the trade volume. He also stated that a delegation of his "ministry" and of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce will visit Mersin in the coming days in order to promote trade. On his part, Tufekci issued a statement saying that there are certain standards that must be followed so that investments to be made in any country of the world. He also said that in order for the international respect towards the "TRNC" to be increased and the isolation to be removed, the academic power of the island must be increased. (CS) [04] Kalyoncu is going to Ankara escorted by three "ministers" Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan newspaper (01.03.16) reports that the self-styled prime minister Omer Kalyoncu is going to Ankara tonight, upon an invitation of the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in order to sign the agreement reached with Turkey on the water issue on behalf of the breakaway regime. According to the paper, Kalyoncu is escorted by the "foreign minister" Emine Colak, the "agriculture and natural resources minister" Erkuk Sahali and the "culture minister" Kutlu Evren along with various "bureaucrats". Kalyoncu will hold contacts with Davutoglu tomorrow and also sign the water agreement. The paper, further reports that the "council of ministers" will hold a meeting today, prior to Kalyoncu's visit. (CS) [05] Eroglu claims that a former US Ambassador has told that the USA had spent 30 million dollars for the Turkish Cypriot "yes" vote Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (01.03.16) reports that former Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu has recalled that he had opposed the Annan Plan and claimed that the then US Ambassador "had made a sincere confession" during one of his visits to his office by saying "we have spent 30 million dollars for the Turks saying yes to the Annan Plan in Cyprus". Addressing a meeting in Turkey on the occasion of the fifth anniversary from the death of former Turkish Prime Minster Necmattin Erbakan, Eroglu said that Erbakan was one of the architects of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus and that he lives in the heart of the Turkish Cypriots. He said that he had signed an economic "protocol" with Erbakan, who believed in the industrialization of the occupied area of Cyprus. Meanwhile, replying to questions of Turkish Milliyet newspaper, Eroglu alleged that the Greek Cypriot side is slyly attempting to take what it wants in the Cyprus problem. "Our side is daydreaming, we have had enough", he added and argued that the Turkish Cypriots should not abandon Turkey's active and effective guarantees and when necessary Turkey's intervention in Cyprus. He said that he sees nothing "extraordinary" in the negotiations adding that "the stance of the Greek Cypriot side is the same, their intention has not changed". Referring to the latest developments in the occupied area of Cyprus as regards the water from Turkey and the future of the self-styled government, Eroglu said that he is not satisfied with the existing situation and argued that "the water issue has actually ended the government". (I/Ts.) [06] Tacoy accused the Greek Cypriot side of unwillingness towards a federal solution in Cyprus Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Bakis newspaper (01.03.16) reports that Hasan Tacoy, general secretary of the Democratic Party-National Forces (DP-UG) issued a written statement and accused the Greek Cypriot side of not supporting a viable and fair agreement on the Cyprus problem. "Their wish is to entrap Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots", Tacoy argued. Tacoy accused the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiases for considering the "acceptance of the federal solution" as a "painful compromise". Recalling that the interlocutor of the Greek Cypriot leader, as he called President Anastasiades is not Turkey but the "TRNC's president", Tacoy said that it is not Turkey or the Turkish Cypriots the uncompromised side by the Greek Cypriots. Tacoy alleged also that the Greek Cypriot leadership's aim is to dilute Turkey's active and effective guarantees in Cyprus and to be rescued from the Turkish troops in the island. Tacoy went on and stated that the main priority of the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci should be the protection of the Turkish Cypriot's rights at the negotiating table and called him to do so. (AK) 7 Turkey and the occupation regime signed an agreement for the improvement of the monitoring system for forest fires Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (01.03.16) reports that the so-called "Forestry department" and the Turkey's General Directorate of Forestry have signed an "agreement" for the development of the monitoring system for forest fires. According to information obtained by the so-called ministry of "public works, environment and culture", a delegation of the "forestry department" headed by its "general director" Cemil Karzaoglu held contacts in Ankara recently with officials from Turkey's General Directorate of Forestry and signed the above agreement. The agreement envisages the increase of cameras in forest areas and the renewal of the monitoring system. Commenting on the signing of the "agreement", so-called minister Kultu Evren said that the "agreement" was signed within the framework of the measures that need to be taken to prevent forest fires during the summer. (AK) [08] The Turkish Cypriot newspapers are struggling to survive; Columnist assesses the situation of the press in occupied Cyprus Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (01.03.16) reports that the Turkish Cypriot Journalists' Union (KTBG) has said that the unfair competition in the Turkish Cypriot printed media has made the survival in the sector more difficult. In a written statement, the Union noted that the newspapers are facing extinction as a result of the financial burden of the printed media and of keeping in pace with the technology. Referring to the end of the printed edition of Kibris Postasi newspaper as of today and the continuation of its circulation on the internet, the Union argued that this shows that the warnings it had made last year regarding the danger of elimination of the "corporate structure" of the newspapers, the expansion of "informality" etc. are being materialized. The Union said that if the necessary measures are not taken, many other workers will lose their jobs, like the workers of Kibris Postasi. Meanwhile, under the title "The gangs, the mafia and the media", Turkish Cypriot columnist Basaran Duzgun assessed in Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (28.02.16) the situation of the Turkish Cypriot media. He reports, inter alia, the following: "[?] We are complaining a lot about the gangs and the mafia in the country and we are always skipping over the fact that the media is the place in which the gangs reached their peak. The Turkish Cypriot press is actually passing through its most horrible period, not only its worst period. The journalists have been taken over by lead soldiers and the biggest part of the Turkish Cypriot press by the mentality which sees the ownership of a newspaper as 'a weapon'. These gangs of interest, which are also making use of the weakness of some politicians, are every day bringing onto the community's agenda their own commercial issues as if journalism was above the 'weapons' which they possess. They threaten everybody and try to fill up their pockets over these threats. There are even some who become so angry that they threaten to instigate the discrimination between 'Turks and Cypriots'. There are some who cooperate with mobsters and lose their temper so much that they threaten businessmen and some who attempt to launder money through the newspapers. [?] The media entering under the control of those using methods of mobsters causes so dangerous results as the legislative, executive or judicial power being possessed by the mafia. Unfortunately, the Turkish Cypriot press is passing through such a period. The government and the state have the responsibility of abolishing this situation. The first duty belongs to the real journalists. To those who have the ability to exercise this profession". (I/Ts.) [09] The breakaway regime participated in the "Ferie for Alle 2016 Tourism Fair" that took place in Denmark Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan newspaper (01.03.16) reports that the breakaway regime participated in the "Ferie for Alle 2016 Tourism Fair" that took place in Herning, Denmark, between 26-28 of February. According to the paper, tourist operators, airline companies, travel agencies and tourism technology firms from Scandinavian countries and other European countries participated in the fair. The delegation of the breakaway regime that participated in the fair held meetings with Danish and Scandinavian tourist operators and searched the possibility of doing business with them, the paper writes. (CS) [10] Kurtulmus called political parties to attend talks for a new Constitution; Reaction statements by opposition parties Turkish daily Sabah (01.03.16) reports that Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday that if the parties fail to reach a consensus on a new Constitution, the AK Party will make its own proposal to the Parliament. Speaking to reporters, Kurtulmus underscored the importance of a new Constitution for the future of Turkey and said it is a necessity. ''Turkey needs a new civilian, democratic and participatory Constitution'' Kurtulmus said, and added that any progress without such Constitution would be useless. Kurtulmus also noted that those who run away from the responsibility to participate in the constitution-making process will be remembered as 'fugitives' and urged all parties to participate with sincerity. Meanwhile, according to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily news (29.02.16), Turkey's main opposition leader will not engage in "bazaar diplomacy" with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) over the AKP's ambitions for a change of regime at an inter-party Constitution commission the Parliament Speaker is currently attempting to rebuild. "We are sitting at the table in a bid to cleanse Turkey of coup laws. The Constitution is also a part of the coup law," Kemal K?l?cdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said in remarks published in daily newspaper Milliyet on February 29. Recalling that any change in the first four articles of the current Constitution, which cover clauses about Turkey as a secular state and Turkey's official language as Turkish, is a "red line" for their party, K?l?cdaroglu added: "We would lend support to all arrangements for strengthening the parliamentary system. Sitting around a table for a different system, a different regime, doesn't work for us. What is the use of sitting around a table on an issue which we will not vote for and will not accept?" K?l?cdaroglu plans to send their response to the Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman's call later this week, while the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) is likely to send their response next week. The HDP will define the AKP's insistence on a transition from the current parliamentary system to a presidential system as an "imposition" and will underline that the debate has been "blocking" the negotiations. The HDP will emphasize that a new Constitution will be possible only through consensus by the four parties. (?) [11] Erdogan filed a lawsuit against HDP' co-chairman Demirtas for allegedly "insulting" him Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (29.02.16) reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's lawyer has filed a criminal complaint against the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtas, claiming that the latter "insulted" him in a recent speech. The indictment filed to the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office by Erdogan's lawyer Huseyin Ayd?n included related sections from Demirtas's speech at a HDP meeting in the southern province of Mersin on February 27. It said these statements amounted to "insulting the President," which is a crime according to Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code. During his party's Mersin meeting, Demirtas had said: "He [Erdogan] wants to be the caliphate of Islam. But thieves cannot be caliphs." The indictment said Kurdish-issue focused HDP co-chair Demirtas's remarks "cannot be considered within the scope of freedom of thought and expression." It also said they "cannot be defended legally as they amounted to statements beneath one's dignity and honor." Since becoming President in August 2014, Erdogan's lawyers have filed hundreds of lawsuits over alleged "insults" uttered by schoolchildren, journalists, and opposition politicians. [12] Two Gulen-linked broadcasters shut down Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (29.02.16) reported that the private broadcasters Kanalturk and Bugun TV, which were owned by the alleged Gulen-linked Koza Ipek Media Group, were shut down on February 29. In addition, the operations of Koza Ipek Media Group ended as of February 29. Employees have packed up their belongings from the building. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on Octover 26, 2015, ordered the Koza-Ipek Group to be placed under the management of a trustee panel while an investigation is ongoing into the group's purported ties to the U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gulen, a former government ally. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) now accuse Gulen of heading a purported illegal organization that Erdogan believes is trying to topple the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government with followers working as insiders in the police, the judiciary and other state institutions. Istanbul police used force on October 28, 2015, to enter the media holding's headquarters and seize control of the media outlets owned by the Koza-Ipek Group, dramatically breaking into the main broadcasting room and shutting down the two TV stations owned by the group. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio (AK/AM) Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 16-02-29 Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at Weekend News Bulletin CONTENTS [01] The agreement we signed is our limit, says gov't vice president Dragasakis [02] We are not the ones that will dissolve EU, says Alt. Migration Minister Mouzalas [03] Pope Francis refers to refugees and sends message of support to Greece [04] Kavala has turned into an open hotspot, says city mayor Tsanaka [05] Large number of identified refugees ready to leave from Mytilene and Chios [06] Refugees block the railway tracks at Idomeni [07] FM gen. sec Paraskevopoulos to meet with Turkish FM under sec. Sinirlioglou on Monday [08] Theodorakis re-elected Potami party leader [09] Weather Forecast [10] Athens Headlines at a glance Monday February 29, 2016 Politics [01] The agreement we signed is our limit, says gov't vice president Dragasakis "We do not talk about additional cuts in pensions or additional measures. The agreement we have signed is our limit and we are following it" said government Vice President Yiannis Dragasakis in an interview with Realnews newspaper. "Therefore, whatever problem, whatever demand outside the agreement is not only our matter but a matter of Europe and its institutional bodies" he added. Dragasakis estimated that the refugees issue in not directly linked with the first review, adding however that "the sooner the evaluation is completed and positive prospects for the Greek economy and society are formed, the higher our possibility to contribute in solving the problem". Finally, on New Democracy's proposal over the establishment of an examining committee on the banks' recapitalisation, Dragasakis said that "the examining committee should not be presented as a threat but as an opportunity to investigate those that have happened in the banking sector. [02] We are not the ones that will dissolve EU, says Alt. Migration Minister Mouzalas Alternate Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas on Sunday referred to the refugees issue at a SYRIZA event held at Haidari city hall. "Greece has submitted to EU an emergency plan in which Greece requests 450 million euros for goods and hirings outside the memorandum for the needs of the temporary camps expected to be set up for the refugees that will be trapped in Greece. The government is taking all the necessary measures as if the borders have closed for good by activating the plan B" he underlined. "We lost 20 days of preparations due to the sudden closing of the borders. We have seen it coming, but the agreement the status quo in Idomeni (of this unofficial hole at the borders with FYROM), to remain existed until the next summit on March 7. The agreement was violated and five countries' police chiefs reversed it" adding that in fifteen days the condition will get better because those migrants not entitled to asylum will be sent back and the condition will return to normal. On NATO's presence in the Aegean Sea, Mouzalas estimated that the national sovereignty is not at risk. "The plan is Frontex to be under NATO's umbrella and to be able to send the boats back to Turkey. If a boat capsizes and the people are in danger, it is a matter of protection of the human rights. We will be there to monitor that these rights are not violated" he said. Mouzalas also stressed that the government uses all the legal weapons it has "we are using the diplomatic channels, we are following the law and the right. We lose and we win. We want EU and we defend it, we are not the one that will dissolve it". [03] Pope Francis refers to refugees and sends message of support to Greece ROME (ANA-MPA/Th. Andreadis)---Pope Francis on Sunday referred to the refugees' crisis and sent a message of solidarity and support to Greece. "In my prayer and in yours is always present the dramatic condition of the refugees that try to get away from the war and other inhuman situations. Particularly Greece, as well as other countries that are in the front line, offers to the refugees a generous assistance which needs cooperation from all the countries. A collective, united answer can be effective for the just allocation of the burdens. For this reason, and without reservations but with determination, negotiations must be set as target. [04] Kavala has turned into an open hotspot, says city mayor Tsanaka The number of refugees currently hosted at the northern Greek city of Kavala has reached 1,500. On Saturday, 900 refugees arrived at the port of Kavala from Mytilene with the ferry Nissos Mykonos. Kavala mayor Dimitra Tsanaka in statement to ANA-MPA sounded the bell and said that "the city has turned into an open hotspot without plan, programme and infrastructures and most of all nobody knows for how long these people will stay in the area". [05] Large number of identified refugees ready to leave from Mytilene and Chios Approximately 2,500 refugees and migrants are identified and ready to depart from Mytilene to Piraeus and Kavala. On the island of Chios are roughly 650 migrants and refugees at the same condition and are currently hosted at the hotspot of VIAL and at Souda camp. Two boats leased by the Shipping Ministry are at the ports of Chios and Mytilene have not been used. Meanwhile, the arrivals recorded on Saturday were low despite the good weather conditions. 900 migrants and refugees arrived on Lesvos and 300 persons arrived on Chios. [06] Refugees block the railway tracks at Idomeni Refugees blocked earlier on Sunday the railway tracks in Idomeni at Greece-Fyrom buffer zone. The refugees sat on the tracks demanding from Fyrom to open the crossing point. Fyrom's authorities closed the crossing point at 20:00 on Saturday after allowing to only 300 refugees from Iraq and Syria to get into the country. According to police, roughly 6,500 refugees are currently hosted at Idomeni camp waiting to cross the border. [07] FM gen. sec Paraskevopoulos to meet with Turkish FM under sec. Sinirlioglou on Monday Greek Foreign Ministry general secretary ambassador Dimitrios Paraskevopoulos will receive on Monday the under secretary of the Foreign Ministry of Turkey ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglou at the Foreign Ministry in Athens. The two officials will discuss bilateral and European issues as well as the developments in the region and worldwide. The meeting is held within the framework of the regular political deliberation meetings between Greece and Turkey. [08] Theodorakis re-elected Potami party leader Stavros Theodorakis on Sunday was re-elected by a large majority leader of Potami party after the completion of the voting procedure for the election of the party's new leadership. Theodorakis received 715 votes (88.16 percent) while the second candidate Pavlos Eleftheriadis received 96 votes. [09] Weather Forecast Partly cloudy and northerly winds are forecast for Monday. Wind velocity will reach 7 on the Beaufort scale. Clouds and rain in the northern and western parts of the country with temperatures ranging from 07C-22C. Partly cloudy in the eastern parts and temperatures between 07C-22C. Scattered clouds over the Aegean islands and Crete, 12C-22C. Mostly fair in Athens, 08C-20C. Partly cloudy in Thessaloniki, 08C-18C. [10] Athens Headlines at a glance AVGHI: Save Europe and the refugees. ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: Greece and ...Tsipras (Alexis, prime minister) under siege ETHNOS: The eight-day double battle. KATHIMERINI: Brussels' emergency plan. PROTO THEMA: Another 120,000 (refugees) ready to pass. REAL NEWS: Europe's foundations are shaking! RIZOSPASTIS: New fight to start for the pension system. TO PARON: Forget the ecumenical government. TO VIMA: From the opportunity to the failure. 36, TSOCHA ST. ATHENS 115 21 GREECE - TEL: 64.00.560-63 - FAX: 64.00.581-2 INTERNET ADDRESS: http://www.ana.gr - E-MAIL: anabul@ana gr - GENERAL DIRECTOR: Michalis Psilos Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-03-01 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Greek bank deposits up 1.15 bln euros in Dec [02] FYRoM authorities increase security on border with Greece at Idomeni site [03] Athens declines invitation for SE Europe police chiefs' meeting on border issue [01] Greek bank deposits up 1.15 bln euros in Dec Greek bank deposits grew 1.15 billion euros in December, a "small but significant return of deposits" after six years of losses which amounted to 114 billion euros, National Bank chairwoman and Hellenic Bank Association president Louka Katseli said on Tuesday. Speaking in Parliament, Katseli said a full return of deposits should be expected in the next three years after a review of the programme was completed, normality returned to the market and capital controls were lifted. "Challenges we face after the recapitalisation of banks is the return of deposits, managing non-performing loans and channeling liquidity in the market," Katseli said, adding that adoption of EU directive 2014/49 into Greek law preserved a guarantee of 100,000 euros per depositor per credit institution, plus another 300,000 euros for deposits destined for certain types of transactions, such as real estate sales or compensations. [02] FYRoM authorities increase security on border with Greece at Idomeni site SKOPJE (ANA-MPA / F. Fragopoulos) -- Authorities in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) have reinforced security measures in a no-man's land on the frontier between Greece and fYRoM in order to avert another attempt by migrants and refugees to break through the barriers and enter the country, local media reported on Tuesday. The Skopje government has significantly increase the number of police and military forces deployed in neutral zone, while two army and police helicopters were carrying out regular aerial patrols. According to sources, an additional 700 police officers and troops had been sent to the area. Greece's northern neighbor has stopped allowing refugees through as of Monday afternoon, following the clashes between migrants and security forces at the border. FYROM police sources said the point of passage in the no-man's land between Idomeni and Gevgelija, the border town on the fYRoM side, will remain closed until tensions subside and the situation normalises. [03] Athens declines invitation for SE Europe police chiefs' meeting on border issue The Greek government declined an invitation to participate in a second meeting of police chiefs from four Balkan countries -- Fyrom, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia -- along with Austria, which was held on Tuesday in Belgrade on the pressing issue of border controls. The first such meeting was held in Zagreb on Feb. 18. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias had condemned the initiative as unilateral and outside EU norms, clarifying that decisions from the meeting violated the agreement at the recent European Summit on the border and refugee issue. Athens turned down the invitation, which also precluded the possibility of making the previous Zagreb meeting "legal". Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
UPDATE: The Quebec government has announced it is seeking an injunction against the Energy East pipeline project and wants the project subject to the province's environmental regulations.
"This is not a judgment by the government that it is for or against the project," Quebecs environment minister David Heurtel insisted Tuesday. "This is not directed at any province or region. This is about one company that wants to do a project in Quebec, which in our opinion, which is not respecting Quebec law."
Heurtel said Quebec is not joining the environmental groups' lawsuit but engaged in its own legal action and it will go ahead, in the meantime, as planned with the March 7 truncated hearings despite asking the court to force the Energy East project to undergo a more fulsome environmental review process.
OTTAWA Why do Canadian tax filers get a larger refund if they give to political parties than if they donate to charities?
Conservative MP Ted Falk can't think of a real explanation, and he's made it his mission to change what he calls an unfair and inequitable policy.
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Conservative MP Ted Falk speaks in the House of Commons. (Photo: Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
The Manitoba MP introduced a private member's bill, C-239, last week that would make the 2015 taxation year the last one where Canadians are encouraged to give more to political parties than to charities who aim to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and heal the wounded.
While a $400 donation to a political party currently generates a 75 per cent federal tax credit, or $300 reduction, that same $400 donation to a charity only generates a federal return of $88 15 per cent tax credit on the first $200 and 29 per cent credit on the other $200.
The changes Falk introduced would give Canadians the same federal tax rebate.
"It shouldn't be any more important to feed a politician than it should be to feed someone that is hungry." Ted Falk
"The bill is all about bringing fairness to charitable donations relative to donations made to a political party or candidate," he told The Huffington Post Canada Monday. "It shouldn't be any more important to feed a politician than it should be to feed someone that is hungry."
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Falk recently won the Commons' lottery by landing the first spot for private members' business. That means his bill, the Fairness in Charitable Gifts Act, will be the first one debated this year, probably in late March.
Green party leader on board
Already, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has jumped to his side, praising his initiative and asking to be a seconder to his bill.
"It is clearly unfair to have larger tax rebates for people who donate to political parties than those who donate to Oxfam or their local food bank," she wrote to HuffPost in an email.
Falk doesn't blame political parties for giving themselves a larger tax break to help more Canadians to part with their money, but he thinks charities deserve help too.
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Elizabeth May, shown here at at 2015 campaign event, wants to second Falk's bill. (Photo: The Canadian Press)
"Having been in politics for two and half years, I recognize how difficult it is to go out there and ask people if they would consider making a donation either to the party or to my campaign and person needs money to run a campaign," he said.
"But why wouldn't the charity be entitled to the same thing? They have the same struggle, the same issues, it is difficult to get people to part with money even if it is for a good cause."
Falk, who represents the riding of Provencher, one of the most generous regions of the country in terms of charitable donations, said it was ingrained in him as a young child that he should help the less fortunate and contribute a portion of his income to do good work.
'I wanted to make something that was impactful'
He and his wife have supported the local food bank, homeless shelters, youth organizations and summer camps for disadvantaged youth, he said. They have also donated to organizations that work overseas such as MEDA, Mennonite Economic Development Associates and the Mennonite Central Committee.
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"[Charities] successfully leverage donation dollars through volunteerism and do way more work, better work, and more effective work than a lot of government agencies could do in the same field," he told HuffPost.
"I didn't want to just have a bill that would declare purple flower day' or something else like that I've seen some of those [bills] in the past and I wanted to do something that was significant and would make a difference," he said.
Ted Falks serves at Dairy Queen "Miracle Treat Day." (Photo: Ted Falk)
Falk was troubled to discover that while the total value of donations has gone up, the number of Canadian tax filers giving to charities had dropped over the past two decades, from 29.5 per cent in 1990 to 21.4 per cent in 2014, according to the latest figures by Statistics Canada. The median donation in 2014 was only $280.
The provinces also have tax credits. In Ontario, for example, that $400 donation to a charity would get an additional provincial tax return of $50.57 for someone making $85,000 a year, Armando Minicucci from Grant Thornton LLP calculated for HuffPost. It is also far less than the provincial political tax credit which is 75 per cent for donations of up to $399.
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Falk said he hopes changing the tax credits might encourage more people to give and to give more.
"I would like to see that number go up, closer to that $400 mark."
He initially thought of making the tax refund even more generous for charities to help them raise more money but then decided to go for something that all parliamentarians could easily get behind.
"I wanted to make something that was impactful and something that was difficult not to support."
ALSO ON HUFFPOST:
Duane Howard wasn't the only person to represent his heritage well during the 2016 Oscars his date, Chastity Davis, also paid tribute to her mixed heritage of First Nations and European descent at the awards show on Sunday.
The British Columbia-based activist, who does a lot of advocacy work for missing and murdered indigenous women, donned a floor-length wrap dress by Aboriginal designer Bethany Yellowtail of b.yellowtail to the 88th annual Academy Awards. The gown featured original florals "designed with love and purpose" by three former Miss Crow Nations: Teri Lea McCormick, Joree LaFrance and Destiny Bearclaw.
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Davis, who is a proud member of the Sliammon First Nation in the Upper Sunshine Coast of B.C., also donned a suede b.yellowtail slip dress with rose beadwork while accompanying "The Revenant" actor at the Armani Pre-Oscars party on Saturday. She topped things off with a fringed cape from the same collection.
Howard opted for a simple black suit with a red shirt and printed tie.
To see more photos from Sunday night's Oscars, click through the gallery below:
Oscars 2016 Red Carpet See Gallery
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Who knew a ketchup could sell out due to popular demand.
French's, best-known for their mustard, is learning just that with one of its products made with tomato paste harvested from farms in Leamington, Ont. and other southwestern parts of the province, according to CBC News.
And one Orillia man was particularly thrilled to discover this all-Canadian condiment at the grocery store.
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Brian Fernandez wrote on Facebook Feb. 23 that he loves French's because its ketchup is free of preservatives, artificial flavours and high fructose corn syrup.
He praised the company's support of Canadian tomato farmers, many who were left without a customer after Heinz left Leamington in 2014.
"Absolutely love it!! Bye. Bye. Heinz," wrote Brian Fernandez, whose post has now been shared over 129,000 times.
Since Heinz decided to pull the plug on its Canadian plant in Leamington, 740 jobs were lost. Heinz decided to make its... Posted by Brian Fernandez on Tuesday, February 23, 2016
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Others also seem to be impressed by the product's pedigree.
"Will buy French's from now on, no more Heinz!" wrote Christine Fernandez Richardson.
Fernandez told the Windsor Star that he and his family did a blind taste test of the new ketchup alongside Heinz, and they all picked French's.
The president and co-owner of Highbury Canco, the plant that processes the tomato paste for French's, told the outlet he's excited the product is getting so much attention.
I think thats a testament to the growers in the area and to our facility and decades and decades of workers making tomato paste in our facility their whole lives, said Sam Diab.
Want a bottle of the stuff? Better act fast. It's quickly disappearing from store shelves.
Fernandez told the Windsor Star a few days after his post, he noticed that all of the French's at a local supermarket was gone and a clerk told him all of their stores were sold out, too.
On Wal-Mart's Canadian site, the condiment was also out at the time this story was published.
French's is noticing the upswing in sales. President Elliott Penner told CBC News on Monday it wants to triple its order of tomato paste from Highbury Canco.
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While it expects the increased volume will be used to make barbecue sauce for U.S. and UK markets, new fans of French's products will likely be clamouring for it to show up in Canada, too.
But Leamington's mayor, John Paterson, urged Canadians in a note on Facebook not to boycott all of Heinz's products. Highbury Canco still manufactures several products for the company, including vinegar and pasta sauce, he wrote, employing more than 400 full-time workers in the town.
"Please feel free to choose a different Ketchup, but remember those 400 plus employees making a come-back in Leamington under the Highbury CanCo banner are depending on you."
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If it werent for an email, one Toronto police officers simple act of buying a hungry man a meal would have slipped away unnoticed.
The city was experiencing a really cold day when Regent Park cop Ed Parks noticed a man standing at a street corner during a patrol. When he stopped to speak with the man, he noticed he was mumbling and stuttering his words.
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He said he grew concerned for the mans safety.
I asked him about his sugar and he told me he was diabetic, Parks said in a video uploaded Tuesday, explaining what happened that day. So I said to him, Would you like to go inside and get a coffee and a cookie?
Once inside a cafe, the homeless man told parks he was hungry. So Parks bought him lunch.
The email from a neighbourhood resident praising the Good Samaritan gesture prompted Toronto Police Service to identify Parks and the man he helped.
Toronto cop Ed Parks with the unnamed homeless man he bought lunch for. (Photo: Toronto Police Service)
Officers who go out of their way to ensure all citizens are okay renew my faith in the police, it read.
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Though his act may be perceived as extraordinary to some, Parks is brushing off accolades recognizing him as a hero.
The email was just a response to the community police work neighbourhood cops do every day, he said.
Joel Carillet via Getty Images
A desperate Syrian mother in a refugee camp tried to give me her sick little girl on my last visit to the region's conflict zones and neighbouring countries filled with fleeing people. She wanted me to take her child back to Canada for medical care.
That day, I saw misery and despair that no one should bear. All I could do was help others find assistance for the little girl. But I suspect that mother's tragic plea might not be the worst that I witness on my upcoming trip to the region.
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That's because two years have passed since that encounter and not much has changed for the better. It's true that some Syrians, including 25,000 welcomed recently by Canadians, have managed to find some peace, but the sad truth is that millions more are still suffering, starving and dying. Imagine, if you can, one third of Canada's population in urgent need of help. The facts are too terribly clear.
It has been five long years since war first ripped Syria apart and flung thousands of families across foreign lands, and there is still no salvation in sight for most people. March 15, 2016 is an anniversary that no one will celebrate.
Today, a country famous for its ancient kingdoms and empires is on its knees. Its people are on the run or dying on lonely beaches, in makeshift homes without adequate medical care or on long treks through harsh, unpredictable places. Humanitarian groups and governments are trying hard to help but the number of refugees still grows.
I want to keep raising awareness and perhaps prick a few consciences, too. Because I have to believe that each of us, in our way, can do something to help stop this madness.
Resources are simply insufficient to respond to an emergency of this scale. And we cannot forget the majority of people who need help are still struggling to survive in war-torn Syria.
Sometimes, statistics can de-humanize and mask hard facts. When we hear, for example, more than 250,000 people have been killed and one million wounded since the conflict started, we might not want to recognize these numbers as mothers, children, grandparents and young people filled with potential. It's human to avoid such a painful reality.
But frankly, we risk too much if we don't face the truth in these numbers. Thirteen million people, including five million children, still urgently need our help in Syria today. In some places now, families are trying to survive in basements surrounded by the rubble of flattened neighbourhoods, besieged by opposing groups in the conflict.
There is no electricity, safe water, little food, fuel or basic health care. Treatable illnesses and injuries lead to agonizing deaths. Certainly, recent scenes of starvation in places like Madaya are beyond our imagination.
Yet, the conflict is getting worse. And as fighting intensifies, it is absolutely unacceptable that access to humanitarian aid is not guaranteed for people still living in Syria. Health personnel who volunteer to treat the sick and wounded, and aid workers who deliver food, water and other desperately needed items are not always allowed to help.
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Medical facilities are being bombed and destroyed. More than 60 Red Cross staff and volunteers have been killed. These cruel practices must stop. Humanitarian aid should not be a bargaining chip in political negotiations. Fast, safe, unconditional access to suffering people should be assured.
Quite simply the dire situation in Syria must end. Enough is enough. We must put the needs of suffering people first, so answers can follow. Hopefully, each one of us can find a way to press for a solution to this conflict.
Of course, you might wonder how one person can make a difference in such overwhelming circumstances. Many Canadians are already working hard, perhaps helping newly arrived refugees as the government fulfills its plan to welcome 25,000 by the end of February, and wraps up its program to match donations for related humanitarian campaigns.
Others are exerting political pressure, in letters, emails, at rallies and through quiet conversations that encourage a diplomatic solution to the crisis. I know many people are already taking positive steps in the right direction. But the question remains: What else can we do about this suffering? This is something each of us must decide.
For my part, I plan to use my upcoming Canadian Red Cross trip to the troubled region to help shed more light on the crisis and increase our assistance. I hope to share my thoughts and observations with anyone willing to listen. I want to keep raising awareness and perhaps prick a few consciences, too. Because I have to believe that each of us, in our way, can do something to help stop this madness.
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This is our humanitarian imperative, as we say in my profession. But what this really means is: We must believe in people's compassion, and keep trying to help save lives, even when the challenge seems overwhelming.
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Matt Halton with British Royality
It was one of the more surprising discoveries of my research for Dispatches from the Front. Sifting through piles of letters and memorabilia, I came across a crumpled photo of my father with the Royal Family on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
There was my dad apparently enjoying an amiable chat with King George VI and the Queen as the young princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, stood politely in the background.
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My first reaction was how did he get there? And what was he doing with the Royals? The answers proved to be as interesting as the picture itself.
The photo was taken in April 1939 on the eve of a royal tour of Canada that marked the first visit here of a reigning monarch -- a huge event for English Canadians.
My father, Matthew ("Matt") Halton, was then the London correspondent of the Toronto Daily Star. For weeks he had pestered Buckingham Palace for a photo opportunity with the royal couple, getting a condescending "such-things-aren't-done-here, old boy" kind of response.
But later, to his great surprise, a sealed letter embossed with the royal coat of arms was delivered to the Star's London office. It invited Matt and two photographers to come to the palace, and then attend a second "sitting" at Windsor Castle later in the week.
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The session at the palace went well, apart from the royal corgi jumping into the picture at inappropriate times. Matt suggested that he pick up the dog and remove him to an adjoining room. "I am afraid he would bite you," the Queen replied. Fortunately at this moment Dookie realized he wasn't welcome and wandered away.
The second photo shoot at Windsor Castle allowed Matt more time to chat with the King and Queen. He would laughingly recall that they were standing in a semicircle putting him in the awkward position of having his back to one of the royals for long moments.
They discussed the almost daily speculation that the visit to Canada might have to be postponed because of the looming war with Nazi Germany. "Three-to-one you go," Matt predicted, and the Queen nodded and said, "I think so, too."
They also discussed the royal itinerary in Canada, a chance for Matt to venture how much they would enjoy the Rockies and "the flawless jewel of Lake Louise." Thirteen-year-old Princess Elizabeth said she would like to canoe on Canadian rivers one day, and the King talked about his passion for photography.
Matt had not expected to write about his conversations, respecting the strictly observed protocol that the monarch never gives interviews to the press. But shortly after the photo sessions, the King's assistant press secretary told him the royal family was pleased with the "sittings" and gave him permission to write about them.
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The concession was unprecedented, giving Matt and the Star an enormous scoop.
My dad was to become the most prominent Canadian journalist of his era despite coming from an impoverished immigrant family.
His father was known at one point as "Shithouse Halton" because he was given the job of cleaning out the privies in the small Alberta town of Pincher Creek. Looking at that photo, I couldn't help thinking that Shithouse Halton's son had come a long way.
David Halton was interviewed for the Huffington Post. In this video he talks about his book Dispatches from the Front: Matthew Halton, Canada's Voice at War, which has been nominated for the RBC Taylor Prize. See that six-minute video HERE.
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A few years ago I decided to embark on a backpacking trip across Europe for two months.
Towards the end of my travels, I found myself at the Sisteen Chapel in Rome, Italy. As I was standing there, enchanted by this insanely crazy masterpiece, I felt a soft whisper perk the tiny hairs on the back of my neck.
It was actually a woman whispering to her husband behind me, words that would eventually change my world: "Honey, I can die peacefully now. Now that I've experienced this, I'm good!"
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My jaw dropped to the ground before me.
The whole way back to Toronto, I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd contribute to society. What would MY masterpiece be?
From that moment on, chasing my potential became part of my story.
This epiphany made me realize for the first time that each of us has a very unique story to tell.
Watch on to see why the world needs you to tell your story.
See, I've had the vision of giving a TED talk for years. One day as I was on LinkedIn I discovered I had a connection who was a TEDx co-chair, Trishala Pillai. I seized the opportunity and messaged her, which in retrospect was quite a funny interaction:
"Subject: Can I tell you a joke?"
Body: I don't have one right now, but if you agree to have a coffee with me next week I will make you laugh."
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We never got around to getting that coffee, but almost a year and a half later she gave me the great news.
This goes to show two things. One, when we visualize our goals we find opportunities to make them a reality by the law of attraction. Secondly, we can all find a platform to share our story and change the world.
What that platform looks like is different for everyone at different times. Sometimes that platform is simply inspiring a friend on a phone call, it could be a job interview or it might even be with a mic in front of 300 people and dozens of cameras listening closely to the unique perspective you bring to the world.
The unique combination of circumstances, talents and beliefs that make up your story makes you one in 7.5 billion, and sharing that story adds to the richness of the world. While our bodies will all perish one day, our stories have the potential to last and inspire generations to come.
The theme for this TEDx conference was collaboration. All the talks you see at TEDxUW.com are done with such poise and grace that you would never believe the average TED talk takes over 500 hours to prepare.
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I now understand why TED speakers are considered some of the most powerful speakers in the world. Organizing teams, such as the phenomenal TEDxUW team, are so nurturing to their speakers; they truly give them an opportunity to hone in on their stories and leave the rest at the door.
After being the humble recipient of a one-minute standing ovation at the end of my talk, I realized everyone has a story to share and each one deserves its own applause.
Now you know my story -- tell me yours in the comments below, on Twitter or via email.
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Anything you do or say may be used against you in the court of law. Increasingly, this includes what you may have shared online.
Over the last few years, as sharing of personal information on social media has become more ubiquitous, many personal injury cases in Ontario are being decided on evidence gathered from plaintiffs' social media accounts, which provide 'metadata' creating a time and location stamp of a user's online activity. And it's all admissible as evidence in court.
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Crucial to the admission of this kind of evidence is what social media now represents -- a public forum where users openly share details of their private lives and personal opinions. Once a comment, status update, tweet or photo is posted, it has gone public and it never really goes away, even after you hide or delete it.
Whether the defendant is an employer fighting a case of wrongful dismissal or an insurance company denying an injury claim, they will often turn to their search engines and monitor a plaintiff's social media activity, cross-referencing the details of their legal claims with the content and timing of their online activity to invalidate or refute them. This is particularly the case if posts are made during a court proceeding.
This is what happened inFrangione v Vandongen et al., where the plaintiff was suing for damages arising out of injuries--traumatic brain injury, neck and back pain and headaches--sustained in two separate car accidents. The defendant sought to access the entire contents of the plaintiff's personal computer, including any material contained on his Facebook account.
The plaintiff insisted that submitting access to his Facebook profile -- and the communications to third contained within -- was a breach of privacy, while the defendant cited precedent to argue the contents of a claimant's social networking profile were relevant to the case and that submitting those documents was a practice that was "beyond controversy."
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To have a photo or post be interpreted as indicative of your actual state of being is highly speculative.
In the end, the plaintiff was ordered to preserve and produce "all material contained on his Facebook website including any postings, correspondence and photographs up to and including any postings, correspondence and photographs," up to and including the date of the order.
Since this is becoming an increasingly common legal strategy in Ontario courts, a more difficult question arises over whether social media content can be considered reliable evidence.
After all, social media profiles are typically used to exhibit a public profile that displays what we choose to share with our friends and followers. To have a photo or post be interpreted as indicative of your actual state of being is highly speculative.
Judges now require proof of relevancy before ordering plaintiffs to submit social media materials. In a recent decision in Merpaw v. Hyde, Justice Rick Leroy denied the defendant's discovery motion to overturn a refusal to provide a private Facebook account by the Plaintiff, who claimed "a reduced enjoyment of life, incapacitation from employment, chronic fatigue and depression" resulting from a trip and fall injury.
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In his decision, Justice Leroy cited "minimal probative value in this data to the issues of enjoyment," and was "unclear on the inferences that can be drawn from usage analysis."
But as a standard practice, you should always be acutely aware of how your social media profile reflects your circumstances, especially as interpreted in a court of law.
Be aware of how your profile appears to employers, insurers or any party that could use your personal information shared on a public forum against you.
If you are involved in a court dispute, your lawyer should advise you to conduct a thorough scrape of your online presence before and during the proceedings, and highlight any potential red flags that could be used as evidence against you.
Above all, don't post new content that you might regret later. Ask yourself: "do I really need to post this now?"
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Former chancellor Nigel Lawson (left) and former business secretary Lord Peter Mandelson at the Institute of Directors convention at the Royal Albert Hall, London, during a debate on the future of the European Union. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
The leader of the Vote Leave anti-European Union campaign is talking "absolute rubbish" about Brexit, Lord Mandelson has said.
On Tuesday morning, the former Labour cabinet minister and EU trade commissioner said Lord Lawson was wrong to claim Britain would keep its current international trade deals if it voted to leave.
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Rather than inheriting the agreements negotiated with other countries while part of the EU, the UK would have to start from scratch, Lord Mandelson argued.
"Nigel Lawson, not for the first time, is wrong. He is engaging, I'm afraid, in fantasy politics and we need more facts and less fantasy," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Lord Mandelson also warned it free trade deals between governments take "between four and seven years" or "sometimes much longer" to negotiate.
Pro-Brexit campaigners have argued trade deals, including one between the UK and the EU, could be completed much faster.
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But Lord Mandelson told Today: "Any idiot can start a trade agreement. The question is where does it end up? You can deal with tariffs relatively easily. What is much harder to deal with are the behind the border regulatory barriers."
Conservative cabinet minister Chris Grayling, one of the leading campaigners for an 'Out' vote, yesterday dismissed claims Brexit would lead to ten years of uncertainty.
"Claims that it will take twice as long to sort out a free trade deal with the EU as it did to win world war two are clearly ludicrous," he said.
In a speech today, Lord Mandelson will warn British firms will face years of uncertainty and the possibility of tariff barriers on exports if the country votes to sever ties with Brussels.
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The ex-business secretary will say that negotiating a free trade deal with the EU following a vote to Leave would be "harder than Brexiters think" because for every sympathetic politician in the other 27 member states there would be others who believe the UK "must not be given a quick or easy ride".
The Labour peer will warn that without the benefit of EU trade deals with international markets, British cars, whisky and textiles could attract tariffs of 20% or more.
"Being part of a powerful trade bloc is an advantage not a straitjacket and one with a long track record of success," he will insist. "The EU is probably the world's leading rule setter in international trade and this is a significant strength for Britain."
In a speech in the City of London, the former EU trade commissioner will say: "Brexiters cannot argue that we are weakened in the EU as it is but would suddenly be strong enough to dictate terms if we left. For every politician who saw the pragmatic case for dealing with the UK, there would be another who had little doubt that the UK must not be given a quick or easy ride."
Brussels, he believes, would insist on the UK signing up again to common standards in order to gain access to the single market following a vote to leave in the June 23 referendum.
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"As a result, we would have left the EU in order to assert our national sovereignty only to find that, as a condition of access, we did not have independence from EU regulation after all," he will say.
Responding to Lord Mandelsons comments today, Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of Vote Leave said: "Peter Mandelson told us the British economy would fall off a cliff if we didnt join the euro and now he is indulging in the same scaremongering about the referendum. He was wrong then and he is wrong now. He is starting to resemble a man wearing a sign saying the end is nigh.
Demolition teams are set to begin a second day dismantling shelters in the Calais 'Jungle' migrant camp.
Overnight, police tear gas was used to disperse migrants who hurled rocks at demolition squads.
The action prompted more desperate people to try and cross over to Britain by jumping on board lorries under the cover of darkness.
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Migrants gather in a stand-off against police last night
Authorities had received permission from a court in France to begin bulldozing large parts of the camp last week.
A judge ordered the eviction of around 1,000 migrants and refugees, but spared their "communal facilities" such as churches, mosques and schools from being flattened in the raid that began yesterday.
Monday saw some migrants setting fire to their tents in an angry stand-off with police.
Officers gathered in lines on the perimeter of the camp's southern section as 'Jungle' inhabitants were told their only option was to move.
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Migrants and activists watch makeshift shelters burn
About 100 shacks were said to have been dismantled on Monday.
Large groups of migrants - around 150, according to reports - temporarily blocked police vans from entering the site by walking in the road. Some wielded sticks and iron bars.
Lliana Bird, co-founder of Help Refugees, warned HuffPost UK the eviction would leave thousands of people with no place else to turn to.
Migrants and activists face-off with French riot police
"It has been publicly accepted in court that there are not enough state run places for all the refugees being evicted to go to, so this move will simply be making thousands of vulnerable people homeless," she said.
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"With over 3,500 people in the zone to be bulldozed, and just over 1,000 places available in containers and French run centres there are more than 2,500 men, women and children who will soon be facing winter weather without shelter, and with no where to go once their current homes are destroyed.
Supporters of democratic candidate Bernie Sanders gather in London, Tuesday, March 1, 2016 as voting begins in the U.S. Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Frank Augstein/AP
With Big Ben providing a backing track, Americans in London chant "feel the Bern" as they make their way to a Super Tuesday polling station on Tuesday evening.
Today is a crucial day in the race for the White House. And Democrats living abroad also get a say in whether Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders ends up as their party's presidential nominee.
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An ability to create noise may not translate into support, but Sanders supporters were in good voice in the shadow of the British Houses of Parliament.
Travis Mooney is clear why he will not vote for Clinton. "She's an untrustworthy person," he says. The 40-year-old does not like the "third way" centre-left politics of the Clintons and former Labour British prime minister Tony Blair which many on the left on both sides of the Atlantic see as Conservative-lite.
And if Clinton ends up as his party's nominee, Mooney would have to "think about" whether he would vote for her or not.
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Another Sanders fan, Matt, an artist from Philadelphia who has lived in London for five years adds that it is "obvious" why he did not support Clinton. "She's bought and sold. She's lobbiest, big money, she's the same cookie-cutter politician," he says. "Bernie's different, man. He's actually revolutionary. If you're not behind him you're behind the same old big money bullshit." If Clinton wins the nomination, he will vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
The line to vote in the Democrats Abroad primary in central-London, which stretches around the corner of a takeaway sushi restaurant frequented by British government officials, no doubt contains Clinton as well as Sanders voters. But it is the Sanders fans wearing badges, stickers and carrying an illuminated sign - much to the bafflement of British passers-by making their way home from work.
Michael, a 19-year-old, student, says he is voting for Sanders because the Vermont Senator "cares about getting money out of politics" and has thrust the issue of student debt into the limelight. "He sees the student loan debt crisis for what it is and nobody talked about it prior to him, maybe Elizabeth Warren," he says.
He is unimpressed with Clinton as the preordained frontrunner. "For someone who is supposed to be the inevitable candidate I think she should have came forward with these policies far before him," he adds.
Unlike some other Sanders supporters queuing to vote, Steven quickly adds he will vote for Clinton if she beats Sanders to the nomination. "If she got to the general election I most certainly will vote for her. Because it will most likely be against Donald Trump. And I will not vote for a fascist," he says.
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His friend Michael, who has been studying healthcare abroad in London for two months and sees the British NHS as a model to emulated back home, agrees. "He really, really concerns me," he says of Trump.
"The moment I heard him talk about banning refugees and his disdain for Muslims, I was appalled and cringing extremely hard," he says.
He adds: "This is someone who is hoping to go on to represent our country and if other countries are going to view us by this man, that's not what America is and that's not what we should be viewed as."
Paul Wood
More than 70 firefighters have been tackling a "difficult" fire in an industrial yard near the M25, which has caused ash and sparks to drift over the motorway.
Ten fire engines addressed the fire on Whitewebbs Lane in Enfield, which has destroyed a warehouse and badly damaged cars, forklift trucks, lorries and caravans.
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Heavy smoke filled the sky after the fire broke out on Tuesday morning and Highways England warned motorists on the M25 at junction 24 and 25 to take extra care.
Around 35 propane gas cylinders have been removed from the site.
Photographer Paul Wood shared dramatic video and pictures of the fire, which the London Fire Brigade called "incredible".
A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade told The Huffington Post UK that the team was working "exceptionally hard" to deal with the blaze.
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The fire has been "under control" since around 6am but fire crews from Enfield and surrounding fire stations are still dealing with "pockets of fire".
Six engines and around 30 firefighters will remain on the scene for most of the morning.
A caravan on the site was safely evacuated before the firefighters arrived, and the two men inside were not injured.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Graham Ellis was at the scene, and said: This is a difficult fire to fight but crews worked exceptionally hard to bring it under control. Firefighters will remain at the scene throughout the morning damping down pockets of fire."
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File photo dated 06/08/13 of someone using a laptop keyboard, as the Government announced that there will be no legal changes to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act after a review of the legislation found it was "working well". Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
A decision not to charge for Freedom of Information (FoI) requests has been hailed as a "victory for journalism".
The government revealed on Tuesday that there will be no legal changes to the FoI Act after a review of the legislation found it was "working well".
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Many journalists praised the decision on Twitter:
Good news that UK #foi act is safe for now https://t.co/XnP3dHz7lz Wendy Bacon (@Wendy_Bacon) March 1, 2016
Brilliant victory for #journalism in the UK today with @guardian winning 10-year Freedom of Information battle re #princecharlesletters Ross Armour (@RossArmour346) May 13, 2015
Excellent news! Freedom of Information charges ruled out after review https://t.co/4j0AH3TfzE George Greenwood (@GeorgeGreenwood) March 1, 2016
Some encouraging news about the Freedom of Information Act - https://t.co/fneQ6f1duG - well done to all involved in #HandsoffFoI campaign News Associates (@NewsAssociates) March 1, 2016
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FoIs have been used to uncover all sorts of information, from highly scandalous stories to issues simply useful to the man in the street.
We've rounded up some of the things we wouldn't have known without FoIs:
Things We Wouldn't Know Without Freedom Of Information Requests [LIST] See gallery
An independent commission examined the law amid claims by some parts of the public sector that it was placing too much of a burden on them and restricting officials' ability to provide confidential advice to ministers.
But Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock said there would be no wholesale changes to the law, and pledged to encourage transparency in the public sector.
He said: "After 10 years, we took the decision to review the Freedom of Information Act and we have found it is working well.
"We will not make any legal changes to FOI. We will spread transparency throughout public services, making sure all public bodies routinely publish details of senior pay and perks. After all, taxpayers should know if their money is funding a company car or a big pay off."
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The prospect of changes to FOI triggered a backlash from journalists, opposition politicians and transparency campaigners.
Data watchdog Christopher Graham told the cross-party commission examining the system that the laws did not prevent officials providing advice to ministers.
Giving evidence in January the Information Commissioner said he was "rather impatient" with critics who claimed the law was a "disaster" because of the impact on Whitehall decision-making.
The Times reported that the Government will not introduce fees for FOI applications as they would "deprive the media of the tools they need to pursue important investigations that are in the public interest".
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Cabinet minister Chris Grayling has previously accused journalists of "misusing" the laws to "generate" stories.
The Oscar-winning actor George Kennedy has died aged 91.
A star with more than 200 acting credits to his name, the popular veteran died in Idaho on Sunday morning of lung cancer, with the news confirmed to CNN by his grandson Cory Schenkel.
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George Kennedy starred with Leslie Nielsen in the 'Naked Gun' comedies
He made his name playing opposite Paul Newman in 'Cool Hand Luke' in 1967. His performance as 'Dragline' brought him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and he was also nominated for a Golden Globe.
Following long service in the Army, George Kennedy started his new career as a military adviser to the 'Sergeant Bilko Show'. He went on to make the most of his military bearing - standing 6'4" in his socks - in a huge range of roles, most memorably as mechanic Joe Patroni in 'Airport' and its three sequels, and in fellow disaster flick 'Earthquake'.
Flowers left for George on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
One of his most successful partnerships was with Leslie Nielsen in the 'Naked Gun' films, where he played Police Captain Ed Hocken.
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On TV, he was one of the original stars of 'Dallas', where he played corrupt oil baron Carter McKay - a stalwart of the Oil Barons' Ball - and acted into his eighties, taking on a seven-year stint most most recently on long-running soap 'The Young and the Restless'.
"My grandpa loved acting. Every opportunity he had, he enjoyed with such a passion," his grandson told CNN following his death. "It was definitely amazing to see that passion. Acting was natural to him."
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Jeremy Corbyn has insisted he will not be getting rid of his, stylish, grey tracksuit anytime soon.
Appearing on ITV's The Agenda programme on Monday evening, the Labour leader brandished a fake newspaper front page with the headline: "Tracksuits are back".
"This is my shiny grey tracksuits that nobody, but nobody, but nobody, likes. Except me," he said.
Presenter Tom Bradby asked if it was "staying at all costs" in his wardrobe. Nodding, Corbyn replied "the tracksuit's there" before offering to give it to Bradby.
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Corbyn's dress sense was heavily scrutinised last week after David Cameron angrily told Corbyn to "put on a proper suit, do up your tie and sing the national anthem" after Labour MPs heckled him about his mother during prime minister's questions.
Afterwards Corbyn appeared to take the jibe in good humour. A video clip of Corbyn getting ready for a TV interview showed the Labour leader laughing as he told the camera crew: "I've got to do the tie up."
Grinning, Corbyn said of the prime minster: "He's actually jealous of the jacket. You know what's really jealous of? That I can go shopping in the greatest shopping centre in the world, Holloway Road N7, and he's stuck with Bond Street."
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Appearing alongside Corbyn on The Agenda, comedian Marcus Brigstocke mocked Cameron for his angry response at PMQs having "poured" out of him.
Corbyn laughed as Brigstocke added: He was properly cross because somebody mentioned his mum. Who presumably he doesnt know very well because he went to boarding school when he was seven."
Questioned about criticism at PMQs on his dress sense, Corbyn told the programme with a smile: "I was obviously deeply hurt."
BBC
Jeremy Corbyn's history of rebelling against past leaders does not undermine his demand for loyalty from Labour MPs because his rebellions were right but theirs are wrong, Ken Livingstone has said.
Last night backbenchers were told by Corbyn to stick to the leadership's message. The Labour leader's pleas for party discipline fall on deaf ears for some MPs - who point to Corbyn's past as a serial rebel who frequently defied the party Whip.
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But Livingstone said Labour MPs were "out of kilter with the membership" and said "they've got to come to terms with Jeremy, not the other way around".
"Jeremy and myself, we rebelled a lot, as [shadow chancellor] John McDonnell did. Go back and look at our rebellions. It's turned out we were right," he told the BBC's Daily Politics today. "We didn't want to see the bankers set free, we didn't go along with Thatcher's agenda."
Livingstone said Corbyn was right to demand message discipline from his MPs because his message was right. "The simple fact is there's an awful lot of Labour MPs who can't come to terms with the fact that the British public at two elections, and the Labour Party membership last summer, have turned their back on the old Blair nonsense," he said.
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"The message that Jeremy's got is one that is about rebuilding our economy by investing in infrastructure, increasing research, we've been going low wage, low skill, low tech, that's not the future."
The former London mayor and Corbyn ally who sits on the party's National Executive Committee said he was often stopped in the street by people who ask: "What did the last Labour government do for me? It did a lot for the bankers and the small elite at the top."
Livingstone said under the last Labour government voters saw "millions of jobs lost in manufacturing" while the party "didn't build homes for rent people could afford".
The election of Corbyn as leader, he said, was "a new start" for the party. Asked by presenter Jo Coburn while the party's poll ratings were so low if the Labour leader was taking it in the right direction, Livingstone said it was in part due to "six months of lies and distortions by the media".
He said Corbyn was "not going to change his policies because of the Tory media" and would "gradually win public support" ahead of May's local elections.
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The Deutsche Lufthansa AG logo sits on the wing and tailfin of an Airbus A320neo aircraft during a delivery ceremony outside the Airbus Group SE factory in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Lufthansa, the sole airline so far to take delivery of the new A320neo model, will limit the plane to domestic German routes until glitches with the engine cooling system are resolved in coming weeks. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg via Getty Images
A nine-year-old girl has died on board a Lufthansa flight from Shanghai to Munich.
The aircraft, which was carrying 268 passengers, made an unscheduled landing in the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk after a medical emergency was declared on Tuesday night, German outlet PZ News reports.
It adds the unnamed child suffered a pre-existing condition but her cause of death was not revealed.
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She was an Italian citizen, an ethnic Chinese, a spokesman for the West Siberian department of Russias Investigative Committee told the Russian news agency TASS.
He added: The child was not breathing and had no pulse. The doctors tried to bring her back to life but to no avail.
A spokesman for Lufthansa confirmed the death on board flight LH 727 to the Huffington Post UK.
She added: "The deceased passenger was a child travelling together with its parents. After a diversion to Krasnoyarsk/Russia, a doctor pronounced the passenger dead.
A concept drawing of Lockheed Martin's new Quiet Supersonic Transport X-Plane.
NASA has unveiled plans to start work on an experimental new plane which would be capable of 'quiet' supersonic flight.
By creating a 'low boom' aircraft NASA hopes the design will then lead to the rebirth of commercial supersonic flight, not seen since the Concorde took to the skies.
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Working in partnership with Lockheed Martin, NASA has awarded the company $20m to begin the preliminary work of coming up with a design and then a physical test aircraft which can successfully prove that such an aircraft can be made.
The aircraft would be the latest in a long and prestigious line of 'X-Plane' aircraft which have been designed by NASA to test out revolutionary new flight designs.
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The original X-Plane, the Bell X-1 reached a speed of over 1,000mph in 1948.
The Bell X-1 was the first of these aircraft which saw Chuck Yeager break the sound barrier for the first time. Since then X-Planes have tested everything from unmanned flight to new wing designs.
NASA is working hard to make flight greener, safer and quieter all while developing aircraft that travel faster, and building an aviation system that operates more efficiently, said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
To that end, its worth noting that it's been almost 70 years since Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 as part of our predecessor agency's high speed research. Now were continuing that supersonic X-plane legacy with this preliminary design award for a quieter supersonic jet with an aim toward passenger flight."
NASA's X48c showed off a new 'blended wing' design which would reduce on drag.
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The US Navy's X-47b experimental drone showed how an unmanned aircraft could land itself on a moving vessel.
Seamus Daly, who had been accused of murdering 29 people in the 1998 Real IRA Omagh bombing, has been released from prison after the case against him collapsed.
Daly, 45, from Jonesborough, was the only suspect left in the case of the murder of 29 people killed in the 1998 bombing and a series of other offences.
He had been on remand in prison since being charged with the atrocity and a range of other terror offences in April 2014 but on Tuesday the case against him was dropped.
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The charges against Seamus Daly have been dropped
The Co Armagh man walked free from Maghaberry high-security prison in Co Antrim just before 3pm, declining to make public comment before being driven away by family members.
The decision to drop the charges was based on insufficient evidence, according to Sky News.
No-one has ever been convicted of the murders in a criminal court.
Daly has always denied involvement in the bombing, which inflicted the greatest loss of life of any terror atrocity in the history of the Troubles. All charges have now been dropped, the Press Association reported.
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In 2009, Daly and three others were ordered to pay 1.6 million in damages to the bereaved relatives - money they are still pursuing.
Daly faced a civil retrial after successfully appealing against the original finding, but the second trial delivered the same outcome as the first, with judge Mr Justice John Gillen ruling him responsible for the attack.
Tuesday's dramatic decision by the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service (PPS) comes before Daly's case had even reached the floor of the Crown Court.
A pre-trial hearing commenced in Omagh Magistrates' Court last week to establish whether the evidence in the case was of sufficient strength to warrant such a trial.
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The aftermath of the Omagh bombing
That decision has now been taken out of District Judge Peter King's hands, as the PPS has withdrawn the charges before the preliminary hearing had reached conclusion.
A PPS lawyer officially withdrew the prosecution during a routine magistrate's hearing at Ballymena Courthouse, Co Antrim, on Tuesday morning.
The dead came from both sides of the Irish border, England and Spain. One of the victims was pregnant with twins.
More than 300 people were injured in the attack.
Story continues below slideshow...
Omagh Bombing See gallery
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was one of those killed , said he agreed with the decision to drop charges against Daly.
However, he said he was angry that families of the victims were kept in the dark over the cases collapse.
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He said: We have been failed once again by the police service, by the prosecution service, by the government and by the criminal justice system.
A suspected meteor lit up the skies of the Scottish Highlands on Monday, prompting calls to the police from worried witnesses.
A loud boom that shook buildings was also reported.
Footage of the strange event was caught on car dashcams with one showing a bright white object streaking through the sky.
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Captured this on my dashcam tonight beauty!! Posted by Bill Addison on Monday, February 29, 2016
More footage of flash in sky - Dee Scholes filmed the possible meteor near Glenlivet https://t.co/0DbljpAPnVhttps://t.co/Il4HfVJNJ8 BBC Scotland News (@BBCScotlandNews) March 1, 2016
Jenni Morrison told STV News: "It was amazing, I've never seen anything like it. It was like someone had switched a light on."
Police said they received calls around 6.55pm on Monday evening.
STV News weather presenter Sean Batty said: "I've had lots of tweets from around the north and east of the country this evening with people reporting a loud bang and a large flash in the sky. Most tweets have come from around Perthshire, Angus, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
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"There are no thunderstorms being reported anywhere in Scotland this evening, therefore this is not due to a flash of lightning.
"My only conclusion would be that this is indeed a meteor which has burned up and exploded during entry into our upper atmosphere.
"The flash of light would be of an extraordinary level, and given tonight's full cloud cover this would have illuminated the whole sky."
Children across England are learning what secondary school they will be attending from September 2016 today (Tuesday 1 March).
Although this is a day of excitement for many, councils have warned that many children are likely to miss out on a desired place at their first choice of school.
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The Local Government Association has issued a fresh call for local authorities to be handed the ability to open new secondary schools, or force academies - which are not under council control - to expand.
The organisation has argued that without these powers, councils will not be able to meet their legal duty to ensure every child has a school place in the future.
Primary schools in England have been struggling to keep up with demand in recent years due to a rising population, according to PA, and this is now moving through into secondary schools.
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Children will be finding out which secondary school they will be attending in September 2016
In 2015, around one in six children did not get a spot at their first choice of secondary school.
There were 54,600 appeals against school allocations - 3.7% of the total number of admissions to state schools. Just over a fifth (22.8%) of the appeals actually heard by a panel were decided in favour of the parents.
The Government has said it pumped 5 billion into creating half a million new places over the last parliament and has committed a further 7 billion over the next six years.
Speaking about National Offer Day, Justine Roberts, chief executive of parenting website Mumsnet, said while many families are happy with the place their child is given, others are left feeling anxious and struggling to find a spot at the school they want for their child.
She said, according to PA: "How well the school admissions system works depends almost entirely on where you live.
"Lots of parents are very content with the school places allocated to their children, but in some areas - parts of London, Bristol, East Sussex and Birmingham, for example - the admissions system is starting to feel seriously creaky.
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"Stories abound of some families cheating the system, which only adds to people's anxiety and sense of injustice; many Mumsnet users say that their children can't get into schools that are a few hundred metres away from their front doors.
"Parents are struggling, and the consensus on Mumsnet is that more needs to be done by central and local government to address the problems now."
Families who do not win a place at their favoured school can appeal, and one admissions expert said more are now willing to take that step, and get legal help to do so.
Matt Richards, of legal advice firm schoolappeals.com, said: "A few years ago out of 10 phone calls to us, maybe two would pay for some help. Now it's more like 50%.
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"People are much more switched on in terms of their legal rights and in terms of not wanting to do it on their own and asking for help."
Schools minister Nick Gibb said, according to PA: "We want every parent to be able to send their children to a good local school. Despite rising pupil numbers the vast majority of parents are able to do so.
"The Government is investing billions of pounds creating new schools and new school places and through our free schools programme we want to open 500 more new schools during the five years of this parliament."
Younger people could be forced to work into their 70s before retiring following a Government review of the state pension age, which critics say was quietly announced today.
With all eyes in Westminster on controversial new surveillance laws, ministers revealed former CBI boss John Cridland would look at whether the current threshold - 66 by 2020 - is optimal in the long run.
Given that people are living longer, putting a squeeze on public finances, it paves the way for men and women to work much longer.
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In a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament, ministers said current plans to raise the state pension age to 67 by 2028 would not be affected.
Labour seized on the Governments gross mishandling of a higher pension age for women born in the 1950s as evidence that people were right to worry, and that the Government would speed up rises in the state pension age.
Owen Smith, Labours Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, told HuffPost UK: Its shameful that they have tried to smuggle out this important news in a written statement, hoping that it would go unnoticed.
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Labours Owen Smith: "Its shameful that they have tried to smuggle out this important news."
The move was announced as details of the Governments snoopers charter were revealed, which hands sweeping powers to authorities to monitor peoples web history.
And it comes as the EU referendum debate becomes increasingly fierce and a crucial House of Commons clash between Chancellor George Osborne and his Labour counterpart, John McDonnell.
The Department for Work and Pensions would doubtless argue the announcement was also made on the official government website, though it did not feature on the Whitehall department's Twitter feed at the time of writing.
Stories 'buried' today? The Government announced it was delaying for a year the implementation of a cap on housing benefit payments on social rented properties, which critics said could have left people homeless. Meanwhile, ministers also announced a specialist "unit" tackling wildlife crime that was set to close has been awarded a reprieve.
As it stands, the state pension age will rise to 66 by 2020, to 67 as early as 2026, 68 in the mid-2030s, and then 69 in the late-2040s.
The terms of the review make clear a suitable state pension age will form part of the review, which takes place every five years. The decades-old default retirement age of 65 has been phased out.
In January, MPs warned women were being "shafted and short-changed" by a decision to accelerate the rate at which the state pension age is to be equalised.
The state pension age for women was due to rise from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2020 but the coalition Government decided to speed up the process in 2011.
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As a result the state pension age for women is due to go up to 65 in November 2018 and then to 66 by October 2020.
My speech in response to the lack of action from the Government on the #WASPI issue."The responses the Government have made have been completely inaccurate and often irrelevant" Posted by Mhairi Black MP on Monday, 1 February 2016
SNP's Mhairi Black attacks the Government for trying to "justify doing absolutely nothing" on women's pensions
Labours Mr Smith said: The Tories have a record of failing to be straight with people about the true impact of their pension policy, always keen to trumpet any potential gains from reforms, but reluctant to be honest with those set to lose out. So people are right to worry that the terms of this review may suggest that the Tory Government is set to speed up rises in the state pension age, throwing into chaos the retirement plans of millions of British workers.
The gross mishandling of the acceleration of the state pension age for women born in the 1950s has already caused huge financial worries for 2.6 million women across the country, and the Government should consider this review an opportunity to look again at what more can be done to help those who are set to lose out.
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The Government need to be honest with those women about what they now intend to do to help and honest with the rest of the population about what this review might mean for everyones future pension plans.
At the daily Lobby briefing for journalists, the Prime Minister's official spokeswoman today highlighted just two Written Ministerial Statements: one from the DWP on Baroness Michelle Mone's review of business start-ups in deprived areas, the other on the review of the BBC.
When asked why she hadn't mentioned the written statement on pension changes, the spokeswoman replied: "I don't always mention every WMS. It would a be a long list on some days."
Minister for Pensions, Baroness Ros Altmann, said she was confident the review would be thorough, carefully considered and wide-ranging.
A student has lost both legs and fingers after mistaking deadly meningitis for freshers' flu.
Charlotte Hannibal, 19, from Selston, Notts, was a healthy teenager before contracting the toxic virus which left her with a sore throat and flu like symptoms after a house party.
The former Business Studies student was eventually diagnosed with septicaemia and meningitis - meningococcal group W which usually targets young adults.
The brave teen was hospitalised for two months before doctors decided to amputate both legs below the knee, as well as half the fingers on Charlotte's left hand in a bid to save her life.
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The former Business Studies student was eventually diagnosed with septicaemia and a rare form of meningitis
A year later, despite her life changing dramatically, Charlotte now has a can-do attitude and is making progress every day - she's now campaigning to warn other students to have the vaccination which she believes could've prevented the bacterial infection.
Charlotte, who is still recovering from her ordeal, said: "I've always been a normal healthy person, I can't believe how much my life has changed in a year.
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"I was going out at least once a week after starting university and I was having the time of my life, I never thought something like this could happen to me.
"The Saturday before I fell poorly I'd been at a house party with my flat mates, on the Monday I left my lectures early as I felt so unwell, then I phoned my dad to pick me up Tuesday morning.
"Throughout the night I woke up vomiting and my condition was deteriorating quickly by Wednesday I was in an induced coma for 17 days while doctors battled to save my life.
"I had severe memory loss when I woke up all I can remember is having a sore throat and flu like symptoms so I just presumed I had freshers' flu as it had been going around.
"My parents and doctors explained I'd contracted meningitis and septicaemia which had turned my lower legs, fingers and the end of my nose black.
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"It was such a scary experience, my body was containing the septicaemia but it couldn't get rid of it completely so after two months doctors had no choice but to operate."
The teen was hospitalised for two months before doctors decided to amputate both legs below the knee
"I've had to make huge changes to my life, but I wasn't upset when doctors told me they had to amputate, I just wanted to get better and would've done anything at that point to beat the virus.
"I feel incredibly lucky though, I'm still alive and although I've lost both my lower legs and fingers, some people have lost a lot more."
After Charlotte's worried parents Dawn and Peter, and her younger sister, Sophie, dialed 111 for advise they took her to a walk in centre which they believe may have saved her life.
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Charlotte was then rushed straight to an intensive care unit on February 25, after her legs had become so weak that she could no longer walk and doctors recognised that something was seriously wrong.
Over the next two months Charlotte's body tried to fight off the blood poisoning at Nottingham City Hospital, but sadly in May doctors made the tough decision to amputate after the virus kept returning.
Charlotte said: "By the time we got to the walk-in centre I felt so weak, I struggled to walk so my parents hired a wheelchair, little did any of us know then that that would be the last time I stood on my own two feet.
"I later had complete organ failure and I had started developing a rash.
"When I first woke from the coma I was so frightened I couldn't understand where I was and my body was completely paralysed, I could only move my eyes and mouth.
"I spent 27 days in intensive care, before being moved to a burns and plastic ward where I spent a further 12 weeks as my scarring was similar to a burns victim.
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"As well as battling both meningitis and septicemia my kidneys had stopped working too, so I've been on dialysis ever since and I'm hoping for a transplant later this year.
"When I thought I had freshers' flu my hands and feet felt really cold but then my stomach started to bloat too, I didn't know it then but my kidneys were shutting down."
On June 15, Charlotte was able to go home for the first time since being admitted to hospital over three months earlier.
Since the terrifying ordeal, Charlotte has spent the last eight months continuing to beat everyone's expectations in her recovery and continues to challenge and push herself every day.
Charlotte still goes to multiple rehabilitation appointments to help aid her recovery every week but she can now ride a bike, eat using one hand and can even do nail art on her prosthetic legs.
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She added: "I used to be the laziest person I know but now I will give anything a go, I have a long journey ahead of me still but I will give every step of the way 100%.
"It felt amazing being back on my bike again for the first time recently and before all of this I used to love nail art so I'm continuing to do things I love.
"I've found new ways of using my left hand without my fingers, and soon I will be getting a cosmetic hand which will be amazing.
"I hope to return to my studies in the future too, although the past year has really opened my eyes and I'm now considering an education in medicine."
As well as recovering Charlotte has teamed up with her best friend William Fowkes and Meningitis Now to raise money and awareness.
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Charlotte riding a bike, something she has only recently re-learned
Charlotte said: "Meningitis Now have been incredible, I can't thank them and my family and friends enough for all the support they have given me.
"I plan to do as much as I can to fundraise and raise awareness, I never thought I'd get meningitis I don't think anyone does but it can happen to anyone at any time.
"I hear that a lot of young people are scared of injections, but my advice would be that one needle is worth it to prevent the hundreds of needles and operations I've had to endure since.
"I was so happy when in August a free vaccination became available for all first year university students and 17-18-year-olds in the UK, now people just need to make sure they have it.
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"I can't urge people enough, if I had had the vaccination, myself and my family would have never had to have gone through such a terrifying ordeal.
"I'm taking each day as it comes but I know if I can get through what I have done in the last year, I will be able to do anything now."
Charlotte now has a 'can-do' attitude and is making progress every day
Lucie Riches, the East Midlands Regional Support Officer for Meningitis Now said: "We'd like to thank Charlotte and William for their wonderful fundraising efforts.
"We rely on the energy, enthusiasm and initiative of her and those like her to raise the funds we need each and every day to continue our vital research, awareness and support work.
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"Knowing the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia, remaining vigilant and getting medical help quickly can save lives.
"Common signs & symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia are fever, cold hands and feet, headache, vomiting, muscle pain and a rash.
"If in doubt, trust your instincts and seek medical advice.
The five things you need to know on Tuesday March 1, 2016
1) BARRELS OF BRENT CRUDE
Cabinet meets this morning and the mood around the coffin-shaped table will be the most sombre for a long time. With the PMs own political death after a Brexit vote now openly canvassed by Tory MPs, its no wonder. Will Iain Duncan Smith finally explode, or will the PM himself reassert his authority again? Will anyone raise the fact that IDS is openly defying the No.10 edict on EU papers (see below)?
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But the bigger picture is on just whether Dave can get the punters to trust him as they did in the general election last May. And whether Boris Johnson is actually the guy who will swing the referendum.
Many Eurosceptics derided No.10s latest dossier on the risks of Brexit. Cameron did a quick David Brent impression on his roadshow yesterday, declaring This is not Project Fear, its Project Fact. Fact! Some say it's crude, but will it be effective, as it was in the Scots independence referendum? There were lots of scary things in the Government dossier, not least the threat of a sugar tax on British sweets and chocs. No wonder Chris Grayling slammed the Governments relentless campaign of fear.
But it was Boris who had the best line, appearing on LBC to sum up Daves new tactic as baloney. Just as worrying for No.10 though is the fact that Boris is next Sundays star guest on the Andrew Marr Show (which confirmed him yesterday). Given all the alleged promises to No.10 that he and Gove would just set out a principled stance and then go quiet during the campaign, that looks like yet another act of war.
It is indeed getting more fractious by the day. Rachel Sylvester quotes in her Times column a minister who has discussed Europe extensively with the PM in the past few days. He defends the occasional flash of anger such as his slapdown for Boris and has a quote guaranteed to upset Eurosceptics: He is determined to win. Finally he has stood up to the Out bullies and their tears are those of spoilt children being finally told No. Ooer, missus.
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Politico website has some fascinating detail of No.10s EU man Daniel Korski and his lunch last Friday with diplomats in London. No.10 wanted banks and big business to keep quiet and let the In case be made by small business, apparently. But the joke over lunch was that the In campaign slogan Stronger, Safer and Better Off was inspired by Daft Punks 2001 hit: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.
Peter Mandelson makes a speech today ramming home the trade tariffs point. Referring to Lord Lawson, the Dark Lord told Today: Hes in engaging in fantasy politics and we need more facts, less fantasy. Yes, you read that right.
Lord Hill, the UK Commissioner for Financial Stability aka Daves mate, appears before the Treasury Select at 9.15am.
2) THE P-YELL-P
Monday night is Fight Night as far as the Parliamentary Labour Party is concerned these days. Last nights meeting didnt disappoint grapple fans as the Labour leader and Shadow Communities Minister Jon Trickett came in for a bit of a no-holds barred kicking from their own MPs. The PLP is a four-letter word for Corbyn, one MP tells me.
Ive written a full account HERE, but in a nutshell some MPs were irritated that they didnt get a chance to quiz Corbyn directly, others didnt like his presentation (his first to them of 2016) and yet others were in despair at Tricketts talk on the local elections campaign.
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Tricketts missing slides in his slide show were ridiculed, his figures questioned and his lack of Tory and UKIP strategy condemned. Monty Python and Only Fools and Horses have been used to mock Trickett. It wasnt pretty and many felt it should have been stopped mid-fight.
Nothing concentrates politicians minds like looming elections and many in Labour are worried the party will be going backwards not forwards in Wales, Scotland and English town halls this May. Liz Kendall made a rare intervention at the PLP last night and said Labour should be aiming to gain at least 434 council seats (a very specific minimum). Yet it could actually see a net loss of seats for the first time since 1982. Ive blogged on why fresh comparisons with Michael Foot could well surface on May 6.
Corbyns appearance on ITVs The Agenda saw him declare Damian McBride was a sinner who has repented, defend his shellsuit fashion and make an unhelpful intervention for the In campaign (he seemed to say Daves Brussels deal was legally questionable). Meanwhile, Neil Kinnock has told a BBC radio documentary that no party can win a national United Kingdom election if it sustains a stance which means unilateral nuclear disarmamentI am seeking the exercise of the skills of leadership. Thats a tough opening gambit for Damian McBride.
3) SNOOPER TROOPERS
At midday the Investigatory Powers Bill is set to be published, followed by a possible Commons statement from Theresa May. Theres been a bit of briefing overnight to suggest that the Home Sec has taken on board concerns expressed by all three Parliamentary committees reviewing the draft bill. A Home Office says: We have strengthened safeguards, enhanced privacy protections and bolstered oversight arrangements.
But privacy and civil liberties campaigners have heard this kind of thing before. On encryption, internet firms look like they have won a partial battle but there are still powers in the bill that will worry many on that. (Apples court case in the US is bound to be cited today, by both sides).
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Yet it is on the vexed topic of keeping a record of all websites visited by each of us that real fears remain for some. And despite the spin otherwise it looks like firms will still be required to keep internet connection records (ICRs) for 12 months - and the cops and security agencies will be given even greater powers to use that data to pursue leads in crimes other than those involving life and limb.
At least the Government has listened on the Freedom of Information Act review, with the Mail hailing the victory on its front page (journalists will still be able to root out stuff from councils with no charge). Thats a bit less pressure on Sir Cover Up (see below) but the Times reports ministers will still be allowed to assert a veto over some requests.
BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR
In case you missed it, watch Donald Trump lay into Marco Rubios habit of reaching for a water bottle when hes nervous. Its a classic Trump moment.
4) JEZ BE FRIENDS
At 6am today, TV crews were planning a dawn doorstep. Not for a Cabinet minister, but for the Cabinet Secretary. Yes, things are that crazy right now in the debate over whether Sir Jeremy Heywood is preventing ministers from doing their day jobs or rigging the EU referendum against pro-Brexit ministers.
I have to say its pretty extraordinary when you have a minister of the crown (Priti Patel) accusing the most senior civil servant of committing an unconstitutional act, as she did yesterday. New reader start here: this all stems from a belief that Heywoods new note last week - banning civil servants from preparing new research for anti-EU cabinet ministers that could be used in the EU referendum campaign - was aimed directly at Iain Duncan Smith. No 10 was worried that IDS would ask his officials to assess the credibility of the PMs migrant benefit plans.
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The Sun today has a nice scoop that IDS has taken the explosive step of defying the edict from Heywood. Mr Duncan Smith told a confidante: "My civil servants don't work for Jeremy Heywood, they work for me. It's me who has the seals of state, not him. I have told them that all European Union documents must pass across my desk. I trust my staff, and they will not withhold information from me. And according to some Whitehall sources, Patel may have a point as Secretaries of State alone are responsible for their own departments, not the Cabinet Secretary.
Matt Hancock got 46 minutes of pain yesterday during the Urgent Question on this topic. Today, Heywood faces Bernard Jenkin and his Public Administration Select Committee at 4.15pm. Lets see if Sir Cover Up (he really hates the Mails tagline) keeps his cool.
THE ECONOMY, STUPID
At 11.30am George Osborne and John McDonnell square up for Treasury Questions. With the Budget looming, everyone will be looking for clues to his thinking. The Chancellor is clearly trying to soften up voters and nervous backbenchers (he met the 1922 Committee yesterday) about fresh cuts in the pipeline hinted to the BBC on his Friday China trip.
Its a real test for McDonnell today (dont forget it will be Corbyn who answers for Labour on Budget day itself) as he has lots of possible ammo to fire, not least the contrast between the Autumn Statement complacency and recent warnings of global doom and gloom. Back in November, the OBR gave him a 5bn windfall from revised models and estimates but he spent it U-turns on things like tax credits cuts. He must wish he had the cash today. If Osborne does indeed set out deeper cuts, he may have no choice but to balance them out with a raid of higher rate pensions tax relief.
As for McDonnell, he likes to claim Osborne is a bankers Chancellor, so todays Barclays increase in profits to 6bn may be timely. In keeping with his and his leaders approach to politics, the Shadow Chancellor will speak at 1pm at a Public and Commercial Services union protest outside parliament against plans to close almost all HM Revenue and Customs offices. The union is opposing plans by HMRC to close all but a dozen of its 170 offices in the UK and 150 compulsory redundancies in the department.
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TUC members queue outside the Houses of Parliament to lobby against the Trade Union Bill, London. Anthony Devlin/PA Wire
Tory plans to slash Labours cash from trade unions are facing a last-ditch Parliamentary ambush that would block any changes until there is progress on funding of all political parties.
HuffPost UK has learned that a key House of Lords committee is poised to recommend that the Governments controversial Trade Union Bill should be halted without wider cross-party consensus.
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Labours general secretary Iain McNicol warned earlier this year that his party faces the loss of 8m a year as the bill forces trade unionists to opt in to a political fund rather than opt out as at present.
And MPs have claimed that the attack on the Opposition's funding is part of a wider attempt - along with voter registration, Short Money cuts and boundary changes - to 'rig the system' to keep the Conservatives in power.
Labour's general secretary Iain McNicol
But in its report published on Wednesday, the Trade Union and Party Funding Committee is expected to call for a sunrise clause to be inserted into the legislation.
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The move would effectively freeze the bill until talks of party funding between Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and others come to a meaningful stage.
Opting into the political fund should not be imposed without serious progress in the talks, the clause is believed to make clear.
And with Lib Dem and Labour peers outnumbering Tories in the Lords, the clause could win a majority, just as they did over George Osbornes tax credits cuts.
The Lords select committee, which believes Cabinet Office minister John Penrose was very unhelpful during its evidence sessions, is expected to actively call for the renewal of cross-party talks on political funding.
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Tim Farron, Lib Dem leader
The revelation came as Lib Dem leader Tim Farron today wrote to David Cameron, Jeremy Corbyn and other fellow party leaders to urge the resumption of talks last held in 2013 between the main parties.
Reforming funding of political parties is vital if we are to remove the perception that influence and access may be bought, and elections influenced by millions of pounds rather than millions of votes, Mr Farron wrote.
A full package of reform is also necessary to achieve balance if the Government pursues its proposals on trade union funding.
It is understood that Tory peers on the Lords Select Committee have suggested that the sunrise clause has dubious legality, but they are not in a majority among its members.
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TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady lobbies Parliament on the Bill
Trade unionists have complained bitterly that the Trade Union Bills other measures will curb their right to strike, with higher thresholds for ballots.
But MPs and peers in all parties have also been worried about the unilateral way the bill affects party funding, which is traditionally subject to cross-party agreement.
Although the Tory manifesto pledged a change to the opt-in rules, rebel Tories have pointed out that the manifesto also stated we will continue to seek agreement on a comprehensive package of party funding reform.
Former Cabinet Minister Lord Forsyth said earlier this year: Ive no desire to help the Labour party, but I do want to see fairness across the system.
And I dont want us to get into an arms race in who can damage each others party most in terms of funding and support.
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LLANDUDNO, WALES - FEBRUARY 27: UKIP Rosette at the UKIP Spring Conference on February 27, 2016 in Llandudno, Wales. UKIP's annual national Spring Conference is being held for the first time in Wales during the Welsh assembly election campaign. The elections for the National Assembly will take place on May 5 with polls predicting UKIP could win nine seats in the Senedd. (Photo by Richard Stonehouse/Getty Images) Richard Stonehouse via Getty Images
Ukip activists have been told not to display anything bearing the partys logo while campaigning in the EU referendum, the Huff Post UK can reveal.
In an email sent out to branch chairmen across the West Midlands ahead of an action day, activists are specifically instructed that no UKIP logo's, literature, rossettes [sic] must be visible on the day.
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The advice seems to vindicate former party deputy chairman Suzanne Evans, who at the weekend pointed to research which claimed mentioning Nigel Farage or Ukip could deter floating voters from backing the Leave campaign.
She cited a British Future study released last year which claimed Mr Farage was one of the two most untrusted voices on the EU issue - along with former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The Ukip leader later said he couldnt care less about the comments which were made at a fringe meeting at the partys Spring conference in North Wales.
But an email seen by the Huff Post UK seems to endorse Ms Evanss advice.
Sent by Andrew Illsley, Ukips Regional Organiser in the West Midlands, to branch chairmen in the region, the email discusses equipment being sent by Leave.EU for street stall campaigning.
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The email reads: Chairmen:
Do not forget to contact other non UKIP like local councillors/ conservative associations to join us.
No UKIP logo's, literature, rossettes must be visible on the day. In addition to table packs you will also have sufficient GO referendum leaflets to hand out.
GO Liability Insurance Certificate is attached for you to down load.
It was mentioned at conference that you will need some weights to stabilise the pull up banner. A couple of small bags of sand are recommended.
Have a great days campaigning and please interface with other non UKIP OUTERS -WE ARE ALL WORKING FOR THE SAME RESULT!!
Shrewsbury & North Shropshire branches please collect you packs from Jill's office by miday Friday latest.
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Staffs branches - Garry from NUL will pick up on Thursday morning.
Don't forget to take pictures for social media & your branch websites.
This is the first of a number of GO action days - there may be a few hiccups which we can both learn from for the forthcoming events.
As well as supporting Ms Evanss claim about keeping the Ukip brand away from campaigning, the email again highlights the close relationship between Leave.EU and Grassroots Out (GO).
Both organisations have received funding from Ukip donor Arron Banks, and Ukip initially backed Leave.EU for designation as the official leave campaign before switching to GO.
James McGrory, spokesman for the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign, said: Its little wonder Grassroots Out are embarrassed by their association with UKIP their leader has been described as toxic to voters by his own former deputy.
"But hiding the rosettes and logos cant hide the fact that Nigel Farage is the face of their campaign.
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"A cheap rebranding exercise cannot cover up the weakness of UKIPs argument and the bankruptcy of their ideas.
CARL COURT via Getty Images
Young people in the UK aren't getting a fair deal and we need to do something about it. We can't trust the current government to protect our future, so the trade union movement offers the best opportunity to fight for the basic rights all workers deserve - but young people are particularly likely to lack.
1. We're the first generation in over a century on track to be be poorer than our parents
Even though we're better qualified than ever before, it's predicted that people born after 1980 will be poorer than older generations for the whole of our lives. This is a reversal of the trend of the last hundred years, during which time every generation was wealthier than the previous one.
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2. We're not lazy, feckless or over-entitled
It's sometimes claimed that young people deserve to be paid badly because we don't work as hard. In reality, there's every reason to believe that the opposite is true. Young office workers report working an average of seven hours and 22 minutes overtime every week. That's two hours more than over 55s.
We want fair treatment, not special privileges.
3. Many of us can't get the hours we need to pay our rent and bills
When young people do work fewer hours it's often not out of choice. One in five 16-24s in the UK are underemployed - meaning they'd like to work more hours but aren't offered them by their employer. Frequently, a part-time wage isn't enough to cover basic living costs.
4. We don't know if we'll earn the money we need from one week to the next
People aged 16-24 are three times as likely to be on zero hour contracts in comparison with older workers. Often, this means not knowing in advance if you're going to be able to earn enough for the week or month.
5. We're struggling to survive never mind save for the future
Saving money is an impossible dream when many of us are struggling to scrape together enough just for rent, food, transport and utilities.
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Low wages and insecure employment are part of the reason why almost half of 18-25 year olds have debts other than student loans. A recent report found that 38% of us have overdrafts and 31% owe money on credit cards.
6. We're more likely to suffer anxiety that keeps us awake at night
Medical professionals recognise job insecurity, financial struggle and debt can cause mental health problems. Is it any wonder, then, that young people are more likely to suffer from anxiety than ever before?
One in five 16-24s report experiencing high levels of anxiety.
7. We're often expected to work for free just to get a foot in the door
Many unemployed young people are being forced to complete unpaid workfare schemes just to receive jobseekers allowance of 57.90 a week. If they were paid at least minimum wage for the hours worked they would earn 201, or 159 for 18-20 year olds.
Also, increasing numbers of employers are asking young workers to do unpaid internships. These positions sometimes replace paid entry level roles and may be illegal.
7. We're less likely to be a member of a trade union than older workers
It's no coincidence that young workers are the least likely to be trade union members. Research has found that trade union members are better paid and enjoy better working conditions, on average, than other workers.
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8. We're also particularly likely to work in the least unionised industries
Young people are disproportionately likely to be working in industries like retail and hospitality, where most workplaces aren't unionised.
Trade unions can achieve the most in workplaces where they're supported by at least 50% of staff. This means the union has a legal right to negotiate with the employer for better working conditions and wages.
10. Trade unions really can make a difference for young workers
Even if your employer doesn't recognise a trade union, you could still benefit from joining one. If you are being bullied, harassed or discriminated against at work, or if you undergo a disciplinary procedure, unions can offer legal advice and support - even representing you at tribunal if necessary.
The benefits can be even greater if your workplace is officially unionised. In 2013, staff at Hovis in Wigan went on strike against zero-hours work in their factory. They won a landmark victory and Hovis agreed to treat any worker with more than 12 weeks service equally to full-time employees.
11. If we don't fight for our rights, who will?
The Conservative government is trying to pass a Trade Union Bill that will limit, among other things, the right to strike. If it's successful, it will be much harder for workers to fight for fair treatment in the future.
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Many of the employment rights we now take for granted - things like health and safety protections and legal entitlement to breaks - were secured through hard-fought battles by trade unions and their members.
It's up to young workers to act together to resist new forms of exploitation. And the first step for many is to pick a side by joining the trade union that's most relevant to your job or industry.
At the beginning of this year, a new email tool launched to help women stop apologising in emails. The 'Just not sorry' Gmail plug in, scans emails and highlights words such as 'sorry' and 'I think'. But what is the point? Looking at recent research it is clear to see that there is a phenomenon among women in business that needs to be rectified: the tendency to apologise in an array of professional and personal situations. But why do women feel the need to qualify their message with an apology?
Studies have shown that the way women and men address colleagues when in a position of power differs. Men in a professional environment naturally adopt an authorative language, whereas women tend not to portray the same confidence. A recent study shows that women do in fact apologise more than men, and the reason for this could be down to women having a lower threshold for what constitutes offensive behavior. When comparing women to their male counterparts, men feel they don't have to apologise for many of their actions, where as women do, whether they are aware of it or not.
Pantene has recently brought the issue into the mainstream though its latest advert, titled 'Sorry, not sorry'. In it women are shown in everyday situations apologising, for example, asking a question at work. The scenes are then regenerated without the use of the word 'sorry'. Bringing the issue to the forefront ultimately will help women to address confidence issues, both in their personal life and professionally.
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Recent research from Aston University shows that out of all the leaders chairing board meetings in UK FTSE companies, there was little to no differences in linguistic skills. Both genders used authorative, decisive and goal driven language. This data shows that language is the key element in helping women progress to the top and succeed there.
The question is then, how can women change their language to convey confidence? Firstly, using words such as 'I think' and 'I feel' are seen as weak words, they instantly reduce authority. Ellen Petry Leanse, a former executive at Google and Apple recently wrote that the use of 'permission' words such as 'just' covey a subtle message of subordination, she thinks "striking it from a phrase almost always clarifies and strengthens the message".
In a similar way, body language has been proven to impact on how authorative a woman is perceived to be in the workplace or in a boardroom. Deborah Gruenfield, from Stanford University believes that women struggle with an inner conflict; likability vs. competency. Gurenfield believes that women can overcome this through their body language. There are a number of traits leaders, and people in high status jobs have in common. One is the ability to own any given space, they take up room and spreading themselves out. Simple adjustments such as reaching your hand out further when you go for the handshake, standing taller or sitting forward with your arms on the table in a meeting can make all the difference when making first impressions and conveying confidence in a professional setting.
It is often forgotten in modern history classes that England is the birthplace of our modern conception of liberty. It is from the green and fertile nation, just a short distance from my home city of Edinburgh where I write these words, that the ideas of man's innate right to freely associate, contract, and, most importantly, to freely speak his mind first originated. It was the ancient, inherited English common law (whose origin remains shrouded in magnificent mystery) that gave birth to Magna Carta - the 800th Anniversary of which we celebrated recently - and subsequently begat the rights we all treasure. This tradition is the direct ancestor of J.S. Mill and John Locke and all their beautiful ideas and notions of the individual as supreme above the state and the person above the collective. The fine tradition of English liberty is why the English-speaking countries are the nicest places to live if one values one's own personal independence. As it says on the inscription on the monument to Magna Carta at Runnymede; English liberty and its academic tradition was the inspiration for "liberty under law".
Everyone that follows in this tradition must surely be appalled by the recent decision taken by the University of Sheffield. For the unaware, this fine English institution recently took the decision to stop one of its students, 38-year-old Felix Ngole, from continuing his studies because of a Facebook post he shared that expressed disagreement with gay marriage. Mr Ngole shared a post that said "I stand with Kim Davis" - the Kentucky clerk who received some notoriety recently for refusing to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples and was temporarily the darling of the American conservative right. He also provided a biblical argument against homosexual behaviour, calling it an "abomination" - which is biblically accurate.
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His (former?) university contacted him to inform him that his statements "transgressed the boundaries which are not deemed appropriate for someone entering the social work profession" and that his studies, computer use, and library privileges were being terminated. A spokesman from the University of Sheffield told The Tab, which reported the story, that the case was under appeal and that it would not comment further on it.
In summary, the situation seems to be as follows: Mr Ngole shared a post on his personal Facebook page that expressed an opinion unbefitting of someone preparing themselves to enter the social work profession and his studies were terminated.
First, an unfortunately necessary throat clearing. I do not agree with Mr Ngole.
Homosexuality is not an abomination and saying so goes against the evidence we have on the subject. Gay people, regardless of whether their homosexuality is a matter of nature or nurture, are no more or less 'abominable' than their heterosexual or bisexual peers and, in the words of Christopher Hitchens, "homosexuality is not just a form of sex but it is also a form of love and deserves our respect for that reason". Neither is the extension of marriage rights an abomination (as if such a term were of any use in a political sense); it is purely the latest iteration of an ever-evolving institution that at one time considered women to be property and was the exclusive right of non-slaves at a time when slavery itself was an institution. As an aside, the tradition of English liberty can also be credited with the abolition of slavery - another sad omission from modern history textbooks.
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The question is this; should a student be ejected from their course for expressing a view on a political subject - even one as unorthodox as the one Felix Ngole expressed?
The answer, for anyone with a belief in free speech, must surely be NO!
If we are to hold that that expressing a view in public - the publicity of which is the reason given for the action taken in this case i.e. it is not that Mr Ngole disagrees with homosexuality and gay marriage that got him evicted from his studies (which given that it was Masters level, he would have committed at least three years of his life to) but that he expressed such a view in public - is grounds for being expelled from an academic institution and a professional body then we set a worrying precedent.
For instance, one of the candidates for President of the United States is Dr Ben Carson; by all accounts, an accomplished and brilliant neurosurgeon. He also holds some unorthodox beliefs on everything from ancient civilisation to gay marriage (he obliquely compared it to bestiality) and he presumably held these beliefs during his career. Did his beliefs, similar to those of Mr Ngole, prevent him from saving lives or discharging his professional duties as a neurosurgeon? Similarly, the former Congressman from Texas and Libertarian Presidential Candidate Dr Ron Paul wishes to abolish income tax and the Federal Reserve (again, an unorthodox stance) - did his beliefs stop him being an excellent obstetrician and gynaecologist? Self-evidently not!
The point is that the personal and the political must be kept separate, especially in the age of social media where all of our opinions become a matter of public record. If the University of Sheffield does not reinstate Mr Ngloe's position as a student then it will contribute to a dangerous precedent that states that being qualified to do your job or complete your course is not enough - you must also think the correct way and hold the correct opinions. How many good social workers - which by all testimony Mr Ngole would have been - would be lost to this doctrine? I ask this, how many good professionals is this principle worth?
Finally, if my case is not enough to persuade the reader that the political and the professional require a Jeffersonian 'wall of separation' then I ask simply this; what if it was your principles and your dream job on the line?
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Perhaps you think that would never happen?
The break-in alarm wouldn't stop screaming - and I knew I was screwed.
Just as self-made multi-millionaire Brian Scudamore, the person I was about to interview, walked through the front door of the building, the ticket machine had malfunctioned and let out an ear shattering series of shrieks.
We hadn't met before. "Hi, I'm you're 12:00" I tried to smile over the screeching.
Luckily, Brian had a sense of humor and playfully shrugged it off. " Trying to break into the building?" he joked, before retreating from the turmoil.
After I managed to get the machine to calm down, I boarded the lift and took it up to the offices of his empire's parent company O2E Brands.
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Greeted by smiling secretaries at the front desk, coffee was thrust into my hand and I was seated by a table in the middle of the large and colorfully decorated office space.
As I waited for Brian, I could see that Brian's story was reflected on the walls of the office. He started 1-800-Got-Junk in Vancouver, BC in 1989 to help pay for college, and there was a huge wall size photo capturing where he started. Having began with one truck which he bought for $700 dollars, the image stood in stark contrast to the fast-paced modern office where I sat now.
Brian started "The Rubbish Boys" as a way to pay for college in 1989
Over the next decades Brian used his philosophy of taking ordinary businesses like junk removal, and executing them in extraordinary ways. He has tackled junk removal, painting, the moving industry and most recently window washing & gutter cleaning services. The parent company for his businesses is O2E Brands, which stands for ordinary to extraordinary.
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Brian soon joined me and we began recording almost immediately - below is the transcription from our conversation. It's geared toward advice for upcoming entrepreneurs, with a focus on the theme "tips for my 25 year old self". However, upon finishing the interview there are great insights for people at all levels of their entrepreneurial journey.
Ben: What is your opinion for someone who just got out of high school and they like the idea of being an entrepreneur - what would you recommend that person does?
Brian: For me, my education was learning on the job. It was getting out there and buying a truck and starting to haul junk. It's hard to learn about entrepreneurism in school from a professor who's never run a business.
So for me, someone who's 18 that wants to get out and do something on their own; go learn from an entrepreneurial business like O2E brands. We look for people that are entrepreneurial and we say "How do we help you be an entrepreneur" how do we help you find your entry point into this wonderful world of entrepreneurship. So people will often start here, learn things, and go start their own business.
Find a place to get your learning; is it from mentors? Is it from asking questions of other people? Is it working in an entrepreneurial business and learning from them? Or is it just taking the leap like I did?
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Ben: In school did you ever have a "small man's complex" where other kids thought you were stupid, but now it's kind of the other way around?
Brian: I've never really been one to care what people think, so for me there were some people that thought, "Why are you not into school, why aren't you working hard, why aren't you focused?" They might be looking back going, "Okay, well it's worked out for him!"
Brian Scudamore is the Founder and CEO of O2E Brands
Ben: Tell me a little about your new window washing & gutter cleaning company Shack Shine.
Brian: Shack Shine is our newest brand, and it's going really well. I partnered up with Dave Notte who created this idea; I didn't love the look and feel of the brand but I thought the concept was great.
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Shack Shine is a window cleaning, gutter cleaning, and power washing service
based in Vancouver
Ben: And I know you are very serious about branding.
Brian: It's kind of funny, but I went and hired our branding guy to recreate the Shack Shine look and feel before Dave and I actually did a deal. I was THAT confident that we would come to a deal. I knew that the name worked, but I said let's create something that VISUALLY looks right and it turned out really well.
Ben: One of the things that I was reading about that you do is that you're REALLY meticulous with branding. You said that you spent $200,000 on a logo, and I had never heard of that before for a home services company.
Brian: With WOW 1 DAY PAINTING the colors were very collegiate; they were blue and orange. I looked at the brand and thought with an industry filled with college run painting companies, we wanted to stand out. So we looked at colors and green is fresh, it's rejuvenating, so we really liked the color. We hired a branding company to help us create the right look, and they got us part way there, but not all the way. So we hired another branding company to come in and take over and they got us further, and then we actually went back to the original guy to take it across the finish line. So it was interesting that we had two branding companies work on it. It cost us more money than maybe it should have, but it took the time and energy to get the look and the feel right.
Brian alongside the new WOW 1 DAY PAINTING design
Ben: But the thing was was that you understood very well what was broken and you fixed it and it worked. And the ROI (return on investment) on that kind of branding has been, well what was it?
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Brian: It was about $200,000 to re-brand. It was expensive, but the $200,000 wasn't hiring one company, it was the inefficiencies of us spending one year trying to re-create the new look and feel.
Ben: That's entrepreneurship, though.
Brian: Exactly; and once we got it right we shared it with James Alisch, who's our managing director. I shared it with him before he was a part of the brand, and he got excited about the vision of what we could create; revolutionizing the painting industry - a very "mom and pop" fragmented industry. Just the look of the logo was enough to bring him in to go, "Yeah I can see it." Our customers IMMEDIATELY got excited about the new look and feel, and it's been great.
Ben: Looking at the way that you've done things, you took world class business chops and applied them to things that were being done inefficiently. And now you've got this business that does a world class service, world class branding. You're obviously run well and centralized, so it's hard to compete with you.
Brian: Yeah, and I think that we're taking all the learning from everything we do and building on it even further. Our parent company O2E Brands is ordinary to exceptional, and everything we do is about taking ordinary businesses, junk removal couldn't have been more ordinary when I started, and we made it exceptional through the branding and the customer experience. Now we're doing the same thing to the painting world, the moving world, the house detailing and window washing world; who knows what's next. The goal is a billion in revenue by the end of 2021 with ten brands. And it's not a money-making thing, there's not a lot of billion dollar Vancouver companies; so to stand out knowing that we made a difference in the business world and the lives of people culturally is special.
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Vancouver, BC (Vince Chow http://vincechow.ca/)
Ben: You're really successful in Vancouver and as an entrepreneur, do you think about the place that you live? As a 22 year old entrepreneur it's a big decision I am just starting to make now and would love some insight.
Brian: I'm inspired in Vancouver. I love Whistler, I ski almost every weekend with my family. I love the mountains, I love the ocean, I love the forest. So to me Vancouver's home, and you need to start something in a place where you feel inspired. Could there be more efficiencies to my business and my life is I was in Toronto or New York? Possibly, but it's not worth giving up the inspirational side of if I'm doing something special.
Vancouver's a smaller market and there aren't as many big head offices; so for a company like ours that's growing it's been harder to find really seasoned people, but you've got to deal with that. We hire on attitude and train on skill, so a lot of it is just finding really great people and then building them up.
O2E Brands strives to make the ordinary businesses of junk removal, painting, moving and home detailing exceptional by being leaders in customer experience and innovation.
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Ben: You're one of the more interesting companies in town; O2E and HootSuite are two of the most recognizable companies. It's sort of like, "Where do I want to work?" you know you're not competing with Apple or Google, you can keep really good talent out of match.
Brian: We can stand out in this market, but it's also harder because you don't have the big brands to pull people from as easily. Also the real estate in Vancouver is so ridiculously expensive that it's hard to pull people from the U.S. and say, "Hey why don't you come live in our city where EVERYTHING is over a million bucks?
Ben: It seems like one of your biggest strengths is creative PR; do you have any tips for being creative with PR and thinking about things this way?
Brian: It's just paying attention to press and thinking differently. Seeing opportunities in a situation where someone might not.
Brian: One crazy example: we teach our truck teams to always be on the lookout for opportunities, and two of our 1-800-GOT-JUNK guys were driving along one day and some guy comes running out of a store and chased by someone else because this guy was robbing the store. The 1-800-GOT-JUNK guys got out of the truck and helped catch the guy. It turns out the guy was stealing a bag of shrimp, so right away they pick up the phone and they call our office and they're like, "Guys, we just caught a shrimp thief!" I mean it's ridiculous, and it made the evening news.
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We're just always thinking about how we can get that awareness and that attention.
When the Canucks years ago were in the playoffs we decided that we were gonna do a media stunt, and we put on blue wigs. We gave out a thousand wigs at the Canucks games, and a thousand wigs in 18,000 people, those blue wigs stand out. Everyone's like "Where'd you get those, what's that about?"
Ben: So fun is kind of an element in that, too.
Brian: Yeah have fun, be different. Everyone in the press is looking for a story every day. People have writer's block, people are stuck, so when there's a journalist, help give them a story. Pick up the phone and call and say, "Hey I've got a great idea for you." and run it by them.
Ben: What is often overlooked when building a company?
Brian: I think people don't talk about how hard it really is. If you knew how hard it was going to be on day one, you wouldn't do it. That's why so few people do actually start businesses, because it isn't easy. But if you REALLY knew how hard it was going to be and how much you were scraping the bottom of the barrel financially, and making wrong people decisions and all the stuff that happens to entrepreneurs, if you knew how hard it was I don't think you'd do it.
Ben: What's funny is once you're so into it and you care so much, there's just no way that anything can stop you once you've gotten your momentum going.
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Brian: Absolutely. It's absolutely worth doing. I think most entrepreneurs don't talk about how hard it actually is and all the challenges you face, but it is that challenge that makes it worthwhile. If you didn't have to overcome anything, it would be boring.
Ben: What personal traits or strengths helped you stand out as an entrepreneur?
Brian: I think vision. There's a quote from Walt Disney which we love, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible" I love going, "Wow, nobody wants to do that because it's impossible. We're going to figure out a way to make it possible." I think storytelling and captivating the vision in my mind, and being crystal clear as to here's what it looks like. I'm bad at figuring out how to get there, but that's where I've got Eric Church - who's our president and COO. He's great at encapsulating - taking the vision and packaging it into a plan and going, "Okay, let's rally the team now."
Ben: So I'm an entrepreneur who is earlier in my journey than you are - how do you cultivate skills like that, or SHOULD you cultivate skills like that to be successful in business?
Brian: I think it's the Marcus Buckingham "Focus on your strengths, don't try and fix weaknesses" I was a terrible reader and I'm STILL a terrible reader. I just focus on the stuff that I've been gifted with. So I think it's cultivating your gifts much more than trying to improve your weaknesses.
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Ben: What are three things a starting entrepreneur should focus on?
Brian: Vision, people, and systems.
Vision is number one, it's knowing where you're going, but don't even think about how you're going to get there. Think of where you want to change the world and create a business that can do that. Don't think about all the steps, don't get overwhelmed, just think about the destination.
Second: People. The very first employee you hire, the second, the third, the five hundredth employee, be incredibly selective. Don't ever compromise on people. If you bring in one bad apple, it spoils the whole bunch.
Number three: Systems. Take everything that you created the business with that you're good at, and put it into a one page best practice and say, "Okay here's how we do things." Teach someone else how to do it and improve on it, and get things off your plate as an entrepreneur so you can do it.
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Brian is a regular contributor to Forbes, writing about small business ownership and franchising
Ben: Lastly, what is one piece of advice you'd give to your 25-year-old self?
I am a mum to an amazingly strong, beautiful and engaging 15-year-old daughter. However, three years ago my daughter Libby was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Over the past 9-12 months Libby has filmed a CBBC My Life documentary called Marvellous Messy Minds.
She made this documentary to try and change the stigma that surrounds mental health, and to share her story so others can find the help and support they need. I'd like to use this opportunity to share with you all our experiences and to hand out some tips that have helped us along the way.
1.Recognising the Signs:
This is the thing I found the hardest. How to determine if Libby was ill and needed help or if it was teenage angst. There were, however, a few major character changes that made me realise it was more than a mere hormonal attitude. Over a period of a few weeks Libby started to withdraw and hideaway, she was very emotional, not sleeping well, not eating well, getting angry and aggressive, had little or no energy and was looking for excuses to not spend time with friends.
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If this is your child - talk. It took a while to break through but with persistent questions and asking about her feelings she eventually came out of the fog for enough time to realise that she needed some help.
2.Seek Help and Diagnosis:
Once Libby admitted she needed some help we decided to go to our GP. Before we went I asked Libby to write a list of all the things she wanted to see the doctor about in case she forgot anything. Once at the GP's Libby found it impossible to talk so just handed the GP her list, the GP asked if anything had happened to make her feel this way. Libby answered 'No' but the truth was her grandfather had suddenly passed away four months previous (I informed the GP of this).
The GP diagnosed Libby with depression and anxiety but before she could do any form of referral she suggested Libby should get some grief counselling as it would be required by the referral team. After the diagnosis of depression Libby was very angry and dismissive, she realised she had anxiety but was in denial with depression, it took a couple of weeks for Libby to come to terms with that. Over those few weeks I did research online about bereavement counselling services within my local area and forwarded all the information to Libby for her to make a decision about her own path of treatment.
Libby is an intellectual who likes to weigh up all options and look at things before making a final decision; her decision about the bereavement counselling would be the first knot in the treatment chain. Libby in her own words 'didn't want to sit in a room full of strangers, holding hands and singing kumbya', This does not mean it's not a great form of help and comfort to some, to Libby, however, this was the worst case scenario. She wanted a scientific, factual approach in a clinical setting; we went back our GP who explained that Libby's ideal setting was very hard to get and the best he could offer was to make a referral (he asked that her school did so also in order to speed up the process). The net result was Libby waiting for nine months before we heard anything about a referral, the only thing we have had is three phone calls asking ME not Libby about her wellbeing.
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So MY advice - hound them. Chase the referral and persist until something is done. I understand the services are very stretched and there are children in dire need of them, however there is a massive gap and people do get lost and sometimes forgotten. Don't let it be your child!
3.Finding Help for Yourself:
In the time it took to hear anything from the referral, Libby had been researching and found her own ways of coping. During this search came her first panic attack - the hardest thing to watch your child go through. Just stay composed, talk calmly and slow their breathing down until it stops. We ensured, as part of helping Libby through this, that she got support. Firstly, from us her family, secondly from a strong group of trusted friends that she knew would understand: those two things are the basis of the road to recovery.
Libby found support groups and forums online that she could use to talk to others in her situation, she also used breathing apps and mindfulness. For Libby it was finding her triggers and recognising them. Once she was aware a panic attack was in bound she found a quiet spot started her app and did a breathing exercise to calm her down again. There is support out there if you want to find it. There's support not only for the sufferer but also for you as parents, although it does have some scary parts the internet can actually be quite a good resource.
4.THE GOLDEN RULE:
Talk, don't hide away. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Talking and being open about it is the only way we as a nation will remove the stigma, it's also the best form of helping your child. The one thing I said to Libby was 'Define your mental illness and control it, don't let this illness define you. You have a bright future and you are going to achieve great things. Don't let this thing swallow you up'.
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5.The Aftermath:
She followed my advice and she is already doing great things. Not only has she done Marvellous Messy Minds for the BBC (you can see Libby's story on Wednesday 2 March on CBBC at 5.10pm), she has also started a mental health support group within her school. So others don't have to jump through so many hoops to find help. She's changing perceptions, helping herself and helping others. I could not be more proud of her.
I found out about womb cancer the hard way - I was diagnosed with it in June 2010.
I knew nothing about womb cancer before diagnosis. There had never been an awareness campaign for it in the UK, I didn't know anyone else who'd been through it and I had difficulty finding out anything about it. It felt as though I had a cancer that didn't exist.
I was diagnosed at an early stage because of obvious symptoms - mild spotting that became persistent bleeding. It took time for me to realise - perhaps to admit to myself - that I wasn't going through hormone changes due to my age. At my most ill I was in almost constant pain, had breathing problems, could barely walk and for good measure was diagnosed with anaemia. I slept frequently, for hours at a time.
It turned out I didn't fit the risk criteria for womb cancer and was relatively young for such a diagnosis: it's a cancer that tends to be mainly associated with postmenopausal women in their 60s, whereas I was 50 and hadn't yet gone through the menopause. Doctors told me my case was random and assured me I was young and fit so could beat it. I came away from the hospital that day determined to see my daughter graduate the following year. I made it there and beyond.
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Results from a hysteroscopy and biopsies had shown that I had a high grade endometrial tumour. I was scheduled for a hysterectomy and told to expect radiotherapy. Though in the end - and after a complication that had me in resus two weeks after the op due to a blood vessel opening up and me bleeding out - the cancer hadn't spread so surgery was the only treatment I needed. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
I now know more about womb cancer than I ever knew I'd need to. I know I'm not alone as the number of annual cases has continued to increase since I was diagnosed. I know that womb cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women and - as far as I'm aware - is now the most common gynaecological cancer. I know there's still no screening programme for womb cancer and that many women - and seemingly also some GPs - don't always understand that a negative pap smear test result doesn't clear them of all gynaecological cancers. Smear tests aren't designed to detect womb cancer.
One of the most important things I now know is that we need to be our own advocates when it comes to our health. That women must keep pushing for answers if abnormal symptoms persist even after a negative smear test result. By abnormal symptoms I mean bleeding after the menopause, bleeding between periods, spotting or discharge.
As a result of womb cancer I've got to know women of all ages who've been through it or are going through it themselves. Some of them are only in their twenties. Some of them didn't make it. That's the saddest part of all.
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Debbie Vince is a womb cancer survivor I met online who is now a very good friend offline too. Debbie and I are both involved in setting up a dedicated UK womb cancer charity called Action on Womb Cancer.
Action on Womb Cancer is the brainchild of Dr Nic Orsi, Senior Research Fellow & Pathologist at Leeds University / St James Hospital. It was Dr Orsi's long held idea for his team to collaborate with womb cancer patients in order to set up a womb cancer charity. While Debbie and I were both keen to have a dedicated womb cancer charity, it was some time later before I could finally say yes to teaming up with Dr Orsi to make his vision - and ours - a reality. In between times my father became increasingly ill and, sadly, he died from cancer in October 2014. Dad didn't live to see me get the all clear: this charity is as much for him as for the women it's aimed at. He believed in us and in making womb cancer known about.
Our prime minister would have us believe that the UK is safer and more secure trapped within an undemocratic EU super-state than as a sovereign, independent nation. Indeed, it is now a key plank of his 'Project Fear' strategy to persuade us to vote to remain.
I find it shocking that he could be so disingenuous over so serious an issue as cross-border crime and the safety of the British public. If the UK public choose to leave the EU, we will be no less secure - in fact we will be safer than at present. The UK is signed up in its own right to all the key global crime-prevention organizations and this will not change upon Brexit.
Firstly, we will still be members of the world's largest international police organization (INTERPOL). We can work together to prevent cross-border crime and terrorism via the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
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We can work with our French neighbours via inter-governmental border agreements like the Le Touquet treaty and the Sangatte protocol. We can even sign a cooperation agreement with the EU's own law enforcement agency EUROPOL; just like non-EU countries like Australia, Norway and Switzerland have. In terms of military co-operation, will remain members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the UK-France Defence and Security Cooperation Treaty.
Leaving the EU is not the risk that Mr Cameron is trying to present. What does pose a risk to public safety are the illogical government cuts to the key services that protect our citizens and UK society. Despite clear evidence that the EU is under threat from the migration crisis and the huge volume of peoples being allocated EU entry and residency, our PM and his governments have consistently made bad decisions in the areas of justice and security.
Whether it be border control, policing or prison services, all have seen huge decreases in finance impacting to an almost unimaginable degree the resources that guarantee our daily peace of mind. If the British people decide to leave on June the 23rd, we could plough some of the savings from our eye-watering EU contributions into our police and security services.
If we vote to remain, our contributions are only likely to increase, leaving less in the pot for these vital areas. David Cameron is trying to present Brexit as a risk, while his own actions could be described as nothing less than national sabotage. No amount of concealment or political spin can hide from the public at large that this is the case.
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Only a matter of a few weeks ago the media laid bare one instance of the scale of security risk now facing the UK, and I cite the head of Europol who said that: "Up to 5,000 jihadists have returned after ISIS training".
'Returned' means that they are now back on European soil, unconstrained to undertake whatever evil or malicious intent they may have, and comfortable in the knowledge that recourse to Human Rights legislation will protect their interests rather than that of their potential victims.
To cite Mr Cameron's well-worn and over used phrase 'let me be clear!'. What has happened on his watch and what he condones via continued EU membership represents far more of a security risk than anyone could possibly imagine, yet he continues to defend the misguided stance that only EU membership will provide the degree of public protection that is the pivotal responsibility of any government of HM the Queen.
In the words of the head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe: "If you've got porous borders and you've got migrants coming through there's a risk that terrorists are hidden amongst them or people who become terrorists get hidden amongst them."
There was little in Mr Cameron's recent 'renegotiation' that would help contribute towards the safety and security of the UK - in fact there was little of substance at all. As I have said before, our membership of the European Union and associated acceptance of the 'free movement of people' principle means we are unable to prevent criminals arriving on our shores. Mr Cameron's 'deal' doesn't prevent this.
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The Northern Powerhouse continues to strike a chord. Britain has the potential to become a more prosperous country, with George Osborne's focus on the north potentially playing a key role in rebalancing the economy. With a new wave of metro mayors set to be elected next year, installed to drive the economies of the north's great city regions, there is a genuine opportunity to foster a new kind of economy, where all people and places benefit from growth.
But a more coherent and strategic approach is required if we are serious about achieving this rebalancing. JRF's new report highlights that the scale of the challenge could hardly be any greater, with 10 of the top 12 struggling economies being located in the north of England.
Analysing the fortunes of 74 towns and cities with populations over 100,000, our index assesses how such places are faring on employment rates, skills levels, job quality, migration and population change. The north-south divide couldn't be any starker, with no southern city ranked in the top third of the index. Although cities in the north are growing, they are getting left behind as their growth rates significantly lag behind national levels.
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This uneven growth between places is not just a national issue, it is also a critical issue within city regions. Greater Manchester, the poster boy for the Northern Powerhouse is a case in point. The city is going places. The cranes on the skyline, trams ferrying residents to and from work, a cultural offer of global appeal. Manchester's city centre has the buzz of a big, vibrant European city. Mancunians would have you believe that Manchester is the Northern Powerhouse.
But away from its urban core and leafy southern suburbs the story of Manchester's northern boroughs is quite different. Three of the top 12 struggling cities in our index - Rochdale, Bolton and Wigan - are within the Greater Manchester conurbation. Whilst neighbouring authorities such as Oldham and Tameside may take some comfort at not being at the top of the index, it would be churlish not to recognise that deep and extensive social and economic challenges exist across the north of the city region.
These challenges don't stop here. There are places such as Burnley and Blackburn (both in the top 12 of the index) on the periphery of Greater Manchester but lie outside the city region political construct. What will a stronger more powerful Greater Manchester mean for East Lancashire? A Northern Powerhouse cannot be built around one or two core business and service centres which overshadow their neighbours. We need a more inclusive growth strategy that seeks to ensure no person or place slips through the cracks or gets left even further behind.
New metro mayors and council leaders must harness their increased economic powers to create an economy in which there are far greater opportunities for the people and places who have previously been left behind. Of course there are no silver bullets for creating jobs and connecting people and places to jobs. Extending a tram line might be part of the solution but will not be sufficient in its self. Investing in education and skills must be a priority, but again won't solve the problem if there are no jobs to access or those that are available are low quality and don't fully utilise employee's skills.
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As a rule, it isn't very smart politics to insult the intelligence of the electorate. Voters will usually forgive a bit of spurious sloganising at election times, on the grounds that politicians can't help themselves, while being largely immune to it. But when it comes to a serious debate like that over the European Union they deserve better and, on the Tory side at least, they are not getting it.
The early skirmishes of this long referendum campaign have been fought largely within the fractious ranks of the government. If it weren't so serious, it would be funny to see David Cameron, who has never previously had a good word to say for the European project, slapping down the EU's critics. Meanwhile Boris Johnson, who can be genuinely funny, asks us to take seriously his volte face from 'not an outer' to 'out for good' (via 'out to get back in again').
They are fighting as if their political lives depended on it, because they do.
By comparison the Labour IN campaign has received relatively little publicity, despite having one of politics' great communicators, Alan Johnson, at the helm. It's been rather like a worthy but dull BBC4 documentary up against the high drama of Eastenders on at the same time.
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Labour' team shouldn't be worried by this. The campaign to remain will be won by long and patient argument or it won't be won at all. Euro-waverers are not going to be convinced by histrionics but by persuasion, and that will take time.
So Jeremy Corbyn was absolutely right to say he has a different argument to make to David Cameron's. It was unfortunate that on the weekend of the Labour IN campaign event, it was Corbyn's appearance at a mass CND rally that grabbed most of the headlines. As I've argued here before, Labour is in no position to change Britain's nuclear defence policy, but it does have the power and responsibility to swing the argument in favour of Britain's membership of the EU.
To do that Labour can and must be smarter than the Tories as well as being more credible. For them it's all 'Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail'. Tory 'inners' spread fear of the consequences of leaving; Tory 'outers' can't disguise their loathing of the EU and all its doings. Neither is an honest position.
Labour pro-Europeans should be prepared to admit that it's perfectly possible for Britain to go it alone, but to argue that it's neither desirable nor sensible for us to do so. We should respect the sincerity of those who have yet to make up their minds by acknowledging that neither side has all the answers. People are right to weigh up the pros and cons, and for many it will come down to a judgement that on balance the advantages of EU membership outweigh the disadvantages, or vice versa.
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The overwhelming majority of Labour MPs, councillors and activists are in favour of staying in. For enthusiastic pro-Europeans like me, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. For more reluctant converts like Jeremy Corbyn the arguments are more finely balanced. But recognising that range of opinions works in our favour not against us.
Put plainly, nobody has any reason to love everything the EU does, but everybody has something to be thankful to the EU for.
Labour - united (for once) in the conclusion we have come to - can afford to have not one conversation with our supporters and those we seek to win over, but many.
To those for whom the environment is the most pressing issue of the day, the impact of EU laws and directives has been a major benefit across the continent. If protecting rights at work and resisting the influence of the multi-nationals is your priority, the EU is on your side. If the protection of human rights in general, or LGBT rights in particular, motivate you then the European External Action Service has a better record than most national governments.
Over the next few months, by having all of these conversations and more, Labour activists can be the decisive factor in a national campaign. That will feel good for a change. And because the UK is one huge constituency, for once it doesn't matter where they live. Their work on the doorsteps will make a difference.
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(B-52s v. 2016, L-R: Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson. Photo by Larry Jaffee)
In Martin Scorsese's new HBO series Vinyl about the music industry in the early 1970s in New York, there's a scene in which the record label mogul gives his entire A&R staff two weeks to discover - or get fired - a song that would make any listener want to call a radio station and find out the name of the artist.
The B-52s' debut album and particularly its lead single "Rock Lobster" in 1979 had that kind of effect on an audience already groomed on "new wave." The screechy vocals and infectious organ and guitar riffs reportedly prompted to bring John Lennon back into the recording studio with Yoko.
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Thirty-seven years later, the trio of original lead vocalists - Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson - supplemented by four new musicians still entertain a rainbow audience of babyboomers with their solid catalog of hits, most of which were played last Friday night at The Space, in Westbury. Its original guitarist Ricky Wilson (Cindy's brother) died of AIDS in 1986, while its original drummer-turned-guitarist Keith Strickland gave up touring with the band in 2011. Pierson last year married her long-time girlfriend.
To their fans, the B-52s always have been the ultimate feel-good party band, combining a campy girl-group sound with lyrical offbeat sci-fi adventures. They weren't really considered to be a gay band (and not that it mattered), but it's no wonder one of their early hits "My Private Idaho" inspired the 1991 Gus Van Sant film of the same name about two male hustlers played by River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves.
As a fan of the movie posted on imdb.com, "The tragedy at My Own Private Idaho's core is so universal, it really becomes completely secondary whether it's about and between men, women, homosexuals or heterosexuals." The same could be said of The B-52s' music, although with the exception of the loss of Ricky Wilson, tragedy doesn't come to mind when considering the importance of the group, which no doubt belongs in Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.
Dancing away to groove-laden hits including "Strobe Light," "Dance This Mess Around," "Planet Claire," Love Shack," and "52 Girls," The Space crowd consisted of the same Long Island outsiders who faced the strange and feel a huge loss from David Bowie's recent death. It should be noted that Long Island historically votes Republican, which made the B-52s' visit all the more foreign yet welcome to those who turned out.
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There's still plenty of politicking to go until November, but The B-52s unlikely would be on the playlist of any of the current slate of Republican presidential candidates, whose "wholesome family morals," such as being against gay marriage, contradict basic compassion for fellow human beings. GOP frontrunner Donald Trump bullies from the podium those who disagree with him, and many of his followers are haters. Thankfully, they're not the kind of people who would attend a B-52s concert.
Trump thought he was a Neil Young fan until the musician threatened legal action when he learned the candidate had usurped without permission his "Rockin' In The Free World" for campaign rallies.
It'll be interesting to see if Vinyl tackles any political statements, as the Watergate scandal is about to topple the Nixon administration.
My friend Tammy Faye Starlite, wrapping up her "Marianne [Faithful] Cabaret" residency at the East Village nightclub Pangea March 3 and 10, also deals with Manhattan circa the early 1970s, as she chronicles her rise to fame as the girlfriend of a young Mick Jagger, who happens to be co-executive producer of Vinyl.
Garnering a rave review (http://tinyurl.com/homa6cq) in The New York Times, Tammy portrays Marianne as a personal mess who's been wronged by the powers that be, but one whose non-judgmental heart is in the right place.
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The clue is in the name: Complicite. This word, meaning 'involvement in a crime or some activity that is wrong' (Cambridge Dictionaries), resonates with Brechtian dramatic principles, not only in its foregrounding of morality, but also in the notion of audiences as active participants rather than passive recipients.
Simon McBurney's latest play, The Encounter, certainly asks a lot of its audience. Based on Petru Popescu's Amazon Beaming, it tells the story of the American National Geographic photojournalist Loren McIntyre, who gets lost in the Amazon rainforest in 1971 in his search for an indigenous Brazilian community called the Mayoruna. His initial intention - to take photographs that might witness the continued existence of a people that had been declared extinct - turns into a transformative journey of self-discovery. Going in search of the ultimate 'other' - a people whose ways of life seemingly encapsulated the very opposite of modern, Western 'civilization' (a word that recurs throughout the play) - McIntyre finds himself confronted with the depths of his own self.
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The Encounter engages the audience in a relationship of complicity in a variety of (seemingly contradictory) ways: through intimacy and distance; through ethical engagement and critical detachment; through bodily participation and philosophical debate.
Upon entering the auditorium, you are asked to put on a pair of head phones. Hearing McBurney's voice not from the distance between the stage and your seat, but 'directly' in your ear, gives a sense of intimacy and participation. Yet McBurney simultaneously undercuts this sensation of directness and immediacy by drawing attention to the artificiality of the play, mobilizing Brecht's alienation effect to distance us from the narrative.
From the very opening, McBurney exposes the constructedness of the narrative by introducing us to the different dramatic techniques and technological devices that he will go on to use. Perhaps most striking is the use of the binaural head, which creates the sensation of three-dimensional presence, giving the audience the illusory impression of being in the middle of the action rather than on its peripheries. Yet this innovative use of recent technology is also combined with the age-old storytelling techniques - a point to which McBurney returns at the end of the play, when he reads to his daughter (one of the characters) a passage from Popescu's novel that tells the Mayorunan myth of the fall of man. As McBurney self-reflexively notes, this story, a product of oral tradition, has been handed down from generation to generation in the Mayorunan community, then told in 1969 by the community's headman (Barnacle) to McIntyre through the medium of the bilingual Portuguese-Mayorunan (Cambio), then re-told by Popescu in a 1993 novel, and then finally in 2016 by McBurney to a full audience in the Barbican.
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The play's construction through multiple layered narratives reflects one of the central themes of the play: consciousness, or, as it is phrased in the workshop notes, 'altered states of consciousness and challenging the materialist view' (workshop notes, 3rd April 2014). Philosophically speaking, then, McBurney's play might be seen to adopt an 'idealist' position - privileging of the objects of spirit or mind over the material world, in the line of Plato, Kant, Hegel and Schopenhauer. As McIntyre is stripped of his shoes, his watch, his camera, his water purifier, and so on, he gains a deeper connection with what might be termed his 'inner self', his subjectivity: his states of mind, memories, sensations, bodily experiences, emotions, passions, dreams and delusions.
Paradoxically, though, his transformative journey into the depths of his own consciousness give him access to profound connections with the other. We witness him communicating with the headman Barnacle in spite of language barriers, on an intuitive or pre-symbolic level. This extra-linguistic exchange is translated for the audience by the recurring phrase 'some of us are friends', which punctuates and concludes the play. Just as McIntyre's journey to discover the Mayorunan 'other' leads seamlessly to a confrontation with the self, his intensified self-awareness yields a deeper connection with the other.
Perhaps surprisingly, though, at the heart of a self-reflexive play that explores altered states of consciousness and sets out to 'challenge the materialist view' lies something very tangible, material and immediate: the corporeal, present experience. Sound and light are not only used to tell stories, to convey the workings of the protagonist's mind, but also to produce physical reactions in the audience. The five senses are constantly, powerfully invoked. Most prominent are the sounds (of the plane in which he lands, the river, the jungle, the chanting), but these are conjugated with the feeling of itching produced by the buzzing mosquitoes, stunning plays of light and shadows, and so on. All illusory effects, of course, but also very real.
As a squeamish person who faints at the sight of blood, the bit that most turned my stomach was when we 'see' the Mayorunan people opening their veins to drug themselves in order to 'return to the beginning', to a state of wholeness, during the climactic ritual. But for different audience members, those gut reactions would have occurred at different moments and been experienced differently.
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In addition to corporeal experiences, the play represents and produces experiences of what Stacey Alaimo terms 'trans-corporeality'. In the context of an emerging school of thought known as New Materialism, Alaimo highlights the mutual interaction between human bodies and the more-than-human environment, disturbing our notion of the human self by forcing us to recognise that '"the environment" is not located somewhere out there, but is always the very substance of ourselves' (2010). The interactions between the jungle environment and the human body are foregrounded throughout the play, in McIntyre's fear of intestinal parasites, the thorns and worms extracted from his back by the shamans, his bleeding body becoming fuel for mosquitoes and other animals, and the intravenous injection of drugs in the Mayorunan ritual.
Perhaps the closest we get to the 'real' - or at least to the impression of the real, the so-called 'truth effect' - in the play, though, is when McBurney returns to the stage after the inevitable stunned silence and rapturous applause, to deliver a poignant message from the Mayorunan people: 'we exist'. Herein lies another key aspect of our complicity: threaded together by messages of human and environmental injustice, the play makes constant reference to the rubber industry, to oil extraction, to deforestation, making us accomplices in the colonial crimes committed over centuries against this and other indigenous communities and their environments through exploitation, extermination and resource extraction. What we have witnessed, in the end, is not only their fragility and precariousness, but also their continued existence, their resilience.
The final ethical demand of the play is one that touches on the very essence of theatre as encapsulated by a line from Complicite's fascinating workshop notes: 'theatre needs you to be dually present: projecting yourself into the consciousness of those on stage and yet bringing them to life by witnessing their actions, by being present.' (workshop notes, 29th September 2014) As audience members, we are asked to become the characters, but also to be the observer, to witness, to be complicit.
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Otto Frederick Warmbier was arrested on January the 2nd 2016 for the crime of stealing a motivational poster from the staff only area of his hotel. In most other countries, such a minor misdemeanour would result in only a telling off. In North Korea, this chain on events has led to Warmbier being paraded sobbing on international television apologising profusely for his crime, stating implausibly that a church in America had asked him to steal the sign as a 'trophy' in exchange for a second hand car.
It seems if Otto had played his prank at a time where North Korean relations with the rest of the world were less tense, then according toTIME he would probably have received nothing than the expected dressing drown. Sadly for Otto his visit to North Korea coincided with the regime's plan to detonate a hydrogen bomb a few days later meaning having an American hostage as leverage would be most welcome. Indeed, whenever North Korea wants something from the United States, someone from the country is arrested for anything from leaving a bible in a bathroom to having fought in the Korean War 60 years previously.
This pattern began when Euna Lee and Laura Ling two American journalists were abducted by North Korean border guards on the Chinese side of the border whilst reporting a story on North Koreans fleeing the country. In his book, The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future North Korea expert and former White House official Victor Cha recounts that the only way the Obama administration could achieve the release of the two journalists was to send a senior former official. At first Al Gore was offered, but a former Vice-President was seen as too junior so Bill Clinton was sent instead, and according to Cha the sole reason on the American side for his visit was to get the North Koreans to let Ling and Lee go. From this the North Koreans have concluded that hostage taking is an acceptable political tactic in its struggle with the West.
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The fact that you might be arbitrarily detained for geopolitical reasons should be enough to put off most travellers, but destinations such as North Korea should be avoided by tourists for moral reasons as well as ones of self-preservation. A brief purview of North Korean history takes in millions dying in famines, disease epidemics, gulags and purges which are of the regimes own making. There is nothing wrong with visiting the sites of mankind's bestial inhumanity after the fact whether at a World War Two concentration camp or somewhere further afield such as the killing fields of Cambodia, after the regime involved has fallen and the site has been dedicated in memory of the innocent victims of the crime. North Korea however is a crime against humanity that is still in progress and to visit whilst people are still being sent to gulags for watching and listening to Western and South Korean movies and songs is to be complicit in their suffering.
You can go there and you can see whatever the authorities in the state wish to show you and be kept unaware of whatever they wish to keep hidden from you, and the chances are you'll be allowed to leave (unless you are unfortunate enough to inadvertently time your trip around the time of an nuclear test) and return to the free world. The people you came to gawp at as if they were animals in a zoo however, will be still be left to be living miserable lives long when you've forgotten your trip to North Korea. It's the same for other tourist destinations that visited only for the thrill of viewing totalitarianism as a pleasant excursion to write up on TripAdvisor as if you were going to somewhere as benign as Torbay for two weeks instead of the most despicable dictatorship on Earth.
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Is the political sphere moving fast enough to keep up with the needs of the people who live in the world?
With the looming EU referendum approaching do British young people feel confident enough to make a decision on what will probably be the biggest decision of their short lives?
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In The Black Country I am leading on a smart city project that concentrates on empowering people who live in urbanised communities outside of cities, which will look to help citizens make decisions within their Local Council and attempt to hold their decision makers accountable through civic technology.
The Dudley Smart Region Hub has given me the opportunity to speak to normal people who live in regular households and in usual neighbourhoods, far away from the politicians and bankers of the City of London.
Unsurprisingly, it's not just young people who are confused, a lot of the debate in the community is around the referendum and it's clear Mr and Mrs 'Every Person' does not feel confident about making a decision on Britain's European future, but they will go to the polls none the less. Is the Government doing enough to support these people and could they do more to mobilise our young people in regards to involve themselves in shaping our democracy?
I think there is a real opportunity for digital democracy to improve knowledge around important democratic issues and also encourage open dialogue with normal people which can be evidenced and presented through digital platforms for everybody to see.
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In 2015, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow MP launched a commission on how technology can improve parliamentary democracy in the UK by using digital practice and technology. The report recommended that the House of Commons understood what digital democracy is and secure online voting by 2020.
But is this really relevant to people who live in marginalised areas? Considering the creation of civic digital platforms is far cheaper than launching staffed information programs, the central Government should be building from the ground up instead of the city minded top down mentality.
Even though I find it very welcome Bercow is raising these issues, it could be a case of 'too big, too quick' and I feel our Councils should have more support in regards to engaging with its citizens to collect consultation, especially with Local Authorities who are facing more cuts, the people who live in those communities could be the answer to a lot of headaches such as allocating community funding and asset closures.
This May there are elections sweepings across the UK but here in the West Midlands we'll be heading to the voting booth to elect a wave of new Councillors and the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner. This is a perfect opportunity to create and test civic participation platforms, and I will putting my money where my mouth is through the #SmartDudley project by creating a community owned digital platform, hopefully this can be something other parts of the country can access and utilise.
Digital democracy could be one of the biggest impacts in participation governance in a generation, let's take into account the expansion of acts such of the 'Snoopers' Charter' giving the Police powers to access your web browsing activity and even hack you mobile devices.
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If people understood their civil rights clearly and if they could hold open dialogue in a public place to clarify issues, would they support a lot of the polices that get passed in Britain? I'm not entirely convinced they would.
Free speech is certainly the zeitgeist of 2016, with Spiked Online leading a campaign against students' unions. As a staunch supporter of free speech, and the lead representative at LSE Students' Union, we've seen some controversies that have portrayed our approach as hostile, as opposed to welcoming of this as a value.
However, recent debates about whether to ban a free speech society at LSESU show that students, and students' unions, categorically do support free speech. What Spiked Online are fighting for is a more vitriolic, discriminatory use of language that can be used to marginalise certain groups.
The democratic organisation of students' unions is fundamentally important when it comes to the debate ensuing around free speech. Students' Unions are political, charitable organisations that are member led and defined by the thoughts, intentions, and actions of the students that we represent.
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They are run by elected representatives, and at LSESU we are proud to have had over 50 per cent of undergraduates voting in our elections, and over 30 per cent of postgraduates, meaning that we have greater legitimacy than the Mayor of London (with a turnout of 38.1 per cent).
While it is near impossible to ever have one cohesive political view among the student body, it is by and large the students making the decisions themselves, or voting through a representative democracy structure for representatives who they feel embody their values. Tom Slater describes the student body as being 'told what to think by students' union bureaucrats'. As a Union with the highest levels of engagement in the country, what LSESU does is determined by what LSE students think, not the other way round.
Now, time to examine the substance of claims that free speech is being curtailed. The free speech often talked about is the 'freedom to offend', or hate speech. Now, I believe in the freedom to offend, insofar as it does not amount to bullying, harassment, or discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics, as defined by the Equality Act. Telling someone they have poor taste in music, fine. I feel offended when people insult my taste in Nickelback, but it is no grounds for divorce.
What Spiked Online is really trying to defend is a form of 'offense' that amounts to the aforementioned bullying, harassment, or discrimination.
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One example cited of 'curtailment of free speech' by Spiked Online is the disbandment of the LSE men's rugby club, after they produced a sexist, homophobic, classist, and racist leaflet. Examples of this use of language include claiming to hold "misogyny dear" as a club value - otherwise known as the hatred of women, describing female netball players as slags, and claiming to not tolerate "homosexual debauchery". Students were not simply insulted, they felt discriminated against and vilified on the basis of identity.
Another example of the "freedom to offend" that Spiked online attempts to defend and protect, is sexual harassment. Apparently, it is against free speech to have a zero tolerance to sexual harassment policy, despite the fact that in any workplace, if you are sexually harassed, people of all genders have rights against that form of discrimination.
Having a policies and making decisions on forms of 'offence' that target and marginalise groups brings students' unions in line with what happens in the real world, outside the university bubble. Taking action against student groups who use discriminatory language to promote dominance of white, heterosexual men over every other group is not censorious, it is the right thing to do.
Women, BME students, LGBT+ students, disabled students, students of different religions - these groups all remain the ones where voices can be limited by a university environment that privileges the voice of those most advantaged in society over everyone else.
And that is why free speech is vitally important - and it has to be for everyone. We should fight for that, rather than conflating free speech and freedom to offend as if they are one and the same.
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I'm proud that students' unions, as democratically led organisations, are challenging the status quo, taking action against lad culture, and carving out a positive, equitable environment that respects all voices. I'm proud that our Students' Union facilitated a free speech society in the first place, and subsequently voted to keep it after a student attempted to ban it - it is testament to our pluralism as a Union.
Looking forward, it is my hope that Spiked Online will start to engage with free speech in a more broader sense than simply being anti-equality, and cease to patronise students by assuming that they are simply subject to SU diktats.
And if the debate around free speech is legitimately concerned with free speech for all, then we should start having a wider debate about how to secure free speech for everyone, especially groups traditionally silenced by the white, patriarchal structures in our society. Without engaging with these issues, the current polemic around students' unions is simply an attempt to legitimise a certain type of free speech, a markedly discriminatory interpretation of the 'freedom to offend'.
Last week, one of the million teacher-generated resources on the TES.com platform was singled out for criticism by the media. The resource asked pupils to decide whether Scott of the Antarctic was "a complete idiot who didn't even get to the South Pole first". This enraged campaigners who claimed it was, "part of a hidden agenda to rubbish British heroes by politically correct zealots". When approached for comment, the Department for Education (DFE) took an eminently sensible approach: it claimed "when it came to online resources, it trusted teachers to decide on the best ones to use".
Amen to that. To teachers across the country, it must have been genuinely refreshing to hear that the DFE trusted their professional judgement about what best to teach, and that if they chose to download and use such a lighthearted resource to engage students, then they could get on and do so without fear of government interference and censure.
The DFE's comments were consistent with the tendency of the department - in particular schools minister Nick Gibb and education secretary Nicky Morgan - to place more trust in how teachers teach in the classroom, and to hand far greater autonomy down to school level - in terms of budget, teacher training and also, if not what is taught, then certainly how lessons should be taught in the classroom.
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So it was all the more jarring to pick up the Sunday Times on the weekend to read that, bizarrely, the government looks set to declare war on the humble sticker. Yes, it seems the gold star, something that pretty much every adult in the country would remember receiving at some point or another during their school days - followed by a momentary sense of pride, and sometimes a reward if enough are accumulated - is now under attack.
The gold star appears to have gotten the goat of the DFE's new "behaviour tsar", Tom Bennett, who the Sunday Times reports as claiming that sticker charts are, "inappropriate for old children and that even primary schools should be prepared to drop them". His concern is apparently that the approach can be time-consuming and that "if teachers find this system is strangling their teaching, then it should be jettisoned".
According to the Sunday Times, these recommendations are likely to shortly feature in a report on how to train teachers to maintain discipline in the classroom, commissioned after concerns were raised by Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw, "that misbehaviour, such as using mobile phones, is costing up to an hour a day in lost teaching time".
Now, Bennett is - by all accounts - a truly inspirational teacher, and has long been highly respected across the teaching profession as a "guru" when it comes to behaviour. His fantastic researchED events are a huge draw for teachers the world over. But there is an important distinction between a "guru" and a "tsar", the first offers advice and insights you can take-or-leave, whereas the second carries the weight of government. While tsarly advice is certainly different from official government policy, in the eyes of many, the distinction can risk becoming blurred.
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The debate around whether or not to use what academics dub "extrinsic motivators" such as stickers in the classroom has been around since Year Dot. And, indeed, these are rehearsed in the Sunday Times article - with U.S. parenting expert Alfie Kohn, who has been making the "case against gold stars" for the past two decades or so - quoted as saying the approach is tantamount to "bribery" and that "the method does not create children who do the right thing long term".
There is substantial evidence on both side of the "for" and "against" camps, and the Sticker Wars will doubtless rage for many years more in academic circles, with both sides pointing authoritatively to their ever-growing evidence bases. But should it really be the role of government to take sides in this debate?
For many years, teachers have used stickers as an important, practical part of their teaching toolkit, often spending money out of their own pocket to endow well-behaved pupils with either a classic gold star, or one of a vast range of motivational stickers that now exist. A representative from Super Stickers - one of the leading producers of stickers in UK schools - tells me that currently times tables stickers are increasingly popular "in light of the increased focus on times tables in light of the new times tables tests announced in January" and "for those primary subjects that don't have written work, such as PE, stickers provide a useful communication tool of achievement for classroom teachers".
One such sticker fan is Maggie Jack, a peripatetic specialist teacher, who would often work with children of various ages, challenging them so their difficulties could be analysed and identified. She explains that, "the end of such a session would always mean they could choose a sticker from the variety that I carry... If they had worked particularly hard, they would be allowed to choose two. There is no doubt that this served not only as a motivator but gave them a tangible acknowledgement of their effort or work. Several children said they had somewhere at home where they kept their stickers - they valued them too."
It is, she claims, "only necessary to see the look on children's faces when they are praised and are given something visible, to know stickers are an essential part of a teacher's tool box. Stickers can be used to incentivise, to motivate, to evaluate work, effort and engagement. They are quick and easy to use, and... they work!"
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Stickers are no panacea for behaviour, and like any teaching tool can be overused to the point of ineffectiveness, but if used well they can serve to reinforce positive behaviours - or to be the little spur that incentivises pupils to get their times tables down pat.
So is it really necessary for teachers to "jettison" stickers? Through undertaking her recent well-received Workload Challenge initiative with the teaching profession, education secretary Nicky Morgan received a whopping 43,832 responses. None, as far as I have read, suggest that the use of stickers is onerous on classroom time. Notably, however, they did cite "accountability/perceived pressures of Ofsted" (53 per cent) and "policy change at national level" (34 per cent).
The teaching profession is currently in crisis, with an unprecedented teacher shortage caused both by a failure to attract young graduates into the profession and teachers leaving state-school classrooms in droves, either to work in independent or international schools, or out of the profession entirely. Bold, decisive action is needed to set this issue straight.
Imagine the scene. An ante room in a horribly opulent Beverly Hills hotel. There are gaudy flower arrangements and vomit-print furnishings as far as the eye can see. And in the very middle of it, stands Sam Smith, convincing his management that he can go on camera and not make a fool of himself. "This time I'll be different," he says. "I can do this. I'll just say thank you to my mum and my dead childhood pets and I'll leave the podium - I promise."
A flunky will smooth down his tuxedo as his PR gently reminds him that gazillions of people the world over will be watching, and Sam eagerly nods and says, he knows, he heard it's even bigger than a crowd at Wembley.
You'd think this conversation wouldn't need to happen at Smith's level of fame - but media training and Sam Smith are strangers across a crowded room. Not that you can be media-trained for the specific brand of "Did I really just say that?" that Smith does so well.
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Behind him lies a trail of gaffes, from the innocent denial disco existed before 2013 to his surprise that a new puppy would go to the toilet, via a problematic assertion women should go back to wearing pretty dresses and just singing on stage.
But as annoying as they no doubt were for his management, these were print interviews and there was no footage, no tweets - things have been ramping up in that department a gear recently. His well-intentioned but incredibly low-wattage attempt to shine a light on racism on Twitter, and his dismissal of Radiohead's frontman Thom Yorke have meant that Team Sam Smith have never been so busy smoothing things over.
Spare a thought, too, for Sam's longtime collaborator and fellow award-winner Jimmy Napes - doing his level-best not to send his eyes skyward as Smith plonks his Burberry-shod trotters in his mouth for the umpteenth time. The bill for Napes's ophthalmologist must eclipse Elton John's "fruit and flowers" chitties from his most hedonistic days.
And now the big one, the Oscar. Widely expected to lose to the much-publicised Lady Gaga song from hard-hitting documentary The Hunting Ground, Sam actually got to raise the big gold guy aloft for his theme to latest James Bond epic Spectre. Whether he was woefully underprepared, or nervous, or merely 23, or all three, he gave a speech that aimed high but ultimately flopped like a leaden frisbee chucked across a park on a day without weather - by an asthmatic toddler. And there was no praise for the effort; it was merely the failure to launch that everyone noticed.
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Smith's speech has been screen-grabbed and quoted in every corner of the internet, but the gist is that he misquoted a magazine interview with Sir Ian McKellen, in which the esteemed actor complained there'd never been an openly gay man win an Oscar for acting.
Openly gay men are fast running out of things to be first at, and in a culture that celebrates leaders and record-breakers more than consistent achievement, it's no surprise Smith saw his chance to be a Wikpedia reference forevermore, and gushed that he might be the first out gay to win an Oscar, to an open-mouthed audience of millions.
In isolation, I have to say, there was nothing wrong with Sam's speech. He didn't say he definitely was the first openly gay man to win, and he probably got a bit carried away, and will have been hugely nervous. He's just some guy, after all. And at least he mentioned LGBT people in his speech - how many others have ignored them? And he probably didn't run this factoid by anyone beforehand. If he had, it would have been shot down. I like to think so, anyway. And, really, as much of a gaffe as it was, it should have ended there.
His management team very probably disappeared into their pelvic floor with brief mortification, the show carried on, and Sam (and the long-suffering Jimmy) plodded off to face the press - and then typing fingers across the world got busy with the criticism.
Ten such digits who simply couldn't resist getting up close and personal with a keyboard were those belonging to a fellow Oscar winner and 'open gay', Dustin Lance Black. The 41-year-old screenwriter, director and producer seemed a little miffed at Sam Smith's "firstwashing" and wanted to remind him that he, too, had an Oscar to call his own. A link to a Wikipedia page or a GIF of Elton John screaming at a lackey would probably have done, but instead DLB took things to a Snapchat level of personal with this tweet.
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Oh, yeah, and in case you've not been following Dustin Lance Black's storyline - and there's no reason you would, really - he also happens to be engaged to Olympic diver Tom Daley. You have to wonder how learned Dustin himself was at 23, or even how much his husband-to-be knows about past Oscar winners - he and Smith are of similar age.
There was barely a gay man in the universe who didn't see Black's tweet and pull their chair a little closer to the screen. The force of the "Quote Tweet" button and screen-grabbing mechanism being applied in those few short seconds could've powered the London Eye for centuries.
While this was going on, Sam was largely oblivious, learning from just about everyone who could get a microphone near enough that he wasn't the first, nor the second. I have to take my hat off to whoever taught Sam Smith at school, because while they may have failed him academically, when it comes to chutzpah, this guy's got straight As coming out of every orifice. On hearing that one such openly gay previous Oscar winner was lyricist Howard Ashman - who won twice, for The Little Mermaid and, posthumously, for Beauty and the Beast - said "I should date him".
Sigh.
The "posthumously" gave it away, I guess, but Howard Ashman is dead - he passed away from an AIDS-related illness in 1991. Smith can't possibly have known this, of course, but it does make you wonder why he didn't just... stop talking, or admit he hadn't heard of him. Better to be an ignoramus than to babble on, reducing yourself to nothing more than your sexuality and how that technically makes you available to others who share it - "Ooh another gay guy! I should be dating him!" Leaving aside for the moment that Sam is that embarrassing auntie who tries to fix you up with a random gay guy at her work, his ignorance of LGBT history wouldn't be so pitiful if he weren't utterly convinced that he was creating it.
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And nine hours after his original tweet, during which I imagine lots of calls to fiance Tom went unanswered, Dustin Lance Black clarified this was the point he'd been making all along, and not merely trying to embarrass Sam.
Sam's reply, no doubt sent through the horrified filter of a hangover, but one with an Oscar-gold sheen, was humble enough, but contained some arch shade which proves once and for all that Smith is not as stupid as his pull-quotes would have you believe.
In other words: "Tom and I never talk about you or what you do." 1-0 to Smithy.
When everyone had finished laughing themselves blind at this, DLB went on to clarify that he was not calling out his fiance and "the millionth openly gay man to walk in a straight line" for filthy messages, but merely that they're pals and Sam should know better. And so should the stupid old internet, for getting the wrong end of the stick. The Stephen Fry defence.
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And that's the message here. He should know better. So should we all. As LGBT people - and I guess I'm talking especially about the white gay men here, because we don't half shout and whinge and cry "traitor!!" the loudest - perhaps we expect too much of Sam Smith.
He's said in the past that he never actually had to come out as he was "always out" since childhood, but he acts like a teenager who's only just admitted to himself that he's gay. He shows no recognition for previous generations and their struggles or achievements, doesn't seem to be grateful at the platform his fame has afforded him and seems keen only to use it for self-promotion.
When he speaks out about Grindr, we slate him; when he says he wants to be a role-model, we scoff; when he talks about how sexuality shouldn't be a big deal, we down the tranquillisers with a vat of whisky. Nothing he can do will ever be good enough, mainly because we're not sure *what* we want him to do except not say stupid things. Or learn that it's OK not to know stuff. Or indeed speak ever.
But we think he should know better. And one day, he will. But it won't be because we've taught him how, and it certainly won't have anything to do with Dustin Lance Black's self-serving 140-character history lesson. It's because he'll grow. He will, hopefully, read those headlines back, go check a few sources, stop limiting his news to a throwaway interview in an airline magazine and will think, "Fuck, I really need to educate myself".
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Let's hope it's soon. Real, real soon. From now on, I swear, I'm going to leave him alone to get on with it. Good luck, Sam.
Also:
In the next few hours the debate over the future of Employment and Support Allowance will be decided. The impact on many disabled people could be significant.
The government's defeat in the House of Lords on Monday offered disabled people at risk of losing as much as 30 a week in benefit support, a temporary reprieve.
It remains to be seen if the government is prepared to revise its plans or whether the 48 hours in between the vital votes in the Lords and Commons offers the 2.5 million people claiming out of work benefits due to illness or a disability, little more than false hope.
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All the indications suggest that the Chancellor is not likely to reverse the planned cut to ESA in the Budget.
However something has to be done to address the impact that cuts to ESA will have on the government's own ambitious target of halving the disabled employment gap by 2020.
At Papworth Trust, we have developed some policy proposals that will help the government to reach its goal and provide disabled people with the peace of mind they need as they enter employment.
One of the biggest barriers to work for ESA claimants is the fear of the unknown. It is the fear that if they accept a job and it doesn't work out, they may lose their benefits altogether or become embroiled in an elongated process of assessment which could see them lose months of benefit support that they rely on in order to live independently.
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It is a leap in the dark that at present, many disabled people simply won't be prepared to take.
Importantly, therefore, Papworth Trust believes that in order for the government's ESA plans to work, there should be an automatic entry route back onto ESA for claimants who have fallen out of work within a year of moving into employment.
The government must also reconcile how they plan to encourage people on ESA to take that leap off their benefits and into work with no hard and fast guarantees around their re-enrolment onto ESA if the new job doesn't work out.
We believe the government should be announcing, alongside the ESA cuts, some form of initial, upfront support for a disabled person's first couple of months in a new job, to acknowledge the additional cost of entering work, and the gap before the first full month's salary is paid.
In Papworth Trust's experience, if people who were previously ESA claimants succeed through the first precarious months in work, the chances of them going on to stay in their job long term are high.
It is well recognised that attitudes towards disability and health problems, age discrimination, language barriers, criminal records, lack of experience and transportation needs restrict the opportunities and ability for people to gain work. A major barrier for Papworth Trust's disabled customers is that employers often seek 'ready-made' employees who are proficient in their role with minimum training, support or cost to the employer. Extra support or training is viewed by some employers as inconvenient, time consuming and costly.
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The Trust is seeing both through our own work and the work we are doing with Newcastle University that there are significant issues with the most basic of pre-employment skills, such as literacy, numeracy, basic communication skills, or basic anxiety management. This is an area that can get overlooked as jobseekers are often unwilling to disclose these issues as they are ashamed.
Therefore much of the existing provision in this space is inappropriate to meet their needs. A training pot where jobseekers can be supported to gain transferrable skills (for example improving literacy skills) to get them 'job ready' would make a real difference.
Finally, if the government is serious about halving the employment gap amongst disabled people, they should implement reforms that reverse the perverse situation where disabled people can't get hold of Access to Work type support whilst seeking employment, as it is outside the current definition of the Access to Work scheme.
In our experience, customers are motivated to return to work by focussing on what they would like to do and the skills they possess. Our approach is to progress customers to the next stage in their return to work, not to focus on the end goal of getting a job. Taking smaller steps reduces the fear of returning to work sometimes felt by customers, and allows us to address each barrier into work. By addressing each issue, we build up an individual's confidence and ability to return to work.
Things like access to travel support or specialist equipment would be hugely beneficial in this area in getting more ESA claimants into work. This could be delivered through extending Access to Work to ESA claimants who are currently seeking work.
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If support in managing additional needs can be improved, and clearly defined and automatic routes back onto ESA are outlined by the government, the worst excesses of the cut to ESA as outlined in the Welfare Bill before Parliament, may be mitigated.
Without this joined up approach, the laws of unintended consequences will once again mean that life for disabled people becomes harder, not easier.
Vicky McDermott
CEO of Papworth Trust
Fairfax Media
CANBERRA -- Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has defended ordering a review into the Safe Schools LGBTI program, in response to a fiery question from Greens MP Adam Bandt alleging the framework had been "thrown under a bus" due to conservative "bigots".
The daily Question Time in the House of Representatives has recently been almost wholly dominated by questions on negative gearing and tax policy, but Bandt took a different tack with his question on Tuesday.
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"The Safe Schools program has been stopping bullying around the country and has helped many young people feel that they fit in. Prime Minister, is your commitment to socially progressive values so skin deep that you will put young people's welfare at risk and throw a successful anti-bullying campaign under a bus just because the bigots in the conservative brotherhood tell you to?" Bandt asked, raising his voice over jeers and shouting from the government benches.
A review into the Safe Schools Coalition program -- which aims to address homophobia in schools and support LGBTI students -- was ordered by Turnbull last week after a concerted campaign by conservative lobby groups and parliamentarians. As we reported last week, LGBTI people are between three and fourteen times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual Australians, one in six young LGBTI people have attempted suicide, and one in three have self harmed.
Calling over the shouting, speaker Tony Smith asked Bandt to withdraw the "unparliamentary term" of "bigot."
"The Member for Melbourne should know full well that the last part of that question contained offensive language to members of Parliament and the PM will disregard it," Smith said.
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MORE: Why The Safe Schools Coalition Is So Important
In response, Turnbull rose to the dispatch box to defend his call for a review into the program.
"Every student, every child has the right to be safe at school, has the right to be safe at home. We have no tolerance for bullying of any kind. Let's be quite clear about that. Bullying, whether it is in the classroom, whether it is on the bus, whether it is on the Internet, wherever it occurs, it is utterly unacceptable," Turnbull said.
"And it is unacceptable on whatever basis that bullying occurs, whether it is on the basis of a child's sexual orientation, their perception of their sexuality, of their race, their gender, their religion, their appearance. Mr Speaker, all of us, all of us know, all of us have been children and many, if not most of us, are parents. And we know how damaging bullying against children is."
He made reference to the claims made by some that the Safe Schools material was inappropriate -- including George Christensen, who likened some aspects of the program to a sexual predator grooming a child.
"Members of this parliament on both sides of the parliament have raised concerns about some of the content in -- that has been made available apparently or purportedly through -- or in connection with this program," Turnbull said, before detailing how the review will function.
"When concerns are raised I've asked the minister to examine the complaints and to report back to me. That is the responsible thing that any PM, any government should do. And the minister, Senator Birmingham, is doing just that. He is conducting a review or having a review conducted... and when that review is completed it will be provided to me and we will make that review public and we will be able to judge the merit of the criticisms and what, if any, steps should be taken consequent on the review."
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Here's everything you need to know about the 13 states voting today and what it means for each party's nominee fight. And here's a look at Hillary Clinton's plan for Donald Trump in the general. [Daniel Marans, HuffPost]
"Recent gains against the Islamic State in eastern Syria have helped sever critical supply lines to Iraq and set the stage for what will be the biggest fight yet against the Sunni militancy, the battle to retake Mosul, Pentagon officials said on Monday." [NYT]
Setting precedent for the current battle over the San Bernardino terrorist's iPhone between the FBI and Apple. [Reuters]
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The shooter, who was taken into custody, is a 14-year-old. [Matt Ferner, HuffPost]
"The New York Times is sitting on an audio recording that some of its staff believes could deal a serious blow to Donald Trump, who, in an off-the-record meeting with the newspaper, called into question whether he would stand by his own immigration views." [Buzzfeed]
Jesse Matthew, who is charged with the murder of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham and Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, is expected to enter the plea Wednesday. [WaPo]
WHATS BREWING
"Andrews described her initial phone call to her father, saying, 'I was just screaming,' adding, 'I was naked all over the internet and I didn't know what it was.'" [People]
Maybe it's a Leap Day thing? [HuffPost]
It's virtual reality headsets for the kids now. [AdWeek]
Maybe there's hope for the rest of us plebian drivers. Maybe. [Buzzfeed]
And see what being part of the #squad is really about. [HuffPost]
Inside the hidden bias of Netflix. [Marie Clare]
For more from The Huffington Post, download our app for iOS or Android.
WHAT'S WORKING
Subway has joined McDonald's, Chipotle and Shake Shack in the pledge to move away from meat containing antibiotics. [HuffPost]
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BEFORE YOU GO
~ Russian authorities have arrested a woman who was pacing a metro station while waving a child's decapitated head.
~ Donald Trump "waffled" on the KKK.
~ Even with Leo's win, Sunday's Oscars had the lowest ratings in eight years. But hey, the Vanity Fair portraits don't disappoint!
~ A new Nirvana track is making its rounds on the web.
~ Mark Zuckerberg talks ISIS threats against his safety.
~ The computers with brains.
~ Yes, you should totally go to a museum alone at some point.
~ Testing for grit is a thing now.
~ Feeling blue? You can catch other people's emotions.
~ David Edelstein breaks down why Leonardo DiCaprio's win means "Leo can relax."
~ Where the solar eclipse will hit next week.
~ Dream job alert: Netflix could pay you to Instagram away.
~ And turns out sometimes you do have to listen to airplane announcements: This woman enlisted an American Airlines pilot to tell her husband they were expecting.
As thousands of people gathered across Europe on Saturday to call for refugee rights, a human chain of hands was formed on a stony Lesbos beach next to a banner demanding 'No more deaths'.
Lesbos is on the frontline of Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II and it's where Greenpeace is working with Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors without Borders (MSF) to rescue refugees in distress at sea.
Half a million people fleeing war and horror made the dangerous sea crossing to Lesbos last year and that flow of human hope and suffering has continued unabated in 2016. Already this year more than 300 people have died trying to cross the Aegean Sea.
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"Europe needs to embrace this crisis and not have the borders closed ... We don't want to see any more bodies washing ashore," Lesbos resident Dina Adam said, her voice choking up and tears in her eyes. "This has affected us all, the whole community. Let's hope Europe starts to respect people."
Dina was one of several hundred people who gathered on a Molyvos village beach on the north of Lesbos as part of a citizens' initiative #safepassage protest coordinated by the Sea Scouts of Molyvos.
The Molyvos activity was one of many across Europe and North America on the weekend calling for refugee rights and safe passage. According to the Facebook site promoting the event, rallies were planned in at least 115 cities across 28 countries.
The MSF-Greenpeace crews on Lesbos echoed their show of solidarity, producing a powerful video message using an abandoned refugee dinghy.
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In Brussels, the heart of the European Union, estimates of participants marching through city streets ranged from about 2,000 to 3,000. Staff and volunteers from Greenpeace Belgium were among them.
More than 200 people took part in the march in Palma on the Spanish island of Majorca, while across the Atlantic in Canada, a choir sung hymns of peace as a dinghy arrived at a Vancouver beach with a dozen people in life jackets as part of activities there.
"Safe passage means for us we want no more deaths," said Eleonora Pouwels, a Sea Scout leader addressing protestors at the Molyvos march.
Women and children walk from the rebel held suburb of Moadamiyeh to the government held territory Tuesday Oct. 29, 2013 in Damascus, Syria. Nearly 2,000 residents of the besieged western Damascus suburb of Moadamiyeh have fled their homes and have surrendered to the Syrian authorities after reports of starvation and disease triggered an international outcry for their help. (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic)
The Assad regime's brutal murder campaign on Syria has destroyed my life back home. Four years ago, I had a lot of dreams that I planned to implement in my hometown. Today, I write this plea as a refugee who has lost family members to indiscriminate bombs and arbitrary detainment.
My name is Ameenah and I am 25 years old, yet somehow I feel much older. I have experienced the siege on Moadamiyeh by Assad's forces in 2013. It's an experience I can never forget. To be besieged means to see tears and depression. You see grown men and women crying because they are not able to feed their starving children. You hear the voices of the children at night crying, unable to sleep because of the piercing pain of hunger.
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A good day under siege meant I was given an expired can of food with worms in it.
Even more haunting is how people looked. Their bodies are frail and their skin pale and yellow, a slight shake often took over so many children and adult bodies due to the lack of sugar in their blood. Living under siege put things in perspective. No longer was a good day to be a normal teenager that enjoyed hanging out with friends. A good day under siege meant I was given an expired can of food with worms in it.
Moadamiyeh, a suburb of Damascus, has been part of the Syrian revolution against President Bashar al-Assad and has suffered from the regime's oppression and violence since. On December 25, 2015, 45,000 residents of the city were placed under a strict siege, surrounded by Syrian regime forces and its allies. Eight children died of malnutrition since the beginning of 2016 as a result of the siege on Moadamiyeh, a town in the Western part of Damascus suburbs, and one of 13 Syrian towns and cities, including the now well-known Madaya, suffering from Syrian regime's use of starvation as a weapon of war. Moadamiyha is quickly becoming another disastrous siege like Madaya.
Leen, 6 months old suffering from malnutrition.
However, this is not the first time the city has been besieged. In 2013, 12 civilians starved to death as the people of Moadamiyeh were once again used as a tactic to force a ceasefire with the regime. As a result of the starvation and dire circumstances, the opposition accepted the shaky truce by Assad's reconciliation committee hoping to prevent more loss of life.
The December 2013 truce stated that the regime had to release all the detainees from Moadamaiyeh, uphold a ceasefire in fighting, allow all the employees and students from Moadamiyeh to go back to their work\study, remove all of the regime's forces who had surrounded the city almost since mid-2011, and open all the crossings to the city.
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Though I was able to escape during this brief truce in Dec 2013, the agreements outlines under the ceasefire were never honored by the regime. The regime ended up only opening the crossings to the town for a few months; arresting more than 200 civilians who tried to get in and out of the town during that period. Meanwhile, people were allowed to bring in food, but only in specific amounts that were only enough for one or two days.
This tactic ensured the residents would stay hungry as they were not able to store food, which served as a reminder that the town's fate and their survival still would remain in the hands of the regime.
In times of siege like the one that is currently ongoing, it is not only food that is blocked but also electricity, fuel for heating, medication and medical care and even drinking water. In fact, Moadamiyeh has been living in a complete darkness since November 2012. The only hospital in the city was bombed with several mortar shells in 2012 and the volunteering doctors tend to work in unequipped basement as what they could call an almost safe field hospital. While in Moadamiyeh, I volunteered at this hospital. I had no previous medical training, yet tried to lend a helping hand to this under-resourced, always overwhelmed field hospital.
"I have nothing to give a panicked mother but herbs and sugary water for infants who need special care and milk," one doctor said.
In order to adapt to these circumstances, people risked their lives to cut wood for heating in an open field that was overlooked by regime snipers. For food, people are eating mostly herbs and mixed spices with huge amount of water as a soup. Bread, let alone any normal meals, has become a dream for the people in the city. At bombed out schools, volunteers insist on teaching young kids in an attempt to temporarily distract them from the pain in their stomachs and their perpetual state of fear from bombs.
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To make this nightmare even worse, of my immediate family who are still alive, they have been besieged now for the second time in the last 4 years by the Assad regime - at risk of dying from starvation and cold. And despite our phone calls and their messages of reassurance, I know that any attempts to save them are not in my control. It requires international intervention to stop Assad's belligerence. Unfortunately, we Syrians have learned the hard way not to place faith in humanity after the international community has failed over and over again to support us with even the most basic amount of dignity.
Facebook posts by activists from Moadamiyeh show just how serious the situation has become, demonstrating that this suburb of Damascus will likely become the next Madaya. Three thousand children under the age of three years old are in a desperate need of milk and special baby food to save their lives, as the mothers are not able to breastfeed because they are suffering from the malnutrition themselves.
"Moadamiyeh has become a huge mass prison," said Ammar Ahamd, an activist and citizen journalist from Moadamiyeh. "Yusuf, who is three months old has starved to death, it's been almost 10 days for the baby without proper food and we are not far from the middle of the capital Damascus. It's only three km away, where children are able to have a normal life on the other side!" he added.
Yusuf, 3 months old, died because of malnutrition.
Two weeks ago, the ICRC tried to bring in some aid to the city but the destruction process was in the Eastern neighborhood of Moadamiyeh where Assad supporters and check points are based. Few families of Moadamiyeh had the courage to cross the street to get a small box of aids but many others didn't even think about taking the risk.
The World Food Program after a long term procedure of pressure on the Syrian regime were able to bring in 4400 food baskets for 7500 families who live in besieged Moadamiyeh. The amount was almost enough for half of the population for a almost a week.
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The most important thing was the infant's' milk and basic medication, and the trucks carrying those essentials were prevented from entering the city by the Syrian regime, Ammar Ahmad said. In response, the UN mission to Syria's stated to the residents of Moadamiyeh was: "We can't help you more! We hope we could bring in more but it's not our choice. We can't do anything without the regime permission."
Later, hygiene kits, water gallons and blankets were brought in Moadamiyeh but people were not really satisfied with that because they were disappointed that the trucks of food, medication and infants' milk were not included.
While many have become accustomed to living under constant shelling and without electricity, surviving starvation has proven significantly more challenging. Um Tareq, a local resident, said:
"The regime is not going to break the siege and they will keep starving us until we surrender as they have done previously. They have arrested many civilians who were trying to get medical treatment outside of the city. Now, the only good thing we have about the ceasefire is that the kids are able to play outside and we can have a walk under the sun - which is a huge dream according to the unstable situation here- but the starvation goes on anyway and we are really threatened thinking about the 15 days ceasefire ending. We are really disappointed with the big number of the ceasefire violations in many Syrian towns. We also witnessed a violation yesterday when a young civilian was shot by one of the regime's sniper. I don't know really what they want from us. Maybe the regime wants us to leave the town or to leave Syria or to die! We are 45,000 people! Where are we supposed to go?"
The mother of three described to me how hopeless she felt, saying, "This is my home! What we really need is opening the crossings! Our children have to survive and I just can't believe that the international community are not able to save our children!"
Even the doctors in the field hospital feel stranded, unable to do anything to prevent the malnutrition, especially for infants who are suffering mostly from the lack of food and milk and have the lowest chances to survival under the siege.
"We've lost one child every three days since the beginning of the 2016 and obviously it's going to be a disaster very soon. Every day I examine more children who are suffering from the beginning of the siege and I have nothing to give a panicked mother but herbs and sugary water for infants who need special care and milk. Even when we had milk here at the beginning of the siege it was impossible to give it to most families because the regime's siege left prices for infant milk as high as 60 USD I don't know if the motivation for the international community and NGOs is seeing the town's children turning to skeleton corpses because believe me we are not far away from that!"
Although the power structure in Iran remains under the control of hard-liners, the Iranian political world is evolving. The increasing openness of Iranian civil society, encouraged by the successful diplomacy of Presidents Obama and Rouhani, fed the success of moderate reformists in last Friday's Iranian elections. More than a victory for reform and moderation, it is also a victory for the nuclear agreement.
Despite all this, conservatives still control the institutions of state and especially the security structures, and Iranian 'moderates' are only moderately moderate. Still, the consolidation of the idea of reform and the support for reformist candidates - particularly in Tehran - is full of significance. The resounding success of President Rouhani, the principal proponent of the nuclear agreement, re-elected alongside his mentor, former President Rafsanjani, constitutes a rebuke to adversaries of the nuclear agreement. Affirmation of Rouhani means consolidation of his domestic policies for relative openness, and a boost for diplomacy. Most regional conflicts, could be de-escalated through mediation and diplomacy, while improving bilateral relations with the US could increase collaboration, and ramp up pressure on Da'esh (ISIL,ISIS,IS).
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The Rigged Electoral System
A compromise among republican (elected) and theocratic (unelected) institutions has created what may be called a pre-democracy based on a tense equilibrium between republican and theocratic principles. The Supreme Leader (Rahbar), is still the center of gravity of Iranian political power. He is appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts composed of 88 top clerics, and has final say on all important political issues. He appoints the heads of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the Army, the Head of the Judiciary, as well as the official in charge of state broadcast media and a slew of other entities. He also appoints the clerical Members of the Council of Guardians.
On a national level, elections are held for Parliament, and for the Assembly of Expert. But the Council of Guardians decides who may run, and who may not. The Council has twelve members: Six Clerics appointed directly by the Supreme Leader, and six Islamic Law Jurists appointed by the Chief of the Judiciary - who is himself appointed by the Supreme Leader. In this way, the Supreme Leader directly or indirectly controls all elections, and thus the legal rights of every Iranian citizen. Indeed, such a concentration of power is based on theocratic principles, which have some popular support, but so do republican principles, which hold that state power derives from the people and is based on citizenship rights. Thus, there are two forces tugging Iranian society in opposite directions.
A Chink in the Armor: The Assembly of Experts
The power of the Supreme Leader and the Council of Guardians, great as it is, is not quite absolute. The Assembly of Experts, elected by the people (admittedly from pre-selected lists of candidates), selects the Supreme Leader. The current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah A. Khamenei, is 76 years old (born July 16, 1939). The term of the Assembly of Experts elected lasts until 2024; they just might get to choose the next Supreme Leader, or at the very least plan for it - making this election especially important. Since the Assembly of Experts has very real (albeit infrequent) power, some members of the Council of Guardians presented themselves as candidates.
Moreover, before the February 26, 2016 vote, nearly 80% of the candidates who applied for the Assembly were disqualified by the Guardian Council (including every female), while the rejection rate for Parliamentary candidates reached nearly 90%.
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Re-Engineering towards a Modern Republic
As payback, the voters rejected pro-Theocracy and Guardian Council candidate: Some are now out of the Assembly of Experts, and some have suffered a reduction in power and influence. Two top clerics, M. Yazdi and M.T. Mesbah-Yazdi, were completely rejected by the voters, while Guardian Council Chairman Ahmad Jannati barely squeaked through, coming in last place. These three hard-line clerical defenders of theocratic principles - and principal engineers of the disqualifications that slashed reformers from the candidate lists - have now been re-engineered by Iranian civil society. Top spots in the Assembly of Experts have gone to less hard-line candidates. Indeed: Former President Rafsanjani and current President Rouhani were among the top winners on the list in Tehran. Election results show that in Parliament, too, hard-liners have lost ground.
This just in. The Civil War is over! Done. Finished. The whole thing was settled at Appomattox Court House in 1865. On that day, the Union was preserved and those who wanted to preserve slavery were defeated. After the war, Robert E. Lee said, "I think it wisest not to keep open the sores of war, but to follow the example of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife, and to commit to oblivion the feelings it engendered." The man who led the South's military campaigns thought it best to move forward and no longer remember what tore the country apart. Jefferson Davis, former President of the Confederate States of America, concurred, "My pride is that that flag shall not set between contending brothers; and that, when it shall no longer be the common flag of the country, it shall be folded up and laid away like a vesture no longer used." The President of the country that fought for a losing cause understood what his defeat meant and wanted the country to finally unite.
February is Black History Month - an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month, calling upon the public to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history." Let me reiterate - it is a time to honor the positive accomplishments of fellow Americans.
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So, why am I bringing this up? As we close out Black History Month, the news emerged that Governor Phil Bryant of Mississippi signed into law Confederate Heritage Month. The proclamation explains how it is important to recognize "our" past. I suppose the State of Mississippi thought that this was the most urgent concern facing their state, despite the cacophony of problems of which they otherwise face. The political and military leaders of the ACTUAL Civil War did not think it necessary to continue the fight after they suffered defeat, but for whatever reason, there seems to be a need to perpetuate a fight today that was lost long ago. One hundred fifty-one years is a long time to brood over a loss. To my knowledge, America does not have a Red Coats Heritage Month nor do we opine for a German American Bund History Month. But, I digress. Instead of writing a post that is a diatribe about the how asinine Confederate Heritage Month is, let's examine what this decision means for Mississippi from a business perspective.
Bad Business
Whether they admit it or not, every state in the Union is a business. Each state has a budget, expenses and hopefully they're working to be in the black. The primary objective of every business is to attract consumers in an effort to increase the bottom line. We've all seen the commercials enticing couples, families, and wine and beach lovers to visit Virginia, Michigan, and California - these states are focused on increasing tourism, and thereby increasing state funds.
So, from a purely business perspective, why would a state focus on activities other than those that improve the lives of its citizens or increase revenue? Furthermore, why would a state that has a whole host of other issues do this?
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that Mississippi has an unemployment rank of 6.8% - the highest in the nation. In other words, of all the states in the Union, Mississippi does the worst at attracting businesses and fostering an environment where people can flourish - both of which ultimately lead to putting Mississippians to work. The state's 6.8% unemployment is well above the national average which sits at 5%.
Education Week's annual Quality Counts report, which focuses on improvements in our nation's schools and provides a report card on the state of education for the nation and the states, ranked Mississippi 49th out of all 50 states. I think it's fair to say that the public schools in Mississippi leave much to be desired.
But wait - there's more!
The United Health Foundation, which ranks states according to their health, stated that "in the past year, premature death increased 4%." When it comes to health, Mississippians are LITERALLY dying! Hyperbole? Not so. The United Health Foundation report also stated that since 1990, cancer deaths in Mississippi have increased 15%.
With the myriad of problems engulfing the State of Mississippi, one would think that Governor Bryant and state legislators would be focused on the aforementioned issues, instead of deciding to take on the pressing issue of Confederate Heritage, which only serves to distract the good people of Mississippi from the lack of leadership in place to handle the real issues facing the state.
Business 101 teaches the CEO to deal with long term systemic problems FIRST. Unemployment, poor education and poor health seems, to this observer, to fit that bill. Business 101 also teaches the CEO not to alienate their customer base. Why would any tourist want to see the sights of Mississippi or visit their beaches when their state government chooses to writhe in a war long ago fought? From an academic standpoint, the decision by Mississippi's leadership fails the test of basic business at best, and at worst it calls into question Governor Bryant's capacity to prioritize his citizen's needs.
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Financial Impact
Based on the litany of problems facing the State of Mississippi, Jay Z would have to rename his song from 99 Problems to Too Many Problems in Mississippi. One would think that Governor Bryant would use the power of his office to address the real problems in his state; however, as chronicled, the leadership of the state has decided to go in another direction. So, what does Mississippi lose? The business term that the State of Mississippi will soon experience is called an expected loss. In other words, they can expect to lose an undetermined amount of income that might have otherwise come to their state treasury by engaging in ideas that most Americans don't approve of.
Let's look at Mississippi's potential loss through the lens of South Carolina, and what they are now gaining due to the change on their position of hoisting the Confederate flag on state grounds.
Previously, the NCAA boycotted South Carolina, ultimately banning the state from hosting NCAA tournaments. The NAACP also advocated a boycott of the state. Soon after these boycotts were in place, South Carolina developed a stigma and suffered not only in the court of public opinion, but also from a lack of much needed revenue. The business opportunities that the state lost is incalculable; however, since Governor Nikki Haley took a leadership role and led the fight to remove the Confederate flag, businesses are now considering operations in South Carolina, thereby giving the state a chance to increase revenue. The NCAA has lifted its ban, which means March Madness and other collegiate sports' tournament rounds may now be hosted in South Carolina - additional opportunities for the state to generate revenue. The image of South Carolina is improving due in large part to the leadership of their Governor. Mississippi's Governor on the other hand seems to be doubling down on a war that was decided in 1865.
Dear John Kasich,
We care -- start treating us like it.
Sincerely,
The Future Generation
John Kasich speaking at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire. Photo by Andrew Plotch.
At a town hall event in New Boston, New Hampshire a few weeks ago, John Kasich looked down at me and two friends, sitting in the front row, and asked, "How old are you guys?"
"Twenty," I answered.
"Oh! They're growing 'em younger!" he laughed to the older crowd.
He then turned to my friend and asked her what she was studying in college.
"Political science," she responded.
"What are you going to do with that?" he quickly retorted.
Of the four John Kasich town halls I have attended I have listened to him make fun of political science majors for being unemployable several times. However, the problem is more than a college major--he is dissuading youth from being civically engaged. And I am not the only one who has noticed Kasich's condescending tone towards youth, what others have described as an "overbearing dad shtick".
In October at a town hall campaign event at the University of Richmond, an 18-year-old woman raised her hand to ask a question. As John Kasich looked at her, he said, "I don't have any tickets for, you know, Taylor Swift or anything."
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In a single moment, not only did he chide the idea of youth being involved in politics, but demonstrated further surprise that the young questioner was a woman. However, I doubt Kasich, who nearly only appointed middle-age white men to his initial governor's cabinet, thought much about it.
As I explained in a previous post, youth are not apathetic. Rather, it is people like John Kasich who do not even give us a chance that perpetuate the stereotype. On the campaign trail Kasich is making fun of young voters, when instead he could be asking what issues they find most important.
A politician, of any level, should aim to get young people more involved in politics. Yet, here I was, watching my friend laughed at by a sitting governor, and presidential candidate, for studying political science. At age the age of eighteen John Kasich spent 20 minutes in the Oval Office with President Nixon, yet he seems to forget how much youth care when talking to them now.
To have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people then the people need to be engaged.
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Elected officials are in the position to engage more youth directly in politics. Work to include them in civic initiatives or creating youth councils, which work to ensure direct communication and idea sharing between a politician and youth in their community.
Candidates, especially for the highest office in the country, each have the potential to inspire a generation to engage in politics. They should be holding more town halls and youth aimed at youth. Studies have shown that youth become more involved in politics during a major election year--candidates should take this opportunity to get young voters more involved in politics.
Describing various events over the years as a moment of major change in Pakistan occurs with remarkable regularity. I am amongst those who are not convinced that Qadri's execution represents a decisive shift in Pakistan's direction. It is a symbolic gesture that Pakistanis who are attending the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue will be able to cite to their advantage. Qadri was the personal bodyguard of the then governor of Pakistan's largest province Punjab, Mr Salmaan Taseer. On January 4, 2011, Qadri shot Mr Taseer 27 times with an AK-47 assault rifle at a busy marketplace in Islamabad. Qadri accused Taseer of blasphemy alleging that the latter's calls for changes in Pakistan's blasphemy laws, one of the worst such laws in any country in the world, were akin to blasphemy. Unlike what is being portrayed in the media, the Qadri case is not tied to extremism. Murder and extreme religious belief may coincide but there is a difference religious extremism and religious vigilantism and Qadri's case is the latter. Qadri did not belong to any radical jihadi group. He belonged to the Sunni Barelvi School that is traditionally associated in the South Asian region with Sufism. Radical parties like Jamaat e Islami have tried to adopt him but his core supporters fought for him - and in some cases strew rose petals in his path - because they believe that the blasphemy law should stay as is on Pakistan's statutes. Qadri's murder of Taseer hit the headlines because here was a bodyguard who assassinated the person he was supposed to protect. This event led to panic within Pakistan's elite and many of them started to fear their own bodyguards. The elite were worried that a stray or random comment by them may become the basis for action. Hence, a lesson had to be taught to prevent future Qadris. This is not to say that there has been no change in Pakistan. Elements of Pakistani society, especially the civil society, have started to push back against the rising radicalization and extremism within Pakistan. Pakistanis who have become used to virtually no action being taken against hardline religious elements have expressed relief at this execution but it may be misplaced. The fundamentals in Pakistan have not yet changed. The real change would be if and when the state ended its support for extremism which has yet to happen.
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The argument that jihadism and extremism in Pakistan can somehow all be traced back to 1979 and that the U.S. convinced Pakistan - against its will - to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan and now Pakistan is saddled with something created by the Americans may be a myth some naive Americans believe or choose to believe. The reality, however, is known to scholars who have studied Pakistan and the region.
Right from the beginning the Pakistani state has used jihadis and extremism as an element of its foreign and domestic policy. It was not a result of the anti-Soviet Afghan jihad of 1979, rather dates back much earlier. Islamists were allies of the Pakistan military- the Al Shams and Al Badr brigates - in the civil war genocide in East Pakistan in 1971. Pakistan's support and assistance to Afghan Islamists like Burhanuddin Rabbani, leader of the Jamiat e Islami Afghanistan and Gulbeddin Hikmatyar, leader of the Hizb e Islami, started as early as 1974 and continued even after the Soviet retreat and American withdrawal in 1988.
Support for the Afghan Taliban and its allied Haqqani network has continued despite Pakistan receiving billions of dollars in American aid over the last six decades. The creation of jihadi groups that targeted India started in the late 1980s and has continued till now. Justice Asif Saeed Khosa of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, who led the three-judge apex bench on the Qadri case in his judgement stated that "If everyone starts punishing others, who have in their opinion committed blasphemy, then this society will disintegrate."
Those who want to believe Pakistan has changed will point to this judgement to make their argument. However, the same judge in another case denied bail to Tahir Medi, the publisher of Al-Fazl, a 102-year-old Ahmadiyya publication, arguing that "when matters pertaining to religion were under consideration one had to ignore the law."
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More than 90 academics, politicians and lawyers in Norway have signed a public statement in support of the country's organizations that fight for the rights of people who use drugs and their right to be heard and included in political decisions. The petition was published on February 12 in Norway's largest daily newspaper, Verdens Gang. Signatories include two former Supreme Court judges and the leader of the Liberal Democrat party.
The group of Norwegian organizations believe that personal drug use should be decriminalized and that drugs should be regulated within the law, instead of a counterproductive blanket prohibition. People who use drugs in Norway also want better access to quality voluntary treatment while recognizing that most people who use drugs are healthy, productive individuals who do not require treatment. Their demands for decriminalization find support at the World Health Organization and U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
With an important United Nations meeting on drug policy coming up in April, the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS), the organizations made the following recommendations for Norway's contribution to the special session on drugs in New York:
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1. International drug policies must be grounded in human rights.
2. Norway must demand that countries in Asia and the Middle East immediately end capital punishment and forced internment against users and sellers of illegal drugs.
3. Use and possession of drugs for personal use must be completely decriminalized without punitive policies being replaced with new and intrusive sanctions.
4. Norway must be open about the fact that the majority of people who uses illegal drugs do not have drug problems. In a democracy they have a right not to be punished or persecuted.
5. Harm reducing measures with low thresholds, better housing, strengthened long-term follow-up and other measures designed to help those who experience problems with drugs must be widely available and voluntary.
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6. Norway should, in a sensible manner, regulate currently illegal drugs within the law instead of a general prohibition that is ineffective and has catastrophic consequences abroad and domestically.
Ahead of the upcoming UN meeting, Norwegian activists and drug user organizations felt they were not being listened to in the preparatory process. The Norwegian government has boasted of strong civil society involvement and inclusion of people who use drugs, while in reality including anti-drug and temperance organizations that have no active drug users.
Norway's minister of Health, Bent Hie, received the statement in person on March 1 at a public meeting in Oslo, where he reaffirmed the Norwegian government's intention to keep including the temperance movement as their main partner at the U.N.
Despite its progressive stances in other areas, Norway has strict drug laws and focuses on punitive sanctions against drug use. People who use drugs are fined, imprisoned or subjected to demeaning drug control regimes and given criminal records. The sale or import of drugs (even cannabis) can result prison sentences that are on par with those handed out for murder, making Norway one of the strictest countries in Europe.
Recently, Norway has expanded its drug court program, which in effect is a form of forced treatment. The Department of Justice has misleadingly called the program 'voluntary' (you could always 'choose' prison instead of supervised urine controls). Real penal reforms have not been on the table.
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However, with this loud call from Norwegian organizations, supported by influential voices, there is hope that Norway will soon join the growing chorus of progressive countries demanding drug policies grounded in health and human rights.
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA - 2015/06/25: Muslim woman integrated to Canadian society, they partake in a High School graduation ceremony in Toronto,Canada. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
When I made the decision to move to Canada, I was terrified. I feared that I would not be able to get used to life here. It was less a factor of the differences in culture and language, and more due to the fact that I wear the hijab. My scarf is a symbol of Islam, a religion considered by the West as the religion of terrorism. I was haunted by anxiety.
Would people there accept me with my hijab? Would they talk to me or would they be afraid of me? How would I pursue my education and achieve my dreams, while people judge me based on stereotypes they get from the media? I tried to find answers to these questions, and I asked everyone I thought might have an answer, to no avail. I realized then that only experience would give me an answer.
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En route to Canada, at Heathrow Airport to be exact, a woman stopped me and complimented me on my hijab, saying it was very pretty. I cannot describe how much her words calmed me down and warmed my heart. The compliment boosted my confidence in myself and my hijab, and reassured me.
I was unintentionally showing them that the hijab did not make a woman ugly or scary.
Once I arrived in Canada, my fear slowly started to fade. I didn't feel that my hijab was causing any problems for me. On the contrary, it was something that distinguished me from other people. People would often compliment me on it, which made me happy. I was unintentionally showing them that the hijab did not make a woman ugly or scary.
In general, Canadians are loving people. They're always smiling, and they don't give off a racist vibe. I've encountered no trouble living with them. As I walk down the street, Canadian people stop me with a broad smile and greet me with the Islamic greeting, "Salam Aleykum" (Peace).
I do not deny that after the Paris attacks, extremists have attacked Muslims in a number of Canadian cities. However, the way Canadians treat me hasn't changed. On the contrary, I have started to notice, after those attacks, that the Canadians I meet acknowledge that there is great gap between Muslims and terrorism. They are aware that Islam has no relationship to terrorists, who have no religion. Canadians know that we hate terrorism as much as they do.
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A Canadian person recently told me that when she sees a woman wearing the hijab, she is immediately reminded of whiteness, purity, decency and righteousness.
Now, after spending around four years living in Canada, I have come to realize that the hijab is one of the values I hold dear. I chose it based on love and conviction, and I have been wearing it since I turned 12, so how could I not defend my hijab and my right to wear it? How could I feel ashamed of it, when after those four years, I have become completely convinced that my hijab boosts, rather than undermines, my success. I have become convinced that the strength of my values and the confidence I have in my choices make people accept and admire my hijab, whether or not they're familiar with seeing it.
I currently study among Canadians and enjoy the same rights they enjoy. I do not sense any discrimination or racism. They treat me gently, lovingly, and compassionately. In my opinion, success is not limited to the individual's personal and practical life. It is much deeper and broader than that. Success is about serving your society and your religion. These are the nobler goals that I am pursuing.
There is no doubt that wearing the hijab places a huge responsibility on Muslim women in the West. The hijab is a symbol of Islam. It conveys Islamic morals and paints the true picture of Islam. A Canadian person recently told me that when she sees a woman wearing the hijab, she is immediately reminded of whiteness, purity, decency and righteousness. This has shown me that many educated Westerners have a good understanding of Islam. They know that we are not terrorists.
This is my message: Trust your hijab. Overcome your fear. Be true to your principles. The West respects and values people of principle.
The hijab is a responsibility on the shoulders of a Muslim woman because it announces that she is a Muslim. For example, when my husband goes to work everyday, no one can tell that he's a Muslim. This gives him the freedom to behave as he wishes. If he behaved badly, it would not be attributed to Islam. But if I was with him, everyone would know he was a Muslim. This means we always have to watch out for our behavior, so that we don't ruin people's impression of Muslims.
I am writing this to reassure every young woman who wants to come to Canada, but is afraid that her hijab would be an obstacle to her living her life freely and achieving her dreams fully. This is my message: Trust your hijab. Overcome your fear. Be true to your principles. The West respects and values people of principle. If success is your goal, you will succeed.
So do not let the hijab be an obstacle. Let it be an incentive. Prove to everyone that women wearing hijab can become whatever they want and can achieve their dreams.
Columns in front of University of Missouri building in Columbia, Missouri, USA
On Monday, November 9, 2015, I was glued to my television screen as I watched my alma mater become a breaking news story. Jonathan Butler was eight days into his hunger strike, Tim Wolfe, the UM System president, was refusing to step down out of his own selfishness and social media was filled with hate.
Late that morning, Tim Wolfe resigned and the university erupted. I had never been so proud of my alma mater, of my people. To see them fight for something so fearlessly and demand respect still leaves me in awe.
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Celebrations don't last forever though. I felt as if on this particular day it lasted mere seconds compared to the conversation that surrounds Melissa Click today, even in her dismissal from the university.
What felt like a victory for the black community at Mizzou, and all over the country was quickly taken away. When Click was caught on camera asking for "muscle" to remove a student journalist from taking pictures as Concerned Student 1950 and their supporters celebrated, everything that had happened shifted to her.
But it really wasn't about her and never should have been.
I understand and agree that what Click did was wrong. I understand that it's extremely awkward and hypocritical that she's a journalism and communication professor who seemingly ignored journalists' first amendment rights. But what I don't understand is why most of the conversation about Mizzou, four months after last semester's events, have centered around her and not much else.
The fight for equality and justice on the Mizzou campus didn't magically end when Tim Wolfe resigned, or when Interim UM system president Mike Middleton, a black man, was hired. It's going to take a lot more effort than that. That's why Concerned Student 1950 has a list of demands, it's why they still protest. But no one is talking about that.
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It's ridiculous that 99 lawmakers can sign a petition in hopes of removing Melissa Click, but make no mention of the racist acts happening all across the state. It's disgusting that people had conversations about whether a faculty member deserved to be publicly fired and humiliated, but were (and still are) silent during protests on Mizzou's campus, which started happening way before last semester. I'm disappointed that after an incredible act of bravery from students last semester, all that anyone cares about now is about Click losing her job or how "embarrassing" it is to be affiliated with Mizzou.
Why are we not more interested in the next steps for Mizzou? I want to know who is going to fill interim positions and what administration is going to do to make sure it doesn't get this bad again. I want to know if black students on campus feel safer, if the threats on Yik Yak have stopped.
I get it, it's easier to focus on Click. Black students were able to create change last semester. So now Missouri legislature and alumni alike are out for blood and since it's frowned upon to go after students, they went after Click. I'm not saying her actions are dismissible, they aren't, but the complete lack of attention on what's next as it relates to race relations on campus seems odd.
Black lives matter and our voices weren't being heard, that's what caused this, that's what the protests were about. If people believe that firing one faculty member will make the drama go away, they're wrong. Students on the Mizzou campus have already shown the world that they aren't backing down and that they'll fight for what's right no matter what.
Now that Click has been let go, let's shift the conversation to the real issues instead of continuing to go after a professor with pitchforks in the form of sour and hateful comments. That's not constructive and it isn't furthering the conversation of diversity and inclusion on the MU campus. That is the conversation that MU desperately needs to be having.
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I've got so much love for Mizzou, despite everything that has transpired over the last few months, which is why I want the university to do better. I understand these things take time, I don't expect racism to disappear from campus over night, but not talking about it, putting much of the focus of the last few months on one person, that's not going to get us any closer to justice and equality than we were before.
After years of state-by-state battles over consumer calls for mandatory labeling of foods made with genetically modified ingredients (GMOs), time is quickly running out for the agribusiness and food manufacturing industries working to block such labeling.
The threat that ticking clock holds for the food industry was underscored Tuesday in a hastily held meeting of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee. With less than an hour of discussion, members voted 14-6 to move forward with legislation that would prohibit state GMO labeling laws, notably one set to take effect July 1 in Vermont. Other states are considering similar laws.
The measure preempts "any state or political subdivision law relating to the labeling of whether food or seed is genetically engineered or developed or produced using genetic engineering" and "authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate regulations establishing a national voluntary bioengineered food labeling standard."
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The measure also outlaws any "express or implied claims regarding safety or quality based on whether food is or is not bioengineered or produced or developed with the use of bioengineering..."
Many of the senators in Tuesday's meeting cited the notion that something had to be done quickly before Vermont's labeling law takes effect.
"We're running out of time," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota. She was one of three Democrats who joined with Republicans to vote for the bill -- she and other ag committee members said the bill needs work ("compromise") before it can pass the U.S. Senate.
Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican from Kansas and the bill's sponsor, has been working with ranking member Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from Michigan, to find a compromise that could pass the full Senate.
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Compromise may be hard to come by. Consumer advocates for what has become known as the "Right to Know" movement across the country see labeling on a voluntary basis as little more than a slap in the face to millions of consumers who have concerns about the health and environmental impacts of GMO crops, and want to know if GMOs are used in the food they buy and consume. And nullifying a law already passed in Vermont only adds to the insult to voters and consumers.
"It is very disturbing that Republicans in Congress, while blocking any meaningful legislation, have found the time to push a law that deprives Vermont's citizens their right to know about the food they buy, and could rescind over one hundred and thirty other state laws on food and seed," said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Food Safety.
Those who want to see mandatory labeling say that among their concerns about GMO foods is a worry that the herbicide glyphosate, which is widely used on genetically modified crops, is harmful to human health. Residues of the pesticide have been detected in foods, and a World Health Organization research unit earlier this year said glyphosate was a probable cause of cancer in humans.
In the meantime, the food and agribusiness fear of labeling, and the efforts to scare consumers over the issue, only promises to heat up. Ironically, the food industry doesn't just admit that they fear consumers will turn away from GMO foods if they are labeled; the industry embraces that fear as a central theme.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association, a chief backer of the legislation and other food industry backers warn that if labeling is required, consumers will turn away from GMO foods in droves, meaning farmers who grow GMO crops - the bulk of which are corn and soy - will suffer and food costs will soar. They give little to no nod to farmers who grow a multitude of other organic or conventional crops.
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In a blog published Tuesday in The Hill, Lorraine Merrill, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food, said: "Mandatory labeling of foods derived from biotechnology will create a 'skull and crossbones effect' on our safe and affordable food supply which will generate or exacerbate fears of advanced genetic techniques... If consumers and food manufacturers migrate to more GMO-free products, food costs will go up."
The measure now heads to the full Senate where passage is expected to be tricky. Sixty votes will be required to overcome a filibuster, and both senators from Vermont -- Sen Patrick Leahy and presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders -- promise to oppose the law.
The GOP-backed bill would "move production methods into the shadows" and "give agriculture a black eye," Leahy told The Hill. "The legislation undermines the public's right to know."
Stabenow was quoted saying that if the law is to pass the Senate, "it must contain a pathway to a national system of mandatory disclosure that provides consumers the information they need and want to make informed choices."
A similar measure backed by Republicans was passed last July by the U.S. House of Representatives, 275-150. Only 45 Democrats voted for the bill.
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Women at the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kenya [U.S. Embassy Nairobi Photo]
I met Julie Hanna at last year's Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kenya. As the Executive Chair of the Board for Kiva, she was there as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship. I was there as the U.S. Ambassador for Global Women's Issues.
Considering that the total unmet financing needs for women-owned businesses around the world are an estimated $260 billion to $320 billion, it seemed only logical when we started to look at how we can partner to empower women entrepreneurs like the ones we met in Kenya.
Last week our efforts came to fruition and we launched the Women's Entrepreneurship Fund, a new initiative that will help expand access to finance for women in the 84 countries where Kiva operates.
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The fund works like this: Kiva.org posts loan requests from women entrepreneurs. When Kiva lenders respond, their contributions will be matched dollar for dollar by the Fund, which will accept contributions from large donors who can give $250,000 or more.
As part of the Fund, the State Department will support data collection and analysis to measure how effective the initiative is in expanding women's access to finance. The data will help illustrate the financial needs and activity of women entrepreneurs around the world by measuring several indicators, including the size of loans women are taking on, in which industry, and for what purpose.
This is a critical part of our broader efforts to empower women entrepreneurs. Right now we don't have enough data to fully understand the experiences of women entrepreneurs. For diplomats, that limits our ability to work with countries to reform policies to promote women's entrepreneurship. It also limits the ability of banks to find new, innovative ways to finance women entrepreneurs.
With data from the Fund that shows not only the size and purpose of each loan, but also whether the lendee returns for additional funding, we'll be able to make the business argument to countries about why women entrepreneurs are worth the investment, and why laws and policies need to empower them, not restrain them.
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The Fund is one of many ways the United States is working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. A key part of the global development agenda includes expanding women's access to financial resources--an important recognition that women's economic empowerment is a key part of our overall efforts to address other challenges--including gender-based violence, women's political participation, and the education and empowerment of adolescent girls.
But the global goals can't be achieved by governments alone. We need to work with the private sector to empower women, including entrepreneurs.
This Fund offers a clear, direct way for the private sector to advance the Sustainable Development Goals by helping women entrepreneurs access finance. And it will allow them to double the impact of their investment.
Because the Fund will be used to match, dollar-for-dollar, what Kiva's lenders provide to women entrepreneurs, donors know that they are part of a global community of support for this effort. And thanks to the data collection, investors will have hard data and evidence to track the impact of their contributions.
The Women's Entrepreneurship Fund can make a difference on so many levels in the entrepreneurship ecosystem. It can help make a positive difference for women and their communities, microfinance institutions and commercial banks, donors and investors, and regulators and policymakers. And that impact is going to start almost immediately.
Time Magazine reported last year that the Islamic State, also known as "ISIS" and "ISIL," acquires as many as 1,000 new fighters each month. Recently leaked documents have revealed that ISIS is making a concerted effort to brainwash and groom young recruits to become their next generation of soldiers.
The terrorist group's so-called "Cubs of the Caliphate" trainees may number in the thousands, and have been prominently featured in their propaganda videos over the past year. The youths, who range from small children to teenagers, hold rocket launchers, AK-47s and other heavy weaponry while posing for photos with ISIS banners. As members of the caliphate, these youths' duties are not much different from that of their adult counterparts--they are "educated" daily in the faction's religious mission, trained to use weapons and close-quarters combat techniques, and occasionally carry out suicide bombings and even executions.
A portion of ISIS's junior faction are victims of mass abduction campaigns during which ISIS takes hundreds of children over the course of a few weeks. The organization's agents use fear and deception to lure, pressure, and sometimes trick young targets into joining their ranks. But not all of their child prospects assimilate well to the ISIS way of life--young recruits who cannot be molded into ruthless fighters are sold off as sex slaves or killed, sometimes by cruel methods such as crucifixion or live burial.
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I made a trip to the Middle East last year to do investigative reporting on ISIS's recruiting methods, and discussed their techniques with Lebanese social worker Maya Yamout. She, together with her sister Nancy, conducted interviews with thirty-five suspected terrorists being jailed in Lebanon. Yamout is also involved in "Rescue Me," a Lebanon-based NGO founded by her sister that works with vulnerable youth to prevent them from being recruited into ISIS and other terrorist organizations. She told me that based on the cases she interviewed in Roumieh prison in Lebanon, she believes that the Islamic State's ruthless recruiters convert desperate targets by preying on their weaknesses.
"Terrorists I interviewed confirmed that there is an ISIS recruiting agent in every corner in the world today. They prey on the vulnerable ones," Yamout said. "Those who are poor, they persuade them with money. Those with psychological troubles, they provide them with drugs."
"They gave us drugs: hallucinogenic pills that would make you go to battle not caring if you live or die." 19-year-old former ISIS member Kareem Mufleh told CNN's Ivan Watson in November. "If they give you a suicide belt and tell you to blow yourself up, you'll do it."
In an interview with B.M., a 19-year-old ISIS member jailed for beheading a Lebanese soldier, B.M. told Yamout that ISIS forced [him] to use opium regularly until he developed a severe addiction. He said he was high and hadn't slept for days when he carried out the beheading.
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Following ISIS's release of a chilling video depicting a young boy beheading a Syrian army officer last year, terrorism expert Will Geddes said it was obvious the child was on drugs as he carried out the gruesome act.
"It's probably cocaine or an amphetamine," said Geddes, the threat management firm International Corporate Protection. "His pupils are completely dilated and he has a thousand-yard stare. He looks like he's been wound up to do what he's about to do."
After the infamous ISIS attack that killed 130 people in Paris last year, survivors described their assailants' demeanor as 'peaceful' and 'zombie-like' while pouring bullets from their assault rifles into anything that moved. French media has since reported that evidence has surfaced indicating the gunmen may have been high on a drug called Captagon, a synthetic amphetamine-based pill ISIS uses to make their soldiers ignore pain and hunger while fighting for days on end.
Yamout told me during our interview that not all of ISIS's recruits are converted by coercion. She explained that children or young men who have lost their parents are often targeted by ISIS recruiters, who persuade them to join the ISIS 'family.'
"For those who have lost their father figure [due to abandonment, death or otherwise], they send someone to them to replace that missing element in their life," Yamout said.
"In fact, many of those I interviewed had the absent-father syndrome. They missed their father figure, so ISIS and other terrorist organizations send someone like a Sheikh to pretend they're there for them. Next thing you know, they are in Syria or Iraq fighting."
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ISIS has focused an alarming amount of effort on developing their future force of terror, and sources report they are recruiting more children than adults. By forcing these 'cubs' to perform horrific acts of violence, ISIS aims to create a brutalized generation of fighters that will kill with reckless abandon.
Near the end of my interview with Yamout, I asked her how the world can thwart ISIS' plans to transform their child army into cold-blooded killing machines.
"The more we learn about ISIS, the more we know how to prevent terrorism," she told me. "The solution to halt their recruitment begins first with awareness, and then prevention."
Yamout and her sister are currently seeking full scholarship for a clinical social work doctoral program to continue studying about terrorists and extremism. Her will to expand her work is partially driven by interactions she had with one former prisoner in particular, who she says was a student of Usama Bin Laden.
Over the past few years, I have traveled nearly 300,000 miles across 35 countries and 60 cities as part of my role leading the State Department's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. I have met finance ministers in Latin America seeking export opportunities for their domestic goods, business leaders in West Africa developing new technologies to serve their clients, and young entrepreneurs in South Asia working to turn their innovations into thriving businesses. Conversations like these are at the heart of economic engagement around the world, and demonstrate that, as Secretary of State John Kerry has said, "economic policy is foreign policy." Through my job, I also get to meet some of our country's greatest ambassadors: U.S. companies, who represent American values in the communities in which they operate.
Today the State Department hosted the 17th annual Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence Ceremony--or ACE awards--to honor U.S. companies who are representing American values by operating sustainably and responsibly around the world. These firms are creating new methods to advance environmental sustainability, leading by example in respecting the rights of their employees and local communities, and growing small businesses with missions to both turn a profit and do good simultaneously. I encourage you to read the stories of all ten of this year's ACE finalists and see for yourself.
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At the ACE Ceremony I had the honor of presenting this year's award winners: Cargill Vietnam Ltd., East Bali Cashews, and Weyerhaeuser Productos S.A. These three companies demonstrate that corporate excellence is not just about doing right by shareholders, but doing right by stakeholders.
Cargill Vietnam Ltd. has operated in Vietnam for over 20 years, and during that time the company has transformed its relationship with its farmer-partners so the farmers can thrive today and maintain the health and productivity of their agricultural communities for the future. Cargill Vietnam Ltd. has trained over 1.5 million farmers in best practices on animal health and nutrition, and trained over 12,000 cocoa farmers in practices that allow them make more money by increasing their crop yields. The company is also utilizing new technologies to increase the transparency of their supply chains in-country.
Beyond building responsible conduct into their core operations, Cargill Vietnam Ltd. supports local communities through the Cargill Cares schools program, with 58 schools across 41 provinces serving 13,000 children. For these reasons and more, we are proud that Cargill Vietnam Ltd. is this year's winner of the Award for Corporate Excellence in Human Rights and Labor Rights, a brand new ACE category.
In November 2015, I was in Bali, Indonesia and had the opportunity to see first-hand the great work of this year's ACE winner in the small or medium enterprise category: East Bali Cashews. Beyond producing delicious nuts, East Bali Cashews has helped transform an entire community.
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Several years ago, Balinese villagers sent their harvested cashews abroad for processing, and then imported them back into Indonesia but with a steep markup. Recognizing a business opportunity, company founder Aaron Fishman created East Bali Cashews so that these nuts could be processed locally and create economic opportunities for the community.
To grow faster, Fishman linked up with U.S. investment company KKR, whose employees worked pro-bono to help East Bali Cashews develop a cutting-edge marketing plan and attract global investors. The company now employs over 350 people in Bali, including previously unemployed women, has built a preschool for employees' children, and has increased incomes of local farmers by 20 percent. East Bali Cashews' impressive growth has been fueled by its human investments in its local community, which is why it received this year's Award for Corporate Excellence for a Small or Medium Enterprise.
In December of last year, the United States, along with governments around the world, came together for a historic climate agreement. Governments cannot achieve these goals alone, which is why this year for the first time we presented an Award for Corporate Excellence in Environmental Sustainability. We want to highlight private sector leaders who respect the environment, as that work helps to complement and reinforce the climate goals that governments have pledged to achieve.
This year's ACE winner for environmental sustainability is Weyerhaeuser Productos in Uruguay. Weyerhaeuser, a renewable forest-product company, has worked directly with the government of Uruguay to set high standards for its industry, and their operations have been named a "project of national interest" by the government. Heat and power for Weyerhaeuser's Uruguay facilities are generated by renewable fuels and are carbon neutral, and their forest management removes 56,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year. These are remarkable initiatives, so I was proud to present Weyerhaeuser Productos in Uruguay with this year's Award for Corporate Excellence in Environmental Sustainability.
VALDOSTA, GA - FEBRUARY 29: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reacts to supporters during a rally at Valdosta State University February 29, 2016 in Valdosta, Georgia. On the eve of the Super Tuesday primaries, Trump is enjoying his best national polling numbers of the election cycle, increasing his lead over rivals Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX). (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)
Donald Trump has built a platform for himself on unabashed statements that spread fear and perpetuate hate, and his message continues to resonate with Americans. He's bragged that his supporters would stand loyal even if Trump attempted murder in the middle of 5th Avenue. And his campaign has gone to great lengths to ensure only these top-level supporters fill rally halls, going so far as enforcing a "loyalty oath" and ejecting those who don't comply.
But like his policies, these security measures have flaws and dissenters have Jedi-mind-tricked their way through those cracks so that as a hate-filled piece of rhetoric masked as a plan to "make America great again" falls from Trump's lips, a voice of opposition is there to call for love instead.
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National campaigns like StopHateDumpTrump have launched to unite and empower people to tackle the hateful rhetoric -- but it should be known that many, if not all of these actions have been uncoordinated amongst each other. These individual actions are united only in cause -- to dismantle Trump's platform of hate one disruption at a time.
Here are some of the actions:
November 22nd, 2015 -- A protester in Birmingham, Alabama was attacked after shouting Black Lives Matter during a rally.
December 4th, 2015 -- More than two dozen Black Lives Matter protesters disrupted a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina with a sign that read "Stop the Hate. We Make America Great." Among the protesters was Romain Stanley who tweeted: "Forcibly removed from #trump rally. Trump supporters kicked me, grabbed my neck, pushed me, and more all while security jacks me up."
December 11th, 2015 -- Trump's $1,000 plate luncheon was disrupted by a dozen protesters who chanted "Trump is trying to bring us down, targeting people black and brown." All protesters were forcibly removed, including a Latino veteran with a disability who was pushed down a flight of stairs and an Arab woman who was thrown to the ground.
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December 12th, 2015 -- Holding signs reading "Refugees Welcome," protesters were threatened and shoved as they disrupted Trump's Aiken, South Carolina stop.
December 14th, 2015 -- Up to 20 protesters were violently battered and removed from a Las Vegas event while a supporter yelled a Nazi salute from the crowd.
January 7th, 2016 -- A half dozen protesters disrupted a Burlington, Vermont rally carrying "Dump Trump" signs. Trump made calls from the stage to confiscate a protester's coat, knowing it was 10 degrees outside at the time.
January 8th, 2016 -- Muslim woman Rose Hamid stood silently at a rally in Rock Hill, North Carolina, wearing a hijab and a yellow star reading "Muslim". Hamid was removed for disrupting, but argues that the real disruption came from those who heckled her in the crowd. Several other protesters disrupted the rally after Hamid was ejected.
January 20th, 2016 -- High school students in Tulsa, Oklahoma ditched school to interject their twist on Trump's campaign slogan into his rally. Their sign -- which was smuggled into the event in one of their shoes -- was eventually taken and stomped on by supporters.
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January 21st, 2016 -- This was the day I took action and disrupted a Las Vegas, Nevada rally -- my banner reading "Stop the Hate" was ripped from my hands as I was shoved through the crowd and covered in supporter signs.
January 24th, 2016 -- Two men -- one wearing a red turban -- unfurled a banner reading "Stop Hate" at a rally in Muscatine, Iowa while Trump spoke on "Islamic Terror". Trump questioned the audience as to whether or not the man was "wearing one of those hats".
January 26th, 2016 -- At least three separate actions took place in the Iowa City, Iowa rally: Melyssa Jo Kelly pulled out a "No Racism" sign, Andrew Alemao wore a shirt reading "Heil Trumpler 2016" and threw tomatoes at the stage, and a series of whistle blowers adorning t-shirts reading "I Stand with My Muslim Neighbors" annoyed Trump to the point of him asking "Am I allowed to rip that whistle out of their mouth?"
January 28th, 2016 -- Trump's "Special Event for Veterans" in Des Moines, Iowa held at the same time as the GOP Debate was twice interrupted by veterans shouting "We love Veterans, Trump loves War."
February 16th, 2016 -- High school senior Thomas Hill was violently ejected from a North Augusta, South Carolina rally with sign reading "Keep America Great, Keep All Immigrants".
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February 19th, 2016 -- On the eve of the South Carolina primary, a group of 10 military veterans unfurled a banner that read, "Mr. Trump: Veterans are not props for hate. We stand with our Muslim sisters and brothers." The group was forcibly removed from the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina rally.
February 22nd, 2016 -- Protesters in Las Vegas, Nevada elicited Trump's most vile response yet on the eve of the Nevada primary. As one man was hauled off by security, a second protester held a sign reading "Veterans to Trump: End hate speech against Muslims."
Now you may be thinking -- these disruptions are not as clever as the Marco Rubio Robot or as hilarious as Ted Cruz's Nickelback Troll or as pointed as this climate crew's many photobombs. Aside from some incredible, meme-worthy photos and viral videos from Trump disruptions, the real success of these actions is two-fold.
First, these disruptions have detracted from Trump's rants, further exposing his hot-tempered reaction to confrontation and the violent tendencies among Trump and his supporters. After Black Lives Matter protesters disrupted Trump last fall, Trump suggested the next day that they should have been "roughed up"
. After Thomas Hill's disruption in North Augusta, Trump brought the two "heroes" (one of the men was a two-tour Iraq War veteran), who abused the high school senior to the stage, for a handshake and a few words at the mic. And after a protester disrupted a Las Vegas rally, Trump said he would like to "punch him in the face."
Any semblance of playfulness has worn thin enough to reveal the trajectory of his verbal bullying towards physical aggression and violence. Make no mistake: we're seeing a microcosm of what we as a country would experience from a Trump presidency.
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Second, Trump has gone to great lengths to silence and mock those who challenge him and oppose him, rejecting the principle that dissent is at the core of democracy. He accused Megyn Kelly of being on her period and ultimately ditched a second Fox News GOP Debate to avoid another round of her challenging questions. He called Ted Cruz a "pussy" for his differing opinion on waterboarding. He barked "you tell me" when questioned on how his ban on Muslims were different from Nazi Germany policies.
Latinos have had plenty of cause for concern regarding Republican front-runner Donald Trump's bid for the presidency. Trump has a long track record of hate-speech directed at Latinos, including blanketly calling Mexican immigrants drug dealers and rapist and blaming "Hispanics" for violent crimes across the country. Given that just this weekend the New York billionaire refused to disavow former KKK leader David Duke's support, it shouldn't surprise anyone that a growing number of racist hate-groups throughout the nation are working to put Trump in the White House.
A new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) found that hate groups in America are on the rise, a primary reason being their use of Republican anti-immigrant rhetoric in their recruitment efforts. According to one of the study's authors, these "people are very, very excited about Trump. They call him the 'Glorious Leader' and it's all about the immigration issue."
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Latinos are all too familiar with the dangers of racist extremists. From the lynching of thousands of Mexicans throughout the Southwest in the late-1800s, to the KKK's "border watch" patrols of the late-1970s, to the Neo-Nazi Minutemen militia members who "hunted" immigrants and shot and killed U.S.-born Latinos just a few years ago, racist hate-groups in America have a history of targeting the Latino community. Consequently, their increasing participation in Republican presidential politics should be a red flag for all of us.
According to Heidi Beirich of the SPLC, "White supremacists love Donald Trump... and they're mobilizing politically" for him. Racist activists are promoting Trump on their radio shows, making robo-calls on his behalf, volunteering for his campaign, and even carrying pro-Trump signs while wearing hooded KKK garbs at GOP caucuses.
Trump's anti-Latino rhetoric has had dangerous consequences extending far beyond electoral politics. For example, just a few weeks after Trump announced his presidential campaign, police arrested two white males for beating a 58-year old homeless Latino man with a metal pole and then urinated on him. The attackers were partly inspired by the likely GOP nominee, stating, "Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported." Far from merely an isolated incident, government data suggests that this act was part of a larger rising wave of hate-crimes committed against Latinos because of their perceived "foreignness."
But while Donald Trump has used the issue of immigration to gain his lead in the Republican primaries, recent polls show that out of all GOP candidates, Trump's hate-filled rhetoric has "earned him the highest negative ratings" among Latino voters. Not only do 8 out of 10 of them express having negative views of Trump, but even among Republican-leaning Latinos Trump scores below the other two top GOP candidates.
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This is bad news for Republicans given that a recent analysis shows that even if 60% of the white electorate votes for the GOP (which hasn't happen since 1988), Trump would still have to get between 42-47% of the Latino vote to win (Mitt Romney received only 27%).
So what does all this mean for the 2016 Presidential Elections? It means that if Trump becomes the Republican candidate for president, Latinos have the potential to stop him from entering the White House. But the possibility of this becoming a reality depends on the degree to which Latinos electorally mobilize and what Democrats have to offer them.
Only a few weeks have gone by since Chiara, a twelve year old girl from Pordenone (Italy) decided to put an end to the bullying she had become a victim of by letting herself plummet from a bedroom window. Fortunately the fall was broken by an open blind just below the family's apartment. Chiara was severely hurt but managed to survive. Although we are all overjoyed to hear that she is recovering physically, shock and concern as to the extreme decision of a child to take her life remains. A decision that is forced upon victims of bullying and cyberbullying by peers, " bullies " who project their fragility on to others by using violence, in an attempt to fill the voids produced by a society that has become increasingly incapable of fostering, nourishing and understanding the value of feelings and emotions, thus, hurtling youth into a vortex of solitude, in a world where conformism and materialism are expressions of popularity, power and strength.
Some analysts of the phenomenon, in Italy, argue that bullying is inevitable, part of life, where nature divides us into " bullies and hypersensitive beings. " They also say that: " During adolescence those with fragile minds have always desired to be accepted by the popular pack whose arrogance and number become a depiction of strength."
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According to this statement the desire to be part of "the pack" slithers into the mind of a twelve year old girl, whom in turn finds herself rejected, intimidated and humiliated by her peers. The psychological violence is enough to destroy the young girl's self -esteem, leaving her alone as she struggles and tries to cope with a sense of worthlessness.
Parents and teachers have no way of reaching her on that far away " planet " of desperation where the " fragile minds " of youth find refuge. The theory is left without a solution, for there is no remedy capable of curing the human need to be " accepted and acknowledged " by the pack.
But do we truly believe that Chiara needed and wanted to be part of the pack? Or did she simply wish to be left alone? Was she only asking to be free to live her life in peace, without having to feel like a prey that is being hunted down?
Does the decision to attempt suicide stem from a " hypersensitive " person with a " fragile mind "? Or is it the reaction to pain and isolation caused by the kind of adolescent cruelty that some authorities confuse with primordial impulses of future leaders?
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There are many theories which try to explain the causes of physically and psychologically violent behavior in children and teens. One of the given reasons is the need to overpower and destroy the other person's diversity in order to dominate and feed the lack of kindness that sadly characterizes a bully's personality. Aggressive youth will find any excuse to begin attacking: the prettiest, the most intelligent, the new kid, the boy from a different country, the girl with different religious beliefs, the child who suffers obesity, the " ugliest ", the least " intelligent ", the homosexual... are all potential targets of bullies.
Others consider bullying a Darwinian instinct that places us at the mercy of natural inclinations regulated by the law of the jungle. As though humans, like animals, are susceptible to violence when survival is at stake.
In the first case the solution is to be found in education. Schools should teach children to " put themselves in the other person's shoes," empathy, to live according to the golden rule: " Treat others like you would like to be treated. " However, in this day and age where callousness and inhumanity have grabbed hold of us all, such a morally benevolent answer appears unrealistic, even though it is inspired by the best intentions. It " appears " that way because our quest to reestablish a culture devoted to altruism, tolerance, gentleness and peace has just begun.
The second solution suggests that bullies be assigned roles of responsibility within schools in order to soothe and ease the Darwinian instincts they are prisoners of.
Unless you have been living under a rock, by now you have heard that gravitational waves, predicted by Albert Einstein, have been discovered. These are two monumental achievements that ought to be lauded. Einstein for seeing the ramification of the theory of general relativity that he worked so hard to accomplish, and to the LIGO team for steadfastly pursuing the goal to measure the ripples in spacetime directly, and with that create a new type of telescope that opens up a portal, as it were, to a universe that is unfamiliar to us. These telescopes use gravitons after all, not photons, to "see". And with gravitons we can see further back in time than is possible with photons. We might one day "listen" to the birth of the universe, through the ringing of gravitons gently shaking the Earth.
What is less well known is that Einstein struggled mightily with the theory of gravitational waves. The fact that Einstein was a genius but nevertheless mortal is, by now, somewhat known. After all, it took him five tries to get the field equations of General Relativity right. Mind you, I don't fault him for that. Instead, I think he ought to be held in regard precisely because he dared to publish papers that were flawed, and there is ample evidence that he submitted them for publication in full knowledge that the theory was not finished. He was also fully aware of just how important this work was. Legendary physicists have opined that had Einstein not figured out these equation then, we might still be struggling with the theory.
In 1916, Einstein submitted a paper to the "Sitzungsberichte der Koniglich-Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin". This may seem like an odd journal, but you have to understand that 1916 was a very different time than today when it comes to scientific publishing. You can translate the title to mean "Meeting Notes of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin". But this does not imply that Einstein actually gave a talk at the Prussian Academy. Instead, as he was a member of said academy, he could publish in the journal simply by sending in the paper. Without peer review. (Note that until recently, even the US National Academy of Sciences had such a publication track for members).
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The paper that he sent in, entitled "Naherungsweise Integration der Feldgleichungen der Gravitation", contained a bombshell. The translation of the title seems harmless: "Approximate integration of the field equations of gravity". ("Integration" here just means "Solution"). Those field equations are, of course, Einstein's equations. He says he solves them approximately, because he considers small deviations from the exact solutions, something that you would do in order to treat fluctuations. These fluctuations would be gravitational waves, and Einstein was naturally led toward them. This is the paper that is now acknowledged worldwide of having introduced gravitational waves, 100 years before their direct discovery by the LIGO team.
Except that the paper is wrong. It contains a monumental mistake in the calculation. This was not a simple mistake, because it changed the apparent nature of the radiation dramatically. If this was a different blog I would lead you precisely through the mistake to see how it could have happened. In my view it was simply an oversight (a 'prime' in his notation got lost). Unfortunately for him, the results of the mistake were, in hindsight, catastrophical. One of the defining characteristics of gravitational waves (as Einstein later figured out), is that it does not have a "dipole" character as the electromagnetic radiation (for example, light). In dipole radiation, the signal you "see" is due to charges moving to and fro. But gravitational waves are not like that (that is, being due to mass densities moving back and forth). Rather, the radiation must have a quadrupole moment, so that density is compressed in one direction, and expanded in the orthogonal directions. It is precisely this feature of the radiation that explains the "L"-form of the LIGO interferometers in Hanford, Washington and Livingston, Louisiana, that opened up this new chapter in our exploration of the universe.
Einstein's reasoning, mind you, was flawless as always. In fact, he was perhaps the greatest intuitive physicist who ever lived. But he struggled (by his own admission), with mathematics (something I can say I share with him). I don't know how or when he realized his mistake, but he published another article in the "Sitzungsberichte", simply entitled "Uber Gravitationswellen", or "On Gravitational Waves", two years later. He begins that article in his characteristically detached tone, writing:
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"Da aber meine damalige Darstellung des Gegenstandes nicht genugend durchsichtig und auerdem durch einen bedauerlichen Rechenfehler verunstaltet ist, mu ich hier nochmals auf die Angelegenheit zuruckkommen".
Let me translate this for you.
"But since my exposition of the subject-matter at that time was not sufficiently transparent and furthermore blemished by a regrettable error in calculation, I have to return to the matter here one more time."
As a side note, I find the manner in which he describes the error here (and further below in the article) delightful. In a sense, he does not think of the discovery (gravitational radiation) as "his". It was there all along, and he apologizes for its "disfigurement" at his hands.
For us readers, Gravitational Waves 2.0 is a gift. It is indeed clearer than 1.0, even though it is not like Einstein did nothing but work on this paper for two years after discovering the error. In between he wrote six other articles for the Sitzungsberichte (among which an obituary for Karl Schwarzschild, the fellow after which a black hole's radius is named after). And ten other articles in various journals.
Once he realized the mistake, he was able to take the calculation much further, and derives the famous "quadrupole formula" as Equation (30) in the 1918 paper, and writes immediately:
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"Man sieht an diesem Ergebnis, da ein mechanisches System, welches dauernd Kugelsymmetrie behalt, nicht strahlen kann, im Gegensatz zu dem durch einen Rechnungsfehler entstellten Ergebnis der fruheren Abhandlung"
or in English,
"One can see from this result that a mechanical system that maintains spherical symmetry cannot radiate, in contrast to the result--disfigured by a calculational mistake--of the previous paper."
So rightfully we should celebrate 1918 as the year that Einstein discovered gravitational radiation, but I think it is clear that he knew in 1916.
While the 1916 mistake is not very well known, Einstein's repudiation of gravitational radiation (in error again, and corrected this time before publication) twenty years later is quite well-known. As you can read in the last linked reference, Einstein submitted a paper to the Physical Review in which he "shows" that gravitational waves do not exist. The paper was reviewed (as had become the norm at that US journal), and the reviewer carefully read it, and found it to be wrong. (Einstein had chosen a bad coordinate system).
Einstein was furious. In a nutshell, he wrote to the editor that he (the editor) did not have permission to show the paper to anyone, and that he would never publish in that journal again. Clearly, Einstein was not used to peer review as we know it today. Fortunately, Einstein's co-author Nathan Rosen was in the room when Einstein threw the letter into the trashcan (and kicked it for good measure), retrieved it from its confines and revised the paper according to the reviewer's concerns. The way we do it now. But he submitted it to a much less well-known the journal, the Journal of the Franklin Institute.
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I think their are some lessons for us today in this hundred year-old story. Progress in the sciences is not a linear affair. Progress moves via burps and jumps, sometimes going backwards, but moving forwards on average. Science is made by people, and people are fallible. We should always remain humble in the sense that we are only discovering the laws of nature--we are not making them. And mistakes are part of the equation. If we are timid, we would wait for decades before having the temerity to go forward with our discoveries. I much prefer Einstein's brash approach to publish first, and see how the chips may fall, but it is certainly not for everybody.
Image courtesy of Josh John
YOLO: This pop acronym has become a favourite battle cry for the hipsters, hacks and happy go lucky adventurers of our digital generation.
YOLO expresses a desire to throw caution to the wind, to take on life and all it has to offer with reckless abandon, to go everywhere and do everything, to live each day as if it was your last. . . as long as you can Instagram it.
Unlike their brow-beaten predecessors with their now-fading "carpe diem" tattoos and expanding paunches, YOLOers are free from the constraints of having to use full words, whilst also fortunate enough to have an unprecedented range of listicles to help them plan their YOLOing.
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However, compared to other parts of the world there remains a dearth of African YOLO pointers, despite all the diversity, adventure, intrigue and sometimes outright danger that this vast continent has to offer.
This post is an attempt to even out the scales somewhat. Here are seven of the best African YOLO experiences:
Summit Kilimanjaro
Image courtesy of Josh John
The majestic Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, the highest free-standing mountain in the world and one of the Great Seven Summits. This dormant Tanzanian volcano towers over the surrounding landscapes, its snow-capped peak in stark contrast to the lush green vegetation below.
A large part of Kilimanjaro's popularity stems from its accessibility. But though it can be summited without technical gear or extreme fitness, this is no walk in the park, and getting to the top still affords some serious bragging rights.
Kilimanjaro-Experience offers the widest range of different routes. You can choose from various scheduled climbs, or if you really want to take your YOLOing to a whole new level, you can book a private climb for you and your intimate partner and get down on one knee on the roof of Africa.
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Trek with gorillas in the DRC
Image courtesy of Gavin Langille
The sudden eruptions of violence and general instability that have sadly so-long been the norm in the eastern Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo have meant that it hasn't often been on the radar for even the most adventurous of YOLOers.
But peace has returned to the region and there is no better time than right now to visit the pristine jungle wilderness of Virunga National Park, which is home to more wildlife species than almost anywhere on earth, including about a third of the world's critically endangered mountain gorillas.
There can't be many more exhilarating feelings than encountering one of these majestic animals on foot whilst trekking through the park. And if you book your trek as part of Africa Geographic's tailor-made package, you can also look into the lava-filled crater of an active volcano while you're there.
Career along the Nile in a white water raft
Image courtesy of Michell Zappa
Just outside the pretty and laidback Ugandan town of Jinja, the vast Lake Victoria pours into the mighty, snaking body of the Nile River. Here, close to its source, this iconic river is particularly powerful and tumultuous and has become well-known amongst adventure tourists for some of the most intense grade IV and V rapids you'll find anywhere in the world.
Rafting here is certainly not an activity for the fainthearted. It's almost guaranteed you'll be flipped out of your raft at some point, and the abundance of crocs in the Nile certainly won't do much to settle any nerves.
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But for all the apparent risks, the safety record of well-established companies like Adrift and Nile River Explorers is astounding, as is their level of care and professionalism. This partly explains why a number of the rafters who come here are first timers.
Paddle along the hippo and croc infested Zambezi
Image courtesy of Jonny Peacock
Continuing with the water theme, a canoe safari along the beautiful Zambezi River is a much more tranquil affair, and a particularly spectacular way to see the big game that is drawn to the water's edge, including elephants, buffalo, lots of plains game and astonishing birdlife.
But keep your wits about you - your peaceful paddle may well be interrupted by an angry and territorial hippo taking a charge at your somewhat inadequate vessel. Hippos kill more people in Africa than anything other than the mosquito.
But if you manage to keep on their good side, the hippos, as well the countless crocs, are another exhilarating part of this truly raw safari experience, which will have you feeling like a modern day David Livingstone. Organize your trip from the idyllic Sausage Tree Camp, which sits right on the river bank.
Take a Walk on the Wild Side in South Luangwa
Image courtesy of Robert Bernatzeder
Staying with Zambia, South Luangwa is the country's flagship park, sometimes referred to as "Africa's last great wilderness", and the undisputed home of the walking safari, which was pioneered by Norman Carr in the 1960s. Norman Carr Safaris are still the best choice today.
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There can't be many things in the world more exciting than tracking large African predators on foot, and then bedding down in the middle of the unadulterated bush with their calls reverberating in the darkness all around you.
Among the many predators here you'll find an abundance of leopards, lions and hyenas, as well as the critically-endangered African wild dog. Be sure not to take any meat to bed with you at night, and don't be too alarmed if you find unwanted visitors snooping around your camp.
Party in a Cape Town township
Image courtesy of Christopher Clark
Many of the visitors that flock to Cape Town leave with a very limited view of the city. They see the plush beachfront restaurants and hotels, take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain and top up their tan. Somewhere along the way, they might make time for a quick tick-the-box "township tour".
But the townships have so much more to offer than a sad backdrop for what those in the know disdainfully call "poverty safaris". Ignore the disgustingly sensationalized safety warnings, step out of your comfort zone and you might just have more fun in the townships than you do anywhere else in Cape Town.
For an unforgettable slice of township life, spend a weekend afternoon cruising up and down Khayelitsha's bustling Spine Road, where the sounds of sizzling chicken, bassy Kwaito music and happy revelry never seem to stop. Book with Coffeebeans Routes for the most immersive township experiences.
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Dive with Great White sharks
Image courtesy of Armin Rodler
South Africa's False Bay is sometimes referred to as the "Serengeti of the Sea" due to its incredible abundance of marine life. The apex predator here is the feared and feted Great White shark, drawn by the veritable buffet of seal that is available to it in the bay. Great Whites are formidable and frighteningly efficient hunters and can grow to over 6 metres.
In a section of False Bay aptly-known as Shark Alley, you can drop down into the water in a sturdy metal cage and observe white sharks in their natural environment. You don't need any scuba diving certification, just the ability to stay calm - sharks are inquisitive creatures and may well try to get a close look at you.
Operators such as White Shark Ventures have been operating here for the best part of three decades, and their safety record and viewing success rates are second to none.
Witness the Great Migration
Image courtesy of James H
From the "Serengeti of the Sea" to the real thing. Tanzania's Serengeti National Park sets the scene for what's come to be known as the "greatest show on earth." Every year more than a million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra cover the vast open plains as they make their way towards the Mara River and then all the way into the northern reaches of Kenya's Masaai Mara Game Reserve.
Well, that's the end goal at least. In reality, many of the migrating animals become prey for the numerous Nile crocodiles as they cross the Mara River in a mad frenzy. The feeling evoked by this spectacle is impossible to describe. You have to experience it for yourself.
"So many of our Christians," the late right-wing activist Paul Weyrich intoned in 1980, "have what I call the goo-goo syndrome: good government. They want everybody to vote. I don't want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people, they never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, [the right's] leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down."
Since Weyrich declared war on voting thirty-six years ago, the effort to manipulate elections to protect entrenched interests has proceeded apace, aided by a Supreme Court that wrongfully decided the 2000 presidential election and gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013. In a stirring new book, Five Dollars and a Pork Chop Sandwich: Vote Buying and the Corruption of Democracy, former chairwoman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights Mary Frances Berry chronicles the multiple abuses inflicted upon voting rights in recent years--and the threats those abuses pose to our future.
In an interview days before her March 2 appearance at Politics & Prose at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C., Berry noted that she wanted to cast a spotlight on how the manipulation of the vote through such procedures as vote buying affects the poor. Vote buying, Berry notes, "is voter suppression on the cheap. Poor people don't vote their choices and they get no real return; democracy is corrupted by the process. The politicians buy them and then vote against what they need in state legislatures -- against Medicaid expansion, for example."
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Vote buying is obviously illegal in the United States, but as Berry observes, "Prosecutors don't prosecute; they are elected by the same system, and even if they did, local judges are elected by the same system."
Vote buying is just one way to suppress and manipulate votes; another way to control the outcome of democracy is through unnecessary and discriminatory voter ID laws. "The voter ID problems," Berry says, "are among the most aggressive efforts" to affect the outcome of elections.
These voter ID laws are favored by Republicans across the country; you might recall the Pennsylvania Republicans who acknowledged that voter ID laws reduced Democratic votes in the 2012 presidential election. Berry notes that Republicans are fixated on voter ID laws and other efforts to make it harder for specific constituencies to cast ballots because "Republicans know that blacks and Latinos and poor people in general are unlikely to vote for them, so naturally they don't want them to vote."
As noted earlier, the Supreme Court diminished democracy with its shameful decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which effectively nullified key provisions of the Voting Rights Act. Berry notes that the decision "permitted states to pass voter ID, ending early voting and other measures that suppress the vote of those more likely to vote for Democrats. It also makes it harder for the Justice department to prosecute" voting-rights abuses.
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One of the justices in the majority on that horrendous decision was the late Antonin Scalia, who made no secret of his contempt for voting-rights jurisprudence. Berry observes: "Justice Scalia, like his colleagues Justice Roberts, Thomas, Alito and Kennedy, was very skeptical especially of the whole fabric of civil rights laws and the Fourteenth Amendment as means of preventing or remedying discrimination against African Americans; Voting Rights was just one area."
Berry notes that Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are raising awareness about the importance of voting rights, especially "when it comes to ID laws." However, "no one, Democrats or Republicans, is focusing on vote buying -- suppression on the cheap in state and local elections, which is regarded as essential to ensuring turnout in some places."
Artificial intelligence (AI), once the seeming red-headed stepchild of the scientific community, has come a long way in the past two decades. Most of us have reconciled with the fact that we can't live without our smartphones and Siri, and AI's seemingly omnipotent nature has infiltrated the nearest and farthest corners of our lives, from robo-advisors on Wall Street and crime-spotting security cameras, to big data analysis by Google's BigQuery and Watson's entry into diagnostics in the medical field.
In many unforeseen ways, AI is helping to improve and make our lives more efficient, though the reverse degeneration of human economic and cultural structures is also a potential reality. The Future of Life Institute's tagline sums it up in succinct fashion: "Technology is giving life the potential to flourish like never before...or to self-destruct." Humans are the creators, but will we always have control of our revolutionary inventions?
To much of the general public, AI is AI is AI, but this is only part truth. Today, there are two primary strands of AI development - ANI (Artificial Narrow Intelligence) and AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). ANI is often termed "weak AI" and is "the expert" of the pair, using its intelligence to perform specific functions. Most of the technology with which we surround ourselves (including Siri) falls into the ANI bucket. AGI is the next generation of ANI, and it's the type of AI behind dreams of building a machine that achieves human levels of consciousness.
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There is heated debate around whether or not machines will ever become conscious or sentient, at least in the same way as humans experience such a phenomenon. In a connected world where sharing one's own opinion is cheap and fast, one is bound to come across predictions that range from 10 years to 1000 years to never at all. But how do we know which opinions are grounded in research and experience, and which are simply echoed from the many collected voices of the web, akin to a classic game of telephone?)
I decided to hedge bets and go into the trenches of the AI world, to interview 12 leading experts and researchers active in the field, and emerge with informed thoughts and perspectives on the possible futures of AGI and also the risks involved. While their answers seemed to vary more widely on related risks, there seemed to be a general consensus that the creation of a machine consciousness is possible.
Dr. Helgi Helgason, vice president of Operational Intelligence at Activity Stream, believes that "since human intelligence (and consciousness) occurs in nature, it must be a process emerging from physics and chemistry, and I see no theoretical reason that would prevent us from eventually reproducing it in man-made systems if we so desired." The thread of his statement was a common one, echoed in Dr. Andras Kornai's claim that "such things are possible to build from protein; it is evident that no magic will be required."
While Kornai, a professor at the Budapest Institute of Technology, eschews "magic", more than one expert notes that we still do not know how consciousness arises in humans, which seems to pose a real and present hurdle to the development of AGI. As Founder of Skeptic Magazine Dr. Michael Shermer sees it, "I am skeptical that this can be done any time in the near future because of the complexity of the human brain and our lack of understanding of how consciousness arises from neurons communicating via electro-chemical processes, but in the long term it will be done."
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University of Sheffield's Dr. Noel Sharkey believes that because we don't have the facts around how consciousness arises, we don't know yet if it is possible to produce such a thing in a machine. "This question is not possible to answer because consciousness is still shrouded in mystery with no adequate scientific theory or model. People who talk with certainty about this are delusional. There is nothing in principle to say that it cannot be created on a computer but until we know what it is, we don't know if it can occur outside of living organisms," says Sharkey.
Others, including Utrecht University's Dr. Medhi Dastani and Worchester Polytechnic Institute's Dr. Eduardo Torres Jara, believe that such consciousness can be created, but question if such a machine will experience 'consciousness' in the same way as humans, which at present seems to be the impossible question.
No one can predict the future, but making an informed...Based on this sample of researchers, the greatest concentration was between 2021 and 2060, or next 10 to 50 years. If these predictions turn out to be correct, that's not a whole lot of time to consider the ethical ramifications of what such an AI presence might inflict on society as a whole. Elon Musk is not alone in some of his fears about the dangers of artificial intelligence - Oxford's Nick Bostrom and University of California's Stuart Russell are two of many who hold this stance - but there's disagreement around near-term AI threats.
Of the 12 researchers interviewed, three threads rise from the data. The majority of the experts interviewed are concerned about the financial and economic harm that already exist but that may be exacerbated to extremes without a conscious plan to move forward, resulting in a range of risks from bigger gaps in wealth distribution to negative environmental effects, like pollution and resource exhaustion.
"The risks brought about by near-term AI may turn out to be the same risks that are already inherent in our society. Automation through AI will increase productivity, but won't improve our living conditions if we don't move away from a labor/wage-based economy," says Cognitive Scientist Dr. Joscha Bach. Dr. Helgason argues that this is more of a certainty than a risk, and that suchs risk should already be factored into education policies.
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Both Dr. Kornai and University of Arkansas's Dr. Daniel Berleant also foresee potentially catastrophic issues with autonomous financial algorithms that are employed to make money for their owners, without "human-centric" goals. Dr. Dastani worried that the computational capacity of intelligent machines will outpace that of humans. He states that "the increasing interactions between autonomous computer systems may cause unpredictable, not traceable, and perhaps undesirable outcomes." Financial regulations and a reworking of the structure of our economy are the most obvious solutions to these issues, but it would seem that the complex details remain to be adequately discussed and debated, especially in public political playing fields.
In line with fears often read about in the media, both anti-killer robot activist Dr. Sharkey and Brandeis University's Dr. Michael Bukatin believe that autonomous machines, either superintelligences fighting themselves and obliterating us in the process or rampant autonomous armed conflict, pose a legitimate threat.
Another thought is that AI aren't evil (and never will be); instead, it's the humans behind the AI that are unpredictable and often untrustworthy, with short-sighted aims such as financial and political gains. Dr. Michael Shermer sees the likeliest risk of near-future AI in the near future involving "evil humans manipulating AI toward their ends, not evil AI itself, as no such thing will develop."
If autonomy and consciousness go hand-in-hand, then Dr. Eduardo Torres Jara believes the former is the greater threat - though he doesn't see this happening anytime in the near future. "It is hard to believe that AI will be an actual risk. Any advanced technology has its own risks. For example, the flight control of the space shuttle can fail and generate an accident; however, the technology used to control the space shuttle itself is not dangerous. In the case of robots, we might not want to have weaponized autonomous robot because "autonomy" is not reliable enough even in robots with less fatal consequences in case of failure," says Torres.
While there are far fewer researchers on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are a few - including George Mason University's Dr. Robin D. Hanson - who see little to no risk at all of near-term AI threats. We might call this class the AI optimists.
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Do we dare look beyond the next two decades into say, AI risks in the next 10 decades? Despite the open statements from some eminent businesspeople such as Bill Gates (and Elon Musk's well-publicized statements about AI), most researchers understandably get a bit more anxious about articulating such far-reaching risks, and some abstain from giving any answer. In some ways, this is a wise move; a persistent history lesson is that the future often turns out far different from what our minds are capable of imagining today.
On the other hand, it's our present imaginations and actions that help shape the future. While prevention efforts and solutions to AI risk may stay grounded in the near-term, it doesn't seem wholly irrational to throw our gaze to a more distant future and imagine the potential darker paths that AI may take. For the most part, the same researchers tended to give similar though shorter answers to those AI risks that they envisioned as being relevant in the near-term.
Republicans have now spoken on a third Bush presidency -- they aren't interested. As Hillary now seemingly barrels toward the Democratic nomination, it is worth Democrats considering whether they wish to follow the Republicans' proven failed path. The 'dynasty trap' that has befallen many countries around the world, from Argentina to Pakistan. Thirty years after his father's ouster as president, voters in the Philippines are even considering whether to include Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the presidential ticket. Fifteen years after Bill Clinton stepped down from office, this is not the path America should be taking.
It is not so commonly known, but since 1789, almost 400 parent-child duos, and nearly 200 pairs of siblings have served in the U.S. Congress. And more than 700 families have had two or more members in Congress , even though the Founding Fathers of the United States warned against the perils of dynastic succession in American politics. In 1786, Thomas Jefferson wrote to George Washington that "...a hereditary aristocracy will change the form of our Government from the best to the worst in the world". At that time, he called ancestral political rule a "scourge" that had condemned the overwhelming majority of France to a "cursed existence".
Yet for some strange reason, many American citizens today seem to believe that because an individual may have come from a privileged background or a 'political' family, they should either have a right to attain elected office or will naturally do a better job than someone who isn't 'privileged' or part of a political dynasty. A January 2015 Washington Post-ABC News poll noted that only a third of voters polled would be less likely to vote for a Bush, and 14% less likely to vote for a Clinton, because of their surname.
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Where did merit get lost in the equation, I wonder, and why do Americans fall for the dynasty trap? At least part of the answer is apathy. Voter turnout for the 2014 mid-term elections was just 36.4% -- the lowest since 1940. At the beginning of World War II, just at the time when voters should have been motivated to ensure that fascism didn't consume America, the voting public chose to remain politically apathetic. The current propensity of American voters to be so indifferent to political dynasties appears then to have something to do with a lack of interest in politics, the idea being to go with the devil that you know.
Apathy appears to have spread beyond politics, to knowledge more generally, with a substantial decline in the number of Americans who regularly read a newspaper or a book. A 2012 Pew Research poll noted that only 23% of Americans read a newspaper regularly, and a 2013 Huffington Post poll showed that 28% of American hadn't read a book in more than a year. On this basis, how actively interested is the average American likely to be in politics or politicians? Not very.
What does history teach us about the wisdom of going the 'easy' route and voting for candidates from political dynasties? Does being part of such a dynasty impart one with greater political wisdom or a higher level of achievement? The Roosevelts and Kennedys greatly contributed to modern American liberalism, while the Bushes did the same for conservatism. But the longer historical record is far more mixed.
Our country's first two experiences with political dynasties did not end particularly well, with the Adams and Harrison Administrations being largely considered failures. Franklin Roosevelt's dramatic expansion of executive power resulted in a greater ability to promote economic reform and enhance military preparedness, but it also created a cult of personality and an enduring era of big government. The Kennedys were supremely devoted to public service and lofty liberal ambitions, but in the process, also to the acquisition of political power and the virtual elimination of competition in some areas of Massachusetts state politics for decades.
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While Bill Clinton has made a significant contribution to solving some of the world's more pressing problems through the Clinton Global Initiative, he and Hillary have become extremely wealthy since they left the White House - something that would surely not have been so easily achieved had they not ridden their own political coattails to fortune. George W. Bush's legacy will likely be played out for decades to come as a result of the disastrous Iraq War and its lingering global consequences - which ultimately forced Jeb from the race.
With that all said, I hope that the American people will choose not to elect another Clinton to the presidency in 2016. Despite their political aloofness, the American people must know that political dynasties are not what the Founding Fathers intended, and that in this country, dynasties have not proven to be a net positive throughout the course of history. Moreover, given the current state of the world, what is clearly needed is some fresh thinking and the ability to move beyond the legacies of recent political history. At least it is my hope that, given the stakes at hand, the voting public has the common sense to become more engaged in the political process and consider the consequences of prolonging the Clinton, and for that matter any, dynasty in American politics going forward.
The recent G-20 pronouncement that the global economic environment is far from a crisis and hence that no special actions are necessary is both disappointing and worrying. It is disheartening inasmuch as the international community needs to be taken to task for not heading the warning signals noted by the IMF's Managing Director, the OECD's Secretary General, and the Financial Times this past week. It is further troubling because the global economy has yet to fully recover from the calamitous 2008-2010 downturn, as seen in large output gaps, and policy responses that have lacked coordination both nationally and internationally.
Recent statements by the U.S. Treasury Secretary that the global economy is far from crisis and that there is no need for extraordinary measures reflect the political reality in the world's largest economy that nothing much can be accomplished that requires congressional action. Some parties would rather see the U. S. slip back than allow the Administration to boost aggregate demand through fiscal means as might be healthy. The Federal Reserve's long anticipated move to reverse abnormally high monetary expansion will now be cast in doubt, as recent US economic data is not yet convincingly positive. Yet politics encourages doing nothing.
This paralysis is matched by the ostrich-like assertions by China that all is well despite the recent volatility seen in stock and foreign exchange markets. The issues in the world's second largest economy are more structural in terms of over-capacity and the underlying weakness of asset quality in both banks and shadow banks. Yet the policy statements claim that everything is under control and there should be no concern. Parallel statements by the influential Finance Ministers of Germany and the Netherlands re-enforce the view that more of the same is good economic policy. They are quite possibly mistaken, however, and their do-doing nothing simply increases global risks.
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Countries and groups that try to rely excessively on monetary expansion while ignoring structural reform are wasting precious time and resources without addressing their fundamental growth constraints. Japan has done very little on its "third arrow" and further monetary expansion will not produce the expected miracle. China is also wasting precious time in failing to address financial bubbles, corporate over-indebtedness, and industrial over-capacity. Europe seems incapable of generating sustained forward momentum due to its internal imbalances, beginning with excessive saving and current account surpluses in Germany. In the latest twist of fate emerging markets are suffering, not only from commodity price shifts but also by the decline in global demand and in global trade.
Under these circumstances, one may well ask, where is the coordinated policy response of the world's most powerful nations? Is it not legitimate to ask why collective action, a clear goal of the G-20 process, isn't happening. The answer lies in the awkwardness of the group's constellation as well as the political constraints affecting the world's largest economies. The result is somewhere between paralysis and indifference. It appears that the lessons of the Great Recession may have to be relearned. One may hope not, but recent actions raise the chances that we will. In the interim, the largest negative impact will be felt by emerging markets and developing countries, many represented in the G20. An odd group indeed.
This year's theme for International Women's Day is Pledge for Parity. It is a call for all to respond; to be "leaders within our spheres of influence", and to "take pragmatic action to accelerate gender parity." This theme is particularly close to my heart. Make Music Matter, the NGO I founded, works is in the field of women's rights.
My last visit to our specialized music therapy program was approximately four months ago. We worked with our partners Panzi Foundation USA and DRC, at their aftercare facility, Maison Dorcas, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on the implementation of the programs. Distinct change was immediately evident. As our beneficiaries filed into our record-ing studio, I observed they all brought notepads with them, containing lyri-cal, melodic and thematic ideas for songs. Along with their prepared ideas, they had mapped out as a group, which member should sing which part, behaving like a passionate and engaged band, tending deeply to their art and final product. In the past, beneficiaries would often arrive empty hand-ed, dependent on the guidance and creative prompting of our staff.
The song that they were working on was called "The Criminal Father". It denounces the abusive, misogynistic, repressive (sometimes perpetrators) and unproductive men in their communities. It is a clever and sophisticated homage of defiance, dedicated to youth who have had negative experiences with irresponsible fathers or other authority figures, and serves as advocacy for more mature women in regards to their husbands.
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"Our father, you caused us so much suffering,If you get money you spend it on your matters and now we live like orphans.Our father, you are a sadistic criminal,Its our mother that takes care of us." Even more incredible is that it was one of the beneficiaries who came up with the concept for the song and genesis of the composition. The lyrics stem from incredible stories of trauma and resilience, united in pleas for equality. For example, one particular survivor from this group had been raped at the age of 17 by Rwandan militia. She had gone into the forest, to fetch water for the day, when three men attacked her, taking turns assault-ing her, one after the other. This pattern continued every morning, tying her up when they were finished in order to complete other duties. One day they forgot to tie her up and she managed to escape. During her flight for safety, a man from a nondescript militia group stopped her and demanded that she have sex with him or he would kill her.
Eventually this young girl made it home but, rather than being embraced by the sanctuary of her family, she was immediately accused of willingly participating in all of the violations that were perpetrated against her. About one month later she realized she was pregnant. When this pregnancy was discovered she was ostracized and forced to leave her family home by her father.
Within a few months, she was able to secure a ride into town from a friend and arrived at Panzi Hospital where she gave birth to her child. After her physical treatments were completed she was admitted to Maison Dorcas where she is currently taking dressmaking courses and participating in our music therapy program. These are concurrently helping her to acquire a skills-based trade that she can use to support herself and her child, all the while reestablishing her emotional strength and stability.
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I witnessed an amazing moment for this woman, along with the other survivors in her group, sing and record this piece with such strength, vigor and pride. Their song symbolizes the life-changing power one has over refram-ing their past, all the while carving out a new identity, one song, and joyful voice at a time.
As this year's International Women's Day approaches, we should recognize the collective progress made towards gender parity begins with and from brave individuals such as these women.
By emboldening these newly minted artists who conceived "The Criminal Father," we crystallize a salient example of the disparity women continue to endure in conflict and post-conflict scenarios. Advocating for these heroines provides agency and opportunity for them to contribute exponentially to social, economic, cultural, and political growth and in-turn brings lasting relevance to this year's theme.
The Academy Awards are nothing more than an over indulged rich child's gold themed birthday party as their parents in the background keep yelling out: "Good job honey!" It means everything to the parents and the child and virtually nothing to anyone else.
The hotbed political issue for me is not this silly, meaningless, self-promotional out of touch award show, but rather what the actual art of filmmaking in America is reflecting and as far as I can see it's all about narcissism.
Our most famous and admired black actor is Barack Obama which is NOT a diss as I consider him one of the greatest most progressive president we've had since FDR.
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To me all politicians are actors, some far better than others.
This year's crop of GOPlayers are basically on the same level as the cast of a primary school (for children with learning disabilities) production of "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying."
Their pandering and posturing, endless lying and hardly veiled attacks on anyone who is not white or evangelical to anyone with a soul is both transparent and brutally insulting.
The fact that their little theater group has become a cage match for bottom feeders is nothing more than amusing to me. They are treating each other the way America ultimately treated Sarah Palin. It's almost too brutal to watch.
But here is the thing: the Oscars the the GOP nomination races are basically the exact same thing. Why do all these painfully amateur actors run when they know they know that they don't have a chance in hell?
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Because, like the Oscars, it's not about anything but self promotion. Branding. Getting that name above the title so you can cash in on it.
They will all say anything, do anything, to become famous. Just like any other talentless reality show star in America.
Like Donald Trump.
Donald Trump as we know him simply does not exist. The version that is running is just some made up character who was born and raised on "The Apprentice."
That character was HUGE and a $UCE$$. But the fact is he is no more real than Gilligan Island's very own Thurston Howell III or comic book legend Richie Rich.
America loves a success STORY not a success FACT and that is what they are getting with the spoiled brat who is loving playing the part of the villain simply because, as any Hollywood actor will tell you, playing a villain is much more fun than playing the hero.
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Trump is just a member of the Jets (as in West Side Story) who is into the gang life for kicks and who just loves beating the crap out of Latinos.
None of it. Let me repeat: NONE of it is real. He's not a Republican any more than I am. He's not even a liar. He just plays one on TV and being on TV gives him Paddy Chayefsky POWER and it is every bit as thrilling as dominating his pouty, model wife.
And as for President Obama, the way he has been treated by his "academy" is far worse than the way African Americans have been treated by Hollywood.
I have worked as a successful writer in Hollywood for thirty years and all I can say is everyone there begins as a dismissed minority and by age forty you get to be one again. That is the circle of Hollywood life.
There is very little personal regard for writers. In the 40's writers were known as "schmucks with Underwoods." Little has changed.
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President Obama has been slammed and insulted for 8 years now. I will never forget when Joe Wilson yelled out "you lie" in Congress. This is why few actors can improvise. Blurting out the truth forces you to break character and in the process reveals the real you.
Academy member and former President President Jimmy Carter said that the outburst was "based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president." He characterized Wilson's act as "dastardly".
This view was echoed by entertainer and educator Bill Cosby who should know a thing or too about acting...badly.
While the Oscars are nothing more than this year's Fall line of Emperor's clothes, the world of politics has become, well, West Side Story with automatic weapons and personal insults instead of switchblades.
The amazing thing about the President is how he never breaks out of character.
No matter what kind of covert racist bullshit that Mitch McConnell and the other members of his Fox endorsed Sharks gang throw at him, they are always defeated by the President's personal style which is dominated by class and a broad smile.
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So in my mind, the Oscar this year for Best Actor should go to our President.
And as for the Award show if you really care about any of that nonsense, then instead of moaning like a street drunk with a cardboard sign, try not throwing money at Hollywood. Stop empowering them and teach instead that they are a minority who should be entertaining you instead of themselves.
Instead of Spike Lee/Jada Pinkett Smith boycotting the pin the tail on the donkey event, try doing what we did in the sixties when we toppled an American president.
Hit them in their wallets.
Force them to clean up their act. Stop endorsing the crap that they throw our way while they pander to the intellectuals every Fall to make it seem like they are doing God's work.
And PS: I worked on "black" shows for a decade: Fresh Prince, Sister, Sister and I co-created The Wayans.
Working on these shows were the best experiences of my working life and not once did any kind of racism play into what we were doing.
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Each and every show was its own tribe which was fueled by love and sheer imagination.
Last fall, the Chicago City Council passed a record $588 million property tax increase. Downtown properties will shoulder a substantial portion of that sum, so Chicagoans can thank Loop landlords when their tax bills come.
But my firm, Origin Investments, believes the higher tax bill is still a good value for those properties and the businesses they house.
Loop landlords have reaped admirable benefits from their properties' prime location to date. Their buildings, and those in the surrounding central business district, command premium rents -- $36.79 per square foot across all classes and about 59 percent above the asking rents for suburban properties, according to JLL's year-end report.
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Among Class A properties, the $40.69 asking rent is favorable for Chicago's businesses compared with New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Even the most expensive Loop properties have a long way to go before they reach Manhattan's $100 per square foot rental top tier.
Chicago residents are also luckier than they think: New investment in the Loop has kept them from shouldering an even bigger tax burden since Cook County assesses commercial real estate at a higher value than housing, notes The Civic Federation. Apartment buildings get a lower rate, and exemptions cut homeowners' tax bills even further. Even after a tax increase, a Chicago Tribune analysis finds the city's effective tax rate for homeowners will still be in the region's bottom 10 percent.
And real estate investors who choose properties in Chicago's Loop and central business district will be able to maintain their advantages for several reasons.
First is Chicago's ability to draw a highly educated workforce that is attracted to city living. Investors are capitalizing on a factor that even suburban landlords rely on: the city's continued central role in the region's health.
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This is especially true for millennials. The U.S. Census finds these young adults are more likely to move to urban centers and research hubs. Many matriculate here. With DePaul, Loyola, Northwestern, University of Chicago and more, Chicago has one of the strongest higher education systems nationally. And post-graduation, students from prestigious Midwest schools make a beeline to Chicago for its robust job market, vibrant urban attractions, conveniences and cross-country and international access from O'Hare and Midway airports.
Second is Chicago's business and cultural assets. Coupled with that rush of well-educated, new talent, these resources attract big business to the city's center. Kraft, Heinz, United Airlines, BP, ConAgra and Hillshire brands are major old-line companies moving suburban operations to the city and among dozens of firms that chose to locate or expand in the Chicago area in 2015, notes World Business Chicago.
Finally, when we look at a commercial real estate investment, we measure things such as walkability; we want areas that have it all. The Loop and its contiguous neighborhoods do, and their advantage is borne out in a commuting shift. Since 1994, CTA ridership has increased 97 percent while Metra ridership has increased 17 percent. Young people are choosing to live closer to the action.
Development patterns bear out the Loop's advantage. In JLL's market survey, 64 percent of the Chicago market's office space is concentrated in the central city.
Millennials have also driven a heated downtown market for apartments and condos. Appraisal Research Counselors estimates 3,101 multifamily units were added last year and predicts even faster growth in the next two years -- to 4,500 units by 2017.
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Origin owns buildings in 10 major cities, from Seattle to Orlando. If you draw a circle around Chicago's City Hall for two miles in every direction, you have the fastest growing "city" in America, according to a JLL report that quoted U.S. Census data. Downtown housing creates more demand, not less, as it spurs retail growth and even more demand. The Loop is a positive feedback loop. We don't see any signs that will change.
This growth will help investors and their tenants meet the higher tax burden. Our research of 95 central-city buildings indicates property taxes have been rising proportionally at the same rate. With all downtown properties on a level playing field, landlords are more likely to pass on the higher taxes to tenants, and tenants who pay taxes directly are unlikely to find lower taxes nearby.
All this means the downtown office market will keep expanding: Between new construction and scheduled vacancies, CBRE estimates in the next three years, 6 million square feet of downtown office space will be on the market. With the building pace since 2010 at a historic low--only 4.5 million square feet built or under construction, compared with 15 million in the 2000s and 11 million in the 1990s, according to JLL -- the Loop will be able to absorb all of that space and more, as it has for generations.
While there have been great strides for the inclusion of women in the tech industry in the past years, statistics actually show that there has been a decline. That's not to say that there aren't organizations and businesses making active efforts to improve these statistics, however. For instance, Toptal, a network of top freelancers and developers, has started Toptal Scholarships for Female Developers, a program meant to help support and empower females who have the desire, passion, and talent to become software engineers in what is a traditionally male-dominated field.
The program will give out 12 scholarships total over the course of a year and is open to women worldwide, regardless of their education level. There have been three scholarship winners so far, with the first one being Rojina Bajracharya. The Python developer and entrepreneur from Nepal received a $5,000 scholarship and one year of weekly one-on-one mentorship with a senior Toptal developer.
We had a chance to catch up with Rojina and talk with her about the program, the state of the tech industry in Nepal, as well as specific challenges present for females in the field.
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1. Why did you choose to make a career in tech industry?
Rojina: Information technology has a huge scope in our country, as well as worldwide, and I felt it has become necessary for girls/women to join this field. Since from my childhood days, I have always seen that computers and technology are used only by men; girls do not fit in here. But, despite these bitter facts, I joined this field knowing that I already possess some interest on it. When we love learning, it's something more than a career, and we just keep on going. Now when I see myself standing in this field, I feel worthwhile for myself, as well as other girls who want to study technology.
2. What is the condition of tech industry in Nepal? Is there a lot of jobs for software engineers in Nepal? How much of them go freelance or work remotely?
Rojina: Nepal is powerful in the technology field. There are so many IT companies in Nepal that work as outsourcing companies, and there are many talented software developers in our country who are freelancers.
There are so a number of vacancies opening in IT companies everyday in job portals in Nepal. Most of the featured jobs belong to the technology sector and may be the most high-paid, according to the experience and education qualification. But it is again another bitter fact that these IT companies can rarely find the most-skilled people to work in their company. Thus, it is a clear fact that there are tremendous opportunities in this tech field -- the biggest challenge is producing the technical manpower.
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3. What specific challenges women meet there? What is the condition of diversity in the tech industry and in general? What do you think is the long term solution to address those challenges?
Rojina: There are many challenges women face being in the tech industry, including
having very few women to be able to share your personal struggles with in the field.
Since there are very few women working in this field, women need a friendly environment in the work space, as well as time to adopt.
b) Late hours
Sometimes there might be the need to work overtime or maybe they have to return to their home lates -- in Nepal, some women find this difficult because their families may not allow them to stay late.
It is a worldwide issue that there are few girls/women in tech; it is similar in Nepal. It's a government rule that any working place should fulfill 33% of women population, but the tech industry is the only place where there is difficulty to balance this criteria. Sometimes it's less than 5% or even 0%.
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4. How did you find out about Toptal scholarship? What does it give you? Why did you decide to apply for Toptal's program scholarship?
I found about Toptal's scholarship through social media (Facebook). It gives me encouragement to continue and pursue what I am learning further. Toptal's scholarship has really given me an extra platform to work hard in my goals, as well as encourage other technology girls.
Rojina: When I first learned about Toptal's scholarship program, I wasn't quite sure if this was truly happening, so I searched everything to make sure it was real. It was a completely rare thing to hear that such programs are available in the world without many restrictions and boundaries. There were various criterias to enter in this competition, yet it was an open program. The theme of the program was encouraging and made me feel that even I can apply. So my expectation was that my application would at least be viewed by that program -- and I was surprised and excited when I learned that I won!
5. What is your attitude to the freelance and communities like Toptal? Would you mind working there?
Rojina: In my opinion, freelancing is one of the best platforms for girls/women in Technology, and communities like Toptal really bring opportunities to connect with freelancing jobs.
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6. What do you consult about with your mentor from Toptal?
Rojina: My mentor, Anna Chiara Bellini, mentors me once a week and gives me assignments of programming language which I need to submit on a particular day. She also gives me possible solutions to work for my community "Girls in Technology".
7. What is the main purpose of the "Girls in Technology" community you founded in Kathmandu and what does it do? What are you future plans on the development of the Girls in Technology community?
Rojina: "Girls in Technology"is a common platform that brings all the technology girls/women together. It also organizes various meetups, where we bring senior IT professional -- specially women where they share their stories of being in this field. This community also has various training sections for girls to build up their programming language concept.
A website displaying McDonalds' famed golden arches and promising jobs at the fast-food empire quickly pushes visitors instead to recruiters at for-profit colleges, including those owned by two of the largest and most troubled companies in this sector -- ITT Tech and Education Management Corporation (EDMC).
Republic Report has exposed in the past websites that promise jobs, government programs, or veterans benefits but seem to be mostly aimed at finding potential students for big for-profit colleges who pay handsomely for these leads. The college recruiters are desperate to find new students so they can cash their federal student grants and loans. The for-profit college industry has been taking as much as $32 billion in federal aid annually, but increased public awareness of how high-priced, low-quality programs in the sector leave students unemployed and buried in student loan debt have sent enrollments and revenues plummeting in recent years.
The McDonalds-themed website, EveryJobForMe.com, starts off asking visitors for a zip code. Once that's entered, the visitor is informed that, yes indeed, there are jobs available in your area -- "We've found 156 Jobs in Washington, DC!"
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But before you can see those jobs, EveryJobForMe.com asks for your email address. Enter that, and the site wants your name, phone number ("Mobile Recommended"), and high school graduation year so that "employers" can "contact you." But small print at the bottom of that page indicates what's really up:
By submitting this form, I agree to the site privacy policy and understand that I may be called or messaged by everyjobforme.com and jobcase.com about employment opportunities, job search assistance, career advancement and educational opportunities at the phone number I provided, including my wireless number, through the use of an automated technology.
Based on extensive experience studying, and talking with scores of former employees from the for-profit college lead generation industry, I am confident that if you enter your information on this page, many of the calls and messages you get will not be from employers like McDonalds, let alone Google, offering you jobs, or the Illinois Department of Job Search Assistance calling to help out. The calls will be about "educational opportunities," meaning for-profit colleges.
Indeed, I learned about this site from an advocate for for-profit college students, who says he actually was looking for a job at McDonald's and Googled, and at the top of the search results was a paid listing for everyjobforme.com (as there was when I Googled "mcdonalds jobs" today). He says he "received a call literally two minutes after inputting my phone number" from a marketer pushing him to enroll at EDMC's Argosy University.
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But just in case your phone is dead, the next screen of EveryJobForMe.com offers you some advice:
It doesn't matter whether you check that box or not, because you've already consented to be called. But I checked it, just to see what would come next.
I said I wanted to keep going, and then I got:
So now EveryJobForMe.com had steered me to the Art Institutes, owned by EDMC, and ITT Tech. Both companies have been exposed by congressional and media investigations for engaging in predatory practices -- using deceptive recruiting, charging sky-high prices, offering some poor-quality programs. Both have now been investigated and sued by law enforcement agencies. Both are now in serious financial trouble.
According to Internet domain registration information, everyjobforme.com is registered to Percipio Holdings, Inc., a company whose "under construction" website says simply, "Providing customized job search experiences." Percipio seems to operate a number of similar job websites, such as californiajobdepartment.com ("Not associated with California; we are your personal job department"). The company has an address at 40 Warren Street, 3rd floor, Charlestown, Massachusetts. That is a business center operated by Regus, whose representative told me that spaces there rent on both a long and short-term basis. I sent an email to the email address provided on everyjobforme.com seeking information about the site, but I haven't received a response.
Last fall, the Federal Trade Commission held a public meeting on online lead generation practices, including for the for-profit college industry. (I spoke on a panel at the meeting.) An FTC official stated there that the Commission "will continue to look at unlawful practices involving lead generators and we'll bring enforcement actions where appropriate." The FTC, which for years did not pursue the deceptive practices of the for-profit college industry, has recently, under Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, taken important steps to go after misconduct, including a lawsuit filed last month against DeVry University, and investigations of Career Education Corp. and the University of Phoenix.
UPDATE 03-10-16: Tonight, a visitor who clicks on EveryJobForMe.com won't find the McDonalds theme anymore, but if you get to the site by searching on Google for "McDonalds jobs" and clicking on the top ad result, you do see the McDonalds theme. Also, if you search for "K-Mart jobs," you end up at a similar lead generation site.
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In 2004, Trump, along with respondent Michael Sexton and a nonparty individual, incorporated Trump University LLC as a New York limited liability company. Trump University purported, by way of seminars and mentoring programs, to instruct small business owners and individual entrepreneurs in real estate investing.
By letter dated May 27, 2005, the New York State Department of Education (SED) notified Donald Trump individually, Sexton, and Trump University that they were violating the New York Education Law by using the word "university" when it was not actually chartered as one. Likewise, SED notified these respondents that Trump University was also violating the Education law because it lacked a license to offer student instruction or training in New York State. SED stated, however, that Trump University would not be subject to the license requirement if it had no physical presence in New York State, moved the business organization outside of New York, and ceased running live programs in the State. In June 2005, Sexton informed SED that Trump University would merge its operation into a new Delaware LLC, and would indeed cease holding live programming in New York State.
However, the Attorney General alleges, Trump University failed to abide by any of these conditions. To the contrary, it is alleged that, despite Sexton's assurances to the Attorney General, SED learned in 2009 through newspaper advertisements and a student complaint to the New York State Attorney General that Trump University was continuing to provide live programming and instruction in New York without obtaining proper licensing or moving its operations out of New York. In March 2010, SED sent Trump University another letter demanding that it cease using the word "University" in its name. In May 2010, five years after SED had informed respondents that they were obliged to drop the word "University," Trump University filed a certificate of amendment to its Articles of Organization, thus formally changing its name to TEI.
In August and September 2010, SED once again informed TEI that the company needed a license to operate, which it still did not have despite having been notified in 2005 that its failure to obtain a license violated New York State law. On October 7, 2010, Sexton informed SED that TEI had ceased operations.
... In its supporting affirmation, the Attorney General alleged that between 2005 and 2011, respondents operated an unlicensed, illegal educational institution. Further, the Attorney General stated, through various fraudulent practices, respondents intentionally misled more than 5,000 students nationwide, including over 600 New York residents, into paying as much as $35,000 each to participate in live seminars and mentor programs that the students thought were part of a licensed university.
According to the Attorney General's affirmation, respondents represented in advertising that real estate experts handpicked by Trump himself would teach his strategies and techniques for real estate investing, and that these strategies would lead to success. One advertisement offered a free workshop and referred to "Donald Trump's handpicked experts." The same advertisement bore a quotation attributed to Trump, stating, "I can turn anyone into a successful real estate investor, including you." Similarly, a direct mail solicitation sent to prospective students read, "In just 90 minutes, my hand-picked instructors will share my techniques, which took my entire career to develop" and went on to state, "Then just copy exactly what I've done and get rich." The Attorney General noted that at the free seminars, instructors played a video featuring Donald Trump telling prospective students, "We're going to have professors that are absolutely terrific -- terrific people, terrific brains, successful, the best" and noted that they were "all people that are handpicked by me."
However, the Attorney General averred, Trump did not handpick the instructors; indeed, only one of the live event speakers for Trump University had even ever met Donald Trump. Nonetheless, some students purchased seminars on the basis of their belief that Trump had approved each instructor. In an affidavit submitted to the Attorney General, one student stated that he "had some trust in the program because it was run by Donald Trump" and was "led to believe that... based on Trump's marketing materials, the course professors had been handpicked by Donald Trump." Similarly, the Attorney General stated, Donald Trump never participated in the creation of any instructional content and never reviewed any curricula. The Attorney General further maintained that the instructors had been inadequately vetted and in fact had little or no experience in real estate investing, instead having prior work experience such as food service management and graphic design.
What is more, according to the Attorney General, the free seminars were merely an instrument through which instructors would induce students to enroll in increasingly expensive seminars, starting with a three-day $1,495 seminar. The Attorney General averred that although Trump University speakers represented that the three-day seminar would teach students all they needed to know to be successful real estate investors, the instructors at those three-day seminars then engaged in a "bait and switch," telling students that they needed to attend yet another seminar for an additional $5,000 in order to learn more about particular lenders. Instructors at the three-day seminars are also alleged to have engaged in a bait-and-switch by urging students to sign up for "Trump mentorship packages, which ranged anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000" and supposedly provided "the only way to succeed in real estate investment."
The Attorney General also averred that individual respondents Donald Trump and Michael Sexton were each personally involved with the founding of Trump University. Trump, the Attorney General maintains, conceded that he had "significant involvement with both the operation and overall business strategy of Trump University," including "attending frequent meetings" with Sexton to "discuss Trump University operations." Further, Trump's photographs and signature appeared on all of Trump University's advertising; according to testimony from Sexton, Trump personally reviewed and approved all the ads that were in the newspapers....
For-profit college company DeVry Education Group announced last week that the Chancellor of the University of California-Davis, Linda Katehi, had joined its board of directors. Today, after facing criticism from public interest organizations and a California legislator, Katehi quit the DeVry board.
The Federal Trade Commission sued DeVry in January for alleged deceptive advertising. The company also has been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education and the attorneys general of Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York. DeVry last year received $1.47 billion in taxpayer dollars from federal student grants and loans.
On February 22, DeVry announced that Katehi and Ann Weaver Hart, president of the University of Arizona, had joined its board. The company pays board members $70,000 a year, plus stock worth about $100,000. A DeVry press release quoted Katehi as saying, "DeVry Group's goal to enable a quality learning experience that inspires and educates students to be our next generation of leaders is essential to our nation's progress."
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Today, Katehi sent a three-sentence letter to DeVry board chair Christopher Begley that stated, "in light of a variety of other issues that have come to the fore, I have determined that I am unable to serve."
Officials of the non-profit groups Consumer Watchdog, the Center for Public Interest Law, the Veterans Legal Clinic, the Center for Responsible Lending, and Housing and Economic Rights Advocates sent a letter to Katehi this morning asking her to quit the DeVry board. They wrote, "your position of fiduciary trust on the board of a company that is currently subject to numerous and deeply troubling investigations, including two federal actions filed in January alleging deceptive practices harmful to students and taxpayers, is inimical to your position of trust as a leader and officer of the University of California." (Disclosure: I am a consultant to the Center for Public Interest Law, although I was not aware of the letter until after it was released.)
California state Assemblyman Kevin McCarty also wrote to Katehi, stating, "The DeVry Education Group is a publicly traded, for-profit education institution that will always put its profits before its students. In the last few years, the state of California has enacted policies to protect students from predatory instititutions such as DeVry."
In 2013, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta quit the board of for-profit Corinthian Colleges after criticism from Republic Report and, a month later, a Los Angeles Times columnist. Panetta had served on that board for eleven weeks before resigning.
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It's not surprising that DeVry was seeking validation by adding college presidents to its board. On January 27, the Federal Trade Commission sued DeVry University for allegedly misleading students about job placement rates and salaries for the school's graduates. The FTC complaint, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, alleges, "Through the use of English and Spanish-language advertisements and other marketing materials, and during sales pitches with prospective students [DeVry has] made deceptive representations about the benefits of obtaining a degree."
The complaint focuses on claims that DeVry repeatedly made in its TV, radio, online, print and other advertising: that 90 percent of DeVry graduates actively seeking employment got jobs in their field within six months of graduation; and that DeVry graduates had 15 percent higher incomes one year after graduation on average than the graduates of all other colleges or universities. The FTC asserts that these claims were deceptive.
The complaint alleges DeVry counted many graduates as working "in their field" when they were not:
a business administration graduate working as a server at the Cheesecake Factory restaurant;
graduates who majored in technical management working as unpaid volunteer positions at medical centers;
a business administration graduate with a health care management specialization working as a car salesman.
The complaint also alleges that DeVry counted as placed in jobs graduates who were working in the same jobs they held prior to enrolling at DeVry.
The Commission voted 4-0 to file the lawsuit.
In a related action, the U.S. Department of Education gave notice to DeVry to stop certain advertising regarding student employment outcomes. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell said at the time that the Department was pursuing "an ongoing investigation, a complex investigation of DeVry."
DeVry said the FTC's complaint "is without valid legal basis" and adding, "DeVry Education Group intends to vigorously contest a complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission, challenging the employment and earnings outcomes of DeVry University graduates." DeVry also said it would request a hearing to contest the Department of Education's action.
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Devry CEO Daniel Hamburger received $5.7 million in total compensation from the company in 2014.
No word on the future of University of Arizona president Hart's service on the DeVry board.
When I was four, the pronunciation of my last name suddenly changed. We went from the "Sol-EHR" family in Harlem, the place where I grew up and went to church, to the "SO-ler" family in Westchester County, the place where my parents moved us to in search of a better life.
Both were me, but the accents were in two completely different places. One sounded foreign while the other sounded like home.
My parents never told me why our name changed, and honestly, I never questioned it. Now as an adult, I wonder why I didn't ask.
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With kids of my own now, I see how much influence I have on their lives. Both my husband and I encourage our girls to confidently comment or question life (that includes what we as parents do.) I'm positive that if I pronounced my married name (our family name) incorrectly, they'd probably publicly correct me or at the very least they'd ask me why I pronounced it wrong -- and I like that about them!
I was raised a bit more traditionally. I knew there were times to speak and times to hold my tongue. I don't recall a single instance where I questioned either one of my parents on the way things were. They just... were.
I went with the flow and took the "road of less resistance." From a very young age, I mispronounced my name. This went on for years. That's why after I married my gringo, I hesitated taking his name. It wasn't because I didn't want to, but rather because I felt I needed to reclaim my maiden name. Hyphenating seemed more like a nuisance. So what was I to do?
I had other concerns too. I was afraid that if I let the Sol-EHR name be replaced with my married name, then somehow, I was letting my Latina-ness slip away again -- this time by my own accord. However obscure sounding that is, it was mine and I didn't want to let it go.
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Perhaps because I spent my whole young life mispronouncing it, I felt like I owed it to myself and my Latina identity to honor it by keeping my name and more than anything, pronouncing it properly.
And so, my name is Denise Soler (Sol-EHR) Cox. I liken it now to the melody of a song. The name my parents chose for me has resonance, meaning and connection. It's my very own Latina theme song.
Dating back to the 70s, many chose to change their melodies in the spirit of making it "easier" for others to pronounce their name or in response to racial intolerance (or the fear of it). My parents were no different. They introduced that new melody, all in the name of assimilation.
Of course this was not discussed; it just was. I'm not sure how, but on some level, I understood what was happening and why they were so deliberate about changing (our) song. I realized just how much I'd embraced the American Soler melody when I visited my family in Puerto Rico and they told me I sounded too "Americana."
At 22, I moved to Miami to re-root me in my song. In Miami, Soler is a common Cuban name and mispronouncing it isn't tolerated. I mispronounced it once and was quickly corrected by the receptionist on the other line.
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I never made that mistaken again.
For starters, I recognized and accepted that I had let my melody fade away. Starting with my name and other identity compromises along the way, I had let go of everything that made me the Latina that I am today.
This was not okay and I refused to allow it to continue.
By reclaiming the pronunciation of my name, I was indirectly and directly reclaiming my culture.
That day in Miami, I got an earful on that call. That receptionist schooled me in my theme song. She scolded me for changing the melody and charged me with the responsibility of holding onto my culture. That day was the turning point of the rest of my life.
Ultimately, I decided to honor Soler (Sol-EHR) by making it my legal middle name and making Cox, my husband's name, my official last name.
So let me be that receptionist for you. Next time you pronounce something with a more "American accent" ask yourself, "Is it worth making something easier for the dominant culture, if it changes the melody for one person, two people or an entire group? Is it acceptable to have Carlos become Charles or Juan become John?
We now know that over the past two years, children and families in Flint, MI have been exposed to dangerously high levels of lead in their water. We know too that this lead exposure has likely caused irreparable damage to children and that the problem itself - lead leaching pipes that carry water into the homes of Flint families - will not be easily fixed.
So what next for the children of Flint, MI?
I spent a week in Flint, MI in February and was amazed at the can-do attitude and resolve of the people of this struggling city. I arrived as part of a team from Children's Health Fund, and we had been asked to consider getting involved in the Flint Emergency Response by Federal and State Officials due to our history of responding effectively in similar crisis situations. We deployed to Flint quickly, bringing with us resources, skills and tools that included a mobile medical clinic for use in serving those children most in need. What we found was not a city desperate for a quick fix, but a collective sense of resolve to do the right thing for children and families over the long haul. This community could not have met a more receptive partner than Children's Health Fund.
We spent a week listening and learning about the situation and what was being done. One of the main takeaways is that while the water bottles, filters, other temporary band aids are welcome, what Children's Health Fund can do, and will do, is to focus on supporting three critical areas where addressing short term immediate needs strategically becomes foundational to long term solutions.
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Priority #1: Lead testing for children
With lead poisoning linked to various mental and physical health issues, especially in children under age five, worried parents are demanding immediate screenings for these potentially devastating conditions.
Response: Children's Health Fund is working closely with local providers to ensure that lead screenings of all pediatric patients who might climb aboard the mobile clinic are done within a larger "wrap around" effort to make sure children are connected to a medical home for continuity of care. The lead test itself is a simple blood test, completed with a finger prick or by drawing blood from a vein. This immediate response is expected to last three months, guided by community-level demand. What is critical is that the lead testing campaign be used to bring children and families into longer term care and not be disruptive to their regular health care access.
Priority #2: Mental health support
Mental health support is the most acute need for the children of Flint and their families. The community needs reassurance, empathy and trauma-informed care to begin to heal from the traumatic events of the past couple years. The toxic stress that the children of Flint and their families have been exposed to requires immediate and long-term support.
Response: Children's Health Fund is working with partners to develop and implement an effective mobile mental health program in coordination with providers from the Genesee Health System. Direct services provided by Children's Health Fund could include technical assistance in program design and quality assurance with program staff being employed, licensed, managed, and supervised locally. In addition, a mobile unit that has been used in both the Katrina and Sandy Hurricane responses designed specifically to provide mental health services is available for immediate deployment to Flint to provide an additional asset for use in the response.
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Children's Health Fund will be deploying pediatric trauma and resiliency experts who directed our mental health focused crisis responses since 9/11. This immediate response is expected to last 12 months, guided by community-level assessments.
Priority #3: Getting kids into an accelerated primary care regimen for the long term
Long after the immediate crisis is over, children exposed to lead can suffer negative intellectual or behavioral consequences. Providing access to comprehensive health care is essential to optimizing the health and wellbeing of Flint's at-risk children.
Response: Children's Health Fund supports minimizing the effects of exposure, and maximizing the long term needs of children in Flint by identifying, managing and treating any other health barriers to learning that they may have. The Children's Health Fund model is to create a long term, supportive mobile program to further reduce access barriers and facilitate the integration of vulnerable school-age children into a comprehensive medical home model of care. Working at community sites like schools and Head Start programs, the mobile program would conduct screenings for other chronic conditions that have been proven to undermine academic success and wellbeing--such as vision and hearing deficits, uncontrolled asthma, and behavior problems. Under the direction of local partners, the mobile program can become a vital part of the current system of care, enhancing--not disrupting--the local capacity. Again, direct services would be provided through local partners and program staff will be employed, licensed, managed, and supervised locally.
A Changing Student Demographic
Many boarding schools have found it difficult to consistently maintain full enrollments. Mercersburg was founded as a boys' school in 1893; it added girls in 1969 to counter a shrinking male applicant pool. When the coeducational pool also began to dwindle in the nineties, globalization came to the rescue. The number of international students increased from a handful in the early nineties to 100 in SY2012 - 27% of the boarding enrollment - a significant number, but still below the 34% national average reported by TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools.).
The schools all sing from the same hymnal on how much they believe international students enrich the educational experience of their American counterparts. And there is much truth in the lyrics. But the paltry rate at which financial aid is offered to international students raises serious doubts about the depth of that belief. The economic diversity schools claim to desire in their student bodies seems to extend through financial aid only as far as the U.S. border. At a number of boarding schools, it is what the almost exclusively full-paying international students add to the bottom line that matters most. The very survival of some schools depends upon them.
And, remember that $13,194 per student subsidy to Mercersburg in 2012 ... from American governments? Well, each of the school's 100 non-American students received the same stipend from the same source. Taxpayers might be surprised to learn that so much of the generous subsidy they provide wealthy schools is used to underwrite rich international students.
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There is nothing underhanded about the tax benefits wealthy non-profits receive. It was my experience that Mercersburg's governing board was keenly aware of its legal boundaries and stayed comfortably within them. I have no doubt that other wealthy institutions act similarly. If there is anything wrong with what you have read thus far, it is to be found in U.S. tax policy.
How to Make Things Right
Despite the fact that over 99% of Americans now have incomes closer to zero than to the top income, neither the public nor its elected representatives can seem to agree that anything should be done about it. The economic inequality created among non-profits by bad tax policy is not well known or understood and unlikely to raise the public eyebrow.
But some good thinking has been done on this matter. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has proposed a second tier of charitable deduction - only 50% - for gifts to "wealthy" charities. The definition of "wealthy" would vary according to the category of the charity. ("Wealthy charity" was once, of course, an oxymoron.)
The Massachusetts legislature in 2008 considered taxing colleges 2.5% annually on all endowment funds in excess of one billion dollars (Harvard's tab would have been about $800 million.) The Great Recession put a quick end to that talk.
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There was more recently a proposal in Congress to impose a 25% tax on non-profits themselves for all pay in excess of $1 million per year per employee. This idea has some appeal, but why limit the fun to non-profits? Wouldn't the Fortune 500 companies want equal treatment of their CEO's?
To address charges of "hoarding" by colleges that spend too frugally from their endowments, Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa proposed a minimum endowment spending rate of 5% a year, the same rate as for foundations. A recent New York Times piece suggests 8%.
Tax-free investment income for wealthy non-profits makes as much sense to me as taxing investment income to individuals at a lower rate than ordinary income. Non-profits have long been taxed on earned income from operations unrelated to their purposes (such as the sale of sweatshirts.) Why not apply the same principle to non-profit investment income, which is just as surely unrelated to their purposes?
Why not a progressive tax, based on the value of a non-profit's assets - real estate, collections, endowment (per student), etc.? Generous tax reductions could be given to those that find creative ways to afford significant access to the poor or middle class.
And what is the minimum number of international students needed in a school to assure all students an optimal learning experience? Is it reasonable for the United States to subsidize the education of any more than that number?
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Wealthy schools and colleges can certainly withstand reduced tax advantages without harm to their people, plants, or programs. Sadly, while comprehensive tax reform is so clearly needed, Congress has no stomach for tampering with a tax system its wealthy backers have come to know and love.
In Closing
Having benefitted personally from the aforementioned inequities before raising this red flag, I also plead guilty of something we all dislike - suggesting how others could pay more tax, even a place that enriched my life in ways more important than money.
It is not surprising to me that our last six presidential candidates are private school products. Nearly four decades of interaction with Mercersburg students and alumni left me with great pride in the character, sense of civic responsibility, and world views our graduates develop.
I know of no more ideal environment for teaching or learning than Mercersburg's. There is indeed much at Mercersburg and at the Harvards of the world that is worth modeling. But big tax advantages over less well-off institutions are not among them.
Men are mortal (women, too!) And one reason the estate tax was created was to make it harder - or at least not easy - for the wealth we accumulate to survive on its own into succeeding generations. Back then, we believed that our children should make their own marks on society. That notion still resonates with me.
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Schools and colleges, by contrast, are not necessarily mortal. They can live forever, and the richest may keep getting richer ... but it is my firm belief that, absent meaningful competition, they will not get better.
Our failure to rein in the accelerating accumulation of wealth, ad infinitum, by the richest schools and colleges, does not bode well for the future of U.S. education. It does not bode well, either, for the public's perception of wealthy institutions. People might become disappointed and upset, as I was, to realize just how much of that wealth comes from them.
Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Barely an hour after Justice Scalia's death was confirmed, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement rejecting any judge President Obama chose to nominate to the Supreme Court.
At that point, the President hadn't even announced his intention to fill the vacancy on our highest court.
It's a sad state of affairs that the highest ranking Republican in the Senate would politicize the Court in such a grotesque way when many of us were still learning of Justice Scalia's passing.
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But this is par for the course for the Republicans. On issue after issue, debate after debate, they continue to solidify their reputation as the party of "no," to the detriment of this great nation.
Senate Republicans continue to maintain that they will deny a confirmation hearing to any individual nominated by President Obama to serve on the Supreme Court.
This is part of the Republican political agenda to disrupt the work of government when it does not align with their far-right ideology.
It is a thinly-veiled attempt to obstruct the nomination process in hopes of packing the Supreme Court with conservative justices who will roll back the progress our nation has made, from marriage equality to reproductive rights.
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We have already seen what is at stake here. In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act--a major setback for civil rights and voting rights, and a major blow to fundamental democracy in this country.
The president has a constitutional responsibility to nominate a successor to Justice Scalia.
The Senate also has a constitutional responsibility--to give the nominee a fair hearing and a timely vote.
This is about democracy and protecting the institution of the Supreme Court.
What we are seeing from Republicans is a clear pattern of obstruction. They have shut down the government, and now they have halted the nomination process before it has even begun.
This divisiveness is an insult to the American people, who deserve to have their nation's highest court working at full capacity.
Republicans have said that there is no precedent for confirming a Supreme Court nominee during an election year. That is blatantly wrong: six Justices have been confirmed in presidential election years, including three Republican appointees.
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What is unprecedented in modern history is denying the President of the United States a hearing or vote on a nomination to the Supreme Court.
And yet that's what the Republican plan is.
It's hard not to see this as an effort to delegitimize the nation's first black president.
Republicans have been trying to derail President Obama ever since he took office.
And now, whoever ends up being nominated for the Supreme Court, regardless of qualifications, will be rejected simply because he or she is an Obama nominee.
The disdain Republicans have for Obama is so great that they are willing to trample on the U.S. Constitution to prevent him from appointing a judge to the Supreme Court.
The U.S. Constitution--the very document that Republicans like to accuse the President of ignoring--states that the president "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint... Judges of the supreme court."
Not only does he have the right, he has a duty to appoint a judge to the Court.
Now, President Obama made clear that he seeks judges "who approach decisions without any particular ideology or agenda, but rather a commitment to impartial justice, a respect for precedent, and a determination to faithfully apply the law to the facts at hand."
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There is nothing radical about the President's position. His comments speak to his respect for the law and the seriousness he brings to the nomination process.
Republicans must do their job as it relates to that process--earnestly debate and then vote on the person nominated by the President.
There are many hotly debated issues in our country--immigration, gun reform, health care, campaign finance; issues that necessitate the maximum strength of the Supreme Court.
The American people deserve far better than attempts by Republican politicians in Washington to stack the Supreme Court with far-right judges who will forgo impartial justice to advance the conservative agenda.
They expect their government to work for them, and Senate Republicans must meet that expectation by swiftly filling the vacancy on the Court.
At a time politicians make a mockery of American values, I suggest an uplifting homework exercise: read the Declaration of legal scholar John E. Davidson, submitted in support of the suit that 21 young people and I have filed against the Federal government for not protecting the rights of young people by effectively addressing human-made climate change. (I have submitted a Supplemental Declaration to my prior Declaration, the supplement addressing the precatory COP-21 agreement, whose wishful thinking neither resolves nor ameliorates the crisis from the dangerous human-caused disruption of the climate system - but let's defer science to a later Communication for the sake of appreciating the brilliance of Davidson's declaration.)
Davidson's declaration builds from discussion of basic principles extending back to Greek and Roman law articulated, e.g., by Cicero, through elaborations on intergenerational rights and justice articulated by English theorists such as John Locke, in a crescendo to pervasive concern of American founders for "unalienable" rights of future generations, expressed in their letters, the Virginia Bill of Rights, and ultimately in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
When we first filed a case several years ago, it had a feeling of trying to draw attention to an injustice, but almost a long shot that it would lead to effective action, and indeed the case was ultimately stopped in the DC District Court. Now the case has a broad powerful foundation, including a basis in the most fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution. One cannot read Davidson's Declaration without concluding that we can and will win this time.
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Our Federal government has temporarily lost its way, ignoring clear scientific warnings of extreme danger for young people, absurdly "discounting" the well-being of whole future generations for the sake of the few powerful individuals today, externalizing costs of fossil fuels today onto the backs of young people, babes, and the unborn.
Incredibly, the principal perpetrators (American Petroleum Institute, National Association of Manufacturers, and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers) have chosen to join the Federal government as Intervenor Defendants. I believe these are the same clandestine funders of the "I am an Energy Voter" campaign. Now we have them all in the same foxhole.
On March 9 there will be a hearing in the United States District Court in Eugene Oregon in which the United States Federal government and the Intervenor Defendants ask that the case be dismissed. Unless justice has entirely deserted our land, the kids will win this, and eventually the case will reach the Supreme Court.
I find myself very perturbed. The old adage, "people that live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" springs to mind whilst reading Mr Weiss' comments on the 23rd Feb.
He has thrown several accusations in Turkey's name, and has quoted sources that suggest Turkey supports ISIL, works with them, "fuels the ISIS war machine".
Where is the evidence? His political scaremongering, which is what this amounts to, will not cause Turkey to stand down from the terrorists that are infiltrating her borders.
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Mr Weiss, however, sits comfortably in his office, thousands of miles away from the troubles, writing sweeping statements, and making suggestions that a new state be formed. This making of decisions on behalf of the already traumatized Syrians and further overwhelming them by a new state, run by who exactly? Did anyone ask the Syrians what they would like? Why is Mr Weiss not advocating the support of Syrians in Syria, instead of suggesting to cause even more conflict by separating different groups, when they have already been living together? Is it better to do that than actually deal with the real problem, the barbaric leader of Syria, his armed attack on civilians and all with the support of Russia? Surely Theodore Achilles must be turning in his grave.
A country which sees itself as the "land of the free & home of the brave" should be leading in helping out more than 4 million Syrians who had to abandon their homes, villages & neighborhoods.
Turkey is currently hosting more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees. We are actively giving them new meaning to a life that many thought they had lost. Those people now have opportunities to be safe with their families, to rebuild their life in schools, at work, at home, with new friends. The United States has given a large amount of financial assistance to help Syrians, but has accepted only 2,768 refugees so far.
Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken recently said the US is planning to take another ten thousand refugees. I hope that decision can be implemented before Mr. Trump finds a way to sabotage it or, God forbid, veto it.
Did you know one of the most dangerous animals on the planet is the hippo? Yes! Statistically, hippos actually kill anywhere from 500 to 3,000 people every year, while sharks kill less than 1 person annually. Sadly, there is a unique species of "HiPPO" that destroys the lives of thousands of people each year. This perilous beast also has the potential to kill any business nearly instantly.
If you've been in business for a while, you've seen the damage a HiPPO - the Highest Paid Person's Opinion - can cause in a matter of minutes. Nobody is 100% certain who first muttered the term under their breath during an executive meeting, but the first confirmed "sighting" of the species on the World "Wild" Web was this email exchange between Avinash Kaushik and then Microsoft employee Ronny Kohavi.
Encounters often unfold like this: you're in a business environment where there is a consensus of well-researched data, when a HiPPO comes trampling through, jaws agape, and tears that informed consensus limb from limb. Have you ever experienced the disappointment of having conducted focus groups, customer surveys, and extensive data analysis only to watch as a HiPPO brushes aside this precious information and overrides the expert consensus with brute force? Many good businesses and ideas have died an early death from the devastating effects of a hungry hungry HiPPO.
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That's why Ritvij Gautam is on a mission to kill wild HiPPOs.
Since his company's inception a mere 18 months ago, Ritvij, or Rit, has methodically constructed a fine-tuned tranquilizer "dart" designed to calm and overcome a HiPPO's natural tendency to make irrational decisions.
This new HiPPO killer is a "Software as a Service" (SaaS) company called TryMyUI. TryMyUI offers website usability services and usability testing software that empowers companies of all sizes to measure and improve the user experience of their websites and applications in a cost-efficient manner.
In today's information age, people know what they want and like, and that's fostered a sense of consumer entitlement and a demand for instant gratification. With the increasing impatience of the online consumer and instant access to a variety of alternatives, it's easy for a company's website to lose the attention of its visitors quickly.
With more businesses allocating their advertising dollars to digital marketing, social media, and website development over traditional channels like print and radio, the World Wide Web has become an intensely competitive space where the customer largely sits in the driver's seat, and can quickly research which products and services will best suit their needs. Consumers know what they want, and they want everything... NOW. How else can you explain the success of the Amazon Prime program, or the launch of the company's same-day delivery services in major cities?
Caption: Google is already showing people's impatience with Amazon's same-day deliveries!
Savvy companies and entrepreneurs are quickly realizing that they must do whatever they can to help their website visitors find what they want, do it fast, and have the best possible user experience. If companies can empower potential customers to save precious time and enjoy their website experience, they will likely see a significant increase in sales.
The first challenge for the company is to tame the dangerous HiPPO, who frequently claims the website or application works well already and that there is no need to allocate resources to improve the user experience. The second challenge is to confront the actual, time consuming task of identifying and addressing the problems that do indeed plague the website or application.
That is why businesses are now realizing the need to invest in user testing services and usability testing software. As Rit explains, people ranging from solopreneurs to C-Level Executives are looking for a competitive advantage to win the attention of people on the web, improve ROI on product development, and kill off the wild and power-hungry HiPPOs that run roughshod over solid market research and consumer feedback.
Here's the full interview with Ritvij Gautam, covering the value of user testing and how TryMyUI.com has benefited small companies, like a woman who painted pictures of other people's pets, to large, household brands including Amazon, NBC Universal, Bose, and Priceline. He also provides a very brief tour of the system's user interface and the benefits that the software provides.
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When I asked Ritvij why more companies are not investing more in user testing, he responded that the analysis of the testing data requires a significant amount of time, time that most sprint/deadline driven companies struggle to optimize for. TryMyUI's culture is one of constant dedication to improving the usability data analytics process. They continually develops new tools and approaches for fitting the crucial research process into a collaborative, iterative and deadline driven design process.
He cites these features as valuable time-savers that make user testing easier for companies to implement:
Collaborative Analytics suite with tags and timestamps to sort, categorize and share insights with the team.
Easy-to-understand dashboards with usability scores and grades
A sprint based user testing process to test design changes on an iterative basis
Charts to identify which task on the website or app vexes users the most
UXCrowd to display a visual hierarchy of feedback
User voting system to aggregate feedback and to prioritize which problems to resolve first
In the interview, Rit specifically referenced how web designers and developers have used TryMyUI as a means to overcome people's (HiPPOs'!) resistance to change by sharing user test videos, feedback, and visual reports. For example, TryMyUI's Diagnostics dashboard helps to visualize the pain points visitors experience when using the website; this often diffuses a subjective debate about a HiPPO's perception of a design element by offering an objective data set that points to real flaws with the design decision.
It's crazy to think that a CEO, founder, or entrepreneur would give more value to their own opinion and judgement than that of their own customers, but according to this Harvard Business Review study, "more than one third of the respondents say their managers rely on judgment [instead of data] to make decisions."
However, Ritvij believes usability testing will play an integral role in giving companies an advantage in the intensely competitive online world, giving as an example the story of how NBC Universal tested their own Access Hollywood website AND their competitor's websites. This provided them with key insights on how they could provide a superior user experience and win visitors' business.
When asked about his predictions for future trends in digital marketing in general, Ritvij responded that user-centric native advertising and UX-optimized sales funnels will likely be a major factor in success, to ensure that the user's experience organically flows to the intended conversion goals. He points out that evaluating and improving user experience is
"essential to maximize the value of the marketing budget."
For more information about TryMyUI, you can visit their user testing blog, or follow them on Twitter.
People ask me -- specifically Asian-Americans ask me -- why Asian-Americans face such hatred, bullying, and disrespect. Their questions have become more numerous and urgent. Although I once wrote a book about this subject, I claim no expertise. Allow me to offer an answer to open discussion.
Asian-Americans are an easy target for three reasons. Asian-Americans are perceived as perpetual foreigners; Asian-Americans are viewed as "the model minority;" and race is framed in a literally black-and-white paradigm. My hypothesis is as follows.
First, Asian-Americans are perceived as perpetual foreigners. Asian-Americans have been here for generations. Hardly anybody acknowledges that. Asian-Americans themselves are unaware. We have been written out of history books. There were Asian soldiers on both sides of the Civil War. Major influxes of Chinese arrived alongside Irish starting in the middle of the nineteenth-century, but the former were characterized as "sojourners" only temporarily taking advantage of the benefits of the New World. Asian-Americans built half the transcontinental railroad that united the continent. Some Asian-Americans even trace their family tree to the Mayflower, thanks to intermarriage. Asian-Americans include adoptees with white parents, fundamentalist Christians, those with Southern accents, and many others whose stories are very much rooted on these shores.
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Yet from the Exclusion era, when openly racial laws were passed prohibiting migration and even naturalization of those who had come properly, Asian immigrants have been described as inscrutable, an invading force, and hence forever an enemy within. The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, two-thirds of them native-born citizens of this nation, was carried out on that suspicion of potential treason. German Americans and Italian Americans were not similarly treated, due to their political power (except in individual situations of people who by and large were in fact foreigners). The constant concern about Asian "spies" in incidents such as Wen Ho Lee (pre-9/11, called the worst-ever violation of national security) and even more recent examples, spectacularly failed prosecutions that have embarrassed the federal government for its lack of proof and abundance of racial profiling, show that the mistrust of Asian-Americans endures as a shadow on our equality.
The assumption that Asian-Americans are not "real" Americans, reflected in the persistent question of "where are you really from?" allows even people who proclaim themselves anti-racist to excuse their own bigotry. Here is how it works. People agree that racism is wrong. But they accept nativism as normal. There is a difference, they insist, between those who are citizens and those who are foreigners. Xenophobia, it seems, is integral to maintaining borders.
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Many Asian-Americans would agree that citizens and foreigners are not alike. They would be even more adamant about the distinction. But because race has been used explicitly, and continues to be used implicitly, to demarcate who is a native, that means that racism can be readily concealed by patriotism. Instead of regarding anti-Asian-American bias as being about race, people treat it as being about citizenship. But that is possible if and only if Asian-Asians (the people who live overseas) and Asian-Americans (who call our democracy their homeland) are lumped together as if we all "look alike," even as Asian-Americans are separated from other Americans, for then people can shrug off their own ideals. After all, foreigners have no standing to object. They are guests at best, and in any event they can always go back to where they came from.
Second, Asian-Americans are viewed as "the model minority." The myth is that Asian-Americans are uniformly "overachievers." They might have come with nothing but the shirts on their backs. But with their work ethic, and without complaining about civil rights, they have made it. They have average household higher than others, including whites.
This notion is wrong for so many reasons. That objection isn't to take anything away from those who have earned accolades for what they themselves have done to realize the American Dream. It's merely to say that a generalization about a race is suspect even if it appears positive. The statistics aggregate people of multiple ethnicities: Southeast Asian refugees look much more like African-Americans and Hispanics in demographic terms. It does not account for the selective effects of migration: the difficulty acquiring a green card produces "brain drain," an influx of those who human capital, actual money, or both. (Or, for that matter, the horrible effects of discrimination. Asian-Americans and African-Americans cannot be compared in any objectively fair manner, setting aside qualms about group comparisons, because they face discrete forms of intolerance.)
Yet the worst aspect of this false flattery is how it excuses selective sympathy and generates racial resentment. If virtually all Asian-Americans are doing well, enjoying a life more luxurious than where they really belong not to mention far better than their co-workers or neighbors, then they do not need any empathy. Just the opposite: they are a threat. In our culture that celebrates the underdog, perhaps someone who is conspicuously comfortable deserves to be reminded of their place -- in the vernacular, they need to be "taken down a notch."
Ironically, the antipathy toward Asian-Americans enables its own denial. The feeling is that Asian-Americans have more than their fair share. That leads to anger.
Third, race is framed as literally black and white. It is possible to embrace the historic Black Civil Rights Movement as just that, primarily a fight for African-American equality -- albeit with localized efforts by and on behalf of Latinos and Native Americans, and, yes, even Asian-Americans, supported by progressive whites, including especially religious outsiders such as American Jews and Quakers -- but to request that other people of color be included in the ongoing struggle, if only to form coalitions with greater likelihood of winning, and to prevent being set against one another. The tradition since "white" became an identity, however, has been to understand race in America as a drama of only a single color line, a simple division of black from white, if not vice versa. That was not always the case. There was a time, a long time, when those who were "ethnic" were not fully white but had a status of their own, when a family would name itself "Polish" and in turn be called worse. Then, there were multiple gradations of hierarchy, no better but to be sure more subtle.
What happens when race is defined as black and white is people, whole communities, are expelled. They are forced out. In a contest of suffering, their grievance cannot be as great -- never mind that their suffering might well be real. It is dismissed in the abstract. Being neither black nor white means not counting, not quite, as minority or majority.
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For my friends who are Asian-American, I close by being provocative. We are complicit. We have contributed to each of the factors I have identified. While most of us assimilate more than anyone else gives us credit for and sometimes that very adaptation generates further backlash, there also is a basis for anxieties about some Asians whose affiliations here are not strong. In spite of most of us being ordinary as must be true, a few of us promote the notion that we are superior to others by biology or culture or force of destiny -- and we likely will take over the world. All too many of us prefer to avoid these issues, leaving protest to other minorities as we pursue self-interest.
The challenge is what it always has been: civic engagement, The responsibility to participate in self-governance is difficult to impress upon busy, cynical people, much less Asian-Americans in particular. That is what our society depends on: involvement in public life, as crazy as it might be. The stereotype of Asian-Americans portrays them as polite, deferential, submissive, and passive (this is changing over time, to an image of hoards of mainland Chinese tourists grabbing luxury brand-name merchandise). To the extent there is a germ of truth to the generalization, exaggerated and distorted though it may be, it has roots in Asian culture that encourages fidelity to tradition and deference to authority. We don't fight back, not effectively anyway.
The Jamaican lottery scam is one of the most pernicious scams around. It largely targets the elderly, because they have accumulated their money over a lifetime, are often isolated and lonely, and sometimes are suffering from dementia. So they are especially vulnerable when a caller excitedly calls to tell them "You have won a million dollar lottery." But first they have to come up with some funds for taxes and other fees which they can send, usually by Western Union or MoneyGram, so they can get their winnings. But, of course, the prize never arrives, and some victims have lost their life savings or hundreds of thousands of dollars; a few even committed suicide after realizing what they lost.
The scam has snared thousands of Americans each year at a cost of $300 million a year and has been going on for over a decade, according to Laura Northrup in the Consumerist. http://consumerist.com/2015/10/08/lottery-scam-victims-send-300-million-to-jamaica-each-year It is estimated that the scammers make as many as 30,000 phone calls a day to the U.S., typically from the 876 area code and often using a disposable cellphone, making the calls difficult to trace, as Steve Weisman, a lawyer and professor at Bentley University, points out in a USA Today article. Some scammers use spoofing, so it appears that the caller is in the U.S.
Ironically, many scammers were trained in customer call centers established in Jamaica in the 1990s by legitimate U.S. and Canadian companies, including airlines, car insurers, computer manufacturers, and credit card companies, as Toble Stanger writes in Consumer Reports. The young Jamaicans were trained in customer service and learned how to communicate effectively with the people they called. Then, in the 1990s, the lottery scam began when some employees put the empathy skills they learned to target the elderly. Now even young kids want to grow up to become lottery scammers, because they see the scammers driving nice cars, owning big houses, and all they have to do is make some calls.
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The scammers get the names of prospective victims from people who develop lead lists, and typically they make cold calls announcing some great news, such as "You just won $3 million dollars." Once a victim sends them any money to get the winnings, the scammers call again and again with reasons to send more and more money. Some even use web-based tools, such as Google Earth, to find out details about their victims, such as what their home looks like, or they may research potential victims on websites, such as Instant Checkmate, to learn previous home addresses and other personal information. If victims balk at sending more money, the scammers may threaten to kill family members or rape their grandchildren, as Wayne Drash, notes in a CNN article: Driven to Death by Phone Scammers. Sometimes the scammers pose as law enforcement officers or government officials investigating the scam, and the victim has to pay for that, too, such as for the cost of collecting evidence or making a claim.
So what are the signs you have been targeted by a lottery scammer? Here are some tips provided by the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica.
- You get a phone call from a stranger telling you that you have won the lottery, which you didn't enter, and you have to pay some fees or taxes to get the prize. Usually, you have to wire the money through Western Union or a MoneyGram - sometimes to Jamaica or sometimes to an accomplice at a U.S. address.
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- The caller claims to be doing you a "service" by allowing you to pay upfront fees, so you can avoid additional taxes, paperwork, hassles, and lawyers.
- If you have sent some money, the caller will tell you stories about why you urgently need to send more money and suggest creative ways you can obtain it, including selling property and taking out loans, so you will get your big windfall.
- If you don't submit any funds, the scammers may appear to become angry and make threats, such as reporting you to the IRS, police, or causing you or your family bodily harm.
- Scammers may later pose as government officials or lawyers, claiming you have to pay for their services to help with your case, reclaim your scammed funds, or protect you from being subject to criminal prosecution.
What can you do to avoid being scammed and help to stop the scam?
- Hang up and stop all communication with the scammers. If the caller calls again, tell him or her not to call anymore.
- If the caller is persistent, say you will report the calls to the authorities and hang up. You can also try to block their calls or consider changing your phone number.
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- Don't send any money via Western Union, MoneyGram, or other money transfer services.
- Even if you get a check, it will probably be fraudulent, and a banker may be able to tell you this. In any case, don't cash it or pay any money out, thinking you have been reimbursed, since after about 2-3 weeks, the bank will discover the fraud, and you will not only be out the money but could be subject to a charge of bank fraud yourself.
- Don't believe any threats to harm you, your family, or your grandkids, since the scammers are most likely in another country, and any U.S. or Canadian confederates would be unlikely to risk carrying out such a threat.
- Contact the law enforcement officials who investigate or prosecute such phone scams. These include the Federal Trade Commission's online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP. You can also inform the U.S. Embassy in Kingston and the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
"First rule of maintaining a healthy marriage while parenting an infant is nothing thats said between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. can be held against you."
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles during a news conference before a rally in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
They're not. It's March 2016, and Donald Trump is running away with the GOP primaries. A statistical model that has only been wrong once since 1904 points to Trump winning the presidency. We're asking ourselves the same question now that we have been asking since last summer: When is this joke going to end?
All the adjectives that can be used to describe Trump have been said already. Criticisms of him at this point seem tired. America -- and the whole world -- is well aware of the plethora of garbage qualities that make up his persona. Yet, he's the clear frontrunner for a GOP party that is currently the world's laughingstock.
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Do you want to know what white privilege is?
White privilege is being able to entertain Trump's ideas. It's being able to openly support Donald Trump because you know that even when it all goes to shit? You'll be safe. You'll be fine. Trump hates minorities, not you.
White privilege is being able to fish for excuses to support his archaic and xenophobic views.
White privilege is the ability to not be terrified of a Trump presidency because it won't really affect you -- not like it will affect the minorities that Trump has been demonizing for months now.
Don't think this privilege is limited to conservatives, either. The lack of understanding by White America on this topic is what has allowed Trump to come this far. His supporters follow him like blind sheep, either not knowing or refusing to acknowledge the consequences of doing so. But bigotry is a storied part of America's history, and old habits die hard.
"Donald Trump's success to this stage is a pathetic reflection on the state of America."
Donald Trump's success to this stage is a pathetic reflection on the state of America. The irony of his slogan "Let's Make America Great Again" is that he's doing the polar opposite. The fact that, as a nation, we've allowed him to reach this far in our presidential election is shameful. Everyone is at fault for entertaining the idea of him thus far. CNN has been advertising the cringeworthy GOP debates as some sort of reality show. NBC pissed off a lot of people by having him host Saturday Night Live.
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The only thing scarier than Trump spewing his bigoted views are the tens of millions of Americans earnestly agreeing with his policies. Recent polls from South Carolina, a state that Trump ran away with, show harrowing statistics.
Seventy-four percent of Trump voters supported a ban on Muslims entering the country. Forty-seven percent want undocumented immigrants to be deported right now. Thirty-eight percent wish the Confederacy won the Civil War. Twenty percent disagreed with the Emancipation Proclamation, thus wishing that slavery had continued. With each passing day, I'm more embarrassed to be an American. What a time to be alive.
Yesterday, I was on the phone with my mom. She was telling me how at school, a girl walked up to my 10-year old sister and told her "You know if Donald Trump becomes president, you have to go back where you came from."
My little sister -- a 5th grader, a kid who should not be having to worry about this BS -- replied, "I know."
And these are the real victims. Young Muslim and Latino-AMERICANS who have to worry about not only Trump himself, but also his racist supporters and their kids who parrot these views. This is how his hate speech manifests. Today, it's my little sister hearing something mean at school. Tomorrow, it's the vandalism of a mosque. Or a health professional being verbally assaulted at her job. Or a group of men having coffee thrown at them while peacefully praying in a park. Or a homeless Latino man being savagely beaten by loud-and-proud Trump supporters. Or a Muslim store owner being brutally beaten and robbed. I think you get the idea. Right?
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I could sit here all day linking you to hate crimes. In a normal world, the general population would acknowledge the hateful climate towards minorities and get the buffoon heavily responsible for it out of the paint. But it's too bad because this country is full of racists, open and closeted.
I don't want to have to worry about my Muslim brothers and sisters living in fear. I don't want to have to worry about Sikh people being dragged into this mess by idiot racists. I don't want to have to worry about my fellow minorities living in fear, worrying about their families and friends. But unfortunately, that's a reality that millions of American voters are okay with and ready for.
The jokes about Donald Trump just aren't funny anymore, and they haven't been for a long time now. Not when Trump's ignorance leaves his fellow Americans (Americans who are already marginalized) suffering in his wake. All the John Oliver segments and critical takedowns haven't stopped Trump's seemingly endless surge. I couldn't care less about Donald Trump's tax plan, or economic strategies, or anything else he has to say. If there are this many Americans who believe in this man to lead our country, then maybe America isn't the place for me.
I have often written about trauma to the worldwide airline community, and more specifically about the trauma that employees of Pan American World Airways faced during the last 20 years of their beloved airline's existence. I'd like to recommend a new movie out on limited release - Neerja -that tells the extraordinary true story of one of our Pan Am heroines who, along with her fellow flight attendants, saved 359 passengers during an aborted hijack attempt in Karachi in September of 1986. If you can't see it now, hopefully it'll be out on a DVD at a later time.
Pan Am Flight 73 was in transit at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on its regularly scheduled flight from Bombay/ Karachi/Frankfurt/New York when four armed Palestinian terrorists, dressed as security guards, from the Abu Nidal Organization (Libya) stormed and took control of the 747 with close to 400 passengers on board.
In this year of 1986, the Israel-Palestine conflict was still raging 14 years after the 1972 Munich massacres: Pan Am had become the main target of terrorism worldwide in the early 1970's as the flag-carrying symbol of America. There are two different theories about what the terrorists wanted: one was that they wanted to fly to Cyprus and Israel to pick up their jailed comrades; the second was that this time the terrorists wanted to use a Pan Am plane as a weapon to fly into a building in Israel. In either case, they were determined to carry out murder and destruction.
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At extraordinary risk to her own life, quick-thinking Neerja Bhanot called the cockpit with the code for "Hijack!" as the terrorists violently forced their way onto the plane, thus enabling the pilots to escape through the cockpit's overhead hatch. Her actions effectively grounded the aircraft. To many, this might seem strange that the pilots abandoned the airplane, but in reality, this is standard emergency protocol to prevent greater loss of life.
However, this left Neerja, a brand new flight attendant of less than a year, on her very first flight as Senior Purser, in command. It was two days before her 23rd birthday when, realizing that the pilots left, she bravely stepped up and announced to the terrorists, "now that the pilots have gone, I am the commander."
No one could have imagined the horror unfolding on this airplane on the tarmac in Karachi. One of the terrorists' first acts of atrocity was to murder an American passenger of Indian descent on board, shooting him in the head and dumping him out of the plane. This extreme violence alerted Neerja to the fact that the terrorists were intending to use the Americans onboard as pawns in their negotiations with the Pakistanis on the ground at the airport. Realizing that they needed to enlist the help of the flight attendants now that the pilots were gone, the terrorists ordered Neerja and her crew to collect all 379 passports on board.
What Neerja and her crew did next was an almost unfathomable feat of courage. Under directions from Neerja, the crew collected all the passports, but, unbelievably, with guns pointed at their heads, either hid or put the 41 Americans' passports down a garbage chute. What followed was 17 hours of terror and violence that would have been total chaos if the crew under Neerja's leadership had not done their utmost to keep the passengers from a total state of panic.
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The film beautifully recounts the way Neerja kept up a constant state of calm in front of the passengers, reassuring and comforting everyone, especially the elderly and children. The flight attendants went about their duties of giving the passengers what food and drinks were available. Neerja maintained her calming smile and reassuring whispered words throughout the ordeal.
But the audience sees the moments of terror that Neerja experiences when the eyes of others are not on her, and we are skillfully introduced through flashbacks to Neerja's brief two-month arranged marriage (in the Hindu tradition) into a family in the Gulf the year before. Once she was married, the new family was extremely abusive to her because even though they agreed to no dowry, the father and husband humiliated Neerja constantly over the issue. Once Neerja's very loving and supportive family knew of the real situation, they welcomed her home with open arms.
Neerja had been a well-known model in India before her marriage and employment with Pan Am, and her extraordinary beauty only complimented what everyone described as such a warm, glowing, vital, and obviously loving personality. Always a natural leader, Neerja (called "Lado"- "loved one") was adored by her family and two brothers, poignantly played by the actors in the movie.
As the auxilliary lights in the airplane began to fail after 17 hours, the terrorists panicked and tossed a grenade and began emptying all their ammunition toward the passengers. Neerja and the crew dove for the emergency exits, opening the doors and pushing people onto the slides. Amazingly, only 20 people were killed and 100 injured, in what could have been a worse massacre. The Pakistani army then boarded the aircraft, but not in time to save Neerja, who was shot several times, trying to save three children. (Interestingly, one of those children who was seven years old at the time, grew up to be a pilot who says that every day of his life he thanks Neerja for saving him.) Despite her wounds, Neerja stayed at her post at her emergency exit until two crew members came back to the airplane to find her and help her down the slide. She limped on her own to the ambulance, but died on the way to the hospital. The funeral scene was magnificent in its simplicity.
One of the reasons I love this movie is that the writers didn't make Neerja into a superhero. Sonam Kapoor, in the role of Neerja Bhanot, portrays her as an emotionally alive, tenacious person who was put into an unimaginable terrifying situation. Yet, she found the courage within herself to stand up to these murderous villains to defend what was right and to help those who needed assistance - because that's how her parents raised her and also who she was as a human being. It was her duty to protect her passengers. The audience can feel that she's authentic, and her actions make her a hero. With a few exceptions, the story as told in the film is all true.
Neerja is an Indian movie with English subtitles, and because the movie is so emotionally riveting, I didn't find the subtitles to be distracting at all. The movie has been banned in Pakistan. The performances by the actors playing Neerja's mother (Shabana Azmi) and father (Yogendra Tiku) are heartbreakingly poignant, and the speech by Neerja's mother at the end of the film is flawless in its passionate mother's love and shattering grief. The portrayal of the terrorists as they are emotionally falling apart and turning against each other feels raw and accurate.
Neerja Bhanot was awarded the Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, and she is well- known in India for her heroism. For a flight attendant to be awarded such a high honor is a first and is truly deserved. Flight attendants have often acted courageously, but unfortunately, many airline passengers are either unaware - or perhaps would like to be in denial about - the crucial role that flight attendants play in airline disasters. After all, they are the first line of defense in the case of airline terrorism or crashes. If you have any interest in this subject, I recommend an excellent book by Valerie Lester (1995) titled Fasten Your Sea Belts! History and Heroism in the Pan Am Cabin.
My personal experience in seeing this movie was cathartic for me. I was with a group of former Pan Am flight attendants - my Pan Am family - and we were experiencing a very traumatic event in our beloved company's history. But this time, we were living it together. At times, it was very hard to watch. There we were, imagining ourselves inside this Pan Am 747, seeing the uniforms and feeling the Pan Am ambience, but knowing how the story turns out. And also knowing that only two years after this event, Libyan terrorists downed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which turned out to be the nail in the coffin for the company we all loved. Yet we had the deep consolation of being together.
Next to me watching the movie was my friend,Wendy Knecht, who wrote Life, Love, and a Hijacking: My Pan Am Memoir (2014). Wendy had trained and supervised Neerja, as well as having attended her funeral in Bombay. Wendy remains in contact with Neerja's brother who has just published a book in India, The Neerja I Knew (Aneesh Bhanot). Watching the movie was an "out-of-body experience" for Wendy, surreal not only because she knew her, but also because the movie brought alive such poignant memories from 30 years ago.
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In March 2015, the state Department of Environmental Quality considered taking samples from Flint's water system to be tested for Legionella at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' laboratory. But neither agency followed through.
That same month, the Environmental Protection Agency also suggested city water should be tested for Legionella during an EPA meeting about the outbreak and expressed that opinion to the DEQ in an email reviewed by The Detroit News. Again, no testing was done. This is just another indication of how weak the government response has been to the Flint crisis. It also highlights that testing for Legionella -- and indeed testing for several other hazardous contaminants that can often show up in drinking water -- is still not required by EPA anywhere.
Experts, including Marc Edwards, the Virginia Tech professor whose research uncovered the problem of lead contamination in Flint water, argue the municipal water should have been tested for Legionella because the outbreak could be tied to changes in the water system. Genesee County Environmental Health Supervisor Jim Henry also called for such testing. Experts say had the source of the Legionella been confirmed as the water system, targeted chlorine treatments could have been applied to kill the bacteria.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are marauding through the Old South on Super Tuesday just like General William Tecumseh Sherman in his March to the Sea
Most every Super Tuesday poll shows Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton marauding through the Old South like Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and Philip Sheridan in their scorched earth march to the sea.
To paraphrase F. Scott Fitzgerald, "the South is different from you and me." It may be 151 years since Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox but the South still remains a vastly different place than most of the nation.
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There is a bifurcated, bi-polar, segregated world down there notwithstanding the integration of African-Americans into the police forces and into governmental office. This segregation manifests itself not just culturally but especially politically. Blacks are nearly universally Democrats and a plurality if not a majority of whites in some states are heavily Republican.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton will do well in the South on Super Tuesday because a huge proportion of the Democratic electorate is African-American and Bernie Sanders just has no ground game with that group. Breakfast with Al Sharpton isn't enough. The Clintons have been working the black vote for decades and Sanders, who is the darling of the Northeastern white intelligentsia is too much of an unknown to many of these voters. Black voters in the South are very clannish. Many black Southerners are more conservative than their northern counterparts and Sanders' socialism is not necessarily an attraction there. Sanders' Jewishness is also not an asset. Albert Einstein famously said that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and African-Americans vote as a bloc in the South in reaction to many whites' self-segregation into the GOP. To advance their interests in the region blacks vote en masse so they have political clout. Only a fellow black like Obama has been able to fracture that monolithic voting bloc.
It's really only in the last 30 or so years that the Republican Party has been viable or visible in the states of the old Confederacy. Because it was Lincoln, Grant and the Republicans who brutally defeated their secessionist rebellion, white Southerners were religiously Democrats. Because of the subjugation of blacks for more than 100 years, whites were able to concurrently be Democrats and conservatives and/or reactionary racists. They were called Dixiecrats and they wielded enormous influence in national politics until the '80s.
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Because of voting rights for blacks, integration, desegregation and a general easing of conditions for African-Americans, the liberalism of the national Democratic Party was able to permeate the Democratic Party in Dixie which drove most conservative whites into the arms of the GOP who welcomed the opportunity to finally attain political power in the South and thereby expand their control nationally in the House and Senate.
It should be said that not all Southern Republicans are white and not all white Southern Republicans are racist bigots either overtly or subliminally but there is a large population of registered Republicans in the South who cling to the Confederate battle flag metaphorically if not physically. There is a sizable population there who are heavily xenophobic and who respond enthusiastically to notions of banning Hispanic and Moslem immigration entirely, who also don't like liberals, who don't like Catholics, Jews, Hispanics and who are so riled up about the mere existence of Barack Obama that they've channeled their rage into support of Donald Trump. Many of these folks are so angry that they'd like to smack someone upside the head. Trump, through his vulgar bellicosity allows them the vicarious ability to do just that. Trump's evasion of unambiguously condemning and repudiating David Duke and the KKK is a subtle signal to these voters that The Donald shares your anger.
This is why despite all logic which clearly proves that Trump is not really a conservative and despite his flip-flopping on the issues, despite his not releasing his income taxes, his support of liberal positions that Trump is handily leading all the GOP polls in the South. Marco Rubio in the minds of many of these voters might just as well be Barack Obama -- a guy with a funny ethnic name who's Catholic to boot. It doesn't matter what Rubio actually says or stands for. Ted Cruz, with the exception of Texas (his home state) is not viewed far behind Rubio in the mindset of these types of people. This group comprises probably 35 to 45 percent of the Southern GOP electorate, but with a fractured field comprised of Rubio, Cruz, and the continued windmill-tilting campaigns of Dr. Ben Carson and Governor John Kasich it's enough to hand big victories to Trump. At the very least, Carson and Kasich should have dropped out prior to Super Tuesday to enable either Cruz or Rubio to emerge as a counter-weight to Trump, but the incredible hubris of all these candidates is still preventing the coalescence of the Republican majority to credibly oppose and stop Trump.
The last stand for both mainstream and conservative Republicans after many Trump victories in the South on Super Tuesday will be the various primaries and caucuses between March 5th and March 15th where 356 delegates are up for grabs and in the second Super Tuesday primaries on March 15th in six big states like Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. Beyond March 15th are huge states like New York on April 19th and Pennsylvania on April 26th.
NARWATHIWAT,THAILAND - SEPTEMBER 1: A Thai Malay Muslim drug user breaks up the kratom leaf into a pan to form part of a popular cheap narcotic drink called 4 x 100 on September 1, 2011in Narwathiwat, southern Thailand. Translated as ' sii khun roi,' 4 x 100 is a mix of the illegal kratom leaf, cough syrup and Coca-Cola with added ingredients like tranquilizers and marijuana. Many unemployed young ethnic Thai Malay Muslims are becoming more embedded in daily substance abuse and a culture of drugs as they turn to substances such as 4 x 100, marijuana and methamphetamines to cope with daily life. In southern Thailand for the last 6 years there has been almost daily violence happening over a wide region which has claimed more than 4,000 lives. The on-going, low grade insurgency and violence is between Muslim separatists, and the Thai security forces in a country that is over 95% buddhist. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
With overdose death rates more than doubling in the U.S. since 2000, we need to be examining every possible avenue to save lives and reduce the harms of drug misuse and addiction.
Two medicinal plants, kratom and iboga, have been used for hundreds and thousands of years in other parts of the world and show promise as tools in addiction treatment. Yet the United States' outdated drug war approach is standing in the way.
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The naturally-occurring substance ibogaine is derived from the iboga plant, which native to West Africa, where it has been used in healing rituals and initiation ceremonies as part of the Bwiti religion in Gabon for hundreds of years. Since the 1960s, it has been used to help treat people suffering from seemingly-intractable problems with addiction. Larger doses of ibogaine can briefly eliminate substance-related cravings and reduce withdrawal symptoms from opiates.
Like many of the most-known psychedelic drugs - LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca - ibogaine has long been used as an adjunct to psychotherapy and other therapeutic modalities.Ibogaine, however, is rarely used as a recreational drug, due to the overpowering intensity and long duration of its effects, often lasting 24-48 hours.
The U.S. is one of only a few countries where ibogaine is prohibited. In some countries, it's administered in hospitals, medical centers, retreats, and private therapeutic practices. While only two governments have officially designated ibogaine as a recognized medical treatment (New Zealand and the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo), in most other places it remains unscheduled. Gabon, in fact, embraces iboga and Bwiti as part of their national culture.Since it's classified as a Schedule I drug in the U.S., people who struggle with problematic drug use often seek out underground providers or international clinics for ibogaine treatment.
Fortunately there are some signs of hope stateside. In both Vermont and in New York State, legislators have introduced bills to facilitate research evaluating ibogaine's effectiveness in treating addiction to heroin and other opiates. Meanwhile, MAPS is sponsoring research evaluating the long-term effects of ibogaine treatment on patients undergoing therapy at treatment centers in Mexico and New Zealand.
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(These developments will be a focus of this month's Global Ibogaine Conference, where I will be joined by hundreds of experts and will speak about potential regulatory frameworks for ibogaine and how it fits in the broader context of drug policy reform.)
Kratom is quite different from ibogaine, but unfortunately prohibitionist policies are alsolimiting its potential as an addiction treatment. For millennia, kratom has been used as a folk remedy in southeast Asia, where it is traditionally popular among day laborers and has long been used as a replacement therapy for people struggling with opiate addiction. Kratomleaves can be chewed fresh, or dried and consumed in powder, tea or bar form. In small doses, it can have stimulant-like effects, and in larger quantities it acts as a sedative.
Side effects of kratom are minimal and a briefing paper by the International Drug Policy Consortium and Transnational Institute notes that kratom's withdrawal symptoms are weak and nearly inconsequential compared to the suffering of people trying to quit opiates or amphetamines.
In an unfortunate and absurd twist, kratom has recently been swept up in the ongoing hysteria around new psychoactive substances like "bath salts" and synthetic cannabinoids. Some lawmakers in states such as Florida and New York are now seeking to ban kratom entirely.
Instead of prohibiting kratom and relegating it to the illicit market, what's needed is appropriate regulation - such as product labeling requirements, as well as marketing, branding and retail display restrictions, which are long proven to reduce youth access and substance misuse.
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These are two very different plants that require different kinds of legal regulation. But they both suffer the same fate as countless other medicinal plants that have been used by our ancestors for millennia - there's little incentive for pharmaceutical companies to spend years and millions of dollars on clinical research to gain FDA approval. Perhaps we need some sort of new FDA for recreational drugs and psychoactive plants like iboga and kratom that help people avoid more harmful drugs and lead more happy, productive lives.
In the meantime, though, there's no good reason for either ibogaine or kratom to be treated as criminal issues - especially given the now-widespread moral, political, and scientific consensus that drug use and addiction are best treated as health issues.
Imagine your partner returning home from being abroad to have she or he unexpectedly pass away a week later.
From AIDS.
This was the unfortunate reality of Dr. Noerine Kaleeba, whose husband passed away from AIDS upon returning to Uganda after graduate study in the United Kingdom in 1987. Due to the stigma around HIV/AIDS, many of the Ugandan health workers would not help or touch Kaleeba's husband - leaving her to aid her husband all alone before he died. Despite such an adverse and sorrowful situation, Kaleeba was able to turn her tragic reality to that of transformative HIV/AIDS activism and advocacy in her native Uganda and beyond.
Prior to her husband's diagnosis, Kaleeba served as the head physiotherapist at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, which is the largest teaching hospital in Uganda. Before joining the HIV/AIDS frontline, in her capacity at the hospital, she characterized HIV/AIDS as only a white, American-male, homosexual pandemic.
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"I am embarrassed to say this now, but before my husband's [diagnosis], I believed that HIV/AIDS was a disease only [of] white, gay men in San Francisco," Kaleeba admitted.
"I thought that it would never affect me, my family or Uganda," she continued.
Kaleeba is not the only one who previously shared or even contemporarily shares such stigmas about HIV/AIDS and homosexuality. In Uganda, for those living with HIV/AIDS, many face intense socio-economic and political scrutiny and discrimination; with organizations even firing their employees upon discovery of their HIV/AIDS status. Extreme homophobia and discrimination has been rampant in Uganda since the government forbid homosexuality in the 1950s.
In 2014, President Yoweri Museveni enacted several anti-homosexuality laws which permitted citizens to report any suspicion of homosexual presence to the police; which has continued a cycle of violence and prejudice against the LGBTQ community in Uganda. In an exclusive interview with CNN, President Museveni echoed anti-LGBTQ rhetoric by saying that gay people are "disgusting."
Notwithstanding her previous ideals about HIV/AIDS, Kaleeba strongly advocates against such prejudicial norms.
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"There is a concept that because we are an African country, there are no gay men or lesbians or transgendered, which is far from true", Kaleeba said.
"[However], human rights should not be compromised to how leaders feel about sexuality," she continued.
After experiencing several HIV/AIDS related deaths - from her husband, to immediate and extended family and friends - Kaleeba confronted the stigmatization by fostering an educational and community-based space to effectively advocate for those infected in Uganda. In 1997, she and fifteen others founded The AIDS Support Organization Uganda (TASO Uganda), one first community responses to HIV/AIDS in Uganda, which serves as the prototype for challenging the stereotypes and discrimination of those with the virus as well as restoring hope and dignity of people and families with the virus.
With her leadership and tenacity, TASO Uganda has aided thousands of people in Uganda alone, with many of its services expanding into countries within the continent and the world.
"Dr. Kaleeba has been on the forefront of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care," said Dinnah Nabwire, a Ugandan policy and analysis coordinator for Marie Stopes International.
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"She's shaped the whole HIV/AIDS agenda in Uganda from policy to service delivery - she's a pillar within the country," Nabwire continued.
"You cannot talk about the history of HIV/AIDS and care without talking about Dr. Noerine Kaleeba."
Providing HIV/AIDS counseling, medical care, social support, training and capacity building, community mobilization, partnerships and HIV education, networking and research, TASO serves as a true beacon of advocacy in a country where about 1.6 million people are living with HIV. While the number of AIDS-related deaths in the country decreased by an estimated 19 percent between 2005, by the end of 2013, Uganda had accounted for 7 percent of the world's total increase of new cases of HIV infections - the third largest increase in any country.
"In Uganda, HIV and AIDS has impacted every household, every community, and every individual", Kaleeba said.
Serving as TASO's first executive director for eight years, her vision for the organization has not only matriculated into a household name in Uganda but serves as pillar of activism in the global health community. Achievements of the organization include initiating and popularizing the Philosophy of Living Positively with HIV; eliminating stigma and discrimination directed towards individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS; creating national and international HIV/AIDS response programming as well as establishing service centers, regional offices and training centers covering all the 4 regions and major towns of Uganda.
TASO has also contributed to the establishment of other HIV and AIDS service organizations including AIDS Information Centre, Uganda Network of AIDS Service Organization, Positive Men's Union, and National Community for Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda and THETA among others.
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One of the key figures in organizing the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Kaleeba worked as a UNAIDS staff member for ten years, in the capacity of partnership and community mobilization adviser for the program. Although retired from both TASO Uganda and UNAIDS, she continues her advocacy work by publishing articles and speaking on both national and global platforms about awareness and preventive measures of HIV and AIDS.
A pioneering educator and activist for global health equity, Kaleeba is habitually teaching others the importance of resiliency through her revolutionary work. Using the power of personal story, her profound words serve as an inspiration to continue to build a momentum for health parity in Africa and beyond.
"I am here because I believe passionately that the work I do can surely change the world," Kaleeba said.
BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 1: German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivers a speech during a joint press conference after his meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic (not seen) at German Chancellery in Berlin, Germany on March 1, 2016. (Photo by Mehmet Kaman/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Donald Trump is now the face of the Republican Party and it appears that none of the remaining five candidates is looking to reform the party the right way. The necessity to modernise and moderate couldn't be more substantial right now.
To achieve electoral success, the party must learn how to win, by learning from Europe. For reformed European conservatism is electable, and it is to be found in the one-nation conservatism of Prime Minister David Cameron and in Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Party. It is a conservatism that not only defends markets and low taxation, but also encompasses within that the defense of economic inclusion, social modernization and environmental protection. It means defending and modestly reforming the welfare state, not destroying it. It means siding with the scientific consensus and facing the reality of climate change, not dismissing or flat-out denying it. It also means taking a reformed approach to social issues.
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Though it would be desirable to ultimately see both political parties advocate some form of a single-payer health insurance like every other developed Western country, one has to be realistic and say it'll be difficult for Democrats to even get on that bandwagon, let alone Republicans.
But at election time, European conservatives pledge that they will protect the state healthcare provision and perhaps pledge to make modest reforms. Cameron's Conservatives since coming to power in 2010 have protected spending on the National Health Service(NHS) and pledged in their winning 2015 manifesto that they would make an additional 8 billion in NHS investments by 2020.
Because the NHS is so popular, it's conventional wisdom that any party rallying for the dismantling of the NHS is doomed to electoral defeat. This has historically been the case, as Fareed Zakaria in his article 'Center the serious place in politics' rightly notes that even the radical reformer Margaret Thatcher during the ideologically polarising period of the 1980s protected NHS spending while she was prime minister. She didn't completely transform, scrap, destroy or replace the existing healthcare system.
What a far cry from today's Republican candidates.
Every one of the five remaining Republican candidates support the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, including Ben Carson who stated that "Obamacare is really I think the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery."
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The extremism extends.
Every candidate also supports the repeal of the estate tax, and all but Trump support the elimination of the capital gains tax. Ted Cruz calls for the elimination of five federal departments, the abolition of the IRS and regards Social Security a "Ponzi scheme". Trump and Rubio support $11.2 trillion and $8.4 trillion in tax cuts respectively over the next decade while magically and simultaneously promising to balancing the budget.
The radical consensus is found too on environmental policy, where the profound challenges of climate change are brushed aside. When 97% of climate scientists agree on human-induced climate change, it might be wise to side with the consensus. A commonly repeated phrase by some Republican candidates, notably Marco Rubio, has been that they're not scientists. Rubio is indeed not a scientist, but why not just have the humility to listen to the scientists?
In contrast, European conservatives like Cameron and Merkel are committed in principle to confronting climate change. They don't deny it, they accept it, and state the importance in addressing it. In his recent speech at the Paris Climate Conference, David Cameron stated that, "instead of making excuses tomorrow to our children and grandchildren, we should be taking action against climate change today." Angela Merkel offered similar remarks in Paris, and is celebrated in Germany as the "climate chancellor" in her courage to phase out nuclear energy by 2022.
Centrism is not only more respectable than right-wing radicalism, it's more electable. John Kasich is labelled as the most moderate candidate of the five, and he polls most favourably when up against Hillary Clinton, according to Real Clear Politics. Donald Trump who is arguably the most extreme candidate, polls the least favourably.
Ultimately, the party ought to have, but doesn't, as it's frontrunner someone who not only demands low taxation and limited government, but also advocates modest, not overly-transformative reforms to the existing healthcare system. A candidate that acknowledges the reality of climate change, and offers compelling solutions. A candidate that endorses social and economic inclusiveness.
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Rabbi Jay Michaelson, author of the new book The Gate of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path, and Zen teacher Koshin Paley Ellison, co-director of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, are hosting a dialogue on the subject of "loss, compassion and service" on Wednesday, March 2, at the Zen Center in midtown Manhattan. In preparation for the event, they talked about the different ways in which they approach the nexus of contemplative practice and social activism.
Jay Michaelson: I feel like people might assume a dialogue about loss must be depressing, but for me it is actually joyful to be able to talk about deep stuff. I'd certainly rather do that than debate Bernie versus Hillary.
Koshin Paley Ellison: Life is precious. Recently, someone asked me, "You do all this work with dying people. Isn't that depressing?" I was touched by the sincerity of the question. I paused for a moment and responded, "Well, some of the time I work with people who know they are dying. They know their diagnosis. Yet, all the time I am teaching and in relationship with people who are dying and don't know tht they are dying--like all of us." We have such limited time in this life, and to wake up to this inspires me to live fully--how I look at people in my life, appreciate the quality of light in the room i am in, and the treasure of realizing this. So, the people who know they are dying soon remind me of the great possibility of appreciating life right now. For example, that you and I are having this conversation about sorrow and joy.
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JM: Do you want to briefly explain what the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care does, for readers who might not be aware?
KPE: The Zen Center is based in engaging your life. We do this through our three pillars of practice, study, and meditation. We are people engaged in being of service to those experiencing old age, sickness and death. So all our study, meditation and direct care flow from our beginner's mind, bearing witness and loving action. Of course, this is easy to say. We practice allowing the ten thousand joys and sorrows to teach us what it means to live. Which is also what your book, The Gate of Tears, is about. Tell me what continues to inspire you about the book?
JM: With my previous books, and with any "spiritual" teaching, there's always a subtle power relationship, a claim of knowing something that the student doesn't. That's okay, as far as it goes, but I love that with this book I'm teaching from a place of vulnerability, of not having answers, of remaining with unanswered questions. It feels authentic and refreshing. I also tried, with this book, to present the one dharma teaching that has impacted my life the most, in real terms: how being present with sadness -- not pushing it away, not wallowing in it, just acknowledging and making space for it -- tends to open us up to ourselves, to other people, and to the call to pursue justice and be of service. It strikes me that all three of these might be essential and intertwined in the work that you do, right?
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KPE: Absolutely. Welcoming everything that is being experienced, examining how our old fears block us from connection, and then softening to our vulnerability. This is essential spiritual practice. It is easy to push it away and hide, and maybe we need to go under the covers for a bit. The, come out and explore. How do we work with our fears, and struggles? How do we wrestle to become free of our conditoned habit responses. My vow is to work with this for at least this lifetime. What vows do you have Jay?
JM: That's a hard one! Interestingly, in my other career, I write about law, religion, and politics for The Daily Beast and other newspapers, and I just finished a piece about Senators breaking their oaths of office by not considering a Supreme Court nominee. I wrote about the seriousness vows are meant to have in religious and civil-religious contexts. So now I'm reluctant to state one out loud! I think, for me, it's a matter of first principles. At least in my working life, what do I take on as a commitment? For me, one of those has to do with suffering. You know, the first noble truth: here's this thing, suffering. Maybe everything is illusion, empty, whatever, but inside that experience is suffering, and it would be better to have less of it. I like that Richard Rorty, the 20th century philosopher, said that that's all you really need to get going on creating a moral life: just knowing that cruelty is bad, that we should minimize it. And yet you've got to feel the truth of suffering, I think, to really want to alleviate it in others. You've got to be able to be present with (and not freak out about) people in pain, in grief, in fear, in order to be effective. And finally, to me at least, a good companion, chaplain, caregiver is also aware of what's going on in themselves. Does that make sense?
KPE: There is such isolation in every sphere of life. In our Zen practice there are three jewels: our awakened mind, the teachings of the moment, and community. I never quiet understood why they were called jewels until a few years ago. They are precious and we need all three. We need to cultivate our and the awakened mind in a nourishing and tender way. Each moment is the perfect teacher. How do we open to the moment and not believe all our old stories and opinions? For me it is all about community and receptivity. Without my community and teacher, I would be adrift in the world. My teacher, my partner Chodo and community are a refuge. We care for each other and learnng to ask for help and support is essential. I did not used to ask for help, and I found myself depleted and feeling the world on my shoulders. And then, receptivity and vulnerability. How do we become receptive to allow ourselves to fully participate in a spiritual community? How can we be receptive and vulnerable to allow a teacher(s) into our life? These are ongoing questions for a life time of practice. The moment, I think I figured it out, I am far away from the authenticity of the fresh moment. How about you Jay?
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JM: For me, I'm working a lot lately with the question of "how much is enough." Not in terms of sense-experiences -- as I get older, I'm less thirsty for those, plus I've been blessed to have drunk from the well quite a lot. But in terms of, how much do I have to do -- how many books, projects, students, media hits, friends, fans, fame is "enough" to feel complete? For me the answer is to let go of the feeling of "complete" and feel complete in being incomplete. That's what the book is about -- the beauty of the broken vase, the joy in sadness. I've often felt there's a beauty in sadness that feels like the beauty of silence. It's beyond my power to articulate, yet I find it profound.
KPE: I agree. In our work training doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains in contemplative care we have found there are a secret community of people who deeply value this beauty. Much of our work has been about bringing people together around this shared value. We do this through our sangha, retreats, our national symposium, and through our new book, Awake at the Bedside. My question for you Jay, is how do you create community around this beauty of sadness and silence?
JM: I think this may be one place where our paths diverge somewhat. As an introvert, I am nourished by times of solitude, spaciousness, and quiet even more than by a formal spiritual community. I'm also married to my partner, who I love, and I'm blessed both with friends and with a subcultural 'tribe' that I'm part of which meets me in heart and body. I don't feel a lack of support or of community in my life. But it's true that I also flit between several worlds -- Jewish, Buddhist, pagan; journalistic, spiritual, academic. It's been the shape of my life for thirty years, so I've made my peace with it, joys and challenges together. Actually, I think one of the (many!) things that draws me to you and your work is how you, too, integrate different kinds of work, in this case contemplative practice and engaged work in the world. There's a myth out there that you can't have both spirituality and justice/compassion work, even though every tradition I know of says the exact opposite: that the two enrich one another.
KPE: For me, the natural process is to serve others. Clearly, this is one expression, and there are many kinds of service and care. I think of the barista I see everyday, and the care she offers in the way she engages me with her eyes and conversation. I am more and more interested in the multiplicity of caring relationships.
I'm all for the idea of a political revolution. I guess I'm just not sure what that has to do with running a presidential campaign within our existing electoral system.
But let me give Bernie Sanders and his supporters some credit and go with the notion that they're legitimately interested in the idea of a political revolution. If that's the case, someone should let them all know there's no need to make Bernie the Democratic nominee, or the President of the United States, for such a revolution to take place.
In other words, why wait?
Look, I'm not expecting a real political revolution anytime soon, but let's at least seize the opportunity of its entry into mainstream discourse to ponder what the phrase actually means. America, 1776. France, 1789. Haiti, 1791. Russia, 1917. Cuba, 1959. Iran, 1979. These are names and dates that mark a few of history's great political revolutions. Take note, they were all violent, and none took place at the ballot box. Indeed, no political revolution ever has.
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Haitian Revolution - Battle at San Domingo, a painting by January Suchodolski
But even if we're just talking about US electoral politics, a political revolution should, at the very least, mean transforming our electoral system as it currently stands, along with the institutions and ideologies underlying its justification. I'm not so sure Bernie et al. have the stomach for that. It's certainly not mentioned in any of his policy proposals or stump speeches.
Lamentably, it seems Bernie's version of political revolution is merely a plan to mobilize voters in the hopes of returning to a time when the US had a social compact among business, government, and labor, in a way that allowed some modicum of reciprocal progress. That progress was never distributed equally, though. In a nation founded and operating on white supremacy, class domination, land theft, ableism, xenophobia, and patriarchy, specific groups have often been systematically excluded.
Consequently, there are concerns Bernie's "political revolution" doesn't do enough to tear down these oppressive power structures that it would change that stratification of progress in a way that's truly inclusive. These concerns, at least in regard to Bernie's failure to mount a challenge to white supremacist power structures, have been most vociferously voiced by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Examples here, here, and here. Given that much of what Bernie wants to do is reform and ultimately strengthen existing institutions, there's no reason to expect dramatically different, more inclusive results--even if his aims were achievable.
And this brings me back to my earlier point: If we want a political revolution, why wait?
Were he elected, a Bernie Sanders' presidency isn't a panacea for what ails the nation, and it certainly wouldn't be revolutionary. Would it be a significant moment in US progressivism? Sure. But many of Bernie's proposals that are being met with bewilderment by media and mainstream Democrats are actually remarkably mild--especially considered on a global political spectrum. Many are quite popular among US voters, too. Yet, in the reality of our current political milieu, most are fundamentally impossible. The answer to that conundrum isn't to settle for a pragmatic outlook that accepts this drab reality and plans to work within it--which, I'm sorry to say, is an apt description of the position of both potential Democratic nominees. The answer to that conundrum is to work to abolish the boundaries of our current political realities, and unveil a world truly full of new possibilities. This requires expanding our view of what political revolution looks like far beyond a political campaign for the President of the United States of America.
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The more you study the major forces driving our lived experiences, e.g. education, knowledge production, healthcare, housing, journalism, politics, poverty, banking, racism, capitalism, imperialism, patriarchy, policing, the courts, the workplace... and so on, the more you come to understand they are nearly unanimously beyond reform. And if we want to achieve a genuine political revolution, one that opens the door for changes like those Bernie's proposing and more, then that's something The People can, should, and need to do outside of electoral politics. I can't say exactly what that might look like, but I know it's going to take a lot more risk and sacrifice than investing time, money, and energy into supporting a presidential campaign.
It's just not going to come that easily. So, for those of us rooting for political revolution, there's work to do.
That work might look like organizing mass strikes, protests, boycotts, and disruptions of the status quo. It might look like communal living, selective destruction of property, occupying public and unused private spaces, seizing the means of production at individual workplaces, mass whistle-blowing, and reclaiming resources from corporations that currently hoard and profit off them.
By Jean Duplessis-Bertaux - L'Histoire par l'image [1], digital version produced by Agence photographique de la Reunion des musees nationaux [2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6882357
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As the impacts of climate change become more apparent in the coming decades and people become increasingly desperate, violent approaches like guerrilla warfare, armed seizures of resources, targeted assassinations, and bombings, will become necessary tactics in the pursuit of any political revolt. In short, the sooner we get to the real work of revolution--political and otherwise--the better our chances of doing so with minimal violence and devastation. The path we are on is unsustainable, and looking to a presidential candidate or election to turn us around is misguided. We need to look to each other.
One of the biggest problems with funneling potentially revolutionary energy into a political campaign is that if the campaign loses, then its revolutionary energy dies with it. At the very least Bernie could pledge to continue his political revolution beyond the primary no matter who wins. And no, I don't mean he should run as an independent or even tell people not to vote for Hillary Clinton. We need to remove the idea of political revolution from the paradigm of electoral politics. That's where Bernie should be encouraging his supporters to take this fight, regardless of who's president.
Here's a simple example. Imagine if, instead of funneling donations to Hillary should he lose the nomination, Bernie promised to keep fundraising through his grassroots supporters, and using that money and influence as a sort of Super PAC or lobby for Progressive causes. Even that would be welcome. But without some effort to take his political revolution beyond this election, regardless of who's the nominee, labeling Bernie a Sheep Dog for the Left is apt.
I'm not suggesting people don't vote for Bernie (or that they do). Personally, I like him as far as potential candidates in the two major parties go--which is to say I could stomach voting for him. No question, in the absence of an actual political revolution a Sanders' presidency is welcome in my book. But I won't delude myself into believing it would represent anything approaching a political revolution. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to admonish those who are "Feeling the Bern." I mean to challenge them to ruminate on what a political revolution might really look like and the sacrifices it will require of us. And, if they still want one, to stop waiting for the presidential election and start fighting now.
I have recently published this blog in the 'CEO World Magazine', and would like to share it with you here to get your thoughts (direct link to CEO World Magazine)
I'm the president of what I like to call a 24-year-old startup. It was launched in 1992 as a printed catalog out of the guest bedroom of our CEO and founder, Ed Kushins. Since then, we've evolved from one of the first online social networks into the leading home sharing company. We have a highly loyal community of more than 65,000 members in over 150 countries, supported by a team -- our "family" -- spread across 20-plus countries.
Dispersed as we are, ensuring alignment across our organization is a challenge. Despite advances, technology alone will likely never be enough to ensure adequate communication. And so, for nearly a decade, every July we hold our HomeExchange Summit, bringing our entire team and their families together for a week. Over the years we've met in Canada, Italy, France, Portugal and the US. While this annual meeting is not our only meet-up (we have many smaller team meetings), our Summit is the only event of its kind, with over 100+ people attending.
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Among other things, our annual Summit allows for:
Face time. Team members who lack regular contact with team leaders and executives, and rightly or wrongly feel undervalued, make up for lost time.
Team members who lack regular contact with team leaders and executives, and rightly or wrongly feel undervalued, make up for lost time. Morale boosting. Our Summit is a chance to see and feel how unique we are.
Our Summit is a chance to see and feel how unique we are. Time out of the usual routine. An organization that plays together, stays together.
An organization that plays together, stays together. Mingling of families. Many of our team spend more time with us than they do their own families. We are, in essence, an extension of their families. The more we can share life experiences, the more we can understand and meet everyone's needs. This is the chance for families to see that we're the real deal.
Many of our team spend more time with us than they do their own families. We are, in essence, an extension of their families. The more we can share life experiences, the more we can understand and meet everyone's needs. This is the chance for families to see that we're the real deal. Alignment . The HomeExchange vision is unique. But for many, words aren't enough; when we get together, everyone "knows it when they see it." For new team members, this is the best opportunity we have to get them fully on board.
. The HomeExchange vision is unique. But for many, words aren't enough; when we get together, everyone "knows it when they see it." For new team members, this is the best opportunity we have to get them fully on board. Cross-functional problem solving . Many of our biggest challenges have been solved by team members from different disciplines looking at them through new lenses.
. Many of our biggest challenges have been solved by team members from different disciplines looking at them through new lenses. Recognizing superstars. Each year, we celebrate our top contributors in a variety of categories, e.g., our "Ambassador of the Brand" award was received by a staff member who put herself in the line opposing a proposed change to our business model (that we ultimately abandoned).
Each year, we celebrate our top contributors in a variety of categories, e.g., our "Ambassador of the Brand" award was received by a staff member who put herself in the line opposing a proposed change to our business model (that we ultimately abandoned). Travel . We are, after all, in the travel industry and everyone at our company loves to hit the road. What better way to reward everyone?
. We are, after all, in the travel industry and everyone at our company loves to hit the road. What better way to reward everyone? Recruiting. Yes, many Summits have resulted in the hiring of family members and invited guests!
For most of the year, nearly everyone at our company works remotely, supported by a highly flat hierarchy and structured around project-based teams. This allows for work from the road as we encourage people to see and experience the world. As a result, we're highly dependent on email, chat and videoconferencing tools like Skype, to stay connected and even monitor our organizational "health."
TinyPulse is a web service that helps us stay in tune with our staff, using industry benchmarks, including a "happiness" score. (Fortunately, we score off the charts for that!) We also use a project management tool called Trello to track our work, including product development.
But our HomeExchange Summit is unique in that it offers us a chance to break from routine and gather in person.
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Historically, the Summit was filled with "top-down" presentations from each working group. We realized that this was highly unproductive because it failed to engage all of our team, many of whom had great ideas but didn't have the best opportunity to share. It didn't facilitate the type of team interaction and communication we sought.
Now we break into cross-functional teams, many of the members having never worked with each other before. We identify one or two areas for the company to innovate, such as how we provide opportunities for our site's non-paying members to see the strength of our community.
Around our problem solving efforts, we plan activities: hikes (we call them TED-walks), canoeing, wine tasting, etc. through which teams bond, even as they try to solve big company challenges. While we "press pause" on much of our company work during our annual Summit, it is often our most productive week of the year. The flow of creativity and the ideas generated set the tone for many months to come.
Family members are invited to all of our activities, so it's never a surprise when they help find creative solutions. There's nothing like a fresh set of eyes! Also, by seeing how passionate we all are about our mission, family members become much more understanding during periods of hard work. A few months back I walked into my kids' playroom and they were pretending to be my partners at work! We've watched children from many cultures grow up in this environment. And now they're poised to be the next generation of leaders.
Inevitably, every year leading up to our Summit, someone asks whether the expense of such a meeting is warranted; we cover food and accommodation for everyone, as well as airfare for the team. And every year we reconfirm how critical the meeting has become... to our mission, our culture and our bottom line.
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We are all too aware that even if a project has a leader with Van Gogh's genius and a team of other world class artists, a Skype call will never allow for the art to flourish. Having built an organization across languages and cultures, we know that ideas are communicated in different ways and that they're explanation and dissemination is best handled through in-person meetings. But, most importantly, this is the main opportunity each year to ensure everyone on the HomeExchange team is aligned in the belief that sharing travel changes lives.
If you're going to be in Cadiz Spain this July 17-22, stop by and meet our team!
About the author:
Jim Pickell is President of HomeExchange.com, an advisor, angel investor, and frequent guest lecturer. Previously, Pickell founded several companies including OpenEnglish.com, Latin America's leading online language school, and served as Senior Vice President of SONY Connect in L.A., where he led the digital distribution of films, music, and eBooks. His later quest to collaborate with like-minded thinkers and create ideas that influence positive change led him to HomeExchange.com, first as a member and now as a core part of what he calls "a 23-year-old startup." Pickell is a member of the board of the Family Travel Association and an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at the Argyros School of Business and Economics. He holds a degree in economics from UC Berkeley, a law degree from Loyola Law School, and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA.
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In the 2000's I helped pass two bills shoring up Colorado's public employee pension plan (PERA). Having opted out of social security in the 1930's, PERA embodies the State's promise that teachers, judges and snow plow drivers' declining years will not decline into destitution. It holds employee contributions, employer contributions and investment earnings accrued over the decades between contribution and retirement.
In 1999 the PERA system was 102% funded, but improvident elected officials and two recessions abruptly dropped its funding ratio down near 60% where it remains.
In a much appreciated effort to defend Israel from unwarranted attack, Representatives Dan Nordberg and Dominick Moreno have introduced HB16-1284. Well-intentioned, it is as bad for PERA as it is good for Israel.
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The bill addresses a little noticed but persistent effort to boycott, divest from and sanction (BDS) Israel. BDS advocates are upset Israel still holds the west bank of the Jordan River that Israel captured from Jordan the country in 1967. Advocates feel the indigenous residents should create a new political entity called Palestine in Jordan's former territory. Jordan has no objection. Israel suggests such an event ought be accompanied by assurances the Palestinians will stop killing Israelis. As negotiations have stopped and started and stopped, a couple hundred thousand Israeli's have settled in the areas closest to Israel.
Nordberg and Moreno would bar PERA from investing in companies participating in the BDS movement. Their intent is laudable. Israel needs all the friends it can get. But why PERA?
There's no indication PERA actually invests in any BDS companies. PERA is not Colorado's only substantial aggregation of quasi-public money. Denver fire and police have their own pension fund as do Denver civilian employees. C.U., C.S.U. and Mesa University all have significant endowment funds.
PERA is a small part of Colorado's $26.5 B state budget. Less than 2% of that budget goes to PERA. (See p. 60) What about the other 98%? Why should Colorado continue to contract with BDS companies while requiring only PERA to divest? For that matter, what about Colorado counties, municipalities and school and special districts?
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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. (The Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States/MCT via Getty Images)
Last Tuesday, in the middle of the night in Phoenix Arizona, a 26-year-old man shot his mother, father and two younger sisters, then set the house on fire.
On Wednesday, a 71-year-old woman was watching television when her husband walked in the room naked and began firing shots at her, he then left the room and shot himself in the head.
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On Thursday, a convicted domestic abuser with a lengthy criminal record in Kansas entered his workplace after being served with a protective order and murdered three coworkers and injured 12 others.
On Friday, a Washington man murdered his wife, her two teenage sons, and their neighbor before killing himself.
On Saturday, a Virginia father killed his wife after she had alerted the police to a domestic dispute, when the police arrived he killed a young police officer on her first day on the job and injured two others.
On Sunday, a 36 year-old Ohio man killed his girlfriend after the two had an argument, he later killed himself.
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Today, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas broke his 10-year silence during oral arguments to question whether or not it was fair to prohibit convicted misdemeanor domestic violence abusers from owning guns.
In addition to the legal arguments made by the government attorney, it is important to note that a gun present in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500 percent. Similar to sexual assault, women are murdered by and large by men already in their life, not strangers. In one study, female homicide victims knew their killer in 94 percent of incidences. Another study found that 34 percent of the time a woman's killer was a former or current intimate partner. In contrast, only 2.5 percent of male homicide victims were killed by their former or current intimate partner.
A third study found that 57 percent of mass shootings were domestic violence related, so while women only make up 15 percent of the total gun homicide victims, they make up 50 percent of the mass shootings victims. In addition, nearly 30 percent of mass shooting perpetrators had a history of domestic violence charges.
All people have a right to safety from preventable gun violence. To suggest that the firearm rights of known domestic violence offenders should be prioritized over the safety of their abused partners, is outrageous. The fact that Justice Thomas even questioned the fairness of prohibiting domestic abusers from owning guns, never mind broke his 10-year silence to do it, speaks volumes with respect to his misguided priorities. Today I couldn't help but speak up. But unlike Justice Thomas, I will not speak up for abusers. I am speaking up for the thousands of women being intimidated and murdered by their partners with firearms that they should no longer have the right to own.
Prohibiting known domestic abusers from owning guns is just common sense and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should know as much.
Painter William Wray has a feeling for city grit and urban energy. A versatile artist who is both a skilled plein-air practitioner and an experienced animator/cartoonist, Wray has a brisk, bold style that gives his city scenes a jolt of painterly drama.
A selection of Wray's recent paintings will be included in the group show "Uptown" which opens at Sue Greenwood Fine Art in Laguna on Thursday March 3rd.
John Seed Interviews William Wray:
William Wray
Tell me a bit about your upbringing and early artistic experiences
I traveled worldwide as the child of an Army Officer who also wanted to be a modern artist. My mother was a good artist too, but never persuaded herself to be serious about it, but did educate me by taking me to museums for modern art shows. As lonely kid I lived in my imagination spending lots of time copying comic book art, drawing hot rods and war scenes.
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Roof, 24 x 24 inches
How and when did you end up at the Art Student's League?
I wanted to go to Art Center, but my folks said: "Get a degree first at Orange Coast College." To my dismay the teachers there had embraced free love and contemporary art. Foundation classes were spotty at best. So I dropped out and worked professionally in Animation going to school privately on the weekends and at night. One of my teachers recommended the Art Student's League. It was cheap, easy to get scholarships and in NYC where I longed to go anyway.
HK Alley #1, 14 x 19 inches
How did your cartooning career develop, and what were some high points?
I've always made a living in animation and comic books. Highlights have included being the head of the Ren And Stimpy background painting department and directing and writing many episodes. I did comic books for all the majors and had a ten year stint at Mad Magazine.
LA, 24 x 24 inches
Your work has aspects of plein air painting, gestural abstraction and illustration (right?) How did it all come together?
I always had fine art as a goal in my back pocket and in mid-life I discovered plein air as a way to break in to some kind of fine art, cartoon backgrounds being a good skeleton for realistic landscape painting. Eventually I evolved to paint more gesturally and came to understand abstraction by deconstruction of my landscapes. I also was obsessed with finding a way to make Illustration technique and narrative accepted as a legitimate fine art approach. My Hollywood Blvd Superhero paintings are my bid at selling that concept.
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The Breakup, 24 x 24 inches
What are you going to be showing at SGFA?
I showing my Urban Landscapes which seem to be a comfortable fit for her gallery. It's a combination of loose realism with strong, but simple abstract foundation shapes, varying degrees of transparent under painting and some opaque passages. I generally crop a view as close as possible (without loosing the narrative) to achieve another level of abstraction very much like the process Richard Diebenkorn used to get abstracting from windows on the corner of a building. The show has a nice range of my approach from limited color to rich and bright.
Newsbox, 16 x 16 inches
Tell me a good art world story
When I was going to the Art Students League in NY. I commuted from Soho to 57th Street. There was a new Keith Haring drawing on the subway every week or so. Part of me sensed that his work would one day have value, but I really didn't like it and came to blame him as a symbol of what was wrong with the art world. So I never took one off the wall. I could have collected at least a dozen of them and financed a lot of painting time for myself. Pride.
Mobil, 24 x 48 inches
What else would you like to tell people about you and your work?
It's taken me years to understand and accept the contemporary art world and my place in it. As soon as I finally stopped resenting it's dominance, I realized I was interested (in my small way) to convince other classically oriented painters to learn to like or at least understand and be more accepting. I've lived to see the beginnings of a resurgence in figurative drawing and painting skills, I could not be more pleased about it critics like you helping to champion it. I'm hoping traditional art and contemporary can let the past differences go and work together.
UPTOWN
James Kroner, Francis Livingston, Craig Mooney, Glenn Ness, Siddharth Parasnis and William Wray
Opening: Thursday, March 3, 6-9PM
Continues through April 15th
In general, when we think about scientific inquiry, much of its power rests in the idea that everything is open to question. Turning a scientific gaze upon the world enlightens us and opens our potential to understand more deeply, while often challenging us to reconsider previously held beliefs and ideas. But science is not an unambiguously moral good.
Einstein questioned the ethics of building the atomic bomb. We know that research like the Tuskegee study of syphilis in African Americans has deep moral problems related to racism and informed consent. More recently, Stephen Hawking and others have raised ethical questions about whether or not we should engage in sending messages to the stars -- the risks of letting ET know we're here may outweigh the benefits of making contact if ET happens to be in a particularly foul mood when they answer our interstellar phone call.
Those opposing Active SETI or METI (messaging extraterrestrial intelligence) have a point. There could be some risk involved with alerting ET to our presence in the universe, although if ET has knowledge of physics allowing them to visit our corner of the galaxy, hiding probably won't do us much good anyway. If the extraterrestrials want to vaporize us, they'll go ahead and do it. More likely the extreme distances between Earth and possible other civilizations will mitigate against any real threat -- if we send a message out to a star in the Orion constellation today, it will take over 1,000 years to get there...
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Perhaps a more important question is not about the risks of transmitting, but the dangers in receiving. Many in the SETI community have shown commitment to the belief that a technologically advanced civilization will be altruistic, despite the lack of evidence supporting that assumption. Therefore it is assumed there are no significant risks with listening quietly.
Maybe they're right. But even so, contact may prove quite dangerous to humans.
Why? Because of the potential to destabilize our civilization. How will humans react? Will there be panic, infighting, conflict? Imagine if the Chinese intercept the first message from aliens and want to keep the information they gain to themselves. How will the American and other governments respond if they think the Chinese might have information from ET about physics that would allow them to build super weapons? How will religious zealots, who are suddenly confronted with the idea that humans may not be so special after all, cope with news that we are not alone? Imagine if ET sends us an encyclopedia of information about themselves in which we learn that they are a civilization of card-carrying atheists.
And, perhaps, the most important question is what does sending a message say about them? One way to interpret this is to assume it means they want contact. But if they are significantly more advanced than we are morally (and there's no guarantee), perhaps they are also aware of what normally happens when more advanced civilizations come into contact with lesser ones. It's not typically great for the less advanced society whose culture tends to get run over, even if intentions are good on the part of those making contact. We have plenty of data to support this scenario from our own history.
Put another way, if ET is so advanced, shouldn't they have something equivalent to Star Trek's Prime Directive in which they make every effort to avoid meddling in the development of less advanced civilizations? Perhaps the very fact that they sent the message indicates nefarious intentions, or just plain stupidity, on the part of aliens who didn't give much thought to how sending might negatively influence the civilization at the receiving end, whose culture they knew nothing about when they sent the message.
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Now, we need to turn this around to ourselves. Many scientists in the SETI community argue against METI on the grounds that it is dangerous. We should simply wait and listen until we are sufficiently advanced to deal with contact. We should hold off until we mature from our cultural and technological adolescence, whatever that means, to adulthood.
However, if we really think about it, the activity likely to be more dangerous to humans is receipt of a signal rather than sending a message. The way in which people will react on our socially fragile world is quite unpredictable. Awareness of the existence of another likely more technologically advanced civilization might propel our world into political chaos or it might have little influence. And we are left with the problem of what to think about an extraterrestrial civilization that sent a message without giving much thought to what it might do at the other end. Those aliens may be malicious at worst or naive at best. Neither possibility is terribly good from our perspective.
The alternative, of course, is to roll up in a ball and hide. This seems rather pointless, since the genie is already out of the bottle, given the wide array of transmissions we constantly send from our planet. A society with technology 1,000 or 10,000 years beyond ours may well be able to pick up even the faint signals we are leaking out to the galaxy.
Instead of hiding, we should give a great deal of thought to the kind of message we might send and to what the possible consequences are of sending. By consequences here, I do not mean self-centered worries about ET blasting us, but other-centered concerns about how sending a message might influence or harm the recipient.
Perhaps the silence we have experienced to date is a product of more advanced civilizations saying, "don't send anything that way; those beings are primitive and we might ruin their development." If that's the case, then our only shot at contact will be METI as a way of alerting extraterrestrials that we are ready for contact.
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NORTH CHARLESTON, SC - FEBRUARY 19: Donald Trump speaks to South Carolina voters on the eve of the state's primary on February 19, 2016 in North Charleston, South Carolina. While polls show that Ted Cruz has made some gains against Trump, the New York businessman still looks to win the state by a wide margin. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Donald Trump's extreme immigration proposals continue inspire his supporters to act violently against minorities, while other Republican presidential candidates like Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz renew their pledges to end and repeal DACA and DAPA on day one of their administration.
With each passing day, Republicans continue to talk about their plans to deport millions of hardworking immigrants families. It is this type of anti-immigrant rhetoric that continues to divide our communities, and threaten to separate and deport families like mine.
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I recorded the following video to help illustrate what's at risk for immigrants like myself, and to let you know what we can do to protect our friends and family against the anti-immigrant attacks from Republicans.
Juan Escalante of America's Voice Talks About What Donald Trump Means for the Immigrant CommunityAs you know, there are currently 11 million people living in the United States without papers who, like myself, deserve a life of dignity and respect. That's why we fought and ultimately won pro-immigrant programs like DACA and DAPA.
However, Republicans like Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are continuing to unleash an unprecedented attack on immigrants across the United States -- and now he is the leading Republican candidate for President.
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In the coming weeks, America's Voice will launch a campaign to help protect DACA and DAPA. Currently, DACA provides me with a driver's license, a work permit, and the ability to live without the constant fear of deportation. The same could be true millions of undocumented parents who would qualify for DAPA; however, a Republican led lawsuit continues to stand in the way of their relief.
One of the most heartening stories of today lies in the variety of ways that millennials are giving back to society. To be sure, they're not the heavy hitters of the charity circuit. According to one recent study, they provide only 11 percent of total charitable donations. That's not surprising, given that they are just beginning their money-making years. No one expects many young donors to turn up at $1,000-a-plate dinners.
Millennials and Philanthropy
But these individuals -- the 75 million born between the early 1980s and late 1990s --find other ways to give. An analysis in The Boston Globe notes they are behind such campaigns as #GivingTuesday, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and Livestrong crowd-sourced funding.
"They don't give out of obligation. They give out of a sense of mission," Meg Fowler Tripp, an advisor to non-profit organizations, reports. The levels of commitment are remarkably high. An ADP Work Institute poll states that fully "89 percent of respondents surveyed will want to work on personal interests and things that impact society."
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Giving through Entrepreneurship
Millennial entrepreneurs are using their businesses to support charitable causes. That commitment is important because more than any earlier generation, this cohort has turned to self-employment. Forbes magazine observes that a full 67 percent of millennials say they want to start their own business. And for many of these start-ups their mission includes giving back to society.
One high profile example is the announcement by Mark Zuckerburg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, that "to leave the world a better place" they will donate 99 percent of their Facebook shares or approximately $45 billion at present value, to charities. But the commitment of millennials extends far beyond this well-publicized donation. John Rampton, CEO of Due.com, posts a "How to show your love as a freelancer" blog, encouraging the self-employed to find their own ways to "give back" to society.
Higgins Would Be Proud
There is no better example of a fledgling, socially conscious enterprise begun by millennials than the Toronto-based t-shirt company, Higgins Would Be Proud (HWBP).
Two Parsons School of Design grads--Ben Egnal and Fang Yu--created this business in 2013. Like all enterprises, this one began with a good idea. "Higgins is the name of my parents' grumpy old pug," Ben explains. "Even when he was younger, he had the stoic demeanor of an old man. It was hard to get a rise out of him. When we started the company, we wanted to create something that would make even Higgins proud. Hence, HWBP."
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The firm's initial line of t-shirts emblazoned with Higgins' likeness was a big success. There was the Butcher Pug inspired by the image of the animals that hang in butcher shops. Instead of cross sections of loins and ribs, the shirt featured Higgins' jowls and back rolls. There was also The King Pug, with Higgins' wrinkly face topped with a noble crown. HWBP soon expanded from people clothing to matching hoodies for dogs.
They sold their line of human and dog clothing through their Web site: www.hwbp.com. They also pounded the pavement and their merchandise was soon picked up by popular retailers in Toronto. "We're having such a blast," Fang notes, "knowing that we are delivering a product that makes people smile and enjoy life a little bit more." The HWBP brand won an Applied Arts award for complete design in 2014.
These two millennials are also giving back to society through their business. "Being socially conscious is important for us," Ben notes. "It's not enough to have a cool t-shirt or design." Since its launch, HWBP has given 10 percent of each purchase to ElderDog. This charity helps older adults look after their dogs, and it provides care for older dogs whose lives have been disrupted because of illness or the death of their caregiver.
More recently, the owners of HWBP have reached out to the homeless and their dogs. This winter HWBP teamed up with the Fred Victor Centre, a Toronto shelter for the homeless. These young entrepreneurs braved the cold to give out matching hoodies to street people and their dogs. View this video, "Share a Little Warmth," and you'll see how welcome those gifts were.
Jane Truemner, Director of Communications and Capital Fundraising at the Fred Victor shelter, says: "We are pleased to be working with Higgins Would be Proud. Every day we have homeless individuals and the animals they love, seeking warmth, food and somewhere to sleep. The Campaign HWBP ran this past December, giving sweatshirts to both owners and their dogs on the street, was wonderful." Between now and the end of March 2016, for every hoodie sold through the HWBP website, another hoodie will be donated to the Fred Victor Centre.
This story of HWPB illustrates how millennials are making the world a better place. Here are some of the ways that young, socially-minded entrepreneurs can contribute to society through their businesses:
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(1) Form partnerships with non-profit organizations that speak to your brand; (2) share your products with the needy; (3) donate a portion of your revenues to charitable causes; (4) volunteer on behalf of your business (websites like VolunteerMatch and Idealist.org have wonderful suggestions); (5) support employees when they give back.
The founders of HWBP are proud of what they have built. They are pleased they can help others in their own unique way. They have made Higgins proud! And along with many others of their generation, they make it clear that millennials are showing the way.
The 88th Academy Awards aired live on Sunday, February 28th, 2016. Filmed in the heart of Los Angeles, the awards brought together directors, producers, writers, and the cast that turned their legendary visions into a reality.
While the night was filled with beautiful gowns and tuxedos, exciting performances, and Girl Scout cookies, one of the most memorable parts was the social justice aspect of the night. From Vice President of the United States Joe Biden giving an honest talk about sexual assault to Lady Gaga's "Till It Happens To You" performance, Leonardo calling out climate change in his acceptance speech, and Chris Rock's opening monologue exposing blatant racism in Hollywood, the heavily-viewed event brought attention to some of the biggest issues facing society today.
However, it wasn't all well-received. As a result of the open conversations surround the issues; some viewers expressed their dissent, accusing the award show of blaming white people for all their problems. People were offended at climate change being discussed, when Leonardo DiCaprio is a multimillion dollar actor. What's more, people expressed dissent about Joe Biden appearing at the awards to speak out about sexual assault on college campuses. Check out the tweets of the night showing people's disagreement:
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This #Oscars is racist against White people. AHosch (@a_hosch) February 29, 2016
Dear white people: I understand that even chipping a fraction of an inch of your post-imperialistic dominance is enough to make you feel threatened, scared, and vulnerable. So coming from a white woman, here's why being uncomfortable watching the Oscars is an absolutely normal thing.
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First of all, let's talk about Chris Rock's opening monologues. Many white people commented on the monologue, accusing of it being racist towards white people. Now, I'm going to say this loud and clear so that you can hear it over your Taylor Swift Spotify playlist: reverse racism does not exist. Racism is a result of privilege and power, which white people have historically been given. Thus, when people of color rise up, it is equalization, for they have been systematically denied the same privileges and powers that white people have been handed to throughout history.
Now, while we are on the subject of privilege, let me bring something very important up. Saying you have white privilege does not mean you do not have problems of your own. There are a variety of different privileges including race, socioeconomic status, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and age. Thus, you may be privileged in one area yet lack the privileges in others. However, when the people who vote on the Oscars consist of being 91% white and 76% male, you cannot deny the inevitable clouded judgments that will occur due to the lack of just representation.
The Oscars is only one example of the lack of representation for people of color within influential roles. Our current Congress was named by Pew Research as the most diverse Congress within history, and that's still consisting of 83% of white dominance, although white people only make up 62% of the total population. Policymakers and elected representatives are supposed to be recognizing and representing their citizenry but fail to do so when they make no attempts to understand the cultural complexities of the people they serve. It is not an attack against white people, it is a cry of desperation for consistently marginalized groups to be endowed the opportunity to rise to the same level of opportunity that whites are expected to be handed to.
Let's also talk about Leonardo DiCaprio and his climate change speech. At the most significant moment of his life, Leonardo DiCaprio decided to take the spotlight off himself and his own accomplishments to address the global issue of climate change. Yet that still was not enough for people, as it was immediately rebutted with Leonardo's multimillion dollar success as an actor and the frivolous things he has bought in return.
Yes, it is true that he is economically sound, but accusing him of not being environmentally active is not fair to the contributions he has made towards bettering our world. In July 2015, his foundation donated $15 million dollars to help support conversation projects through global grants. Since 2010, the Foundation has funded over 70 projects in 40 countries across the globe, working specifically with regional environmental degradation and putting a stop to the issue at hand. He is using his talents as an actor to create films that encourage the respect of nature, while partnering with Netflix to ensure that the films are accessible to as many people as possible.
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His actions are significantly more than the top 1% of the US population holding the greatest shares of wealth on the country, as they invest their funds in stocks and keep their money in banks instead of donating to campaigns, spearheading advocacy efforts or supporting small businesses so the currency flows back into the economic system. What's more, his work equates to more than typing angry comments on a computer screen out of rage, desperation and the blatant ignorance of the environmental degradations that unchecked corporations cause.
Finally, let's talk about Joe Biden's speech on sexual assault on college campuses. Although it was a moving message, some people took to invalidating Biden's message with their own political agenda, saying that it was unnecessary to bring attention to a cause such as sexual assault.
As a college woman, I am insulted by the comments made against Joe Biden's speech or Lady Gaga's performance. Until you are a college woman who has to walk home to her dormitory afraid that she runs the risk of being attacked, you will not understand the value of the speech. Until you have to live every day in fear because of your wardrobe, personality, alcohol content or unconscious body language being taken advantage of, until you summon the courage to tell somebody only to be victim-blamed for it, or until you report a case to the frustrating result that the agency does not see value in pursuing investigation, you will not understand the importance of the speech.
While women are capable for speaking for themselves, we needed a male figure to penetrate the patriarchal bubble of invincibility that creates the dangerous and oppressive assumption that women ought to be victim-shamed. We needed a world leader to publicly acknowledge that that 1 in 5 women will face sexual assault within their college career, because for too long, it has been pushed to the side.
Co-written with A. Crosser
Taking a short break from an amazing NGO Leadership Summit put on by Center for Social Leadership and Sevalaya last week in Chennai, India, I decided to walk the halls of Anna Technological University and look for some tea with milk and cardamom. I met a man and his wife on an alumni gathering and he shared how dramatically things have changed.
"When I went to school here in 1963 just two out of one thousand engineering students were women," he said.
I cringed as I have spent the last four years hearing stories of isolation from many female engineers and computer scientists. "But walking around today, it's filled with young women. Now, over 60% of the students are female," he shared. "That's the biggest change."
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"Progress," I said with a beaming smile, but then thought of the American Association of University Women report Why So Few, that shows only 12% of engineers are female in the US and we know women computer science majors have been on a significant decline in the past few decades... "Less progress," I thought to myself with a slump.
With the turn of the century has come a flood of bright young minds looking to break into the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine (STEM), hoping that through their life's work, they may find new innovations in the most important fields through research and development. Around the world STEM fields are growing, partially due to the rise of importance in computer science and engineering. Although the growth of these fields has meant the fulfillment of big dreams for many, many others continue to look in from the outside.
Historically, STEM fields have been known to be the least diverse, with those employed typically being male Asians and Caucasians. In the United States alone, only 24 percent of STEM positions are filled by women, with African-Americans and Latinos combined making up less than 15% of the field's workers.
In more promising news, many companies around the world have taken deeper notice of the issue, and are beginning to find solutions which will better promote diversity in the workplace. One angle is to increase flexibility, needed for working families and this came up a lot in discussions with many women especially around childcare. A executive from Sevalaya shared with me a front page article that Deloitte just announced that women employees will now be receiving 26 weeks of paid maternity leave in an attempt to decrease the turnover as well as encourage more young women to apply at the company. Several other employers such as EY, PWC and KPMG, have all noted that they will also be moving to a 26 week maternity leave as well up from the country's typical 12 week maternity plan. These companies efforts in India are setting an excellent example for other employers worldwide to increase diversity through offering more family friendly policies.
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Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook also put a real stake in the ground when he took a few months off after the birth of his daughter. This is a time where the workforce is looking for work-life integration more than work-life balance and flexibility is paramount.
In addition to these companies making efforts to encourage long-term employment for their female workforce, many initiatives are being taken in the United States to help encourage young women to pursue careers in the STEM fields. The U.S. Government has committed to increase the number of available STEM educational opportunities as well as to "broaden participation to inspire a more diverse STEM talent pool." In addition, the New York Academy of Sciences' are doing their part to inspire young women with several programs which will work to encourage more high school students to pursue STEM careers. For example, their 1000 Girls - 1000 Futures program aims to give one-on-one mentoring for each student in hopes that it will encourage these young women to pursue careers in STEM after college. Lockheed Martin teamed up with Girls Inc. and are scaling their mentoring program in 12-15 US cities.
Diversity Rates Worldwide
Most of the data being discussed so far pertains to diversity rates in STEM fields across the United States, however many other countries around the world share the low numbers and often a low pipeline of candidates. For example, in the United Kingdom it is said that only 6 percent of math professors are women, while 42 percent of math majors are women. After college, many women either pursue jobs in non-STEM fields or simply have trouble finding jobs in the field.
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Despite the bleak numbers of diversity coming from some of the world's largest STEM hubs, some countries and regions are making significant progress in employing women and minorities in technical positions. For example, in Latin America, over 45 percent of scientific researchers are women, putting them far ahead of the world average of 29 percent.
Much like Latin America, India is also becoming known as one of the greatest places for women to find careers in STEM fields. Over 30 percent of programmers in India are women, compared to only 21 percent in the United States. In addition, nearly 50 percent of STEM students are women in India, and between 35-40 percent of all STEM jobs are held by women. This gap is often attributed to the large number of female role models working in STEM fields in India. It is also said that tech fields are not considered to be masculine careers in India, which likely lends hand to the higher proportion of women workers.
As in India, women in China are finding themselves more often employed in STEM careers than women in the United States. In a recent announcement by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, it was stated that one third of its partners are female, with similar rates being found in their general employment numbers. To put that number into perspective, California-headquarter Google states that only one in twelve of its partners are female.
I sip the last drops of Masala Chai watching four young engineering students pass me by in purple and wine color Saris with ornate gold embroidery and the smell of fresh Jasmine in their hair. I think of our host former Tata Consultancy Services executive, Murali Sevalaya who opened a school for child laborers and now has 2,000 beautiful children enrolled with robust STEM training and more. On his "spare time" he and his team assembled top non-profit leaders from all over India for the conference run by CSL's Anthony Silard (very proud of my older brother!) on Leading with Head, Hand and Heart. Big discussions ensue on how the best leaders lead, and how they create an empowering culture based on trust, empathy, and passion to better retain their employees while driving significant change for good.
You may have seen some alarming posts on social media recently about GMO labeling. Maybe you've been warned that your consumer rights are at risk or how food companies are trying to "keep you in the dark" about what you eat if we don't have GMO labels on our food. Some of your friends might be telling you that GMOs are unsafe and that they cause all kinds of health problems from allergies to autism.
Please do not buy into this complete bullshit.
Like most of you, I had heard only negative things about GMOs. As a cooking teacher and mom, I wanted to know why they had such a bad reputation so, about a year ago, I began heavily researching GMOs. I've read volumes of research, talked to scientists and farmers, listened to GMO opponents and even visited the headquarters of Monsanto (a company that makes a lot of genetically engineered seeds) to find out for myself. I've done the digging that most of you simply don't have time to do because you're busy with more important things, like earning a living or raising a family.
I'd like to share with you a little of what I've learned.
A GMO is an ingredient from a plant that has been improved via genetic modification. I know that sounds weird, but everything we eat has been genetically improved over time. One of the first graphics I saw was how kale, broccoli and Brussel sprouts originated from a wild mustard plant. The sweet corn you see at the farmstand in the summer isn't even close to what corn used be. Other food like ruby red grapefruit and seedless watermelon have been genetically modified. Farmers and breeders have been improving plants for centuries in order to produce certain traits, like color, pest-resistance and durability.
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That's the old way of doing things. Now - through the magic of genetics - scientists can quickly identify which genes are responsible for certain traits. Plants have about as many genes as we do, around 25,000 - 30,000. A genetically engineered seed may have only one gene added or even muted to achieve a desired result.
For the last 20 years, American farmers have used genetically modified seeds for crops like corn, soy, cotton and sugarbeets. This is where the "GMO" part comes in. Any ingredient that comes from a genetically engineered crop is considered a GMO, and there are lots of them. For example, high fructose corn syrup is a GMO because it is made from corn. Soy milk is a GMO (unless it's organic). Almost all of the animal feed here is from GMO grains.
Another GMO ingredient is an enzyme to make hard cheeses that used to come from the stomach lining of a calf. To stop the need to slaughter calves, scientists created a genetically engineered version of the enzyme; almost all hard cheese uses that ingredient. Several vitamins, including B, C and E, are genetically engineered.
The bottom line is you've been eating GMO ingredients for years and didn't even know it. That might sound scary, but it shouldn't be. Federal agencies from the USDA to the FDA support the safety of genetically engineered ingredients. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told a congressional committee a few weeks ago that:
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"Yes, we do consider them (GMOs) safe. I've seen a summary of 660 studies that looked at the safety of GMOs in terms of human health. We know that GMOs have been providing the opportunity to reduce the level of pesticides and chemicals. Part of that is the science of agriculture."
Genetically engineered crops have been a huge advantage for our farmers and food supply. Pesticide use is much lower. They use fewer resources like water. They're healthier for the soil and farmers can grow more crops on less land, easing some of the environmental pressures of modern agriculture.
So now you might be thinking, why all the bad publicity? That's because some companies have been misleading you in order to make money. I discovered the backstory to the GMO debate that is quite disturbing and, while most of you probably don't know it, you should.
The organic industry has spent tens of millions of dollars trying to convince you that GMOs are unsafe, harming your health and endangering your family. They specifically target moms and even enlist celebrity moms to tell us we should be wary about GMOs and that they need to be labeled.
Here's why: Organic foods can't contain genetically engineered ingredients (claiming they aren't 'natural'), so organic companies are using GMOs as a way to push you toward buying their higher-priced products. For the last few years, they've used every tactic possible - from social media to mommy bloggers to folks like Dr. Oz - to make you afraid of GMOs. This is all designed to get you to stay away from foods that have genetically engineered ingredients and switch to organic.
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Now they want to force all food companies to put a GMO label on their products (some do it voluntarily now). This will raise food prices while telling you nothing about what you're eating. For example, a package of Goldfish crackers lists more than two dozen ingredients. Do you really need to know (or care) which ones are from a genetically engineered crop? By the time the crackers are made, every trace of DNA has been obliterated. You are not eating genes, you are eating food that has ingredients that long ago had any trace of genetic material blasted out of them. There is nothing to know.
As a mom, I will tell the other moms reading this: you are being used. Organic companies think you are so easily scared about every morsel of food you feed your family that you will buy into their neverending supply of bullshit about scary GMOs. Hell, they even flew Gwyneth Paltrow to Capitol Hill last year to shill for GMO labels. That alone should be a big red flag.
Facts reminding us of past centuries are taking place during the last months in Greece due to the refugee crisis.
And that's why some 2,000 weary refugees arrive every day in Greece where they get trapped, being forced to survive under bad and unhealthy circumstances.
Just a walk in the center of Athens, and more specifically at Victoria Square is enough to give us an image of the prevailing situation, at the same time when millions of refugees find accommodation in the passenger terminals at the port of Piraeus.
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Last Monday afternoon, while I was passing by that place, my sight caught a little child sleeping on the concrete without protection from the sunlight. I stood there, looked at the backpacks that his family had left there, and wondered what they must have gone through until they arrived in Greece, planning to travel to some other country of central Europe.
After some minutes two children, a boy and a girl went close to a girl some years younger than them. I suppose that they were siblings. Barefoot and with dirty uniforms, they sat on the concrete and started drawing. When a lady standing next to me offered them sweets, I saw a bright smile lightening their faces and I also smiled to them spontaneously, in the sight of the majesty of child innocence. The little girl responded to my smile while unfolding the wrapper of the sweet, making thus my day.
The situation is equally bad for the refugees staying in other places of the Greek capital city like the former national airport of Athens in Elliniko, which has been transformed into a hosting place. I was there last Sunday afternoon and what I saw did not resemble a European city at all. The elder people where sad, having an expression which was confessing all their tiredness, disappointment and resignation.
On the other hand, the children were playing, singing and looking at the hands of the people who entered the yard of the airport holding bags, hoping that they were bringing them food.
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While I was going up the stairs towards the room where these people are accommodated, I felt a stench, which became even more intense when I entered the room. In there, I saw people abandoned in a huge room with complete lack of hygiene, something which caused this awful smell. The few people taking care of these tormented individuals were some volunteers and a doctor which were offering their help on their own initiative.
While I was wandering in the place, I was more and more ascertained of the complete absence of the state, as regards the cleanliness of the public places being used by thousands of people who were forced to gather any possessions they had in their destroyed country, hoping to find a better future in the Old World. Baring in mind that the number of the refugees being transferred at the former airport is growing every day, this situation is very dangerous for their health and must be confronted immediately.
On my way out, while I was crossing the yard of the airport I saw many taxis waiting on a queue probably for a refugee-client. While I was passing by them a young man asked me something in a language that I did not understand- Arabian probably- and showed me a taxi. Then, a taxi driver standing close to him said "she is Greek" and then the young "linguist" turned his sight away from me. I don't know if it has to do with some "circuit" which takes advantage of the necessity of the refugees in order to gain money- in the last months we have heard of many such cases in Greece- but this "cooperation" seemed very suspicious to me...
Not to mention that this is a classical method by which many financial deals are made here in Greece, something which confirms the lack of state acts, which would prohibit the financial exploitation of the refugees.
The only thing that I can say with certainty is that despite this unpleasant situation which tends to get worse every day, a huge movement of solidarity has been organized by Greek and foreign volunteers, aiming to satisfy the needs of all those people that the state has totally abandoned.
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Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that 20 large U.S. companies joined together to fight high health care costs, launching the aptly named Health Transformation Alliance. Employers account for one in five dollars spent on health care in the United States, yet they have relatively weak influence in the marketplace. But these influential companies are intent on aggressive action. With this kind of unified leadership, the Alliance promises to shake the foundations of our health care economy.
There have been other efforts to harness the power of the business community to improve health care. My organization, The Leapfrog Group, is one such effort, founded by Business Roundtable in 2000 to address quality and patient safety in hospitals. Based on what we've learned over the past 16 years, here are three key principles for the Alliance to start with:
1. Lowering costs won't automatically lower prices.
Whenever the subject of cost reduction comes up, some providers tout the enormous cost savings they have put in place through improved efficiencies, better technology, and/or less invasive procedures. Recently, they have also pointed to the potential of large hospital system mergers to reduce costs through economies of scale. But employers are right to wonder why their own health care price tag continues to rise, despite these marvelous advances. Why don't they see the cost savings?
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Simply put, cost savings to the provider is not the same as cost savings to the purchaser. This sounds like such an obvious point. But the obfuscation over whose costs are saved persists and trips up progress year after year, with purchasers left scratching their heads. The Alliance will succeed in cutting their own prices only if they clearly demand that cost-reduction strategies have visible and substantial effects on their own bottom lines.
2. Lowering prices won't automatically lower costs.
Even if purchasers do succeed in lowering prices, the cost reduction job is not done. That's because the amount of waste in health care is profound. The Institute of Medicine estimates as much as one-third of all costs are associated with unnecessary services, errors, infections and management inefficiencies. Not all providers are the same, and some incur much more waste than others. Whatever the price of a particular procedure, it's no bargain when there are infections, complications and mismanagement--or if the procedure wasn't medically necessary in the first place.
This is not chump change, this is game change. A 2013 study in JAMA reported that, on average, purchasers paid $39,000 extra when a patient contracted a surgical site infection. That excess doesn't show up on the claim as a line item called "waste." It is buried in a series of excess fees, tests, treatments and time spent in the hospital. Employers intent on cutting costs must factor wastefulness into the pricing equation.
3. Focus on the market incentives.
Our system of costs and pricing creates perverse incentives. The more a provider wastes, the more they can bill the employers. New financing models are slowly emerging, aimed at achieving value--the novel idea that payments align with patient outcomes. One of the most promising models is called "bundled pricing," in which a health system is paid one total price for a particular procedure, including physician fees, radiology, hospital charges, etc. In this model, a provider is incentivized to actually reduce waste, so they maximize their profit under the bundle.
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Some large employers have developed bundled pricing arrangements with a select group of health systems, for a select group of procedures. Walmart is a leader in this, as are employer members of the Pacific Business Group on Health. What have they found? A significant reduction in waste and better care for employees.
Another promising use of bundled pricing is coming from international medical tourism. Health services and pharmaceuticals are often much less expensive overseas than in the U.S. Most international providers offer bundled pricing and concierge hosting services. For example, Health City Cayman Islands offers bundled prices for certain heart and orthopedic surgeries, including all facility and physician fees, along with pre- and post-operative care at a lovely beachfront hotel. Its prices are four or five times less than comparable services in the U.S.
I first met Hillary Clinton in 1990 when she was First Lady of Arkansas and Bill was running for re-election as Governor. A mutual friend in Little Rock introduced us, and our lunch conversation soon turned to innovative programs for helping improve schools serving the poorest children. I was a young lawyer in Los Angeles, and before lunch was over she had signed me up to help her connect with philanthropists and foundations in LA who were funding such programs across the country. Later she and Bill asked me to help them connect with other young professionals in California when Bill was running for President, and still later, to join the Clinton administration and to become the only Latino ever to serve as Secretary of the Army.
Latino veterans and soldiers hugged me and sometimes cried to see the son of Mexican immigrants leading the U.S. Army in which they, their fathers, uncles, brothers, and increasingly sisters, had proudly and courageously served in numerous wars and conflicts, almost exclusively in the enlisted ranks. As Secretary, I worked to increase the Army's racial, ethnic and gender diversity in the enlisted ranks, but, importantly, also at West Point, in ROTC, in the Army civil service ranks, and all the way up to the General Officer ranks, taking steps to make the Army's leadership look more like America. Today there is still more to be done to increase diversity in the top ranks of the military and across the federal government and our society, but it will take the right leadership to do it.
I'm only one of the many Latinos who had an unprecedented opportunity - to serve our country and to address the inequalities facing the Latino community - whose start came through the Clintons. Hillary knows literally hundreds if not thousands of Latinos and Latinas across America whose advice she solicits and listens to, to whom she's given opportunities to serve in the White House and in the State Department, and who will be among the ranks of her trusted advisors and administration appointees should she become President.
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And she cares passionately about the issues facing Latinos, starting with equal educational opportunity and not cruelly ripping families apart through senseless and unjust application of broken immigration laws. You can hear it in what Hillary says: she doesn't just emphasize economic opportunity for everyone, she talks explicitly about the importance of defending civil rights and fighting the discrimination that holds certain groups back - girls and women, Latinos, African Americans, and gays and lesbians.
Hillary knows what she's talking about because she's been there working on behalf of our community for years. The population of New York, where she was Senator, is 35 percent people of color, half of whom are Latino; and a quarter of those who call Arkansas home are people of color. Bernie Sanders' Vermont by contrast is 1 percent Latino and 1 percent African American. That's not Bernie's fault. But it does not bode well for how a Bernie Sanders would staff a presidential administration or address the critical issues facing Latinos, nationally and in states and communities, from California to Texas to Georgia to Florida. Once you become president, there is little time to make new friends who can become your trusted advisors and appointees. You already know most of the people you truly know and trust deeply, and you already know most of what you're ever going to really know about the lives and struggles of farmworkers, minority entrepreneurs, single mothers, and immigrant families and students whose first language is Spanish. Hillary already knows these things first hand. She's been coming to South Texas and the Central Valley of California for decades.
Those Latinos like myself who know and have worked with Hillary will not just be there to advise her and help her implement her programs for this great nation. We will be there to remind her, in the mix of all that will be on her plate, of her commitments to our community and to champion the appointment of Latinos in roles across her administration including positions in which no Latino has ever served. Because politics is not just about electing candidates, but about making sure their deeds and priorities as office holders live up to their aspirations and promises as candidates.
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Latino political empowerment still has a long way to go; it is imperative for our children's futures and for ours that more Latinos who are eligible take the necessary steps to become citizens, register to vote, and then get informed and involved, and vote regularly. Hand in hand with the rapid growth of the Latino population, we need increased opportunities for many more Latinos to be appointed to private and public sector leadership positions where they can make a difference and become the Latino candidates, officeholders and leaders our country will need in the future.
By Kat Fiske
Colors. Rich, vibrant colors as far as the eye could see.
During my recent trip to India, I was in wonder of the vibrant, rich colors that seemed to be everywhere and on everything -- including the beautiful saris worn by the women gathered at the first ever Women Farmer's Convention in Losinga, Bihar. More than 500 women from surrounding villages crossed Bihar's arid plains on foot and motorbike to participate in this event in January, hosted by Lutheran World Relief and its local partner Action for Social Advancement (ASA).
Under the billowing rainbow tent, women and men performed songs and plays about gender equality, farmers' rights, and the importance of working together. Most of these women had never spoken in front of men outside of their home before, let alone in front of hundreds of people. Their nerves were evident, but so too was their sense of pride and perseverance.
Most agricultural work in Bihar, about 75 percent, is done by women. But for many of the women at the conference, this was the first time they were being recognized as farmers by their communities, local government officials, and agriculture professionals.
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At crowded convention booths and in dusty field demonstrations, women farmers from an LWR-supported Self Help Group spoke of how they'd learned to use heavy field machinery like power tillers, and about the improved farming practices they've learned, as groups of fellow women farmers--themselves members of Self Help Groups in their own home villages--listened and learned.
These Self Help Groups are designed to empower women by helping them learn essential skills and building their capacity to improve their income and livelihoods. Topics typically covered within the groups include accessing financial services, and speaking out in their homes, villages, and districts.
And the groups have had a multiplying effect, with women in groups going on to assist women in other villages to establish their own Self Help Groups. Participation in the groups seems to be making a big difference. Many group members told me they are growing more crops, earning more money, and are experiencing better relationships with their husbands and families. I was also inspired by the amount of determination I heard in the women to go out and create even more positive change in their own and other communities.
The indomitable women of Barmasia (pictured at top) have such determination. Harnessing their unified strength as Self Help Group members, these women are fighting to have their say not only inside their homes but with their local government as well. On their first trip (ever) outside of Barmasia, they paid a surprise visit to their District's Head Office to demand several rights and services, which they had previously been denied, such as payment of government pensions owed to the elderly in their community.
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Shocked by their outspokenness, the District Manager immediately tasked staff with visiting the women's village to assess their situation and needs. The staff failed to reach Barmasia on their first attempt, however, because there was no road to the village. Within a few short weeks, the local government had built a road connecting Barmasia to the rest of the district. In their first attempt at civic participation, these women literally put their village on the map!
I am in awe of these women. They face adversity everywhere they turn, yet they never give up their fight--their fight to be heard, to be respected, to be treated equal. Many in power do not wish to hear or acknowledge them. Despite knowing this reality, these women continue to raise their voices and to transform their words into actions as Self Help Groups to make life better, not only for themselves and their families, but for their entire communities.
The Chuda's and Journey are welcomed by Scott Cordle Manager San Ysidro Ranch
You could say he's spoiled. Or you could say so are we. You're right. Living the life with a Lab in Luxury can only happen at the posh and prestigious San Ysidro Ranch. No one does it better than Ty Warner. Where in the world can you experience a couples massage while your dog stretches out on your private terrace and gets one too.
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LuxEcoLiving- photo credit- thank you to Peter for his healing hands. Journey loved his special massage
Nestled in the lushness of Montecito in Santa Barbara California you enter THE RANCH in what has become known as a private 500 acre reserve. Dating back in history, the natural surrounds; trees laden with fresh citrus, the smell of a wood burning fireplace, the melodic pulsations of frogs at twilight and dawn.... all of these accompaniments take you back to a time when life for the very wealthy (the Kennedy's honeymooned here) was well preserved.
Queen Elizabeth needs to take her entire brood of Welsh Corgi's for a visit. They would love it and so would she. Not a bad idea for another Beanie! Triplets in this case with a free collectible SYR tea cup and saucer.
The New Valmont Spa at the San Ysidro Ranch
A Healing Nest. It's a great idea! You check into your cottage, put on your robe and slippers, call the front desk and within less than 2 minutes you're jettisoned to one of the most charming cottages on the property.
The soft palate of an artists creation rendered the walls with the branches and birds that are common to the area. The sweet smells from an array of aromatherapy oils, a new signature product of the spa, greet your senses with an immediate feeling of relaxation. And within only a few feet down a corridor you are welcomed by two well trained therapists, (mine was Nomi and Jim's was Pamela) who offer you the chance of serenity and togetherness in a space that you never want to leave. The warm water from the large soaking tub, turns colors of the rainbow into a primordial blessing. You soak in deep relaxation and undisturbed with only the sound of champagne bubbles (complimentary for guests experiencing a couples massage) luring you into the "mood" for a celebration. Together, you put aside the familiarity of your everyday lives and get lost in the warm glow of this haven and heavenly retreat. Both therapists were fantastic. So warm and welcoming. We left the nest begrudgingly and wanting more.
With Valmont You See Miraculous Results
"Sophie Guillon, the companies co-founder has dedicated her life to creating products that restore the skins natural ability to illuminate. Without cosmetic surgery or fillers, a Valmont facial with a trained aesthetician taught to use a special butterfly technique which helps to restore the natural collagen and boosts the need for plumpness which adds a youthful appearance and the best part about it... is it lasts! Valmont drew its inspiration from the butterfly; a symbol of metamorphosis, beauty, grace and lightness. This motion targets precise areas of the chest, neck and face and also boosts the microcirculation and promotes lymphatic exchanges allowing for the elimination of toxins thereby making the skin more receptive to the treatment. Melinda provided the signature technique and I was thrilled with the results."
A 90 minute facial is what I recommend. It includes a very relaxing partial body massage but the emphasis is on the face and neck. More about the treatment
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Valmont's origins are derived and developed in Switzerland. The company thrives in a very unique way. It has encapsulated products that rival the 4 aggravating factors of cutaneous aging; Hydration, Energy, Firmness, and Radiance.
Valmont is one of the leading cosmetic companies in the world. For most women and some men, Valmont is a religion. It is the most essential time piece, ritual, and anti-aging program that does reverse the inevitable signs of aging from all skin types, naturally.
I had a chance to speak with one of its founders, Sophie Vann Guillon during my recent stay at
in Paris. I am delighted to share this information knowing guests who check into The
will have the same opportunity in the privacy of their stay. This is truly an experience not to missed.
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For me, the Eucalyptus Cottage with its fabulous hand painted bath tub and soaring ceiling, in-cottage dining at your finger tips... and more... the warmth and amber glow from the fireplace while relaxed in the magnificent 4-poster bed... the sound of the frogs.... but best of all... the look of contentment on your beloved dogs face makes this one of the best vacations of your lives. Togetherness has a new meaning...just three of us and it's darn swell.
Editors's Notes: Tell them Journey sent you.
The San Ysidro Ranch
Set on 500 acres, this upscale boutique hotel dates to 1893. It's just off Highway 101, a 6.1-mile drive from Santa Barbara.
Address: 900 San Ysidro Ln, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
Being able to kill animals on public lands will provide "more opportunities for Americans to enjoy the great outdoors"
My email inbox has been "ringing" constantly with news that the U. S. House of Representatives passed what has become known as the SHARE Act, more specifically, the Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act, According to the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, this act "provides enhanced access to public lands while limiting punitive regulations promoted by 'animal rights' extremists." Chris Cox, the executive director of NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, claims that if the SHARE Act becomes law, "There will be more resources available for public ranges, more hunter access to public lands, and more opportunities for Americans to enjoy the great outdoors."
Safari Club International and the director of the USFWS want to increase hunting opportunities on the National Wildlife Refuge System
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It'll also come as no surprise that Safari Club International (SCI) also helped move this legislation forward, as they are notorious for supporting trophy hunting, AKA trophy murder, (please see "Is Trophy Hunting Really Trophy Murder? Intentions and Words Should Matter"). They work closely with Dan Ashe, the 16th Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. You can see a photo of Mr. Ashe and members of SCI here, at a meeting where they discussed SCI's hunter advocacy mission. We also read, "President [of SCI] Whipple and Director Ashe focused on the need for youth engagement with the outdoors, and building SCI chapter relations with regional National Wildlife Refuge managers nationwide (there are over 500 Refuges in the U.S.). Each spoke passionately about reducing impediments to hunting and increasing hunting opportunities on the National Wildlife Refuge System."
The last time I looked the word "refuge" meant a place where individuals are protected from danger and trouble and free to live in peace and safety.
The House passing the SHARE Act is a rather disturbing move that will now go on to the U. S. Senate. I am amazed at how many people do not know about this legislation.
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It's also essential to note that the SHARE Act is not at all about sharing or any sort of peaceful coexistence, but rather about killing an increasing number of nonhuman animals (animals) in places where they should be and have been relatively safe, namely, on public lands. The Act also allows the use of traditional ammunition, containing lead, which of course is bad for the environment.
Those who oppose the SHARE Act are not animal rights extremists
There still is time to act, and I hope that readers here and elsewhere and conservation psychologists and anthrozoologists will weigh in strongly about how there are numerous other and patently obvious ways for people "to enjoy the great outdoors" that do not involve killing other animals on public lands. There have to be some areas where animals can live in peace and safety and where people who frequent these areas can also enjoy nature in peace and safety. And, of course, labelling those who oppose the SHARE Act as animal rights extremists is ludicrous, as many people who support protecting animals in different venues are not extremists in any sense of the word. And, why is protecting animals "extreme" while wanting to kill them is not? Many people get involved in protecting other animals when their moral sensibilities are offended and also because they want to be able enjoy the great outdoors on their own or with family and friends absent hunters and guns. You can contact your U. S. senators here, and I strongly encourage you to do so.
The SHARE Act is a death sentence for countless animals
The SHARE Act is a death sentence for countless animals and lead bullets contaminate landscapes. It also hasn't been lost on me that this essay follows on the heels of a piece I recently wrote called "Are Animals 'Things?' The Evolution of Animal Law" about the evolution of animal law, including wildlife law, and the tireless efforts to protect other animals with whom we share our homes and with whom we should be sharing and coexisting peacefully a wide variety of magnificent habitats.
There always is hope even when something seems hopeless. And, the animals need all the hope and help they can get.
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I enjoy fashion. I enjoy exploring the possibilities of social media for brand building. And I'm Irish. This March, I'm combining all three passions in an effort to showcase Irish fashion. And I invite you to join me on this pilot.
March is a special month to shine a light on all things Irish. No other country in the world owns a month. I'm aiming to put a spotlight on Irish designers by wearing Irish fashion, jewelry and accessory brands in the run up to Saint Patrick's Day. I plan to post a picture daily on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #WearingIrish. I'm inviting everyone to join in.
Build awareness:
I recently set out to buy a few items of Irish fashion and I was astounded by what I learned. The creativity of many Irish fashion designers is breathtaking. The quality of the product is often world class. The variety is unexpectedly great. But the biggest revelation of my personal hunt was that the awareness of modern Irish fashion brands and the Irish fashion industry as a whole is very low, even among people who love fashion. This is a pity.
Start a pilot, imagine a movement:
I see an opportunity for everyone who is both a fan of fashion and a fan of Ireland to come together, using social media, to support Irish designers. Imagine the possibilities if all fans use our influence to spread the word by posting the pictures that show how wearing Irish fashion is a choice we are making. My vision is to make this 2016 pilot a broad movement in the coming years with women and men globally wearing Irish and posting pictures in March.
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Join once or join often:
Now is the chance to demonstrate your love of fashion and your appreciation of Irish design. Wear Irish in March and post your pictures on your preferred platform Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using hashtag #WearingIrish. Commit to posting once or many times during the month. Dress head-to-toe in Irish fashion or pick one item or accessory to celebrate. Go casual, work wear, party, occasion, traditional or contemporary. The idea is that you are wearing Irish without compromising your style.
Be a role model:
While some people are fashion models, we can all be role models. Channel your inner stylist. It's about real people making wearing Irish fashion work in real ways. And if you can't join, please consider spreading the word about #WearingIrish by amplifying the initiative on social media. A tweet, a like, a comment are great contributions. Once March is over, I'll report back the lessons from this pilot in another post.
Photo Credit: Tom Puchner, Creative Commons
There is a great African proverb; "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." Throughout my career I've seen it proven again and again, the lasting solutions in fisheries and maritime issues are ones where stakeholders can find common ground, earn trust and work together. Helping people today - but not at the expense of people or nature tomorrow.
When I took office as Fisheries Commissioner, only four fish stocks were being fished sustainably in the EU. At the end of my term, 27 stocks were being fished sustainably. But the agency did not get there alone. This was only possible through collaboration between communities, fishers, seafood industry and government leaders. These changes took time but they have meant more fish in the sea, more jobs in the community and growth for the economy overall. It was a challenging journey and one we took together.
The oceans team at The Nature Conservancy lives by this proverb as well and for decades has worked closely in and with coastal and fishing communities around the globe. For example, ten-years ago the Conservancy, fishermen and community leaders began working together in Morro Bay, California to help rebuild the collapsed groundfish fishery. Working together, our collaboration tested new technologies and tools to reduce bycatch and protect important ocean habitat. These new approaches are developed with and implemented by local fishermen and have led to a decline in bycatch of 50%, while increasing their target catch by 20%.
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Now we are taking that concept to the waters of Palau, and to one of the most valuable fisheries in the world - tuna. For twenty-five years, the Conservancy has worked with the people of Palau and their government to help protect their ocean territory. And this month, we have made a major commitment to expand our work with the regional fishing industry. The Nature Conservancy has purchased a year's worth of fishing rights (400 vessel days) in Palau's longline tuna fishery. Together, The Conservancy and fishing industry will test new and innovative fishing practices that reduce the bycatch of turtles, sharks and rays by using different bait, hooks, time of day and depth of gear when setting the fishing line.
A recent study in Palau's longline tuna fishery found one-third of everything caught in the fishery was bycatch, sharks, rays and other marine life important to the health of Palau's waters and its tourism.
Once the fishing research is complete, we will work with the government of Palau to set new conservation standards for fleets fishing their waters - standards that support a more sustainable tuna fishery, local economy and healthy ocean.
Our goal is to use this multi sector approach and the scientific data collected beyond the waters of Palau in order to better inform regional fishery management decisions, reduce illegal fishing and help establish a premium for sustainable and traceable tuna in the marketplace.
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Ending illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, reducing bycatch, improving access to markets for more sustainable fishing products and other efforts to improve fishing is going to be a long journey and one we must take together. Livelihoods, coastal economies, food for millions and the health of our ocean are at stake. We have far to go and so we must go together.
Astronomy has a long history of supposed sightings of space aliens. In the late 19th century, American astronomer Percival Lowell reported seeing canals on Mars and concluded that intelligent extraterrestrials must've dug them. In 1967, when British researchers spotted a powerful, pulsating source of radio waves, they speculated that it was a beacon from an alien civilization. They even dubbed the source LGM-1, for Little Green Men. Within months, though, the researchers discovered a second pulsating signal and realized it was a natural phenomenon, a rapidly rotating remnant of a dead star. It was renamed the pulsar.
Now astronomers have focused on a new mystery, a strangely behaving F-type star -- slightly larger and hotter than our sun -- that has revived speculations about extraterrestrial intelligence. Known by its formal designation KIC 8462852, the star is located almost 1,500 light-years from Earth. It's one of the more than 100,000 stars observed by the Kepler Space Telescope, the NASA probe that measured the intensity of their light from 2009 to 2013 to see if any planets orbited them. If a planet passes directly in front of a star, it blocks a small fraction of the star's light, enabling scientists to estimate the size of the planet and its orbit. Scientists are still analyzing Kepler's observations, but they've already confirmed the presence of more than a thousand distant planets, including some that might harbor liquid water -- and perhaps life.
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Last fall, however, a team of researchers led by Tabetha Boyajian of Yale University found that KIC 8462852 was dramatically different from all the other stars monitored by Kepler. The intensity of its starlight plummeted several times over the four years of observations, dropping 15 percent at one point and 22 percent at another. These stellar brownouts were far more severe than the dimming that an orbiting planet would cause. In other star systems monitored by Kepler, even the biggest planets blocked only 1 percent of the starlight. Still more puzzling, KIC 8462852 -- which became known as Tabby's star, after the lead researcher on the team -- darkened at unpredictable intervals instead of in the regular, clockwork pattern you'd expect to see if one or more planets had obstructed the light.
Boyajian's team considered the possibility that a vast cloud of dust had blocked the starlight, but such clouds are usually seen around young stars, and all the astronomical evidence indicates that Tabby's star is much older. Furthermore, observations of the star by other spacecraft showed no sign of the infrared radiation that would be emitted by the dust grains. A more likely explanation, the researchers concluded, was that a huge swarm of comets zipped past the star as Kepler observed it. A gravitational disturbance, perhaps caused by another star nearby, could've thrown the comets out of their usual orbits and hurled them toward Tabby's star.
But astronomer Bradley Schaefer of Louisiana State University undercut this hypothesis in January when he presented evidence from the archives of the Harvard College Observatory, which collected half a million photographs of the sky from telescopes around the world between 1890 and 1989. Tabby's star appears in hundreds of the glass-plate photos, and Schaefer concluded that its light has faded by about 20 percent over the century of observations. Although a comet swarm might explain the star's recent flickering, it couldn't cause the hundred-year dimming.
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The stubborn mystery of Tabby's star has led to the more radical speculations involving extraterrestrials. A team led by Jason Wright of Penn State University had already investigated whether Kepler's data could aid the search for alien intelligence. In 1960 physicist Freeman Dyson theorized that an advanced civilization in a distant star system would be likely to build tremendous power-collecting structures around its star to capture its energy. These megastructures might consist of swarms of giant photoelectric panels, each thousands of miles across, or even a vast shell -- the so-called Dyson Sphere -- that completely encloses the star. A Dyson Sphere would absorb all the star's light and reradiate it as infrared emissions, but a swarm of megastructures would block the starlight in a highly irregular pattern. According to a research paper by Wright's team, Tabby's star has "all of the hallmarks of a Dyson swarm."
The paper dutifully warned that researchers should first investigate all the possible natural causes of the strange dimming before "invoking alien engineering to explain an anomalous astrophysical phenomenon." That warning went unheeded, though, after the news hit the Internet. Stephen Colbert brought up the subject on his late-night talk show, discussing alien megastructures with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium. Colbert displayed a picture of Ringworld, the megastructure imagined in Larry Niven's 1970 science-fiction novel of that name, but Tyson was unconvinced. "Just because you don't understand what you're looking at," he told Colbert, "does not mean it's aliens."
Still, the flickering starlight is a much stronger piece of evidence than a typical UFO sighting or a tale of alien abduction. Scientists are taking the megastructure hypothesis seriously because they can conduct further studies to test the idea. At the Allen Telescope Array in California, astronomers have already pointed their radio dishes at Tabby's star to listen for messages transmitted by extraterrestrials almost 1,500 years ago. The researchers found no unusual radio signals, but because the star is so far away, the Allen Array couldn't detect a signal broadcast from the star system unless it were transmitted with a power of at least four billion megawatts, which is hundreds of times greater than humanity's total power consumption. And it's very possible that an advanced alien civilization would have better ways to communicate than using the wavelengths that our radio telescopes are scanning.
A more definitive answer could come from follow-up observations of the star by ground-based telescopes. Amateur stargazers in the American Association of Variable Star Observers have aimed their telescopes at Tabby's star, hoping to catch a glimpse of another dimming episode. If they do, they'll alert the global community of astronomers, who will then train some of the world's most powerful telescopes on the star. Better yet, the researchers will be able to make detailed spectroscopic observations the next time the star goes dark, and the analysis of the affected wavelengths will tell them a lot more about what's blocking the light. The astronomers may find evidence for an entirely unexpected astrophysical phenomenon that could be dimming Tabby's star.
Or they may find more signs of megastructures. Carl Sagan, the astronomer and science popularizer who often speculated about extraterrestrial intelligence, was famous for saying, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." As of now, the evidence for an alien civilization at Tabby's star falls far short of that standard. But it could be a start.
Co-authored by Anne Khodabandeh
Situated on the east of Europe, Albania applied for membership of the European Union in 2009. As the poorest country in Europe and designated the most corrupt, there is a lot of work to be done before this country of 3 million people is accepted into the Union. A recent visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry does indicate that this work is well underway. But Albania's efforts to reform and strengthen its political, security, judicial and civic institutions after years of dictatorship, could be drastically undermined if the country ignores or underestimates the threat posed by the arrival of the Mojahedin Khalq (MEK) from Iraq.
Albania is the target location for the transfer of the notorious terrorist organization Mojahedin Khalq into Europe. Currently based in Iraq, the MEK is now being transferred to Albania under a deal struck with America in 2013.
Since the 1980s the MEK were paid and trained in terrorism by Saddam Hussein to effect regime change in Iran. After his ouster in 2003 the MEK aligned itself variously with the US army - during Senator Kerry's visit to Albania, the MEK was described as "a group that has supported the US in military operations in the Middle East and in its fight against terrorism" - as well as former Saddamists headed by Ezzat Ibrahim and more recently Al Qaida insurgents and Daesh in Iraq. Each successive government of the newly sovereign Iraq tried repeatedly to evict the group from their country, but the MEK leader Massoud Rajavi - himself a fugitive from justice - ordered his followers to put up violent resistance.
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Even if they would agree to go willingly, the United Nations refugee agency has struggled to find third countries to take them in. It seems that, although Western countries have benefitted openly from the MEK's sometimes violent anti-Iran activities, and found the group particularly useful as a thorn in Iran's side through the period of nuclear negotiations, the MEK is deemed too dirty for them to willingly host any of them even as refugees.
In an attempt to encourage other countries to take some of the MEK, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton persuaded the then Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha in 2013 to take just over 200 MEK members on humanitarian grounds. That process got underway, but in 2016 Albania is now expected to take up to 3,000 MEK after the President of Romania, Traian Basescu, refused to take them in 2014.
This agreement has attracted surprisingly little attention from either inside Albania or even from a world media sensitive to terrorism and organized crime. The reason is partly because the transfers are taking place in small groups of around twenty at a time in a piecemeal fashion as the UNHCR is forced to defer to Massoud Rajavi's demands in order to circumvent threats of violence. Rajavi hand-picks the members he allows to be transferred, many using false identities. He ensures that each group of ordinary MEK members is accompanied by minders and enforcers to keep them under control and prevent them breaking loose. In order to accomplish their mandate to remove the MEK from Iraq, UN officials have had to accede to transferring the refugees under such conditions even though it reinforces the concept that the members belong to the MEK in conditions of modern slavery.
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Once they arrive in Albania, the MEK leadership takes charge of the transferees. Although the US made a donation of $20 million to the UN refugee agency to help resettle the MEK, and according to a State Department official the US has provided the Albanian government with "security and economic development assistance, to help the country build up its physical capacity to house the refugees", none of this benefits the individual refugees. In Tirana the MEK has purchased an abandoned university campus into which it has corralled the new arrivals and recreated the conditions of isolation and cultic control which have always prevailed for the membership. What started out as a humanitarian gesture has turned into the mass relocation of a terrorist group to Europe. The MEK has created a de facto enclave in Albania which is outside the law, just as they did in Iraq.
This has put the refugees out of the reach of the Albanian authorities and because they are not free to mingle with Albania's citizenry, the influx of over a thousand trained terrorists has cleverly avoided detection and therefore controversy.
However, even though it appears that the MEK are somehow quietly contained, the citizens of Albania are entitled to ask whether the new refugees pose any actual threat to their civic life, to their security and to their ambitions to accede to membership of the European Union.
To answer this, we must ask why the Iraqi government is so desperate to expel them and why other Western countries are so extremely reluctant to accept them.
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As a violent criminal organization, the MEK thrives where the rule of law is weak - in countries like Iraq and Albania which are emerging from past turmoil and troubles. In such conditions the MEK can be dangerous through criminal activity and violence.
As expert propagandists and manipulative persuaders, the MEK leaders have no problem making connections with and bribing government officials, power brokers and media types - let's be clear, the MEK has always been well financed. Former MEK have also reported that the MEK leaders are already vigorously pursuing links with Albania's mafia-like gangs. The MEK will work with these gangs for mutual benefit as they did with Saddam Hussein's regime. In the long run, if the MEK organization does become established Albania - with the quiet collusion of political circles who benefit from the cult's track record of terrorism - they will be better placed to do from Tirana what they can't do from Paris.
The CIA characterizes Albanian corruption as a 'transnational' problem involving drugs, money laundering and illegal aliens. In this sense it is the very location of the country which makes it attractive to international criminal organizations and thereby creates huge problems for law enforcement agencies. Albania essentially acts as a gateway into Europe from the rest of the world.
Now, while the various routes to Turkey, Syria and Iraq are under stringent scrutiny, terrorist commanders from any mercenary group can slip beneath the radar and seek training and logistical support in Tirana. What better location to establish a clandestine terrorist training camp than in Albania? It is in Europe, but not in the EU and therefore not so open to scrutiny by the international community.
With the changed political mood following the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1, the MEK is looking for new friends and benefactors. The group has already aligned itself with the Syrian Free Army and has offered to help the Saudis fight against the Shias in Yemen. The MEK has over forty years of experience in terrorist activities. The real danger posed by this group is not only that they can re-arm themselves in Albania, but they can invite other groups in for training.
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The worry is that the MEK has branched out and is open to do business with any terrorist group.
It is impossible to ignore the fact that MEK members are radicalized to the core. They are not ordinary refugees. Enough of them have been trained in Iraq by the former Saddam regime for terrorist activities as well as forgery, intelligence, military operations and even torture methods, to make them extremely dangerous. Above all, the nature of the MEK leadership style is cultic. This means the followers are not able to resist the orders of the leaders even if they wanted out. So there is a danger they will be used for a variety of criminal activities without their real consent. There are already examples of people trafficked by the MEK from Albania to Western Europe and used for money laundry activities in Germany.
However, the refugees could also be described as extremely vulnerable. Another reason they have not attracted attention is that the MEK can easily be dismissed as a defunct fighting force; the average age of its fighters is sixty years old and many of them are ailing with mental and physical disease after years of punishing training in the Iraqi deserts. But while this is true of the majority, there are still many among them who are expert terrorist recruiters and trainers, people who know how to train others for suicide missions; strangely transferrable skills in today's world of global terrorism.
Not all the members who arrive in Albania do stay with the MEK. There is a growing community of formers - around two hundred to date - who have turned their back on the group and want to return to their families and to normal life. Interestingly, it is from this pool of former members that the US has carefully selected a quota of eighty individuals to be given asylum in America. They have undergone rigorous interviews to ascertain that they have completely rejected the MEK and so no longer pose any danger. Some others have been accepted by other European countries under the same conditions but the rest remain in Albania under conditions of hardship.
With the stakes set very high, Albania's authorities will need to stop this organization from covertly establishing a terrorist base in Europe. The first step would be to remove the MEK members from the source of their radicalization. If this doesn't happen, the problem will simply have been moved instead of being solved.
The authorities in Tirana can ensure that all the newly arrived refugees are treated as individuals, not as belongings of the MEK leader. They should be given protection and helped with accommodation and financial support as people entitled to determine their own future paths. Experience in Iraq has already shown that once these people are physically removed from the coercive atmosphere imposed by the MEK leaders and reinforced by their peers, they very quickly find that their commitment to terrorism evaporates and the de-radicalization process can begin.
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De-radicalization is greatly helped when they have contact with their families. There are numerous examples of former MEK who managed to leave the cult and establish new and successful lives. Some now live in various western European countries because they have family there who have been able to help them. Some have returned to Iran - even though Iran doesn't want them back - where they have been granted amnesty and lead normal lives under the supervision of the UN and ICRC. Some others now live in Iraqi Kurdistan and have transferred their family assets there from Iran there so they can set up in business.
A sudden commotion behind me grew louder and closer. Angry, menacing voices escalated into a hailstorm of vicious heckling, all of it directed at the back of my head. I tried not to flinch. A man's heavy breathing, loud and ragged, was inches from my right ear. I closed my eyes for a moment, as if shutting down one sense would somehow shut down another. The threats grew. Suddenly there was a violent jolt as if someone had kicked my chair. I'd had enough. I tore my headphones off.
I looked over at my two teenage daughters, who were sitting next to me at a replica of a 1960s lunch counter in the Deep South, at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. The interactive exhibit, which asks the question, "How long would you last?" gives visitors an auditory simulation of what it was like to participate in a sit-in during the civil rights era. My daughters still had their headphones on, but both of them had their eyes squeezed shut. Finally, the tape finished, and they, too, took their headphones off. We looked at each other in silence, and then stood up, a bit shakily.
The lunch counter exhibit in Atlanta was part of a tour of civil rights museums my husband and I recently took our children on. We figured our kids would not only learn a lot; they'd even find the trip enjoyable. The museums, which are relatively new, and for the most part cutting-edge, are full of interactive and multimedia exhibits that attract and hold kids' attention. Moreover, the story of the movement is inspirational and fascinating, peopled with towering moral leaders and courageous ordinary citizens.
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We decided to concentrate on museums, rather than landmarks, figuring the kids would get more out of them. Interest in these sites is strong. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, which just underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation, has more than 200,000 visitors each year. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute attracts 145,000 annually. You don't need to see them all -- it would be quite a drive -- but each museum has a slightly different emphasis and different exhibits. Want to visit a few and need help keeping it all straight? Just download the Alabama Civil Rights Trail or the Freedom Lifted app from the iTunes app store.
Here are some of the possibilities:
National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Located on two-and-a-half acres of downtown Atlanta real estate donated by Coca-Cola, the museum opened in June 2014 and features three galleries: one that showcases the fight for equality in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, one that continues the story by focusing on ongoing human rights struggles around the world, and one that houses a collection of papers and artifacts from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "It's amazing to see his handwriting and notes," my husband remarked to the young security guard in the room, who smiled and responded, "Sometimes I just kind of wig out looking at them."
PHOTO: Maura Mahoney
One of the oldest and largest (it opened in 1992 and takes up 58,000 square feet) civil rights museums in the country, the Civil Rights Institute uses multimedia exhibits and striking tableaux -- for example, side-by-side segregated classrooms, in which the black children's classrooms have battered desks and not much else, and the white children's have shiny new books and a motion-picture projector -- to tell the history of African-American life and how Birmingham became a battleground in the struggle for civil rights.
The Institute is directly across the street from the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four young girls lost their lives in a bomb blast in 1963, and faces Kelly Ingram Park, where earlier that same year, the public safety commissioner, Bull Connor, ordered the use of fire hoses and police attack dogs against civil rights protestors, many of whom were children. The park has commemorative statues of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and other heroes of the civil rights movement, as well as other installations along a "Freedom Walk," including one of snarling police dogs, one dedicated to the Children's March, and one memorializing the four girls killed in the church bombing. There is a free audio tour for mobile phones (call-in number is 205-307-5455).
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PHOTO: Maura Mahoney
National Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis re-opened on the 46th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, and is filled with archival videos, interactive touch screens, life-size exhibits. There's a replica of the Supreme Court room where arguments were heard in the Brown v. the Board of Education case, an audio exhibit featuring the voice of Malcolm X and a replica of a jail cell where visitors can hear King read portions of his famous "Letter From Birmingham Jail." The museum takes visitors on a comprehensive tour of the civil rights movement, and culminates in the Lorraine Motel's Room 306, the actual room King stayed in the night before he was shot. The experience is jarring, painful and unforgettable.
International Civil Rights Center & Museum
The former F.W. Woolworth building, site of the lunch counter non-violent sit-ins in 1960, now houses this complex that features 30,000 square feet of space, including educational exhibits, a gallery, auditorium and archival center. Guided tours begin includes pictorials, artifacts, video reenactments, and interactive components. This site particularly resonates with teenagers, given that the counter protests were led by young college students.
Rosa Parks Museum
Bill Clinton said of Rosa Parks "Let us never forget that in that simple act and a lifetime of grace and dignity, she showed us every single day what it means to be free." Located by the bus stop where Parks was arrested, the museum celebrates her heroism and legacy and depicts the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the early Civil Rights movement. There is a moving multimedia reenactment of her refusal to give up her seat as well as historic documents, audio/visual materials and interactive exhibits. The guided tour is informative and compelling.
PHOTO: Maura Mahoney
Visitors can add their names to the Center's Wall of Tolerance, which digitally displays a continuous loop of the names of more than half a million people who have pledged to take a stand against hate and to work for justice and understanding. There are exhibits about martyrs to the movement, and a movie about them as well, including Emmett Till, a boy accused of flirting with a white woman. He was beaten to death and thrown in a river in 1955 in Mississippi. Afterward, visit Maya Lin's memorial outside, where the names of 40 people who died in the struggle are inscribed on a circular, black granite table that details the history of the movement in lines that radiate like the face of a clock. Lin left a blank space between the first and last entries on the memorial timeline to signify that the struggle for human rights began before 1954 and continues to this day. Water gently burbles over the stone.
The memorial has been called "poetry in granite," by Caroline Goodman, the mother of Andrew Goodman, a young civil rights worker who was slain in Mississippi, and we, too, felt its quiet power. It's a peaceful place. My 14-year-old daughter ran her hands under the water and over the names inscribed on top, as visitors are welcomed to do. "Emmett Till was my age," she said quietly.
The 2016 presidential race marches on, with candidates of both parties making promises about economic reform. Some want to spend a lot more government dough, while others want to cut the budget by trillions of dollars. But what about the financial decisions they make for their campaigns? Some have managed to perform well in polls, based on the most recent nationwide averages reported by RealClearPolitics, while raising and spending less than the competition. Others weren't shy about burning through funds right out of the gate, with varying results.
Here's a look at how frugal the candidates were as the race began to heat up this fall, and what their campaign promises suggest about how they might handle the federal budget. They're ranked by their "burn rate" -- the amount they spent divided by the amount they raised -- through the third quarter of 2015, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings cited in The New York Times (not including funds from super PACs and other outside groups).
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To learn how to live for less visit Cheapism.com.
Elizabeth King worked on this story. Read more of her stories here.
Donald Trump has horrifyingly shot to the top of the Republican presidential primary in part by presenting a belligerent "us vs. them" message -- with "them" usually being immigrants. It's no surprise that Trump's rhetoric has been appealing to white nationalists. In calling for the mass deportation of Latino immigrants and for barring Muslims from the country, he paints a picture of a country of and for white people.
Many Republicans have feigned shock and some, though not nearly enough, have spoken out against Trump's bigotry. But while Trump has certainly helped to take the vitriol of the immigration debate to new levels, calling Mexican immigrants "rapists" and drug dealers and promising a "great wall" at the southern border, the sentiments he's expressing and policies he's pushing are nothing new. Trump and his fellow Republican presidential contenders are working out of a playbook that has been guiding the anti-immigrant movement on the ground and in Congress for a very long time.
The current anti-immigrant movement centers around three groups -- the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) and NumbersUSA that all grew out of the vision of one activist who, like Trump, has unapologetically depicted America as a country of and for white people. While even some on the right are horrified by Trump's racism, these groups have long enjoyed a friendly reception on Capitol Hill as they have helped to sink any meaningful attempt at immigration reform. In fact, when it comes to policy, these groups are in many ways more extreme than Trump. NumbersUSA, which gives grades to candidates based on their immigration views, even docked Trump's grade over the summer, not because of his offensive remarks about immigrants but because he had put forward a muddled plan for a "merit-based system" for some undocumented immigrants.
A new report from People For the American Way explores the history and the influence of these three groups at the center of the opposition to immigration reform.
John Tanton, the founder of all three groups, made his view of America clear when he wrote in 1993, "I have come to the point of view that for European-American society and culture to persist, it requires an European-American majority and a clear one at that." At other times, he worried about a "Latin onslaught" on the United States and of immigrants "defecating and creating garbage and looking for jobs."
These views have been echoed by some in leadership positions of Tanton's organizations, including FAIR president Dan Stein, who once wondered, "How can we preserve America if it becomes 50 percent Latin American?" One member of FAIR's board of advisors once suggested giving "shoot-to-kill orders" to troops positioned on the southern border.
Tanton and some of his allies in this network of anti-immigration groups have also promoted extreme "population control" measures that should be troubling to anyone no matter if they're pro-life, pro-choice or anywhere in between. Tanton has praised China's one-child policy and regretted that India did not impose similar measures, and expressed his concern about "less intelligent" people having children. When asked about a former FAIR board member espousing similar viewpoints, Stein responded, "Yeah, so what? What is your problem with that?"
Those views were reflected years later when the conservative behemoth Heritage Foundation released a report estimating that immigration reform would cost the U.S. $6.3 trillion. The report essentially made the incorrect assumption that immigrants and their descendants would not be upwardly mobile. It was hardly surprising, then, when it turned out that one of the report's authors had previously written a dissertation positing that immigrants have lower IQs than native-born white Americans.
The anti-immigrant demagoguery we're hearing from Trump and others has a long history that precedes even Tanton and his network of advocacy groups. But understanding the forces behind today's immigration debate helps to put Trump in perspective. Trump talks a big, hateful, game, but his views are disturbingly close to those that have too long been met with a warm welcome --or at least a blind eye -- in Washington.
The latest in an overflowing, voluminous list of offences that President Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President in the 240 year history of the United States of America, has had to endure is that Senate Republicans have formally announced via a Judiciary Committee letter that they will not hold any hearings on any U.S. Supreme Court nominee presented by this sitting President. Senate Republicans once again appear determined to throw a wrench into the wheels of our democracy by having a seat upon the nation's highest Court remain open for an indefinite period of time, a seat vacated with the recent passing of the Court's longest-serving justice, Justice Antonin Scalia. It would be a gross misinterpretation of purpose to consider this opposition merely as political jockeying in a presidential election year. Instead, what President Obama is enduring is the same that has been endured by African Americans since the advent of this nation.
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Obama is being told to know his place.
Unquestionably, President Obama fits the description of an uppity Negro. He actually thinks that being elected by the American electorate to the presidency twice with an overwhelming majority of the popular vote gives him the right to function with the full powers of that office. Misguidedly, he thinks that he can simply nominate someone and have the Senate to meet with them as has transpired with sitting presidents before him, even presidents like him completing the final year of their term. This former professor of constitutional law actually thinks that the rights granted to the Office of the President by the Constitution apply to him.
This boy, I mean, Obama should know his place. Since he has clearly forgotten, let us benevolently offer to him this quick reminder:
Never, ever look a white person directly in his or her eyes. You are not their equal. In fact, science suggests that you are not fully human. Your total value derives from being the property of your master. If you serve your master well, you will make it to Black heaven--not to be confused with White heaven. To ensure that you understand this, when you die, we will bury you in the Black cemetery. So, you will have company with Black corpses until White Jesus comes to take you to Black heaven. Understand? Good.
Never, ever share the sidewalk with a white woman. If you see a white woman approaching, stop immediately, and cross over to the other side of the street. If you cannot make it to the other side of the street, then run. Run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. Do not fail to heed these instructions, less we be forced to string you up upon the nearest tree.
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Furthermore, your entrance is always in the back, and your seats are always in the balcony. You cannot attend this school, live in this neighborhood, or eat at this counter. You cannot use this restroom or drink from this fountain. Never forget that the key to your survival is to know your place, for stepping out of place can have fatal consequences.
Obama, please do not allow your Ivy League education, your Hawaiian upbringing, or your white parentage to cause you for a moment to think that you are like us. Please, open your eyes and open your ears. We have been warning you about staying in your place throughout your terms in office.
When we yelled "You lie!" during your State of the Union address, we were really saying, "Stay in your place."
When we degradingly referred to you as a Muslim and questioned your citizenship, we were really saying, "Stay in your place."
When we waved our finger in your face upon an Arizonian tarmac, or when we refused to show up all together to welcome a sitting president into our state, we were really saying "Stay in your place."
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When we called your wife a monkey and when we called your daughter's hair un-American, again, we were really saying, "Stay in your place."
Mr. President, it is imperative that you know your place. If you don't know your place, others may be tempted to step out of place as well. It is bad enough that an entire generation of young people can see themselves in you, in the tight curl of your hair and in the hue of your skin.
To keep Negroes in their place we once made lynching a grand event. We invited the whole community to attend and to participate in these horrors, and we encouraged them to take fragments of clothing and even body parts of the deceased as souvenirs. We posed for pictures besides dangling corpses and charred bodies, and then we dragged the corpse through the streets of the Black community. In some cases, we forced Black families from their homes to view the corpse as it was being dragged down their street.
Times have changed, somewhat, and we cannot take out our aggression always in the same manner of our forbears. Still, we have our ways of keeping uppity Negroes like you in their place. So, no, we will not meet with any person that you nominate for the Supreme Court.
Hopefully, this time, you will learn your lesson.
Stay in your place.
The Alabama state legislature passed a far-reaching bill last Thursday preempting the right of cities and local governments to enact higher local minimum wages, and Governor Robert Bentley signed it into law less than an hour after it passed. Immediately, more than 40,000 of the lowest-paid workers in Birmingham will be denied the pay raises they were to receive under an ordinance enacted by the city to set a $10.10 per hour local minimum wage.
Action on the preemption bill, HB174, was extraordinarily swift. Put on a fast track ahead of all other legislative business by Republican leaders, it became law just two weeks after it was first introduced, without any public hearings.
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Birmingham was the first city in the Deep South to enact a higher local minimum wage than the current poverty-level federal minimum of $7.25, and the city recently moved up its plan to implement a $10.10 minimum wage to last week as the state legislature rushed to block it. Other cities in the state, including Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and Mobile recently began to consider following Birmingham's lead. The new state law invalidates Birmingham's local minimum wage and prohibits all local governments from enacting higher local minimum wages or any other labor standards affecting workers' pay or benefits.
Because Alabama has no minimum wage law of its own, the federal minimum wage automatically sets the wage floor in the state. Congress has failed to raise the federal minimum wage for the last seven years. Alabama is one of twenty-one states where the minimum wage is stuck at $7.25 per hour.
In the Alabama Senate Thursday, Democrats spoke against the bill for three hours before Republicans forced a vote to cut off debate. Just before the final vote, Sen. Bill Hightower, a wealthy Republican businessman and real estate investor, spoke in support of the bill saying "we should lower the minimum wage," and later posted on Twitter his claim that "raising the minimum wage hurts the poor."
23 Senate Republicans voted for the preemption measure, while all 8 Democrats were joined by 2 Republicans and 1 Independent in voting against it.
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Proponents of the bill, including its sponsor Rep. David Faulkner, argued that the minimum wage should not be within the purview of cities or other local governments and that blocking them from enacting local minimum wages is necessary to ensure a uniform minimum wage throughout the state -- implying that they weren't opposed to a higher statewide minimum, just higher local minimum wages. But their hypocrisy is demonstrated by the fact that they have refused to either bring up or endorse any proposals to raise Alabama's minimum wage. Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison and Rep. Darrio Melton both have bills to raise the statewide minimum wage to $10.10. Republican leaders have not scheduled hearings on either bill, and no member of the Republican majority in either house has indicated they would consider supporting either measure.
Their refusal to even consider a statewide increase reveals the truth of the matter: This has nothing to do with what level of government - state or municipal - should be able to legislate minimum wages. In Alabama, state lawmakers have never set any statewide minimum wage at all. And local governments are in a better position to gauge whether local residents need a higher wage standard and whether local businesses can afford it.
What Alabama's done here is to have politicians, acting at the behest of myopic, regressive business interests, wield the power of the State to suppress wages. It's state-mandated wage suppression, pure and simple. Keeping the minimum wage low depresses workers' wages generally, and not just for the lowest-paid workers, even though they are most directly affected. And low wages hamper economic growth. Twenty-nine states have minimum wages higher than Alabama's, with most enjoying faster job gains. Last year, Alabama posted meager job growth of only one percent, about half the national average, and its unemployment rate (6.3 percent in December 2015) remains one of the highest in the nation.
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Meanwhile, in Alabama, with its troubled history of segregation and racial discrimination, the legislature's act of state-mandated wage suppression - imposed by white politicians against cities with large African-American communities - hurts black workers the most, as they are disproportionately represented among the lowest-paid workers. It's yet another historic stain in the state's reputation. Alabama may be nearly 70 percent white, but the city of Birmingham, for example, is nearly 75 percent African-American.
During the "Back to Africa" movement in the 1920s Marcus Garvey argued that African Americans could only attain social equality by moving back to Africa, and saw the continent as the only place in which self-emancipation could be attained. The idea of sending an oppressed group of people to find equality in a place where the individuals to whom the land belong face systematic oppression (by way of colonialism) doesn't make much sense, and could only exist in the realm of idealism and romanticism.
Some African Americans have constructed for themselves a utopia image of Africa. The afrocentric rhetoric with which some discuss the continent often conceptualizes a glorified heritage. Such rhetoric romanticizes Africa, likening the continent to a sort of unblemished and innocent woman, "Mama Africa" as some often say.
As a result, many envision an "African" experience that, I believe, greatly differs from the reality they should expect. And so I ask, If African Americans were to move back to Africa today (and actually settle, not a six week study abroad adventure or a one week safari trip) how would these romanticized expectations compare to the reality that exists in most African countries? Would some be disappointed that the continent of "queens and kings" isn't as regal as imagined?
When some African Americans envision going to Africa, they expect to have an exuberant and overwhelming feeling of belonging. The desire to reconnect with one's ancestral past is only natural and cannot be disputed. However, expecting a heaven-like welcoming and effortless instatement into the country is quite a stretch. This idealism will be shaken once the individual comes to the solemn realization that belonging isn't as instantaneous or as natural.
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Furthermore, racial homogeneity is the norm throughout the continent, which leads many to expect a gargantuan level of umbuntu and kumbaya-ness amongst the brethren. In reality racial homogeneity holds little significance amidst ethnic diversity. Ethnic diversity is wonderful, however, the level at which it exists in most African countries makes the search for belonging much more difficult to resolve. I often wonder how African Americans would react to the fact that ethnic diversity is too often the root of many political conflicts, and that tribalism, more often than not, acts as a threat to progress in many African societies? So how does one begin to truly feel they belong in places where unity has sadly been snatched away by the conflict breeding hands of colonialism?
Many African Americans view Africa through a very traditionalist perspective, a place filled with men and women wearing dashikis and batik printed head wraps dancing in circles to the beat of drums. They expect to be immersed in the same cultural experiences their ancestors participated in. But what happens when the level of traditionalism and cultural expression found differs from what was envisioned? How does one begin to feel connected when Western culture dominates several aspects of life throughout the continent? Would African Americans be shocked to find Africans having a greater appetite for Western culture than their own? How would they react to those adopting foreign phonetics never having crossed national borders; when the colonial master's tongue continues to be esteemed higher than their own?
Someone once told me, "It would be dope to live in a place where black people made all the political decisions, like it is in Africa". This is an expectation those who romanticize Africa hold. Unfortunately, a black ruling class isn't as idealistic as it may sound. I wonder how African Americans would react to black leaders who sign contracts selling the livelihood of their brethren to outsiders? What might they think of black governors and ministers who would much rather pocket millions than provide clean water and electricity to the masses?
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Africans in the diaspora who return after several years hold similar expectations as African Americans. They too look forward to that feeling of belonging and connection. However, the reality that they will never be able to interact and relate to their land of origin in the same way quickly confronts them. These expats reluctantly realize that a resume button does not exist. In fact, they now possess a level of elitism that prevents them from ever reaching that state of "belonging" they once felt but now crave. African Americans will also be confronted with such complexities.
No more ignoring it: Donald J. Trump is on a very real and highly probable path to the Republican nomination for President.
I. Can we stop pretending he is a joke?
Without hashing out the polls or doing the math (as more qualified sources than I have already done), suffice to say that Trump's three consecutive primary/caucus wins and his projected support in key states down the line leave no doubt that Trump is the heavy favorite. So no more pretending, as David Brooks and many other pundits continue to do, that any day now, Trump will magically disappear, and balance will be restored to the political universe.
Risking the very ideals this nation holds dear is not worth the political equivalent of believing in the Tooth Fairy any longer. The opposition to Trump remains hopelessly divided, and unifying that opposition represents the last real chance to derail Trump's train.
The Internet is littered with articles titled, "The "insert political/demographic/ethnic" Case Against Donald Trump." In the Republican primary, establishment GOP candidates Marco Rubio and John Kasich, and anti-establishment candidates Ben Carson and Ted Cruz, continue to compete for votes as Trump coasts to sweeping victories in state primaries and caucuses. Even Democrats remain either gleeful at the GOP's impending collapse or tragically ignorant of the grave consequences, however small the probability, of a Trump presidency. The awful combination of either scattered opposition (GOP) and blind optimism (Democrats) is problematic.
It is time for all of us--of all politics, faiths, races, and backgrounds--to sh*t or get off the pot. And because I do not actually plan on moving to Canada if Trump gets elected (those silly Tweets and statuses are funny, but totally worthless), something real has to be done. It is dandy to bemoan about "what America has come to" around the dinner table every night, and joke perhaps more candidly than humorously about relocating to a foreign country, but the stark silence when it comes to meaningfully opposing Trump is shameful.
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So too is the sense of "inevitability" that has pervaded the discussion of Trump's recent successes. "No one is going to stop Donald Trump. Except, maybe, voters" blared a recent Washington Post headline. File this complacency in the same drawer as the dinner table handwringers I just mentioned. Both types are unhelpful, and both types will inadvertently add fuel to Trump's fire.
As a Democrat who cast my first vote for President Obama, I also find the argument that a Trump nomination would be great for our party, and result in a landslide victory for (presumably) Hillary Clinton, unpersuasive, mostly because even the small chance of a candidate as maniacal as Trump is not worth rolling the dice. This is the same argument we liberals have been making about Global Warming for years--"Sure, it's alarmist to talk about how bad things could be, but even if there's a small chance, why take the risk?"
So too with Trump. For months, nearly every Democrat in the country has walked with a spring in their step gleefully hoping for the improbable: that when the GOP nominating dust settles, Trump will go toe-to-toe in the general election with Hillary Clinton. The joke's over. The head-to-head polling is much closer than most would care to admit (some polls even show Trump beating Hillary, hands down). And do Democrats really want to be one economic collapse, one (God forbid) terrorist attack, or one low-Democratic turnout away from a Trump presidency?
That also assumes Hillary Clinton's campaign, which fumbled her presumed coronation in 2008 to a then unheard of Senator from Illinois, turns into the rock star movement it has repeatedly not turned into. I could not agree more with the following assessment from last week's Washington Post:
"I believe that Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination, and I intend to vote for her, but it is also the case that she is a candidate with significant weaknesses... Democrats, your leading candidate is too weak to count on as a firewall."
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That said, the case against Donald Trump should transcend political, religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic dimensions. In fact, the reason he has done so well is because not a single political faction in this country has the political guts to join up and oppose him. It is equivalent to the playground game Red Rover where nobody links arms. A small sampling of the things that make a Trump presidency terrifying provides an ample reason to unite.
II. Let's do something about it.
If you watched John Oliver's brilliant takedown of Trump (and his brand), last night, in which he shredded the pro-Trump case and urged viewers to trend the hashtag #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain after unearthing a biography that revealed Trump's historical family name is actually Drumpf, you might be feeling a bit better. But the fact is, every comedy show in the world can't replace the concerted, unified action by major cultural and political institutions necessary to depose the Donald and his supporters.
As a precursor, the hilarious notion that Trump is capitalizing on "anger," "angry voters," or anything close has to be done away with. Every time a news outlet or a pundit say that, your skin should crawl. The "anger" Trump supposedly takes advantage of is a sick euphemism for the real pillars upon which his campaign stands: subtle (hell, outward) racism, transparent xenophobia, a history of misogyny longer than I have been alive, and an anti-intellectual, frighteningly stupid approach to nearly every problem facing this country. Sure, it is a type of anger that drives Trump supporters--but bundling it under the term is about as misleading as explaining the Civil War through the lens of an "angry" collection of plantation owners.
Exit poll data showed that 20% of the people who voted for Trump in South Carolina disagreed with the freeing of slaves after the Civil War. Let that sink in. Does that sound like just "anger?"
Trump has called for a nationwide ban on Muslims, American citizens or not, from entering the United States. He has proposed Orwellian, 1984-style registration and monitoring of mosques. Beyond being anti-abortion and anti-gay, his history of vicious woman-hating is shocking for a serious candidate in the modern era. He has pledged to deport 11 million men, women, and children who live in the United States illegally, and keep them out with a large wall that the Government of Mexico will supposedly pay for.
He has endorsed the large-scale reimplementation of torture for those detained in the war on terror, a practice illegal under both United States and International Law, as well as killing and/or capturing the families of suspected terrorists, making him perhaps the first serious candidate in the recent history of presidential elections to openly support impeachable offenses before even taking the damn oath of office.
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And what is deeply saddening is that most of us know these things, but shrug them off, perhaps because we either don't want to believe it could be true that Trump might actually win, or because we honestly believe that someone like Trump cannot win.
For better or worse, it is time to stop living in optimistic candy land. Consider the following four proposals to actually #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain:
1) The remaining Republican candidates should immediately withdraw from the Republican primary and, together with those who have already dropped out, endorse Marco Rubio. His performance in primary/caucus states thus far, combined with his broad appeal among mainstream conservatives, is unmatched. Since that's unlikely, the only alternative is the diametric opposite: Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, and Marco Rubio all must stay in long enough to ensure that going into the convention, no candidate has enough delegates to claim the nomination. At a brokered convention, where delegates are up for grabs if no candidate wins enough of them on the first ballot, this makes nominating Trump much less likely ("Donald Trump would get smoked at an open convention," one state party chairman said to Politico).
2) That's where most "Let's get serious about Trump" shticks end, to which I wonder, why stop there? In addition to Congressional Republicans endorsing Marco Rubio, the House of Representatives and the Senate should formulate a bipartisan resolution in Congress calling for Trump to suspend his campaign, and condemning him for months of disgraceful remarks. Surely between Trump's allegations that Mexico is "sending us their rapists" and insinuating that John McCain is a disgraced veteran for his capture and subsequent torture in Vietnam, our hopelessly divided government can find common ground in that. This should be easy, since only four sitting Representatives and one Senator have endorsed Trump to date.
3) Speaking of governors, what about a joint statement condemning Trump from the National Governors Association, which represents, according to its website, "the collective voice of the Nation's governors?" What about the American Association of American Universities, on behalf of their students, and the professional organizations for every type of profession from brain surgeons to garbage workers? What about an interfaith coalition?
4) The networks and newspapers should tone down coverage of Trump's presidential campaign. The months of (free) air time for every racial slur, bogus proposal, and circus-style rally Trump has held, which undoubtedly fueled Trump's meteoric rise by distributing his message, free of charge to every corner of the country, will go down as one of the most misguided eras in modern journalism. Consider these stats from the Tyndall report, which tracked each candidate's air time for most of 2015:
"Trump has received more network coverage than all the Democratic candidates combined. Trump has accounted for 27 percent of all campaign coverage his year."
That is abysmal. That there has been so much coverage (and comparatively little serious reckoning by the institutions that exist to 'comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable') shows that, when it comes to Trump, the networks would rather sell their souls for advertising dollars that take a stand. If you don't believe me, consider what Lesley Moonves, the CEO of CBS, said yesterday (as summarized by POLITICO):
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"Man, who would have expected the ride we're all having right now? ... The money's rolling in and this is fun ... I've never seen anything like this, and this going to be a very good year for us. Sorry. It's a terrible thing to say. But, bring it on, Donald. Keep going ... Donald's place in this election is a good thing."
In the interest of General Motors, you are going to have to stop treating me as a problem and accept me as --A large stockholder
--An active board member
--An experienced businessman
The author of that 1985 letter, Ross Perot, would soon lose two of those qualifications and add some more experience to the third as he would be forced out by management in what the New York Times called "the business world equivalent of a pit-bull match." In that same letter, Perot told General Motors Chairman/CEO Roger Smith that he appeared bored in a meeting, did not let other people talk, and that he had an intimidating style that "stifles candid, upward communication."
This letter is reprinted in full in Jeff Gramm's illuminating and often wildly entertaining new book, Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism. Gramm, who runs a value-oriented hedge fund and teaches at Columbia Business School, includes his own modest efforts at pushing for change in a portfolio company, along with case studies that range from an investor who tried (unsuccessfully) to get the Wrigley Company to install lights so the Cubs could play night games to one of Carl Icahn's early battles, with Phillips Petroleum. One of the most fascinating is the fight between Karla Scherer and the company founded by her father and run by her soon to be ex-husband.
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The essential challenge at the heart of capitalism is making sure executives focus on creating sustainable value for the people who provide the capital even though it's other people's money. When shareholders believe that is not happening, they may decide to sell. Or, they may write a letter, addressed to the company's chairman but directed to other investors and the public as well.
In an interview, Gramm spoke how the opportunities and challenges faced by both activists and executives are changing.
In the new television series, "Billions," an activist hedge fund manager says, "We're not scavengers; we're white blood cells." Is that a fair description?
I don't think people perceive hedge funds as "scavengers" outside of distressed investing funds (which everyone used to call "vulture funds"). "White blood cells" isn't a good metaphor either because complacent corporate oversight is really the norm, not a passing infection. I can't think of the perfect metaphor. Maybe activists are like picky, outspoken restaurant diners? The fact that they exist keeps the restaurant staff on their toes and probably improves service for all of us. But sometimes the product is tailored to their tastes rather than ours. And every so often the chef gets mad and spits in the food.
What is the difference between the way an activist evaluates a company and the way a securities analyst does?
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I think a good activist needs to buy a cheap enough stock with enough margin of safety that the situation won't kill them if their activism fails. So ultimately, they should look at things exactly as a good security analyst does. If they don't, watch out.
How has the rise of institutional investors affected the ability of activists to be effective? Do passive money managers have the resources to evaluate activist claims?
This is a great question, and we're at an interesting juncture right now. As I argue in my book, and as you've written about in several of yours, Ross Perot's buyout at GM, as well as years of accumulated maltreatment, sparked a revolution among institutional public company shareholders. The subsequent boom in shareholder activism came out of this, because the big institutions have been very supportive of hedge funds behind the scenes. Entities like Blackrock and CalPERS have become the arbiters of activist disputes. But now, it seems like many of them have decided they want a greater, more public role in improving corporate governance. The FT reported that Jamie Dimon convened a secret meeting with bigwigs like Warren Buffett to discuss governance. Larry Fink publicly released a letter he sent to S&P 500 CEOs. The big Canadian plans introduced a "long-term value" S&P stock index to try to influence governance. So there's a sea change happening and it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out.
To your second question, passive money managers certainly have the resources at their disposal to evaluate activists. . . the question is whether they'll use them to make it happen. They need to!
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Do you agree with critics who claim activists benefit themselves (and their investors/clients) to the detriment of other shareholders in the companies they target?
This certainly can happen - it's how capitalism works sometimes, right? And, of course, besides self-interest reigning supreme, an activist investor has a fiduciary duty to put their clients first. If they are an ERISA investor or a registered investment advisor, the penalties can be severe for violating that duty. So they need to do their best job to make money for their own investors. The system works best when the activist is aligned with other shareholders and everyone wins if they have success. But there can certainly be situations where activist profits hurt other shareholders. Greenmail was of course the best example of that. Fortunately, it's getting harder and harder to benefit your own fund at the expense of other shareholders. Because these big pension funds are the arbiters of these activist interventions, reputations matter.
Is activism a market failure or a market correction?
I think bad governance is a market failure, good activism is a market correction, bad activism is a market failure, and superb governance is, sadly, a market anomaly.
What led you to decide to focus on the letters written by activists to the companies they target? What were some of the challenges you encountered in tracking them down?
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I really started the book project as just a collection of letters. I had always collected angry, hedge fund 13D letters for fun. And I had this idea I should broaden my collection to other correspondences between shareholders and public companies. When Warren Buffett sent me his 1964 letter to American Express, that kicked everything into overdrive. Many of the letters were quite hard to get. The Benjamin Graham letter was a real challenge - I ultimately found it in the Rockefeller Archives. Carl Icahn's letter was really hard to find, and then I had to get his permission to republish it. Amazingly, lots of the SEC stuff is hard to get to if it was filed before 1994. There is no longer a public SEC reading room like there used to be.
What happens when activists target other activists? Or when they're on opposite sides, as in Herbalife?
For Super Tuesday and beyond, the words found in The Good Book may illuminate some consciences to live in the light and choose wisely. Guiding "red Gospel words of Jesus" offer the path for life and victory:
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
Senator Rubio, many believed you to be a role model to look up to for upcoming generations. You were called the "GOP-JFK" that could bring "Camelot" back to America with your lovely wife and sweet young family. You were the hopeful visionary fostering an even better American Dream for our kids than the one given us by our parents. You were the youthful candidate with charisma and virtue. Noticeably, you were the candidate to visibly make "the sign of the cross" at the South Carolina debate, honoring the passing of Justice Scalia. In the Iowa debate, your response to the question of how you start your day was "in prayer, attending Mass" projecting a faithful "disciple of Jesus" image. TV ads promote Senator Rubio as a "Reagan Disciple." What happened to following Reagan's 11 commandment to never speak ill of Republicans? More critically where's Jesus' example being emulated? Jesus taught no more "lex talionis"-stand your ground, but no claw. In other words, "eye for an eye" or "tooth for a tooth" is out.
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The shared strategy since Houston's debate by Senators Rubio and Cruz, to attack the GOP frontrunner by ganging up on him like a pair of alpha Havanese is embarrassing for the party of Reagan. Resembling Teddy Roosevelt's or General Patton's older and tougher terrier persona, CEO Trump doesn't back away from ankle biters. But beloved President and Mrs. Bush were not amused in their hometown. The mocking by Senator Rubio suggesting his elder contender Mr. Trump "wet his pants" and "you know what small hands mean" and vilifying by Cruz hypothesizing Trump tax returns "may show mob-ties" is infinitely more degrading to the junior Senators, who purport to be "Reaganites." Like him or not, CEO Trump's unique resume of accomplishments deserve respect. Career politicians tearing down business people harkens insight from President Reagan:
"The most terrifying words in the English language are:
'I'm from the government and I'm here to help!'"
Reagan Republicans in some circles are disheartened with the anti-discipleship strategy of the GOP Senators. Is it working and worth it?
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Kitchen Chatter and Kitchen Cabinet
Americans at kitchen tables, including our diverse family, are dismayed with the personal rather than policy attack strategies in the Rubio campaign just as they were turned off by Ted Cruz after his campaign cheated in Iowa. It seems candidates of both parties succumb to the temptation of short term gains over long term victory. The same "dark" spirit or type of misguided political strategists that lured Senator Cruz to undermine the good Dr. Ben Carson, thwarting the true will of the good people of Iowa, seems to have entered the Rubio campaign. Fighting like frat boys in "Animal House," the only thing missing was food flying on the stage, not the expected stature of U.S. Senators and the antithesis of "virtue-driven" candidates. All know the stakes are high for Presidential elections, but this "win at any cost" mud-slinging lowers the office to gangster behavior. Accusations without any basis defrauds voters, with the mentality "throw enough mud, some of it sticks." The Houston debate was like watching the alley fight scene in West Side Story. And neither turned out well. Reagan Conservatives are embarrassed. Votes lost. Is it worth it?
Listen to Jesus and Yoda
Christians hold that the words that matter most come from the only true Savior of any nation. Jesus taught to be cautious so not to fall from grace, asking what is the profit if we try to gain the world but lose our soul along the way? Are extra delegates worth it?
This dirty antics race brings to mind sage advice when I ran for office in 1998. Friend and statesman, the first Japanese-American Governor of Hawaii, George Ariyoshi, delivered a valuable message perpetually worthy of consideration. He was Chief Executive for 14 years of our 50 state as a fiscal conservative. Unlike most politicians, he inspirationally operated the state in the black with a surplus, like a successful business. Governor Ariyoshi looked me straight in the eyes. Like Yoda, he softly but firmly said,
"Noel, in politics political strategists will try to offer you advice for 'winning' at any cost but you must discern if you are being influenced to go against your character, your conscience, your virtues and the ethics of what you believe is truly right or wrong.
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It is tempting to do what they say will help you 'win,' but you have to live with the outcome of how it changes who you are as a decent human being. Be careful not to succumb to the promise of 'winning' if it means losing your soul and reputation."
White House Not "Animal House" Protocol
This primary election discourse of both parties no longer appears to be about determining what is best for America as a world leader: better jobs and opportunities for people struggling, clear strategies for counteracting perils for the future of humanity from ISIS to North Korea to addressing the number of new and dangerous viruses. Rather the fights for who will become President of the United States of America has been dragged into scenes in "Animal House" with debates mirroring boisterous shouting matches rather than a show of statesperson-like decorum. Even the woman in the race is not behaving dignified. Denigrating! Candidates, is it worth it?
American Values Matter
My late Scottish-Presbyterian Grandmother Lucia Pamela Beck came from St. Louis, the "Gateway to The West". Her husband, Italian-American Billy Angelo left his entire life savings in Cuba in 1959 to fulfill the American Dream with her in Florida. Grandpa Billy was like "Rocky Balboa," a champion prize fighter who never took on a fight unless he thought he could win it fair and square. They told me to be proud of being a "Daughter of The American Revolution," because our nation offered every citizen the opportunity to excel with hard work and cooperative team spirit. God rest their souls, they like many Americans are chagrin watching the immature conduct of both parties aspiring to lead our nation.
At fifteen I signed our Family Bible in Missouri and noted the signatures of our ancestors Reverend Eleazar Wheelock and his daughter Lucia. A Congregational Minister and founder of Dartmouth College in 1769, he desired to educate Native Americans and lift their plight. His dream for Dartmouth was never meant to be the portrayal in "Animal House" as a place which housed petulant frat brats and spoiled sorority sisters. Notably similar bad behavior is becoming the new norm by some aspiring to be President. Disturbing!
Politicians and Entrepreneurs Must Unite for America
One of our sons, founder of a successful company based in Florida, introduced us to Marco Rubio. Major donors from the hospitality industry supported Marco for Senate with a hopeful eye to his candidacy for President in 2016.
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At the Miami estate of a tourism industry colleague we had in-depth "one on one" dialogue with Senator Rubio. He candidly expressed his views on defending the State of Israel; concerns with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and his ardent thoughts about America's foreign policy with Cuba. The changes taking place in the country of his family heritage were of keen interest to him. He like fellow Cuban-American Ted Cruz, has voiced clear opposition to opening relations with the current government of Cuba. Marco Rubio is articulate and knowledgable, well-versed about foreign policy.
Before Houston, Senator Rubio's promise of "uniting" the party inspired some active Reagan Republicans to discuss a winning "Trump/Rubio" ticket. Pioneer entrepreneur and policy wonk working together for the greater good sounds appealing. The strategy of combining successful global business expertise with foreign policy experience could be a way to "unite" the GOP and the country. Better trade negotiations logically create more jobs and higher revenues. Domestic manufacturing lifts minorities and struggling union members. A stronger military with a well-crafted strategic plan for winning. More competitive and caring healthcare plans including for Vets and homeless. Lower taxes with simplified reporting. Secure borders. By "uniting" the candidates pledges to "Make America Great Again" with "A New American 21st Century" the bells of freedom and prosperity ring for future patriotic generations irrespective of political or educational backgrounds. Like the team of elder visionary President Reagan and younger statesman Vice President Bush. Recent strategies by the Senators of Florida and Texas to personally belittle or vilify Mr. Trump is questionable, lacking Reagan-like statesmanship, making a team endeavor unlikely.
Paradigm Shift in U.S. Politics?
Go back to Reagan Days to understand dynamics. Working with Lyn Nofziger, political advisor to Ronald Reagan, was an enlightening experience. He agreed to come out of retirement for my campaign bringing wisdom and wit. Lyn was an outspoken loyal "Reaganite" with a great sense of humor. I can imagine him chuckling while comparing this election cycle to the Reagan Revolution of the eighties, similarly attracting new voters for a greater America. Feisty Nofziger would applaud 'We The People.' Notably he proclaimed,
"Government should work to insure the rights of the individual,
not plot to take them away!" Adding, "I don't like government.
It's just that simple."
"We The People" Will Decide
So far a diverse range of Americans voting illustrates the "People's Choice" award is going to CEO Mr. Trump. He is attracting new voters. The GOP competition has produced a "non-reality" show of party unity in favor of mud-wrestling, amateur imitators. With the exception of the dignified statesman Dr. Ben Carson and the Ohio Governor Kasich, all the rest have broken the President Reagan 11 Commandment of friendly competition. The new reality show to watch this coming season stars "We The People" and is directed toward the RNC and DNC establishment with the mandate: "You're Fired!" Lobbyists with self-serving establishment plot the "Ides of March," before the will of 'the people' is revealed.
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Chump Change for Trump Change
"The People" sentiments reflect the words of greatly missed Ronald Reagan, "Status quo, you know, is Latin for 'the mess we're in.'" People across America are not "chumps" anymore, trusting in campaign promises of "change" from 'status-quo' politicians. The people want leadership change that leaves them with more than "chump change" in their pockets. People want success, security and salvation!
If people's choice, not super delegates, ruled the Democrat Party- they would probably nominate "Bernie, the Metal Snake" (his Chinese birth symbol) to duke it out with the Republican nominee. The flawed system means the lucky candidates to undertake the intense "Fire Fight" will likely be "Hillary, the Fire Pig" (her Chinese character) in the "status-quo" corner and "Donald, the Fire Dog" (his Chinese character) in the "entrepreneurial change" corner. With Governor Chris Christie as his new "pressure fighter", there will be a plethora of knockout punches to the opposition.
Establishment, like it or not, most bets now favor "The Dog" in the hunt. The roaring-soaring "We The People" Movement desire passionately to hear in 2017: "You're Hired!" Remember, Trump promised to be "The Greatest Job-Creation President in History." Supporters say, "There's lots of life in the old dog yet!"
As The Good Book says, "Where there's life, there's hope! (Ecclesiastes 9:3)"
By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates for the Orbitz Travel Blog
Who wouldn't love a vacation on a postcard-perfect tropical island? When it comes to the Caribbean, you have a lot of choices but the island of St. Lucia is something special. Yes, there are beaches and palm trees and crystalline ocean waves but St. Lucia is nicknamed "Helen of the West Indies" for good reason. This island is out-of-this-world beautiful, with a striking landscape of much more than beaches. Whether you're a fan of romantic getaways, sun and sand or adventure travel, here are five compelling reasons to visit St. Lucia:
La Soufriere Volcano, courtesy of Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
1. La Soufiere Drive-In Volcano and Sulfur Springs
Steam and the stench of rotten eggs will greet you as you drive through the crater of "the world's only drive-in volcano." A guided walking tour takes you right up to the volcano's bubbling mud and sulfur, with just a small fence to separate you from the activity. Although La Soufriere is dormant. it doesn't look like it and it forms the hottest and most active geothermal area in the Eastern Caribbean. You can cool off in the sulfur springs and small pools just outside the volcano. The sulfur and volcanic mud is reputed to have healing effects, soothing mosquito bites, arthritis and eczema.
The Pitons, courtesy of Rosalind Cummings-Yeates.
2. The Twin Peaks of The Pitons
The two volcanic plugs that soar up from the sea are the dramatic symbol of St. Lucia and are worth the trip alone. The Pitons are named Gros Piton for the taller 26919 ft. peak and Petit Piton for the smaller,2461 ft. one. They loom all over the island but the best views can be grabbed in the villages of Soufriere and Choiseul. Active travelers can hike the Pitons or swim up to the peaks.
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Anse Chastanet open wall suite, courtesy of Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF REAL CLEAR DEFENSE
China's New "Cat" -- Type 022 Houbei Fast Attack Catamaran
Source: US Navy
In an era in which Chinese hackers have stolen almost every major weapons system from the Pentagon - Aegis, Black Hawk, F-22, F-35, V-22, PAC-3, THAAD -- the Navy brass apparently has decided to just start giving stuff away on YouTube for free, thereby saving Beijing the trouble of stealing or reverse engineering it.
That was my first thought when I stumbled across a 2014 video from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) trumpeting its development of "autonomous swarm" boats developed to protect American capital ships. As long as ONR has opened up that particular can of swarm boat worms, it might be useful to do a quick strategic comparison of the American versus Chinese swarm boat approach.
In the ONR video, we see a bunch of small and fairly old boats upgraded with a sensor and accompanying software kit called "Caracas." That's would seem to be the obvious strength of the American approach: You don't have to build a bunch of new boats with money the Pentagon doesn't have - just retrofit the old dogs in the pound with cool new software that moves the human operators to the sidelines.
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According to ONR, the autonomous swarming software was adapted from code developed by NASA for the Mars Rover - which is a "name drop" no doubt meant to impress us. On the other hand, how many times has the Mars Rover had to fight off a swarm of Martian bots coming at it at 40 knots? (Did I mention that the ONR video also shows some interesting details about the software and its operation that the Chinese, Russians, and Iranians will no doubt be keenly interested in?)
Watch This Video For a Comparison of Chinese and US Swarm Boats
At any rate, the ONR video demonstrates how a cluster of autonomous swarming boats can quite effectively neutralize a single hostile. That's all well and good if the goal is to defend against, say, a small fiberglass boat with two suicide bombers like the one that damaged the USS Cole and killed 17 American sailors.
But here's a perhaps far more relevant "what if": What if an aircraft carrier strike group operating in the Taiwan Strait or a US destroyer conducting a freedom of navigation patrol near a South China Sea island is approached by a swarm of Chinese Type 022 Houbei class fast attack catamarans? Will it be enough to send out America's autonomous drones to parry the Chinese swarming thrust?
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In fact, the results are not likely to be pretty - at least from an American perspective. Here's how US Naval War College Professor Toshi Yoshihara has described China's shiny (and very well-armored) new arsenal of Type 022 Houbei cats:
They are small, maneuverable, and nimble craft with a stealthy infrastructure specifically designed to engage in swarming-attack tactics. They are armed with long-range anti-ship cruise missiles, and they pack a truly out-sized because the missiles are designed specifically to go after capital ships.
As Yoshihara explains, China's swarm cats will be able to rapidly move in and out of ports, use their stealth to avoid detection, and engage in multi-vector attacks against everything from a US aircraft carrier strike group to the surface feet of Taiwan. In any such scenario, America's "autonomous swarm" boats would likely be obliterated (or simply ignored) because they lack the armor, speed, firepower, and maneuverability of the Chinese swarms.
Of course, ONR is likely to protest that this is not a fair comparison, but howl all you want. If you are going to put up a propaganda video to trumpet the rise of a new technology, it's more than fair to point out that the Chinese approach is to simply build hordes of newer, better, and faster boats for their swarms while we retrofit what looks from the ONR video to be at least some boats dating back perhaps as far back as the Vietnam era.
Last take: If I had my way, defense analysts and journalists would never have anything to write about when it comes to new American weapons systems. Loose lips - and porous firewalls - do indeed sink ships. ONR please take note.
_______________
Peter Navarro is a professor at the University of California-Irvine. He is the author of Crouching Tiger: What China's Militarism Means for the World (Prometheus Books) and director of the companion Crouching Tiger documentary film series. For more information and to access film interview clips, visit www.crouchingtiger.net or see his book talk on CSPAN2.
"How's Brooklyn College doing these days?" Justice Antonin Scalia asked.
It was 1994. I was at the Supreme Court to receive the Supreme Court Historical Society's award for scholarly writing about the Court. I was also in my 15th year on the American Civil Liberties Union's board of directors. Cases like Citizens United and the gun regulations decisions were still in the future, and so was the vitriolic language Justice Scalia used later in life, but his votes and his opinions had already made it clear that he and the ACLU saw the Constitution quite differently. Homosexual rights, affirmative action, reproductive freedom, the death penalty for juveniles: just a few areas of serious disagreement.
So I went to the Court prepared to meet an ogre. I had heard that Justice Scalia was delightful in person but I very much doubted that I would be charmed.
And yet I was. Justice Scalia's father had taught at Brooklyn College and I had been on its faculty since 1972, so we had at least that in common. We chatted briefly about inconsequential things, he laughed and smiled and seemed to listen intently, and I was indeed charmed.
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Our next meeting was not as fortuitous. I was writing a book about a 1996 case that involved the refusal of the Virginia Military Institute, a state-funded college, to accept applications from women. The Supreme Court in effect decided that VMI had to open its doors to all qualified students. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing for the Court, drew on the precedents she had set back in the 1970s when she was on the other side of the bench arguing gender equality cases. In doing so, she established a high threshold for any governmental action permitting gender discrimination.
Justice Scalia was the sole dissenter in the case (Justice Clarence Thomas recused himself because his son was a student at VMI). He didn't like the new test of gender discrimination and he accepted Virginia's argument that women could not hack VMI's physically demanding regime. That didn't charm me but, as a scholar, I did want to interview him. I had already spoken about the case with Justice Ginsburg.
He was known for his reluctance to grant such interviews and perhaps it was a word from Justice Ginsburg that persuaded him to see me; I'll probably never know. In any event, he made it clear from the moment I walked into his chambers that he was not happy that I was there. By then I was the ACLU's national secretary. He of course expected me to view the VMI decision favorably, and he was right. The famous Scalia charm was not in evidence as he curtly reiterated the view he had taken in dissent. The interview was very brief. As a courtesy, I sent him a copy of the book when it came out. He did not respond.
That, I assumed, would be my last interaction with Justice Scalia, but it wasn't. In 2014, the Supreme Court Historical Society invited me to give a lecture in the courtroom about the people behind a 1946 Mexican-American school desegregation case (Mendez v. Westminster).
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Anyone giving such a lecture is hosted by one of the justices of the Supreme Court. I don't know what led the Historical Society to choose Justice Scalia as my host but it did, and so on the afternoon of the lecture I was invited to his chambers for the usual pre-event chat. By that time I was an ACLU vice president. My earlier dismay at the justice's jurisprudence had multiplied exponentially, as since our last encounter he had written one opinion after another whacking away at many of the things that I and my colleagues believed in as passionately as he did not. But it was a time for politeness, not an ideological debate; after all, he was being gracious in hosting me. I could only hope that, given the brevity of our less-than-cordial interview about VMI, he didn't remember me.
We once again chatted inconsequentially until he said, "You know, it really should be Justice Ginsburg who introduces you tonight." "Why is that?" I queried, although I knew the answer. "Because she cares so much about women's rights," he replied. Unable to resist, I asked not-so-innocently, "But don't you care about women's rights, Justice Scalia?" "Not as much as she does," came the amused rejoinder. Next he turned to my 37-year-old son, who had accompanied me, and commented, "Your mother is a strong woman." "Yeah," my son replied, with a "You-don't-know-the-half-of-it" expression on his face.
Then it was time to go down to the courtroom. Justice Scalia was generous in introducing me and at one point, talking about my scholarly work, he mentioned the VMI book. His timing was impeccable. He paused for a beat before noting, with a big grin, "Of course, I dissented in that case." The audience laughed, and he winked at me. It appeared he did remember.
I don't know if you heard, but on February 3, 2016, I became the first rabbi ever to declare my "candidacy" for President of the United States of America. As you can imagine, mine is not a conventional candidacy. I do not seek to be nominated by the Republican party or by the Democratic party. I am not even declaring myself an independent. Rather, I, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald, have created a new party that has one primary goal: to bring back sacred time! Sacred time for individuals-sacred time for families-sacred time for businesses-sacred time for America! Therefore, my new party is known as "The Shabbat Party."
Now that I have your attention, allow me to explain:
Jewish tradition views the Sabbath Day (Shabbat) as "An Oasis in Time." In an era when digital technology has made the world a ubiquitous and continuous universal work space and has created an environment of constant distractions via smartphones, text messages, radios, telephones, televisions, videos and computer games, the Sabbath is a unique opportunity for spiritual and psychological renewal. It is a heavenly gift, a bit of "Divine therapy."
Around the year 1802, the British Romantic poet, William Wordsworth, wrote a poem entitled, "The World Is Too Much With Us." In this poem, Wordsworth criticized society's intense absorption with materialism, which he maintained resulted in people distancing themselves from nature. He wrote movingly that, "Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers, little we see in Nature that is ours; we have given our hearts away..." Imagine, Wordsworth wrote these words in the early 19th century, when a day of rest was still part of the social fabric of Western society! What would Wordsworth have written today, in the frenetic-paced, media-driven world of the 21st century?
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The Shabbat Party agenda is to boldly declare the significance of the Sabbath Day. With my candidacy, I hope to convince the country that the Sabbath is a Divine opportunity for us to catch our breath, to look inward, not outward, to be introspective. It offers us the chance to dedicate time to simple but invaluable pleasures such as hugging our children, looking our spouses in the eye, and engaging in true communication without the constant interruptions of today's technology. And this therapy is absolutely FREE!
Imagine sitting down to dinner without the pressure of answering calls from the boss, and being able to exercise this freedom again at lunch the next day. Consider how therapeutic a slow Sabbath Day walk is for those fighting burnout, how invigorating the opportunity to nap is for those suffering chronic exhaustion, and how important the opportunity to build community is for those suffering from existential loneliness.
Every community may have their own method of celebrating the Sabbath, but there is one constant idea that they all share -- that a Sabbath Day is a day for connecting more profoundly to others and more meaningfully to the Divine. Technological advances have made our lives easier, but they have complicated the ways we interact with each other, with the world and with God. At the heart of the Shabbat Party is family and/or community. By slowing down and unplugging, even for one day a week, we give ourselves the opportunity to connect with ourselves, connect with our families, connect with our friends and connect with our neighbors.
I am running for President because if our society truly desires to put an end to much of the malaise, depression, violence and crime that afflict our nation, we need to transform America into one family and build a united American community. I am running for President because the Jewish concept of Shabbat is something that I believe that all the people of our country desperately need and can benefit from. My political agenda is simple: weekly sacred time -- perhaps a 25 hour period -- for friends and families to spend time together without distractions -- time to resurrect the human infrastructure and to heal society's ills.
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It has been said that the Sabbath is G-d's greatest gift to humankind. Embrace it. Savor it, and you will soon recognize that it is truly "a Taste of the World to Come."
TEHRAN, IRAN - FEBRUARY 26: An Iranian woman votes in the parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections at a polling station in Qom, 125 kilometers (78 miles) south of the capital on February 26, 2016 in Tehran, Iran. Iranians voted on Friday in parliamentary elections, the country's first since its landmark nuclear deal with world powers last summer. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
Unlike what many may think, elections in an illiberal country like Iran are not only a political show. Their outcome serves as a test of strength among Iran's competing power centers. Over the weekend, the Iranian people went massively to the polls to elect members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the parliament, and the 88 members of the Assembly of Experts, which is in charge of selecting the next supreme leader to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This was the first time that the two political bodies were elected simultaneously.
The results of the elections -- the first since the start of President Hassan Rouhani's tenure in 2013 and the landmark nuclear agreement with the U.S. and five other world powers in July 2015 that lifted sanctions against Iran -- overwhelmingly favored moderates and reformists while marginalizing hard-liners. The large turnout in the elections -- about 34 million out of the nearly 55 million eligible voted on Feb. 26, according to Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli -- is very meaningful. Without a doubt, the results amounted to a popular endorsement of Rouhani's policy of "constructive and dignified engagement with the world."
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The real effects of the February elections in Iran will be felt in the next few years, when the battle for the next supreme leader starts.
Very much aware of the hawkish resistance that had lay before him, Rouhani chose a viable path through the art of principled compromise through allying with the pragmatic centrist forces against the power base of the hard-liners in the Iranian parliament and in the Assembly of Experts.
What emerged in the run-up to the elections was an alignment between three key figures of the Iranian Revolution, notably Hassan Rouhani, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Hassan Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini's grandson, who, by targeting the Assembly of Experts, tried to push back ultra-conservative figures like Ahmad Jannati and Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, and win a victory against all those who have been empowered since the election of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005. The most surprising result of this successful strategy was the defeat in Tehran of Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, a representative of the hard-liners in the Assembly of Experts.
Although the Guardian Council, the influential oversight body that examines all laws passed by parliament and vets candidates, disqualified a high number of applicants -- out of a total of 12,123 aspiring candidates registered to run in these elections, only 4,720 were qualified to participate, according to Tasnim News Agency -- the reformist candidates came first on the Tehran list for the parliamentary elections. Given the extent of these disqualifications, the sweeping win in the two elections came as quite a surprise. This is good news indeed.
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What happened in the Iranian elections over the weekend is even more significant than Hassan Rouhani's victory in the presidential elections of 2013.
With the unexpected win of the reformists in the Iranian parliament, Rouhani's government finds itself with a legislative body that will be run by a majority of moderates and semi-conservatives rather than only ultra-conservatives. And despite the disqualification of Hassan Khomeini, Rouhani and Rafsanjani's surprise victory at the top of the list in the race for membership of the influential Assembly of Experts will certainly steer the assembly toward a new strategy in choosing the next supreme leader. No doubt, this outcome of the Assembly of Experts election will have a big impact on Iranian domestic and foreign policies. The essential contest is between those like Rafsanjani who advocate for a permanent leadership council to replace the role of the supreme leader and those among the hard-liners who are for the selection of a new supreme leader by the assembly. In view of the importance of the role that the supreme leader plays in Iranian politics, that decision which will be made by the Assembly of Experts in the coming years would be a turning point of the Iranian Revolution with enormous ramifications.
One doesn't have to be clairvoyant to discern the shape of the future of Iranian politics. We all know that the Iranian elections will change nothing immediately, but we also know that these elections are the closest that the Iranian public can come to shaping the country's future. The real effects of the February elections in Iran, then, will be felt in the next few years, when the battle for the next supreme leader starts. What happened in the Iranian elections over the weekend is thus even more significant than Hassan Rouhani's victory in the presidential elections of 2013.
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Every evening at dusk, the fireflies come out and display their green flashing light show. At night the turacos and occasional tree hyrax call with their haunting voices. Then there is a gunshot, and the poachers have possibly killed another monkey or duiker to bring to market and sell the bushmeat. During the day, we hear chainsaws, killing in minutes trees that took hundreds of years to grow. This is the present state of the rainforests in Cameroon. I am here working with a team of scientists in a race against time, to catalogue the mosquitoes and bird diseases before the rainforest is gone. We know when and where the logging will happen, so we are taking advantage of a situation we can not stop: to learn as much as possible about the pristine rainforest before it is gone.
I arrived in Douala, and witnessed the terrible traffic that people encounter every day. People use all kinds of vehicles to move around, often 3-4 on one motorcycle. The bridge out of Douala is notoriously bad, and can create havoc for hours at a time. Then the police stop us twice along the road to Buea, blatantly asking for bribes. "Happy new year" are his words, delivered with a suggestive connotation. Corruption is just accepted, as is the poverty and lack of infrastructure. In short, life is not easy in Cameroon.
At the University of Buea, the professors and students are wonderful, dedicated and excited about learning and participating in the project. This will be an opportunity for them to learn about the diversity of the rainforest, and it is the first time for some of them to camp in the jungle. We have to pack up a lot of gear, and get organized for the 10-day trip. We drive past Kumba, and it is clear that the logging trucks are a priority. The road has completely changed since I was here last in the summer of 2014. We see Chinese workers beginning to pave the road, and one of my favorite spots along the way that had a tremendous view of a river and deep forest is now a gravel mine. This is "progress", allowing traffic to reach the interior of the forest in half the time.
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We become a village of 18 people after hiking for more than an hour from the nearest road into the forest. We carry everything; the tents, food, cooking supplies, traps for mosquitoes and nets for birds. It is the very dry season, and it won't rain at all. Our problem is that it means that we have a very limited supply of water because the stream is not flowing. We must conserve, and drink boiled water, with the smoky sediment that grows on the tastebuds with our increasing thirst. One bucket of water each day is sufficient to clean the sweat off our bodies. The stinky clothes never dry. We are professors, students, and 4 helpers, developing a working community. We all get along and become friends living in the bush. The bees attack us the first day, and hundreds enter my tent as soon as I open the fly. When I want to bathe, I am attacked by biting ants, piercing my feet with their jaws until I run to safety. The tingle in my feet lasts a few hours, and I start to think that perhaps this could be developed as a natural alternative to acupuncture. The ants are bad, but at this time of year, the mosquitoes are not. Still somehow, I end up with a lot of itchy bites. We dance together on Saturday night, accompanied by music on a battery operated CD player.
Every morning at dawn we open the nets to catch the birds. We take a drop of blood for our molecular studies, and make blood smears for microscopy. Most common is the Fire-crested Alethe, an orange-headed squawky bird. We get a lot of olive sunbirds, and some beautiful wattle-eyes. The diversity is still high in this pristine forest, but it won't last long. By the summer, most of this will be gone. The mosquito group works in the tent trying to learn these obscure forest insects that don't seem to bite humans, but may feed on frogs, birds or snakes. Nighttime is my favorite, and I go to sleep early, so that I can wake up in the middle of night, and listen to the sounds. One night a poacher walks through the camp, shining his light on my tent, but then quickly departs. Our headlamps are indispensable tools, allowing us to see in this dark humid place.
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN- FEBRUARY 29: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speaks to a crowd of supporters at the Minneapolis Convention Center February 29, 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sanders, who has spent the last four days campaigning in Minnesota, is hoping to win the State in the Super Tuesday primary election on March 1st, 2016. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Last summer, my 16-year-old daughter asked me whether I felt the Bern. "Did you leave the stove on again?" I asked her.
Now, after listening to We, the People, I feel the Bern.
I hereby endorse Bernie Sanders to be our Democratic nominee for President of the United States. I will vote for him as a Super-delegate at the Democratic National Convention. And I enthusiastically join, shoulder to shoulder, his political revolution.
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Perhaps inspired by the Bernie Sanders message of "Not me. Us.", for the past several days, I have appealed to Democrats across the nation to tell me for whom I should vote, as a Super-delegate at the Democratic National Convention. The response has been absolutely overwhelming. Almost 400,000 Democrats voted at GraysonPrimary.com. More than the number who voted in the South Carolina primary. More than the number who voted in the New Hampshire primary and the Nevada caucus combined.
The results: Sanders 86 percent, Clinton 14 percent. More than just a landslide. An earthquake.
We invited not just votes, but also comments. I have been fascinated by the reasons you all gave for your votes. We'll be sharing some of those, in coming days. But in Bernie's case, it boils down to this:
America needs a revolution. And only Bernie Sanders, as President of the United States, can make one.
For those of you who read these missives (and if you don't, then welcome!) this endorsement may not be entirely unexpected. You know that:
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(1) I have passed 54 amendments on the Floor of the House in the last three years, more than any other Member. And when Bernie Sanders served in the House, in his time Bernie was the "Amendment King," getting so many good things done in a hopelessly waterlogged institution, again and again.
(2) I am the only Member of the U.S. House of Representatives who raised most of his campaign funds from small contributions of less than $200 (in both 2012 and 2014, by the way). Bernie Sanders is the only Member of the U.S. Senate who raised most of his campaign funds from small contributions of less than $200. And this year, Bernie Sanders is the only Presidential candidate who has raised most of his campaign funds from small contributions of less than $200. Bernie and I are not owned and beholden to the billionaires and the multinational corporations and the lobbyists and the special interests.
Bernie Sanders is unbought and unbossed. So am I. That is an essential element of the political revolution.
Bernie Sanders and I share a goal of building a grassroots movement of people who want to take back our country from the billionaires and the multinational corporations. We want to make elections into about something different: Not the lesser of two evils, but the greater good.
But Bernie and I cannot accomplish this on our own. We need your help. We need to declare our Declaration of Independence from the baneful power of Big Money, by coming together one and all.
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This is the revolution you've been waiting for. The place is here, and the time is now.
Power... to the People.
Courage,
Earlier today, Nielsen released preliminary reports on viewership of the 88th annual Academy Awards -- and the results are telling. Overnight ratings for the ceremony declined to an 8-year low. For those of us that campaigned around asking citizens to tune out, this is heartening news. It is a significant decline and should send a clear message to the Academy and to movie studio executives that we will not tolerate discriminatory practices whether they impact what we see on screen or what takes place behind the lens. Though we don't take full credit for the decrease in viewership, certainly one would have to assume that we were effective and part of the decline. As the brilliant Frederick Douglass once said, "Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never did and it never will." To those that mocked the idea of a tune out, it seems that the joke was on them.
Yesterday, National Action Network (NAN) and I held a demonstration and marched in LA protesting the industry's continued lack of inclusion and the ongoing disrespect of ticket goers who support Hollywood with their dollars but have been marginalized on many levels. As I stated yesterday, we are not dictating who should or who shouldn't win an Oscar, but if you are locked out of the process, then what we must come to terms with is addressing systemic exclusion. And this isn't just about Black actors not being appropriately recognized for their talent; it is about the larger notion of what projects get funding for production, who gets hired behind-the-scenes, what stories are told and from whose perspective, what roles are available for Black and minority actors, how people of color can secure producer and director positions, how those who actually live in the Los Angeles area can get jobs in the industry and more. NAN and those who gathered with us yesterday wanted to send a clear message to Hollywood: It is beyond time for a change. We also held simultaneous demonstrations in New York, Washington, Cleveland, Atlanta and Detroit.
There are studies after studies that indicate that people tend to hire those that are either in their circles or those that look like them. If a majority of those in power in Hollywood are White, they tend to green light projects by those they know, those that are referred to them in their own sphere of influence, or those that they "can relate to." This has reverberations on many levels. Not only does it impact what movies are made and how people of color are depicted on a mainstream level, but also who gets a foot in the door even in an entry-level position. Access gets you more access, so if we truly care about shifting the cycle of inequality, this systemic racism in pop culture cannot continue.
In 2016, it is absolutely insulting that we are still grappling with such issues. This isn't 1950s America, and the movie going audience that spends its hard earned money to support films is comprised of a significant proportion of people of color that are simply sick and tired of being disenfranchised. The Black buying power in general is forecasted to reach $1.3 trillion by the year 2017. That tremendous power can no longer be ignored, and Hollywood must do its part to make changes immediately. It's not enough for the Academy to try and double the number of women and minority members by 2020; we need to see real substantive moves that give more employment opportunities and opportunity in general on every level to people of color.
Actors and artists will often tell you (even in acceptance speeches) that there is perhaps no greater honor than being recognized for your work by your peers. When Black, Latino, Asian and other minority actors are shunned out of the Academy nomination process for the second year in a row, what message does that send to them, to the acting community, to the actors of tomorrow and to society at large? This is a very serious part of the problem and why so many boycotted last night's ceremony, but it is not the only issue. If we want to equalize Hollywood, then we must address the deeper challenges behind-the-scenes as well. Until we do, the Academy and studio execs can expect that declining viewership will be the new norm because the people that support your films are just tired of being snubbed.
I grew up in Portland, Or, which is a city that has lots of churches and religious communities. During the time that I lived in Portland, I attended Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, American Baptist and United Church Of Christ congregations. As a teenager, I was involved in an organization called Hub-Cap, which was an ecumenical agency that was working on issues regarding the elderly and the poor. Being religious and active in a faith community was important for me then and is important for me now.
Years later, I would learn, probably urban legend, that Oregon is one of the least religious states in the country in terms of church attendance. I must say that it didn't appear to be the case when I was growing up. According to a recent study published by the Pew Research Center, Oregon ranks 39Th in terms of its religious affiliation. The religious profile of Oregon is as follows:
Religious profile of Oregon
45% (39th)
say religion is very important in their lives
29% (42nd)
say they attend worship services at least weekly
45% (47th)
say they pray daily
57% (38th)
say they believe in God with absolute certainty
How religious is your state?
Pew Research Center - 1 day ago
... levels of religiosity in the Pew Research Center's most recent Religious Landscape Study
According to the same study, Mississippi and Alabama are rated No. One for religious affiliation. In Alabama, 77% report the religion is very important for their lives, 51% report that they attend church weekly. In Mississippi, where I once lived, 74% percent report that religion is very important in their lives and 49% percent report attending church weekly. The state that appears to be the least religious is Massachusetts, home of Harvard, MIT, Tangle Wood and the Boston Red Socks, which is ranked 50TH. In Massachusetts, 33% report that religion is very important in their lives,23% report that they attend church at least weekly. ( Pew Research Study )
Perhaps it's not surprising that the South would be listed as being more religious than the Northeast, but I wonder how does this translate with regard to social policy, especially taking care of the poor and the needy ?
Mississippi has been traditionally viewed as a poor state. According to an article in the Atlantic Magazine;
I It is hard to find a list where Mississippi doesn't rank last; Life expectancy. Per capita income. Children's literacy. "Mississippi's people do not fare well," wrote Willie Morris, a seventh-generation, native son who grew up in Yazoo City How Obamacare Went South in Mississippi - The Atlanticwww.theatlantic.com/...obamacare...in-mississippi/382313The Atlantic Nov 4, 2014 - Why did the Affordable Care Act fail in the country's unhealthiest state? ... view among the poor is: "Mississippi don't care about its poor people.
This is in contrast to Massachusetts, according to an article from the Boston Globe.
The poverty rate for children in Massachusetts increased more than three percentage points between 2009 and 2013 -- to 16.3 percent -- even as the reported unemployment rate declined. Poverty has been slowly climbing in Massachusetts for the past five years (although specialists caution that each annual increase is not necessarily statistically significant), and children are being affected at a higher rate than the general population. Overall, the number of homeless family members in Massachusetts has increased by 81 percent in the past six years, the second-highest increase of any state in the nation, according to Horizons for Homeless Children. Child poverty continues to climb in Massachusetts The...https://www.bostonglobe.com/...massachusetts/.../story.ht...The Boston GlobeSep 21, 2014 - "It can lead to another cycle of poverty," Luby said. ... In Massachusetts, nearly 31 percent of urban children are poor, a 6.4 percentage point increase... And children require access to health care, nutrition, and education so that their future is not determined by adversity.
So, you can be very religious as a state, or not so religious as a state and not do a good job with regard to taking care of those who are vulnerable.
Jesus said, "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' ( Matthew 25:40 )
The late Mario Cuomo once said " the measure of a society is how well it takes care of its less fortunate citizens."
Maybe, the good news this season is that we can be committed to our religious faith and we can be equally committed to providing assistance to those who are poor, marginalized and who have no voice.
May it be so.
Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz is taking heat for dirty tricks allegedly orchestrated by his campaign. The tricks range from photoshopping an image to make it appear that one of his opponents, Marco Rubio, is gleefully shaking hands with President Barack Obama, to allegedly creating a counterfeit Facebook profile for conservative U.S. Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC), where Gowdy disavows his past support for Rubio and announces he now backs Cruz. It is also alleged that Cruz's campaign tried to fool supporters of opponent Ben Carson by informing them that the retired neurosurgeon had dropped out of the race.
Political skullduggery is not a novelty in American Politics. Sometimes the tricks are quite juvenile. In 1970, 19-year-old Republican political operative Karl Rove, who later became the chief campaign strategist for George W. Bush, broke into the campaign office of Allan J. Dixon, the Democratic nominee for State Treasurer of Illinois. He then pilfered Dixon's campaign stationery. Learning when Dixon had scheduled a rally, Rove proceeded to advertise: "Free beer, free food, girls, and a good time for nothing" on Dixon's stationery. Rove then distributed the homemade flyers at rock concerts and homeless shelters, inviting these people to the rally. Dixon won the election and Rove eventually apologized for his actions.
Dirty tricks can sometimes backfire on the trickster. In 2010, Florida Republican State Legislative candidate Greg Brown, along with his bride, stole his opponents campaign signs from lawns. His opponent, Doug Bronson, caught the couple on video camera stealing the signs.
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In 1950, Time magazine reported that U.S. Representative George Smathers (D-FL) made the following charge about U.S. Senator Claude Pepper (D-FL) while campaigning to defeat him in the 1950 Democratic Primary:
Are you aware that the candidate is known all over Washington as a shameless extrovert? Not only that, but this man is reliably reported to have practiced nepotism with his sister-in-law and he has a sister who was once a wicked thespian in New York. He matriculated with co-eds at the University, and it is an established fact that before his marriage he habitually practiced celibacy.
Smathers denied making this statement and offered $10,000 to anyone who could prove he made it. No one could prove it. Smathers won the election.
The alleged tactics used by the Cruz campaign are reminiscent of those used in previous political campaigns, sometimes without even the knowledge of the candidate. In 1888, after his razor-thin victory (winning the Electoral Vote but not the national popular vote), President-Elect Benjamin Harrison said to Republican National Committee Chairman Matthew Stanley Quay: "Providence has given us victory." Quay later opined to a newspaper reporter: He ought to know that Providence didn't have a damn thing to do with it. Harrison will never know how many men were compelled to approach the penitentiary to make him President."
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Incumbent President Grover Cleveland was locked in a whisker-close battle with Harrison. A Harrison supporter, George Osgooby wrote a letter using the alias "Charles F. Murchishon." He claimed to be a naturalized citizen born in Britain. Osgooby mailed the letter to the British ambassador to the U.S., Lionel Sackville West, requesting advice regarding whom he should vote for. West wrote back, suggesting he should vote for Cleveland. President Cleveland was held in high esteem by the British for his support for reducing the protective tariff on British goods imported into the U.S. When the letters were published, some Irish-Americans, indignant at the British for their treatment of the Irish, turned against Cleveland and helped put Harrison over the top.
The Kennedy family is notorious for the use of political legerdemain. In 1946, after entering a race for an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, future President John F. Kennedy used a clever tactic to muster an electoral advantage. A popular candidate in the race was Boston City Councilor Joe Russo. To siphon support from Russo, the Kennedy campaign persuaded and bankrolled a custodian domiciled in the district, who had no political experience or political aspirations, to enter the race. His name was also Joe Russo. The City Councilor Joe Russo complained that someone had "seen fit to buy out a man who has the same name as mine." But the city councilor had no recourse, and John F. Kennedy won the race.
When John F. Kennedy (a Roman Catholic) sought the Presidency in 1960, his campaign, led by campaign manager and brother Robert F. Kennedy, won plaudits for their victory in West Virginia, which was about 95% Protestant. This stunning victory was not only the result of indefatigable campaigning, but also the result of implying that Humphrey had sought draft deferments because he was "a political organizer whose services were needed (as a civilian) during WWll." The Kennedy campaign dispatched surrogate Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., whose father's name reached near demi-god status in the state, to suggest that Humphrey had been a draft dodger during World War ll. The accusations were mendacious. In actuality, Humphrey failed his medical examination because of a hernia.
John F. Kennedy denounced the charge, averring that the allegations were "done without my knowledge and consent and I disapprove of the injection of this issue into the campaign." Roosevelt later withdrew his charge against Humphrey, but the damage was done. Humphrey was running a shoestring campaign against Kennedy's unlimited resources. In fact, Humphrey allocated funds he had saved for his daughter's college education to pay for his last television advertisement. In addition to failing to inoculate himself from the draft dodging charges, Humphrey could not overcome Kennedy's infinite campaign spending.
In the General Election that year, Kennedy employed the services of Dick Tuck, a noted dirty trickster. After Kennedy debated Republican nominee Richard M. Nixon, Tuck paid a senior citizen to wear a "Nixon for President" button and to approach Nixon after the debate in the presence of the media and tell Nixon: "Don't worry son! He beat you last night, but you'll get him next time." Kennedy eked out a victory over Nixon.
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After winning the Presidency himself in 1968, Nixon became the perpetrator of, and accomplice to, numerous dirty tricks. His Presidency was toppled as a result of the Watergate Affair, where he tried to cover-up his re-election campaign's role in a break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters. But that was just the tip of the iceberg for dirty tricks in that administration.
Nixon and his coefficients were obsessed with enfeebling their potentially formidable opponents for re-election. Former Alabama Governor George Wallace had run for President in 1968 as the nominee of the American Independence Party. Nixon wanted to purloin and monopolize the populist blue-collar conservative message that Wallace had preached in 1968. He feared Wallace would become either the Democratic nominee or would again be the American Independence Party nominee, and would once again become the tribune of the message.
To stop Wallace, the Nixon forces subversively tried to have him defeated in his 1970 bid to recapture the Alabama Governorship. Accordingly, Nixon ordered his lawyer, Herbert Kalmbach, to clandestinely funnel $100,000 to Wallace's opponent, incumbent Democrat Albert Brewer. Brewer defeated Wallace in the primary, but did not garner the requisite majority of the vote to avoid a runoff with Wallace. In the Runoff election, Kalmbach secretly sent a $330,000 donation to Brewer. However, the scheme proved feckless as Wallace won the General Election comfortably. Wallace then ran for President two years later, but his campaign came to a halt when he was shot and paralyzed at a campaign rally in Laurel, Maryland.
In 1972, much of the Democratic establishment was aligned with U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie (D-ME). The Nixon campaign feared Muskie would muster the nomination. To prevent this possibility, they tried to derail his candidacy before the New Hampshire Presidential Primary. They wanted to run against the insurrectionist candidate George McGovern who was well to Muskie's left. Shannanagators in the Nixon campaign penned a letter written to the Editor of the influential Manchester Union Leader. It was published just two weeks prior to the New Hampshire Primary. The letter-writer alleged in the missive to have asked Muskie how he could represent African-Americans as President when there were so few African-Americans in Muskie's home state of Maine. This letter went on to state that Muskie had responded: "No Blacks, but we have Canucks." (A derogatory term for French Canadians who have a large representation in Maine).
The letter proved effective in that Muskie challenged the letter-writer and the newspaper by standing outside its headquarters and branding the paper's editor, William Loeb, "A gutless coward." It was reported in the media the next day that Muskie cried, though some observers maintain that the water on Muskie's face was from snowflakes. However, after the incident some New Hampshire voters began questioning if Muskie had the temperament to be President.
Consequently, many Muskie supporters defected to McGovern. While Muskie won the primary, he garnered an underwhelming 46.4% of the vote. Muskie never reclaimed his early electoral momentum. He dropped out of the race in late April, telling news reporters: "I do not have the money to continue." McGovern eventually pocketed the nomination.
Yes, revolutionaries, Bernie has two problems; and his "movement" needs to go interactive to help him solve them.
Saturday night my junkmail received its almost daily email pitch from Bernie Sanders. It was titled "An unmistakable message." Its text made unclear what Bernie thought that message was. But the "unmistakable message" communicated to me from South Carolina that night was that Sanders has a black women problem. Money will not solve that problem.
Other states may not face him, as South Carolina did, with a Democratic electorate that is both 61% black and 61% female to deliver such a resounding defeat. Only 23% of South Carolina Democrats claim to be very liberal. It would be easy to write off South Carolina as the outlier state it has always been in US history, starting as the most oligarchic and repressive of all the slave states, home of the very prophet of slavery Sen. John C. Calhoun, another of its slave-power politician's caning of Charles Sumner nearly to death on the floor of the Senate with impunity, firing the first shot of the Civil War. If the slave power had a heart, it would have looked like South Carolina. But dismissing the message from South Carolina with such excuses would be too easy. South Carolina is today not the most impoverished, unemployed or unequal of southern states.
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A teachable moment will be wasted if Sanders' campaign does not take away from its rout from South Carolina the fact that Bernie has a serious black women problem and that he must decide to take strategic action to solve that problem. Black women were 37% of South Carolina's primary voters. Clinton won their votes by a margin of 78 points (i.e., 89%-11%), and black men by 64 points. If Sanders had reversed the black women vote, which is a core component of his working class coalition and principal beneficiary of all his policies, he would have won South Carolina - not ignominiously lost it.
This black women problem is strange because Sanders' opponent was accurately called out by Ashley Williams from #BlackLivesMatter for using, in her checkered conservative past. the "Super predator" and "Bring them to heel" slurs, to make the larger point that "Hillary Clinton has a pattern of throwing the Black community under the bus when it serves her politically." Even more revealing, Clinton was also at the same time caught, in her present "progressive" incarnation, promoting highly offensive Jim Crow fake history propaganda. She was called out for her "chilling" reversion to that pre-civil rights era slavery-by-another-name discourse by no less an authority than the best selling author and columnist Ta-Nehisi Coates. Coates criticized Clinton for "retelling a racist ... version of American history" and "doling out the kind of myths that undergirded racist violence," like a retro- Scarlet O'Hara. But such a direct accusation of racism from an authoritative source (who was not yet a Sanders' supporter at the time) had no noticeable effect in South Carolina.
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As experienced practitioners of identity politics the Clintons know how to dish out symbols, such as Hillary Clinton's opportunistic southern drawl or reading a list of black victims, with an actor dramatizing that "She says their names ... and makes their mothers' fight for justice her own." Really, just like that? Desperation creates "a hunger for even symbolic victory," as Cornel West has eloquently said. These theatrical gestures, like Bill's saxophone, cancel out the reality of a Doughface conservative who has done much more harm than good to black Americans throughout her career, ever since she was a Goldwater youth in the same year he voted against the landmark Civil Rights Act.
Sanders, who at that same time was arrested as a young civil rights activist, does not deal in identity politics symbolism. People of all identities who are capable of going deeper than superficial symbols and empty gestures to understand the concrete policies that Sanders has consistently backed unfailingly support him. Cornel West instructs that Sanders is "more progressive than ... Obama--and that means better for black America." West was not alone in taking this powerful message to South Carolina.
West does not have to prove his own transcendence of identity politics in pursuit of the truth wherever it may lead. Like West, Sanders also does not pander to identity politics. Nevertheless Sanders hired a young black woman, Symone Sanders, as his national press secretary, and he also has attracted the support of some of the most dynamic black women in the country, as well as black men. But all this has not translated at a symbolic level into a message capable of gaining support from black women generally.
What Sanders is missing is the kind of identity symbolism that would communicate the centrality of black women to his movement, Such symbolism must at the same time be completely consistent with, and an authentic expression of, his core message and purpose of restoring democracy from the grip of plutocracy for everybody. It is the weakest members of society, those subject to structural discrimination, who have the most to gain from restoring political equality. Sanders can be trusted not to pander like the Clintons as a substitute for that equality which Bill Clinton was instrumental in denying.
Yet the message delivered by the South Carolina rout, like a wakeup slap in the face, is that Sanders needs to find an authentic progressive action that will at the same time communicate to black women about who he is at a symbolic level and in an unmistakable fashion. This message needs to be embedded in some elementary movement-building initiatives.
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Fortunately events have presented him just such an opportunity.
Where is the Sanders' progressive SCOTUS shortlist?
Not only does Sanders have a black women problem. He also has a Supreme Court problem. Sanders will not be able to deliver on his promise to take our government back from the "billionaire class" unless he can effectively address his problem of taking the unelected Supreme Court back from the billionaire class. This is where events have intervened to Sanders' advantage.
The Supreme Court problem has suddenly taken a more tractable form in the pending question about the best nominee to fill the swing-seat vacancy left by Scalia's timely demise. A 4-4 deadlocked Court puts a hold on any further plutocratic decisions until the seat is filled. Republicans insist that the election should determine the nomination. This creates an opportunity for Sanders to either as Senator recommend a nominee who is validated by his campaign success or as president to appoint the new justice who will turn around the Courts' plutocratic decisions which would otherwise prevent accomplishment of his progressive goals.
To date, Sanders has been strangely and inappropriately silent about this opportunity, though it concerns him more than anyone. He is the one who has prioritized cleaning up the corrupt campaign finance system which cannot be done without a Supreme Court strategy.
Sanders' campaign has made him at the same time both the most prominent U.S. Senator on the Democratic side of the aisle, and the most prominent progressive politician in the country. Meanwhile President Obama is undertaking his predictable Kabuki quest to offer a nomination that will be plutocratic enough to entice even Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell to treat it with courtesy.
Those who reject plutocracy in 2016 are entitled to depend upon Senator Sanders to correct Obama with Senatorial good "advice" about this nomination. It is Senator Sanders' own constitutional duty to give Obama such advice. Since he is now a Senate leader, he should take the lead in doing so. If progressive advice is not given by Sanders then who will give it in a way that Obama can hear it? As both the most prominent Senator to advise Obama on this nomination and also the most prominent progressive in the country to deflect Obama from appointing a plutocrat acceptable to Republican Party funders, Sanders' current silence on the issue is deafening.
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Sanders' likely prospects for winning the presidency increase his legitimate interest in how Obama handles this matter. McConnell claims "that the nomination should be made by the president that the people elect in the election that's now underway." Obama's mishandling of the nomination, by appointment to the Court of a plutocrat slightly disguised behind an identity-politics veneer, could prevent President Sanders from nailing down and taking advantage of McConnell's offer to fulfill his campaign promise of a revolution against plutocracy. Sanders should take up this challenge for a democratically determined nominee, and announce that he intends to hold McConnell to his promise that the election will determine the swing-seat appointment.
If Sanders performs well on Super Tuesday, he will have additional political capital to claim, at least in private, that Obama should not send up a nomination unless it is someone that Sanders' can support. But Sanders should not delay in announcing his own short list of indicative candidates that Sanders would support now as Senator and in the future, as president.
Most of the short lists imputed to Obama, like Obama's first apparent trial balloon, consist mostly of corporate lawyers and other plutocrats. Most of them have some veneer to satisfy whatever identity politics Obama chooses for his Identity Plutocrat nomination. But the identity that would be a truly historic first is that of a black woman. This identity lies at the very intersection of the two greatest democratic movements since the Constitution, against racism and patriarchy. It thus also represents the convergence of the identity politics played by both Obama and Clinton, the same convergence that ran Sanders out of South Carolina. These identities are rooted in tectonic political struggles, not just the steady stream of immigration and ethnic assimilation which is the American story. Yet there is an Hispanic woman and two Jewish women sitting on the Supreme Court, but no black woman.
The slap delivered to Sanders in South Carolina says, if he chooses to interpret that message, "it's now time." It's time to move beyond symbolism to authentic participation in power.
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One of the few names of non-judges appearing on some short lists of possible Obama nominees is the name of a black woman. Obama has been separately advised by the ranking member of the judiciary committee, the respected former Chair, Senator Leahy, that "nominees from outside the judicial monastery" would be preferable to nominating a judge. McConnell's politicization of the appointment discloses the deception that Leahy rightly dispels. Appointing a judge sustains the pretense that the Supreme Court has something to do with the law rather than using legal pretense to disguise political judgments, like Scalia did. The Supreme Court, the way it operates under Chief Justice Roberts, is today a purely political body. Pretending otherwise by appointing a sitting judge rather than a politician only sustains the pretense.
Therefore this name of a non-judge black woman should be taken very seriously, particularly in light of the historic nature of the appointment. If President Obama is not going to appoint a black woman Supreme Court justice, then who will break this barrier in the foreseeable future?
Unfortunately the name of the black woman that appears on these various short lists, who is also endorsed by what Glen Ford calls the Black Misleadership Class, is Obama's revolving door Attorney General Loretta Lynch. As former corporate lawyer and prosecutor in New York City she cannot be clearly distinguished from the other plutocrats that populate these circulating short lists as leading Obama prospects for Scalia's seat. She has been criticized for being "marinated in the [plutocratic] worldview." Letting the global bank HSBC off the hook is possibly what won her the top job to continue Justice's practice of taking a cut from the RICO bankers for terrorists and drug-dealers, among other criminals, instead of yanking their licenses and sending the offending money-laundering and predatory banksters to jail.
If Sanders delays his advice on this nomination until Obama chooses such an Identity Plutocrat, it will be too late for him to oppose it. The identity politics messaging, amplified by mass media propagandists for plutocracy, will divert attention from the fundamental problem of appointing another plutocrat to the Supreme Court for the unspoken ulterior purpose of perpetuating the Supreme Court's "money is speech" jurisprudence. In effect, Loretta Lynch would be another Clarence Thomas for purposes of perpetuating plutocracy. What the country desperately needs, as its first priority, Sanders knows, is instead a justice who will go on the Court with the express determination of overruling Buckley v Valeo at the very first opportunity, and with the same intensity of purpose as Lincoln had toward overthrowing Dred Scott.
Unless such a new justice is appointed, Sanders' promise to clean up the corrupt campaign finance system, as the prerequisite for achieving any of his proposed economic reforms, is an empty one. A corrupt Congress has proven incapable of defending its legislative powers against their usurpation by means of the Court's routine violations of the Constitution's separation of powers. It will be much easier and quicker for a new president with a mandate to win a nomination battle in a Democratic Senate than to try building a new backbone for a corrupt Congress to stand up to a judicial supremacist Court.
The second most important issue arising from the justice system is closely related. While the Court has been illegitimately meddling in elections to legalize their plutocratic corruption, it has also been neglecting its proper official duty to oversee the criminal justice system in a manner so as to maintain the rule of law and due process. The Court has violated its judicial oath required by law that they "do equal right to the poor and to the rich." As a result of the Court's failure, both ethical and constitutional, criminal justice is a New Jim Crow system possessing significant police state overtones, especially against people of color and the poor. This is the problem that has created a civil rights crisis. Next to systemic political corruption, it is the most pressing national problem arising from the legal sector.
Loretta Lynch, as a former prosecutor, now managing the Justice Department component of this broken system, is on the wrong side of this issue. She is what needs to be reformed, not a reformer. What is needed is a lawyer or legislator who has worked the victim side, not the police state side, of the broken system, one who can bring relevant expertise to the MIA Supreme Court on how to fix it. Where is Lynch's list of publications or best selling book about the broken justice system and failed federal drug war and corrupt prison industrial complex that drives it?
If Sanders is going to get such a new Supreme Court justice appointed who will perform in the public's interest, not the plutocrats' interest, on these two crucial issues then he needs to be proactive. Right now he needs to get out in front of a Lynch or any other Identity Plutocrat nomination Obama might make. Lynch would likely be the strongest such nomination that Obama could make, since she was only recently approved by the Republican Senate as Attorney General and blows the two strongest identity-politics dog whistles of any possible alternative. By planning for the worst, Sanders would be prepared for any similar possibility.
Sanders should be able to immediately find a half dozen qualified potential nominees of the same identity as Lynch, but who are progressive supporters of his revolution, not plutocratic opponents, and who are also on the right side of the civil rights crisis instead of on the wrong side of both civil rights and plutocracy crises. Sanders needs to make public his own indicative list of alternative nominees from which Obama could choose, at the implicit cost of losing Sanders' support if he refuses. Such a Sanders short list could include such names as the accomplished legislators Nina Turner and Cynthia McKinney, law professors Michelle Alexander (J.D., Stanford), Nekima Levy-Pounds (J.D., Illinois), and Anita Hill (J.D., Yale), maybe the versatile apparatchik formerly of Obama's own office Melody Barnes (J.D., Michigan), plus another nominee to be named by a group of young uncoopted women civil rights activists like Ashley Williams and Aislinn Pulley of Chicago. Symone Sanders should be fully capable of convening such young activists for the special purpose of appointing their own representative to this group of distinguished black women.
While each member of this group should have qualifications to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court at least as impressive as those Antonin Scalia had when he was appointed, Sanders would ask this group to convene and deliberate on his behalf for purposes of jointly recommending to him who they think would be the best nominee. His nominee should be the modern version of a Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman and Frances Ellen Watkins rolled into one to invade, talk truth to, and conquer the influence peddling Senators of the Judiciary Committee. The nominee should be capable of winning over the public in Senate hearings on a progressive Supreme Court nominee or in a political campaign against any obstructive Senators, if necessary. After winning appointment, she would proceed to outlaw their plutocratic business model from her seat on the Supreme Court.
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If the influence peddling Senators either refuse her a hearing, or defy public opinion by denying consent to her appointment after gavel-to-gavel broadcast hearings, she could still join the Court no later than July 31, 2016 as Obama's Article II, Section 2 recess appointee. According to law, Congress must recess by that date. Before that date her recess appointment should be urged upon Obama by Sanders as the Democratic candidate for the presidency, running well ahead of his Republican opponent in the polls.
Sanders and his nomination team may need to publicly instruct the former constitutional law instructor about the power that the Constitution wisely gave the presidency to meet just the type of obstruction from Congress that McConnell has mounted against Obama. Sanders' efforts to overcome Obama's habitual instinct to deny his own presidential powers would conflict with Obama's Kabuki performance for plutocrats. But in these circumstances it would only serve to publicize Sanders' support for his nominee and for his own nomination process. This will demonstrate to black women Sanders' difference from Obama in following through his determination to get the best progressive, publicly supported, black woman nominee on the Court, one way or another, by August 1, 2017 at the very latest.
Sanders' campaign should provide this consultative group whatever resources might be needed to reach out to an even broader community of progressive black women legal professionals. The process should be announced publicly and begin immediately to preempt any contrary action by Obama to appoint an Identity Plutocrat. Whatever reasonable time is needed should be made available for consultations with the objective of gaining widespread participation and support of black women for fashioning Sanders' ultimate Senatorial "advice" to Obama about the best black woman Justice who can be found.
A formal model for such a process would be Jimmy Carter's widely-praised and groundbreaking judicial selection process that brought then unprecedented diversity to the federal bench. This exercise would have the additional benefit of providing practice for Sanders' eventual search the other important vacancy of a VP running mate. There are also a number of vacancies in the lower federal courts that are in need of mass recess appointments for any runner-up participants recommended by this consultative group who would not mind taking a sabbatical year as a federal judge, assuming Republicans will have the necessary votes to remove them at the end - whether in 2017, or 2018 - of their one-year recess appointment to the federal bench.
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Sanders could in this way convert his current black women problem into a solution of his, and the country's, even greater need for an authentic progressive nominee to fill Scalia's vacant seat on the Supreme Court, as well as key vacancies in the lower courts. "We live in a time when we don't need marginal improvements" - Shaun King. The country cannot afford another Kabuki-disguised cave-in by Obama on one of the most important Supreme Court appointments in U.S. history. Sanders needs to demonstrate his leadership capabilities on this issue right now. It is as important to the recovery of democracy as is his election itself. If his chosen nominee does not get a hearing in the Republican Senate, then she should immediately become a partner in his campaign to obtain a national mandate for when her name is finally sent to the Senate on inauguration day 2017.
Over to you Bernie. It's time to start actually building this important missing element of that movement you talk about.
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Rob Hager, a Harvard Law graduate, is a public interest litigator who filed amicus briefs in the Montana sequel to Citizens United and has worked as an international consultant on anti-corruption policy. He is currently writing a three-part book assessing proposals for ending the political influence of special interest money. The current eLibrary draft of the first part, Hillary Clinton's Dark Money Disclosure "Pillar," is available online.
The Sabah Wildlife Department issued a dire warning last week over the survival of the last remaining elephant population in Borneo. The African elephants have been the focus of media attention so much so that some people are surprised to find out that there are elephants in Indonesia and Malaysia and not just orangutans.
This mono species conservation focus which has most conservation dollars going towards saving orangutans is casting too much of a shadow over species like the elephants. More efforts have to be placed on habitat preservation. In fact, if saving the orangutans is truly a global goal for conservation, we should use the Asian elephant ( Elephas Maximus ) as an icon species instead of the orangutan.
Look at it this way. The estimated population of the Bornean orangutans still floats around plus or minus 50,000 animals depending on which report you read. The Bornean elephant( Elephas Maximus Borneensis) on the other hand, has been estimated at less than 2,000 animals, most of which are in Sabah state, Malaysia. The Sumatran elephant( Elephas Maximus Sumatranus) fares no better with less than 2,000 animals remaining compared to an estimated 6,000 Sumatran orangutans and yet the monthly deaths of Sumatran elephants rarely gets exposure in popular media.
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Wild animals need big areas to survive in, elephants more so. It's a well known fact that there isn't enough money or interest in saving all threatened wildlife but there is a good chance that if we could focus on habitats rather than exclusive sanctuaries or safe enclosed areas, we could possibly even save species like the wild buffalo( banteng as it's called locally )and the pangolins in Sabah as happy beneficiaries of holistic conservation. Both of which are reportedly near extinct. Unfortunately, neither the banteng nor the pangolin is cute enough to be an iconic species.
So, if we are choosing which animal to be an icon based on their level of cuteness, well then, baby elephants can be darn cute too! Just look at this photo from Bornean elephant expert, Megan English, of baby elephants in Sabah state, Malaysia. This has to be the cutest thing you'll see this week!
Unfortunately, Sabah state is also the same place where the poisoning deaths of 14 elephants in 2013 made headlines around the world.
This should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with conservation issues in Sabah. Way back in 2012, I received a report indicating that human-elephant conflicts would rise over the years. The report which was prepared jointly by a local NGO and the Sabah Wildlife Department indicated that some 64% of the elephants were found outside of protected forests. Local news reports on human-elephant conflicts since then have served to confirm that report's warnings.
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A recent study on the elephants and one of their key habitats in the Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain can be accessed here. The report comes with a warning that the future of elephants in Sabah is questionable if isolated populations continue to in-breed.
Action Now or Future Extinction
In last week's public statement, the Director of Sabah's Wildlife Department, William Baya called the rescue of baby orphan elephants a "worrying trend " and appealed to Malaysian corporations to help fund their rescue.
I am extremely concerned about what is happening to our Bornean Elephant population in the wild . For the past three years we have rescued 15 baby elephants , all below 1 year old that were found wondering alone. The numbers are actually on the increase when in 2013 we rescued 2 babies, followed by 3 babies the following year and in 2015 ,we rescued a record of 8 babies. Though 2016 has just dawned , we have already rescued 2 baby elephants just in the month of February alone.
Assistant Director, Dr Sen Nathan was more emphatic in his assessment of the situation.
Coupled by this alarming trend of orphans being rescued which basically means mothers are being killed, could spell a deadly cocktail that would lead the Bornean elephant on the same trail of extinction as the now extinct in the wild, Bornean Rhinoceros of Sabah. We should never ever allow our Bornean Elephants to join the Bornean Rhinoceros to that path. Steps must be taken right now and not 20 years down the road on both in-situ ( in natural habitat) and Ex-situ (managed /captive breeding) conservation to save our elephants in Sabah
Saving Bornean Elephants Should be a Global Project
While I expect companies like Sime Darby and the Malaysian Palm Oil Council to answer the wildlife departments call for help and increase conservation funding in Sabah, this won't be anywhere near enough to save the entire population of elephants. The timber industry in Sabah must get involved as part of a wider local campaign to ensure their survival. International conservation groups like World Land Trust which ran a successful fundraising campaign in 2014 to save parts of the elephant's habitat in the Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain have to do more.
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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign event, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Springfield, Mass. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
I was a newly-minted lawyer working for a federal appeals judge in Shreveport, Louisiana, when Hillary Clinton made the then-controversial comment that she had chosen to pursue her profession rather than "bake cookies and have teas" when her husband was governor of Arkansas. That was in 1992 and Bill was running for president.
Hillary took a lot of flack for that comment but for me, it was soul-deep validation. No longer was I an old maid on the fringes of society. Professional women were legitimate. And Hillary solidified that vision during her time as First Lady. For that I will always owe her a debt.
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I'm not suggesting women vote for Hillary simply because she's a woman. There are plenty of women I wouldn't vote for. But I want young women to know what it was like for "boomer" girls like me, growing up in the 1950s, before they make their decision.
I grew up in New York City, more specifically, in Manhattan's "silk stocking district." From third grade on, I would hide my report cards so my mother wouldn't scold me for getting all A's. "Don't be too smart," I was told, "or the boys won't like you." When I asked why I had to learn to play piano, my mother said it would make me popular at parties. But "too much" reading, whatever that meant, would lead to a reprimand. My mother begged my father to stay with her long enough to try to conceive a son. They did. The relatives cooed over him and ignored me. I remember them gushing that he would be president one day, although I was the one who excelled at school and was president of my class. I felt like a dark shadow and crept back to my room.
After sixth grade I got the chance to attend Brearley, the elite girls' school that attract the daughters of the Rockefellers, Kennedys and the like. My mother was dead-set against it. She wanted me to go to a co-ed school so I'd have dates. I got to go to Brearley, but only after warnings that I was making a terrible mistake and ruining my life. My mother died soon after from breast cancer, but even my father, who was proud I was smart, sent me away to a summer program for party girls flunking high school before I began my freshman year at Harvard-Radcliffe. I guess he hoped I'd learn how to party. Years later, family friends had only one question when I visited: Did I have a boyfriend? My professional accomplishments were of no interest.
Slovakian musicians cellist Jozef Luptak and accordion player Boris Lenko will be back in Billings to perform a series of public concerts.
When they performed in Billings in November, audiences gave them standing ovations.
This round of live shows will feature Jewish Chassidic music, and the two musicians will be joined by Milos Valent on violin and viola and Rabbi Baruch Myers on piano and vocals.
Luptak and Myers were searching for ancient Jewish music from Central and Eastern Europe that they could modernize and make more classical at the same time.
Their goal was to use music to bring people together in a country still suffering from the memories of war. The project was introduced at the Konvergencie chamber music festival in Bratislava in 2008, and it has been applauded by audiences throughout Central Europe ever since.
The free series of shows begins on Wednesday with a 6:30 p.m. free performance at the Yellowstone Art Museum. Donations will be accepted.
On Thursday, they will perform at 7 p.m. at Cisel Hall at Montana State University Billings. The show will also be streamed live to YouTube.
On Friday, the musicians will be featured at St. Johns Seeds of Kindness appreciation event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at St. Johns Lillis Center. Hors d'oeuvres will be served.
A special Signature Concert has been organized in conjunction with Congregation Beth Aaron for Sunday, March 6, at 6 p.m. at Losekamp Hall at Rocky Mountain College. The purpose of the concert is to honor these four musicians for their efforts in bringing people together in their country, by bringing people together in ours, organizers say.
A reception will follow the concert.
On February 22, 2016, Isa Mustafa, the Prime Minister of Kosovo made a speech at the Oxford Union, addressing a range of political, geopolitical and socioeconomic issues in Kosovo and the historical legacies that underpin them. Mustafa, the former mayor of Pristina (Kosovo's capital city) from December 2007 to December 2013 became Kosovo's Prime Minister on December 9, 2014 and is the current leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo Party. Below is a synopsis of Mustafa's thoughts on recent developments in Kosovo and its progress towards economic modernization and European integration:
Mustafa on Kosovo's International Recognition as an Independent State
Mustafa hailed the success of the status negotiations that began in 2007, in giving Kosovo widespread international recognition. While 111 countries have recognized Kosovo's right to independence and Kosovo has integrated itself into major international institutions like the IMF and World Bank, five EU countries still view Kosovo as merely a part of Serbia. These five countries are Spain, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and Cyprus. Countries have opposed Kosovo's independence on the grounds that the secession of Kosovo from Serbia would create instability in the Balkans and potentially result in the displacement of non-Albanian minorities. Mustafa emphasizes safeguards for minorities and the Kosovo government's positive human rights record as proof that these claims are unfounded.
Mustafa believes that Spain has been vocal about resisting Kosovo's independence because its own problems with separatism. Mustafa notes that Spain's opposition to Kosovo's independence does not necessarily mean that it is hostile to Kosovo's interests. He traveled to Madrid in 2015 as representative of the European Peoples Parties Congress, and while his speech did not draw attention to Spain's position on Kosovo's independence, there was no objection amongst the Spanish audience to Kosovo's European integration efforts or the display of the Kosovo flag.
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Greece's opposition can be explained by its historic alliance with Serbia, though Mustafa noted that Greece and Kosovo still have favorable relations. Cyprus's opposition can be regarded as a consequence of being intertwined with Greece; while in Mustafa's view, there is no discernible strategic reason for the resistance of Slovakia and Romania.
Russia's opposition to Kosovo's independence can also be explained by its long-standing alliance with Serbia, and while Mustafa believes that Russia is very unlikely to compromise on Kosovo, Kosovo can still ameliorate tensions with Moscow by normalizing relations with Serbia.
Mustafa on Recent Political Unrest in Kosovo
Mustafa, when asked about whether he intends to resign as Prime Minister on February 27, vehemently defended his government's record against opposition criticisms. He drew attention to two landmark agreements forged in Brussels and Vienna: the first relating to the establishment of Serb enclaves in Kosovo and the second relating to Kosovo's ongoing border dispute with Montenegro. He argues that despite these agreements, the current political crisis is attributable in large part to the opposition's failure to engage in open discussions over vital issues of Kosovo's territorial integrity.
In addition to criticizing opposition figures, Mustafa emphasized his legitimate right to remain Prime Minister of Kosovo, by noting that his government has 87 MPs of the 120 in the elected Kosovo parliament, with 31 MPs representing the opposition and 2 MPs being independents. While democracy cannot be measured purely by electoral math, Mustafa believes that his retention of power despite mass protests respects Kosovo's democracy.
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The Democratic League of Kosovo and Mustafa's leadership would prefer not to work with a big coalition, as a coalition of many parties leaves some minority opposition parties feeling marginalized, sentiments which can create instability. The establishment of a specialized court to prosecute war criminals necessitated the creation of a large coalition, as achieving this would require a 2/3 majority. Sweeping political reforms have given the opposition a coherent voice over Kosovo's internal politics, which makes his opponents' exclusion arguments disconnected from realities on the ground.
Mustafa on Serbian Majority Enclaves in Kosovo
One controversial issue that Mustafa cited as playing a major role in inspiring the current unrest in Kosovo is the establishment of ethnic Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo to guarantee Serbs decision-making power. Mustafa notes that Serbs are only 5% of Kosovo's population, and therefore these enclaves do not threaten the territorial integrity of Kosovo. He also insists that the safeguards afforded to ethnic minorities in Kosovo and Serbs in particular, supersede those given to ethnic Albanian minorities in other jurisdictions, and the well being of minorities can be proven by their support for Kosovo's independence from Serbia.
Mustafa on Kosovo's Border Dispute with Montenegro
Mustafa argues that Kosovo's border dispute with Montenegro has been the subject of severe politicization, to rally nationalist feelings. Building on tactics used to invoke anti-Serbian nationalism, opposition figures have accused the Mustafa government of giving away land for free to Montenegro. Mustafa refuted these allegations by claiming that not even one square meter of Kosovo's land has been freely given to Montenegro. He admitted that the methodology behind the determination of the Kosovo-Montenegro border was under challenge. In former Yugoslavia, the border was an administrative rather than a state border, so a substantial adjustment in legislation has been necessary to take this fact into account.
Mustafa cited Western assistance in setting the Kosovo-Montenegro border as proof that his government did not unilaterally give up territory for political purposes. He notes that British, German and American experts provided compelling support for his claims. These experts took into account opposition concerns and provided an impartial assessment, which Mustafa, as Prime Minister of Kosovo has faithfully upheld.
Mustafa on Kosovo's Youth Unemployment CrisisMustafa argues that Kosovo is facing a severe challenge raising economic growth (currently averaging 3% per annum) to a level that can seamlessly integrate 30,000 new workers into its labor market. Kosovo's government has set an ambitious target of doubling economic growth in the medium-term and tripling it in the long run. Mustafa attributes the youth unemployment crisis in Kosovo to severe disinvestment dating back to the Cold War era of a multi-ethnic Yugoslavian federation. Mustafa describes Slobodan Milosevic's regime, which ruled Yugoslavia from 1989-1999, as an apartheid system. Milosevic disenfranchised Kosovar Albanian youths by excluding them from the national education system, leaving them with the sole option of being tutored at home.
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Attempts to diversify and change the structure of Kosovo's economy have temporarily exacerbated the youth unemployment crisis, as while the mining sector and some large companies existed, the bulk of Kosovo's post-war economy was dominated by infant industries. Kosovo's trade balance is also skewed in a pernicious way for long-term prosperity, as it requires a high volume of imports with little manufacturing capacity for exports.
Mustafa claims that the 30% official unemployment statistic in Kosovo overstates actual levels of joblessness, as including the informal economy would reduce levels to 23%. Credit guarantees have helped ameliorate the crisis and the Kosovo government has made efforts to target young women, who have been especially disenfranchised. Mustafa believes that European integration and incentivizing student exchanges could assist young Kosovars in finding jobs, and progress towards these objectives would make a major impact as Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe.
Mustafa on Economic Development of Kosovo
Mustafa believes that Kosovo has considerable economic growth potential, with the agriculture sector being an especially important driver of economic expansion. Grants and subsidies have been crucial to the modernization of Kosovo's rural areas, with 70% of the agricultural land being privatized from cooperatives that existed previously. Subsidizing agricultural production without subsidizing the landowners is key to reducing inequality in rural Kosovo.
Overall, Kosovo's rural modernization project has been successful with almost all the arable land being processed and the EBRD has been working closely with Kosovo's government on expanding irrigation networks. Kosovo's government has also developed fiscal policies to ensure the dominance of formal sellers in the agriculture sector.
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Kosovo's National Democratic Strategy and IMF budget for 2015 have focused more on savings, revenue extraction and on dismantling the informal economy.
The construction of a major power plant and the expansion of Kosovo's tourism industry could be vital for successful long-term economic development. The IT sector has also been considered as a possible employer for many young Kosovars struggling to find jobs.
The Brezovica ski resort is a particularly notable success that has highlighted Kosovo's appeal as a tourism destination. Kosovo's government under Mustafa has cooperated closely with a French consortium to build hotels and ski lifts, infrastructure projects worth an estimated 415 million euros. This project could hire 3,000 young Kosovars, and provide a major boost to the national economy. Mustafa believes that tourism to Kosovo will increase as foreigners realize that it is a safe travel destination. He noted that there have been no major violent incidents against foreign tourists to Kosovo since the 1999 war.
Mustafa on Kosovo's EU Visa Liberalization Plans Kosovo has taken many crucial steps towards European integration in recent years. Under the Stabilization and Association Agreement, Kosovo's businesses have established their presence in EU countries, which has given the country's private sector the ability to compete in a market of 500 million consumers. These infant industries have struggled to gain a visa to operate in Europe, a problem, which has restricted Kosovo's development.
Mustafa believes that as of September 2015, Kosovo has acceded to 95% of the requirements for EU visa liberalization. Completing the visa liberalization process will be vital for the 700,000 Kosovars who live in Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia to be able to integrate with and invest in their ancestral homeland.
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Mustafa on Ethnic Violence and Extremism in Kosovo
Mustafa believes that Kosovo's government has enacted highly effective policies to combat extremism and restrict ethnic violence. Even though Kosovo is a religiously diverse country consisting of Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Catholics, inter-faith violence has been kept in check since the 1999 Kosovo War. Kosovo's citizens have been banned from partaking in foreign wars, and have developed legal institutions. US Secretary of State John Kerry described Kosovo as a leader in the struggle against extremism and terrorism.
The legacy of the Kosovo War, which resulted in the displacement of 1 million Kosovars to Albania, Turkey and the Western world, remains an obstacle. Mustafa regards the dislocations and violence that occurred in Kosovo under Milosevic to be comparable to the refugee crisis in Syria.
The Red Cup is a coffee shop in the Uptown 23rd District that attracts millennials in the area.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.--Today is Super Tuesday in Oklahoma City and the millennial generation in the Uptown 23rd District is feeling the Bern.
Adrianne Peters, 33, voted earlier today for Bernie Sanders. She said she likes that he has stayed consistent in his views of equal rights.
"I just feel like he's the most honest candidate at the moment," Peters said.
Cameron Rodgers, 32, also voted for Sanders saying that his stance on issues like equal rights and education are similar to her own.
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"I feel like he's the one who is honestly for the people the most," Rodgers said.
Ryan Child, 28, said he had not voted yet, but was planning on making a drive to his precinct in Guthrie later today. He plans to vote for Sanders because he supports the democrat's stance on big business.
"I've paid my taxes for the past 15 years and I'm curious as to why certain corporations don't have to pay taxes at all," Child said.
Alex Delgado, 24, voted earlier today, but she did not wish to disclose the candidate that she voted for. She did say that making the effort to participate today was worth it.
"I don't believe you get to complain if you're not going to do anything about it," Delgado said.
Felix Rodriguez, 24, said he drove two hours up to Tulsa County to vote for Sanders. He said Sanders has policies that are important to the millennial generation including minimum wage reform.
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"I chose to vote for Bernie because he actively supports the lower class," Rodriguez said, sporting a sticker indicating that he voted.
During a visit to Serbia with the International Rescue Committee this month, I met with refugees who told me about the dangers they fled and their hopes for the future. This family from Syria hopes to build a new life in Germany. Photo: Monique Jaques/IRC
A week ago, things were looking up. I was returning from a trip to Serbia with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) having followed the refugee route from Macedonia to the Croatian border. We spent time in train and bus stations, at parks where refugees camp, and with partner NGOs who are servicing the desperate population. I met with aid workers and refugees alike-- conversations and questions and tears and hope. On the plane home, I was looking forward to writing a piece about how the international aid community is doing a really marvelous job of keeping this vulnerable and war-weary population fed, informed, and safe as they transit to their new homes in Europe. The one caveat was this: our work will continue to succeed as long as the borders stay open.
What a difference a week makes. Borders are tightening and shutting all over Europe and the Balkans now, and particularly for Afghans things are looking dire. Hundreds of thousands of people could be stranded or left vulnerable to the exploitation of smugglers in the coming weeks. With the humanitarian crisis -- somehow --getting worse, I wanted to put a face on the Afghan Refugee.
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The Man Who Served the U.S. Government
I was in a bus station in Adasevci, Serbia, a few miles from the Croatian border. Inside a warming tent I met a woman who spoke some English. I sat down with her and her sister. Her son --two-and-a-half, my own son's age -- orbited us, playing with a ball. She was beautiful, round-faced and somehow immaculately clean with a bespoke wedding ring I noticed when she put her hand on her belly -- she was seven months pregnant. I asked a question about the baby and our language skills stalled. We waved our arms, laughed -- no luck. She motioned to her husband a few tables away, and he came over:
How can I help? Sorry --I was over there talking with some people.
Your English is perfect....
Thank you. I was a U.S. Army translator.
I'll be honest -- that wasn't the direction I expected the conversation to take. He continued to tell me that he worked with the U.S. Army for eight years, first at an airport, then at a base, then on patrols. He speaks four languages, has an easy way about him, and is really funny. One imagines he was invaluable to U.S. efforts against the Taliban when he was beside us in the region.
But we left and he stayed behind. And when the Taliban re-emerged, he was targeted because of his work with the U.S. Army. He and his family will be killed in Afghanistan now -- so he fled.
Remember his pregnant wife? She trekked beside him 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) through the snow-covered mountains into Turkey to meet a smuggler to bring them to Greece. Their toddler son nearly froze to death, but his father carried him on his back until he found an abandoned barn and built a fire. When I spoke with them they were about three days from Germany if all went well. I thanked him for his service to the U.S. armed forces and wished him and his family well on their journey.
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The day after I left, policies regarding Afghan refugees changed, and I have no idea if they made it.
This Afghan student (right) was forced to leave his home after Islamic extremists approached him about joining their forces. It took him two months to reach Europe, where he hopes to find safety in Germany. Photo: Monique Jaques/IRC
The Man of Peace
I met this student at a refugee center in Belgrade, Serbia, standing with a group of young men waiting for tea. They were resting for a few days in Belgrade after a two-month journey from Afghanistan, hoping to make it to Germany by the end of the week.
He is Muslim. But when he was approached by Islamic extremists about joining them, he refused: That is not Islam, he tells me. They returned to recruit him a few more times, each time telling him he would be in danger if he did not fight with them. Finally, he fled rather than be forced into violence and ideology he rejects. Since he's left, they have returned to his home and told his family they will kill him when he returns.
He speaks decent English, says he will learn German when he arrives there. I ask him about what he hopes to do there, he tells me he wants to study. Once he's learned enough he'll be ready to go home and start a school -- as soon as it's safe. He bemoans the lack of educational opportunities in Afghanistan -- he had to go to Pakistan to be educated -- and he wants to lift his people up by teaching.
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Days after we met, many Balkan countries began refusing entry for all Afghans.
In the rhetorical storm of libel being leveled against some of the refugees -- particularly the Afghans this past week -- let's consider putting some human faces on this population. Afghanistan is a death sentence for the two men I met --they are refugees in every sense of the word and yet thousands like them are being refused refugee status. These are men of ambition, intelligence, and character who would be an asset to any country who gives them safe harbor.
You can find out more about the IRC's work in response to the refugee crisis here.
The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development was adopted with much fanfare at the special Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit in New York last year. Millions of people across the globe advocated for an ambitious agenda for people, planet and prosperity. In the end, the final document was much better than expected not least in terms of linking the process to human rights and thereby leaving nobody behind as compared to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, now the real struggle has begun to transform what is on a piece of paper to concrete reality on the ground in every country in the world.
Alongside the process of developing the goals, many civil society organisations, including Amnesty International, advocated tirelessly to ensure greater accountability for implementation of the SDGs. Whilst a few member states showed openness for greater accountability, unsurprisingly, the majority were keen to avoid it and worked to the contrary. They ensured the language around accountability was vague, weak and diluted, knowing fully well that this agenda is a political declaration and not legally binding. There was even an unwritten understanding to avoid using the word "accountability" and replace it with a nebulous phrase "monitoring and review". Given Amnesty's experience in the routine resistance we meet in trying to secure accountability for legally binding human rights obligations, it is not surprising that states would try and avoid being held to account through the 2030 process. Yet accountability must play a key role in ensuring that the Agenda 2030 delivers what the MDGs did not particularly do in improving the lives of the poorest and most marginalised.
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Key elements of effective accountability are benchmarks and indicators. Without the ability to measure progress (or the lack of it) in a transparent, objective and rigorous way, it is impossible to hold those responsible to account. Member states mandated the UN Statistical Commission to work on defining the indicators for the goals and targets. It was felt that this exercise needed technical expertise from the statistical community. However, from the beginning the process of developing the indicators has lacked openness and transparency thus raising concerns by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). In October 2015, over 100 CSOs issued an open letter to the Co-chairs of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group (IAEG) expressing concern and issuing red lines on content and process. The result of this letter led to a few gains in terms of CSOs being able to provide inputs on draft indicators, even though some of these were deemed to have been agreed. However, these were not long lived. Once again in February 2016, over 170 CSOs worldwide had to send their second open letter to the UN Statistical Commission and co-chairs of the IAEG calling for greater inclusion and transparency, at the global and regional level. The UN Statistical commission has now published its report with a final list of proposed indicators for the SDGs. As this is a universal agenda, all countries will have to report against progress made. Many targets and indicators in Agenda 2030 have set out the lowest common denominator. E.g. Target 1.1 identifies the poverty line as those living on less than $1.25 a day. Yet this figure does not make much sense in a developed economy where a minimum wage may be set at $10 per hour.
However, if you juxtapose this with target 10.1 - Progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average, then we can be sure that every single country has something to report on about ending poverty and reducing inequality. In this respect, developed countries can report on how the income of the bottom 40% is growing over the years as compared to the national average. This is an opportunity to show how governments, even in the wealthier economies, can stretch to make this agenda meaningful within its own context and leave no one behind. The aim here is to go for the ceiling and not the floor.
Last week, I attend a round table discussion on the Sustainable Development Goals Indicators organised by the UK Stakeholders for Sustainable Development (UKSSD) in collaboration with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) & the Department for International Development (DFID). Participants for this round table included stakeholders from civil society, academia, the private sector and the government.
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The round table explored a number of fundamental questions including: How to make the SDGs indicator process relevant for the United Kingdom? What are the specific areas we need to report on? What reporting frameworks do we need at the country level? How do we ensure we are collecting the right data? How can we incorporate and align existing data collection and reporting process to the SDGs? How do we involve the general public in this process? In so doing the round table provided important inputs to both the ONS and DFID on issues which need to be considered by the United Kingdom on delivery, monitoring and accountability on the SDGs.
Whilst this round table in London was not a place to find answers to all the questions, it was definitely a welcome move to have such a space for an open consultation. I hope this was not a tick box exercise but a genuine interest and willingness to listen and act. This is something other countries can and should consider, involving their respective national statistical office, governments departments and stakeholders.
HAFIZABAD, Pakistan -- "If you put a drop of piss in a gallon of milk, the whole thing gets ruined. That is what she has done -- destroyed everything."
Those were the words spoken by a father in a desperate attempt to justify pulling the trigger on his teenage daughter, Saba Qaiser. In a small town in the province of Punjab in Pakistan, in the dead of night, Saba's father and her uncle lured her into a car, drove her to a riverbank and then shot her twice before stuffing her body in a sack and dumping it in the river. Her only crime was marrying the man she loved without her family's permission.
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A few hours before this horrific incident, Saba had run away with her fiance and married him in court. As punishment for her defiance, her family deemed it fit to end her life -- this, in their minds, was the only way to restore their family's honor. Much to their surprise and despair, Saba miraculously survived the two bullets directed at her and lived to tell her tale.
Saba was shot twice and thrown into a river in the city of Hafizabad in the province of Punjab. (HBO)
Saba's father and uncle were arrested by police officers shortly after. From behind bars, her father shouted, "For respect and honor, I am willing to spend my whole life in jail. I will stay here -- for honor and for respect."
But that was never to be the case. The existing Pakistani law allows perpetrators of honor killings to walk free by seeking forgiveness and paying blood money -- a longstanding practice in the country. Pressured by the village elders, Saba eventually decided to forgive her attackers in an effort to bring peace back to the neighborhood and release the sole breadwinners of her large family from prison.
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THE CURSE OF HONOR
In the name of preserving family "honor," women around the world are shot, burned, strangled or stoned to death in shocking numbers. According to the United Nations, over 5,000 honor killing cases are reported annually worldwide, though this is thought to be a gross underestimation.
In 2014, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported that 923 women and 82 minor girls were killed in the name of "honor" in Pakistan -- a 15 percent rise from the previous year. But these are just reported figures. Many honor killings are never reported because of the "shame" they would bring upon the family. No cases are registered, no bodies are found and no investigations take place.
'That is what she has done -- destroyed everything.'
Men are also subject to honor killings but women remain the prime victims. The executions are almost always carried out by family members -- fathers, husbands, brothers and even mothers -- who believe the woman has brought shame and dishonor to them.
The practice is widespread across various religions and cultures. Although it is more common in Pakistan, honor killings have occurred in many countries including India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Sweden, Turkey, Uganda, Canada, the U.K. and the U.S.
WOMEN AS PROPERTY
In the southern province of Sindh, honor killing is referred to as karo-kari, and among Pashtun communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the practice is known as tur. In both cases, the names translate to "black" -- referring to the moral corruption of the person accused of bringing shame to the family.
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Honor killings are deeply rooted in patriarchal and conservative traditions derived from ancient tribal customs whereby the honor of the family or the community is measured by the morality, chastity and obedience of its women.
In some parts of Pakistan, women are seen as the property of men. This thinking, coupled with the notion that women embody family honor, makes men the "protectors" or the "preservers" of that honor. Any perceived "immoral" act often leads to deadly consequences: even a mere suspicion or a false accusation of pre-marital sex or interaction with a strange man can mean death for some women.
A mother and a father doused their 15-year-old daughter with acid solely for looking at a boy on a motorcycle.
Questions like "what will people think" and "what will people say" become the driving force behind these murders. In 2012, a mother and a father doused their 15-year-old daughter with acid solely for looking at a boy on a motorcycle. In another harrowing case, five women and three men were killed in the remote region of Kohistan after a cellphone video of them singing and clapping surfaced and caused "shame" to their families.
Almost everyday, you read about a woman who has been killed for "falling in love" or "running away from home" or "seeking a divorce," and in most cases, the only thing to blame is a man's insecurity.
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These attacks continue partly because of structural inequalities that make it difficult for women to access the judicial system. If someone is able to file an honor killing complaint, it often gets caught in a heavy backlog of similar cases. Even if the case is heard, the conviction rate of perpetrators is numbingly low.
BLOOD MONEY
The prevalence of honor killings also stems partly from troubling misinterpretations of Pakistani law. In the late 1970s, Pakistan implemented Sharia law, which introduced the Islamic concept of forgiveness and retribution. According to this law, victims of an attempted murder can choose to forgive the perpetrator in return for monetary compensation. If the victim is killed, the family of the victim has the right to forgive the perpetrator.
Under the current law, like murder, honor killings are also seen as a crime against the individual and not the state. Hence the victim or her family (if the victim is dead) can choose to forgive and settle matters out of court on payment of compensation. This allows convicted murderers to go scot-free, taking the writ away from the government and placing it in the hands of the family and community. This shift of power is especially worrying in honor killing cases as the victims' families are usually the perpetrators themselves. So if a father kills his daughter, his wife can forgive him, and when a brother kills his sister, his parents can forgive him.
Even a mere suspicion or a false accusation of pre-marital sex or interaction with a strange man can mean death for some women.
In 2004, Pakistan's then-President Pervez Musharraf enacted the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, which not only called for stricter punishment in honor killing cases but also added the death penalty as a maximum sentence. A month before, the highest court in Pakistan empowered women to marry of their own free will without the approval of their parents or legal guardian. While the acknowledgment of honor killing and free will for women by the Pakistani legislation was monumental and much awaited, it failed to address the loopholes created by the Sharia law of forgiveness.
In 2014, former Pakistan People's Party Senator Sughra Imam introduced an Anti-Honor Killings Bill, which lobbied for more effective protection of honor killing victims by making the crime a non-compoundable offense and hence, "unforgivable." The bill passed through Pakistan's Senate but lapsed in the Parliament, which is why it was never passed into law.
PUBLIC OUTRAGE
That same year, the brutal murder of one woman in broad daylight outside the High Court in Lahore highlighted, once again, the apparent scale of the problem and outraged liberal-thinking people across Pakistan to question the government's blase attitude towards eradicating this heinous crime from society.
A pregnant Farzana Parveen was stoned to death by dozens of her family members, including her father and brother, because she dared to marry against their wishes. What made Farzana's death unique was that it took place outside the gates of one of Pakistan's most respected state institutions while the police stood by and watched as her family beat her to death with bricks.
Saba, in her early days of recovery, gets ready at her in-laws' home before appearing in court in Gujranwala, Punjab. (HBO)
The public outcry and global attention that the horrific case received resulted in immediate investigations leading to the arrest and incarceration of most of the perpetrators -- a welcome move in a country that has rarely seen justice for the hundreds of men and women who are killed in the name of honor each year.
After her death, some of the country's top Muslim clerics announced that the practice -- which actually pre-dates the onset of Islam -- has no place in religion, declaring it inhuman and vicious. This added an important element in the existing debate and construction of honor killings as a Muslim issue, encouraging citizens, politicians and lawmakers to look at the practice not only as a cultural construct but also as a punishable offense.
STRICT MINDSET
From its origin to its execution, honor killing is entirely community-sanctioned. Rigid tribal customs dictate what is acceptable. Patriarchy places the burden of upholding honor on the shoulders of women, and communities consequently sway them into obedience and conformity. Simultaneously, families are granted reputation and status according to how well everyone is keeping up with these assigned roles.
This is something Saba and her family are all too familiar with. After he attempted murder, Saba's father boasted of a newfound respect and worth in his community. "Everyone says I am more respected. They say I am an honorable man. They say what I did was right," he said. "I have other daughters. Since this incident, each daughter has received proposals because I am called an honorable man."
'They say I am an honorable man. They say what I did was right.'
It has now been over a year and a half since the horrific incident, and her father is out of jail. He says he has "forgiven" Saba for her error but his words evoke a chilling realization: family honor is everything. To him, whatever he did to restore that honor was right, and the only one here who was supposed to, and has, learned a lesson is Saba. His release sets a precedent for others in the region that those who kill women will be allowed to walk proud and free.
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Our film "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness," which just won an Oscar for best documentary short on Sunday, has helped trigger a national discourse on the issue of honor killing in Pakistan. The film was screened at the house of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad, after which he asked his team to redraft laws on honor killings to help ensure that perpetrators are punished and victims are protected. The proposed amendments to Pakistan's penal code are expected to be presented to Parliament by mid-March.
In a country where almost anything goes, there are still some things you shouldn't do. Take it from meI made each of these mistakes at least once when I moved to Sydney. Here's what not to do if you'd like to avoid overspending, missing out on the best activities, and getting severely sunburned.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, or M-7 as his ardent followers like to call him, won another election on Feb. 18 which is confirmation of the old national joke that everything in Uganda changes except the president.
Musevani has been in power since 1986 after seizing power by force and then changing the constitution to eliminate a term limit to the presidency. Some of the opposition media highlighted his endless reign with series of photos of him growing increasingly older and standing alongside six American presidents--Reagan, Carter, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, and Obama.
Ordinary Ugandans are not celebrating this, but neither are they grieving or protesting because there seems an inevitability of his dominance, even though the elections have been condemned by the European Union and other Western powers. According to the deputy spokesperson at the U.S. State Department Mark Toner the elections were "deeply inconsistent with international standards and expectations for any democratic process." The elections, according to the State Department, were characterized by "delays in the delivery of voting materials, reports of pre-checked ballots and vote buying, ongoing blockage of social media sites, and excessive use of force by the police."
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Most African leaders have kept silent about the elections. Only Botswana has denounced the election in strong terms. But President Museveni is riding the waves of victory. While addressing journalists at his country home in Rwakitura on February 23, he dismissed election observers saying that they are "jokers; I am not a joker."
He dismissed claims of rigging, saying that those who may harbor the intentions of contesting the results in court should not be taken seriously by the people. He wondered why anyone would think that he rigged the elections if he could lose in the capital city, Kampala.
Museveni is the typical African dictator who combines some benevolence with a streak of vengeful brutality which chills his opposition into silence. Like Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Paul Biya in Cameroun, and Sassou-Nguesso of Congo-Brazaville, Museveni has a Messiah complex which drives his unconscionable and insatiable quest for power. All African dictators follow a common pattern, with each attuned to the specific geo-political and economic dynamics of their respective countries.
They first sustain their retention of power through a patron-client relation of reward and punishment. Those who support Museveni have access to jobs and contracts, while his opponents are totally neglected. In 2013 when I went to Mbale and Soroti in the North-East, I could see the neglect of this whole area. The people's crime? They did not vote for Museveni in the previous elections. At a school which we set up to help displaced young men and women, one could see the parameter walls of the abandoned air strip in Soroti. One of my Ugandan colleagues told me that by 2015 the road would be constructed and the airport will be active because Museveni's helicopters will need a safe space to land when he comes for campaign. And it happened just as he said.
These sit-tight dictators also rule by fear, intimidation and violence. A mystique of life and death surrounds these presidents-for-life. They are demi-gods and political demagogues whose words and wishes are commands in their countries. They are also vampires who suck up blood and life from their country and from their opponents. Uganda revolves around Museveni. He gives life and he can also give death; those who adulate him enjoy some portion of the national wealth, and those who loath or oppose him suffer.
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A third method of retaining power is the destruction of the apparatus of state that builds civil society. The first victim of a dictator is usually the national constitution; then comes the different arms of government, and then finally the rule of law, civil society and any sense of transparency. I have been visiting and working in Uganda for the last seven years but I have never been able to comprehend its basic government footing. Is it presidential, parliamentary, federal, confederal, welfarist, consensual, royalist? It is all of these, and none of these, depending on the daily whim of Museveni. Making the system so unclear helps to create confusion. It is in such atmosphere that the strong arm tactics of dictators become the only compass to navigate the unchartered waters of statecraft.
Most Ugandans are at least relieved that peace has returned to most part of the country, that the economy is picking up and that there is security in the land and that people can go to school, hospital and to their farms. They are even grateful to Museveni for the part he played in bringing this about. But they also know that it is their own courage and determination that makes life bearable.
"God grant, that not only the love of liberty, but a thorough knowledge of the rights of man, may pervade all the nations of the Earth, so that a philosopher may set his foot anywhere on its surface, and say, 'This is my Country.'" Benjamin Franklin
The late justice Antonin Scalia certainly left his mark on the highest court in the land. Son to an Italian immigrant and born in Trenton, New Jersey, Scalia made it publicly known he cherished his Catholic faith. Considered an originalist and textualist in terms of interpreting the Constitution, Scalia was front and center during historic debates surrounding religious liberties.
Scalia's deeply religious beliefs put him at odds with what he saw as a "culture war" bent on tearing down societal norms on contraception, abortion and marriage. The culture war is still ongoing, albeit greatly diminished since Scalia arrived at the Supreme Court nearly thirty years ago.
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For those that liked Justice Scalia's brash style and unwavering commitment to religious liberty, the impulse would be to nominate someone like him. Thirty years ago such a nomination may have made sense, but much has changed in just a few short decades. When Justice Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court, nonreligious Americans accounted for about 7 percent of the population. That number now stands at 22.8 percent and rising.
This demographics change, for better or worse, is fundamentally transforming social norms.
Today, contraception is widely available and same-sex marriage is legal across the United States. Yet exemptions based off of religious liberties have been largely respected. Catholic institutions still have the legal right to hire and fire religious ministers who don't adhere to their sexual norms and threats to strip the tax exempt-status from religious institutions that reject same-sex marriage have fallen on deaf ears, with a recent poll showing 76 percent of Americans against such a measure. As for abortions, in 1986 there were an estimated 1.5 million. Today, the numbers of abortions have dropped to less than a million.
Despite all this, support among Catholics for contraception and same-sex marriage has been on the rise, signaling internal disagreements the church must come to terms with before it seeks to effectively evangelize society.
Going forward, Christians committed to religious liberty have two options: Continue fighting the culture war like Scalia did for the last few decades, or work to maintain religious liberties while not fighting, or at least staying neutral, during efforts to expand civil liberties.
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Sooner or later, the Supreme Court will take up the issue of LGBT discrimination in the workplace, housing, and elsewhere. Catholics committed to protecting religious liberty should turn to Salt Lake City, where an updated hate crimes bill gained support from the local dioceses, or New York, where the Conference of Catholic Bishops decided not to take a side on Governor Cuomo's effort to ban insurance companies from covering conversion therapy of minors.
Bottom line, Christians don't like being told their faith and customs are backwards or wrong. Not surprisingly, neither do those who don't share Christian values.
As a Catholic, I interpret my evangelizing mission as living through example. I try and live my life with purpose and charity towards all.
In my view, natural rights, given to each of us as individuals at birth, can't be legislated, regulated, or repealed. Like when man first discovered how to create fire, natural rights will find a way to spread to the minds of others.
Natural rights formed the basis of religious liberty in the young American Republic just as much as it constituted the foundation of civil liberties for women, African-Americans and LGBT Americans as the nation matured. This self-evident truth about the universal and timeless power of natural rights is one of the primary reasons I love and cherish my country so much.
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If a young woman uses contraception or two men decide to marry each other, Christians must take time to not judge, but rather reflect on how we can bring light and love into their lives. Judging others is easy, hating is easy; learning to love one another despite our differences is the universal struggle of humanity.
That being said, the next justice of the Supreme Court needs to step in and tell both sides of the culture war to take a time out.
KALAMAZOO, MI - FEBRUARY 21: People gather and pray at Center Point Church following a mass shooting on February 21, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Authorities said that a shooter who killed six people and injured two others was an Uber driver who appears to have gunned down people at random during a four-hour rampage in the parking lots of a western Michigan apartment complex, a car dealership and a Cracker Barrel store on February 21, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
The day I learned about my brother's death began as just another ordinary day. I was watching television with my father and had fallen asleep, only to be woken up by a knock at the door. My father answered the door, began speaking to someone and returned to the family room in utter devastation. He had a very hard time finding the words to tell me that my brother had been brutally murdered in a senseless act of gun violence.
I was a freshman in high school, just 14-years-old and barely able to cope with such a grueling reality. My first reaction was to go to my room, shut the door and pretend that it wasn't happening.
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The next thing I recall is traveling to Grand Rapids, Michigan, so my parents could identify Tom's body and assist the police with the criminal investigation. It's a surreal experience being a member of a family whose loved one was taken so quickly by such a violent criminal act. You're walking around through this devastating experience, not really knowing what to do because it's too much to wrap your head around. My parents were tasked with taking care of the business end of things -- talking with police, identifying the body. I could shut down, but my parents had to go through the motions. I cannot imagine what they went through, what every parent goes through when their child is stolen from them.
My brother had just received acceptance to attend Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo when his life and future were stolen from him. Even though our family was living in Indiana at the time, my brother and I always considered Kalamazoo our hometown because when our family had lived there, we really thrived. My brother and I would often visit the museum, walk downtown and to school -- kids being kids. I remember going down to the nearby ravine, digging around and collecting Native American arrowheads. At one point, my brother was a cross guard when I was in Kindergarten. I was proud of that.
When I heard of the recent random mass shooting in Kalamazoo, I was shocked. My fondest memories of my brother took place there. We never thought of Kalamazoo as being anything but safe, but look at what's happened there. And just days before the anniversary of my brother's death, it seems almost eerie how we are all connected to gun violence.
I always wanted to do something about gun violence, but living in a staunchly conservative state, I never really perceived an opportunity. Our lawmakers' positions were so deeply ingrained in gun lobby rhetoric and ideology, I didn't think speaking out would have mattered.
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A pivotal moment came while watching the news just after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook. At first, people were saying it was too soon to talk about strengthening gun laws because America was still grieving. I thought to myself, I've been grieving my whole life. If we wait to address gun violence after the grieving is over, nothing will ever change, because the pain of having a loved one killed by gun violence never goes away and therefore, the grief never ends.
But then, all of the sudden, people started saying, "No, we're talking about this." I feel like that's when our country hit rock bottom and, finally, people were ready to stand up, speak out and do something.
I sent a flurry of emails to lawmakers after Sandy Hook, and then reached out to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, now a part of Everytown for Gun Safety -- and they reached back.
I know I'll never get my brother back, but if I can bring meaning to his death and help change the culture of gun violence in America, that's what I'll do.
I've always subscribed to the idea that if you believe something is not right, you should be a part of changing it. I encourage anyone who is angered by our nation's unique problem with gun violence to join me -- and the millions of other Americans who have come together -- to push for change. Together, we can and will save lives.
So you think you might want to retire overseas? There are a lot of good reasons to do that -- although granted, it's not for everyone.
Puerto Morelos, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Certainly, all of us have different reasons for considering an overseas retirement in the first place. Some are looking for a change in scenery or better weather. Others are looking for a fun-filled adventure, or hoping to find a lower cost of living, or a slower-paced and completely different (and hopefully better) lifestyle.
Still, no matter what your motivation, this idea of retiring overseas isn't something to take lightly. Not unless you've more money than sense. Because mistakes can be costly.
We've known a few people who've moved overseas only to find it wasn't what they expected or that they weren't quite suited to the place they chose. (It's happened to us, in fact.) You can always move on and try on another country for size. And should you decide to go back home, that's fine, too. Hopefully, you'll have wonderful memories and great stories to tell.
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But if you're not the type who enjoys moving around ... or, frankly, you don't have the funds to support multiple moves, then what can you do to increase your chances of success?
Tamarindo, Northern Pacific Coast, Costa Rica
First, as we've advocated many times before, it's critically important to assess yourself and your ability to live the expat life. It's not a difficult life... In fact, it's far easier in many ways than life back home. But you do need to be aware of some of the challenges and requirements, and be willing to assess yourself honestly to see if you're able to meet them.
As part of this assessment, decide what it is you're really looking for. A few years back we wrote an article about how to do that self- assessment. It includes seven questions to ask to determine if you're cut out for the expat life.
Once you've put some thought into what it is you're after (a climate change, the chance to learn a new language, or to totally immerse in a foreign culture ... or because you simply want to save some money and live a less-complicated life), then it's time to move forward.
Now it's time to do some research.
Here are five ways to start researching your potential overseas retirement destination:
1. Subscribe to a magazine like International Living. Sure, we're biased, as we happen to be International Living editors. But this is the granddaddy of them all when it comes to reporting on the world's best overseas retirement destinations. International Living was founded back in 1979 and you can be sure there is a vast vault of research available to you in the magazine archives which you gain access to as a subscriber.
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(You can, of course, opt for the free daily e-letter, but you'll certainly get access to more information when you are a magazine reader.)
2. Do as much Internet research as you can. Google (and/or any search engine of your choice) is your friend. Start plugging in "retire Panama" or "retire Ecuador" and see where you go. Remember, though, that the internet is where information goes to live forever. Statistics and, importantly, information about visa regulations, cost of living, etc. can quickly become outdated. Be sure to cross check several sources.
3. Make contact with other expats already living overseas in the communities you may be considering. (Yes, we'd recommend doing your research at the community level rather than the country level. For example, living in Omaha is a whole lot different than living in Los Angeles or New York.) There are plenty of blogs and expat forums out there, including on Facebook. Join up and ask questions.
(Here's where we should mention International Living's own community board--free and open to all.)
4. Consider attending a conference in a country you're interested in. And once you've done that, spend some extra time visiting the communities you are most interested in. There is no better way to see for yourself than to...well, go there in person and see it for yourself. Spend some one-on-one time with expats who live there and get some firsthand input. See how it "feels."
5. Try to find someone else to help you with some of the expenses for your exploratory trip. This can get a little tricky, but with some perseverance you may find someone in Mexico or Ireland or Costa Rica who wants to do a house swap. (This will most likely only work if you live in a place someone wants to visit.) Or maybe you can find someone in your desired destination that needs a house sitter. Be creative.
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Earlier on Huff/Post50:
HELENA Gov. Steve Bullock made his re-election campaign official Monday afternoon, walking the hallway from his office to Secretary of State Linda McCulloch's to file the paperwork.
Bullock made the trip with his wife and three children, along with Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney.
"At the end of the day this isn't really about me or Mike," Bullock said. "It's about what kind of state we can continue to create for our kids and grandkids and to make sure that Montana provides all those opportunities."
The governor said his campaign will focus on job creation, wage growth and ensuring Montana remains a fiscally prudent state, issues that have been the centerpiece of what he hopes to be his second term in office.
He also laid out differences between himself and Republican opponent Greg Gianforte, who announced his candidacy earlier this year and has yet to officially file. "I think that there's a lot at stake this election for certain."
Bullock cast Gianforte as the candidate who wants to gut Montana's tax structure and raid the state's rainy day fund, a hallmark of Bullock's administration.
In a release Monday, Gianforte, 54, said it's time for a change.
Aside from being at the bottom of the nation in wages, we are entering even more challenging times. Grain prices are down. Miners, railroaders, timber community families, and the Bakken have seen some painful layoffs, and there are more threats on the horizon," he said. "Its time for new leadership. Montanans are looking for a high-wage job creator who can bring business experience to Helena.
Bullock, 49, was elected governor in 2013 when he beat former U.S. Rep. Rick Hill. He is running with Cooney, 61, who was named lieutenant governor Dec. 30 after former Lt. Gov. Angela McLean announced she was leaving for a job in the office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.
Bullock has required the state to maintain a $300 million rainy day fund, something Gianforte has said could be tapped to help address the states infrastructure woes.
The 2016 governors race is shaping up to be one of the most expensive in Montanas history. Bullock has raised $1.2 million in donations since 2014; Gianforte has brought in $570,000 since forming an exploratory committee last summer. Gianforte, a wealthy businessman, has issued a no-PAC pledge, calling on Bullock to not accept and return any money hes received from political action committees.
So far Bullock has received $68,214 from such committees. His campaign has called the pledge silly, and pointed out Gianforte has a large amount of personal funds he can tap. Based on tax records, Gianforte reported income of $220.5 million between 2005 and 2014. In 2001, he sold his Bozeman tech firm RightNow Technologies to Oracle for $1.8 billion.
Montana Republican Party Chairman Jeff Essmann said Bullock's record on protecting jobs in the state's natural resource industry is weak. Bullock had formed a committee to look at how the state can adapt to the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, though that work stopped after a U.S. Supreme Court decision delayed implementation of the plan. Bullock has objected to the plan, which would require Montana to drastically cut its carbon dioxide emissions and could threaten parts of the Colstrip power plant, but believes in reducing emissions over time and has said Montana should work to meet the goals anyway.
"Bullock has continued to abandon Montana workers and families by siding with President Obamas job-killing energy agenda. In the last year alone, our natural resource industry lost nearly 700 jobs, and thousands of Montana jobs are at risk if we dont stop this radical job-killing energy agenda in November. I feel confident Montanans will elect a Republican governor who will always defend and protect all Montana jobs. At the end of the day, Montanans cant count on Bullock to put them first."
In a statement, Jim Larson, chair of the Montana Democratic Party, touted Bullock's leadership and cast Gianforte as a wealthy out-of-stater.
"Bullock is doing an outstanding job leading Montana and will continue to responsibly manage our finances and bring Montanans together to get things done.
"... But the stakes in this election are too high if we want to continue this economic growth and responsible financial management. New Jersey multimillionaire Greg Gianforte would turn Montana's budget surplus into a deficit, he supports job-killing discrimination laws, and would raise taxes on Montana families just to give himself and other millionaires a tax break."
Running mate Mike Cooney has a long history in Montana politics, most recently as deputy director of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. He was first elected in 1976 to the Montana House of Representatives and served through 1980. He then served three terms as secretary of state, from 1989 through 2000. Cooney was a state senator from 2003 to 2010, and was elected as Senate president in 2007. From 2001 to 2006, Cooney served as director of Montana Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies. He also served as the interim head of the Montana Historical Society.
Cooney was named lieutenant governor at the end of last year after McLean quit to work as the director of American Indian and minority achievement and K-12 partnerships.
Emails between Bullock and McLean showed a rocky relationship between Bullock's administration and the former lieutenant governor, who said she was frozen out of her initiatives, Bullock has said the fit wasn't right and she seemed "frustrated with the role of lieutenant governor, and that was disruptive to our work for Montana."
Bullock ran for attorney general in 2000, losing in the Democratic primary to Mike McGrath, who is now chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court.
Bullock was then elected attorney general in 2008 after a three-way Democratic primary. In the general election, he defeated Republican Tim Fox, who is the current attorney general and running for re-election, with with 52.6 percent of the vote.
Bullock grew up in Helena and earned a law degree from Columbia University. He and his wife, Lisa, have three children: Caroline, Alexandria and Cameron.
Arizona House Bill 2613, approved by the House Commerce Committee last week, proposes to eliminate state licensing requirements for occupations such as fruit packers. Yes, you read that correctly. Under current Arizona law, you may not pack citrus fruit without a license from the state, which will cost you $200 per year. Packing citrus fruit without a license will earn you a $500 fine. HB2613 also removes questionable licensing requirements for occupations including yoga instructor, landscape architect, and geologist. The bill is consistent with one of Republican Governor Doug Ducey's top priorities--to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses and consumers. One of Governor Ducey's policy advisors explained that "[occupational] licensing should be the last option, not the first. ... reducing regulations means more money for hardworking Arizonans."
That sounds great, but HB2613 doesn't uniformly reduce barriers to entry. In at least one case, it significantly raises them. For at least 300 hardworking Arizonan cremationists, this regulation "reduction" will mean far less money because they will suddenly become unqualified to do their job. Under current Arizona law, only a person licensed as a cremationist can operate a crematory retort and perform the cremation of human remains. HB2613 eliminates the cremationist license, but not the requirement that a licensed person operate a crematory retort and perform cremations--the government grants the exclusive privilege to perform those tasks to another licensed group: funeral directors. HB2613 does so by redefining "funeral directing" to include "operating a crematory retort and performing the actual cremation of human remains." Arizona law already provides that no one may perform "funeral directing" without a funeral director's license.
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Under current Arizona law, in order to receive a cremationist license, a person must complete a crematory operator's certificate course, submit a fingerprint card for a background check, have a good moral character, and pay an annual fee of $85 to the Arizona Board of Funeral Directors & Embalmers.
To become a licensed funeral director in Arizona, an applicant must pass the funeral service arts section of the national board examination or the state equivalent examination, pass an examination on funeral director state laws and rules, be of good moral character, pay an annual fee of $85 to the Board and, oh yes, have held an active license as an embalmer for at least one year and have assisted in arranging and directing at least 25 funerals.
To become a licensed embalmer in Arizona, an applicant must pass the funeral service science section of the national board examination or the state equivalent examination, pass an examination on embalmer state laws, have been licensed as an intern for at least one year, have successfully completed an internship program that included assisting in the embalming of at least 25 human bodies, and pay an annual fee of $85 to the Board.
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To become a licensed intern in Arizona, an applicant must be a high school graduate, be a graduate of an accredited school of mortuary science, be of good moral character, and pay an annual fee of $85 to the Board.
So, to recap, HB2613, which is designed to implement Governor Ducey's plan to reduce needless occupational licensing in the State of Arizona, proposes to replace the requirement that people who operate a crematory retort must first take a course on crematory operations with a requirement that people who operate a crematory retort must: (1) graduate from a two-year mortuary school program, (2) complete a one year internship where they must embalm at least 25 bodies, (3) pass the national board examination in funeral service arts and funeral service science, (4) pass two examinations on the laws that apply to funeral directors and embalmers, (5) work as a licensed embalmer for at least one year, and (6) assist in arranging and directing at least 25 funerals. Oh, and we can't forget that (7) they must continue to pay an annual fee of $85 to the Board.
Unfortunately, Arizona is not alone in its overly aggressive approach to occupational regulation. Nearly 1/3 of U.S. workers must obtain a license from the state to engage in their occupation. In 1950, less than 1/20 of U.S. workers needed a license. It has been estimated that over 1,100 occupations are licensed in at least one state, but fewer than 60 are regulated in all 50 states--clearly the states disagree quite a bit on what occupations require licensing and which do not. It is easy to understand why states may use occupational licensing to protect the public from unqualified doctors and lawyers, but it is a bit harder to understand how state legislatures rationalize requiring a license for hair braiders and florists.
Critics across the ideological spectrum argue that occupational licensing regimes do little to protect consumers from incompetent practitioners and instead raise costs for consumers by stifling competition and imposing barriers to entry. In July 2015, the White House issued a report prepared by the Department of Treasury Office of Economic Policy, the Council of Economic Advisers, and the Department of Labor calling for state policymakers to adopt a more "tailored approach" to occupational regulation. For example, the report recommends that states target occupational regulations to closely tie the substantive requirements (like education and experience) with public health and safety concerns. The Institute for Justice has found that occupational licensing regimes "can pose substantial barriers" for those seeking even low and moderate income jobs, particularly for "minorities, those of lesser means and those with less education." Cremationist seems like a prime example of this phenomenon. Under the guise of reducing regulation, Arizona has transformed a fairly low paying occupation with low barriers to entry into a job that requires a significant investment of time and money to acquire. It is unclear how requiring cremationists to master the art of embalming and graduate from mortuary college (which typically includes no training on operating a crematory retort) protects Arizonans.
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I am not a registered Democrat. I vote based on who I believe will put forward initiatives that are best for me, my daughters, my community and this country.
I've always dreamed of a presidential showdown between former Secretary of State, Republican, Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of State, Democrat, Hillary Clinton. Exactly how would one decide who is most professionally qualified, smarter, engaging or wears a pant suit better? Most would agree that on paper they are equally yoked.
Who would win the African-American vote -- the Democrat or the African-American? No chance of a candidate getting a woman's vote just because she too is a woman. Racist Republicans who hate Hillary would find themselves in quite a tizzy.
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This type of presidential race would have forced the American people to vote based on the issues and their belief in the candidate's ability to be the best Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America.
But this type of issue-focused, bias-minimized and party-crossing race is only in my dreams. The reality is, we are in a new era of presidential campaigning and debating. It is shocking, disturbing and, yet, wildly entertaining. I watch each debate with popcorn and a bottle of red wine.
The Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, have maintained a level of decorum expected of one vying for the most powerful and respected position in the world. They've each thrown punches, but nothing below the belt and definitely, no biting of the opponent's ear.
The Republican party has rightfully and wrongfully been characterized as the party of the elite, the dignified, the suit, tie and pearls. The conservative ideology of the party very often mimics the posture and etiquette of many of its members, until now! In 2016, the GOP is a H.A.M. -- a hot ass mess! The Republican Party and its candidates are so conniving and classless -- ergo -- GHETTO!
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The Republican primary looks like a ghetto reality show, where we are one debate away from water being thrown in Marco Rubio's face and smearing his caked-on make-up. It's only a matter of time before Donald Trump's weave is pulled out and holier-than-thou Ted Cruz breaks down and storms off the stage in dramatic Kardashian fashion. We are only moments away from "Yo' Momma" jokes being scripted for the campaign trail rallies.
This Republican primary has been so ghetto and embarrassing to the GOP. I can only see it getting worse before it gets better. As Bette Davis famously warned in All About Eve, "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night."
After September 11, 2001, U.S. government intelligence agencies gathered information from every likely source in an effort to learn everything possible about the 19 hijackers and how they carried out their murderous plot.
While Americans mourned the innocent lives lost, we trusted our government would take the necessary steps to ensure terrorists would not continue killing Americans on American soil.
However, incredibly, when the intelligence they gathered pointed to an ally of the U.S. -- namely Saudi Arabia -- the evidence was buried and classified under the ambiguous umbrella of "national security." I am speaking of the 28 redacted pages of Part Four of the "Congressional Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks" -- "the Joint Inquiry" which refers to "specific sources of foreign support for some of the September 11th hijackers while they were in the United States."
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As National Chair of 9/11 Victims' Families & Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism, I would like to know, if the Department of Justice accesses the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, what will they do with the information if it leads back to an ally of the U.S.? Will they allow it to be buried like the 28 pages, which according to former Senator Bob Graham (D-Fl) who co-chaired the Joint Inquiry, point a strong finger at Saudi Arabia for the financial and logistical assistance they gave toward the worst terrorist attack on American soil?
Since the redaction of the 28 pages from the Joint Inquiry, several prominent U.S. government officials have called upon their release. Namely, former Senator Bob Graham and more recently, Reps. Walter Jones (R-NC), Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who all have read the pages and publicly stated "there is no threat to national security" in releasing them.
In the September 10, 2015 episode of 5-time Emmy award winning reporter, Sharyl Attkisson's show Full Measure, Rep. Stephen Lynch, told Ms. Attkisson that the classified 28 pages give names and identities of individuals who were "complicit" in the terrorist attacks. "They are clearly identified. How people were financed, where they were housed, where the money was coming from, the conduits that were used and the connections between some of these individuals."
Further reported by Ms. Attkisson, "Other lawmakers also give hints about some of the alleged responsibility and financial ties the attackers had to prominent figures in Saudi Arabia, and speculate that the reason the documents are still classified is to shield that nation from embarrassment and maintain U.S.-Saudi diplomatic ties."
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Like the victims' family members of the San Bernardino murders, we want justice and are incensed certain members of our government are more concerned with "embarrassing" Saudi Arabia then our civil right to pursue justice for the murder of our loved ones in a U.S. court.
Without any help from the government, although we are armed with tens of thousands of pages of evidence we have gathered and submitted in Court, our lawsuit has been stalled by misinterpretation of the law and egregious errors by the courts.
In an effort to correct this injustice, the 9/11 victims' families & survivors have called on Congress to enact legislation called the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act -- "JASTA" (S.2040/H.R.3815). On January 28, 2016, JASTA passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee 19-0 and has strong bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress and should move to the floor of the Senate for a vote.
JASTA amends the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) so that foreign sponsors of terrorism cannot invoke "sovereign immunity" in cases arising from a terrorist attack that kills Americans on American soil. For example, if evidence were to prove the San Bernardino shooters had foreign government assistance, without JASTA, it is possible the victims' families may not be able to achieve the justice they seek and hold the evildoers responsible in a U.S. court.
Because a few Senators have imposed a "hold" on JASTA, delaying its consideration by Congress, Saudi Arabia's accountability for its role in the 9/11 attacks remains in question, allowing Saudi Arabia to continue to act with impunity, funding terrorist organizations like al Qaeda, ISIS, Boco Haram and countless others. Because someone in our government is more concerned with protecting Saudi Arabia from embarrassment than stemming the flow of money from the wealthy paymasters in the Middle East to the terrorists, the nation's protection from further terrorist carnage, and the justice due to the 9/11 families, we sit with JASTA in a "holding pattern."
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The results of the two studies showing that a vaginal ring can help reduce the risk HIV infection among women is being hailed as an important HIV prevention breakthrough.
Launched four years ago, the two clinical trials, known as ASPIRE and The Ring Study, set out to determine how safe and effective the ring was in prevention of HIV infection in women. The ring, which is used for a month at a time, contains an antiretroviral drug called dapivirine that acts by blocking HIV from multiplying.
The studies enrolled close to 4500 women aged 18 to 45 in South Africa, Uganda, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Each study found that the ring helps reduce the risk of HIV infection in women. In ASPIRE, the ring reduced the risk of HIV infection by 27% overall. In The Ring Study, infections were reduced by 31% overall.
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But there were differences in how effective the ring was based on how consistently the women used it. Both studies showed that the more consistently the ring is used, the more effective it is in protecting women.
For women aged 18 to 21 in both studies there was no significant protection because they did not use the ring consistently. ASPIRE found that HIV protection was greater in groups with evidence of better ring use. Incidence of HIV was cut by more than half - 56% - among women 21 and older, who, as a group, appeared also to use the ring most consistently.
The studies show that the ring has the potential to help make a difference in reducing the burden of HIV by at least one third in women overall. This has significant implications for reducing the burden of disease in women in Africa.
Women can have another option
It is the first time two phase-three clinical trials have confirmed statistically significant efficacy for a microbicide to prevent HIV. The dapivirine ring was designed to offer potentially long-acting protection against HIV through slow, continuous delivery of dapivirine into the vaginal tissues over the course of four weeks.
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Women account for nearly 60% of adults with HIV. Unprotected heterosexual sex drives this figure. Despite tremendous advances in preventing and treating HIV, women still face a disproportionate risk of infection because there are insufficient practical HIV prevention options available to them.
If the ring becomes available for commercial use it will add to the tools in the HIV prevention toolbox for women alongside female condoms and Truvada, an antiretroviral tablet taken by HIV negative people as daily pre-exposure prophylaxis.
EPA/Maurizio Gambarini
In 2015, South Africa and Kenya joined the US in approving Truvada. Pre-exposure prophylaxis has been proven to be very effective for people at risk of HIV.
Studies have shown that Truvada provides users with up to 90% protection provided it is taken consistently. In earlier studies it was shown to be less successful in women who did not take the drug daily.
Hurdles that need to be cleared
There are still several more steps that need to be followed before the ring becomes available to women.
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Dapivirine was originally developed as an oral antiretroviral compound. This was tested in phase- one and two clinical trials with more than 200 participants.
Although it was first conceived as an oral therapeutic, dapivirine became a promising topical microbicide candidate because it was effective both in vitro and in vivo, had a favourable safety profile, and the right physical and chemical properties.
To licence the product, the ring must be approved for public use by global and national regulatory authorities. Because at least two phase three efficacy trials are needed for regulators to approve a licence for the product, the two phase-three trials were conducted in parallel to speed up the process to potentially approve the ring.
Licensure is an important but complex and timeous process. The authorities will review the comprehensive dossier of scientific evidence when deciding to licence the ring. The ring's developer, International Partnership for Microbicides, a global health non-profit enterprise, will follow this process.
Next round of studies
Supplied
In the meanwhile, as the ring is under regulatory review, there are several more studies planned. Two of the studies are open-label extension (OLE) studies called DREAM and HOPE.
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These OLE studies aim to provide all women who participated in the phase-three trials access to the dapivirine ring. This will help understand how the ring is used in a real world setting now that the level of effectiveness is known and also inform its future roll out. These studies are currently being reviewed by local regulators.
A third study, MTN-034, that is also under review, will offer women both the dapivirine ring and oral Truvada. Targeted at adolescent girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 21, this study will help understand what young women want and how they respond to the active products once they know their levels of effectiveness.
This study is important because across both efficacy trials, women aged 18 to 21 showed no significant protection because they did not use the ring consistently. Young women aged 15 to 24 are at the highest risk of HIV infection globally and so this is clearly an age group where research is needed.
But poor adherence may not be the only reason for the lack of protection among these women. Further research is needed to understand if there are biological or physiological factors that may affect how dapivirine is taken up in vaginal tissue, or whether the trial design itself is especially intimidating to young women.
Not knowing whether they are using an active product or a placebo, or how safe and effective it is, may have influenced their use.
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Thesla Palanee-Phillips, Director: Clinical Trials, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of the Witwatersrand
Woman lying in bed with hands on stomach, cropped
It's been a red-letter couple weeks for menstruation-related media. First came Olivia Goldhill's call for funding for period-pain research in Quartz, followed by news of a policy in China's Anhui province to institute a "paid menstrual leave" program.
In many ways, stories like this are positive, simply because they challenge the notion that periods are inherently wrong and shameful and should never be discussed. We live in a world, after all, where children grow up thinking menstrual blood is blue, legislators are silenced for using the word "vagina" during session, and, from a young age, we're taught to speak about periods in euphemisms ("ladies don't discuss that time of the month"). Judy Blume's classic Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret was published 46 years ago, but still serves as "Periods 101" for many girls -- a testament not only to the timelessness of her writing, but also to how little this discussion has progressed over the past few decades.
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At the same time, though, both stories reveal a deeper problem with the way we discuss menstruation. The stigma surrounding periods, it turns out, cuts both ways: While menstruation isn't taken seriously as an actual medical condition, it's also seen as being so serious, it can render some women unable to function.
Welcome to the Period Paradox.
Our culture of shame has enabled the medical community to dismiss what is, for many, the very real and even debilitating issue of period pain. Up to 90% of girls and women experience some type of menstrual pain, with about 20-25% experiencing moderate to severe pain. Yet all too often, doctors don't prescribe or suggest anything beyond taking an extra dose of ibuprofen to treat symptoms of menstruation. The other two commonly offered remedies -- the oral contraceptive pill or IUD -- may alleviate severe pain for many, but don't work for everyone; for some people, there are simply no effective treatments. And even if you are one of the lucky ones who respond well to hormonal adjustments, there is no guarantee that your insurance company will cover your "birth control" -- regardless of its intended purpose. Surgery is one possible treatment for endometriosis -- a condition where tissue similar to uterine lining grows outside of the uterus, resulting in severe pain -- but for many of the 176 million people worldwide who suffer from the condition, even surgery does not alleviate the pain.
As Goldhill's story correctly pointed out, treatments are insufficient in part because of limited research into period pain -- a natural byproduct of a culture that's stigmatized the menstrual process. This gap in research is not only a public health issue, but problematic from a research ethics perspective. The ethical principle of justice dictates that the benefits and burdens of research should be shared. This includes, for example, determining which areas of research to fund, taking into consideration the seriousness and fatality of the health conditions being studied, as well as the number of people affected by the condition. In the case of period pain, the lack of research funding for a condition that affects more than half the population at one stage in their lives is hardly a fair use of resources.
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Laura Payne, Ph.D., an assistant adjunct professor at the UCLA Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program, points to several reasons for the limited research on menstrual pain. "It's possible that because it seems so common, it may not [be seen to] warrant further investigation," says Dr. Payne, who is also the principal investigator for a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research project examining mechanisms of menstrual pain.
There's also the fact that women's health issues in general are not treated as seriously. According to Dr. Payne, most basic scientific research has been carried out on male rats, and only recently has there been a push to focus on including female rats.
Not all of the issues stem from stigmas; as Dr. Payne notes, "Personally, I think that research has been lacking because research on menstruation is really challenging." The menstrual cycle is a multifaceted process that requires "a very careful approach including multiple assessments of hormones [and] attempts to pinpoint ovulation," which can be burdensome for both researchers and research participants. Yet she also acknowledges that it's "also conceivable that, decades ago, discussing one's menstrual cycle was seen as inappropriate and perhaps there is some carryover from those days."
Dr. Payne does note that "times are changing" in terms of NIH-funded research into menstrual pain. For one thing, a number of high-profile academic articles published recently demonstrate that painful menstruation may share common features with other chronic pain problems; for example, abnormalities in how pain is processed in the brain. There is also a hypothesis that painful menstruation may be an early indicator that a person could potentially develop more serious chronic pain problems in the future.
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But while this progress is promising, it doesn't change the fact that on a systemic level, the medical community hasn't adequately treated or researched the symptoms of menstruation.
Which raises the question: How do we get period pain to be taken seriously without letting it define and restrict us?
There are myriad examples of our culture dismissing women outright because of their periods. The most egregious recent example of this was, of course, Donald Trump rebuffing Megyn Kelly's debate questioning of him by remarking, "There was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." But the list hardly ends there. Menstrual symptoms have been used to justify keeping women out of everything from the military to the Supreme Court to the Oval Office. Being a complex, multifaceted biological process and something that affects most women at some stage in their lives, periods have been used as a lazy means of systemic oppression -- an easy way to automatically disqualify women from all manners of ranks and positions.
The story about China's new policy taps into this damning stereotype. While ostensibly progressive, the policy requires a "certificate from a legal medical institute or hospital," exists largely in name only, and is not without criticism. In addition to requiring you to disclose your menstrual and fertility cycles to your employer, there is also the possibility that it could result in increased discrimination against hiring women -- not to mention potentially reinforcing the notion that periods incapacitate all women, all the time.
Periods do not have to be -- nor should they be -- an all-or-nothing issue. As far-fetched as it sounds, it is entirely possible to adequately fund research into menstrual pain and take it seriously as a medical condition without undermining women's capacity to fully function in society.
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This piece by Elizabeth Yuko originally appeared on The Establishment, a new multimedia site funded and run by women.
By Darcy Kennedy
January 20, 2016. President Obama, invited to the North American International Auto Show, begins his tour of the Cobo Center. Hours before, teachers and their supporters wave signs that decry the deplorable conditions of Detroit Public Schools (DPS). This protest shut down 88 of DPS' 100 schools for the day. Teachers in Detroit love their students, and see themselves as the front-line defenders of students' educational rights. So, sick and tired of working in these conditions, teachers staged multiple "sick-outs" to recuperate from "Snyder Flu" caused by the inaction of Michigan governor.
Three weeks later, a fifth-grade class at Clippert Academy staged a "walk-in" with the support of their teachers, classmates, and community members. Echoing the outrage of insufficient infrastructure, students had an additional demand: the return of their bilingual secretary, whose absence was acutely felt in their primarily Spanish-speaking community. In defiance of legislators continuously ignoring the needs of the school system, students and teachers marched into the building to continue learning and teaching in sub-par conditions. The message is clear: legislators cannot be allowed to further deprive teachers of opportunities to express outrage at the state of affairs in their schools.
How bad are conditions within these schools? Results from health and safety inspections showed there were numerous health code violations due to rodents, water damage, and broken facilities. Black mold grows in classrooms where students and teachers have to wear coats to combat faulty or broken heating systems. These conditions are the result of years and years of neglect and budget deficits - by the end of this summer, Detroit Public Schools will be carrying $515 million in debt. This is in spite of having been under control of an emergency manager since 2009.
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Teachers are calling out sick instead of striking because it is illegal for public employees to strike in 37 states. Due to legislation like the Hutchinson Act of 1947 and Public Act 112 of 1994, DPS teachers are forced to use their own personal sick days to draw attention to the conditions they have spent years teaching in.
The Republican-controlled House and Senate are attempting to fight the sick-outs by proposing increasingly stringent laws and legal action. On February 2nd, the Senate Education Committee voted 4-1 for legislation that would make it easier to punish teachers and schools that are involved in strikes. These punishments include revoking teaching certificates for those involved in strikes, and cutting school aid to districts who don't dock pay for said teachers.
The House revealed their plan to fix Detroit's schools last week. These include an eight year plan to reinstate a locally elected school board, switching from a pension plan to a 401-k for new hires to the district, reducing the bargaining power of teacher's unions, and creating a letter grade system for ranking Detroit schools, complete with merit pay for educators and administrators. Ivy Bailey, Interim President for the Detroit Federation of Teachers, stated: "There's a bigger picture here -- they want to destroy unions, plain and simple." It looks like she might be right.
After actions such as 15 years of state-mandated emergency management, continuous budget cuts, and placing the same man who poisoned Flint in charge of the district, legislators in Michigan have subversively underinvested in the education of Detroit's young people for long enough. Control of Detroit Public Schools must be placed back into the hands of local stakeholders, and restrictions on teachers and administrators' right to collective bargaining must be curtailed. They have been silenced for long enough, and should not be further punished for using the last tools left to them.
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by Engin Polar
With more than 50 million people displaced by conflict and violence throughout the world, universal collective responses aimed at dealing with the main causes of insecurity and violence should be the international communities' priority. In recent years, the growing instances of armed conflict has created record numbers of population displacement and extreme poverty, which puts Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals (dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies) at risk. A fresh perspective to address the complex roots that underlie today's intertwined security, humanitarian and developmental crises is necessary in order to combat the attacks on long-term advances in global peace.
Photo credit: UNHRC
Building peaceful, just and inclusive societies at local and national levels requires action on a number of fronts. With half of the world under the age of 30, it is crucial that this agenda puts young people at the forefront of change and development. There are 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 years old. Empowering young people to lead the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is necessary to ensure meaningfulness and effectiveness. Given their influence, youth have both the right and the power to demand a seat at the table with their governments. As young people, we face many of the challenges addressed in the SDGs, and because the goals affect our future, it is essential that youth from all over the world participate actively in all levels of decision-making processes.
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Source: UNFPA
In addition to bringing fresh perspectives, young people often have direct knowledge and insight into issues that are not accessible to adults. Youth best understand the problems they face and can offer new ideas and alternative solutions. Many of the major issues in our world are not being told from the youth point of view; however, youth activism is on the rise thanks to broader connectivity and access to social media. The youth outreach with technology not only makes them more productive, but also far superior at creating inclusive, far-reaching campaigns with global impact. A single tweet, viral video or Facebook post can inspire protests led by thousands demanding change and reform that have the ability to fundamentally transform cultures infested by corruption.
Source: Mohamed Hossam/AFP/Getty Images
Youth-led organizations and networks should be supported and strengthened as they contribute to the development of civic and leadership skills among young people, especially marginalized youth. As United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated during his International Youth Day message this year: "I am calling on young people to speak out - and I am urging leaders to listen. As the world changes with unprecedented speed, young people are proving to be invaluable partners who can advance meaningful solutions." When young people are empowered with the knowledge of their rights and supported to develop leadership skills, they can drive change in their communities and countries.
We cannot have a world where only some regions enjoy sustained levels of peace, security and prosperity while others fall into seemingly endless cycles of conflict and violence. We cannot possibly hope to establish a sustainable, peaceful, stable, socially just world, unless every child today has that same expectation. The Tunisian revolution was precisely about these goals: reasserting people's sovereignty and demanding governance that involves citizens as well as economic growth that benefits them. Having successfully held two rounds of free and fair elections and peaceful transfers of power, Tunisia's experience as the most successful democratic transition to emerge from the Arab uprisings illustrates just how marginalized youth can peacefully call for change after experiencing long years of corruption, bad governance, and the repression of their rights and freedoms.
A new system of inclusive governance that puts the youth at its heart must be developed and promoted in order to establish "peace, stability, human rights and effective governance based on the rule of law for sustainable development" as SDG 16 states. Young leaders who can contribute fresh ideas, take proactive measures, and mobilize massive movements through social media must be empowered, as inclusive and peaceful societies are vital to the achievement of all the other sustainable development goals.
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Engin Polar is a Senior at Noblesville High School interested in International Humanitarian Law and Middle Eastern Politics. Engin is a member of the American Turkish Association of Indiana and an Ambassador for the National Society of High School Scholars.
by Natasha Louis
Young people play the biggest role in implementing the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as we are the change makers of the future. We are the community of force that will be implementing and progressing these movements. This generation encompasses so much passion and drive that will produce the solutions needed to solve our world's dilemmas.
One of the most crucial goals is number 5: gender equality. Human trafficking is the second largest criminal industry in the world, with a major emphasis on sex trafficking. Rape, violence against women, and the struggle of women's right to education and economic opportunities are issues that women face in every community.
The gender equality goal also expands to all of the areas discussed in the SDGs. Women are not able to contribute either equally or at all to job markets, which negatively affects the global economy by costing it several trillion dollars per year. This stumps progress and does not allow other sectors to grow, such as innovation and national growth. Women and girls are always the population to suffer the most in regards to lack of access to healthcare and sanitation, food, education and other resources.
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By young women working together to uplift each other and not tear each other down, we can build an alliance to fight for empowerment. The future leaders of the world do not and should not wait until tomorrow to achieve this when we all can start today. We must ban together and take issues seriously that are consistently brushed aside due to our passive culture that often allows negative words and actions against women.
As young professionals and members of society, we must continue to be activists and push forward. This generation will be the party to carry out the ideas and concepts that have been conceded by the UN. We must go further than those who have come before us in order to tackle the severe and broad issues by not only telling the stories, but taking action on the stories. Our job is to keep pushing to see the results we desire.
A crucial component that must be a part in gender equality is the inclusion of men. It is not only men who are already supportive who need to take part; it is those who do not understand why violence and discrimination is wrong. We need to work together to engage with them in order to grow together as a global society.
Young people can take action now; with persistent pressure on our policy makers and leaders, protesting and demanding to have our voices heard, community outreach and education to our own communities and engaging in conversations about the dilemmas women face that negatively impact us all. We also must participate with organizations that promote women's rights and the incorporation of men, such as UN Women, He for She and the Man Up Campaign. As Mohammed Naeem stated during the Youth Assembly at the United Nations' Step it Up Planet 50-50 by 2030 Youth and Gender Equality workshop, "you cannot expect men to participate in the process of empowering women unless they are whole men themselves."
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We cannot allow our age to create insecurity and discourage us from our capability of taking action now. We must join together in order to create overall empowerment and equality for women around the world. The essential message that young people must conceive is that the change begins with you.
Natasha Louis is a current graduate student at New York University in the Global Affairs program. Her concentration is in International Law and Human Rights and is devoted to continue her professional career to assist survivors of sex trafficking and refugees.
by Aria Mia Loberti
Through the platform of the Youth Assembly at the United Nations, young leaders can gather together to gain a deeper, more knowledgeable perspective of international affairs and hone their abilities to foster positive change. For me personally, the Youth Assembly is an opportunity to further my understanding of the plethora of key issues, obstacles, and triumphs faced by my peers throughout the world. When fellow aspiring international young leaders connect with each other, each individual develops deepened awareness of world affairs, so that we may return to our communities to enact change. I am beyond inspired to gather with such a broad and diverse range of my peers, who all possess unique passions and represent so many distinct causes.
As an advocate for blind and, like myself, visually impaired individuals, I am exceptionally passionate about spreading awareness of my platform. Particularly, I promote equality for blind and visually impaired students, whose needs are often not accommodated in school. When I was an elementary school student, my public district school department did not meet my visual needs in the classroom; it was nearly impossible for me to experience a school day without experiencing debilitating visual fatigue directly resulting from the absence of services to which I am legally entitled. As a result of our school department's noncompliance to provide my Free and Appropriate Public Education, my family developed a plan to homeschool me to provide the Least Restrictive Environment for my education.
Neglect towards disabled students--visually impaired or otherwise--continues to be a far from unique occurrence in the classroom. Many disabled students are correspondingly not as fortunate as I have been, to receive a high-caliber education through homeschooling and to have the support of my parents as advocates. The root of the problem, in my opinion, is the lack of representation for disabled individuals in every level of the U.S. government.
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I have found that, overall, disabled individuals are woefully underrepresented in my community, state, and nation; we have minimal political support, few resources, and scanty representation. The opportunity to be a U.S. Delegate to the Youth Assembly at the United Nations allows my voice to become stronger, so that I can more powerfully share my message of equality. The more people aware of the situation, the faster we can move towards equality in both the education system, socially, and in the workforce. Furthermore, being a part of this delegation allows me--an American high school senior and aspiring medical researcher and policy-maker--to understand what disability services are like in the rest of world.
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) do not specifically highlight people with disabilities, although the United Nations itself has taken a powerful stand on the issue in other areas of its administration. Concurrently, my goal within the Youth Assembly is to imbue my current disability advocacy efforts with activism for gender equality, Goal 5 of the SDGs. In my personal life, I have witnessed the relationship between the fight for gender equality and disability rights. Disabled women feel the brunt of both struggles. As a legally blind young woman, I personally strive for gender equality, and it is my mission to make known the intersection between gender and disability equality.
The U.S. Aid Website shares the statistic: "75 percent of women with disabilities are unemployed and women with disabilities who are employed often earn less than their male counterparts and women without disabilities." This quote speaks for itself, and it makes clear the need for action. As an elementary school student, I recall my parents and I being told by a school administrator that it was unimportant for me to learn or succeed in mathematics because of my "disability and gender". The fact that such archaic statements and statistics are commonplace is not only saddening in this day and age, but repeated oppression can also discourage young disabled women from pursuing their personal definition of success.
In closing, it is an honor to even be considered to attend the Youth Assembly at the United Nations. It is surreal to be a part of this event, and it is meaningfully humbling to know that I am a part of something much larger than myself, or my cause. I look forward to deepening my knowledge of the world around me and expanding my skills as leader and activist through this platform. I cannot imagine a more diverse and inspiring way to educate myself than by uniting with my international peers at the Youth Assembly, promoting the aims of the United Nations. In the words of Nelson Mandela, "young people must take it upon themselves to ensure that they receive the highest education possible so that they can represent us well in the future as leaders."
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Aria Mia Loberti hails from Rhode Island, USA. As a legally blind individual, she is an activist for blind and visually impaired students, advocating on the state and local political levels prior to taking her cause to the Youth Assembly at the United Nations. Loberti is one of the five Outstanding Youth Delegates at the 2016 Winter Youth Assembly at the United Nations.
by Kritika Amanjee
I am, like many aspiring doctors, waiting for my train. I wait to enter a crowded vessel amongst overworked, overwhelmed young minds rushing to their respective destinations: the cell, pathology, drug therapy, pharmacology, biomedicine. Their eyes burn from the glare of the microscope and their lungs desperate for air outside of the fume hood. I see in them the fervor of a competitive medical student, but fail to find the warmth of a cultured physician. Frustrated by the demands of science and fearful of its demands on the doctor, I look around and realize that I am, like many aspiring doctors, waiting at the wrong station.
In the last couple of days, I carried my frustration with me to the 2016 Winter Youth Assembly at the United Nations in New York City. I hoped to gain a fresh perspective on what it really means to contribute to a greater cause as a doctor, beyond the microscope and the fume hood and the limitations of a pre-medical school education.
The two-day conference discussed the importance and implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) listed under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set by the United Nations. As an intergovernmental initiative that encompasses a broad range of human concerns, from climate change to industry to peacekeeping, the SDGs also demand the involvement of our 1.8 billion youth to mobilize efforts and impact real change in the short deadline afforded.
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Photo credit: Kritika Amanjee
Naturally, my interests gravitated towards Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. I scoured through the words of renowned panelists and contemplated deeply on how their discussion could help me find my place in health and medicine, but a voice from the General Assembly podium still seemed too far away to reach me. Yes, I know the youth of today are agents of tomorrow's change. Yes, I know our voice is important to become a transformative force. Yes, I know. But, I don't understand. Where do these skyward, almost intangible, ideas fit into the scheme of measurable change?
By the end of my short, but worthwhile, time at the assembly, I did find where those lofty ideas fit. They fit in the eyes of the hundreds of other young delegates just like me, thirsty to find their place in their own worlds. Never had I witnessed a larger group of curious minds, each more sure of her/his sense of agency and urgency than the other. These were people who didn't need to be told that their ideas and creativity must be transformed into action because they had been acting before they understood what it really meant to be a force of movement.
But beneath this force and passion, was the real source of their inspiration: a profound craving for human connection. A connection that opens doors to meaningful relations and cultural understanding, the kind that makes us more similar than different and helps us realize why platforms like the Youth Assembly at the United Nations are necessary to construct the future we restlessly envision.
This was the connection I had been craving, but didn't realize needed to fit into my world of cell cultures and micropipetting. This is the warmth necessary to become that cultured doctor, to breathe in the air outside of the fume hood, and turn our eyes to the people that deserve our compassion. I believe I can find my train station ensuring good health and well-being for all, as soon as a genuine appreciation for human culture and connection finds its destination in me.
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Kritika Amanjee is a pre-medical health management, biology, and Spanish student at Union College. She finds her source of inspiration in global health development work and hopes to create sustainable models for health development.
Whenever Yellowstone County officials propose improvements to the overcrowded, 28-year-old jail in Billings, some folks inevitably say that using the mostly empty jail in Hardin is a better choice. That argument deserves a thoughtful answer, which has been given by Yellowstone County Finance Director Kevan Bryan.
About a month ago, operators of the Two Rivers Detention Facility, came to Billings and told Yellowstone County officials they could house inmates for $68 per day. The Two Rivers operators even promised to do all transportation between Billings and their private jail 50 miles away.
There are multiple reasons why that offer isnt as good as it may sound.
At $68 a day, Yellowstone County would spend nearly $2.5 million a year to keep 100 inmates in Hardin. In doing so, it would send $2.5 million in county tax money out of the county and save only a small fraction of that in reduced food and supply costs at the Billings jail. The fixed costs of running the Billings jail wouldnt change; the same staffing and utilities would be required. The Billings jail would still be double-bunking inmates; it would still fail to provide parity in housing female inmates; it would still have worn-out kitchen and laundry equipment, deteriorated plumbing and housing units. The jails current annual operating budget of $9 million would have to be increased to pay Two Rivers.
Insurance concerns
In the several weeks since Two Rivers came to Billings and talked with county officials here, they have not followed up with answers to information requested by Commission Chairman Bill Kennedy, Bryan said last week. They havent put the verbal offer into writing. The only document received from Two Rivers as of last week was a copy of a lengthy insurance policy for several properties operated by the private company. The policy raised more questions for Bryan, who noted multiple exemptions for medical services. Health care is a significant cost in running the Yellowstone County jail.
Insurance itself is a major concern. Yellowstone County is insured through the Montana Association of Counties, which only insures county jails not private enterprises like Two Rivers. If Yellowstone County placed inmates at Hardin, the county would still be legally responsible for them, but would have no coverage under its own policy, Bryan said.
Yellowstone County has contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service, Montana Department of Corrections, Carbon and Stillwater counties to hold inmates for them. If Two Rivers is a good deal, why arent any of those entities contracting with it? The Gazette has previously reported over the past decade that various law enforcement agencies deemed Two Rivers has lacked the security and humane treatment features agencies require. Even Big Horn County isnt contracting with Two Rivers.
Renovation alternative
A better alternative, according to Bryan and Sheriff Mike Linder, is careful investment in improvements to the Billings jail, a plan that Yellowstone County commissioners may place on the June 7 ballot. That plan would allow the county to borrow money for construction to be repaid over 20 years from existing tax levies with no levy increase required.
Bryan, a CPA who worked in the private sector for 25 years, said he is taking a businesslike approach to fixing the jail problems.
We are looking at the fact that buying makes much more sense than renting in this case, he told commissioners on Feb. 9. We could send 100 prisoners down the road and be out $10 million in four years, assuming no rent increases from what, in large measure, is a for profit landlord. That number will never be less. If we commit our resources to our own construction, then the expense after only a handful of years goes way down.
Its a good deal for our taxpayers or we wouldnt be putting it out there, Bryan told The Gazette. Wednesdays Gazette opinion will take a look at that deal.
Credit: Dan Gentile/Thrillist
Everyone knows what it's like to have their paws covered in Cheetos dust, but for most people the history behind the snack is as ambiguous as the ingredient list. With that in mind, we've compiled a list of 16 factlets that you can think about while you lick your fingers clean after your next bag of Flamin' Hots.
Credit: Dan Gentile/Thrillist
Flamin' Hot Cheetos were invented by a janitor
As revealed in an inspiring story reported by the Kansas City Star, what began as a spicy hack by a Frito-Lay plant worker has now become one of Frito-Lay's best-selling products. Janitor Richard Montanez talked his way into a meeting with the company's CEO, and armed with just a sample bag and a few nights of marketing studying, put on such an impressive presentation that it vaulted him up the corporate ladder into an executive vice president position.
It takes 5,000 cows to make a year's worth of Cheetos
This stat comes straight from Kimberly Scott, the director of communications at PepsiCo, Inc./Frito-Lay North America: a year-long production run requires 11 million gallons of milk, which translates to 10 million pounds of cheddar cheese that's then used in the Cheetos seasoning. That averages out to an astonishing 2,200 gallons of milk per cow.
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Cheetos are intimately linked to the US military
Hot on the heels of his purchase of the Frito recipe for $100 in 1932 and a successful expansion to five manufacturing plants, Frito company founder C.E. Doolin's next move was to adapt a dairy preservative technique to bring cheese into the world of dried snacks. According to WIRED, Doolin's business acumen wasn't the only reason behind his success: he also owes thanks to the US military, which pioneered research into cheese dehydration to better feed the troops.
Credit: Jennifer Bui/Thrillist
Each bag has more Cheetos than the serving size claims
The label on a large bag of crunchy Cheetos lists the contents at 189 chips, but thanks to meticulous investigation it's been proven that a bag actually contains 237.5, meaning Chester is a very generous cat indeed.
Cheetos are produced in 22 countries and come in 50 flavors
Although they're typically considered an American snack, Cheetos has production facilities in 22 different countries including Cyprus, Pakistan, Spain, and Poland. These international outposts produce a wide array of foreign flavors like fizzy Pepsi (Japan), ketchup (Poland), strawberry (Russia), peanut butter covered (Eastern Europe), and Japanese steak, which is strangely sold in China.
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The original mascot was a mouse
Before Chester's slick Wayfarers and ferocious snacking appetite became a worldwide marketing campaign, the chip was represented in commercials by a much more demure mascot: a simple, unnamed mouse.
The cheese seasoning has a stupid number of ingredients
The "enriched cornmeal" that's heated and fried to form the base of the Cheeto is then blasted in a complicated cheese seasoning that's not dissimilar to the stuff that comes in the Kraft macaroni and cheese flavor packet. It's comprised of over 12 different ingredients including whey, yellow 6, more enriched cornmeal, vegetable oil, vitamin B, sugar, salt, and MSG. Check out our in-depth snack composition analysis right here to better understand the role of each of these ingredients.
Credit: Drew Swantak/Thrillist
You can make Cheetos waffles at home with this recipe
Say goodbye to a balanced breakfast and hello to Cheetos waffles.
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The X-Files revival, a six-episode miniseries, has just come and gone and the reaction seems clear enough. It was a mixed bag, with real highs and, er, not-so-highs. And it certainly proved popular enough for another run of the venerable show, a true pioneer and powerhouse of the '90s which, after nine full seasons, petered out the spring after 9/11. Which is fortunate, given what a complete cliffhanger the ending of this run turned out to be.
Some spoilers ensue.
Its melange of conspiracies and supernaturalism, bringing incisive and often elegant thinking in the midst of frequently crackpot scenarios is certainly a match for this era of American history. Perhaps too much so. When the real world is clearly weird, one needn't turn to fiction for one's fix of the outre.
Back when The X-Files premiered in September 1993, the consensus view of reality was that we lived in a well-ordered post-Cold War world. George Bush I and the Democrat who defeated him, Bill Clinton, both nonetheless subscribed to belief in a real and expanding "New World Order" typified by a benign big capitalism and rational technological progress. The end of messy history seemed at hand. To some. Others of us suspected that what was really emerging both beneath and far away from a bland corporatist surface was a "New World Chaos."
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With some hiccups here and there, The X-Files made a successful return to the television universe with its recently concluded six-episode miniseries run. Its trademark conspiracism and embrace of the weird, once a "truth" that "is out there," may now be all too of our time.
What The X-Files rather brilliantly created was a metaphorical universe in which New World Order forces -- usually typified by Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully's FBI superiors -- both tamped down evidence of an encroaching chaos to maintain the consensus illusion and worked within that New World Order to further nefarious ends of a conspiracy between aliens (as in outer space, not illegal immigrants) and some global elites.
Today, with America ever more a surveillance state amidst the murk of the seemingly endless (and endlessly morphing) post-9/11 "Long War," a poor recovery from our near repeat Great Depression, massive and growing economic inequality, a corrupt political system, and a fragmentary ADD media culture, seeing the conspiratorial and weird around us doesn't take much of a leap.
Or, put another way, an America in which a know-nothing billionaire bully boy "reality" TV star -- of whom the only substantive question is whether he is a neo-fascist, a proto-fascist, or a flat-out fascist -- is on the verge of the Republican presidential nomination may just be an America for which The X-Files isn't quite weird enough.
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The show, by the way, despite being somewhat uneven, proved to be damn good in its new iteration. What problems it had -- and the pluses far outweighed the minuses -- seem due to a structural problem, a programming mistake, and what I've noticed over the years is a Hollywood penchant for the avoidance of proper rehearsal.
The programming mistake was running one of the strongest episodes opposite the Grammy Awards.
On the substantive front, The X-Files miniseries just past, which the Fox network has now taken to calling Season 10, was too short, at six episodes. It should have been at least eight. Ironically, what suffered most was the show's overall conspiracy arc. Though each episode was at least tinged with the overarching conspiracy, the "mythology," as X-Files creator and showrunner Chris Carter dubbed it, is concentrated in the first and last episodes. Which, not coincidentally, were the two episodes most prone to garner critical brickbats.
I think that both the opener and the closer should have been two-parters. Things just happened too abruptly in each episode and as a result seemed a bit too by-the-numbers.
The episodes which fared the best were the four in between the miniseries premiere and finale. They were penned by X-Files veterans James Wong, Darin Morgan, Glen Morgan, and Carter himself.
Where Carter has updated the "mythology" scenario -- now it's apparently more authoritarian human elites using alien technology in pursuit of global domination -- to moderate effect, the so-called "standalone" episodes were reminiscent of some of the show's great moments of the past.
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In the first, a benignly enigmatic super-rich technologist uses his defense contractor status to pursue human mutation. In another, this one deliciously comedic, a disgruntled were-monster reaffirms the faith of Mulder in the excitingly out-there. (One of the underlying jests of the show is that liberal atheist Mulder actually believes all manner of supernatural nonsense whereas it is the supposedly religious Scully who resolutely applies reason and science.)
In yet another outstanding standalone, a murderous avenger against oppressors of the homeless literally animates one of the show's key metaphorical notions, that ideas and feelings have weight in the material world.
In the final standalone, written and directed by Carter which introduces an amusing pair of youthful Mulder/Scully doppelgangers, Mulder tries with mysterious effect to communicate with a comatose jihadist suicide bomber. While doing nothing to deny the potential threat of terrorism, the episode clearly places the show in direct opposition to the demonization of Islam per se and the growing hatred on both sides of the religionist divide which increasingly frames much of world politics.
By the time the too-brief finale rolls around, it's as if Mulder and Scully had never left while the perception of the world caught up with their milieu. Where David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson seem rather off playing their iconic characters in the opener, they are very much on it in the finale. Indeed the second episode -- dealing with the tech billionaire manipulating the genome for the military -- showed them locked-in again to Mulder and Scully. The repetition of the first episode helped them recover their full take on the characters, just as they would have with proper British-style rehearsal.
It's good that they're back in form, for their portrayal of two of science fiction's most important characters should, to borrow a phrase from a rather more straightforward sort of trek, live long and prosper.
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Though it's more than 20 years since they began, Duchovny and Anderson both look and act wonderfully as Mulder and Scully. They've had some losses since last we saw them, and Mulder, something of a recluse as the show begins again, is more deliberate-sounding than he used to be. But the old zest and vitality are, for the most part, definitely back.
That's especially so for Anderson's portrayal of Scully. As terrific and, in the specific case of the show itself, necessary a character as the brilliant and ever-questing Mulder is, Scully is still more important.
Still one of the most important female characters -- not least as a role model -- in television history, Anderson's portrayal of the steadfast yet soulful scientist and action-oriented FBI agent was especially ground-breaking two decades ago.
Anderson, decidedly attractive but not at all glamorous when the show began, was no studio executive's idea of a potential breakout female TV star. Chris Carter had to fight hard to get his casting choice through. And her serious manner, leavened always by a sly humor, provided an against-the-grain sort of gravitas that other female characters lacked.
Now the still dynamic duo is back, relaunched anew with another slate of shows seemingly assured for some future date.
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The weirdness of our time -- the notion of President Donald Trump would only have been a slight throwaway joke during the first-run heyday of The X-Files -- does present a challenge for the show to stay at least a little ahead of the curve. But I suspect the crew is up to it.
PRAKASH SINGH via Getty Images Director General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) R. K. Pachauri delivers his speech during the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi on February 2, 2012. The 12th edition of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit focusing on the theme, 'Protecting the Global Commons: 20 Years Post Rio', was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. AFP PHOTO / Prakash SINGH (Photo credit should read PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images)
NEW DELHI -- Delhi Police has finally filed its chargesheet against RK Pachauri in a sexual harassment complaint lodged over a year ago by his 29-year-old female colleague. The research assistant at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) had, last February, accused the 76-year-old climate scientist of sexually harassing her at work for over a year and a half.
Pachauri has been reportedly booked under five sections of the Indian Penal Code assault or criminal force to a woman, outraging her modesty, sexual harassment, stalking, and criminal intimidation in the 1400 pages-long police chargesheet.
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Police, which usually has 90 days after a complaint is lodged to file a chargesheet, told the Delhi high court earlier last month that they would submit the chargesheet within two weeks. It submitted the chargesheet today after a year-long investigation in the case, and it includes copies of the inappropriate emails and text messages that Pachauri allegedly sent the complainant. The case will come up for hearing on 23 April in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Shivani Chauhan.
Several of the 23 prosecution witnesses mentioned by police are current or former employees of TERI.
Pachauri had earlier alleged that his electronic devices had been hacked and that he had never sent any such messages to his female colleague, a claim that the police have rejected. They have sent his phone and laptop for forensic examination and are awaiting the lab reports.
Pachauri, who had to step down as chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) almost immediately after the complaint against him, continued heading TERI and was later even promoted as executive vice chairman of the think tank and inducted into its governing council. He is currently on leave from TERI.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS Mohit Goel, right, Director of Ringing Bells Pvt. Ltd., and Ashok Chadha, left, spokesperson, show a Freedom 251 smartphone, which is to be priced at Rs 251 or $3.6 approximately, during its release in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
The world's cheapest phone, Freedom 251, is in murky waters once again. Its maker Ringing Bells has started to refund early customers who had made payments through the website.
The company had tied up with payment gateway CCAvenue for the sale of Freedom 251. But the sale was halted after initial 30000 transactions were made as the servers faced heavy load. Now all the payments for the phone will be done through the cash on delivery mode once the orders are confirmed.
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A report in ET suggested that a total of 84 lakh was paid to 14800 unique customers. In the report, Vishal Patel, CEO of Avenues India said "due to negative publicity in media and scrutiny by the government, the merchant has asked us to refund all transactions."
The phone has hit a storm of controversy since its launch. The devices given to the media had white paint on it with the phone having the Adcom branding. A lot of people from the industry and consumers had raised the question of how the phone can be this cheap while the components are costlier than 251.
The phone's website was poorly made too. With the website being inaccessible many time in the day it had no HTTPS protection for registration. And it even leaked the user data upon manually changing the order number in the order confirmation URL. The company was also accused of copying iPhone's look and feel in terms of the software and the hardware.
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In a letter to the media, co-founder Ashok Chaddha had denied all allegations saying, "We wanted to provide a 'made in India' handset. But we faced problem on finding scratch proof components. So we sourced the components from ADCOM for the prototype. The final handset will have a different look".
He also said, "Our icons are not copied from apple you can see that in prototype too. Also, we are in the process of registering with BIS and we have already obtained Google Developer License." When we asked that have you registered with Qualcomm for 3G technology, he responded by saying, "At present we are using Spreadtrum Chip set then why do we need to register with Qualcomm?"
Consumers are still waiting for solid answers and commitment from Ringing Bells. Meanwhile, the government has distanced itself from the Freedom 251.
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Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 9: Dr. Ram Shankar Katheria taking oath as a cabinet minister in the administration of President Pranab Mukherjee during the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan, on November 9, 2014 in New Delhi, India. With 21 new faces inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi Council of Ministers on Sunday, the strength of his team now stands at 66. This is the first expansion since Modi took oath with 45 ministers on May 26. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
The parliament session was disrupted on Tuesday, a day after the union budget was presented, as the opposition parties demanded the resignation of union minister Ram Shankar Katheria for allegedly making inflammatory comments at a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
At a prayer meeting for murdered Vishwa Hindu Parishad activist Arun Mahuar in Agra in which Katheria participated, Muslims were reportedly likened to demons and descendants of Ravana while the speakers urged Hindus to corner and destroy the demons.
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Katheria allegedly said, referring to the murder of Mahuar, that there has been a conspiracy against Hindus and that the community should fight it.
All of this that is happening to the youth in this country, the conspiracies against the Hindu community...We will have to get strong and fight this conflict...Today, one Arun has died, tomorrow another Arun will die...before the second Arun dies (his) killers should go," Katheria had reportedly said.
However, the minister of state for education on Tuesday denied of saying anything controversial.
"What has been published in one of the newspapers is false. I had not taken the name of any community. I had said that the culprits, who had murdered the VHP leader, should be given death sentence. I had also said that the Hindu community should unite for their safety. I will send a notice to the newspaper," he said.
While Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav demanded that Modi sacks Katheria, Congress party leader Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh of trying to divide the country.
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Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, said that he is not surprised by the remarks of the union minister.
"This has been the continuous, consistent and obnoxious behavior by the Modi government. I am sure that no action will be taken," he said.
Owaisi added that this "was good because the real agenda of the government is being exposed".
"Their real agenda is to promote Hinduvta. A Minister speaking such language clearly shows that he went to Agra not for condolence meeting but to create communal mayhem there," Owaisi said.
Meanhile, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Babu Lal remained defiant as he reiterated his comments against Muslims that he first made at the meeting in which he shared the dais with Katheria.
Speakers at the meeting allegedly urged Hindus to fight Muslims. Mahuar was killed last week allegedly by some Muslim men.
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A defiant Babu Lal asked whether it was wrong for the society to unite at a time when people are killing Hindus with bullets.
If we cant take revenge against these people then should we worship them?, Lal said.
BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said the Minister has clarified his remarks.
"Katheria has made it clear in his statement that he has said nothing wrong. And after this clarification, there is nothing to comment on.
"I have seen his statement in which he has cleared everything. The real issue is the deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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ASSOCIATED PRESS People look at the bodies of two among the victims fatally stabbed by a man as they are kept inside an ambulance outside a hospital in Thane, outskirts of Mumbai, India, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016.A man in western India fatally stabbed 14 members of his family, including seven children, early Sunday before hanging himself, police said. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
On Sunday 28 February, Mumbai woke up to a horrifying news. Hasnain Warekar, a 35-year-old resident of Thane, had sedated 14 members of his family and had gone around slitting their throats. Seven children, including on as young as five-months-old, were among the dead.
While initially it was suspected that property dispute was behind the murders, one survivor, Warekar's sister said that there was no property dispute in the family. The alleged murderer hung himself after killing his family members.
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It is now being assumed that Warekar, who had been obsessing about 'jannat' or heaven in the days leading up to the murder, killed his family so that they could accompany him there.
A report on Mumbai Mirror claims, for the past three months, Warekar had been jobless. Neighbours and acquaintances said that he had become increasingly interested and involved in black magic and other such absurd rituals.
A police officer stands outside a morgue as relatives carry the body of one of the victims fatally stabbed by Warekar.
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"Hasnain visited Pardesi Baba ka Dargah in Thane's Anand Nagar locality every day, often spending four to five hours there. He forced his 28-year-old wife, Jabin, to cover her face all the time and restricted her movements outside the house. He never consulted a doctor when the couple's daughters six-year-old Mubtashira and three-month-old Umaira fell ill, taking them instead to a baba. He would make them eat sand or drink "holy water", claiming it was medicine, a neighbour claimed," Mirror reports.
According to a report on Mid-Day, police has sought the help of psychiatrists to figure out why Warekar may have killed his entire family. Survivor Sobiya Bharmal, whose baby was killed by Warekar, said that when she woke up and tried to escape, her brother had screamed, "Maine sab gharwalo ko khatam kiya hai. Main tumhe bhi nahin chhodunga. (I have killed the entire family, I won't spare you either)."
"The cops have learnt that for the past two years, he would threaten to kill everyone every time he was annoyed by the family members. Tum logo ko dekh ke mera khoon khaulta hai, main tum sab ko ek din maar daaloonga was the clinching line he had made to Sobiya on several occasions, confirmed a senior police official," reports Mid-Day.
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Hindustan Times via Getty Images PANIPAT, INDIA - FEBRUARY 23: A damaged Amusement park on National Highway 1, at Murthal town after Jat protests for reservation in government services turned violent on February 23, 2016 in Panipat, India. Jats are agitating for quotas in jobs and want to be counted as a part of Other Backward Classes, a section that has 27% quotas in government jobs. (Photo by Ravi Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
UPDATE:The reportage of the Delhi-based journalist cited in this article is allegedly fabricated. This allegation emerged several months after this article was first published. We request you to keep this in mind while reading further. Also read: Journalist Cooked Up Evidence In Murthal Gangrape Case, Should Be Prosecuted, Amicus Curiae Tells Court
NEW DELHI -- Were women dragged out of their vehicles and raped in the fields near the National Highway in Murthal, when Haryana was besieged by the Jat agitation?
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While the Haryana government has steadfastly denied that such a crime occurred, women claiming to be survivors and their family family members have spoken to the media about their ordeal.
If true, this would be one of the most horrific instances of sexual violence in India. If true, this would either expose a sinister coverup, or betray the gross incompetence of the police, with catastrophic repercussions on the the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state government. And if true, it will lay bare just how far the police has fallen in the eyes of the public.
This week, the state government told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that no such crime had occurred.
Similar Accounts
The mystery of Murthal has deepened since The Tribune first reported that at least 10 women were allegedly raped near NH1 in the early morning hours of March 22, but witnesses and families of the victims were silenced by the Haryana police for "the sake of their honour" and because "what had happened could not be undone."
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On Monday, FirstPost carried accounts of two women who claimed that they were raped in Murthal during the Jat agitation.
One woman told FirstPost that she was dragged out of a bus near the Sukhdev Dhaba and gang raped until she "lost consciousness," and other women on the bus met with the same fate.
"Even worse, we were advised by the officials there not to report the matter for the sake of honor, because what has happened could not be undone," she toldFirstPost.
This language - "sake of honor" and "what has happened could not be undone" - was also reported by The Tribune in its report.
The FirstPost reported that the second woman was too traumatized to narrate her ordeal, and so the news outlet spoke to her mother.
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The mother told FirstPost that she doesn't know exactly what happened to her daughter after she was kidnapped at gunpoint by assailants on a motorcycle, but she was rescued from a water tank situated near a dhaba, along with other women, hours later. The mother also told FirstPost that the dhaba owner turned of the lights of his eatery to avoid attention from the goons.
A similar version of events was also reported by The Tribune.
Jai Bhagwan, who runs a dhaba on the highway, told The Tribune that four young women took refuge inside a water tank. "We turned off the lights so as not to attract the attention of the goons. The hapless women remained there for hours till they were escorted out at daybreak," he told the newspaper.
Undergarments
The Haryana government was quick to refute The Tribune's report on the evening of March 24, just hours after the Chandigarh-based newspaper had published its account.
Even before conducting a preliminary , the state government called it a "rumor." But the Punjab and Haryana High Court felt that such serious allegations needed a more thorough investigation, and ordered a probe.
But just how invested the Haryana police is in solving the crime is up for conjecture. How could trained investigators not find the women's undergarments which were discovered by reporters from the Anandabazar Patrika in the road and fields near NH1?
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In its report to the High Court on Monday, the three-member committee of women investigators, which was set up by the state government, said that no rapes had occurred near Murthal.
Could the Haryana government inform the public whether the forensic laboratory - to which the underclothes were reportedly sent for examination - has conclusively ruled out rape.
Independent Probe?
Once the media started pursuing the Murthal case, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court got involved, senior officials of the Haryana police asked survivors to come forward without fear because their identities would be kept secret.
But the state government's tone and tenor hasn't inspired confidence. And if it is the police which tried to coverup the crime, why would any survivor muster up the courage to speak up. Perhaps, it is time for the investigation to be conducted by an independent agency.
The mother, who was interviewed by FirstPost, asked how was she expected to trust a police force which had dismissed the entire episode as a "rumor."
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The husband of the woman, who was interviewed byFirstPost, said that it would be pointless to speak with the police.
"We are sure that the police will shield the criminals. Instead of acting swiftly after the incident of gangrape was reported and launching a crackdown on the suspects, the cops are in denial mode waiting for us to come forward first," he told the news outlet.
Tragic Coincidence?
Meanwhile, a Delhi-based woman registered a case of gang rape against seven people, including her brother-in-law, near Murthal on the intervening night of Feb.22 and 23rd.
But isn't clear whether this crime is connected to the alleged gang rape of several women by goons in the midst of the Jat agitation, which occurred in the early morning hours of Feb. 22.
Press Trust of India has reported that the woman knew all the perpetrators, and the reason for this crime could be a family dispute.
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Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 19: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi during a convention of the Indian Youth Congress to mark the 98th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on November 19, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi hit out at the government as well as the BJP and RSS accusing the Modi government of pursuing communal and divisive politics. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
NEW DELHI -- The news that several Opposition leaders including Congress Party vice president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Community Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury, have been slapped with charges of sedition for speaking in support of JNU students charged with sedition has inspired much critical commentary.
The news has led many to comment that this is reminiscent of the Emergency, when Indira Gandhi suspended civil liberties and threw political opponents in prison.
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Yes, sedition is a charge that has no place in a modern democracy. And yes, it is indeed terrible that political leaders can get slapped with sedition for merely speaking in support of someone who was unfairly slapped with sedition charges to begin with.
But it would have been a serious matter only if the BJP could have been at least remotely been behind the incident. That is not the case.
To begin with, the case arises from a private petition against seven political leaders and two JNU students, which has been filed by one S. Janardhan Goud in the court of a Metropolitan Magistrate in L.B. Nagar, which falls in the state of Telangana.
Neither the state government of Telangana (a non-BJP government) nor the Modi government at the Centre could be argued to have influenced the matter.
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Instead of throwing out the petition on the grounds of absurdity, the magistrate followed routine procedure and asked the local police to register the case against the nine men. This seems quite reasonable compared to the summons for Lord Hanuman to appear in a Bihar court.
"It is a court-referred matter. Following the court's directive, a case under section 124A of the IPC (sedition) has been registered yesterday against nine persons, including Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Sitaram Yechury, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and others," said S. Lingaiah, Inspector of Saroornagar Police Station.
The court hearing is for scheduled for March 4.
Now, Goud, a practicing advocate, is really disturbed by the videos he has seen of "anti-national" sloganeering, which have allegedly been taking place on JNU campus, and he is upset that Gandhi and other political leaders are hobnobbing with students who organize these activities.
"I have been told that the videos are genuine and that some students really chanted slogans that they will cut the country into pieces. How can Rahul Gandhi and other leaders sit alongside such student leaders and express support to them when they chant anti-national slogans? I am a citizen of this country and I want to know what is going on at JNU and why these leaders visited the students. That is why I filed the petition," he told The Indian Express.
It is the right of any Indian citizen to have their day in court. Thakur Chandan Kumar Singh, a lawyer in Bihar, recently sued Lord Rama for cruelty to Sita.
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But good luck to Goud making a case for sedition because Section 124A (as jurists have been at pains to explain after the JNU row) is is only invoked if words, spoken or written, are accompanied by disorder and violence and/ or incitement to disorder and violence.
Many such cases are filed against politicians all over the country. They tend to get dismissed at some stage in a higher court. There is no case to argue that the BJP is cracking down on Opposition leaders.
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Columbia University
A group of 130 academicians have called for the removal of historian Sheldon Pollock from his post as mentor and chief editor of Murty Classical Library for being "a prominent signatory of two recent statements released by US academicians condemning the actions of the JNU authorities and the Government of India against separatist groups who are calling for the independence of Kashmir, and for Indias breakup."
"While Pollock has been a well-known scholar of philology, it is also well-known that he has deep antipathy towards many of the ideals and values cherished and practiced in our civilization," said the Change.org petition to Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and his son Rohan Murty. "[I]t is crystal clear that Pollock has shown disrespect for the unity and integrity of India. We submit that such an individual cannot be considered objective and neutral enough to be in charge of your historic translation project."
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Pollock, who has a PhD focussing on history and interpretation of Sanskrit texts from Harvard University, is currently a professor of South Asian Studies in Columbia University. The petition was started three days ago by Ganesh Ramakrishnan, an IIT Bombay professor in the Computer Science and Engineering department. It has attracted support from people in USA, UK, Australia, Abu Dhabi, etc, and has got over 11,000 signatories.
The petitioners have attacked Pollock for not being "politically neutral" and for showing "utter indifference and disrespect for democratic values and even the international norms of non-interference in the internal functioning of constitutional representative institutions in other countries". They have accused him of misrepresenting India's cultural heritage, calling his writings "deeply flawed".
Instead, they have asked for "fair representation" of Sanskrit texts, and demanded that the library project should follow the ethos of the Indian Prime Minister's 'Make in India' scheme.
"The project must be part of the Make in India ethos and not outsourced wholesale to American Ivy Leagues. Just as your visionary role in Infosys showed the world that Indians can be the top producers of IT, so also we urge you to champion the development of Swadeshi Indology."
The signatories in the petition include former Chief Election Commissioner of India N. Gopalaswami, former JNU Pro Vice Chancellor Kapil Kapoor, and International Association of Sanskrit Studies president V. Kutumba Sastry, among others.
The Murty library aims to make available the great literary works of India from the past two millennia, and reintroduce these increasingly inaccessible texts to a new generation of readers by providing their English translations.
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Days after a Shiv Sena member was arrested for assaulting a woman traffic constable, another member has caused some major trouble for the party.
A member of the youth wing of the Shiv Sena was caught on CCTV, beating up a shopkeeper with a bamboo stick. Sunil Mahadik, who was arrested later, allegedly lost his cool a shopkeeper refused to give him 100 free vada pavs.
The incident took place in Vile Parle (West) area. The CCTV footage shows the Shiv Sena leader assaulting 28-year-old Chetan Geveriya, who works at Trupti Sweet and Farsan Mart on DJ Road, with a bamboo stick.
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Shiv Sena's Sunil Mahadik hits shopkeeper with a stick in Mumbai for allegedly refusing to give free vada pavshttps://t.co/oQqpcnYZnx ANI (@ANI_news) March 1, 2016
According to reports, Shiv Sena has expelled the leader from the party following the incident.
According to reports, a day ago, Mahadik had sent another person to the shop demanding 100 vada pavs, a popular street-food in Mumbai, free of cost. Geveria told him that they didnt have so much stock, so the person left.
The next day, Mahadik allegedly called the shopkeeper on his mobile phone and abused him, and said he must hand over 100 vada pavs immediately to a person he was sending.
Geveria said Mahadik should speak to the owner of the shop first. Irked, Mahadik himself went to the shop and hit Geveria with a bamboo stick and threatened to kill him, police said, reports PTI.
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Geveria, though not seriously injured, was taken to Cooper hospital in Juhu, police said.
The incident was captured by the CCTV cameras in the shop and Juhu police registered an FIR. The footage was also aired by some local news channels. Mahadik was arrested and a local court sent him to police custody.
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POLSON A Dayton resident has been banned from Wild Horse Island, and lost his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for three years, for multiple violations of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks regulations.
Michael Filipek accepted a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing bighorn sheep horns that came from Wild Horse, and to illegally killing a bobcat and mountain lion.
The killings did not take place on the 2,164-acre Flathead Lake island, most of which is a primitive state park.
FWP said Warden Sgt. Nathan Reiner and Polson Game Warden Ron Howell were on Wild Horse to investigate the reported killing of a large bighorn ram when they encountered Filipek on March 13, 2015.
The wardens interviewed Filipek on the island and were able to determine that Filipek had picked up two bighorn ram heads and moved them out of plain view, according to FWP Region 1 spokesman John Fraley.
It is illegal to pick up bighorn sheep horns anyplace in Montana, FWP Warden Capt. Lee Anderson said.
Filipek was not cited at the time. But later, Reiner, Howell and FWP criminal investigator Brian Sommers obtained a search warrant for Filipeks home.
A set of bighorn sheep horns that Filipek had previously taken from Wild Horse Island were seized, Fraley said. The investigation also showed that Filipek had illegally shot a bobcat in 2013 and illegally shot a mountain lion in 2013.
This is a very important case for the state parks division, regional park manager Dave Landstrom said. It is illegal to remove natural or cultural artifacts from any of Montanas state parks. The intent of this law is that anyone who visits a state park should have an opportunity to enjoy these artifacts and then leave them where they lay so that then next visitor can do the same.
Fraley said there is a huge commercial value in bighorn sheep horns, especially ones of world class-caliber like the Wild Horse Island sheep.
Anderson said the sheep were not shot and were likely killed by a mountain lion.
Filipek pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of bighorn sheep horns, unlawful possession of a mountain lion, unlawful possession of a bobcat and hunting without a license.
In addition to being banned from Wild Horse and losing his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for three years, he was ordered to pay $1,200 in fines and restitution.
Sikh Pride Awareness/Twitter
WASHINGTON -- A Sikh Army captain filed suit against the U.S. military on Monday after being ordered to undergo "extraordinary, targeted, repetitive testing" before receiving permanent permission to wear a beard and long hair for his religion, court papers said.
Captain Simratpal Singh, a member of the 349th Engineer Battalion who was awarded the Bronze Star for his work clearing explosives from roads in Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, was granted a temporary accommodation last year allowing him to dress according to his religious beliefs, the court filing said.
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But Assistant Army Secretary Debra Wada recently ordered additional tests before she would grant him a permanent exemption, saying she wanted to be certain he could safely wear a helmet and gas mask if he had a turban, uncut hair and a beard, the lawsuit said.
"Defendants abruptly informed Captain Singh that, because of his Sikh religion, he must immediately undergo extraordinary, targeted, repetitive testing ostensibly to ensure he can properly wear a combat helmet and safety mask," the suit said.
"This discriminatory treatment is unfounded and violates the Army's own regulations," the suit said, adding that other soldiers had not been subjected to testing beyond what is given to most troops. Singh recently passed the standard gas mask testing with the rest of his unit, his supporters said.
Air Force Major Ben Sakrisson, a Pentagon spokesman, said the department did not comment on ongoing litigation. But he said the military worked to "the maximum extent possible" to enable the free exercise of religion by all troops.
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The U.S. military took steps in early 2014 to give individual troops greater latitude to wear turbans, head scarves, yarmulkes and tattoos if required by their religion.
The policy shift was mainly expected to affect Sikhs, Muslims, Jews and members of other groups that wear beards or articles of clothing for religious purposes. It also affected Wiccans and others who obtain tattoos for religious reasons.
Only three Sikhs have been granted permission by the U.S. military to wear turbans, beards and uncut hair over the past six years, court filings said. Singh and two other Sikhs are awaiting decisions on their requests for a waiver.
Singh is unusual among Sikhs seeking accommodations because in 2006 he attended West Point, where he gave in to pressure to cut his hair and beard.
But after a decade of service, including completing Army Ranger School, he obtained a temporary accommodation last year to enable him to follow the grooming traditions of his religion.
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A Malayalam television news anchor is facing a barrage of threatening calls and abuses, and being systematically targeted on social platforms after she hosted a show to discuss whether worshipping the mythological demon god Mahishasura amounted to treason.
The mobile number of Sindhu Sooryakumar, the Chief Coordinating Editor of Asianet News, was circulated on WhatsApp allegedly by activists of right wing groups offended by a TV programme where members of Congress, BJP and Left parties debated whether celebrating Mahishasura, a common custom among certain tribes in India, is enough to accuse students of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University of "anti-national" activities.
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Recently, Union Human Resource Development Minister (HRD), Smriti Irani, read out in Parliament a pamphlet found in JNU that allegedly mentioned a Mahishasura event to be held on the campus. The pamphlet also found a mention in a report submitted by the Delhi Police. Six students are facing sedition charges for attending an event to protest the hanging of terrorist Afzal Guru. The subject of JNU as a den of extreme Leftist and potentially seditious activities have split public opinion on social platforms with many accusing the government of suppressing civil rights of students who indulge in campus politics.
They said they wont let me live in peace and will destroy my family. The comments were sexist and abusive.
In an interview in Malayalam to Asianet news, translated by Kracktivist, Sooryakumar said she discussed the issue on her programme 'The News Hour' on Friday, with VV Rajesh representing the BJP side. The main accusation of the thousands who set up Facebook posts denigrating her, called her a prostitute, and circulated vicious WhatsApp messages threatening her, Sooryakumar said, was that she called Goddess Durga a sex worker.
She categorically denied having ever made that comment and asked people to watch the video of the debate. Meanwhile, Rajesh has promised his support to her in her fight against abusive trolls.
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"They said they wont let me live in peace and will destroy my family. The comments were sexist and abusive. I filed a police complaint when I couldnt take it anymore. I gave them details of the calls I attended. For the past three days my mobile phone has been inundated with abusive calls, which is still continuing," she said.
"The messages circulated from pro-BJP, pro-Sangh Facebook profiles published my phone number and exhorted people to call me. The FB posts wrongly quoted me as saying Sindhu Sooryakumar asks whats wrong if someone calls Goddess Durga a sex worker. Sindhu Sooryakumar is a sex worker. This is her phone number. Call her to protest, she said.
It's deliberate harassment and Sooryakumar said she believed activists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a far right, non-governmental organisation, were behind it.
"There are no signs of the abusive calls stopping. When people call from their own mobile phones, it shows they have no fear of the law. The police have filed charges against a few of them. If the charges against them are not strong, I will move court with a private complaint. I stand by what I said. I will not allow anyone to challenge my freedom of speech and right to live," she said.
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Sooryakumar said some of the callers admitted they were "either RSS or BJP activists".
"Most of them asked me three questions: Why do you dislike Narendra Modi. Why cant you acknowledge RSS. What is your problem with the BJP."
CPI(M) State secretary, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, yesterday accused the Sangh Parivar of attempting to gag the media, reported The Hindu.
Most of them asked me three questions: Why do you dislike Narendra Modi. Why cant you acknowledge RSS. What is your problem with the BJP.
In a statement released to the press, Balakrishnan said Sooryakumar was being targeted for "dispassionately anchoring a discussion on the JNU issue."
"The Sangh Parivar had raised grave allegations and intimidated her and exhorted not to spare her through the social media platform," he said.
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In an interview to The News Minute, Sindhu said most of the people who called her up and abused her "had actually not seen the discussion on television".
She said the abuse was being fuelled by rumours on social media sites. Meanwhile her phone number is up on public platforms for anyone to misuse. The calls haven't stopped even after a police complaint, even though the Kerala Police arrested five persons yesterday.
All of those arrested are connected to BJP, RSS and Hindu groups, including Sri Rama Sena.
G Sparjan Kumar, Commissioner of Police, Thiruvananthapuram city, told The Indian Express that "all of those arrested are connected to BJP, RSS and Hindu groups, including Sri Rama Sena.
One of the arrested said he got Sooryakumars number from a WhatsApp group called Sanga Dhwani, reported the Express. A member on that group asked others to call and abuse her.
As hate campaigns go, most of the abusers were clueless about what the charge against her was, acting as a herd on calls from social media cells of right wing groups. "Most of the abusers called me a prostitute and abused me. Some threatened me while others didnt even know what the charge was. I got a call this morning from someone asking whether I was Durga. Another person called me sometime ago, saying I had posted something against Durga on Facebook, and that he wanted to abuse me for that, she told the Express.
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Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - DECEMBER 21: HRD Minister Smriti Irani comes out of the Patiala Court on December 21, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley filed a defamation suit against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and sought Rs.10 crore in damages for accusing him of corruption when he headed the DDCA. Kejriwal retorted that he and his AAP can't be intimidated. (Photo by Ravi Choudhary/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
NEW DELHI -- With the Budget presentation out of the way, the Opposition is closing ranks against Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani over her fiery defense of the Modi government's crackdown on the "anti-national" students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, and her response to the suicide of a Dalit student at the University of Hyderabad.
While the Congress Party moved a privilege motion against Irani in the Lok Sabha today, Mayawati's Bahuhan Samaj Party did the same in the Rajya Sabha.
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In contrast to the vigorous debate over the JNU row and the suicide of Rohith Vemula, which preoccupied lawmakers last week, both Houses of Parliament today deteriorated into a routine of chaos and adjournments.
The ruckus was over Irani's responses during the debate, BJP lawmaker Ram Shankar Katheria's grotesque remarks against Muslims, and allegations of money laundering against Karti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, in connection with the Aircel-Maxis scam.
While AIADMK leaders shouted slogans against Karti Chidambaram in Rajya Sabha, Congress Party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad accused the Modi government of organizing the ruckus to avoid a discussion on the motion against Irani.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, a BJP lawmaker, moved a privilege motion against Congress Party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who called for action against him and Irani, while speaking in the parliamentary debate on the JNU row and Rohith Vemula's suicide.
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Last year, Dattatreya wrote to Irani about the anti-national acts" of the Dalit students, urging her to take action against them. Irani is under fire because the HRD Ministry sent five letters to the University of Hyderabad, asking the educational institution to look into the concerns raised by Dattatreya.
"I never mentioned Rohith's name. Never mentioned any student's name," he said, ANI reported. "I never mentioned any organization or incident in university as casteist or anti-national. Jyotiraditya has tarnished my image."
The first week of the Budget session was taken up by heated arguments on whether slapping a sedition charge on students is an overkill, even if they push the boundaries of free speech in the hallowed space of a university campus, and their remarks hurt the sentiments of other sections of society.
While Irani held her own against speeches advocating liberty and leniency, the tenor and substance of her remarks have been criticized for being high on drama, and not entirely accurate.
In the case of Rohith Vemula, the Dalit student who committed suicide at the University of Hyderabad on January 17, his mother has refuted Irani's claim that no doctor was allowed his body for quite a while after he was found hanging in his friend's room.
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Irani is also getting flak for her remarks against Mahishasura, who is regarded as a demon by many Hindus, but also revered by adviasis, who mourn in his slaying by Goddess Durga.
"What is Mahishasura Martyrdom Day?," she said in the Lok Sabha, referring to "statement" from October, 4 2014 by the SC/ST and Minority students of JNU.
Durga Puja is the most controversial racial festival, where a fair skinned beautiful goddess Durga is depicted brutally killing a dark-skinned native called Mahishasura....Mahishasura, a brave self-respecting leader, tricked into marriage by Aryans. They hired a sex worker called Durga, who enticed Mahishasura into marriage and killed him after nine nights of honeymooning, during sleep," Irani read out.
"Freedom of speech, Ladies and Gentlemen," she said. "What is this depraved mentality."
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After four previous losses, Leonardo DiCaprio finally took home an Oscar, scoring Best Actor for The Revenant. Here are the Oscars 2016 highlights, winners and top moments.
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The Delhi Police found itself in an embarrassing situation when the High Court, at the hearing of Kanhaiya Kumars bail plea, asked if it really knew the meaning of sedition. The police admitted there was no tangible evidence on Kumar shouting anti-national slogans other than the video footage sourced from television channels.
Days after allegations of rape and molestation by Jat quota agitators near Haryana's Murthal, a woman came forward and registered a case of gangrape against seven people, including her brother-in-law, in connection with the incident.
Shoma Chaudhury, editor of digital news platformCatch News, has reportedly been asked to quit. Catch News is owned by Rajasthan Patrika. Chaudhury was previously the managing editor of Tehelka magazine.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury are among nine persons who have been booked on sedition charges in connection with the JNU row, the police said.
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In separate letters to Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani, a student from JNU, and SC/ST faculty members from the University of Hyderabad, objected to her describing Rohith Vemula as a "child", in the Parliament.
Main News
Finance minister Arun Jaitley painted a rare rural mural in his budget speech, signalling where priorities lay for the Modi government the farm and social sectors, with added focus on women and small businesses.
The Class 12 board examinations of the CBSE start today. As many as 10,67,900 students across the country will write the exams, which will end on April 22. Teachers and experts say students should not treat these exams as a make or break situation and remain stress-free.
A Delhi court allowed the custodial interrogation of two JNU students, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, arrested in a sedition case, by one more day.
In Ludhiana, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals car was attacked by protesters allegedly belonging to the Akali Dal who pelted stones on it, breaking the windshield, but the AAP leader escaped unhurt.
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Off The Front Page
In an attempt to curb public urination in the city, the Hyderabad traffic police has come up with the best passive-aggressive solution ever. It has decided to felicitate the offenders by putting garlands around their necks.
A 95-year-old former Nazi SS paramedic at the Auschwitz death camp, accused of being an accomplice to the murder of thousands, is to stand trial in Germany, one in a series of such recent cases.
Punjabi teen was Canadas PM for a day. Once back home, PJ (Prabjote) Lakhanpal pinched himself to see if it was true. ''It was amazing to go to Parliament Hill in Ottawa.. I never expected all this even in my wildest dreams, he said.
Before you walk your dog in Chennai, get a licence. A majority of dog owners havent realised that the city corporation has for ages made it mandatory to have a licence for pet dogs.
Opinion
The budget ticks the boxes on fiscal, revenue and primary deficit parameters. It has also done better on the revenue deficit target and effective revenue deficit target, says V Anantha Nageswaran in Mint. In the final analysis, it is a thoughtful, prudent and careful budget. But it is hard to avoid the impression that it has been more careful than it needed to be, especially in the critical areas of bank recapitalization and corporate tax reforms.
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This week there are three films I want to watch: Aligarh, Carol and Spotlight. The first two explore loving, consensual adult relationships that happen to be of the same-sex variety. Spotlight, however, is different; it explores unpleasant sex between adults and non-consenting children and the only similarity it has with the other two is the same-sex aspect, writes Radhika Vaz in The Times of India.
There is no doubt that vaccine research and development would again become the centrepiece of the efforts to contain the spread of Zika. India must seize this opportunity to impress upon the various stakeholders the critical role of vaccination as a comprehensive preventive healthcare strategy that may be needed more and more in the years to come, writes NK Ganguly in the Hindustan Times.
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HELENA The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is in the midst of analyzing a mine operating permit submitted by Tintina Montana Inc. And as the company looks to get the project underway, it is already touting the mining potential near White Sulphur Springs that could last for decades.
The Black Butte Copper Project is a small mine proposal by most estimations, targeting high-grade ore underground. The project has stirred emotions for years between supporters who look forward to an economic boon for Meagher County and opponents who point to minings poor environmental record in Montana and argue the mines proximity to a tributary of the Smith River jeopardizes the iconic waterway.
As Black Butte works its way through permitting, a process estimated to last two years, Tintinas President and CEO Bruce Hooper has pitched interested investors in part on long-term exploration and mining potential for the area. Materials for prospective investors echo the possibilities, mentioning numerous untested extensions along strike over 20km and district-wide potential to extend mine life and establish a 50-year district.
In many ways wed love to get out and do some more exploration but its not part of our short- and medium-term plans, Hooper said in an interview. Permitting is really our focus right now.
If permitted, Tintina will mine copper deposits called the Johnny Lee located about 15 miles north of White Sulphur Springs. Another deposit, called the Lowry, was discovered a short distance away but is not part of the current mine proposal.
In 2014, Tintina purchased 40 federal mining claims adjacent to Black Butte. At the time Vice President of Exploration Jerry Zieg said the purchase guarded against competition. He also mentioned potential exploration but noted the company had no immediate plans.
Tintina still sees the claims in a similar way, Hooper said, adding that the purchases are probably it for the time being.
Black Buttes small size using modern mining techniques has been a staple of Tintinas public message as it seeks a permit. But with an estimated mine life of between 11 and 14 years, long-term potential is something important to investors and employees, Hooper said.
For the investment community, spending a lot more money if you dont know it can be permitted does not make sense, he said. Once its in operation, then well certainly look to extend the mine life. Thats a positive for the community weve invested in as well that its not just a short-term operation and theyll benefit from any new discovery.
Many White Sulphur Springs residents have thrown their support behind the mine, with Meagher County commissioners among the staunchest advocates.
In an interview with commissioners last year, Chairman Herb Townsend said he was convinced Tintina was taking extra steps to ensure responsible mining and questioned the messaging of outside groups opposed to the mine as relying on scare tactics.
Hooper emphasized that any new mining would be the subject of the same permitting process and scrutiny as Black Butte. Mine expansion is also a common practice in the industry as mines often explore and grow over time, he added.
Because of legal agreements with area landowners, future mining would be underground, he said.
You just cant have an open pit mine in this area, Hooper said.
Opponents of the mine questioned whether Black Butte is simply a foot in the door for a larger vision of a half-century of expansive mining encompassing multiple tributaries.
Our primary concern here is what theyre selling Montanans is a small footprint, underground mine with a relatively minor impact, when in reality what theyre telling investors is this is a much larger project that will create an industrialized zone, said Derf Johnson, Clean Water Program director and staff attorney for Montana Environmental Information Center.
While mines initially seeking permitting go through a gamut of analysis, amending existing operating permits is a common practice with a lower environmental review, he said. As an example, Johnson pointed to multiple amendments to the operating permit for Golden Sunlight Mine near Whitehall.
I think theyve been selling us something theyre not entirely interested in and they havent been telling the full truth, he said. I think they really want to turn this into a big money-maker.
As it considers permitting, DEQ should consider the talk of potential expansion as a potential impact, Johnson said.
But DEQ has nothing to suggest Tintina is planning beyond its permit application, nor could it consider potential expansion unless it was concurrently considering another project, DEQ Public Policy Director Kristi Ponozzo said. DEQ is limited by the Montana Environmental Policy Act to concurrent considerations, she said, with separate analysis for future proposed projects.
As Tintina submitted its operating permit for DEQs initial review in December, Trout Unlimited convened a technical review team to scrutinize the application. On Wednesday, the team released its findings, which highlight several concerns including what it calls incomplete and insufficient data for fisheries and hydrology.
Because the Smith is one of Montanas most beloved rivers, the Black Butte mine proposal requires world-class scientific scrutiny, Bruce Farling, executive director of Montana Trout Unlimited said in a statement. Were confident thousands of Montanans agree with our view that the state of Montana should not permit this mine unless it has been demonstrated with near 100-percent scientific certainty that it poses no risk to water or fish. Its clear to us the information Tintina has provided to the state falls far short of this threshold.
DEQ must make a determination within 90 days of receiving the application, at which time it notes any deficiencies and Tintina will have an opportunity to remedy them. If the permit application is accepted, Tintina must then pay for an environmental impact statement which will include chances for the public to comment.
Dave Chambers, president of the nonprofit Center for Science in Public Participation, coordinated with Trout Unlimiteds review team and says he believes Black Butte is ripe for expansion. While he says he would not consider himself independent, he does believe his analysis is objective.
Its pretty obvious theres more potential for expansion, and our primary concern is how much and what kind of mining, Chambers said.
Tintina says it will not use open-pit mining due to agreements with landowners, but it doesnt offer a guarantee, its just a statement, Chambers said, adding that several surface mineralized zones lend themselves to open-pit mining.
An additional concern is the proximity of some of the claims to tributaries and the main stem of the Smith River, he said. The Black Butte site is 19 miles from the river, but Tintinas claims extend much closer.
DEQs response to Tintinas mine operating permit is due out in March.
Hutchinson's Orscheln Farm store has become a Bomgaars location
The Hutchinson store was one of 73 the FTC said Tractor Supply could not own due to anti-trust concerns. Transition to new store could take 15 months.
Downing: 'We Need a Mount Greylock High School'
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. While the Mount Greylock School Committee works on its pitch to voters on the fence about a new building project, the idea of staying the course with the Massachusetts School Building Authority has the support of officials from outside the district.
"I don't pretend to tell voters what to do on these things," Sen. Benjamin Downing said on Monday. "But it's worth noting that if a project at this iteration isn't passed, you won't be able to jump the line and get into the MSBA process again.
"It isn't an award in perpetuity, and it isn't an award without conditions."
The danger of going to the back of the line with MSBA repeatedly has been mentioned by Mount Greylock officials, who point to the number of statements of interest (i.e. applications) the district filed with the state authority before being invited into the process in 2014.
At last week's meeting of the Superintendency Union 71 committee, representatives from the elementary school committees in each member town voted unanimously to support the building project and encourage voters to do the same at debt exclusion votes in Williamstown on March 1 and Lanesborough on March 15.
Mount Greylock building project supporters also reason that the current junior-senior high school is inefficient and faces costly repairs estimated to cost more than $50 million that would be borne entirely by the member towns if they opt out of the MSBA program.
"In Boston, they usually think of Western Mass as anything outside of 495," Williamstown Elementary School Committee Chairman Dan Caplinger said at the Feb. 24 SU71 meeting. "We've been looking at this project and thinking this is finally our money coming back to us for a purpose that's meaningful for us.
"To sacrifice that in exchange for paying for at least that much or more in annual expenses to keep this [building] puffing along in some inadequate form, it's so sad. We can't let that happen."
Voters in each town will be asked to exclude a debt of $64.8 million. After MSBA reimbursement, the district's share of that debt would end up between $31.5 million and $35.3 million. Two-thirds of that district share would be paid by the district's larger town, Williamstown.
A "no" vote in either town would either kill the project or precipitate a revote. But School Committee and School Building Committee members note that a revote would be on the same project, which already has been vetted by MSBA.
One of the arguments of those advocating a no-vote on the debt exclusion is that Mount Greylock should not proceed with a building project while there is a possibility high schools may be consolidated in Berkshire County.
At Lanesborough's recent special town meeting, a resident said that such consolidation would be the end product of the Berkshire County Education Task Force.
The chairman of that task force refuted the assertion.
"The Berkshire County Education Task Force (and I as Chair) have been been very clear that we do not in any way want to interfere with, stop or postpone the efforts of the Mount Greylock MSBA building project," Chairman John Hockridge wrote in an email to Mount Greylock School Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Greene. "Being well familiar with MSBA projects, I know how long and how difficult it is to get to where your school district is now. And I also know that when MSBA approves and authorizes a school building project, it has been thoroughly vetted by them.
"School closures may or may not be among the recommendations, but if so, would be last resort recommendations after all other modeling options are explored. School closures are not on the table now. Preferred options would include regionalizing neighboring districts into larger regions or superintendency unions without any school closures, but with a greatly improved financially sustainable, quality education model. There are many of us on the Task Force that believe our goals can be realized without school closures."
That echoes what Greene told the Lanesborough special town meeting: that her colleagues on the task force encouraged Mount Greylock to go forward with the MSBA process.
Downing agreed that the task force is no argument for delay.
"These processes are always complicated, especially in regional districts as different towns have different ideas on what their needs are and what the capacities are to meet those needs," Downing said. "There also is the countywide context to consider as we look a the county's needs. But I think if you look at any of those maps moving forward, any of them will show you we need a Mount Greylock High School."
A federal bankruptcy judge has approved Arch Coal's request for $275 million in interim financing, delivering a victory to the embattled mining firm and a blow to junior creditors and environmentalists opposed to the deal.
The ruling removes two significant obstacles to Arch's restructuring efforts and puts the company on track to meet its fall timeline for reemerging from bankruptcy.
Unsecured lenders had sought to block the agreement, saying the deal amounted to a loan-to-own bid on the part of Arch's senior creditors.
Secured lenders, represented by Wilmington Trust NA, will receive nearly all the equity in the new company. In exchange, they will provide a $275 million loan used to operate the firm during bankruptcy.
The court rejected junior lenders' arguments Arch had enough money to operate without the loan the company entered Chapter 11 with more than $600 million or that the Missouri-based company could secure cheaper financing elsewhere.
"Were here, were moving fast, we have a good company. The last thing a judge needs to do is get in the way of a company moving forward," Judge Charles Rendlen of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri said, in comments reported by Debtwire.
An Arch spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment.
The ruling also amounted to a defeat for environmental groups, which had opposed a deal struck by Arch and Wyoming regulators on the coal company's reclamation costs.
The interim financing package included $75 million to cover reclamation, which can be applied toward Arch's cleanup costs.
Environmentalists had opposed the proposal, noting it guarantees roughly 16 percent of the company's $468 million in estimated reclamation. Arch and state regulators have said the deal would help keep the company in operation, which would enable the firm to continue its reclamation obligations. The deal also guarantees $17 million in secured financing for cleanup of the company's closed mines in the state.
Shannon Anderson, a lawyer for the Powder River Basin Resource Council, said the Sheridan-based landowners group was disappointed in the decision and is considering its other legal options.
"Its another stay, basically. Lets keep taking a timeout and not face the music," Anderson said. "The music is going to play one way or another, and we might as well get going on it."
Arch is the operator of the Black Thunder Mine near Wright. The mine, the second-largest in the nation, produced some 99 million tons of coal in 2015.
The Spruces Land Use Committee's request for engineering funds was cut by $11,500; three other applicants were rejected.
Williamstown Community Preservation Committee Rejects 3 Projects
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The Community Preservation Committee has recommended that town meeting fund six projects to the tune of $154,421.
The committee at its Feb. 23 meeting voted to send just six of nine active applications for Community Preservation Act funds to May's annual town meeting.
The CPC rejected three projects outright and reduced the request of a third applicant by $11,500. A 10th applicant, the South Williamstown Community Association, has withdrawn its initial application.
It was by far the most contentious CPC meeting in recent memory as the panel grappled with a large applicant pool and a CPA "pot" constrained by the town's fiscal 2017 payment on a bond to help fund the Cable Mills apartments.
In 2007, town meeting committed the town to a $1.5 million contribution toward the restoration of the then-vacant Water Street mill building. The project was seen as satisfying three elements of the Community Preservation Act: historic preservation, the creation of open space and recreation opportunities by providing access to the adjacent Green River and affordable housing. Thirteen of the Cable Mills apartments are set aside as income sensitive.
Subsequent to the '07 town meeting, Cable Mills was put on hold, but the recent completion of the project means the town had to take out a bond to pay its obligation. Repaying that debt will cut down on the available CPA funds for new projects for some years to come.
The FY17 payment is $137,500.
Two members of the committee, Jeffrey Thomas and Michael Sussman, urged their colleagues not to recommend town meeting spend the full $284,000 expected to be available in FY17. Both encouraged the committee to create a "carryover" into FY18, as the CPC has done in the past. The carryover did not require as much of a conscious sense of fiscal restraint in other years, when total funding requests did not bump up against the available funds.
"Plus or minus, I see us being able to have $130,000 to $135,000 left in the bank this year depending on what we choose to fund," Thomas said in a meeting telecast on the town's community access television station, WilliNet. "I would suggest that's a good target for next year and would be on a par with what was carried over from last year."
After three rounds of voting, the committee ended up recommending funding that would produce a carryover of $129,420.
The first votes taken at the Feb. 23 meeting decided whether applicants satisfied the requirements of the CPA. All did, and the votes either were unanimous or 7-1 with two exceptions: the First Congregational Church project and the restoration of the historic Smedley House on Main Street.
The church project passed by a 4-3-1 margin; the Smedley House bid passed, 5-3. Both ended up being cut in a second round of voting.
After deciding whether the projects were acceptable under the terms of the act, the committee took a vote to see whether members actually favored funding each project with the understanding that it would go back and take another vote to set overall recommendations in light of the fiscal realities.
The $50,000 request from First Congregational Church was requested to support a larger renovation project. At past meetings, members of the committee questioned whether town funds should be used to support a religious institution albeit one critical to the town's history that makes its meeting space to secular and sectarian groups of all stripes.
At the most recent meeting, the focus was more on the nature of the work being done, which is less about restoring space in question (a 1960s addition) to its original look but to make it fit in more with the 1914 structure as a whole.
Church officials have told the committee the entire restoration project is about preserving the historic church as a community asset.
"In the Community Preservation Act, historic preservation doesn't just mean fixing old things," First Congregational Church stewardship co-Chairman Kevin Jones told the committee. "In a broader sense, it talks about preserving the use of the building."
The committee voted 5-2-1 against recommending the church project to town meeting.
It voted 7-1 against the Smedley House project without any discussion at the Feb. 23 meeting. That application had faced particularly sharp questions at past meetings.
The second round of voting yielded positive votes on the Spruces Land Use Committee, the Hoosic River Watershed Association's Spruces swale restoration project, the Conservation Commission's Hunter Property bridge project, the Williamstown Historical Museum, the Gale Hose Company, the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation's Stone Hills Trail project and the Affordable Housing Trust.
With the $29,500 for the Hunter Property bridge and the full $53,000 requested by the Spruces committee, that brought the total recommended to $195,421.
Then the committee faced a third vote to see if that total was acceptable.
At that time, amendments were offered to cut the bridge and lower the allocation to the land-use committee from $53,000 to $41,500. Thomas suggested the CPC similarly trim the request from the Affordable Housing Trust, but failed to receive any support for the idea.
The former amendment was predicated on the fact that the land use committee had a low end estimate for the work it needs done in the amount of $41,500. It had asked for more (initially $63,000) on the theory that if responses to its planned request for proposals come back higher than the $41,500 estimate, the committee wants to be able to move forward with planning for the town-owned property and not have to wait until annual town meeting 2017.
But committee members insisted that the land-use committee be limited to funding to support the low-end estimate it had in hand preliminary though that estimate may be. CPC members suggested that if the town give the committee more than the $41,500, it would guarantee the request for proposals would get responses quoting a higher price tag for the engineering services needed.
The amendment to cut the application to $41,500 was approved on a 5-3 vote.
The committee voted to pull the Hunter Property bridge proposal. Philip McKnight, who fills the Conservation Commission's chair on the CPC, held out in favor of the Con Comm's proposal.
"Given that we have the funds available it doesn't make sense to eliminate this project when it's generally part of the plan approved by the town in the Master Plan and the Conservation Commission in its conversations," McKnight said. "It's an essential link between two town-owned properties in terms of safety and convenience."
CPC member Mark Reinhardt, who voted against the bridge project in a 6-2 vote in the second round of voting, said that at a time when the town has to prioritize its CPA allocations, the bridge is not as high a priority as other items applied for.
"I agree with spending money on public land," Reinhardt said. "But I thought if three people walk across that bridge and two people don't get a mortgage [under the AHT's Mortgage Assistance Program], I don't have a hard time giving the money to the Affordable Housing Trust and making the bridge wait.
"It doesn't seem like a difficult comparison."
Reinhardt occupies the Housing Authority's chair on the CPC. His sentiments were echoed by Selectmen Chairwoman Jane Patton, who also chairs the CPC.
"I can think of no single one more important thing that we're doing than trying to help folks move into this town, find jobs in this town," she said. "There is nothing more important this one [AHT] application because its reach is broad and wide and critical.
"Maybe we pare some other things."
Four More Shots Please S3 Review: This Old Wine In New Bottle Doesn't Get You Drunk As Easily Anymore
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
CHEYENNE, Wyo. Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead on Monday signed into law a bill requiring judicial review of police seizures of vehicles, cash and other property that law enforcement authorities believe to be involved in the illegal drug trade.
Under the law that goes into effect in July, the Wyoming Attorney General will review seizures and decide whether they were justified. The AG then will have 30 days from the seizure to ask a judge to determine if there was probable cause that the property was involved in the drug trade a finding that would enable the state to file a civil case to forfeit the property.
Previously, the AG's Office often has taken up a year after a seizure to file civil lawsuits seeking to forfeit property seized by law enforcement. Some defense attorneys had criticized the state's previous lack of an established legal procedure for handling forfeiture cases.
Mead last year vetoed a bill that would have required a criminal conviction to support civil asset forfeitures. A former federal and state prosecutor, he said he didn't believe law enforcement was abusing the forfeiture process.
In an interview after the bill-signing ceremony in Cheyenne on Monday, Mead said the bill that passed this year marked a great improvement over the bill he vetoed last year.
"To have to have a conviction on the books just didn't match the practical, day-to-day aspects of law enforcement," Mead said. "Law enforcement needs to be able to make those decisions."
Mead said he believes the previous forfeiture process has worked well in the state by having the attorney general review cases and determine whether they were justified.
However, Mead said, "For those who had concerns about what the process was, I think this codifies a solution that provides for judicial review and still allows forfeiture to be another tool in the toolbox for law enforcement in the work that they do to enforce not only drug laws, but other laws as well."
The new law specifies that forfeiture may not be grossly disproportionate to the offense. Many lawmakers expressed concern in committee hearings that people shouldn't lose assets such as new pickup trucks for minor offenses such as possessing a small amount of marijuana.
The law also specifies that a judge may award attorney fees and damages to a person who successfully challenges an unwarranted forfeiture.
Sen. Leland Christensen, R-Alta, is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which endorsed the bill. Speaking at the bill-signing ceremony, he said work on the issue since Mead's veto last year resulted in a much better product.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. Gov. Matt Meads office has asked a state panel to study abuse of heroin and other opioids in Wyoming, as problems with the drugs are on the rise nationally.
In Wyoming, we do have a problem with these, Tony Young, Meads deputy chief of staff, told members of the Joint Judiciary Committee on Monday.
The committee met to discuss topics that they might study in depth during the period after this years session ends and next years begins.
The Legislative session is expected to wrap up this week. Although a majority on the committee voted in favor of studying opioids, legislative leadership will have the final say on which topics the group explores.
Drug deaths may be on the rise in Wyoming, although its hard to tell because county coroners list the causes of death differently. For instance, some coroners call them accidental overdoses or drug overdoses. Others call them opioid deaths.
Frankly, we have very poor tracking, Young said.
The committee would also like to study allowing first responders to use Naloxone kits, which can reverse the effects of an opiate overdose.
Lives could be saved if paramedics were allowed to use the drugs. Other states are discussing allowing the kits, Young said.
The committee discussed nearly 20 different topics to potentially study, although they ran out of time to vote on each topic.
Rep. Charles Pelkey would like the committee to commence a review of the states marijuana statutes.
Colorado has legalized medical and recreational marijuana. Gov. Matt Mead assembled a group of agency heads and state leaders to study the effects of legalization. A group is attempting to collect signatures for a ballot initiative in 2017 to legalize medical marijuana.
We could take a comprehensive look at those issues, said Pelkey, a Laramie Democrat.
The committee did vote on studying marijuana, but there were questions about whether a majority of the committee favored the study. The committee will vote on it again Tuesday.
Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, requested the committee study trespass statutes.
Last year, the Legislature passed two laws punishing people who trespass to collect data, after an environmental group allegedly trespassed on private land to collect water samples of E. coli levels in ranching areas.
The two bills are being challenged in court, with environmental and photojournalism groups contending people could be arrested for taking pictures on public land.
Hicks, who favors tough laws punishing people who trespass to collect samples of water, earth or other data, said the study would look into current trespassing laws, in case the judge tosses out last years laws. Even if the judge holds up all or some of the laws, hed like an examination of regular trespassing laws.
Lets start with the reason we had those two separate bills: Its because our existing trespassing bills are so inadequate, he said.
CASPER, Wyo. The amount of money lawmakers plan to cut from public schools was trimmed recently, but Wyoming education officials are still divided on what it means for the future.
Lawmakers agreed Friday to cut about $36 million from K-12 education instead of $45 million, as they had originally planned in January to compensate for declines in energy revenue. The new number was decided in a series of meetings between members of the House and Senate. Gov. Matt Mead now has three days to sign or make line-item changes to the bill.
It's not ideal, said Kari Eakins, spokeswoman for the Wyoming Department of Education, but she said she respects legislators' effort to compromise.
It's tough when cuts are made to K-12 education, but considering where we started, I think it underscores our continued commitment to keeping education a priority, she said.
The plan now calls for a 1 percent cut from school funding the first year of a two-year budget, and 1.4 percent the second year. The original bill called for a 2 percent cut the second year.
The cuts will be taken exclusively from one part of the school funding account, an external cost adjustment. It is essentially an extra pot of money that makes up for the increasing cost of textbooks, materials and wages. Rather than change how schools are paid for, lawmakers add a bonus to the paycheck districts received from the state each year. Cuts to the ECA mean that bonus will be smaller.
Money from the newly created ECA only began arriving last year, but some districts say it now makes or breaks their budgets.
Compromise
Many officials from the education community are grateful at least for a reduction from $45 million. Others are not satisfied.
Kathy Vetter, president of the Wyoming Education Association, said schools are still facing a $15 million reduction next year, the same decrease suggested in January.
When you go in and come out with the same number, it didnt feel like a compromise, she said.
The cuts will likely have a negative impact on students, she said. Districts, especially rural ones, will ultimately have to trim services used by kids, whether by staff, programs or teachers.
When (lawmakers) talk, it is only for a year or two. Those students never get that year or two back, she said. If you are a senior, you never get your senior year back. If you are a first-grader you never get your first grade back.
Wyoming's second largest school district, on the other hand, is not fearful of the cuts. The Natrona County School District has been preparing for this for more than 18 months, said Superintendent Steve Hopkins.
This isnt an event. Its more of a journey for us. A year ago we could see this on the landscape, he said. We are going to stay on that track and continue to look for ways to run the district more efficiently.
Natrona is currently evaluating each vacancy that comes up in the district, as well as cutting basic costs and evaluating programs. They anticipate this approach will prevent the need for layoffs, Hopkins said.
The district has identified 12 vacancies so far that it could operate without, he said. It has also experienced a 10 percent reduction in overtime and savings from teachers and principals on things like utilities and materials, Hopkins said.
The boom and bust mentality of Wyomings economy is something school districts deal with differently, he added. Natrona never spent its money without an eye to the future of the states economy, foresight that the district is benefiting from today, he said.
No easy decision
Lawmakers spent many hours, and a number of extra meetings, debating the cuts, said Rep. Mike Greear, R-Worland, one of the lawmakers involved in the final ECA discussions.
It was not an easy decision, he said. Many amendments were considered and set aside.
The bulk of money for education is calculated by the cost per student, an amount the state then guarantees whether or not a school district makes enough money locally to pay for the number of students in its schools. That model is relatively uncompromising, making it difficult for lawmakers to make simple cuts during an economic downturn, Greear said.
Ultimately the districts will be okay, despite the cuts, he said.
Ive heard from a lot of educators that dont want us to make any cuts to education, he said. I understand that. But the simple fact is, if we dont try the very best we can to curb education spending now, we are going to have a severe problem in the future.
There is a caveat to the cuts that lawmakers must abide by, Greear said. Before next session, they must take into account the number of students leaving Wyoming due to the bust which should reduce states education costs. They will also consider cuts to transportation costs an early alternative to ECA cuts that was discarded and debate whether the external cost adjustment is actually necessary.
Edward Price Non-Resident Senior Fellow NYU Center for Global Affairs Contact email
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Edward Price, a former British economic official, teaches international political economy, financial systems and international relations at NYUas Center for Global Affairs. He is also an economic advisor for BritishAmerican Business (BAB). Educated at the London School of Economics (LSE), Edward holds an MSc in Finance and Economic Policy and an MA in German History. He has worked in both the British and European parliaments, was Americas editor at IFLR and has worked in the City of London. He speaks German, gets by in Italian and is a member of the Economic Club of New York (ECNY).
Project LIBRO awarded the Most Innovative Project at the TAYO 13 Awards
Can the act of going back to basics also be innovative? Project LIBRO, the official entry of the University of San Carlos Chemical Engineering Society (USC ChES) at the 13th Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards, had a simple premise to provide educational reinforcement and support to pupils of remote public elementary schools in Cebu.
Project LIBRO is a program that began in 2014 that builds mini libraries in public elementary schools in remote areas of Cebu. It aims to bring out the reader in every child by providing them with literary and academic reading materials and has already helped five schools within the province of Cebu. Lenovo chose USC ChES Project LIBRO because of the role that technology can play in further promoting the organizations advocacy, especially since the project aims to instill basic and vital abilities in children.
As the exclusive technology partner of TAYO Awards, Lenovo annually chooses an organization from the TAYO finalists to give the Most Innovative Project award to. TAYO Awards is the countrys top award-giving body that recognizes exceptional youth organizations that are passionate, driven, and creative in responding to the call of nation-building.
We hope that our devices can help USC ChES achieve their goal of bringing the enriching experience of learning through reading to the children in their community, and eventually, in other far flung provinces in the country, said Michael Ngan, Country General Manager, Lenovo Philippines.
The organizations vision is for the students of these far flung communities to achieve the same kind of quality education as that of other students from other parts of the Philippines. Were finding more ways on how to develop the intellectual capacity of these communities in Cebu and other parts of the Philippines not only through the mini libraries, but also through different activities that can motivate them to keep on reading books, said Marianne Abuan, Former Project Head, Project LIBRO.
The selection of schools to be adopted by the organization is based on the schools vicinity, existing conditions, and its capacity to house a mini library. After the schools are shortlisted, the local government and educational sectors in the area are tapped to help build the mini library. Project LIBRO has five phases which starts with the mini library installation and ends with the organization hosting reading and comprehension competitions to award the most progressed reader and the best reader award in each of the chosen institutions to further motivate children to read.
This year, Lenovo also gave out an ideapad 100 to Project LIBRO on top of donating tablets to further help the organization and its chosen communities get the quality education they deserve.
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Imperial Valley News Center
Security with the wave of a wand
Washington, DC - Increasingly, health care is moving out of the doctor's office and into the home, allowing greater patient freedom and monitoring, but also giving rise to new security risks.
One of the main challenges facing home health technology design is the public's inability to set up a secure network in their home and keep it operational. This can lead to compromised or stolen data, or even potentially hacked devices, such as heart rate monitors or dialysis machines.
To address this problem, researchers from Dartmouth College have developed a digital "magic wand" to improve home health care and to prevent hackers from stealing one's personal data.
The system, called Wanda, makes it easy for people to add a new device to their Wi-Fi network at home (or in a clinic), even if they don't have professional IT support staff to configure, track and update the medical devices.
The researchers will present a paper on the wand-based cybersecurity configurations at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM) in San Francisco in April.
The research is part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), titled "Trustworthy Health and Wellness" (THaW.org) and led by Dartmouth computer science professor David Kotz. The project aims to protect patients and preserve the confidentiality of medical data.
The THaW team conducts research related to mobile and cloud technology for health and wellness applications, including efforts to secure small-scale clinical networks and to reduce malicious activity in hospitals.
Supported by a $10 million, five-year grant from NSF, the project includes experts in computer science, business, behavioral health, health policy and health care information technology from Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the University of Michigan and Vanderbilt University.
As part of ThaW, graduate student Tim Pierson developed a system where an individual can simply pull a small wand from a USB port on a Wi-Fi access point and point it at a new device at close range. Within a few seconds, the wand securely beams the secret Wi-Fi network information to the device, making it secure and operational.
One can use the same method to transfer any information from the wand to the new device without anyone nearby capturing private data or tampering with the information.
"People love this new approach to connecting devices to Wi-Fi," says Pierson. "So many of our volunteer testers remark on the frustration they've encountered in configuring wireless devices at home and ask when they can take our 'wand' home."
There are three basic operations involved. First, Wanda configures a device to join the wireless local-area network. Second, it partners that device with others nearby, so they can work together. And third, it configures the device so it can connect to the relevant individual or organizational account in the cloud.
Wanda -- a small piece of hardware with two antennas that uses radio strength as a communication channel -- accomplishes all of these tasks without the need for outside assistance.
"We anticipate our Wanda technology being useful in a wide variety of applications, not just health care, and for a wide range of device management tasks, not just Wi-Fi network configuration," Kotz says.
Kotz notes that mobile health technologies have incredible potential, but that insufficient attention to their security could hinder their adoption and lead to the theft of personal data or worse.
Fortunately, THaW researchers are identifying gaps in security and providing practical security solutions, says Kotz.
"We are developing novel methods for security and privacy so we can help usher in an era of effective and secure mobile health solutions," he says.
Imperial Valley News Center
Racial rhetoric in the 2016 campaign
Berkeley, California - What is the effect of whats being said on the campaign trail by Donald Trump and other presidential candidates? And when does political rhetoric turn into action?
Maria Hinojosa, host of NPRs Latino U.S.A., recently explored these questions with a leading thinker on the evolution of U.S. racism, Berkeley Law professor Ian Haney Lopez.
According to the Berkeley prof, Trumps rhetoric may stand out for its venom, but hes following a playbook thats by now is 50 years old. Its message to white voters: fear people of color and vote for politicians who promise to protect you from threatening minorities, but in fact are serving the interests of the very rich. His most recent book is titled Dog Whistle Politics.
Listen to their conversation about the changing nature of political rhetoric around race.
Pioneering Stanford computer researcher and educator Edward McCluskey dies
Stanford, California - Edward J. McCluskey, a professor emeritus at Stanford whose research helped pave the way for electronics and computing, died on February 13. He was 86.
Born on the eve of the Great Depression, McCluskey graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine in 1953, earning honors in mathematics and physics, then went on to study electrical engineering at MIT, where he earned his doctorate in 1956.
But the experience that set him on the path toward professional greatness occurred during the period from 1955 through 1959, when he worked first as an MIT intern and later as a staff researcher at Bell Telephone Laboratories during its heyday.
In a 2008 lecture, when he won an award from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), McCluskey fondly recalled that storied period when Bell researchers were inventing many of the building blocks of electronics and computing.
It was in this intellectual crucible that McCluskey helped devise a way to efficiently and unerringly design logic chips, an achievement that would form the basis of his dissertation. More important, the Quine-McCluskey algorithm, as it is called, paved the way for the automated design of complex chips and ultimately enabled the success of the semiconductor industry.
"He was the father of modern digital design," said Arvind Krishna, senior vice president and director of IBM Research.
Aart de Geus, chairman of Synopsys, a company whose design automation software traces its lineage to McCluskey's work, likened him "to a great oak tree that we suddenly see fall."
Entry into academia
McCluskey left Bell Labs in 1959 to become an associate professor of electrical engineering at Princeton and established the Princeton University Computer Center. In 1966, he joined the faculty at Stanford Engineering, where his later career achievements would overshadow even his promising start.
Three years after joining Stanford as a professor of electrical engineering, he founded the Stanford Digital Systems Laboratory, which would become one of the fountainheads of the high-tech industry. In 1970 McCluskey helped establish the Stanford Computer Engineering Program and in that same year became the first president of the IEEE Computer Society.
Recalling these times in his 2008 lecture, McCluskey observed that nowadays collaborations between electrical engineers and computer scientists are common, even obvious, but in those days it was the exception rather the rule.
Among other notable research efforts, McCluskey founded the Center for Reliable Computing (CRC) at Stanford University, which made major contributions to the testing of computer chips and helped design fault-tolerant systems to avoid so-called computer "crashes" that cost money and lives spurring research that will only become more essential as self-driving cars and other autonomous technologies become a reality.
In recognition of his lifetime achievements, McCluskey was awarded the IEEE John von Neumann Medal in 2012, one of the top honors bestowed in computing.
"Professor McCluskey had a profound impact on the field of electronics," said Shekhar Y. Borkar, an Intel Fellow and director of Extreme-Scale Technologies at Intel Corporation.
Over the years McCluskey helped recruit many notable researchers to Stanford, including John Hennessy, who went on to become a computer industry innovator and president of the university.
"Ed McCluskey was a pioneer in the computer engineering community, and I am deeply saddened to learn of his death," Hennessy said. "Ed was the founding director of the Digital Systems Laboratory at Stanford [renamed the Computer Systems Laboratory]. He recruited me to Stanford to join the laboratory in 1977. In addition to shaping the development of digital systems, he was a great educator, producing an incredible group of PhD graduates, many of whom have gone on to become industry leaders. We were very fortunate to have him as our colleague. He will be deeply missed."
Known for unusual hats and his green school bus
Among the 75 PhDs that McCluskey mentored over the years, one of the earliest is Dan Siewiorek, who earned his doctorate from Stanford in 1971. Siewiorek, today a noted professor of computer science and electrical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, began his studies with McCluskey in 1968, a turbulent year on many campuses. Siewiorek recalled one time when a building on the Stanford campus was occupied by protestors and McCluskey decided to find out what was on the students' minds.
"He donned his poncho and gaucho hat and joined the discussion circle outside the building," Siewiorek recalled. "I often wondered whether the protestors realized they were conversing with a Stanford engineering professor."
Unusual hats were a McCluskey trademark a collection of thumbnail images shows him wearing headgear from Mickey Mouse ears to a powdered wig as was the open-mindedness that characterized his personal and professional views.
"He thought 'out of the box' in almost every way," said Michael Flynn, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Stanford, who recalls his former colleague's charming idiosyncrasies, like the green school bus in which he took his family camping.
The school bus is part of the McCluskey family lore, which began back at Bell Labs, when Edward met and married Roberta Jean Marie Erickson, who became the mother to six children born during the years when he worked at Bell and taught at Princeton.
As McCluskey recalled in his 2008 ACM lecture, it was in order to get his family of eight from Princeton to Stanford that he decided to buy and convert that green bus to move everyone to their new home in Palo Alto.
"I remember riding that bus to California," said his son Joe McCluskey, who was 7 at the time. "We used to go camping on it all the time. He loved the outdoors. That's something everyone who knew him would remember."
Edward and Roberta McCluskey were divorced and she passed away in 1996. In 1981, he married Lois Thornhill McCluskey, who was his companion to the end. In addition to Lois, he is survived by five of his six children, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
The family asks that anyone wishing to remember Edward McCluskey with a donation make a gift in his name to the Sempervirens Fund, Peninsula Open Space Trust or Save the Redwoods League.
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Takes Health and Wellness Screenings to Local Students
Imperial, California - In an effort to improve the quality of life for Imperial Valley College students, Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District will be offering a range of complimentary health screenings during their Spring 2016 Student Health and Wellness Fair on Tuesday, March 1. Scheduled activities include flu vaccines, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings; blood-glucose tests to test for diabetes; and nutritional consultations. All consultations and screenings will be conducted under the oversight of a Pioneers professional health care provider.
Pioneers is committed to the well-being of Imperial Valley College students and staff. Its important that our local students have the needed health resources to live a healthier life in order for them to attend college, said Larry Lewis, CEO of Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District.
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare Districts participation in the Spring 2016 Student Health and Wellness Fair is a coordinated effort with Imperial Valley College and other local Health Agencies and providers to help improve the quality of life of Imperial Valley residents. Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District is committed to helping improve the health of the IVC community and currently operates the Imperial Valley College Student Health Center and provides basic health service such as first aid and care for minor illnesses to students. The services also include health education and nutritional programs.
Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Amos J Hochstein Travels to Baku, Sofia, and Zagreb
Washington, DC - In Baku, Special Envoy Hochstein will represent the United States at a February 29 meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council the second meeting of this Council. He will meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, Bulgarian Minister of Energy Temenuzhka Petkova, Turkish Minister of Energy Berat Albayrak, Greek Minister of Energy Panos Skourletis, and other ministers of energy and officials from Southern Gas Corridor member countries, as well as representatives of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and private sector companies.
On March 1, Special Envoy Hochstein will travel to Sofia to meet with senior government officials to discuss regional energy security.
In Croatia, Special Envoy Hochstein will meet with members of the newly elected government to discuss regional energy security issues including natural gas interconnectors, a potential plan to import natural gas via a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, and domestic oil and gas exploration.
The Southern Gas Corridor, an ambitious plan to unlock a market for Azerbaijans Caspian Sea gas, enhance regional cooperation, and provide energy security for Europe, is a longstanding Administration priority. Gas from the second phase of the Shah Deniz gas field will be routed through the expansion of the South Caucasus pipeline in Azerbaijan, extending through Georgia to Turkey. Via the Trans-Anatolian pipeline (TANAP), gas will be provided for Turkish domestic use and transit to the Trans-Adriatic pipeline (TAP) that will take the gas from the Turkish-Greek border through Albania and on to Italy for use elsewhere in Europe.
Watch: This Video Of Woman Failing At Archery, Hitting Arrow On Head Is Hilarious
DULUTH, Minn. When Candice Richards moved her mother here from southern Michigan, it created a new set of challenges for the Duluth woman.
Although her mom, who has Alzheimers, is deteriorating mentally, shes very physically able and very hyper never sits down or takes naps, Richards said. Shes always looking for something to do, and at home it would wear me out.
Richards, who had lived alone and at the time had no siblings in the area, found she had to stay up until midnight, so she could get tasks done after her mom went to bed. Shed get up at 6 a.m. to shower and read the paper before her mom awoke.
So my nights were shorter and shorter, and I ended up getting sick, Richards said. And that was a wake-up call.
As the population ages, more people are facing the challenge of caring for loved ones who no longer can care for themselves. In Minnesota, an estimated 89,000 people suffer from Alzheimers, said Jenna Herbig, program manager in the Duluth office of the Alzheimers Association. Although a variety of institutions offer around-the-clock care, the majority of care takes place at home.
The work of family caregivers accounts for 92 percent of the long-term care provided to older adults in Minnesota, according to the MN Leadership Council on Aging. More than 600,000 family caregivers provide $7.1 billion worth of assistance nearly three times as much as Medicaid spends on long-term care in the state.
On a bipartisan level, everybody realizes that if you can keep folks at home its better all the way around, said Peg Kirsch Lee, supervisor of the senior companion and caregiver respite programs of Lutheran Social Service in Duluth.
The cost of caring
But providing the care takes a toll mental, physical, emotional, social, spiritual on those providing it, experts in the field say.
The risk is to the health of the caregivers themselves, said Kristine Dwyer, who has worked as caregiver consultant for Carlton County for 10 years.
Some of those risks are sleep deprivation, poor eating and exercise habits, failure to stay in bed when they are ill. Its pretty tough because youve got to keep going. They often postpone their own medical appointments. ... The caregiver dies before the care receiver. Ive seen it happen several times. Early death is not uncommon for the caregiver.
What compounds the risk is that caregivers often are slow to seek help for themselves, said Linda Kolocek, respite coordinator at Virginia, Minn.-based Range Respite.
Most family caregivers think: Well, Im his mom or Im her husband. Im their daughter. Of course, Im caring for them, Kolocek said. They often do not reach out for help until they have reached the point of crisis.
Adult day services
Richards found relief in the form of Adult Day Services at the Benedictine Health Center, which is adjacent to the College of St. Scholastica and the St. Scholastica Monastery. The program offers snacks, a healthy lunch, personal care, structured exercise, opportunities for worship and tons of activities, said Sarah Dvergsten, who manages it.
On a recent Tuesday, Richards, Paul Frost and Sally Zelen talked about the program in Dvergstens office as their mother, wife and husband, respectively, participated in activities on the main room.
It not only benefits them, it gives their loved ones a lift, all three said.
They enjoy it, Frost said. They get things to do here that we dont do at home. My wife likes to sing. Shes always singing here. ... She knows all the words to the 1940s songs, but she doesnt know who I am.
Zelen, whose husband was diagnosed with Alzheimers seven years ago at age 61, had just started bringing him to the program about a month earlier. She already had seen the effect.
The first opportunity here was sitting in the lunch group, and Bill was with the guys, she said. He was so happy, so taken by the ... interaction. And that continues through the day.
Richards was hesitant at first, she said, because she wasnt sure her mothers hard-working past as a manager of retail stores would be a good fit with a bunch of old ladies who all they ever did was knit and cook cookies.
But her mom found a purpose in the group, Richards said.
She considers it her work, and thats how we got her here in the first place, she said, explaining she told her mother, There are a bunch of people here who dont have anyone to talk to, and they need someone like you.
The program has existed since at least 1988 and is licensed for up to 25 people, Dvergsten said. On average, just under 22 come per day. Its staffed by four people with two more on call. Theres little turnover in the staff a couple of them have worked there for 25 years or more, she said.
The program is currently available weekdays, and plans are in the works to be open for six hours on Saturdays, she said.
It cant come soon enough for some caregivers.
She wants to be here, Richards said. So the weekends are an issue for us, and theyve been really long sometimes.
Were on the edge
The daily rate is $45 for up to five hours and $63 for anything beyond that, Dvergsten said.
For many, financial help is available. Richards said she started with a visit from a county public health nurse for a long-term-care assessment. Her mother qualified for a waiver program on a sliding scale.
That costs the government less than having her in a nursing home, Richards said.
For some caregivers, the program may make the difference between being able to keep their loved one at home and having to turn to a nursing facility.
Were on the edge, Zelen said. We would be on the edge.
But as it is, she and her husband still can share some of their favorite activities, such as snowshoeing and biking in the snow, she said.
Frost, whose wife was diagnosed with Alzheimers nine years ago, lives at home with his wife and daughter, who joined them about a year ago, he said. Arrangements have been made for his wife to spend 11 days in March at the adjacent Marywood assisted-living center while he and his daughter enjoy a cruise.
One of the biggest problems we have as caregivers is that we have a seven-day-a-week duty, Frost said. And we need to get away.
The Benedictine Health Center has been one of the regions best resources for caregivers for years, Dwyer said. They can know their loved one is in good hands while I can have that time to rejuvenate myself, and I can go to my own appointments and I can attend my social groups, she said. I cant say enough about it. That program is amazing.
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Leonardo DiCaprio might have finally won his Best Actor Oscar but few people know that he also made a sneaky cameo appearance in Best Actress winner Brie Larsons movie Room.
The Revenant star can be seen on a poster, albeit in his fresh-faced Titanic days, when Larsons character Joy is saved from her kidnapper and returns home to her high school bedroom that has remained unchanged for seven years.
It was A24, the indie distributor of Room, who shared the still on Twitter. The first time a Best Actress and Best Actor were in the same movie since As Good As It Gets, it wrote, to nearly 2,500 retweets.
Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt won their big gongs for As Good As It Gets in 1998, when Titanic took home an impressive 11 Oscars including Best Picture.
Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Show all 8 1 /8 Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - Jordan Belfort Rex Features Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac The Great Gatsby (2013) - Jay Gatsby Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Django Unchained (2012) - Calvin Candie Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Inception (2010) - Cobb Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac The Aviator (2004) - Howard Hughes Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Catch Me If You Can (2002) - Frank Abagnale Jr. Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo Di Caprio as John Edgar Hoover in J. Edgar (2011) Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Blood Diamond (2006) - Danny Archer
DiCaprio triumphed on Sunday night 22 years after receiving his first Best Actor nomination for Whats Eating Gilbert Grape? He has three other nominations to his name for performances in The Aviator, Blood Diamond and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Leo acceptance speech
A24 also had a successful Oscars, winning Best Documentary for Amy and Best Visual Effects for Ex Machina, beating Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
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Even with Chris Rock hosting, Leonardo DiCaprio winning, and Lady Gaga performing, the Oscars couldnt get the viewership it normally commands, with only 34.3 million people tuning in - the lowest number of viewers in eight years.
In comparison, last year - which saw Birman claim best picture - was watched by 37.3 million people, while the year before that - when 12 Years a Slave came out top - had 43.7 million viewers.
Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist who told people to boycott watching the ceremony due to a lack of diversity among actor nominees, has claimed his campaign was partly responsible for the drop in viewers.
In a blogpost for The Huffington Post, he wrote: For those of us that campaigned around asking citizens to tune out, this is heartening news.
#OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Show all 19 1 /19 #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Jada Pinkett-Smith Today is Martin Luther Kings birthday, and I cant help but ask the question: Is it time that people of color recognize how much power and influence we have amassed that we no longer need to ask to be invited anywhere? I ask the question: Have we come to a new time and place where we recognize that we can no longer beg for the love, acknowledge, or respect of any group? - Posted on her Facebook page. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Will Smith "The beauty of Hollywood combined with American ideals is the ultimate dream for humanity: the basis of the American concept of anything is possible, with hard work and dedication, no matter your race or religion, creed, none of that matters in America. I think that diversity is the American superpower. That's why we are great. So many different people from so many different places adding their ideas and their inspiration and their influences to this beautiful American gumbo and for me, at its best, Hollywood represents and then creates the imagery for that beauty. But for my part, I think I have to fight for and protect the ideals that make our country and make our Hollywood community great. So when I look at the series of nominations of the Academy, it's not reflecting that beauty." - Quote from ABC News appearance. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Reese Witherspoon "I really appreciated this article in TIME on the lack of racial and gender diversity in this year's Oscar nominations. So disappointed that some of 2015's best films, filmmakers and performances were not recognized... Nothing can diminish the quality of their work, but these filmmakers deserve recognition. As an Academy member, I would love to see a more diverse voting membership." - Posted on her Facebook page. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Spike Lee "This whole Academy thing is a misdirection play. We're chasing a guy down the field, he doesn't even have the ball. The other guy's high-stepping in the end zone. It goes further than the Academy Awards. It has to go back to the gatekeepers. We're not in the room. The executives, when they have these greenlight meetings quarterly, they look at the scripts and see who's in it and decide what we're making and what we're not making." - Quote from ABC appearance. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say George Clooney "If you think back 10 years ago, the Academy was doing a better job. Think about how many more African Americans were nominated. I would also make the argument, I dont think its a problem of who youre picking as much as it is: How many options are available to minorities in film, particularly in quality films? There should be 20 or 30 or 40 films of the quality that people would consider for the Oscars. By the way, were talking about African Americans. For Hispanics, its even worse. We need to get better at this. We used to be better at it." - Interview with Variety. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Snoop Dogg Somebody was actually like am I gonna watch the motherf***ing Oscars. F*** no. What the f*** am I going to watch that bulls*** for? They aint got no n***** nominated. All these great movies and all this great s*** yall keep stealing from us. F*** you! F*** you! - Posted on his Instagram page. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Don Cheadle "Yo, Chris. Come check me out at #TheOscars this year. They got me parking cars on G level." - Posted on his Twitter page, directed at host Chris Rock. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Mark Ruffalo I woke up in the morning thinking, what is the right way to do this? Because if you look at Martin Luther Kings legacy, what he was saying was that the good people who dont act are much worse than the wrongdoers who are purposefully not acting and dont know the right way. - Quote from interview with BBC News. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Lupita Nyong'o "I am disappointed by the lack of inclusion in this year's Academy Awards nominations. It has me thinking about unconscious prejudice and what merits prestige in our culture. The awards should not dictate the terms of art in our modern society, but rather be a diverse reflection of the best of what our art has to offer today. I stand with my peers who are calling for change in expanding the stories that are told and recognition of the people who tell them." - Posted on her Instagram page. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Tyrese Gibson "This is not us saying we're against the Oscars because we're gonna combat racism. We're just saying, 'Yo, this is not cool.' You can't be doing this in 2016 and act as if no one is gonna notice." - Quote from interview with People. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say David Oyelowo The reason why the Oscars are so important is because it is the zenith, it is the epitome, it is the height of celebration of artistic endeavor within the filmmaking community. We grow up aspiring, dreaming, longing to be accepted into that august establishment because it is the height of excellence. I would like to walk away and say it doesnt matter, but it does, because that acknowledgement changes the trajectory of your life, your career, and the culture of the world we live in. This institution doesnt reflect its president and it doesnt reflect this room. I am an Academy member and it doesnt reflect me, and it doesnt reflect this nation." - Speech at gala honoring Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Brie Larson "Thank you @hollywoodreporter for covering this very unique moment in my life! It was wonderful spending time with all of you. Personally, I'm interested in reading their article on #OscarsSoWhite. This is a conversation that deserves attention." - Posted on her Instagram page. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say How many black films are being produced every year? How are they being distributed? The films that are being made, are the big-time producers thinking outside of the box in terms of how to cast the role? Can you cast a black woman in that role? Can you cast a black man in that role? You can change the Academy, but if there are no black films being produced, what is there to vote for? - Quote from interview with Entertainment Weekly. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Charlotte Rampling "It is racist to whites. One can never really know, but perhaps the black actors did not deserve to make the final list. Why classify people? These days everyone is more or less accepted... People will always say: Him, hes less handsome; Him, hes too black; He is too white... someone will always be saying You are too [this or that]... But do we have to take from this that there should be lots of minorities everywhere?" - Quote from interview on Europe 1. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Michael Caine Theres loads of black actors. In the end you can't vote for an actor because he's black. You can't say 'I'm going to vote for him, he's not very good, but he's black, I'll vote for him'. You have to give a good performance and I'm sure people have. I saw Idris Elba (in Beasts Of No Nation).I thought he was wonderful. Be patient. Of course it will come. It took years to get an Oscar, years. - Quote from interview with Radio 4 Today programme. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Steve McQueen "This is exactly like MTV was in the 1980s. Could you imagine now if MTV only showed music videos by a majority of white people, then after 11 oclock it showed a majority of black people? Could you imagine that happening now? Its the same situation happening in the movies. Hopefully, when people look back at this in 20 years, itll be like seeing that David Bowie clip in 1983 [of artist critiquing channel for not featuring black artists]. I dont even want to wait 20 years. Forgive me; Im hoping in 12 months or so we can look back and say this was a watershed moment, and thank God we put that right." Quote from interview with The Guardian. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Julie Delpy "Two years ago, I said something about the Academy being very white male, which is the reality, and I was slashed to pieces by the media. It's funny - women can't talk. I sometimes wish I were African American because people don't bash them afterwards. It's the hardest to be a woman. Feminism is something people hate above all. Nothing worse than being a woman in this business. I really believe that." Delpy has since clarified these remarks, saying, "I'm very sorry for how I expressed myself. It was never meant to diminish the injustice done to African American artists or to any other people that struggle for equal opportunities and rights; on the contrary. All I was trying to do is to address the issues of inequality of opportunity in the industry for women as well (as I am a woman)." Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Clint Eastwood "I don't know anything about it. All I know is there's thousands of people in the Academy, and the majority of them haven't won Oscars. A lot of people are crying, I guess." - Quoted by TMZ. Getty #OscarsSoWhite: What Hollywood has to say Ellen Page Its awful, and I think what just happened in regards to the nominations two years in a row is a reflection of the industry itself, and the lack of diversity in all positions. Its so upsetting that were still having this conversation. I dont know what to say other than its so disheartening, and I feel like we all have to be doing what we can to make a change, because were supposed to be telling stories that reflect human experience, and we cant just be showing one group of people." Quote from interview with The Wrap. Getty
It is a significant decline and should send a clear message to the Academy and to movie studio executives that we will not tolerate discriminatory practices whether they impact what we see on screen or what takes place behind the lens.
Though we don't take full credit for the decrease in viewership, certainly one would have to assume that we were effective and part of the decline. As the brilliant Frederick Douglass once said, Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never did and it never will. To those that mocked the idea of a tune out, it seems that the joke was on them.
Celebrities who boycotted the ceremony include Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, and Spike Lee, all of whom cited the #OscarsSoWhite controversy as a reason not to attend.
A protester in LA (Getty)
Sharpton - who protested in LA hours before the Oscars took place - continued: We are not dictating who should or who shouldn't win an Oscar, but if you are locked out of the process, then what we must come to terms with is addressing systemic exclusion.
And this isn't just about Black actors not being appropriately recognised for their talent; it is about the larger notion of what projects get funding for production, who gets hired behind-the-scenes, what stories are told and from whose perspective, what roles are available for Black and minority actors, how people of colour can secure producer and director positions, how those who actually live in the Los Angeles area can get jobs in the industry and more.
In recent post-Oscars news, the Vatican has given a remarkably positive review of best picture winner Spotlight.
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Daisy Ridley is having the craziest year.
Catapulted to fame thanks to her lead role as Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this weekend saw her step out onto the Academy Awards stage with Dev Patel to present the award for Best Documentary Feature.
An adrenaline which shows no sign of slowing, with the actor in the midst of shooting on Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII. Speaking to MTV News on the Oscars red carpet, she enthused about her second turn with the franchise, particularly the chance to finally interact with Luke Skywalker himself.
"Me and Mark have been rehearsing a lot, and its really amazing," Ridley stated. "When we went back to Skellig to do the opening of [Episode] VIII, it was so crazy doing the same scene with a different crew of people. Hes amazing to rehearse with, and Im very excited to be doing the rest of the stuff."
"Its such a good story, she added. "Seriously. Luke is so cool in this one. Really."
She did admit, to her own disappointment, that the film won't just be two hours of the pair staring at each other; though Ridley's mention of a Skellig shoot's return to The Force Awakens' final scene won't be a revelation to anyone who saw the official production announcement.
Still, her enthusiasm over her work with Hamill does tease a strong narrative interlinking the two; as opposed to Rey's arrival at Luke's hideout to return his lightsaber being a simple drop-off job. Which is very good to hear.
Star Wars: Episode VIII is set for UK release 15 December 2017.
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The Rolling Stones will become the first British band to play an open air concert in Cuba.
Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood will play for free at the Ciudad Deportiva de la Habana in Havana on March 25.
In a statement, The Rolling Stones said: "We have performed in many special places during our long career, but this show in Havana is going to be a landmark event for us, and, we hope, for all our friends in Cuba too."
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The Rolling Stones concert, which has been in the planning stages for several months, comes only days after President Barack Obama's recently announced visit to Cuba.
The band are also leading a musician to musician initiative in which musical instruments and equipment are being donated by major suppliers for the benefit of Cuban musicians of all genres.
Donors include The Gibson Foundation, Vic Firth, Zildjian, Latin Percussion, Roland and Boss, with additional assistance from the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation.
The Rolling Stones are currently on tour in South America for their America Latina Ole tour, which is receiving rave reviews.
They have played to huge audiences in cities including Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Rio De Janeiro, with Lima, Bogota and Mexico City following next week.
The Rolling Stones Concert For Amity will be filmed and produced by award winning production company JA Digital.
Paul Dugdale, the filmmaker who helmed One Direction: Where We Are is directing.
The Rolling Stones perform surprise show in Los Angeles
The producers will be Simon Fisher of Ed Sheeran: Live at Wembley Stadium fame, and Sam Bridger who produced The Rolling Stones: Sweet Summer Sun - Hyde Park Live.
Julie Jakobek of JA Digital said: "It's a great honour to be working with the Rolling Stones again on this hugely exciting and historic event".
In the years following the Cuban Revolution, which culminated with Fidel Castro becoming prime minister in 1959, rock music was viewed as a symbol of Western capitalism in the Communist country.
Following the Cuba concert, The Rolling Stones will fly to London to open Exhibitionism, the band's first ever exhibition, at the Saatchi Gallery on April 4.
Press Association
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Ever thought It would be so cool to live where they film The Walking Dead, that way Id see all the characters in action before anyone else"?
Turns out living in Senoia, Georgia, really isnt that great when the producers are in town as, not only are tourists constantly running rampant trying to get snaps of the stars, at times residents are trapped in their own homes, as described by a local known only as Brittany in a piece for Cracked.
According to the report, residents have to live under very strict conditions when filming is taking place: "They had to agree to things like specific exit/entry times at their own homes to work around filming, and allowing bright lights and loud noises at three in the morning.
I believe they are legally obligated to wait until the crew okays their leaving so that they don't mess up a scene.
Apparently the community is divided into two groups: those who dont mind the show being filmed in their town and those who really do.
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Season 5, episode 13 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walkers. Season 5, episode 9 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Major Dodsen as Sam, Alexandra Breckenridge as Jessie and Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes. Season 5, episode 13 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes. Season 5, episode 12 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler and Steven Yeun as Glenn Rhee. Season 5, episode 12 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker. Season 5, episode 11 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 walking-dead5.jpg Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene and Michael Cudlitz as Abraham. Season 5, episode 10 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha. 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Season 5, episode 9 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker and Andrew Lincoln in The Walking Dead episode 8, Series 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon on episode eight Fox The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Christopher Matthew Cook as Officer Licari in episode 8, series 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Danai Gurira as Michonne on episode eight Fox The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Christopher Matthew Cook as Officer Licari and Walker on episode seven Fox The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Norman Reedus on episode seven of The Walking Dead Fox The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker in Episode 2, Season 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Maximiliano Hernandez as Lamson, Teri Wyble as Shepherd, Chad Coleman as Tyreese and Tyler James Williams as Noah on episode seven Fox The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon and Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes on a scene from episode seven Fox The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier in episode six AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Emily Kinney as Beth in The Walking Dead episode Slabtown Fox The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walkers in The Walking Dead Episode 6, series 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier in episode 6 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Steven Yeun as Glenn Rhee in The Walking Dead Episode 5, Season 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker in Season 5, Episode 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker in The Walking Dead Episode 4, season 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Emily Kinney as Beth Greene in episode 4, season 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Sonequa Martin-Green, Lawrence Gilliard Jr. and Lauren Cohan in episode 3 Fox The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in episode 3 Fox The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Sonequa Martin-Green and Lawrence Gilliard Jr. in Episode 3, Season 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Sonequa Martin-Green, Lawrence Gilliard Jr. and Lauren Cohan in Episode 3, Season 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha and Chad Coleman as Tyreese in episode 3 Fox The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 A walker in episode two Gene Page/AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Daryl Dixon, Father Gabriel, Rick Grimes, Tyreese, Maggie Greene, Carl Grimes, Michonne, Tara Chambler, Carol Peletier, Sasha, Glenn Rhee, Abraham, Dr. Eugene Porter and Bob Stookey in episode two Gene Page/AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Seth Gilliam as Father Gabriel in episode two Gene Page/AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walker in Episode 2, Season 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 A scene from episode two Gene Page/AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler, Chad Coleman as Tyreese, Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes, Seth Gilliam as Father Gabriel, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene, Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha and Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as Bob Stookey Gene Page/AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walkers in episode one Gene Page/AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Walkers in Episode 1, Season 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier in episode one Gene Page/AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Denise Crosby as Mary Episode 1, Season 5 AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 A walker from episode one Greg Nicotero/AMC The Walking Dead series 5 The Walking Dead series 5 Andre Lincoln as Rick Grimes Gene Page/AMC
At one point during filming, I was actually told by a cop directing traffic that I wasn't allowed to be out on my own lawn. When they were filming at the wall of Alexandria, we were really close to where they were shooting.
Security had to make sure that nobody walked past the blocked portions of the road, so when we walked out into the yard to see what was up, a security officer told us we couldn't be out there unless we were trying to leave.
Theres also a constant police presence in the town, with officers deterring tourists and fans while also monitoring residents closely.
There is pretty much 24/7 police presence here," Brittany said. "They're on the lookout for anyone trying to mess with the Alexandria wall / leftover props, or anyone who is going to disturb residents living in the homes that appear in the show, so they watch us closely when we're walking our dogs down the street or pulling into our own driveways.
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As you may have suspected, this did not sit well with many of the locals: "You have old men who are very big on their rights and control over what is theirs and aren't going to let anyone take that away. A couple of my neighbours got really mad ... They complained, but I don't think anything was ever done.
What's worse is that many of the props, such as the Alexandria wall, are left up for prolonged periods of time.
"If you don't know what it is, you'd think that we didn't take pride in our town or something," Brittany said. "A lot of residents are upset about it, especially the ones who have been in town a while. They don't really care about the show, so to them it's just a big eyesore and flocking spot for tourists.
Even when the crew are no longer in Georgia to film The Walking Dead, apparently there are dozens of guided tours which disrupt the community.
"The guided tours are mainly annoying just because of how they disrupt the flow of traffic and stand around near homes," said Brittany, but "the self-guided tours are terrible, because there is nobody to tell them what not to touch, where not to park, and where not to walk."
Still fancy living where they film The Walking Dead?
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Britains world-leading police unit dedicated to fighting wildlife crime, which had been threatened with closure, has been given a last minute reprieve and will continue operations until at least 2020.
Environment minister Rory Stewart has committed the Government to 1.2m in funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit over the next four years.
The units current round of funding had been due to run this month, and conservationists had expressed dismay over the Governments failure to commit to continued support.
In a statement to MPs, Mr Stewart praised the NWCUs important role in combatting both animal cruelty and the international trade in illegal animal parts.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Home Office will each provide the NWCU with 136,000 a year for the next four years, he said. It will also receive an additional 29,000 to combat wildlife crime conducted online.
Chief Inspector Martin Sims, head of the NWCU, told The Independent that the funding represented a commitment to tackle wildlife crime and to give our staff more long-term job security.
Tiger Temple fight for cats
NWCU works closely with Interpol to combat the illegal wildlife trade, which is estimated to be worth up to 14bn a year. Britain is a hub for the trade, investigators say, and in 2015 alone the NWCU orchestrated the seizure of more than 400 items banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
It also helps coordinate the work of police forces around the country combatting domestic wildlife crimes such as hare coursing and the persecution of birds of prey.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year Show all 26 1 /26 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Wildlife Photographer of the Year A polar bear's struggle - Highly Commended Justins whole body pained as he watched this starving polar bear at an abandoned hunter's camp, in the Canadian Arctic, slowly heave itself up to standing. With little, and thinning, ice to move around on, the bear is unable to search for food. Justin Hofman / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Curious Encounter - Shortlisted Cristobal Serrano, Spain. Any close encounter with an animal in the vast wilderness of Antarctica happens by chance, so Cristobal was thrilled by this spontaneous meeting with a crabeater seal off of Cuverville Island, Antarctic Peninsula. These curious creatures are protected and, with few predators, thrive. Cristobal Serrano / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Bond of brothers - Winner David Lloyd, New Zealand / UK. These two adult males, probably brothers, greeted and rubbed faces for 30 seconds before settling down. Most people never have the opportunity to witness such animal sentience, and David was honoured to have experienced and captured such a moment.The picture was taken in Ndutu, Serengeti, Tanzania. David Lloyd / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Fox meets fox - Highly Commended Matthew Maran, UK. Matthew has been photographing foxes close to his home in north London for over a year and ever since spotting this street art had dreamt of capturing this image. After countless hours and many failed attempts his persistence paid off. Matthew Maran / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Three Kings - Highly Commended Wim Van Den Heever, South Africa. Wim came across these king penguins on a beach in the Falkland Islands just as the sun was rising. They were caught up in a fascinating mating behaviour the two males were constantly moving around the female using their flippers to fend the other off. Wim Van Den Heever / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year One toy, three dogs - Highly Commended Bence Mate, Hungary. While adult African wild dogs are merciless killers, their pups are extremely cute and play all day long. Bence photographed these brothers in Mkuze, South Africa they all wanted to play with the leg of an impala and were trying to drag it in three different directions! Bence Mate / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Clam Close-up - Shortlisted David Barrio, Spain. This macro-shot of an iridescent clam was taken in the Southern Red Sea, Marsa Alam, Egypt. These clams spend their lives embedded amongst stony corals, where they nest and grow. It took David some time to approach the clam, fearing it would sense his movements and snap shut! David Barrio / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year The Orphaned Beaver - Shortlisted Suzi Eszterhas, United States. A one-month-old orphaned North American beaver kit is held by a caretaker at the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center in Arlington, Washington. Luckily it was paired with a female beaver who took on the role of mother and they were later released into the wild. Suzi Eszterhas / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Ice and Water - Shortlisted Audun Lie Dahl, Norway. The Brasvellbreen glacier moves southwards from one of the ice caps covering the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway. Where it meets the sea, the glacier wall is so high that only the waterfalls are visible, so Audun used a drone to capture this unique perspective Audun Lie Dahl / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Teenager - Shortlisted Franco Banfi, Switzerland. Franco was free diving off Dominica in the Caribbean Sea when he witnessed this young male sperm whale trying to copulate with a female. Unfortunately for him her calf was always in the way and the frisky male had to continually chase off the troublesome calf. Franco Banfi / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Resting Mountain Gorilla - Shortlisted David Lloyd. The baby gorilla clung to its mother whilst keeping a curious eye on David. He had been trekking in South Bwindi, Uganda, whenhe came across the whole family. Following them, they then stopped in a small clearing to relax and groom each other. David Lloyd / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Painted Waterfall - Shorltisted Eduardo Blanco Mendizabal, Spain. When the sun beams through a hole in the rock at the foot of the La Foradada waterfall, Catalonia, Spain, it creates a beautiful pool of light. The rays appear to paint the spray of the waterfall and create a truly magical picture. Eduardo Blanco Mendizabal / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year The Extraction - Shortlisted Konstantin Shatenev, Russia. Every winter, hundreds of Steller's sea eagles migrate from Russia, to the relatively ice-free northeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan. They hunt for fish among the ices floes and also scavenge, following the fishing boats to feed on any discards. Konstantin took his image from a boat as the eagles retrieved a dead fish thrown onto the ice. Konstantin Shatenev / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Shy - Shortlisted Pedro Carrillo, Spain. The mesmerizing pattern of a beaded sand anemone beautifully frames a juvenile Clarkii clownfish in Lembehstrait, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Known as a 'nursery' anemone, it is often a temporary home for young clownfish until they find a more suitable host anemone for adulthood. Pedro Carrillo / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Red, Silver and Black - Shortlisted TinMan Lee, USA. Tin was fortunate enough to be told about a fox den in Washington State, North America, which was home to a family of red, black and silver foxes. After days of waiting for good weather he was finally rewarded with this touching moment. Tin Man Lee / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Isolated - Shortlisted Anna Henly, UK. Snapped from a helicopter, this isolated tree stands in a cultivated field on the edge of a tropical forest on Kauai, Hawaii. The manmade straight lines of the ploughed furrows are interrupted beautifully by natures more unruly wild pattern of tree branches. Anna Henly / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Sound Asleep - Shortlisted Tony Wu, USA. This adult humpback whale balanced in mid-water, headon and sound asleep was photographed in Vavau, Kingdom of Tonga. The faint stream of bubbles, visible at the top, is coming from the whales two blowholes and was, in this instance, indicative of an extremely relaxed state. Tony Wu / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year All That Remains - Shortlisted Phil Jones, UK. A male orca had beached itself about a week before Phils visit to Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands. Despite its huge size the shifting sands had almost covered the whole carcass and scavengers, such as this striated caracara, had started to move in. Phil Jones / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Ambush - Shortlisted Federico Veronesi, Kenya. On a hot morning at the Chitake Springs, in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, Federico watched as an old lioness descended from the top of the riverbank. Shed been lying in wait to ambush any passing animals visiting a nearby waterhole further along the riverbed. Federico Veronesi / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Gliding - Shortlisted Christian Vizl, Mexico. With conditions of perfect visibility and beautiful sunlight, Christian took this portrait of a nurse shark gliding through the ocean off the coast of Bimini in the Bahamas. Typically these sharks are found near sandy bottoms where they rest, so its rare to see them swimming. Christian Vizl / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Otherworldly - Shortlisted A school of Munk's devil ray were feeding on plankton at night off the coast of Isla Espiritu Santo in Baja California, Mexico. Franco used the underwater lights from his boat and a long exposure to create this otherworldly image. Franco Banfi / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year The Bats Wake - Shortlisted Antonio Leiva Sanchez, Spain. After several months of field research into a little colony of greater mouse-eared bats in Sucs, Lleida, Spain, Antonio managed to capture this bat mid-flight. He used a technique of high speed photography with flashes combined with continuous light to create the wake. Antonio Leiva Sanchez / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Under the Snow - Shortlisted Audren Morel, France. Unafraid of the snowy blizzard, this squirrel came to visit Audren as he was taking photographs of birds in the small Jura village of Les Fourgs, France. Impressed by the squirrels endurance, he made it the subject of the shoot. Audren Morel / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Unique Bill - Shortlisted Rob Blanken, The Netherlands. The pied avocet has a unique and delicate bill, which it sweeps like a scythe, as it sifts for food in shallow brackish water. This stunning portrait was taken from a hide in the northern province of Friesland in The Netherlands. Rob Blanken / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Family Portrait - Shortlisted Connor Stefanison, Canada. A great grey owl and her chicks sit in their nest in the broken top of a Douglas fir tree in Kamloops, Canada. They looked towards Connor only twice as he watched them during the nesting season from a tree hide 50 feet (15 metres) up. Connor Stefanison / Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year A dog jumps to catch a disc during a dog frisbee competition in Poznan via REUTERS
In a written statement to MPs, Mr Stewart said the new funding would give the Unit significant financial stability and enable their vital work to continue until at least 2020.
But Alex Cunningham, Labours shadow minister for the natural environment, said that leaving the announcement so late had severely compromised the work of the Unit.
Like the police budget, funding for the Unit has not been protected in real-terms, he said. With over 18,000 police officers lost already under David Cameron, the National Wildlife Crime Unit will find itself having to do more with less if it is to continue its success in tackling wildlife crime.
Josh Kaile, from the charity World Animal Protection, which has led the campaign to save the Unit, said the announcement of new funding was fantastic news for British wildlife.
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Great humility and respect are not necessarily the first qualities that come to mind when you think of world-girdling coffee chain Starbucks. Personally, I think: outsize paper cups, people in hurry, and an ever-present snake of a queue to use the single lavatory. But that's just me.
Humility and Respect, those two messianic qualities, will, apparently, be hot-iron branded onto the company's latest expansion plans, according to Howard Schultz, the CEO and chairman. And as well they might, considering the place they intend to open next is Italy.
On Monday, in a release to the press, the company explained why it was attempting to take coals to Newcastle. The statement began with the line, It's a dream more than 30 years in the making, and went on to explain that it was in a Milanese espresso bar that Schultz, the marketing director of the then-small, Seattle-based company, was first inspired to turn Starbucks into what it is today a coffee chain with 23000 links. What got him going was that these bars were not only a place for the romance and theatre of coffee but that visiting them was part of a morning ritual, which created a sense of community.
Presumably to make sure that Starbucks doesn't scare the horses, the plan is to partner with all-Italian retail and real estate conglomerate Percassi. Percassi will help the coffee giant with the first stores, which are set to open in 2017 in as yet unspecified cities (although Schultz is pictured in front of the Duomo in Milan on the mail-out, so draw your own conclusion). We are confident that Italian people are ready to live the Starbucks experience, says Antonio Percassi, the company's president.
It is a strange homage, to attempt to throttle the thing that inspires you. But business is business, I suppose, and Italy is another market ready for the taking. And in all likelihood they will capture it. How could they not? If McDonald's can take France, that country of de Gaulle and 246 different types of cheese, anything is possible.
Food trends in 2016 Show all 11 1 /11 Food trends in 2016 Food trends in 2016 Celeriac root We had a kale obsession in 2015, but 2016s vegetable sine qua non is predicted to be the knobbly celeriac root. Celeriac milk (Tom Hunt at Poco in Bristol serves it with winter mussels and wild water celery), celeriac cooked in Galician beef fat (from Adam Rawson of Pachamama, hot new chef in the capital) and salt-baked celeriac (to be found in Matthew and Iain Penningtons kitchens at The Ethicurean in the West Country) are just a few examples. Getty Images Food trends in 2016 Middle Eastern food The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook (24.95, Phaidon) by grand-dame Salma Hage, author of the bestseller The Lebanese Kitchen (whose halva is pictured here), is out in April Liz & Max Haarala Hamilton Food trends in 2016 Non-alcoholic cocktails Grain Store mixologist Tony Conigliaro has created Roman Redhead, a riot of red grape juice, beetroot, pale ale and verjus, and Rose Iced Tea (black tea, rose petals, anise essence, pictured here) Food trends in 2016 Gin The discerning will be slurping Hepple gin from chef Valentine Warner and cocktail guru Nick Strangeway which is punctuated with bog-myrtle nuances Food trends in 2016 Argyll and Bute Restaurant followers are getting in a froth about Pam Brunton in Scotland, who opened the Inver restaurant in Argyll and Bute to acclaim last year Food trends in 2016 Andy Olivers Som Saa One of the most eagerly awaited restaurants of 2016 will be the permanent incarnation of Andy Olivers remarkable pop-up Som Saa opening very soon in east London. Oliver, who worked at Thai god David Thompsons Nahm in Bangkok, raised a whopping 700,000 through crowdfunding, and is renowned for his piquant Thai flavours and obsessive attention to detail, including in his home ferments and DIY coconut cream Adam Weatherley Food trends in 2016 Venison Another ruminant in vogue is venison, with Sainsburys doubling its line for 2016. It provides a protein-packed punch, with B vitamins and iron, and its low in fat. Its entry into the mainstream is in part thanks to the Scottish restaurant Mac and Wild, just opened in London, whose Celtic head chef Andy Waugh (who also runs the Wild Game Co) has been touting it as street food for years (his venison burger pictured here) Food trends in 2016 Goat From Brett Grahams The Ledbury to Angela Hartnetts kitchens at Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest, Cabrito is the go-to goat supplier among the chef cognoscenti (roasted loin of kid pictured here) but this year, domestic cooks can get in on the action, as Sushila Moles and James Whetlor of Cabrito offer their meat through Ocado Mike Lusmore / mikelusmore.com Food trends in 2016 Coffee Coffee sage George Crawford is launching the much-anticipated Cupsmith with his partner, Emma. Crawford believes that 2016 is the year purist coffee will finally meet the masses; Cupsmiths mission will be to make craft coffee as popular as craft beer on the high street. The company roasts Arabica beans in small batches, improving its quality but sells it online, at cupsmith.com, in an approachable way: expect cheerful packaging and names such as Afternoon Reviver Coffee (designed for drinking with milk no matter how uncouth, most of us want milk) and Glorious Espresso Julia Conway Food trends in 2016 120-day-old steak Hanging meat for extremely long lengths of time has become an art. In Cumbria, Lake Road Kitchens James Cross is plating up 120-day-old steak (pictured here). The beef is from influential ager Dan Austin of Lake District Farmers, who is currently investigating the individual bacterial cultures that go into this maturing process Food trends in 2016 Lotus root Diners can expect root-to-stem dining - cue the full lotus deployed by the Michelin-starred Indian Benares in its kamal kakdi aur paneer korma Getty Images
It is all very well to blether on about Italy's unique coffee culture, the cappuccino with breakfast, the espresso after lunch, and all that Fellini business. But Starbucks knows what it is about quickness and convenience and a caffeinated hit on the hop. And the cities of Italy, like the cities of England and Chile and America and Brazil and all the other crowded towns in which the chain operates, contain people in a rush, people who feel tired and want to feel a little more alert. They are we are, even a world-spanning constituency. And as the flow of information, and the pace of communication, becomes greater and faster, we grow more similar, more set in our modern ways: zombies with hands clawed around paper cups, sipping and zooming, like little exocets running on caffeine and cortisol. There's no time not even a fraction of a minute to lean against il banco for your espresso. It has to be to go.
Perhaps Starbucks' plans should be a source of mourning. But, if so, that mourning shouldn't be for some airy concept like, Italian coffee culture but for ourselves rushing here and there, with not a moment to sit and pause and drink our coffee in peace.
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Spanish wine is the most popular on the planet, according to the latest international export figures, but few of the countrys vineyard owners will raise a glass to that news; on average their vintages fetch less than a third of the price of those sold abroad by France.
Spain exported a record 2.4 billion litres of Rioja, Ribera del Duero and other wines in 2015, significantly bettering second placed Frances two billion litres, according to the Spanish Wine Market Observatory,
At the same time, exports brought in 2.6bn (2bn) in sales. But Spanish wine makers glasses are half empty, as their French counterparts raked in 8bn. more than three times as much. Even Italian wine commanded sales worth 5bn last year.
Experts point out that Spanish vino is often sold in bulk. The price per litre fell last year by 2.9 per cent, to 1.10. The situation is frustrating, but we know what we have to do to catch up, Rafael del Rey, the head of the Spanish Wine Market Observatory, told the Independent.
Italy was in the same situation as Spain 15 years ago, but now Italian producers have doubled their average price. We need to sell less wine in bulk to other producers and more Spanish wine that indicates origin. The Spanish wine industry will look very different in 10 years time.
The problem facing Spains wine makers was clear on the Sainsburys website. A bottle of Codorniu Cuvee Barcelona, the supermarkets most expensive cava, was for sale at a modest 13.00. The priciest bottle of champagne, a Krug Grande Cuvee, would set you back 10 times that at 130.
Climate change good news for English wine
For the EU as a whole, there was better news as demand from the US and China boosted wine exports. The European Union remains the most important wine exporter worldwide and, after three years of relative stability, [it] attained its best ever performance in 2015, Jean-Marie Barillere, president of the Comite Europeen des Entreprises Vins, told The Drinks Business magazine. Helped by a positive dollar to euro exchange rate, the US paid more than a 1 a litre more for its EU wine in 2015, while exports to China grew by 26 per cent.
Still, Spanish wine remains popular with some. Last month saw the sad passing of Antonio Docampo Garcia, aged 107, from Vigo. Before he died Mr Docampo Garcia attributed his longevity to drinking four bottles of homemade wine each day, and never touching water.
He could drink a litre and a half all at once, his son, Miguel Docampo Lopez, told La Voz de Galicia newspaper. When we were both at home we could get through 200 litres of wine a month.
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Apple has publicly stated that it wants to significantly expand its operations in Ireland.
The Cupertino, California-based company employs 5,500 people in Cork, where its European headquarters is based and Apple CEO Tim Cook has plans to hire an additional 1,000 people in the region by mid-2017.
But relatively little is known about what Apple does in this small city on the southeast coast of Ireland, which has a population of 120,000.
In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Show all 21 1 /21 In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Apple CEO Tim Cook takes to the stage in San Francisco, California AP In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, talks about the features of the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus AP In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple Inc, speaks about the live photo capability for new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple Inc, speaks about the live photo capability for new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Mac Software Engineering, takes the stage to discuss the 3D Touch featured on the new iPhone 6s Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Andy Wafer, CEO of game maker Pixeltoy, discusses the game for the new line of iPhone 6 Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Apple CEO Tim Cook shows off the new iPad Pro AP In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Phil Schiller explains the specification details of the new iPad Pro Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple Inc, speaks about the CPU of the new iPad Pro Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple Inc, speaks about the new iPad Pro Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Eric Snowden, Director of Design for Adobe/Behance, displays Adobe software for the new iPad Pro Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, introduces the new Apple Pencil AP In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Accessories for the the iPad Pro include the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Apple CEO Tim Cook predicts an appy future for television AP In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses the Apple TV product at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco AP In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Eddy Cue, senior vice president of Internet Software, discusses the Apple TV product AP In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Added information can be displayed via the Siri app while using Apple TV Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch John Carter of Harmonix discusses his company's game Beat Sports for Apple TV Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Jeff Williams, Apple's senior vice president of Operations, speaks about the Apple Watch and Facebook Messenger Reuters In pictures: Apple products launch 9/9 2015 Apple launch Dr Cameron Powell discusses AirStrip, which features a fetal monitor via Apple Watch Reuters
The company's main campus is in a suburban area of Cork called Hollyhill, while it also has another discrete, yet large, offices in the heart of the city.
Business Insider visited these sites as well as a site for a proposed 850 million (669 million) Apple data centre on Ireland's west coast to see what we could find out. Apple did not allow us to enter any of its buildings.
This map shows where Apple's European headquarters is in relation to its proposed data centre and the Irish outposts of other Silicon Valley giants.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
Having visited Apple's global headquarters in California less than two years ago, I was eagerly anticipating a visit to its second biggest hub in the world. This is the first Apple logo I encountered in Ireland, at the company's main Hollyhill site.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
The logo was attached to a sign. When I pulled up, there were several lorries coming in and out of the entrance, possibly containing some of the customised iMacs that made in Cork.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
I was turned away by a security guard at the shipping and deliveries entrance. I wasn't able to park my hire car in the Apple car park, either, as I didn't have a pass. So, I parked in a housing estate over the road.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
A local dog walker told me the housing estate is home to an Irish travelling community that Apple and the Cork city council relocated. The council reportedly spent 5 million (3.9 million) building the estate for the travellers, who used to live in caravans on a plot of land that Apple wanted to expand onto.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
Retrieving the rental car from the housing estate proved difficult. When I returned, a pack of aggressive dogs were reluctant to let me in. I managed to retrieve it in the end, albeit with the help of the Garda, the Irish police.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
After accidentally leaving the car somewhere I shouldn't have, I walked straight past a security checkpoint and onto Apple's Hollyhill campus. This is the first of Apple's newer buildings at Hollyhill that I came across.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
In order to gain access to Apple's offices, visitors must have a prearranged appointment with an Apple employee.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
This is what the signs around the Apple campus look like. The main buildings are simply called Hollyhill followed by a number.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
This glass bridge joins two of Apple's latest buildings. The majority of people in these buildings are thought to work in customer services, where they take calls from Apple customers across Europe.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
The majority of the campus was off limits, requiring an employee badge to enter.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
An on-site gym provides Apple employees with somewhere to work out when they're not at their desks. There were over a dozen treadmills on show as I walked by.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
The buildings in Hollyhill aren't particularly high, but they're incredibly long when measured horizontally.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
This lamppost on the Hollyhill campus had a strange glass window with something metal on the inside. It could have just been a switch, but it could also be something more exciting.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
This telecoms mast in the Apple car park was also intriguing. It's unclear what Apple uses it for.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
The car park had a couple of electric cars in it that were attached to a charging point. Apple is making increasing efforts to become a greener company much of the Hollyhill site is powered by solar energy.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
There were also a number of motorbikes in the car park, including this Harley-Davidson.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
Apple employees in Cork aren't allowed to smoke across most of the campus. There are designated smoking areas they must visit if they want a cigarette.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
An Apple accounting calendar was lying on the floor of the car park.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
This shelter was also in the car park, although it's unclear why it's there or who is meant to use it.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
A number of building applications can be found on empty plots of land at the Hollyhill site, highlighting Apple's plans to construct new offices to accommodate a growing workforce. But a lack of suitable housing in Cork is threatening to derail Apple's plans.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
This is one of the plots of land that Apple wants to build on at Hollyhill. This may have been where the travelling community was based before it was moved by Apple and Cork city council.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
Around the Hollyhill campus, there are also some pleasant walking routes for Apple employees to use at the end of a busy day or maybe even during their lunch breaks.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
Down in Cork, Apple's second-biggest base in Ireland can be found at Lavitt's Quay. An Apple employee told Business Insider that somewhere between 500 and 1,000 staff work here in many roles, including customer services, finance, and operations.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
This is the view over the River Lee from a point close to Apple's office at Lavitt's Quay.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
Roughly 2 1/2 hours' drive from Cork, this site near Athenry on the west coast of Ireland is where Apple is hoping to build an 850 million (669 million) data centre. The blue dot is me, but Apple wants to build the data centre on the eastern edge of the forest, according to planning documents.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
A local said this is the entrance to the proposed data-centre site. Apple is waiting to hear from an Irish planning board as to whether it will be able to go ahead and build the data centre, which it wants to have up and running next year.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
Athenry Golf Club backs on to Derrydonnell Forest. One of the bartenders at the club said it would be great to see Apple come to Athenry, as there are lots of people in the town looking for work. The receptionist said she hadn't heard about Apple's plans.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
Locals in the town of Athenry were largely in favour of the new data centre. The medieval town is home to 3,950 people, based on 2011 statistics.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
Athenry is home to an astonishing number of pubs, including The Skillet Inn.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
This was the only sign of technology that I saw on my quick walk around Athenry.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
Other routes into the site where Apple plans to build the data centre were inaccessible.
(Photo credit Business Insider/Sam Shead) (Business Insider/Sam Shead)
This is a computer-generated image of what Apple's data centre could look like when finished. Apple is planning to build up to eight data halls in the middle of Derrydonnell Forest.
(Picture credit: Apple) (Apple)
Read more:
Investors are abandoning Barclays' stock as legal costs spiral
European manufacturing is in the toilet
ISIS has killed 8 of its Dutch fighters for 'desertion and mutiny'
Read the original article on Business Insider UK. 2015. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
A Mandan man shot by a Bismarck police officer after he reportedly drove a stolen vehicle in reverse with the alleged intent of hitting the officer pleaded not guilty to charges on Monday.
Miguel Stubing, 18, has been charged with four felonies, including theft of property, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, two counts of reckless endangerment as well as reckless driving, a misdemeanor.
Each felony carries a maximum sentence of five years and a $10,000 fine.
Stubing entered the plea to South Central District Court Judge Bruce Haskell, following a preliminary hearing on the case.
Luke Kapella, a special agent with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, described his investigation of the officer-involved shooting at Mondays hearing.
At about 2:30 a.m. Jan. 23, Bismarck Police Sgt. Jordan West located a stolen car near Kirkwood Mall. The vehicle was reported stolen to the Mandan Police Department the night before the shooting, according to the affidavit.
West later found the vehicle parked in a parking lot on the 1100 block of South Third Street.
In his statement to Kapella, West said he pulled into the parking lot to perform a felony traffic stop.
West found a man, later identified as Cody Conica, walking near the stolen vehicle carrying grocery bags. West said he had believed Conica was the driver, Kapella said.
West then noticed Stubing sitting in the drivers seat of the vehicle and gave him a verbal command.
Stubing ignored Wests command, and West said he heard the cars engine rev and drive at a high speed toward him in reverse.
Conica, who was later interviewed by Scott Betz, a special agent with the BCI, said he believed Stubing was going to hit West and the officer narrowly escaped being rammed between the stolen vehicle and his patrol car.
West, who already had his weapon drawn, told Kapella he feared for his life and fired his weapon five times into the vehicle.
A bullet hit Stubing on the left side of his body and exited the center of his chest area, Kapella said.
Stubing continued to reverse out of the parking lot in the stolen car and was later apprehended by the Emmons County Sheriffs Department.
Burleigh County Assistant States Attorney Marina Spahr said the state would need up to three days to present its case. A trial date has not yet been set.
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Across Wales, people will be celebrating St David's Day in honour of the Welsh patron saint, and Google has marked the occasion with a Doodle.
Welsh schools will be holding eisteddfodau - music, song and poetry competitions.
Some people even wear leeks on their clothing to celebrate their patron saint.
This is not a public holiday in Wales or the rest of the UK.
Here are five things you may not not know about St David:
1. St David was actually Welsh
He was born around 500 AD in Caerfai in Pembrokshire, Wales to Sandde, Prince of Powys and Non, daughter of a chieftain.
Comparing nationality, St Andrew was Palestinian, St Patrick was a Romano-British missionary, while St George was a Roman soldier of Greek extraction.
Indeed, of the patron saints of the British Isles, only St David and St Patrick had visited the country they are the patron saint for.
2. St David's Day marks the date of his death
St David was the Welsh bishop for the city of Menevia, in Pembrokshire - now called St Davids .
According to historical sources, he died on 1 March ,589 AD.
He was officially recognised as a saint by Pope Callixtus in 1120.
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3. St David was a vegetarian
Nicknamed the "water drinker", St David only drank water and ate only herbs, vegetables and bread.
4. Welsh regiments eat raw leeks on 1 March
Historically Welsh regiments such as the Queen's Dragoon Guards eat raw leeks to celebrate their patron saint.
Before a battle against the Saxons, legend has it, David advised Welsh warriors to wear a leek in his hat so that they could distinguish themselves from their enemies.
Thus inspiring the tradition of wearing leeks on his name day.
5. His symbol is not the leek or daffodil
His symbol is actually a dove normally resting on a shoulder as he stands on a hill.
It is believed while speaking to a crowd of people at the synod of Brefi, a hill arose at the very spot he had preached from.
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The new Investigatory Powers Bill will allow the police to look into all of everyone's internet browsing history.
Theresa May has presented the re-drafted bill as including new provisions for user privacy. But a key part of the bill expands the powers that police have to look at Internet Connection Records (ICRs) a full list of every website that a person has connected to.
Internet service providers (ISPs) must hold on to the browsing histories of all of their users for a year, and hand them over to authorities when required to.
Recommended Read more UK Government introduces law requiring WhatsApp to be broken
The draft bill also vastly expands the police's hacking powers, allowing every force to hack into a computer. It expands that same power to some public authorities, like tax officers and the Home Office itself.
In earlier versions of the bill, police access to those records was limited to seeing the illegal websites that a person had read. But police will now be able to see all of a person's browsing history, if officers believe it relevant to certain investigations.
The use of the powers is not subject to the same controls that safeguard other parts of the bill, and will not require a warrant.
The changes come after extended pressure by the police, which was reported last year to be lobbying the government to widen its powers within the new bill. Police said that they needed to extra powers because of the increasingly sophisticated nature of online crime.
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The Government and police have argued that ICRs only offer something like a telephone record, showing which specific sites a person connected to. But since internet browsing is much more sophisticated and tends to lead to much richer data, many have pointed out that it would be possible to learn a great deal about a person from a full list of their browsing history.
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The Government is pushing through a bill that will cripple WhatsApp and iMessage as they currently exist.
The bill has been re-drafted after it was criticised by every parliamentary committee responsible for scrutinising it, but many of the most controversial powers remain.
The new draft of the Investigatory Powers Bill includes a clause that forces technology companies to weaken their security when spies need it to. That includes the removal of end-to-end encryption, the technology that allows services like WhatsApp, iMessage and FaceTime to allow people to communicate securely.
The Government said that it had re-written the law to respond to concerns about the weakening of encryption, and that it would no longer force them to weaken encryption. It will only force companies to weaken security that they themselves applied, for instance.
But the new law could still force companies to install backdoors in their security, undermining the technology used in many of the most popular chat apps.
Charities including Privacy International criticised the bill, arguing that no changes had been made to guarantee people's security.
"It would be shameful to even consider this change cosmetic," said Gus Hosein, the executive director of Privacy International. "The Bill published today continues to adhere to the structure and the underlying rationale that underpinned the draft IP Bill, despite the criticism and lengthy list of recommendations from three Parliamentary Committees.
"The continued inclusion of powers for bulk interception and bulk equipment interference - hacking by any other name - leaves the right to privacy dangerously undermined and the security of our infrastructure at risk. Despite this, the Home Office stands by its claim that the Bill represents "world-leading" legislation. It is truly world-leading, for all the wrong reasons."
The bill also requires that internet companies keep information on everything their users have looked at for an entire year. That information can then be accessed by the Government.
The new changes to the draft bill widen the situations where those powers can be used. Law enforcement will now be able to access internet usage records for pursuing investigative leads, after concerns that police would not be able to get hold of them for missing people inquiries and other investigations.
The ban on encryption only requires companies to remove the security features when it is deemed practicable. Technology companies have repeatedly complained that it isnt clear what that restriction means.
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
The new bill does include new explicit checks on that measure, making clear that the test must include a consideration of how much it would cost to remove that encryption, for instance.
If the powers are used as written, they could lead to the outlawing of many of the worlds most popular internet services or force products including Apples iOS, which powers the iPhone and iPad, to be re-written from the ground up.
But those same restrictions could bring the bill into conflict with other . The draft powers do not make clear how the Government would treat instances of extra-territorial conflict, meaning that the new bill could force companies to break the law in other countries to satisfy the UK powers.
Technology companies have also worried that the powers to weaken encrypted chat services could set a precedent and lead to them also being instituted by other countries with fewer protections.
The Government hopes that it can pass the bill by the end of the year. It claims that it is necessary because many of the laws allowing for spying will go out of date in 2016, and says that passing it will allow all of those powers to be brought under one umbrella.
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The sea does strange things to people. More than 40 years ago, after 240 days afloat, a novice sailor called Donald Crowhurst was about to claim the trophy in the first single-handed round-the-world yacht race when his boat was found adrift in the Atlantic abandoned. A study of his log later showed he had faked his epic voyage and never left the northern waters where his yacht was found. Fearing his secret would be discovered, it is believed he jumped overboard. But the mystery was never solved.
:: Warning: Image of mummified body appears below
Now Manfred Fritz Bajorat, a German round- the-world sailor, has been discovered on his yacht drifting off the coast of the Phillipines, seven years after the last reported sighting and a year after the last message received from him. Bajorat, 59, was still with his yacht, but in strange circumstances. His mummified body was found slumped over a table next to the radio telephone, leading to speculation he may have suffered a heart attack and been trying to make an emergency call.
Pictures show a man with silver hair and a beard, his head leaning towards his crooked arm, which is resting on the table, as if he were studying a chart. His body is remarkably intact. Seated in the cabin, it was protected from scavenging sea birds; and the high temperature, low humidity and salty sea-air appear to have combined to produce ideal conditions for preservation of the corpse.
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Had he fallen into the water, it would have been a different story. In tropical seas, decomposition and putrefaction begin quickly and progress rapidly. A body may sink to the bottom initially but the bacterial action which causes it to bloat with gas will normally mean that, after three or four days, it will again float to the surface, where it is exposed to sea-birds, sharks and buffeting by the waves.
In cold water, this process may be slowed. The tissues form a soapy, fatty acid known as grave wax that protects the corpse and halts bacterial growth. Bodies have been recovered almost completely intact after several weeks in cold seas. However, a natural mummification such as Bajorat's is rare, as it requires extreme conditions of cold, salinity, acidity or aridity.
The earliest ancient Eqyptian mummies occurred naturally after being buried in shallow pit-graves in the hot dry sand of the desert, which promoted dehydration and desiccation of the corpses. The natural preservation of the dead led to deliberate mummification, which became an integral part of the death ritual in ancient Egypt.
Manfred Fritz Bajorat's mummified body
Natural mummies have also been found in other extreme environments. The Saltmen of Iran were first discovered when miners came across a body with long hair and a beard in the Chehrabad salt mines outside the city of Zanjan in 1993. Another body was found in 2004, two more in 2005 and by 2010, six bodies had been uncovered, all well preserved by the salt. They are estimated to be at least 1,700 years old.
More venerable still is the oldest known natural mummy in Europe Otzi, also known as Iceman, whose remains emerged from a retreating glacier in the Otztal Alps (hence his name), close to the Italian-Austrian border. He was found in September 1991 and is estimated to have lived around 3,300 BC.
More recently, in England, a 61-year-old former Devon taxi driver, Alan Billis, who was terminally ill with lung cancer, volunteered to be mummified to help scientists research the processes involved. After he died in 2011, his skin was covered in oils and his body immersed in a bath of cold salt water for more than a month before being wrapped in linen and dried for three months. A documentary about the process was shown on Channel 4.
In his case we know the cause of death. But in that of Bajorat, his body frozen in time, it's unlikely we shall ever discover what happened in his final days, alone on the high seas.
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The benefits of a drug dubbed female Viagra have been found to be "marginal".
Flibanserin, now sold as Addyi, was found to only increase the number of satisfying sexual experiences women who used it had by one every two months.
The researchers expressed concern over the limited benefits of the drug in addition to a number of unpleasant side effects that it can also cause.
Researchers in the Netherlands looked at eight studies testing the drug, intended for women with "hypoactive sexual desire disorder" (low libido with a number of possible causes), which totalled nearly 6,000 women.
They found that users experienced "one-half of an additional sexually satisfying encounter per month".
This was in addition to the two or three sexually satisfying events the women were able to experience without the help of the drug.
However, researchers expressed concern that the poor benefits of the drug were also statistically and clinically significantly increasing the risk of dizziness, somnolence [drowsiness], nausea, and fatigue.
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
When combined with alcohol, the drug posed further risks, including hypotension and fainting.
The report continued: "Overall, the quality of the evidence was graded as very low for efficacy and safety outcomes."
"Women do experience some sort of benefit, but the benefits are marginal and have to be seen in the light of more side-effects," study author Dr Loes Jaspers of Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, said in to CBC.
The research confirms concerns that some parties have long held about the drug. PharmedOut, a campaign group which monitors how pharmaceutical companies influence prescribing drugs, expressed concern in 2015 about the clever, aggressive public relations campaign that it says saw the drug gaining FDA approval.
In regards to the new findings, Dr Adriane Fugh-Berman, PharmedOuts director, said to the New York Times: An additional half a satisfying sexual encounter a month is that meaningful?
I think only the women can answer that, but perhaps they already have with their lack of enthusiasm for getting prescriptions.
Flibanserin is not as popular as expected, with less than 300 prescriptions being given a week and sales of $11 million a year, rather than the $100 million or more which was expected, Wells Fargo analyst David Maris told the New York Times.
Flibanserin, first produced by Sprout Pharmaceuticals and now owned by Valeant Pharmaceuticals , was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year after two previous failed attempts.
In a seperate development, Valeant Pharmaceuticals are currently under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and have seen their stock plummet over the last few days.
While the drug does not actually work like Viagra which improves blood flow to the penis Flibanserin, originally developed as an anti-depressant, targets chemicals in the brain with the aim of increasing female sexual desire.
Despite not yet being widely available to in the UK, the drug does appear on specialist British pharmaceutical websites to buyers with a prescription.
The drugs introduction was strongly supported by womens campaign groups such as Even the Score, who felt it was unfair that drugs to treat sexual issues in men were easy to come by but not for women.
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A blood cancer charity is calling on young men with in demand stem cells to sign up to become donors, to combat a desperate shortage.
Men between the ages of 16 to 30 have the most sought after stem cells, but they only make up 15 per cent of the register, according to the Anthony Nolan charity.
A fifth of the 345 British men in this age group surveyed by the charity said a lack of information put them off from registering.
A further 34 per cent said that they were afraid it may be painful, while 27 per cent said they did not like needles or hospitals.
The charity made the call after a student launched her own appeal on social media to try to find a stem cell donor.
Cardiff University student Vithiya Alphons, 24, was diagnosed with aggressive leukaemia in the final year of her medical degree.
She must now find a donor in order to receive a stem-cell transplant, made more difficult by her Sri Lankan heritage.
Ms Alphons is calling on people with a south Asian background to join Antony Nolans worldwide register.
Henny Braund, chief executive of Anthony Nolan, said: "We desperately need more young men to join the register.
"There are so many myths that surround stem cell donation. It isn't necessarily about being brave, as the process is so straightforward.
"All you have to do is fill out a simple form and provide a saliva sample. If you are a match for someone, 90 per cent of the time the process is similar to giving blood."
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
Stem cell transplants can be used to treat conditions affecting a patient's bone marrow or blood.
If a patient has a condition that affects their bone marrow or blood, then a stem cell transplant may be their best chance of survival.
The donor's stem cells are transfered into the patient through their blood stream. This enables the patient to grow and product healthy blood cells and platelets.
Those who are interested in becoming donors are required to send a sample of their saliva to Anthony Nolan for testing, by first sending off for a "spit kit". Those eligible will then be asked to donate stem cells when a patient with cancer or a blood disorder is in need.
The vast majority of donors will give stem-cells by undergoing peripheral blood stem cell collection. And one in 10 people will have their stem cells collected from their bone marrow while under general anaesthetic.
The charity stresses on its website that donation does not hurt, citing the responses of countless donors.
Additional reporting by PA
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A company has introduced a period policy in an effort to give women more flexibility and create a happier and healthier working environment.
Coexist, a community interest firm in Bristol, has a largely female workforce and believes tapping into employees natural cycles will benefit everyone.
It hopes to tackle the taboo of menstruation by becoming the first company in the UK to introduce a policy to allow women leave if they are suffering.
Bex Baxter, a director at Coexist, said: "As a manager of staff I have seen women really suffer with their periods and I have found them doubled over in a lot of pain.
"They feel guilty and ashamed for taking time off and often sit at their desks in silence not wanting to acknowledge it.
"It started from there and we thought we had to see what we could do about it and try and break the last great taboo.
"Nothing like this has been done in the UK before, we believe, and if it has, it has been very small."
According to the NHS, studies suggest 90 per cent of women experience period pain. Around 20 per cent describe their pain as moderate, while two per cent say it is severe.
Another study, it says, claims 14 per cent of women are frequently unable to work because of the pain.
Miss Baxter believes the scheme will increase productivity and hopes other firms will follow the lead of global sportswear giant Nike and introduce similar policies.
Nike introduced menstrual leave in 2007 and makes business partners sign a memorandum of understanding to ensure they maintain the companys standards.
Miss Baxter said: "Many companies are male-dominated and encourage long hours but there is a misconception that taking time off makes a business unproductive," she said.
"This is not about employees taking more time off but working more flexibly and efficiently around their menstrual cycle and encouraging a work-life balance.
The issue of menstruation leave has previously divided opinion, with some saying it is discriminatory or even sexist to allow women extra time off, while others argue it is a medical necessity.
Miss Baxter said: "When women are having their periods they are in a winter state, when they need to regroup, keep warm and nourish their bodies.
"The spring section of the cycle, immediately after a period, is a time when women are actually three times as productive as usual."
The policy has been created as part of the Pioneering Period Policy: Valuing Natural Cycles in the Workplace seminar which will take place on March 15 at Hamilton House in Stokes Croft.
It is based on the work of Alexandra Pope, the founder and creator of women's leadership programme, Red School.
The school teaches a radical new approach to woman's health and wellbeing; creativity and leadership; and spiritual life based on the power of our menstruality consciousness.
Ms Baxter added: "It seemed a great opportunity to host an event for other businesses which can launch their own conversation about it."
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Antony Jenkins, Barclays former chief executive, is to receive a bonus of half a million pound taking his total remuneration to 3.4 million for 2015, despite being ousted last summer.
The banks annual report said Jenkins would receive a bonus pro-rated for service of 505,000.
When he left in July after three years, his contract entitled him to 12 months notice from the company.
This meant that until July 7, 2016, he would continue to receive a salary of 1.1 million, a further allowance worth 950,000 a year paid in shares and a pension allowance worth 363,000 and other benefits, according to the Guardian.
The additional 505,000 bonus amounts to around a quarter of his fixed pay.
The [remuneration] committee has determined that Mr Jenkins will remain eligible to be considered for a pro-rated 2015 bonus for time in role as group chief executive, subject to an assessment of the relevant performance measures relating to his 2015 bonus and the general discretion of the Committee, Barclays said in the statement which announced Jenkins exit.
Mr Jenkins, had been in the job for just three years, having been hired to replace the high-profile American investment banker, Bob Diamond.
At the time Sir Michael Rake, Barclays deputy chairman, said that a new set of skills were needed to run the bank and that the search for a new chairman was already underway.
Barclays' bonus pool for staff was 1.67 billion for 2015, 10 per cent down from 2014, as it reported a two per cent drop in annual adjusted profit before tax to 5.4 billion.
This was lower than the 5.8 billion expected by investors.
The results came with plans for Barclays to sell its African business to try and stem losses and cut costs.
Biggest business scandals in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Biggest business scandals in pictures Biggest business scandals in pictures Volkswagen emissions scandal VW admitted to rigging its US emission tests so that diesel-powered cars would looks like they were emitting less nitrous oxide, which can damage the ozone layer and contribute to respiratory diseases. Around 11 million cars worldwide were affected. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals Martin Shkreli became known as the most hated man in the world after his drug company, Turing, increased the price of a 62-year-old drug that treated HIV patients by 5,000% to $750 a pill. He was charged with illegally taking stock from Retrophin, a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it pay off debts from unrelated business dealings. Shkreli, who maintains he is innocent, and says there is little evidence of fraud because his investors didn't lose money. Biggest business scandals in pictures Panama Papers: Millions of leaked documents expose how worlds rich and powerful hid money - April 2016 Millions of confidential documents have been leaked from one of the worlds most secretive law firms, exposing how the rich and powerful have hidden their money. Dictators and other heads of state have been accused of laundering money, avoiding sanctions and evading tax, according to the unprecedented cache of papers that show the inner workings of the law firm Mossack Fonseca, which is based in Panama. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Google's tax avoidance Google reached a deal with the HM Revenue and Customs to pay back 130 million in so-called back-taxes that have been due since 2005. George Osborne championed the deal as a major success. But European MEPs have since called for the Chancellor to appear in front of the committee on tax rulings to explain the tax deal. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Rogue trader A French court cut the damages owed by rogue trader Jerome Kerviel from 4.9bn (4.2bn) to just 1m (860,000). The court ruled on that Kerviel was partly responsible for massive losses suffered in 2008 by his former employer Societe Generale through his reckless trades. Kerviel has consistently maintained that bosses at the French bank knew what he was doing all along. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Barclays CEO under investigation for trying to identify whistleblower - Monday Paril 10 Authorities have launched an investigation into Barclays chief executive officer Jes Staley for trying to identify a whistleblower, the bank said on Monday. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) are both investigating Mr Staley after the bank notified them that Mr Staley had tried to identify the author of two anonymous letters, which were sent to the board and a senior executive in June 2016. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures UK to crack down on bank money laundering after reports of 65bn Russian scam, City minister says - March 2017 The Economic Secretary to the Treasury has vowed that the Government will crack down on money laundering practices, after several of the UK's biggest banks were accused of processing money from a Russian scam, believed to involve up to $80bn (65bn). Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former HBOS bankers convicted of bribery and fraud over 245m loan scam - February 2017 Two former HBOS bankers were among six people found guilty of bribery and fraud that cost customers and shareholders hundreds of millions of pounds, the BBC reports. Lynden Scourfield, 54, a manager at HBOS, forced struggling clients to use the services of his friends David Mills, 60, and Michael Bancroft, 73. In return, the two businessmen arranged sex parties, cash and lavish gifts. On Monday, the three were convicted at Southwark Crown Court on accounts including bribery, fraud and money laundering. Mark Dobson, another manager at HBOS, Alison Mills, and John Cartwright were also convicted. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Lloyds chief apologises for damage caused by affair allegations - August 2016 Antonio Horta-Osorio, the chief executive of Lloyds Bank, has broken his silence over allegations about his private life admitting he regrets any "damage done to the group's reputation". In a message sent to the bank's 75,000 employees, the banker said that anyone can make mistakes while insisting that staff had to maintain the highest professional standards. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Christine Lagarde faces court over 340m Bernard Tapie payment - July 2016 The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, must stand trial in France over a payment of 403 million (now 340m, then 290m) to tycoon Bernard Tapie, a France's highest appeals court has ruled. The court rejected Ms Lagarde's appeal against a judge's order in December for her to stand trial over allegations of negligence in her handling of the affair. Ms Lagarde could risk a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros if convicted. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures HSBC senior manager arrested in FX rigging investigation at JFK airport in New York - July 2016 A senior executive at HSBC has been arrested at New York's JFK airport for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to rig currency benchmarks, according to reports. Mark Johnson, global head of foreign exchange cash trading in London, was reportedly arrested on Tuesday. He will appear before a federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Bloomberg said. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Former PwC employees found guilty in 'Luxleaks' tax scandal - June 2016 Two ex- PricewaterhouseCoopers staffers were found guilty in Luxembourg of stealing confidential tax files that helped unleash a global scandal over generous fiscal deals for hundreds of international companies. Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet face suspended sentences of 12 months and 9 months and were ordered to pay fines of 1,500 (1,230) and 1,000 (822) for their role in the so-called LuxLeaks scandal. Despite the minimal sentences, the ruling was described by Deltours lawyer as shocking and a terrible anomaly. The ruling puts on guard future whistle-blowers, Deltour told reporters.The LuxLeaks revelations sped beyond Luxembourg, causing European Union regulators to expand a tax-subsidy probe and propose new laws to fight corporate tax dodging, while EU lawmakers created a special committee to probe fiscal deals across the 28-nation bloc. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Goldman Sachs dealmakers lavished Libyan officials with prostitutes to win contract - June 2016 A former Goldman Sachs dealmaker trying to persuade Gadaffi-era Libya to invest $1 billion with the investment bank procured prostitutes and invited Libyan officials to lavish parties in the hope of winning the business, the High Court heard on Monday June 13.The Libyan Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund is suing Goldman Sachs for inappropriately coercing its naive staff into giving its sovereign wealth fund cash to the bank to invest in products they did not understand. The products were designed to generate big profits for Goldman, the LIA claims.Goldman denies wrongdoing and says the LIA was treated as an arms-length customer Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former boss of BHS said his life was threatened - June 2016 Darren Topp, the former boss of BHS, has said former owner Dominic Chappell threatened to kill him when he challenged him over a 1.5 million transfer out of the business. MPs on the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee asked Mr Topp about a 1.5 million transfer Mr Chappell made from BHS to a company called BHS Sweden. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley admits paying workers below the minimum wage - June 2016 Mike Ashley admitted paying Sports Direct employees below the minimum wage at a hearing in front of MPs. The company founder said that workers were paid less than the statutory minimum because of bottlenecks at security in an admission that could result in sanctions from HMRC. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Mitsubishi admits improper fuel tests - April 2016 Mitsubishi has admitted to using false fuel methods dating back to 1991. The scale of the scandal is only just coming to light after it was revealed in April that data was falsified in the testing of four types of cars, including two Nissan cars. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Quindell, the scandal-ridden insurance firm Quindell was once a darling of AIM but its share price fell in April 2014 when its accounting practices were attacked in a stinging research note by US short seller Gotham City. In August the group was forced to disclose that the 107 million pre-tax profit it had reported for 2013 was incorrect, and it had in fact suffered a 64million loss. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Toshiba Accounting Scandal The boss of Toshiba, the Japanese technology giant, resigned in disgrace in the wake of one of the countrys biggest ever accounting scandals. His exit came two months after the company revealed that it was investigating accounting irregularities. An independent investigatory panel said that Toshibas management had inflated its reported profits by up to 152 billion yen (780m) between 2008 and 2014. Biggest business scandals in pictures FIFA Corruption Scandal Fifa, football's world governing body, has been engulfed by claims of widespread corruption since the summer of 2015, when the US Department of Justice indicted several top executives. It has now claimed the careers of two of the most powerful men in football, Fifa President Sepp Blatter and Uefa President Michel Platini, after they were banned for eight years from all football-related activities by Fifa's ethics committee. A Swiss criminal investigation into the pair is ongoing. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Libor fraudster City trader Tom Hayes, 35, has become the first person to be convicted of rigging Libor rates following a trial at London's Southwark Crown Court. Hayes worked as a trader in yen derivatives at UBS before joining the American bank Citigroup in Tokyo. He was fired from Citigroup following an investigation into his trading methods. He returned to the UK in December 2012 and was arrested following a two-and-a-half year criminal investigation by the SFO. Getty
Jes Staley, Barclays Group Chief Executive Officer, said the results showed the ban was fundamentally on the right path and at its core a very good business.
2016 will consequently be a year of accelerated delivery from a good base, Staley said.
Staley said he would not be taking a bonus this financial year.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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The Daily Mail has launched a "campaign" of anti-refugee propaganda which paints Sweden in a dim light because of its liberal migration policy, the Swedish embassy in London has reportedly said.
In a report filed by embassy staff for their superiors in the Swedish foreign ministry, diplomats said the newspaper was portraying Sweden as being "naive" for taking in more than its fair share of refugees.
Quoted by the Swedish news agency TT, it appeared to express concern that the Mail Online, the Daily Mail's digital arm, has a wide international reach and that stories about Sweden received hundreds of unpleasant and racist remarks in the comment section.
The memo was reportedly signed off on by the Swedish ambassador Nicola Clase, and sent to senior officials including Swedish cabinet secretary Hans Dahlgren.
According to a translation by the Swedish edition of The Local, it read: "The tabloid Daily Mail has launched a campaign against Swedish migration policy.
"Sweden is being used as a deterrent and an argument against allowing more refugees into the UK.
"The Daily Mail characterises Sweden as naive and an example of the negative consequences of a liberal migration policy."
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 Guardian quoted Swedish officials as saying such reports are a "routine" part of diplomatic work and "statements of fact".
When contacted by The Independent, a spokesman for the Swedish embassy declined to comment and directed enquiries to Stockholm.
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The BBC will find no hiding place for its failings under a regulatory shake-up giving Ofcom responsibility for overseeing the corporation, the author of an independent review commissioned by the Government has claimed.
The BBCs 94-year system of self-governance should be scrapped following a series of scandals, Sir David Clementi concluded.
John Whittingdale, the Culture Secretary, is now considering the report, which argued that the BBC Trust should be axed and oversight of the corporation passed wholly to Ofcom, the communications watchdog.
A former deputy governor of the Bank of England, Sir David said there should be fundamental reform of the system of governance and regulation for the BBC.
The BBC Trust model is flawed. It conflates governance and regulatory functions within the Trust, said Sir David. Blurred accountabilities between the Trust and BBC Executive, led by the Director-General, contributed to scandals over Jonathan Ross, executive pay and a failed 100m digital media initiative.
Created in 2006, the Trust was a mistake, Sir David said. High pay, the remuneration issues, IT issues, are things that I have in mind because when they go wrong there is the question about which board is responsible.
One of the difficulties in those cases was it wasnt quite clear if the Trust were dealing with it or whether the Executive board were dealing with it. It fell to both of them and neither of them.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA 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. 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I think in what I propose, itll be entirely clear that the unitary board will be responsible for the activities of the BBC. There will be no hiding place.
Ofcom would provide independent regulation and a new BBC unitary Board, led by a heavy-hitting chairman supported by a majority of non-executive directors, would represent the interests of licence-fee payers and defend the BBCs impartiality. Archie Norman, the former ITV chairman, has been mooted as a possible candidate for the post which would now effectively be a full-time job.
Regulation over issues such as impartiality, offence, and the BBCs impact on the commercial marketplace should be handed to Ofcom, since it already enjoys some powers over the BBC and has the experience and credibility to oversee the UKs biggest public service broadcaster.
Ofcom could fine the BBC in exceptional circumstances, extending powers it already possesses. Sir David said the relationship between Ofcom and the BBC could become combative. I dont expect Ofcom to bash the BBC for the sake of it but I expect it to be pretty tough. The relationship would be one of mutual respect, he said.
Ofcom would issue the BBC an operating framework, which would set out the obligations placed on the BBC. The BBC should handle complaints in the first instance with Ofcom handling appeals on editorial issues. The BBC receives 250,000 complaints a year, compared to the 25,000 Ofcom receives. Sir David said he expects Ofcom would receive some funds from the licence fee to cover the cost of its additional regulatory responsibilities.
The BBC Trust has previously questioned whether Ofcom is equipped to regulate the BBC, because it is held to a different standard of accuracy and impartiality than the broadcasting watchdog applies to commercial rivals.
Rona Fairhead, BBC Trust Chairman, said she had argued for a strong BBC board and an external regulator. It will be important to get the details right, and we now want to work with the Government to ensure roles are clear, the structure is effective and the BBCs independence protected, she said.
A BBC spokesman said: If delivered, these proposals will bring about the most significant change in governance and regulation of the BBC in its lifetime. A move to a single external regulator with strong powers will provide assurance to the market that the BBC is independently regulated.
However Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said the union was unconvinced that the regulatory oversight of the BBC should be passed wholly to Ofcom. It has allowed news and current affairs to be chipped away and we fear it will not safeguard the BBCs future news output. Whatever structure replaces the Trust must have a robust policy on whistleblowers and it must act as a watchdog to ensure full diversity in front of and behind the camera.
Wayne Nygaard
Wayne Nygaard, 66, Bismarck, formerly of Tioga, passed away Feb. 25, 2016, at his home after a valiant battle with cancer while under the care of hospice. Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, at Bismarck Funeral Home. Interment will be at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.
Visitation will be held one hour before the service at the funeral home.
Wayne was born Dec. 22, 1949, to Milo and Elna (Sobak) Nygaard in Grafton. He received his elementary education at Shepard School, rural Fairdale; graduated from Edmore High School in 1967; and from North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton in 1969 with a degree in diesel mechanics.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in April 1970 and served on the USS Forrestal and the USS Vulcan based out of Portsmouth and Norfolk, Va. During this time, he also worked in the shipyards and became a federally certified welder. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in May 1974.
On Aug. 16, 1971, in Brocket, Wayne married the love of his life, Marja Maatta, and they began their 44 1/2 year life adventure. They had their first child, Kim, in May 1972 while living in Virginia. Wayne and Marja welcomed two more children, Amber in March 1976 and Jaden in September 1979.
After moving back to North Dakota in 1974, Wayne was hired as a welder with Amerada Hess in Tioga and was soon transferred to the mechanics department, where he worked until his retirement in 2005. Wayne was also a member of Norman Free Lutheran Church, where he served as both a deacon and trustee.
After retirement, Wayne and Marja traveled and spent time in Texas every winter until 2009 when he was diagnosed with cancer. They moved to Bismarck to be closer to family in November 2010. Wayne enjoyed woodworking, among his projects were a magnificent grandfather clock and a beautiful china hutch. He also enjoyed reading and spending time with his grandchildren.
He is survived by his loving wife, Marja; his children, Kim (Kurt Cook) Andrews, Amber (David) Sundhagen and Jaden (Jessica) Nygaard; eight grandchildren, Jacob, Owen, Tristen, Harlee, Adam, Riley, Tucker and Deven; his father, Milo Nygaard; his brothers, Mark (Pam) Nygaard, Jon (Denise) Nygaard and Kevin Nygaard; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents; his paternal grandparents; his mother, Elna Nygaard; and several aunts and uncles.
Those wishing to sign the online register book or leave a message of condolence please go to www.bismarckfuneralhome.com.
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The suffragette Emily Wilding Davison is most widely remembered for her death.
Davison running out in front of the Kings Horse at the Epsom Derby in 1933 with a WSPU (Womens Social and Political Union) flag pinned onto her jacket imprinted her name into history.
The 40-year-old was a member of the WSPU, dubbed by members of the press at the time as the 'Suffragettes'. A more militant faction of the womens suffrage movement than the National Union Of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), the group gained notoriety for smashing the windows of politicians homes and landing themselves in prison where they were subject to brutal force-feeding methods.
Yet the one event which proved the most shocking than any other in the history of the movement was Davisons death.
Her funeral was organised by the Suffragettes and attended by those highest up in the ranks, including Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters. It echoed a state funeral procession and featured in the haunting, closing scenes for the 2015 film Suffragette starring Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter.
Anne-Marie Duff and Carey Mulligan in 'Suffragette'
Davison's character in the film, depicted by Natalie Press, is presented as determined, clever and ambitious.
Who really was Emily Wilding Davison and what questions remain about her death? The Independent spoke to historical consultant Dr Diana Atkinson, who advised the Suffragette filmmakers, to find out more.
She was capable of much more than being a governess
Davison was born in Greenwich to what Dr Atkinson describes as a lower middle class family.
Her education was interrupted by her fathers death which left the family with less money. After completing her education she became a governess, a position which Dr Atkinson believes she cant have been too thrilled about given her education.
Of course, it was for interesting families who were well off but at this time, she was capable of much more than that, explains Dr Atkinson. Davison actually wanted to be a journalist.
Davison came from a large family as her father married twice. Dr Atkinson said that in terms of a partner, there was no love in her life that Ive ever been able to find out about.
'That was her purpose, being a militant suffragette'
Dr Atkinson says Davison was excited by the thought of joining the WSPU and left her job as a governess to throw herself into the cause. Her abiding love was being involved in campaigns whether it was organising or speaking or doing increasingly militant acts.
These militant acts included storming the House of Commons, breaking windows and Dr Atkinson believes it was her who essentially invented setting fire to letter boxes as a militant action. She was jailed and force fed many times. You name it, she did it. That was her purpose: being a militant suffragette.
Davison was familiar with top ranking Suffragettes such as the Pankhursts. However, she wasnt quite in the inner circle, where Dr Atkinsons says she aspired to be. She worked at the information department but had bigger ambitions and hoped to run her own branch.
In pictures: Suffragettes Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: Suffragettes In pictures: Suffragettes suffragettes-4.jpg PA In pictures: Suffragettes suffragettes-2.jpg PA In pictures: Suffragettes Pg-3-games-getty.jpg Getty In pictures: Suffragettes Emily-Davison-(1872---1913).jpg Getty In pictures: Suffragettes 24-Suffragette-Burial-Getty_1.jpg Getty In pictures: Suffragettes suffragettes-3.jpg PA In pictures: Suffragettes suffragettes.jpg PA In pictures: Suffragettes emily5.jpg Mark Pinder
The circumstances surrounding are death are still contested today
Did Davison run towards the horse with the intention of attaching something to it, in an action that had tragic consequences, or was it a planned suicide?
The answer is still uncertain, but Dr Atkinson believes Davison planned it. She had a jacket with a WSPU flag pinned to it, to me that seems ritualistically planned. The theories that it wasnt planned as Davison had apparently brought a return ticket are disputed by Dr Atkinson, who says it was cheaper to buy a return ticket anyway.
Emily Davison lies fatally injured after being struck by the Kings horse, Anmer, in the 1913 Derby (Getty)
Additionally, everyone at that time rode horses and were aware of the danger they posed.
Nowadays youd be forgiven for not knowing about horses but then they were everywhere and you knew how dangerous they were. How could she have imagined stepping out as a horse galloping at x miles an hour came her way that it would have pulled up for her and not mowed her down?"
It also wouldn't have been Davisons first suicide attempt, according to Dr Atkinson, who says she had suicidal moments before including a highly dangerous instance where she tried to throw herself over a prison staircase during a long sentence at Holloway prison.
The last six months of her life seem to be building up to something. Her death was a big moment - she got the attention she craved".
'Her death kept women's suffrage on everybody's lips'
Suffragettes in the funeral procession of English suffragette Emily Davison on14th June 1913. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Her death has gone down as a key point in the history of the women's suffrage movement. Thousands of column inches and headlines were dedicated to her passing. Much of it was negative and some individuals against female suffrage used it as ammunition to exemplify how women were unhinged lunatics who couldnt be trusted to make political decisions. Dr Atkinson doesnt think it brought women the vote any sooner, but it did remind the British government and wider world that the suffragettes werent going to stop until equality was reached.
Crowds line the street as the funeral procession Emily Davison on 14 June 1913 (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
"We can't say that it pushed the cause any further forward, but it kept women's suffrage on everybody's lips."
Commemoration of her death didnt stop at the extravagant funeral, which was put on by the suffragettes and attended by those highest up in the ranks. The anniversary of Davisons death was marked by the WSPU for several years, and each year this brought the issue of female suffrage to the forefront - until 1918 when married women attained the vote and in 1928 when universal suffrage was passed in the UK.
Suffragette is now available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD.
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Jeremy Corbyns son was allegedly assaulted while leaving a nightclub in York over the weekend.
The 22-year-old University of York student allegedly suffered a cut to his eye after being headbutted, according to the Daily Mirror.
The youngest son of the Labour party leader was reportedly leaving Mansion Club in the city centre after partying with friends when he was allegedly assaulted at around 4am.
When contacted by the Independent, a North Yorkshire police spokesperson said: Police in York are investigating an allegation of assault on a 22-year-old man. The incident occurred at the Mansion Nightclub, Mickelgate, between 4am and 4.30am on Saturday.
The victim, who suffered a cut to his eye, reported the matter to North Yorkshire Police at 1.26pm on Saturday.
People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015.
Enquiries are on-going to investigate the full circumstances surrounding the incident. Nobody has been arrested. Witnesses or anyone with information that could assist officers are asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room.
A spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn told the Independent he would not be commenting.
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Tales of tragedy written on papyrus that lay hidden for centuries in an Ancient Egyptian rubbish dump have been revealed after being pieced together with the help of a small army of citizen scientists.
The stories range from a doctors report on the drowning of a 12-year-old slave girl to a rendition of the Book of Exodus in the style of a Greek tragedy allowing an unknown actor to play Moses 2,000 years before Charlton Heston got his chance in the 1956 blockbuster film The Ten Commandments.
They have been reconstructed partly thanks to the help of 250,000 volunteers worldwide, who have contributed to transcribing papyrus fragments found at the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus, about 120 miles south of modern Cairo.
When the Victorian archaeologists Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt dug into what looked like a sand dune there in January 1897, they found it was full of bits of papyrus that had been tossed on to rubbish tips by the inhabitants of a city that had been the ancient Egyptian equivalent of Birmingham.
Grenfell and Hunt eventually uncovered a haul of more than 500,000 fragments that are now housed in the Sackler Library in Oxford and owned by the Egypt Exploration Society, London, under whose auspices the pair had travelled.
But transcribing what is written on the individual pieces dating mainly from the 1st Century BC to the Seventh Century AD, when Egypt was occupied by the Greeks and Romans proved to be far more time consuming than digging them up.
Charlton Heston, who played Moses in 1956, was not the first actor to play the prophet an extract from the Book of Exodus suggests the role could have been played 2,000 years earlier
Between 1898 and 2012, scholars managed to transcribe just over 5,000 of the 500,000 documents.
At this point, the first Ancient Lives project was piloted, allowing citizen scientists with at least a rudimentary knowledge of the ancient Greek alphabet to look at the documents online and have a go at making out the words written on them.
Using algorithms devised by Oxford University astrophysicists to cross-check transcriptions with known texts and to assess the accuracy of the work of individual volunteers, the project, which went fully live in 2014, has allowed even schoolchildren to delve into the secrets of the papyri.
Professor Dirk Obbink
Professor Dirk Obbink, of Oxford University, the director of the Ancient Lives project, told The Independent: By allowing public access to one of the largest unfinished archaeological projects in the world, we have been able to move beyond one scholar with a papyrus and a magnifying glass, to transcribe between 100,000 and 200,000 more texts some of which had been partially eaten by worms, or used to wrap fish, or worse.
The finds, due to be unveiled by Professor Obbink at the Royal Geographical Society at a meeting of the World Monuments Fund, Britain, range from official documents a 3rd Century doctors official report on the twisted and lifeless body of a drowned slave girl to the literary, including an extract from Andromeda, a lost tragedy written by Euripides and thought to have been first produced in 417 BC. That was like finding a new speech in a play by Shakespeare, said Professor Obbink.
The Ancient Lives volunteers also helped discover a fragment of a long-lost rendition of the Book of Exodus, written in the style of a Greek tragedy, by a little-known author called Ezekiel, in the Second Century BC, in Alexandria.
Before, we had only known about this work because it had been quoted by the [4th Century AD] Church Father Eusebius, said Professor Obbink. We didnt know for certain that a text existed: Eusebius might have made it up or misremembered it.
Now we have a real copy, a long speech by Moses, in iambic trimeters, telling the history of his life and how he was discovered as a baby in the bulrushes.
We can put some flesh and bones on a lost work of literature, one that was presumably performed long before Charlton Heston.
Its amazing what gets thrown out in the rubbish.
Egyptian artefacts on display
Treasure trove: Excerpts
Documents found at Oxyrhynchus and transcribed with the help of the volunteers from the Ancient Lives Project:
3rd Century AD doctors report into the death by drowning of a 12-year-old slave girl in Oxyrhynchus:
From Aurelius Philantin... son of Neoptolemus Aurelius... I certify that a slave girl, by accidental death after being caught in a sluice... while swimming with her friends... twisted and lifeless body... by drowning...
Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt excavating at Oxyrhynchus in 1897 (The Egypt Exploration Society)
Newly discovered fragment of Ezekiels Exagoge, spoken by Moses:
Then the princess with her maidservants came down to bathe.
When she saw me, she took me up and recognised that I was a Hebrew.
My sister Mariam then ran up to her and spoke,
Shall I get a nursemaid for this child from the Hebrews? The princess urged her on.
Mariam went to fetch our mother who presently appeared and took me in her arms.
The princess said to her, Woman, nurse this child and I shall pay your wages.
She then named me Moses, because she had taken me from the watery river-bank.
In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Ancient forest, discovered in February 2014 Ancient forest revealed by storms. The recent huge storms and gale force winds that have battered the coast of West Wales have stripped away much of the sand from stretches of the beach between Borth and Ynyslas. The disappearing sands have revealed ancients forests, with the remains of oak trees dating back to the Bronze Age, 6,000 years ago. The ancient remains are said by some to be the origins of the legend of Cantrer Gwealod , a mythical kingdom now submerged under the waters pif Cardigan Bay In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Medieval royal palaces, discovered in November 2014 Archaeologists in southern England have discovered what may be one of the largest medieval royal palaces ever found buried under the ground inside a vast prehistoric fortress at Old Sarum. The probable 12th century palace was discovered by archaeologists, using geophysical ground-penetrating x-ray technology to map a long-vanished medieval city which has lain under grass on the site for more than 700 years In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered ca. 1950 The Dead Sea Scrolls are almost 1,000 biblical manuscripts discovered in the decade after the Second World War in what is now the West Bank. The texts, mostly written on parchment but also on papyrus and bronze, are the earliest surviving copies of biblical and extra-biblical documents known to be in existence, dating over a 700-year period around the birth of Jesus. The ancient Jewish sect the Essenes is supposed to have authored the scrolls, written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, although no conclusive proof has been found to this effect In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Diamond, discovered in March 2014 This rare diamond that survived a trip from deep within the Earth's interior confirmed that there is an oceans worth of water beneath the planets crust In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Whale skeletons, discovered in February 2014 Chilean and Smithsonian paleontologists study several fossil whale skeletons at Cerro Ballena, next to the Pan-American Highway in the Atacama Region of Chile In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Complete mammoth skeleton, discovered in November 2012 The first complete mammoth skeleton to be found in France for more than a century was uncovered in a gravel pit on the banks of the Marne, 30 miles north-east of Paris. Picture shows experts at work making a silicon cast of the mammoth's tusk In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Million-year-old human footprints, discovered in February 2014 Photograph of the footprint hollows in situ on the beach as Happisburgh, Norfolk In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Terracotta warrior, discovered in June 2010 Chinese archaeologists unearthed around 120 more clay figures in June 2010 excavations at the terracotta army site that surrounds the tomb of the nation's first emperor in the northwestern Shaanxi Province Jason Lee / Reuters In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Neolithic 'lost avenue' - prehistoric stone circle, discovered in September 1999 The discovery of a Neolithic 'lost avenue' was described as one of the most important finds of the last century. Since the 1700s, archeologists and historians have argued over the existence of the huge sarsen stones, which were unearthed at the site of the world's biggest prehistoric stone circle at Avebury in Wiltshire In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Byzantine mosaic, discovered in February 2007 Plans for a walkway at the centre of the furious dispute over Jerusalem's holiest site were delayed by the discovery of a Byzantine mosaic In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Ancient gold, discovered in March 2014 Gold fitting for a dagger sheath (around 1900 BC.) found near Stonehenge In pictures: 12 amazing archaeological discoveries Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799 The Rosetta Stone is a basalt slab inscribed with a decree of pharaoh Ptolemy Epiphanes (205-180 BC) in three languages, Greek, Hieroglyphic and Demotic script. Discovered near Rosetta in Egypt
New fragment from Euripides Andromeda
Perseus, (to Eros): Just as my father Zeus once appeared
in secret when he came to Argos out of love for Danae
in golden drops of rain in the bronze house in Argos
and embraced her, so, in this same way, to me honouring you, give salvation from my love troubles.
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Just before 10am on a rainy Thursday in southeast London, a small group of men gather in a pokey corridor inside Bexley magistrates court to await their punishment. They don't chat much and they have little in common one is in his 70s, another is a self-employed T-shirt seller, while a third is just out of prison but they share the status of convicted domestic abusers.
As they trail one by one into court for a morning of sentencing, common themes emerge: alcohol, anger and then remorse and sometimes a promise that it will never happen again. But a major change in the working of the criminal justice system only becomes obvious when Karl Langridge, 41, takes his turn.
He accepts that he had too much to drink in the pub before heading to the home of his business partner and brief short-term partner. He refused to leave the house when asked, then hurt her wrist when he wrenched a phone from her. So she called the police.
What happened next was captured on a camera pinned to the breast of an officer that answered the call. Prosecutor Clare Carey presses the button on her laptop to transmit wirelessly the footage to a widescreen television screen in the court room.
The magistrates see the flustered victim open the door and beckon the officers in. After a rudimentary search of the substantial property, officers found Langridge hiding behind the kitchen door.
What then happens is hard to ascertain from the footage, but there is a scuffle as officers try to arrest him. Behave, says one officer, just before the clip ends. You're on camera, sir.
Criminal record: an officer wears a new Reveal camera
The footage was cited by police and prosecutors as key to why Langridge pleaded guilty, which he denies. What I pleaded guilty to, I was guilty of, he said after the hearing in which he was ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work. It had nothing to do with the body camera.
But what happened in Bexley is likely to become the norm. In 2016, the Metropolitan Police will introduce the world's biggest single roll-out of 22,000 body-worn cameras. By the end of the year, the majority of front-line police officers across the country will have access to one.
Published trials by Hampshire police on the Isle of Wight, Essex police, and Scotland Yard, suggest that the cameras are particularly effective for capturing evidence in domestic abuse cases.
In one case, a camera captured evidence of a man who punched his partner in the face and hit her with a frying pan in front of her children. The woman gave a statement, but later withdrew it. The evidence from the video camera was enough to charge the man. In another, the camera captured the threatening demeanour of a suspect and the emotional anguish of his parents whose home had been smashed up after they refused to give him money to buy heroin. The suspect was charged and remanded in custody.
But it is not the only perceived potential benefit. The largest pilot study by the Metropolitan police which led to its 3.5m investment in the cameras set out to show that malicious complaints against police would fall, oppressive behaviour by police particularly on stops and search would decline, and evidence gathering would improve. The findings of the report were mostly inconclusive, though malicious complaints against police were down. Where officers were wearing cameras, there was a 33 per cent reduction in allegations against them, said Nerys Thomas, head of research at the College of Policing.
It was enough for the Mayor, Boris Johnson, to claim that our trial simply scratched the surface and, once rolled out, these cameras have massive potential to help our officers continue their great work in fighting crime and keeping our city safe.
***
The market for the cameras is dominated by two companies, Britain's Reveal and the US-based Taser International. While Reveal supplies more forces, Taser bagged the world's biggest single force contract with the Metropolitan Police and followed it up with another large deal with Greater Manchester Police.
I was given a demonstration of the technology at Reveal's marketing HQ on board a boat moored on the River Thames in west London. The company has experienced rapid growth across the world on the back of the expansion of body-worn cameras in the criminal justice system. Its turnover last year was 6m. It is now selling into 30 different countries and has won tenders for the police in Hong Kong and Singapore, and secured contracts with the French Ministry of the Interior, says chief executive Alasdair Field.
The UK has the highest density of cameras per officer, says Field. Almost every officer in the UK within the next year will have access to a camera for their front-line duty. I would say the UK is two years ahead of the US, but they're catching very quickly.
The industry's growth has not always been driven by positive reasons. President Obama demanded millions from Congress for the technology in the wake of riots that followed the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown by a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri.
In Britain, the scandal of mistreatment of youngsters at G4S detention centre in Medway, Kent, prompted prison inspectors to demand cameras for all warders working in youth detention centres. The months-long saga and multimillion pound cost of the Plebgate affair could have been resolved in minutes if one of the officers had been wearing a body-worn camera. The original use of body-worn cameras was to gain better evidence, says Field. Nowadays, because of the political agenda and Plebgate, it's a bit more about keeping an eye on the officers. It's a real shame that it seems to have shifted from evidence-gathering to making sure the police are doing the right thing.
The camera revolution started with a small-scale Home Office project in Plymouth eight years ago using 50 bulky camera kits. The camera unit was mounted on a headband and linked by wire to a hard drive. Officers chosen to test them reported side-effects including nausea after prolonged use. Since then, the cameras have developed into small self-contained palm-size units that clip on to police uniforms. The Reveal camera has an outward-facing screen, so it's clear to the suspect or witness that they are being filmed. It's simple to operate, with the flick of a switch. Once filmed nothing can be deleted from the unit and the information is fully encrypted. If this gets lost, stolen or forgotten on the kebab shop counter, no-one else will be able to replay that data, says Field.
After recording, the unit is dropped into a multi-dock port, where the pictures are uploaded to a secure server within police buildings. An audit trail is created that shows who has used it, and when, not only useful for processing the evidence through the criminal justice system but to guard against leaks. About a fifth of the 840 police corruption cases passed to the police watchdog for investigation over three years involved the misuse or passing on of police information, according to a 2012 report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. If a celebrity was arrested and filmed, I could tell you every officer who has logged on and viewed that footage. That protects the privacy of that celebrity, says Supt Adrian Hutchinson, the lead for mobile technology at the Metropolitan Police, which is using Taser International's Axon system.
***
The leak of sensitive information is a key concern of privacy campaigners. While data on the systems of the market leaders are encrypted, cameras being used by other forces still are not. The best standards should be high levels of encryption so that if they're lost, the pictures couldn't be flooded on to YouTube, says Tony Porter, the surveillance commissioner and a former police officer. At the moment there's not 100 per cent adoption of encrypted cameras. Those forces that don't yet have encrypted cameras have spoken about having very firm policies about merging and uploading as soon as possible after an event so that risk is negated. The question I ask: is that sufficient? My answer would be that it's not. All body-worn cameras used by law enforcement should be encrypted.
The College of Policing sets out the rules on retaining, using and disposing of police information. The policy at the Met is that if an officer is going to make a note in their pad, then they should start filming. If the footage is not to be used for a criminal investigation or subject to a complaint against police then systems automatically delete the footage after 31 days. The College says that extremely strong justification would be needed to keep footage that did not contain evidence for any longer than that.
Difficult decisions remain to be made over when footage would be publicly released, for example to trace suspects. Superintendent Hutchinson says the US experience which has a much more liberal attitude to the release of police recording information has seen huge amounts made available for potential public viewing. In one case, footage showing a child having its throat cut that was shown on television prompted a huge public backlash, according to the officer. We will not be routinely releasing footage unless it's absolutely appropriate, says Supt Hutchinson. What I don't want to see is a 15-year-old who makes a mistake which 10 years later comes back to damage their life chances. That's not fair.
Senior officers at the Metropolitan Police say that they would consider showing footage to a select group of community leaders to prevent unrest if there were erroneous rumours of police wrong-doing. But if there was police wrong-doing, the guidance suggests that it might only be released if an officer was convicted of a criminal offence.
Forces will need to consider how transparent they want to be, and this will be critical in preparation for high-profile incidents where BWV is available, says the Met police report, adding that routinely sharing footage may not be desirable.
***
Britain's Chief Inspector of Policing, Tom Winsor, has been scathing about the police's use of technology. In his maiden speech on taking the job in 2013 he highlighted how some 2,000 different IT systems are in use in 43 different police forces. While forces buy their own gear, they do not always operate within their own force borders. When a major incident takes place, officers are drafted in from other forces, bringing their own equipment. The big two in the body-worn camera market Reveal and Taser are working on technology that will allow recordings from one system to be used by their rival's software, but it's not in place yet.
The criminal justice system has a patchy record in keeping information safe. The Crown Prosecution Service which will be handling the data obtained from the cameras for court cases was fined in November after burglars stole unencrypted laptops containing videos of sex abuse victims detailing how they had been groomed and attacked. The Information Commissioner's Office said that the CPS had been complacent in protecting that information.
And despite the pledge of Justice Secretary Michael Gove for a technological revolution, and the advent of the first digital courts such as Bexley, the security of the data becomes problematic once it leaves police servers stored in protected headquarters. The CPS is not yet linked up to the system and Field, of Reveal, says that a DVD player used in court would not be able to read encrypted footage.
Generally speaking in the UK, not many constabularies are connected to the outside world, so the majority of them are resorting to burning DVDs it's not a restriction of our software but a restriction of the infrastructure of the criminal justice system. It's odd that when you have a connected world where the internet is ubiquitous that we're still in an age when it's difficult to get it from one part of the justice system to another.
The Met says that it was committed to ending the use of the computer disk, and will send any footage used for court cases on a protected email link to prosecutors. We want to bring about the end of the disk. A disk could get lost, it corrupts, or it gets damaged, says Supt Hutchinson.
***
Four years after the killing of gangster Mark Duggan sparked nationwide riots, senior Scotland Yard officers returned to Tottenham in December to explain another fatal shooting by police.
Jermaine Baker, 28, was shot dead in a police operation before an apparent attempt to spring two gangsters from a prison van. The police conscious of the misinformation spread after Duggan's shooting wanted to address any concerns raised by the community.
Top of the list of those concerns was the use of personal cameras by officers involved in Baker's shooting. The coroner at the inquest of Duggan concluded that if three officers had cameras on that operation, they could have avoided the difficulties and distrust that led to rioting in the capital.
But at the meeting in December despite the coroner's recommendations senior officers and the police watchdog told the 150 people assembled that there was no CCTV, and no footage from body-worn cameras to show what happened. The officers were repeatedly challenged why not? When I walk the streets of London, there are thousands of CCTV cameras that pick me up when I don't want them to it's an everyday reality for us, says Stafford Scott, a campaigner who helped organise the meeting. But these are situations when we absolutely need them to win the trust and confidence of the whole of society.
After Jermaine Baker's shooting, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, head of the Metropolitan police, said that his force was struggling to find kit that could be used for armed covert operations. What I'm not going to do is equip surveillance officers with kit which allows them to be identified, particularly if you've got firearms officers who I assume are going to be facing people with guns, he told journalists.
But the equipment is available and being used by police forces, says an industry source. One company sells cameras that are fitted in buttons. The equipment does exist, the solutions are available, says the source who declined to be named because of the nature of his work.
People are absolutely shocked and appalled that they could come back and kill someone and there's no video or audio that catches the event, says Scott. Anything that can bring greater transparency about how the police operate in these fast-moving situations would be helpful, not least to the police themselves.
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Museums are spending too little to maintain the security of their collections in the face of a growing threat from the sort organised crime groups responsible for the theft in Britain of rhino horns and Chinese artefacts worth nearly 60m, a leading international expert has warned.
Ton Cremers, the former head of security at Amsterdams Rijksmuseum, said that leading institutions were too slow to respond to raids targeting their collections amid claims that the Rathkeale Rovers cartel behind a spate of multi-million pound thefts in Britain and across the world were stealing for pre-arranged buyers in China.
Over a period of four years, the syndicate named after the Irish town where its senior members from the Traveller community were based was linked to raids or planned break-ins at nine British museums and auction houses, including thefts from the Durham Oriental Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge over an eight-day period in 2012 where antiquities worth 57m were taken.
Mr Cremers, a consultant who now runs the Museum Security Network, said that museums across Europe were lethargic in reacting to thefts at other institutions and wrongly blamed reduced funding for an inability to increase spending on improved anti-theft measures.
He told The Independent: In general museums are far too slow in taking security measures after incidents in peer museums.
They always use lack of funds as an excuse for what really is lethargy. However, there always are plenty of funds to make fancy exhibitions, publish colourful catalogues.
Museums that complain about not [having] enough funds to update security know that their security is not up to standard but continue displaying very valuable objects, many of which are loans.
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In Britain, several museums removed rhino horns from display, replacing them with replicas, after receiving security advice that such items were at risk of theft. The advice followed raids including a bungled attempt in 2012 to steal a whole rhino head from the Castle Museum in Norwich, which proved too heavy for the thieves, causing them to drop it as they tried to flee.
Experts have underlined that the Rathkeale group, whose members were among 16 people convicted for involvement in thefts in Britain, had been stealing in the knowledge that they had a ready market for their plunder in the Far East.
Horn from endangered rhinos is prized for its fictitious medicinal properties in places such as Vietnam, fetching up to 45,000 a kilo, while antique jade is highly-prized in China, where wealthy buyers fuel demand to repatriate art works from Europe and North America.
Members of the Traveller family identified as senior planners for the Rathkeale syndicate used a Hong Kong-based middle man, Chi Chong Donald Wong, to funnel the stolen goods to buyers in the Far East.
Chris Marinello, chief executive of the London-based Art Recovery Group, said: This wasnt so much theft to order as theft in the knowledge that there was a ready market for what had been taken. The thieves would know that they wouldnt be able to offload stolen goods on the London market, so instead they look to places that remain largely unregulated such as Russia, China and the Middle East.
While proceedings against the rhino horn thieves have now been concluded in Britain, the American authorities have confirmed that their investigations continue. Operation Crash, led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), has so far resulted in 27 convictions and the confiscation of goods worth $5.5m (3.9). A number of extradition requests are understood to remain outstanding.
In a statement, the FWS said: Operation Crash is an ongoing investigation.
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The families of the Omagh bomb massacre have reacted with fury after the criminal prosecution against the suspected mastermind of the Real IRA attack which killed 29 people was abandoned.
Bricklayer Seamus Daly, 45, once described by a High Court judge as a foot soldier for the dissident Republican terrorist group, walked free from Maghaberry prison after all charges against him were dropped due to flaws in evidence from a key witness. He had been in the Northern Ireland high security jail awaiting trial for two years.
It is now highly unlikely anyone will ever be held criminally responsible for the atrocity the worst single terrorist attack during The Troubles.
Recommended Read more Omagh bombing murder case collapses over lack of evidence
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed in the car bombing on 15 August 1998 and who has campaigned tirelessly for almost 20 years to try and achieve some sense of justice, expressed outrage that families were kept in the dark amid reports of an imminent collapse of the prosecutions case.
Here we are again after 18 years, extremely disappointed," he said. "We have been failed once again by the police service, by the prosecution service, by the government and by the criminal justice system. And this is probably, or was probably, the last chance for justice. Unfortunately now thats not going to be the case.
Dalys defence had protested throughout the lengthy legal proceedings that he had no case to answer. A crucial moment which ultimately led to the collapse at Ballymena court in Omagh came last month at a pre-trial hearing when the evidence against him was tested and prosecution star witness Denis OConnor contradicted himself under cross-examination.
Seamus Daly released
The builder, from Kilkenny in the Irish Republic, claimed he received a call from Daly around 20 minutes after the bomb detonated. However, Mr Gallagher said it was obvious after listening to him in court that the case was going nowhere.
Dalys lawyer, Peter Corrigan, said the case against his client was paper-thin and based upon a witness who was himself arrested as part of the bombing probe. He claimed Mr OConnor gave an account to Irish police in 1999 and had given three or four other versions meaning words could not be relied upon.
As well as the 29 murder counts, Daly had faced charges of causing the Omagh explosion and possession of a bomb with intent to endanger life or property. He was further charged with conspiring to cause an explosion and having explosives with intent in connection with a separate dissident republican bomb plot in Lisburn in April of the same year.
The aftermath of the car bomb attack in Omagh in 1998 (PA)
Mr Gallagher said he regrettably agreed that the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) was left with no other option than to drop all the charges.
This was a difficult case and hinged on the testimony of one individual and that one individual did not seem to be up to meeting the test needed to put someone behind bars, he said.
Mr Gallagher said he was trying to contain his anger and channel it positively into seeking the truth.
We need some answers, we need to know what went so drastically wrong 18 years on - conviction after conviction has failed in Omagh and yet there is so much knowledge about Omagh.
If there is any decency in society, in the people that manage our state, they need to work together to get the truth to the families of what happened.
Michael Gallagher, father of one of the victims, said the families still need answers (PA)
He said most families had given up on achieving justice.
It will be difficult for all of them but also very difficult for all those other victims out there who are expecting answers.
Daly, originally from Cullaville, County Monaghan, always denied involvement in the attack whose victims came from both sides of the Irish border, England and Spain. The youngest victim, Maura Monaghan was just 18 months old, while her mother Avril, 30, was pregnant with twins when she died in the blast.
The then Prime Minister Tony Blair called the atrocity an appalling act of savagery and evil and the strong international condemnation which followed turned many RIRA sympathisers against then in favour of the peace process.
Former Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain told the BBC the whole case raises criticism of what he called a piecemeal approach in dealing with Northern Irelands recent past.
Sadly it, too often, neither brings justice nor truth for the victims or all concerned, he said. Northern Ireland is not really confronting and dealing with its past properly.
An aerial view of the devastation caused in Omagh, at the junction of Market Street and Dublin Road, in 1998 (PA)
A spokeswoman for the Public Prosecution Service said: On behalf of the PPS, I extend our sympathy to the families affected by the Omagh bomb. We understand how difficult this decision will be for them.
We hope they are assured that this decision was not taken lightly but is required in accordance with our duty as prosecutors to keep a decision under review and to discontinue criminal proceedings when the Test for Prosecution is no longer met.
Seamus Daly, and the three other men found responsible for bombing in civil court
In June 2009 the landmark civil case taken by victims relatives eight years previously concluded with Michael McKevitt, who was then already serving a 20-year sentence for directing terrorism for the Real IRA, to be responsible for the attack.
Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Daly were also found to have been responsible for the bombing. A fifth man, Seamus McKenna, who died in July 2013, was cleared of involvement.
The four were ordered by Belfast High Court Judge Mr Justice Morgan to pay 1.6m in damages to the Omagh families. The case had made legal history when the judge crossed the border to hear evidence from gardai at a court in Dublin.
Seamus Daly was released from Magheraberry Prison on Tuesday (Getty) (Getty Images)
At the time the relatives said the ruling had brought them a measure of justice yet seven years on they are still pursuing the money.
Murphy and Daly faced a civil retrial after successfully appealing against the original finding, but in March 2013 the second trial delivered the same outcome as the first.
The evidence linking him to the Omagh bombing was described as overwhelming by judge Mr Justice John Gillen, one of Northern Irelands most senior judicial figures. Daly had been connected to mobile phones used during the bombing.
The judge said: Given the strength and quality of the evidence, I have determined that both defendants were involved in assisting the preparation, planting and detonation of the bomb in circumstances where those involved in assisting those acts would be joint tortfeasors (individuals who committed a wrongful act injuring another person).
Omagh bombing: A timeline
15 August, 1998: A 500lb bomb rips through Market Street, Omagh, killing 21 people instantly and injuring more than 300. Eight more die of their injuries later in hospital.
7 September, 2000: The inquest into the Omagh bombing begins.
18 October, 2000: Gardai arrest three men in connection with the bombing. They are released without charge two days later.
23 January, 2002: Colm Murphy is found guilty by the Dublin Special Criminal Court of conspiracy to cause the Omagh bombing. Jailed for 14 years, he is the only person yet convicted in connection with the explosion.
26 July, 2002: The families of the Omagh bomb victims begin a landmark civil action against two men suspected of being responsible, Seamus Daly and Seamus McKenna.
23 April, 2004: Preliminary hearing at the high court in Belfast.
21 January, 2005: Murphy has his conviction overturned but will face a retrial.
26 May, 2005: Sean Hoey is charged with multiple offences including 29 counts of murder. Goes on trial in September.
20 December, 2007: Hoey found not guilty.
7 April, 2008: Nineteen relatives of victims start a civil action against Michael McKevitt, Daly, Murphy, Liam Campbell and McKenna. All five men deny they had any part in the bombing.
8 June, 2009: McKevitt, Daly, Murphy and Campbell are found liable for the bombing and ordered to pay 1.6 million in damages to 12 relatives. McKenna is cleared of any involvement.
13 January, 2010: Retrial of Colm Murphy begins at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on a charge connected with the Real IRA bomb in Omagh. Acquitted a month later.
20 March, 2013: Murphy and Daly are again found liable for the bombing having appealed.
8 April, 2014: Daly arrested and later remanded in custody.
1 March, 2016: Prosecutors drop all charges against Daly after the evidence provided by a civilian witness was called into question.
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A Traveller who allied himself with the rights campaigners Vanessa and Corin Redgrave to fight the closure of Britains biggest illegal Traveller site can be named today as a key organiser in a global rhino horn smuggling racket.
Richard Sheridan, 47, fought a 10-year battle against attempts by the authorities to clear Dale Farm in Essex, securing the backing of two members of the acting dynasty. Sheridan also travelled to Geneva to address a UN committee and persuaded them to call for a suspension of the eviction of 400 people.
The whole situation is really about planning, said the Oscar-winning actress and activist in one of her visits to the camp. Theres no crime being committed.
Many of the families at Dale Farm had their roots in Rathkeale, the Co Limerick town identified by law enforcement as the focal point of the organised crime gang behind Europe-wide antiquities and rhino horn thefts.
Travellers started to move to the site on the green belt near Billericay, Essex, in 2001 and efforts to remove them started almost straight away. Families fought against their eviction on medical and personal grounds. Despite the support of the Redgraves and the UN, the camp was demolished in 2011 with many of the families moving to Smithy Fen in Cambridgeshire. It was there Sheridan was arrested during the 2013 police operation targeting the ringleaders of the British museum raids.
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A factory in Lancashire which manufactures plastic carrier bags has closed, with owners blaming the introduction of a 5p charge in shops last year.
Up to 40 workers at Nelson Packaging have reportedly been made redundant, and management hit out at the new legislation for causing a reduction in demand.
The five pence charge on plastic bags in shops, introduced in England in October, came after successful trials of similar measures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
BBC News reported that the workers in Nelson, Lancashire were asked to leave immediately once the news was broken last Wednesday.
Michael Flynn, managing director of factory owners Intelipac, said: "This was an outcome primarily of the English bag legislation and the corresponding impact on customer and retailer demand for plastic carrier bags.
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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. 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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
Added to aggressive overseas competition this ultimately proved too devastating for the ongoing viability of the business, despite the continued efforts of the loyal workforce, he said.
Some workers expressed their shock at the decision.
"It's daunting as I have no interview skills, Robert Copeland, a worker and Union representative who began working at the factory in 1986, told the BBC.
I'm 49 years old and I've got to now go into a new working environment and start again. It is scary.
He added: I was 19 when I started and you were seeing the children of people you have been working with for 30 years starting to come through so you had parents and children [at the factory].
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Residents in Scotland have been intrigued by a mysterious bright flash that lit up the skies over Aberdeen and Inverness on Monday evening.
The phenomenon was described as a "huge flash of bright blue light" by one local resident, and others reported that it was accompanied by a loud sound.
Seen at around 6:45pm on Monday, there was speculation it could have been a sonic boom. However the majority of people believe it was a meteor breaking up in the atmosphere.
Police Scotland said they received numerous calls from residents reporting the sighting. Although they were unable to confirm what it was, they ruled out an aircraft being in distress.
Bill Addison, from Moray, told The Independent about the moment he spotted the flash: "I was driving in my car from Cullen to Buckie in Moray, just before the village of Arradoul and there was a huge flash of bright blue light, followed by the meteor falling from the sky."
Other people took to social media to describe the sighting. On Facebook, Mark Dammer said: "I noticed the sky suddenly lighting up extremely bright for a few seconds."
"The light was flickering and in a blue-green colour. After about three to five minutes, I could hear two explosions. It sounded like a very low frequency rumble coming from a great distance."
On Twitter, Strathspey resident John Poyner suggested the phenomenon could have been a small asteroid breaking up.
Garry Hunter described it to BBC Scotland as a huge fireball-like trail across the sky. He added that it seemed to explode and light up the whole sky.
Sean Batty, a weather forecaster for STV, said he had received tweets from residents located in the north and east of the country, "with people reporting a loud bang and a large flash in the sky".
Perseids meteor shower around the world Show all 9 1 /9 Perseids meteor shower around the world Perseids meteor shower around the world meteor-7.jpg EPA Perseids meteor shower around the world meteor-2.jpg Getty Images Perseids meteor shower around the world 635004.bin Getty Images Perseids meteor shower around the world meteor-5.jpg EPA Perseids meteor shower around the world meteor-8.jpg AP Perseids meteor shower around the world AN26102353epa03821652-A-sho.jpg EPA Perseids meteor shower around the world meteor-3.jpg AP Perseids meteor shower around the world meteor-9.jpg EPA Perseids meteor shower around the world meteor-4.jpg Getty Images
"There are no thunderstorms being reported anywhere in Scotland [on Monday evening], therefore this is not due to a flash of lightning. My only conclusion would be that this is indeed a meteor which has burned up and exploded during entry into our upper atmosphere."
Lee Schofield, from the Highland and Islands weather group, told The Independent: "It was most probably a meteorite which came into the earth's atmosphere - it is unusual for them to come so close to earth as this one did."
"The noise that people heard was it breaking up as it entered our atmosphere. Here in Carrbridge we saw it very clearly as a bright blue light for three or four seconds at 6.45pm followed by a distinct burning smell in the air for a few minutes after.
He added that it was "a very interesting event, one I have not witnessed in my 42 years".
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Only a handful of far-right protesters have turned up to stage a hapless demonstration outside one of Londons largest mosques.
Fewer than 10 members of Britain First - including deputy leader Jayda Fransen - showed up to picket the East London Mosque in Whitechapel.
During the protest which started at 11am on Tuesday, two men unfurled a Britain First banner while Ms Fransen held up a Christian cross and shouted We want our country back.
The trio were only there for around 20 minutes - leaving shortly after police arrived.
Ms Fransen is seen arguing with a police officer, asking him if it is within [his] job description to come and mock a Christian whos preaching in the street.
She then calls the police traitors for turning against Christians in a Christian country.
She claimed it was [her] duty as a Christian to save fallen souls from the damned.
Men are observed filming the incident and laughing at the group - though some indistinct shouting can be heard off camera.
Britain First controversies Show all 8 1 /8 Britain First controversies Britain First controversies 20 November 2014: Britain First claims credit for success of Ukip campaign With the Tory defector Mark Reckless forecast to win the hotly-contested by-election in Rochester and Strood, Britain First suggested they only campaigned to bolster the Ukip campaign. Prior to the start of the vote some bookmakers had Nigel Farages party as huge 1/100 favourites to take the seat, which would make Mr Reckless their second MP at the expense of the Conservative Party. And with things going so smoothly for Ukip, the far right-wing group Britain First has tried to claim some of the credit Britain First controversies 5 November 2014: Britain First accused of hijacking the poppy as Remembrance Day approaches to promote its own agenda The far-right group used the symbol, which is a registered trademark of the Royal British Legion, on its website masthead and in Facebook posts driving more people to its page. It is seen alongside Britain Firsts logo telling people to take our country back and crudely superimposed into the centre of the European Union flag with a message about national sovereignty. Members of opposition group Exposing Britain First believe many Facebook users are sharing poppy posts without realising who it comes from or what they stand for Britain First controversies 28 October 2014: Britain First accuses Ukip of 'playing political game' with snub over Rochester photo Britain First accused Ukip of playing the political game after Nigel Farages party reprimanded its campaigners for posing for a picture with members of the far-right group. A spokesperson for Ukip said the picture, taken while both parties were campaigning for the Rochester by-election on Saturday, was a mistake would not happen again Britain First controversies 25 October 2014: Britain First starts 'direct action' on Mail and Sun journalists over Lynda Bellingham post Britain First encouraged its followers to boycott the Daily Mail and The Sun after it was accused of using actress Lynda Bellingham's death to boost support. The party has threatened to launch "direct action" on the journalists after they said that the group used the cancer victim's death as a way to gain more attention on social media. Britain First posted a photograph to their Facebook subscribers of Mrs Bellingham with co-star Christopher Timothy, above the caption: "RIP actress Lynda Bellingham. Britain First", which garnered more than 6,000 'likes' and 500 shares Britain First controversies 28 July 2014: Britain First founder Jim Dowson quits over mosque invasions and 'racists and extremists' The founder of Britain First resigned from the far-right group over its provocative and counterproductive mosque invasions. James Jim Dowson, a former British National Party (BNP) member and anti-abortion campaigner, announced his departure on 27 July 2014. While Britain First blamed media pressure and family issues for the decision and said he would be missed enormously in a saccharine post, Mr Dowson publicly shamed the groups tactics as unacceptable and unchristian Britain First/Facebook Britain First controversies 15 July 2014: Britain First 'battalion' invades mosque demanding removal of 'sexist' entrance signs A self-styled battalion of the far-right group Britain First invaded a mosque in south London. The stated aim of the altercation was to demand the removal of sexist signs outside the Crayford Mosque. The signs designate separate entrances for men and women, so they can enter for segregated worship as is the custom in most mosques. Men and women also sit apart in Orthodox Jewish synagogues and some Sikh gurdwaras. A film of the encounter was posted on Facebook, set to dramatic drumming music and ending with the slogan: "Britain First Defence Force. No fear. No retreat. No surrender." Britain First/Facebook Britain First controversies 27 June 2014: Britain First's Facebook page taken down for 'hate speech' Britain Firsts Facebook page was taken down for hate speech only to be restored again an hour later. Facebook claimed the extremist groups page was taken down by mistake but a screenshot posted by anti-fascist campaigners Hope Not Hate seemed to show the social media site had removed Britain First in response to a complaint. With almost 500,000 likes Britain Firsts page has a following that far outstrips the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats, arguably making it the UK's biggest political site Britain First controversies 27 April 2014: Inquiry over far-right Britain First party's use of Lee Rigby slogan on voting slip The election watchdog faced an inquiry over its decision to allow a far-right party to use a slogan referencing the murdered soldier Lee Rigby. The Electoral Commission apologised for allowing Britain First to use the description Remember Lee Rigby on voting slips for next months European elections but Jenny Watson, the chair of the commission, said on Sunday that an immediate and full independent investigation would follow to prevent this from ever happening again PA
The caption on a video of the incident posted on YouTube, said: Another hapless Britain First protest outside the East London Mosque today.
Last time they entered the mosque and trampled over the carpets, before running off when a traffic warden approached their illegally parked vehicle.
A spokesman for the mosque, Salman Farsi, told the Evening Standard: "It was a bit worrying for us because we had a school group on a tour inside the mosque.
"There was a moment when they were provoking passers-by and someone confronted them and spat in their direction, so mosque staff stepped in to move them along."
Does the Republican field have the sense to change tactics when the very nature of the party and country are at stake?
Ted Cruz, who bears some responsibility for the rise of Donald Trump, keeps aiming his Jimmy Swaggart-style pitch to the choir, unctuously proclaiming his status as truest, bluest conservative in the race, and as such the logical tribune of the grass roots. Cruz encouraged them to destroy the Washington cartel and boy did they listen except not to his benefit. Irony: The greatest crony/corporate Democrat in America is alive and Ted Cruzs campaign is nearly dead.
John Kasich and Ben Carson are deaf to everything except their own egotism.
Unlike Cruz, Marco Rubio didnt spend months praising the semi-fascist joker in hopes that the anti-establishment vote would one day drop into his lap, but he didnt attack him frontally either. He hopes that clearing the field of competitors will permit him to defeat Trump one-on-one because a majority of Republicans have voted not-Trump. But campaigns are dynamic. A winner attracts many opportunists, and Trump is on the verge of seeming unstoppable.
Those hoping that Trump will say or do something to disqualify himself have surely seen by now that we are in a new world. His gaffes (I dont need to list them, do I?) have not hurt him. The more he vomits venom, the more free press he gets. While Cruz keeps impotently pounding Rubio as insufficiently harsh on immigration, Trump a corrupt Democrat promising trade wars, universal health care and war crimes is winning.
If ever there were a moment for a Republican establishment a powerful cabal of donors, officeholders and power brokers to intervene, this would be it. Because if Trump is the Republican nominee, it spells the end of the party as a conservative vehicle. It will be transformed into a contemptible platform for the worst excesses of American life: using government for personal gain, bullying minority groups, undermining civil liberties and enhancing centralized power even more than has been accomplished under Barack Obama. Deluded voters who imagine they are getting the anti-Obama by voting for Trump are in for the biggest disillusionment yet.
But, of course, the Republican establishment is not going to ride to the rescue, because it is itself mostly a shell. Money doesnt buy elections (see Bush, Jeb), and there is no one behind the curtain.
I believe Rubio to be the most viable non-Trump candidate left. But above all, he and the others (who have plenty of money) must abandon the strategy of fratricide. The winner cannot rely on anti-Trump votes alone. He must undermine support for Trump.
Cant be done? How about hasnt been tried? Of the $215 million spent so far by super PACs this year, only 4 percent has been spent against Trump. Its been the longest free ride in recent political history.
Trump is not strong; hes frighteningly weak. He arguably suffers from narcissistic personality disorder meaning his wobbly self-esteem needs constant, mantra-like invocations of his own fabulousness and endless affirmation from others. He goes ballistic when suffering even the smallest slight. Hes an ignoramus. Ads should remind voters, for example, that he doesnt know what the nuclear triad is.
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Britains largest developers have been accused of profiteering on the back of the countrys housing crisis by restricting the supply of new houses to keep prices unnecessarily high.
Latest figures reveal that a record half a million homes in England now have planning permission granted but have yet to be built. The length of time it takes for developers to complete a house has jumped from 24 to 32 weeks.
Ministers are increasingly concerned by the failure of developers to speed up housebuilding and there are fears that some are deliberately restricting supply of new houses to boost profits.
While rates of planning permission for new homes have increased by 60 per cent since 2010 there has only been a 48 per cent increase in the number of new homes being built.
Taylor Wimpey announced a record operating profit margin of more than 20 per cent yesterday as it sold more homes at higher prices. Pre-tax profits at Britains biggest housebuilder Barratt Homes have also jumped 40 per cent in the past six months to nearly 300m.
When you have got housebuilders delivering, on average, 48 homes a year on some [large] sites thats not good enough, the housing minister, Brandon Lewis, said.
We know they can go further. Housebuilders will talk about saturating the market. But we are aware that in too many places we are still taking 20 weeks to build a house when we can do it in three or four.
New homes built by Taylor Wimpey on the edge of Didcot in Oxfordshire
Housebuilders should be playing their part to ensure we deliver the homes this country needs. Ministers are understood to be contemplating new measures to force up the rate of development amid fears that they will fall short of their manifesto commitment to build one million new homes by 2020.
This could include forcing developers that buy publicly owned land to commit to rapid construction as part of the planning process.
Clive Betts, the Labour chairman of the Local Government Select Committee, said: I think it is clear that the big developers are building at a rate to maximise their profits rather than addressing the countrys housing need.
Mr Betts added that some developments that have had planning permission were not due to be completed for another 10 years.
These are private companies who are very simply trying to make money for their shareholders. They are restricting supply and the Government urgently needs to come forward with measures to address this.
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
Figures compiled by the Local Government Association show that there are now a record 475,647 homes in England which have been given planning permission but have yet to be built. In 2012-13, the total was 381,390.
In comparison, the number of planning applications being approved had risen to 212,468 up from 187,605 in 2007-08 and is higher than all previous years.
Peter Box, the LGAs housing spokesman, said the figures conclusively proved that the planning system was not a barrier to house building. To tackle the new homes backlog and to get Britain building again, councils must have the power to force developers to build homes more quickly, he said.
A spokesman for the campaign group Generation Rent added: These are businesses out to maximise their profits so it makes sense for them to limit the supply of housing that is being built. But it shows that you cannot rely on them to fix the housing crisis.
Some senior Whitehall figures are concerned that because some smaller developers went bankrupt as a result of the financial crisis, the market is now dominated by a handful of big companies reluctant to increase output significantly.
This view is shared by charities such as Shelter which said one of the major problems with the industry was that it relied on a small number of big developers to deliver the lions share of the homes we need.
Pre-tax profits at Barratt Homes have jumped 40 per cent in the past six months (Getty) (Getty Images)
However, Mr Lewis has ruled out measures such as imposing council tax on plots that have been granted planning permission for fear that such a move could prove counter-productive. Instead, the Government believes that there is a case for trying to split up sites among rival developers to increase production rates. It is also investigating how to promote ready-made houses that could be built off site.
If I go and look at a site like Didcot where they are building roughly 400 properties a year, they are doing it because there are four outlets, Mr Lewis told the select committee. If you have got a site which only has one outlet they [developers] will go back to building roughly 50 a year. Its not about whether that site can take 200 or 400 a year, its how they manage it.
But Labours shadow housing minister, John Healey, said the Government could not escape the blame for the overall shortage of housing. Ministers are right to be nervous about the performance of the private housebuilders, he said. For five years theyve written developers one blank cheque after another, with little to show for it.
Cutting back planning rules has meant the number of affordable homes developers build has halved, and now extraordinary plans in the Housing Bill will let them dispense with building low-cost housing altogether and build starter homes on sale for up to 450,000 instead.
A spokeswoman for Taylor Wimpey said that during 2015 the company had built more homes than at any point in the past six years. Pete Redfern, the groups chief executive, said it would continue to work with stakeholders to ensure we open all sites with implementable planning and begin building as quickly and efficiently as possible.
A spokesman for the Home Builders Federation said the most recent government figures showed that there were 170,690 net additions to the housing stock during 2014-15, an increase of almost 25 per cent on the previous year. He blamed the planning systems of local and central government for the shortfall in housing.
As a priority, government needs to work with local authorities to speed up the planning system and ensure local plans allocate enough sites of different types and sizes that are attractive to a range of companies, he said.
Its simply not credible for ministers to complain that housebuilders arent doing their bit. This is a failure of policy and a failure to see that all parts of the housing sector need to be doing much more to fix the cost-of-housing crisis.
UKs biggest developers: What they earn
Taylor Wimpey
Market capitalisation: 6bn
Pre-tax profit: 604m
Profit margin: 20 per cent
Chief executive: Pete Redfern
Salary (including long-term bonuses) 5.8m
Barratt Developments
Market capitalisation: 5.9bn
Pre-tax profit: 570m (est)
Profit margin: 18 per cent
Chief executive: David Thomas
Salary (including long-term bonuses): 4.28m
Berkeley Group
Market capitalisation: 4.43bn
Pre-tax profit: 586m (est)
Profit margin: 25 per cent
Group executive chairman: Anthony Pidgley
Salary (including long-term bonuses): 3.38m
Bovis Homes
Market capitalisation: 1.29bn
Pre-tax profit: 160m
Profit margin: 16.9 per cent
Chief executive: David Ritchie
Salary (including long-term bonuses): 1.5m
Redrow
Market capitalisation: 1.6bn
Pre-tax profit: 95m (est)
Profit margin: 17.2 per cent
Group chief executive: John Tutte
Salary (including long-term bonuses): 1.09m
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Leaving the European Union would create an economic shock and be clearly more risky than staying in the bloc, Boris Johnsons chief economist has said.
In an official Greater London Authority report, Gerry Lyons wrote that in the short term Brexit would likely depress economic activity, while in the long term there were higher risks to leaving than staying in.
The analysis appears to directly contradict claims made in Mr Johnsons newspaper column yesterday accusing opponents of Brexit of scaremongering.
I am ever more convinced that the real risk is to sit back and do nothing, to remain inertly and complacently in an unreformed EU that is hell-bent on a federal project over which we have no control, the Mayor wrote in the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
The Mayor of London also described the Treasurys inclusion of a prediction of an economic shock in an analysis as a curious spectacle.
But Mr Lyons, the GLAs chief economist, appeared to contradict Mr Johnson in a new report, London: The Global Powerhouse, released on Tuesday morning.
Leaving the EU would be an economic shock. Most, if not all, economic shocks depress economic activity, the report states.
Thus economic forecasts that focus on, say, a couple of years ahead would tend to show that leaving the EU is always worse than the alternative.
The report examines a number of scenarios (GLA)
Assessing longer-term forecasts, the economist concluded that Britain faced higher risks leaving, but that there were also some risks to staying in.
Clearly these forecasts show a higher downside risk outside the EU, highlighting the importance of the policy chosen, he said.
However, these forecasts also indicate there is uncertainty associated both in leaving the EU and staying in it.
The Mayor of London announced last month that he would campaign to leave the European Union deepening the divisions in the Conservative party over the issue of Europe.
He was ridiculed by the Prime Minister David Cameron, who appeared to suggest Mr Johnson had made the decision to further his political career within the Conservative party.
What has the EU ever done for us? Show all 7 1 /7 What has the EU ever done for us? What has the EU ever done for us? 1. It gives you freedom to live, work and retire anywhere in Europe As a member of the EU, UK citizens benefit from freedom of movement across the continent. Considered one of the so-called four pillars of the European Union, this freedom allows all EU citizens to live, work and travel in other member states. What has the EU ever done for us? 2. It sustains millions of jobs A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, released in October 2015, suggested 3.1 million British jobs were linked to the UKs exports to the EU. What has the EU ever done for us? 3. Your holiday is much easier - and safer Freedom to travel is one of the most exercised benefits of EU membership, with Britons having made 31 million visits to the EU in 2014 alone. But a lot of the benefits of being an EU citizen are either taken for granted or go unnoticed. What has the EU ever done for us? 4. It means you're less likely to get ripped off Consumer protection is a key benefit of the EUs single market, and ensures members of the British public receive equal consumer rights when shopping anywhere in Europe. What has the EU ever done for us? 5. It offers greater protection from terrorists, paedophiles, people traffickers and cyber-crime Another example of a lesser-known advantage of EU membership is the benefit of cross-country coordination and cooperation in the fight against crime. What has the EU ever done for us? 6. Our businesses depend on it According to 71% of all members of the Confederation of British Influence (CBI), and 67 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the EU has had an overall positive impact on their business. What has the EU ever done for us? 7. We have greater influence Robin Niblett, Director of think-tank Chatham House, stated in a report published last year: For a mid-sized country like the UK, which will never again be economically dominant either globally or regionally, and whose diplomatic and military resources are declining in relative terms, being a major player in a strong regional institution can offer a critical lever for international influence.
I am not standing for re-election. I have no other agenda than what is best for our country, he told the House of Commons.
I am standing here today telling you what I think. My responsibility as prime minister is to speak plainly about what I believe is right for our country.
Mr Cameron at the weekend described the idea of Brexit as a leap in the dark while George Osborne, the Chancellor, also said it would amount to an economic shock.
The pairs warnings attracted the ire of Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith on Sunday who said people who made such arguments had a low opinion of the British people.
Despite the new GLA report apparently contradicting Mr Johnsons stated view on the effects of Brexit, the Mayor of London signed an introduction to it, arguing that it was an excellent piece of work that will enrich the present debate and help enhance our understanding of Londons economy.
Commenting on the report, James McGrory, Chief Campaign Spokesman of Britain Stronger In Europe, said: With every day that goes by, wheels just keep falling off the Boris bus.
From his own Deputy Mayor saying leaving Europe would put Londoners at risk of terrorism, to his economic adviser showing exit could hammer Londons economy and jobs, the message is that Londoners are stronger, safer and better off in Europe. Boris appears to have put his own political ambitions ahead of what is best for London.
As Mayor of our capital city he should be making the full-throated case for Britain to remain in Europe, and not advocating a risky and costly leap into the dark.
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Britain has not pledged to take in enough Syrian refugees and will have to accept more, Lord Mandelson has warned.
The former Labour business secretary and EU trade commissioner said Germany, which is expected to take a million refugees this year, should not be left alone to bear the burden of taking Syrians.
He called for the creation of safe and legal routes for refugees to travel through and arrive in Europe and said external border policing needed to be overhauled.
David Cameron has pledged to take 4,000 refugees from Syria a year over this parliament though the Government has refused to take any who have arrived in Europe and will instead draw recruits from camps near the conflict zone.
Whilst Germany has done an enormous amount and taken on a huge burden, there are responsibilities for the rest of us we cannot create a situation where Germany alone is being largely expected to cope by itself, Lord Mandelson told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.
Im glad that Britain has agreed to take 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years I suspect that will not be enough.
I am glad the British government is funding Turkey and other relief efforts I suspect we will have to do more.
He praised Angela Merkels moral mission in accepting Syrian refugees and said the answer to the refugee crisis was not to throw up new fences and new walls.
Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Show all 15 1 /15 Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to bring down part of the border fence during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to break a Greek police cordon in order to approach the border fence at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees flee tear gas fire by the Macedonian police, after trying to bring down part of the border fence during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to break a Greek police cordon in order to approach the border fence at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees in the northern Greek village of Idomeni approach the Greek-Macedonian border as they try to enter Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Macedonian riot police officers stand next to part of the border fence brought down by protesting stranded refugees and migrants during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to bring down part of the border fence during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees break an iron fence and throw stones from the Greek side of the border as Macedonian policemen push them back, near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A girl cries as she flees clashes during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Refugees try to broke an iron fence from the Greek side of the border as Macedonian police stand guard, near the northern Greek village of Idomeni AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees and migrants in the northern Greek village of Idomeni approach the Greek-Macedonian border as they try to enter Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A man helps children to run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas at a group of refugees who tried to push their way into Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A woman carries a child on the Greek side of the border as they run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas at a group of refugees who tried to push their way into Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Refugees run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A woman falls as refugees with their children run away after Macedonian police Getty Images
Britain has also refused to take part in efforts by the EU to redistribute refugees and migrants who have arrived in heavily burdened southern European countries.
Last week Martin Schulz, the Germany social democrat president of the European Parliament said Britain should take more refugees.
The vast majority of refugees from the Syria conflict are in countries neighbouring the war zone in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. Overcrowded conditions and overstretched resources have however led some to make the perilous journey to Europe.
Recommended Read more Mandelson breaks silence to warn of punishing Brexit cost
A relatively small number of people are camped in Northern France hoping to get to Britain many of whom have connections to the UK, according to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has visited the camp.
Yesterday the French authorities moved to clear the largest camp, located in Calais. Riot police used tear gas and demolition equipment to evict people sleeping there.
Mr Cameron has refused to take more refugees from the camp, branding them a bunch of migrants at Prime Ministers questions last month.
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Cambridge Universitys vice-chancellor has thrown his weight behind the campaign to stay in Europe.
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, the son of Polish refugees who was brought up in Wales, warned of the risk to thousands of students studying in Europe if links were severed.
He said that 200,000 UK students currently studied in Europe underr the Erasmus programme - and that those who had been on it were 50 per cent more likely to avoid long-term unemployment.
Recommended Read more Mandelson breaks silence to warn of punishing Brexit cost
In addition, he added that 60 per cent of scientific research emanating from the UK had been produced with the help of a European co-author to the research.
Collaboration between European nations had also produced major health - saving initiatives in the treatment of diseases like Ebola - which he doubted whether the UK could have managed on its own.
!n short, I cannot identify a single persuasive reason to recommend leaving Europe, he added. Sir Leszek was addressing a meeting of the Higher Education International Forum.
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British exporters would face trade tariffs of up to 20 per cent on goods such as cars, whisky, pharmaceuticals and fashion sold around the world if the UK pulled out of the European Union, the former Trade Commissioner Lord Mandelson will warn on Tuesday.
In his first intervention in the referendum debate, the Labour peer will claim that the UK could not only lose access to the single European market but could also lose the EUs preferential trading status in foreign markets.
In retaliation, he will warn, the UK might also have to raise tariffs on imported goods pushing up the cost of foreign imports while new trade deals are agreed. This he will claim would be harder than those in favour of Brexit think, as after years in the EU the UK has no real trade negotiating capacity.
While Lord Mandelson has always been an ardent pro-European, his views nonetheless carry weight as the man responsible for overseeing all EU trade deals between 2004 and 2008. In trade you need bargaining chips in order to negotiate benefits in exchange and Britain is already a relatively open economy, he is expected to say.
Losing the EUs preferential trading benefits in foreign markets could mean new tariffs of 10, 20 per cent or sometimes even more on key UK exports, such as cars, machine goods, whisky and textiles.
We would end up having to sacrifice sensitive positions in order to secure these deals.
Brexit impact is 'baloney'
Lord Mandelsons comments came as David Cameron sought to dismiss allegations that the Remain campaign amounted to little more that project fear.
In a question-and-answer session with students, the Prime Minister denied he was fighting a negative battle and insisted that he was only interested in project fact.
This is not about raising concerns and worries which arent there. They are real concerns and worries based on fact, he said.
Mr Cameron also raised the issue of trade deals, pointing to the length of time it took Canada and Switzerland to negotiate free-trade agreements with the EU. He added that major economies would negotiate deals with the EU first and the UK second.
It will take at least two years to work out our relationship with the EU, he said.
The Prime Minister also invoked the success of the EU in rebuilding Europe after two world wars and bringing nations together.
I never forget when I sit round that table often at meetings that can be very frustrating with 27 other countries I never forget that 70 years ago we were butchering each other in the continent of Europe, in two world wars, and now we talk with each other and try to resolve issues, we try to get things done for the good of our country, for the good of our continent.
Meanwhile in Westminster the row continued over the decision not to give anti-EU ministers access to government papers related to the referendum.
On Sunday a Downing Street spokesman said that the only papers that would be withheld were those specifically relating to the EU referendum.But it later transpired that official advice to civil servants said that all documents with a bearing on the referendum question should not be shown to those ministers in favour of Brexit.
The Cabinet Secretary, Jeremy Heywood, will be questioned on the edict by MPs on Tuesday, but he has already been accused of acting in an unconstitutional manner by the employment minister, Priti Patel. It is important that the Civil Service maintains impartiality during the EU referendum, she said. Secretaries of state are responsible for their departments. For an unelected official to prevent them being aware of the information they need for their duties is wrong.
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Ministers have decided not to introduce monetary charges for freedom of information requests, following a review of the policy.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, introduced in 2000, any private citizen can request any information held by a public body, subject to certain restrictions.
FOI is regularly used by campaigners and the media to scrutinise the Governments activities, at both a local and national level.
Officials and ministers have however complained that the extra scrutiny the Act provides does not give them a safe space to discuss things without the public knowing about it.
Tony Blair has said he regrets introducing the law, describing himself as a naive, foolish, irresponsible nincompoop.
The Government set up a Freedom of Information Commission last year to look at the policy and how it might be changed.
One of the ways proposed to water down the transparency rules was to introduce fees however this has now been rejected.
9 things we only know because of the Freedom of Information Act Show all 8 1 /8 9 things we only know because of the Freedom of Information Act 9 things we only know because of the Freedom of Information Act Hinkley B Working for the Stop Hinkley campaign group, nuclear engineer John Large analysed papers that revealed cracks in the graphite bricks that are part of the nuclear reactors core. Getty 9 things we only know because of the Freedom of Information Act Tasers BBC Radio 5 Live obtained figures from the Home Office Taser database which showed that more than 400 children had Tasers drawn on them in 2013 38 per cent higher than 2012. Oli Scarff/Getty Images 9 things we only know because of the Freedom of Information Act Incinerated foetuses The Sunday Times reported that British hospitals, including Addenbrookes in Cambridge, incinerated miscarried and aborted foetuses as clinical waste. 9 things we only know because of the Freedom of Information Act Sir Cyril Smith An investigation by the Manchester Evening News uncovered secret files showing how the late Liberal MP confronted police at Rochdale police station and tried to dissuade them from investigating claims that he had been sexually abusing young boys. This was one of countless examples of the local and regional press using FoI to great investigative effect. Getty 9 things we only know because of the Freedom of Information Act Afghan civilian victims A series of FoI requests by The Guardian and Channel 4 have resulted in the emergence of information that would otherwise have remained secret about British troops alleged involvement in the killing or wounding of around 100 Afghan civilians. Much of the information related to compensation paid by the MoD to victims families. AP 9 things we only know because of the Freedom of Information Act Michael Gove A long-running battle in 2011 and 2012, between journalists and the Department for Education, culminated in the resignation of an aide to Michael Gove, Dominic Cummings, in 2013. The DfE had been criticised over the use of private email accounts for departmental business, an obstructive approach to Freedom of Information requests, and aggressive communications to journalists. Getty Images 9 things we only know because of the Freedom of Information Act Black spider memos A long-running legal battle, relating to claims of royal and ministerial exemption from FoI, culminated in the publication this year of correspondence in which the Prince of Wales lobbied ministers on subjects ranging from homeopathy to the Patagonian tooth fish. Getty 9 things we only know because of the Freedom of Information Act MPs expenses The publication by The Daily Telegraph in June and July 2009 of leaked details of MPs expenses was the last, spectacular act in an investigative saga that began in 2005 with two separate FoI requests by the journalists Heather Brooke and Jon Ungoed-Thomas. AP
After 10 years, we took the decision to review the Freedom of Information Act and we have found it is working well, Cabinet Office minister Matthew Hancock said.
We will not make any legal changes to FOI. We will spread transparency throughout public services, making sure all public bodies routinely publish details of senior pay and perks.
After all, taxpayers should know if their money is funding a company car or a big pay-off.
The Government which has a slim majority and could face defeat over any controversial proposals says it will not legislate to change the Act.
In September newspapers including the Independent, Guardian, the Daily Mail, Metro, Evening Standard, the Sun, Times, Telegraph and Mirror group, signed a joint letter addressed to the Prime Minister asking him not to water down the law.
Britains top civil servant, the Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood, also said he opposed significant changes to the Acts powers and instead favoured clarification.
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A Conservative Cabinet minister has been accused of using smears and insinuation to attack Labours candidate for Mayor of London on account of his Muslim faith.
Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, claimed that Mr Khan had spoken alongside extremists despite the Labour MP having in fact dedicated years to fighting radicalisation.
A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain told the Independent Mr Fallons comments illustrated that Muslim politicians still faced attacks that played to prejudices about their religion and that that Mr Khan should be judged on his record rather than his faith.
When British Muslims take part in politics and in the democratic life of our country, they deserve to be treated fairly and not be subject to smears that they are somehow closet extremists, the MCB spokesperson said.
The Conservative peer Sayeeda Warsi once described Islamophobia as having passed the dinner table test, and this is a case in point, where the loyalty of British Muslims and Muslim politicians is questioned.
By denying Muslims their obligation and right to take part in our democracy, we risk doing Daesh's work who, likewise, are keen for Muslims to turn their back on democratic politics. Sadiq Khan deserves to be scrutinised on his record and policies, not smears by insinuation.
Mr Khan has in fact previously criticised the Government for not being tough enough on extremism arguing that the Government had identified the problem but done nothing to fix it.
The row follows an allegation from Mr Khans campaign that a speech in which Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith described the Labour candidate as radical and divisive was coded racism.
Michael Fallon made the controversial comments in a speech to Tory activists (EPA)
Mr Khan was asked about his appearance at an event run by the Islam Channel on LBC radio on Tuesday and pointed out that David Cameron had done work with the same media outlet, which is available completely legitimately on Sky satellite service.
Government ministers since then including Conservative ministers and Labour ministers at the time have done stuff with the Islam Channel and so, you know, like many other ministers I was invited and I attended, he told the radio station.
And by the way, in the last couple of years David Cameron has done events with Islam Channel.
Mr Khan was also attacked in some newspapers on the basis that his sisters ex-husband, now a high-profile lawyer, had previously held extremist views, which he has long-since renounced.
The Labour candidate noted that he had not seen Makbool Javaid in 12 years.
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA 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. 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Mr Fallons latest attack was delivered a speech to Conservative activists in which he said Mr Khan would be unable do his job.
We need a candidate who can unite our city, not a Labour lackey who speaks alongside extremists, proving himself unfit to perform that role, he said, according to the Evening Standard newspaper.
A man who has said Britains foreign policy is to blame for the terrorist threat.
A spokesperson for Mr Khans campaign said Mr Fallon would literally say anything during an election and accused him of demeaning the office of defence secretary.
The Tory campaign is in real desperation and it was only a matter of time before they went down this route so its no surprise its Michael Fallon who will literally say anything during an election, a spokesperson has said.
Sadiq has consistently spoken out against extremism and terrorism. Hes suffered death threats and constant abuse from Muslim extremists throughout his life because of his mainstream views.
Hes the only candidate in this election who has a real plan to put a stop to radicalisation.
Attacks like this on mainstream Muslims like Sadiq only make it harder for us to fight extremists, put an end to radicalisation and beat the terrorists it demeans the office of Defence Secretary.
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The woman once seen as Robert Mugabes preferred natural successor has challenged Zimbabwes President by launching her own political party.
Former Vice-President Joice Mujuru announced the formation of Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) with a promise to revive Zimbabwes toxic economy by repairing ties severed with the West, as infighting threatens to consume the nations political elite.
The Presidents former protegee, who once described herself as like Mr Mugabes daughter, will lead the rival party to his ruling Zanu-PF. At the Harare hotel where she made the announcement Ms Mujuru known as Spill Blood during Zimbabwes war for independence from white-ruled Rhodesia was joined by former Zanu-PF Speaker, Didymus Mutasa, and former Economy Minister, Rugare Gumbo.
Outside, Ms Mujurus supporters danced in the streets. Ms Mujuru, 60, served as Mr Mugabes deputy for a decade of his 35-year rule, and once was seen as his likeliest successor until she was sacked in 2014 on charges, instigated by Mr Mugabes wife, Grace, that she had led a plot to oust and even kill the President. Today is a historic day, said Ms Mujuru. This is a day of significance in our countrys political history.
Mugabe's $1m 92nd birthday
The widow of General Solomon Mujuru, a veteran of the liberation war who was killed in a house fire in 2011, was quick to address Mrs Mugabes claims that she had plotted against the President. I am now swearing before you that I am neither a witch nor an assassin, she said.
She suggested her party would seek to overturn existing employment laws should it be elected in 2018. Its manifesto calls for a review of the so-called indigenisation legislation which has blocked foreign investment for a decade. All persons who call Zimbabwe home shall be entitled to access land and participate in its sustainable utilisation, the manifesto says. No white person can legally own farmland in Zimbabwe at present.
The nation is struggling to emerge from a recession that shrunk its economy by half during the decade to 2008. It also faces its worst drought in years.
Zanu-PF has nominated Mr Mugabe, 92, for re-election. Mrs Mugabe and Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took over after Ms Mujurus expulsion, are rumoured to be contesting the position.
Ms Mujuru said she was willing to forge alliances with other opposition groups. She was rumoured to be due to hold talks with Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change who was Prime Minister for four years under a power-sharing agreement.
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China's military equipment is now being used by more than two-thirds of African countries, a report into the military capabilities of powers around the world has revealed.
According to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, in their new report the Military Balance, China has been making significant inroads into the African defence market, reflecting the broader growth in Beijings influence and investment in the continent.
Using an analysis of the exports into 51 countries on the continent the IISS determined that 68 per cent of them currently use Chinese military equipment.
Speaking to The Independent, the author of the research Joseph Dempsey, a research analyst who worked on the wide-ranging report, said African nations were increasinly using military exports supplied by Beijing.
Recommended Read more One chart that shows the biggest arms exporters of the last five years
What is interesting, he adds, is that since 2005 ten new countries on the African continent have become emergent customers for Chinese military exports. These include Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Nigeria, Chad, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Uganda and Ghana.
In a separate report released in February by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, an independent resource on global security, it was revealed that Chinese exports of major arms excluding most light weaponry grew by 88 per cent between 2011 and 2015, compared to the earlier five-year timeframe.
The country still accounted for only 5.9 per cent of global arms exports from 2011-2015, well behind the United States and Russia, by far the world's two largest arms exporters.
Mr Dempsey, on the IISS report, said: China has exported to Africa for decades. Its not a phenomenon per se but were seeing more advanced equipment being exported by China, maybe because they cant get it elsewhere armed UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] to Nigeria for examplemore types that affordable from elsewhere.
(Statista)
Mr Dempsey added, however, that is hard to verify the quantity of sales as often the countries are not very transparent or no values are attached to them.
The IISS report claims that China is capitalising on the void left in the post-Cold war era by replacing obsolete Soviet systems from the inventories of the Warsaw Pact states. Although the level of technology may not be wholly indicative of the full capabilities of Chinas defence industry nor be equivalent to Western capabilities these exports reflect the threat levels and robust operating environments of the continent, the report adds.
Indeed, a significant proportion of imported Chinese equipment manufactured by state-owned industry represents government-to-government agreements often enabled by Chinese loans or agreed as part of wider infrastructure investment packages.
Amnesty Internationals Arms Control Researcher Patrick Wilcken said to The Independent: Theres been a long history of irresponsible arms supplies to African countries which have then ended up being used to commit dreadful atrocities.
Chinese-manufactured weapons and ammunition have spread across the continent through illicit trade, and have been found in the hands of armed groups and government forces in places like South Sudan, Darfur and the Central African Republic.
China - or any other arms exporter - must not send weapons where theres a risk that they will be used to commit or facilitate serious human rights violations.
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In the last six months, a 90-year-old woman has seen some of the most famous landmarks in the US, including Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon.
Norma, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, decided to take the epic road trip across the country rather than undergo treatment.
Currently seeing the sights in Florida, Norma is travelling in a motor home with her son Tim, daughter-in-law Ramie and their pet poodle Ringo. Over Christmas, she fulfilled one of her dreams by taking a ride in a hot air balloon.
Norma, from Michigan, told The Huffington Post: People shouldnt be afraid to travel. No matter your age.
She made the decision to go on the trip in August 2015 after she was diagnosed with uterine cancer and was asked by a doctor about how she would like to proceed with her treatment.
Norma, whose husband had died two days earlier, said: Im 90 years old, Im hitting the road.
Her decision has been widely supported and a Facebook page documenting her travels, called Driving Miss Norma, has so far garnered almost 90,000 likes.
In a post on the page, her family wrote about the decision to not have treatment and to travel instead. According to them, Normas doctor fully supported the idea and said: As doctors we see what cancer treatment looks like every day. ICU, nursing homes, awful side effects and honestly, there is no guarantee she will survive the initial surgery to remove the mass.
You are doing exactly what I would want to do in this situation. Have a fantastic trip!
Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 Show all 20 1 /20 Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 20. Museum of Old and New Australia Daniel Munoz Getty Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 19. Galapagos Islands, Eduador Getty Images Getty Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 18. Santorini, Greece Justin Foulkes Lonely Planet Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 17. Fiordland National Park, New Zealand Pete Seaward Lonely Planet Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 16. Sagrada Familia Josep Lago Getty Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 15. British Museum England Peter Macdiarmid Getty Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 14. Tikal, Guatemala Johan Ordonez Getty Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 13. Petra, Jordan Joe Windsor-Williams Lonely Planet Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 12. 12 Apostles, Australia Clarissa Cavalheiro Reuters Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 11. Fez Medina, Morocco Wolfgang Kaehler Getty Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 10. Aya Sofya, Turkey Mark Read Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 9. Alhambra, Spain Pete Seaward Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 8. Iguazu Falls, Brazil-Argentina Matt Munro Iguazu Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 7. Colosseum, Italy Justin Foulkes Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 6. Grand Canyon National Park, USA Mark Read Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 5. Taj Mahal, India Pete Seward Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 4. Great Wall of China, China Mark Read Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 3. Machu Picchu, Peru Philip Lee Harvey Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 2. Great Barrier Reef, Australia Matt Munro Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist: Top 10 1. Temples of Angkor, Cambodia Mark Read
Speaking to The Huffington Post, Norma's daughter-in-law Ramie said they had no plans to stop travelling yet. She said: We have no idea where or when it will end. We are living in the present moment.
Everyone has different ideas about how they want the end of their life to work. As a planet, we need to have this conversation, she told ABC News.
The 2016 South Dakota Legislature has a chance to make history.
If undecided lawmakers have the courage to join their colleagues and vote for Gov. Dennis Daugaards education reform package, they can help give our children a brighter future while bringing property-tax relief to homeowners, businesses, farmers and ranchers.
Its a win-win scenario that would ripple through the states economy for years to come. Now, South Dakotas teachers are by a wide margin the lowest paid in the nation, making it difficult for school districts to find and keep good teachers. The problem extends to the business community, whose leaders will tell you that being ranked 51st in teacher pay hampers their efforts to recruit and retain top talent.
The centerpiece of the governors proposal raises the sales tax by one-half percent and generates an estimated $67 million mostly earmarked for teacher pay and $40 million for property-tax relief.
The beauty of using sales tax to pay for the plan is that about 35 percent of the money would come from tourists, rallygoers and other visitors. Meanwhile, 100 percent of the benefits would be enjoyed by South Dakotans.
But, more importantly, a reliable source of funding will enable school districts to compete with other states for the teachers who will prepare our children for the future, a fundamental duty of government.
South Dakota teachers earn an average of $8,000 to $12,000 less a year than their colleagues in neighboring states. Instead of receiving 20 applications for a teaching position, schools now only get two or three, if any. Once an opening is filled, those same teachers often leave after a year or two for better-paying jobs. This is happening as many veteran teachers are about to retire, raising concerns about where the next generation of educators will come from.
At the same time, the governors proposal will reduce a property owners payment to the local school district by 12 percent, a savings of $14 million for homeowners alone.
An increase in teacher pay also makes South Dakota a more attractive place for doctors, nurses and others in the health-care industry to work. Regional Health officials say job candidates want to be assured their children receive a quality education, but wonder how that is possible with the way we now fund education.
Companies and small businesses have the same recruitment and retention concerns and wonder why they should continue investing in a state that isnt willing to invest in public education at the level other states do.
The goal of the legislation is to raise the average teacher pay from $40,023 to $48,500, which some claim is too much. But the legislation does not boost all of the teachers pay to that level. In Rapid City, starting pay for new teachers with a bachelors degree is around $33,000 a year, but those newcomers will not see an immediate $15,500 pay raise. They will have to earn it by putting in their time and continuing their education.
And we need them to stay here and improve their skills. In 2014, a total of 501 out of 2,793 high school graduates had to take remedial classes in their first year of college at the states public universities, imposing an additional financial burden on them or their parents.
Daugaard and his Blue Ribbon Task Force have worked for months to address a problem that impacts every aspect of our lives. While the Legislature will consider other proposals to pay for education reform, none are as reliable as sales tax nor do they guarantee property-tax relief.
Yet, the bar is high to raise taxes as two-thirds of lawmakers need to support it. Some are opposed to any tax regardless of the benefits to others. It is time for those lawmakers to open their minds and do what is best for the entire state, which is to vote for education reform, and for the governors sales tax proposal to fund it, both of which the Rapid City Journal wholeheartedly endorses.
Rapid City Journal
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Donald Trump has ordered dozens of black students to be removed from a campaign rally as a furore continues to rage over his failure to condemn the Ku Klux Klan on CNN.
The Republican Presidential candidate was speaking at Radford University in Virginia on Monday when the group started chanting: No more hate! No more hate! Let's be equal, let's be great!"
Get them out of here please, get them outget them out, Mr Trump ordered, before asking: Are you from Mexico?
Protesters are escorted out of a rally for Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump at Radford University in Radford, Va., Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. (AP)
Footage showed the students leaving the packed auditorium in a long column while chanting and waving Black Lives Matters posters.
A Time magazine photographer attempting to get a photo as they passed was caught on camera being thrown to the ground by a Secret Service agent, causing some demonstrators to break off in concern.
Mr Trump paused his speech as the disruption continued, saying: Get them out of here pleasetrouble, nothing but trouble.
As the rally settled back down, he told supporters: Folks, youre going to hear it once all lives matter.
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
You have some people who are just looking for trouble and if youre looking for trouble, I dont want to talk. We have to act tough, and we have to act swiftly.
Just hours later, at another rally at Valdosta State University in Georgia, another group of Black Lives Matter protesters were removed after being spotted standing on bleachers in a silent protest before Mr Trump's speech began.
They claimed Secret Service agents told them Mr Trump had demanded they be removed before he started speaking but a spokesperson for his campaign later said it was not the candidates request.
I think we got kicked out because were a group of black people and I guess with whats going on in America, theyre afraid were doing to say something or do something, but we just really wanted to watch the rally, one of the protesters told USA Today while being escorted away.
Another young woman said the group wanted to make a statement with our attire, evoking the Black Panthers.
We werent starting any trouble, we werent saying anything, we came in together as a group to see what the Presidential candidate had to offer to our campus, to our community and our country, she added.
The sight of the visibly upset students being led outside by police caused discomfort university that was a whites-only campus until 1963, USA Today noted.
The rallies came a day before one of the most important days in the US Presidential race, Super Tuesday, when when 11 states hold contests for the Republican and Democrat selections.
Additional reporting by AP
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Here's what happened:
Winners:
Georgia: Hillary Clinton (Democrat); Donald Trump (Republican)
Vermont: Bernie Sanders (D); Trump (R)
Virginia: Clinton (D); Trump (R)
Alabama: Clinton (D); Trump (R)
Massachusetts: Clinton (D); Trump (R)
Oklahoma: Sanders (D); Ted Cruz (R)
Tennessee: Clinton (D); Trump (R)
Arkansas: Clinton (D); Trump (R)
Colorado: Sanders (D)
Minnesota: Sanders (D); Marco Rubio (R)
Texas: Clinton (D); Cruz (R)
Alaska: Republican winner not yet determined
American Samoa: Clinton (D)
Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load
On Tuesday, the residents of 12 US states - Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma,Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia along with American Samoa and Democratic voters living abroad, cast their vote in the primary election. Results for Wyoming's Republican caucuses will also be completed by the end of Super Tuesday, with counties having caucused in the weeks preceding the day itself.
A poll published on Monday morning put Mr Trump on 49 points nationally, ahead of all his rivals combined, the Democratic contest sits at 55-38 in favour of Ms Clinton.
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Super Tuesday, when a dozen states vote, is the biggest day of the primary season, with the largest single haul of convention delegates at stake. On this day the process of electing a president goes national. And this year it could effectively resolve both parties nomination battles.
A sweep or near-sweep by Donald Trump would make it close to impossible for any Republican rival to overtake him, barring a colossal bolt from the political blue. Much the same goes for Hillary Clinton in her straight fight with Bernie Sanders.
Eight southern states are among those voting. If her substantial victory in South Carolina on Saturday is a guide, Ms Clintons overwhelming support among black Americans could propel her to victory in every one of those states, including Texas, the biggest prize at stake (and where, on the Republican side, home state Senator Ted Cruz must hold Mr Trump at bay by winning, to keep his candidacy alive.)
If that happens, and given Ms Clintons near monopoly of her partys 700 non-elected super-delegates at Julys Democratic convention in Philadelphia, she will be well on the way to the 2,383 total she needs for victory. Mr Sanders path to the nomination, even if he does well in non-Southern states voting now Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts and his home state of Vermont will be all but non-existent.
A new national CNN poll confirms the Trump-Clinton ascendancy. Mr Trump has support from a stunning 49 per cent of Republicans, more than his four remaining rivals combined, and destroying any notion he has a ceiling of 35 per cent or so.
Far from hitting a plateau, his support appears to be only increasing, despite the pounding he took in last weeks candidates debate and the swingeing attacks by Marco Rubio, the Florida Senator on whom the shell-shocked Republican establishment is pinning its dwindling hopes of blocking Mr Trump.
Ms Clinton meanwhile leads Mr Sanders by 55 per cent to 38 per cent nationwide, upping her advantage since the previous such poll in late January, before primary voting began. Women, older voters, African-Americans and moderates side heavily with her, while young, independent and liberal voters are almost equally divided between the two.
Mr Sanders says he will fight on, whatever happens today. But on the Republican side, former neurosurgeon Ben Carson is likely to drop out, barring an unexpected surge in his vote. Mr Cruz might follow him if he loses in Texas; meanwhile Ohio governor John Kasich faces pressure from party elders to withdraw, to clear the way for Mr Rubio. That pressure will only grow if, as expected, Mr Kasich loses across the board today.
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It was, the prosecutor said, a callous assault on the dignity and identity of entire populations and their religion and historical roots, as she laid out war crime charges against Mali jihadist Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi. Yet this was not about taking lives or physically torturing victims, but something unprecedented in international law: the desecration of cultural heritage.
The hearing at the International Criminal Court in The Hague is the first ever to charge an individual for war crimes against a historic and cultural monument in this case, the mausoleums of Timbuktu.
Mr al-Faqi, a former trainee teacher, is accused of leading the 2012 attack by al-Qaeda affiliate Ansar Dine against the 15th century historic shrines. An ethnic Tuareg, known as Abu Tourab, he sat impassively in court, wearing a collarless white tunic and rimless spectacles, with his headphones barely visible under his straggly black curly hair. He only responded once, when the courts president, Judge Joyce Aluoch, addressed him directly. Yes, I have understood the charges well, he said, in Arabic.
Mr al-Faqi was among Tuareg rebels that seized Timbuktu for a few months in 2012, before French and Malian troops ousted them the following year. He was arrested in neighbouring Niger and transferred to the court last September.
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As leader of the so-called manners brigade, Mr al-Faqi is accused of planning and leading the attacks on nine mausoleums and a mosque with pick-axes and iron bars. The prosecution showed video clips of him being interviewed at the time, explaining the Islamic jurisprudence behind his actions.
Founded by Tuareg tribes in the 5th century, Timbuktu has near mythical status as the city of 333 saints and the Pearl of the Desert.
Prosecutors noted that its destruction was among a series of recent cultural desecrations, including the razing of Palmyra in Syria by Isis; the bombing of Aleppo by Syrian combatants and Russia forces; and the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban in 2001.
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Fierce clashes between riot police and refugees have erupted at the Jungle camp in Calais following the clearance of makeshift homes.
Around 50 structures were demolished by the local prefecture, despite an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights to prevent the operation from going ahead. The decision to clear the southern half of the camp, thought to accommodate up to 3,400 people, was announced on Thursday.
Refugees in this section were woken early on Monday morning and told they had an hour to collect their possessions and leave.
Mayhem in Calais camp
I lost everything I had. They said I had to be out in 10 minutes, said Atif Ibrahim, a 37-year-old Sudanese man who has been in the camp for eight months. The judge on Thursday said the police would not demolish any house that had someone in it, so we thought wed be safe.
The clearance began peacefully but tensions spilled over at around lunchtime. After a structure was set alight, police fired tear gas and refugees pelted them with rocks. A water cannon was deployed to extinguish the fire.
Recommended Read more Calais Jungle evicted by police with tear gas and rubber bullets
Hamdi Abbas, 25, from Sudan, complained of ill treatment at the hands of the police. They dragged me out and hit me, I said, this is where I live, where should I go now?
During the day, local media reported the presence of 55 police vans on site, each apparently carrying around 12 officers.
As darkness fell, the camp began to resemble a war zone as hundreds of additional officers flooded the area. Tear gas was fired from a motorway overpass and from empty land adjoining the camp. Hundreds of refugees flooded on to the motorway and rocks were thrown at passing traffic as smoke trails lined the sky. One volunteer described the polices approach to using tear gas as like putting on a firework display.
Calais Jungle evicted by police with tear gas
Another volunteer, Joe Murphy, who helps run the Good Chance theatre, questioned why the prefecture had not stuck to the soft clearance techniques they had apparently committed to at a televised press conference on Thursday. Bulldozers were used this was certainly not the soft clearance that was promised, he said.
Clare Moseley, founder of the Care4Calais charity, was among those caught in the tear gas. She expressed alarm at what she viewed as heavy-handed policing. They said they wouldnt be forceful but I saw 10 policeman carry out one refugee from his shelter. The prefecture [officials] then set about them [the shelters] with sledge hammers.
Riot police extinguish a fire during Monday's clashes (EPA) (AFP/Getty)
After saying last week that it would be a slow process and they would work with us, that now seems to have gone out of the window. It was extremely unpleasant, especially when you consider what these people have been through already.
After Thursdays announcement, no timeframe for the clearance was given but volunteers said the local prefecture had pledged that there would be no action for three weeks, giving the European Court of Human Rights time to hear the case.
The appeal argues that the refugees human right to accommodation is being violated by the clearance as not enough alternative shelter is being provided. In recent weeks, a number of specially modified shipping containers fitted with beds have been installed at the camps. They are thought to have 300 spaces vacant while 700 places have been provided at reception centres around France.
Some refugees have accepted these arrangements but most are reluctant. The shipping containers require fingerprints to access, raising concern that these records could harm future asylum claims in other countries.
Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Show all 8 1 /8 Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' People gather outside the Eritrean church at the camp The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' A fire at the camp destroyed shelters for 180 people The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' A fire at the camp destroyed shelters for 180 people The Hummingbird Project
In addition, volunteers argue that the prefecture has severely underestimated the numbers living in the section they hope to clear, with a recent survey putting the population at 3,400. Many say that the refugees will simply set up smaller satellite camps.
It is believed that the clearance will continue on Wednesday. The targeted section of the camp contains many of the camps volunteer-led amenities such as its legal centre and women and childrens centre. At the court hearing on Thursday, a promise appeared to be made that these facilities would be exempt from the clearance.
For Mr Abbas, despite the demolition of his temporary home, his long-term goals remain as clear as ever. Ive been here for eight months, he said. Im not going to give up until I reach England.
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Demolition teams flanked by squads of riot police were returning to the Calais "Jungle" this morning to destroy hundreds more refugee shelters following overnight clashes.
Riot units fired tear gas at crowds of asylum seekers who reportedly threw stones and other missiles, while others were seen attempting to stop lorries heading towards the Channel Tunnel and board before being forced back off the motorway.
There were no reports of serious injuries but at least three people, possibly pro-refugee activists, were arrested during the demolitions.
Calais Jungle evicted by police with tear gas
French authorities say around 1,000 people are affected by the eviction plan but humanitarian groups have put the total at more than triple that figure.
Ginny Howells, UK emergency manager for Save the Children, described the scene at the camp as very chaotic.
They are all just incredibly worried and anxious, she said. People are dispersing into the northern part of the camps - it's really just moving the problem to other camps, which are in a worse condition.
No one wants the Jungle to exist but until you've worked with them, don't demolish the community structures that have been built up.
Migrants watch a hut burn as police officers clear part of the 'jungle' migrant camp on February 29, 2016 in Calais, France (Getty Images)
Ms Howells claimed children taking shelter in a Save the Children youth centre on the site had been affected by tear gas on Monday.
She expected further clashes and more of the same as the demolition continued.
It is the largest in successive rounds of demolitions aiming to destroy squalid parts of the sprawling camp, near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel and ferries to England, and move refugees away from a motorway that has seen frequent disruption and clashes as groups attempt to board lorries.
Converted shipping containers complete with lights, heating and sanitation have been used to create new accommodation for 1,500 people in the camp, where conditions were previously described as diabolical.
But the much-touted facility has been greeted by suspicion and distrust.
In pictures: Calais crisis Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: Calais crisis In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Migrants climb in the back of a lorry on the A16 highway leading to the Eurotunnel in Calais Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Protesting French employees of the company English Channel passenger and freight ferry company "MyFerryLink" block the railway tracks of the Eurostar Channel tunnel line in Calais Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Protesting French employees of the company English Channel passenger and freight ferry company "MyFerryLink" block the railway tracks of the Eurostar Channel tunnel line with a burning plastic barrier In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis French riot police officers drive out protesting French employees of the freight ferry company MyFerryLink Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis French riot police take position to drive out protesters blocking the railway tracks Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Passengers stranded by the cancellation of Eurostar trains wait at St. Pancras station in London. Eurostar said it has canceled all passenger trains through the tunnel that links France and England, after striking ferry workers swarmed the train line setting tires alight In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Passengers sit on stairs after being stranded by cancelled Eurostar trains at St. Pancras station in London In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis A police vehicle drives past lorries are backed up on the M20 motorway which leads from London to the Channel Tunnel terminal at Ashford and the Ferry Terminal at Dover In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Trucks queue up as part of Operation Stack in Dover In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Cars queue to board a ferry in Dover bound for Dunkirk, France, as the disruption at Calais looks set to enter a second day as migrants continue to target lorries in a bid to cross into the UK In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis A police officer sprays tear gas to migrants trying to access the Channel Tunnel on the A16 highway in Calais, northern France PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Migrants wait near the A16 highway as they try to access the Channel Tunnel in Calais, northern France PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Striking employees of the French company My Ferry Link, a cross-channel ferry service, stand in front of tyres set on fire as they block the access to the Channel Tunnel in Calais, northern France PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis A striking employee of the French company My Ferry Link, a cross-channel ferry service, sits on a tyre in front of tyres set on fire as he takes part in a blockade of the access to the Channel Tunnel in Calais, northern France PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Striking employees of the French company My Ferry Link, a cross-channel ferry service, prepare to set tyres on fire to block the access to the Channel Tunnel in Calais, northern France PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images
Some of the vulnerable refugees earmarked to move in have refused as rumours spread about why it is fenced off from the rest of the camp, requiring refugees to scan their hands to enter and leave.
Authorities also say they have offered to relocate people into centres in other parts of France where they can apply for asylum but many have resisted the move, fearing it will hurt their chances of reaching Britain.
Prefect Fabienne Buccio, who had ordered the camp evacuated and dismantled earlier this month, was present for the start of demolitions on Monday.
Her office accused some activist groups of intimidation tactics, claiming they were manipulating migrants into refusing to accept government offers of shelter.
Refugees block a truck on the highway near the so-called Calais Jungle make-shift camp at the start of the expulsion of a part of 'the Jungle' in Calais, France, 29 February 2016 (EPA)
Really three houses out of four - I mean three huts out of four, or three tents out of four - were already totally abandoned with a lot of rubbish inside, she said.
Migrants, she said, had the time necessary to gather their belongings. The rest was good enough to throw away.
But cameras filming at the time appeared to capture daily life continuing in the shelters marked for demolition, populated by families and other groups of refugees.
About 4,000 people are estimated to live in the camp - down from 6,000 in December and the refugees presence has driven far-right sentiment in both Britain and France.
A judge in Lille ruled last Thursday that a partial clearance should go ahead, apart from public buildings and social spaces, including schools and places of worship.
Campaigners had called for a postponement to remove people from the slum, saying that there is not enough new accommodation for people to move to.
Meanwhile, the refugee crisis is reaching crisis point elsewhere in Europe as border restrictions by Austria, Slovenia, Macedonia and other nations is trapping thousands of homeless migrants in Greece after they arrive on smugglers' boats from Turkey.
Additional reporting by AP and PA
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A "pregnant" refugee has slit her wrists in an apparent suicide attempt after failing to stop her makeshift home being demolished in the Calais Jungle camp.
The Associated Press reported that the womanm said to be pregnant, stood on their shelters rooftop as demolition teams moved in for a second day of clearing work on Tuesday.
The couple, believed to be Kurdish-Iranians, warned police not to come closer but as officers moved in, the woman sliced her wrists.
Her condition was not immediately known but reporters at the scene said she was conscious as the man was beaten with batons and both were removed from the roof.
Calais Jungle evicted by police with tear gas
A crowd of activists were kept behind a police cordon as the eviction unfolded and could be heard crying and shouting for police to stop.
The desperate scenes came as authorities continued to demolish an area of the squalid camp where thousands of asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa are living as they attempt to reach the UK.
Recommended Read more Demolition teams and riot police return to Calais camp after clashes
Local councillors claim no more than 1,000 people are affected by the eviction plan but humanitarian groups have put the total at more than triple that figure after conducting their own survey.
Tanya Freedman, from Help Refugees, told The Independent her groups research put the total at around 3,500 and counted the available places for relocation at just 1,156 in the whole of France.
Only 300 places remain in shipping containers converted into refugee housing in Calais, she said, while much of the other accommodation being offered to migrants was in holiday camps elsewhere that will be turned back over to tourists in the spring.
Inside the camps in Calais Show all 20 1 /20 Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais A Kurdish child and her father get out of their tent in the makeshift migrant camp in Grande-Synthe near Dunkerque Inside the camps in Calais Kurdish migrants works around the tents of the makeshift migrant camp in Grande-Synthe near Dunkerque Inside the camps in Calais Volunteers from Holland set up a bridge of fortune over the mud using pallets of the makeshift migrant camp in Grande-Synthe near Dunkerque Inside the camps in Calais Refugees walk among tents in a makeshift camp as containers (rear) are put into place to house several hundred migrants living in what is known as the "Jungle", a squalid sprawling camp in Calais Inside the camps in Calais A makeshift camp is seen in front of containers (rear) put into place to house several hundred migrants living in what is known as the "Jungle", a squalid sprawling camp in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais The camp near Calais harbour where refugees from the Middle East and central Asia congregate to attempt the crossing from France to the UK Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Most of the temporary residents in this camp are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria or the Kurdish administered regions Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Camp residents cook and share food at their site just outside Calais Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A group walk through the camp near Calais Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Most of the temporary residents in this camp are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria or the Kurdish administered regions Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A 16 year old immigrant from Eritrea tries to brace himself against the rain and cold by sheltering under the road bridge Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Rubbish strewn on the ground near one of the campsites Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A man stands among the tents at the campsite just outside Calais, France Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A camp near Calais harbour where migrants from the East africa congregate to attempt the crossing from France to the UK. Most of the temporary residents in this camp are from Eritrea. Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Graffiti depicting the dangerous journey trying to smuggle onto a lorry to the UK
Rumours that migrants being relocated will be forced to apply for asylum in France, rather than continue to the UK, or face being deported were causing refugees to reject the scheme.
Some people are packing their bags and leaving but they arent getting on the buses provided by the prefecture and we dont know where theyre going, Ms Freedman added.
A lot of families are just moving into the northern part of the camp, theres a feeling of resignation.
Around 100 tents and shelters were destroyed on Monday as angry clashes broke out and fires swept through the camp.
French riot police in front of a burning shelter at the start of the demolition of a part of the Jungle migrant camp in Calais, France, 29 February 2016. (EPA)
Riot police fired tear gas at crowds of asylum seekers who reportedly threw stones and other missiles, while others were seen attempting to stop lorries heading towards the Channel Tunnel and board before being forced back off the motorway overnight.
Ginny Howells, UK emergency manager for Save the Children, described the scene at the camp as very chaotic on Tuesday morning.
They are all just incredibly worried and anxious, she said.
People are dispersing into the northern part of the camps - it's really just moving the problem to other camps, which are in a worse condition."
Ms Howells claimed children taking shelter in a Save the Children youth centre on the site had been affected by tear gas on Monday.
Refugees block a truck on the highway near the so-called Calais Jungle make-shift camp at the start of the expulsion of a part of 'the Jungle' in Calais, France, 29 February 2016 (EPA)
She expected further clashes and more of the same as the demolition continued.
It is the largest in successive rounds of demolitions aiming to destroy squalid parts of the sprawling camp, near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel and ferries to England, and move refugees away from a motorway that has seen frequent disruption and clashes as groups attempt to board lorries.
Prefect Fabienne Buccio, who had ordered the camp evacuated and dismantled earlier this month, was present for the start of demolitions on Monday.
Her office accused some activist groups of intimidation tactics, claiming they were manipulating migrants into refusing to accept government offers of shelter.
About 4,000 people are estimated to live in the camp - down from 6,000 in December and the refugees presence has driven far-right sentiment in both Britain and France.
A judge in Lille ruled last Thursday that a partial clearance should go ahead, apart from public buildings and social spaces, including schools and places of worship.
Riot police extinguish a fire during Monday's clashes (AFP/Getty)
Campaigners had called for a postponement to remove people from the slum, saying that there is not enough new accommodation for people to move to.
Meanwhile, the refugee crisis is reaching crisis point elsewhere in Europe as border restrictions by Austria, Slovenia, Macedonia and other nations is trapping thousands of homeless migrants in Greece after they arrive on smugglers' boats from Turkey.
More than 130,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe by sea so far this year, according to the latest UN figures, mostly Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis crossing from Turkey to Greece.
Asylum seekers are arriving at roughly eight times the rate seen during the same period in 2015, which was a record-breaking year as conflicts across the Middle East and Africa drove the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War.
Additional reporting by agencies
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Riot police firing tear gas, migrants catapulting missiles at lorries and shelters set on fire. The dismantling of the Jungle migrant camp near Calais has had a lurid start. Those incidents lead to the question: is the never-ending crisis in Calais about to explode into uncontrollable violence?
No, says Fabienne Buccio, the calm and friendly woman who has one of the hardest jobs in France managing police, security and government policy in the Pas de Calais area. There is a largely unseen, or little reported, battle of Calais, which the French government is beginning to win, she says.
We must remain humble. The problems are very great. But, yes, I think we are starting to make real progress, Ms Buccio told The Independent in her first interview with the British media. The Calais crisis cannot be solved in Calais. It can only end completely when the problems which create these great flows of mass migration are resolved. But since the autumn, we have had a clear plan, balancing the need for greater security and the need for humanity. And it is beginning to succeed.
Recommended Read more Demolition teams and riot police return to Calais camp after clashes
The figures support her claims. Nearly 3,000 migrants have agreed to move to reception centres elsewhere in France since 27 October. Eighty per cent of them have applied for French asylum.
The number of Calais migrants accepting financial help to go home has increased sixfold since the start of this year. The population of the Jungle the patchwork of official and unofficial migrant camps north of Calais has fallen from 6,000 in September to about 3,700 and is still falling. New razor wire fences and police reinforcements mean that very few migrants are now reaching Britain illegally.
Ms Buccio believes that she is on course to reduce the migrant numbers to a manageable population of 2,000. She blames this weeks violence on mostly British extremist activists in the No Borders movement and a hard core of about 150 migrants whom they manipulate.
Calais Jungle evicted by police with tear gas
The great majority of the migrants are co-operative and are beginning to accept that we not the extremists have their best interests at heart, she said.
Ms Buccio, 56, a great admirer of Jane Austen, is the prefect, or senior national government representative, in the Calais area. There is no equivalent in Britain; think of it as an unelected, provincial governor.
Inside the camps in Calais Show all 20 1 /20 Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais A Kurdish child and her father get out of their tent in the makeshift migrant camp in Grande-Synthe near Dunkerque Inside the camps in Calais Kurdish migrants works around the tents of the makeshift migrant camp in Grande-Synthe near Dunkerque Inside the camps in Calais Volunteers from Holland set up a bridge of fortune over the mud using pallets of the makeshift migrant camp in Grande-Synthe near Dunkerque Inside the camps in Calais Refugees walk among tents in a makeshift camp as containers (rear) are put into place to house several hundred migrants living in what is known as the "Jungle", a squalid sprawling camp in Calais Inside the camps in Calais A makeshift camp is seen in front of containers (rear) put into place to house several hundred migrants living in what is known as the "Jungle", a squalid sprawling camp in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais The camp near Calais harbour where refugees from the Middle East and central Asia congregate to attempt the crossing from France to the UK Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Most of the temporary residents in this camp are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria or the Kurdish administered regions Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Camp residents cook and share food at their site just outside Calais Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A group walk through the camp near Calais Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Most of the temporary residents in this camp are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria or the Kurdish administered regions Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A 16 year old immigrant from Eritrea tries to brace himself against the rain and cold by sheltering under the road bridge Justin Sutcliffe Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Rubbish strewn on the ground near one of the campsites Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A man stands among the tents at the campsite just outside Calais, France Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais A camp near Calais harbour where migrants from the East africa congregate to attempt the crossing from France to the UK. Most of the temporary residents in this camp are from Eritrea. Inside the camps in Calais Asylum seekers in Calais Graffiti depicting the dangerous journey trying to smuggle onto a lorry to the UK
It was Ms Buccio who devised the plan to clear the southern part of the Jungle, which began this week. It was she who launched the first intensive effort by the French authorities to offer asylum to the migrants and test their determination to reach the imagined El Dorado of Britain.
Past generations of Calais migrants were obsessed with Britain. Those who have arrived more recently have been misled by people smuggling gangs to make for Calais, she said. When they realise that they cannot cross the Channel, they are ready to try their luck in France.
French police prepare to remove a woman, who threatened to cut her wrists, and a man from the top of a hut as they clear the Jungle camp in Calais. Both were arrested (Getty)
Of those who agree to be bussed to the 102 reception centres elsewhere in France, 100 per cent of Eritreans, 87 per cent of Syrians, 80 per cent of Afghans but only 40 per cent of Sudanese agree to give up all chance of seeking British asylum and apply to remain in France.
Ms Buccio was scathing about the No Borders activists, four-fifths of whom are British. They are young people who are driven by an anarchist ideology of hatred of all laws and frontiers, she said. They have no real concern for the suffering of the migrants. They manipulate them and they mislead them. They harass the social workers we send to canvass them about staying in France.
And they are dangerous. One of my police officers had his hand broken in five places on Monday. They are not throwing pebbles.
Mayhem in Calais camp
Ms Buccio is herself the grand-daughter of an Italian migrant who faced racist violence from local people when he fled from fascist Italy to Marseille in the 1930s. She has worked her way up from the bottom of the administrative pyramid to one of the most high-profile government jobs in France.
She has made a reputation since she arrived last year as a humane and hands-on official. Unlike many French prefects, she seldom appears in braided hat and white gloves.
While we speak, she takes a stream of calls from officials in the Jungle. Be careful when you are dismantling shelters in that area, she tells one caller. Thats where the mosque is. And watch out that the No Borders people dont burn it down and blame us.
Riot police secure an area inside the camp (EPA)
For 20 years, Calais seems to have been a never-ending crisis, but that is changing, Ms Buccio insists.
First, the Calais port and the Eurotunnel freight terminal are now almost water-tight, she said. The new security arrangements are working. Im not saying that no one ever gets through. A few people managed to cross the Berlin Wall after all. But it is now very, very hard to reach the UK illegally.
Secondly, we have been reaching out actively to the migrants in the Jungle to persuade them to go to reception centres elsewhere in France, Thirdly, we have basic but decent living conditions to offer converted shipping containers, a shelter for women and children for up to 2,000 migrants who wish to remain here.
Calais threatens to become an issue in the Brexit debate. Some French politicians say that, if Britain leaves the EU, France should stop defending the British border.
I am not a politician. That is not a question that concerns me, Ms Buccio said. The frontier must be protected and properly policed. We get on well with our British counterparts. There is often criticism of France in the British press but the people we deal with every day appreciate the efforts that we are making.
Ms Buccios great test will come this spring and summer as more Syrian and other migrants pour into Europe. Will thousands of them make for Calais?
Some will, inevitably, she said. But the intelligence we are getting, from as far away as Afghanistan, is that people now know that the Channel is an unbreachable barrier. The word is going around: it is time to forget Calais.
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Parts of Cologne airport have been evacuated after a "breach" involving a woman who was able to walk through security without being checked.
At least one flight has been cancelled and several more are delayed after the failure to check a passenger sparked a major police operation.
A spokesman for Cologne Bonn Airport told The Independent the evacuation of Terminal 2 was still going on and a "federal police investigation" had been launched.
But he denied earlier reports that both terminals were evacuated, or that there had been a separate incident involving "unauthorised people" entering the airfield.
"A woman passed security check without being checked," he said. "In such cases there is a rule that the whole security area has to be evacuated."
Passenger Marco Tarsia posted an image to social media showing throngs of passengers being forced to leave the terminal in order for checks to be carried out again.
Airport officials were unable to say how long the investigation would take when contacted at midday local time, but monitoring site AirLive reported that passengers of at least one Ryanair flight, bound for Berlin, had been forced to leave the plane and return to security screening.
The breach - and subsequent police operation - come amid a climate of heightened checks and concerns for safety following the Paris attacks and Russian plane bombing in November last year.
Such threats to European security have seen the establishment of a joint continent-wide counter-terror initiative, the European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), launched at the end of January.
Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Show all 13 1 /13 Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism outside Cologne Cathedral on 5 January after the assaults Oliver Berg/EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism in Cologne following the rash of sex attacks on New Year's Eve Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police initially failed to mention the assaults in report the following morning EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police officers patrol in front of the main station of Cologne, Germany AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks German far-right supporters demonstrate at Cologne`s train station (Reuters) Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police used pepper spray to control supporters of Pegida, Hogesa (Hooligans against Salafists) and other right-wing populist groups as they protested against the New Year's Eve sex attacks on 9 January, 2016 in Cologne, Germany Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use a water cannon during a protest march by supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016 Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use pepper spray against supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida, in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Artist Mira Moire protests naked in Cologne against the mass sex attacks on New Year's Eve AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks A demonstrator holds a sign in German that reads 'No violence against women' during a demonstration in the wake of the sexual assaults on New Year's Eve, outside the cathedeal in Cologne, Germany, 09 January 2016. EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Counter demonstrators hold up a sign reading "Against sexism, against racism" as they protest against a demonstration of the islamophobic movement PEGIDA at the train station in Cologne, Germany, on January 9, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Demonstration by a womens group on Saturday (AP) AP
And security fears linked to the refugee crisis have become an issue in Cologne in particular, following a spate of sexual attacks on women by men of North African and Arab origin on New Year's Eve.
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Europe is on the cusp of a largely self-induced humanitarian disaster, the United Nations refugee agency has warned, as thousands gathered along Greeces sealed-off northern border with Macedonia.
The UNHCR said there were 24,000 refugees who needed accommodation in Greece, about 8,500 of them at the border with Macedonia. About 1,500 had spent at least one night in the open this week. In January and February, 131,724 refugees, mainly from Syria and Iraq, landed in Greece, with 410 lives lost so far, the agency said.
Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Show all 15 1 /15 Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to bring down part of the border fence during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to break a Greek police cordon in order to approach the border fence at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees flee tear gas fire by the Macedonian police, after trying to bring down part of the border fence during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to break a Greek police cordon in order to approach the border fence at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees in the northern Greek village of Idomeni approach the Greek-Macedonian border as they try to enter Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Macedonian riot police officers stand next to part of the border fence brought down by protesting stranded refugees and migrants during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to bring down part of the border fence during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees break an iron fence and throw stones from the Greek side of the border as Macedonian policemen push them back, near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A girl cries as she flees clashes during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Refugees try to broke an iron fence from the Greek side of the border as Macedonian police stand guard, near the northern Greek village of Idomeni AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees and migrants in the northern Greek village of Idomeni approach the Greek-Macedonian border as they try to enter Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A man helps children to run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas at a group of refugees who tried to push their way into Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A woman carries a child on the Greek side of the border as they run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas at a group of refugees who tried to push their way into Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Refugees run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A woman falls as refugees with their children run away after Macedonian police Getty Images
The European Commission is expected to propose 700m (545m) over the next three years for humanitarian aid, mainly for Greece, where most refugees have been landing. It comes in the run-up to a crucial EU summit in Brussels next Monday to agree border and asylum rules.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Europe cannot allow Greece to fall into chaos, but she is facing opposition from Austria and Balkan countries, who have closed their borders, in effect ring-fencing Greece, and creating a bottleneck of refugees heading northwards.
Meanwhile, in a blow to Germanys refugee relocation plans, the EUs top court ruled on 1 March that asylum seekers could not be moved across the region to spread the burden of social welfare payments.
BISMARCK The Bank of North Dakota expects to lose $400 million to $500 million in assets during the current economic downturn, but President Eric Hardmeyer said the state-owned bank will remain on solid footing and proceed with construction of a $17 million financial services center.
The banks assets have more than tripled over the past decade, from just more than $2 billion in 2005 to slightly more than $7.4 billion last year, driven largely by strong energy and agricultural sectors.
But plunging crude oil and farm commodity prices have sent state tax revenues tumbling, with a $1.07 billion shortfall projected by July 2017.
Thats caused a dip in deposits of tax revenues used by the bank to fund loans for things such as businesses, college tuition and home mortgages.
Hardmeyer said the banks internal analysis predicts it may lose $400 million to $500 million in assets, depending on how long the downturn lasts.
So we dont see a drastic reduction in size, but its something that we look at daily, he said.
Student loans account for about $1.3 billion of the banks $4.3 billion loan portfolio. The rest of the banks assets are in securities and other investments, giving the bank plenty of ability and liquidity, Hardmeyer said, adding the bank has other sources for loans.
We just dont see any concerns here at this point, he said. We still see a lot of good things happening throughout the state. Theres a diversified economy underneath all of this commodity-based stuff that continues to plug along pretty well.
The bank plans to start construction in late spring or early summer on the financial services center, which will encompass 40,000 to 45,000 square feet next to the existing glass-and-brick bank building that opened in January 2008 near the Missouri River.
State lawmakers authorized the use of $17 million in assets for the center if the banks income exceeded $125 million in 2015. The bank posted its 12th consecutive year of record profits last year, at $130.6 million, up from $111 million in 2014.
The center will house three state agencies currently renting private space in Bismarck: the Department of Commerce, Department of Financial Institutions and Housing Finance Agency. Hardmeyer said the goal is to create a one-stop shop for economic development, noting the bank building already houses the states Small Business Development Center and U.S. Small Business Administration office.
This is just expanding on a concept that has been here for 20 years plus, he said.
As a state agency supported by special funds, the bank avoided the 4.05 percent budget cuts in mid-February that hit agencies that receive general fund dollars. But Hardmeyer said the bank understands the struggles happening around the state and is viewing the center as a way to boost government efficiency and reduce costs in the long run.
We think theres a longer-term view of this than just the immediate issues were dealing with, he said, adding its a good time to build with construction costs coming down and more competition for work.
The last time a North Dakota governor ordered across-the-board budget cuts to offset a general fund shortfall was in 2002, when the bank also transferred $18.7 million to help cover the $37 million shortfall. But that contingent transfer was specifically authorized in a bill passed by the 2001 Legislature, and similar authorization was not in place this time around to help cover the $1.07 billion shortfall, according to Office of Management and Budget Director Pam Sharp.
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Being gay and Muslim is like trying to decide whether to cut off one arm, or the other, says the founder of Europes first inclusive mosque.
Dr and Imam Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed told the Evening Standard that being gay is not sin but that the rejection of LGBT Muslims is modern and new in Islam.
Imam Zahed said: It has to do with colonisation, complexes and the fact that Arab Muslim societies are in turmoil and are looking for very macho identities to push forward.
But it has nothing to do with Islam as spirituality, because our tradition is much more peaceful in terms of dealing with sexuality and gender identity.
Reactions to Mr Zahed being a gay Imam and setting up an inclusive mosque in France have been much more positive than we expected.
We had many people telling us we are dirtying up Islam, but we had many more people telling us you are the true Islam.
People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Show all 10 1 /10 People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Caitlyn Jenner People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Miley Cyrus Getty People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Kristen Stewart People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Cara Delevingne People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Keegan Hirst People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Ruby Rose People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights St Vincent (who's in a relationship with Cara Delevingne) People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Annie Lennox People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Ellen Page People who made 2015 a landmark year for LGBT rights Justice Anthony Kennedy
Dominic Arnall, who works for LGBT rights charity Stonewall, believes events such as last months LGBT History Month celebrating religion means the future looks bright for gay people of faith.
There are a number of excellent groups springing up, based here in London, all of which are specifically seeking to support LGBT people of faith.
Blogger Asad Dhunna supports this view: Growing up gay and Muslim in London is a little bit tricky, but I actually do not think there is a better place to do it I feel quite open and free here."
What needs to change in the future is more people having the confidence to speak up and more people thinking it is okay to be gay and Muslim."
If you grow up in a traditionally Muslim area, lets say East London for example, and you are coming out, it can be quite difficult because you might pop along to Shoreditch or over into Soho and you see a completely different world, then go home and think how do I even begin to put this together?
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The Uzbek nanny allegedly responsible for the beheading of a four-year-old Russian girl has told Moscow she heard "voices".
Gyulchekhra Bobokulova told police that on the day of the murder she was upset at her husband starting a new family in Uzbekistan while she was in Moscow, according to Life News.
The 38-year-old also reportedly told officers she had refused her husband's offer to be his second wife.
Initially, some mistakenly suggested it could be a terror attack given she was reportedly shouting on the street "I'm a terrorist" and "Allahu Akbar".
She is accused of strangling then beheading Nastya Meshcheryakova with a kitchen knife before setting fire to the apartment.
Nastya has been described as having learning difficulties.
Bobokulova returned to the murder scene with police officers to explain what happened.
Russian journalist, Polina Nikolskaya, said she witnessed Bobokulova on the street, saying: "I was on my way to the metro station from home.
"She was standing near the metro entrance and caught my attention because she was screaming 'Allahu Akbar'.
People leave flowers to commemorate the murdered child (Reuters)
"I saw that she had a bloodied head in her arms but I thought it was not real. People in the crowd said it was real."
Bobokulova is currently in psychiatric care to determine if she can be held repsonsible for her alleged actions, the Moscow Invesitgative Committee announced.
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Isis has killed eight Dutch members after they allegedly tried to desert the jihadist group, Syrian activists said on Monday.
"Isis executed 8 Dutch fighters on Friday, 26 of Feb, after fights with Iraqi leaders in Raqqa and they arrested more Dutch fighters," Abu Mohammed, a member of the citizen journalist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), said on Twitter.
The group said tension between 75 Dutch jihadis, some of Moroccan origin, and Isis intelligence operatives from Iraq had reached a new high over the last month.
Three other Dutch jihadis were arrested by Iraqi Isis members, who accused them of wanting to flee.
One of the detainees was beaten to death during the interrogation, RBSS reports.
When Isis leaders sent a delegate to solve the dispute, the Dutch cell's enraged members reportedly murdered the intermediary in vengeance.
In pictures: The rise of Isis Show all 74 1 /74 In pictures: The rise of Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters of the Islamic State wave the group's flag from a damaged display of a government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from the Islamic State group pray at the Tabqa air base after capturing it from the Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from extremist Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping A video uploaded to social networks shows men in underwear being marched barefoot along a desert road before being allegedly executed by Isis Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Haruna Yukawa after his capture by Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Khalinda Sharaf Ajour, a Yazidi, says two of her daughters were captured by Isis militants Washington Post In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Spokesperson for Isis Vice News via Youtube In pictures: The rise of Isis A pro-Isis leaflet A pro-Isis leaflet handed out on Oxford Street In London Ghaffar Hussain In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Isis Jihadists burn their passports In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A man collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A woman collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid Local civilians queue for aid administered by Isis. Since it declared a caliphate the group has increasingly been delivering services such as healthcare, and distributing aid and free fuel In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces detain men suspected of being militants of the Isis group in Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Mourners carry the coffin of a Shi'ite volunteer from the brigades of peace, who joined the Iraqi army and was killed during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Samarra, during his funeral in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Shiite Turkmen family fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, arrives at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A photograph made from a video by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamist caliphate in the territory under the group's control in Iraq and Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul. Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory - the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar - they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq A bulldozer destroys Sunni's Ahmed al-Rifai shrine and tomb in Mahlabiya district outside of Tal Afar In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces celebrate after clashes with followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi, in front of his home in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi at his home after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A vehicle burns in front of a home of a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman holds her exhausted son as over 1000 Iraqis who have fled fighting in and around the city of Mosul and Tal Afar wait at a Kurdish checkpoint in the hopes of entering a temporary displacement camp in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees Displaced Iraqi women hold pots as they queue to receive food during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at an encampment for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in the Khazer area outside Irbil, north Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters travel in a vehicle as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from an al-Qaida splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from the splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters hold a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A member loyal to the Isis waves an Isis flag in Raqqa In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago, raising fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Isis group they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Isis fighters parade in the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Isis group, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Jalawla, Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference Iraqi Prime Minister's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference about the latest military development in Iraq, in the capital Baghdad. Iraqi forces pressed a campaign to retake militant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby and pounding positions inside the city with air strikes in their biggest counter-offensive so far In pictures: The rise of Isis A police station building destroyed by Isis fighters An exterior view of a police station building destroyed by gunmen in Mosul city, northern Iraq. Iraq's new parliament is expected to convene to start the process of setting up a new government, despite deepening political rifts and an ongoing Islamist-led insurgency. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a decree inviting the new House of Representatives to meet and form a new government In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Smoke billows from an area controlled by the Isis between the Iraqi towns of Naojul and Tuz Khurmatu, both located north of the capital Baghdad, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces take part in an operation to repel the Sunni militants In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An elderly Iraqi woman is helped into a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis caught-up in the fighting in and around the city of Mosul in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kms east of the northern province of Nineveh, cries upon her arrival at a community center in the Kurdish city of Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman, who fled with her family from the northern city of Mosul, prays with a copy of the Quran AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq The body of an Isis militant killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of the city of Samarra Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi civilians inspect the damage at a market after an air strike by the Iraqi army in central Mosul EPA In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the city AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Shia tribesmen gather in Baghdad to take up arms against Sunni insurgents marching on the capital. Thousands have volunteered to bolster defences AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A van carrying volunteers joining Iraqi security forces against Jihadist militants. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteered to fight AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters of the Isis group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An Islamist fighter, identified as Abu Muthanna al-Yemeni from Britain (R), speaks in this still image taken undated video shot at an unknown location and uploaded to a social media website. Five Islamist fighters identified as Australian and British nationals have called on Muslims to join the wars in Syria and Iraq, in the new video released by the Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Al-Qaida inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Isis group. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinein Baiji as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants from the Isis group parading with their weapons in the northern city of Baiji in the in Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A smoke rises after an attack by Isis militants on the country's largest oil refinery in Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. Iraqi security forces battled insurgents targeting the country's main oil refinery and said they regained partial control of a city near the Syrian border, trying to blunt an offensive by Sunni militants who diplomats fear may have also seized some 100 foreign workers In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group stand next to captured vehicles left behind by Iraqi security forces at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province. For militant groups, the fight over public perception can be even more important than actual combat, turning military losses into propaganda victories and battlefield successes into powerful tools to build support for the cause In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An injured fighter (C) from the Isis group after a battle with Iraqi soldiers at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis aiming at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group taking position at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group inspecting vehicles of the Iraqi army after they were seized at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq One Iraqi captive, a corporal, is reluctant to say the slogan, and has to be shouted at repeatedly before he obeys Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group force captured Iraqi security forces members to the transport In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group transporting dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A major offensive spearheaded by Isis but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein has overrun all of one province and chunks of three others In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants taking position at a Iraqi border post on the Syrian-Iraqi border between the Iraqi Nineveh province and the Syrian town of Al-Hasakah In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis rebels show their flag after seizing an army post AFP/Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants waving an Islamist flag after the seizure of an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddin Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Demonstrators chant slogans as they carry al-Qaida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. In the week since it captured Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, a Muslim extremist group has tried to win over residents and has stopped short of widely enforcing its strict brand of Islamic law, residents say. Churches remain unharmed and street cleaners are back at work
The Isis leadership in Iraq then ordered the arrest of all of the Dutch group's members, imprisoning them in Tabaqa and Maadan in Syria.
Eight have since been executed, RBSS reported.
At least 24 people, including a top Isis official in Mosul, were executed on various changes on Monday, the Kurdish media group Rudaw reported.
"On Monday ISIS executed 24 persons charged with refusing to fight for the group on the battlefields," Saeed Mamuzni, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) official in Mosul, told Rudaw.
He said Ahmed Abdulsalam al-Obeidi, the Isis finance minister in Mosul, was among the executed who were charged with treachery.
"Two hundred and thirteen other civilians were also detained by ISIS in Mosul," he added.
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When Mohammed al-Ghabban became Interior Minister of Iraq in 2014, he found that he was employing 230 brigadier generals and 660,000 policemen.
The vastly bloated size of the Iraqi security forces, most of whose members hold their jobs through political patronage, goes a long way to explaining why they cannot stop Isis bombers murdering people in the streets and markets of Baghdad.
Seventy-three people died in a single incident in the Sadr City district of the capital last Sunday and another 40 died when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a funeral at Muqdadiya in Diyala province.
Recommended Read more Isis fights back in Iraq with Abu Ghraib raid
I have reduced the number of brigadier generals to 110 and I am not recruiting new policemen or replacing those who retire, said Mr Ghabban in an interview with The Independent in Baghdad. He admitted that the Iraqi public did not trust the police because of their failure to stop the bombers and the high level of corruption, which was pervasive in the system.
He cited, as an example of this, the infamous case of 1,500 fake bomb detectors, which were bought for 52m by the interior ministry in 2008 and 2009, even though they were a patent fraud consisting only of a metal aerial that supposedly detected explosives, attached to an empty plastic casing. Although the British businessmen who sold the useless devices were given lengthy prison sentences last year, the detectors known as the ADE-651 are still used extensively in Iraq. Reliance on them, rather than a physical search of vehicles, makes it easier for bombers to pass through checkpoints and slaughter large numbers of civilians.
ISIL kills scores in bloody day of attacks across Iraq
Mr Ghabban used the example of fake bomb detector to underline the saturation levels of corruption among Iraqi government officials, which damages security, and to explain why nothing is done about it. He says: The equipment cost the Iraqi government about $50,000 for each item, but the real cost to the manufacturers was only between $40 and $50.
Recommended Read more Divisions among forces fighting Isis delays push to recapture Iraq
He assumes that much of the difference was pocketed by a large number of officials in Baghdad who were bribed to sign off on the deal, so today they have every reason to prevent an investigation of the scam. The fraudulent magic wands were still being used by security men to check individuals for explosives outside the Shia holy shrines in Karbala last week.
The Iraqi bureaucracy is like a beached whale that does little except employ seven million people whose salaries cost $4bn a month. With Iraqi oil revenues running at half that figure because of the fall in the oil price, there is deep apprehension in Baghdad about what happens when the money begins to run out in April. One woman said that even when things were at their worst in Baghdad in 2006-07, when there were the mass sectarian killings, people were still being paid their salaries.
Mohammed al-Ghabban, the Interior Minister, is cutting the size of Iraqs security forces (Getty) (Getty Images)
Iraq has an all-embracing client or patronage system whereby ordinary people get a cut of the oil revenues by holding a job for which they are paid, though they may do little or no work and a sizable proportion of job-holders may not even exist. The interior ministry employs everybody from traffic policemen to paramilitary assault troops, most of them untrained but so numerous that almost all its money has to go on salaries.
Where police have been trained for free abroad by foreign police forces, as happened in Italy, few of those returning to Iraq take up a post in which their expertise is of any use.
Recommended Read more Fall of Mosul to Isis should not have surprised the Iraqi government
Another senior government official, who did not want his name published, said in a separate interview: We have nearly one million fighters [army and police] but we would be much more effective if we had only 200,000.
The Iraqi National Intelligence Service employs 12,000, although it needs only half that number. We dont have money for food, said the second senior official.
He added: The corruption is a huge support for Daesh [Isis]. He said that bombers frequently travel through checkpoints that supposedly protect Baghdad because they bribe the police, soldiers or paramilitaries in charge. A further problem with the patronage system is that jobs are unfairly distributed in favour of those with the right political or sectarian connections.
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
Iraq is ruled by predominantly Shia government in which Shia party leaders do not really trust anybody who is not a member of their party, he said. Unsurprisingly, given the way the system works, about 85 per cent of the INIS are Shia, making it difficult for intelligence officers to learn about the Sunni community from which Isis and its bombers are recruited or to recruit informants.
Mr Ghabban said that a conference in his ministry earlier that day concluded that Isis was likely to relocate its senior leaders to Libya, where conditions were easier for it than in Iraq and Syria. He agreed that there had been serious bombings, but overall Isis bomb attacks were down by between 60 and 70 per cent, compared with a few years ago. Isis has suffered heavy casualties and has lost the cities of Ramadi, Sinjar, Baiji and Tikrit, though the self-declared Islamic State has not imploded.
Since Isis likes to compensate for battlefield defeats by targeting soft civilian targets, atrocities are likely to continue. The recapture of cities by anti-Isis forces such as the Iraqi army or the Kurdish Peshmerga gives an exaggerated impression of their effectiveness, because their victories would generally not have been won without thousands of air strikes by the US-led coalition.
Mr Ghabban said government forces are not likely to try to capture Mosul this year, preferring to seize Isis strongholds further south at al-Shirqat and Hawaijah. He thought that, more immediately, the security forces would try to root out pockets of Isis fighters around the Tharthar lakes. He downplayed friction between the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces), the Shia paramilitaries created after Isis captured Mosul in June 2014 and which are seen as an additional power centre.
Recommended Read more The only way to ensure Isis is beaten in Iraq is to defeat it in Syria
The issue is sensitive for Mr Ghabban because his own political origins are in the Badr Organisation, a Shia political and paramilitary movement that the US sees as sectarian and too close to Iran although he says the US has never said that to him. But the biggest problem for many Iraqi ministries is not that they are controlled by a single party, but that they are not controlled by anybody at all: anyone who is in charge acts for their own advantage.
Iraqi ministries fulfil some useful functions, albeit slowly, inefficiently and corruptly; but even this may be impossible if falling oil revenues are insufficient to pay state employees who make up so much of the Iraqi workforce. Asked what would happen then, the senior government official replied: Then we all go to hell.
Core issues: Peace talks delayed
The Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, said that a fragile ceasefire offered a glimmer of hope for Syria but accused rebel fighters of violating the truce.
The cessation of hostilities forged by the US and Russia appeared largely to hold on its fourth day, though Mr Assad added to a chorus of claims of breaches by both sides. The United Nations announced that it would push back the start of peace talks in order to let the ceasefire settle down.
The UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, had hoped to reconvene for talks in Geneva on Monday but told Reuters that they would be delayed by two days. He said he wanted them to address the core of the Syria conflict rather than descending into claim and counterclaim.
Laura Pitel in Istanbul
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A university in the US has been encouraging debate after taking the decision to ban the sale of all energy drinks on campus for fear they will cause students to participate in high-risk sexual activity.
The Dining Services at Middlebury College in Vermont reportedly distributed a flyer among the student body which, according to the college student newspaper, The Middlebury Campus, revealed a scientific connection between the consumption of the drinks and unsafe behaviour in young people
Energy drinks, said the flyer, cause increased alcohol consumption, increased likelihood to drive while intoxicated, increased probability of use of other intoxicating substance, and increased participation in high-risk sexual activity.
Recommended Read more We students need to ditch our addiction to energy drinks
According to its section on the Middlebury College site, Dining Services outlines its mission as being to nourish and nurture today and tomorrow by sustaining mind, body, and earth.
However, it was a recent American studies undergraduate and now intern with the food provider, Myles Kamisher-Koch, who took issue with the mission statement and argued at a Community Council meeting that it didnt reflect its message accurately so long as energy drinks were available on campus.
The colleges Community Council says it serves as a forum in which all segments of the college community have a voice on non-academic issues it faces, adding: With a membership representing students, faculty and staff, deliberations and decisions consider the interests and concerns of the whole community.
With several Dining Services staff members agreeing with Mr Kamisher-Koch, according to The Middlebury Campus, he presented the council with data from a study which stated that up to 25 per cent of current drinkers combine alcoholic beverages with energy drinks. He further added that the drinks promote poor academic tendencies which led to a culture of stress.
When asked if a survey should be conducted among the student body, according to the minutes of the council meeting where the banning of the sale of the drinks came into effect, council member Emma Bliska said: Im not sure a survey is necessary.
I understand why the Student Government Association (SGA) is concerned, but were here to do the right thing and the right thing is to pass this because energy drinks shouldnt be on this campus. People who are upset about it will get over it.
Another member, Brandon Baird, opposed the ban and told the meeting: Im not in support. From a personal statement, I agree with all the literature. I do think its a personal infringement on rights. I dont drink energy drinks, alcohol, or coffee but I dont think its my place to tell someone else.
Again, when pressed about gathering student opinion prior to the ban, Miss Bliska said: Polls are kind of a waste of time. The whole point of a representative body is that you dont have to poll everyone.
In the end, eleven voted in favour of the ban, while one member opposed, and two abstained.
The aforementioned flyer also reportedly backed-up Mr Kamisher-Kochs arguments, and read: Consuming these products may result in serious health-related issues such as; cardiovascular events, seizures, and liver damage.
The decision, though, was made final by Dining Services executive director of food service, Dan Detora, who signed off on the campus literature. Speaking with NBC News, Mr Detora remained unyielding on his stance to ban the drinks, and said: I see it as the equivalent of banning cigarettes.
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Resplendent in Burberry with sole approval from (Christian) Louboutin, Chris Rock, host of the 88th Oscars opened by delivering a winning monologue which appeared to have nothing to do with the nominees the event celebrates and everything to do with the controversy surrounding it. (BTW, other than Leo, does anyone know who won anything else?)
Like most modern comedians, Chris Rock draws upon the offensive for material while managing to make a rather good point about the type of racism in Hollywood today: Their prejudice is sorority racist, like We like you, Ronda, but youre not a Kappa.. I get this. Most of us in the black community get this.
Historically, when Black people moved into new neighbourhoods, White people moved themselves out. If we want in, they want out. Of course a token is usually allowed. So taking the fashion industry as example, Naomi (Campbell) was a supermodel along with her white counterparts but when other black models dared also to be beautiful then the problem arose which one shall we use now?
In fact, several of my Black designer friends deliberately choose white models in order to avoid being seen as a Black designer with a target audience based on their abundance of melanin production. Its like a one-in, one-out system. If two or more Black people start to work together, no matter the product, it automatically becomes a Black thing.
So yes, insidious racism is a serious and continuing problem. Chris Rocks comments resonated when he said: We want opportunity give black actors the same opportunities as white actors. Thats it. Leo gets a great part every year. What about Jamie Foxx?
Placing aside the obvious artistic differences between these two named actors, what Chris is really asking for is a little more coffee with that milk, please and Im pretty sure all of us with our PC hats on would agree.
Where Chris started to lose the vote though, is when he added another taboo subject to his speech. Racism and sexism? Really, Chris? Youre a braver man than many.
With reference to the #AskHerMore hashtag which protests against the seemingly inane questions women are asked on the red carpet, Rock continued: Youre not allowed to ask women what theyre wearing any more. Everythings not sexism; everythings not racism. They ask the men more because theyre all wearing the exact same thing. If George Clooney came in a lime-green tux with a swan coming out of his ass theyd say, What are you wearing George?
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Cue outrage about how Rock can stand up for institutional racism, and call out insidious incidences of it, but wont do the same for women and institutional sexism.
But I agree with Chris Rock. Actresses and their female celebrity counterparts presumably spend a fortune on stylists and private fittings with sought-after designers to look good on the red carpet; personally Id be offended if I didnt get asked about my outfit.
There should be more Black people in Hollywood, and every other industry. The racism he humorously called out is endemic and extreme.
But a far as #AskHerMore goes, I think we all need to just lighten up a bit. Oops.
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On Wednesday, the US Supreme Court will hear a case hailed as the most important abortion case in a generation. It addresses a restrictive law that was passed in Texas in 2013 that led to the closure of more than half the states abortion clinics. Famously, State Senator Wendy Davis filibustered against the law passing for 11 long hours but failed, and it went through anyway.
This week the Supreme Court is considering whether the laws requirements place an undue burden on women that would prevent them from reasonably accessing abortion.
Whats perhaps most alarming about this case is that a Supreme Court Judge involved has been loudly voicing his concern for the mental health of women who have abortions. He seems to imply that by banning abortion, we can protect women from depression.
Supreme Court judge Justice Anthony M Kennedy, who is one of the most powerful men in the US, stuck his oar in during a speech in 2007, saying: "While we find no reliable data to measure the phenomenon, it seems unexceptionable to conclude some women come to regret their choice to abort the infant life they once created and sustained. Severe depression and loss of esteem can follow.
No reliable data to measure the phenomenon. Isnt that strange?
For a Supreme Court judge - the same man in whose hands the fate of 40 abortion clinics in Texas lies this week - it seems a little wacky to speculate on something, and to turn that speculation into a law which would have a profound impact on millions of women. Even wackier when you find out that a simple Google search could have put him right.
The American Psychological Association stated as early as 1989 that a legal abortion does not pose a psychological hazard for most women.
The John Hopkins University also found in 2008 that long-term mental health problems - sadness, guilt, regret and depression - occur in only a minority of women who have had an abortion.
Meanwhile, the Guttmacher Institute discovered in 2011 that negative feelings are no worse after an abortion than after carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term, and rather it is the stigma of having an abortion that can have negative mental health consequences rather than the procedure itself.
But if Republicans cant convince women that they will feel racked with guilt for evermore after having an abortion, the lack of access to healthcare facilities should be able to do the job.
Abortion clinics in the US as a whole are already struggling with increasing amounts of debt as they work to operate under new, stricter standards that make them more like surgical centers rather than family planning clinics. Bloomberg data show that 162 clinics have shut down in the US since 2011, with just 21 opening in the same period.
Now lets imagine that some women have no option but to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. Surely they are just as likely, if not more likely, to suffer mental health problems? That seems to carry much less of a logical leap than assuming that a woman who wants an abortion and then is able to access an abortion clinic will end up severely depressed.
Justice Kennedy and his cohort do not have the ability to regulate depression, just as they cant regulate good and bad parenting.
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Ultimately, its irrelevant what harm a woman experiences, either if she has an abortion and faces guilt or carries the pregnancy to term and struggles with the mental effects of childbirth and parenthood, such as postnatal depression. Postnatal depression is, after all, the most common complication of a pregnancy. Abortion doesnt raise the rate of mental health problems but having babies does.
It's also irrelevant whether you, the reader, agree with someone terminating their pregnancy.
The point is that women have a choice in the first place and, as this court case shows, its a choice we can never take for granted.
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The Nobel Peace Laureate and former leader of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev has praised Independent readers for their amazing response to the Give to GOSH appeal as he announces a donation of 50,000 to Great Ormond Street Hospital from the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation, named after his late wife.
Mr Gorbachev is the latest big name to get behind Give to GOSH, now the most successful fundraising campaign in The Independents history, having raised more than 3.5m for sick children.
On his 85th birthday, Mr Gorbachev, the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union, is also donating 50,000 to the Raisa Gorbachev Memorial Institute for Childrens Haematology and Transplantion in St Petersburg.
Give to GOSH followed staff, patients and families over a three-month period before officially drawing to a close on Valentines Day, GOSHs birthday. Other high-profile endorsements have come from David Beckham, Paul McCartney, Adele and the Queen.
Readers donated hundreds of thousands of pounds while corporations also gave generously, with large donations coming from Morgan Stanley, Prudential and Deloitte among others. One of the most important endorsements came from the Treasury, which agreed to match-fund the campaign up to 1.5m using money recouped from the Libor-rigging scandal.
While the day-to-day running of Great Ormond Street Hospital is covered by the NHS, the hospital relies on charitable donations to maintain world-class standards. Give to GOSH will help fund the creation of a 14-bed cardiac unit for children with heart failure, as well as supporting the priority needs of the Louis Dundas Centre, a world-leading unit dedicated to childrens palliative care.
A figure of 1m has been set aside for research into rare childrens diseases, including gentler, less intrusive treatments for cancers prevalent among children.
To Give to GOSH go to: http://ind.pn/1Mydxqt
To find out more about our appeal and why we're supporting GOSH go to: http://ind.pn/1MycZkr
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Thanks to Sir Kevin Tebbit, former Permanent Under Secretary at the Ministry of Defence and visiting professor at the Policy Institute, King's College, London, for talking to our "Blair Years" students yesterday. The subject was liberal interventionism in Tony Blair's first term.
Sir Kevin, who was the top civil servant at the Ministry of Defence 1998-2005, reviewed the interventions up to 2001. Kosovo, Sierra Leone, East Timor (a small force under the Australians to secure East Timor's independence from Indonesia in 1999) and Iraq, particularly the US-British Desert Fox bombing campaign of 1998: "People tend to forget that Iraq was a continuous issue since 1990."
This represented a marked shift in foreign and defence policy away from the past. Of course it wasn't just about Tony Blair. All sorts of factors came together under the heading of liberal interventionism. There were new insecurities and challenges after the end of the cold war. By 1997 defence thinking was already changing. The first Gulf War in 1990 and the crisis in Bosnia in the mid-1990s taught policy-makers two lessons: the importance of working closely with the US and, in Bosnia, the dangers of leaving intervention too late.
New Labour had other reasons for wanting to be seen as reliable on national security, he said: the unpopularity of unilateral nuclear disarmament in the 1980s. They were determined not to let that happen again. "Mr Corbyn ought to be listening to this."
New Labour were also anxious to define national security in a way that distinguished themselves positively from the Conservatives. They felt the Major government had too narrow an idea of national self-interest, acting only to protect trade and immediate interests:
It was Robin Cook not Tony Blair who promulgated the idea that the interest of the international community is also our national interest. The example he gave was Afghanistan, which was quite ironic, really. He said ungoverned space in Afghanistan led to narcotics on the streets of Glasgow. And it was he who used the phrase "an ethical foreign policy". I was at the Foreign Office at the time and we said you never know where [such an open-ended phrase] might lead you. I kept trying to insert "dimension to", and he kept crossing it out.
However, there was a "Blair factor", said Sir Kevin. There was no doubt he was a conviction politician, particularly in foreign policy. He persuaded a reluctant President Clinton to threaten the use of ground troops in Kosovo, which was what finally forced Slobodan Milosevic to yield. The Chicago speech, delivered at the height of the Kosovo campaign in 1999, in which he said that we had learned twice this century that "appeasement does not work", and that "in the past we have talked too much of exit strategies", was a statement of his beliefs. "He said it and he meant it: the establishment, the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence, hardly knew it was coming. It was a surprise to the civil service when the Chicago speech came out that it was so strong."
However, Sir Kevin pointed out that Jack Straw, in his memoir, "says that if he'd decided to oppose Iraq it couldn't have gone ahead: you can overdo this idea of Blair in a unique role".
In discussion, Sir Kevin was sceptical of the idea that Blair's successes in foreign policy in his first term led to over-confidence in his second. "To the extent that he [Blair] may have been over-confident it may have been more about his ability to push the US into channels we wanted." He was keen to use British support in Iraq to promote the Middle East peace process, for example.
He added that it was true that the "military memory" was that the British had not lost a war. After the Second World War, we avoided Vietnam and succeeded in the Falklands. "So there was confidence, but I wouldn't call it over-confidence or hubris."
In his view 9/11 was "so cataclysmic that it changed everything". He said: "We still under-estimate the impact of 9/11 on the Americans. Donald Rumsfeld pulled bodies out of the Pentagon. That changed everything by lowering the threshold for the US." After 9/11 the US wanted to intervene to anticipate threats before they materialised.
Afghanistan and Iraq, however, are the subject of next week's class.
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It was never going to be easy for the French government to transfer residents of the Jungle into new, more permanent housing. Refugees and migrants have put work into building rudimentary huts, and many do not wish to leave, fearing that they will be prevented from attempting to reach Britain and forced to claim asylum in France. With homes and hopes on the line, French police ought to have approached their task delicately. That has not happened. Tear gas was fired into crowds to disperse them before the bulldozers moved in on 29 February, only adding to the sense of crisis.
The eviction has been handled poorly. But the process the French authorities have begun is both sensible and necessary: there are disputes over whether there are enough new shipping-container homes for evicted camp residents to move into, but at least 1,000 people (which the government claims to be the total) will have the chance to live under a proper roof, with access to far better sanitation. The authorities would have been wise to run a more involved information campaign in the Jungle before the move began, and to make absolutely sure that there were enough new homes on offer.
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But some responsibility here also lies with the residents themselves. It is the idea of staying in France that makes many unwilling to take up space in a permanent home, and consequently be put into the French asylum system. Some will have family ties to the UK. But many cite the difficulties of learning a new language, or concern with the lengthy French asylum system. In these cases, more should be willing to accept an imperfect, but nonetheless reasonable offer. The French asylum system is not much different to the British; the children of those granted refugee status receive free education, and adults are given language classes. France is not a bad place to end up, and surely better than the squalor of the Jungle.
The Pierce County Commission shut down any opportunity to drill an exploratory borehole near Rugby that would allow researchers to probe any potential for nuclear waste disposal.
On Tuesday, the commission unanimously voted to tell the Energy and Environmental Research Center thanks but no thanks for the project, which the EERC wanted to conduct on state-owned land to help the federal Department of Energy determine whether crystalline rock 3 miles deep could be used for storing spent nuclear fuels.
We want them to know were not interested in this project, said commission chairman Dave Migler, adding the county did not have a drilling application from EERC and wanted to pre-empt any attempt to submit one.
About 300 people attended a public hearing in Rugby Feb. 16, and it was clear from comments made that there was very little support for the project, he said.
We have no regrets at all, Migler said of the countys position.
That leaves the EERC with a partnership in the $35 million federal project and nowhere yet to drill. Associate research director John Harju said the countys action is consistent with the public meeting and not unexpected.
A lot of people couldnt believe that it was about science and technology. I know it is, but I fully respect their self-determination, said Harju, adding that the EERC, the DOE and project lead Battelle Memorial Institute will keep talking and figure out whats next.
Migler said people in the county understand the research aspect of the project, but remain worried that nuclear disposal could happen in the future, despite reassurances from EERC, DOE and Battelle to the contrary.
It didnt leave our mind that it sure could happen, maybe not in my lifetime, but in the life of my grandchildren and great-grandchild. We just dont want it, Migler said.
Harju said the partners will keep looking for options.
Its too soon to say whether we will or will not look in North Dakota. Its not about the location, but the similar conditions of crystalline rock, which exists in much of the United States and much of the world, Harju said.
The DOE wants to study at the rock to determine if it is stable and sequestered enough for long-term storage of spent nuclear waste capsules.
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National Offer Day, the moment when over half a million pupils find out if they have the secondary school place of their choice, is an excellent opportunity for the Government to play one of its favourite games: Lets Be Disingenuous With Statistics. So, the Department for Education says that 95 per cent of families will have received a place at one of their top three schools. If 95 per cent were an exam mark, youd be beside yourself with delight. But we may as well rename National Offer Day as Dodgy Data Day, because the Governments figures do not tell the real story of the agony in tens of thousands of homes nationwide.
First, the concept of top three choices is misleading, because in many cases there are not three good schools locally where you would want to send your child let alone the six that parents are asked to list as their choices, in this loosest definition of the word. I know families for whom there is a gulf between school numbers one and two the top choice is the over-subscribed, outstanding-rated school a not-too-far distance away, and the second is just a little bit short of fine. Last year it was 84 per cent of pupils who received their first choice of school; that figure, not the Governments 95 per cent, is the relevant one.
Second, while that remaining 16 per cent who didnt get their first choice is a small proportion, its still a lot of families. Last year, 84,000 pupils did not get their preferred choice, and this year the figure is reported to be as high as 90,000.
In this sense, statistics cease to matter because any child denied a good state education or put through the emotional upheaval of missing out on their preferred choice is a travesty in a country as rich as ours. But nevertheless, 90,000 is a staggering amount. A secondary education can make or break a childs life. It is far too serious to be dismissed by ministers shielding themselves with misleading statistics.
Third, the DfE says it has spent 5bn on creating half a million new places since 2010, and will spend another 7bn on creating more over the next parliament. Again, big numbers. So why is there still such a pressure on places?
The rising population of soon to be secondary school age children is driving this pressure, as a result of increased immigration and a post-millennium baby boom. But that is only half the story. These are two major factors the Government should have seen coming, yet have failed to prepare for.
Education policy of the past six years has not been fit for our age, despite the laudable stated intentions of Michael Gove, the architect of the policy, to create a decent education for every child of whatever background. The demographic challenge needs an education system driven by supply; instead it has created one tied up by ideological dogma.
Let me be clear: I am not against academies, started under Tony Blair, or against free schools, the brainchild of Gove. The majority of these new institutions are good schools for those children lucky enough to get a place. The problem lies in the political obsession of this Government with giving so much freedom to academies and free schools that local authorities are powerless to create new school places, even where they are desperately needed. A policy that pretends to be decentralising is the most centralised of all, because it is politically driven.
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Academies can and do refuse requests by councils to expand to take more pupils, no matter what the local pressures are. Local authorities are also restricted in the creation of new schools, which have to be academies. Communities with a shortage of places are reliant on a free school being set up, yet they do not have to be built in areas where there is the highest demand.
It is depressing to hear people such as Bernadette John, of the Good Schools Guide, who told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme yesterday morning that families who are not happy with their offer could move to other parts of the country, as if this were choosing a different place to go on holiday.
The supply issue is partly to do with teacher shortages, which is a problem in northern cities, and if this Government were serious about its Northern Powerhouse agenda then it should incentivise teachers to work in schools that need them.
But it should not be for families to shoulder the burden of a narrow-minded, dogmatic and hidebound education policy.
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In an attempt to gain Black support for the Brexit campaign, Ukips migration spokesman Steven Woolfe has argued that it is the Black community that has the most to fear from remaining in the EU.
In an interview with the Voice, Woolfe was quoted as saying, If you look at the black community, they are more likely to be struggling on low skilled wages. So far, so good. This is an accurate and important observation.
But then the problems start. [T]he impact of large scale migration has pushed down wages for low skilled and semi-skilled people. In this remark, the fallacies and political biases in Woolfes argument start to become apparent. There is in fact strong historical precedent to support the argument that migration is good for the economy. Rather than recognising an exploitative system that sees capital increasingly filtered from the bottom to the top, Woolfe chooses to blame migrants the easy scapegoats.
Putting the Brexit debate aside, Woolfes comments are problematic for a number of reasons. Ukip is not a party known for its concern for the wellbeing of Black people living in Britain, but rather its concern about Black people living in Britain. Indeed, to consider Ukip and racial progress in the same breath often feels like something of an oxymoron.
So to suddenly feign concern for the lives of Black Britons in an attempt to gain Black British support for the EU Out campaign seems both disingenuous and offensive.
Woolfe assumes the role of the acceptable BAME face of the pursuit of Ukips anti-immigrant agenda one that has gained increasing political currency on the Right. And it is the same position that saw Winston McKenzies ascent to Ukip commonwealth spokesperson. This was before he left, of course, claiming he had experienced in-party racial discrimination.
Woolfe playing on the us vs them idea is supremely ironic. Such rhetoric should have an air of familiarity to Black Britons like him who have historically (and contemporarily) been positioned as the them outside of the British us.
Absurdly, Ukip now expect Black Britain to be complicit in the stirring of such a climate of hate through simplistic scaremongering. However, while Woolfe continues to refer to evidence that supposedly suggests Black Britons are opposed to EU membership, substantive research from the Runnymede trust finds that Black Britons are divided and largely ambivalent on the issue. They do, however, recognise that immigration debates were likely to negatively stigmatise them.
The most fundamental flaw in Woolfes logic is the ready consignment of Black Britons to the lowest rung in society. His arguments hinge upon an acceptance that Black people occupy and will continue to occupy low skilled jobs in British society; they thus should be content with staying one rung above new migrants.
This is a contemptuous position that belies any kind of commitment to racial justice.
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A real commitment to racial equality would look at the institutional racism that pervades education, employment, and the criminal justice system, and offer constructive arguments about how that situation can be resolved.
Shifting xenophobic arguments from one oppressed group to another, however, isnt exactly the inspiring narrative that Black communities are looking for when deciding which way to vote on a possible Brexit.
Spring has, hopefully, finally sprung. Its my favourite of year and is inevitably associated with spring cleaning, which I both hate and love. I loathe the doing part but, on completion, relish the cleaner, decluttered living space and feel both mentally and emotionally refreshed.
Our younger daughter, Ruth, was watching TV one night when she said, "Mammy, you should get Mr Muscle, he'd do the cleaning for you." She innocently believes the simple act of bringing the bottle into the house is enough for the dirt to be magicked away, by a cartoon man clad in a white-coat and orange-leotard. Forget Steve Silvermint; such a man really would be a cool clean hero.
Getting in someone to help is another possibility. Once, when a few of the ladies were over for a coffee, I mentioned I never had a cleaner in and, looking about, their murmured response varied from, "I can believe that" to "you could tell."
But I it's my dust so it's my job.
I finally accepted I couldn't put it off any longer when I walked into the sitting room to see cobwebs in the corner that had become so heavy that they detached at one end and were hanging from the ceiling like dreary stalactites.
There are several suggested origins for spring cleaning based on religious rituals, including those around the Jewish Passover.
Observant Jews are supposed to refrain from consuming leavened foods including bread, known as chametz, in the week of fasting after Passover. Houses have to be cleaned thoroughly and this culminates on the night before the festival begins with the family hunting by candlelight for any remaining chametz crumbs.
However, rather like Christmas, it's possible this was more about religion attaching meaning to an existing pattern of behaviour rather than the other way round.
In many pre-Christian pagan cultures, winter festivals - especially those centred on the winter solstice - were the most popular of the year. This was because, the world at the time being an agricultural one, it was the natural lull in the working cycle.
It's more likely that spring cleaning dates backs to prehistory. Days are getting longer at either end. The extra light would have exposed the messy state of the caves or huts, while the improved weather made a good clean-up easier.
Down the ages, people in many climates kept their houses shut up over the winter, staving off the cold with fires of coal, wood and turf. On the first fine day, windows were flung open and every available body was dispatched, to sweep and scrub while heavier clothes were washed.
Most homes today are bright, well-appointed and, thanks to central heating and the vacuum cleaner, relatively easy to keep. But I wonder whether we are any happier with them?
In the way that skinny celebrities make young people insecure about their appearance, has the proliferation of glossy homemaking magazines and house makeover shows on TV made us insecure about the appearance of our homes?
When I was a child, no-one made an appointment to call on a friend, neighbour or relation. Now, like most of my circle, there are few people I would drop in on unannounced. Except my mother's friends! It reminds me of the adage, "If you want to see me, drop in any time; if you want to see my house, make an appointment."
Meanwhile, a number of community clean-ups are underway in the run-up to the 1916 celebrations while An Taisce's Spring Clean litter campaign takes place in April. Participation would help your locality and be a good chance to catch up with neighbours.
Restoring a link with the past
I recently fell into conversation with painter/restorer Vincent OBrien from nearby Durrow about an unusual aspect of his work: the refurbishment of holy statues for farming families.
Most of the statues are of Our Lady or Saint Joseph, with others including the Child of Prague, ranging in size from 12-24 inches. Sometimes its just painting but often they arrive in pieces and substantial reconstruction is required.
This work has always been steady, from the time of my dad, Ned, says Vincent, who along with brother Paul, took over the business in 1990. This is remarkable, considering the many church scandals since coupled with the general secularisation of society.
Vincent says there is a greater demand for this work from the farming sector compared to the population in general, though he doesnt know why.
Given that the work is done by hand, the cost is obviously significant but Vincent says this doesnt really seem to come into it.
Maybe some people feel they couldnt get rid of the statue so restoration is the only option. But, mostly, there seems to be some sort of deeper affinity, whether to the statue itself or as a link to their ancestors.
The hunt is on for the country's top farmers as the Zurich Farming Independent Farmer of the Year Awards returns, with a fantastic prize fund of over 20,000.
If you believe you are one of the best producers in the country or you know one of the top farmers now is your chance to get recognition for all the hard work.
You can log on to www.farmeroftheyear.ie to apply online or to download a form to enter by post. The awards are free to enter and farmers can nominate themselves or alternatively be nominated by a third party
There are a wide range of categories available to enter including Beef, Sheep, Dairy, Tillage, Equestrian, Alternative Farm Enterprises and Rising Stars, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award and a Grand Prix Award for the overall Farmer of the Year for 2016.
Last year's Lifetime Achievement Award went to Anna May McHugh for her dedicated service to the National Ploughing Association.
In addition there is a category to promote excellence in farm safety, which is being sponsored by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).
The Alternative Farm Enterprise category gives farmers involved in more niche enterprises such as vegetables, fruit, pigs, poultry, flowers, and organics, along with those engaged in forestry, an opportunity to show-case their achievements. The Rising Star section is aimed at recognising the huge pool of talent that is coming up through the ranks of Irish agriculture.
Award winners will share a prize fund of 20,000 which will be presented at a glitzy ceremony in The Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin on Friday May 20, 2016.
The competition is run in conjunction with Zurich Insurance, and with categories sponsored by ICMSA, ICSA, Teagasc, Landrover and the Health and Safety Authority.
Michael Doyle, head of sales and agri-business with Zurich Insurance, said that the company was thrilled to be involved in the initiative for the third year in a row.
"As one of the country's leading providers of farm insurance, we are proud to continue as title sponsor of these prestigious awards, which are now an annual highlight in the farming calendar," he said.
"The Farmer of the Year Awards highlight the dedication and innovation which has been witnessed in the farming community over the past few years, and celebrate the high achievers in the industry. We are delighted to be involved in recognising these successes and look forward to seeing this year's entries."
'Atrocious' ground conditions have persisted across much of the country this spring, despite large covers of grass being available for grazing.
The heavy rainfalls that have seen most of the country receive double the average level over the last three months has continued right up to the end of February, with up to 60mm falling in parts of Munster on Friday.
"Ground conditions are atrocious," said Teagasc's grass expert, Michael O'Donovan.
"We've had three days in February where an inch of rain fell each day. That's why we've only 12-18pc of the area grazed so far, when we would be targeting 20-25pc to be grazed by now."
Higher than average temperatures over the last three months have resulted in large covers of grass building up on farms, but without dry enough conditions to get it grazed.
"Soil temperatures are good, and were as high 8.5C in December. But the covers of 1,400-2,000kg/ha of drymatter that have been built up are beginning to die back, and really they need to be grazed in the next two weeks to prevent it setting back grass growth even further," said Mr O'Donovan.
Data from Teagasc's PastureBase shows that growth rates are on a par with last year, but Met Eireann figures show that rainfall amounts for December, January and February are over double long-term averages.
Meanwhile, farmers are being encouraged to attend a nationwide series of flooding consultation meetings.
The National Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management group is hosting meetings in the southeastern region in Inistioge, Graiguenamanagh, Mountmellick, Rathdowney, Portloise, Freshford, Portarlington and Daingean over the next week.
This is the fifth stage of a seven-part process to decide how resources will be spent on managing flooding throughout the country over the coming years.
Preliminary risk and mapping consultations have already been completed, with options now being presented to the public for the first time. The process was started by the OPW in 2011.
Insurance rates look set to rise at FBD following an 85m pre-tax loss after an "exceptionally difficult" year and well-known figures in farming circles are exiting the insurer's board.
Chief executive Fiona Muldoon said the company is targeting increases in farm accounts in the "low single digits" this year.
FBD is likely to generate a loss of about 1.5m next year before returning to profitability in 2017.
"We have an enormous amount to do during 2016 to make sure we get there," Ms Muldoon told the Farming Independent. "I think we've gone about doing all the things that we said we would do. I am confident that we have set ourselves the right challenges. It's not a slam dunk to get there. We're going to have to be vigilant and keep ploughing our own furrow."
Meanwhile, FBD Holdings plc chairman, Michael Berkery - who served as the IFA's general secretary for 25 years before retiring in 2009 - has confirmed he plans to retire next year from the FBD board after 19 years.
Former IFA president Eddie Downey has also confirmed he will not be seeking re-election to the FBD board next month.
Mr Downey, who received 30,000 in director's fees for 2014 from FBD, stepped down from the IFA presidency last November. His resignation followed the exit of then general secretary Pat Smith after it emerged Mr Smith received a total of nearly 1m in remuneration from the IFA over two years.
In a statement to the markets, FBD said four board members would not be going forward for re-election for a variety of reasons.
The issue of board fees was highlighted in the report on corporate governance at the IFA produced by the association's former chief economist Con Lucey following the pay controversy. Mr Lucey recommended that all payments to the president from outside bodies should be paid into IFA funds.
All three candidates for the IFA presidency race have stated their position on the issue of IFA presidents serving on the board of FBD.
Henry Burns said the next IFA president would have an extremely busy schedule and the director position with FBD would have to be examined.
Joe Healy, who said he received 3,597 as a director on the separate Farmer Business Developments co-op - which owns 25pc of FBD - stated he felt the president of IFA should not be the representative on the FBD plc board. "To be a director on the FBD board is an onerous task," he said. "I feel the president of the IFA will be much too busy with the IFA over the next few years working to restore it."
Flor McCarthy, who last week claimed the IFA has been hit by a drop of 1m a year following the collapse in profits in the insurance company, said board membership for IFA officers should go back into the organisation.
Meanwhile, Mr Berkery said he wanted to record his and the board's "deep appreciation" to all four board members, including Mr Downey.
Farmers are seeking an opt-out from IFA levies as part of their malting barley contracts with Boortmalt, and have also called for more action from the organisation's grain committee.
A meeting of the Irish Grain Growers Association (IGGA) heard strong criticisms of the delay in reaching a deal for malting barley with sowing now just weeks away.
Tom Cushen, chair of the new group formerly known as the Irish Malt Growers Association, said they have agreed that members will not purchase any additional inputs from Boortmalt Ireland such as sprays for the coming season until they are prepared to meet and recognise them as a body.
The group said they were making the move due to a lack of action by the IFA. They also said a deal had been struck on the payment before Christmas.
However, it has since been changed with a suggestion by Boortmalt that 25pc of the contract tonnes would be paid at a surplus price to be set by Boortmalt after harvest.
The group, which has over 200 members, said the company has not met with them so far.
"We are people who weren't listened to by the other organisations. It is hard for one organisation to represent, beef, growers, dairy and the whole lot," said chair Tom Cushen.
Farmers attending the meeting in Athy, Co Kildare said they were not being kept up to date on the stage the negotiations were at between the IFA and Boortmalt over the contracts for 2016.
Bobby Miller said they have to "make a stand" as they are on the verge of sowing the crop.
"It is just not good enough. The questions aren't being asked for us by the IFA," he said. "There has been no action from the IFA on it. They are sticking their heads in the sand."
Contracts
Ahead of a meeting between the IFA committee and Boortmalt yesterday, grower Colm Fingleton, who is also on the IFA malting barley committee, said contracts must be established at an earlier stage to allow people "proper forward selling".
Mr Fingleton, who is also on the committee of the IGGA, said it was the "only commodity in which farmers are forced to pay a levy" as there is currently no opt-out clause.
Farmers have been told they can claim a return of the IFA's share of the 38c/t levy.
However, the meeting heard a number of farmers from Enniscorthy had filled out forms for return of their levies over the past two years but have never received them.
Mr Miller said forms were also filled out in the Athy area for 19 farmers in 2015 and no response has been received yet.
Farmers have been told that the 38c/t levy is partly spent on trials at UCD (12c/t) and the IFA's Ifarm (7c/t), which promotes farm-to-farm selling. However, there is no-farm-to farm selling on malting barley.
GRAND FORKS Al Palmer is no stranger to retiring, but this time he thinks itll stick.
The 63-year-old has had ties to the University of North Dakotas aerospace programs for years, retiring in 2010 from his position as UND chief of flight operations and becoming director of UNDs Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research, Education and Training.
Now, due to his health, Palmer said hes retiring to spend time with his grandchildren and feed the deer on his property in western Grand Forks County.
Im not going to pass away anytime soon but I just cant continue at the same pace I have been over the years, Palmer said in an interview.
Because it could take more than a month to find out if his application for medical retirement has been accepted, Palmer doesnt know exactly when hell be leaving UND but is on sick leave until June 30.
Palmer said he is optimistic about the future of UNDs UAS programs and is proud of the work he did while working as director.
In my career thats a good one to end on, he said.
Bruce Smith, the dean of the UND John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, will also be retiring in June after about 15 years of leading the school. He said Palmer proved to be indispensable while serving as interim director for the UAS Center, which is why he was selected for the job permanently despite a national search.
Instead of just being a placeholder, instead of just being there, he showed us he was the right guy for the job, Smith said.
Palmer began his career as an hourly flight instructor in 1978 and spent time in the U.S. Air Force. His flight instructor was Odegard, who urged Palmer to join the Air National Guard.
Hes one of those remarkable people who went from enlisted one stripe to one star as a general, Smith said. That almost never happens.
But Palmer said now, after more than 10,000 flight hours, hes ready to bow out to someone younger.
We do a really good job of mentoring our younger people and I have great hopes, he said. Unmanned aircraft systems is an emerging technology. Its going to mean good things for North Dakota and for the University of North Dakota.
Palmer is a large part of the reason why UNDs UAS programs have grown successfully, Smith said, adding Palmer was also key in implementing the SPECTRUM airline training program.
When the center really needed a boost, Al comes as close as you can to being indispensable, Smith said.
According to Popular Science, UND was the first school in the nation to offer a four-year degree in unmanned aerial vehicle piloting in 2013.
Weve got a training program that has national and international recognition, Palmer said. Its the best in the world and a lot of people worked really hard to make that happen.
Moving forward, Smith said the UAS center will likely be run through the Department of Aviation and Palmers position wont be refilled, especially in light of budgetary constraints as UND looks at how to cut $9.5 million from its 2015-17 budget.
And while hes sad that he wont be flying anymore, Palmer said he is looking forward to feeding the deer on his property, noting he buys 200 lbs. of corn each week for them.
I get so much joy in doing that, he said, laughing.
Cairn, which is building Parkside, above, raised 642m in 2015
House builder Cairn Homes has amassed enough land to build 11,000 homes after raising 642m over the course of 2015.
The company floated on the London Stock Exchange last year and followed up that deal with further equity and debt raisings.
It posted a net loss 5.5m before exceptional items in the 13 months to the end of December, its first year in operation, according to preliminary results published yesterday.
Operations over the year focused on acquisitions, including Ulster Bank's Project Clear, a portfolio of loans linked to lands that account for a fifth of zoned Dublin residential sites.
"Following the successful acquisition of the Project Clear loans portfolio and the nine other individual site acquisitions since our IPO, the company now has access to an exceptionally well located and well-priced core land bank of in excess of 11,000 units," Cairn chief executive Michael Stanley said.
Cairn expects construction to begin at its Rathgar site in South Dublin in the second quarter of this year.
"We are currently building in Parkside, North Dublin, and Killiney, South Dublin," Mr Stanley said.
"We will commence construction on five further schemes within the next 12 months and look forward to making a meaningful contribution to the much needed supply of quality new homes in Ireland over the coming years," he said.
After the launch of the company's first site at Parkside, Dublin 13, in September, 52 houses are now sale agreed, with Cairn reporting positive feedback from customers.
The company is now staffing up on the construction side as it looks to ramp up output.
The homebuilder has continued to buy so far this year, acquiring a site on Hanover Quay in Dublin's docklands area as well as striking a deal with Hines for developments in Cherrywood.
That deal will see the construction of over 300 homes on the Cherrywood site, in line with the site's masterplan.
Cairn's 2015 profits were hit by exceptional charges of 2.9m related to the acquisition of Cairn Homes Holdings Limited and a further 29.1m non-cash fair value once-off accounting charge relating to the Founder Share scheme.
The company's revenue was 3.7m in the year.
Pictured at the Cork China Business seminar attended by a high profile Chinese trade delegation, hosted by Cork County Council were Mayor of County Cork Cllr. John Paul O'Shea speaking with Mayor of Xuzhou, Mr. Zhou Tiegan.
PCH, an Irish design firm that manufactures products for clients including Apple, has cut almost 10pc of its workforce as the company looks to improve its efficiency.
Chief executive Liam Casey, inset, described the move as "the right thing to do" after the company reports revenue growth of 57pc over the last three years.
Mr Casey, dubbed "Mr China" for his long-standing focus on manufacturing there, told the Irish Independent that an increase in its quality of engineering, paired with improved efficiencies at its Chinese operations, was behind the job losses.
"This year we're focused on the future. Using technology and interacting with our facility in San Francisco we're able to do it with a lot less touches in China. We want to make sure we're competitive. This is the right time to do it and it's the right thing to do," Mr Casey said.
PCH currently employs around 100 people in Ireland at its global headquarters in Cork out of a total of 2,600 worldwide, the majority located in China.
The Irish company has long been tipped as a potential candidate for a stock market listing. However, Mr Casey yesterday played down the prospect of an initial public offering (IPO), saying that it wasn't on the agenda.
"I think before you look at any financing or anything like that you have to make sure that you're set up for the future and this is a big step forward for us," he said.
The PCH chief outlined the changes in work the company has been doing over the last three years.
"The level of sophistication in the products that we're doing and in the engineering that we're doing and the clients that we're doing it with, it's become a very different profile to the type of work we would have been doing three years ago," Mr Casey said.
Asset Management Trust is understood to have had between 30m and 40m assets under management, before the Central Bank began probing its operations.
Clients of a Dublin-based investment firm are set to be compensated by a State compensation fund.
The Central Bank said it made the decision about Asset Management Trust as the firm will be unable to meet claims from clients.
In a statement, the Central Bank said it has "determined that it appears that the firm is unable for the time being, for reasons which are directly related to its financial circumstances, to meet its obligations arising from claims by clients and has no reasonably foreseeable opportunity of being able to do so".
The firm had its authorisation withdrawn by the Central Bank last March.
The Investor Compensation Company Limited, which operates the statutory compensation scheme for investors, will write to the firm's clients.
Investors have until July 27 next to make a claim for compensation.
Central Bank executive Des Ritchie has been appointed as administrator to assess claims for compensation.
Asset Management Trust is understood to have had around 300 clients, and assets under management of between 30m and 40m, before the Central Bank began probing its operations.
The most recent filings in the Companies Registration Office show that the directors of firm are Robert Brickell and Gerard McCoy. It had an address at Fosters Avenue, Mount Merrion, Dublin. The Central Bank is understood to have begun inquiries into the company's affairs in 2014.
The Investor Compensation Company was set up to give private investors a way to claim compensation without the need for expensive legal action.
It is funded by levies paid by authorised or registered investment firms that are members of the scheme.
It can pay eligible investors 90pc of the money they have lost, up to a maximum of 20,000.
However, if the investments were in pensions or property, the losses are likely to be far higher than 20,000 per client.
Assassin's Creed Identity has just launched, making this a pretty busy year for a franchise that's supposed to be taking a break
Remember when Ubisoft said the Assassin's Creed franchise was taking a break for 2016, well it doesn't really seem that way.
In reality we've already had two games this year - AC India and AC Russia, as well as a triple pack of those two and the previously released China game. And now there's another title which has just released called Assassin's Creed Identity. Here's the launch trailer.
As you can probably guess from the video, this is a mobile game and is launching first for iOS. But the technology has come along so far that those graphics are actually pretty impressive and it looks like there's a lot to do as you run and jump and slice and dice. You travel to attractive locations in Italy and during the same timeline as Assassin's Creed II. You might even meet Ezio along the way!
Weirdly enough this title actually came out first in New Zealand and Australia as free to play all the way back in 2014 which we don't totally understand. Anyway it's now available for a fiver on iOS and coming to Android soon.
The Arctic is thawing faster than lawmakers can formulate rules to limit the environmental threat of heavy fuel oil pollution from ships plying an increasingly popular trade route.
Average Arctic temperatures are rising twice as fast as elsewhere in the world and the polar ice cap's permanent cover is shrinking at a rate of around 10pc per decade.
By the end of this century, summers in the Arctic could be free of ice.
As the ice melts, shipping of gas, coal and diesel through the region has increased. Russia, in particular, is keen to expand shipping through the Arctic given its rich natural resources and efforts to cut costs. It aims to cut journey times between Europe and Asia by up to 30pc.
"It is time for regulators to wake up and realise that the Arctic is melting away right in front of us," said Whit Sheard of the Circumpolar Conservation Union (CCU) green group.
"Common-sense regulations, integrated ocean planning, and explicit protections are all needed before the resources of the region are targeted for exploitation or before it becomes a major shipping route."
While there is a non-binding agreement in place between Arctic states aimed at environmental protection, campaigners say there has been no progress on regulating the use of heavy fuel oil (HFO), which is banned in the Antarctic.
Regulations for the Antarctic came into effect in 2011 after being adopted by the United Nations' shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO). It was arguably an easier sell as fewer commercial cargo ships operate there.
Any effort to tackle the issue in the Arctic is likely to take some time even after last year's climate deal in Paris, which commits nations to curb emissions. The Paris deal did not set specific targets for commercial shipping, leaving the IMO to take up the charge.
HFO was not the top focus of an Arctic Council meeting on environmental protection earlier this month, leading campaigners to seek more action.
They plan to raise the issue at the IMO's next marine environmental protection committee session in April.
According to a 2009 study by the intergovernmental Arctic Council, the release of oil into the Arctic's marine environment "either through accidental release, or illegal discharge, is the most significant threat from shipping activity".
Last year, the US, Russia and other Arctic nations signed an agreement to bar their fishing fleets from seas around the North Pole.
The code imposed prohibitions on the carriage of oil or oily mixtures from any ship into the sea and prevented pollution from garbage and noxious liquid substances. But it only "encouraged" ships not to use or carry HFO in the Arctic.
A 2015 study by the CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis estimated that two-thirds of the volume of world trade that goes through the Suez Canal could be rerouted via the Arctic, but it gave no timeframes.
Suez accounts for an estimated 8pc of world seaborne trade.
Looser ice may make travel easier, but it also means icebergs and there is the risk of vessels being holed. Insurers are also looking for more clarity.
"The level of regulation applying to these new waterways has, perhaps inevitably, not had time to catch up with the physical changes to the Arctic environment," said Joe Hughes, chairman of shipping insurer American Club. (Reuters)
Actor Michael Fassbender (R) and guest attend the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio (L) and Kate Winslet attend the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California
Actress Brie Larson wins Best Actress for 'Room' during the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre. Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images
Screenwriter Benjamin Cleary (L) and actress Chloe Pirrie in attendance at the 88th Annual Academy Awards, Hollywood, California. Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Irish director Benjamin Cleary was the triumphant underdog at the 2016 Oscars.
In the run up to the 88th Academy Awards all eyes were on Saoirse Ronan - but it was Rathmines native Ben who walked away with a shining statuette for his short film 'Stutterer'. It was an impressive feat given it is the first film he ever made and cost just 5,000.
The 32-year-old wrote, directed and funded the project and said accepting the award in front of some of the biggest names in the film industry was "a pretty emotional moment".
"Every day is a proud day to be Irish but today more so than usual. So everyone for all the support back home thank you so much," he said.
Cleary was inspired to write about a man with a speech impediment after witnessing the struggles of a childhood friend.
"I had a friend growing up who had a severe stutter - that must have stuck with me," he told the Irish Independent last month.
Yesterday, his alma mater St Michael's College congratulated him on the win. "The entire College community, and especially the class of 2002 are delighted with Ben's wonderful success," a spokesperson said.
'Brooklyn' star Saoirse Ronan (21) missed out on the Best Actress award which went to Brie Larson for her harrowing role in Irish co-production 'Room'.
Ronan previously attended the Oscars as a teenager in 2008, when she was up for best supporting actress for her part in 'Atonement'. She described attending as "surreal".
Lenny Abrahamson missed out on Best Director which went to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
Michael Fassbender lost out on the Oscar for Best Actor but his girlfriend Alicia Vikander picked up Best Supporting Actress.
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Even if Martin Hayes, Iarla O Lionaird, Caoimhin O Raghallaigh, Dennis Cahill and Thomas Bartlett never formed The Gloaming, they've all had astonishing careers in music.
Since 2011, they've collectively received a slew of five star reviews, a Choice Music Prize for their debut album and the honour of playing the Royal Albert Hall on the historic occasion of Michael D. Higgin's official state visit to the Queen.
On the opening night of a five date residency in the National Concert Hall, they repeatedly call the venue home. Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill have plenty of previous performing here as a duo, so it makes complete sense to celebrate the launch of their new album The Gloaming 2 in this hallowed hall.
The sound is pristine and so is the performance. O Lionaird haunting voice and Hayes' mercurial violin playing often take centre stage, but they all bring something extra special to the party.
Thomas Bartlett has been involved with some of the most revered names in contemporary music from The National to David Byrne. His minimal piano playing gives these wonderful soundscapes an innovative backbone and he sometimes stomps the stage in time to the music.
Hayes remarks that the band receive a lot of praise for doing something new, but to his ears, it all just sounds like Irish traditional music. He definitely has a point when you listen to The Hare or Oisin's Song, but they still have the imagination and talent to bring it somewhere else, lending a modern twist to an ancient art form and creating stunning trad for the 21st century.
Martin Hayes is quite simply a demon on the violin and an absolute joy to watch. For years, his work has marked him out as something of a Jimi Hendrix figure of traditional fiddle playing. Caoimhin O Raghallaigh plays an intricate ten-string violin, which he explains is perfect for playing quietly. Whenever Iarla O Lionaird isn't singing his heart and soul out in his unique, self-styled sean nos style, he perches behind a harmonium adding subtle layers of sound.
In the centenary year of 1916, The Gloaming are continuing their stunning musical revolution. They deserve to be celebrated and cherished.
Matt LeBlanc (left) and Chris Evans before taking part in the first challenge for Top Gear
A BBC boss has slammed as 'rubbish' reports claiming that Chris Evans' has been 'unprofessional' on the Top Gear set.
The Sun had reported that tensions between Evans and producer Lisa Clark were behind her decision to leave after five months on the show.
It had also been reported that Evans had objected to the hiring of former Friends star Matt LeBlanc for the presenting line-up.
However, acting director of BBC Television Mark Linsey has released a statement refuting these claims.
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"It is rubbish to suggest Chris Evans's behaviour on the set of Top Gear has been in any way unprofessional," he said.
"Chris is a consummate professional and a real team-player. He is a passionate presenter who commits his heart and soul into everything he does - whether his Radio 2 show, Children In Need or Top Gear - and we are extremely fortunate to have him leading the show.
"Also, it is simply not true to suggest Chris did not support the signing of Matt LeBlanc, when he has been behind Matt joining the presenting team since day one.
"Chris and Matt are part of a wider production team that is full of brilliant and talented people. That team is tight-knit, in great spirits and utterly focused on delivering the best possible series for viewers."
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When Lisa Clark departed the show she said she was simply "moving on to new projects" and she said, "I'd like to wish production all the very best on the show."
Clark had worked with the 49-year-old presenter since his time on The Big Breakfast in the 90s. She had replaced Andy Wilman on Top Gear. He left when Jeremy Clarkson was sacked following his bust-up with producer Oisin Tymon.
Clarkson issued a formal apology to the Irish producer and settled a racial discrimination and personal injury claim for a estimated 100,000 (127,000).
The launch of the show, which has seen the departure of script editor Tom Ford and BBC2 controller Kim Shillinglaw, has been put delayed two weeks until May 22.
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Clarkson will team up with fellow Top Gear presenters James May and Richard Hammond for a new car series for Amazon Prie.
Seamus Daly was once described by a High Court judge as a Real IRA foot soldier.
The evidence linking him to the dissidents' Omagh bombing was described as overwhelming by one of Northern Ireland's most senior judicial figures during a claim for damages by grieving relatives.
The bricklayer from the Republic of Ireland was connected by Belfast's High Court to mobile phones used during the bombing.
In 2013, a judge ordered Mr Daly and three others to pay the bereaved families civil damages worth 1.6 million after they were found liable for one of the worst atrocities of the Troubles.
On Tuesday, a criminal court cleared Mr Daly, originally from Cullaville, Co Monaghan, of 29 murder charges at Omagh.
He was held in prison awaiting trial for nearly two years.
His defence had protested throughout lengthy legal proceedings that he had no case to answer.
And when the evidence against him was tested last month and prosecution star witness Denis O'Connor contradicted himself under cross-examination, it became clear the accusations were crumbling.
Mr Daly's lawyer, Peter Corrigan, said the case against his client was paper-thin and based upon a witness who was himself arrested as part of the bombing probe.
He claimed Mr O'Connor gave an account to Irish police in 1999 and had given three or four other versions.
The implication was clear - his words could not be relied upon.
Mr Corrigan also said his client had an alibi for the time when he was supposed to be involved in murder.
He insisted the evidence was stale and could have been presented to his client at any time in recent years.
The bricklayer's militant republicanism stretches back to at least 2004 when he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in the Republic after admitting membership of the outlawed Real IRA which carried out the Omagh attack.
But convicting him of a string of murders in a Co Tyrone market town which shocked the world just months after the landmark Good Friday peace agreement was to prove a hurdle too high.
Two Belfast civil cases, one in 2009 and a retrial in 2013, only had to prove on the balance of probabilities that the respondents were behind the bombing.
In 2013 Justice Gillen concluded that the evidence against Mr Daly and three others was overwhelming.
The judge in the original civil case said he was satisfied that Mr Daly was in possession of one of the two phones which, trace records indicate, were used by the occupants of the bomb car and the getaway car on the day of the attack.
He said the fact that Mr Daly had provided no answer to the evidence presented before the court further supported suspicions.
A one-month retrial of the civil case was shown data from mobile phone masts that tracked calls made from two phones as they moved from the Irish Republic to Omagh and back across the border ahead of the bomb attack on August 15 1998.
But criminal prosecutors had to establish Mr Daly's guilt beyond all reasonable doubt and on Tuesday that barrier was judged too high.
Lawyers for Mr Daly said he had been living openly in Jonesborough in Northern Ireland before his arrest but was detained by officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Serious Crime Branch in Newry in Co Down as he accompanied his wife to the town hospital's maternity unit.
One of the victims of the Omagh bombing was a woman pregnant with twins.
Mr Daly's second child's due day coincided with the date he was charged with 29 murders and put behind bars.
Today he can finally see his child.
The scene of the robbery at Durham University. Photo credit: Durham Police/PA Wire
A photo issued by Durham Police of an 18th century Chinese jade bowl stolen from Durham Universitys Oriental Museum. Photo credit should read: Durham Police/PA Wire
More than a dozen members of an Irish Traveller gang have been convicted of plotting to steal rhino horns and Chinese artifacts worth almost 60m (76m) from museums across Britain.
Dubbed the 'Dead Zoo Gang' or the 'Rathkeale Rovers', at least eight of those convicted had links to the Co Limerick town.
Four of the so-called 'generals' who helped plan raids at Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum and Durham's Oriental Museum were convicted yesterday following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Ten men had previously been convicted of their part in the raids, but details can only now be revealed after reporting restrictions were placed on the case by the trial judge.
Police said the stolen items may have fetched up to 57m (73m) on the booming Chinese auction market.
The court heard how the gang targeted a string of museums which had rhino horn artefacts on display, in order to sell them to wealthy Chinese buyers, who value its supposed medicinal and healing powers.
Valuable
Powdered rhino horn is thought to be the most valuable commodity on earth and can fetch as much as 64,000 per kilo in China.
Daniel 'Turkey' O'Brien (45); John 'Kerry' O'Brien (26); Michael Hegarty (43); and Richard 'Kerry' O'Brien Junior (31), all from Cambridgeshire but with links to Rathkeale, were found guilty yesterday of conspiracy to steal, following a lengthy trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Eight other men, aged between 33 and 68, from Cambridgeshire, London, Southend-on-Sea and Wolverhampton, had been found guilty at three previous trials, all at Birmingham Crown Court.
Two others, one aged 28, from Kent, and the other, aged 46, from Belfast, pleaded guilty to the charges in March of last year and January this year.
All 14 men were charged in connection with all the incidents.
Among those convicted of conspiracy to steal was Travellers' rights campaigner Richard Sheridan and Donald Chi Chong Wong, a London-based 'fence' who made frequent trips to Hong Kong.
As a result of the raids, many museums removed rhino horns from display, but the gang simply targeted rare Oriental artefacts, such as jade ornaments and vases, instead.
There were raids at the Norwich Castle Museum, an auction house in Lewes, East Sussex and the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow, as well as those in Cambridge and Durham.
One Ming Dynasty bowl that was taken from Durham University raid was estimated to be worth as much as 16m (20m) but was later discovered dumped on waste ground.
During one bungled raid, the thieves attempted to make off with a rhino's head that was on display at Norwich Castle Museum, but were forced to dump it because it was too heavy to carry.
The court heard that the ringleaders would "hire" in criminals to carry out the raids, some of whom were aged just 15.
Detective Superintendent Adrian Green, of Durham Police, said: "If you look at the audacity of what they do and the value of the property taken, that makes them significant criminals both within the UK and potentially across the world."
Sentencing of the men will take place in April.
A 17-YEAR-OLD, who suffered two black eyes and a laceration to his nose while playing Blind Mans Bluff in an adventure centre, has been awarded 27,000 damages in the Circuit Civil Court.
Barrister Caroline Williams told the court the incident happened in October 2012 as Anthony McDonagh was blindfolded for the purpose of an activity at Carlingford Adventure Centre, Tholsel St, Carlingford, Co Louth.
Ms Williams said Anthony collided with a tree while he was playing and suffered two black eyes and a laceration to his nose, which was deviated.
The court was told Antony was taken to the A&E department of Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, where he underwent minor surgery under general anaesthetics.
Mr Justice Raymond Groarke today heard that since the incident Anthony suffered nasal congestion and his wound had left a lump on his nose.
Through his mother Geraldine McDonagh, Anthony, of Castlebrook, Newcastle Road, Rathcoole, Co Dublin, sued Carlingford Adventure Centre Ltd for negligence.
Ms Williams said the defendant had accepted an assessment of the damages at 27,133 made by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board and she recommended acceptance of it to the court.
Judge Groarke, hearing that Anthony will require cosmetic surgery to his nose, accepted the settlement offer.
Gerry Adams would be open to prosecution for IRA activity if he steps down as leader of Sinn Fein, according to a respected author and expert on the Provos and Sinn Fein.
Ed Moloney points to the precedent set by the jailing last week of the Sinn Fein President's friend, Thomas 'Slab' Murphy.
Mr Murphy was sentenced to 18 months in prison for tax evasion.
Mr Moloney told 'The Guardian' newspaper: "This party [Sinn Fein] was created out of the IRA by Gerry Adams and the small group of advisers and colleagues that surround him. They will decide whether he goes or not, not the membership.
"As long as he is leader of Sinn Fein he is also leader of the peace process project and as such he is protected from efforts to pursue him for IRA activity during the Troubles.
"As soon as he relinquishes leadership it would be seen as a sign that the peace process is now secure and in those circumstances he could well become vulnerable; one could almost foresee the calls for his prosecution that would soon follow.
"The precedent of Slab Murphy is not a happy one and so continuing as Sinn Fein leader provides him with a shield."
Mr Moloney also said Fianna Fail's next move on whether or not to enter coalition or an arrangement to support Fine Gael, will have a strong influence on Sinn Fein's future progress.
He described the prospect of Fianna Fail joining a grand coalition with its old civil war rivals as a "wet dream" for Mr Adams's party.
"It [would] allow Sinn Fein to present itself as the real opposition. Not only would the party's Stalinist-like discipline compare favourably with the chaos and backbiting that would infect the coalition government, but the Shinners would play it all to their advantage in other ways," he said.
Mr Adams insists 'Slab' Murphy is a "good republican", despite his jailing.
Mr Adams said again the party was opposed to the Special Criminal Court and does not want to see anyone tried before the juryless court.
"The Fine Gael party were guilty of not making tax returns. I didn't hear any questions of Michael Noonan at the time," he said yesterday. "David Drumm is due back. I would not like to see him tried by a non-jury court."
Mr Murphy was sentenced following an 11th hour legal submission moved by Mr Murphy's lawyer, John Kearney QC, arising from a Court of Criminal Appeal ruling involving Perry Wharrie, an Englishman jailed for his role in the largest drug seizure in the history of the State.
The Wharrie ruling was issued on February 15 last, after Mr Murphy's sentence hearing but before the Special Criminal Court handed down its 18-month sentence to the bachelor farmer.
The outgoing Government parties are set to lose more than 3m in State funding after their disastrous election results.
The Labour Party alone is now facing a nose-dive in the taxpayers' cash of around 2m a year due to the decimation of the party. A party spokesman conceded that the loss of the funding would have a "very significant impact".
Fine Gael's loss will be more than 1m.
Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein, on the other hand, will enjoy healthy increases in State funding of at least 580,000 and 320,000 respectively.
Smaller parties, such as Anti-Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit, the Social Democrats and the Greens, are also eligible for funds after securing more than 2pc of the vote.
Ultimately, the sums allocated won't be determined until all of the Dail and Seanad seats are filled.
The Irish Independent's calculations are based on the sums allocated in 2014 - the most recent figures available - and the state of play of the parties' seat numbers.
A Labour spokesman said it was too early to assess the loss of funding, but admitted: "Clearly it will have a very significant impact on the Labour Party, no doubt about it."
A Fine Gael spokesman said the party would not be assessing the impact of the election on the funds it receives from the State "until all the seats are filled".
The funds are paid out under two categories and have been used to cover costs ranging from the general administration of party organisations to hiring public relations consultants, research and policy development.
Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fail have all used the State funding to top up their leaders' salaries while in opposition.
Enda Kenny received an annual 48,344 top-up on his salary in the years before he became Taoiseach.
Labour's Eamon Gilmore and his then deputy leader Joan Burton had their salaries topped up by a combined 22,100 in 2010.
Micheal Martin's salary was topped up to the tune of 30,000 using the fund in 2014.
Under the Electoral Act 1997, the sums allocated to the parties are in line with the percentage of first-preference votes they got in the last general election.
The Parliamentary Activities Allowance is based on the number of TDs and Senators and parties in government get a third less funding in this category.
Parties are restricted from spending the money from either of the two funds directly on election or referendum expenses. With Labour's 6.6pc of the vote - and six TDs in place last night - the party is in line for around 840,000 in State funding a year, based on the 2014 allocations, when it received almost 3m.
It will get more, depending on how many Senators it has after the forthcoming Seanad election.
Fine Gael got 4.8m in 2014, but that will be down to around 3.5m - again not taking into account the Seanad results.
The Social Democrats, who secured 3pc of the vote in the election, are now in line to receive state funding.
"Obviously, we're happy that we qualify for it," the party's joint leader Stephen Donnelly said. We're still only going to get a tiny fraction of what the big parties get but at least we can start to build.
"We can now hire someone to head up policy, we can hire someone to do organisational development.
"We can hire someone to do admin. So it's a start," said Mr Donnelly.
With 2.2pc of first preference votes, Renua Ireland is also eligible for funding under the Electoral Act 1997.
Generations of tradition was set aside in Cork South West as councilor Margaret Murphy-OMahony (FF) was elected the first female TD to serve the constituency.
Over the length of the election campaign pundits predicated that Deputies Jim Daly (FG) and Noel Harrington (FG) would hold on to their seats while Labours Michael McCarthy would lose out to Fianna Fail candidate Cllr Margaret Murphy-OMahony.
The people of West Cork proved the pundits wrong.
With the first count eliminating not only Theresa Heaney (Catholic Dem), Fiona OLeary (Ind), Johnny OMahony (GP) and Deputy Michael McCarthy (Lab) the pundits seemed to be spot on.
However, it soon became clear that a major shift was underway as Cllr Margaret Murphy-OMahony (FF) topped the poll and stayed there.
But it was Cllr Michael Collins (Ind) who defied the pollster as more ballot boxes were opened to reveal a very strong vote right across the constituency for the independent candidate from the Mizen Peninsula.
The Sinn Fein candidate Cllr Rachael McCarthy was then eliminated, followed by former Fianna Fail now independent Cllr Alan Coleman who conceded defeat before the results were announced.
It was clear at this point that the two remaining FG candidates had a fight on their hands to retain even one of their seats.
Following the elimination of Noel Harrington (FG), Cllrs Margaret Murphy-OMahony (FF) and Michael Collins (Ind) both exceeded the quota of 10,815 and to wild celebrations from their supporter they were deemed elected on the fifth count.
As the only other candidate remaining Jim Daly (FG) retained his Dail seat, being elected without reaching a quota.
Speaking after the count, he said he was happy that he held on to his seat but feared for the formation of a strong stable government.
"This has been a very disappointing day for Fine Gael, I am glad that I can return to Dail Eireann and continue to work for the people of West Cork. I would like to talk my supporters for all their hard work and I look forward to what I hope will be a strong stable government."
Speaking after her election triumph Margaret Murphy-OMahony said she was overwhelmed with the support from the people of West Cork.
This is a great day for the party nationally and I am certain that with this result it will be a very good day for West Cork and the people who live and work here. I want to thank all those who have worked tirelessly on my behalf and I look forward to continuing to work for the people of West Cork in Dail Eireann, Cllr Murphy-OMahony.
Celebrating with his supporters Michael Collins (Ind) said that he feels that his election has sent a message to the political parties and that he vows to be the Healy-Rae of West Cork.
This is a massive victory for the people of West Cork who have been ignored for far to long. I want to do for West Cork what the Healy-Raes have done for Kerry and I promise that I will work tirelessly to achieve this up in Dail Eireann, Michael Collins concluded.
Senator Zappone after being told that the ballot check did not change the original verdict. Photo: RollingNews.ie
Katherine Zappone has taken the final seat in Dublin South West following two days of rechecks and recounts at the request of Fine Gael.
Late last night the returning officer informed candidates he was satisfied the recounts had not changed the initial result.
The former senator said she was thrilled to be an Independent female TD entering the 32nd Dail for her constituency.
"As I said at the beginning I really respect the democratic process... I can imagine that Anne-Marie Dermody is feeling the loss and I offer her my support," she said.
"Politics is a tough game, even though I haven't been in it very long."
The news that the long stalemate was over was met with applause and cheers from supporters of Ms Zappone, who rose to prominence during the marriage referendum.
Solicitor Anne-Marie Dermody lost out on the 16th count by some 152 votes following a large transfer of votes to Ms Zappone. Former Tanaiste Michael McDowell was among her supporters.
After rechecks the gap narrowed to 120 votes, but it was largely considered to big a gap to close.
Others candidates who won seats in the five-seat constituency are Fianna Fail's John Lahart, Fine Gael's Colm Brophy, Anti-Austerity Alliance candidate Paul Murphy and Sinn Fein's Sean Crowe.
Deputy Kehoe dedicated his victory to his late father Myles, who passed away a year ago
After a tight battle for the final seat in Wexford, outgoing Chief Whip and Junior Minister Paul Kehoe was declared elected last night as the second Fine Gael TD.
In an emotional speech following a lengthy recheck of votes, Deputy Kehoe dedicated his victory to his late father Myles, who passed away a year ago, saying: "He was no doubt looking down on me over the past 48 hours."
He told Sinn Fein candidate Johnny Mythen, whom he defeated by just 52 votes, that Mr Mythen had put him through the "wringer" over the previous 48 hours.
"It has been a difficult election. I thank my family for such loyalty and support. The impact the last number of hours had can best be reflected by my five-year-old daughter. She turned to me this morning and asked had I lost my job," Mr Kehoe said.
At 6am on Sunday, a recount was declared by returning officer John Garahy, after a request from Mr Mythen.
The process of rechecking, which began at 10am yesterday, involved count staff examining the votes of Mr Kehoe, Mr Mythen, Mick Wallace and Michael D'Arcy. After a full day of checking, Mr Garahy said there was still a discrepancy of 31 votes which could not be bridged.
When the end came, it was quick. Things began to change after count staff were sent home mid-afternoon, but with the proviso they could still be needed for the following day.
As everyone was readying to go home but expecting to return again today, Senior Counsel Kevin O'Higgins was seen in conclave with Deputy Kehoe and his supporters. It emerged Mr Kehoe was to be elected, with no objection from Mr Mythen.
Mr Garahy declared the five candidates for the constituency, which retained two Fine Gael TDs, Mr Kehoe and Michael D'Arcy, alongside the Labour Party's Brendan Howlin, Fianna Fail's James Browne and Independent Mick Wallace.
THE abolition of water charges, a major package for rural Ireland and the introduction of a 2,000 childcare tax credit in October's Budget will be among Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin's key demands in return for supporting a minority Fine Gael government.
But Mr Martin has been told that his TDs would be more likely to back such an arrangement if it did not involve Enda Kenny as leader of Fine Gael.
With just nine days to go until TDs meet to elect a Taoiseach, Fianna Fail has dramatically raised the stakes as the fallout from the election continues.
Senior sources have confirmed that the party would be willing to support Fine Gael as part of a 'Tallaght Two Strategy' - but that this may only last one budget.
And a series of Fianna Fail demands would have to met in return for the party's support. These include the abolition of water charges, which sources say is a 'red-line' issue for Fianna Fail.
The party will also demand the introduction of a 2,000 childcare tax credit for working families.
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In phone calls with deputies in the last 48 hours, Mr Martin has also been told to demand a major package for rural Ireland which focuses on broadband, jobs and roads.
But in a worrying development for Fine Gael, Fianna Fail TDs are insisting that an arrangement which involves supporting a Fine Gael minority government would not be passed by an ard fheis unless Mr Kenny was replaced as Fine Gael leader.
"The Fine Gael leadership is an issue for Fine Gael, but certainly it would be easier for our TDs to agree to such an arrangement if Kenny was gone," said a party source.
Mr Martin last night made his first real play ahead of any future negotiations with Fine Gael, insisting that a series of Dail reforms must be agreed before any new government takes office.
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"We believe that the new Dail should not represent more business as usual - that it should involve a decisive move towards a reformed politics," the Cork South Central TD said.
In a statement, Mr Martin set out a deadline of two weeks for each Dail grouping to make nominations to a negotiating committee.
Principles
That body would then be given another fortnight to agree "core principles", which would be adopted by the Dail immediately.
Fianna Fail's list of desired changes include:
Limiting the ability of the Government to control all business in the Dail
Having set timings for legislation to be debated
The establishment of an independent budget review office
And a new regulatory oversight process.
Senior Fianna Fail sources insist that Mr Kenny will be forced to serve as a caretaker Taoiseach until beyond Easter in a move that will allow deep tensions to surface within Fine Gael over its disastrous election results.
"He can go try and woo the Healy-Raes and others but at the end of the day, he won't be able to provide a stable government without our support," said a senior Fianna Fail source.
Meanwhile, the blame game within Fine Gael has intensified, with ministers and TDs privately criticising the Taoiseach's key advisers for the botched campaign.
One senior figure, speaking anonymously, hit out at what they described as the "macho nature" of the campaign.
"Not a single woman, including Frances Fitzgerald, was giving any significant role in the campaign," the source added.
As the post mortem continues into the result, which saw the party lose in excess of 20 seats, the finger is being pointed at senior figures who advised the Taoiseach.
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Throughout the party, it has been claimed that the election strategy proved disastrous, particularly in rural Ireland.
"It was a top-down approach. The elderly, in particular, punished us because they felt no compassion whatsoever from Fine Gael. That is a huge problem," said one minister.
Fine Gael ministers were due to meet today, prior to a full Cabinet meeting, to discuss the fallout of the election.
The Cabinet meeting has a number of procedural issues to deal with but is expected to mostly focus on how the Government can continue to work in the coming weeks and possibly months.
The Taoiseach has not yet sought support from any other party leaders or Independents, although he has spoken with Labour Party leader Joan Burton.
Labour sources last night insisted that the party would not be involved in any negotiation talks and that its members wanted the party to return to opposition to rebuild.
However, Labour will endorse Mr Kenny as Taoiseach on March 10. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin will contest the election, as will Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.
A number of Independents told the Irish Independent they would be willing to listen to the Taoiseach if he made a case for re-election.
Waterford TD John Halligan said he would "speak to anybody" and that he didn't have 'red-line' issues. He said one local priority would be increasing services at Waterford Hospital.
"We haven't even 24-hour cardiac services. If someone gets a heart attack, they've to go to Cork," he said.
Mr Halligan added that there were national issues "which are very dear to me as well", citing water charges and the property tax. He said the Government parties had "underestimated the anger" on those issues.
Independent Michael Healy-Rae said: "Anything that we'd ever do would always be with the best interests of the people and for the county of Kerry at heart. Our phones are turned on all the time. If somebody rings us, we'll answer them."
It has been confirmed that Taoiseach Enda Kenny will travel to Washington DC for St Patrick's Day, even if a new government isn't formed by then.
While Mr Kenny will travel to US capital, the number of ministers going abroad as part of the annual promotion of Irish business, culture and tourism will be "curtailed".
A government spokesman confirmed that ministers that lost their seats will not travel but could not say how many other Cabinet members will go abroad.
It has been confirmed this evening that Mr Kenny's visit will include a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House.
Tanaiste Joan Burton is expected to travel but the destination has yet to be confirmed.
Earlier Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said he believed that that Mr Kenny should still travel for St Patrick's Day but that there is a "question mark" over whether other ministers should go abroad.
Mr Adams said there was "an option for them not to go around the world. In the past we've been represented very well by ambassadors and consulates.
"I think there is an argument for the Taoiseach, even though he might not have the mandate, to represent the State."
"We [Sinn Fein] haven't discussed this in any detail but I'm sure people will be a bit offended if they see somebody traipsing off as a minister when indeed they were rejected at the polls. Now I'm not personalising that. That's just the reality of that."
"So the short answer to that is, yes certainly the Taoiseach but a question mark over the rest of them."
Mr Adams is travelling to Washington and New York himself.
"We always do that and the diaspora expects that," he said but added that it will not be at the taxpayer's expense.
The publication of a damning report on Ireland's public services was delayed until after polls closed at the end of last week.
Officials in the European Commission decided to hold back the lengthy and often critical report so as not to influence voters.
Although highlighting the strength of the economic recovery, the 89-page report criticises the lack of funding in education, the high cost of childcare and pointed to problems in housing, the increase in poverty and income inequality and the inadequacy of public transport in Dublin.
Similar reports for other EU member states were released Friday but the Commission confirmed that it delayed the Irish one.
It is likely that the report would have been seized on by Opposition parties, which have spent the campaign arguing that while the economy is on the mend, public services are still in crisis. The body said Ireland had experienced a "remarkable" economic turnaround over the last two years, and that the rebound had broadened.
Unemployment, debt and the deficit were falling, and the banks were improving, the Commission said. But it warned long-term unemployment and the low work intensity of households remained a concern, as did mortgage arrears.
Childcare, infrastructure and funding for education came in for criticism with the Commission warning that even though levels of educational achievement and attainment are fairly high, public funding for education is well below the EU average. Upskilling and reskilling opportunities remain insufficient, it said.
The Commission said relative poverty and income inequality has increased.
"The proportion of people living in households with very low work intensity continues to be high," the report said. "Children in low work intensity households are directly affected by the risk of poverty or social exclusion."
Poverty
The Commission warned that the rate of severe material deprivation remained much higher than at the onset of the crisis in 2008, although it remained slightly under the EU average.
The proportion of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion fell to 30.3pc in 2014, but remains higher than the EU average.
Brussels argued that the limited availability and high cost of childcare hinder women from taking up work and stymies efforts to tackle child poverty.
"According to 2013 figures, the average fee for childcare nationally was 152 per child per week, amounting to almost 16,000 per year for a two-child family," the report said.
"As a percentage of wages, net childcare costs in Ireland are among the highest in the EU. They were the second highest in the EU for couples and the highest for single parents."
In addition, the report said seven years of sharply reduced government investment had taken its toll on the quality of the State's infrastructure.
It said the shortage of mass transit around Dublin had led to increased traffic congestion, with an overall congestion level of 38pc, according to the recent TomTom roads index.
"If only peak morning and evening hours are considered, the congestions index surges to 81pc, ranking Dublin as the ninth most congested city of any size among more than 200 cities monitored by the index," it said.
On housing the report warned constraints limiting the construction sector and the supply of housing could generate risks of "imbalances" if they are not resolved.
"These constraints are indeed being addressed but the extent to which announced measures will be effective and free of adverse unintended effects will need to be monitored," it said.
And it said the adverse consequences arising from the housing supply shortage are exemplified by the surge in homelessness.
A significant number of Fianna Fail's first-time TDs say they would be open to supporting a minority Fine Gael government in order to avoid another election.
But many of the newcomers are completely opposed to a Fine Gael-Fianna Fail 'grand coalition' and insist that Enda Kenny should be replaced as Taoiseach by Micheal Martin.
In an extraordinary election result, some 19 of the newly elected Fianna Fail TDs were first-time candidates.
The election also saw the return of several older faces, including ex-TDs Eamon Scanlon, Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher and John Curran, as well as Seanad members Thomas Byrne, Marc MacSharry and Darragh O'Brien.
While a number of the party's veteran politicians have ruled out entering government with Fine Gael on traditional grounds, the party's newcomers insist that their opposition relates to policy and public perception.
"Civil War politics never meant anything to me," said Dublin South West TD John Lahart. "But we need to respect the message we heard loud and clear on the doorsteps - this Government has been rejected,"
Cork North West TD Aindrias Moynihan said: "The people have clearly voted against this outfit. It would be wrong to try force the public to have them back in."
Voters
Meanwhile, several first-time deputies - such as Pat Casey (Wicklow), Declan Breathnach (Louth) Eugene Murphy (Roscommon), Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East) and James Lawless (Kildare North) - said they were open to supporting a minority Fine Gael government.
However, all five insisted that this could happen only if a series of demands were met, including a substantial package for rural Ireland.
The Dail's youngest TD, Jack Chambers, said politicians must look to the example set in Nordic countries, where governments are minority-based.
He explained: "I think fragmentation is here to stay. It would be an insult to the Irish people to go back to the polls just because what they chose doesn't suit that conventional type of politics."
The Fianna Fail parliamentary party is due to meet on Thursday, during which the formation of the next government is set to be discussed.
Party leader Micheal Martin has already begun phoning around the party's TDs following their election.
SINN Fein leader Gerry Adams has said that Taoiseach Enda Kenny should still travel to the White House for St Patrick's Day even if a government isn't formed by then.
However, Mr Adams - who is travelling to Washington DC himself for the festivities - said he believes that ministers who lost their seats should not be sent abroad to represent the government and that there is a "question mark" over the rest.
A number of ministers, including James Reilly, Alex White and diaspora minister Jimmy Deenihan, won't be returning to the Dail.
A government spokesman this afternoon said no decision has been taken on the trips - where ministers promote Irish business, culture and tourism - as yet.
Asked by Independent.ie about his view on St Patrick's Day travel if a new government isn't formed in the next two weeks Mr Adams replied:
"Well there's an option for them not to go around the world. In the past we've been represented very well by ambassadors and consulates.
"I think there is an argument for the Taoiseach, even though he might not have the mandate, to represent the State."
"We [Sinn Fein] haven't discussed this in any detail but I'm sure people will be a bit offended if they see somebody traipsing off as a minister when indeed they were rejected at the polls. Now I'm not personalising that. That's just the reality of that."
"So the short answer to that is, yes certainly the Taoiseach but a question mark over the rest of them.
Asked if he would represent the country in a European capital or elsewhere if requested as part of a cross-party deal in the absence of a government he confirmed he already has plans to travel.
"I will be travelling and others in our party will be travelling. We always do that and the diaspora expects that. They expect the State to be represented but they also, because they give a lot of support to our particular party, like to see us represented. So we're going to be flying anyway and it won't cost the taxpayer any money.
"I'll be in Washington and New York," he said.
Deputy leader May Lou McDonald confirmed that she will also be travelling for St Patrick's Day.
"Once I get over the election jet lag, [it'll] be in to more jet lag. I'll be in New York. I may also be in Washington too and perhaps a third city."
Thomas Pringle (Independent) celebrates after being elected in Donegal on the 13th count. Photo: Clive Wasson
Sinn Fein's Padraig Mac Lochlainn last night lost his seat after a shock battle with Independent Thomas Pringle in the new five-seat Donegal constituency.
The lead between Mac Lochlainn and Pringle swung backwards and forwards throughout the count, with the latter ahead by almost 1,500 votes at once stage.
But the elimination of Sinn Fein's Gary Doherty and the election of Pearse Doherty saw Mac Lochlainn surge into a commanding lead.
However, the elimination of Independents Dessie Shiels and Tim Jackson, and transfers from elected Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher (SF) and Joe McHugh (FG), saw Pringle home in the 13th count by just 184 votes.
Mr Mac Lochlainn conceded defeat, putting an end to plans to ask for a recount.
There had been a tense atmosphere at Aura Leisure Centre, as Mr Pringle was being supported by members of the dissident group The 32-County Sovereignty Movement.
Among them was Gary Donnelly, an Independent councillor in Derry, who is a bitter opponent of Sinn Fein.
Mr Pringle paid tribute to the work of Mr Mac Lochlainn, but said it was important there was an independent voice for Donegal.
Asked about support from members of the dissident 32-County Sovereignty Committee - including Cllr Donnelly - Mr Pringle insisted he was part of an 'independent movement'.
"The people who were here were independent councillors," he said.
"They are independent councillors and they are working as independent councillors.
"I don't know if he (Gary Donnelly) is a member (of The 32-County Sovereignty Committee) or not. However, I know the political work he does.
"I do know he is committed to independent politics, and that's the key thing for me."
Mr Donnelly said he was at the count centre as an independent councillor to support Mr Pringle and that his links to the group were "irrelevant".
He added: "I am here as an independent councillor - because I believe the independent model is the way forward."
Earlier, Gallagher and Joe McHugh had been elected on the 11th count. The vote left MacLochlainn just 74 votes ahead of Pringle, but the surplus from the two candidates left Mr Pringle on 10,082 votes and Mac Lochlainn on 9,898.
On Saturday, Charlie McConalogue (FF) topped the poll and was elected on the first count, almost doubling his first preferences.
McConalogue (38) was one of the few Fianna Fail candidates elected in 2011 to actually increase his vote at the time. His popularity in his native Inishowen also damaged Padraig Mac Lochlainn, who said while the Sinn Fein vote in Inishowen had held, the drop in support for him personally was "extremely disappointing".
He said he had become aware late in the campaign that a rumour had taken hold that he was rarely in the constituency.
"This is just untrue," he insisted.
'No Doctor, No Village' candidate Dr Michael Harty will be brought back down to earth this morning from the weekend delirium that marked his election as a TD in Clare.
Dr Harty will be treating the aches and ailments of his patients at his Kilmihil surgery. It will give him little time to reflect on his stellar performance that saw him grab the second seat in Clare.
Working as a GP in west Clare for the past 32 years and aged 63, Dr Harty was contemplating his radical career departure in the early hours of Sunday morning.
He said that "my one regret" in securing a seat "will be no longer treating my patients - and I think the feeling is mutual".
He said: "I have mostly an elderly population - people with complex illnesses, with complex diseases - that is what I specialise in.
"To move into an area looking after people in a different way will be strange for me, but I feel I can do it and I feel that we have a message that is worth fighting for."
Dr Harty said he will get a locum to operate the practice and he will retain a supervisory role. He stressed: "My income from the practice will be zero."
A political novice, Dr Harty said that he had never been to an election count before, after receiving a rapturous welcome on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, an emotional Joe Carey (FG) spoke of going to his mother's grave on Saturday "to have a word with her".
He managed to hold on to his seat but admitted the polls told another story in the run-up to the vote.
He travelled out to Cree in west Clare for a month's mind for a deceased party colleague, before finally arriving into the count through a side door just before 2am on Sunday morning.
Mr Carey said it was "a serious achievement" for Fine Gael to retain two seats with only 26pc of the vote.
He said that a local poll one week before the election that wrote off his chances had "galvanised my campaign".
Meanwhile a despondent Michael McNamara of Labour said at the count yesterday that he doesn't know if he will remain in politics after losing his seat.
Mr McNamara was eliminated after the 11th count and revealed that his parents are both hospitalised, making the campaign very tough for personal reasons.
He said: "It was an incredibly tough campaign for a variety of reasons, including the fact that both of my parents are hospitalised and are in hospitals as we speak.
"I want to thank hospital staff in both St Joseph's and the County Hospital in Ennis for the care they are giving to them," he said.
Labour's Aodhan O Riordain with his team after conceding
Labour candidate, Aodhan O Riordain rests his head on his wife's Aine Kerr's shoulders as a recount continues in the Dublin Bay North constituency at the RDS count centre. Picture: Damien Eagers
Independent candidate, Finian McGrath, celebrates with his daughter, Caoimhe after he was elected in the Dublin Bay North constituency at the RDS count centre. Picture: Damien Eagers
Labour candidate, Aodhan O Riordain pictured after he lost his seat in the Dublin Bay North constituency at the RDS count centre. Picture: Damien Eagers
Labour candidate, Aodhan O Riordain is embraced after he lost his seat in the Dublin Bay North constituency at the RDS count centre. Picture: Damien Eagers
Outgoing Equality Minister Aodhan O Riordain has lost his Dail seat after being eliminated from the race for Dublin Bay North.
The latest high-profile casualty for the party follows what has been a disastrous result for Labour across the country.
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The loss of Mr O Riordains seat now puts in serious doubt whether Labour will retain its speaking rights in the Dail.
Previously having 33 seats when the Dail dissolved, the party has only so far returned six TDs.
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Visibly emotional after his loss in Dublin Bay North, Mr O Riordain said: Today wasnt with us."
"The tide was out. We expected that maybe the government would have more support, and that maybe we would be trying to prove to people that Fine Gael needed I suppose partners in government," he added.
"But people made a very clear decision that they didnt want the government returned," he continued.
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Speaking later on RTE News at One, Mr Riordain said he knew the writing was on the wall after he failed to garner the majority of Averil Powers transfers following her elimination.
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"Weve spent so much time thinking about the country the last five years, weve got to spend a little bit of time thinking about our own party.
Clocks are altered by an hour twice a year in Britain
Daylight saving time increases the risk of having a stroke by eight per cent, researchers claim.
Turning the clocks forward or backwards by one hour at the start and end of summer may be tied to an increased risk of ischemic stroke - but only temporarily.
Previous research has shown that ischemic stroke is the most common kind of stroke, accounting for 87 per cent of all cases. It is caused by a clot blocking blood flow to the brain.
Study author Doctor Jori Ruuskanen, of the University of Turku in Finland, said: "Previous studies have shown that disruptions in a person's circadian rhythm, also called an internal body clock, increase the risk of ischemic stroke, so we wanted to find out if daylight saving time was putting people at risk."
For the study, the researchers looked at a decade of figures in Finland to find the rate of stroke.
They compared the rate of stroke in 3,033 people hospitalised during the week following a daylight saving time transition to the rate of stroke in a group of 11,801 people taken to hospital either two weeks before or two weeks after that week.
They found that the overall rate of ischemic stroke was eight per cent higher during the first two days after altering the clocks for daylight saving. There was no difference after two days.
People with cancer were 25 per cent more likely to have a stroke after daylight saving time than during another period.
The risk was also higher for those over age 65, who were 20 per cent more likely to have a stroke right after the transition.
But hospital deaths from stroke did not increase in the week after a daylight saving time transition.
First introduced by William Willett in 1907, the system was designed to make use of the daytime and prevent wasting it first thing in the morning during the summer.
British Summer Time is also known as Daylight Saving Time, and Willett's idea also saw him publish a pamphlet called The Waste of Daylight.
It was designed to get people out of bed earlier in the summer, by changing the nation's clocks and boosting productivity.
Dr Ruuskanen added: "Further studies must now be done to better understand the relationship between these transitions and stroke risk and to find out if there are ways to reduce that risk."
The findings of the preliminary study were due to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Garda Eoin Cox was attacked by up to six men. Pic Ciara Wilkinson
The father of a garda who was beaten up and stabbed as he attempted to arrest a man has said some people "have lost all respect for the gardai".
Eoin Cox (35) is recovering from the assault which has left him with a suspected fracture of his shoulder and concussion.
The garda is the son of RTE broadcaster Valerie Cox and her husband Brian.
Garda Cox, who is based at Dundrum Garda Station, was beaten around his head and was stabbed in the leg with either a knife or a screwdriver.
His family confirmed that he was attacked as he tried to arrest a man in the Hillview housing estate in Ballinteer, Co Dublin, at around 6am on Sunday after gardai were investigating the theft of a car.
Garda Cox and his partner spotted the car and went to stop it when it abruptly stopped and the men in it ran off. Garda Cox chased one of them into the housing estate. The man ran up to a house and just as Garda Cox was about to handcuff him a number of men, possibly up to six, emerged from the house and began to attack him.
His father Brian said: "If Eoin's garda colleagues had not arrived so quickly and intervened we dread to think what injuries he would have sustained."
He revealed that his father John was one of the first recruits in Ireland's fledgling police force in 1922.
"I remember growing up in the garda station in Howth, Co Dublin and it was a different world. Then the public had great respect for the gardai.
"It's very different now. Some people have lost all respect for the gardai and really they have lost respect for themselves.
"Along with many parents, I was so proud when Eoin chose to become a garda, but what people don't appreciate is the danger they place themselves in every single day. Eoin was just doing his job, the job he is asked to do by the State, when this attack happened."
Two men, aged 18 and 20, were arrested and are due to appear in court later this month.
There has been widespread condemnation of the latest gangland killing of Vincent Ryan in Dublin yesterday.
Noel Rock, the newly-elected Fine Gael TD for Dublin North West, led the outcry, saying more needs to be done to tackle gangland shootings.
"It's quite clear we're going to need even further measures in respect of targeted gangland shooting," he said.
Yesterday's incident was the latest in a wave of gangland shootings that started with the killing of criminal David Byrne in the Regency Hotel last month.
Mr Rock said there was "great fear out there about repeated incidents", and added that the measures introduced by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald may not be enough.
"This is in broad daylight in a busy area not too far away from Finglas garda station," he said.
"This was very brazen and there is deep, deep concern that this would spill over into the area.
Mr Rock's concerns were echoed by local People Before Profit councillor Andrew Keegan.
"It's something that started in the inner-city and is now spreading out to the suburbs. These thugs are tracking each other down in different areas," he said.
Mr Keegan raised concerns over the increasing possibility of innocent people being caught in the crossfire.
"If this goes into different communities - old and young communities - the collateral damage could happen again. You could see families and innocents getting hurt," he said.
Councillor Paul McAuliffe, the Fianna Fail leader on Dublin City Council, also condemned the violence.
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Colette Browne Opinion Every effort must be made to retrieve oral histories of mother and baby home survivors
With three days to go until the Mother and Baby Homes Commission ceases to exist as a legal entity, we are being told that audio recordings of hundreds of witnesses which were deleted may not actually be gone forever. It is another usual twist in a most emotional saga. For decades, survivors of mother and baby homes have been denied a voice and denied autonomy. When they fell pregnant, many through rape and abuse, they were marched to the doors of religious institutions.
Without a doubt, the single issue which has dogged the outgoing administration has been the creation of Irish Water and the introduction of domestic water charges.
No issue has polarised the nation to the same degree. Citizens from all backgrounds and every parish had an opinion and thousands took to the streets to register their opposition.
It was manna from heaven for left-wing parties keen to capitalise on the anti-austerity mood sweeping the country.
Water charges affected everyone, rich and poor, urban or rural, and the smaller parties were quick to mobilise.
People Before Profit and the Anti-Austerity Alliance were first off the mark. Sinn Fein joined somewhat later and were followed by Fianna Fail, sensing an opportunity to claw back support and tap into anti-government sentiment.
But now the Soldiers of Destiny face a dilemma. Fianna Fail pledged to abolish charges and dismantle Irish Water if returned to office, but it now faces the prospect of entering a grand coalition with Fine Gael, which doesn't share its views.
But what is the price of dismantling the unpopular utility? And is abolishing charges the right thing to do?
Domestic charging came into force from January 1 last year, but a series of controversies from when Irish Water was established in April 2012 had stoked up opposition.
While there remains a common belief that the EU/IMF troika imposed charges as part of the November 2010 bailout, they were already on the way.
The year previously, when Fianna Fail and the Green Party were in power, Ireland submitted plans to the European Commission, outlining how it intended to comply with the Water Framework Directive. That aimed to improve water quality across the EU and effectively instructed member states to charge for water to discourage waste and help recover treatment costs.
The submission is telling.
"Following a recent Government decision, legislation is to be introduced to enable local authorities to charge domestic users for water services in a manner which provides incentives for efficient water use and which recovers an adequate contribution of the costs of water services," it said.
So Fianna Fail is trying to have it both ways - making the abolition of a charge they planned to introduce a condition of entering government.
The reason is simple. The hard Left owns the issue and now appeals to a section of the electorate which Fianna Fail once called its own. It must act to get those voters back.
To the outsider, the policies of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are not much different. Both want to build houses and schools, reduce the USC and invest in health. Water charges are the one major issue where they are very different.
But abolishing the charge would pull the rug from under the Left and remove a major issue from the minds of the electorate. Fianna Fail would be seen to be acting in the interests of the people and it is highly likely that the Left would move on to something else and Fianna Fail could clap itself on the back for a job well done.
But what are the implications?
To begin, there are around 700 employed in the company, all of whom signed contracts. Most are likely to sue if their jobs disappear.
Fianna Fail says it will cost 172m to dismantle Irish Water and proposes creating a publicly owned National Water Infrastructure Company with a staff of 100, with no bonus payments and the Oireachtas responsible for costs.
But we have learned to our cost that politicians turn off the investment tap at will and meddling could result in investment decisions being made for political reasons, instead of need.
Abolishing charges raises even more issues.
Irish Water expects to collect around 270m a year from households. If charges go, it means the Government will have to provide that money.
The company's business plan is predicated on domestic and commercial charges, government subvention and borrowing being used to fund upgrades.
If its revenue stream disappears, borrowing money becomes more difficult. What bank will lend money on the basis of a government 'promising' to provide the means to repay a loan?
There's another problem too. If Irish Water is not financially independent, its borrowings remain on the State's balance sheet. That limits of the ability of government to cash in on the so-called 'fiscal space' to provide goodies like tax cuts, nurses, teachers and libraries.
It also means the company will be forced to compete for money with other government departments, which could delay or postpone the necessary investment.
There is a return from paying water charges - the money is used to upgrade the network, which benefits us all and will help drive the economy. The charge which people should have opposed was the property tax - it's an additional burden, with no transparency on where the money goes. Unlike water charges, you must pay even if councils fail to provide a decent standard of service.
Irish Water is designed to deal with the long-term maintenance and upgrade of our water network. That's not a five-year cycle. It's 30 or 40 years.
We have learned to our cost that politically dictated investment cycles do not result in a top-class water network. While the Left romped home in the election by seizing on the issue of water charges, abolishing them to regain those voters is fraught with danger.
The water network has been neglected for years, and the biggest issue for any party which professes to act in the best interests of the country is ensuring that renewal of the network continues. stock picture
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin's call for parties to agree a programme to reform politics before any coalition talks take place is a smart one.
If nothing else, it gives his party breathing space and time to address the thorny issue of how it will tackle the question of Irish Water before entering into any discussions with Fine Gael about the formation of a new government.
For most voters, there is little difference between the parties of the Civil War. Both want to solve the crisis in housing and health, improve public services and grow the economy, but on the issue of water they are poles apart.
Fianna Fail plans to abolish charges, and replace Irish Water with a slimmed-down agency with Dail oversight. Fine Gael intends to persist with the existing model.
Abolishing charges would be popular with the electorate, and could draw some voters back to the 'natural' party of government, but this issue should be above politics.
The water network has been neglected for years, and the biggest issue for any party which professes to act in the best interests of the country is ensuring that renewal of the network continues.
Leaks must be fixed, plants replaced and public health risks from cryptosporidium and the cancer-causing THMs reduced.
Only by addressing decades of under-investment will the system be fit for purpose.
History shows that funding has been contingent on the prevailing economic conditions of the day, and the political will to spend. Allowing Irish Water to become a stand-alone utility, independent of the State, means that investment won't be put at risk in difficult economic times.
Real reform involves making difficult decisions.
Abolishing Irish Water to secure votes from a disillusioned electorate is not reform, but a return to the politics of old which has decimated the establishment parties.
Ireland's film industry can take an Oscar bow
Don't pay any attention to the critics, don't even ignore them, movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn once advised. But it's hard to ignore the Oscars, especially when the Irish film industry has such a connection to the contents of the famous golden envelope.
Dubliner Ben Cleary's exceptional short film 'Stutterer' was justly recognised and the gifted young director walked away with the industry's ultimate accolade. This year, Ireland had a record nine nominations, which was extraordinary. Lenny Abrahamson has also found a deserving place for himself on Hollywood's A-List for 'Room'. He may not have won an Oscar himself, but his role in shepherding Brie Larson to a 'best actress' golden statue will make him a hot ticket as the man to work with.
Saoirse Ronan's stand-out performance in 'Brooklyn' has further endorsed her position as one of the most accomplished performers in the industry. In the build-up to the big night, Irish Film Board chief executive James Hickey noted: "The eyes of the film world truly are on us."
He hoped to send a signal to the industry that the Irish film sector is a world player in creativity and technical skills. That signal has been received loud and clear.
For creativity and innovation, Irish productions can compete with the best. The depth of talent and expertise must be supported and nurtured at every opportunity by the State.
As recently as six or seven years ago Vodafone was known as a mobile phone company. However that has changed and changed utterly. Vodafone now provides a broad portfolio of voice and data services across fixed and mobile networks, M2M services, unified communications solutions and even data centre services. More and more, voice is just one of many applications that run across these networks.
You might be reading this on your smartphone. We call it a phone, but it would be more apt to call it your powerful pocket computer. Its therefore crucial that your mobile service provider is fully capable to provide you the full range of services for which your phone is equipped.
The same goes for business customers, we work in very different ways than we did just a few years ago and Vodafone is both enabling and responding to this change.
Liam OBrien, Head of Product Management at the Business Division in Vodafone tells us about the journey Vodafone has been on over the last few years and about where, along with their customers, they are going.
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Whats of interest is over the last seven or eight years is weve moved away from being just a mobile company. The breadth of products and services we have on the market is quite significant. Its fundamentally all about connectivity, but its not just voice and text communication any more. Its about data communication and connecting people, connecting places and things, says Liam.
Like any company you have to evolve with your customers and your market. Having a mobile heritage is very good for us, as one of the two key trends at the moment is the mobilisation of the workforce. People are working on the go, working from phones, tablets and devices. A smartphone is no longer just a phone, its a powerful computer with a phone application on it. If you go back seven or eight years ago we were selling mobile phones, today we are selling mobile computing devices, as a lot more besides. As a result, our customers are looking to us to help them to work in an agile and flexible manner, and that opens up a whole new world of opportunity. For the customer its not really a big shift, they see Vodafone as having provided them with their mobile communications for decades, so actually to then provide them with their mobile applications for working, mobile computing devices, in the customers minds its a natural progression.
Weve heard a lot about the Cloud in the last few years. It seems an omnipresent concern for businesses of all shapes and hues. However, Liam explains that the Cloud means different things to different people.
The other key trend the move to the Cloud. In our consumer division weve moved to television recently. People consume television now as an application on their TV or their phone or tablet. But in the very same sense business customers need access to their content, it may not be TV, but it could be access to their emails, corporate account systems, their ERP platform their billing systems, their development systems thats their content.
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The two trends: mobilisation of the workforce and migration to cloud are actually quite complimentary. Because as you move into a mobile centric workforce with people working on the go on any device they have to have access to their corporate applications. Having those applications delivered out in a legacy fashion, by an in-house IT department becomes very difficult. Moving applications to a cloud based infrastructure is very complimentary to having a mobile workforce. Thats a big area of opportunity for us to help our customers on their journey to Cloud and mobilising their workforce.
The old-school in-house IT services functions can now be outsourced to Vodafone, meaning greater flexibility, reduced costs, always up-to-date technology and the knowledge of having a telecommunications heavyweight on your side. However there is a full range of cloud migration stages and different business need different things.
One of the challenges with the cloud is that it means different things to different people. If you ask people have they got a Cloud strategy they will all tend to say yes, but what this actually means in their own context can be quite different. But thats ok. The Cloud in itself is multifaceted; there are varying degrees of what it means to migrate things to the Cloud. So for some of our customers the first step would be migrating all their legacy IT hardware out of their building maybe into a third party data centre where they have more confidence that its going to be maintained with state of the art power and cooling solutions, and its going to be secure. Others might be look at migrating from their legacy hardware to modern infrastructure, virtualising the hardware and getting into a shared storage and shared computing environment. Ultimately others are looking at migrating part of their estate to a public cloud like Amazon or Microsoft Azure
Different customers are on different stages of that journey. We did some research last year and the results compiled a Cloud Barometer Report. We just asked our customers where they were on their journey and how relevant the Cloud was for them. Our research showed that 89% of business customers anticipate using some kind of cloud by the end of 2016, up from 77% in 2014, with over 70% of businesses saying they would use or would consider using cloud for mission-critical enterprise applications, such as business intelligence (BI) and enterprise resource planning (ERP). For customers its something very relevant and real and they see a tangible link between their Cloud strategy and mobility strategy, they see them as two sides of the one coin. Whats more 87% of organisations confirmed that their mobility strategy was intrinsically linked to their IT and Cloud strategy
There has been a tectonic shift in the mobile services landscape and all in the space of a few years. Vodafone have been on point to migrate into new areas just as their customers have been demanding them. Its a huge change, a superfast evolution for a huge company and theyve come a very long way. But how far are we the customers going to go on this journey?
The reality is that Cloud is a journey, not a destination - with adoption of cloud approaching saturation level; the question is not whether youre using it, but how extensively and in what areas youre using it. The next phase of adoption will be the degree of clouds penetration within the business, across departments and workloads. The journey to the cloud is going to be with us for many years to come
But how are Irish business customers responding to Vodafones offerings?
For a business to outsource business critical IT solutions to a partner, trust in that partner is a key imperative. We are fortunate that Vodafone have a firm foundation of trust with our customers. Vodafone have a decades long reputation in the communications sector, for example building and managing large scale and complex data communications networks, across Ireland and the world for our customers such as Sisk, Ryanair & Aviva.
Customer trust that as a market leader in the global communications market, Vodafone can help them on their journey with IT services and Cloud services; whether thats a small businesses moving into using Office365 so they can use their applications on the go, or whether its large companies looking at taking their applications and putting them into a data centre so they can focus on running their business, weve got solutions that fit both the small business and large business market. Our customers see Vodafone as a strong and credible player that help support them as they evolve their business.
Vodafone are on this journey for the long term evolving with our customers for years to come
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Tom Hollander has said public school educated actors like Eddie Redmayne are more prominent because sounding posh is "fashionable" at the moment.
Alongside The Thick Of It's Rebecca Front, the 48-year-old Rev actor was talking to the Radio Times about their new ITV drama Doctor Thorne.
On the topic of award-winning, public school actors Redmayne, Damian Lewis and Benedict Cumberbatch, Front talked about her own experience.
"It's not impossible to be an actor if you went to state school. I went to state school," the 51-year-old said.
"But there is a problem of affordability, I know one major drama school is worried that only rich kids can access an arts education."
Hollander said: "Isn't it just that three actors who seem to have gone to public school are getting highly visible work?"
He continued: "When I started in the profession there were very visible actors who were Scottish, Welsh or regional.
"Lots of working-class-hero leading actors - it was not fashionable to sound posh. Now I'm middle-aged, it's fashionable to sound posh if you are the generation behind me."
The issue of class is another dimension of the continuing diversity debate.
Dame Helen Mirren, EastEnders' Danny Dyer and Julie Walters are just three names who have voiced concern about what they perceive as acting's growing class divide.
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However, Hollander and Front were in sync as they discussed Doctor Thorne.
Based on Anthony Trollope's novel, and written by Bafta and Emmy award-winning Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, it is set in the village of Greshamsbury, in the fictional county of Barsetshire.
Doctor Thorne lives with his penniless young niece Mary, played by Rada-trained newcomer Stefanie Martini.
Mary is devastated when she learns she is the illegitimate child of the doctor's late brother.
Her predicament is made worse by the love between her and Frank Gresham (newcomer Harry Richardson), the heir to the Greshamsbury Estate.
Frank's overbearing mother Lady Arabella (Front) insists he must save the family from financial ruin by marrying wealthy American heiress, Miss Dunstable (Mad Men actress Alison Brie).
Meanwhile, Doctor Thorne acts as both physician and advisor to millionaire Sir Roger Scatcherd (Lovejoy's Ian McShane), who has the fate of Greshamsbury in his hands.
Like Downton, the three-part production, which will also feature Prince Harry's former girlfriend Cressida Bonas as Mary's confidante Patience Oriel, is another period drama.
Front, who recently portrayed Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskoy in BBC One's adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War And Peace, joked about how happy she will be if she never has to wear a corset again.
Bristol-born Hollander hailed his character, calling Doctor Thorne "strong and really courageous".
Published in 1858, this is the first television adaptation of the novel.
::Doctor Thorne is broadcast on ITV on March 6 at 9pm.
Ciara Grehan proposes to her boyfriend James Lyons (both from Tallaght) at Martin Gear Jewellers after winning a 1000 voucher at the store on this leap year day. Picture: Steve Humphreys
Ciara Grehan proposes to her boyfriend James Lyons (both from Tallaght) at Martin Gear Jewellers after winning a 1000 voucher at the store on this leap year day. Picture: Steve Humphreys
Ciara Grehan proposes to her boyfriend James Lyons (both from Tallaght) at Martin Gear Jewellers after winning a 1000 voucher at the store on this leap year day. Picture: Steve Humphreys
Ciara Grehan proposes to her boyfriend James Lyons (both from Tallaght) at Martin Gear Jewellers after winning a 1000 voucher at the store on this leap year day. Picture: Steve Humphreys
A Leap year marriage proposal got some added sparkle when Ciara Grehan popped the question yesterday.
The young Dublin woman used the special once-in-four-year lady's choice day to go down on one knee to propose to thrilled partner James Lyons. Ciara (26) won a competition for a 1,000 voucher for a male engagement ring, offered by Mary Street jeweller Martin Gear, and kept it a secret from James.
"I love you more than anything," she told James as she proposed.
James (26) had left their home in Killinarden, in Tallaght, in the morning to work as an electrician, but got a telephone call later from Ciara asking him to leave work and meet her.
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Whatsapp Ciara Grehan proposes to her boyfriend James Lyons (both from Tallaght) at Martin Gear Jewellers after winning a 1000 voucher at the store on this leap year day. Picture: Steve Humphreys
"I thought maybe she was going to treat me to a meal for my recent birthday. I was a bit shocked when she proposed," he said.
Ciara entered the free competition on Facebook which was organised by the jeweller. When her name was selected at random by Mr Gear's wife Caroline, she immediately set about surprising James.
After the initial surprise, the couple were ready to share the moment with a waiting media team in the shop.
"Nothing would make me happier to spend the rest of my life with you," said James in response to her proposal.
Expand Close Ciara Grehan proposes to her boyfriend James Lyons (both from Tallaght) at Martin Gear Jewellers after winning a 1000 voucher at the store on this leap year day. Picture: Steve Humphreys / Facebook
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Whatsapp Ciara Grehan proposes to her boyfriend James Lyons (both from Tallaght) at Martin Gear Jewellers after winning a 1000 voucher at the store on this leap year day. Picture: Steve Humphreys
Mr Gear said a tradition of men receiving engagement rings in the 1950s and 1960s "fizzled out", but the tradition has made a comeback.
The firm also manufactures jewellery, and his business received a significant boost with ring sales to same-sex couples after the passing of the marriage equality referendum, he said.
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The jeweller dispensed with the 1,000 limit to ensure both received a diamond and gold ring of their choice.
Ciara and James first met on a blind date at a Dublin cinema when they were both 14. Their teenage romance came to an end after a few months but they met again at a nightclub eight years ago and their relationship has blossomed since then.
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Whatsapp Ciara Grehan proposes to her boyfriend James Lyons (both from Tallaght) at Martin Gear Jewellers after winning a 1000 voucher at the store on this leap year day. Picture: Steve Humphreys
The couple said their son, Brendan (6), will be delighted with their wedding plans.
US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters at a rally at Madison City Schools Stadium in Madison, Alabama. Photo: Reuters
Supporters of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump fly US flags during the national anthem at a rally at Madison City Schools Stadium in Madison, Alabama. Photo: Reuters
Donald Trump's speeches sound like a drunk on a bus explaining why his wife made a mistake when she left him.
Some highlights from his Arkansas speech on Saturday.
"Rubio has the biggest ears I've ever seen." "Lightweight Rubio. Little mouth on him. Bing, bing, bing." And "Rubio looks like he puts his make-up on with a trowel."
Then he spent a good 10 minutes explaining why Trump is not a crook. He just "got sued by a lawyer who sued because he sues". Donald Trump's State of the Union is going to be a long rant about the time McDonald's refused to serve him breakfast after 10.30am.
I've left it a little late to say, definitively, "please don't vote Trump" - but here goes.
Like many observers, I didn't take his campaign seriously. I was wrong. Mea culpa. But he stands a good chance of sweeping the board on Super Tuesday and turning an eccentric candidacy into an inevitable one.
He must be stopped and for good conservative reasons. By which I mean moral, all-American reasons.
Betrayed
I have friends who have voted for Trump. I understand why. I acknowledge the frustration with a stagnant economy and a cultural surrender to the Left, while Middle America is betrayed by a Republican Party that seems to exist merely to exist.
I get, too, the emotional appeal of having a street fighter on one's side - it's like hiring a tough kid to beat up the school bully.
I understand also that Trump isn't an apocalyptic choice. America has had presidents who have been rubes, slave-holders, grifters, adulterers and reckless populists. Donald Trump is not historically abnormal. He's just "below average". America would survive a Trump presidency.
But I doubt Trump will make it that far - because he polls the worst against Hillary Clinton. At a time when America is becoming less white, less male and less angry, he only promises to bring more of that particular demographic to the polls.
Moreover, it is well known that the Democrats intend to make his character an issue in the election - a huge issue. They are right to do this.
The US presidency is nothing if it is not supposed to be a moral office.
The Founding Fathers argued that the republic would rise or fall according to the virtue of its citizenry. The character of the occupant of the White House should reflect the nation's highest moral ambitions.
Donald Trump is an unethical person. He has used the powers of eminent domain to try to force a woman from her house in order to build a parking lot for limousines.
He boasts that he has used political donations in order to influence lawmakers to do his bidding. He has used illegal labour. He has used the laws of the land to avoid the full financial costs of businesses going bad.
Then there is Trump University, a higher education course that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman described as "a classic bait-and-switch scheme. It was a scam, starting with the fact that it was not a university."
At one seminar, attendees were promised that they'd get to have their photo taken with Trump. It turned out to be a cardboard cut-out. The university is estimated to have taken around $40m in total from students and Trump will soon have to take to the witness stand to answer questions about it.
Ring any bells? The similarities between Trump and Hillary Clinton - the person all conservatives claim they love to hate - are astonishing.
Both New York politicians. Both fans of the abortion-provider Planned Parenthood. Both in favour of big spending. Both critical of free trade.
Both accused of lying on an epic scale. They're so similar that Hillary even went to Trump's wedding. They are two trashy peas in a pod. With a couple of notable differences.
First, Hillary doesn't have Trump's genitalia. Second, she doesn't have his record of slandering foreign races. Indeed, the one thing that obviously distinguishes Donald from Hillary has been his willingness to toy with the politics of race and religion.
His claim that large numbers of illegal immigrants from Mexico are rapists, or his insistence that Muslims be barred from migrating to the United States "until we can figure out what's going on", jump straight from the Know Nothing, nativist tradition of American politics.
Judge him by his supporters. One of them is a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke.
Another is Jean-Marie Le Pen, a French fascist who has broken from his fascist daughter because he doesn't think she is fascist enough.
By the way: Trump is not an anti-Semite and most of his supporters are not anti-Semitic. But he is the only candidate whose critics are sent anti-Semitic abuse. One produced a cartoon of me in a Nazi gas chamber. The Donald's finger hovered over the execution button.
Here's the bottom line. Conservatism depends upon faith and reason. Without these two, it can descend into something terrible. Remove the faith and it becomes utilitarian and materialist, motivated by greed. Remove the reason and it is a vehicle for prejudice.
Trump is conservatism without any ethical foundation. He is pure id. Worse, he is a populist who doesn't respect the populace.
William Jennings Bryan, Ross Perot, even Pat Buchanan were all motivated by a love of the little guy. Trump is laughing at the very people who support him. "I love the poorly educated," he said.
Happily, there are alternatives. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz or John Kasich would each make a fine Republican nominee.
Personally, I am attracted to Ted Cruz's constitutionalism and his calm, lawyerly demeanour. Vote for him in Texas.
Elsewhere, the polls suggest Marco Rubio has the better shot of winning - and his reinvention as a witty slayer of the Trumpite ego is what has The Donald so rattled and might, eventually, bring him down. He must be stopped.
Or else the country will face a choice between Clinton and Trump - which is little choice at all.
Predicted GOP campaign song: "This land is my land now get the hell off it." ( Daily Telegraph, London)
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St David's Day celebrations in one town in Wales were certainly full of fire - after a giant dragon appeared outside its castle walls.
People in Caerphilly woke up this morning and saw a 13ft art installation of the mythical winged creature.
F eaturing scary and real looking black and red scales, it has smoke coming from its nostrils.
The dragon was created by Cardiff-based prop design company Wild Creations - which hit the headlines last year for installing a massive rugby ball in the walls of Cardiff Castle.
The dragon's arrival coincided not only with St David's Day but also marks the launch of the Historic Adventures campaign. It is run by heritage organisation Cadw and bosses hope it will bring some of Wales's most famous monuments to life.
The Welsh Government's deputy minister for culture and tourism Ken Skates described the installation at Caerphilly Castle as jaw-droppingly lifelike.
He said: "We're always looking at new and exciting ways to bring Wales's historic monuments to life for visitors to explore and enjoy; and we're confident that this creative programme of events will attract a wide-range of visitors to experience Cadw sites.
"Dragons feature in many of Wales' great myths and legends and it is stories like these that make our country's heritage so unique.
"We hope that the arrival of the dragon at Caerphilly Castle will ignite people's interest in Welsh history and inspire them to have their own historic adventures during the year of adventure."
The dragon weighs one tonne and took a team of 15 six weeks to construct.
Matt Wild, owner of Wild Creations, said: "The medieval backdrop of Caerphilly Castle is the perfect location for this mythical, reptile-like monster.
"It could almost be the billboard of a Hollywood blockbuster! We're delighted with the end product and hope that it inspires people from across Wales to pay the site, and the dragon, a visit this spring."
Visitors to Caerphilly will be able to see the dragon for free until 3pm on Sunday March 6, or later by normal site-admission when it moves inside the castle from March 7 until the summer.
Those that take the most dramatic pictures "being captured" by the dragon and use the hashtag #HistoricAdventures on Facebook or Twitter will be in with a chance of winning one of 10 Cadw explorer passes.
The US government is trying to force Apple to help the FBI hack into a shooter's locked iPhone (AP)
The high-stakes legal fight between Apple and the US Justice Department over a locked iPhone is moving from the courts to Congress.
FBI Director James Comey and Apple chief lawyer Bruce Sewell are appearing before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington for a hearing on encryption on Tuesday.
The hearing comes amid two significant and conflicting court rulings in New York and California on whether Apple can be forced to help the FBI gain access to locked phones.
Mr Comey warns in his prepared testimony that technological advancements have been accompanied by "new dangers".
He says those can prevent law enforcement from collecting critical evidence in criminal and terrorism investigations.
But Mr Sewell says the FBI is asking Apple to weaken the security of its products, which he says could create a dangerous precedent.
Republican Representative Darrell Issa of California Mr Comey whether his agency had asked Apple for the underlying software code to the iPhone before forcing the company to create its own digital workaround.
Mr Issa suggested the FBI hasn't exhausted its own efforts before the government went to court over a phone that federal investigators said is linked to the San Bernardino, California, mass shootings.
Mr Comey said the government has tried hard to break into iPhones like the one in California. But he seemed unaware if that method was successful, either by Apple or the government.
Mr Sewell insisted Apple has no sympathy for terrorists and the "utmost respect" for law enforcement and their work.
But he says the FBI, in seeking access to a phone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers, is asking a judge to "give them something we don't have" and to create an operating system that does not exist.
He maintained that the government is "asking for a back door" that would allow the FBI to break into every iPhone and weaken security for all of them.
Mr Sewell says the US government has spent millions on supporting strong encryption used by activists and journalists, many in countries with fewer free-speech rights.
Parts of Cologne airport have been evacuated after a "breach" involving a woman who was able to walk through security without being checked.
At least one flight has been cancelled and several more are delayed after the failure to check a passenger sparked a major police operation.
A spokesman for Cologne Bonn Airport told The Independent the evacuation of Terminal 2 was still going on and a "federal police investigation" had been launched.
But he denied earlier reports that both terminals were evacuated, or that there had been a separate incident involving "unauthorised people" entering the airfield.
"A woman passed security check without being checked," he said. "In such cases there is a rule that the whole security area has to be evacuated."
Passenger Marco Tarsia posted an image to social media showing throngs of passengers being forced to leave the terminal in order for checks to be carried out again.
Airport officials were unable to say how long the investigation would take when contacted at midday local time, but monitoring site AirLive reported that passengers of at least one Ryanair flight, bound for Berlin, had been forced to leave the plane and return to security screening.
The breach - and subsequent police operation - come amid a climate of heightened checks and concerns for safety following the Paris attacks and Russian plane bombing in November last year.
Such threats to European security have seen the establishment of a joint continent-wide counter-terror initiative, the European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), launched at the end of January.
And security fears linked to the refugee crisis have become an issue in Cologne in particular, following a spate of sexual attacks on women by men of North African and Arab origin on New Year's Eve.
A refugee from Afghanistan waiting for a permission to cross the border at Macedonia Credit: Boris Grdanoski
Croatia might deploy its army top help control migrant flows in response to the refugee crisis, says Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic.
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Neighbouring Slovenia approved such a move last month after amending existing laws.
Croatia would have to follow a similar process to do likewise.
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Since last September more than 650,000 migrants have passed through Croatia towards western Europe, primarily Germany, but border restrictions imposed by countries along the Balkan route have led to a build-up of new arrivals in Greece.
Elsewhere the European Union is proposing increased humanitarian aid for Greece, where more than 20,000 refugees and migrants are stuck.
The European Commission, the EU executive, said on Tuesday it will put forward a plan on Wednesday to offer emergency financial assistance for humanitarian crises inside the 28-nation bloc, comparable with operations it has launched elsewhere in the world.
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Schinas said the Commission was very concerned with the outbreak of violence at the Greek-Macedonian border. He was speaking as the bloc is gearing up to a summit on Monday with Turkey, the main departure site for the vast majority of people heading to Europe.
More than a million refugees and migrants arrived in Europe last year -- mostly via Turkey to Greece -- and another 130,000 have reached the continent so far in 2016.
Overwhelmed, Greece and other countries along the main migration route have tended to wave the people through and the influx has brought Europe's Schengen zone of free travel to the verge of collapse.
Russian police officers, right and below, secure the area after arresting a woman who was waving the severed head of a small child outside a Moscow subway station
Russian police wrestled to the ground a woman in a hijab brandishing the severed head of a child outside a Moscow metro station yesterday and charged her with murder, in an incident that stirred fears of an Islamist terrorist attack.
The macabre episode was caught on camera by passers-by, with footage showing the unnamed woman in a black hijab wandering around in the street holding an infant's severed head high in the air.
"I am a terrorist, I want your death," she can be heard screaming in heavily accented Russian in a rambling tirade in which she appears to criticize democracy and talk about the end of the world.
Investigators said they thought the woman had been working as a nanny for a Moscow family and had murdered a child in her care before setting fire to the family's flat and fleeing.
The child was three or four years old, they said.
"Given the clearly deranged behaviour of the detainee, investigators swiftly ordered her to undergo psychiatric tests to establish whether she is capable of understanding the significance of her actions," Moscow's investigative committee said in a statement.
Drugs
News agencies cited an unnamed police source as saying the woman appeared to have been under the influence of psychotropic drugs.
Immigration authorities told media the woman was from the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan and had been working in Moscow illegally.
With frequent warnings from government officials about the danger that Isil militants pose to Russia and a long history of terrorist attacks in Moscow, some onlookers thought they were witnessing an act of terror.
One eyewitness, a reporter from the RBC.ru news portal, said she heard the woman screaming "Allahu Akbar" (God is great).
"I was on my way to the metro station from home," Polina Nikolskaya, the reporter, told Reuters.
"She was standing near the metro entrance and caught my attention because she was screaming 'Allahu Akbar'.
"I saw that she had a bloodied head in her arms, but I thought it was not real. People in the crowd said it was real."
Lifenews.ru, an online news portal with close contacts to the police, said a policeman had first approached the woman to check her documents near the Oktyabrskoye Pole metro station in the north-west of the Russian capital. The woman had responded by removing the child's head from a bag and shouting that she had killed the infant, it said, saying she had also threatened to blow herself up.
Footage of the incident showed a policeman wrestling the woman to the ground before his colleagues helped restrain her.
Some rights activists warned of a possible backlash against migrant workers from Central Asia who have in the past been targeted for beatings by far-right groups.
Security services are on high alert for a possible terrorist attack after a Russian passenger plane was blown out of the sky above Egypt in October, killing all 224 people onboard.
Isil said it was responsible and had acted to avenge the Kremlin's decision to launch air strikes in Syria.
Refugees fills looking for employment and training possibilities at a jobs fair in Berlin Credit: Carsten Koall (Getty Images)
A refugees fills a form at a stand offering employment and job training possibilities at a jobs fair for refugees in Berlin Credit: Carsten Koall (Getty Images)
A refugee-only job fair in Germany attracted thousands of hopeful migrants looking for work.
Some 4,000 people attended a refugee-only job fair in Berlin hosted by 211 different employers as apart of an effort to encourage greater integration.
The one-day event was organised by Germany's Federal Employment Agency and a number of private businesses, and was held in the Neukolln district of Berlin where about 10 pc of the population is of Arab descent owed in part to the influx of Turkish migrants during the 1970s.
The jobs advertised varied by field but included openings in the citys tourism and construction sector, as well as in IT, medicine, and retail.
"Germanys population has been aging and the country faces a chronic manpower shortage," said one of the employers at the fair.
"If refugees are integrated in the country through jobs, it could be a win-win solution for both sides."
A total of 476,649 asylum applications were registered in Germany last year, almost twice as many as in 2014, with more than a third coming from Syrian nationals.
A man helps children to run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas at a group of the refugees and migrants who tried to push their way into Macedonia, breaking down a border gate near the northern Greek village of Idomeni. Photo: AP
Macedonian police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of migrants who stormed the border from Greece yesterday as a deeply divided Europe traded barbs over the biggest humanitarian crisis in decades.
As frustrations boiled over at restrictions imposed on people moving through the Balkans, migrants trapped on the Greece-Macedonia border tore down a metal gate in the barbed wire fence.
A witness said Macedonian police fired several rounds of tear gas into the crowd and onto a railway line where other migrants sat refusing to move, demanding to cross into the country.
Greece raced to set up temporary accommodation for a build-up of thousands of migrants stranded in the country after Austria and countries along the Balkans migration route imposed restrictions on their borders, limiting the number of migrants able to cross.
Many of the migrants, fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa, hope to reach Germany, which last year took in 1.1 million asylum seekers.
There were an estimated 22,000 migrants and refugees trapped in Greece yesterday, some sleeping rough in central Athens, some in an abandoned airport and at the 2004 Olympic Games venues.
Greece's migration minister said without any outlet, that figure could rise as high as 70,000 in coming days.
More than one million migrants passed through Greece last year, prompting criticism from other European nations that Athens simply waved people through.
"These people do not want to stay here," said Thodoris Dritsas, Greece's shipping minister. "Even if we had a system in place for them to stay here permanently it wouldn't work."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, facing the biggest test of her decade in power, on Sunday defended her open-door policy for migrants, rejecting any limit on the number of refugees allowed into her country despite divisions within her government over the issue.
"There are many conflicting interests in Europe," she told state broadcaster ARD. "But it is my damn duty to do everything I can so that Europe finds a collective way."
That was lacking yesterday, a week before EU leaders meet with Turkey on how it could help quell the flow of migrants from its shores. In an increasingly shrill debate, Austria's defence minister suggested Merkel take in all those who were stranded in Greece.
"The German chancellor ... said that formally there is no upper limit in Germany. Then, I would invite her to take the people, who arrive in Greece now and whom she wants to take care of, directly to Germany," Hans Peter Doskozil told Austrian's Oe1 radio.
Thousands of people have been gathering at Idomeni, the small frontier community on Greece's border with Macedonia, for days.
Hundreds of tents were pitched in soggy fields yesterday and there were reports that fights had broken out among families over tents, which were in short supply.
Macedonian Foreign Minister Nicola Poposki, speaking in Geneva, said 'encouraging' cooperation had been established with Greece on the issue, but that it may not be enough.
"Shifting responsibility from one border to the next is clearly not the solution," Poposki told the UN Human Rights Council.
Yesterday, a crush developed along the frontier after rumours spread that Macedonian authorities had opened the border. Crowds who gathered at the razor wire fence proceeded to use a heavy metal pole to bring down a gate.
At least two people collapsed in the crush and ensuing use of tear gas, Reuters television images showed.
The remains of Manfred Bajorat. He was last heard from a year ago
Fishermen recover the yacht off Barobo in the Philippines, in which the mummified sailor was discovered
Christopher Rivas and his colleagues were about to turn their fishing boat for home when they noticed the half-submerged hull of the yacht Sajo sitting in the water about 60 miles off the coast of the southern Philippines.
It had been more than a year since anyone had heard from the 40ft Sajos 59-year-old German skipper, Manfred Fritz Bajorat. It did not take long for Mr Rivas to discover why as he scrambled on board to help.
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Whatsapp The remains of Manfred Bajorat. He was last heard from a year ago
The Filipino fisherman found Mr Bajorats body sat next to the vessels bank of radio transmitters. Such had been the dry, salty conditions since the unexplained death of the German sailor that his corpse had been mummified in its final position, slumped over a table used for charts with the transmitter handset just inches away.
Police in the port of Barobo, about 700 miles south of Manila, where Mr Rivas towed the Sajo, said that a post-mortem examination had found no evidence of foul play and it was believed Mr Bajorat had died of natural causes, possibly from a heart attack.
His identity had been established using documentation, including dozens of photographs, found on board the yacht, which it is believed had been drifting for months in the Pacific Ocean before Mr Rivas and his fellow fishermen came upon the wreck.
The discovery signifies a sobering end to what had started as a life of adventure for Mr Bajorat and his wife, Claudia. The couple had begun sailing around the globe about 20 years ago, but their marriage did not survive their travels and they broke up in 2008.
Expand Close The yachts skipper, Manfred Fritz Bajorat / Facebook
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Two years later, Claudia died from cancer while on the French island of Martinique. Mr Bajorat posted a tribute online to his former wife, saying: Thirty years weve been together on the same path. Then the power of the demons was stronger than the will to live.
The mariner, from the Ruhr region of Germany, continued his voyages alone, sailing between Europe and the Pacific.
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Reports in German media said that Mr Bajorat had taken to the waves to avoid central Europes bitter winters, which he disliked.
Photographs found on board the 160,000 yacht showed carefree family moments a sea-water damaged picture of picnic with friends or relatives, a Polaroid of a visit to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and an image of children playing in the snow.
Two other documents chronicled a journey taken by the Bajorats on board a large container ship with certificates recording their crossing of the Equator, naming Manfred as Tiger Shark and Claudia as Angel Fish.
Mr Bajorat, who is believed to leave behind a daughter who works as the captain of a freight vessel, is not thought to have been in contact with anyone since he sent a birthday message to a friend on Facebook a year ago.
Police are investigating whether Mr Bajorat may have been trying to send a mayday message at the time that he died.
A police spokesman said: We have no evidence of a second person aboard and no weapon was found on the yacht.
Stranded refugees and migrants are pushed back by Greek riot police after they tried to storm Macedonia from the Greek side of the border during a protest, near the Greek village of Idomeni, February 29, 2016
The UN special representative for international migration Peter Sutherland has made a heartfelt plea to European leaders to respond to the refugee crisis appropriately.
"[Ireland] can certainly take the million refugees that come across on an annual basis over the last couple of years, if it is properly organised," said the former Fine Gael attorney-general and chairman of the London School of Economics.
"It's not good enough to say we can't take them. If we can't take them, what is your suggestion as to what is to be done?
"Should they be pushed back out to sea? Sent back to Syria?
"After the second world war, we agreed as a community that we would take refugees - that is people who are fleeing persecution. Those who say we're taking too many, what do you suggest is to be done?
"There is no answer except to welcome them. There is no answer to this except to be humane," he said when speaking to Newstalk Breakfast presenter Ivan Yates.
"The Irish [absorption] figure is not bad relative to some others but the more we can take the better. We have to be vocal in support of the [open-door] approach Angela Merkel is taking."
The German Chancellor has rejected a proposal to introduce a limit on the number of refugees allowed into her country despite divisions within her government and has called for a "collective way" for Europe to deal with the refugee crisis.
Speaking to public broadcaster ARD, Ms Merkel said: There is so much violence and hardship on our doorstep. Whats right for Germany in the long term? There, I think it is to keep Europe together and to show humanity."
The statement follows news of developing tensions in the French port of Calais on Monday as authorities began the process of dismantling part of the migrant camp known as the 'Jungle', home to thousands of recently displaced refugges.
Clashes have also broken out on border of Greece and Macedonia when refugees uprooted the fence on the Greek in an effort to get into Macedonia.
As a result, Macedonian police tightened their border controls, therefore pinning refugees into Greece and adding further pressure to an already backed-up refugee trail.
"One thing is clear," said Mr Sutherland. "Many of [the refugees] are simply not going to give up. The want to go to [northern Europe] and the want to apply for asylum which many of them are entitled to."
David Priestly was abducted in Nigeria last year
The family of a 72-year-old Briton who was abducted from a construction site in central Nigeria a year ago has appealed for information about his disappearance.
David Priestly's Nigerian wife called on anyone with information to come forward, describing her husband as a "good husband and loving father", in a statement released by the British High Commission.
She said he is well respected in the Nigerian community for his good works during the 30 years he has lived in the West African nation.
The statement said Mr Priestly's two children "miss him terribly" and are "desperate for any information about their father".
It said nothing about a ransom.
Kidnappings for ransom are common in Nigeria. Hostages are often released unharmed once money changes hands.
Mr Priestly was kidnapped by armed men on January 21, 2015, from Kwali, 38 miles south-west of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.
When Isis leaders sent a delegate to solve the dispute, the Dutch cell's enraged members reportedly murdered the intermediary in vengeance
Isis has killed eight Dutch members after they allegedly tried to desert the jihadist group, Syrian activists said on Monday.
"Isis executed 8 Dutch fighters on Friday, 26 of Feb, after fights with Iraqi leaders in Raqqa and they arrested more Dutch fighters," Abu Mohammed, a member of the citizen journalist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), said on Twitter.
#Raqqa #ISIS Executed 8 Dutch fighters on Friday, 26 of Feb After fights with Iraqi leaders in #Raqqa and they arrested more Dutch fighters Abu Mohammed (@Raqqa_sl1) February 29, 2016
The group said tension between 75 Dutch jihadis, some of Moroccan origin, and Isis intelligence operatives from Iraq had reached a new high over the last month.
Three other Dutch jihadis were arrested by Iraqi Isis members, who accused them of wanting to flee.
One of the detainees was beaten to death during the interrogation, RBSS reports.
When Isis leaders sent a delegate to solve the dispute, the Dutch cell's enraged members reportedly murdered the intermediary in vengeance.
The Isis leadership in Iraq then ordered the arrest of all of the Dutch group's members, imprisoning them in Tabaqa and Maadan in Syria.
Eight have since been executed, RBSS reported.
At least 24 people, including a top Isis official in Mosul, were executed on various changes on Monday, the Kurdish media group Rudaw reported.
"On Monday ISIS executed 24 persons charged with refusing to fight for the group on the battlefields," Saeed Mamuzni, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) official in Mosul, told Rudaw.
He said Ahmed Abdulsalam al-Obeidi, the Isis finance minister in Mosul, was among the executed who were charged with treachery.
"Two hundred and thirteen other civilians were also detained by ISIS in Mosul," he added
An Ohio teenager has denied charges linked to a school shooting
A 14-year-old boy accused of shooting students in an Ohio school canteen has denied the charges during an appearance in juvenile court.
The boy is charged in Butler County with attempted murder, felonious assault, inducing panic and making terror threats.
With his ankles shackled, he sat silently during the brief hearing and kept his head down, reading the complaint.
Defence lawyer Ed Perry entered a denial of the charges, and a magistrate ordered that the suspect remain in juvenile detention pending a hearing on April 5. Mr Perry and the boy's supporters declined to comment afterwards.
There was no indication whether prosecutors might seek to move the case to an adult court.
Authorities allege the boy fired at students on Monday in a canteen used by high-school pupils in Madison Township, near Middletown.
Two students were shot and two others were hurt, possibly by shrapnel or while running away, authorities said. The injuries were not considered life-threatening.
In a recorded call, a 911 caller reporting the shooting immediately identified the suspect by name. Breathing heavily, the unidentified caller told a dispatcher: "He just pulled out his gun and started shooting."
Sheriff Richard Jones said he is aware of a motive but was not ready to release it.
Students were eating in the cafeteria when the shooting happened at around 11.30am, Mr Jones said.
A sheriff's deputy stationed in the school had just been in the cafeteria, he added.
The students who were shot were 14 and 15 years old and were taken to a hospital where they were in stable condition.
The school, which had carried out drills for such an event, immediately went into lockdown, Madison Local Schools spokeswoman AJ Huff said.
The district cancelled classes and extracurricular activities on Tuesday.
What is believed to be an improved version of the KN-08 ballistic missile is paraded in Pyongyang in October (AP)
The United States has asked the UN Security Council to hold a vote on a resolution that would impose tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyang's latest nuclear test and rocket launch.
A vote on the resolution, drafted by the US and North Korea's traditional ally China, has been held up for several days by Russia, which asked for more time to study the lengthy text and has reportedly suggested changes.
Angola takes over the rotating Security Council presidency on Tuesday. The US asked that the vote be held after the council meets to discuss its programme for March.
The draft resolution would subject cargo ships leaving and entering North Korea to mandatory inspections. It would also prohibit the sale of small arms and other conventional weapons to North Korea, closing a loophole in earlier resolutions.
US Ambassador Samantha Power has said the sanctions would limit and in some cases ban exports of coal, iron gold titanium and rare earth minerals from North Korea, and would prohibit countries from supplying aviation fuel, including rocket fuel, to the country.
But the draft resolution lets countries determine whether such exports are for military or humanitarian purposes, which takes into account the bleak humanitarian situation of the majority of North Koreans.
In addition, the draft resolution would impose financial sanctions targeting North Korean banks and assets and ban all dual-use nuclear and missile related items.
Items such as luxury watches, snowmobiles, recreational water vehicles and lead crystal have been added to a long list of luxury goods that North Korea is not allowed to import.
As with previous resolutions, the test will be whether UN member states enforce the sanctions. A UN panel of experts monitoring the sanctions has repeatedly pointed out that enforcement can be weak.
North Korea started off the new year with what it claims was its first hydrogen bomb test on January 6 and followed up with the launch of a satellite on a rocket on February 7. It was condemned by much of the world as a test of banned missile technology.
Over the past 20 years, North Korea has conducted four nuclear tests and launched six long-range rockets, all in violation of Security Council resolutions.
The US, its Western allies and Japan have pressed for new sanctions that go beyond the North's nuclear and missile programmes.
But China, Pyongyang's neighbour, is reluctant to impose measures that could threaten the stability of North Korea and cause its economy to collapse.
SC Supreme Court hears challenge to 6-week abortion law
The SC law, temporarily blocked until the court considers its fate, is being challenged on the grounds that it violates privacy rights in constitution.
SHARE MICHAEL EADS/Independent Mail Nationally acclaimed educator Ron Clark (second from right) was introduced to a packed Henderson Auditorium on Monday night by three Anderson University graduates who work for him in Atlanta Hope King, James Houge and Wade King.
By Mike Eads of the Independent Mail
A celebrated national educator told local teachers and teachers-in-training Monday night that they are the most essential parts to successful schools.
Ron Clark, best-selling author, educator and motivational speaker, told the capacity crowd of teachers, school administrators and Anderson University teaching majors at the school's Henderson Auditorium that curriculum controversies and charter schools and titles have little to do with successfully educating children.
"The name of the school doesn't matter," said Clark, who was introduced by three teachers from his Atlanta school for at-risk youth James Houge, Hope King and Wade King who all received their teaching degrees from AU. "I wish people would leave curriculum alone, too ... when you have the best people, you're going to have an outstanding school."
Clark regaled the audience with stories from his time teaching low-income North Carolina and New York elementary students, including the time his class earned a visit to the Clinton White House by using newspaper classified ads to ask questions and engage with readers around the world.
Punctuating his anecdotes by leaping onto chairs in the audience and doing impressions of former bosses and co-workers, Clark said his students got invested in such things because they saw he and his colleagues were just as invested.
"Every year, I tried to do something that made the kids run to school to see what we were going to do," said Clark.
The author of titles such as "Move Your Bus" and "The Excellent 11: Qualities Teachers and Parents Use to Motivate, Inspire, and Educate Children" warned the student teachers against gravitating toward those veteran teachers who are prone to complaining and criticizing.
"We need educators who aren't going to listen to that crap and are going to go above and beyond," Clark said to loud applause.
The audience buzzed with anticipation prior to Clark's appearance with the Kings married veterans of Anderson School District 4 and Houge, then cheered loudly and roared with laughter throughout his presentation. The insights Clark shared from classrooms in rural North Carolina and urban Harlem and Atlanta resonated with those teachers from Belton, Anderson, Iva and other spots represented Monday night.
"We take away whatever we can from this and use it in the classroom," said Wallace Cobbs, who took over Wade King's class at Pendleton Elementary School. "They're all still kids, after all."
Follow Michael Eads on Twitter @MikeEads_AIM
Sophia Rhodes
By Mike Ellis of the Independent Mail
A Honea Path church, where 5-year-old Sophia Rhodes played just hours before a fire took her life, is collecting donations on behalf of the child's grieving family.
Krista Overby, wife of the First Assembly of God's pastor, said the family is stunned and struggling with the loss.
"They are hurting," she said.
Donations of gift cards will help feed the family, with three young girls.
"Help with food to get by really is what they need now," she said, adding that they no longer need donations of clothes.
The church, which is across the road from the home that burned on Green Street, is taking donations marked "emergency relief" that will be set aside for the family, Overby said.
American Red Cross workers have helped with emergency supplies, said Ann Wright, the executive director of the Upstate South Carolina branch.
"But critically, and especially in a fire like this where someone died," Wright said, "what we are there for is often more emotional support than physical help. Sometimes with tremendous tragedies we can be there for a year or more, giving families someone who will continue to be with them."
Among other volunteers, the Red Cross uses trained mental health professionals, some of whom helped the family immediately after the fire and are continuing to do so, Wright said.
"We had a team member who went to the (Joseph M. Still) Burn Center in Augusta to support the family there until their daughter passed," she said. "And we had others here with the family back home."
Students at Honea Path Elementary, where Sophia and her twin sisters attended, were able to speak with grief counselors this week, according to a statement from the school district.
Red Cross volunteers had already planned to go out into neighborhoods in Anderson and Homeland Park this weekend to hand out smoke detectors while talking to neighborhoods about fire safety, Wright said.
"It's really important not just to check smoke detectors," she said, "but we sit down with people, go over their escape plan and give safety tips."
Honea Path Fire Department has been planning its own smoke detector drive with help from the Red Cross, said Meg Massengill, spokeswoman for the department.
She said officials will target the neighborhood near the Green Street home.
Sophia was the first person to die by fire in Anderson County this year, said Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore.
The fire remains under investigation by the Honea Path Fire Department and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
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By Walter C. Jones And Mary Landers, Savannah Morning News
ATLANTA - The Texas-based energy company planning to build a 210-mile pipeline from Belton through East Georgia to Florida suffered a setback in court Tuesday when a Georgia judge rejected its appeal of a state decision to deny the pipeline developer the right of eminent domain.
Attorneys for Kinder Morgan had asked a Fulton County Superior Court judge to overturn Georgia Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry's denial last May of the company's application for the power to seize property from owners unwilling to sell. The so-called eminent-domain authority allows utilities to avoid costly detours by requiring a judge to set a fair price for rights of way across the seized property.
Kinder Morgan has said it plans to invest $1 billion in what it calls the Palmetto Pipeline, which would carry up to 7 million gallons of gasoline, diesel and ethanol a day from Belton to Jacksonville. Its route through Georgia parallels the Savannah River and then turns south, crossing every coastal county and five major rivers.
Judge Kimberly M. Esmonds Adams issued her decision Tuesday, ruling against the pipeline company.
"Having concluded that the record does support the commissioner's decision, and in the absence of any proffer by Palmetto as to how some different procedure or additional evidence would have changed the commissioner's decision, this court finds that the commissioner's decision is adequately supported by the record evidence and therefore affirms the decision of the commissioner and denies Palmetto's petition for review," she wrote in a court order signed Monday.
On Monday, the Georgia House of Representatives voted 165-2 in support of a bill designed to stall the pipeline by imposing a moratorium until July 2017, while new procedures are written.
Steve McWilliams, a lobbyist for the newly formed Landowners for Property Rights, was pleased that the court concluded the likely benefits of a pipeline would not be enough to justify using force against landholders.
"We're delighted that Judge Adams has rendered a decision that is consistent with what the private property owners' community has been saying all along," he said.
Environmentalists were also happy with the decision and recent action in the Georgia and South Carolina legislatures to erect more hurdles to petroleum-pipeline construction.
"It's incredibly encouraging that both Georgia and South Carolina are clearly listening to the people and standing up and protecting private-property rights," said Tonya Bonitatibus with the Savannah Riverkeeper, an Augusta-based advocacy organization. "I think that it's been clear all along neither necessity nor convenience exists in this situation."
Kinder Morgan lobbyists didn't publicly oppose the Georgia legislation. Instead, company officials have repeatedly said the pipeline would be built even if it couldn't use eminent domain.
"If that is true and they really believe that, there is no reason for them to appeal," said Steve Caley, legal director for GreenLaw, an Atlanta-based legal advocate for environmental causes.
Kinder Morgan did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on the judge's ruling, but most observers expected whoever lost to appeal to a higher court.
The company argues that delivering gasoline and diesel fuel through a pipeline would be inherently safer and cheaper than delivering it to Savannah by ship or by trucking it from terminals in Augusta and Macon. But because Kinder Morgan won't own the material it transports, it has refused to guarantee a savings to motorists.
McMurry rejected that argument. He concluded that the Savannah market was already adequately supplied by competing firms and that demand is gradually declining as vehicles become more efficient, meaning there was no public necessity for a new source.
Adams found no problem with his reasoning.
"The commissioner's decision is supported by substantial evidence," she wrote.
She also dismissed Kinder Morgan's complaints of procedural errors that McMurry was not following precedent and was preventing the company from responding to public comments opposing the project and extending the deadline for public comments.
By Nikie Mayo of the Independent Mail
One slap.
One punch.
One instance of: "I threw the phone and it hit them in the back of the head."
That's how Donna Green says a lot of her cases start. Green prosecutes domestic violence cases on behalf of the 10th Judicial Circuit solicitor's office.
"You see a lot of minimizing by both the victim and the defendant," Green said Monday. "There's a lot of: 'Well, it's not like I left them bloody and bruised all over.' There's a tendency among people to think that it has to reach a certain degree before it counts as domestic violence. Assaulting someone is enough."
Vickie Fleming said she believes she knows why some people minimize domestic violence.
"It's because it is a learned behavior in their home," she said. "So it seems normal, even though it is not."
Fleming's sister, Rhonda, was killed 13 years ago. Rhonda Fleming's estranged husband, William Snipes, was accused in her death and later turned the gun on himself. Fleming has said that her sister witnessed domestic violence earlier in her life before she became a victim of it herself.
Fleming and Green are part of a group working to create a domestic violence task force in Anderson County. County Councilman Tom Allen, one of the leaders of the group, said he would like to see curriculum offered in schools that would teach children what kind of behavior is healthy and what is not.
Joey Nimmer, Anderson County Board of Education administrator, said there are already some offerings in local schools.
"But I don't know that there is anything as comprehensive as what we are looking for," Nimmer said.
One of the task force's goals will be to develop a uniform message about domestic violence that can be shared with all Anderson County Schools.
"Prevention is key," Allen said. "That means getting to the kids in schools."
The task force also established subcommittees Monday to talk about other key aspects related to domestic violence. Subcommittees will address how first responders handle cases, how legal matters are handled and how community groups can help victims of domestic violence.
State Rep. Anne Thayer is leading the task force with Allen, but was absent Monday because she has had minor surgery, he said. Allen said the task force will reconvene in about a month when Thayer is available.
South Carolina is repeatedly recognized as one of the worst states in the nation for domestic violence. Anderson Police Chief Jim Stewart recently said his department has seen a significant increase in crime reports involving women and children.
Allen said the reality of what is happening in the Upstate and beyond cannot be escaped.
"We have to do something," he said.
Follow Nikie Mayo on Twitter @NikieMayo
The audio of Oopiri was released at Novotel Hotel in Hyderabad. Besides members from cast and crew, K Raghavendra Rao, Sumanth, Harish Shankar, and others made it to the event.
Hosted by Suma and Anasuya Bharadwaj, the event was graced by Nag along with his wife, Amala.
K Raghavendra Rao said: "Cinema doesn't care for language barriers. PVP has proved that. Gopi Sunder has been brought in from Malayalam. When Nag did Gitanjali, it was a big hit in Tamil Nadu. Karthi will repeat this, by delivering a hit in Telugu. I appreciate Vamsi Paidipalli for choosing such a beautiful story line. Tamannah looks gorgeous. If I were the director, I would have made Nag dance with Tamannah and Karthi."
Ashwini Dutt said: "Production houses like Suresh Productions come to my mind looking at PVP."
Writer Hari said: "When we first met him Nag garu, he encouraged us as soon as we narrated the idea. Throughout our journey, he encouraged us with the same spirit. This is not a regular action film, drama film, romantic film. We have seen Karthi in films like Awara and Na Peru Shiva. We were sceptical about whether her will accept this film. But he took the decision in 10 minutes."
Tamannah Bhatia, who could not be present, said: "I couldn't be at the venue because of shooting. We have all given it some part of ourselves. I am very proud that such a film has come my way. I thank PVP garu, Vamshi garu for giving me one of the most memorable characters. Gopi Sunder garu's songs are more than music, they are like a character."
A special AV was played in fond remembrance of late Kalpana, who plays an important role in this film. The Malayalam actress breathed her last a day after completing the shoot in Hyderabad.
Harish Shankar said: "Cinema is my 'oopiri'. My best friend is Vamsi Paidipally. We friends re-united to get that kick which we got when we watched Hello Brother. I and Vamsi both started our career with a flop. At that time, we had none to fall back on except we ourselves. When Vamsi told me he is making a film titled Oopiri, I was sceptical. When he told me about the framework, I was sure that Nag sir is the 'oopiri' of the film.
Sumanth: The other day, I was sitting in a restaurant and smiling at a girl. The girl got up and walked by. When she asked me why I was smiling at her, I replied saying, 'Beauty not admired is a sin'. After this film, this line is going to be on everyone's lips.
Ramajogayya Sastry: My wife is my 'oopiri'. This will be a film which will bring more fame and money to PVP garu. I appreciate Nag garu and others for doing this 'hatke' film. Gopi Sunder's music feels like native music. Nuvvemicchav brought tears to my eyes. I feel fortunate that I am sharing the credits with my guru, Seetharama Sastry garu. I have written two songs.
Abburi Ravi: Don and Oopiri. Yevadu and Oopiri. Kshanam and Oopiri. It will be a huge hit. While he was doing tapas, I had the fortune to be there and observe him. Doubt, each and every song has come out very well.
Jayasudha said: "I have acted in Yevadu previously. This is my second film with Vamsi. This will be one of the best films in Nag garu's career. I am a fan of Nag garu. Coming to Karthi, he is an amazing actor. He is a natural. I am also doing PVP garu's Brahmotsavam. My oopiri are my two children."
Dil Raju said: "Sirish and Laxman are my best friends. They are my left and right. I wish that Vamsi makes it big even in Tamil. PVP makes films with the intent of making good movies. Vamsi doesn't compromise on quality even if it costs his life. Nag garu is the one '80s-era hero who has joined the Rs. 50 cr club."
The Kshanam team, Adivi Sesh, Anasuya, and Satyam Rajesh, thanked PVP for giving them the opportunity to do the film.
Kajal Aggarwal said: "I am someone who has had the biggest crush on Nag sir. I have known Tamannah, Vamsi, PVP sir for years. I think this film is going to be far, far better than the original."
Dasaradh said: "I am jealous of Vamsi. On the one hand, he has done mass-y films, On the other, he has done a film with sensibilities like these. Karthi garu, I have been following all your films ever since the release of Na Peru Shiva. Nag garu, we are very lucky to have an artist like you."
Ali said: "You will enjoy comedy, sentiment, everything. Audience will surely be touched by all the emotions and scenes in Oopiri. My oopiri is cinema."
Vamshi Paidipally said: "It's an emotional moment. In the process of re-inventing and re-discovering myself, this has come out. I'm not saying this in a hyperbolic sense. I came to PVP sir scared. But I can't thank Nag sir enough. It was he who upped my spirits, he gave me energy, I bow my head to him. Oopiri is a breath of relief. Many have tried to launch Karthi in Telugu. But he didn't like any of those stories. Karthi became a hero after working as an asst director. Without Karthi and Nag garu, this film wouldn't have been possible. The biggest magic of the film is the bonding between Nag garu and Karthi. The real-life camaraderi is the real magic of the film. Hari, Abburi Ravi and Solomon were there throughout with me. Gopi Sunder made our journey even more beautiful. PS Vinod garu's frames and production design are great. Jayasudha mam, thanks for being here. Prakash Raj anna will make you laugh from the first scene to the last. He is a boon to the film industry. Tamannah has done a great job. Without co-director Ram, this film wouldn't have been there."
PVP said: "Nag garu and Karthi garu are the oopiri of this film. I am not a believer in words, I believe in deeds."
Nagarjuna said: "Manam, MEK and SCN later, you have showered so much love on me. You are all my oopiri. My elder son is doing Saahasam Swasaga Saagipo. It's my favourite title. With saahasam I di
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley offered telecom companies a proposal to settle their tax disputes, which could account to paying principal amount and get waiver on interest and penalty. The proposal was said to be directed towards Vodafone who has been in a tax dispute with the government since long time.The telcos however did not sound enthusiastic about the proposal. As per reports, telcos said that there is no tax liability on them as they had not done anything wrong.While presenting the Union Budget, Jaitley said, "In order to give an opportunity to the past cases which are ongoing under the retrospective amendment, I propose a one-time scheme of Dispute Resolution for them." He added that the companies can settle the case by paying only the tax arrears, in which case liability of the interest and penalty shall be waived. However, the companies will have withdraw all pending litigation in courts or tribunals or arbitration proceedings.Vodafone spokesperson was quoted as saying, "We will of course study the details of what the Finance Minister has proposed today, while continuing to seek resolution of this matter through international arbitration."
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Union Budget 2016-2017 on February 29 in the Parliament. The budget, although, did not focus much on IT sector except the exemptions made in customs and excise duty under Make in India campaign, the digital and technology driven approach of the Union Budget is likely to prove beneficial for the tech firms.NASSCOM has termed the budget as a mixed bag for the sector. Chairman of the industry body, Mohan Reddy has expressed disappointment over the budget, saying, Our wish list for Budget 2016 included three key priorities policy bottlenecks including ease of business; nurturing start-ups, products and ecommerce sector; and clarifications on transfer pricing to enable inward investments in India. Budget 2016 only partially covers these priorities. Extension of Section 10AA for SEZ units till 2020 is a positive outcome though the imposition of MAT on startups will not allow the full impact of the benefits to be realizedNASSCOM President R. Chandrashekhar, however, has a positive approach. He said, The finance ministers speech had a strong emphasis on leveraging technology to transform India. The initiatives announced today combined with swift implementation of Digital India will help to digitize India and provide effective citizen services. We would urge the government to move forward at a swift pace and build an effective PPP model.CEO of the countrys largest IT firm, TCS, N. Chandrasekaran has welcomed the budget giving it a 8/10 score. He said, The extension of SEZ scheme till 2020 and reduced tax at 10% for global revenues generated by India-registered IPR will further energise entrepreneurship. The FM has announced a slew of Digital platforms to connect farmers with their ecosystem. This is a very comprehensive technology-led plan that will significantly bootstrap the Indian heartland into the digital age. Also heartening is the plan to use digital technology across the board from administering taxes to issuing secure education certificates.Lets have a look at the sections of Union Budget 2016 which could be boon in disguise for IT companies:The Budget mentioned that, service tax on the services of Information Technology software on media bearing RSP has being exempted, provided appropriate Central Excise duty is paid, with effect from March 1, 2016.FM Arun Jaitley said, Investment limit for foreign entities in Indian stock exchanges will be enhanced from 5 to 15% on par with domestic institutions. This will enhance global competitiveness of Indian stock exchanges and accelerate adoption of best-in-class technology and global market practices. This likely to have an effect on the stock market performance of companies in IT sector in FY17.The Budget revealed Government plans to spread digital literacy in rural India. The budget stated that presently, of the 16.8 crore rural households as many as 12 crore households do not have computers and are unlikely to have digitally literate persons.While announcing the digital literacy schemes, FM Arun Jaitley said, We have already approved two Schemes to promote digital literacy, National Digital Literacy Mission and Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (DISHA). We now plan to launch a new Digital Literacy Mission Scheme for rural India to cover around 6 crore additional households within the next 3 years.Moreover, the National Land Record Modernisation Programme has been revamped under the Digital India Initiative and will be implemented as a Central sector scheme with effect from April 1, 2016.The Government has asked farmers to take up other allied activities to supplement their family income in an effort to make dairying more remunerative to the farmers. Apart from an animal wellness programme, it includes an advanced breeding technology programme, creation of E-Pashudhan Haat which is an e-market portal for connecting breeders and farmers and a National Genomic Centre for indigenous breeds. These projects will be implemented at a cost of Rs. 850 crores over the next few years.Education Sector: The budget proposed to establish a Digital Depository for School Leaving Certificates, College Degrees, Academic Awards and Mark sheets in order to help students, Higher Education Institutions and employers to access degree certificates of candidates.The government plans to provide entrepreneurship education and training in 2200 colleges, 300 schools, 500 government ITIs and 50 Vocational Training Centres through Open Online Courses.To provide an online mechanism to resolve mismatches in Income-tax returns, the budget plans full expansion of pilot initiative of e-Sahyog by the I-T Department reducing compliance cost, especially for small taxpayers.FM Arun Jaitley said, We have to bring more transparency and efficiency in Government procurement of goods and services. The Director General of Supplies and Disposal (DGS&D) will establish a technology driven platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by various Ministries and agencies of the Government.The Union Budget has allotted Rs. 1804 crore for Investment Promotion scheme and Amended Technology Upgradation Fund scheme under the Make in India campaign while the Digital India Programme and E-learning, E-panchayat, Land Records Modernisation has been allotted Rs. 2059 crore .The Urban Rejuvenation Mission which includes AMRUT and Mission for Development of 100 Smart Cities has been granted Rs. 7296 crore while Rs. 1100 crore has been allotted for the Start-up and Stand up initiative.
We are supposed to learn from our small mistakes but who knew the silly ones could also change the course of human history? Take a look.
1. World War I began because someone took a wrong turn
We all know that World War I started with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie.
Although the aristocratic couple managed to deflect an assassination attempt earlier in the day, their chauffeur drove them into the jaws of death this time. While on their way to visit a hospital full of victims of a targeted bomb blast, their car took a wrong turn where one of the assassins happened to be. While the car was reversing, he took his chance and succeeded.
smithsonianmag.com
2. Failure to buy new rifles prolonged the American Civil War
The Union States (the North) could have won the American Civil War in a shorter period of time had they procured newer rifles. The man responsible was James Wolfe Ripley, the Chief Ordnance, who constantly blocked the move to buy new guns.
An aide suggested they buy cheaper Enfield rifles from the British but he refused to turn to his old enemies for help. Sadly, the Confederacy (the south) procured these cheap British rifles and sent the Union on the losing side for the first few battles of the War.
Ripley was ousted soon after and the Union succeeded in winning the War.
wikipedia
3. It wasn't icebergs that made the Titanic sink, but a set of keys
We all know that the maiden voyage of the Titanic came to a tragic end when it hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.
The man in charge of looking out for icebergs wasn't equipped with binoculars because it was locked up in a box and the keys hadn't made it aboard. Apparently the second officer on the ship was changed last minute. Charles Lightoller who was assigned as the new second officer was not given the keys in the handover, as the man he replaced had forgotten to get them out of his pocket.
bbc.co.uk
4. Constantinople fell thanks to an unlocked door
The impenetrable city of Constantinople was guarded by the thick wall that kept out invading forces. However, it's fall in 1453 AD brought an end to the Middle Ages and brought about the dominance of the Ottoman Empire and the Renaissance. The Byzantine Empire fell thanks to a failure to lock one of the gates of its great wall. Once the Ottomans discovered this flaw, all hell break loose and resistance rapidly faded.
wikipedia
5. D-Day took place because someone took the day off
The day the Allied forces managed to occupy the coast of France from Nazi Germany during World War II is better known as D-Day. It all happened because of one man who felt that the bad weather would keep his enemies at bay. Field Marshall Rommel took the weekend of June 6 off to celebrate his wife's birthday, leaving his troops unprepared to keep off the Allies from continental Europe.
pinterest.com
6. The Wicked Bible encouraged adultery in the 1600s
In 1631, printers Robert Barker and Martin Lucas forgot to add the word 'not' to the seventh commandment of the Bible, leading it to be printed as "Thou shalt commit adultery" which made many people commit it openly in the 17th century.
When King Charles I found out, he took the business license away from the printers, fined their wages for a year and ordered all copies be burned. Today, only 11 copies of 'The Wicked Bible' remain.
brushedwithmystery.com
7. The Berlin Wall fell because of a bureaucrat's misinformation
In 1989, as the grip of the Socialist regime in East Germany loosened and the Soviet Union came under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachov, there was a decision to ease travel restrictions between the East and West.
Gunter Schwabowski, a bureaucrat, was supposed to hold a press conference announcing the ease of travel restrictions. When asked by reporters when the new measures would come into effect, he went into a moment of doubt and muttered, "Immediately, right away."
This led to many people heading to the wall to enter West Berlin while others just decided to do away with the symbol of the oppressive regime. Today, only parts of the wall stand in the city of Berlin.
fd.nl
8. An error in interpretation caused the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
The Americans drafted the Potsdam declaration which demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan. Kantaro Suzuki, the Japanese premier, responded with the word, 'mokusatsu' which means to withhold from comment. However, the same word can also mean 'to contemptuously ignore' and this is where his interpreters got it wrong. It was sent across to the Americans and a week later, Hiroshima became the target of an attack that claimed many lives.
nydailynews.com
9. Marie Antoinette's failed attempt at escaping
When the French Revolution broke out, King Louis XVI planned to escape alone and mobilise his supporters to counter the revolution and save his crown. However, his wife, Marie Antoinette, demanded that she join him with the children. They chose a slow moving luxurious carriage which stood out and it soon became apparent to the people that it belonged to the royal couple.
The people of France were insulted that their monarch was trying to escape a nation embroiled in commotion. They just decided to do away with him and his cowardly kind.
wikipedia
After claiming to have nuclear weapons and having launched satellites into space, North Korea has now come up with a weapon that has countries across the world shivering in their knickers.
North Korea today boasted of a newly developed anti-tank weapon that its leader said was so powerful it could turn the most heavily armoured enemy tanks into "boiled pumpkin".
Pyongyang's state media said leader Kim Jong-Un had watched tests of the portable, laser-guided rocket and declared it had the "longest firing range in the world", and was "as accurate as a sniper's rifle".
evdesifa.com
"He noted with great satisfaction that even the special armoured tanks and cars of the enemies which boast their high manoeuvrability and striking power are no more than a boiled pumpkin before the anti-tank guided weapon", the KCNA news agency.
Kim called for the weapon to go into mass production as soon as possible and for it to be deployed to frontline units and coastal defence units.
Reuters
With a siege mentality bordering on paranoia, North Korea maintains a huge military. It has some 1.2 million active troops out of a population of around 25 million -- double the size of the armed forces in South Korea, which has twice as many people.
But most of North Korea's weapons are outdated and the military is seriously hamstrung by the impoverished state's chronic fuel shortages.
Reuters
The shortages are likely to worsen when the country is slapped with tough new sanctions the United Nations is now weighing over a nuclear test and long-range rocket launch Pyongyang conducted earlier this year.
The UN Security Council sanctions include a ban on the supply of aviation fuel to North Korea.
dawn
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is using her movies to address several social issues plaguing her nation. The Pakistani filmmaker won her second Oscar in the category of Best Documentary Short Subject for her film A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, that talks about honour killings. But its not her big win that matters. Of course, Sharmeen made history on February 29 by becoming the only Pakistani to win two Oscars, her first one being for a short subject documentary on acid attacks in her country. But her achievement lies more in terms of the subjects she chooses to highlight.
Sharmeen's strong acceptance speech at the Oscars is also being lauded as one of the most important this year. She said her latest film is forcing Pakistan to work towards protecting women against 'honor killings'.
"This is what happens when determined women get together To all the brave men out there, like my father and my husband, who push women to go to school and work, and who want a more just society for women."
In a conservative society like Pakistan, making such daring films invites equal amounts of anger and threat from certain fundamentalist groups. According to a recent AFP report, a prominent cleric had accused her of being immoral and even called her a prostitute.
"I think society is in a flux While there are very promising indicators... you also find pockets in Pakistan where violence against women is rising."
BBC/ Still from A Girl in the River
Honor killings are deeply rooted in South Asian countries, including India, where arranged marriages are common and women are, at times, subjugated to the lethal authority of their male relatives. Sharmeen's major target is to stop honor killings in Pakistan, where she says more than 1,000 women are murdered each year by male relatives for allegedly bringing shame on the family. Her film A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, tells the story of 19-year-old Saba who was beaten, shot and thrown into a river by her family after she eloped to marry her fiance. The same family had initially accepted them, but later decided that the guy was too poor. At the last moment, Saba had tilted her head, and the bullet grazed her cheek instead of shattering her skull. In a rarity for such attacks, Saba not only survived but went to the police too. But under Pakistan's "obsolete" laws, men who kill female relatives escape punishment as they are "pardoned" by relatives through blood money.
dailypakistan
Sharmeen's film has sparked a revolution in Pakistan, pushing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to come up with changes in the law. The prime minister has now promised to rid the country of the crime by tightening up legislation. In fact, two brothers were sentenced to death in Lahore on Monday, after being accused of the honour killing of their sister and her husband for marrying "against the family's will." That's the change Sharmeen intends to bring about.
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has congratulated Ms Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy on winning the Oscar's Award for the... Posted by Prime Minister's Office on Monday, 29 February 2016
"If we get this law passed, then I'll be a winner, it will be all worth it. The biggest victory would be to get the legislation passed - to take forgiveness off the table, to have a law that deters killing women in the name of honor and for people to realize that this is a serious crime."
ahmadladhani/ Still from Saving Face
Even her first documentary Saving Face, exposed the horrors endured by women who survive acid attacks. Her initial success helped boost awareness about the particularly horrific crime, and the government in Punjab province started processing acid cases through anti-terrorism courts to offer women speedy justice. As a Pakistani filmmaker, Sharmeen is interested in the issues that affect her people. And that's what she wishes to work upon. Sharmeen is an inspiration for us, from across the border, and we hope that her films inspire village councils in India as well to stop advocating such heinous crimes and this horrible practice against women. It is a global issue, and films have the power to change it.
telegraph
Karachi born Sharmeen, who studied in America, says she is proud to live in Pakistan. She believes creative people like her can help the country improve. In fact, she said that at the Oscars too!
"That is the power of films."
(With inputs from AFP)
dainikbhaskar
Priyanka Chopra's every move was noticed at the Oscars this year. But the Indian beauty didn't disappoint anyone, be it the global media or fans back home. Her walk down the red carpet looked like a scene straight out of a fairy tale. Dressed in white with diamond jewellery, her princess look became the topic of discussion. So much so, that she dominated all internet records the entire day. According to a Google announcement, PC has been ranked a close second to Hollywood actress Olivia Wilde on its search rankings related to the keywords "red carpet dress". Actresses Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron and Saoirse Ronan follow after Priyanka and Olivia on the list of top searched celebs.
(Read: Here Is Why Priyanka Chopra Won Hearts And Emerged The Best Dressed At Oscars 2016!)
entretenimento.band.uol
Further, India contributed about two per cent of the global searches for the event and made it to the top 10 countries and markets for searches related to the 88th Academy Awards. Going by the Indian statistics, no doubt Priyanka was the most Googled celeb in her own country, followed by Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio who won his first Oscar and actor Matt Damon, the internet search giant said.
Priyanka, who looked every inch stunning in an ensemble by Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad, chose to flaunt diamonds worth $8 millions! The actress who was at her glamorous best even at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, left for Miami where she will begin the shoot of her Hollywood debut film Baywatch. She is playing all her cards right!
So proud of you PC!
Don't we all believe that actors enjoy such a fancy and larger than life lifestyle? This is true, but only in parts. When you are a famous celebrity, you also have certain power. But remember, with great power comes greater responsibility. Thankfully, these celebrities used their power for a better cause and have been fighting to save our environment. And I am not just talking about fancy speeches or publicity stunts. These celebs have actually stepped on to ground level and brought about a change.
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
pixgood
Of course, if you were living on another planet until now, at least after his Oscar acceptance speech you'd know that Leonardo DiCaprio holds the issue of climate change pretty close to his heart. He has actually been associated with the cause years now. Apart from having his own Leonardo DiCaprio foundation which works towards the cause of climate change and wildlife, DiCaprio also helped raise funds for the Haiti earthquake. The United Nations had even named DiCaprio a U.N. Messenger of Peace with special focus on climate change.
2. George Clooney
greenbuzz
Clooney is currently fighting for human rights in the Maldives, but the actor has done his bit for the environment. In the pas,t he has vehemently slammed those who were spreading the reports that climate change has got nothing to do with humans. He even argued that denying the existence of climate change is ridiculous. He has also been involved with the launch of Oil Change, a campaign to eliminate America's dependence on foreign oil. He even traded his BMW for two-seater eco-friendly electric car!
3. Rahul Bose
huffingtonpost
Our very own Bollywood actor and social activist, Rahul Bose has been active in the fight against climate change and environmental protection as well. In 2009, Rahul, who represented Oxfam at the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen, joined tens of thousands of demonstrators at a mass rally and candlelight vigil outside the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen. He even has his own Rahul Bose foundation which works towards the cause of climate change.
4. Mark Ruffalo
washingtontimes
While you all may know of Mark Ruffalo as the big green guy, Hulk, he's pretty green in real life too. He is an active clean energy supporter and even has his own charity organisation Water Defense. He was also awarded The Humanitarian Award for his work with Water Defense at the BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards. He has actively worked towards fighting the fracking in New York.
5. Brad Pitt
industrytap
Well, we all know what great social activists Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are. Brad Pitt in particular, has been working towards green environment and sustainable homes. In 2007, Brad Pitt founded The Make It Right Foundation for providing affordable and sustainable homes to communities around the world. Pitt also supports the concept of green housing to be made available nationally as a housing model. He also received an award from the U.S. Green Building for his housing concept.
6. Gul Panag
thealternative
Gul Panag is part of the Col. Shamsher Singh Foundation and Gul 4 Change. It works towards basic sanitation, waste disposal and effective employment of natural energy resources. In fact, she also formulated a "green home" by effectively employing water harvesting and solar power energy instead of exhaustive resources.
7. Matt Damon
borgenmagazine
Since years now, Matt Damon has been working for the cause of clean water. Damon founded H2O Africa, a charity providing clean water to African communities. Not only that, he also created Water.org to provide access to clean water in all continents.
8. Emma Watson
ecouterre
The Harry Potter actress has been actively involved in promoting sustainable fashion. She has designed eco capsule collections for People Tree, a fair trade sustainable clothing brand. She even flew to Bangladesh to see where the clothing was being made, and met the people who were making it. She also collaborated with The Green Carpet Challenge which works to promote sustainable style on the red carpet.
Resul Pookutty bagged the Oscar in 2009 and made India super-proud. Not many know that Pookutty who won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing for Slumdog Millionaire was the first Malayali to win an Oscar. Following AR Rahman, Resul Pookutty and Bhanu Athaiya's footsteps, here's another man who has made India proud at the Academy Awards.
Kerala Boy Saajan Skaria can now proudly boast about his stint with Oscars. Saajan was a part of the team behind 'Inside Out', which was named the Best Animated Feature Film at the 88th Academy Awards. Skaria works for Pixar Animation Studios & he was the character supervisor in the American 3D computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film.
Skaria revealed that Cartoons have always been his childhood obsession & it was after graduating from Regional Engineering College, Calicut that he joined Siemens.
But one interaction with his German Boss changed his life and how! It was after his German boss saw he could draw, that he said, "Good work, you shouldn't waste your time as an engineer."
There was no looking back for Skaria. He took this advice seriously and changed his life. Now Sajan lives in the US with his wife and kids. K Skaria, Skaria's father said, "We never forced him to try any other profession. His boss's word of praise encouraged him to pursue his dream."
One decision can change your entire life and for Saajan, it was quitting engineering!
All good things must come to an end.
Scott Kelly, the man who spent a year orbiting the Earth and making a record for spending the most time in space, is returning home on 1st March. After spending time aboard the International Space Station for 340 days straight, Scott Kelly handed over the command to NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, in an emotional farewell speech.
He says,
"Obviously, you know, Misha and I have been up here for a really, really long time and recently we've been joking with each other that we'll say something like 'We did it!' or 'We made it! But we both recognise that this is a lot more about teamwork and all the people that it takes to put these missions together and be successful than it is about us.
"Spaceflight is the biggest team sport there is, and it's incredibly important that we all work together to make what is seemingly impossible possible."
Watch his signing-off speech here:
Kelly has had an incredible run in space that included a close encounter with Pluto, growing veggies in space, and even drinking nearly 730 litres of his own sweat and urine! But apart from all that, the astronaut also shared some astonishing snaps of the Earth, which we would have never gotten to see if it wasn't for him.
Here's a look back at some of his beautiful captures from the ISS.
1. "#Bahamas, the strokes of your watercolors are always a refreshing sight. #YearInSpace"
Scott Kelly
2. "Another pass through #Aurora. The sun is very active today, apparently. #YearInSpace"
Scott Kelly
3. "Color palette of the #Spanish coast is an appealing morning view. #GoodMorning from @ISS! #YearInSpace"
Scott Kelly
4. "Cool frozen lake in #Himalayas! #YearInSpace"
Scott Kelly
5. "Day 114. #Moon #Venus #Jupiter...#Earth Good night from @space_station! #YearInSpace"
Scott Kelly
6. "That #polarvortex even looks cold from here! #Burr! #YearInSpace"
Scott Kelly
7. "#Italy and the #Alps last night were breathtaking! #YearInSpace"
Scott Kelly
No doubt we will miss Scott Kelly sharing the best of the universe with us from the skies. But we will also look forward to seeing what Tim Kopra has in store for us.
It was supposed to be the biggest day for Kerala based mobile manufacturing start-up Mango Phones.
But the day turned disastrous for it on Monday after two of its promoters were arrested by police for financial fraud, that to just hours before the launch of their phones.
Anto Augustine, and Josekutty Augustine two brothers were arrested for defrauding 2.68 crore from Bank of Baroda. Police said the promoters had cheated other banks too.
A third brother and Chairman of the company, Rojy Augustine, claim that it is suspicious that his brother got arrested on the big day of launch.
mPhones, which came into the limelight out of nowhere was supposed to change the smartphone market in Kerala.
The company claims it had an investment of Rs 35,000 crore as well as a research and development centre in Korea.
And it had some big ambitions too calling themselves the 'iPhone Killer'.
Unlike the Freedom 251, which was touted as the world's cheapest smartphone, mPhone's website listed a couple of smartphones, ranging between Rs 12,000 and Rs 40,000.
The phones listed in the company's website also details the specifications of the phone which seemed at par with phones from other brands with similar specs.
Interestingly enough, despite full page ads and media coverage in Kerala for the past couple of days, none, including tech bloggers have actually seen the phone.
This comes soon after Ringing Bells, the manufacturer of Freedom 251, began to run into one controversy after another over the delivery of their phones.
The fate of jailed JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar will be known on Wednesday when the Delhi high court decides his bail plea, taking into account police's admission that they don't have electronic evidence to show his involvement in the anti-national sloganeering.
oneindia
Instead, the police claimed on Monday it now possesses testimony of three witnesses in the form of statements recorded under the section 161 of CrPC to bolster its allegation that Kanhaiya organised, participated and led the protests where these slogans were raised. The witnesses include two students and a staffer from the JNU administration.
During the hearing, Justice Pratibha Rani raised a pointed query more than once. "Is there any contemporaneous recording of pre and post-event that occurred on February 9 apart from the Zee News footage? One issue is organising and the other is raising anti-national slogans. From the videos, do you have any evidence of him raising these slogans," she asked the cops.
The police maintained that the case against Kanhaiya was based on the testimony of witnesses and not just video footage.1800 It also asked the cops as to why they woke up only after Zee aired the news instead of taking action on February 9 itself.
indiatvnews
"When your policemen were present in the campus in plain clothes, why didn't they take cognisance of an offence when anti-national slogans were raised? Why did not they video-record it? Why you waited for Zee news video?" the HC said.
The court wondered if the policemen on duty were "sleeping" that it escaped their attention how anti-national sloganeering occurred inside the JNU campus despite their presence. It also pulled up the investigating officer for failure to get a mobile video recorded by a JNU staffer verified by forensic lab and place it before court.
Additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi Police, defended its stand on slapping sedition charges against Kanhaiya, saying there is evidence, including pamphlets and statements of the witnesses, which clearly show that Kanhaiya and others, were shouting anti-India slogans and that some of them were carrying Afzal Guru's posters.
"Umar Khalid was leading the group that shouted anti-national slogans. Evidence suggests that Kanhaiya too participated in the slogan shouting, since witnesses have identified him," Mehta submitted.
thehindu
He claimed there is enough evidence to show Kanhaiya's continuous role in the incident, from organising, participating to slogan shouting. Mehta also submitted there was a joint interrogation of the accused by the IB and Delhi Police in which the accused didn't cooperate.
"...He (Kanhaiya) was very much there on the spot, along with other accused," Mehta said, adding that the investigating agency is also probing into the financial aspect behind this incident which is part of a larger criminal conspiracy.
But HC observed that "only thing we have to see at this stage is Kanhaiya's active role" before wrapping up proceedings.
Earlier, Kumar, who is in Tihar , submitted through senior advocate Kapil Sibal that anti-India slogans were raised by people with covered face and he had no role in the matter. Sibal also questioned the conduct of the police on registering the FIR on the basis of an alleged doctored video. He wondered why the FIR was not registered on that day itself if Kanhaiya and others raised anti-India slogans as police personnel were present in plain clothes during the event. "They didn't find anything amiss. They are the best witnesses," he said.
7 months ago, the government had given up the battle on porn, simply because it's impossible to ban every porn site out there.
huebang
Now, the Supreme Court has asked the government to to explore "ways and means" to block online "blue films", India Today reported, as obscenity "cannot be allowed to be perpetuated".
The new ban might ban you from watching porn of any kind, across public places, and making it a crime.
After waves of criticism spanning social media and civil society, the Centre had claimed to only support a ban on child porn, not invading people's right to privacy.
Expressing concern about the internet hosting multiple child pornography websites, "which are being deliberately run with perversity to make money", the bench directed the government to sit with information technology experts to find out ways to block them. "It is not permissible under Indian law and you have to block it," the bench said.
reuters
Hearing the PIL filed by anti-porn activist-lawyer Kamlesh Vaswani, the court had observed: "Obscenity is recognised by the law. Pornography can be obscene. Obscenity has been linked to misogynism, perversion, sadism, and voyeurism. These are acts depicted in pornography which have a direct nexus with obscenity as crime under Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code. Somebody doing it for gain cannot be entertained as other countries have not accepted defeat on this account. Look at UK."
However, Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, representing the Centre, said blocking all sites "cannot be done and was not our job".
Also read: The Supreme Court Just Told The Government - No, You Can't Ban Porn Sites!
A retired government employee in Rura village of Kanpur Dehat district has been offering free railway information service to people for the past 28 years through the public address system of a temple.
TOI
Gradually, he has even switched on to WhatsApp and earned the sobriquet 'Train wale Baba ji'
"Raj Narain Mishra is running a parallel railway enquiry system in his village to help locals get up early and leave for railway station on time to catch trains," said Jai Ram, deputy station superintendent of Rura. Mishra used to work as a lab assistant from Ganesh Shanker Vidhyarthi Memorial Medical College.
thebetterindia
"Nearly 500 people from various localities of Rura wake up early only after hearing Mishra, who uses a loudspeaker and WhatsApp to update them about movement of trains," said a school teacher. "The timing of trains keeps on changing. But Mishra keeps us updated," said Golden Singh. Mishra said he launched the initiative when he was working at GSVM Medical College in Kanpur and used to travel daily between Rura and Kanpur
Moscow police have arrested a woman for beheading a young girl she was babysitting. Witnesses claim they saw the black-clad woman carrying the girl's severed head, threatening to "blow everyone up".
The agitated woman, who was reportedly shouting "Allahu Akbar", was spotted pacing up and down outside a Moscow metro station in front of bewildered bystanders
Russian investigators said a woman had been detained after killing a child aged three or four who reportedly had learning disabilities, then setting fire to the apartment and fleeing. "I hate democracy. I am a terrorist. I want you dead," the woman in a headscarf shouted as she waved the head.
"You have become so hardened, you have eliminated so many of us. Look I am a suicide bomber, I will die, doomsday will come in a second," she said in accented Russian. Witness Alyona Kuratova told independent Dozhd TV that the woman was holding the head by its hair. Kuratova described scenes of chaos, with police cars and ambulances arriving at the scene and some people yelling: "terror attack, terror attack." She said she could not make out what the woman shouted but some media reported that she yelled "Allahu Akbar" -- Arabic for "God is greatest" -- and threatened to blow herself up. Another witness said the woman shouted that she would "kill everyone, blow up everyone."
Some said the woman had paced up and down for some 20 minutes before she was detained near Oktyabrskoe Pole metro station.
'Monstrous and inexplicable'
LifeNews, a news service with close ties to law enforcement agencies, said that when police approached her for a document check, she pulled the head out of her bag and started yelling that she had killed a child. Television footage showed several men approaching and overpowering the woman, who some media reported suffered mental health problems. "Monstrous and inexplicable," tweeted Russia's children's rights commissioner Pavel Astakhov, urging parents to carefully check on the mental state of nannies when they are hired.
Investigators said a nanny had been detained after the body of a child aged three or four years with "signs of violent death" was found on Monday in an apartment in northwest Moscow. "According to preliminary information, the child's nanny... waited until the parents left the apartment with their elder child and, guided by unknown motives, killed the little one, set the apartment on fire and left the scene," the Investigative Committee said. State news agency TASS, citing a law enforcement source, said: "The child's body was without the head. According to a preliminary version, the nanny carried away the head."
Psychiatric testing
Investigators said a criminal probe had been opened and that the suspect would undergo a psychiatric examination to establish whether she "understands the meaning of her actions and behaviour". Interfax news agency, citing a law enforcement source, identified the woman as 38-year-old Gyulchekhra Bobokulova, a native of Muslim-majority Uzbekistan. LifeNews said Bobokulova had told authorities she committed the crime because of her husband's infidelity, adding that she may be suffering from manic psychosis. The mother of the slain girl was taken by ambulance to an undisclosed location, Zvezda television channel said.
Follow us on confirmed preity zinta marries boyfriend gene goodenough in los angeles
New Delhi: Actress Preity Zinta has ditched her single hood to get hitched to American boyfriend Gene Goodenough, suggest media reports.
Though there has been no official confirmation from any one of the rumoured lovers, but the news is going strong.
Moreover, Kabir Bedi's congratulatory tweet to Preity and Gene is fuelling breath in the rumours. Here is what he posted.
Media reports claim that the dimpled beauty tied the knot in an intimate affair on February 29 in Los Angeles. The Kya Kehna' girl plans to hold a lavish Indian wedding in April, this year.
Shedding some light on the plans, a source close to Preity told a leading daily, Since Preity has worked with the biggest names in the film industry and continues to remain close friends with several of them, she plans to host a big celebration in Mumbai where we can expect some of the biggest names to attend.
It was also reported that the couple have decided to auction their wedding photographs and donate the amount to charity.
More substance has been added to these rumours after Preity's close friend, Sussanne Khan posted a picture on Instagram from LA. Actor Hrithik Roshan's divorced wife posed for a picture with Surily, the two standing in front of a vintage car.
It shouldn't be forgotten that time and again Preity has refuted her marriage rumours. But, we cannot also negate the fact that there isn't smoke without fire. So, maybe she and Gene have actually taken the leap.
Latest Bollywood News
Follow us on beware decline in memory unhealthy feeling can predict early death
London: Not just chronic medical conditions and unhealthy lifestyle, psychological factors such as decline in memory or just feeling unhealthy are also likely to elevate the risk of early death mortality rate especially in the middle-aged and the elderly.
The result of the longitudinal study of over 6,000 adults revealed that better perceived health and smaller decreases in processing speed over time could help reduce mortality risk.
"Our study shows that two psychological variables, lower self-rated health and age-related decrements in processing speed, appear to be especially important indicators of elevated mortality risk in middle-age and older adults," said Stephen Aichele, scientist at University of Geneva in Switzerland.
Being a woman was also linked with reduced mortality risk, while years of smoking tobacco was connected with an increased risk of early death.
The findings, published in the journal Psychological Science, may provide useful insights to health professionals, who need better methods for identifying individuals at risk of early death, the researchers noted.
The researchers investigated the relative influence of cognitive, demographic, health, and lifestyle variables in predicting mortality risk from the Manchester Longitudinal Study of Cognition's data collected for 29 years' from 6,203 adults who ranged in age from 41 to 96 years old when the study began.
Participants' subjective reports of various lifestyle factors, including perceived health, number of prescribed medicines, sleep patterns, hobbies, leisure activities, and social interactions were also examined.
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Follow us on candidates asked to appear in underwear for army recruitment exam def min orders probe
Patna: Candidates appearing for a recruitment exam to hire clerks in the Indian Army were in for a rude shock when they were asked to write their papers sitting in their bare minimum. Candidates appearing for the examination were asked to sit in their underwear in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district while giving their exams.
The move, as was expected, kicked off a huge storm prompting the Defence ministry into action. Sources said Defence minister Manohar Parrikar has already sought an enquiry report from Army Chief Dalbir Singh on the matter.
Besides the government, the judiciary has also not taken to this move, which the Army claimed had been taken to deter candidates from cheating. The Patna high court on Tuesday also sought a reply from Defence Secretary RK Mathur and posted the matter for hearing for April 5.
The incident took place on Sunday when around 1,150 candidates appeared for the exam were ordered to sit in their underwear. The step was taken to ensure that the candidates could not indulge in unfair means or cheating in the examination.
Unmoved by the criticism and ridicule that the move has evoked, the Director of Army Recruitment defended the outrageous order. "We earlier had a bad experience while conducting exams. This has been done to avoid cheating," he said.
One of the candidates appearing for the exam told The Indian Express that they were asked to remove their clothes when they reached to the ground for the exam and that it was an embarrassing but unavoidable circumstance. "We had no other option but to follow the instructions though it was odd for all the candidates," he said.
Pictures of people dangerously clinging to classroom walls and windows across school buildings in Bihar in order to help kids cheat were splashed across both national and international media last year. Nearly 300 people were arrested for cheating by using unfair means in matriculation examinations.
Even Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar admitted that reports of cheating where visuals of people climbing the three to four-storied school buildings made embarrassing headlines. The latest development from the state does not bode any better either.
Latest India News
Follow us on ishrat jahan case cbi director anil sinha keeps mum on david headley s revelation
New Delhi: CBI Director Anil Sinha today refused to be drawn into the issue of American-Pakistani terrorist David Headley's recent testimony in 26/11 case that Ishrat Jahan was an LeT terrorist, saying the matter is subjudice. He noted that the agency has already submitted the chargesheet in the alleged fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan. The matter is sub-judice.
We have already submitted charge sheet in the case. Hence I would not like to comment anything on this, Sinha, who was in Mumbai for inauguration of the new CBI office in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), said.
He was asked by media persons if the revelation made by Headley before a special court here last month that Ishrat Jahan was an operative of banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) would have any impact on the case.
Headley revealed this while deposing before a special court here, which is conducting trial against alleged LeT operative Abu Jundal in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case. Headley told the court that LeT leader Zaki-ur-Rehman had told him about Muzammil Butt's botched up operation in India. It was some shootout with the police.
I don't know which part in India. But there was one female who was killed in the shootout, Headley said. Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam then said, If I give you three names will you be able to point out who was the female who was killed?. To this Headley replied yes. Nikam then said, Was it Noorjahan Begum, Ishrat Jahan or Mumtaz.
Headley then said, I think it is the second one. Headley had added that Ishrat was an Indian national. Ishrat, 19, was killed along with Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai from Kerala, and two alleged Pakistanis Zeeshan Johar and Amjad Ali Rana on June 15, 2004 on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
The encounter team was led by D G Vanzara, who was then Deputy Commissioner of Police in Ahmedabad Crime Branch. The CBI, which was handed over the probe later, filed a chargesheet in 2013 against seven police officers and observed that it was a fake encounter. Currently, all the seven officers are out on bail.
Latest India News
Follow us on ishrat case was forced to file 2nd affidavit burnt with cigarettes
New Delhi: Close on the heels of former Home Secretary G K Pillai casting aspersions on the role of the then Home Minister P Chidambaram regarding his decision to file a second affidavit in the Ishrat Jahan case, another bureaucrat has now spoken up saying he was forced and tortured by senior government officials to sign the second affidavit.
In fresh revelations, the former senior bureaucrat R V S Mani, who served as Under Secretary (Internal Security) in the Union Home ministry, has claimed that he was hounded, harassed and forced to sign on an affidavit that claimed that there was no proof that Ishrat Jahan and the four other people, who were killed in an alleged fake encounter, were terrorists. This affidavit, Mani claimed in an interview to Times Now, was not written by him and neither was he aware of its contents.
Former bureaucrat RVS Mani is the man who signed the two affidavits in the Ishrat case. He has claimed that he was used as a rubber stamp by the government. His comments echo the claims of former Home Secretary G K Pillai who said last week that ex-Home Minister Chidambaram had changed the affidavit which clearly described Ishrat and her slain aides as LeT operatives.
Pillai had also claimed that as Home Minister during UPA government, Chidambaram had recalled the file a month after the original affidavit, which described Ishrat and her slain aides as LeT operatives, was filed in Supreme Court.
Chidambaram, meanwhile, has stood by the second affidavit in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, insisting it was "absolutely correct" and as the minister "I accept the responsibility". The former Finance minister expressed disappointment over former Home Secretary Pillai distancing himself from the affidavit issue despite being "equally responsible".
Mani, who signed both affidavits filed in court in the case, claimed in an interview to Times Now that though he had prepared the first affidavit based on intelligence inputs, he did not prepare the second affidavit. He was forced to sign it, he claimed.
I was asked to go and file it (affidavit), so I went and filed it. It was an order of what you say the conduct rules for us is very clear that if I am ordered something, I have to go and execute it. I cannot refuse, he said.
Mani further said in the interview that he was hounded by Satish Verma, the then head of the Special Investigating Team looking into the case, coercing him to implicate the Intelligence Bureau officials. According to Mani, he was being constantly chased by certain officials at the behest of Verma.
Satish Verma was head of the unit of SIT and he was helped by two three cronies who were all engineering evidences, Mani said.
I was coerced to file second affidavit. What Satish Verma (SIT Chief) did to me was unprecedented, On 21 June 2013, Satish Verma burnt me with cigarettes, Mani added.
Mani further claimed that false cases were registered against him and the harassment continued even after he went to different ministries. The hounding, he said, was so intense that he was forced to seek voluntary retirement.
At one point of time, I thought I won't be able to continue at this stage. The way so many cases were opened, baseless cases were opened against me. The government wanted the chargesheet to be filed, which is an elaborate process. Even to withdraw the chargesheet it takes around 8 to 10 months, he said referring to the second affidavit.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party, on the back foot over a string of controversies in the recent days, has latched on to the revelations in the Ishrat case, saying it was a deliberate ploy by the then Congress government to implicate Narendra Modi.
Enough suspicious circumstances have arisen from the statements of the Home Secretary, confirmed by the then under secretary that the decision was taken by Mr Chidambaram by bypassing them by changing the complete complexion (of the case), said Union minister Ravishankar Prasad.
There was a consistent campaign against Mr Modi that he needs to be framed, Amit Shah needs to be framed by hook or by crook. And the entire government machinery was abused. BJP demands that the government of India investigate this. We are demanding that a fair inquiry be done on the entire flip flop on the Ishrat Jahan case, he said.
Did Congress party compromise with the national security due to its hate for Modi? A quick probe should be done, Prasad said. Asked if he wanted a judicial probe, he said we are not closing that option.
The first affidavit filed by the government had said that Ishrat and her aides were LeT operatives and there was no need for a CBI probe into their killing, he said, adding that the second affidavit changed the stand, facilitating a CBI probe that led to the arrest of several Gujarat police officials.
Ishrat, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an encounter with Gujarat Police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. The city crime branch had then said that those killed in the encounters were LeT terrorists and had landed in Gujarat to kill Narendra Modi, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Latest India News
JACKSON, Mississippi -- A Moss Point native has filed a federal lawsuit against Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant seeking to eliminate the nation's last state flag with the Confederate battle emblem.
In the suit filed Monday, attorney Carlos Moore of Grenada -- a 1995 graduate of Moss Point High School -- said the flag is "state-sanctioned hate speech" that makes him and other African-Americans fear for their lives. He is asking a judge to remove the flag and declare it unconstitutional.
Republican Bryant, who recently issued a proclamation naming April as Confederate Heritage Month, has said voters should decide whether to keep the flag used since 1894.
"This is a frivolous attempt to use the federal court system to usurp the will of the people," Bryant spokesman Clay Chandler said Monday. "The governor hopes Attorney General Jim Hood will seek attorneys' fees to reimburse taxpayers the cost of defending against this needless drain on state resources."
The lawsuit was filed less than a week after Mississippi legislators killed several bills that would have either removed the Confederate emblem from the flag or withheld state money from schools and local governments that refuse to fly the current banner.
The public display of Confederate symbols has been debated since the slayings of black worshippers at a Charleston, South Carolina, church in June. The white suspect had previously posed for online photos with the rebel flag, which has a red field with a blue X dotted by 13 white stars.
Moore's lawsuit says the rebel flag "has been shown to incite racial violence and terror." It cites the South Carolina attack and two incidents in Mississippi.
In 2014 at the University of Mississippi, a noose and a former Georgia flag that prominently featured the Confederate battle emblem were draped on a statue of James Meredith, the black student who integrated the university in 1962. In November 2015, a man known for flying large Mississippi and rebel flags from his car was charged with detonating an explosive after police said he threw a homemade device into a Wal-Mart store in Tupelo, Mississippi, after the retail chain stopped selling Confederate flags. The device made a loud bang but did no damage.
"With each passing day, plaintiff and other African-American citizens are subjugated to second-class status by virtue of the official state flag bearing the confederate battle flag emblem flying high and proud on public property within the state of Mississippi. It is past time for this unconstitutional practice to end," Moore wrote, using a lowercase c for confederate.
In a statewide election in 2001, Mississippi voters decided by a 2-to-1 margin to keep the flag that has the rebel emblem. Mississippi's population is almost 38 percent black.
Mississippi Press staff writer Warren Kulo contributed to this report.
Follow us on meet hawa singh the bank guard who saved rs 137 cr from jats
Gurgaon: Setting off an inspiring example of bravery and dedication towards one's duty, a 52-year-old bank guard pulled off a heroic feat saving Rs 137 crore from being looted by protesters during the Jat agitation.
In an exemplary show of courage and bravery, former soldier Hawa Singh Yadav, who was alone guarding the State Bank Of Patiala in Jhajjar on February 21, dealt with the Jat protestors single-handedly.
When a mob armed with crude bombs tried to storm the bank and break the strong room, Yadav challenged and opened fire thrice at the hundreds of rioters itching to loot public money.
Shouting at the top of his voice from inside the bank, Yadav warned that he had 25 bullets in his rifle and would not let anyone enter the strong room.
"It was a bank holiday that day. I saw miscreants barging in and setting my bike on fire after breaking the main gate. I opened fire when they ignored my warning and tried to break the bank's shutter," Yadav told IANS.
A few crude bombs thrown at the bank exploded a gas cylinder inside, triggering a fire. The attackers left when they realised they could not enter the bank because of Yadav.
Yogesh Kumar, a soldier posted in Jammu and Kashmir and son-in-law of Yadav, said that Hawa Singh called the police control room, fire fighters and civil officials but no one came to his help. Finally, he called his family members on his mobile before falling unconscious, Kumar said.
The family rushed him to a hospital where doctors said on Tuesday that Yadav was recovering well after having inhaled smoke.
On Tuesday, union Minister of State for Defence Rao Birendra Singh visited Yadav at the hospital here in Civil Lines and praised him profusely. "Yadav saved more than Rs.137 crore in cash in the strong room and other bank lockers when a mob tried to loot the bank.
"He bravely saved the public money. We will recommend the highest civilian gallantry award for him," Singh said.
Widespread looting and arson took place during the nine days when Haryana was paralyzed by Jat protests demanding job quotas. Thirty people were killed in the violence.
Latest India News
Follow us on pathankot attack by non state actors who operate with pak support manohar parrikar
New Delhi: The terror attack on Pathankot Airbase in January was carried out by Pakistan's non-state actors who operate with support of the Pakistani establishment, government suggested in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
The complete details will come out in the NIA investigation. But in this, non-state actors from Pakistan are surely involved. This is for sure. Any non-state actors there, they cannot function smoothly without full state support, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said.
He was responding to a question by Shiv Sena member Sanjay Raut who wanted to know whether it was merely a terror attack or an armed operation carried out with the support of Pakistani army.
Replying to supplementaries, Parrikar said intelligence had been received about the possible attack indicating Pathankot Army installations as suspected targets.
Following the attack, steps are underway to ensure that vital defence installations in the country are secure.
We have now done a security audit in addition to the normal security and are in the process of ensuring that all Army installations will be properly secured, he said.
Asked if the Airbase would be shifted from Pathankot in Punjab as it is perilously close to the border, Parrikar ruled it out.
A lot of investment has been carried out in Pathankot and it will be very costly to shift the Airbase. But we have other bases which we have created, the Defence Minister said.
Other bases are strategically located within the country, much inside the border, but Pathankot is also equally important because it is closer to the enemy border, he said.
Parrikar refused to share further details of the attack, saying the NIA is already investigating the matter and investigations are on.
..Further details about the incident cannot be given till the investigation is complete, he said.
In a written reply, the Minister said government has constituted a Committee under the chairmanship of a former Vice Chief of Army Staff to inter-alia suggest measures to strengthen security of various military establishments across the country.
He said, The Committee appointed is to ensure that defence establishment security audit and any lack of security aspects and to further improve the security aspects and to give suggestions on that.
He said in his written reply that a group of terrorists attacked the Air Force base in Pathankot, Punjab, in the intervening night of January and 2, 2016 and a joint operation by the Army, Air Force and National Security Guard (NSG) was conducted to neutralise the terrorist attack.
The terrorists were confined to non-residential and non-operational area of the base. Thereby, they were successfully prevented from damaging the strategic assets of Indian Air Force, he said.
Latest India News
Follow us on sc to hear plea against chidambaram on ishrat jahan
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a plea seeking suo motu contempt action against former home minister P. Chidambaram for perjury and misleading the apex court on Ishrat Jahaan and quashing of criminal prosecution, suspension and other actions taken against Gujarat cops in the 2004 alleged fake encounter killing of Ishrat Jahan in view of recent testimony of jailed LET operative David Headley.
Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist, had told to a Mumbai court that Jahan was a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative.
Let it be listed. We will see it then, a bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice U U Lalit said when advocate M L Sharma mentioned the matter for its urgent hearing.
Mr. Sharma said that the statement of Headley is significant as it conclusively establishes the fact that Jahan was an LeT operative.
Gujarat Police personnel, including the then DIG D G Vanzara, are facing trial in a Mumbai court for their alleged role in the encounter.
The plea, which cited the recent statements before a special court recorded by Headley, who allegedly conspired with LeT in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, said the facts are now undisputed that all four persons killed by Gujarat Police, including Ishrat Jahan, were terrorists.
The judicial proceeding and statement of David Headley, who conspired with LeT in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, stated via video conference and recorded in the special court at Mumbai that four persons, including Ishrat Jahan who were killed in June 2004 by Gujarat Police, were a part of LeT terrorist organisation belonging to Pakistan and they were assigned to kill then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, it said.
Ishrat Jahan was killed by the Gujarat Police in 2005.
The PIL has sought direction that all criminal proceedings and actions taken against Gujarat Police personnel and others involved in the death of Ishrat Jahan be declared unconstitutional.
Have you filed the petition, asked the apex court bench comprising Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit petitioner advocate M.L. Sharma. Let the petition be listed in due course, the judges said.
Basing his PIL on the deposition of Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley that Ishrat Jahan was an LeT activist, Sharma also sought "proper compensation" to the Gujarat personnel who were prosecuted for her killing.
Latest India News
Follow us on f 16s needed for counter terror ops pak tells us
Washington: Pakistan said on Monday at the start of strategic talks with the United States that a contentious sale of F-16 fighter jets would strengthen country's ability to mount counter-terrorist operations and promote regional stability.
The US government this month approved the sale of the aircraft, radar and electronic warfare equipment to Pakistan in a deal worth nearly $700 million.
India opposes the sale, which has drawn criticism from some US lawmakers. Congress could block the deal, although such action is rare.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz said he appreciated the US leadership's public assessment that Pakistan uses F-16s effectively against terrorists.
Secretary of State John Kerry last week told a House committee that Pakistan's existing fleet of F-16s has been critical for its counter-terrorism fight on its western border with Afghanistan.
But Aziz urged the Obama administration to do more to bring Congress fully in the picture about the positive steps taken by Pakistan to further our mutual interests and the very significant change in ground realities that has taken place in the past two-and-a-half years,".
Kerry did not mention the F-16s sale in his remarks on Monday, but he commended Pakistan's counter terrorism operations, including in North Waziristan, a tribal area where militants have launched cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.
Kerry welcomed Pakistan's commitment to not differentiate among terrorist groups.
He said groups like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba seek to undermine Pakistan's relations with its neighbors.
Kerry also said they would also discuss Pakistan's obligations of being a responsible state with nuclear weapons,.
Kerry noted that the US and Russia had succeeded in reducing their nuclear stockpiles. We are moving in the other direction, and I think it's important for Pakistan to really process that reality and put that front and center in its policy, Kerry said.
He looked forward to Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif being among world leaders attending a nuclear security summit to be hosted by President Barack Obama in Washington at the end of March.
Latest World News
Follow us on osama s fourth wife had tracking device in her teeth claim declassified documents
Washington: Almost six years after the death of the world's most wanted terrorist and the founder of al-Qaeda Osama Bin Laden, documents declassified have revealed that his fourth wife had a tracking chip in her tooth. The revelation comes as part of a set of documents declassified by the US Intelligence agencies.
According to the documents, Laden wrote in a letter in worrying words to his wife living in Iran and warned her to remove tracking device from her teeth before she visited him in case Iranian inserted a tracking device. The size of the chip was almost equal to the length of a grain of wheat and the width of a fine piece of vermicelli, read the revealed documents.
The documents also contain a collection of Osama's letters, books and video games found in his compound offering new insights into the thinking of the world's most wanted man.
In a letter written in 2010, he wrote, "Here we are in the tenth year of the war, and America and its allies are still chasing a mirage, lost at sea without a beach."
"America appears to be hanging on by a thin thread," he wrote. "We need to be patient a bit longer. With patience, there is victory!"
The terrorist who had a $27 million bounty on his head also wrote to his father in 2008. "If I am to be killed pray for me a lot and give continuous charities in my name, as I will be in great need for support to reach the permanent home," he said.
The documents declassified from his hideout indicates that Osama was single minded. His focus was to kill and fight with American people and their representatives.
Bin Laden's letter recovered from his hideout in his own hand-writing reveal a network run like a business with an online job application asking for spying qualities following questions like:
- Any hobbies or pastimes?
- Do you know any workers or experts in Chemistry, communications or any other fields?
- Do you wish to execute a suicide operation?
- Who should be contact in case you become a martyr?
The letter ended with this instruction: "Please destroy this letter after reading it."
Latest World News
Follow us on nawaz sharif narendra modi may meet in washington later this month sartaj aziz
Washington: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Washington later this month on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit, a top aide to Pakistan Premier said on Tuesday.
"There are chances of meeting between the two (prime ministers)," Sartaj Aziz, the Foreign Affairs Advisor to Sharif, told PTI.
"There are possibilities, when they are here (in Washington DC). They would interact with each other. Whether there would be a structured meeting I do not know. Depends on...Chances are there (for a meeting)," Aziz said.
The top Pakistani diplomat is in Washington to attend the sixth US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue which he co-chaired with Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday.
Aziz said Sharif would be travelling to Washington to attend the Nuclear Security Summit at the invitation of US President Barack Obama.
Modi too has been invited to the Summit on 31 March and 1 April.
No official announcement has been made yet.
Responding to a question on the status of India-Pak relationship after Modi came to power in May 2014, Aziz said in the first year the situation was "not good".
"But the last two months are better," Aziz said.
Ahead of the Modi-Sharif meeting, Aziz said there is likelihood of a meeting between the foreign secretaries of the two countries.
The timing of which has not been decided yet, he noted.
"We do not know (when foreign secretaries would meet). He (Indian Foreign Secretary) has to come to Islamabad first. We are hoping that now," Aziz said after the breakfast meeting with Defence Writers Group in Washington.
Latest World News
Follow us on us asks pakistan to reduce its nuclear arsenal
Washington: Ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit, the US has asked Pakistan to reduce its nuclear weapons arsenal as a responsible nuclear power, while Islamabad has sought greater US understanding of its security concern.
"It's important for Pakistan to really process that reality and put that front and centre in its policy," Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday, noting that the US and Russia were seeking to further reduce their nuclear warheads.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue here, Pakistan Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz, however, sought greater US understanding of Pakistan's security concern and its desire to contribute actively to non-proliferation.
"Our engagement on non-proliferation and strategic stability will continue, and Pakistan hopes to see greater US understanding of Pakistan's security concerns and its desire to contribute actively," Aziz said.
As a mainstream nuclear power, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is looking forward to attending the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on March 31, he said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to attend the summit.
Earlier, welcoming Aziz, Kerry said: "Non-proliferation, nuclear safety is of obvious concern to both our countries, and I expect that we will continue to discuss the obligations of being a responsible state with nuclear weapons in the coming year."
He noted that once both the US and the then Soviet Union had 50,000 warheads pointing at each other, but today, Russia and the US are operating under a treaty that has about 1,500 or so nuclear warheads.
"And we are seeking to reduce that. So we're moving in the other direction," he said. "And I think it's important for Pakistan to really process that reality and put that front and centre in its policy."
Latest World News
Follow us on bjp mp babu lal defends controversial remarks against muslim community
New Delhi: BJP MP from Fatehpur Sikri Babu Lal,who was present with Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD) Ram Shankar Katheria as he made inflammatory statements against Muslims in Agra, defended later's comment saying that the Hindus would not keep quiet against atrocities committed on them.
On sunday, speaking at a prayer meeting organised for a slain VHP worker Arun Mahaur, who was killed last week allegedly by some Muslim youths., Babulal urged an open fight with Muslims, and said: Don't try to test us We will not tolerate insults to the community. We do not want unrest at any cost, but if you want to test Hindus, then let's decide a date and take on Muslims.
When Hindus are being murdered in front of everyone, what else can be done? The entire Hindu community will unite to fight such things. If we can't take revenge against these people then should we worship them?, said Babu Lal.
We have to make ourselves powerful. We have to launch a struggle. If we don't begin a struggle, then today we have lost an Arun, tomorrow we will lose another. Doosra jane se pehle, yeh hatyare hi chale jayen is prakar ki taqat humen dikhani hogi (Before another is lost, we must show such strength that these killers themselves disappear), said Katheria.
Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., confers with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., before a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, where he told reporters that anyone who wants to be the Republican presidential nominee must reject any racist group or individual. Ryan made the tacit swipe at GOP front runner Donald Trump saying "this party does not prey on people's prejudices." Trump is showing weariness with repeated questions about when, and whether, he has disavowed any connection with David Duke, a onetime Ku Klux Klan leader.
(J. Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The two top Republican leaders in Congress denounced Donald Trump on Tuesday for his slow-moving disavowal of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted Trump's "seeming ambivalence about David Duke and the KKK" as Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., warned that anyone who wants the Republican presidential nomination must reject racism.
The rebuke of Trump came as GOP voters went to the polls in 11 states in a "Super Tuesday" of balloting that many Republicans fear could give the combative and controversial New Yorker unstoppable momentum toward claiming the GOP presidential nod.
"This party does not prey on people's prejudices. We appeal to their highest ideals. This is the Party of Lincoln," Ryan told reporters as voters in 11 states holding GOP contests headed to the polls on Super Tuesday.
At the same time, Ryan reiterated that he will support the eventual GOP presidential nominee.
Never mentioning Trump's name, Ryan and McConnell were clearly referring to the billionaire businessman's appearance Sunday on CNN when he declined to disavow the support of Duke and other white supremacists.
"Let me make it perfectly clear: Senate Republicans condemn David Duke, the KKK, and his racism," McConnell said.
Duke served as a Republican in the Louisiana state legislature in the early 1990s.
"When I see something that runs counter to who we are as a party and a country I will speak up. So today I want to be very clear about something: If a person wants to be the nominee of the Republican Party there can be no evasion and no games. They must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry," Ryan said.
Last year, Ryan and McConnell disavowed Trump's plan to block Muslims from entering the U.S. Otherwise, they've tried to stay clear of commenting on the race.
Trump subsequently disavowed Duke, blaming his interview performance Sunday on a bad earpiece.
His two top rivals -- Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas -- criticized Trump and said the GOP must condemn white supremacists.
But House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi argued that "Trump's radical agenda" reflects the House Republican conference. Pelosi said that while some in the GOP are distancing themselves from Trump, Republicans refused to remove the Confederate flag from the Capitol grounds and have blocked renewal of the Voting Rights Act.
"The reality is, Donald Trump is just being more candid about the agenda of discrimination House Republicans have been advancing for years," Pelosi said in a statement.
Top Senate Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada noted that both GOP leaders say they expect to support the eventual nominee.
"Republicans say they they'll support a man who refuses to denounce the KKK so until they withdraw their support, talk is really cheap," Reid said.
On Tuesday, USA Today reported that a group of about 30 African-American students from Valdosta State University were kicked out of a Trump rally by law enforcement officials.
"The only reason we were given was that Mr. Trump did not want us there," 22-year-old senior Brooke Gladney told the newspaper. The campaign denied any role in their ouster from the event.
Ryan, the GOP's 2012 vice presidential nominee, bemoaned the current discourse in the GOP and said it was time to get back to focusing on how Republicans would solve the nation's problems.
"We believe all people are created in the eyes of God and our government. This is fundamental. And if someone wants to be our nominee they must understand this," said the Wisconsin congressman.
He said he has tried to avoid commenting on the presidential race but felt a need to speak up.
"I try to stay out of the day-to-day ups and downs of the primary," Ryan said. "But I've said when I see something that runs counter to who we are as a party and a country I will speak up."
Many Washington Republicans are increasingly open about their dismay at the prospect of Trump winning the GOP nomination. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., an advocate of updating U.S. immigration law, said the prospect of voting for Trump is "not a pleasant thought at all .... I'm still holding out hope we don't have that choice."
Last month, Trump took a swipe at Ryan, saying the GOP lost the White House in 2012 because the vice presidential candidate was synonymous with a budget that targeted Social Security. That, according to Trump, cost Republicans with seniors.
Ryan rejected that argument on Tuesday, saying he and Mitt Romney won the senior vote by 12 percentage points, "the best performance a Republican ticket has had since 1984 when Ronald Reagan had a landslide election."
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You can be assured of another great program and line up of speakers, exhibition of the latest technologies, and more opportunities to network with operators, suppliers and service providers from all over Sumatra.
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The presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari has never promised to pay N5,000 monthly stipend to the unemployed graduates in the country. However, about 500,000 graduates who would be integrated into the teaching system as promised, would be paid N5,000 token while on training.
It also stated that there was a provision of half a trillion Naira in the 2016 budget to execute six social safety net programmes. According to the presidency, one of the programmes was a conditional cash transfer where the federal government would pay N5,000 monthly to the vulnerable and extremely poor Nigerians.
The budget for 2016 which has been submitted to the National Assembly has made an allocation of half a trillion naira, the first time in the history of this countrys budget where you have that huge chunk of money allocated for social investment. There are six social safety net programmes. One of them is the conditional cash transfer where government is going to pay N5, 000 monthly to the vulnerable and extremely poor Nigerians. That promise stands, the media aide to the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande told State House Correspondents in Abuja on Monday.
The President never promised to pay unemployed graduates N5, 000; the President never made that promise and the government never made that claim that it will pay N5, 000 to unemployed graduates. The programme for unemployed graduates is the direct creation of half a million teaching jobs so that they will be trained; 500, 000 unemployed graduates will be trained to teach and they will be deployed to teach, while they are looking for their career paths or jobs. That still stands!
In addition to that, there is also a scheme to train 370, 000 non-graduate youth for skill acquisition and vocational training. During the time of that training, they will also be paid.
So the President did not say that he would be giving unemployed graduates N5, 000. The N5, 000 monthly stipends which is already in the budget is for the vulnerable Nigerians and the extremely poor. Once the budget is okay , one million extremely poor Nigerians will receive N5, 000 monthly, Akande stated.
The Judicial Commission of Enquiry set up by the Kwara State Government to investigate the communal crisis between Share and Tsaragi communities has submitted its report to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.
According to the Chairman of the commission, Justice Sulyman Akanbi, the commission received 23 memoranda from witnesses while the two communities also appeared with their legal representatives.
He urged the government to fully implement the four volume report in order to permanently bring an end to the constant clashes between the two communities.
Governor Ahmed, while receiving the report, promised to implement the recommendations for lasting peace in the area.
The crisis, which broke out in December 2015 over a parcel of land, led to the destruction of houses, schools and other valuables.
The 14-year-old Ese Oruru who was abducted and forced into marriage, has been rescued from her abductor.
The teenager was rescued following a directive by the Inspector General of Police to the Commissioner of Police, Kano State, Mohammed Katsina to liase with the States Emirate Council and relevant persons to ensure Ese was freed.
Confirming the rescue in a telephone chat on Monday, Force Public relations Officer, ACP Olabisi Kolawole disclosed that the Inspector General of Police has directed that Ese Oruru be giving protection adding that she will be flown to Abuja tomorrow (Tuesday) to be re-united with her family. Already, it was gathered that the IGP has made arrangements to move the family to Abuja to re-unite with their daughter.
Ese Oruru was allegedly abducted from Bayelsa state and was forcefully married by a man in Kano.
Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II had ordered the immediate release of the 14-year-old teenager. He also asked the state sharia commission to liaise with office of the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of police, zone 1 to commence the process of returning girl who was abducted by Yunusa of Kura local government area of Kano state.
According to Vanguard, the emir of Kano, in his first official response since the abduction of the youngster was made public, distanced himself, Kano emirate council from the purported abduction by her suspected lover.
The young lady was allegedly abducted in Opolo, Yenagoa local government area of Bayelsa state, by Yunusa in August, 2015.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has stated that Nigerias economic challenges could be addressed if the people of the country would embrace science and technology.
In a face of global economic crisis in the price of crude oil, we should diversify our mono economy by embracing knowledge and emphasise technology as an important instrument for national development, Onu said while delivering the 2015 convocation lecture, yesterday, at the University of Lagos.
Positioning Nigeria as the Technology Hub of Africa, he said that embracing technology as a nation will arm us with the necessary tool to address our economic crisis. He maintained that if Nigeria must get out of its present economic challenges, we must diversify our economy through science and technology offer. According to him, science and technology will reduce poverty, protect our environment, create jobs, check insecurity, recreate the middle class and restore honour and accountability in the conduct of government business.
The Minister lamented that Nigeria has never paid sufficient attention to science and technology, noting that pupils and students run away from the study of Mathematics and science in our primary and secondary schools. Many parents discourage their children from pursuing a career in science, engineering and technology, he said.
Very little attention is paid to the innovation going on in the informal sector of the economy, as the infrastructure needed to harness the creativity of our people in the informal sector is lacking.
Even the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology which should coordinate science and technology activities in the country was in the past treated as if the nation did not know what to do with it.
No nation that has made sustainable progress has been able to do so without emphasising science and technology. Such emphasis sustained over a long period of time has always helped quicken the pace of economic growth and development, Onu said.
Air strikes in Yemen have killed 40 people in a market northeast of the capital Sanaa, residents say. Saturdays air strikes in the Nehm district in Sanaa province wounded 30 others, they told Reuters news agency, adding that most of the casualties were civilians. The attack hit Khulaqa market, which is known for selling qat, a mild narcotic that is chewed throughout Yemen, witnesses said.
Residents said the strikes were carried out by the Arab coalition, a force assembled by Saudi Arabia. The Arab coalition has yet to comment on the report. The coalition is battling the Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in a bid to restore the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Coalition-backed loyalists have been advancing in Nehm against the rebels as they try to close in on Sanaa.
The UN says nearly 6,000 people have been killed in the fighting, which began after the Houthis advanced on the southern port city of Aden, where Hadi had been based. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
The coalition launched in late March 2015 an air campaign against the rebels. Saudi Arabia sees the Houthis as a proxy for Iran, its main regional adversary. The Houthis and Saleh accuse the coalition of launching a war of aggression. Rights groups have repeatedly urged the coalition to avoid causing civilian casualties.
Aljazeera.
Cheating devastates relationships and shatters dreams. If you have entertained the idea of cheating on your spouse or significant other, let this serve as your official warning. Your handsome boss, cute office secretary or sultry neighbor down the street comes with a price tag that you cannot afford. Before you cheat here are 14 things you really need to know.
1. You will become a liar
Its bad enough to bear the title of Cheater, but if you cheat, you will also wear the hat of Liar. Cheating cannot occur without deceit on some level and normally the white lies in the beginning become full-fledged lies at the end. Im working late at the office tonight may be a half-truth but youll need to redefine the word working to silence your compromised conscience. Cheating and lying go hand in hand. (For more about the lies that cheaters tell, click here.)
2. You will get caught
It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. But eventually, your affair will come to light. Your world will come crashing down on you. If you are fortunate, the story of your indiscretion may avoid the evening news or the front page of your local paper, but your circle of friends will know your deeds. And everyone likes to share juicy news. Your poor decision will become as public as a billboard. Its not a matter of if but when. As Pastor Rick Warren tweeted recently, If the Director of the CIA cant hide and cover up an affair, no one can. As the Chinese proverb goes, If you dont want anyone to know it, dont do it.
3. You will disappoint everyone
Everyone. Your spouse. Your friends. Your co-workers. Your God. Your parents. Your nephew. Your children. Yourself. The disappointment you cause will be like the stench of skunks and it will take a long time to remove the smell.
4. You will be a bad example
Everyone is either a good example or a bad example in all things that we do. Cheating is not only a very bad example in relationships but brings with it a cloud of doubt that hovers over you in other areas of your life. If you cheated in one area, would you cheat in another? Cheating communicates to everyone that you took the easy road. It tells others that you were willing to cut corners in your most primary relationship. It reveals that you were not willing to do the hard work and get the help you needed. No one ever admires a cheater. No one looks up to an adulterer. Even if you did a lifetime of good, this one bad deed can erase it all.
5. You will lose your moral authority
Its hard to tell your children (or others) to do the right thing when they know you didnt. Saying Do as I say, not as I do is the fastest way to lose the respect of others. Not only will you lose their respect, youll lose yours. Every moral judgment you make in the future will be weighed against your adulterous action of the past. It doesnt mean you cant speak the truth in the future, it just means that few will listen to you.
6. You will create trust issues for your spouse
Forever. You will single-handedly damage the precious self-esteem of the one you promised to love. Every relationship they have after you will be one that they struggle to trust. If that were not enough, you will rock the world of children and cause them to question the stability of every meaningful relationship they have. For children, their parents relationship is their anchor and cheating cuts the line.
7. You will lose your standard of living
Depending on what you do for a living, you may lose your job. Many lose their home. Most end up with enormous court fees since cheating is usually the precursor to divorce. Betrayed spouses have a way of making you pay and that payment is always expensive. Every check you write is a constant reminder of your foolishness.
8. You will spend years trying to rebuild your life
Literally years. Even if you somehow weathered the storm financially, you will find it takes years for you to recover emotionally. It takes years for you to restore certain friendships, if you even do. It takes years for you to rebuild your character. It takes years to rebuild trust. It takes years to truly forgive yourself.
9. You will lose relationships
You will lose a LOT of relationships. Lifelong friends will walk away. Close friends that you have helped countless times will not be around to help you. Even some family members who are supposed to love you no matter what will vanish. A cheater can end up living a very lonely life. Its hard for many people who used to call you friend to get past that skunk smell of disappointment.
10. You will increase your chances of getting an STD
Sexually transmitted diseases run rampant among promiscuous people. But your paramour is clean, right? After all, they told you so. And if there is one thing we all know we can trust a cheater and their word. As the saying goes, There is honor among thieves. One helpful thought may be to assume that everyone but your spouse has an STD. That should curb your appetite for destruction.
11. The grass is not greener on the other side
The grass is greener idea is a common misconception. Because we have never been on that grass, we assume it must be better than where we currently stand. Its not. In fact, though it may look greener from a distance once you get there and make yourself comfortable, something interesting happens the grass changes color. This usually happens soon after you get caught. You will then see that patch of land differently. You will also have a strange desire for the green grass you left except now it is burned and wont let you back. The best way to enjoy green grass is to water your own yard.
12. Would you want this done to you?
Thieves like to steal wallets but hate when its done to them. If we all lived by the Golden Rule (Treat others the way you want to be treated.) most of lifes problems would be solved overnight. Think about this action as if it were being done to you. The problem is that it requires thought and thinking is often the last thing a cheater has on his/her mind.
13. You will eventually regret this decision
In the heat of the moment, cheating appears to make sense. It feels good and sometimes even feels right. Feelings are deceitful. Soon afterward, your eyes will be opened and you will regret that you ever partook of the forbidden fruit. Dont we all have enough regrets in our lives? Why add another one particularly one that can only destroy everything you have worked so hard to build? Your home may not be perfect but it sure beats living in a tent.
14. The pain outweighs the gain
No one ever says from their deathbed, I wish I would have had an affair. No one ever leaves their lawyers office with a smile on their face grateful for the experience. No one loses dear friends and is glad they have one less Christmas card to receive this year. The loss is immeasurable. The pain can be unbearable. Entire kingdoms can be lost for a few minutes of pleasure. It is just not worth it.
For those Nigerians who were raised by their grandparents or had the opportunity to spend vacation with them, this piece would serve as a beautiful reminder of some of the things they might have forgotten about their grandmothers. However, for those people who didnt get a chance to meet either of their grandmothers, well this piece by INFORMATION NIGERIA would give you a clear picture of how a Nigerian grandmother is
Repetition: A Nigerian grandmother is the queen of repetition. She can tell you one thing until you start reciting it from your subconscious. Nigerian grandmas would totally flip, if you go against that which they had instructed you to do after having literally said it hundreds of times. And when you make a mistake, she is going to keep taunting you with it. You are only free from being constantly reminded of what you did 3days ago, only when you commit a new offence to replace the old one.
Old Nurse: A Nigerian grandmother is an average hospital matron. She knows everything about newborn babies and could sometimes fault hospital practises when it comes to taking care of newborns.
Best cook: Almost all Nigerian grandmothers are excellent cooks. The mysterious part is, they do not indulge in modern seasoning as such yet the food tastes awesome.
Peacemaker: A Nigerian grandmother could leave her house and walk a couple of blocks or even the whole street just to settle a quarrel. A true Nigerian grandmother sees herself as an umpire She enjoys making peace.
Greetings: Nigerian grandmothers can greet the known and the unknown. Walking with them on the street will take double the time only you would because she would make sure she greets everyone she possibly can as she passes. Mind you, these are not the hello/hi kind of greetings. They are like inquiry or public hearing.
Encyclopedia: It is not rare to see people troop into the house of a Nigerian grandmother to seek counsel on life issues. She knows exactly what to say about any situation she is called upon for.
Worry much: A Nigerian grandmother could win a Nobel price for worrying and blowing things out of proportion. Anyone who wants to be held responsible for their grandmothers death should just go ahead and break a news to her without caution and see how agitated shell get in a blink.
What do you remember about your grandma???
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L to R: (sitting) Myya Robinson (Gulf Coast Parent Coach), Gail Smith (President of Moss Point Chapter of Parents for Public Schools). Standing: Clifton Magee (Moss Point School Board President), Jimmy Rodgers, Melton Harris Jr. (Jackson County Board of Supervisors President), Jaleasa Walden, Marcia Webb, Kim Gonzalez (Treasurer of Moss Point Chapter of Parents for Public Schools), Dr. Maggie Griffin, Karen Logan, and Aniece Liddell attend Parents for Public Schools Inception in Moss Point.
MOSS POINT, Mississippi-- The Moss Point chapter of Parents for Public Schools was officially chartered on Monday afternoon. With its inception, the total number of chapter in the state rose to five as Moss Point joins already-existing chapters in Starkville, Philadelphia, Greenwood/Leflore County and Jackson, the initial chapter in Mississippi.
Parents for Public Schools is a national non-profit organization of community-based chapters working with public school parents and other supporters to improve and strengthen local public schools. Founded in Jackson in 1989, there are 17 PPS chapters in 12 states. Moss Point is the first on the Mississippi coast.
Monday's press conference/meeting to announce the new chapter, attended by about 30 people, began with Myya Robinson giving a brief history of PPS and then spoke about some of the issues the Moss Point chapter of PPS will cover.
"We hold leadership training where we focus specifically on education," said Robinson, who also works as a freelance correspondent for The Mississippi Press. "We also cover how school boards run and function, as well as state and local boards.
"Testing and data are also main keys we like to focus on so when parents come out of these meetings, they are refreshed and ready to advocate not just for their children, but for all children-- and these are things we are proud of."
Joann Mickens, Director of Chapter Services and Jane Beach, Clearinghouse Director, spoke about the mission and goals for the Moss Point PPS chapter.
"The mission of our organization is to educate, engage, and mobilize our parents," Mickens said. "We believe the parents are the third leg of the stool responsible for educating our children. There is the home, the community, and then there are the parents. Parents are essential because we provide the raw materials.
"If there are no parents, if there are no kids, then there is no school. PPS is an advocacy organization built to improve schools and make them the best they can possibly be for our children."
Mickens and Beach took the opportunity to visit neighboring schools in the area and sung their praises as they talked about how great the faculty and staff were at each of the local elementary, middle, and high schools.
Both Mickens and Beach also discussed the protocol Robinson and the local members of the community took to bring PPS to Moss Point.
"Part of the application process for PPS is to outline what the major issues are in their community and how PPS can help. Then, they prioritize them into short and long-term goals, which we will be discussing tonight in our training," Beach said.
"The board then comes up with an actual action plan, which we will roll out on April 2 at the literacy event where the chapter will bring one of its goals to the attention of the community," Mickens said.
With the negativity that seems to cloud Moss Point schools, one of the chapter's goals is to bring some positivity to dispel some negative notions.
"One of the goals we have discussed is to inform the community about the good things that is going on in Moss Point," Beach said. "Evidently, there is a lot of negativity as far as test scores are concerned, but we have been very impressed with the teachers, superintendent, and facilities we were in today, so the chapter would like to promote the good that is going on.
"The amount of people who attended the press conference today shows there is obviously a lot of community support and they would like for more of the positive to be displayed."
Miss Ese Oruru, the teenager, who was allegedly abducted from her Bayelsa home and moved to Kano for a forced marriage to one Yunusa Yellow, is en route the Louis Edet House Police Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Miss Oruru was reportedly abducted by her lover from her Bayelsa home, who took her to Kano for underage marriage.
Speaking to a PREMIUM TIMES reporter, the spokesperson for the Zone 1 Police Command, Rabilu Ringim, disclosed that Miss Oruru left Kano for Abuja by road at 6AM Tuesday under heavy security.
Others accompanying the teenager to Abuja, where she would be reunited with her parents, according to Ringim, are an Assistant Commissioner of Police and other top ranking officers.
They are on their way already, and the parents are expected in Abuja today where they would be reunited, Mr. Ringim said. She is being taken to Abuja based on the express instruction of the IG.
He also said Miss Oruru was taken thorough medical check late Monday night ahead of her journey back home early on Tuesday.
The Benue State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has alleged that the recent killings in Agatu Local Government Area of the state was retribution for the victory of its candidate in the recently held Benue South senatorial district re-run election, David Mark.
The party made the allegation on Monday when a delegation led by its chairman, Agbo Emmanuel, visited the National Chairman of PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff, at the national secretariat of the opposition party in Abuja.
Mr. Emmanuel said the delegation was at the party headquarters to brief Mr. Sheriff on the state of PDP in Benue state.
Mr. Emmanuel stated that the state chapter of the party was doing well as demonstrated by the Mr. Marks victory in the rerun elections.
He, however, said that the party faced serious challenge following the victory of Mark in the last re-run.
Several members of our party were beaten, severely injured and maimed while also having their properties worth millions of naira destroyed.
It is noteworthy that in spite of these acts of brigandage, the people of Benue South stood their ground and voted massively to elect Senator David Mark as their Senator.
He added that the All Progressives Congress, APC, had refused to accept defeat.
Benue had also witnessed massive attacks on several communities in Agatu Local Government Area. This resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives and property worth billions of naira.
We have reason to believe that this recent attack on the Agatu people was punishment for their resolve to vote overwhelmingly for Sen. Mark.
He called on Mr. Sheriff to use his good offices to call attention of the Federal Government and the international community to the plight of people of the Benue South Senatorial District.
In his response, Mr. Sheriff said the party is putting its house in order to achieve victory in future elections.
He said by the time the party reconciled with its aggrieved members, it would make the desire attainable.
Winning rerun election at this time in Benue state is very important to us in PDP because we always say that Benue State is for PDP.
It is our in-house problem that created what made us to lose election and we are putting our house in order.
I have promised to talk with everybody to come back to enable us to rebuild the party so that we can work as a team, he said.
The chairman also commended the leadership and members of the party in Benue over the re-election of Mark, who has made history by contesting election into the Senate six times, and winning for the same number of times.
The victory of Mark is a clear demonstration that Benue is for PDP.
He also commended them for not taking the laws into their hands on the ongoing attack in some parts of the state.
Sheriff promised to present their matter to the Inspector General of Police and other security agencies for appropriate action.
As a party, we will be law-abiding but our rights should not be taken for granted; for us leaders here, we will follow it up to make sure that none of our members are intimidated for nothing.
The Nigerian Army yesterday paraded a man in Bauchi believed to be a Boko Haram spy, who provided surveillance that aided the terrorist sects 2011 Christmas Day bombing of the St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State.
The blast left 44 worshippers dead and 75 others injured.
According to the army, the suspect, whose names was given as Victor Moses and believed to be an indigene of Benue State, was arrested in Alkaleri town of Bauchi State near a mosque, claiming he wanted to convert to Islam.
Moses was arrested with three other suspects Abubakar Shetima Bama, Salisu Mohammed Bello and Umar Madaki.
They were paraded before the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, at the 33 Artillery Brigade, Shadawanka Barracks in Bauchi.
The Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Abraham Luka Dusu, said the suspects were arrested on a tip-off.
Our troops on duty in Alkaleri arrested Victor Moses after receiving a report from people in the area that the suspect had been loitering around the mosque claiming he was a Christian and wanted to convert to Islam but because he is not from the area, they suspected him and reported to our men.
Victor Moses confessed to conducting surveillance for Boko Haram when in a shop belonging to Abubakar Shetima Bama in Jos while Salisu Mohammed Bello and Umar Madaki are based in Gombe, he said.
Mr. Dosu said after investigation, the suspects would be handed over to the Joint Intelligent Centre in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has explained the role of his office in the controversial payment of N50 billion by MTN Nigeria to the Federal Government.
The telecommunications giant had made the down payment last week as a sign of good faith towards the settlement of the N780 billion fine imposed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.
The telecoms regulatory agency had imposed the fine on MTN in October last year for its failure to deactivate 5.1 million unregistered Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards as directed by the authorities, thereby contravening the provisions of the regulation on SIM card registration.
The minister, who made the clarification in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES in Abuja on Monday, said contrary to any misgivings, his office did not take any illegal decision.
The matter is what the office of Attorney-General, as the chief law officer of the federation, is constitutionally vested with the powers to do, as the matter is pending in court, Mr. Malami said.
We have not even gotten to the point of negotiation, talk less of entertaining any request for consideration or not.
Its too early in the day for anyone to raise concerns that it is not carried along, because there isnt any engagement with anyone, as the point of that engagement is still being considered.
The minister, who made the clarification in response to separate claims by the NCC and Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu that they were not involved in the negotiation that led to the N50 billion down payment by MTN Nigeria, stressed that there was no cause for concern about any agency being left behind in the discussions with the telecoms firm, as no concrete terms had been negotiated or agreed upon.
According to Malami, The position of things is that MTN, through their foreign solicitors, made specific overtures to the office of Attorney General of the Federation seeking audience to discuss things that bordered on the pending case in court.
The reaction of the office of Attorney-General was that the Federal Government was not open for any negotiation, not even an audience, until certain good faith gestures were demonstrated.
That is how the N50 billion good faith payment came about, and the terms of audience in court in respect of the discontinuance or withdrawal of the pending case in court, he explained. These were terms they agreed upon, and if they do so, then the possibility of an audience would be granted.
Mr. Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said eventually when MTN agreed to discontinue with its case in court and made the good faith payment in return for an audience, it was made clear that it was not in any way intended to create any obligation on the part of NCC, Federal Government or the office of Attorney General concerning the fine.
The N50 billion payment was just a demonstration of good faith if they (MTN) wanted to engage in a discussion with government. Despite the withdrawal of the case in court, it was still agreed that there was no formal audience until they commit whatever request they had into writing for consideration, the Attorney-General noted.
He said MTN had since made a formal presentation by writing conveying what they wanted to discuss when the audience would eventually be granted, pointing out that the formal request was without an opportunity for MTN to discuss or negotiate anything.
The request in writing has been circulated to all stakeholders, namely NCC, ministries of Communications and Finance. Their comments and technical inputs would be required to determine whether there is any room for further negotiation or deliberation on those terms. Even if they were to be given audience, what should they expect, the minister said.
On whether the N50 billion would be considered as part of the fine to be paid by MTN, Mr. Malami said it was only equitable or logical, whether there is agreement or not, for the N50 billion to be factored into whatever final payment is made as penalty at the end of negotiation.
The Plateau State chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari on recorded successes in the fight against insurgency and called on all Christians to support his efforts with prayers.
The Plateau CAN Chairman, Soja Bewarang, who gave the commendation when he visited some internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the Zang Commercial Secondary School in Bukuru, Jos, on Monday, said the success against insurgency, if sustained, will encourage all the displaced persons to return to their homes.
Bewarang, however, said the federal government must not rely on guns to win the war but find ways of de-radicalising and educating the insurgents against violence.
The CAN chairman, who sympathised with the Muslim Ummah in Plateau State over the recent fire outbreak at the Jos Central Mosque, prayed that God would provide the funds to rebuilt the burnt sections.
An Abuja High Court has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Nigerian Army to release former Aide-de-Camp to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe, on liberal terms.
Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court ordered that the former ADC be released pending his arraignment before a competent court.
Justice Halilu held that Adegbes continued detention is unconstitutional as it violates his right to personal liberty as guaranteed in Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution.
It would be recalled that Col. Adegbe was detained after he appeared at the instance of the Army, who are probing the activities of the last administration as it relates to the alleged diversion of funds for arms purchase through the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State on Monday urged Nigerians to remain calm and not challenge President Muhammadu Buhari over his recent comment that he would not pay N5,000 to unemployed youths in the country for doing nothing.
Mr. Al-Makura said the president reserves the right to change his mid or review the promise based on current realities in the country.
Mr. Buhari had at the weekend in Saudi Arabia declared that he had different priority as far as the N5,000 monthly stipend was concerned, saying he would rather channel resources into the building of infrastructure, education, agriculture and mining to create employment opportunities for able bodied young men.
Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Nasarawa governor said: The president is the person that can tell you precisely how he is working on promises and interventions that he has created by his ingenuity. And if at any point in time the president is reviewing that issue, I think he is the only person to do that because what he is doing is in the best interest of the country. And so, it is not challengeable by anybody whatever his position.
Al-Makura also disclosed that he discussed with the vice-president the incessant violent clashes between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Nasarawa, which spilled over to neighboring Benue State.
Attacks by the herdsmen on Agatu communities in Benue state last week had left hundreds dead and several building and farmlands destroyed.
Gov. Al-Makura said he was liaising with the Benue State Government to end the clashes and that Mr. Osinbajo was quite understanding and cooperative as he promised federal governments quick intervention.
He said: Secondly, I have also discussed with Mr. Vice President about the security situation in my state and what effort we are making to bring everything to sanity.
Also, I am making effort with my colleague the governor of Benue state in having a joint effort to see what we can do to ensure that these long standing communal clashes between Fulanis and farmers and Agatus in Nasarawa and Agatus in Benue to see that we find a lasting solution to it.
He also lamented that since 1978 when the state was connected to the national grid with 33KVA transmission lines, no improvement had been made despite growing population and energy needs in the state.
According to him, he discussed with Vice President Osinbajo the need to connect the state with 330KVA transmission lines.
He said: Basically, I spoke with the Vice President about the issues of power and energy in my state. And as you must have known, Nasarawa State being very close to the federal capital territory, and I raised a lot of demands for power and energy for domestic and industrial purposes. And given the sophistication of this area in terms of different kinds of activities.
And ironically, the state which was first connected to power in 1978, is still within 33KV which is not even enough for the state capital not to talk about other local government councils.
So, I have come specifically to request and plead with Mr. Vice President and the chairman of NIPP about the impending power initiative in the country to consider Nasarawa State as one of the states that will benefit from the 330KV which is the robust infrastructure for power that comes all the way from Enugu to Benue and to Plateau States. It just passed beside the Government House but Nasarawa State has not been able to benefit.
I have been on this struggle since 2012, but up till this time the state is still terribly deprived of power and he has listened to me. I believe that the people of Nasarawa State will heave a sigh of relief once the 330 Kva is done and another 132kva is connected to it for easy distribution, he added.
On the Vice Presidents response, Gov. Al-Makura said: It was very fantastic and he assured us that they will see what the federal government can do to quickly ameliorate the problem and about the power, I got assurance from the Vice President that we will succeed.
Kaduna State government has confirmed the death of three people following an outbreak of Lassa fever.
The trio a doctor, a nurse and a pregnant woman, were confirmed dead at Saint Louis Specialist Hospital, Zonkwa, Zango Kataf local government area.
The Commissioner for health in the State, Professor Jonathan Andrew Nok, told newsmen on Monday that the doctor and the nurse had symptoms of Lassa fever shortly after operating on the pregnant woman, who was brought in from another hospital in Kafanchan.
He said they died few days after testing positive to the deadly disease.
Nok disclosed that the affected hospitals had been put under isolation, with a view to tracing the primary and secondary contacts with the deceased.
Nok called on residents of the state not to panic. He urged them to maintain personal hygiene as well as keep their environment clean.
Source: Daily Post
Israeli forces have killed a Palestinian and injured several more by live ammunition during an incursion into a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
Eyad Omar Sajadiya, 22, was shot dead, while at least ten others were injured by live fire during Tuesday mornings clashes with Israeli troops in the Qalandiya refugee camp, according to Palestinian medical sources.
The armed clashes broke out after an army jeep entered the camp situated between occupied East Jerusalem and the central West Bank city of Ramallah by mistake, an Israeli police spokesperson told the AFP news agency.
Palestinian protests against Israels occupation have increased and tensions have soared in the occupied territories and Israel since October, as anger gave way to violence.
A wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories since October has killed 178 Palestinians as well as 28 Israelis, an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, according to an AFP toll.
Nigerias Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has expressed confidence that the price of oil in the international market, which currently sells for about $30/barrel, will rebound to about $50 in the days ahead.
The minister made this known while speaking with CNBCs Fast Money on Monday.
According to Kachikwu, who just returned to Nigeria with President Muhammadu Buhari after attending a meeting of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, in Doha, Qatar, Nigeria will continue to push for production freeze consensus.
He was also hopeful that OPEC members would be able to come to an agreement to freeze oil production as a way to combat the low oil price, which came down to a seven-year low.
The minister for energy in Qatar and the president of OPEC is leading that pact and there is a lot of conversation going on and theres a lot of consensus building on the issue of the freeze.
Saudi Arabia and Russia are aligned on the issue of a freeze, so I think the chances are very high, Kachikwu stated.
Stressing that movements towards a freeze represent a big step in the right direction, the Minister, who also doubles as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, told CNBC that he remained confident of his plan to work with OPEC members, adding that the Saudis are quite frankly in the forefront of pushing the freeze issue.
Mr. Kachikwu, who explained that a potential output freeze among OPEC members has made him bullish when it comes to oil prices in 2016, said that he expects crude prices to take a major leap by the end of the year.
I am certainly hoping for prices in the range of $45 to $50. Im hoping a consensus can be built and that parties can begin to work together across the board, not just OPEC members, but also non-OPEC members, which is what the Gulf States and most of us have pushed for. With that, youll begin to see movement upwards in those prices, he stated.
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi-- The Pascagoula City Council held a special meeting on Monday to discuss overages that may be deemed as excessive based on residents receiving utility bills which seemed higher than normal.
City Manager Joe Huffman spoke with The Mississippi Press to discuss the overall issues and concerns and preliminary plan to getting to the bottom of these issues.
"The Jackson County Utility Authority increased our costs dramatically by over $1.1 million," Huffman said. "The total was levied in addition to prior year's totals on the city this year. Most of this came as a surprise as we only suspected a quarter of a million dollar increase and being that we have a significant increase than expected, the city has had to endure this and increase rates to cover it."
"We do have a couple of concerns-- first off, we want to be sure we are collecting the right amounts and analyses is underway to determine if we are achieving this goal," Huffman continued. "Secondly, we are looking at a lot of the bills that have been sent out to residents, and most were correct, but we have some that may have been affected by a computer glitch that added a sales tax of about $1, and this will be credited back to their accounts."
According to Huffman, examinations of the bills should be completed by Friday and more information will be available.
This story will be updated.
The immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (rtd) has prayed the Federal High Court, Abuja, to grant him bail on health grounds.
The former defence chief has been in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Lagos since February 8, 2016 when he honoured the commissions invitation for questioning.
Badeh is accused of complicity in an alleged fraudulent transaction involving the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
His request is contained in a bail application he filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
After hearing arguments on the application on Monday, Justice James Tsoho fixed March 4 for ruling.
Arguing the application on Monday, applicants lawyer, Samuel Zibiri (SAN), who filed the bail application dated February 15, said though the EFCC had granted his client bail, the ex-CDS could not meet it because of the onerous conditions attached to it.
The lawyer said the former CDS was recovering from a recent surgery and also had a history of kidney stone.
Zibiri hinged the application on Section 35(4) and Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution and sections 158, 162 and 165(1) (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
He urged the court to grant bail to his client on self-recognizance, or on such favourable and liberal terms as the court might deem fit to make.
Zibiri equally prayed the court to grant him bail pending the completion of investigation by the EFCC and/or arraignment before this court.
He further argued that the alleged case of fraud for which Badeh was invited for the EFCC, was a bailable offence.
There is no reason for, or any likelihood that the applicant will jump bail, escape from Justice, interfere with witnesses or investigation if same is still ongoing, or the course of justice upon his being granted bail.
The applicant has no criminal antecedent or records. The applicant owing to his status in the society can be granted bail on self-recognizance, or on the most liberal of terms, as he will be available to attend any invitation by the respondents at all times.
That the applicants health condition is bad and he recently had surgery on his spine which requires constant post-operative follow-up by his physician as well as renal condition which he is currently undergoing treatment for.
Zibiri said Badehs detention by virtue of a remand order issued by a Magistrates Court in Lagos is a gross abuse of the ACJA 2015, insisting the ex-CDS be granted bail because a Federal High Court is superior to the magistrate court.
In a counter-argument, EFCCs lawyer, Cosmas Ugwu, told the court that Badeh had not made any effort to fulfil the administrative bail granted him by the EFCC in Lagos.
He is in custody in Lagos. Abuja is not holding him, so, the convenient court to grant the applicant bail is a court within the same territorial jurisdiction, Ugwu argued.
The EFCC lawyer, in opposing the application, also informed the court that Badeh was being held under a remand order issued by a Lagos magistrate court because he was mentioned in the NIMASA fraud allegation.
Thousands of job-seeking refugees have attended an employment fair in the German capital of Berlin which attracted 211 prospective employers from a number of fields, including information technology, medicine, tourism and construction. Mondays event at the Estrel Hotel was part of a collaborative effort by the public and private sector to integrate refugees with protection status into the local labour market.
According to Christian Henkes, spokesperson for Germanys Federal Employment Agency, which co-organised the event, the turnout was higher than expected, with more than 4,000 job-seekers in attendance. Theres big interest on [the] part of the employers that really want to give these people a chance in the country, Henkes told Al Jazeera. And theres also a huge willingness by those people who came here to Germany to find a job. A total of 476,649 asylum applications were registered in Germany last year, almost twice as many as in 2014.
The number of applicants has continued to rise this year, with 52,103 applications registered in January alone. Over a third of the 2015 asylum applicants in Germany were Syrian nationals. Kais Almudhi, a Syrian refugee who worked as a mechanical engineer before the war, arrived in Germany three months ago and is now hoping to find work.
He told Al Jazeera that it was important for him to make use of the opportunities the job fair presented. I came here to consult with others, to choose what job is best, and I have registered with three or four companies. I think I have a good chance, the 45-year-old said.
On this day in 1995, Lawan Gwadabe was arrested, on a charge of plotting a coup against the Abacha government, and was jailed, tortured and later convicted of treason along with others
Colonel Lawan Gwadabe was Military Administrator of Niger State in Nigeria from December 1987 to January 1992 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.He was accused of planning a coup against General Sani Abacha in 1995, for which he was jailed, tortured and convicted of treason. After Abachas death he was granted a state pardon.
Gwadabe served as Chief of Staff of the Gambian Army, succeeding Brigadier Abubakar Dada. On his return to Nigeria after the July 1994 Yahya Jammeh coup in Gambia, he was briefly Principal Staff Officer to General Sani Abacha before being appointed commander of 23 Armored Brigade in Yola.
On 1 March 1995 he was arrested on a charge of plotting a coup against the Abacha government, and was jailed, tortured and later convicted of treason along with others. He was on death row when Abacha died unexpectedly in June 1998.Years later, Abachas chief of staff Lt-Gen. Oladipo Diya said that he considered that the claimed coup plot was non-existent
The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, yesterday said that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was focused on delivering its campaign promises to the people.
This is just as he disclosed that the government had gone past blaming the past administration for the countrys woes, contrary to insinuations.
Mr. Mohammed stated this during an interview monitored on Channels TV in Lagos.
The minister explained that many PDP members were being probed in respect of the $2.1bn arms scandal because the National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, who allegedly diverted the money, is a PDP member employed by a PDP-led government.
He reiterated that the anti-corruption campaign of the Buhari-led administration was not targeted at members of the opposition as being insinuated.
Mohammed also said the government does not in any way dictate to the EFCC in the discharge of its duties.
For any cloud to be taken seriously, it has to meet an ever rising bar of features. Machine learning seems to be on that list, as all the major cloud providers now feature it.
But how they go about doing it is another story. Aside from the "curated API vs. open-ended algorithm marketplace" models, there are the "everything and then some vs. just enough" variants. Here's how the four big cloud providers -- IBM, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon -- stack up next to each other in machine learning.
[ Also on InfoWorld: How machine learning ate Microsoft. | Get a digest of the day's top tech stories in the InfoWorld Daily newsletter. ]
IBM: Turning the ship with, Watson at the helm
When IBM first announced it would turn its Watson AI system into a consumable service, the questions piled up. What would it look like? How would it be consumed? But most important, how much support would it lend IBM's effort to reinvent itself as a cloud giant?
Two years and change later, IBM has rolled out an array of machine learning-powered services on its Bluemix PaaS: weather prediction, for instance, or systems for analyzing language, image recognition, language translation, sentiment and tone analysis, and so on.
Of all the companies offering machine intelligence of some kind in the cloud, IBM's roster has the most ambition behind it. More significant, IBM has also been working to complement the pie-in-the-sky tools with more down-to-earth ones, mainly involving analytics and reporting. (Growing Watson also seems to be the motive force behind many of IBM's strategic acquisitions across multiple fields: weather, health care, and so on.)
The question isn't even whether Watson services will find practical uptake -- in time, they're likely to do so -- it's whether they'll do so at a scope and at a pace IBM is comfortable betting the farm on. Most of these offerings need time to find use cases, whereas IBM's well-established Spark services (or its new AWS Lambda-like service, OpenWhisk) are easier to monetize immediately.
Some organizations have started to put Watson's analytics services to work in creative ways. But while IBM has said it believes it can grow all this into a a $10-billion-a-year business, the uptake for Watson so far hasn't been nearly enough to offset IBM's slumping revenues.
Microsoft: Built for you and by you
Where IBM has Watson, Microsoft offers Project Oxford, a set of curated high-level APIs to cover machine vision, speech recognition, and language analysis. The list of APIs isn't as broad as Watson's (and let's face it, How-old.net wasn't quite as fun as Watson playing "Jeopardy"), but Microsoft's intentions are much the same: a proprietary set of curated APIs that leverage machine learning.
Azure Machine Learning Studio is possibly the more important half of Microsoft's machine learning ambitions. There, people can bring their own data, train machine-learning models on it, then reshare the resulting model as an API via a REST interface. IBM has something similar in its Predictive Analytics service on Bluemix, but Microsoft's Studio has been around for longer and has a more general-purpose feel to it.
Both IBM and Microsoft are attempting to create two different flavors of machine learning services. One's been created behind closed doors, as it were, with a curated data set and tuned behaviors (the Watson APIs, Project Oxford). The other is a platform upon which new kinds of machine learning services can be built, shared, and even monetized (Azure Machine Learning Studio, Predictive Analytics).
But the biggest difference between Microsoft and IBM isn't in the services, but the motivations. Microsoft's attempts at future-proofing itself by pivoting to the cloud have been aided by its other successful business sectors -- gaming, for instance -- so it hasn't felt existential pressure of the same degree that IBM has. But that doesn't mean Microsoft can't sense which way things must go.
Amazon and Google, the minimalists
If Google and especially Amazon have any one guiding tenet to their cloud approaches, it's "less is more." Maybe better to say "just enough is more," which includes the way both companies offer cloud-based machine learning services.
In Google's case, Google Cloud Platform currently offers only two services akin to the others profiled here: Google Translate (an API supporting Google's existing machine translation engine), and Google Prediction API. The former is a proprietary API maintained exclusively by Google. The latter, despite the unassuming name, is a broadly inclusive service that allows users to upload data and train models in the manner of of Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio. (Data can be derived from Google services like Google BigQuery.)
Amazon Machine Learning is similar to Google Prediction API in that models can be trained against data and used to make predictions. It's a deliberately simplified service, either for the sake of appealing to developers who only want to solve a specific, narrow problem or because Amazon wanted to test the market waters first.
In both Amazon and Google's cases, their targets are developers both with narrowly defined needs and with data already on those clouds -- the "just enough" model. IBM and Microsoft are aiming for far broader territory, and while IBM strives to have the most to offer, it also has the most to lose.
IBM will acquire Resilient Systems, it announced Monday, and along with the company, it will gain a big name in the security world: Bruce Schneier.
Resilient makes an incident-response platform that automates and orchestrates the processes for dealing with cyber incidents such as breaches and lost devices, and enabling companies to respond more quickly. The acquisition will give IBM Security the industry's first integrated end-to-end platform combining analytics, forensics, vulnerability management and incident response, the company said.
IBM intends to bring Resilient's full staff of roughly 100 on board once the acquisition is completed, including cryptographer and security guru Bruce Schneier, Resilient's CTO.
The transaction is expected to close later this year; terms were not disclosed.
IBM has already been beefing up its security muscle for some time, including hiring 1,000 new experts last year, it said. Late last year, it appointed Mark van Zadelhoff general manager of its security business.
The Resilient acquisition bolsters IBM's incident-response capabilities.
Toward that end, IBM on Monday also launched IBM X-Force Incident Response Services to help clients plan for, manage and respond to cyber-attacks. Resilient's platform will be a key component of those new services, as will IBMs QRadar Security Intelligence Platform. IBM plans to integrate Resilient's technology across the full IBM Security portfolio, it said.
Security has become an increasingly pressing challenge in the corporate world, because it's no longer possible to make any company fully secure, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with Enderle Group.
"The race has now moved to how quickly an attack can be discovered and mitigated so that damage is minimized," Enderle added.
At the same time, more than two-thirds of U.S. security executives say they do not have a cyber-security incident-response plan in place, according to a Ponemon Institute study released last fall. In 2015, the average cost of a data breach for companies participating in a separate global study was $3.8 million, the research firm found.
Cyber-threats to businesses have changed considerably over time, said Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT.
"During the past decade, cyber attacks have grown in number, speed and sophistication, evolving from random individual incidents to systematic assaults, often funded by organized criminals or hostile governments," King explained. "The most effective way that companies can address such incidents is with what IBM calls 'immune response' solutions that constantly monitor IT environments, detect security breaches and respond instantaneously."
The addition of Resilient should broaden the areas where companies can use IBM security and also deepen the features and performance of those tools, King said. "The deal should be good for both companies, and will certainly benefit their respective customers," he added.
You can't build tomorrow's applications with yesterday's hardware -- nor should you build tomorrow's hardware for yesterday's applications.
That's the view Cisco seems to embody with its new data center switches and combined storage/network/compute HyperFlex system. These products are part of Cisco's larger vision of a cross-cloud fabric for running the next generation of microservices-based apps.
[ Find out how software-defined networking is changing the data center with InfoWorld's special report. Download it today! | Get the latest practical data center info and news with Paul Venezia's The Deep End blog. ]
Starting from scratch
HyperFlex, an extension of Cisco's Unified Computing System (UCS) design, is aimed at enterprise customers who plan to deploy applications across data center and branch office environments. Cisco claims a HyperFlex stack can be set up in minutes and can perform "flexible, adaptive, and independent" scaling of compute, network, and storage.
To accomplish this, Cisco decided it couldn't leverage existing file system technology. Todd Brannon, director of product marketing for Cisco UCS, described in a phone conversation how Cisco partnered with SpringPath to build it. The new log-structured object file system isn't a repackaging of existing work like Red Hat's Ceph, Brannon said, but is something entirely new built from the ground up.
A key advantage of this, according to Cisco, is the capability to distribute and tier all of the data in a cluster to eliminate data locality problems that manifest with modern applications.
"With containers, there's a lot of 'stickiness' with the data," said Brannon, meaning that containerized apps (and VMs) need their data close at hand to perform well. HyperFlex allows data to be distributed across an entire cluster at once, so if a container or VM needs to move, "their egress into the storage environment is identical no matter what node of the cluster they're on," he said.
Another reason for taking a from-scratch approach was to be able to provide deduplication, compression, and cloning functionality -- but without the usual performance tradeoffs. "If you flip on dedupe and compression on some of the other solutions out there, their performance really tanks," said Brannon, who declined to name names.
Cisco also wants to keep the management learning curve low, so HyperFlex launches with support for VMware by way of a vCenter plug-in. Support for other hypervisors is slated for the future, and while an actual application-addressable object store will not be available at launch, "the potential is there for it," according to Brannon.
A better backbone
HyperFlex is intended to underpin a hybrid cloud environment that spans local and remote data centers. Networking is needed to accomplish that, and so Cisco has also unveiled a new generation of Nexus-brand switches.
Speed isn't the only goal with the Nexus 9000 -- although Cisco claims it can deliver 100Gbps, with better performance at half the cost of the competition. Transparency and manageability are advantages that Cisco sees as even more relevant.
"Consolidation of workloads on a single fabric requires better visibility," Thomas Scheibe, senior director of product management for Cisco ACI, said in a phone interview.
As applications become increasingly distributed and lean toward a microservices design, the network becomes more of the bus for the application than the compute layer. Being able to have real-time visibility and control over the network, at a full 100Gbps wire rate, is "not just for things like troubleshooting, but [for] capacity planning," Scheibe said.
The next steps up (and out)
There's little question that Cisco has the networking chops for a project of this breadth. Other startups that deal in hyper-converged architectures might have innovative ideas for storage and compute, but there are few other hardware companies with Cisco's pedigree in networking. Plus, UCS has been successful enough to rank fourth in the worldwide server market.
Next up is for Cisco to use HyperFlex as part of a larger strategy for multi-cloud (read hybrid cloud) application deployments -- where the network is a crucial component in how applications are orchestrated, as Cisco's new CTO, Zorawar Biri Singh, described recently. The details remain vague, though; Cisco's previously announced "Intercloud Initiative" hasn't been discussed in detail since Chuck Robbins became CEO nine months ago.
But earlier today Cisco announced it had acquired CliQr, a cross-cloud application deployment company (reviewed favorably by InfoWorld's Martin Heller), which could be a major hint of where things might be headed . As it did with SpringPath, Cisco isn't shy of bringing in outside expertise to help build its new vision -- whatever form it eventually takes.
Triple Digit Hog Rally Barchart - Fri Oct 21, 4:40PM CDT Lean hogs extended their rally into the weekend with another $0.20 to $2.10 gains in the front months. December was up the most on Friday, but is still a $1.40 discount to Feb. Through the week, December... HEZ22 : 89.125s (+2.41%) HEJ23 : 93.850s (+0.78%) KMZ22 : 98.000s (+1.16%)
Cotton Limits the Weeks Pullback with Friday Strength Barchart - Fri Oct 21, 4:40PM CDT Cotton futures traded in a wide 413 point range from +253 to -160 (Dec). At the close the front months were 32 to 173 points in the black. December closed the week at a net 402 point loss, having spent... CTZ22 : 79.13s (+2.24%) CTH23 : 78.55s (+1.67%) CTK23 : 78.15s (+1.44%)
Wheats Closed Mixed on Friday Barchart - Fri Oct 21, 4:40PM CDT CBT SRW futures ended the last trade day of the week with 1 to 1 1/2 cent gains. For the December contract that meant a net 9 cent loss for the week. KC futures pulled back by 1/2 a cent to 2 cents on... ZWZ22 : 850-6s (+0.18%) ZWH23 : 869-4s (+0.17%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.8533 (+0.24%) KEZ22 : 948-2s (-0.16%) KEPAWS.CM : 9.0581 (-0.16%) MWZ22 : 961-4s (-0.10%)
Nov Beans Held under $14 Barchart - Fri Oct 21, 4:40PM CDT The Friday session ended with soybean futures 3 1/4 to 4 cents higher with November options having expired. Nov soybeans spent the week in a 41 1/2 cent trading range and ended 11 3/4 cents higher from... ZSX22 : 1395-4s (+0.29%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.5026 (+0.29%) ZSF23 : 1404-4s (+0.32%) ZSH23 : 1411-6s (+0.28%)
New Contract High for Dec Cattle Barchart - Fri Oct 21, 4:40PM CDT Cattle added another 62 to 75 cents to the upside on Friday, with December printing a new life of contract high of $152.50. Dec gained a net $4.65 for the week. The weeks cash trade picked up on Thursday... LEV22 : 150.475s (+0.47%) LEZ22 : 152.425s (+0.49%) LEG23 : 155.525s (+0.44%) GFV22 : 175.275s (-0.17%) GFX22 : 178.350s (+0.45%)
Fractionally Mixed Friday Close in Corn Barchart - Fri Oct 21, 4:40PM CDT Corn futures firmed up on Friday for a fractionally UNCH close to the week. From Friday to Friday December futures traded in an 18 1/4 cent range, and went home 5 1/2 cents lower. The board has a 6 1/4... ZCZ22 : 684-2s (unch) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.7335 (-0.09%) ZCH23 : 690-4s (unch) ZCK23 : 689-6s (unch)
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Alex Fourroux and Ashley Aicard were each charged with indecency after police say they were found having sex in a vehicle behind a Baton Rouge Walmart.
(EBRSO photos)
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- A man and woman have been charged with obscenity after police say they were having sex in a vehicle behind a Baton Rouge, La., Walmart, according to multiple local media reports.
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office responded to a report of people in a vehicle in the parking lot behind the store around 2 a.m. Monday.
A deputy responding to the call approached the vehicle and, after knocking on the window, instructed the two people to "get some clothes on" and get out of the vehicle, which they did.
The two people were identified as Alex Fourroux, 22, and Ashley Aicard, 23. Aicard repotedly admitted to the deputy they were having sex, adding "I didn't think it was a big deal. We weren't being loud or anything."
In his report, the deputy noted the area where the couple's vehicle was parked is a "high traffic" area behind the Walmart due to the number of deliveries coming in during the nighttime/early morning hours.
Both Aicard and Fourroux were charged with obscenity and police discovered a bench warrant was also out for Aicard's arrest. Police also learned Fourroux had previously been banned from all Walmart properties for shoplifting.
Another day, another story about the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's mission to promote a culture of health. But wait! There's a good reason for our extensive coverage. Part of why we find ourselves talking about RWJF grants so often is that the healthcare funding behemoth is doling out copious amounts of money to attack a giant problem from many angles. There's a lot to write about here.
RWJF is casting a wide net to find creative solutions to improve health in America. From research to neighborhood programs to tech start ups, the grantmaking encompasses a variety of sectors working toward a common goal. Along the way, though, RWJF has kept an eye on the challenge of nurturing greater diversity among those working in healthcare research and policy. It's no secret that the academic and policy worlds are very white. According to the National Science Foundation, African Americans accounted for 6.4 percent of U.S. doctorates awarded in 2014, while Latinos made up 6.5 percent. This lack of diversity is a serious problem, particularly in fields grappling with complex socioeconomic problems that disproportionately affect communities of color.
Ten years ago, RWJF launched New Connections to support minority and low-income scholars in health and healthcare research. The program has invested over $9 million to help more than 830 individuals with less than 15 years of post-grad experience. In addition to grant money for research, New Connections offers mentorship, community, and career development for its scholars, many of whom benefit from guidance in areas such as reaching tenure, getting published, and writing grant applications.
The program's Deputy Director Lisa Aponte-Soto told Inside Philanthropy that minorities in academia have a harder time receiving the recognition they deserve. She recounted stories from New Connections scholars who showed up to teach a class and were mistaken for students or janitors. "Academia is sort of an intense and rigorous environment, but they have those additional challenges of feeling like they're never good enough or that their work is never good enough and it makes it more difficult to advance," Aponte-Soto said.
As New Connections celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, the program is making some minor changes to expand its reach and test out what Aponte-Soto calls a "rapid-response process." So instead of a two-year, $100,000 grant mechanism, New Connections will give out 17 to 18 grants of up to $50,000 for a one-year grant period. Recognizing that improvements in public health come from many sectors, the program will also be opened beyond the traditional health care field to other disciplines such as urban planning, architecture, and business.
The application process is set to launch on March 9 with a May 4 deadline, and a March 23 webinar will offer details for potential applicants. Eligible scholars must hail from low-income communities and be first-time RWJF grant recipients, ethnic or racial minorities, and first-generation college grads. Scholars who go through the New Connections program are more likely to be awarded grants from the foundation's other funding mechanisms.
We wrote about the shake up in health care philanthropy when RWJF shuttered existing programs in 2014 to shift focus toward advancing a culture of health. Last year, we took a look at the foundation's progress and noted the importance of its commitment to cross-sector collaboration. One thread in our coverage is that RWJF values investment in human capital. With 10 years and counting of financial support for New Connections to bring in unique perspectives, the foundation is putting its money where its mouth is.
Many experts have argued that nothing is more important for global development than empowering women to play an equal role in all societies. Lately, that view has growing sway at the world's biggest foundation.
Signs have been emerging for a while now that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is giving more attention to womens empowerment, with Melinda leading this shiftwhile also becoming more independent in her philanthropy. This could be a very big deal over the long term.
Here are some of the tea leaves we've been reading.
First, Melinda Gates has recently raised her profile as a leader on womens issues. In the past 18 months, she's given interviews to several national media outlets, including Fortune and Elle, about her increasing focus on womens empowerment, and authored an opinion piece for CNN about the need for more data on women. She even recently said she would like to see a woman become president. No clear endorsement here, but thats a pretty big hint about how this powerful female leader sees the world. She is making more videos in which we hear her voice and see her face. She's making it crystal clear that one of the richest women in the world is also a huge believer in womens empowerment.
Second, Gates created her own unit at the foundation last year called Pivotal Ventures, which operates through her executive office. (Bill also has his own office, by the way, called bgc3.) According to Geekwire, she established the effort to further her work on issues of gender inequity and womens empowerment. Pivotal Ventures has a number of staff members, including Haven D. Ley, who is senior director for program strategy. Ley has worked with Gates for a few years, and before that, she worked on the foundation's agricultural development grantmaking. There, she led work focused on women in agriculture, which she once pointed out as a crucial issue: "The majority of farmers in the developing world are women working on plots of less than two hectares; it is women who produce food for most of the world's poor people." The foundation's emphasis on gender-responsive agricultural development is one example of its growing work on women's empowerment. Other examples include the creation in 2014 of a new Grand Challenge: "Putting Women and Girls at the Center of Development," which the foundation described as an effort "to effectively reach and empower the most vulnerable women and girls to improve health and developmentincluding economicoutcomes as well as gender equality."
Third, Melinda Gates recently penned her own section of the Gates Annual Letter, separate from Bill, for the first time. Bill and Melinda have issued other letters together, but they mainly seemed to have Bills tone and subject focus. This year, Melinda carved out her own section in the 2016 letter, and devoted it to the concept of time poverty and how much unpaid work is done by the world's women. This is probably something Melinda knows about firsthand, having just mothered three children nearly to adulthood, with the youngest, Rory, being 16. Now she has time (finally!) to speak to the world about how to work on the inequality caused by time poverty and its impact on women.
Fourth, the Gates Foundation has awarded big grants for data mining on women. As we've reported, Gates partnered with The Clinton Foundation in 2014 to fund No Ceilings and the Full Participation Project, the largest data research and analysis projects to date on the global status of women. On another front, Gates made a $2.1 million grant to the Womens Philanthropy Institute last year to explore questions related to women and giving.
Related: Whats the Clinton Foundation Doing for Womens Empowerment?
All this paints a picture of a different level of action and leadership from Melinda Gates on women's issues. How much this shift might ultimately reshape the priorities of the world's largest private foundation remains to be seen, but clearly, some changes have already been put in motion over the past year or two. We expect more going forward.
This is definitely a story worth watching closely.
Real estate developer Kingston Development Group recently acquired the KOI Auto Parts warehouse and neighboring land at 630 Burbank St. in Cincinnati, with the intent to convert a portion of the building to self-storage. The 3-acre property in the Walnut Hills neighborhood was purchased earlier this month through a company affiliate called 630 Burbank LLC for $950,000. The developer envisions using 89,000 square feet for self-storage and leasing the remaining 40,000 square feet back to KOI, which was looking to consolidate its space, according to the source.
The conversion will be the first self-storage project for Kingston, which has been in business for two years, the source reported. Josh Loewenstine, director of acquisitions at Kingston, formed the purchasing entity with his father, Leon. The affiliate acquired the property from Neltner Properties, a real estate affiliate managed by Dave Wesselman, who is president of KOI.
"We felt there was a growing need for [self-storage]," Josh Loewenstine told the source. "[Housing] unit sizes are getting smaller, and we came across this at the perfect time."
The developer is still working through the permit process but has targeted a late-summer opening, according to the source.
The extra acreage at the site could enable additional development projects on the property, but Loewenstine indicated any future plans would likely wait at least five years. "We think its still a little early for residential uses," he told the source. "Self-storage is the highest and best use in the next five to 10 years."
Viking Self Storage in Bedford, England, partnered with YMCA Bedfordshire to host a local Sleep Easy fundraiser on Feb. 26 to benefit YMCA programs and services. This years event highlighted issues related to homelessness, inviting participants to camp overnight at the self-storage facility in a cardboard shelter to simulate what its like to live on the streets, according to the Viking website.
The annual event, which featured three levels of experiences, was held in the facilitys vehicle-storage area. Participants in the Classic or Extreme groups had to be 15 years old or older and in relatively good health, according to a press release. A less intense program called Sofa Surfer was available for those under 15.
Those who signed up for the Classic experience were provided with cardboard from which they could erect a shelter or create a sleeping mat. Food and drinks were provided within this particular Sleep Easy zone, the release stated. The Extreme experience was a bit more life-like. Participants had to fend for their own shelter and work for food and drinks. In addition, security personnel could disturb or require these participants to move from their spots during the night.
For the youngest participants, Sofa Surfer simulated the experience of not having a home and needing to sleep at the house of a friend or family member, according to the release.
Viking provided its own boxes for participants. Prizes were awarded for the best box house, according to the release.
Viking Self Storage is pleased to be working alongside YMCA Bedfordshire for its annual Sleep Easy event, Charlie Schneider, area sales manager, said in a released statement prior to the event. Its a worthy cause. Not only are we happy about being part of the event, [were] looking forward to hosting it outside our facility in Bedford. Even Viktor [the companys mascot] will be taking part and sleeping rough for the night. Hell be hoping his Nordic clothing will keep him warm.
Proceeds from the Viking event will go directly to the YMCA Bedfordshire, the release stated. Since 2010, the collective YMCA event has raised nearly 1 million across the United Kingdom.
The Viking facility serves business, residential and student customers. It offers a full array of moving and packing supplies and features flex-office space.
Walmart Neighborhood Market site 001.jpg
After initially saying a Neighborhood Market would be constructed on the site of this vacant building in Ocean Springs during 2016, Walmart officials have now told the city its plans have been moved back to 2020. The property manager, however, says Walmart no longer has an option on the property and it is available to any other interested business.
(File photo/Gulflive.com)
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- After being told in late 2015 that a Walmart Neighborhood Market planned for a vacant building in Ocean Springs, city officials now say they have been told there are no plans to build the store until 2020.
Mayor Connie Moran said Tuesday City Building Official Hilliard Fountain had spoken with the city's Walmart contact who advised of the change in plans.
The Neighborhood Market -- a scaled-down version of a Walmart Supercenter -- has been planned for the vacant Delchamps building on U.S. 90 west.
On Monday, however, both Moran and Fountain participated in a conference call with the building's property manager, who advised that she has not been contacted by Walmart officials in two years and that the company no longer has a legal option on the property.
"They already had a demolition permit," Moran said of Walmart. "Their plans call for tearing down the existing building and constructing a new one with a car wash and a drive-thru pharmacy. They had even gone through the design review process."
Now, Moran and city officials have been given the blessing of the property manager to recruit other businesses which might be interested in the vacant building.
"She encouraged us to recruit others who might be looking to open here," Moran said. "She even indicated she's willing to offer very attractive terms, including a willingness to split the site, if necessary."
Moran has long advocated for a whole foods or fresh market type business in Ocean Springs, although she admitted the market might not support one. She did say the city was contacted by a "major retailer" in Birmingham interested in coming to Ocean Springs and informed them of the availability of the old Delchamps building.
"I'm optimistic," she said. "We're going to continue to explore options, now that we now there's nothing to stop another business from coming in and taking over that building."
Walmart has secured a building permit and broken ground to construct a Neighborhood Market on North Washington in the St. Martin community. In addition, the company has plans to construct a Sam's Club -- a warehouse-type Walmart store -- in D'Iberville in the Sangani Boulevard corridor.
Cyclists given access to insurance products and services and other benefits
Zurich Insurance has appointed Herve Marguin as chief underwriting officer (CUO), General Insurance, Asia Pacific, effective immediately.
Marguin will report to Stuart A. Spencer, chief executive officer, General Insurance, Asia Pacific, and Alan Fairhead, CUO, General Insurance, Zurich Insurance Group.
Marguin joined Zurichs General Insurance business in 1997 as an actuary in France, and in 2001 joined Zurich Corporate Solutions as chief actuary working in underwriting, based in Switzerland. Marguin then held various finance and operational managerial roles for General Insurance in the performance management area, prior to his move to Hong Kong where he has been chief financial officer, General Insurance, for Asia Pacific since 2011.
The position of CUO, General Insurance, Asia Pacific. was held during the past four years by Adrian Sweeney. Sweeney has been appointed CUO for Zurichs Global Corporate business and will be based in London.
Herves in-depth knowledge of the APAC region and strong actuarial background make him the ideal successor for the chief underwriting officer role. We are delighted that the region will continue to benefit from his skills and talent, said Spencer, who went on to thank Sweeney for his commitment and contribution to the APAC business.
Marguin said: I look forward to building on our past successes and to help ensure the underwriting needs of our customers are met beyond their expectations as we protect the growing needs of businesses and individuals in Asia Pacific.
Source: Zurich Insurance
Topics Underwriting
More than 40 percent of insurers see Google as a potential threat because of its strong brand and ability to use customer data, a report released on Tuesday said.
And young, mobile phone-friendly consumers may bypass traditional insurers for new, more nimble competitors, consultancy Capgeminis annual world insurance report said.
Google beat other household names Amazon and Wal Mart as the biggest new entrant threat, based on interviews with more than 150 insurance executives.
Insurers are looking to use technology to gain more information about their customers and potentially offer them lower-cost insurance.
This has already happened in car insurance with telematics the use of a black box in cars to see how safely customers are driving.
One of the next areas for insurers is the connected home with technology that enables homeowners to turn off their oven from a distance if it has been left on, for example, potentially avoiding a fire.
Google owns connected home products maker Nest, which could act as a springboard to providing insurance.
To withstand the coming competition, insurers must build up their brands, learn to take advantage of real-time customer data, and develop agile operating models, Capgemini said.
However, some insurance industry specialists doubt that technology companies will enter the heavily regulated insurance sector directly, seeing them as more likely to form partnerships with insurers, potentially giving those firms an advantage.
In the United States, Liberty Mutual has already joined up with Nest to offer insurance discounts for Nest users.
Google will not become an insurance underwriter, said Nigel Walsh, head of UK insurance at Capgemini.
But with products such as Nest, they are a massive part of the insurance value chain, because of what they know about consumers, he added.
The insurance industry also needs to improve its service if it is going to win business among younger customers.
Only 34 percent of customers below the age of 35 reported positive experiences with their insurers, compared with 55 percent of over 35s, a Capgemini survey of more than 15,000 customers in 30 countries found.
[The survey was taken before Google announced it is shutting down its Google Compare online auto insurance agency.]
(Reporting by Carolyn Cohn; editing by Alexander Smith)
Related:
Topics Carriers Google
Accident Fund Holdings Inc., based in Lansing, Mich., announced it is rebranding as AF Group. The company said the transition reflects the organizations unified, collective strength while positioning it for future growth and diversification.
Founded in 1912 as a Michigan accident fund, the company has experienced significant growth from its start as a state agency.
Liz Haar, president and CEO of AF Group, said the company is focused on transforming our organization by expanding our insurance offerings outside of workers compensation to meet the evolving needs of employers and agents.
AF Group presently supports four brands: Accident Fund, United Heartland, CompWest and Third Coast Underwriters that specialize in workers compensation.
AF Group has more than 1,100 employees and is licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Source: AF Group
Topics Michigan
A passenger from a cruise ship that was battered by a major storm in the Atlantic Ocean filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Royal Caribbean in Miami federal court, his lawyer said Thursday.
The lawsuit filed by attorney Michael Winkleman says Royal Caribbean knew or should have known of warnings for hurricane-force winds in the Atlantic before Anthem of the Seas set sail Feb. 6 from Bayonne, New Jersey.
The 4,500 passengers hunkered down as the ship encountered 30-foot waves off North Carolina the next day. A portion of the propulsion system was damaged, and the Miami-based cruise line canceled the seven-day cruise, returning to New Jersey. Passengers received a refund and certificate for half off a future cruise.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Frank DeLuca of Cinnaminson, New Jersey, includes forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Ocean Prediction Center, which noted the possibility of storm-force winds along the coast near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on Feb. 7. The agency on Feb. 5 issued a storm warning for the area.
According to the lawsuit, passengers had to hold onto their beds or anything else to keep from falling due to the severe crashing of waves and listing of the vessel for about 12 hours. Furniture was overturned, broken glass littered the ship, elevators were inoperable and water rushed through numerous areas of the ship.
Any passenger who was on the ship can be represented by the lawsuit, which alleges gross negligence on the part of Royal Caribbean. The lawsuit seeks punitive damages for severe emotional, psychological and emotional stress endured by passengers.
At least one other lawsuit was filed over the incident on Feb. 18 by Bruce Simpson of Delaware, who was also onboard Anthem of the Seas.
Under terms of passenger tickets, most lawsuits against cruise lines are filed in South Florida federal court.
Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said via email that the company doesnt comment on pending litigation.
Associated Press Legal Affairs Writer Curt Anderson in Miami contributed to this report.
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Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Lawsuits Windstorm New Jersey
Federal regulators are failing to refer serious safety violations involving freight rail shipments of crude oil and other hazardous cargo for criminal prosecution, and are going lightly on civil fines, according to a report released last week by a government watchdog.
The Federal Railroad Administration routinely applies only modest civil penalties for hazardous materials safety violations, even though inspectors request penalties only for serious or repeated infractions, said the report by the Department of Transportations inspector general.
Instead, the agencys attorneys have made it a priority to process penalties quickly and avoid legal challenges, the report said.
And, although the agency processes hundreds of safety violations each year, it appears that not a single case has ever been referred for criminal investigation, the report said. After examining a random sample of safety violations over five years, the inspector generals office found 17 cases it said should have referred for criminal investigation.
Based on that sample, the inspector generals office estimated 20 percent, or 227 out of 1,126 violations, may have warranted criminal referral. The agencys attorneys told the watchdog that they didnt make criminal referrals because they didnt know the procedures for doing so, and they didnt think it was part of their job.
As a result, penalties have little deterrent effect, and criminal penalties arent being pursued, wrote Mitchell Behm, assistant inspector general for surface transportation.
Concern about rail shipments of hazardous cargo has been heightened in recent years by a series of fiery oil train explosions in the U.S. and Canada, including one just across the border in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, that killed 47 people. More than 400,000 tank cars of oil are shipped across the country annually.
Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, the senior Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the report confirms that the federal government has failed to provide the necessary oversight to protect communities across the country from serious accidents involving the rail transportation of hazardous materials.
One case the report said should have been referred for criminal investigation involved a company that produced tank car valves that hadnt been put through a required design approval process. The valves subsequently leaked hazardous liquids. In another case, a company may have deliberately failed to disclose that a shipment included radioactive containers.
Matt Lehner, an FRA spokesman, said most of the inspector generals recommendations are being implemented. He noted that the agency collected $15 million in fines for violations in the 2015 federal budget year, a 12 percent increase over the previous year and the most in the agencys history
The inspector generals office also found that the agency doesnt have a complete understanding of the risks of hazardous cargo shipments because the agency makes safety assessments by looking narrowly at operations in specific regions, not the nation as a whole.
The regional evaluations also dont include an assessment of the risks of transporting highly volatile and hazardous materials like crude oil near cities and major population centers, the report said.
Without an accurate national assessment, the railroad administration cant be sure that all the appropriate risk factors are being considered when deciding which operations are most in need of inspections, the report said.
The inspector general also faulted the agencys complex records system, saying it makes difficult for inspectors to access safety information on rail operations outside their region. As a result, the railroad administration and a sister agency, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, dont share critical and up-to-date information with safety inspectors and investigators in different regions throughout the country.
Related:
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics USA Energy Oil Gas
How much people trust technology and what type of driving alerts they respond to may have as much or more to do with the success of autonomous vehicles than technological, legal and security concerns, according to two new studies.
The studies on human behavior and self-driving cars have been published in Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
One paper assesses the level of drivers trust in the autonomous car by monitoring how often they interrupt a non-driving task to look at their surroundings. This study presents the first empirical evidence making this connection.
The other study suggests that drivers will respond best to verbal prompts, as opposed to sounds or visual displays, alerting them to driving conditions and the state of the vehicle (for example, low tire pressure).
Keep Your Scanners Peeled: Gaze Behavior as a Measure of Automation Trust During Highly Automated Driving is the work of Sebastian Hergeth, Lutz Lorenz, and Roman Vilimek of the BMW Group in Munich, and Josef F. Krems from Technische Universitat Chemnitz, Germany.
In this study, 35 BMW Group employees ages 18 to 55 participated in a self-driving car simulation while engaging in a visually demanding non-driving task. The driving scenario was a standard three-lane highway with a hard shoulder in which uneventful driving was periodically interrupted by incidents requiring the driver to take control. Although trust is difficult to quantify, drivers use of eye-tracking glasses enabled the researchers to capture data about how frequently participants looked away from the secondary task to observe the driving scene. Hergeth and his team then used these data to draw preliminary conclusions about drivers levels of trust in the simulated cars automation.
The more the participants trusted the automation, the less frequently they looked at their surroundings. They were also more trusting of the car once they learned the system. Overall, more than half the drivers said they trusted the car more at the end than at the beginning of the trials. The researchers postulate that appropriate trust in automation is crucial for drivers to get the maximum benefit from self-driving vehicles.
In Speech Auditory Alerts Promote Memory for Alerted Events in a Video-Simulated Self-Driving Car Ride, human factors researchers Michael A. Ness, Benji Helbein, and Anna Porter of Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, studied the usefulness of speech alerts to help drivers perceive and remember driving conditions while engaged in a non-driving activity.
Eighty-five undergraduate students performed a word search task while watching three driving simulation videos. Each scenario showed a routine driving condition. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three display conditions: sounds such as a jackhammer, indicating construction ahead; a visual display with text; and speech alerts such as pedestrian or front hazard.
After watching the videos, participants reported what they recalled about the driving scenario, how useful and how annoying the alerts were, and how confident they would feel if they had to resume control of the car at the moment the video stopped. Participants who heard the speech alerts had better recall than those who were given the sound icons or visual displays. However, both audio alerts were rated as annoying, and studies show that annoying alerts have a tendency to be turned off.
Both research teams said they plan further investigations to assess how these areas of study can impact safety and how quickly and effectively drivers would take over the controls when necessary.
The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society is an association for human factors/ergonomics professionals, with more than 4,800 members globally. HFES members include psychologists and other scientists, designers and engineers.
Source: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Related:
Topics Auto InsurTech Personal Auto
American International Group Inc. said on Monday that it had reached a settlement resolving a $2 billion lawsuit accusing a Philadelphia-area firm overcharging it for life insurance policies acquired from elderly people.
The settlement between AIGs Lavastone Capital LLC unit and Coventry First LLC came as the parties awaited a ruling from U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan following a non-jury trial that ended in October.
As part of the deal, Lavastone will be able to transfer Coventrys servicing of AIGs life settlements portfolio to another party, the parties said. The deal also allows AIGs unit to freely sell policies that were originated by Coventry.
Life settlements involve the sale of life insurance policies by policyholders for more than their cash value and less than their face value to investors, who then pay the premiums and collect the payout when the individuals die.
Coventry, headed by founder Alan Buerger and owned by Montgomery Capital Inc., describes itself on its website as the leader and creator of the life settlement industry.
AIGs Lavastone bought nearly 7,000 life settlements from Coventry with a total face value of $20 billion from 2001 to 2011, when AIG stopped acquiring life settlements.
Lavastone, which filed its lawsuit in September 2014, said the Fort Washington, Pennsylvania-based firms actions caused it to pay about $160 million in hidden markups and fee overcharges.
The alleged scheme ramped up during the financial crisis in 2008, when AIG was receiving government bailouts to avert its collapse, AIG contended at trial.
AIG at trial sought damages of $2.02 billion based on its demands that Coventry disgorge all of the fees it collected and its request for Rakoff to impose triple damages under the civil racketeering statute.
The case is Lavastone Capital LLC v. Coventry First LLC et al., U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 14-7139.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York and Nikhil Subba in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Alan Crosby)
The Oklahoma Workers Compensation Commission has determined that the opt-out portion of the states 2013 workers compensation statute is unconstitutional.
Ruling on an appeal under the provisions of the Oklahoma Employee Injury Benefit Act, or Opt-Out Act, the three judge panel found the act to be unconstitutional and not enforceable. The ruling in Vasquez v. Dillards opens the way for an appeal to the state supreme court.
The Oklahoma Employee Injury Benefit Act was created by Senate Bill 1062 in 2013 as an alternative system that employers may use to satisfy state requirements to provide benefits to injured workers. That bill also established the Oklahoma Workers Compensation Commission to replace the former Oklahoma Workers Compensation Court.
The restructuring of the states workers comp system and the Employee Injury Benefit Act were held to be constitutional by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in December 2013 in response to various legal challenges.
The Opt-Out Act allows qualified employers to opt out of the Oklahoma workers compensation system by establishing an Employee Benefit Plan (Plan) under the provisions of Federal law, the Employee Retirement lncome Security Act (ERISA).
The case under Commission review revolves around the denial of a work injury claim filed by Dillards Inc. employee Jonnie Yvonne Vasquez, who injured her shoulder and neck while lifting shoe boxes at her workplace. Dillards denied her claim saying Vasquezs injury was a pre-existing condition and not an injury as defined by the Plan, according to the Commissions order.
The Commission noted that the Vasquez case was the first appeal brought before it due to a denial of benefits under the Opt-Out Act.
In investigating Vasquezs appeal, the commission addressed the issue of whether plans under the opt-out provision provide benefits and protections equal to the benefits provided under the Administrative Workers Compensation Act. It found the Opt-Out Act wanting.
Although at first blush it appears that the Opt-Out Act requires that injured workers under an authorized benefit plan must be afforded benefits equal to or better to those under the Administrative Workers Compensation Act, this is decidedly not so. A closer look at the statutorily authorized plan requirements reveals that the benefit plans permitted to be used to opt-out establish a dual system under which injured workers are not treated equally, the order states.
The order goes on to state: The appearance of equal treatment under the dual system is like a water mirage on the highway that disappears upon closer inspection.
Responding to the Commissions ruling, the Association for Responsible Alternatives to Workers Compensation (ARAWC), which helped to craft the 2013 law, posted the following message on its website:
The Oklahoma Workers Compensation Committee on February 26, ruled that the Oklahoma Option is invalid under the Oklahoma state Constitution. This decision is not the final word on the Oklahoma Option. The case is far from over. It is almost certain there will be further legal and legislative efforts in response to the decision. In the relatively short time since the Oklahoma Option was created, Option plans are resulting in better medical outcomes for injured workers compared to traditional workers compensation. ARAWC continues to support the Option as a voluntary alternative with better medical outcomes, fewer benefit claims disputes and greater cost savings for employers.
The Commission itself recognized that its decision is immediately appealable to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. [T]hat Court is required to retain the appeal and must consider the case on an expedited basis, the Commissions order states.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has previously declined to take up a similar case challenging the constitutionalityof the Opt-Out Act. That case, Judy Pilkington etal. v. State of Oklahoma et al, like Vasquez, claimed that the act denies injured workers process of the law. Judy Pilkington also worked for Dillards.
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak, who was a proponent of the 2013 workers comp overhaul, was named as a defendant in Pilkington.
In an email to Insurance Journal, Commissioner Doak said he appreciates the difficult work the Commission has performed during its first two challenging years and their dedication to our collective goal of protecting Oklahomas workers.
Commissioner Doak said the commissions order anticipates an appeal and stays its referral until appeals are decided, and I look forward to a complete and careful review of these issues by the judicial branch. My department will continue to perform its statutory responsibilities while this consideration occurs, and we will support our legislators as they continue to develop Oklahomas workers compensation system this session. I believe that addressing these issues head-on will enable our state to provide the best care possible for Oklahomans at a price employers can afford.
Opt-out plans such as those in Texas and Oklahoma were criticized in a searing article published in October 2015 by ProPublica and NPR. That article states that the ProPublica/NPR investigation found that the plans almost universally have lower benefits, more restrictions and virtually no independent oversight.
Related:
Topics Workers' Compensation Oklahoma
The Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey
The Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey partners toast inside the Silver Oak Winery production center in Oakville, Calif. From left, Doug Gellatly, Jason Reimer, Mike Wilson and winemaker L. Paul Vezzetti.
(Submitted)
The Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey in Dauphin County recently marked their fourth anniversary in business by traveling to the West Coast and touring seven wineries in and around Napa.
Mike "Merlot Mike" Wilson, one of the partners, was asked to send along his perspective on the tour. Here's what he sent in:
Duckhorn Vineyards: My personal favorite in terms of variety and quality. One of the few that that had dry whites. They had estate-only tastings. Love it. Since it was my personal favorite, I offered our hostess the opportunity to wear my Money Team hat :)
Mike Wilson with Dennis Zablosky, the legendary tasting-room manager at Frank Family Vineyards in Calistoga, Calif.
Frank Family Vineyards: The man in the photo is Dennis, and he is a legend. He has sold over 8 million bottles of wine over a 30-year career. They have a huge Disney philosophy, given their ownership's history with Disney, and we subscribe to that as well. One of the more experiential wineries as opposed to being pretentious and insulting everyone else. Dennis deserved my Money Team hat :)
Palmaz Vineyards: This place is unreal and is a story in and of itself. Started by the man who invented the balloon heart stint who has more money than most global economies. His process is unique. The technology behind it is unreal and is now run by his son, who used to work for Apple and has developed apps using infrared technology to make the best decisions in the process.
Silver Oak Winery: They were probably the most gracious hosts. Fitting, because we broke a bottle of Silver Oak cab over our very first vines at our planting party when we decided to start the Vineyard as a means of "blessing" them. Silver Oak knows this and we have interacted many times over the years on our anniversary as we fondly recall that memory. They also inspired our Merlot Release Party idea. They were great.
And a few questions that he answered:
If you have the time, I wouldn't mind just getting your insight on the similarities and differences between California tasting rooms and those in the midstate.
It was fascinating taking away the experience of visiting Napa and comparing and contrasting experiences from back home. We found several wineries that used the same sort of approach in trying to build value that, quite frankly, was somewhat off-putting. For example, they would focus on how they had "the oldest this" or "the oldest that" or "the oldest approach to (insert tactic here)," and in using this approach they would use it to compliment themselves in a pretentious fashion while insulting others. There were other wineries who took a more personalized approach to spend time with us as customers and to get to know us and our interests, and they would cater their offerings and presentation accordingly.
How did they differ?
The answer to this was really in the layout. Some wineries were very interested in showing off their estate and demonstrating their approach to winemaking, as well as the equipment used, whereas other wineries provided a private area within the operation for us to sit down and meet with someone in a one-on-one fashion. Others did both. That was the beauty in this experience, we were able to see such versatility in practice. This also applies in the Hershey Harrisburg Wine Country with our 15 local wineries within 30 minutes of Hershey-Harrisburg, as each winery has a very unique setting as compared to other members. And that is what makes visiting them so great.
And did you see any sweet wines for sale out there?
I saw very few sweet wines, and I saw very few white wines, which surprised me. It seemed like everyone wanted to sell me their version of the "Best. Cab. Ever" while inserting some sort of story behind its unique process. The sweet wines we encountered were Moscato [non-sparkling] and ports, which were cab or zinfandel bases. It was a fascinating trip, overall.
EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants has hired Steve Hall as a property/casualty insurance broker/producer.
Hall will be based in EPICs Concord, Calif. office and report to Curt Perata, regional director of property/casualty operations.
Hall will be responsible for new business development and the design and management of insurance and risk management programs for clients across the region. Hall will serve a range of industries, including food production, healthcare, restaurant, real estate and manufacturing clients. Hall will also focus on expanding and supporting EPICs group captive program business.
Hall has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. He comes from Wells Fargo Insurance Services. He previously held sales/production positions with brokers Jenkins Insurance Services and Angelo & Associates.
EPIC is a retail property/casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm.
Topics California Agencies Property Casualty
E arrivata lufficialita, dopo una giornata di voci rincorrenti: per il triennio 2018-2021 sara lemittente Sky a godere dei diritti televisivi per trasmettere, in esclusiva assoluta, le partite non solo delle prossime edizioni dellEuropa League ma anche quelle della massima competizione continentale, la Champions. Un pacchetto da favola per il quale la tv satellitare di Rupert Murdoch avrebbe messo sul piatto unofferta giudicata piu congrua di quella presentata dalla concorrente Mediaset. A dare lannuncio dellaffare concluso e stata la stessa Sky che, in un comunicato, ha spiegato che il nuovo format sviluppato dalla UEFA ci consentira di portare ai nostri abbonati un prodotto rivoluzionario per il calcio europeo in Italia. Per la prima volta la UEFA Champions League e la UEFA Europa League saranno insieme in unesclusiva offerta integrata, che permettera agli appassionati di seguire fino a 7 squadre italiane, mai cosi tante prima dora, impegnate nelle sfide con i migliori club europei.
Sky: Rafforzata leadership
Anche il livello tecnico dellofferta sara altissimo ed e ancora lemittente a rivelare i dettagli: Continueremo a fare innovazione, trasmettendo le partite piu importanti anche in 4K HDR. Questofferta senza precedenti rafforza la posizione di Sky come leader della programmazione sportiva in Italia ed e anche un altro passo importante di sostegno al calcio italiano. Insomma, per i prossimi tre anni, sara unegemonia totale quella della satellitare sul calcio europeo, avendo mantenuto il pacchetto Europa League (gia sua esclusiva) e affiancandola a quello ancor piu appetibile della Champions League ad appannaggio Mediaset dal 2015 al 2018.
Sfida Serie A
Ora la sfida fra i due colossi delle trasmissioni sportive si spostera sui diritti televisivi della prossima Serie A, per la quale si e ancora in attesa di un nuovo bando che, come annunciato dal commissario della Lega, Carlo Tavecchio, avra le stesse caratteristiche del precedente, andato pero a vuoto: solo una delle offerte presentate per i cinque pacchetti, infatti, superava la soglia minima richiesta dalla base dasta. Niente di fatto, quindi, anche in virtu della stessa Mediaset che, in sostanza, ha disertato il bando (giudicato inaccettabile) non presentando alcuna offerta. La battaglia, anche in questo caso, sara sulle esclusive: del resto, dopo essersi vista scivolare via una componente importante come la Champions, sulla Serie A Mediaset dara sicuramente battaglia.
Nella capitale vicini Michetti e Gualtieri. A Siena e a Roma si vota anche per le elezioni suppletive alla Camera dei deputati
Si sono chiusi alle 15 i seggi per le consultazioni elettorali che si sono tenute domenica 3 e lunedi 4 ottobre, che hanno chiamato a esprimersi oltre 12 milioni di elettori. Si e votato per il rinnovo di 1.192 amministrazioni comunali, per le suppletive della Camera dei deputati nella XII circoscrizione Toscana, collegio uninominale 12 Siena e nella circoscrizione XV Lazio 1, collegio uninominale 11 Roma Quartiere Primavalle, e per le regionali in Calabria. Alle 15, con 621 comuni campionati su un totale di 1.153, il Viminale rende noto che laffluenza e pari al 59,79%, quando nel 2016 il dato era stato 65,98%, anche se in quelloccasione si era votato un solo giorno. Ecco i primi exit poll effettuati dal consorzio Opinio Italia per la Rai.
Roma
A Roma il candidato del centrodestra Enrico Michetti raggiunge una forchetta del 27-31%, seguito dallex ministro Roberto Gualtieri, candidato del centrosinistra, con il 26,5-30,5%. In una forchetta tra il 16,5 e il 20,5% Carlo Calenda e la sindaca uscente Virginia Raggi.
Milano
Alle comunali a Milano il candidato del centrosinistra e sindaco uscente Giuseppe Sala raggiunge una forchetta del 54-58%, dietro di lui Luca Bernardo (centrodestra) con il 32-36%, mentre Layla Pavone e Gianluigi Paragone in una forchetta tra il 2 e il 4%.
Napoli
Calo dellaffluenza nel capoluogo campano, con il dato definitivo al 47,19%, quando alla tornata del 2016 ma in quelloccasione si votava in un solo giorno al primo turno si reco il 54,12%. In base al primo exit poll del consorzio Opinio Italia per la Rai, il candidato del centrosinistra e Movimento 5 Stella Gaetano Manfredi raggiunge una forchetta del 57-61%. Dietro lui Catello Maresca (centrodestra) con il 19-23%; Antonio Bassolino (9-13%) e Alessandra Clemente (5,5-7,5%).
Torino
Affluenza sotto il 50% a Torino, dove si e presentato alle urne il 48,06% degli aventi diritto: peggior risultato della storia nel capoluogo piemontese. Il candidato del centrosinistra Stefano Lo Russo raggiunge una forchetta del 44-48%, seguito da Paolo Damilano del centrodestra con il 36,5-40,5%, Valentina Sganga, tra il 7 e il 9%, e Angelo DOrsi (1,5-3,5%).
Trieste
A Trieste il candidato Roberto Dipiazza, del centrodestra, raggiunge una forchetta del 46-50%, seguito da Francesco Russo del centrosinistra tra il 29 e il 33%. Poi Riccardo Laterza (9-13%) e Alessandra Richetti (2-4%).
Notizia in aggiornamento
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Members of the St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School Class of 1990 turned out in vast numbers at the newly refurbished Annadale Terrace Friday evening for a unique reunion fundraiser, the proceeds of which benefited the daughter of a former classmate.
Actually, alums Christine Gargano, Franca Wilson and Christine Maresca brainstormed the idea back in November, an event at which they expected no more than 40-to-50 former classmates.
But when news of the reunion traveled via social media, the planning committee had to limit the number of guests to 95 -- because of room capacity.
All were overwhelmed with the outpouring of support for Aaron Okola's daughter Monroe, who is 4 years old and fighting stage 4 Neuroblastoma after her initial diagnosis Oct. 9 of last year.
So far, a YouCaring.com crowdsourcing campaign has raised nearly $61,000 for Monroe's ongoing medical care.
Aaron and Leah left their other two children -- teenage son Jake and baby sister Arden -- in California in order to relocate to New York so that Monroe receive proper treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to help fight the disease that has a one out of two survival rate.
Classmates flew in from other states to show their support during the evening that wasn't about them, but rather the Okola family.
Alums were unanimous in stating: "We may have graduated 26 years ago but that night time stood still."
In fact, the same family of kids who were was always there for one another in high school, were there now pulling strength for Aaron and his family.
In conversing, they opined the government should begin to recognize that way too many children are dying from cancer due to lack of funding.
They pointed out the government provides only four percent of funding for children cancer research and so many other organizations receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for research?
"We have to be the voices for our children and this night showed that there's strength in numbers -- and no matter how many years pass we will always come together for support," noted Ms. Gargano. "We pray that all children receive a cure and receive the care they need. And this night restored a lot of faith in a lot of people. It means so much to Aaron and his family."
Several teachers were present to lend their support to the cause.
"We could fill the entire paper with the words and photos that were posted on our Facebook page the next day, which was wonderful to see," Christine Gargano said."Amazing night with an amazing group of people that truly shows we come together when needed, God Bless!"
In addressing the crowd, Aaron Okola noted "We are completely humbled and eternally grateful for all of your generosity and hard work putting this together. What a wonderful night.. you are amazing! Love you all and thanks so much."
Anthony Belisario pointed out: "It was an awesome time spent not only to revisit with everyone but to come together for that beautiful little girl. My friend, your family is in our hearts and our thoughts. May God bless all of you in this journey and whatever you need we are here."
Christine Maresca said: " It was a beautiful night and love how we reconnected and all pulled together for this event! I love you guys!"
Jennifer Enos chimed in: "Can't be said enough how amazing you guys are, Inspiring! Almost as inspiring as the strength of that little girl. Love and prayers for Monroe."
Dina Nazario gushed: "An awesome job for an amazing little girl!"
Dorejo Moore added: "I had a fabulous time and keep finding myself smiling as I replay the evening in my mind. we don't see each other often but it is comforting to know we can pick up right where we left off. Good times."
And in closing Franca Wilson stated: "Through the efforts and generosity of everyone involved we were able to raise an amazing amount of money for Aaron Okola and his beautiful little girl Monroe."
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A checking account is a necessity for most people, but theyre definitely not one-size-fits-all. Ultra-high-net-worth individuals need checking accounts that are equipped to meet their unique wealth management needs.
Many high-net-worth individuals choose to conduct their banking at the same institutions that are frequented by average consumers. In order to meet the needs of this clientele group, these banks have created accounts that come with special perquisites for the ultra-rich, such as personal bankers, waived fees, and the option of placing trades.
Key Takeaways Ultra-high-net-worth individuals need checking accounts that are equipped to meet their unique wealth management needs.
Bank of America, Citibank, Union Bank, and HSBC, among others, have created accounts that come with special perquisites for the ultra-rich, such as personal bankers, waived fees, and the option of placing trades.
The ultra rich are considered to be those with more than $30 million in assets.
These ten checking accounts are designed with the wealthy in mind and are intended for banking clients who desire convenient access to cash with premium benefits.
1. Bank of America Private Bank
Private Bank is the private banking division of Bank of America, and it targets individuals with a minimum of $3 million in liquid assets. The Wealth Management Interest checking account is geared toward high-net-worth individuals who want to earn a competitive rate, with standard bank fees waived when you meet minimum balance requirements. There are no monthly maintenance fees and members are eligible to enroll in the Preferred Rewards program, which offers exclusive benefits such as a 75% bonus on rewards earned with a Bank of America credit card.
2. Citigold Private Client
The Citigold Private Client Account Package is an all-in-one banking product thats designed to simplify cash management for wealthy clients. The package includes access to Citibank checking, savings, and money market accounts with perks such as unlimited refunds on non-Citibank ATM fees and higher daily limits on ATM withdrawals and debit card purchases. Account-holders also receive personalized guidance from a wealth professional, and many of Citibank's typical banking service fees are waived for Private Client members.
3. Union Bank Private Advantage Checking Account
The Union Bank Private Advantage checking account is available exclusively to Private Bank clients. This account, which can be opened with $1,000, has no monthly maintenance fees of any kind and no minimum balance requirements. Balances earn interest, which is compounded and paid monthly. Private Advantage Checking customers pay no overdraft fees and no ATM fees worldwide and have a dedicated relationship manager available to answer questions and provide assistance.
4. HSBC Premier Checking
HSBC Premier Checking makes it easy to enjoy valuable benefits while avoiding monthly maintenance fees. To avoid a monthly service fee, you can do one of the following:
Meet a $75,000 minimum balance requirement
Schedule recurring direct deposits totaling at least $5,000 per month
Have an HSBC U.S. residential mortgage with an original loan amount of $500,000 or more.
If you're unable to meet one of these requirements, a $50 monthly maintenance fee applies. Premier Checking customers enjoy unlimited rebates on non-HSBC ATM fees, access to preferential mortgage rates and access to one of the bank's highest-yielding savings accounts.
5. Morgan Stanley CashPlus
Morgan Stanley CashPlus is designed to be an all-in-one cash management solution. There are two account tiers available, Premium CashPlus and Platinum CashPlus. There are no cash management fees with either account and both offer unlimited ATM fee rebates worldwide. A $25,000 average daily cash balance is required to avoid a monthly service fee of $45. The Platinum CashPlus account also comes with additional benefits, such as a $695 annual engagement bonus for customers who have the Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley.
6. TD Bank Private Banking
TD Bank offers private banking services to clients in the U.S. and Canada and is ideally suited for those with $750,000 or more in investable assets. Private banking options include Private Tiered Checking and Private Tiered Savings accounts. Business deposit accounts and liquidity solutions are also offered. Private Client members can withdraw up to $1,500 daily at ATMs and make point of sale transactions up to $20,000, while mobile deposit limits of $50,000 per day and $100,000 per month are included with premium concierge banking services.
7. Truist Wealth Checking
Truist's (formerly BB&T) wealth management division offers an impressive range of products and services. The Truist Wealth Checking account offers perks such as tiered interest checking, fee discounts, and preferred rates on loans. Benefits also include a daily ATM withdrawal limit of $3,000 and a daily purchase limit of $25,000. There are no monthly maintenance fees on secondary checking accounts, one personal Truist savings account or existing Money Rate savings account or one Health Savings Account.
8. PNC Private Bank Checking
PNC Private Bank Checking is a cash management solution for people who want convenience and the opportunity to earn interest on balances. PNC Private Bank Clients work with a dedicated Banking Advisor to help you better understand and plan for your short- and long-term financial needs. In addition to the Private Bank Checking account, you can also open a Private Bank Money Market account. Neither account requires a minimum balance to open or carries a monthly service fee. Private Bank Checking comes with a debit card while Private Bank Money Market Accounts offer an ATM card only.
9. BNY Mellon Cash Management Access Account
The BNY Mellon Cash Management Access account is a self-directed investment product that combines the functionality of a brokerage account with the features of a checking account. Clients have the option of placing trade orders for stocks and mutual funds, paying bills, and overseeing their general day-to-day finances. This account could work well if you want to be able to combine investing with other financial management tasks.
10. Chase Private Client
Chase Private Client is designed for individuals who maintain a minimum daily balance of at least $150,000 in a combination of linked checking, savings, or investment accounts or have a Chase Platinum Business Checking Account. Theres no monthly service fee when these conditions are met; otherwise, a $35 monthly fee applies. Account benefits include higher interest rates on linked savings accounts and CDs, higher daily deposit and withdrawal limits as well as fee waivers on selected services, including wire transfers and foreign ATM withdrawals.
What Is an Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual? These are people with investable assets of at least $30 million, according to the 2021 Knight Frank Wealth Report. By comparison, high-net-worth people have at least $1 million in assets. This group of people is small but continues to grow. The U.S. has the most of these people in the world by a large margin.
How do the ultra rich get their wealth? Many ultra-high-net-worth individuals derive the majority of their wealth from owning their own businesses, and may others get most of their wealth from their investment portfolios, while a smaller portion get most of their wealth from their salary, according to the Knight Frank Wealth Report.
What banking services do the ultra rich expect? Most do not have their money sitting in certificates of deposit (CDs), money market accounts, or mutual funds in a 401(k). From their private bank they expect personalized investment services, low-interest loans, high-touch financial management services, and other generous amenities that entice them to remain a client.
Bottom Line
The ultra rich, or those individuals with more than $30 million in assets, are growing in number. They expect more from their banks than the usual mortgages, low-interest savings accounts and basic checking offered to the bulk of banking customers. From their private bank they expect personalized investment services, low-interest loans, high-touch financial management services, and other generous amenities that entice them to remain a client. And the world's biggest banks have responded in order to keep these high spenders satisfied customers.
There's safety in numbers, the old saying goes, and when it comes to mutual fund investing, it's not a bad principle. The largest mutual funds have trillions in assets under management (AUM), in addition to lower expense ratios, which may improve performance over time. In addition, the biggest mutual funds provide access to premiere money managers who specialize in maximizing your investments on a very granular level (though they'll also charge you fees for this upkeep).
Currently, two companies dominate the domestic mutual fund market: Vanguard and Fidelity. Both offer very robust funds with high growth potential and have trillions under their belt in total assets. If you're looking to cash in on the potential advantages of size in your mutual fund investments, here are the five largest mutual funds.
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTSAX) - $1.3 trillion Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX) - $808.8 billion Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTIAX) - $385.5 billion Fidelity 500 index Fund (FXAIX) - $380.7 billion Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VBTLX) - $305.1 billion
1. Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTSAX)
Assets under management: $1.3 trillion (as of Feb. 28, 2021)
Expense ratio: 0.04% (as of Apr. 29, 2021)
1-year performance: 11.67% (as of Mar. 31, 2022)
3-year annualized performance: 17.46% (as of Mar. 31, 2022)
For investors willing to invest a minimum of $3,000, the VTSAX fund provides exposure to the entire U.S. equity market: small-, mid-, and large-cap growth and value stocks. Created in 1992, the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares has more than 4,070 stocks in its holdings, including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, and Tesla.
For those who can't meet the $3,000 initial investment, Vanguard also offers an exchange traded fund (ETF) called the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI). The ETF version is similar to the VTSAX and costs the price of one share.
2. Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX)
Assets under management: $808.8 billion (as of Feb. 28, 2022)
Expense ratio: 0.04% (as of Apr. 29, 2021)
1-year performance: 15.60% (as of Mar. 31, 2022)
3-year annualized performance: 18.89% (as of Mar. 31, 2022)
The Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX) mirrors the S&P 500 index, offering exposure to 500 of the largest companies in the U.S. stock market across various industries. The 507 stocks within the VFIAX have approximately the same weighting as the stocks within the S&P 500. Some of the top holdings include Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Tesla, Nvidia, and Berkshhire Hathaway Inc.
The minimum investment requirement is $3,000, but for those who can't meet the initial investment, Vanguard also offers an exchange-traded fund (ETF) called the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO). The ETF version is similar to the VFIAX and costs the price of one share.
3. Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTIAX)
Assets under management: $385.5 billion (as of Feb. 28, 2022)
Expense ratio: 0.11% (as of Feb. 25, 2022)
1-year performance: -1.85% (as of Mar. 31, 2022)
3-year annualized performance: 7.76% (as of Mar. 31, 2022)
Vanguard's VTIAX fund tracks the performance of various indexes that contain stocks from developed and emerging markets. The fund excludes the U.S. and holds 7,754 stocks with 25% from emerging markets, nearly 40% from Europe, and nearly 27% from the Pacific region. Some of the top holdings include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Nestle SA, Samsung Electronics, and Toyota Motor Corporation.
For those who can't meet the $3,000 initial investment, Vanguard also offers an exchange-traded fund (ETF) called the Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS). The ETF version is similar to the VFIAX and costs the price of one share.
4. Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX)
Assets under management: $399 billion (as of Mar. 31, 2022)
Expense ratio: 0.015% (as of April 29, 2021)
1-year performance: 15.63% (as of Mar. 31, 2022)
3-year annualized performance: 18.91% (as of Feb. 28, 2022)
Fidelity's large-blend fund tracks the S&P 500. As of Dec. 31, 2021, the top ten holdings make up 29.29% of its portfolio, including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet. However, FXAIX's expense is one of the lowest in the market and maintains a solid 5-star Morningstar rating.
5. Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VBTLX)
Assets under management: $305.1 billion (as of Feb. 28, 2022)
Expense ratio: 0.05% (as of Apr. 29, 2021)
1-year performance: -4.09% (as of Mar. 31, 2022)
3-year annualized performance: 1.69% (as of Mar. 31, 2022)
Vanguard's VBTLX provides investors investment exposure to U.S. investment-grade bonds, including U.S. Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities. The fund's holdings are primarily U.S. government bonds with 66.5% of the fund's weighting, while 3.7% are AAA-rated bonds and 3.1% are AA-rated.
For those who can't meet the $3,000 initial investment for the VBTLX, Vanguard also offers an exchange-traded fund (ETF) called the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND). The ETF version is similar to the VBTLX and costs the price of one share.
What is Umpire Clause
n umpire clause refers to language in an insurance policy that provides for a means of resolution by an unbiased third party if an insurer and an insured cannot agree on the amount of a claim payment. An umpire clause is the same thing as an arbitration clause. The arbitration process requires both the insurance company and the policy holder to hire an appraiser of their choosing to assess the damages and the cost to repair them. The umpire will agree with one or perhaps both of the resulting appraisals and that amount will be used to satisfy the claim.
Understanding Umpire Clause
The umpire clause is closely related to the appraisal clause, which allows a policyholder to hire an independent appraiser to determine the value of their damages. In turn, the insurance company will also hire their own appraiser. The two appraisers will then get together and select an umpire. The umpire is basically the arbitrator.
These three individuals are known as the appraisal panel. The purpose of the appraisal panel is to set or determine the amount of loss, or the total dollar amount needed to return the damaged property back to it's original condition by repair or replacement.
Key Takeaways The umpire clause is similar to an arbitration clause and is used to settle disputes between insurance companies and the insured.
Each party hires an independent appraiser who works with the umpire to resolve differences relating to the claim.
Only two of the three members of this panel need to agree to resolve the case.
With an appraiser panel in place, the policyholder's chosen appraiser and the insurance company's chosen appraiser will review the documents, estimates, and differences between them. They'll then try to resolve their differences. In such a scenario, the three will discuss the issues and try to reach an agreed settlement of the differences. If disagreements between the two appraisers can't be resolved, the umpire makes the ultimate decision.
Interestingly, not everyone one on the appraiser panel has to agree. Only two of the three individuals need to agree, the umpire and either appraiser or the two appraisers themselves. Once two of the three individuals on the appraisal panel sign the award, the dispute is over. The amount on the award is paid to the policyholder.
Example of How an Umpire Clause Works
For example, let's say Max has a car accident and his car is totaled. He is at fault, so he files a first-party claim with his own insurance company. The insurer determines that the value of his totaled vehicle is $10,000 and offers to pay him the $10,000 minus his $1,000 collision deductible. According to his research, Max believes the value of his car to be closer to $15,000. Since they are so far apart, Max and his insurer agree to invoke the policy's umpire clause and have an umpire and appraisers determine the value of the car.
What Is an American Express Card?
An American Express card, also known as an Amex card, is an electronic payment card branded by the publicly traded financial services company American Express (AXP). The company issues and processes prepaid, charge, and credit cards. American Express cards are available to individuals, small businesses, and corporate consumers across the United States and around the world.
Key Takeaways American Express cards are issued by American Expressa publicly traded financial services companyand are charge cards, credit cards, or prepaid cards.
An American Express card, also called an Amex card, can offer a variety of perks, including rewards points, cash back, and travel perks. Some cards are co-branded, such as those with Delta and Hilton.
American Express is one of the few companies that issues cards and has a network to process card payments. Visa and Mastercard have processing networks but dont issue cards.
Understanding American Express Cards
American Express cards are issued by American Express and processed on the American Express network. American Express is one of only a few financial service companies in the industry that has the capability to both issue and process electronic payment cards.
American Express is a publicly traded company in the financial services industry. It offers both credit lending and network processing services, giving it a broad range of competitors in the industry. As with traditional lenders, it has the capability to issue credit products, which it provides in the form of charge cards and credit cards.
American Express has its own processing network that competes with Mastercard (MA) and Visa (V). Its most comparable competitor is Discover Financial Services (DFS), which is also a publicly traded financial service company offering both credit lending and a processing service network. With multiproduct capabilities, American Express generates revenue from both interest-earning products and network processing transaction services.
The term Black Card refers to the American Express Centurion card, which is offered by invitation only.
American Express Fees
American Express generates a significant portion of its revenue from transaction processing. Many merchants accept American Express cards and are willing to pay the transaction fees associated with processing because of the advantages that come with offering American Express as a payment option to customers.
In an American Express transaction, the merchants acquiring bank communicates with American Express as both the processor and the issuing bank in the transaction process. Merchant acquiring banks must work with the American Express processing network to transmit communications in American Express transactions. American Express is also the issuer that authenticates and approves the transaction.
Merchants pay a small fee to American Express for its processing network services, which are part of the comprehensive fees involved with a single transaction. As both a processor and high-quality lender, American Express has built a strong reputation in the financial services industry.
Types of American Express Cards
As noted above, American Express credit cards and prepaid debit cards are offered to a variety of both retail and commercial customers. It is also an industry-leading provider of charge cards, which offer month-to-month credit with card balances that must be paid off each month.
American Express charge and credit cards follow standard underwriting procedures. The company seeks good- to high-credit quality borrowerswhich means a credit score of at least 670and generally is not a subprime lender.
American Express credit and charge cards come with a variety of benefits in the form of rewards points and travel perks, which depend, in part, on the annual fee charged. American Express cards may offer cash back on certain purchases, though they arent among the best cash back cards currently available. American Express also offers numerous branded prepaid debit cards, which can be used as gift cards or special-purpose reloadable payment cards.
Annual fees for American Express cards tend to run high: $95 for the Blue Cash Preferred Card, $99 for the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card, $150 for the Green Card, $250 for the Gold Card, and $550 for the Platinum Card. That said, the Green, Gold, and Platinum cards have no predetermined spending limits. American Express does offer at least six cards with no annual fee. Customer service for all Amex cards is highly rated, with the company coming in No. 1 on J.D. Powers 2020 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study.
Partnerships, co-branded cards
American Express issues many of its cards directly to consumers, but it also has partnerships with other financial institutions. In the U.S., for example, Wells Fargo issued an American Express card (new applications were paused in April 2021, although this doesnt affect current cardholders), and in Mexico, Banco Santander offers American Express cards. American Express also has partnerships with other companies to encourage consumers to apply for its credit cards. Two examples are its co-branded cards with Delta Air Lines, which allow consumers to earn frequent flier miles redeemable on Delta, and its Hilton Hotels co-branded cards.
Pros and Cons of an American Express Card
What Is Structural Unemployment?
Structural unemployment is a longer-lasting form of unemployment caused by fundamental shifts in an economy and exacerbated by extraneous factors such as technology, competition, and government policy. Structural unemployment occurs because workers lack the requisite job skills or live too far from regions where jobs are available and cannot move closer. Jobs are available, but there is a serious mismatch between what companies need and what workers can offer.
Key Takeaways Structural unemployment is long-lasting unemployment that comes about due to shifts in an economy.
This type of unemployment happens because though jobs are available, theres a mismatch between what companies need and what available workers offer.
Structural unemployment can last for decades and usually requires a radical change to reverse.
Technology tends to exacerbate structural unemployment, marginalizing certain workers and rendering particular jobs, such as manufacturing, obsolete.
1:25 Structural Unemployment
How Structural Unemployment Works
Structural unemployment is caused by forces other than the business cycle. This means that structural unemployment can last for decades and may need radical change to redress the situation. If structural unemployment is not addressed, it can increase the unemployment rate long after a recession is over and increase the natural rate of unemployment, which is also known as frictional unemployment.
Hundreds of thousands of well-paying manufacturing jobs were lost in the United States over the past three decades as production jobs migrated to lower-cost areas in China and elsewhere. This decline in the number of jobs is responsible for a higher natural rate of unemployment. Growing technology in all areas of life increases future structural unemployment, because workers without adequate skills will get marginalized. Even those with skills may face redundancy, given the high rate of technological obsolescence and the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Structural unemployment is influenced by more than just the business cycle, impacted by major mismatches in the employment system.
Examples of Structural Unemployment
While the 2007-2009 global recession caused cyclical unemployment, it also increased structural unemployment in the United States. As the jobless rate peaked over 10% in October 2009, the average unemployment period for millions of workers rose significantly. These workers skills deteriorated during this time of prolonged unemployment, causing structural unemployment. The depressed housing market also affected the job prospects of the unemployed and, therefore, increased structural unemployment. Relocating to a new job in another city would have meant selling a home at a substantial loss, which not many people were willing to do, creating a mismatch of skills and job availability.
France has also been hit hard by structural unemployment, which arises from the fact that a large portion of Frances workforce is participating in temporary second-level jobs with little chance of being promoted to long-term contracts, forcing them to strike. This results in a lack of job flexibility and little job mobility, sidelining many French workers who have not adapted to new tasks and skills.
President Emmanuel Macron came into office in May 2017, when the unemployment rate stood at 9.5%. He vowed to address the countrys strict labor laws and make it more business friendly. Labor unions and the Macron government began negotiating to help reduce the ranks of the structurally unemployed, and the trends have been encouraging. As of the end of 2019, Frances unemployment stood at 8.1%, down from 8.7% at the start of the year and the lowest since 2009. Macrons stated goal is to get to 7% by the year 2022.
Apple has seeded tvOS 9.2 beta 5 to developers for testing.
Apple has seeded the fifth beta release for tvOS 9.2. It arrives just one week after the fourth beta was released for the set-top boxs platform, and over four weeks since the first beta was released. There are quite a few new additions with tvOS 9.2, including the ability to create folders on the home screen, official support for the stock Podcasts app, and support for Bluetooth keyboards as well.
tvOS 9.2 also makes it easier to scrub through video, thanks to a new way to bring up the ability by clicking the glass trackpad on the Siri Remote first, instead of accidental activations.
The new software also includes support for U.S. Spanish (for those in the U.S. only), French Canadian (for those in Canada only), UK English (for the United Kingdom) Australian (U.S. English) for Siri, redesigned app switcher, and MapKit support.
Developers can download tvOS 9.2 beta 5 from the Apple Developer Center, but you need to connect your Apple TV to your computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable. You can check our article on how to install tvOS beta on Apple TV 4 if you need help.
We dont know whats new in the fourth beta version of tvOS 9.2 yet. If you find anything new then please send us an email to [email protected]
Well update the post if we discover any new features or changes. So dont forget to join our Facebook fan page, follow us on Twitter, add us to your circles on Google+, subscribe to our RSS feed, our Daily Newsletter or subscribe to our all-new push notifications on your Mac in Safari
President Barack Obama has officially launched Irish-American Heritage Month, celebrated during the month of March, to honor the achievements and contributions of Irish immigrants and their descendants living in the United States.
Irish-American Heritage Month was first celebrated in 1991 and coincides with St. Patricks Day, March 17. Although the feast of the patron Saint of Ireland is officially a Roman Catholic holiday it has become a celebration of all this Irish across the world and especially the United States.
In fact so much so that every St. Patricks Day, the Taoiseach (Prime Minster) travels to Washington DC to present the US President with a crystal bowl of shamrock, at the Shamrock Ceremony, in the Oval Office, followed by various other Irish American celebrations.
Marking the launch of 2016 Irish-American Heritage Month Obama released the following decree:
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
Hailing from the Emerald Isle, generations of Irishmen and women have helped shape the idea of America, overcoming hardship and strife through strength and sacrifice, faith and family.
With an undying belief that tomorrow always yields a brighter day, Irish Americans symbolize the perpetual optimism that defines our country, and they have long embodied the truth at the heart of our promise -- that no matter who you are or where you come from, in America, you can make it if you try.
As we celebrate Irish-American Heritage Month, we recognize the Irish people's contributions to our country's dynamism, and we reaffirm the friendship and family ties between our two nations. For centuries, sons and daughters of Erin have come to America's shores, adding to our rich vibrancy and putting their full hearts into everything they do. From building our country's cities as preeminent architects and earnest laborers to building our national character as people of great joy and cherished culture, Irish Americans have endured intolerance and discrimination to find a place for themselves and their children here in the United States. While remembering the great Irish Americans of the past, we celebrate what forms the foundation of the lasting Irish-American story -- a shared embrace of hard work and humility, fairness and dignity, and a mutual quest to secure a freer and more peaceful future.
Today, the United States and Ireland enjoy a thriving and cooperative bond buoyed by a strong legacy of exchanges between our peoples. During Irish-American Heritage Month, let us pay tribute to the extraordinary mark Irish Americans have made on our Nation, and let us look forward to continued collaboration, friendship, and partnership between our countries.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2016 as Irish-American Heritage Month.
I call upon all Americans to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA.
Informer, analyser, comprendre, prevenir sans lavage cervicale afin d'eviter des intoxications propagandistes d'informations execrables et abrutissantes a prendre avec des pincettes quitte a les examiner sous loupe, avant de la servir en potage cervicale digestible. Blogofort, pluriculturel et neutre.
An Irish priest has been caught on video snorting cocaine in a room full of Nazi memorabilia at a party in his home on church grounds.
Father Stephen Crossan (37) was on leave from his duties in the Catholic Church due to depression at the time of the party. His actions were videoed by revelers at the party who claimed there was also Nazi memorabilia in his home at St Patrick's Church in Banbridge, County Down.
While Crossan admitted that he had taken cocaine, he said he did not have an issue with drugs. In the video, released by The Sun on Sunday newspaper, Crossan can be seen snorting the cocaine with a British 10 note.
Catholic priest filmed snorting cocaine in room filled with Nazi memorabilia.
STORY: https://t.co/gqK0Le4IyZ#7News pic.twitter.com/LnVpxF9AUe 7News Yahoo7 (@Y7News) February 29, 2016
He also said that the memorabilia was in his home because he collects historical stuff.
He told the paper, Im no Nazi. I collect historical stuff. Theres stuff there from every country.
The paper reports that the video was recorded at the end of two days of partying with friends that Crossan had invited into his parish home. Revelers returned to the house at 11am and stayed for seven hours after which Crossan asked them to leave.
The people at the party told the Sun there were Nazi flags, hats and an eagle with a swastika on a plinth on the mantelpiece.
They said, Stephen said he was a social worker but told us the truth when we realised he lived on church grounds. Hed been drinking beers and Jack Daniels as well as taking coke.
"The house was lovely but we were stunned to see the Nazi stuff. It was all over the house. At one point Stephen put on a cap and did the Nazi salute.
Its shocking. Hes supposed to be an upstanding member of society. He shouldnt be taking drugs.
Video: Catholic Priest Snorts Cocaine At Party On Parish Grounds - https://t.co/cz8EBQmw37 pic.twitter.com/uIrwJ27MX1 Newsbreak (@NewsbreakNg) February 29, 2016
Father Crossan was on sick leave, for depression, when the footage was taken.
Crossan has since left the Church, but a spokesman for his bishop said the priest would be supported through his issues.
The former priest studied for the priesthood at St Patricks College in Maynooth and completed a degree in Theology in 2007. During his years at Maynooth he was involved in various pastoral activities including prison and hospital chaplaincy, according to a parish website. He was appointed to Seapatrick parish as Curate in 2012 and before that served as Curate in St Peters parish, Lurgan and the parish of Tullylish.
The family of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands is incensed that a graphic novel depicting his story and death was published without their consent. Sands died on hunger strike in 1981 at the age of 27. His family claims the book exploits his memory.
The National Lottery funded the graphic novel, which is titled Bobby Sands: Freedom Fighter, through the Arts Council. The comic, written and illustrated by 80-year-old Gerry Hunt and published by OBrien Press in Dublin, was launched on Feb 22.
In a statement, Sands family said: "It is reprehensible that the family, including our elderly mother, was first made aware of this book when confronted by extracts displayed in the media.
"We are given to understand that the book contains intimate family scenes that no one, other than our family members, would be privy to. It is unfortunate that well-meaning people, such as Mr Hunt, are misled by those who profess to be authorities on Bobby's life story.
"Our family once again reiterates that the Bobby Sands Trust does not act on behalf of Bobby, nor does it represent our family, in any shape or form. We again call upon the trust to disband and desist from using Bobby's memory as a commercial enterprise."
According to the Belfast Telegraph, the family is opposed to having Sands legacy controlled by the Bobby Sands Trust, which is run by senior Sinn Fein members, such as Gerry Adams, who authored an epilogue for the book, and Danny Morrison. The hunger strikers sister, Bernadette Sands-McKevitt (who is married to prominent dissident, Michael McKevitt) has called for the end of the trust several times.
Unionists have also criticized the comic, saying it glorifies terrorism.
Because it is a comic book, it is directed at young people. It is wrong to be sending out a message that somehow terrorism is appropriate. That is just not right, said Former Ulster Unionist Party leader Tom Elliott, the Irish Times reports.
He was not a freedom fighter. He was a terrorist who belonged to an organization that murdered fellow Irish citizens, he added.
How the Arts Council ever came to fund this project I have no idea. I will be putting in some questions about what were the criteria for funding to the department and to the council, said Elliott.
A spokesman for the Northern Arts Council said: The Bobby Sands book, a full color graphic novel by Gerry Hunt, is by an author and illustrator who has a significant track record in the genre of graphic novels and has written other historical graphic novels."
He added: We do not interfere with editorial content nor do we draw a line regarding content chosen by publishers which may attract controversy, he said.
Michael OBrien, the books publisher, said he was surprised by the reaction and regretted that the book had become highly politicized. He said the graphic novel form is aimed at adults and not children.
In response to Elliots description of Sands as a terrorist, OBrien said, You could also call the men of 1916 terrorists. I would say when all peaceful protests have failed and there is grave injustice sometimes people are left with no alternative except violence.
Declan Garrity (24), the Barclays financial analyst accused of torturing his Upper East Side roommates cat will be escorted by the police to pick up his belongings at the apartment where the alleged offense took place.. He could face up to four years in prison for the felony offense.
Meanwhile members the public, so shocked by the crime, have set up a petition online demanding that the Omagh, County Tyrone man receive the maximum sentence for his crimes and be banned from owning a cat.
The Irishman faces up to four years in prison for two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony offense. He was released on $5,000 bail and is subject to a restraining order to stop him contacting his roommate, Danielle (29).
In court on Monday Garrity spoke only to confirm that he understood the courts instructions before being led out of court..He declined to answer any questions. He will appear in court again on April 28.
Read more: The banality of evil revealed when justifying torturing a cat
It is alleged that Garrity tortured the black, white and brown cat, named Lucy, over three months ripping out its claws and setting it on fire. The cat underwent a number of surgeries last week, being treated for broken bones and burns. Her nails had also been pulled out. Its reported that her hind legs, pelvis and bones in her face were broken, along with her teeth, and there was bruises on her back. He is also accused of setting the cats tail on fire.
The three-year-old feline has been in intensive care but is now said to be recovering and has begun to purr again.
Garrity, who had studied in Boston before moving to New York, appeared in court on Monday (Feb 29). He stood accused of battering the eight-pound animal in an especially depraved or sadistic manner.
Online members of the public have set up petitions at ForceChange.com and AnimalPetitions.org directed at the District Attorney of Manhattan, Cyrus Vance, calling for Garrity to receive the maximum penalty for man accused of brutally torturing his roommates cat for three months.
The petition states This level of animal torture is sick and alarming. This person, if guilty, should be brought to justice. We urge you to seek the maximum penalty in this case and see to it that this man is banned from ever owning animals if he is found guilty of this horrific crime.
Garritys roommate, named publicly only as Danielle, said the abuse went on for three months. When she asked her Irish roommate, who she had met through Craigslist,he told her an iron had fallen on the cat.
When Garrity moved into the Upper East Side apartment he told Danielle that he had grown up around cats. He moved into her apartment last November. As Danielle works as a nurse she believes that attacks took place while she was working late shifts.
She said the abuse had continued until February 20 when Danielle came home from work to find the cat cowering in her carrier. Her back foot was badly broken and her fur was burnt.
Danielle went to the police and vet Dr Robert Reisman carried out an inspection of Lucy. The vet found evidence of a number of injuries that had occurred during the last few days. He noted a dislocated right tibia bone, a fractured right tibia, broken teeth, severe inflammation to her mouth, burns to the tail, anal area, right thigh and left thigh.
Since Garrity moved in the cat has been acting strangely including hiding in Danielles closet, not eating and licking her paws constantly. On January 25 Lucys pelvis was broken and Garrity said an iron had fallen on the cat. Danielle has spent $12,000 in veterinary bills. She has set up a GoFundMe page for the cats care. So far she has raised $10,573.
Danielle had noted that Lucy was saying away from Garrity but never suspected what was going on. She said I thought it was weird. I was like: "How can we get the cat to like him?" Your mind doesn't go straight to: 'He's doing something to my cat".
It's nauseating. I've been disgusted with everything...I thought he was the best roommate I ever had. It's bizarre.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Garrity joined Barclays in New York as a financial analyst in October 2014. His profile also shows that he studied Science at Queens University Belfast and then at the Hult International Business School, in Boston. In his youth he attended the Christian Brothers Grammar School, Omagh. The Daily News reports that Garrity has a working visa. He is currently on a leave of absence from Barclays.
How hard is it to say you reject the aims, objectives and endorsement of the Ku Klux Klan? That's the question both pundits and the public are asking after GOP frontrunner for president Donald Trump's shocking appearance on CNN on Sunday.
Trump was asked point blank by anchor Jake Tapper whether he would disavow David Duke, the white nationalist and former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and the other white supremacist groups that are enthusiastically supporting his campaign.
I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists, Trump replied. So I don't know. I don't know did he endorse me, or what's going on? Because I know nothing about David Duke; I know nothing about white supremacists.
Trump was asked three times on Sunday whether he'd distance himself from the Ku Klux Klan but he refused to mention the group in his answers.
On Monday, hoping to get ahead of the roiling controversy, Trump blamed a lousy earpiece for not knowing who David Duke was during the CNN interview.
But as John King on CNN mentioned the earpiece worked fine for other interviews he did on the same morning.
It looks like it was a deliberate dog whistle to people in the South where Trump needs to win on Super Tuesday. If so it was a dreadful stereotyping of whites in the south who have overwhelmingly moved on from the Ku Klux Klan.
For good measure, at the weekend Trump threw in a quote from Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy during the Second World War, in his twitter feed.
There is nothing casual about these comments they are clearly aimed at a key demographic group that Trump wants to win over.
It was pathetic to see Bill O'Reilly defending Trump's comments on Monday night and seemingly encouraging him to change the first amendment and making it easier to sue.
O'Reilly, of course, blamed the media for jumping on Trump. The media did not issue a statement saying it had no position on the KKK.
Explaining his support for Trump in a Facebook post over the weekend Duke wrote: I think he deserves a close look by those who believe the era of political correctness needs to come to an end, adding that white nationalists should look for a leader who would secure the border and dismantle the Jewish controlled financial industry.
Later on Sunday, evidence was produced that Trump had in fact expressed strong disapproval of Duke in the past. Back in 2000, after deciding not to pursue a presidential bid with the Reform Party, he wrote a strong repudiation of Duke's views.
The Reform Party now includes a Klansman, Mr. Duke, a neo-Nazi, Mr. Buchanan, and a communist, Ms. Fulani, Trump said in a statement at the time, referring to arch conservative Pat Buchanan and Lenora Fulani, an advocate of Marxist-Leninist politics. This is not company I wish to keep.
But during the interview on Sunday, when Trump was asked repeatedly if he'd distance himself from Duke and other white supremacist groups, he hedged instead, saying he knew nothing about their support for his bid for the GOP presidential nomination.
I have to look at the group. I mean, I don't know what group you're talking about, Trump said. You wouldn't want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about. I'd have to look. If you would send me a list of the groups, I will do research on them and certainly I would disavow if I thought there was something wrong. You may have groups in there that are totally fine it would be very unfair. So give me a list of the groups and I'll let you know.
Tapper replied: OK. I'm just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here, but
Trump interjected: Honestly, I don't know David Duke. I don't believe I've ever met him. I'm pretty sure I didn't meet him. And I just don't know anything about him.
Trump's comments were made two days before twelve states mostly Southern ones vote on Super Tuesday. If he defeats Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio in all or most of those states, he will become a near lock for the 2016 Republican nomination.
Rubio quickly slammed Trump for his comments on Sunday. We cannot be the party that nominates someone who refuses to condemn white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan, he said. By the way, not only is that wrong, it makes him unelectable. How are we going to grow our party with a nominee that refuses to condemn the Ku Klux Klan? Don't tell me he doesn't know what the Ku Klux Klan is. This is serious.
Cruz tweeted on Sunday: Really sad. Donald Trump you're better than this. We should all agree, racism is wrong, KKK is abhorrent.
At a campaign stop in Massachusetts on Sunday, GOP presidential hopeful John Kasich called Trump's comments just horrific.
We don't have any place for white supremacists in the United States of America and he really needs to make his position clear and he ought to do it quickly, Kasich said.
On NBCs "Today Show" on Monday, Trump clarified that he does know who Duke is, but he insisted he has never met him.
Trump explained that he didnt know which white-supremacist groups Tapper was asking him about on CNN. On Sunday, however, he refused several opportunities to denounce any racist groups supporting him.
Ireland may have an acting Taoiseach (Prime Minister) for up to a year by some counts if no party is successful in forming a ruling coalition of 79 seats or more in the 157 person Dail (Parliament).
There are some strong indications that a minority Fine Gael government may continue to run the country in an acting capacity with the abstention support on key issues by Fianna Fail.
Read more: The Irish people have spoken, but no one knows what they mean
It is considered highly unlikely now that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, opponents for almost 90 years, will join together. Fianna Fail rank and file are adamantly opposed to being the junior partner in any coalition after their major breakthrough to the mid-40s in seat numbers.
A @ClaireByrneLive poll shows the people want Micheal over Enda - but then again a lot want neither as Taoiseach https://t.co/H3ACkYrhlv TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) March 1, 2016
Fianna Fails preference may well be to prop up the government by abstention on key votes before bringing it down in a year or so. There is no appetite at all in Ireland for another quick general election.
Fianna Fail also wants to institute parliamentary reforms which would make is easier for individual TDs or representatives to have more access and opportunity to speak. That would prove a highly popular move, say insiders, because the government of the day is long considered to have far too much power over the Dail's proceedings.
March 10 is the key date when an election for Taoiseach will take place. All the major party leaders will be put forward, but Fine Gael is expected to end up with around 50 seats (there are still disputed counts going on) and will likely have the largest vote. Absent a Fianna Fail/Fine Gael government there is no other realistic combination for a majority government.
If that proves to be the case then Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny would become acting Taoiseach just before his annual visit to the White House for the St. Patricks Day period.
March 2016 marks a milestone for Irish genealogy. Ten million Irish Catholic parish register records spanning the years 1670 1900 are now fully indexed and searchable online and will be free to access forever from genealogy hub Findmypast.
The parish register records are among the most crucial for anyone tracing their Irish ancestry. In many cases, these local baptism and marriage records are the only documented trail for descendants to explore since the Irish Censuses of 1821, 1831, 1841, and 1851 were burned in the Public Records Office when the Four Courts caught fire during the Irish Civil War.
The records released today contain 40 million names, cover 1,000 parishes across all 32 counties of Ireland, and form the most important resource for Irish ancestors prior to the 1901 census, allowing researchers to trace their roots back to pre-Famine Ireland.
These are the same records that were released online for free to wide applause by the National Library of Ireland at the end of 2014, except theres one major difference. While the NLIs Catholic Parish Registers database is fully digitized and searchable by parish, it isnt indexed or searchable by other criteria such as name.
Findmypasts offering marks the first time that National Library of Irelands collection of Irish Catholic Registers has been fully indexed with images to the original documents linked online. The records can now be searched by name, year and place, allowing relatives and historians the opportunity to make all important links between generations with the baptism records and between families with the marriage registers.
This ease of access will be a complete game changer in the search for ones Irish ancestors.
For many decades, gaining access to parish records involved a trip to Ireland and, in some cases, a visit to the parish in question, where a priest, a nun or an official from the parish office would be the gatekeeper to the records.
The Irish American writer Mary Pat Kelly, who is the author of two acclaimed novels inspired by what she discovered about her Irish ancestors, Galway Bay and Of Irish Blood, recently recalled her experience trying to trace her roots in the 90s.
I had spent 40 years trying to find out where my Kelly ancestors came from. I had a general idea of Galway but nothing specific - I had no maiden names, and Kelly is the second most common surname in Ireland. Finally my cousin in her 90s, who was also a nun, she told me my great-great-grandmother Honoras maiden name was Keeley," she told IrishCentral.
This was in the 90s when they had most of the records at family history centers in each county digitized, but not online. So I did find Honora Kelly Keeleys birth certificate and those of her children, but I was still having trouble finding her husband, Michael J. Kelly.
It ultimately took a trip to the Presentation Convent in Galway, where a venerable sister with extensive knowledge of the records agreed to help after Kelly bonded with her over having been a novitiate in a convent for six years.
Together they tracked down Kellys great-great-grandfather, Michael Kelly, discovering that he had married Honora in 1839, and the sister would go on to help many other people navigate the records.
After that I sent dozens of people to her Kelly said. Shes met some of them at the train station, shes gone up to Dublin to check in the land commission records for people, and now shes also a wiz on computers. She feels its her apostolate to help people find their ancestors, to connect people.
While genealogists and people who know the parish records like the backs of their own hands will always be invaluable, the full indexing of these once hard to navigate records will make it significantly easier for people to get started on their Irish ancestor search independently, and without the financial or time commitment it once required.
This important publication marks a further step in Findmypasts commitment to making Irish family history more accessible. In less than 5 years, we have made over 110 million records (with 300 million names) available online for the first time, Brian Donovan, Irish records expert at Findmypast, told IrishCentral.
Irish research has been transformed from the select pursuit of the few, to a fun and relatively easy hobby for the many. The Irish story of hardship, migration and opportunity is a global story, and in partnership with the cultural institutions around the world we are bringing the fragments of their lives within reach.
He noted that there have been various indexing attempts over the years but they were done by local bodies and were sometimes expensive to access. These records are free and forever and accessible from a computer. That was important to us with a release of this magnitude we feel that Irish family history can be made easy and we know how popular it is.
For those setting out to trace their ancestry for the first time, Donovan recommends getting as much information in advance as possible, be it from family members or from the paper trail their relatives created after immigrating to the US.
People assume that because Ireland is so small that finding their ancestors will be easy, but they forget that before the famine there were 8 million people in Ireland thats a bigger population than any state in the US at that time, he explained.
The Catholic Parish Registers will be particularly valuable for people who have filled in their ancestors lives post-immigration from Ireland but are still looking for answers to their familys past on the Emerald Isle.
One of our core ambitions is to make the link between Europe and North America that much easier, and these records are a key part of that link, Donovan added. We have far more Irish records than anyone else, and in addition to birth, death and marriage records, we have historic newspaper archives, petty court records, dog license applications and loads more besides that that allow people to form fuller stories of who their ancestors were.
On an important historical note, the indexing of the parish records also allow researchers to witness the devastating effects of Irelands Great Hunger (1845-1852) first hand. Using the records to examine baptism rates in pre and post Famine Ireland revealed that the number of children baptised across the whole of Ireland dropped by more 50% in the decade that followed. Across all 32 counties, 2,408,694 baptisms were recorded from 1835-1844, while 1,109,062 baptisms were recorded between 1851 and 1860, a difference of more than 1,299,000 baptisms.
The records reveal the worst affected regions, with counties Limerick, Wexford, Roscommon and Kilkenny seeing the most dramatic drops in baptism rates.
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Findmypast is home to the most comprehensive online collection of Irish family history records with millions of exclusive records, published in partnership with The National Archives of Ireland, The National Archives UK, and a host of other local, county and national archives.
*Originally published March 1, 2016
It has emerged the four Afghan men found in a container coming off a boat at Rosslare Harbour had travelled from Cherbourg in France.
The discovery was made in the early hours of yesterday morning by Gardai from the national immigration unit.
Lucinda Creighton has said Renua will not disband despite the party's failure to secure any seats in the General Election.
Ms Creighton, who founded the Renua party after she left Fine Gael, lost her seat in Dublin Bay South.
The former Fine Gael Junior Minister was first elected to the Dail in 2007.
Lucinda Creighton has said she believes she has made a contribution to political life and that she is looking forward to the next chapter.
Creighton also claimed she is committed to the party, but it is too early to say whether she will remain on as leader.
Thank you to all the @RENUAIreland supporters & candidates.Disappointed but happy to have more time with this lady! pic.twitter.com/ZJc0wIBuMw Lucinda Creighton (@LCreighton) February 28, 2016
Obviously we are very disappointed that we lost the three seats that we had in the Dail, but on the other hand we have exceeded the 2% threshold for State funding and that means that the party now has a future, said Creighton.
It has the capacity to build, to grow and a lot of our candidates around the country who stood in the Election are firmly committed to running in the next local elections and building a base.
Irish politics requires you to have that type of base.
There are fears of a further outbreak of gangland violence in Dublin following yesterday's murder of a prominent dissident republican in the city.
The victim has been named as 25-year-old Vincent Ryan, the brother of Real IRA figure Alan Ryan, who was murdered in 2012.
He lost his fight for life in the Mater Hospital last night, after being shot a number of times on McKee Road in Finglas.
Superintendent John Quirke says Gardai are hopeful witnesses will come forward.
Supt Quirke said: "There may have been a number of witnesses in the area at the time, McKee Road is quite a busy area, very residential, a well-established area.
"So we anticipate that there may have been people in the area at the time of the shooting.
"We have no evidence at the moment to indicate that it was connected to any of the shootings that happened in the last couple of weeks in Dublin city."
Gardai are seeking information about a silver or grey Volkswagen Golf with alloy wheels believed to have been used by the gunman in the latest killing on the capital's streets.
It was seen speeding away from the murder scene towards nearby Clune Road and Jamestown Road.
A car has since been found burnt out in the Victoria Bridge area on the Naas to Rathangan Road which investigators believe may be involved in the shooting.
A number of scenes have been sealed off for technical examination by Garda forensic experts.
Cross-posted from the Curriculum Matters blog.
Thirteen states and 40 school districts are joining the U.S. Department of Educations open education resource initiative, #GoOpen, federal officials announced today.
The Education Department launched its #GoOpen initiative, which encourages states and districts to use open resources, last October .
Open education resources are available for free, unlike traditional textbooks and workbooks, and are often released under licenses that allow them to be shared or altered by users. Theyve posed a challenge to commercial publishers, which say many open resources are oversimplified or lacking. Districts and teachers are still figuring out how to manage, evaluate, and use the materials.
But theyve been embraced by the Education Department, which recently proposed a set of regulations for open curricula and hired a full-time staff person focused on the resources. ESSA, the new federal education law, also allows states to target federal grant money toward open education resources.
The #GoOpen states and districts are tasked with developing strategies for the use of such materials.
In a press release, John King, the acting education secretary, said the resources can increase equity by providing all students, regardless of zip code, access to high-quality learning materials that have the most up-to-date and relevant content.
Education department officials said the materials allow districts to invest in technology and other needs instead of costly curricular resources.
Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin are in the first cohort of states to launch #GoOpen Initiatives . The states will develop technology strategies that prominently feature the use of open education resources, develop repositories for open resources, and will share strategies and lessons with one another.
The participating districts will also create strategies for the use of open education resources. Thirty-one districts will replace at least one textbook with an open resource. Nine districts will mentor those districts. (See the full list of districts here .)
The department has the support of a slew of organizations and companies: The Center for Digital Education is creating a guide for selecting digital resources; Creative Commons, which licenses open content, will be holding workshops for districts hoping to use more open resources; Amazon Education will provide infrastructure to the Education Department; and ASCD will provide professional development through an online course, among other supporters.
The professional development organization ASCD also released a set of case studies and polls on open education resources tied to the #GoOpen initiative today. The case studies highlighted collaborations between school districts in California, Ohio, and Wisconsin and in rural schools. The poll, conducted in late January through the organizations Smartbrief newsletter, found that more than 50 percent of teachers surveyed are in schools and districts where the use of open resources is prevalent.
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About two dozen migrants protesting against the demolition of the sprawling Jungle camp in Calais have climbed on to shanty rooftops, and are surrounded by police.
The slow tear-down of the encampment is continuing, angering migrants who live there in squalid conditions in the hope of reaching a better life in Britain.
A suspected meteor shower over Scotland triggered calls to police from people claiming their homes shook.
The spectacle last night was witnessed across Scotland, and prompted many to report the sight of a "fireball" in the sky and a violent bang to the police.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said they began receiving calls at around 6.55pm on Monday evening.
She said: "One told us the sky had been lit up with an object like a fireball. Another caller said there was a very loud bang and others said the house shook.
"We know police in Inverness and in the south also received calls, it was seen by people across Scotland.
"We have checked and been told it was likely to be a meteor shower."
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said they would not discuss if there was any link to any operations in the area.
The wheel may yet come off the bandwagon, of course. That said, the time is coming to consider the economic and financial implications of a Trump presidency.
Let us imagine that the Republicans also retain a large degree of control over both the Senate and the House of Representatives, following the November elections, allowing the newly elected president to start implementing his pre-election commitments.
Mr Trumps most notorious plan, the enforced repatriation of roughly 11 to 14 million undocumented, or illegal immigrants from the US over the period of a year to 18 months could plunge America into a Depression, according to Mark Zandi, chief economist, Moodys Analytics.
Mr Zandi warned in the Politico website that as a result many jobs in restaurants, hotels and construction would go unfilled.
There would also be 11 million fewer consumers of US goods and services further driving down economic activity.
The plans have been slated by many economists of the right as well as the left. Mass returns would slash repatriation income, while increasing the burden on struggling Latin American economies, potentially provoking retaliation against American gringos.
The American Enterprise Forum warns that immediate and full enforcement of immigration law would cost the Federal government between $400 billion (365.7bn) and $600 billion.
John McLaren of the University of Virginia tells The Street that farmer income would plunge while food prices would soar as output fell.
Mr McLaren points to a 2008 raid by Immigration & Customs on a slaughtering and packing plant in Postville in Iowa. Almost 400 undocumented workers were detained, 300 jailed and over 1,000 migrants left, devastating the local economy.
A toning down in rhetoric looks likely as the election deadline approaches, assuming Mr Trump clinches the nomination. This is also likely to hurt the economy.
There are precedents. A UK government crackdown on visas is badly hurting the restaurant trade, causing many Indian eateries to close.
Mr Trump also has free trade in his sights. He would renegotiate the Nafta agreement and the proposed transatlantic partnership.
Interestingly, Hillary Clinton has also shifted position on free trade, becoming much more of an avowed sceptic.
Mr Trump has also promised a 35% tax on Mexican car imports while he would declare China a currency manipulator.
He is on firmer ground with a pledge to force the Chinese to uphold intellectual property laws, end illegal export subsidies and tackle lax labour and environmental standards.
The concern is that a series of retaliatory actions on trade would be triggered, helping to further fan the flames of global financial instability.
The New Yorker, with the big hair, also promises tax cuts across the board.
He insists that lower earners will get to send a form to the Inland Revenue with the words I win on it.
The business tax rate , for example would fall to just 15% while profit repatriations from overseas would be pushed strongly giving the IDA and Ireland plenty to think about.
The non-partisan Tax Foundation estimates that Trumps tax plan would cut taxes by $12 trillion, leading to 11% growth in GNP, a 6.5% jump in wages, and 5.3 million extra jobs.
The rich fare best with growth in capital stock of 30%.
However, the Foundation warns tax revenues would fall by over $10 trillion causing global investors to take fright as the US drove deliberately over a fiscal cliff.
His backers such as the Texas-based Institute of Policy Innovation insist that his tax plan is one of the most dynamic tax plans out there. It certainly has echoes of the supply side economics beloved of President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.
On the spending side, Obamacare would be shelved by Mr Trump.
No fan of Islamic extremism, he would also boost spending on the military, fanning concerns about a yawning fiscal gap even further.
Whatever else you say, these plans are not dull, but neither is Mr Trump.
On the back of the publication of its first set of annual results as a publicly-quoted company, the Dublin-based housebuilder yesterday said it was assessing strategic opportunities and considering funding options, such as additional debt financing, joint ventures and equity funding; in that regard.
No timeframe for additional funding announcements was given, however.
Cairn became the first Irish housebuider in 20 years to float, when it listed on the London Stock Exchange last June raising over 440 million in the process.
In all, the company raised 642m last year when a 150m senior debt facility, with AIB, and a follow on share placing, which raised 52.1m, are taken into account.
Yesterdays results show a maiden year pre-tax loss of 37.52m; but revenues of 3.72m.
The loss was driven by exceptional costs 2.9m of which related to the acquisition of Cairn Homes Holdings (formerly Emerley Holdings), which was purchased as part of last years IPO, and 29.1m in relation to a once-off accounting charge.
Cairn has spent around 554m, to date, which has seen it amass a total landbank of 25 sites with the potential to develop more than 11,000 houses; nearly 90% of which are based in and around Dublin.
A vast chunk of that spend went on buying (along with US private equity firm Lone Star) the Project Clear loan book from Ulster Bank which will provide it with the largest residential landbank in Ireland and 20% of the available residentially zoned land in the greater Dublin area.
Around 3,000 new houses were built in Dublin last year; considerably less than an estimated requirement of 8,000-10,000. Cairn plans to build around 1,000 new units per year by 2019.
We are currently building in Parkside, North Dublin and Killiney, South Dublin.
"We will commence construction on five further schemes within the next 12 months and look forward to making a meaningful contribution to the much needed supply of quality new homes in Ireland over the coming years, said chief executive, Michael Stanley.
Customer feedback has been positive regarding its debut Parkside development in north Dublin, with 52 houses now sale agreed up from 40 in November.
Cairn had net debt of around 30m as of the end of last year.
The decline in the 15 districts defined as the English capitals prime areas was 0.6%, according to London-based broker Knight Frank.
In Knightsbridge, home to the Harrods department store, values dropped by 7% in the 12 months to February, while there was a 3.3% fall in South Kensington and a 2% drop in Chelsea.
During a recent press conference, Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback said he is working to figure out a plan to address the recent Kansas Supreme Court ruling that deemed the states funding formula inequitable, according to the Kansas City Star .
The court ruled that Brownbacks move two years ago to replace the states funding formula with a block grant formula left the states districts having to raise local property taxes. The court threatened to shut down the entire public school system if the legislature doesnt come up with a remedy before July 1.
Brownback said during a press conference Thursday he was meeting with legislators and the states lawyers over the issue. He estimated that satisfying the court could cost the state $100 million, just a fraction of the states $4 billion education budget, according to a press release by the Kansas Association of School Boards.
I take (the supreme court) seriously on the issue of equalization, Brownback said.
Shortly after the ruling, Brownback, along with several Republican legislators, said an activist court was attempting to shut down the schools.
On Thursday, when asked if the court was bluffing, he said, Im not going to comment on that.
The state legislature didnt address the ruling in its most recent revisions of the budget, according to the Kansas City Star.
The courts made a ruling, and they put a hard deadline on, it but I think you have to respect the process, Brownback said.
Educators in the state complained that, buried in the budget, the legislature earmarked $50,000 to pay for a lawyer to represent it in future school funding cases.
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Members of the Labour Party who are now battling to get seven TDs elected in order to retain speaking rights in the Dail feel there is no appetite to return to any sort of government coalition.
The party is still reeling from the massive losses sustained in Fridays election having gone from a historic high of 37 seats in 2011 into single digit figures.
The cabinet is due to meet today and there will be a meeting of Labour ministers before this. Many of them failed to be elected.
The Labour parliamentary party, which now is made up of more senators than TDs, will also meet later in the week when the final number of Labour seats is known.
Aodhan O Riordain was still in a battle for a seat in Dublin Bay North last night, while a recount in Longford-Westmeath meant that Willie Penrose still did not know his faith.
Labour needs at least one of these candidates to make it over the line to have seven elected TDs, which would provide it with speaking rights and funding.
Leader Joan Burton has said she will stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed.
A spokesman for Ms Burton yesterday said: I would not anticipate an appetite to return to government.
This line has hardened even further among members who believe that they have no mandate to return to power.
Speaking on local radio yesterday Labours deputy leader Alan Kelly categorically ruled out doing business with any government party.
The Labour Party wont be part of government. We need a period in opposition, he said.
However, he refused to rule out going for the leadership of the party himself. Labour rules dictate there must be a leadership election within six months of the party being returned to opposition.
Some sources in the party believe this will take place in June and Ms Burton will not be re-elected.
Junior Minister Kevin Humphreys, who failed to get re-elected, said the parliamentary party will meet this week when all the counts have finished and there will be a meeting of the executive board then.
Nobody is talking about government or forming a government. We were not given a mandate to go into government, he said.
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County Mayor John Paul OShea and Mayor of Xuzhou, Tiegen Zhou, signed the memorandum of understanding between Cork and Xuzhou, in the northwest Jiangsu province, as a high-profile Chinese trade delegation attended a business seminar in County Hall.
Xuzhou, midway between Beijing and Shanghai, is one of Chinas most influential transportation hubs.
The visiting delegation includes senior representatives of a number of large companies based in Xuzhou and the wider province.
They were addressed at the seminar by leading business figures in Cork including Barrie OConnell, president of Cork Chamber, who gave an overview of the regions business strengths, Orla Flynn, the vice president for External Affairs at Cork Institute of Technology, Ronan Murphy, the chairman of it@cork; Kieran Evans of Dairygold, Seamus Fives of Pfizer and Tian Chen, the vice president of Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking.
The main focus of the seminar was to explore opportunities to develop economic, education and cultural links between Cork and Xuzhou, with the seminar paying attention to key trade growth areas including construction, food and beverage, ICT, energy, pharmaceuticals and transport.
Mr OShea said he was delighted to welcome the Xuzhou delegation to Cork after county officials visit the Chinese city last November.
This return visit represents a golden opportunity for us to continue exploring potential business, education and cultural links between our two regions, he said.
Cork County Council, he said, is focused on highlighting the economic development, education, tourism and cultural exchange potential which exists between Ireland and China and, specifically, between Cork and Xuzhou.
Developing a relationship with Jiangsu province is part of a South-West Regional approach, which has Cork City Council building a long-standing relationship with the Municipality of Shanghai and Kerry County Council developing a relationship with Zheijiang Province, south of Jiangsu.
With Fine Gael and Fianna Fail still officially saying they will not consider coalition, both parties may target Independents and smaller parties to put together a workable government that does not include their rival.
Fianna Fail sources said last night no phonecalls have yet been made, while senior Fine Gael figures said it is likely Taoiseach Enda Kenny will set up his own negotiating team after todays cabinet meeting.
However, with an intense spotlight now turning on what the likely six Independent Alliance TDs, three Social Democrats, two Greens, 14 unaligned Independents and two Healy Raes are looking for, what exactly will the two largest parties in Ireland face when they eventually sit down to talk to their would-be saviours from themselves.
And unsurprisingly, at this stage it appears that the abolition of Irish Water, new roads, reopened hospitals, rural jobs, more local doctors and genuine Dail reform will be the price of power.
Independent Alliance leader Shane Ross last night told the Irish Examiner the likelihood of a minority government is an excellent result because it will enhance the powers of the Dail compared to cabinet.
He said his coalition, if called, would seek its Alliance Charter for Change to be implemented. It wants new anti-cronyism rules, Oireachtas reform and the protection of the vulnerable.
Chief among the other Independents will be the Kerry TD duo of Michael and Danny Healy Rae, whose father Jackie controversially brought millions of euro into the kingdom by supporting boom-time Fianna Fail governments a deal some see as warranted and others view in a far less positive light.
Michael said last night he and Danny have been contacted by nobody, its early days yet and we are looking at prolonged negotiations, but has previously called for job investment, farming supports and improved broadband.
Next door, in Cork South West, Independent TD Michael Collins said he is willing to do a deal with Micheal Martin or Enda Kenny or anyone else because we have to run a country, saying he has been speaking to other Independents too.
I have two words that they would have to discuss with me: West Cork, he said, noting the need for more jobs, giving rural development Leader programmes control over their own funds and increased help for the fishing industry.
Among other Independents, Tipperarys ex-Fianna Fail TD Mattie McGrath will ask for local borough councils to be restored as local democracy has been shut down, the re-opening of St Michaels Hospital, a road bypass for Tipperary town and the abolishment of Irish Water, saying: Tipperary must get its share of the cake.
Roscommon-Galway Independent and ex-Fine Gael TD Denis Naughten said he would not only reference the need for radical change in the Dail. Dublin Central TD Maureen OSullivan whose predecessor Tony Gregory struck the 1982 Gregory deal with Charlie Haughey said she is open to a listening exercise, while Clares new single- issue TD Michael Harty will push for rural GP investment.
One of the Social Democrats three TD co-leaders, Catherine Murphy, told the Irish Examiner last night that like Independents, no one has yet sought support.
However, the TD said while she and fellow co-leaders Roisin Shortall and Stephen Donnelly will meet in Leinster House today to discuss strategy, it is unlikely they will support the larger parties.
Greens leader Eamon Ryan said his first choice is a seemingly unimaginable multi-coalition of Fianna Fail-Sinn Fein-Labour- Social Democrats-AAA/PBP-Left-leaning Independents and the Greens. However, he said anyone addressing climate change, Brexit and the Mediterranean migrants crisis alongside Greens housing and transport national plans deserves consideration.
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Airport managing director Niall MacCarthy and senior DAA executives will travel to the US to attend several high-profile Irish-American events in both cities in the run-up to the March 17 celebrations.
They will use the week to brief influential figures on the importance of the service proposed by low-cost carrier Norwegians Irish subsidiary, Norwegian Air International (NAI).
Protracted delays by the US department of transportation (DoT) on NAIs application for a foreign carrier permit forced the airline to postpone its proposed May launch of a Cork to Boston service. The deferral also affected its plans to launch a Cork to Barcelona service and is also threatening the launch of its Cork to New York service next year.
European Transport Commissioner, Violeta Bulc, is due in Washington over the coming days to meet her US counterparts. While the primary purpose of these meetings is to discuss ongoing negotiations on decarbonisation of aviation, we expect the issue of NAI to be raised, her spokesman said.
The Commission is also poised to trigger an arbitration process in a bid to break the permit deadlock.
With the European Commission now on the case, the Irish aviation executives hope that by leveraging all diplomatic channels, pressure will build on the US authorities ahead of the Taoiseachs expected arrival in Washington for the annual shamrock ceremony.
Cork Airport management has called for joined up Irish/EU pressure on US secretary of transport anthony Foxx to grant NAI its foreign carrier permit to operate its Cork-Boston service, as the delay is damaging Corks economy and our ability to grow tourism and foreign direct investment, a Cork Airport spokesperson said.
NAI has been waiting two years for a decision from the US DoT on its foreign carrier permit application. It is now the longest pending application of its kind.
Objections from US airlines and labour unions have been blamed for the delay amid concerns NAI will operate under a flag of convenience which will drive down the terms, conditions, and wages of American crew.
However, the European Commission has insisted the airlines application is fully compliant with the EU-US Open Skies Agreement and that a permit should be granted.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed Shannon Airport has also struck a deal with Norwegian on a proposed Boston service, pending US approval. Passengers using Shannon Airport can avail of US Custom and Border Protection pre-clearance a major advantage over Cork Airport.
A Shannon Airport spokesman said the deal arose out of discussions which began in 2014.
A spokesman for Norwegian said the Cork routes are the focus but the airline is looking at opportunities from other Irish airports.
Not only are we fully committed to new transatlantic flights from Cork this year but we are also looking at options for further expansion in Ireland, he said.
However, he stressed the plans all depend on the US DoT finally approving NAIs permit application.
Its the largest number of county councillors from Cork elected to Leinster House at any one time, and a seventh may shortly be following them into the Seanad.
Fianna Fail will have to replace three councillors: Kevin OKeeffe, Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West) and Margaret Murphy-OMahony (Cork South West.)
Speculation is rife Mr OKeeffe will be replaced by a family member, although he refused to comment.
It is expected his father Ned OKeeffe, a TD for 30 years, is likely to prefer another family member watching over the constituency while Kevin is in Dublin. He has two brothers, Pat and Ciaran, and two sisters Lorraine and Deirdre.
Its very possible a family member will also replace Mr Moynihan on the council. I would expect a replacement on the county council before the Seanad elections take place in two months time, he said.
He has three brothers and four sisters, all of whom were involved in his impressive poll-topping campaign.
I havent been talking to anybody inside the family or outside it for that matter about the council seat.
Meanwhile, Ms Murphy-OMahony said a few people had expressed an interest. She had not spoken to her family about it.
The day of that being an automatic assumption [having a family member take over] should be gone. I just want the seat to go to a good home, she said.
Sinn Fein leader on the council, Cllr Des OGrady, said the party will decide on nominating its two replacements before the end of March.
Cllr Donnchadh OLaoghaire, (Cork South Central) and Cllr Pat Buckley (Cork East) were also elected onto the council in 2014.
A bit of groundwork has been done already and we will be meeting during the week to progress this, he said.
Independent Michael Collins (Cork South West) did not comment on speculation his brother Danny will replace him. He plans to make a decision by March 14. Anyone going to take over my seat will have to be 100% independent-minded, whether it be a brother, a 41st cousin or anybody else, he said.
Meanwhile, Fianna Fail councillor Frank OFlynn has been nominated to contest the agricultural panel for the Seanad. If Im successful which I hope I am, there will have have to be a co-option to fill my council seat, he said. And at this stage I dont have a clue as to who that will be.
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FINE GAEL and Labours joint vote in Cork collapsed by nearly half compared to 2011, analysis of last weeks election shows.
The election has been a disaster for the coalition parties on Leeside, with Fine Gael and Labour losing four and three TDs, respectively, following a haemorrhaging of votes across Corks five constituencies.
The coalition parties capitalised on Fianna Fails weakness in 2011 to draw in a combined 157,411 first preferences across Cork as they swept to power with a massive majority.
But Fine Gael and Labour are now nursing their wounds after pulling just 83,560 votes between them across the five Cork constituencies.
Between them the two lost 25% of the share of votes in Cork compared to 2011, while the election was a resounding success for Fianna Fail.
Over 30% of voters in Cork gave Micheal Martins party their first preference, exceeding the national average of 24.3% of voters who gave their number one to Fianna Fail.
The swing in fortunes has seen the party retain its three TDs in the city, while picking up seats in the three rural Cork constituencies. It has now gone from having four TDs in Cork in 2011 to winning seven in 2016.
While only increasing its share of the total Cork vote by 1.8 percentage points, Sinn Fein still picked up an extra seat to up their representation from the county to three. There were gains too for AAA-PBP and independents, who both picked up one seat.
The major swing in Cork North Central saw Labours share of the vote drop from nearly 27% in 2011 to just over 7% in 2016. The party attempted to mitigate for the change in its fortunes by running Kathleen Lynch as a solo candidate instead of introducing a running partner as it did in the last election, but it was not enough to prevent the junior minister from losing her seat.
With Billy Kelleher elected on the first count with 4,051 votes to spare, Fianna Fails share shot up to nearly 28% of the vote, and party leaders may well be wondering if a running mate for the health spokesman maybe a viable option next time around.
Mick Barry was the other main beneficiary from Labours collapse, with his share going from 9.2% to 15.7% and gaining a seat in the process.
The group of death in Cork South Central was a talking point before the election. The redrawing of the constituency boundaries and reduction to a four-seater impacted particularly on Fine Gaels Jerry Buttimer, who lost his Bishopstown base to Cork North Central and his seat in the process.
Here Fianna Fail benefitted most from the collapse of the government parties, with Micheal Martin and Michael McGrath consolidating their seats and both getting in on the first count.
Sinn Fein increased its share by 4.3 percentage points, but that was enough for Donnchadh O Laoghaire to win his seat.
Sean Sherlock is the last man standing for Labour in Cork, despite the party taking a hammering in Cork East. Boasting a 30.8% share of the vote between Sherlock and John Mulvihill Snr in 2011, Labour ran the junior minister on his own this time around and took just 13.2% of the vote, but this was enough to get him over the line.
A 7.4% swing in Fianna Fails share of the vote was enough to win Kevin OKeeffe a seat, while Fine Gael will question its vote management. It ran three candidates who between them managed a 28.5% share of the vote. It was only enough to secure re-election for David Stanton, while Tom Barry lost his seat.
Vote management was also a hot topic in Cork North West, where Fine Gael ran its two sitting TDs and lost one of the seats to Fianna Fail. Here independents and others claimed more than 20% of votes, five years after an all-party contest. Having never won a seat in Cork North West, Labour cut its losses and decided against running a candidate, meaning its 14% share from 2011 was up for grabs.
Fianna Fail boosted its share by 9.7 percentage points and took a second seat, deposing sitting Fine Gael TD Aine Collins in the process. The Green Party doubled its share of the votes on 2011, but it was not enough to halt early elimination for Cormac Manning.
History was made in Cork South West when Margaret Murphy OMahony (FF) became its first female TD despite a reduction in Fianna Fails vote share.
The party ran two candidates in 2011, and shared 23.6% of first preferences in that election. The 19.6% won by lone candidate Murphy OMahony was enough, however, to secure her seat.
Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour all ceded a share of the vote in Cork North West in this election the latter party taking just 7% and losing Michael McCarthy in the process and the big winners were non-party candidates.
Five independent or other runners shared 31.3% of the vote this time, up from just 4.52% in 2011. This mainly benefitted Michael Collins, who took the second seat on the fifth count, and Alan Coleman, though the former Fianna Fail man was eliminated on the fourth.
Fine Gaels share of the vote went from nearly a half in 2011 to less than a third, and this ultimately cost Noel Harrington his seat.
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The man most readily associated with the Ballyhea Says No and Charleville Says No campaigns, Diarmuid OFlynn, said yesterday the group would now change its focus towards building its campaign both politically and in the media.
The marches held on Sunday mornings through the north Cork village gained national and international coverage as it focused unerringly on the issue of bank-debt imposition on Ireland and, in particular, the Promissory Note debt.
Mr OFlynn, a former Irish Examiner sportswriter, failed to secure a seat in the general election in Cork North West, having polled 2,159 first preferences.
Yesterday he announced the end of the Ballyhea march in a post on Facebook entitled A Fork In The Road.
This coming Sunday, March 6, 2016, marks the exact 5th anniversary of the first Ballyhea Says No protest march against the imposition of the odious bank-debt on the people of Ireland, March 6th 2011. Just as that was the first Sunday after the election of a new Dail, this is the first Sunday after another general election, he said.
A full five years, a full Dail cycle, a circle closed. So it is with this phase of the Ballyhea campaign.
Noting that bar Christmas Day 2011 the march had been conducted every week in all weathers, he said the group had now decided it had served its purpose. He said the campaign was still trying to right the wrong of bank debt imposition.
The group is to support re-elected Joan Collins TD in her continuing Supreme Court challenge to the constitutionality of the Promissory Notes, and Catherine Murphy TD on her work involving IBRC, as well as working towards the establishment of a cross-party committee to bring this bank-debt justice fight to Europe, on the Promissory Note debt specifically.
He said around 30 members of the next Dail have already signed a pledge to support the campaign and he was optimistic Fianna Fail would follow suit, meaning more TDs in Leinster House would lend support than not.
The group also intends to work to expand the number of MEPs who support its cause, including the establishment of a cross-group committee there to work with the proposed Dail committee.
Mr OFlynn said he would not be running for office again and while the campaign would continue, people who have been missing GAA matches and family events to attend every week could now return to having normal Sundays.
As for how he will spend his time at weekends now that the marches are coming to an end, he said: I have no idea.
And he added: Its been a major effort, but worth it.
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Alabamas state schools chief, Tommy Bice, announced his resignation Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. Bice said he decided his work was complete and that he is leaving to work for the Mike and Gillian Goodrich Foundation as its education director later this spring. His last day will be on the job will be March 31.
Bice was appointed by the states board of education in 2011 and has led the state in increasing its graduation rate and adopting a strategic plan .
He also opposed legislators attempts to toss the states common core standards and allow parents to use tax credits to send their children to private schools. Both of those efforts have so far failed at the statehouse.
During last years contentious battle over allowing charter schools into the state , Bice argued that the state should leave it up to local districts to decide whether to allow for their expansion. Until last year, the state was one of the few in the country without charter schools.
When youre a proponent of innovation and change and rigor and doing whats right for kids that might not feel politically correct, you expect to have challenges to that, he said during a press conference Tuesday.
Alabamas state board of education will meet next week to appoint an interim superintendent.
State superintendents and their departments will be under increased pressure in the coming years to create new teacher and school accountability plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act which was signed in December by President Barack Obama.
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Insurer FBD, which made an 85m loss in 2015, warned the industry still had not increased rates sufficiently despite a 31% rise in the cost of motor cover last year.
The spike in premiums which earlier this year prompted a government review into the industry seems set to continue, with FBD predicting price hikes on its motor policies of between 10% and 15%.
In 2014 the Naval Service carried out 936 boarding of trawlers, which was nearly half what it managed in 2009.
Problems started surfacing in the fleet in 2013 when it was only able to carry out 994 boardings, compared to 1,329 the previous year.
However, figures for 2015 showed an increase to 1,076, even though the Naval Service was missing one ship for most of the year which was deployed on humanitarian rescue missions in the Mediterranean Sea. LE Samuel Beckett, LE Niamh and flagship LE Eithne rotated on that mission.
The drop in trawler boardings resulted from a number of unexpected issues, especially the discovery of asbestos on some ships.
The presence of the potentially deadly substance onboard ships came as a major surprise to senior officers because in 2000 a private consultancy firm had swept the fleet and given it an asbestos all clear.
LE Ciara and LE Orla were out of action for several months after specialists were brought in to remove asbestos which had been discovered during routine maintenance. Two other ships were discovered will lower levels of asbestos.
The introduction of new vessels, LE James Joyce and LE Samuel Beckett, has helped the navy get back on track and another new vessel, which is being built by Babcock Marine in Appledore, Devon.
The ship, William Butler Yates, will arrive in the summer.
A jury convicted four of the gangs generals who helped to plan and oversee a string of offences, including break-ins at Cambridges Fitzwilliam Museum and Durhams Oriental Museum in 2012.
John Kerry OBrien Jr, aged 26, Richard Kerry OBrien, aged 31, Michael Hegarty, aged 43, and Daniel Turkey OBrien, aged 45, were found guilty after a trial which could not be reported because of similar offences committed by travelling criminals dubbed the Rathkeale Rovers.
The two-month hearing at Birmingham Crown Court was told that 10 other men had previously been convicted for their parts in the conspiracy, which included a bungled attempt to steal a rhino head from Norwich Castle Museum.
Although jurors heard that exhibits stolen in Durham and Cambridge were valued at around 17m, detectives believe they might have fetched up to 57m on the booming Chinese auction market.
Members of the gang also masterminded an offence at Gorringes Auction House in Lewes, East Sussex, and organised the disposal of stolen artefacts.
At least eight of the men convicted after a four-year international police inquiry have family or business links to Rathkeale, Co Limerick.
The latest trial was told a computer used to make incriminating internet searches was found at a house in the town.
Other defendants aged between 28 and 68 from Cambridgeshire, London, Southend-on-Sea, Wolverhampton, Kent and Belfast either admitted the offences or were found guilty by jurors.
They included six members of the same Rathkeale family, travellers rights campaigner Richard Sheridan, and Donald Wong, a London-based fence who made frequent trips to Hong Kong.
A previous trial heard that Sheridan, a former spokesman for the Dale Farm travellers encampment in Essex, was seen in the company of Wong shortly before police found 50,000 in cash in the boot of a car.
Sheridan, aged 47, of Water Lane, Smithy Fen, Cottenham, Cambridgeshire; Wong, aged 56, of Clapham Common South Side, London; and Richard OBrien, of Dale Farm, Oak Lane, Billericay, Essex, denied taking part in the plot between September 2011 and August 2012.
Hegarty, John OBrien and Daniel OBrien, all of Orchard Drive, Smithy Fen, also denied any involvement in the offences but were unanimously convicted.
None of the 18 jade exhibits stolen from the Fitzwilliam Museum in April 2012 have been recovered, but a bowl and figurine stolen in Durham were found.
Derbyshire chief constable Mick Creedon, the national policing lead for organised crime, said: This case starkly demonstrates the level of threat, the lengths criminal gangs will go to and the importance of law enforcement agencies sharing intelligence and working together.
One of the men convicted has already been jailed and served his sentence. The other 13 offenders will be sentenced in April.
There is mixed opinion on options open to Enda Kennys party, who are taking a wait and see approach amid suggestions it will take weeks to hammer out a deal.
Preference for a minority Fine Gael government with support from Fianna Fail and others on the opposition benches is strong among senior party figures who spoke to the Irish Examiner last night.
One source said: Opposition might only be allowed in a minority on financial bills or motions, such as a budget or motions of confidence in the government. But who is going to oppose expansionary budgets giving pensioners more? Motions of confidence are also only allowed every six months.
Nonetheless, a separate source said a minority government would be very vulnerable. We could be annihilated, one minister said.
The Cabinet will meet today, in what will be a strange gathering of ministers, three of whom have lost their seats but still hold ministerial power.
Ministers will examine the post-election landscape and consider the options, after voters smashed any of Fine Gael-Labour coalition hopes for a smooth second term.
The first priority for Fine Gael will be a vote on Thursday week, when the 32nd Dail first meets with its new TDs, over who should be Taoiseach.
This is the first battle. Its important Enda polls more than Micheal. Fianna Fail are trying to humiliate him on the way to that vote. But we can get the numbers [for support], said a senior party source.
Fine Gael believes it can gain support from the two Green TDs elected as well as a cohort of Independents, including Roscommon-Galways Denis Naughten, Dublin-Centrals Maureen OSullivan, Galway Easts Noel Grealish as well as possibly votes of confidence from the two Healy-Rae brothers in Kerry.
Separately, approaches are expected to be made to the Independent Alliance, who could take up to six seats when the last election counts are finished.
This jigsaw of up to a dozen Independents, plus the support from the Greens and that already pledged by Labour, could give Mr Kenny close to 70 votes out of 158.
While it may not be a majority, party sources said it would send out a clear message to the country Mr Kenny would command the most support to go and try and form a government.
Meanwhile, newly elected Fine Gael TDs are expected to gather for their first parliamentary meeting next week, at which Mr Kenny will also judge the levels of support or opposition to potential government formation options. With election counts likely to run until today, party sources say its TDs would instead be asked to attend the parliamentary meeting next week some time.
With an emphasis now being placed on the need for Dail reform, given that any coalition put together will not have a dominant position, attention is also expected to turn to how the whip will be operated for TDs.
Senior Fine Gael sources though are stressing any agreement for power, which might involve cooperation on Dail reform, is likely weeks away from being hammered out.
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Global experts in the field attended the opening day yesterday of the two-day Lewis Symposium, hosted by the MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy in Ringaskiddy, to mark the immense contribution of Professor Tony Lewis to the sector.
Among the attendees was Stephen Salter, Emeritus Professor of Engineering Design at the University of Edinburgh who invented the Salter duck wave energy device.
Prof Lewis, who has dedicated his entire career to marine renewable energy, spearheaded the development of the MaREI Centre, based in the new state-of-the-art 15m Beaufort Building, which now houses more than 130 researchers across six institutions working with 45 industry partners.
He was also instrumental in the development of the Lir national ocean test facility, also based in the Beaufort building. The 2,600 sq m tank hall houses four different wave tanks and a suite of electrical test infrastructure.
The entire five-storey Beaufort complex, which was officially opened last July, is a major extension of University College Corks Environmental Research Institute, and is viewed as a critical piece of national research infrastructure.
MaREI and the Lir wave tank are also part of the IMERC cluster, a strategic initiative by UCC, Cork Institute of Technology, and the Irish Naval Service, which is positioning Ireland as one of the worlds top ocean energy research hubs.
Prof Lewis, who was recently awarded Professor Emeritus status in UCC, described Prof Salter as a real inspiration to him.
I am honoured that he, and so many of others, have travelled to Cork to celebrate what we have achieved so far, he said.
With a sea to land ratio of over 10:1, Ireland is one of the best locations in terms of marine renewable energy resources, but it is only in the last 10 years that we have started to get serious about the potential of marine renewable energy.
I am honoured to have played a part in that and I look forward to the continued collaboration with my colleagues in Ireland and across the world.
The director of the MaREI centre, Prof Jerry Murphy, said Prof Lewis, through his teaching, research, industrial, and ambassadorial roles, has been one of the great influencers in marine renewable energy.
Which is why so many of his contemporaries have travelled to Cork for this event honouring him, he said.
Tony saw the potential of our marine resource before many others and was instrumental in developing the sector here.
Recent figures show that Irelands maritime economy grew by 9% between 2010 and 2012 almost double that of the general economy. Employment in the sector increased from 17,425 to 18,480 full-time equivalents.
Research indicates that a fully developed Irish ocean energy sector could be worth up to 9bn to the economy by 2030 and could sustain thousands of jobs.
Buffeted by high winds and thick snow, Senator Bernie Sanders came back to the Cleveland area for the third time since he started running for president, speaking to the crowd of 3,600 packed into the Baldwin Wallace University gym.
Ohio remains one of the worst hit US states by successive economic crises over the last two decades, with some of the highest foreclosure rates in the country in 2008-09, and the average person earning 20 percent less now than in 2000.
So, its no surprise that Sanders stump speech championing free college education, a higher minimum wage, and all his other proposals against inequality would draw rapturous cheers here.
Democratic socialism means that going to a public university tuition free would be a right in this country. pic.twitter.com/LimwBugl03 Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 23, 2016
Zachery Olivos, 23, a graduate of Case Western University hoping to apply to medical school while working as an EMT, said, Tuition is still rising. Bernie is the only candidate seriously considering this issue and the economic fallout which has screwed up my generation.
Ohio is also the place where one of Sanders inspirations had one of his greatest moments. On June 16, 1918, Eugene Debs, labour organiser and five-time Socialist candidate for president, made the most important speech of his long career in nearby Canton.
Bernie Sanders has recorded filmstrips and a record celebrating Debs life and ideas, even using his own voice in the role of his hero. Easy to make fun of, and easy to forget what was at stake: World War One was raging.
Debs took a principled and unpopular stand against it in Canton. He was arrested after his speech, convicted of sedition, and spent four years in prison.
At his trial in Cleveland, he said: I am thinking of the women who for a paltry wage are compelled to work out their barren lives; of the little children who in this system are robbed of their childhood and in their tender years are seized in the remorseless grasp of Mammon and forced into the industrial dungeons, there to feed the monster machines while they themselves are being starved and stunted, body and soul.
I see them dwarfed and diseased and their little lives broken and blasted because in this high noon of Christian civilisation, money is still so much more important than the flesh and blood of childhood. In very truth, gold is God today, and rules with pitiless sway in the affairs of men.
Almost a hundred years later, the oratory may sound baroque and at least one issue remote and no longer relevant widespread child labour was abolished in the United States long ago but Sanders inheritance from Debs rang clear when he said in his speech last week: The 20 wealthiest people now own more wealth than the bottom 150 million. When I talk about a rigged economy, I say to the Walton family, get off of welfare. Start paying your workers a decent wage.
If we stand together, if we build a political revolution, there is nothing we can't accomplish. pic.twitter.com/drxkkGaxcW Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 24, 2016
Back in 1919, to protest Debs detention and agitate for a $1 a day minimum wage (sound familiar?), 20,000 demonstrators paraded on May Day in Cleveland. Businessmen and police attacked them, and in the mayhem that followed, two marchers were killed and hundreds wounded.
Before the rise of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union and then the Cold War confused and conflated the issues and the terms used to describe them, democratic socialism as exemplified by Debs was the largest political movement in the United States outside the Republican and Democratic parties. Dozens of socialist mayors and several socialist congressmen were elected to office.
So when Sanders says that nothing he espouses is new or radical, and that socialism is as much a part of the American tradition as anything else, hes right.
Its uncertain, in Americas profoundly ahistorical society, how many people know or remember that socialist past. Thats certainly true in places like Cleveland and Canton, even as Sanders retraces Debs footsteps both literally and symbolically.
Some in the audience, though, clearly had history on their minds after the rally. Judy Flamik, a 67-year-old retired high school teacher, said, We need a work programme, like FDR did during the Great Depression. My dad was in that in the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) out in Idaho and Utah. My son went to see a bridge that they built there. I wish we could address that. People are fed up.
Alan Chin was born and raised in New York Citys Chinatown. He has worked in China, the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Central Asia as both a writer and photographer.
A RECENT survey conducted by holiday agency Agoda.com asked 15,000 customers to choose their dream honeymoon resort.
The Maldives, a nation in the Indian Ocean made up of some 1,200 islands and atolls, came out on top with a resounding 20.3% of the vote.
Tourism is big business in the Maldives. Last year, well over one million visitors came to soak up the sun and sea. It has a population of around 350,000. Just under half of those visiting were from Europe and many were Irish. For approximately 1,500 you can fly from Dublin and spend a week in what is undoubtedly a paradise.
But away from the swathes of white sand and palm trees, is a country of volatile politics and human rights abuses led by an increasingly oppressive regime.
At a nighttime court session held last week, in the capital Male, Sheikh Imran Abdulla, leader of the moderate Islamic Adhaalath Party was convicted on terrorism charges. His crime? A speech against the government of President Abdulla Yameen, delivered at a rally last May which, the Maldivian government claimed, incited protesters to confront police. Some 175 of those attending the rally were arrested along with Abdulla.
At his trial, the defendants lawyer claimed that his client had instead taken all steps to prevent violence. But this was not good enough for the criminal court and, as it stands, Abdulla will spend the next 12 years in prison. The Adhaalath Party leaders sentence is just one more example of what appears to be a return to despotism.
Yameen is becoming more dictatorial by the day, says Dr Azra Naseem, a Maldivian post- doctoral Research Fellow in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University.
The powers of the state are no longer separate; all three are under control of the executive. Yameens party has a parliamentary majority which is used to amend the constitution, or pass new legislation, to suit the partys dictatorial ambitions. The countrys lack of judicial independence is now infamous, and has been criticised by almost every international organisation and authority on justice.
In his protest speech, Abdulla had called for the release of Mohamed Nasheed, a secularist and the countrys first democratically elected president.
Nasheed came to office after a 2008 election that saw him win over 53% of the vote in a run-off. His opponent, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, half- brother of the current president, had been in power since 1978 and had ruled the country as a personal fiefdom.
When in 2011, Nasheed, ordered the military to arrest a judge, who he accused of blocking corruption cases against members of the former presidents government, it led to rioting.
Nasheeds opponents seized the opportunity, accusing him of abusing his power by calling in the army to do the job of the police. Weeks later, Nasheed was out of office in what most observers agree was a coup lead by supporters of the Gayoom family.
In 2013, the country held a presidential election. Nasheed was defeated in a run-off. Shortly thereafter he was arrested on trumped up charges of terrorism and last March, sentenced to 13 years in prison.
There are over 300 officially accepted definitions of terrorism in international discourse, says Dr Naseem. None of them include an order issued by an incumbent president to arrest a sitting judge as an act of terrorism.
Curiously, the government allowed Nasheed to travel to London last month for specialised medical treatment. While there he highlighted his countrys current situation. Some governments are listening. India and the US have expressed concern and are calling on all parties to get around the table.
Abdulla Yameen seems unmoved. If anything his grip is tightening. Late last September, Maldivians woke to the news that an explosion on a boat had almost killed both he and his wife.
Rumours circulated that the attempt on his life came from within his own Progressive Party.
Yameens vice president, Ahmed Adeeb, who was away on government business at the time of the blast, was arrested on his return and charged with the attempted assassination. Adeeb has since been impeached and charged with plotting to kill the president. This is despite an FBI investigation which found no evidence of explosives on the boat.
If convicted, Adeeb faces up to 25 years in prison. After the event, and in a demonstration of paranoia worthy of Joseph Stalin, Yameen forced the members of his ruling party to pledge allegiance to him. But while international pressure is being applied to the president, he does hold a trump card extremism.
For most Maldivians, life is a far cry from the ideal presented by travel agencies. Male, the capital, is a densely populated city of over 100,000. Many young men are out of work. Drug dealers and gangs vie with one another in an area of just six square kilometres. There is another factor, the Maldives, away from the resorts of course, is an already religiously zealous state.
The law prohibits the practice by Maldivian citizens of any religion other than Islam, and the constitution precludes non-Muslims from citizenship, voting or holding public office. On top of all this, money to build houses of worship and schools has poured in from abroad resulting in a growth of conservative strands of Islam.
Radicalism has found a foothold here. Recently, violence against moderate preachers and campaigners has resulted in death. Last September a rally in support of militant religious groups marched defiantly through the streets of the capital and it is estimated that since 2013 between fifty and 100 young men have left the capital to fight in religious wars abroad.
As a consequence, Yameen, just months after the lifting of a 60-year moratorium on the death penalty, introduced tough new terrorism laws earlier this year.
According to the new legislation, the government can obtain a court order to fit suspected religious militant sympathisers with electronic tags.
Suspected sympathisers can also be prevented from travelling abroad. Most worryingly perhaps, the new laws allow the president to declare any group a terrorist organisation and it is this that is being used against Yameens opponents.
The Anti-Terror Bill passed this year has yet to be applied to any of the would-be, or has-been, Jihadists, says Dr Naseem.
So far, the only use made of that piece of legislation is crushing dissent.
There is trouble in paradise.
With the horse-trading set to begin in the aftermath of the 2016 election, a number of key promises or commitments could go by the wayside depending on who gets the keys for government.
Fine Gael, with the largest number of seats, is likely to be in pole position to try and cobble together some negotiations for a government after the first day of the new Dail next week.
Whoever coalesces with Enda Kennys party will have their own demands and there will have to be compromises agreed on social, financial, or infrastructure issues.
Its somewhat premature to talk about red-line issues, but with such a shock outcome from the election for Fine Gael (the party looks set to lose a third of its seats), the strength of Mr Kennys hand is weakened.
So what big ticket issues or manifesto promises could get ditched?
The most obvious casualty to emerge from the shock election result will be any concrete commitment for a referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment.
This was a key platform for Labour during its election campaign, a party that insists the liberalising of the abortion laws in the last Dail would not have happened without it as junior government partner.
With the partys meltdown at the polls its seat numbers have reduced from 19 to as few as seven, with a handful of results still unknown Labours bargaining tools are blunted, compared to its previous influence.
Its drive to have a referendum on liberalising the abortion laws, namely to remove the protection of the life of the unborn from the Constitution, is likely to fall by the wayside.
Labour, now unlikely to muscle in on any programme for government, will have bigger priorities such as regrouping as a party after the drubbing it got from the electorate.
Fine Gael sources last night insisted that Mr Kennys promise to set up a citizens forum to examine whether constitutional change should proceed on the abortion laws would still stand.
But how far down the list will this liberal issue now fall, given the partys own fresh priorities such as how to juggle possibly several new coalition partners and keep them in check, when forming a government?
Another priority which may be dropped could be Fine Gaels commitment to abolish the much-hated Universal Social Charge. It was to the forefront of its manifesto promises.
However, if Fine Gael is to rely on Fianna Fail in a minority government, the latter would likely insist that elements of the charge remain so cash-starved public services could be properly resourced. Fianna Fail, after all, proposed a 60:40 spread of tax cuts to spending on services in its manifesto. Furthermore, any power-sharing deal with Fianna Fail would also likely see conservative elements within Micheal Martins party oppose any move to abolish the Eighth Amendment.
Another priority which may be expunged from any wishlist are matters around Irish Water and the flat charges regime, in place until 2018.
Fianna Fail in the event of propping up Fine Gael as a minority government would find it very difficult to renege on its pledge to scrap charges and overhaul the entire Irish Water debacle.
One Fine Gael source told the Irish Examiner, however, that Mr Martins party would be expected to soften its stance on red-line issues when the public and media eventually begin baying for a government, once the economy starts to stagger under a caretaker administration.
Lastly, any reliance on Independents to form a government could see a loosening of the whip approach used for Dail votes. The Independent Alliance, which could support either a Fine Gael or Fianna Fail administration, would require this as part of its charter of principles.
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DEAR President Higgins, Youre probably beginning to think already about what you should say to the Taoiseach when he comes to see you on March 10. And Im probably one of the last people you want to hear from in advance of that visit. But Im going to take my impertinence in my hand and offer you some advice anyway.
It hasnt dawned on the pundits yet, although it will, but you will have an extraordinary and critical role to play after the Dail meets. It happens very seldom in the life of a president, but it is going to happen to you. For a brief moment at least, and perhaps for longer, youll have the future of the country in your hands.
On March 10, as things stand, the Taoiseach will cease to retain the support of a majority in Dail Eireann. Under Article 13.2.1 of the Constitution, that gives you absolute discretion about what to do next. The next sub-section of the article, 13.2.3, says that you may at any time, after consultation with the Council of State, convene a meeting of either, or both, of the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Those articles, in my humble opinion, were written precisely to deal with the situation that exists right now. Weve had an indecisive general election. Already a sense of crisis is beginning to develop. The buzz word of the next few weeks is going to be stability. Already Im hearing on the radio that the markets are going to be spooked, that bond yields will rise, that people will be less willing to lend to us. The editorial writers are sharpening their pencils to demand that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael bury their historical differences in the national interest.
Stability, stability, stability. Mother of God, President. Weve had four stable governments in a row 20 years of it and would you look at us. Fifteen years of Bertie Ahern grew the economy by unsustainable tax cuts and spending increases, and ultimately destroyed the country. That was followed by five years of the biggest majority in the history of the state. It restored the economy, but badly divided our society.
President, we dont need a stable government. We need an honest, open, and accountable government. We need a government thats created, in the open, by the whole Dail and answerable to the whole Dail.
You and I both worked in an era in politics where government wasnt stable where politicians knew every day that an election could happen any day. Then politicians got used to the idea of stable five-year terms, and very high incomes for not doing a lot. The consequence was that gradually they grew further and further and further from the people they represented.
My sense is that the people are sick of it. Sick of politics as is, sick of broken promises, sick of being lectured to, sick of choices being made that seem to have no impact or a negative impact on their personal lives, sick of government that always seems beholden to powerful vested interests, sick of a style that constantly suggests arrogance and a sense of we know best, sick of a politics that seems to have no value base to it.
Sure, Fianna Fail had a wonderful election this time, fair play to them. But they won a lot of seats by default, by being in the right place at the right time. They can certainly lay claim to more of a mandate than either of the government parties Labour has no mandate at all, just a stern message from the electorate to rediscover itself.
The worst thing that could happen now, the very worst thing, would be some grubby deal to parachute people into office for another stable and unaccountable five years. Im suggesting you can stop that, by making it clear after March 10 that you want to see open and public debate.
Weve just fought an election campaign about two issues who could provide stable government, and who could offer the largest tax cuts. The RTE exit poll published on Saturday showed that stable government was a top-of-mind issue for 9% of the electorate, and tax cuts mattered to a measly 5%. In fact the poll showed that half the people would be willing to pay more for better services, while only about one in six wanted the government to cut taxes and spend less.
Thats how badly the political system as a whole (with the honourable exception of the Social Democrats) misread the mood of the electorate.
So heres what we need.
First, an acknowledgement by each of the main party leaders that politics needs to change fundamentally. Second, a commitment by the Taoiseach that the resources of the Department of Finance and the ESRI will be made available to any party that wants to publish a programme for government.
Then any party that wants to lead the next government should be required to do exactly that publish a programme for government. Not a secret document, but published for scrutiny and debate. It doesnt need to be an attempt to deliver on the vast array of promises made in advance of the election, but an honest and sober attempt to set out directions for the future.
I honestly believe that any programme for government written now must recognise that there are priorities that come before tax cuts. In a country that has a lot of resources, but a shamefully high rate of child poverty, it simply makes no sense to have been offering to narrow the tax base as the larger parties have done.
As a citizen and a member of a political party, I could well see myself arguing that my party should support a programme for government in the Dail, and as a result vote for a taoiseach. I consider it crucial that the party should seek no office in return for that, and should reserve the right to disagree and vote against the government on any issue of principle.
If others took a similar view, we might, you know, end up with a minority government, a government that will have to persuade the Dail week after week that it is on the right course. That in itself will mean that the relationship between parliament and government will have to change fundamentally. That could only be good.
Your old sparring partner Michael McDowell used to say and it used to really annoy you that a good dollop of inequality was essential. Well, heres a thought. A dollop of instability would do no harm for our politics. A minority government that lived on its wits, and that had to recognise the primacy of parliament, could well last a year or two. They might even discover that the way to bring stability is to instil new respect by being open, honest, and accountable every day.
That wouldnt be just refreshing, it would be good for a democracy that is becoming corroded by cynicism every day. We desperately need a politics that is more inclusive and responsive, and Im delighted that youre going to be in a position to influence moves in that direction.
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The first official Whitehall analysis of the process of withdrawal, published by foreign secretary Philip Hammond, warned an out vote would mark the start of a period of uncertainty, of unknown length, and [with] an unpredictable outcome.
The 23-page document said it was unlikely the terms of withdrawal could be fully negotiated within the formal two-year process, opening the door to other EU states demanding concessions in return for an extension.
But Chris Grayling, leader of the Commons, dismissed the findings, insisting it would be just as much in the interests of the remaining 27 nations to reach a speedy conclusion to the talks.
Why on earth would we think it would take twice as long as the Second World War to be able to sort out our trading relationships with Europe and elsewhere? he said on BBC Radio 4s Today.
What possible evidence is there that it would take 10 years to sort out our trading arrangements?
"If you look at our relations with the European Union, we have a 50bn-plus trade deficit with the European Union.
"They sell far more to us than we sell to them, they lose out their jobs, their businesses are in danger if we do not sort it out quickly.
The paper warned the complexity in agreeing terms of withdrawal and setting up trade deals and other new arrangements would affect financial markets, the pound and the rights of 2m expats.
It would begin a period of uncertainty, of unknown length, and an unpredictable outcome, it said.
The process of withdrawing from the EU is untested, and would contain numerous elements, including the outcome of the negotiations, about which there is currently little clarity.
"It could lead to up to a decade or more of uncertainty. It is important that the risk this presents is understood.
Cabinet office minister Matt Hancock denied accusations the government was stoking fears about the consequences of a vote to leave, insisting the analysis was a cautious assessment.
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is backing the in campaign, cautioned ministers against relying on fear tactics, saying they had backfired in the Scottish independence referendum.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, has signed a plan to address the Washington Supreme Courts 2012 ruling that deemed the states funding formula unconstitutional, according to the Associated Press .
Inslee says the billwhich sets in motion a series of actions the legislature will take in order to fundamentally change its funding formula by the end of the 2017 sessionwill temporarily satisfy the courts ruling. The court levied a $100,000-a-day fine on the legislature last summer to spur it into action.
It does advance a significant recognition by the legislature that they need to act and have a full intention to act, Inslee said during a Monday signing ceremony, according to the AP.
Opponents of the legislation, which include Randy Dorn, the states superintendent, criticized it as a punt and said it leaves schools picking up the states costs in the interim. In the meantime, the funds are being funneled into a special account for the benefit of basic education until the state succeeds in addressing the issues the court raised, according to the Seattle Times .
I dont think the court will buy it, said Dorn, a Democrat, in a recent interview with Education Week. When the court fined the state $100,000 a day, the legislature said, No big deal, well let the fine roll up. No harm, no foul. The legislature gave the court the back of the hand two years ago, and they just gave another hand signal to the court.
State high courts in Washington and Kansas are seemingly fed up with their legislatures lackluster efforts to address their rulings in school funding cases. Kansas Supreme Court ruled last month that if the state doesnt provide millions more dollars to its districts by July 1, the court will effectively shut the states public school system down. Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback said late last week that hes working to address the ruling.
In Washington, the states supreme court ruled in its 2012 McCleary v.State of Washington decision that the states funding formula didnt pass muster under the Washington constitution and leaves local taxpayers picking up education costs through their local levies that the state should pay for.
The court gave lawmakers until 2018 to address its ruling. But last year, the court said lawmakers werent moving fast enough and held the legislature in contempt, imposing the $100,000-a-day fine until it meets the judges orders. Observers say the fines have amounted to $15 million so far.
The legislature to date has addressed several of the courts requests, including reducing the states average class size and expanding all-day kindergarten.
But the state has not addressed teacher pay, a contentious and expensive part of the courts order. Last year, thousands of Seattle teachers staged a strike partly over teacher pay, effectively shutting down the school system for five days. Educators now say a teacher shortage , which they partly blame on low pay, has left hundreds of classrooms across the Evergreen State with unqualified teachers.
While bills have been proposed and passed this session to address the teacher shortage, legislators cant agree on how to increase teacher pay without raising taxes.
The next step before us is arguably the most complex, and Im confident the legislature is up to the task, Inslee said Monday.
In the meantime, the legislature earlier this session passed a bill that would allow local districts to raise their levies this year to cover education costs. But Dorn, the states superintendent, said that action may not be legal and has discussed suing the state for improper use of local levies.
The plan Inslee signed Monday establishes a task force to find the money from state coffers needed to replace local tax levy money and requires legislators during next years session to approve a plan. It also asks the task force to clarify how local levies are being used, and ensure that no more legislation is needed to keep the states average class sizes low and the states all-day kindergarten in place.
Dorn earlier this session skipped Inslees State of the State Address, where the governor discussed at length whats been referred to as a plan-for-a-plan. On the chair in the Capitol chamber usually reserved for the state superintendent, Dorn left a sticky note that read, Reserved for kids and students.
I still believe that we dont have a strong enough internal force to force the legislature to do its job, but I think its coming to a head that our state may have to look at its whole tax system in the 21st century, Dorn said. We have one of the least-fair systems in the nation. This is the Armageddon. Its a culminating moment of McCleary.
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Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has been attacked by his party rivals for refusing to condemn an implicit endorsement from a white supremacist leader.
Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio used the issue to savage the billionaire before todays Super Tuesday multiple state primaries could put him on an irreversible path to the partys nomination.
Trump was asked on CNN whether he rejected support from David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan grand dragon, and other white supremacists after Duke told his radio followers that a vote against Trump was equivalent to treason to your heritage.
Well, just so you understand, I dont know anything about David Duke. OK? Trump told host Jake Tapper.
I dont know anything about what youre even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists.
Trump was asked by journalists how he felt about Dukes support. He said he did not know anything about it, adding curtly: All right, I disavow, OK?
A former host of the television show The Apprentice, Trump has not always claimed ignorance about Dukes history.
In 2000, he wrote a New York Times opinion piece explaining why he abandoned the possibility of running for president on the Reform Party ticket.
He wrote of an underside and fringe element of the party, concluding: I leave the Reform Party to David Duke, Pat Buchanan, and Lenora Fulani. That is not company I wish to keep.
His comments sparked a wave of censures just ahead of Super Tuesday when 11 states hold Republican primaries.
At stake are 595 delegates to the partys national convention this summer, with 1,237 needed to win the nomination.
On the Democratic side, 865 delegates are up for grabs in Super Tuesday contests in 11 states and American Samoa. It takes 2,383 delegates to gain the Democratic nomination.
Hillary Clinton, who received another burst of momentum on Saturday after a lopsided victory in South Carolina, turned her attention to the Republican field, all-but-ignoring rival Bernie Sanders during campaign events in Tennessee.
Clinton described Dukes support for Trump as pathetic.
Clintons South Carolina victory was fuelled by an 84-16 advantage among African-Americans, a key Democratic constituency that will also play a dominant role in several Super Tuesday states in the South.
Sanders acknowledged being decimated in South Carolina, though he promised to continue his campaign against what he describes as a political and economic oligarchy.
He avoided mentioning his huge South Carolina loss at a rally before more than 6,000 cheering people at an Oklahoma City convention centre.
Protesters denounced the hanging. Some religious and political leaders, as well as militant groups, defended the killer.
Most schools closed down in the capital, Islamabad, and in the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi, in fear of violence.
The macabre episode was caught on camera by passers-by, with footage showing the unnamed woman in a black hijab wandering around in the street holding an infants severed head high in the air.
I am a terrorist, I want your death, she can be heard screaming in heavily accented Russian in a rambling tirade in which she appears to criticise democracy and talk about the end of the world.
Investigators said they thought the woman had been working as a nanny for a Moscow family and had murdered a child in her care before setting fire to the familys flat and fleeing.
The child was three or four years old, they said.
Given the clearly deranged behaviour of the detainee, investigators swiftly ordered her to undergo psychiatric tests to establish whether she is capable of understanding the significance of her actions, said Moscows investigative committee in a statement.
News agencies cited an unnamed police source as saying the woman appeared to have been under the influence of psychotropic drugs.
Immigration authorities told media the woman was from the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan and had been working in Moscow illegally.
One eyewitness, a reporter from the RBC.ru news portal, said she heard the woman screaming Allahu Akbar an Islamic phrase meaning God is Great or Allah is Greater.
I was on my way to the metro station from home, said Polina Nikolskaya.
She was standing near the metro entrance and caught my attention because she was screaming Allahu Akbar.
"I saw that she had a bloodied head in her arms, but I thought it was not real. People in the crowd said it was real.
Lifenews.ru, an online news portal, said a policeman had first approached the woman to check her documents near Oktyabrskoye Pole metro station.
The woman had responded by removing the childs head from a bag and shouting that she had killed the infant, it said, saying she had also threatened to blow herself up.
The protesters, who were chanting Open the border and throwing stones at Macedonian police, were repelled.
There were no reports of arrests or injuries from the latest clashes.
Police said 500 people earlier pushed their way past Greek police to reach the gate, which is used to let trains through at the border crossing.
About 6,500 people are stuck on the Greek side of the border.
Some have been there for up to eight days with little food or shelter as Macedonia only accepts a small number of people every day.
Macedonian police opened the crossing to receive about 50 people just before 12pm, after keeping it closed for eight hours, but shut it again after the clashes.
The Idomeni crossing is a key point on the mass migration route that has prompted a major Europe-wide crisis.
More than a million people have entered the continent since January 2015 mostly arriving in small smugglers boats from Turkey on Greeces eastern Aegean Sea islands.
After first sending welcoming messages, European authorities are now struggling to handle the situation.
Hungary has fenced off its borders, refusing to accept any migrants, and other eastern European countries say they will not take in anyone under an EU refugee-sharing deal.
Macedonia has said it will only allow in as many people as Serbia accepts.
This has led to a huge bottleneck in Greece, where authorities say more than 22,000 people are stuck and hundreds more are arriving every day.
Meanwhile, clashes with police broke out as work got underway to clear part of the shanty town outside Calais in northern France where refugees and migrants are trying to reach Britain.
Police fired tear gas around 12pm, about 150 to 200 migrants and activists threw stones, and three makeshift shelters were set ablaze.
Earlier, one person was arrested for trying to stop a group of about 20 workers under heavy police protection from clearing the site, where about 3,000 people are staying.
The migrants are just going to run and hide in the woods and the police are going to have to go after them, said activist Francois Guennoc of the Auberge des Migrants migrant support group.
Regional Prefect Fabienne Buccio had said the police presence was needed because extremists could try to intimidate migrants into turning down housing offers or buses to reception centres.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said last week that authorities would work with humanitarian organisations to relocate the refugees to a nearby park of converted shipping containers or other reception centres around France.
Otto Warmbier, 21, a student at the University of Virginia, was detained before boarding his flight to China over an unspecified incident at his hotel, his tour agency said in January.
North Korea has a long history of detaining foreigners and has used jailed US citizens in the past to exact high-profile visits from the United States, with which it has no formal diplomatic relations.
Asia Grim Future Awaits Migrant Workers
Since 2009, Thailands migration policy has enabled the regularization of irregular-entry migrant workers. Are we now seeing a deregularization process?
Since 2009, Thai governments have had a general nationwide migration policy to meet strong national economic, demographic and lifestyle demands that enabledbut didnt necessarily ensure or promotethe regularization of irregular-entry lower skilled migrant workers from Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
This policy enabled an origin country nationality verification (NV) process for these workers.
This short-term, poorly planned and implemented migration policy has always prioritized national and economic security over human security concerns.
Almost all low-skilled migrant laborers prior to 2009 entered Thailand irregularly through lucrative smuggling and trafficking routes and networks. A formal (memorandum of understanding or MoU) worker import system for migrant laborers only became functional from 2010.
Since 2009, temporary or permanent passports and certificate of identity (CI) documents have been issued by a migrant workers origin country within Thailand through the NV process at One Stop Service Centers to millions of these irregular workers who have become a cornerstone of the countrys economic development.
With these documents, the workers then applied for Thai visas and work permits valid for two years at a time, which eventuallyafter much policy confusion and lack of advance clarityenabled a stay in Thailand of up to a maximum of six years.
Passports and CIs issued through this non-transparent NV process were of three, five, six or 10 years validity. Thai visas allowed two, four or six-year stays in the kingdom. Corruption and confusion was rampant in these seemingly well-designed processes which were never fully clear, nor well-organized. This policy and these regularization systems have brought huge profits to brokers, agents and Thai/origin-country officials, as well as employers HR staff.
However, fully regularized NV workers and new MoU workers coming into Thailand benefited from this regularization process as follows: freedom of movement in Thailand and to/from home countries was possible (temporary Thai issued migrant ID cards restricted movement to province of registration only); access to social security systems was open (although not always clear benefits and access) as well as eligibility for bank accounts and driving licenses. Workers were more strongly protected with their regular or fully legal status than before, however difficult access to rights remained in practice.
Workers with passports or CIs too often, however, have simply ended up throwing away valid or expired (4/5/6-year) documents when visa, passport or CI renewal processes since 2013/14 became unclear, impractical or exorbitantly expensive. This was because Thai and country-of-origin migration policies were often quietly and confusingly announced only once expiry dates had passed.
Many of these workers then applied for semi-regular temporary ID cards instead when the Prayuth government allowed this regularization. In addition, others returned home and entered Thailand anew with fresh names or identity documents at great expense.
Under the threat of a EU red flag for illegal fishing, the government trumpeted high regularization statistics in fisheries and across the country when in fact many newly registered workers were formally registered with passports anyway. In addition, as a result of this policy chaos, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers often lost all accrued worker and social security benefits by starting anew with changed names and ID numbers. Bonuses and work incentives started afresh. Social security pensions and health benefits vanished.
In another important migration policy development, or U-turn, the cabinet on February 23 allowed all migrants in Thailand to move back to a temporary, semi-legal migrant ID card system as was the case pre-2009, whatever their current regular or irregular documentation status.
So are we now, after seven years, seeing a deregularization process for migrant workers? Will migrant workers once again lose their identity status and nationality to a short-term, irregular or semi-legal registration status that will benefit primarily in the short-term Thailands economic security and business needs for a flexible easily expendable lower skilled migrant workforce?
Its not clear yet whether the new policy move back to a semi-regular pink card migrant worker status will be compulsory, or if existing or expired migrant worker passports can still be renewed or extended with workers coming in and out of Thailand on a four-year limited formal or regular MoU entry scheme, as exists already.
Also, its not yet clear what origin countries think of this migration policy U-turn which could make more of their workers irregular, with fewer rights protections and less formality of status. In particular, the Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN) will be working closely with Burmas new government, which is expected by many to champion stronger migrant worker rights during its first term in office.
In particular, the MWRN is deeply concerned at potential negative implications of the vague Thai government announcement for the future of millions of migrant workers in the country and is closely monitoring policy development announcements.
The MWRN cannot accept a return to the pre-2009 semi-legal or irregular status for millions of migrant workers in Thailand which will possibly lead to the eroding of basic migrant worker rights as past worker benefitssuch as pensions, health care and employee welfare benefits from long-term service for employeessimply disappear.
If what we fear becomes a reality, the international community and buyers of exported goods manufactured in migrant labor-intensive industries should not accept these developments that fail once again to prioritize the security of millions.
Andy Hall is International Affairs Advisor to the Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN) and State Enterprise Workers Relations Confederation (SERC).
This piece was originally published in the Bangkok Post.
Burma Parliament Awaits Government Support on Urgent Proposals
Burmas Parliament has initiated multiple democratic proceedings to which ruling government officials have yet to offer support.
RANGOON Since opening in early February, the Upper and Lower Houses of Burmas new Parliamentdominated by lawmakers from the National League for Democracy (NLD)have initiated multiple democratic proceedings to which ruling government officials have yet to offer support.
Lawmakers of different party backgrounds have submitted five urgent proposals in recent weeks that have been backed by a majority of parliamentarians, but to which central government officials have not responded.
Union Parliament Speaker Mahn Win Khaing Than forwarded the first such urgent motion to lawmakers on February 8, requesting that all MPs make a monetary donation from their daily stipends to victims affected by fires in Shan States Namhsan Township and Labutta Township in Irrawaddy Division.
Parliamentarian Sai Tun Aung, representing the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and hailing from Kyaukme Township in Shan State, submitted a proposal to the Lower House on February 16 calling for an end to fighting between the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and later, the Burma Army. He asked that the Parliament discuss an immediate ceasefire and the provision of assistance to people displaced by the conflict.
Maung Thin of Mandalay Divisions Meiktila constituency, is an MP representing the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)a group aligned with the military which formerly made up the parliamentary majority. He submitted an urgent request to the Parliament on February 22 asking government to take preventative measures to address social and economic problems which could potentially be caused by El Nino. He said he feared that, due to unusual weather patterns, Burmas public could face more natural disasters in the coming months, including forest fires, drought and flooding, resulting in agricultural and health problems.
On February 24, a proposal by Lagan Zal Jone, who represents Kachin States Waingmaw Township, called on the government to provide protection assistance to the anti-opium vigilante group known as Pat Jasan established by ethnic Kachin Baptist elders. At the time, Pat Jasan members were on their way to destroy poppy fields in northeastern Kachin State but were stopped outside of the capital, Myitkyina.
Another proposal was tabled by Khin San Hlaing of the National League for Democracy (NLD) on February 25, urging authorities to review permission to sell or lease state-owned factories, facilities and projects to private companies before the transfer of power to a new government next month.
Government officials failed to appear at the Parliament last week to discuss the latter two issuesthose of privatization and of protection for anti-poppy campaigners. Instead, a letter was sent to the legislature from the central government stating that officials were busy with transition process.
One notable action by military lawmakers last Friday was their united opposition to a support statement read by another NLD MP in response to Khin San Hlaings proposal. The soldiers all stood up collectively in the Parliament to express their disapproval of the statement, which addressed issues relating to the controversial Letpadaung copper mine in Sagaing Division. A military MP, named Moe Kyaw Oo, refuted the statement by detailing various facts and figures related to the mining project. Such active participation by military MPs is incredibly rare in Parliament.
The new Parliament has also formed several committees that will guide the legislatures work over the next five years, including 18 in the Lower House and 16 in the Upper House, and a Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission lead by the USDPs Shwe Mann, Burmas former Union Parliament Speaker often viewed as an ally of Aung San Suu Kyi.
In the past month, the lawmaking body has appointed chairpersons and committee members. Unlike in the previous Parliament, where military MPs were assigned as committee observers, in the current arrangement, a military lawmaker has been appointed as a functional member to each of the committees formed.
The Union Parliament has thus far formed three standingor more permanentcommittees: a joint public accounts committee; a joint draft bill committee and the Committee on Scrutinizing Hluttaw (Parliament) Representatives.
Burma Presidential Nominees To Be Announced On March 10
Burmas Union Parliament announces that presidential nominees will be declared on March 10a week earlier than the original date.
RANGOON Burmas Union Parliament announced on Tuesday that presidential nominees will be declared on March 10a week earlier than the date originally set for the occasion.
Speaker Mahn Win Khaing Than of the Union Parliament read the announcement, but no reason for the revised date was given at the legislative session.
After nominees are announced, an electoral college will select Burmas next President from among them; the deadline for the transition of power to Burmas new government is the end of March.
The date to hold meetings for the three presidential nominees has been put forward to March 10, a week earlier than the previously decided date, the Speaker told the MPs.
NLD senior members were engaged in a meeting and not available for comment when The Irrawaddy reached out for interviews on Tuesday.
Political commentator Yan Myo Thein told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that he assumed the revision of the date stemmed from an internal decision within the party, and was optimistic about the extra week it would allow the NLD during the process of transitioning power.
The revision of the date is an appropriate and better approach [for the NLD] to form a new government and union level organizations, he said.
The revised date was announced following a meeting between chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and military commander-in-chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing on February 17. The talks were reportedly held to discuss matters related to the rule of law and sustainable peace.
Yet Yan Myo Thein speculated that the possibility of a direct connection was slim between Suu Kyis meeting with the military chief and the decision to advance the nomination date. He instead attributed the change to a tight schedulethe original date of March 17 to announce the nominees was too close to the deadline of the power transfer, he said.
The state-owned newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar quoted Arakan National Party (ANP) lawmaker Khin Saw Wai in Tuesdays edition, who said that it was possible to hold nominations earlier because both the people and the military were ready for the announcement.
Both the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament will nominate candidates for vice president, while military representatives, who were appointed by the commander-in-chief to fill 25 percent of the legislative seats, will nominate another candidate.
Despite the NLDs landslide victory in Novembers general election, where the party acquired nearly 80 percent of the seats in each house, Suu Kyi remains barred from the presidency. This is articulated in Article 59 (f) of Burmas controversial 2008 Constitution, which prohibits anyone with a foreign spouse or foreign children from holding the position; the NLD chairwomans late husband was British, and her two sons also hold British citizenship.
Suu Kyi has held three meetings with military leaders since the election, reportedly to discuss changes to Article 59 (f), but the military has expressed an unwillingness to consider an amendment to or a suspension of the law.
Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly stated that that she will find other ways to head the government, by, as she said, being above the President.
Burma Suu Kyi Highlights Ethnic Unity and Responsibility
The National League for Democracy chairwoman encourages ethnic lawmakers to work together regarding peace implementation at a meeting in Naypyidaw.
RANGOON Aung San Suu Kyi, chairperson of the National League for Democracy (NLD), promised ethnic lawmakers at a Monday evening meeting in Naypyidaw that Burmas new government will prioritize peace issues as promised.
During the first such meeting with ethnic MPsheld after a Union Parliament sessionSuu Kyi encouraged ethnic lawmakers to work together regarding peace implementation.
We need to have the attitude that no matter what happens in any part of our country, it concerns to the whole nation, said Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a social media statement published by the NLD chairpersons office on Tuesday morning.
A reiteration of the partys commitment to peace comes at the time when clashes have flared in northern Shan State between the Burma Army and ethnic armed groups such as the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), the armed wing of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), a 2015 signatory of Burmas so-called nationwide ceasefire pact.
We frequently remind people that we are not the government yet, as no power transition in the world takes so long as here in Burma, she explained, adding that the NLD has received complaints from people impatient for political change. To that, she said, our simple answer is, we dont have any authority yet.
The party chairwoman advised ethnic lawmakers to strive for unity when representing Burmas people, and to refrain from discriminating against one another.
I would like to encourage our representatives to focus more on responsibility rather than opportunity. The main responsibility of lawmakers who represent the public is to form peace in the country that is based on unity, the Facebook post said.
The NLD won a landslide victory in November general election last year, and the current government is expected to hand over power to the new administration later this month.
Are Prisons Liable for Inmate Attacks?
It's understood that prison is and should be unpleasant. Still, that doesn't mean prisoners have no protections. The protections are more limited than for a free person, of course.
Still, in the case of an inmate attack, under some circumstances, there are claims that even the imprisoned can make. Let's take a look at vicarious liability for institutions of incarceration.
Prison Negligence for Violence
First, let's make some important distinctions. Where the inmate is incarcerated and how the attack and injury occurs will dictate what claims can be made and whether an institution can be held vicariously liable for its failure to protect. So, the basic breakdown is this: there are federal prisons and detention centers, as well as state prisons and jails, public institutions and private ones run by contractors.
Institutional liability for negligence resulting in injury due to inmate violence is limited. Beyond all the elements of negligence that would normally need to be shown -- duty, breach, causation, and harm -- federal law limits vicarious liability to governmental institutions, not private prisons and detention centers.
That can present a major hitch in a prospective prison negligence suit, as private contractors manage many institutions. The bar applies to employees of private contractors as well, ruling out a sizable number of prison guards. Still, there are state tort claims available and creative approaches to formulating a claim.
Constitutional Question
Apart from the institutional barriers, there are legal hurdles to overcome. Unless there is a constitutional violation or a violation of federal law, federal prisoner claims are barred. An example of a constitutional claim is that the prison engaged in cruel and unusual punishment.
In the context of a prison attack scenario, plaintiffs might argue that failure to safeguard them inside the institution amounted to a kind of cruel and unusual punishment. For example, two inmates in Maine claimed that failure to relieve prisoners of padlocks, although they were used in attacks, was a form of negligence resulting in cruel and unusual punishment. The claim failed but the warden is no longer at the prison.
Talk to a Lawyer
If you have been accused of a crime, speak to a criminal defense attorney. Many attorneys consult for free or a minimal fee and will be happy to give you guidance.
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Tuesday, March 1st, 2016 (9:29 am) - Score 529
One of the biggest consumer frustrations with signing up to any new broadband, phone or other service is the mass of small print and complicated contract terms that sit in the way, which most of us probably skip or at least skim through. But now the Government want to tackle this.
Like it or not contracts are a necessary evil and in an ideal world we should be reading through them before confirming our agreement. On the other hand some small print and contract terms can be both confusing and excessively long (a few were longer than Shakespeares Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet), which makes it difficult to read or even comprehend unless youre a trained lawyer.
The reality is that most consumers simply skip the text and as a result they could end up being caught out by hidden nasties, such as extra charges or service restrictions, that they may have only been aware of had they set aside the time needed to read through everything.
As a result the Governments Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has begun asking consumers who have experienced similar issues to respond to their new Call for Evidence.
Sajid Javid MP, Business Secretary, said: It seems like everything we buy these days comes with the line Terms and Conditions apply. Whether its a train ticket, car insurance or downloading an app, we are faced with pages of small print that is difficult to navigate through. If terms and conditions were clearer, and easier to navigate consumers would be able to easily consult them and make better informed choices before buying a product. It would make similar products easier to compare, increasing competition which could inevitably drive prices down for consumers. In order to kick off the process, those with views are asked to respond to our straightforward call for evidence.
The challenge in all this is the need to balance simplicity with the often complex reality of service or product delivery, particularly with solutions like Internet access that can be exposed to all sorts of different situations and network complexities.
Like it or not a certain degree of T&C complexity may be unavoidable, although there are still plenty of ways in which ISPs and other industries could make things simpler (e.g. dont hide charges for important service features, such as new line connections or exit fees, in the small print).
Part of the Governments consultation also includes a proposal for the creation of a new power, which could impose civil fines against businesses that fail to comply with consumer protection rules. The power to fine non-compliant businesses would, claims the Government, deter future breaches and strengthen fair competition.
Tuesday, March 1st, 2016 (11:03 am) - Score 658
Rural ISP Wessex Internet (M12 Solutions) has confirmed that their hybrid superfast fibre optic and wireless broadband network, which operates in North Dorset, South Wiltshire and East Somerset (England), is now an approved supplier for the 60m 2Mbps for all rural broadband subsidy (USC).
The Universal Service Commitment subsidy was officially clarified at the end of 2015 (here) and is focused upon helping an estimated 300,000 UK premises that might not benefit from the Broadband Delivery UK roll-out of superfast (24Mbps+) fixed line broadband services.
Broadly it offers grants worth up to around 350 that could be used to reduce the initial cost of having a Satellite broadband connection installed. But not everybody is a fan of inferior Satellite connectivity and initial uptake was low (here), which might explain why the Government then extended the scheme to include a fixed wireless ISP like Quickline (here).
Now Wessex Internet has confirmed that they too have been successful in securing BDUK approval to allow businesses and residents who get less than 2Mb/s Internet to receive a 350 connection grant, which shows that the Government are serious about extending the USC funding to a wider variety of ISPs and network types.
Andrew Skipsey, Wessex Internets Tech Boss, told ISPreview.co.uk: This will be great news to help us serve more remote areas and potential customers where we already have a presence where BT speeds are slow.
Mind you that wasnt the only good news out of Wessex Internet today. Customers have also been promised bigger data allowances, which wont cost extra. The top Family + package now comes with 500GB of data and the middle popular Family package is 150GB. On top of that theyve added 25% more data for Residential Starter and business broadband customers.
The ISP has also announced plans for a further network expansion, which will see them move into a number of new areas like Henstridge and Cucklington.
James Gibson Fleming, WIs Infrastructure Man, said: We have plans to move into 7 new areas in the near future with agreement underway for sites at Henstridge and Cucklington covering many badly served homes and businesses. We expect our service will have a significantly increased footprint by this time next year and with the new website we could well be past 1750 customers by the end of 2016.
Its fair to say that Wessex Internet, which is a fairly young alternative network ISP, is enjoying some good growth and their network already provides service to over 900 homes and 100 businesses. The network itself is a combination of 160km of buried fibre, with over 100 points of presence on hillsides and tall buildings that can also help distribute a fixed wireless signal.
Armed at Work: Lessons From a Georgia Business
Everyone's got a different idea of what keeps the peace. Gandhi preached nonviolent resistance and Georgia businessman Lance Toland believes that armed women are the answer.
"As more people arm themselves, women in particular, the world's going to be a safer place," Toland told The Daily Beast. Referring to his office workers specifically, he said, "This is a group of very, very professional women, well-educated, pilots, but they're armed and they're deadly, so do not screw with us." Prompted by a rash of crime in the metro Atlanta area, Toland sponsored concealed carry licenses for his crew.
Pink Pistols Please
Lance Toland's business insures corporate aircraft. His team works in an office, and is mostly made up of women. Toland himself is always armed and knew of one other woman in the office who was. But she is retiring and the crime spree got him thinking about what would happen if there was a robbery in the office.
"Who's going to protect the office? If I'm not there and [she's] gone, what are the other ladies going to do," Toland asked.
According to the boss, no one opposed his motion to get them all legal. Within a month all had concealed carry licenses and he supplied them with pistols.
There was one minor issue, reportedly. The guns come in only one color. "The only complaint I had was from one of the ladies in the office. She asked if they had it in pink. I'm no slave to fashion; I had to go with black."
Despite his enthusiasm for guns,Toland does insist that they're best left unused. ""Instead of using it, you could diffuse a situation," he suggests.
You, Your Office, and Guns
Can you do what Toland has done in your office? The answer depends on where you live, what business you are in, and whether your workers will acquiesce.
Unless you make having a gun license a condition of employment and you are in security or some other business that would justify this, it's not a good idea to implement this policy. But remember, Toland said his workers did not resist and saw the utility. It may be that your workers too will accept your proposal enthusiastically.
Consult With Counsel
Still, before you make any bold gun-toting moves, you should consult with counsel. Talk to a lawyer about local laws, permit requirements, risks, benefits and any possible insurance or other issues. Get guidance.
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How to Effectively Deliver IT Projects in the Digital Age
If youre an IT professional who has ever been involved in a sales force transformation project, you might have read the words sales force transformation and shuddered. There are so many constituencies to satisfy, facets to consider, and things that can go wrong, that sometimes the project seems to be doomed to failure. So whats the secret of those organizations that have gotten it right?
I recently had the opportunity to discuss that question with Warren Shiver, managing partner and founder of Symmetrics Group, a sales and marketing management consultancy in Atlanta, and co-author of the book, 7 Steps to Sales Force Transformation: Driving Sustainable Change in Your Organization. Shiver and his co-author, Michael Perla, formerly worked at Siebel Systems, so it was no surprise to find that Shiver was able to discuss the topic knowledgeably from an IT perspective.
I opened the conversation by asking Shiver to clarify what the term sales force transformation means to him. He said its a transformation that fundamentally changes the way a sales force sells.
Its a big dealits a change thats not going to happen overnight. In our research and experience, weve seen these transformations typically take longer than a year, and typically involve functional areas other than sales. So when you think about transforming a sales organization, sales cant succeed as an island, and go it alone. Youre involving other areas, like marketing, IT, and HR, if youre really looking to make a transformative change in the way that you sell.
Shiver has a degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, so I asked him if he has found that having a STEM degree helped him prepare to become a sales effectiveness consultant. He said he thinks it has:
I would have to say that if I had it to do all over again, Id still get a major in engineering, but Id get a minor in psychology. When you think about salesits cliche, but weve found that its trueit really combines the best of a scientific approach, with a little bit of art and an understanding of human behavior.
In most, if not all, business-to-business sales processes, there is a defined process that you can map out; you align that process with how your customers are purchasing your products or services; and you automate that, so you can do things like have a robust pipeline and sales forecast, and have some discipline around managing the science of sales. Especially when you think about the traditional trusted advisor type of sales representative, where the position requires a deep level of gravitas, experience and knowledge in order to be successful, certainly analytical problem-solving skills are important for that. But empathy-type skills and behavior are just as important.
I asked Shiver what the key barriers to a successful sales force transformation are from an IT perspective. He came up with three:
One major barrier we see is that, through no fault of IT, IT is sometimes asked to automate chaos. The sales organization hasnt defined a common way of selling; or the organization has grown historically through a series of acquisitions, and there are multiple sales processes, multiple CRM tools. All of that is thrown onto the lap of IT. What needs to happen first is the leadership of the sales organization needs to thoroughly define the type of selling, the type of customer conversations they want technology to enable, and then the technology can be successful. So to summarize that, one key barrier is relying on IT to enable a solution where the process has not been defined.
Secondly, we see companies that confuse a CRM implementation with a sales transformation. We certainly see technology as a critical enabler of a sales transformation but, in and of itself, it is typically not a transformation.
Finally, I think a barrier related to that is the order in which you start. Michael Perla, my co-author, and I are big fans of Jim Collinswe love his work, Good to Great, and in that, he has a philosophy of, first who, then what. Picking a star leader, and building a business around her, is an example. Weve found with sales force transformations, you actually flip thatits first what, then how, then who. Start with what the types of conversations are that you want your sales team to be having, that are going to add value for your customers; second, how you are going to enable that, through a process and an enabling technology; and then focus on whowhat the skill sets are that you need in order to be successful in that new model. So a barrier for some companies is one of sequence.
Shiver went on to explain that the IT organization must speak the same language as sales:
Often you find that IT will have a tremendous depth of resident technical expertise, and even sometimes business process expertise, as well. Sales certainly has expertise in what they see, day in and day out, from a customer perspective. Sometimes those worlds dont seem to quite meet. Its almost like you need a translation layer, or a Rosetta Stone, to translate the business strategy and process into IT requirements. Much like marketing in consumer products companies, where a customer marketing division sits between the brand teams and the sales teams, we see a similar capability thats needed to sit between IT and the sales and marketing functions, that basically serves as that translation layer. Some IT organizations have capitalized on truly having that.
To wrap up the conversation, Shiver said what he and Perla tried to make clear in the book is that sales transformation is an overused phrase:
We were intentional around writing the book to say, for most organizations, the first question you should ask yourself is whether you really need to transform, or you just need to tweak whats already working fairly well. If you need to do a tweak, that may involve skills training, or sourcing enabling technology, or some teambuilding, perhaps. There are point solutions short of a radical transformation. So I want people in IT to understand that were talking about a massive change to the sales organization. And technology, certainly CRM technology, is a key enabler of that change.
A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant.
Massive (Multi-modal Australian ScienceS Imaging and Visualisation Environment) is part of the Monash Research Cloud, which in turn is part of the Nectar (National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources) Research Cloud. The idea is to provide Australian researchers with access to the computational infrastructure they need wherever they are in the country, and to enable local and international collaboration.
The original Massive system (now known as M1) was based on IBM servers and Nvidia GPUs.
The latest Massive system (M3) officially commissioned yesterday uses around 70 Dell PowerEdge C6320 servers and 13 C4130 servers fitted with 25 Nvidia Tesla K80 GPU cards.
That gives M3 a total of 1,700 Intel Haswell cores, 50 K80 GPUs and 80 Grid K1 GPUs, and a 1.5PB (usable) Lustre file system.
Dell's APJ manager of high-performance computing Andrew Underwood told iTWire that the cluster was designed for 100% utilisation and optimised for power efficiency as well as performance.
M3 is "one of the world's first 100 gigabit Ethernet end-to-end deployments," he added.
In addition to providing the server hardware, Dell collaborated with Monash on the design of M3 - along with Intel, Mellanox and Nvidia - and led the services side of the project, looking after installation, configuration, support, and so on.
This is the first Massive generation that Dell has been involved with, although Monash's MC2 cluster was also based on Dell C6320 servers.
And Cave2 - the university's immersive 3D environment - was built around Dell servers and Nvidia Maxwell GPUs.
Underwood said Dell is supplying similar systems to commercial customers in various sectors including finance, oil and gas, artificial intelligence, and digital content creation such as animation and special effects.
"High performance computing is a key pillar of Dell's business," he said.
Monash e-research centre director Paul Bonnington said M3 represents a significant expansion of the computational facilities available at Monash.
High performance computing is "indispensable" for large scientific instruments such as the Australian Synchrotron, the Square Kilometre Array and the Large Hadron Collider, said Nvidia accelerated computing CTO Steve Oberlin (pictured), noting that Nvidia had been one of the partners for all three generations of Massive.
M1 and M2 are still in use and are fully subscribed, standing as a testament to GPU technology, he told iTWire.
But M3 represents "a significant boost" in terms of the memory bandwidth and processing speed.
Australia's chief scientist Alan Finkel said there was a nexus between science and technology in that new instruments enable us to learn more, and that knowledge leads to the development of the next generation of instruments. "Each enables the other," he said, adding that it will probably take two to five years before the contribution of M3 is fully understood.
In the commercial space, the fastest growing impacts of GPU technology are in deep learning, Oberlin told iTWire. This is being used by service providers such as Google, Facebook and Twitter, who are applying "lots and lots of GPUs" to massive data sets in order to provide features such as voice recognition and the ability to search images and videos that have not been manually tagged.
"All of these things are based on deep learning, trained on GPU arrays" and deliver value to the user base, which then contributes more data that can be used to further improve the services - "a virtuous cycle."
Scientists are able to achieve something similar by pooling their data, providing more opportunities to find patterns and anomalies, he said. Monash academic vice president and dean of medicine, nursing and health sciences Christina Mitchell made a similar point, saying that the level of computational power provided by M3 allows data collected by different researchers to be linked, potentially leading to important outcomes such as explaining why particular antibiotics are no longer effective (and presumably allowing the development of new ones).
"Society benefits tremendously from science and research," said Oberlin. "The value to society is incalculable compared with the cost."
The total cost of M3 was not disclosed.
The deal is Condats maiden overseas contract and the deal, with the unnamed customer, will see Condat deliver a content management solution.
Condat will use its Smart Media Engine to deliver a content management solution for the customers video on demand services in what Invigor says is expected to be the beginning of a longterm relationship with the new partner.
Invigor Executive Chairman and CEO, Mr Gary Cohen said the international expansion by Condat, as well as the opportunity to provide core solutions to major communications and media groups, is a key element of Condats growth strategy.
This is an important milestone for Condat as it extends its reach outside of Germany for the first time and establishes itself with a major new customer. We will continue to explore such opportunities and take advantage of what we expect to be a significant new growth prospect for the Condat business.Cohen said the project is expected to be completed in Q2 FY16 with the revenue realised during this period.
Heavy weighs the crown of the developer king.
Yes, as software eats the world, demand for skilled developers remains high. But softwares pervasiveness -- from the server to the cloud to the coming onslaught of wearable and IoT devices -- means far greater responsibilities for software engineers and the need to constantly expand your skills.
Companies are now frequently looking for someone who is comfortable with every layer of the development stack, has the ability to extract insights from massive data sets, and can think strategically about devices to come, all while reconsidering old systems using the latest languages and frameworks. Its enough to have no idea where to start.
To find out the most sought-after developer skills this year, we reached out to a mix of recruiters, CTOs, CEOs, and other executives who offered their must-have technologies to try, strategies to consider, and soft skills to master.
If youre looking to dust off your resume or update your current skill set (you should be), let our breakdown of the most desirable skills and trending technology needs be your guide.
Brush up on JavaScript
These days, developers who have mastered JavaScript cant go wrong, say those we surveyed. JavaScript proficiency is by far the most frequently sought skill named by executives and recruiters.
JavaScript has proven to be a highly portable and valuable skill set in todays market.
-- Todd Anglin, chief evangelist, Progress Software
Most developers already have an impression of the top keywords employers are searching for, having pored over job boards and comparative salary reports, while preparing for a job interview, says Sherif Abushadi, an instructor at Dev Bootcamp. JavaScript is the talk of the town, as are dozens of related frameworks and libraries built by the JavaScript community.
Regardless of whether youre building for the desktop, the Web, or mobile, JavaScript has proven to be a highly portable and valuable skill set in todays market, says Todd Anglin, chief evangelist at Progress Software.
Engineers with solid computer science fundamentals and knowledge of a modern stack wont go looking for work, says Mark Stagno, principal consultant for the software technology practice at WinterWyman Search. This could be full-stack engineers or UI-focused developers who know JavaScript and a modern library such as AngularJS or React, he says.
Abushadi adds that, while JavaScript is king, other popular languages and approaches worth dipping your toes into these days include Ruby, in concert with the Ruby on Rails framework, and Python, in conjunction with Django; both technology stacks have proved themselves vital to building scalable Web applications.
Go big with data
Big data projects continued to get, well, bigger last year, and theres no sign of that slowing down in the years to come.
While big data has been around for years, its a trend thats here to stay, says Andrey Akselrod, co-founder and CTO of Smartling. Developers must have in-depth knowledge of [business intelligence] and analytics products, machine learning tools, and other solutions that transfer, store, and aggregate large amounts of data. Only then can they help their organizations store, interact, and analyze big data to make better business decisions.
Technologies that capture and act on data the moment it arrives, such as streaming solutions and in-memory data stores, are becoming must-have skills to master.
-- John Piekos, vice president of engineering, VoltDB
The pace of data creation is dizzying, says John Piekos, vice president of engineering at VoltDB. But so are the opportunities.
Mobile and Internet of things devices are becoming ubiquitous worldwide, Piekos says. Applications being developed today are harnessing amazing amounts of data and analyzing and reacting in real time. Technologies that capture and act on data the moment it arrives, such as streaming solutions and in-memory data stores, are becoming must-have skills to master. And technology that can store, manage, and historically analyze massive amounts of data -- petabytes and up -- will be skills that serve developers well for the next decade.
For developers looking to add data wrangling to their arsenals, technologies such as Hadoop, Spark, R, and the variety of machine learning frameworks currently emerging are great places to start.
Master the full stack
Many top firms are now seeking full-stack developers who comfortably move between a variety of technologies and platforms.
These engineers understand the implications of technical decisions from core layers of the software onto the presentation layer, says Hossein Rahnama, founder and chief product officer of startup Flybits. These are great assets as they make the job much easier for their peers and will prevent the startup from developing silos by following a classical hierarchical technical decision-making. They enable the teams to remain small and effective. Leveraging platforms such as Top Coder and Amazon Mechanical Turks are also great ways to engage in cool projects.
Bryan Reinero, developer advocate at MongoDB, says going forward, engineers will need a broader range of skills to be effective: Fortunately, increasing the scope of expertise is both healthy for the engineer as well as for the company in which she works.
Buy into devops
Devops skills are a clear stand-out, often expressed by the dicta Engineers responsible for writing an application are the same engineers who maintain the application in production."
-- Bryan Reinero, developer advocate, MongoDB
Some tech gurus think devops will fall by the wayside as the use of cloud computing continues to grow inside corporations. Not so, says MongoDBs Reinero.
Devops skills are a clear stand-out, Reinero says, often expressed by the dicta Engineers responsible for writing an application are the same engineers who maintain the application in production. This includes the need to break down engineering silos such that engineers understand how their code operates in production and are mindful of performance and stability during the development phase.
Greater access to hot job prospects isnt the only reason to look into adding devops to your resume; devops practices simply make you a better developer and a more invaluable collaborator, Reinero argues.
Engineers who think in these terms will release better code faster and with greater confidence, Reinero says. Devops practices also improve team cohesion and operational agility. This is the kind of edge that allows a company to accelerate ahead of the pack.
Diversify
The skill of giving -- and receiving -- feedback is more often than not the key difference between successful and unsuccessful projects.
-- Sherif Abushadi, instructor, Dev Bootcamp
The skills companies are looking for today are considerably more varied compared to a few years ago, says WinterWyman Searchs Stagno: Java and C# remain a part of the market, but when you look at companies founded after the last recession, you're seeing a variety: Ruby on Rails, Python/Django, Node.js, and the emergence of functional programming languages, with Scala the most prevalent.
We're starting to see some companies adopt Go as well. I'm not a believer that you need to find the right technology to master, but you want to make sure that you are current, as there are wrong technologies to choose that will put you behind the curve as the landscape is ever-changing.
Use the source
In particular for freelancers, the ability to point to your code on GitHub shows that your work has been put to good use and reviewed by your peers.
With the increase in adoption of the cloud, security and compliance are growing concerns for organizations.
-- Aashish Kalra, chairman, Cambridge Technology Enterprises
Work on meaningful libraries and open-source them to demonstrate instantaneous value to potential employers, says Kiran Bondalapati, co-founder and CTO of ZeroStack, adding that contributing to open source projects can also help establish collaboration credentials.
Candace Murphy, recruiting manager at staffing services firm Addison Group, says that .Net and Java skills are still in great demand, but larger trends in open source development are growing. Were seeing uptick in requests for IT professionals with Ruby, Python, Node.js, and AngularJS open source JavaScript experience. This trend is driven by companies moving away from the traditional platforms that require licensing fees.
If companies themselves are exploring GitHub for technologies to add to their stacks, shouldnt you?
Be agile -- and hone your teamwork skills
I would argue that being a successful mobile developer is not achieved through a particular technology skill set, but rather through business savvy. Writing code is only the first phase of the project.
-- Andrey Akselrod, co-founder and CTO, Smartling
Agile development should be part of a coders quiver of skills in 2016, says Greg Sterndale, co-founder of PromptWorks, a Philadelphia software consulting shop specializing in Web and mobile applications. And keep it simple: Be humble and be hungry. Be familiar with agile and lean methodologies -- the ability to break down big projects into small stories, prioritizing, adapting to change, and delivering the most value.
Since offering feedback is important in an agile environment, Dev Bootcamp instructor Abushadi stresses the need to understand your co-workers as well as the project: The ability to provide honest, kind, and actionable feedback when working in teams is only truly possible when you have empathy, and the skill of giving -- and receiving -- feedback is more often than not the key difference between successful and unsuccessful projects.
Get secure
According to Addisons Murphy, companies that suffered security breaches last year already know what they want and what skills will be the most useful to them in 2016.
Everyone now confronts the next big challenge: How do I get data -- in the right format, of the right size, with the right resiliency and responsiveness -- fed into these apps? Thats a much bigger trick.
-- Jeff Haynie, CEO and co-founder, Appcelerator
Theyre taking more proactive approaches to increase security, not only within their IT department but across the board, Murphy says. Well see a shift in the most in-demand technologies this year as a result.
Experts noted the increased demand for network security, in particular adaptive application security, as well as cloud security.
With the increase in adoption of the cloud, security and compliance are growing concerns for organizations, says Aashish Kalra, chairman of Cambridge Technology Enterprises. This has resulted in an upsurge of demand for experts in security, compliance, governance, and data administration.
While developers may have traditionally passed the security buck to dedicated security pros, the need for developers to safeguard their code keeps growing. Consider it an invaluable, growing niche to fill.
ze has announced a number of interface improvements new features are on their way to the Android app.
The 4.0 update will finally bring parity to the iOS version with a refreshed UI, quicker access to key features, improved alerts for all those road hazards.
The notification experience looks improved, with a promise of more rapid updates that are easier to spot at a glance. ile the visual overhaul isnt in keeping with Material Design (which is a little strange since owns ze) it is nonetheless easier on the eyes makes key capabilities st out.
The update isnt here yet, but ze promises it will soon arrive in the ay Store. ll be sure to let you know once its here.
y this matters: ze is a great travel aide because of its reliance on crowdsourced traffic data. Ive found in navigating large, urban areas like s Angeles the San Francisco Bay Area that it can weave through out-of-the-way streets to more quickly get to a destination when the main routes are jammed. Since ze is under the umbrella, I also expect more integration with Maps for the Android app to start getting the goods at the same time as the iOS app.
First Sexually Transmitted Zika Virus Case in Oregon
Health officials in Oregon last Friday announced the state's first known case of sexually transmitted Zika virus. The victim is a woman whose partner had active Zika symptoms. Officials do not yet know if the disease can be passed to sexual partners when it is dormant, which would make infection even more dangerous than it now seems.
"Though mosquito bites appear to be the most common way Zika is spread, there is increasing evidence for sexual transmission as well," Dr. Richard Leman, Oregon's public health physician, said in a news release. Meanwhile, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating more than a dozen similar cases around the country, also seemingly transmitted sexually.
Daytime Flights
Oregon health officials said that sexual transmission of the Zika virus is more common than they initially believed. The CDC is looking at 13 cases of Zika around the country that they believe were sexually transmitted.
The vast majority of cases thus far seem to come from direct infections. The virus is reportedly carried by one species of mosquito -- aedes aegypti -- that thrives in tropical and subtropical climates, and can be found in Hawaii as well as some parts of the southern United States. The virus is also carried by another species, aedes albopictus. Both species are daytime biters, unlike some other types of mosquitoes.
Although Oregon health officials declined to give details on the infected woman, where she lived, or even which country her sexual partner had traveled to, they did say that he went abroad and that she did not. The health officials also specified that they have not yet come across a case of sexually transmitted Zika in someone whose partner did not show active sign of the infection.
That indicates there is still some hope that Zika is not secretly spreading among people who are seemingly uninfected. But little is yet known about the virus or how to treat it.
Talk to a Lawyer
If you or someone you know has been infected with zika or any other disease, whether transmitted sexually or otherwise, speak to a lawyer. Many attorneys consult for free or a minimal fee and will be happy to assess your case.
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A Lexus SUV being controlled by Google's autonomous vehicle (AV) technology has crashed into the side of a bus, marking what may be the first accident caused by the self-driving technology while it was in full autonomous mode.
The accident, first reported by freelance writer Mark Harris, showed up on an accident report filed with the California DMV on Feb. 23.
The collision -- involving an RX450h SUV and a public bus in Mountain View, Calif. -- took place on Feb. 14. The Lexus was in "autonomous mode" while traveling about two miles per hour in the right-hand lane as it approached an intersection and signaled for a right hand turn. Sandbags surrounding a storm drain caused the vehicle to move left, into the center lane.
Creative Commons Lic. Google's Lexus RX45h self-driving SUV.
"A public transit bus was approaching from behind. The Google AV test driver saw the bus approaching in the left side mirror but believed the bus would stop or slow to allow the Google AV to continue," the accident report stated. "Approximately three seconds later, as the Google AV was reentering the center of the lane, it made contact with the side of the bus."
The report indicated that Google car's safety driver believed the bus would yield.
The bus was traveling at about 15mph, according to the report filed by Chris Urmson, Google's director of self-driving cars.
While no injuries were reported, the Google AV sustained body damage to the left front fender, the left front wheel and one of its driver's-side doors, the report stated.
In a reply to Computerworld, Google said its AVs spend a lot of time on El Camino Real, a wide boulevard of three lanes in each direction that runs through Googles hometown of Mountain View. The boulevard has hundreds of sets of traffic lights and hundreds more intersections, it has helped Google AVs to navigate "a busy and historic artery. And on Valentines Day we ran into a tricky set of circumstances on El Camino..."
"Most of the time it makes sense to drive in the middle of a lane. But when youre teeing up a right-hand turn in a lane wide enough to handle two streams of traffic, annoyed traffic stacks up behind you," Google stated. "So several weeks ago we began giving the self-driving car the capabilities it needs to do what human drivers do: hug the rightmost side of the lane. This is the social norm because a turning vehicle often has to pause and wait for pedestrians; hugging the curb allows other drivers to continue on their way by passing on the left. Its vital for us to develop advanced skills that respect not just the letter of the traffic code but the spirit of the road."
The accident involving a Google AV is not the first. In June of last year, Google began actively reporting accidents involving vehicles using its self-driving technology. Google AVs have been in more than a dozen accidents to date, but all previous ones were blamed on human error, making the latest the first while a vehicle was in fully autonomous mode.
Google has 23 Lexus RX450h SUVs performing test drives on California public roads. To date, the vehicles have logged more than 1 million miles, according to Google.
Verizon is known for its huge annual Data Breach Investigations Report, but this morning it released a less data-heavy digest organized by case study.
The digest tells the stories of 18 common scenarios that many attacks fall into, and is intended to be used at a higher level than than the full data breach report, as well as for end user training and security awareness.
"Everyone is told by their company, 'Do this, don't do that' and they may not understand why," said Chris Novak, director of investigative response team at Verizon. "This digest explains the why."
According to Novak, the digest is based on 1,175 forensic investigations that Verizon has conducted over the past three years.
Two-thirds of the cases fall into just a dozen scenarios, he said. Another six scenarios are less common overall, but have a bigger impact on targeted companies.
"One of the key take-aways that we're hoping folks will realize here is that there's such commonality between the cases," Novak said. "There's a perception that everyone is in this alone. By putting these stories out there, it shows the industry that they are not alone."
The scenarios are grouped by type of attack and while they include a frequency number, this is not how common these attacks are in general, but by how often the attack strategy occurs in the Verizon forensic investigations.
The individual case studies go through the methods that investigators used to figure out what happened, as well as the steps taken afterwards to address the problem.
For example, the first case study, in which plans for new construction equipment were stolen by a competitor via a spearphishing attack, involved traditional detective work. Investigators interviewed experts at the company to find out what data the thieves must have taken, then interviewed employees to zero in on the ones who had access.
At that point, computer forensics helped find the phishing emails from the fake recruiter who had been sending the targeted employees emails with appealing job offers -- one of which that contained the malware that got into his computer and stole the files.
There are some lighter moments in this report, as well, such as the story of the cyberextortionist who was caught when the targeted financial services company pretended to offer him a job. Investigators flew the criminal from Eastern Europe to the U.S., conducted a mock job interview, and at the end asked for a demonstration of his abilities in the form of details of how he had compromised the company. The crook explained in great detail how he was able to infiltrate the various corporate systems, but instead of getting a job offer, he was thanked for his confession and arrested.
And there's the story of the best developer at a company -- who turned out to have outsourced his job to China in order to spend the day reading Reddit and watching cat videos. He had FedExed his authentication token key fob to the contractor, and was caught when logs showed mysterious -- but authorized -- VPN access from China.
The full digest is 84 pages long, but it's a fun, fast-paced and gripping read that even involves pirates on the high seas.
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KINGSTON: Kingston Rotarian Roy Jukes was honoured with the award of a Paul Harris Fellowship at Kingston Rotary Club recently. Mr Jukes has been a member of the Club since 1979 and has held many positions during his 20 years' service.
KINGSTON: The first performance of a new work by successful Chiswick based composer, Cecilia McDowall, will provide the centrepiece of the Thames Philharmonic Choir's concert on Saturday, May 6, in Kingston Parish Church. Call the box office on 020 89983529.
FindLaw Legal Blogs
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Before the minimum wage law of $10.10 could take effect, Birmingham, Alabama workers were frustrated when it was turned down by the state legislature.
Workers were elated when the bill was passed by the local city council on August last year. But they did not expect that it will be shot down just by the higher body of lawmakers.
The state legislature had its own plans when it, together with the state governor, rapidly passed a bill that prevented any local city from implementing its own minimum wage law, and that includes the new law of Birmingham.
There's nothing the Birmingham's city council could do but say that the lawmakers had "dealt a severe blow to the working-class citizens" of the city and the entire state.
The existing wage law in Alabama calls for employers to pay a minimum of $7.25 per hour to wage earners. Alabama legislators would want this rate to be followed by every local city in the state.
Alabama follows the Uniform Minimum Wage and Right-to Work-Act which does not allow cities from implementing their own minimum wage. The state has no state minimum wage in place so the $7.25 minimum rate is enforced.
The bill stopping the implementation of Birmingham, Alabama's $10.10 minimum wage was approved by the state senate which was readily signed by Gov. Robert Bentley.
"This is a clear indication that the plight of the working class is of no relevance to the GOP," said Jonathan Austin, President of the Birmingham City Council in a released statement.
"Never before in the history of Alabama's post-segregation era has a bill so detrimental to the very people who most of us depend on daily-the cooks, the waiters and busboys at our favorite restaurants, the barista at our neighborhood coffee shop, the caddy at the local country club and the maids at the hotels that help to boost our local economy-been fast-tracked in the state legislature," he lamented.
According to estimates arrived at by computer engineers and software developers, Apple Inc. would have to spend $101,000 to assist the FBI in hacking a terrorist's iPhone. But that's not all. In order to not let this hack from going out into the open, the tech giant has to spend millions of dollars more.
This was revealed by Apple in court documents filed on Thursday, as to what the company needs to do to hack one of its iPhones. Previously, Apple was ordered by a federal magistrate-judge to design a back-door hack that will help the FBI to break into a San Bernardino shooter's iPhone 5C.
Although the computer giant has already estimated the cost of hacking, it is not willing to do the bidding of the court without a fight. Apple also indicated that a new version of its OS will have to be designed. It was called "GovtOS" by one of its staff.
"All told, I would estimate that the process of designing, creating, validating, deploying GovtOS would take two to four weeks," said Erik Neuenschwander, manager of user privacy at Apple, according to the papers filed court.
Neuenschwander added that it would take "six to ten Apple engineers and employees dedicating a very substantial portion of their time."
Tim Cook, Apple's CEO is refusing to give in to the demands of the FBI.
"The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers," said Cook in a public letter.
"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," he added.
But the FBI is equally adamant. The spy agency has previously been critical of the tech giant's encryption tactics and argued that these will impede their investigations. It has been lobbying with congress to pass a law that requires Apple to build OS backdoors.
Partners Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko are finally going back to Earth today after spending a year aboard the aboard the International Space Station, making their mission a total of 340 consecutive days.
American astronaut Kelly turned over the command of the ISS to Tim Kopra, a fellow American astronaut. His partner Kornienko is a Russian cosmonaut.
Both Kelly and Kornienko have made a U.S. record for having spent the most consecutive days in space. They also made a record for NASA for having spent the longest stay by 125 days. The partners, during their stay, were able to share lodgings with 13 others.
Kelly and Korneinko have also served with eight different crewmates. Included in their achievements during their stay are unpacking six cargo ships, weathering two botched supply runs, and participating in dozens of science experiments.
Meanwhile, the overall duration record goes to Valeri Polyakov, after spending 437 days on the former Russian Mir space station in 1994 and 1995.
" NASA will release video of the hatch closure, as well as undocking and landing activities at 1:30 a.m. ET Wednesday. Kelly and Kornienko will be joined in the Soyuz space capsule by cosmonaut Sergey Volkov," CBC reports.
The data gathered by the partners during their time on the ISS will give agencies further information with regards to how space travel affects the body. The partners will also be able to provide further information on the kind of "physiological and psychological performance challenges astronauts face during long-duration missions."
On the side note, Kelly's identical twin brother Mark Kelly, is also an astronaut. Mark is serving as an experimental control. This will allow the researchers to analyze and compare how space changes a person with the same genetic makeup.
The brothers joined "joined forces to provide NASA with a potential gold mine of scientific data: one twin studied for a year in orbit - twice the usual space station stay - while his genetic double underwent similar tests on the ground."
Snow on Rental Property: Landlord and Tenant Removal Duties
It's snowing yet again and you can't wait for spring to arrive. But it's not yet here and someone has to clear all the snow on the sidewalk and covering the walkway. Who has to do it?
Depending on where you live it is either the tenant or the landlord, which is to say it varies from state to state. Snow removal is required of owners in some places and renters in others, and sometimes local ordinances make demands, so it's not enough to know state law.
Snowed In
Snow shoveling, which seems like a simple enough matter, can get quite complicated when you consider state and local ordinances, plus additional demands, like salting, and the deadline for removal. Most places have guidance on when removal must be complete, within 24 or 48 hours of a snowfall generally.
According to RentPrep, owners are on the hook for removal in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania whereas in Ohio and Illinois it is the tenant's responsibility to clear the snow. But watch out Chicago owners and occupants because local law says snow removal is everyone's job, notwithstanding state law.
Clearing Up Confusion
Make it clear who is in charge of clearing the snow in advance to prevent disputes and lawsuits. It should not be a mystery that the landlord and tenant solve during or after a storm -- or worse yet -- when someone's been injured because snow removal was neglected.
It is in a landlord's interests to know local and state laws and to outline these in a lease agreement. If you rent out your space yourself, then talk to your tenants about expectations before the lease is signed. This prevents problems down the line. Whoever is responsible, be it landlord or tenant, knowing is half the battle in preventing battles.
The other half, of course, is getting it done. Snow must be removed because slip and fall injury cases are costly and negligent landlords pay a heavy price in court. Do everyone a favor and clear up confusion and snow as promptly as possible.
Landlord/Tenant Dispute?
If you are an owner or tenant having trouble with a property dispute, talk to a lawyer. Many attorneys consult for free or a minimal fee and will be happy to provide guidance.
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Top 5 Voting Rights Laws
It's primary season and the next presidential election is right around the corner, which means the focus will turn to voting rights and access to the polls. You know we live in a democracy, and you've probably heard of "one person, one vote." But what exactly are your voting rights? Do you need ID? And does your boss need to give you time off to vote?
We've got the answers to these and other questions in our top five posts on voting rights laws.
Many states have recently passed laws requiring voters to show a valid picture ID at the polls in order to cast a vote. While many of these laws are aimed at combating voter fraud, some courts have found voter ID laws overly restrictive and can have a discriminatory effect. You should check your state's laws to confirm whether you will need ID in order to vote.
Depending on where you live, your employer may need to give you time off in order to vote. While some states require employers to give paid time off for employees to head to the polls, other states have no laws regarding time off to vote. You may need to consult your boss or your state statutes regarding time off to vote.
Whether you can vote after being convicted of a felony can vary significantly depending on where you live. While some states bar felons from ever voting again, others allow incarcerated persons to vote from jail. And there are many states in between, including some that require felons to request their voting rights be restored.
What kind of accommodations must polling places provide? Can people campaign at a polling location? Are you eligible to cast a ballot? Here's everything you need to know about heading to the polls on Election Day.
But what if you want to vote before Election Day? Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia allow some sort of early voting, some allowing you to cast a ballot 45 days before the election. And all states allow absentee voting as well, although you may be asked to provide an excuse for absentee voting and you'll likely have to request an absentee ballot.
If you have more questions about your voting rights, or feel like your voting rights have been violated, you can contact and experienced election campaign attorney near you.
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"No one wants to take a tenderfoot on the trail, it's too much responsibility."
I've probably said it a dozen times since I've started writing for High-Def Digest but it's worth saying again: I love a good western. I was brought up watching the exploits of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. These men were the icons of the dusty trail and the six-shooter, and with my regular intake of these movies I didn't so much as watch them as absorb them like a dry sponge. One iconic actor of the western that I've never felt got enough love for his numerous contributions to the genre was Glenn Ford. While known for raising Clark Kent and starring in his fair share of noir gangster films, Ford would collaborate with Delmer Daves to create three amazing entries into the western genre, 1956's 'Jubal,' 1957's '3:10 To Yuma,' and 1958's 'Cowboy.' While it may be a bit lighter in tone, 'Cowboy' proves that Delmer Daves had a knack for telling personable dramatic stories using the old west as the perfect backdrop.
Frank Harris (Jack Lemmon) is tired of living a dull life as a clerk at a prestigious upper-crust Chicago Hotel. He's a man of ambition, means, and most of all - he's in love with the beautiful Maria (Anna Kashfi). Knowing that Maria's father Senor Vidal (Donald Randolph) would never allow his daughter to marry beneath her station, no matter how much she loves him, Frank has a plan to get into the cattle business to make some serious money and cement a place for himself and prove he's the right man for Maria's hand. The only hangup is he needs the right partner to invest in.
Long on the dusty trail driving cattle to market from Mexico to Chicago, Tom Reese and his crew are ready for a little revelry, and even a night at the opera! As it turns out Tom has a bit of a gambling streak and can hold his own at the card table, most times that is. After getting gutted at poker, Tom aims to clear out and get another herd onto the trail while his credit is still good. As Tom is settling his bill with Frank at the hotel desk, Frank sees the perfect opportunity, a man in need of some stake money to get a herd together, a partner. Only Tom doesn't like partners - even when they're willing to put up $3,800.00 in cash on the spot. Now that Frank is attached to his hip, Tom isn't going to make life easy for the greenhorn whose only previous experience with cattle was devouring a well-seasoned steak.
As Frank sees the reality of the life he only dreamed of, his soft and easy-going nature turns hard and sour. While Tom doesn't want a partner, he hates to see a good man go mean. The trail isn't for everyone and while Frank has turned into a formidable cattleman, Tom works the man to see that this life may not be for him after all. But as Tom tries to convince Frank of the facts, he's also left confronting his own bitter nature and how the trail has changed him over the years. Together the two men will learn that working cattle can make or break a man and if they're going to survive this drive they're going to have to learn to work with each other as equal partners.
After the drama loaded 'Jubal' and the suspenseful '3:10 To Yuma,' it's nice to see Delmer Daves take on a softer more character-driven film. While the film manages to squeak in a few comedic light-hearted moments, the brooding character drama underneath is what brings 'Cowboy' home. Since he's largely known as a comedic actor, Jack Lemmon delivers a wonderfully nuanced performance as Frank Harris. He's a man who goes into this exciting life of a cattle drive blinded by the idea of love and gold at the rainbow, but when he gets to work he quickly learns it's nothing like he thought it would be. Without giving too much away, it's really something to see Lemmon go from sweet and innocent to surly, uncaring and outright mean. By contrast, Frank's decent gives light to Tom's own ways. By being a loaner who doesn't want partners and only wants to be a boss, Tom has put himself at a constant distance from ever truly knowing anyone. While his men may respect him, he wouldn't wade into a fight to save one of their necks - that's just the life of the trail. As Frank becomes a mirror image Tom sees for the first time the fallacies of how he's lived his life.
For those expecting some sort of rip-roaring Cowboys vs Indians yarn, 'Cowboy' isn't that sort of film. While there are some very good action and suspense moments that nicely tie this film back into Delmer Daves' previous effort on '3:10 To Yuma,' 'Cowboy' takes more of a character study beat from 'Jubal' while infusing the story with its own form of genre deconstruction. Yes, this movie is a western that takes place in the old west, but it's also a movie that could transport the same characters into a different time and a different livelihood and it would remain incredibly effective and personable. While I was a little worried this would be another comedic turn for Jack Lemmon, I was once again surprised and reminded by the late actor's incredible range as a dramatic presence. If you've yet to consider taking the time to give 'Cowboy' a viewing, now is as good a time as any. It absolutely rewards you for the time you put into it.
The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats
'Cowboy' arrives on Blu-ray thanks to Twilight Time in a limited run of 3,000 units. Pressed onto a Region Free BD50 disc and housed in a clear Blu-ray case, the disc opens directly to the main menu with standard navigation options. Also included is a booklet featuring stills as well as a great essay about the film by film historian Julie Kirgo.
An apartment development, with five buildings totaling 186 units, is being proposed by Wangard Partners for a warehouse site in Elm Grove north of W. Watertown Plank Road and east of N. Elm Grove Road. Credit: AG Architecture
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An apartment development, with five buildings totaling 186 units, is being proposed for a warehouse site in Elm Grove.
Wangard Partners Inc. wants to develop the buildings north of W. Watertown Plank Road and east of N. Elm Grove Road, according to plans filed with the village. The firm also plans to seek village funds to help finance the project.
It would be the largest multifamily housing development in Elm Grove, said Casey Griffith, village zoning and planning administrator. The village's largest such project is a condominium community with nearly 100 units, he said.
The apartments would be north of stores that front on Watertown Plank Road and would replace some older warehouses, which would be razed.
Wangard is proposing two four-story buildings and two three-story buildings, which together would house most of the apartments.
One of those buildings would have 72 apartments, according to the conceptual plans. The three other buildings would each have 36 units.
There also would be a two-story building with six townhouse-style apartments.
The complex would include 402 parking spaces, divided between underground spaces and surface lots. The main access to the site would from Watertown Plank Road, with two additional access points from Elm Grove Road.
Most of the apartments would have one or two bedrooms. There also are a smaller number of studio and three-bedroom units.
The plans, by AG Architecture, show buildings with several balconies and a walking path that connects the development to Watertown Plank and Elm Grove roads.
Wangard Partners also plans to seek village funds to help finance the development, according to the proposal. It doesn't specify an amount.
Those funds, if approved by the Village Board, would be repaid through the new property taxes generated by the apartments.
"As we fine-tune construction budgeting and overall costs, we will work with village officials on the specific allocation the project will require," said a letter from Wangard President Wayne Wiertzema.
The village funds would be used for such items as demolition, environmental cleanup and utility extensions, Wiertzema's letter said.
The development would provide a substantial economic benefit by adding a significant number of residents within walking distance of Elm Grove businesses, the letter said.
The Plan Commission is to conduct an initial review of the proposal at its March 7 meeting.
The property was used by Reinders Inc. as a distribution center for commercial mowing equipment, fertilizer and other items, according to a village report. That business has moved to Sussex.
Along with the apartments, future additional development on the site, which extends north to Juneau Blvd. and east to the Canadian Pacific railroad tracks, could include retail, office and residential use, according to that report.
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Shareholders of Journal Media Group Inc. approved the $280 million sale of the company to Gannett Co. Inc. Tuesday.
More than 92% of shares that were voted were cast in favor of the merger, Steven J. Smith, chairman of Journal Media Group, told shareholders during a special meeting at the company's headquarters in Milwaukee.
Federal regulators who oversee antitrust issues still must sign off on the merger, in which the parent company of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and JSOnline.com would join Gannett.
No timetable for the regulatory review was available.
"We continue to work with the Department of Justice in its review of the proposed transaction with Gannett," said Tim Stautberg, president and chief executive officer of Journal Media Group.
Under terms of the deal, Journal Media Group stockholders would receive $12 per share in cash.
Gannett, based in McLean, Va., announced in October it planned to buy Journal Media Group in a merger that would bring it not only Wisconsin's biggest newspaper, but 14 other daily newspapers, including the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn.; the Knoxville News Sentinel, also in Tennessee; and the Naples Daily News in Florida.
Journal Media Group, which has about 3,400 employees, was created in April after The E.W. Scripps Co. and Journal Communications Inc. merged their local TV operations and spun off their newspapers into an independent, publicly traded company based in Milwaukee.
In June, Gannett also split its newspaper and broadcast assets into separate companies.
Gannett owns USA Today, 92 daily publications in the U.S. and Guam, and more than 400 nondaily publications.
"We are pleased with the overwhelming support for this transaction by the Journal Media Group shareholders and look forward to completing the required regulatory review and bringing these two great companies together," Bob Dickey, president and chief executive of Gannett, said in a statement.
"Today's vote is an important step toward enabling our portfolio of local media brands to better navigate the transformation of our industry and continue to serve readers and advertisers with quality content, products and services," Stautberg said.
"We look forward to joining Gannett's USA TODAY NETWORK with a commitment to strengthening lives and communities."
Gannett has been in Wisconsin since 1980, when it bought the Green Bay Press-Gazette and Wausau Record-Herald.
It also owns dailies in Appleton, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Marshfield, Oshkosh, Sheboygan, Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids.
The Gannett state newsrooms make up the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, part of the nationwide USA TODAY NETWORK.
In addition to the Milwaukee, Memphis, Knoxville and Naples newspapers, Journal Media Group includes: The (Redding) Record-Searchlight and Ventura County Star in California; the Treasure Coast Newspapers in Florida; the Evansville Courier & Press in Indiana; The (Henderson) Gleaner in Kentucky; The (Anderson) Independent Mail in South Carolina; the Abilene Reporter-News, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, San Angelo Standard-Times and Wichita Falls Times Record News in Texas; and the Kitsap Sun in Washington.
Henry Schwartz, the co-owner of Wisconsin craft brewer MobCraft, makes an appearance on Shark Tank on March 11. The Brass Tap, 7808 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield, is hosting a viewing party at 8 p.m. Credit: Journal Sentinel files
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Wisconsin craft brewer MobCraft will get national television exposure March 11 when the brewery's co-owner, Henry Schwartz, makes an appearance on "Shark Tank."
The Brass Tap, 7808 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield, will have the television set to the show for a "Shark Tank" viewing party at 8 p.m. and pouring MobCraft brews for the show, according to the Brass Tap Facebook page.
Here are a few more beer events of note:
March 5: Craft beer meets live music at Madison On Tap at the Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison. Sample beers from 1:30 to 5 p.m. in Session 1 or from 6:30 to 10 p.m. in Session 2. Tickets are $45. VIP tickets are $60.
March 7:Cafe Hollander, 7677 W. State St., Wauwatosa, hosts the Troubadour Bier Dinner with Stefaan Soetemans, owner and master brewer of Brouwerij the Musketeers, and a collaborator in Hollander IPA. Six beers will be served with a five-course meal for $65. Call (414) 475-6771 to reserve a spot.
March 8: 3rd Sign, part of Octopi Brewing in Waunakee, visits the Malt Shoppe, 813 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa, from 5 to 7 p.m. A representative will be pouring samples.
March 10: The Milwaukee County Historical Society, 910 N. Old World 3rd St., hosts a panel discussion on the city's changing beer scene called Evolution to Revolution featuring industry leaders at 6:30 p.m., part of the "Brew City MKE: Craft, Culture, Community" exhibit. Admission is $5.
March 10: Burnhearts, 2599 S. Logan Ave., breaks out some barrel-aged Hinterland brews including a mystery firkin. The beer is tapped at 7 p.m., according to the Hinterland event Facebook page.
March 12: 3 Floyds takes over the taps at The Brass Tap, 7808 Layton Ave., Greenfield.
March 11 and 12: Shully's, 146 Green Bay Road, Thiensville, pairs beers with four courses of a Southern barbecue dinner. Drinks and appetizers begin at 6:30 p.m. and the first course will be served at 7 p.m. The price is $45 per person. Call (262) 242-6633 or by them via Shully's website.
March 12: Crafty Cow, 153 E. Wisconsin Ave., Oconomowoc, holds its second annual Barrel Fest, pouring 20 barrel-aged beers from open to close. Special tappings begin at 4 p.m.
March 12: Rock Bottom Brewery kicks off the 50th annual Shamrock Club St. Patrick's Day Parade with Kegs and Eggs! from 9 to 11 a.m. at the brewery, 740 N. Plankinton Ave. The deal includes all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and bottomless tap beers. Admission is $20; $25 at the door, according to the Kegs and Eggs! event page on Facebook.
March 16: Pearl Street Brewery comes to Ray's Growler Gallery, 8930 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa, at 5 p.m. Expect to try some limited release beers from the LaCrosse brewery.
March 17-20: Champps, 1240 S. Moorland Road, Brookfield, kicks off four days of March Madness and special beers with a firkin of Ballast Point Victory at Sea Imperial Porter brewed with Samoa Cookies. The extensive list of rare beers continues through Sunday when they pour all Central Waters beers including the 18th Anniversary Ale.
April 3: The Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave., will mark its eighth anniversary April 1 but will celebrate with a party from noon to 5 p.m. April 3. The party includes a 2 p.m. bottle share; a silent auction and a live auction at 4:30 p.m. Expect special beers on tap. The Sugar Maple hopes to raise funds toward renovation of the Mitchell Park Domes.
The date was incorrect in an earlier version of the party announcement.
Other dates to keep in mind:
The eighth annual Kohler Festival of Beer opens April 29 with Hops at the Shops and includes a weekend of seminars and tastings through May 1.
Milwaukee Beer Week kicks off on April 16, and the annual Crafts & Drafts Spring Beer Festival is set for April 17 at Serb Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave. Tickets are on sale now.
For a guide to beer news and more, check out Tap Milwaukee's Beer Here page.
Nicole Sheldon practices yoga in the east side Milwaukee studio she co-owns. Sheldon turned to yoga and therapy after leaving her job as an assistant district attorney as a result of the trauma she endured from an armed robbery. Credit: Michael Sears
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As a confident young Milwaukee prosecutor used to dealing with violent criminals, Nicole Sheldon never expected to be a crime victim herself or considered the aftermath.
"This experience broke me in a lot of ways," she recently wrote on Facebook. "It changed who I am."
For weeks after she was robbed outside her home in Bay View, she couldn't sleep, stay in her house alone or walk past unknown young men on the sidewalk, even in daylight.
But she missed only one day of work, and as she focused on the step-by-step of her own case (her attacker was arrested the same night), she thought she had successfully compartmentalized her own trauma.
"I'm like, OK, I'm fine, I'm just going to block it out," she said in an interview.
She was robbed in late March 2013. By the end of that year, she was promoted to the homicide unit, her dream job since joining the Milwaukee County district attorney's office immediately after law school in May 2008.
Three months into the assignment, however, she realized the constant interaction with victims' families was breaking down the wall she'd built around her own fears.
She pressed on to the fall, finally transferred from the homicide unit, then resigned from the DA's office in February 2015 because the work kept aggravating her own post-traumatic stress.
Sheldon, 35, said it was hard to leave since her job so defined her identity, but it was, ultimately, a necessary step in coming to terms with her own trauma experience something she has tackled with the help of therapy, friends and family, and yoga.
Her attacker's appeal was denied Feb. 4. Sheldon posted on Facebook she felt relieved. "Maybe a door can now ... finally ... begin to close."
She agreed to tell her story with the hope it would start a dialogue about the need for more services for crime victims.
"If it's been hard for me, someone who had a good job, a strong spouse, insurance, transportation," she said. "It can be virtually impossible for the many victims without those things."
"It's a house of cards for many people," she said, where something like a carjacking can collapse all the scaffolding that helps them manage life.
"The (criminal justice) system is not designed to help victims. It's a re-victimizing system, as much as we try to prevent that."
The robbery
On March 25, 2013, Sheldon was walking to her house after work when a man approached with something shiny and black in his right hand and said, "Ma'am, just drop the bag."
She dropped her purse and screamed as he grabbed it. Her husband, a firefighter, ran out from the house and chased the suspect as he climbed into a car that drove up, until Sheldon yelled that he had a gun.
Sheldon's husband got a good description and the license plate number. Kenyatta Clincy, 25, was arrested driving the car later that night. He denied robbing Sheldon, but two other people told police they were in the car when Clincy randomly targeted Sheldon.
Accustomed to asking tough courtroom questions, Sheldon found herself on the witness stand at Clincy's trial, which the state attorney general's office handled to avoid the appearance of a conflict.
"I sweat out my shirt," she recalled. "It felt like forever."
She had to admit she had not been able to pick Clincy from a photo array or a live lineup. She got cross-examined about her estimate of the attacker's height, shorter than Clincy.
No gun was ever found, and the complaint charged only that Clincy used something perhaps the tire iron found on the floor of the car when he was arrested to suggest he had a gun.
"You can't convince me it wasn't a gun," Sheldon said.
Clincy was found guilty of armed robbery and sentenced to 10 years in prison, plus five years of supervision.
Feeling survivor's guilt
Sheldon tried to keep suppressing her own angst as she plowed into prosecuting homicides. Many were "armed robberies gone bad," and she started having survivor's guilt about her own attack.
"Why them, and not me?" she asked, each time thinking she, too, could just as easily have been shot.
In September 2014 she landed the case of Aurelius Williams, a 17-year-old shot in the back as he and two younger friends tried to run from armed robbers in March. She had to interview his parents.
"I could tell the mom was forever going to be broken," she said. "You lose your only son for what? How ridiculous."
She left the homicide unit shortly after.
Her former boss, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, said he'd hire Sheldon back, if and when she felt ready.
"She had tremendous talent and potential," and was excelling as a young prosecutor, he said. "Then this happens to her."
He said it wasn't the first and probably won't be the last time personal trauma affected a prosecutor's career.
"Not everyone has Mark Williams' constitution, they just don't," he said, referring to his assistant who prosecuted only homicides, some 700 cases, for 23 years until his retirement at the end of 2014.
Chisholm also agreed that, despite strides in victim assistance his office sends advocates to all shooting scenes now, in addition to guiding them through the court process more could be done.
"No question it's not resourced anywhere near where it should be."
Credits PTSD therapy
Sheldon credits her therapist, Stephanie Delmore of the Ommani Center, and a treatment called EMDR, for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, for getting back on track.
EMDR trains the brain to move traumatic memories from reactive areas of the brain to areas with fuller control, where they can be dealt with more rationally. It has been used extensively in treating post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans.
Delmore said the therapy induces a semi-hypnotic state that helps a patient "get out of your own way," in learning to rewire how the brain deals with memory of trauma.
For some people, EMDR opens a back door to parts of the brain that traditional talk therapy can't reach.
Before she found EMDR, Sheldon said, yoga also helped her.
"It was the first place I found that, for 75 minutes, I wasn't thinking about my cases or my own garbage," she said. It was during yoga that she first felt a release of the stress she'd been carrying since being robbed.
Now she's a partner in a yoga studio, mostly handling the business side. She said she's not alone in getting much more than a physical workout from yoga.
"A lot of people are there for a lot of reasons," she said, and the studio clearly promotes the more holistic health benefits of yoga.
For now, she's not sure she'll ever return to practicing law.
"In my heart, I'm a prosecutor," she said. "But I kind of feel that career is what I was really robbed of."
A mock Apartheid Wall set up by Students for Justice in Palestine was taken down by Marquette. Credit: Students for Justice in Palestine Facebook page
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A group of Marquette University students is accusing the campus administration of censorship and discrimination after a mock "Apartheid Wall" set up by Students for Justice in Palestine was taken down by the university.
It's the second time in less than a year that the university has sparked controversy by taking down a depiction that it said violated campus rules or values.
Last May, a mural of an African-American activist convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1973 was painted over in the Marquette Gender and Sexuality Resource Center within a day of being targeted by a conservative blogger. University officials said the mural conflicted with Jesuit values.
The mural depicted Assata Shakur, considered a domestic terrorist by some and a wrongly accused folk hero by others who say she was targeted by authorities for her involvement in the Black Liberation Army and for being a Black Panther. The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center where the mural was painted was created after Marquette drew fire for rescinding a job offer to a lesbian candidate for a dean's position.
The mock "Apartheid Wall" set up in the Alumni Memorial Union late at night on Feb. 21 was part of a table display for the Students for Justice in Palestine campus chapter's "Israeli Apartheid Week," according to the students. They followed campus rules to reserve the space to hand out informational brochures, and when they came back the next morning to finish the table, the 6-foot-tall poster board wall behind it was gone.
The problem, according to Marquette spokesman Brian Dorrington, is that they did not submit the display in advance for approval, so did not have permission to put it up as part of their event. He said the Office of Student Development worked closely with the group on several events for the week, including a speaker, but that the group never mentioned it would have an "Apartheid Wall."
Group president Gadeer Ayesh said the wall was put up the past two years in the same manner without specific permission and without issue after the space was reserved in accordance with campus rules.
According to Ayesh, after the wall exhibit was taken down, a representative of the Office of Student Development informed the group that the wall would not be allowed "because it 'alludes to eliminating the state of Israel.'"
Ayesh disputed that characterization. "Our wall has no mention of Israel, Jews or in any way spoke of an elimination of a state."
It carried the phrase, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," which Ayesh said was a call for free and equal rights for all.
Dorrington did not directly address whether there was a discussion about the message on the wall.
"We encourage all our student organizations to contribute to the university's role as a forum for intellectual discussion and debate," he said.
"This was about process."
Clarence Huettenrauch stood near an open grave in central Wisconsin and waited for his wife's casket to arrive.
And waited. And waited. Hours ticked by, and soon the whole day had passed with no sign of his wife, June, who died Jan. 24 at age 81.
The Mequon man now knows the funeral director left Brookfield at 7:30 that February morning in a hearse carrying the casket and began the 210-mile trip to the town cemetery in Neillsville, where June grew up.
But the hearse failed to arrive for the 11:30 a.m. graveside service, and Huettenrauch is being told by Church and Chapel that the driver claimed he and dear departed June wound up in a ditch for part of that snowy day, and was pulled back onto the highway by a farm tractor.
The road adventure lasted 12 hours and ended with the hearse driver bringing the casket back to Church and Chapel in Brookfield that evening, right where it started.
It's the kind of crazy detour you'd rather not see on the way to eternal rest. Huettenrauch, 81, was so upset that he insisted Church and Chapel make a $100,000 donation to his church, a demand he later dropped. He refused the full $6,800 funeral refund offered to him.
"All in all, it is a very sad story to tell. All the mental anguish and emotional distress that has been left upon the family and friends is incomprehensible," Huettenrauch, a retired architect, wrote in a letter about the ordeal he sent last week to 125 family members, friends and Baptist churches in the area.
He also sent one to Church and Chapel owner Ted Larsen, who fired the funeral director on his staff who failed in his mission and didn't call about problems he was having.
"He was disoriented in some capacity. Yes, he did get lost" despite having a cellphone, GPS and directions to the cemetery, Larsen said.
"I'm very apologetic for what happened. I wish this had not been the case," Larsen told me. "That's not the service level that we wish to portray."
The way Larsen tells it, snow played a role in the driver's difficulties that day, Feb. 2. But Huettenrauch and his family drove up to Neillsville that morning on dry roads with no problem. And National Weather Service records show that not a flake of snow fell before 11:45 in that part of the state.
So where was the driver that whole morning? At the very least, lost. He said he skidded into the ditch about 12:30 p.m. an hour after the scheduled service, and five hours after leaving on what should have been about a three-hour drive.
"Clarence did whisper to me, 'Was your driver at a tavern for goodness sake?' And I'm like absolutely not would I suspect that in a million years," Larsen said.
The funeral director had worked reliably for Larsen for several years, he said, and had driven bodies to northern Wisconsin cemeteries on other occasions.
As the hours passed that day, Huettenrauch called Church and Chapel and was given the name of the driver and his cell number. Huettenrauch called at 12:30 p.m. and was told he was in Plover, about an hour's drive from Neillsville. He called him again at 1:30 p.m. and the driver said he was west of Junction City, still about 45 minutes away.
The driver said nothing to Huettenrauch about any ditches, though later told his boss it took two hours to walk for help and get the vehicle out. Subsequent calls from Huettenrauch, and those from Larsen, went right to voice mail. The Clark County sheriff and highway departments were contacted and joined the search for the runaway hearse.
Larsen became increasingly distressed that the driver was not letting him know what was going on. The driver would claim later that his cellphone had died and that at least one store clerk had refused to let him use their phone.
"I considered getting in my own car to go try and find him, but how am I going to get there in those conditions and that time frame?" Larsen said.
The afternoon brought heavier snow, and it became clear the service would not proceed as planned. "4:30 p.m. came and the burial vault people proceeded to remove the tent, chairs and ground carpet, and they left for the day," Huettenrauch wrote. He and fellow mourners headed home to the Milwaukee area, still in the dark as to June's whereabouts.
The service was rescheduled for Feb. 4. A different Church and Chapel driver got the casket there just fine. After the long, strange trip his wife had taken two days earlier, Huettenrauch was tempted to check the casket to make sure she was still in there, but he did not. Larsen said he did not look in the casket himself when the driver returned on Feb. 2, but insisted the family need not worry.
At Huettenrauch's request, Larsen paid $1,400 to reimburse family members who had taken off work to be pallbearers. They were not able to return on Feb. 4, so Larsen paid a stipend to Neillsville funeral home workers and cemetery workers to do the honors. He paid the vault company overtime costs, and he also paid for a limousine to take Huettenrauch, his daughter and his pastor back up north.
Larsen said the demanded six-figure donation to Huettenrauch's church, Falls Baptist, was unacceptable. On further reflection, even Huettenrauch said he didn't want to blackmail his word the funeral service. He said he may, however, file a complaint with the state's licensing board.
Someday, Huettenrauch will be buried next to his wife of 60 years in Neillsville, and he hopes his route there is not as circuitous.
Amid all the uncertainty and frustration of that day at the cemetery, he enjoyed a lighter moment.
"We kind of chuckled, my daughter and I, and we said: 'Yeah, mom is having her fun. At least she got a good tour of Wisconsin for 12 hours.'"
Call Jim Stingl at (414) 224-2017 or email at jstingl@jrn.com
SHARE Julie Tolan will step down as chief executive officer of the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee on June 30. Mark Hoffman
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Julie Tolan will step down as chief executive officer of the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee on June 30, the organization announced Tuesday.
Tolan, who joined the Milwaukee Y in July 2013, led the organization through a tumultuous economic period, as it emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 2015.
"If there ever was a definition of the 'right leader at the right time,' Julie was it," Richard Canter, chairman of the board of directors of the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee, said in a prepared statement.
"Even when our challenges seemed insurmountable, Julie persevered thanks to her clarity of vision, strong sense of faith and courage to make the difficult, but necessary, decisions. On behalf of our board of directors, we thank Julie and wish her nothing but the very best in her future endeavors," Canter said.
A special committee will be formed by the Milwaukee Y board of directors to identify Tolan's replacement. She will lead the organization during the next four months and has offered to serve as an adviser to help the new leadership team.
In an email statement to the Journal Sentinel, Canter said there is still work to be done "in our continued journey toward sustainability."
"Our focus remains on maximizing both earned and contributed revenue and delivering a quality experience for each member and program participant...," he said.
Shortly after she joined the Milwaukee Y, Tolan and others came to grips with the organization's finances to eliminate $30 million in debt. During its reorganization, the Milwaukee Y sold nearly all its suburban branches, closed the South Shore Y when a buyer couldn't be found, sold its former charter school Young Leaders Academy to Milwaukee College Prep, and cut staff by 55%.
The reorganization left the Milwaukee Y with a smaller footprint of five branches Downtown, Northside, Northwest, Parklawn and Rite-Hite Family YMCA in Brown Deer and Camp Minikani on the shores of Lake Amy Belle in Hubertus.
The Milwaukee Y set an ambitious $3.8 million fundraising target last year, which couldn't be met. The Milwaukee Y announced in January that it would cut $1.7 million in operating costs for the current year. The cuts included the loss of 15 full-time and five part-time positions, the elimination of the Y's diabetes prevention program and a voluntary pay reduction for Tolan and the organization's No. 2 executive, Jack Takerian.
Tolan's salary was due to be cut by more than 40%. She received $314,586 in compensation, including salary and benefits, in 2014, according to government filings.
"Among our biggest accomplishments over the past few years was how our community came together to proclaim the Y matters and is worth saving," Tolan said in a statement. "Tens of thousands of our friends and neighbors rely on the Y for a sense of community; for support during a health crisis; for inspiration to get not just fit, but well; for a head start on their kids' education; for safe, fun and engaging places to learn and play when school is out; and so much more."
Tolan added that she was "forever grateful to them, our team and our board for the way in which we all pulled together to address our challenges, and put the Y on the path to a more sustainable future. While the time is nearing for me to recharge and consider my next chapter, I will forever support the mission of the Y and advocate for others in our community to do the same."
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump meets supporters after a rally at Valdosta State University on Monday. Earlier, a group of African-American students were escorted from the event by security personnel. Credit: Mark Wallheiser
On the strength of his brand as a say-anything-anytime outsider, Donald Trump diced up a divided Republican field once again in the Super Tuesday primary states.
Trump's surge has party regulars in a panic. They worry that Trump can't win a general election and will drag down vulnerable Republicans, including Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. Conservatives see no kinship in an opportunist who has supported Democrats and claimed to be pro-choice.
But that may be the least of it.
As Trump careens down Fury Road, an unsavory group of toughs is riding bumper to bumper with him. This is a small minority of Trump's millions. At the Trump rally in Iowa last month, I met only hardworking people worried about their future good people drawn to Trump's orbit by his seeming straight talk.
But there is a segment of Trumpeters who roam beneath the anonymous cloak of Twitter handles and in the bowels of large crowds.
When Republican political strategist Cheri Jacobus had the cheek to criticize the New York real estate mogul for skipping a debate in January and said he was a "bad debater," Trump quickly labeled her as a jilted job seeker. This, even though she later proved that his campaign had approached her, not the other way around.
"We said no and she went hostile," Trump tweeted. "A real dummy!"
Picking up Trump's cue, some of his 6 million Twitterati went after Jacobus fast and furious. For days, they posted demeaning, sexually charged insults about her. It got so bad that Jacobus sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump and a top aide. "I have been trashed and ruined on Twitter," Jacobus told The New York Times.
There is a pattern: Trump Twitter-bombs. His followers carpet bomb.
It is intimidation meant to silence criticism.
Trump's social media strategy is of a piece with his schoolyard bully image. Giving protesters the heave-ho is practically a set piece at Trump rallies. An immigration demonstrator was slugged at a rally last fall. A protester for Black Lives Matter says she was beaten and heard a racial slur at another. Supporters have used racially charged language to describe Hispanics. At a Las Vegas rally in December, a person yelled the Nazi oath, "Sieg heil! Just this week, African-American students were ejected from two Trump rallies in the South, some in tears.
For Trump, it's just part of the show. "Get them out of here," he says, disdain dripping from his voice. After a protester interrupted a rally in Nevada last week, the candidate said he'd like to "punch him in the face."
Trump's absurdist calls to ban Muslims from entering the country or to return all 11 million undocumented immigrants to their nations of origin have brought white nationalists flocking to roost on his dung heap of a campaign, The Washington Post reported Monday. A white nationalist group has been robocalling for Trump in Super Tuesday states, and David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader in Louisiana, told radio listeners recently that "voting against Donald Trump...is really treason to your heritage."
When asked by CNN's Jake Tapper to "unequivocally condemn" Duke on Sunday, Trump responded that "I don't know anything about David Duke, OK?"
Trump later disavowed the racist and blamed the incident with Tapper on a bad ear piece, which might even have been believable if Trump hadn't built his entire campaign on fantasia. Trump is shallow and vain and claims to be more successful than everybody at everything. He shows no intellectual curiosity. He's willing to say anything, do anything to win and gain the enormous power of the presidency.
Maybe, sadly, that makes him an effective politician for these times.
But everyone, from politicians to talk show hosts to newspaper columnists, have an obligation to consider how their words will be interpreted or put to use.
Words have consequences.
Maybe Trump doesn't realize this. But I think, more likely, he just doesn't care.
David D. Haynes is editorial page editor for the Journal Sentinel. Email dhaynes@jrn.com Twitter: @DavidDHaynes
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio holds a campaign rally at the Intercontinental Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta, Ga., on Monday. Credit: Getty
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If the people around Marco Rubio are right, the Republican presidential campaign is about to turn into a two-man race between Donald Trump and one remaining anti-Trump the senator from Florida.
That's why Rubio has abruptly launched a series of attacks on Trump his business practices, his veracity and more. In strategy sessions last week, Rubio and his aides decided "that the arguments (against Trump) would break through now ...and he could make it a two-man race," one of his advisers told me.
The resulting shouting match reveals how thoroughly Trump's style heavy on personal insults, but light on, you know, policy has transformed the entire GOP campaign. When Trump is in the ring, nobody can avoid mud wrestling.
Thursday's high-decibel debate in Houston was only the opening salvo. Rubio continued the attacks on Friday, repeatedly labeling Trump "a con artist."
"A tough guy?" Rubio scoffed at a rally in Dallas. "This guy inherited $200 million. He's never faced any struggle."
At the debate, he claimed, Trump "asked for a full-length mirror ...maybe to make sure his pants weren't wet."
That wasn't exactly the kind of discourse the Founding Fathers had in mind in 1787. Maybe they had the right idea when they gave state legislatures the power to elect the president instead of the public.
Yet Rubio's attacks were strategic. After watching other candidates fail to stop Trump by questioning his policies, Rubio concluded that the only way to win is by attacking the core of Trump's appeal: his authenticity as a champion of the angry white working class.
"Don't shoot down the airplanes, blow up the aircraft carrier," Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romney's chief strategist in 2012, argued. "A campaign that beats Trump will have to prove that the core of his message and the messenger both are fakes."
There's an irony in Rubio's sudden turn to negative campaigning. When he launched his candidacy, it was supposed to be about optimism (he proclaimed a "new American century").
In keeping with Ronald Reagan's commandment never to criticize a fellow Republican, he not only avoided tangling with Trump; he even praised the billionaire for his proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.
But Rubio is nothing if not agile. He's been alternately admired and criticized as an ambitious political natural since his first run for the Florida legislature in 2000.
Elected to the Senate in 2010 as a tea party challenger to the GOP establishment, he began thinking about running for president almost immediately almost like Barack Obama, who also ran for the White House in his first term.
He's a genuine conservative who supports sweeping tax cuts, opposes abortion (including in cases of rape or incest), is skeptical on climate change and is a thoroughgoing hawk on foreign policy. Conservative score cards rank him to the right of most of his Senate colleagues.
But Rubio isn't an insurgent like Ted Cruz; he wants to work inside the system, not blow it up. He's a dealmaker.
That interest in bipartisan bargaining led Rubio into his boldest and, in retrospect, most painful legislative venture, the 2013 bipartisan immigration bill. Rubio helped write the bill, which included a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. That turned out to be wildly unpopular among most Republican voters.
He now says he wouldn't even try to change immigration laws until the border is fully secure. So instead of trying to convert primary voters on the issues, Rubio hopes to peel some of them away from Trump by painting the mogul as a "con artist."
Even then, Rubio could be too late to stop Trump. He hasn't won a primary yet, and Rubio aides already concede that they are unlikely to win any on Super Tuesday; they're pinning their hopes on his delegate-rich home state of Florida, which votes in a winner-take-all primary on March 15. Trump leads the polls there as well.
If Rubio fails to take down Trump, he has one consolation: He's only 44. He'll be well-positioned to run again the next time the job opens up.
Doyle McManus is a columnist for The Los Angeles Times. Email doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com Twitter: @DoyleMcManus
Lincoln Hills School: Such youth prisons should be closed, the head of the Annie E. Casey Foundation argues. Credit: Mark Hoffman
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Recent coverage by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel describes ghastly conditions at Wisconsin's last remaining juvenile prison complex, with allegations ranging from sexual assault to strangulation and suffocation of children, tampering with public records and misconduct in public office. But, sadly, this is anything but a unique story.
Instead, the alleged abuses at the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls provide more horrifying evidence that our current approach of locking up large numbers of young people in trouble with the law in prisonlike facilities not only doesn't work but is also a national disgrace.
With these revelations, Wisconsin joined a long list of states with at least one juvenile correctional facility rife with alleged abuse. The Annie E. Casey Foundation has documented systemic and recurring maltreatment in these facilities in 30 states since 2000.
All the evidence points to a simple conclusion: these large, conventional juvenile facilities or, plainly stated, youth prisons are inherently prone to abuse. It's long past time to close these ineffective, inhumane, wasteful factories of failure once and for all.
Despite a plethora of research and experience that offers a different, more hopeful approach to working with troubled young people, today's system all too often rests on a philosophy of punishment, not rehabilitation. As a result, we continue to incarcerate far too many young people who could be safely guided, supported and held accountable in their communities. Then adding insult to injury, we place all too many of them in institutions that leave them more likely to commit crime and less likely to succeed as adults. We know that sending kids to youth prisons does not rehabilitate them when 70% to 80% of youths are rearrested within two or three years of being released. Kids in youth prisons are denied the guidance, education and support network they need to re-enter the community and become contributing citizens.
We can do better, much better. Most young people in confinement don't need to be there. These youths should be in community-based programs that promote their development and reduce their chance of being rearrested. Young people who pose an imminent risk to public safety should be placed in smaller, safe, secure, healthy and therapeutic residential settings that prepare them to return to their communities with a second chance and new opportunity. Some cities and states are already implementing strategies and approaches for the small segment of the youth population who truly require confinement.
More effective, evidence-based models have consistently improved the likelihood that youths will go on to finish their education and lead productive lives, while doing a better job of protecting public safety. It is time to take advantage of these alternatives. In fact, Wraparound Milwaukee is an award-winning model with a terrific track record of delivering less restrictive, less expensive and more effective interventions for troubled children and youths. Moreover, Milwaukee, Racine and Manitowoc counties already are working to improve their approach to juvenile justice as part of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), a national effort that for more than two decades has helped jurisdictions safely reduce juvenile detention and other confinement.
Legislators, judges and government leaders in Wisconsin may want to consider what's happening in Connecticut, which was confronted last year with shocking revelations about abuse in its youth prison. The horrific images of youths in shackles, handcuffs and isolation led Connecticut to announce plans to close the youth prison by mid-2018 and replace it with alternatives that work better for most youths.
Connecticut's example demonstrates that political and community leaders can use revelations about abusive conditions as a catalyst to reform the juvenile justice system so that it rehabilitates kids and gives kids a new opportunity to get it right.
Wisconsin's youths need second chances. The state needs a second chance, too, to rethink how it wants to rehabilitate kids.
Patrick McCarthy is president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
For a week, a mysterious high-pitched tone has been interrupting the sleep of people in Forest Grove, a suburb of Portland. The sound has been coming and going for decades.
Here's what it sounds like. It's loud and annoying:
Mystery sound frustrates people in a west Forest Grove neighborhood. Where it could be coming from? #LiveOnK2 @ 11pm pic.twitter.com/p0inj5TBr2 Chris Liedle (@chrisliedle) February 16, 2016
The tone was unusual for its combination of high pitch and ambiguous point of origin, said audio engineer Tobin Cooley. "Higher frequencies like this tone are very directional sounds, versus low-frequency sounds which can seem to come from anywhere or everywhere at once," Cooley said, cautioning that he had listened only to poor-quality recordings but not made a thorough investigation. "What surprises me is that neighbours have not been able to locate where this is coming from." Cooley speculated that the sound could be coming from a release of compressed air or natural gas, but officials with the local gas company said they had ruled out any of the utility's equipment or pipelines as a source.
Guardian: Mystery high-pitched noise keeps Oregon town awake at night
The probes into the troubled Lincoln Hills School for Boys have expanded to include a federal grand jury, opening up the possibility that the states former corrections secretary could testify before it. Credit: Mark Hoffman
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Madison Federal agents investigating staff abuses at a troubled prison for youths in northern Wisconsin are examining not only if laws were broken but whether there was a pattern of civil rights violations against inmates there, officials said Tuesday.
Depending what FBI agents and federal prosecutors find, Wisconsin could find itself facing the same kind of formal federal civil rights investigation being conducted into police departments in cities such as Ferguson, Mo.
As part of the ongoing investigation, federal officials have brought the investigation into Lincoln Hills for Boys to a grand jury meeting in Madison, opening up the possibility that the state's former corrections secretary will be called to testify before it.
Underlining the scope of the inquiry into Lincoln Hills is confirmation Tuesday that there are two simultaneous probes into the prison north of Wausau: one that could lead to criminal charges and another that could prompt a federal court order to reform the alleged abuses there.
"The Department of Justice, my office and Washington, are reviewing all materials, all the news articles, all the reports generated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and then a determination will be made if a pattern and practice civil lawsuit, a civil investigation is warranted," said U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil, who added Washington must approve a formal investigation and that has not occurred yet.
Last month, Vaudreuil acknowledged the existence of a federal criminal civil rights probe, saying, "We'll go wherever the facts take us. ... Are there any criminal violations of federal civil rights laws? Essentially, has there been the unlawful criminal use of excessive force in any specific situations?"
The investigations have already led to the resignation of former Corrections Secretary Ed Wall and his awkward return mandated under state law to a job he once held in the state Department of Justice, one of the agencies investigating Lincoln Hills.
Despite a recent law overhauling state civil service rules, Wall is now on paid leave in a $108,000 a year state job while the probes continue.
"In light of the FBI's ongoing grand jury probe into the criminal activities at Lincoln Hills, in addition to the United States Department of Justice's ongoing pattern and practice investigation of the same, it is likely that former Secretary Wall will be called to testify or to be interviewed as part of those separate investigations," said Anne Schwartz, a spokeswoman for state Attorney General Brad Schimel. "To assure that the public has confidence in those outcomes, (the Wisconsin Department of Justice) decided that it is best if Secretary Wall remain on paid leave and not have access to any DOJ facility or access to its computer systems."
The criminal investigation into Lincoln Hills and its sister institution, Copper Lake School for Girls, includes allegations of second-degree sexual assault, abuse of prisoners, and intimidation of victims and witnesses. A grand jury can be used to subpoena documents and compel witnesses to advance an investigation, and it also can be used by prosecutors to seek criminal charges.
In a "pattern and practice" investigation of state or local agencies, authorities examine whether their policies and conduct violate the civil rights of citizens under federal law and the U.S. Constitution.
If federal officials find such abuses, these investigations can eventually result in a public report on the findings, negotiations with local officials, a lawsuit and an order in federal court overseen by an independent monitor to overhaul local practices, according to the federal Department of Justice.
In the case of Lincoln Hills, Vaudreuil said his office and the FBI are sending information to Washington, D.C. U.S. Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta will make the decision of whether a formal pattern and practice investigation will be opened. If an investigation is opened, the state may be able to settle the matter short of a lawsuit, Vaudreuil said.
If there is not a settlement, the case could result in a so-called "consent decree," which lays out a plan for reforming the problems within an agency and is then supervised by a federal court.
Such agreements can lay out a range of changes, from training and procedures to internal investigations of future problems. It can sometimes take years to reach such an order and years more to implement it.
As of December, the federal Department of Justice had eight open investigations into police departments and was enforcing 17 agreements with law enforcement agencies, including 13 consent decrees.
In 2008, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and the U.S. Department of Justice reached an agreement over inadequate mental health care for female inmates at Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac. In that settlement and another with the American Civil Liberties Union, the state agreed to spend millions of dollars to provide female prisoners with the same level of psychiatric treatment as male inmates.
The actions followed years of reporting on the problems by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Chris Ahmuty, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin, said his group is monitoring the Lincoln Hills probe and would consider legal action if the ACLU later feels that the federal investigation hasn't addressed all the problems there.
In a statement, Schwartz said Schimel had no choice but to place Wall back into the job he had previously held leading the state Division of Criminal Investigation. That agency has been involved in the probe of Lincoln Hills since January 2015.
Wall is entitled to the job under the state's civil service law, despite recent legislation overhauling that system and revising the practice of state workers receiving so-called "bumping rights" into other jobs.
Gov. Scott Walker signed that legislation last month, rewriting the rules within the state's century-old system of merit hiring and firing. Schwartz said that law, however, didn't change the requirement in Wall's case.
One change in the legislation said that employees who are laid off from their current job no longer have a right to reinstatement to their former positions. But that change doesn't take effect until July 1.
The two lead sponsors of the civil service overhaul, Sen. Roger Roth (R-Appleton) and Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna), and a spokeswoman for Walker had no comment.
Two weeks ago, Walker tapped Jon Litscher, a former corrections secretary, to replace Wall as the head of the agency.
Jason Stein reported for this story in Madison and John Diedrich in Milwaukee.
State and federal officials have launched a massive investigation of civil rights violations and abuse allegations at the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake juvenile prisons. Credit: Journal Sentinel files
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Madison Jon Litscher took over the state Department of Corrections on Monday amid a widespread investigation of the state's youth prison, and the former head of the agency has gone on leave at taxpayer expense.
Former Secretary Ed Wall transferred Sunday to his previous job leading the state Division of Criminal Investigation. That agency is involved in the probe of the youth prison, so Attorney General Brad Schimel immediately put Wall on paid leave, according to the state Department of Justice.
Wall is getting an annual salary of $108,000 while on leave. The investigation of Lincoln Hills School for Boys in Irma started in January 2015 and could last another year, according to Schimel.
Gov. Scott Walker two weeks ago tapped Litscher to run the Department of Corrections. Litscher ran the agency from 1999 to 2003 under two other Republican administrations, for Govs. Tommy Thompson and Scott McCallum.
Litscher announced Monday he was making changes to the top leadership at the Department of Corrections, which is common when a new secretary takes over. He is keeping two of Wall's top aides, but putting them in diminished positions.
Litscher named Cathy Jess as the deputy secretary. Jess had previously run the Division of Adult Institutions.
The assistant deputy secretary is Deirdre Morgan, who moved down a peg from her previous job as deputy secretary under Wall.
Also moved down was Don Friske, a former state representative who served as Wall's assistant deputy secretary. Under Litscher, he is serving as legislative liaison.
Tristan Cook will serve as the agency's spokesman.
"These are challenging times for DOC due to the many issues that need addressing, but my faith rests in you and the thousands of employees we work with on a daily basis," Litscher wrote in an email to staff Monday. "Your knowledge, skills and abilities along with the creativity and resiliency of our employees will bode well for the department as together we address our challenges."
State and federal authorities are investigating allegations of sexual assault, child neglect, prisoner abuse and other crimes at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake School for Girls, which share a campus 30 miles north of Wausau.
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump clamor for autographs during a rally at Radford University in Radford, Va., on Monday. Credit: Associated Press
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Valdosta, Ga. On the eve of Super Tuesday's crucial primaries, a sharp new divide erupted between Republicans who pledge to fall in line behind Donald Trump if he wins their party's nomination and others who insist that they can never back the bombastic billionaire.
The fissure could have major implications beyond the primaries, exposing the looming challenges in uniting the party after the general election, no matter who wins.
Meanwhile, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is solidifying her lead. Like Trump, Clinton could begin putting her party's nomination out of reach over rival Bernie Sanders with a strong showing on Tuesday.
Clinton cast herself as a civil alternative to the insults, bullying and personal attacks that have consumed the Republican race. "What we can't let happen is the scapegoating, the flaming, the finger-pointing that is going on the Republican side," she said in Springfield, Mass. "It really undermines our fabric as a nation. So, I want to do everything I can in this campaign to set us on a different course."
Nebraska's Ben Sasse, a rising star among conservatives, became the first current senator to publicly raise the prospect of backing a third-party option if Trump clinches the nomination. In a letter posted on Facebook late Sunday, Sasse urged Republicans to consider whether a party led by Trump would still represent their interests. "If our party is no longer working for the things we believe in like defending the sanctity of life, stopping Obamacare, protecting the Second Amendment, etc. then people of good conscience should stop supporting that party until it is reformed," he wrote.
The Associated Press asked Republican senators and governors across the country if they would support Trump if he secured the nomination. Just under half of those who responded would not commit to backing him, foreshadowing a potentially extraordinary break this fall.
"I am increasingly concerned by Donald Trump's statements and behavior, and I have serious concerns about his ability to win the general election and provide presidential leadership," Indiana Sen. Dan Coats said in a statement.
The concern among Republican leaders appeared to grow in light of Trump's refusal to immediately disavow former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke's support.
Mitt Romney, the party's 2012 nominee, called that "disqualifying." South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, campaigning in Atlanta alongside Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, said she would "not stop fighting a man who refuses to disavow the KKK."
Trump said he had not understood the interviewer who first raised the question about Duke, and he did later repudiate him. "How many times do I have to continue to disavow people?" he said.
At a campaing rally in Tennessee, Rubio said no matter how bad the earpiece, "'Ku Klux Klan' comes through pretty clearly." The audience responded to Rubio's attacks with chants of "Dump Trump, dump Trump!"
Several high-profile Republicans and conservative writers have embraced an anti-Trump social media campaign, using the Twitter hashtag "NeverTrump."
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura said he cannot decide whether to support Trump or Sanders. After attending a Sanders rally in Minneapolis and meeting with the Democratic candidate, Ventura said he also is considering launching his own bid for president.
Trump has won three of four early primary contests, roiling a party that had assumed his populist appeal with voters would fizzle. Instead, he has only grown stronger and appears to be in commanding position heading into Super Tuesday, the biggest single-day delegate haul of the year.
Tensions boiled over during Trump's rally in Radford, Va., where he was repeatedly disrupted by demonstrators, including 20 or more chanting "Black lives matter." At another point, he asked a protester, "Are you from Mexico?" after he was interrupted during remarks about immigration.
He ordered several people to be removed, then cast himself as a unifying political force. "Believe it or not, we're going to unify this country," he said.
Speaking to thousands later in Valdosta, Ga., Trump vowed to restore Christian "power" by working "like hell" to repeal rules that limit the political activity of religious groups and other tax-exempt nonprofit organizations.
If Trump sweeps most of the states up for grabs Tuesday, he could amass a delegate lead that would be difficult for any rival to overcome. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is banking on a win in his home state to keep him in the race, while Rubio wants to stay close in the delegate count until the primary hits his home state of Florida on March 15.
As Trump has rolled through the early voting states, he has received enthusiastic endorsements from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and from Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, one of the most vocal opponents of immigration law changes on Capitol Hill.
Several other party officials have said they would back the real estate mogul if he does become the nominee, although some say their support would be reluctant. "I'm a Republican, and I will support the nominee," Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said. "I do not think he is our best nominee, but I will support the nominee."
Party leaders are particularly worried about the ripple effect of a Trump nomination on other races. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson urged Republicans to remember that their White House pick also impacts "the Senate and whether we're going to continue to elect Republican governors across the country."
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Trump: Ron Johnson and Scott Walker react to Donald Trump's front-running status and the David Duke flair-up. 5A
Democrats: Bernie Sanders looks beyond Super Tuesday. 5A
Sen. Ron Johnson wouldnt say Monday whether he would back the GOP if Donald Trump is its presidential nominee, saying instead he is praying whoever gets it is a person of integrity, intelligence, ideas and courage. Credit: Associated Press
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Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson refused Monday to promise he would back whoever is the GOP nominee for president, instead saying that he is praying whoever gets it is a "person of integrity, intelligence, ideas and courage."
Johnson for months, and as recently as last week, said he would support Donald Trump or whoever is the nominee. But he wouldn't go that far on Monday when asked about Trump not immediately disavowing the support of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
"I'm praying, let's see how the process plays out," Johnson said on WTMJ radio. "We have such enormous problems facing this nation. I don't like demagoguery on any side of the political spectrum and we have it across the political spectrum."
Johnson is locked in a tough re-election fight with Democrat Russ Feingold.
Gov. Scott Walker, meanwhile, said he stood by a pledge he signed when he was still in the presidential race to back whoever is the eventual nominee.
Walker, who dropped out of the GOP presidential race in September and urged others to do the same so Trump could be defeated, recommitted Monday to supporting the nominee no matter who it is.
"I signed a pledge and I'm a person of my word that I wasn't going to run against someone else and I wasn't going to support someone other than the nominee," Walker told reporters in Blue Mounds.
Republicans in Wisconsin and across the country were being forced to respond to Trump's latest comments related to the support of Duke and other white supremacists.
Trump told NBC's "Today" on Monday that he did not hear or understand the question Sunday on CNN when he was asked about Duke's support, blaming a "very bad earpiece." He did eventually disavow Duke's comments on social media.
Both Johnson and Walker denounced white supremacists.
6 dead in fire at Hartland apartment complex
Hartland Police Chief Torin Misko said the fire took place at a four-family apartment building on Mansfield Court in the village.
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Workers at a Beloit meat plant must be paid for the six minutes a day they spend putting on and taking off special gear and clothing required for the jobs, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
The decision affirmed a 2013 ruling by Rock County Circuit Judge Michael Fitzpatrick that Hormel Corp. owed $195,000 to about 330 current and former employees at its Beloit plant, where it makes products such as Hormel Chili and Mary Kitchen Hash.
The plurality opinion involved only six of the court's seven justices, and generated 93 pages, including dissents, and revealed nearly as much about the court's ongoing internal conflicts as state wages and hours law.
"The wages involved are not a 'trifle' either for the employees or for Hormel," wrote Justice Shirley Abrahamson in a lead opinion joined by Justice Ann Walsh Bradley.
Justices Patience Roggensack and David Prosser concurred in the finding that workers are entitled to pay for "donning and doffing" their work clothes at the start and end of the day, but disagreed that employees who choose to leave the plant for lunch are also entitled to extra pay for undressing and redressing.
Justice Michael Gableman, joined by Justice Annette Ziegler, dissented. He found the required clothing was not "integral and indispensable" to the principal activities at the Hormel plant.
Even if it was, Gableman wrote, the required time was trivial and blasted Abrahamson's opinion for just assuming it was not, without sufficient analysis.
"Because the lead opinion elects to leave today's question unanswered, it shortchanges the people of Wisconsin," he wrote.
Justice Rebecca Bradley did not participate. The case was argued before her appointment to the court in October.
She has participated in the decisions of two search and seizure cases that were also argued before she joined.
Fitzpatrick found that Hormel requires its workers to wear the uniforms, which exceed USDA food safety guidelines, and forbids them to wear the uniforms outside the plant.
It takes five or six minutes each day to put them on, which adds up to about 24 hours a year of unpaid time, in violation of wage and hours laws.
Hormel appealed and the Court of Appeals certified the case directly to the Supreme Court, after determining the case couldn't be resolved under current state law.
Hormel argued that the dressing and undressing was such a minimal activity that it was not compensable as work under state law.
The workers and their union, United Food & Commercial Workers Union, brought the dispute to court in a class-action lawsuit in 2010.
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.
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |
Russian deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov said Monday that Russia supports whatever arrangements the Syrians in the current negotiations reach about the future, included a possible federal state.
The United States has a federal system, which means that individual states retain a certain amount of autonomy, retain rights and privileges not given to the over-arching federal government.
Likewise, India maintains its unity despite numerous languages and ethnicities in part because its central government has limited powers, and the various states set their own domestic policies on some issues.
Most Middle Eastern states do not have a federal system but rather are ruled by a powerful unitary state. So, for instance, most provincial governors in the Middle East are appointed, not elected. Most provinces do not have elected provincial legislatures. Small elites in the distant capital dictate policy to the provinces or governorates.
Some of this preference for central government rule goes back to the British and French colonial apparatuses.
Where a province is distinctive in the ethnicity that dominates it, a federal state can accommodate that diversity better than a unitary one.
In Syria the regime makes all the important decisions in provinces under government control.
In Syria in the 1960s, the central government took citizenship away from thousands of Kurds. The central government was then Arab nationalist, and the presence of the non-Arab Kurdish people was seen as a deficit detracting from national unity rather than as a strength deriving from multi-culturalism (Kurds do not speak Arabic. Syrian Kurds were left as worse than second class citizens.
Interestingly, in the Middle East the term federal is often taken to mean strong central state rule, the opposite of what it means, or should mean, in the West.
Some sites, in contrast, read Ryabkovs language as suggesting a Russian plot to break up Syria.
One of the likely ways Syria could be restored as a relatively unified country would in fact be a federal system, in which provinces such as Raqqa and Deir al-Zor (now in the hands of Daesh or ISIL), have their own post-Daesh elected governor, their own school curricula, etc. That is, if they are unhappy with the close embrace of the al-Assad police state, then federalism may meet many of their desires without requiring a surrender to extremism.
Likewise, the mistreated Syrian Kurds, who have been recognized as citizens by Bashar al-Assad now that his country fell apart, want a Rojava super-province. But if it were one state among many in a new federal Syria, then Kurds could achieve many of their goals while remaining citizens.
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AFP: Syria task force meet to shore up fragile truce
VANCOUVER, Feb. 29, 2016 /CNW/ - Amarc Resources Ltd. ("Amarc" or the "Company") (TSXV: AHR; OTCBB: AXREF) is pleased to announce that a definitive agreement (the "Agreement") has been finalized with Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. ("Thompson Creek") (OTCQX:TCPTF; TSX:TCM) in order to advance the IKE porphyry copper discovery in south-central British Columbia ("BC"). Under the Agreement, Thompson Creek has the option to acquire up to a 50% interest in the IKE Project through a staged investment process.
Thompson Creek has the option to acquire an initial 30% interest through staged investments totaling $15 million on or before December 31, 2019, of which $3 million was completed in 2015. Subsequently, Thompson Creek can acquire an additional 20% interest, subject to certain conditions, including completing a Feasibility Study within a two-year period that can be extended to three years in certain circumstances.
The IKE copper-molybdenum-silver porphyry discovery, together with the surrounding district of highly prospective porphyry copper (molybdenumsilvergold) targets yet to be drill tested, have the potential to possess the grades and resources necessary to develop an important mining camp. The project is located 45 kilometres northwest of Gold Bridge, in south-central BC, near the heartland of BC's producing porphyry copper mines.
Assay results from all 18 holes (10,437 metres) drilled by Amarc at IKE since 2014, combined with results from geological, geochemical and geophysical surveys completed outwards from the area drilled, indicate the presence of an important porphyry-style copper-molybdenum-silver deposit (see Amarc news release December 9, 2015). All drill holes have intersected varying amounts of chalcopyrite and molybdenite mineralization over a broad area measuring 1,200 metres east-west by 1,000 metres north-south, and extending to depths of over 500 metres. The deposit remains open to expansion in all lateral directions and to depth.
Grades returned over long continuous drill intercepts continue to compare favourably to the range of copper equivalent grades at active BC porphyry copper ( molybdenum gold silver) mines. Highlights from the 2014 and 2015 drill programs include:
247 metres of 0.41% CuEQ 1 @ 0.28% Cu, 0.030% Mo and 2.0 g/t Ag
@ 0.28% Cu, 0.030% Mo and 2.0 g/t Ag 123 metres of 0.41% CuEQ @ 0.32% Cu, 0.017% Mo and 2.5 g/t Ag
92 metres of 0.40% CuEQ @ 0.31% Cu, 0.020% Mo and 2.1 g/t Ag
194 metres of 0.47% CuEQ @ 0.30% Cu, 0.046% Mo and 0.8 g/t Ag
308 metres of 0.39% CuEQ @ 0.26% Cu, 0.032% Mo and 1.8 g/t Ag
97 metres of 0.45% CuEQ @ 0.32% Cu, 0.030% Mo and 2.2 g/t Ag
124 metres of 0.45% CuEQ @ 0.34% Cu, 0.022% Mo and 3.2 g/t Ag
214 metres of 0.37% CuEQ @ 0.26% Cu, 0.023% Mo and 2.2 g/t Ag
592 metres of 0.44% CuEQ @ 0.30% Cu, 0.032% Mo and 2.1 g/t Ag
86 metres of 0.47% CuEQ @ 0.33% Cu, 0.032% Mo and 2.2 g/t Ag
111 metres of 0.36% CuEQ @ 0.30% Cu, 0.010% Mo and 2.3 g/t Ag
1 Copper equivalent (CuEQ) calculations use metal prices: Cu US$2.25/lb, Mo US$8.00/lb and Ag US$17.00/oz. Metallurgical recoveries and net smelter returns are assumed to be 100%.
The Agreement
Under the terms of the Agreement, Thompson Creek can earn an initial 30% interest in the IKE Project under a Stage 1 Option by funding $15 million of expenditures before December 31, 2019, of which $3 million was completed in 2015. For each $5 million of project expenditures funded, Thompson Creek will incrementally earn a 10% ownership interest. Stage 1 Option expenditures can be accelerated by Thompson Creek at its discretion. Amarc will be operator during the Stage 1 earn-in period.
If Thompson Creek fully exercises the Stage 1 Option, Thompson Creek will have a one-time right under a Stage 2 Option to elect to earn an additional 20% ownership interest in the IKE Project (for a total 50% ownership interest). To fulfill its obligations under the Stage 2 Option, Thompson Creek must fund and complete a Feasibility Study for the IKE Project that could serve as the basis for a decision by an internationally recognized financial institution to finance the development of a mining project. This Feasibility Study must be completed within a two-year period, which can be extended to three years under certain conditions. While completing the Feasibility Study under the Stage 2 Option, Thompson Creek would also be required to meet all other expenditures necessary to maintain and advance the Project.
Thompson Creek will become operator of the IKE Project upon initiation of the Stage 2 Option, and will remain operator so long as it holds a 50% interest. When Thompson Creek has concluded its earn-in period, the parties expect to form a joint venture to further develop the IKE Project, provided that Thompson Creek has earned at least a 10% interest.
During both the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Options, Amarc will retain a 'co-expenditure right', whereby it can fund, at its discretion, additional expenditures on the IKE Project. Thompson Creek may elect to pay its 30% or 50% share of these additional expenditures upon completion of the Stage 1 Option and Stage 2 Option periods as the case may be, failing which its ownership interest would be reduced. Under the 'co-expenditure right' provision of the Agreement, the maximum amount that Amarc can recover from Thompson Creek on completion of the Stage 1 Option period is capped at $6 million (i.e. 30% of $20 million). The maximum amount that Amarc can recover from Thompson Creek on completion of the Stage 2 Option period is capped at $10 million (i.e. 50% of $20 million).
About the IKE Project
The IKE discovery is located 45 kilometres northwest of the historical mining communities of Gold Bridge and Bralorne, BC, in an area of wide U-shaped valleys bounded by ridges within the Coast Range. Amarc's 2014 and 2015 drilling programs were conducted above tree line within two adjoining large and barren cirques. The district surrounding the IKE discovery has long been explored for its numerous showings of copper, molybdenum, gold and silver mineralization. Current access to the property is by helicopter, although significant infrastructure exists in the region. Mainline logging roads, which lead west from Gold Bridge are located 20 kilometres south of IKE. Access to power, railways and highways, and other services are available in the area of Gold Bridge and the nearby towns of Lillooet and Pemberton.
Like many major porphyry deposits, IKE formed in a very active, multi-stage hydrothermal system that was extensive and robust. Geological mapping and logging of diamond drill core at IKE indicate the deposit is hosted entirely by multi-phase intrusive rocks. Its overall geological setting is similar to that of many important porphyry belts along the Cordillera in North and South America. The footprint of the hydrothermal system at IKE exceeds six square kilometres.
At IKE, chalcopyrite and molybdenite mineralization occurs as fine to relatively coarse, mostly discrete grains, mainly as disseminations and less commonly in fractures and veins. Multi-element analyses have returned consistently and unusually low concentrations of metallurgically or environmentally deleterious elements. These characteristics, and the generally low concentrations of pyrite at IKE, suggest excellent potential to produce clean, good-grade copper and molybdenum concentrates by standard flotation processing.
Field exploration conducted by Amarc, in addition to the 2014 and 2015 drilling programs, includes a detailed ground induced polarization survey over IKE as well as a district-wide high resolution airborne magnetic survey, and geological mapping with copper and multi-element-in-talus fines geochemical surveys over prioritized target areas. Collectively, the results of these surveys indicate excellent potential for a number of deposit-scale targets beyond the immediate area of the current IKE discovery. Exploration results from Amarc's surveys and historical programs by previous operators throughout the district, combined with the common tendency of porphyry deposits to cluster, lead the Company to believe a number of targets identified proximal to IKE have potential to host additional bulk-tonnage porphyry copper mineralization. Amarc holds extensive mineral tenures throughout the IKE region.
Amarc is fully committed to working constructively with governments and stakeholders towards the responsible development of the IKE project, while contributing to the sustainable development of local communities. All work programs are planned to achieve high levels of environmental performance and local benefit, including providing opportunities for employment, contracting and training for local people. Amarc is committed to meaningful and constructive engagement with First Nations communities and has offered and remains open to establishing comprehensive and progressive agreements at IKE. The Company also works proactively to support government's consultation duties to assist with timely and fair decision making.
About Amarc Resources Ltd.
Amarc is a Vancouver-based mineral exploration and development company with an experienced and successful management team focused on advancing the IKE Project a major porphyry copper-molybdenum-silver discovery near the heartland of BC's copper mining industry, with proximity to mining infrastructure, power, rail and highways.
Amarc is associated with Hunter Dickinson Inc. (HDI) a diversified, global mining company with a 25 year history of porphyry discovery and development success. Previous and current HDI porphyry projects include some of BC's and the world's most important mineral resources such as Mount Milligan, Kemess South, Kemess North, Gibraltar, Prosperity, Xietongmen, Newtongmen, Florence, Sisson, Maggie and Pebble. From its head office in Vancouver, Canada, HDI applies its unique strengths and capabilities to acquire, develop, operate and monetize mineral projects to provide superior returns to shareholders.
About Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc.
Thompson Creek is a North American mining company. The Company's principal operating property is its 100%-owned Mount Milligan mine, an open-pit copper and gold mine and concentrator in British Columbia. The Company's molybdenum assets consist of the 100%-owned Thompson Creek Mine, an open-pit molybdenum mine and concentrator in Idaho, its 75% joint venture interest in the Endako Mine, an open-pit molybdenum mine, concentrator and roaster in British Columbia, and its Langeloth Metallurgical Facility in Pennsylvania. The Company's development project is the Berg property, a copper, molybdenum, and silver exploration property located in British Columbia. The Company's principal executive office is located in Denver, Colorado. More information is available at www.thompsoncreekmetals.com.
Qualified Person as Defined Under National Instrument 43-101
Mark Rebagliati, P. Eng., a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Ronald W. Thiessen
Chief Executive Officer
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor any other regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward Looking and other Cautionary Information
This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All such statements, other than statements of historical facts that address exploration drilling, exploitation activities and other related events or developments are forward-looking statements. 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 or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Assumptions used by the Company to develop forward-looking statements include the following: Amarc's projects will obtain all required environmental and other permits and all land use and other licenses, studies and exploration of Amarc's projects will continue to be positive, and no geological or technical problems will occur. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, potential environmental issues or liabilities associated with exploration, development and mining activities, exploitation and exploration successes, continuity of mineralization, uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and tenure and delays due to third party opposition, changes in and the effect of government policies regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, exploration and development of properties located within Aboriginal groups asserted territories may affect or be perceived to affect asserted aboriginal rights and title, which may cause permitting delays or opposition by Aboriginal groups, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Amarc Resources Ltd., investors should review the Company's annual Form 20-F filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and its home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com.
SOURCE Amarc Resources Ltd.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - March 1, 2016) - Precipitate Gold Corporation (the "Company" or "Precipitate" or "PRG") (TSX VENTURE:PRG) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Alistair Waddell to the Company's Board of Directors.
Mr. Waddell is a geologist with over twenty years of diverse resource industry experience, including senior roles with both junior and senior mining companies. Mr. Waddell was one of the founders and past President & CEO of GoldQuest Mining Corp. and was instrumental in GoldQuest's initial foray into the Dominican Republic. Mr. Waddell and GoldQuest's other founders were the first to propose the Cretaceous Tireo volcanic belt of the Western Dominican Republic could be as prospective as contemporaneous rocks in the Eastern Dominican Republic and other parts of the Caribbean basin. GoldQuest's ground-breaking regional exploration laid the foundation for the more recent discovery of the Romero deposit and the heightened interest in the Tireo Gold Belt, where Precipitate is currently active with its Juan de Herrera project. Mr. Waddell's knowledge and experience in the region bring invaluable new guidance as the Company's work programs progress. In addition, Mr. Waddell brings a significant network of capital markets contacts and the ability to introduce the Company to potential new investors.
Jeffrey Wilson, Precipitate President & CEO, states, "We are very pleased to have Alistair join the Company. His exceptional industry experience and talents will greatly complement our technical team and our ongoing work programs within the Tireo Gold belt. Additionally, Mr. Waddell's recent tenure with Kinross, evaluating properties throughout the Americas, will provide increased guidance and expertise should the Company seek to expand its landholdings outside its current jurisdictions. We expect Mr. Waddell's expertise to bring immediate and ongoing benefits to the Company and its shareholders."
Most recently, Mr. Waddell was Vice President - Greenfields Exploration for Kinross Gold Corp. During his nearly six years at Kinross Mr. Waddell served in several senior roles prior to his appointment as Vice President - Greenfields Exploration. Those prior roles include, Vice-President, Global Epithermal Gold Exploration, Regional Director, Exploration South America, and Director, Exploration (Ecuador & Colombia). Throughout his career, Mr. Waddell has lived and worked as an expatriate in Australia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and the Dominican Republic.
About Precipitate Gold:
Precipitate Gold Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on exploring and advancing its mineral property interests in the Tireo Gold Trend of the Dominican Republic. The Company also maintains assets in northern British Columbia and southeast Yukon Territory and is actively evaluating additional high-impact property acquisitions with the potential to expand the Company's portfolio and increase shareholder value.
Additional information can be viewed at the Company's website www.precipitategold.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Precipitate Gold Corp.,
Jeffrey Wilson, President & CEO
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This press release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "proposed", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Precipitate Gold Corp.'s ("Precipitate" or the "Company") current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Company and on assumptions it believes are reasonable. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Precipitate to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the exploration concessions may not be granted on terms acceptable to the Company, or at all; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the concessions acquired by the Company may not have attributes similar to those of surrounding properties; delay or failure to receive governmental or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation affecting mining; timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals. Although Precipitate has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Precipitate does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - March 1, 2016) - Lara Exploration Ltd. ("Lara" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:LRA) is pleased to report that it has signed an Option Agreement ("the Agreement") with BCV Consultoria e Projetos Ltda. ("BCV"), to acquire the Damolandia Nickel Project in central Brazil.
The property comes with an extensive database of airborne and terrestrial geophysics, geochemistry and drilling, including seven diamond drill holes (for a total of 1,553 metres) completed in 2008, which intersected a shallowly-plunging, pipe-like body of disseminated nickel-copper sulphide mineralization approximately 600 metres long and open down plunge. Table 1., below, summarizes the drill intersections that reported greater than 0.2% nickel values.
Table 1. Damolandia Drill Intercepts (0.20% Nickel Cut-off) Hole ID From (m) To (m) Width (m) Ni (%) Cu (%) FSDM-01 6.25 12.90 6.65 0.22 0.06 FSDM-02 98.00 138.60 40.60 0.26 0.10 FSDM-03 75.85 106.50 30.65 0.42 0.19 including 82.80 87.00 4.20 0.70 0.24 including 82.80 83.85 1.05 0.98 0.54 FSDM-04 8.00 18.80 10.80 0.24 0.06 FSDM-05 6.00 24.50 18.50 0.44 0.10 including 14.55 19.70 5.15 0.77 0.14 FSDM-06 107.00 114.00 7.00 0.24 0.08 FSDM-07 114.20 137.45 23.25 0.29 0.11 Notes: drilling is believed to have intercepted the mineralization close to perpendicular, but widths may not represent true-thicknesses
Lara's interpretation is that the target may represent the distal extension of more massive mineralization. Certainly there are several geophysical anomalies along the trend, including electromagnetic (conductivity) anomalies, with coincident soil geochemical anomalies that may reflect more massive sulphides, which were not tested at the time.
Damolandia Purchase Option
Under the terms of the Agreement with BCV, Lara has agreed to make staged cash payments totalling US$580,000 as follows in Table 2.
Milestone/Date Payment US$ Upon transfer of the Exploration License to Lara 15,000 2 years from signing the Agreement 15,000 3 years from signing the Agreement 50,000 4 years from signing the Agreement 50,000 5 years from signing the Agreement 50,000 >100,000t of nickel in Measured & Indicated Resources 100,000 Start of Commercial Production 300,000
BCV will also be entitled to a 1% net smelter return royalty on any production, but Lara retains the right to purchase this royalty for a cash payment of US$2 million.
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Industry standard sample procedures and QA-QC methodologies were utilized at the time. Sampling intervals vary from less than one metre in the sulphide-rich intervals up to three metres in weakly to non-mineralized zones. The samples were shipped to the SGS Geosol sample preparation laboratory in Goiania, then to their main laboratory in Belo Horizonte. Following multi-acid digestion, analysis was by ICP for 31 elements and fire assay for precious metals. Check assays included 33 element four-acid ICP and XRF at ALS laboratories in Lima, Peru and Vancouver, Canada respectively and by XRF at SGS Geosol, in Belo Horizonte. The QA-QC procedures also included the insertion of blanks every 40 samples and certified standards every 20 samples.
Qualified Person
Michael Bennell, Lara's Vice President Exploration and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has approved the technical disclosure and verified the technical information in this news release.
About Lara
Lara is an exploration company following the Prospect Generator business model, which aims to minimize shareholder dilution and financial risk by generating prospects and then exploring them in joint ventures funded by partners. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of prospects and deposits in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Chile. Lara's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LRA".
For further information on Lara Exploration Ltd. please consult our website www.laraexploration.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
KEARNEY A bill aimed at increasing the population requirement before a fire department must have a paid fire chief made its way to the floor of the Legislature.
The Urban Affairs Committee voted 6-0 Wednesday, with one state senator abstaining, to send LB857 to the Legislatures General File, which is the first round of debate. Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley of Kearney introduced the bill, which would require first-class cities with a population of more than 41,000 residents to have a paid fire chief.
A 2008 law says when a first-class city one with a population more than 5,000 up to 100,000 has a population of 37,500 it must have a paid fire chief. In January, Hadley introduced LB857, which would have amended that population requirement to 45,000.
In a compromise with the Urban Affairs Committee, last week the bill was amended to reduce the population requirement to 41,000 residents. Because Hadley has prioritized the bill as a senator it will be heard this session.
Currently, Kearney is the only city close to the population requirement that the bill affects, Hadley said. In 2014, Kearneys population was at 32,469.
Im confident it will pass, Hadley said.
On Feb. 16, Kearney Fire Administrator Jason Whalen and Kearney Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jim Tacha testified before the committee in favor of the bill. Whalen is appointed by the city manager and is responsible for the supervision, scheduling, performance evaluation and discipline of 11 full-time firefighter/engineers and other office staff.
Tachas position is elected annually by the 58 volunteer firefighters he oversees in both the city and suburban fire districts. He is responsible for overall planning of fire protection and for command and control at fire scenes.
KVFD has operated with a fire administrator/fire chief combination since 1991. Whalen and Tacha work together daily and say they already do what LB857 intends.
Everything this bill is trying to accomplish, we do already, minus the paid fire chief, Whalen said.
Tacha receives a small stipend of $2,300 annually for being chief.
Hadley agreed Kearney has the best of both worlds with Whalen and Tacha, which is why he wants to see the bill passed.
Darren Garrean president of the Nebraska Professional Fire Fighters Association, testified before the committee in opposition of the bill. The NFFA represents many of the paid firefighters in the state.
Garrean is concerned for all first-class cities where paid staff are responding to a volunteer chief, specifically in Columbus, where he says paid firefighters have had issues with their administrative layout.
The need to have a volunteer fire chief seems semantics. To me, it seems counterintuitive and doesnt make sense administratively. I just wonder if theres a better way to do some things, he said. We want to make sure were providing the best working environment and the best service to the communities.
Garrean started as a volunteer firefighter and eventually served as chief with the Peru Volunteer Fire Department. He understands both sides of the bill and is thankful to Hadley for reducing the population requirement in LB857.
Our stance wasnt against Kearney or the way they appear to be doing things. This is a first-class city issue, he added.
There are 23 cities in the state that have a combination of paid and volunteer departments, said Micheal Dwyer, secretary/treasurer at the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters Association. However, its not clear how many of those are first-class cities. The state has 449 departments that are all-volunteer firefighters.
Whalen said other first-class cities have contacted him wanting more information on how the combination paid fire administrator and volunteer fire chief works.
None of Kearney's paid firefighter/engineers are members of the firefighters union. Nine of the firefighter/engineers are also volunteers, and the remaining two are retired KVFD members.
Tacha said a paid fire chief for Kearney, Just isnt necessary.
I dont do it for that. I do it because I like what I do. I like being a volunteer, and I consider it an honor to be the chief and carry on the torch that has been in the department for 133 years, he said.
Tacha is in his first year as chief, and will seek re-election in April. During his 14 years as a volunteer, Tacha has served as one of five captains and one of two assistant chiefs.
@HubChic
NEW YORK (AP) The U.S. Justice Department cannot force Apple to provide the FBI with access to locked iPhone data in a routine Brooklyn drug case, a federal judge ruled Monday.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein's written decision gives support to the company's position in its fight against a California judge's order that it create specialized software to help the FBI hack into an iPhone linked to the San Bernardino terrorism investigation. Apple on Thursday formally objected to the order in a brief filed with the court.
The San Bernardino County-owned iPhone 5C was used by Syed Farook, who was a health inspector. He and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people during a Dec. 2 attack that was at least partly inspired by the Islamic State group.
Apple's opposition to the government's tactics has evoked a national debate over digital privacy rights and national security.
Orenstein concluded that Apple is not obligated to assist government investigators against its will and noted that Congress has not adopted legislation that would achieve the result sought by the government.
Orenstein said he was offering no opinion on whether in the instance of this case or others, "the government's legitimate interest in ensuring that no door is too strong to resist lawful entry should prevail against the equally legitimate societal interests arrayed against it here."
He said the interests at stake go beyond expectations of privacy and include the commercial interest in conducting business free of potentially harmful government intrusion and the "far more fundamental and universal interest ... in shielding sensitive electronically stored data from the myriad harms, great and small, that unauthorized access and misuse can cause."
"How best to balance those interests is a matter of critical importance to our society, and the need for an answer becomes more pressing daily, as the tide of technological advance flows ever farther past the boundaries of what seemed possible even a few decades ago," Orenstein wrote. "But that debate must happen today, and it must take place among legislators who are equipped to consider the technological and cultural realities of a world their predecessors could not begin to conceive."
The Justice Department said in a statement that it's disappointed in the ruling and plans to appeal in coming days. It said Apple had previously agreed many times prior to assist the government and "only changed course when the government's application for assistance was made public by the court."
Apple and their attorneys said they were reading the opinion and will comment later.
In October, Orenstein invited Apple to challenge the government's use of a 227-year-old law to compel Apple to help it recover iPhone data in criminal cases, noting that another law on the books already covered the issue.
The Cupertino, California-based computer maker did, saying in court papers that extracting information from an iPhone "could threaten the trust between Apple and its customers and substantially tarnish the Apple brand."
It followed up by declining to cooperate in a dozen more instances in four states involving government requests to aid criminal probes by retrieving data from individual iPhones.
In ruling, Orenstein wrote: "I believe Apple has the better argument" because the other law covering wiretaps for telecom companies "explicitly absolves a company like Apple of any responsibility to provide the assistance the government seeks here."
Federal prosecutors say Apple has stopped short of challenging court orders judicially, except in the cases before Orenstein and the California jurist who ruled about the San Bernardino shooter's phone.
"Ultimately, the question to be answered in this matter, and in others like it across the country, is not whether the government should be able to force Apple to help it unlock a specific device; it is instead whether the All Writs Act resolves that issue and many others like it yet to come," Orenstein wrote. "For the reasons set forth above, I conclude that it does not."
AURORA -- An investigation into what authorities are calling a murder-for-hire plot led to the arrest of two men on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, the Nebraska State Patrol said Tuesday.
On Friday, the patrol was contacted by the Aurora Police Department regarding an Aurora man who had arranged for another person to kill his estranged wife, the patrol said in a press release.
The investigation continued through the weekend. Monday, an undercover investigator with the patrol contacted Robert S. Honken, 37, of Aurora. During the meeting, the patrol said, Honken arranged to pay the undercover officer to kill his estranged wife. Honken gave the investigator a cash deposit to commit the slaying, the patrol said, with the remainder of the agreed-upon price to be paid after the woman was slain.
Afterward, Honken drove away, the patrol said. Patrol investigators and a State Patrol plane monitored his movements. Honken's vehicle was stopped by a state trooper and he was taken into custody.
Honken was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and taken to the Hall County Jail.
Honken's wife, Bethany Honken, 38, requested a protection order Monday. According to the petition and affidavit to obtain the order, the Honkens have three children, ages 6, 10 and 12.
In the affidavit, Bethany Honken wrote, His level of rage (and) anger multiple times over the past 13 years of our marriage always made me fearful he would kill someone else, but didnt want to believe he would ever turn on me. When I filed for divorce in October 2015, his anger has continued to escalate, even from a distance, and I have been fearful for my life several times since our separation and pending divorce.
The final week that I lived with Robert (Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2015) he was rapidly escalating in anger (and) destructive behavior. The night I took our boys and left, he threatened to commit suicide if I did not come back home to talk. My dad called the sheriff to come check on Robert, and our oldest son ... feared that daddy would shoot the cops when they showed up to see him.
When the child saw a sheriff's vehicle pull up in the driveway, the son panicked, wondering what was happening. Bethany Honken explained his father was threatening to harm himself, and the sheriff needed to get involved. "At that point, (he) started crying and said, what if daddy is so angry that he tries to shoot at the sheriff?
A second person, Derrick Shirley, 30, of Bradshaw, also was taken into custody in conjunction with the investigation, the patrol said. Shirley had made a previous arrangement with Honken in which he also was paid cash to kill Honkens estranged wife, the patrol said.
Shirley also was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and was taken to the Hamilton County Jail, the patrol said.
A migrant awaits on the Greek side of the border to enter Macedonia near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Macedonia is restricting the entry of refugees to match the number of those leaving the country, allowing in only refugees from Syria and Iraq, in response to bottlenecks further up along the Balkans migrant route. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
FILE - In this August 4, 2014, file photo, a woman walks by a graffiti that reads in Spanish "Vultures," in reference to the dispute between the Argentine government and a U.S. hedge fund, known locally as "vulture funds," in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In a statement Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, Daniel A. Pollack, appointed arbiter in the negotiations between the Argentine government and U.S. holdout creditors, said that a deal has been reached that will put an end to a standoff that has kept the South American country on the margins of international credit markets. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano, File)
An injured victim of bombing attacks receives treatment at the Imam Ali Hospital in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. In Iraq, the death toll from devastating back-to-back market bombings carried out by the Islamic State group the previous day in eastern Baghdad climbed to at least 70 on Monday, officials said. Several of the critically wounded died overnight while over 100 people remain in hospital, two police officials said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
(Kitco News) - Although there was significant negative market sentiment in the gold market last year, the sector shone brightly in Australia as miners saw their highest gold production since 2003, according to one Australian mining consulting firm.
In a recent report, Surbiton Associates said that Australias gold production totaled 285 tonnes last year, beating 2014 production of 284.
The nations gold-mining sector continues to benefit from falling costs and a weaker Australian dollar. Last year gold priced in Australian dollar averaged around A$1,540 an ounce, up more than 10% from the 2014 average price of around $1,390.
Dr. Sandra Close, a director of Surbiton Associates, noted in the report that last year Australias gold production was valued at A$14 billion.
The Australian dollar has fallen from near 95 U.S. cents in mid-2014, to around 82 U.S. cents at the start of 2015, to around 72 cents by end 2015, Close said. Such a significant devaluation has provided quite a boost to the Australian gold sector, as well as to other exporters.
The Australian gold market has seen further improvement as prices have shot higher since the start of the new year and is now trading above $1,700 an ounce.
I wonder if investors are aware that the Australian dollar gold price, at around A$1,700 per ounce, is only about A$100 per ounce less than the all-time record Australian dollar gold price reached in August 2011, she added.
Along with increased profits as a result of the currency exchange range, Close said that companies are seeing higher margins as a result of weaker labor and energy costs.
Close also said that previously mothballed projects are coming back on line as a result of the red-hot mining sector and should help to boost the nations gold production in 2016.
According to Surbiton, Newmont Ming Corp was the biggest winner in the Australian market as three of its mines were the top five producers last year. Newmonts Boddington mine produced 794,000 ounces of gold last year. The Super Pit, a 50/50 joint venture between Newmont and Barrick Gold, was the second biggest project, producing 640,000 ounces last year.
Operation Ounces Owner Boddington 794,000 Newmont Mining Corp Super Pit JV 640,000 Newmont Mining Corp 50%, Barrick Gold Corp 50% Cadia East 508,303 Newcrest Mining Ltd Tropicana JV 488,939 AngloGold 70%, Independence Group 30% Telfer 488,817 Newcrest Mining Ltd
By Neils Christensen of Kitco News; nchristensen@kitco.com
Follow me on Twitter @neils_C
Looking at the world through the eyes of the Web
(Kitco News) - Demand for U.S. gold and silver bullion coin sales took a bit of a dip last month, compared to January; however, sales are still dramatically higher compared to 2015.
The latest sales data shows that sales of various denominations of American Eagle gold coins and Buffalo gold coins totaled 102,500 ounces last month, down 35% from Januarys sales of 124,000 ounces. However, year-over-year data shows that gold bullion sales are up 236%. Last February, the U.S. mint only sold a total of 30,500 ounces.
Erica Rannestad, senior analyst at Thomson Reuters GFMS, dismissed the monthly drop as a seasonal factor as retailers tend to overstock at the start of the new year. She added that the year-over-year growth shows just how strong the demand is.
George Gero, vice president of RBC Capital Markets, said that it is not surprising to see the considerable demand for gold this year.
If you look at the markets last year, stocks were higher, the U.S. dollar was strong and there was no reason for retail investors to get into the gold market, he said. Now retail investor are buying coins so they have some security, he said.
Phillip Streible, market strategist at RJOFutures, agreed that golds safe-haven appeal should continue to support physical gold demand in the near-term. However, he added that Februarys sales drop could be an indication that investors dont see the economic outlook as so dire.
In January investors ran into gold because it felt like the world was coming apart at the seams, he said. Now maybe things dont look so bad so investors might pare back their coin purchase.
Streible added that higher gold prices could also dissuade some investors from buying coins; but both Rannestad and Gero see the opposite scenario.
Buying begets buying, said Gero. Now that gold has attracted the attention of retail investors, I think demand is going to remain strong.
Silver bullion coin sales also saw the same demand pattern as gold with the U.S. mint seeing sales of 4.782 million ounces last month, down 20% from January, multi-year record of 5.95 million ounces but up more than 58% from 2014.
Gold prices are seeing some modest selling pressure Tuesday with prices hovering around $1,231 an ounce, relatively unchanged on the session.
By Neils Christensen of Kitco News; nchristensen@kitco.com
Follow me on Twitter @neils_C
MAG Silver Corp. (TSX: MAG, NYSE MKT: MVG) announces that it has completed its previously announced bought deal financing by issuing 8,905,000 common shares at $7.30 each, generating proceeds of $65,006,500. The underwriters reserve the right to exercise all or any portion of an over-allotment option of 1,335,750 shares within 30 days following closing. The company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to fund development and exploration expenditures at the Juanicipio project and for working capital and general corporate purposes, MAG Silver reports.
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
Pretium Resources Generates Nearly $130 Million On Share Offering
Tuesday March 01, 2016 09:04
Pretium Resources (TSX, NYSE: PVG) announces the closing of its previously announced market offering of 28,384,000 common shares at a price of $4.58 per share for gross proceeds of $129,998,720. This includes the exercise of the full amount of the over-allotment option of 2,174,000 shares, Pretium source says. The net proceeds of the offering will be used to fund development of the Brucejack Project, for working capital during start-up and for general corporate purposes, the company says. Pretiums website describes Brucejack in northern British Columbia as one of the largest and highest-grading undeveloped gold projects in the world.
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
Endeavour Receives $25.3 Million For Sale Of Youga Mine
Tuesday March 01, 2016 09:04
Endeavour Mining (TSX: EDV; OTCQX: EDVMF) says it has received $25.3 million upon closing the sale of its non-core Youga Mine to MNG Gold. Endeavour has retained a 1.8% net smelter royalty on production realized beyond the current reserve from the property sold, and with the inclusion of a buyback provision. "This transaction provides upfront value for Youga's remaining two-year mine life and gives us greater financial flexibility to pursue growth opportunities, says Neil Woodyer, chief executive officer of Endeavour. It is in line with our strategic objective of actively managing our portfolio to improve its overall quality. Since MNG's nearby Balogo high-grade deposit will give a second life to the Youga operation, we firmly believe that this transaction is in the best interest of all stakeholders, including our employees, the government, and the local population."
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
Jeff Fleming practices in the garage of his South Kitsap home last week. Fleming drums in two Kitsap-based rock bands, and nearly made it big as a member of a 1980s Bremerton-based punk group known as Le Max. (LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN)
SHARE Jeff Fleming gave up his rock and roll dreams in the late 1980s, when he took a job at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard while helping raise three children. Now the former drummer for onetime almost-big punk rock band Le Max is regularly performing again. (LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN) A Drummer Magazine writer blogged that Jeff Fleming's drum "kit screams 'hard rock and everything else that is good and holy.'" LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN Jeff Fleming's drumset was recently featured in a blog post in an international drum magazine. (LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN) Jeff Fleming gave up his rock and roll dreams in the late 1980s, when he took a job at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard while helping raise three children. Now the former drummer for onetime almost-big punk rock band Le Max is regularly performing again. (LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN)
By Maks Goldenshteyn
More than two decades have passed since drummer Jeff Fleming last boarded a tour bus bound for a sold-out show.
His band, the Bremerton-based punk group Le Max, was once on the verge of signing a recording contract with a prominent label, their biggest break yet.
But inner turmoil and the shady dealings of its Los Angeles-based manager triggered the group's disbanding in the late 1980s, near the height of its popularity.
Fleming found that he had outgrown the rock and roll lifestyle and took an extended break to raise his three children. A native of Bremerton, Fleming resumed his career as a blacksmith at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 1987, the same position he holds today.
Six years ago, he got the itch to play again. Packed arenas have been supplanted by local bars. Once a punk rocker, he now plays drums for Kitsap power pop band Boy Blue and the Moon and another called The Ras Project.
Even at the age of 52, Fleming looks every bit the part of an 80s musician, his long backcombed hair and black clothing a dead giveaway.
Standing inside his Port Orchard home's garage, which he calls his "Man Cave," Fleming recounts his first ever performance ? a dance at East High School.
"We blew off some smoke pods and that backfired," he said. "The fire department had to come and clear the smoke out. It seems to me we were cleaning weeds for about a month out front by the school."
A year after graduating from East High School in 1976, Fleming moved into a house with his bandmates. They were watching TV one morning when the Sex Pistols came on.
"We thought, 'Wow, those guys are terrible. But look at the big audience. We can do that,'" he said.
Fleming and guitarist Tony Cole decided to break away and form a punk band of their own called The Crisis, the forerunner to Le Max (they named the band after Cole's dog, Max). By 1982, they had composed enough of their own music to land gigs at house parties, Pioneer Square venues and even gay punk bars.
Their first real taste of success came in 1983 after their single, Cope USA, climbed to No. 1 on KJET, a Seattle punk rock radio station.
Much of the song was written on a ferry ride from Bremerton to Seattle. As was customary, the seven-man band made a dash for the squared-off booth in the corner of the passenger deck as soon as they stepped aboard.
"I swear by the time we left Bremerton and got over by Bainbridge Island, we had the song done. It was a short, kind of dumb song, and it took off," Fleming said.
"The whole song was about living in Bremerton and hanging out and not having a lot to do. Making things good. Just walking down Pacific Avenue."
The song's popularity led to an appearance on a KING-TV music program, where they performed live with Judas Priest and Night Ranger.
They returned to Bremerton a day later for a sold-out live show at Olympic College, a stark contrast from the dozen or so people who saw them play the previous weekend at a transvestite bar in Pioneer Square.
A music critic from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer likened the band to a cross between The Cars and The Clash.
"That was an honor because we loved both those bands," Fleming said. "We just wrote what we felt. We didn't really have a style."
A few years before the band's breakup, members of Le Max found themselves on tour, playing with the likes of Joan Jett and Romeo Void.
But the band's rise to near-stardom was derailed shortly thereafter.
"Our manager was involved in some very shady deals that led us to be blacklisted down in Los Angeles. It hurt. It was really tough on us," he said.
Nearing his fourth decade of drum playing, Fleming spends a lot of time in his garage, home to his collection of drums and equipment. It's also where both of his bands rehearse.
The jewel of the collection is a Ludwig drum kit designed by TV tattoo artist Corey Miller, one of just 250 ever manufactured. Fleming has added black chrome rims for extra effect.
The drum set is a big hit everywhere Fleming takes it. At a fundraiser held in Kirkland last year called Woodstick, a manager for legendary Yes drummer Alan White caught sight of the drums and snapped a picture.
The image found its way into a Drummer Magazine blog post. Said one writer: "This kit screams 'hard rock and everything else that is good and holy.'"
A little bit like its owner.
Boy Blue and The Moon will be performing at the Family Inn At Manchester on March 19th at 9 p.m.
MICHAEL C. MOORE | KITSAP SUN Juliet (Caitlyn Gorman) and Romeo (Dylan Macabitas) have their fateful meeting at a masked ball.
SHARE MICHAEL C. MOORE | KITSAP SUN After their chance meeting at a masked ball, Juliet (Caitlyn Gorman) and Romeo (Dylan Macabitas) hit it off. MICHAEL C. MOORE | KITSAP SUN Romeo (Dylan Macabitas, left) unloads his troubles on his pal Benvolio (JJ Hernandez).
By Michael C. Moore, mmoore@kitsapsun.com
PORT ORCHARD When she scheduled a production of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" for the early-spring slot at Western Washington Center for the Arts, director Rebecca Ewen had no idea that Bremerton Community Theatre had beaten her to the punch by a few weeks.
"It didn't bother me," Ewen said. "I didn't feel like we needed to change and do a different show, or anything like that. And when I went and saw (BCT's) which I thought was very good, by the way I knew we had made the right decision.
"I think people will be amazed by how different two productions of the same play can seem," she added.
BCT's "R&J," which wrapped up its four-weekend run Feb. 28, was a lavishly staged and costumed period piece, buttressed by Renaissance-appropriate musical performances.
WWCA's version won't be like that.
"The script is the same," Ewen said. "That's about it."
Ewen chose a black-box setting for her Verona, and has the teenage protagonists going through their well-worn paces in a nonspecific time, with costumes and music chosen by her cast members.
"I pretty much let them choose their own costumes, as part of a character development exercise," Ewen said. "I told them to think about how their characters might dress."
Ewen also mined her cast for other input. JJ Hernandez, who's playing Benvolio, is serving as fight choreographer, and John O'Guin (Paris) is using his dramaturgy training to edit the script. Anika Crosta (Tybalt) and Kassy Bawlin made the black box less black with colorful bits of graffiti.
So, right now Shakespeare buffs are doing double takes at the previous sentence, doubtless noticing the traditionally male Tybalt is being played by a female. Like we said, this ain't your same-ol' same-ol' "R&J."
"We decided to do some cross-gendering, set this in a place where women are stronger and can act the same way men act," Ewen said.
She has cast WWCA regular Amanda Pease fresh from the female lead in the company's most recent production, "You Can't Take It With You" as Mercutio, Romeo's best pal. This effectively turns the Mercutio vs. Tybalt sword battle which sends the story barreling into tragedy into a girl-fight.
There will be a few similarities between BCT's "R&J" and the one at WWCA, as some of the former production's cast migrated straight to Port Orchard to take part in the contrasting version. Owen Eardley, who played Benvolio in Bremerton, will be Ewen's Balthazar, and BCT ensemble members Erica Miller and Michael Schmidt will play Capulet and Nurse, respectively.
And Cody Masoner, who played Romeo in director Kristi Jacobson's BCT mounting, will reprise the role for one week, and with a significant costume change at WWCA, subbing for Dylan Macabitas, who won the role but was unavailable for the final weekend of the run. It's Masoner's first time onstage at WWCA. Juliet opposite their Romeo will be another WWCA first-timer, Caitlyn Gorman, a recent castmate of Hernandez in Paradise Theatre's "Scrooge, the Musical."
Carl Olson, who directed "You Can't Take It With You," will play Friar Laurence for Ewen, one of several of his former South Kitsap High School students in the production.
"I've got my old teacher here with me, and I went to school (at Central Washington University) with JJ," Ewen said. "We're working with each other, and we're learning from each other."
PREVIEW
'ROMEO AND JULIET'
Who: Western Washington Center for the Arts
What: Tragedy by William Shakespeare
Where: WWCA playhouse, 521 Bay St., Port Orchard
When: March 11-April 3; 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 5 p.m. Sundays except 3 p.m. April 3
Tickets: $17-$14
Information: 360-769-7469, wwca.us
Mason County Chief Deputy Ryan Spurling discusses details of the shooting Friday afternoon.
By Ed Friedrich of the Kitsap Sun
BELFAIR The man who shot and killed four people and then himself Friday emitted two different personalities.
David Wayne Campbell was seen by former business partner Kim Rohr as a loving husband and father who got himself into financial trouble by being too easy on customers. Former employee Joe Gallegos viewed Campbell as abusive and hooked on painkillers.
Campbell, 51, shot and killed his wife, Lana J. Carlson, 49, and her children Tory Carlson, 18, and Quinn Carlson, 16, and neighbor Donna Reed, 68. They were found Friday in a chicken coop on the Campbell-Carlson property at 350 NE Horseshoe Drive. He then shot himself in front of police after a 3 -hour standoff. A 12-year-old daughter escaped. She now is with child welfare officials, according to Mason County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Ryan Spurling.
Gallegos, 49, and wife Lisa got an anti-harassment protection order against Campbell on July 27 in Kitsap County District Court. Gallegos, who worked for Campbell Family Heating and Air Conditioning from October 2014 until July 2015, said Campbell discovered he'd been speaking with the state Department of Labor and Industries about Campbell's business practices.
Campbell phoned him July 10 and told him to stop attacking his company or he'd kill Gallegos and his wife, according to court documents.
The court ordered Campbell to surrender his firearms, which Gallegos said included a .32-caliber pistol and deer rifle. Campbell said he didn't have any weapons. Gallegos called the Kitsap and Mason sheriff's offices to report that Campbell hadn't turned in his guns, but they couldn't agree which department was responsible, he said.
Campbell turned around and obtained a protection order Aug. 3 in Mason County District Court against Gallegos for threats Gallegos made after being fired, according to court documents.
Campbell portrayed himself as a retired Army colonel.
"That's what he always told everyone, including myself," Rohr said. Campbell said he was in intelligence, had been shot, stabbed and sustained 125 broken bones when an under-fire helicopter jerked and tossed him 50 to 70 feet to the ground, he said.
Gallegos believed it was a ploy to impress potential clients.
Even before the order for Campbell to surrender his weapons, it should have been illegal for him to possess them because of an extensive criminal history in Pennsylvania. He had misdemeanor and felony convictions there dating to 1996, according to an Associated Press review of court records. He was charged with multiple crimes, mostly related to bad checks, stolen property and forgery.
He served time in prison starting in 2000 on a charge of theft by deception.
Campbell's most recent conviction was nearly 16 years ago. On Aug. 15, 2000, he was charged with 18 counts: six counts each of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and bad checks. He pleaded guilty to one theft charge and the other counts were dismissed. He was sentenced to two to five years in prison, records show.
Campbell also faced similar charges in 1996 and 1997. In one 1996 case, he was charged with 31 counts, including 12 felony forgery charges. He pleaded guilty to six of those charges, and the others were dismissed.
It is not clear when he moved from the East Coast to Washington. He married Carlson in November 2009 in King County.
The Pennsylvania time line casts doubt on Campbell's claim to be a retired Army colonel. If he were in prison in 2000, at age 35, he couldn't graduate from college and serve 20 years before then. The Army doesn't release personnel records.
Rohr, who worked for Campbell and became a partner in the business three years ago, stands by him, though he didn't like his authoritative style. He even quit once because of it. A year ago he dissolved the partnership as the business started to crumble but still worked for Campbell occasionally.
Suppliers dried up because Campbell owed them money. He paid for past jobs from new ones, "like a big Ponzi scheme," Rohr said. He owed Labor and Industries at least $14,000 in fines for performing electrical work for which he wasn't licensed, which he was appealing, according to spokeswoman Debby Abe.
"He was really a nice guy," Rohr said. "People would take advantage of him. He would just bend over backward trying to help people."
Gallegos said Campbell was abusive, continually screaming at the kids, and struck the boys with a belt or wooden spoon. Rohr described him as a loving father.
"He would do anything for them," he said. "There was nothing the kids had need of. He was a loving and caring dad."
Campbell told Rohr he didn't see himself and his wife staying together because they were having troubles.
Gallegos alleged that Campbell took Percoset pain pills by the handful, getting them from dentists, urgent cares, relatives and buying from individuals. Rohr only saw him take pills in the past few months when Campbell was experiencing pain from work on his teeth.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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By Chris Henry, chenry@kitsapsun.com
NORTH KITSAP Gordon Elementary School was evacuated Monday after a staff member reported a burning odor in a classroom.
North Kitsap Fire and Rescue responded to the school shortly after a fire alarm sounded around 11 a.m. They found that a fan motor in one of the buildings HVAC units had shorted, causing the odor.
NKFR checked for noxious gases and found none, fire district spokeswoman Michele Laboda said.
Students returned inside the building at around 11:45 a.m., after it was deemed safe, according to North Kitsap School District spokeswoman Jenn Markaryan.
Thirteen students complained of headache or nausea, Markaryan said. They were checked out by paramedics, and parents were notified. Several took their students home for the day.
The classroom most affected by the odor was left empty for the day on advice of fire officials.
Repairs on the unit are underway. The HVAC unit has been turned off and wont be back on until the unit is repaired, Markaryan said.
The district for months has been battling problems with HVAC units at Poulsbo Elementary School. The maintenance department is researching options for replacing failing units on the aging system.
The school board Feb. 11 discussed problems with Poulsbo Middle Schools HVAC system.
Eric Orville Waldenberg
By Andrew Binion
PORT ORCHARD The Kitsap County Jail inmate who apparently killed himself Saturday night had been raising money on a gofundme.com page, asking for assistance in his attempt to stay sober and continue his legal education.
Eric Orville Waldenberg, 49, who had addresses in Kingston and Jefferson County, was found unconscious and unresponsive in his cell by a corrections officers performing periodic checks. Kitsap County Sheriff's Deputy Scott Wilson said the office was not releasing details on how Waldenberg killed himself.
Waldenberg was arrested at about 4:30 a.m. Feb. 21 by a Poulsbo police officer who wrote she observed Waldenberg walking out of the door of Aroydy Thai restaurant, 225 Lindvig Way. The officer searched the area and found a pry bar and a bag of money. The door to the restaurant had marks on it indicating a forced entry. The officer also found narcotic pain pills and a tranquilizer pill in his possession, according to court documents. Waldenberg told the officer he had a prescription for the pills. He was charged Feb. 22 with second-degree burglary.
On his gofundme page, which had raised $1,150 in three months, Waldenberg wrote that he had earned his paralegal certificate, was interning with an ACLU program that helped felons return to society and was attending legal classes.
"The gratitude for any help you are able to provide is beyond my capacity for words," Waldenberg wrote. "Just know that not only will you be helping me, but all those that I commit to helping directly, and through my lifelong commitment to reform of the criminal justice system."
Waldenberg had an extensive criminal history dating to 2001, according to court records. As of June 2013 he had 10 convictions for burglary in Montana and Washington.
He is the fifth jail inmate to commit suicide since 2000, according to Sheriff's Office records.
The ABC reports:
The United Nations has called on the West Australian Government to withdraw controversial new legislation that imposes harsh penalties on protesters.
The proposed laws were first introduced into Parliament in March 2015, and the Government insists it will only target radical protesters using devices like chains or thumb locks to block or stop lawful activities.
But the UN said it would result in criminalising lawful protests and silencing environmentalists and human rights defenders.
If the bill passes, it would go against Australias international obligations under international human rights law, including the rights to freedom of opinion and expression as well as peaceful assembly and association, the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement.
The bill would criminalise a wide range of legitimate conduct by creating criminal offences for the acts of physically preventing a lawful activity and possessing an object for the purpose of preventing a lawful activity.
For example, peaceful civil disobedience and any non-violent direct action could be characterised as physically preventing a lawful activity.
Under the proposed legislation, an offence would carry serious penalties of imprisonment of one year and a fine of $12,000.
If the offence was committed in circumstances of aggravation, the penalty could be as high as imprisonment for two years and a fine of $24,000.
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290216MINING MORATORIUM STANDS
By Tom Kathoa
Members of the Bougainville Executive Council (BEC) today discussed the 1971 mining moratorium imposed by the Colonial Administration at the request of Bougainville leaders to control the spread of mining beyond Panguna.
Bougainvilles Mining Minister, Robin Wilson in announcing BEC decision says, as things stand, our Mining Act preserves the moratorium, in the form of a mining reserve area covering almost all of Bougainville.
While the moratorium remains in place, the Mining Registrar is prevented by the Act from accepting any applications for mining tenements over land subject to the mining reserve area.
Reporter Tom Kathoa takes up the story.
IN..Despite the fact
OUTTOM KATHOA reporting.
The BEC is now asking the Bougainville Mining Advisory Council to provide it with advice on the options available to the ABG in how best to deal with the moratorium.
The House of Representatives will also be given an opportunity at its next sitting to debate what should be done.
Ends..
Online - 30th Oct 2022
2nd International Conference on Research and Developments In Engineering and Management 2nd ICRDEM-2022
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By Staff Reports
News Sentinel parent's shareholders approve sale to Gannett
The $280 million deal still subject to regulatory approval
Shareholders of Journal Media Group Inc., the owner of the News Sentinel and 12 other newspapers, approved the $280 million sale of the company to Gannett Co. Inc. on Tuesday.
More than 92 percent of shares that were voted were cast in favor of the merger, Steven J. Smith, chairman of Journal Media Group, told shareholders during a special meeting at the company's headquarters in Milwaukee.
Federal regulators who oversee antitrust issues still must sign off on the merger, in which the News Sentinel, The Commercial Appeal in Memphis and newspapers in 11 other markets would join Gannett. No timetable for the regulatory review was available.
"Today's vote is an important step toward enabling our portfolio of local media brands to better navigate the transformation of our industry and continue to serve readers and advertisers with quality content, products and services," said Tim Stautberg, president and chief executive officer of Journal Media Group. "We look forward to joining Gannett's USA Today Network with a commitment to strengthening lives and communities."
He said the company continues to work with the Department of Justice in its review of the proposed transaction with Gannett.
Under terms of the deal, Journal Media Group stockholders would receive $12 per share in cash.
Gannett, based in McLean, Va., announced last October it planned to buy Journal Media Group. Journal Media Group, which has about 3,400 employees, was created in April 2015 after The E.W. Scripps Co. and Journal Communications Inc. merged their local TV operations and spun off their newspapers into an independent, publicly traded company based in Milwaukee.
In June of last year, Gannett also split its newspaper and broadcast assets into separate companies.
Gannett owns USA Today, 92 daily publications in the U.S. and Guam, and more than 400 non-daily publications.
In addition to the Knoxville and Memphis newspapers, Journal Media Group includes: the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; (Redding) Record-Searchlight and Ventura County Star in California; Naples Daily News and Treasure Coast Newspapers in Florida; Evansville Courier & Press in Indiana; (Henderson) Gleaner in Kentucky; (Anderson) Independent Mail in South Carolina; Abilene Reporter-News, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, San Angelo Standard-Times and Wichita Falls Times Record News in Texas; and Kitsap Sun in Washington state.
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By Mary Constantine of the Knoxville News Sentinel
I participated in something special Sunday evening which did more than fill my belly. It made me thankful for the giving spirit of our region.
The Second Harvest Food Festival is a new event created as a kickoff celebration for the annual Restaurant Week benefit for Second Harvest of East Tennessee.
For those unfamiliar with Restaurant Week, there are 29 local and regional restaurants offering prix fixe menus through Friday, March 4, at a cost of $35 or $45. A portion of proceeds from each sale goes to Second Harvest.
On Sunday many of those same restaurants gathered in one place offering samples of their menu for a price of $25 per person.
As I stood in line with other food-loving folks just as excited as I was to sample what the restaurants had to offer, I realized the event was doing for attendees what Second Harvest does for its clients every day. It was feeding the hungry, and with every ticket sold Second Harvest was able to chip away at its mission to eliminate hunger in an 18-county area by providing food, services and nutritional education.
But without volunteers like U.S. Foods, who underwrote the festival, and the participating restaurants, the challenge would be much more difficult to execute. Ultimately it takes the help of others to make Second Harvest successful.
I urge everyone who can to attend at least one of the eateries participating in this year's Restaurant Week. If you're not sure where you want to dine, I can tell you those who attended Sunday's festival voted Season's Innovative Bar and Grill as their favorite casual dining vendor; Citico's Restaurant and Club as tops in the fine dining category; and Goodness to Go as best dessert. All three are participating in Restaurant Week, as are Naples Italian Restaurant, Ruth's Chris, RT Lodge, Pete's Coffee Shop, Central Flats and Taps, Chesapeakes, Big Kahuna Wings, Connie's Kitchen, Dead End BBQ, the Melting Pot, Don Gallo Mexican Grill, and 18 others. A complete list can be found at www.secondharvestetn.org.
Pelancho's Mexican Grill won in the ethnic category and Chef Jeff Carter of Aubrey's Restaurant group was the winner in a chef cook-off challenge. Neither will be participating in the week-long event but their openness to volunteer during the festival should not go unnoticed. It's all those restaurants that give back to our region that we as a community should support with our dollars. After all, it's that circle of giving that keeps a village strong.
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By News Sentinel Staff
Five people, including a woman charged less than a year ago, are charged with TennCare fraud in Knox as part of separate investigations, the state Office of Inspector General announced Tuesday.
Christina M. Rogers, 27, of Knoxville is charged in Knox County with three counts of fraudulently using TennCare to obtain controlled substance by doctor shopping, or using TennCare to visit multiple doctors in a short period of time to obtain prescription drugs. District Attorney Charme Allen will prosecute.
Brittney N. Ensley, 25, of Knoxville is charged in Knox County with TennCare fraud and theft of services over $10,000. The state charges she under-reported her income to qualify for TennCare healthcare insurance benefits.
Susan Ott-Turk, 48, of Knoxville is charged in Knox County with four counts of using TennCare benefits to obtain controlled substances by doctor shopping.
Angelia L. Burrell, 39, of Alcoa, is charged in Blount County with fraudulently obtaining the painkiller Percocet by doctor shopping. The arrest is Burrell's second for TennCare fraud. She was charged in Knox County in May of last year with three counts of doctor shopping. Both times, she used TennCare benefits to pay for either the doctor visits or the controlled substances. District Attorney General Mike Flynn will prosecute.
Michael Douglas Grainger, 57, of Rocky Top, is charged in Anderson County with TennCare fraud for using TennCare to obtain the painkiller Oxycodone and later selling a portion to a confidential informant. District Attorney General David Clark will prosecute.
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge. Theft of services over $10,000 is a Class C felony punishable by up to six years in prison.
Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or go to www.tn.gov/tnoig/ and click on "Report TennCare Fraud."
District Attorney General Russell Johnson outlines events that led to an officer-involved shooting on Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. Rockwood Officer Brandon Smith has been cleared by a grand jury of any wrongdoing in the Christmas Eve shooting of a suspect following a tense chase up a narrow winding road and the suspect then trying to run the officer over. (BOB FOWLER/NEWS SENTINEL)
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By Bob Fowler, bob.fowler@knoxnews.com
OAK RIDGE - There were some birth pangs in the creation of what's likely Tennessee's newest drug court, but officials are optimistic the results will pay widespread, ongoing dividends.
Roane County launched what's known as its Recovery Court on Feb. 1 to provide those convicted of misdemeanor drug-related offenses with an alternative to jail.
Russell Johnson, the 9th Judicial District attorney general, and Public Defender Kim Nelson teamed up Tuesday to give an overview of the new program to members of the Oak Ridge League of Women Voters.
The district includes Roane, Loudon, Meigs and Morgan counties, but Tuesday's remarks focused on the startup of the new Roane County program, funded by federal, state and local grants.
Johnson said the idea for a drug court was broached about nine years ago when he first took office, and it faced early opposition - including from him - before it was finally adopted.
In the Recovery Court program, carefully screened participants who have pleaded to nonviolent, drug-related offenses can apply for the intervention program.
It's an alternative to jail. Already, some of the initial participants have strayed, failing some of the frequent drug screens, and been sent to jail.
Being locked up doesn't break the cycle of addiction, Nelson said.
"It's not going to treat the problem," Johnson said.
Local jails, including the lockups in Roane and Loudon counties, are facing overcrowding, Johnson said. The women's cellblocks in those jails are where overcrowding is particularly worrisome, Johnson said, and many of those inmates are behind bars for drug-related offenses.
Nelson called drug addiction a sickness.
"I see kids not with their moms and dads because of drugs," she said. "It's heartbreaking, and it's a problem that's being handed down generation to generation."
In Tennessee, statistics show the drug problem has reached epidemic proportions, the officials said. There has been a 220 percent increase in drug overdose deaths in Tennessee since 1999, and nationwide, 44 people per day die from overdoses.
Young people in the Volunteer State are using pain killers at a 30 percent higher rate than the national average, and an estimated 69,000 residents are addicted to those various opioids.
The state already has 44 similar drug courts, and results indicate an impressive overall success rate, the officials said. Statewide, 80 percent of those who complete the programs haven't been arrested for drug-related offenses a year after they graduate, according to statistics.
Tuesday's presentation was the first of a two-part overview of the new Recovery Court. Dennis Humphrey, the Roane County General Sessions Court judge who oversees the new Recovery Court, will speak March 15.
290216MINING REGULATION ACT 2016
By Tom Kathoa
The Bougainville Executive Council has adopted a new Bougainville Mining Resolution 2016 which will come into effect once all the necessary papers are finalized.
In announcing the BEC decision, Mining Minister and Member for Tera, Hon. Robin Wilson said this is an important step in the implementation of the Bougainville Mining Act.
The regulation provides for a number of matters that are needed to fully implement the Mining Act, such as forms and fees.
The minister said the regulation will come into force in accordance with a notice that will be published in the Bougainville Gazette in the coming days.
He further added that copies of the regulation are available from his department.
Ends
SHARE Brian Witham, 45, of Waterville, Maine, one of two men accused in robbery and kidnapping schemes at two area banks and a third in upper East Tennessee. The other man is Michael Benanti, 43, of Lake Harmony, Pa. (FBI/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) Michael Anthony Benanti, one of two men accused in robbery and kidnapping schemes at two area banks and a third in upper East Tennessee. The other man is Brian Witham. (KNOX COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE) Related Coverage Accused bank extortionist: 'I'm somebody big'
By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel
One of two men accused in a series of kidnappings of bank employees and their families in three states, including Tennessee, confessed his role Tuesday in the highly orchestrated but rarely successful attempts to rob financial institutions to prop up a failing inmate fraud venture.
As his Tennessee victims watched, Brian Scott Witham, 45, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to a string of crimes including carjackings, a bank robbery, a store robbery and four kidnappings of bank employees and their families, including a toddler and a baby held at gunpoint.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lewen spent more than half an hour outlining the case against Witham and Michael Benanti, who's accused of masterminding the plots but maintains his innocence so far. Lewen unveiled court records on crimes in Knoxville and Elizabethton in Tennessee, as well as in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
As part of his plea deal, in which Witham has agreed to turn on Benanti, Witham faces a minimum 42-year prison term. Chief U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan will have final say and, according to a plea agreement, could impose a life term. Sentencing is set for Aug. 17.
The plea agreement outlines the following about the crimes:
In the late 1990s, Witham and Benanti, both robbers, met in federal prison. When Benanti was freed, he launched a venture known as Prisoner Assistant, in which he convinced prison inmates to pay him a fee and give him power of attorney over their finances and he, in turn, would provide them with banking and investing services. He later hired a freed Witham. The Wall Street Journal reported on the business, which operated from Benanti's Pennsylvania basement, in 2014.
The venture was a sham, prosecutors said, and the operation began to unravel as Benanti and Witham squandered the inmates' money. Benanti "needed to explore ways to quickly inject cash into his floundering business," Lewen wrote. First, he and Witham tried identity theft, but it was "too time-consuming with too little return," Lewen wrote.
In September 2014, the pair decided to rob the Peoples Security Bank and Trust in Clarks Summit, Pa., prosecutors said. First, they stole a series of cars they would use for various purposes in the robbery and then burn, then they bought guns, according to court records. Witham stocked up on food and water and, dressed in camouflage with a camera and binoculars, surveilled the bank and its employees.
As tellers arrived on the morning of Sept. 12, 2014, they were greeted in the parking lot by the two men, who wore masks, hats and gloves, and forced into the bank, prosecutors said. The tellers were bound, and the bank manager was ordered to open the vault. That robbery netted $156,000, which Benanti pumped into Prisoner Assistant, Lewen said. The money didn't last long.
Prosecutors said Benanti and Witham then decided to target bank executives and their families, using Facebook and LinkedIn to identify targets and to learn all about the families. Witham's job was to hide outside the families' homes and surveil them. He spent hours at that task, even bagging his excrement to avoid detection.
In February 2015, the pair decided on a target in Connecticut, prosecutors said - Matthew Yussman, executive at Achieve Financial Credit Union in New Britain. Yussman lived with his mother. As he arrived home after work, prosecutors said, Benanti and Witham - dressed in black, armed and posing as police - forced Yussman and his mother inside their home. Authorities said the pair taped a fake bomb to Yussman's body, bound his mother and insisted there were explosives in her room they would detonate if he failed to carry out orders to rob his bank.
The plan was foiled when police were alerted after Yussman went to the bank alone, as instructed. His mother was freed unharmed. Prosecutors said the pair next traveled to Maggie Valley, N.C., where they rented a cabin as a base of operation.
Prosecutors said they targeted Mark Ziegler, an executive with the Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge, and his family, including his teenage son. After two days of surveillance from trees surrounding the Ziegler home in West Knoxville, the pair in April caught Ziegler in his garage and handcuffed him before forcing him inside his home, Lewen wrote. Ziegler's wife and son were bound and guns trained at their heads.
Lewen said the men threatened to cut one finger off Ziegler's wife's hands for every minute he was late on the mission to rob his bank and, if she ran out of digits, to carve up his daughter, who was not in the home at the time. The men wore masks, including one of a woman in a bid to trick the Zeiglers into thinking there was a third kidnapper who was female, prosecutors said. Witham also used a fake tattoo to throw off the family's description.
Ziegler took $200,000 from his bank, but police stopped him. The plea does not elaborate. His wife and son were freed unharmed. The pair fled.
Prosecutors say the men, broke and desperate for cash, robbed an Ingle's Market in Arden, N.C., firing a gun into the counter, on May 6. Two months later, the pair had new extortion victims, Lewen wrote - Tanner Harris, a loan officer with SmartBank in Knoxville, his wife and their baby. They pried open the front door of the family's home, according to court records, and chased Harris' wife up the stairs into the bedroom, where her husband and baby were. Prosecutors said the family barricaded themselves inside the master bathroom, but the men pried their way in and followed Harris to the bank with his family in tow. Harris gave them $195,000 from the bank. The men fled with his wife and baby but later released them.
Prosecutors say the pair next targeted Brooke Lyons, a teller at the Northeast Community Credit Union in Elizabethton, and her 3-year-old son. Mother and son were snatched from their driveway and taken to the bank. Lyons begged her co-workers for money, but they refused. She ran back outside and begged the masked, armed men not to kill her son, whom she hugged as she pleaded. The men eventually released them unharmed, too.
Prosecutors said the pair went back to their cabin, where they had 13 dossiers on new victims in South Carolina and Georgia. By then, the FBI was on their trail, and in November they were captured in North Carolina after a chase and crash.
SHARE Joshua Scarlett (Roane County jail)
By News Sentinel Staff
A Rockwood man who was shot on Christmas Eve when authorities say he attempted to run down a police officer with a stolen Jeep surrendered Tuesday to face indictment on several charges.
Joshua Scarlett, 35, turned himself in at the Roane County jail on Tuesday following his Feb. 17 indictment by a grand jury on charges of aggravated assault, felony reckless endangerment and evading arrest, according to a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation news release.
The day of the shooting, Scarlett led police on a tense chase up a narrow, winding road, authorities said. When Scarlett turned onto a four-wheel-drive path, Rockwood Police Officer Brandon Smith parked his cruiser at a turnoff and followed on foot.
Scarlett put the Jeep in reverse and tried to back into Smith, police said. The officer emptied his service weapon, striking Scarlett in the jaw and torso. The officer escaped injury.
Smith's body camera recorded the chase and the shooting. A grand jury later cleared the officer of any wrongdoing.
Scarlett was hospitalized for several days and then disappeared after being released from the hospital.
Scarlett was booked into jail Tuesday and fitted with a GPS monitor before being released due to a medical condition.
More details as they develop online and in Wednesday's News Sentinel.
Laura Buckingham of Kingston (Photo courtesy Roane County Sheriffs Office)
By Bob Fowler, fowlerb@knoxnews.com
KINGSTON If the woman accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill her former husband makes bond between now and next Monday, she'll have to wear an electronic ankle bracelet and stay in Tennessee, a judge has ruled.
Related: Authorities: Ex-sniper thwarts girlfriends plot to kill her ex
And it was announced in court during a Monday hearing on a motion for an increased bond for defendant Laura Ann Buckingham, 29, that she is pregnant.
Buckingham was arrested last week on a warrant accusing her of criminal intent to commit first-degree murder and remains in the Roane County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bond.
Buckingham wanted to have Bradley Sutherland of Indiana killed, according to police reports, and had tried to convince her live-in boyfriend, Joseph Chamblin, to do the deed. Buckingham was reportedly upset over an ongoing custody dispute she was having with Sutherland over their 3-year-old son.
Buckingham had moved from Indiana to Kingston less than two months ago, according to the bond motion. She and Chamblin had shared a rental home in Kingston.
Chamblin, a former Marine sniper, is notorious for an incident in 2011 where he and other Marines were seen on a YouTube video urinating on dead Taliban fighters.
Chamblin reportedly had grown concerned by Buckingham's continued requests for him to kill Sutherland or find someone to do it, so he recorded conversations and provided them to Roane County authorities, according to police records.
An undercover agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation then posed as a contract killer and recorded on audio and video "many conversations" with Buckingham, according to the motion.
The state in that motion argues that Buckingham has no local connections, and Chamblin has expressed fear that she will retaliate against him. He has sworn out an order of protection against her, court records show.
The motion for an increased bond states that Buckingham is a former U.S. Marine who served in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan and has "unique military training and experience, coupled with reported historical mental health concerns."
The state argues that the current bond wouldn't ensure Buckingham's return to court "and protect the safety of the public."
While Roane County General Sessions Judge Terry Stevens granted part of the motion requiring Buckingham to stay in the state and wear an ankle bracelet if she makes the current bond he continued the matter on the request for a bigger bond until next Monday while Buckingham tries to find and hire an attorney.
In the meantime, the Roane County Public Defender's office has been appointed to her case.
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By Lydia X. McCoy of the Knoxville News Sentinel
Knox County Schools has received all of its testing materials to administer the state's new assessment, TNReady just in time for the Wednesday's first day of the testing window.
Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre updated board members about the test's administration at their workshop meeting on Monday.
McIntyre said 44 schools received their materials on Friday, and the remaining school on Monday.
"We kept our fingers crossed and breath held until this morning when all of our schools, did in fact, receive their assessment materials for TNReady," he told board members.
"While it's a bit of a tight time frame we do plan to move forward with our current testing schedule."
Districts across the state have been waiting for the paper assessment after the state decided not to move forward with it online as planned after computer glitches in February halted testing on the first day it was rolled out.
Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said she lost confidence in the system's ability to perform with consistency.
The state contracted with Measurement Inc., a North Carolina-based company, to develop the assessment. McQueen said the state has paid the company $1.6 million for the tests' development and there will be no additional costs for printing and distributing the paper tests.
The state is also reviewing its $108 million five-year contract.
TNReady assesses math and English skills for grades 3-11. It replaces the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, known as TCAP tests.
After Monday's meeting, McIntyre said if a significant number of schools had not received the tests the district would have had to make a contingency plan.
McIntyre said all students should be done with testing before the district is out for its spring break later this month.
"This has been a bit of a journey but I do believe that ultimately the TNReady assessment will be beneficial," he said. "It will measure some very sophisticated skills that will be critical for our student's future."
Chancellor Jimmy Cheek walks out of a meeting with leaders from the UT Diversity Matters coalition in the Frieson Black Cultural Center at University of Tennessee on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016. (CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL). In the meeting they discussed inclusivity issues on campus such as gender neutral pronouns and accessibility for the disabled.
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By MJ Slaby of the Knoxville News Sentinel
University of Tennessee administrators and students from UT Diversity Matters coalition will meet today to review a list of student demands.
The meeting is at 5 p.m. in Frieson Black Cultural Center and follows a Feb. 4 meeting where students and campus leaders discussed a list of demands developed by the diversity-focused coalition.
The coalition of mostly student groups was a response to the continuing controversy about diversity at UT as state legislators file bills to cut funds for diversity programs. On Wednesday, a joint meeting of the house education committees will review diversity and inclusion in public higher education and hear from both UT and the Tennessee Board of Regents, the system that oversees all state colleges and universities not in the UT system.
The UT Diversity Matters demands include reinstating a post on the Office of Diversity and Inclusion's website about gender-neutral pronouns, returning sole oversight of the website to the diversity office, campus-wide diversity training, added accessibility for the disabled and an apology.
Coalition students expressed frustrations following the last meeting, but Chancellor Jimmy Cheek called it a positive "beginning dialogue." The two groups agreed then to meet once the chancellor's cabinet, vice chancellors and Provost Susan Martin, could review the demand list.
More details as they develop online and in Wednesday's News Sentinel.
Y-12 nuclear engineers Christy Fisher, left, and Marsha Bartholomay have some fun during the "Introduce a Girl to Engineering" program Tuesday, March 1, 2016, at Y-12's New Hope Center. Nearly 150 girls from area schools participated in the event, where they were able to interact with female engineers from Y-12, UT and other professional engineering organizations. (FRANK MUNGER/NEWS SENTINEL)
SHARE National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office Deputy Manager Teresa Robbins takes part in the "Introduce a Girl to Engineering" program Tuesday, March 1, 2016, at Y-12's New Hope Center. Nearly 150 girls from area schools participated in the event, where they were able to interact with female engineers from Y-12, UT and other professional engineering organizations. (FRANK MUNGER/NEWS SENTINEL) Brianna Short, left, and Alexandra McFall of Lenoir City High School take part in the "Introduce a Girl to Engineering" program Tuesday, March 1, 2016, at Y-12's New Hope Center. Nearly 150 girls from area schools participated in the event, where they were able to interact with female engineers from Y-12, UT and other professional engineering organizations. (FRANK MUNGER/NEWS SENTINEL) Participants fill Y-12's New Hope Center during the "Introduce a Girl to Engineering" program Tuesday, March 1, 2016, in Oak Ridge. Nearly 150 girls from area schools participated in the event, where they were able to interact with female engineers from Y-12, UT and other professional engineering organizations. (FRANK MUNGER/NEWS SENTINEL)
By Frank Munger of the Knoxville News Sentinel
OAK RIDGE - Teresa Robbins is a top executive in the National Nuclear Security Administration, overseeing work at two nuclear weapons plants, and she said the foundation for her successful career was a decision to pursue a degree in engineering.
Engineering made everything possible, she said.
"I came from a family that had never gone to college, and I really didn't know what I wanted to do," Robbins said Tuesday at an "Introduce a Girl to Engineering" program at the Y-12 National Security Complex.
Robbins said she tried a couple of majors, accounting and then computer science, but wasn't fully committed. Her boyfriend at the time - now her husband - suggested she might try engineering because she was good at math and science.
"I didn't even know what engineers did," she said.
So she researched it a little, and then along came the catastrophe at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the Soviet Ukraine. That caught her attention and sparked her interest in getting a degree in nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee.
"I wanted to learn more about that and what happened there," she said.
Robbins, deputy manager of the NNSA's Production Office, was among dozens of women engineers who shared stories and interacted with about 150 girls from local schools at Tuesday's event.
Syretta Vaughn, a facility safety engineer, said her favorite job was helping with the demolition of old buildings at the K-25 uranium-enrichment site in Oak Ridge. She said it involved a lot more than just a wrecking ball hitting a wall, requiring preparations to make sure the environment wasn't hurt during the process.
"I really liked tearing down buildings," Vaughn said.
The professionals told the students that engineering jobs satisfied their wants and needs on many fronts - solving problems, being creative and earning substantial salaries.
Susan Kozemko, a senior technical advisor at Y-12, admitted that money was a motivator when choosing a career, although it wasn't her top priority.
Brianna Short, a junior at Lenoir City High School and a self-described nerd, said she loves working with computers and looks forward to a career as a software engineer or something akin to that.
Her classmate at Lenoir City, Alexandra McFall, said she too is considering engineering as a career path, but she's more likely to become a chemical engineer.
"I really like chemistry," she said.
Dave Rivoira casts his early voting ballot at the Downtown West location Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)
By Gerald Witt of the Knoxville News Sentinel
Knox County residents will select a new law director and property assessor in today's primary election, as well as nominees for president and in local offices.
Polls are open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. in all Knox County precincts.
Eight years ago, some 92,000 Knox Countians voted in the presidential primary, and election officials expect a figure to rival that total this year.
"We'll get close," said Chris Davis, assistant administrator of elections for the Knox County Election Commission. "Turnout has been very good."
See also: Voter guide | Live coverage of Super Tuesday
The county's next law director will be determined through the Republican primary race between current Law Director Richard "Bud" Armstrong and challenger Nathan Rowell; and the property assessor will be selected among Andrew Graybeal, Jim Weaver and John Whitehead.
Both races have no opposition from other parties in the general election.
There are numerous other primaries in Knox County Commission races, including Democratic races in the 1st and 2nd districts, and Republican primaries in the 4th and 6th districts.
With a large field of presidential hopefuls, the Republican ballot also has a long list of delegates vying for votes to represent candidates at the national convention.
Davis cautioned that voters "really do need to look all the way through the ballot."
Though the Republican ballot is bigger, Knox County Democratic Party Chairman Cameron Brooks is urging his party's voter base to pull Democratic ballots. Knox County has a very deep base of Republican support overall.
"I believe that voters who vote in the Democratic primary will be selecting the next president of the United States," Brooks said, "whether it's Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton."
Davis estimated that 70 percent of the early votes have been on Republican ballots.
Results from early voting and absentee voting are expected to go online at 8 p.m. today on the Knox County Election Commission's website knoxcounty.org/election.
SHARE JOHN SHEARER/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL History Professor Beth Vandlandingham, center, with students Anna Connolly, left, and Gabrielle Lumpkin, views a Voting Rights Art exhibit recently at Carson-Newman University. The exhibit, We March With Selma, opened in January in the Appalachian Cultural Center on campus and runs through April 4.
By John Shearer of the Knoxville News Sentinel
JEFFERSON CITY Years of effort and sometimes slow progress were required before the landmark Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 ensuring all Americans equal and fair access to the voting booth.
A few months longer than expected were also required to put together a student-produced exhibit at Carson-Newman University about the passage of that law. But the result has also brought a similarly satisfying feeling for participants of hopefully aiding society, too, through a better understanding of and appreciation for that time.
"To be able to research how much people had to sacrifice, it was cool to meet all these people in history and to realize there was usually more to the story," said student participant Gabrielle Lumpkin of Sevier County. "And it's still relevant today."
The exhibit, "We March With Selma," which opened in January in the Appalachian Cultural Center on campus and runs through April 4, has received positive reviews for its detailed information and presentation quality. In fact, students and officials said they have been told it looks like an exhibit that might be found in a bigger museum.
"We've had older people come in and many of them just start crying, and younger people come in and they're appalled and astounded," said Carson-Newman history professor Beth Vanlandingham, the faculty coordinator of the project.
Vanlandingham, who grew up in northwestern Florida during the later years of the civil-rights struggle, said the idea for the exhibit came in 2014 during a senior-level history seminar she was teaching.
"Rather than write their own individual research paper that no one would ever read, they wanted to do a public history project and take what they had learned and take it to the public," Vanlandingham said.
With 2015's 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act passage and the famed Selma-to-Montgomery march, a decision was made to do an exhibit on that topic. The initial class envisioned some of the concepts, and subsequent classes followed through with putting the exhibit together.
Other departments and businesses also helped, and faculty members Susan O'Dell Underwood and Artress Bethany White contributed poems about the topic.
The project organizers had to cross their own proverbial bridge when popular Carson-Newman faculty member Jim Baumgardner died, and Vanlandingham had to devote additional time to picking up some of his course load.
But, like the marchers of old, she and the students plunged ahead with determination. Vanlandingham said the students wanted to focus on the ordinary people black and white who helped in the effort, and not just Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Also, an effort was made to focus on the student effort to secure the voting law, so some information was gathered on the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.
Students also tried to find photographs that have not been commonly used in history books and other media to offer a fresh look. On a lighter note, they occasionally had to improvise, such as when they bought a tire thumper at a truck stop to simulate a billy club and when they used a painted can of shaving cream to look like a tear-gas canister.
Among the numerous students who ended up working on the project were Lumpkin, who helped put together the "roll call" of mini-biographies, and Anna Connolly of Bristol, who wrote the gallery guide. Connolly tried to summarize such sections of the exhibit as the early voter registration efforts, the Birmingham church bombing, the Mississippi Freedom Summer, and the incidents that took place in Selma and the subsequent march to Montgomery to demand the passage of a voting rights law.
There is also some space in the exhibit devoted to recent racial conflicts and the Supreme Court decision that repealed some of the aspects of the Voting Rights Act.
For Connolly, not only was learning more about that time period enlightening, but working on the project also made her change her career goals from working as an editor/publisher to now wanting to get into museum studies.
"This helped give me a firm foundation for what to start off with," she said.
Lumpkin, meanwhile, said she hopes to become a civil-rights attorney.
While the exhibit was impactful to the students, Vanlandingham also hopes it is meaningful to those who visit the exhibit.
"The students wanted to convey what they had learned and bring some discussion about voting rights into the public arena here on campus and in the larger community," she said.
IF YOU GO
What: "We March With Selma," a student-produced exhibit on the Voting Rights Act
Where: Appalachian Cultural Center, Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City
Exhibit hours: 2-4 p.m. on Mondays; 9:30-10:30 a.m. and 3-4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays; 12:30-4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays; 9-11 a.m. on Thursdays; and 9-10:30 a.m. on Fridays.
Admission: Free; special group tours can be arranged.
More information: Call 865-471-3323.
Pellissippi State Community College student Kristy Hilliard studies inside the J.L. Goins Administration building at the college's Hardin Valley campus on Tuesday, February 4, 2014. Governor Bill Haslam proposed the "Tennessee Promise", a program that will provide two free years of community college or trade school for high school graduates. (SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL)
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By News Sentinel Staff
Students can tour multiple Tennessee colleges in one day thanks to the first statewide virtual college fair.
Tennessee Pathway Day will be held 2-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, and is designed to help incoming college students as well as transfer students, according to a news release.
During the event, students can live chat with representatives from Tennessee colleges and universities using their computers, tablets or smartphones. Participating colleges include Tennessee Board of Regents institutions, which are the state colleges and universities not in the University of Tennessee system, as well as private universities Lipscomb, Tennessee Wesleyan, Carson-Newman and Fisk universities.
"This is the first statewide college fair offered entirely online in Tennessee," Tristan Denley, TBR vice chancellor of academic affairs, said in the release. "It's an incredible opportunity for students to discover what opportunities are out there, whether looking at colleges close to them or across the state."
Students can ask questions and learn about scholarship opportunities as well as learn about the Tennessee Transfer Pathway, which helps students transfer from community college to a four-year institution by ensuring community college classes will transfer to a bachelor's degree program.
Interested students are asked to register at www.tnpathwayday.org.
After the event, college and university information will be available on the pathway day website until March 31.
LaTasha Dyer, left, talks about the October slaying of her 8-year-old daughter, MaKayla Dyer, who was shot to death by an 11-year-old neighbor while Beth Joslin Roth of Safe Tennessee Project listens Tuesday, March 1, 2016. The two encouraged lawmakers to support a bill to penalize adult gun owners who leave loaded weapons unlocked and accessible to children under age 13. (RICHARD LOCKER/NEWS SENTINEL)
By Richard Locker, locker@knoxnews.com
NASHVILLE - LaTasha Dyer, mother of an 8-year-old girl shot to death by an 11-year-old neighbor in October in Jefferson County, urged state lawmakers Tuesday to pass a bill to penalize adult gun owners who leave loaded guns unlocked and accessible if children under age 13 get them.
But the National Rifle Association's lobbyist, Erin Luper, told the Senate Judiciary Committee the NRA believes it's a gun owner's responsibility to safely store firearms and the state shouldn't impose a requirement on them with a criminal law.
The NRA's opposition set off a round of questioning in the committee, despite the testimony of a Middle Tennessee district attorney that existing reckless endangerment laws are difficult to prosecute in such cases. After the NRA's opposition, Sen. Sara Kyle, D-Memphis, the bill's sponsor, postponed further discussion in the committee for two weeks.
Moments earlier, LaTasha Dyer had spoken softly to the panel about the Oct. 3 shooting death of her daughter. "As a mom, I never thought I would outlive one of my children but last year my 8-year old daughter MaKayla Dyer was killed by our neighbor. She wouldn't show him our puppy. Our family is devastated by this avoidable tragedy," she said in support of the bill named MaKayla's Law after her daughter.
"If the gun had been simply locked away and not loaded, MaKayla would still be here," Dyer said. "We are so pleased that today state lawmakers are working to keep guns out of the hands of children. Please help me make sure MaKayla's horrible fate isn't shared by one more child."
Dyer said she would return to Nashville in two weeks to work again for the bill's passage but she may face an uphill battle in a committee with a 7-2 Republican majority, given the NRA's opposition.
MaKayla was killed near her home in White Pine, Tenn., east of Knoxville. A Jefferson County Juvenile Court judge found Benny Tiller, 11, delinquent by reason of first-degree murder in her death and ordered him held in state custody until age 19. No one else has been charged. Jefferson County authorities say she was killed by a shotgun blast to her chest after the boy got his father's 12-gauge shotgun and fired it through a window. She was outside with two other girls who were not hit.
LaTasha Dyer - previously identified by bill advocates as Tasha Patterson but who told reporters Tuesday her name is LaTasha Dyer - was joined by Kyle, who is sponsoring Senate Bill 2294, and Beth Joslin Roth, head of Safe Tennessee Project.
The bill would make it a violation for an adult gun owner to "recklessly place, leave or store in plain view and readily accessible to a child under 13" a gun "if the gun is left unattended," not under the owner's control and either contains ammunition or ammunition is in the immediate vicinity, unless the gun has a trigger lock or similar device or is in a locked container or cabinet only accessible to the owner or owner's spouse. The law could not apply retroactively to MaKayla's case or any other case before its effective date. Twenty-seven states have passed similar laws.
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.
It's election day
It's is Super Tuesday, primary day. Go vote if you haven't already. Knox County precincts are open 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
And if you are running up against a tight deadline, don't worry. Voters who are in line at 8 p.m. in polling locations will be able to vote.
Election parties
Since it is an election day in Tennessee, there are a few local election parties are planned. Republicans will start the gathering around 7:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza hotel, 401 West Summit Hill Drive. Democrats are meeting up at the Marriott hotel, 501 East Hill Ave., around the same time.
A permit militia
State Sen. Frank Niceley was proud of gun legislation he co-sponsored that would make carry permits cost less and renewal easier after the bill passed through a Tennessee General Assembly Senate subcommittee last week.
Niceley, whose 8th Senate District covers Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson and Union counties, is a well-known firearms supporter.
The proposed legislation makes various changes to handgun carry permits, including extending permit renewals to occur every eight years and lowering the initial application fee from $115 to $100.
And if someone can't afford $100 in a single gulp, then the payment can be spread out, he said. The legislation helps the approximately 500,000 gun permit holders across Tennessee, he said.
"That pretty a good sized army, or militia a permit militia," Niceley said.
The bill lowers the fee and removes the current requirement that it go to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for updating and maintaining that agency's fingerprint criminal history database.
The bill has been placed on the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee's calendar for today.
The Klan
Over the weekend Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump received, and then eventually disavowed, an endorsement from David Duke, a former Louisiana legislator, white nationalist and former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard.
The delay in Trump's renouncement of the endorsement was enough for Tennessee state Rep. Eddie Smith, R-Knoxville, though he never backed Trump anyway.
Smith had already voted for Marco Rubio, but that link to the Ku Klux Klan was something that he couldn't take for the GOP.
"The KKK does not support anything that the Republican party stands for," Smith said.
Staying out
State Sen. Richard Briggs wouldn't predict the outcome of Tennessee's GOP presidential primary. He was on Jeb Bush's team before that campaign folded.
"I'm not ever sure on these Republican primaries that I've picked a winner," he said.
UT Martin coach gets a shot at Vols after watching son lose in Neyland chaos
After watching son Ty Simpson and Alabama lose to Tennessee football in epic game, UT Martin coach Jason Simpson returns to Neyland to face Vols.
As we go to the polls today, we may remember that day 97 years ago when women in our city voted for the first time, on Sept. 6, 1919. It was during the mayor's race in which incumbent John E. McMillan was challenged by E.W. Neal. McMillan had been elected for two two-year terms in 1915 and 1917. Both candidates courted the female vote.
The city was 128 years old and had experienced scores of elections, but women had not been a part of the process. Even after a dinner party when men began to discuss politics, women were expected to retire to another room to talk about more "feminine" issues. Even when they began to form organizations for the betterment of society, their motives were suspect.
When Knoxville's leading women's community advocacy group, the Non Partisan League, was organized, men were not sure what to make of it and its "meddlesome" women. Its president, Mrs. Thomas Peacock Miller, said, "I was surprised yesterday when a woman told me that we have been accused of being a political machine. I told her that the league was organized May 9 before we were even sure we could vote."
Miller said the sole purpose of the Non Partisan League was for the betterment of conditions in Knoxville.
Local columnist Elizabeth Thompson espoused that sentiment when she wrote: "It must be made possible for a girl to walk our streets, attending to her own affairs without some ugly remarks being made to her. It must be made impossible for some 'smart aleck' in an auto to drive by slowly along the curb and invite a strange girl to ride with him. A good, strong organization of women working together and causing a few prosecutions of 'mashers' will help a lot."
Regardless of its primary motives, when the right to vote came, the league was skilled in organizing voter registration, getting poll taxes paid and getting people to vote. Efforts like that led to the formation of the League of Women Voters a year later in 1920 and the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified Aug. 18, 1920. It read: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
That amendment came 72 years after the first Women's Rights Convention in Senecca Falls, New York, in 1848. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869. Later, Josephine St. Pierre, Mary Church Terrell and Anna Cooper formed the National Association of Colored Women. All advocated for the national right to vote.
Here in the Knoxville mayor's race of 1919, both candidates vigorously sought the female vote. In his invitation to a rally at the Market House, McMillan said, "Good people to hear the truth the good women are especially invited. One entire section of the seats on the main floor of the hall will be reserved for the ladies and their escorts."
Neal said, "Good women, Neal takes a bold stand in favor of putting all the principals, supervisors and teachers of the public schools under Civil Service. This would protect them from removal just as firemen and policemen are protected."
The Non Partisan League reported that nearly 7,000 women had registered to vote along with 11,500 men. Opinion polls did not exist then, so nobody knew how women would vote. Pundits after the election surmised the vote between the candidates to be about evenly split. Neal won by 500 votes.
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A recent letter writer tries to make the point that "Republicans wanting to wait until after the election to confirm a new Supreme Court justice is pure partisan politics of the worst sort." He does this by presenting a litany of examples where presidents in their final year in office nominated justices for the Supreme Court.
The problem with this argument is that it was the Democrats who established the precedent of confirming Supreme Court justices solely on partisan issues when they rejected the nomination of Robert Bork. Sen. Edward Kennedy set the tone for the confirmation hearings with his proclamation that "Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, and schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution." None of Kennedy's sensational demagoguery had anything to do with Bork's judicial qualifications. They are all purely partisan rants. The attack on Bork was so crass that it resulted in the addition of a new word to the English language, "borked." The Oxford English Dictionary defines "borked" as "to defame or vilify a person systematically."
Tom Goldstein, publisher of SCOTUSblog, which covers the Supreme Court, said, "The (Bork) nomination changed everything, maybe forever." So it was the Democrats who changed the precedent on how Supreme Court nominations are treated in the Senate, and people like the letter writer are complaining about the rules established by their own political party.
John Shaw, Powell
Roane County High School students, from left, Ethan Argus, Justin Adams, John Edgar and Chris Angros check out a mechatronics device used in manufacturing during Roane State Community College's "Leap Day" on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Clinton. (BOB FOWLER/NEWS SENTINEL)
SHARE Mechatronics student Zachary Boor uses a dimmer switch to activate a lamp during a Leap Day demonstration Monday on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, at the Roane State Community College Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility in Clinton. (BOB FOWLER/NEWS SENTINEL) Students and instructors gather around one of the high-tech devices used in manufacturing that were on display on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, at the Roane State Community College Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility in Clinton. (BOB FOWLER/NEWS SENTINEL) With a robotic arm behind a plastic protective window, mechatronics program director Gordon Williams helps Roane County High School student Jamie Martin use the controls for the device on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, at the Roane State Community College Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility in Clinton. (BOB FOWLER/NEWS SENTINEL)
By Bob Fowler, fowlerb@knoxnews.com
CLINTON A community college chose Monday's "Leap Day" the additional day tacked onto February once every four years to celebrate its LEAP Grant.
That $970,000 state Labor Education Alignment Program grant was received by Roane State Community College last year, and it's been put to use at the college's Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility.
The facility is located in a former National Guard Army next to the Anderson County Fairgrounds off Charles Seivers Boulevard.
Amid the din of high-tech machines on display and in action, students from Clinton and Roane County high schools got up-close views of what officials say could be promising futures in well-paying jobs in local factories.
"Leap Day" was an opportunity for Roane State officials to showcase the training equipment funded by the grant, intended to close skill gaps in the state's workforce by aligning educational training with industrial needs.
The grant helped the college expand its program in mechatronics the name given for knowledge of a variety of engineering skills for an assortment of machines electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic and the computers that control them.
Today's modern factories use many robotic machines, and officials said those versed in mechatronics are in demand as the technicians that program the machines, keep them running and update them.
Local auto parts manufacturers such as SL Tennessee and AISIN of Tennessee are always on the lookout for skilled machine operators, said Gordon F. Williams, the mechatronics program director.
"If you enjoy hands-on learning and high-tech equipment, mechatronics is a program you will want to explore," he said.
"I'm seeking a good-paying job at a young age," said Clinton High senior Caleb Arwood, who is in a special dual-credit program that allows high school students to obtain certification in mechatronics.
Roane State also offers a two-year associate degree in mechatronics.
Zachary Boor, a Roane State student helping out at Monday's event, said with his plan to continue training, "I'll be able to repair or reprogram robots" at a local factory.
"These are very promising jobs, from what I've been told," he said. "I'll have a lot of jobs waiting for me, and a lot of internships."
Mercedes-Benz S350 / Korea Times file
By Ko Dong-hwan, Park Si-soo
The government has banned Mercedes-Benz Korea from selling four of its S-Class models after the company made an error while reporting the transmissions installed in the vehicles to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The German carmaker said that this was a "minor mistake." Nevertheless, the transport ministry is considering filing a complaint against the company with the prosecution.
Ministry officials didn't specify how long the ban will be imposed. They said that the ban will be in place until the issue is "settled completely."
According to news reports, Mercedes-Benz Korea recently reported that four of its S-Class models S350 d, S350 d 4Matic, S350 d L and S350 d 4Matic L are equipped with the nine-speed transmissions, not seven-speed, as reported to the ministry, which constitutes a violation of the government certification process required for all imported automobiles.
The company reported the error to the ministry last month. An estimated 100 vehicles with the 9-speed transmission have been sold.
The ministry will soon begin an investigation to confirm the details of the case and determine whether to file a complaint against Mercedes-Benz Korea CEO Dimitris Psillakis.
Under the law, car importers are required to report the mechanical details of all vehicles they import to the transportation ministry. CEOs of firms that fail to provide accurate information can be held responsible and face up to a year in prison or pay a 10 million won ($8,000) fine.
By Choi Sung-jin
Korea's per capita GDP is approaching that of Japan, a private think tank said Tuesday.
The figure fell last year for the first time since the 2008 global financial crisis, but that of Japan has fallen sharply for three consecutive years, it said.
According to the Hyundai Research Institute, Korea's per capita GDP was $27,226 last year, 84 percent of Japan's $32,432. The difference between the two countries narrowed to $5,200. It was the first time the gap has reduced to the 10-percent range since the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released related statistics in 1981, it said.
The think tank affiliated with the Hyundai Group estimated per capita GDP based on factors such as the foreign exchange rate (1,132 won per dollar), population (56 million) and GDP deflator (2.4 percent). Korea's per capita GDP last year dropped 2.6 percent from 2014, for the first time since it recorded falls of 11.4 percent in 2008 and 10.4 percent in 2009.
As recently as 2012, Japan's per capita GDP, at $46,683, was nearly twice Korea's. It has since fallen 17.2 percent to $38,633 in 2013, 6.2 percent to $36,222 in 2014 and 10.5 percent to $32,432 last year.
The biggest reason is the Japanese currency's weakness, which saw the yen fall from 79.79 per dollar in 2012 to 97.6 in 2013, 105.84 in 2014 and 121.02 last year. "Korea's higher nominal economic growth rate than Japan's and the yen's accelerated fall have combined to narrow the gap in per capita GDP," said Ju Won, a senior fellow at the think tank.
In 1981, Korea's per capita GDP was $1,870, less than a fifth of Japan's $10,217, but Korea kept narrowing the gap to a quarter of Japan's in 1993, and to a third in 1996. In 2005, Korea came closer to 52 percent of Japan and has further reduced the gap to the 10-percent range in the course of recovering from the global financial crisis.
With Korea's per capita GDP estimated to top $30,000 next year, at stake now is whether and when the nation will be able to catch up with its former colonizer in per capita GDP. The IMF estimates Korea's GDP to grow to $32,178 in 2018, $34,268 in 2019 and $36,750 in 2020. Japan's per capita GDP is expected to grow more slowly than Korea's, to $34,486 next year and to $35,450, $36,759 and $38,174 in the following three years. By 2020, Korea will reach 96 percent of Japan in per capita GDP, the IMF estimated.
"That means if Korea's economy continues to grow faster than Japan's and the yen remains weak, Korea's per capita GDP could exceed Japan's in the not so distant future," Ju said. "It can be quite meaningful because per capita GDP shows a country's income level."
Meanwhile, the per capita GDP of the United States, which stands at $55,759 this year, is expected to grow to $67,064 by 2020. China, whose per capita GDP stands at $7,847, will see it jump to $12,117 in 2020. India's GDP is also expected to increase from $1,688 to $2,500 over the period.
By Lee Hyo-sik
Shin Dong-bin Shin Dong-joo
Lotte Group has long been known as one of the stingiest family-controlled conglomerates when it comes to how Korea's fifth-largest business group compensates its employees. Compared to their counterparts at Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK and LG, Lotte executives and employees are said to receive lower wages and fewer benefits, while working longer hours.
This employee-unfriendly compensation scheme is largely attributed to Lotte's opaque governance structure and owner-centered corporate culture, according to chaebol insiders, who say group founder Shin Kyuk-ho and his offspring can bypass anything to do whatever they want to.
However, things have begun changing since the unprecedented sibling feud between Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and his older brother Dong-joo, former vice chairman of Lotte Holdings in Japan, erupted over control of the group.
In a bid to appease increasingly disgruntled employees and bolster their morale amid the prolonged managerial infighting between the group founder's two sons, Lotte has been taking various steps to boost workers welfare.
The group said Sunday that it will provide company vehicles, either Hyundai Motor's Grandeur sedan or Kia Motors' K7 sedan, to some 530 managing director-level executives. So far, senior vice presidents or CEOs have been given the vehicles for business use.
The country's major business groups, such as Samsung and Hyundai Motor, have long been paying for vehicles used by their executives, including entry-level managing directors.
"We will provide all managing directors with company-paid cars through our newly-acquired Lotte Rental," a group official said. "This will help improve welfare for our hardworking executives and boost their morale."
Lotte also said it will open eight more daycare centers at its affiliates in the first half of the year. The group currently runs seven facilities in which employees can leave their children for free of charge while working.
In January, the group introduced a flexible work system in which employees can choose work hours at their discretions as long as they spend eight hours in office.
It also offers a credit card to its workers through which they can get discounts when making purchases at Lotte Department Store and other Lotte retailers.
A public relations official at one of Korea's large business groups said Lotte's employee-friendly measures are a surprise to him.
"Lotte is stingy in all aspects as far as I know. It is all too surprising to hear that the group is beginning to treat its workers better," said the official, who declined to be named. "Everybody knows that Lotte's employee-friendly steps have been introduced since the sibling dispute began early last year. And they are solely aimed to garner support from workers for Chairman Dong-bin is his fight against Dong-joo."
However, the group official dismissed the correlation between improving employee benefits and the ongoing sibling feud.
"The group has long been planning a range of measures to boost employee welfare. It has nothing to do with the managerial dispute," he said.
By Lee Hyo-sik
Dimitris Psillakis
Mercedes-Benz Korea, headed by CEO Dimitris Psillakis, may face a prosecution investigation for selling unregistered vehicles, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Sunday.
The ministry said it has suspended the sale of Mercedes-Benz's four S350 diesel models after the carmaker was found to have sold the vehicles with a nine-speed transmission without registering them with the authorities.
The controversial S-Class models are the S350 d, S350 d 4Matic, S350 d L and S350 d 4Matic L.
The company had reported that it was only importing and selling the cars equipped with a seven-speed transmission called the 7G-Tronic.
"Mercedes-Benz Korea notified us that it inadvertently sold the 9G-Tronic transmission-installed S350 diesel vehicles," a ministry official said. "The company said it did not know the cars had that type of transmission. We will find out what really happened and then take appropriate actions."
He said the ministry will decide whether to refer the case to the prosecution after concluding its probe.
By Yoon Ja-young
Foreign investors in Seoul stocks will get over 5.7 trillion won ($4.6 billion) in dividends for 2015. The government has been encouraging businesses to expand dividends on expectations that the money will flow into households, but the policy doesn't seem to be of much benefit to individual investors.
FnGuide, a financial market information provider, released a report Tuesday after analyzing corporate filings of 748 companies regarding payout plans. These companies, which close their books in December, are scheduled to pay a combined 15.8 trillion won in dividends from their earnings last year.
Among them, foreigners will get 5.7 trillion won, or 36.4 percent of the total. On the main KOSPI bourse, the payout totaled 14.9 trillion won. Foreign investors will get 37.9 percent of the dividends, which is higher than their market cap of 32.2 percent. In the junior, tech-heavy Kosdaq market, meanwhile, 11.2 percent of the 883.5 billion won in dividends will head to foreign investors. They hold 9.9 percent of the market cap.
They are getting more dividends compared with their market cap, thanks to their investment pattern in which companies with high dividend payout ratios are preferred.
However, the data is triggering questions about the government's policy regarding dividends. It has been inducing businesses to expand payouts, including giving tax benefits, in expectations that the money will flow into the household sector to boost consumption and spur growth.
Moon Jung-hiu, an economist at KB Investment and Securities, said, "It is doubtful whether the payouts will notably increase household income," pointing out that individual investors have only small stakes in conglomerates.
Samsung Electronics is scheduled to pay 1.6 trillion won in dividends to foreign shareholders, who hold 49.5 percent stake in the company. Shinhan Financial, where foreigners hold 65.6 percent of the stock, followed in the dividends list, paying foreign investors 376 billion won.
Hyundai Motor, SK Telecom, KB Financial, POSCO, and KT&G are also paying over 200 billion won each to foreign shareholders.
Increasing dividends may not be a cure-all. "Dividends are paid from corporate earnings, which are also used for facility investment and paying back loans," said Lee Han-deuk, a senior researcher at LG Economic Research Institute, in a report.
He added that using corporate earnings for profitable investment opportunities instead of paying out dividends may be better for shareholder value as well since they can gain from rising share prices instead of dividends.
Still, most analysts agree that Korea's dividend payout ratio is still low compared with other economies. It stands at around 20 percent, which is 20 percentage points lower than other Asian countries.
By Nam Hyun-woo
Korea's exports have dropped by more than 12 percent from a year earlier.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Tuesday that Korea's total outbound shipments stood at $36.4 billion in February, shrinking 12.2 percent year-on-year. With this number, the country extended its losing streak in exports for 14 straight months, replacing the previous record of 13 months from March 2001 to March 2002.
Since January last year, the country's monthly exports tally has been plunging. After sharp decreases in August and October, exports briefly showed signs of recovery with only a 4.7 percent decline, but tumbled again in December with a 13.8 percent drop, January with 18.8 percent and a 12.2 drop percent in February. January's 18.8 percent drop was the largest drop since August 2009 with 20.9 percent.
Improvements in computer (6.2 percent), wireless devices (2.8 percent) and machinery (2.4 percent) contributed into narrowing the February decline from January, but failed to offset decreases in ships (-46.0 percent), petrochemical products (-26.9 percent), cars (-9.3 percent), semiconductors (-12.6 percent) and flat panel (-22.1 percent).
Organic light-emitting diodes and cosmetic products each showed a 29.7 percent and a 22.4 percent increase from last year, but solid state drives recorded a 4.4 percent decline.
The ministry said that the decline in exports was mainly due to "rising uncertainties, low oil prices and a slow Chinese economy," adding that such a trend will likely continue until the first half of this year, weighing down the Korean economy.
The timid outlook has cast a cloud over the government's stated goal of 3.1 percent growth with the aim of reaching $1trillion in foreign trade by the end of this year.
As the global economy is forecast to remain bleak for now, voices are growing that Korea should identify the cause from the inside and not blame external factors.
"This is the time to review the government's economic policy," said Kim Chang-bae, research fellow at Korea Economic Research Institute. "Of course external factors have not been favorable in recent years, but the country needs to examine internal factors rather than attribute the plummet to external factors."
According to Kim, every economy sees a new industry emerging as a new growth engine every 10 to 15 years. However, the Korean economy has been slow in acclimatizing itself to the ever-changing environment and is heavily relying on traditional core businesses, such as shipbuilding, cars and semiconductors.
"It is true that the domestic slump was attributed to harsh global economic conditions, but the country should have sought a way out of it by looking into its companies' competitiveness," Kim said. "For that, the government had to come up with proper policies allowing companies to renovate themselves, or at least compensate them through various ways such as manipulating the currency rate."
Kim added that expanding trade with Middle Eastern countries is an option for breakthrough. "The demand from existing markets will decrease down the road, so companies need to turn their attention to Middle Eastern countries. Iran, in particular, is an indispensible trade partner."
According to ministry data, exports to the European Union and the United States rose 5 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively, while shipments to China declined 12.9 percent.
The data showed that imports also dropped 14.6 percent to $29 billion in February, extending its losing streak for 14 consecutive months. Korea's trade surplus stood at $7.4 billion, posting a trade surplus for 46 straight months.
President Park Geun-hye vowed Tuesday to put pressure on North Korea unless Pyongyang abandons its nuclear program and ends its provocative behavior.
"We and the international community will continue to put pressure on North Korea unless the North shows its commitment to denuclearization... though our government will not shut the door for dialogue," Park said in a televised speech marking the 97th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement.
The Independence Movement on March 1, 1919 paved the way for Korea's independence from Japanese colonial rule, which lasted from 1910-45.
Park said South Korea and the international community should make North Korea recognize that its nuclear weapons cannot "maintain its regime" and are "meaningless."
Last month, Park warned that North Korea's nuclear program "will only hasten its collapse." It marked the first time that she Park has mentioned a regime collapse.
The North has repeatedly pledged to boost its nuclear capability, viewing its nuclear program as a powerful deterrent against what it claims is Washington's hostile policy towards it.
Park said a draft U.N. Security Council resolution on North Korea represents the stern will of the international community to make North Korea pay the price for its recent provocations.
Her comments came as the council faces a last-minute hurdle in adopting a resolution meant to punish North Korea for conducting a fourth nuclear test and launching long-range missile.
Russia has yet to give its consent to the draft resolution worked out between the United States and China on the grounds that it needs time to review the proposed resolution.
Winning Russian support is a must for the resolution's adoption as Moscow is one of the five permanent veto-wielding members of the council. The four other council members -- the U.S., China, Britain and France -- endorsed the text.
The draft resolution requires U.N. member countries to inspect all cargo going in and out of North Korea. It also bans the North's exports of coal, iron and other mineral resources, a key source of hard currency that accounts for nearly half of the country's total exports.
Still, it remains unclear whether the new resolution would make any difference in North Korea, which it claims has been under sanctions for decades.
North Korea has already been under U.N. sanctions for its three previous nuclear tests, with one each in 2006, 2009 and 2013, though they have failed to deter North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
Touching on Japan, Park called on Tokyo to faithfully implement the terms of December's landmark deal on resolving the issue of the Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II.
Under the December pact, Japan formally apologized for its past actions and offered 1 billion yen ($8.29 million) in reparations. South Korea agreed to end the dispute once and for all if Japan fully implements the deal.
Park vowed to make the utmost efforts to help victims restore their honor and heal their scars. She also promised to expand substantial assistance to victims, though she did not elaborate.
South Korean victims are dying off. In 2007, more than 120 known South Korean victims were alive, but the number has since dropped to 44, with their average age standing at 89.
Japan has recently denied the forced nature of its military's sex slavery of Asian women during World War II in a written answer to questions from a U.N. committee.
Historians estimate that more than 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced to work in front-line brothels for the Japanese military during the war. Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910-45.
In Geneva, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the "faithful implementation" of the landmark agreement between South Korea and Japan.
The December deal "highlights the need to address the pain of the victims, no matter how many years have passed," Ban said at a high-level panel discussion at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, according to a transcript of his speech posted on the U.N. website.
"I hope the faithful implementation of the agreement, guided by the recommendations of U.N. Human Rights mechanisms, will help such wounds to be healed," he said. (Yonhap)
A crowd of visitors are gathered at Gyeongbokgung Palace during one of the palace's evening openings in this May 2013 file photo. /Korea Times file
By Kwon Ji-youn
Royal palaces in Seoul will be open in the evenings from today.
Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace will remain open from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. through April 4.
This year, the areas open to evening visitors will be expanded to include Sajeongjeon Hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace, where the king routinely discussed national affairs with court officials; Gangnyeongjeon Hall, the king's sleeping quarters, and Gyotaejeon Hall, the queen's living quarters.
Each palace will allow 2,500 visitors an evening to tour the grounds, and entrance will be barred from 9 p.m. The National Palace Museum of Korea has also extended hours during this period.
A night view of Gyeongbokgung Palace /Korea Times file
Visitors can purchase up to four tickets each. Tickets cost 3,000 won for Gyeongbokgung Palace and 1,000 won for Changdeokgung Palace. They can be bought online through Auction and Interpark. Those over 65 can buy tickets over the phone.
Gyeongbokgung, however, will be closed on Tuesdays and Changdeokgung on Mondays.
By Kang Seung-woo
The military will develop robots to detect and remove mines in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
"We will embark on the development project from 2017," a military official said Thursday. "The demining robots will be used in rear-areas operations, including handling explosives as well as removing landmines buried in the DMZ."
About 170 robots will be put into operation in the early 2020s, and the budget for the development is estimated to be less than 500 billion won ($431 million).
The project comes after two South Korean soldiers patrolling the DMZ were severely wounded by a North Korean landmine attack on Aug. 4 that pushed South and North Korea to the brink of a military confrontation across the border.
Meanwhile, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Wednesday the military will develop 100 unmanned vehicles for DMZ search operations.
Jennifer Linley Taylor, the granddaughter of Albert Taylor who let the world know about the March 1 Independence Movement in 1919, shows the book, "Chain of Amber," written by her grandmother about her experiences in Korea, at Seoul City Hall, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Kim Se-jeong
By Kim Se-jeong
Jennifer Linley Taylor, 57, from California, was one of 33 people who rang the bell at Bosingak in Seoul to celebrate the March 1 Independence Movement Day, Tuesday.
Her grandfather was Albert Taylor (1875-1948), who was a correspondent for the Associated Press in 1919 and reported the story about the movement to the world.
"I feel honored to be able to participate in the bell ringing ceremony," she told The Korea Times in an interview at Seoul City Hall.
The bell ceremony was only a part of her visit to Korea. "My father died in April last year, and I wanted to be in Korea where he was born for his birthday," she said.
Her grandfather found a document of the Declaration of Independence in the bed clothes of his son, Bruce, who was born on Feb. 28, 1919, a day before the Koreans staged the massive independence movement against Japanese colonial rule.
"Patriots were in the basement of the Severance Hospital printing the declaration," she said. "My father was born in this hospital. So this is where my grandfather came to see his son. In between, the Japanese raided the hospital. One of the nurses grabbed the document and went up to the room because it was extra territoriality on account of my grandmother being British. She put the paper in the baby's bed clothes to hide it. He (her grandfather) picked up the baby and the paper fell out."
Her grandfather ran to his office near where the Westin Chosun Hotel is now and gave the document to his brother, who "put it in his shoe and went to Japan to cable the news."
Albert Taylor stayed in Korea until 1942 when he was expelled. He was one of the few who wrote about the independence movement, and was even jailed for it. What had happened on Feb. 28, 1919, is also written in her grandmother's book, "Chain of Amber," published in the U.S. in 1992. The book was published in Korean last year as well.
Jennifer Taylor will donate 349 belongings of her grandparents to Seoul City. The items include Albert Taylor's letters to his mother-in-law in Britain about the independence movement and the new-born baby; portraits of the couple's Korean friends drawn by her grandmother, who was an artist; and boat tickets back to the U.S. The idea of donating the items came from her Korean friend, and "it took two seconds for me to say yes."
The items will be on display at Dilkusha, the house in Jongno district where her grandparents used to live. Dilkusha means a palace of heart's delight in Sanskrit. "My grandma named the house," her granddaughter said.
The two-story red brick building will be restored as a cultural heritage and be open to the public in 2019. The house is dilapidated and homeless people have illegally occupied it, with 23 people currently living there.
She said she is happy about Dilkusha's restoration, "but, I am concerned about the people living there. If the government relocates them to a new, clean environment, that's going be good for them."
As an artist, she said she is hoping to make the story into a feature film.
By Choi Sung-jin
Korea's middle and high school students think the most urgent problem between Korea and Japan is the "comfort women" issue, a survey showed Monday.
According to an opinion poll of 218 students by a uniform maker, Hyungji, 54.1 percent of secondary school students cited the sex-slavery issue as the problem awaiting the most urgent solution. Moreover, 84.9 percent think the recent agreement between Seoul and Tokyo on comfort women was wrong.
As to the reason for thinking so, 40.5 percent said it was closer to an accord for politicians, not the suffering "grandmothers;" 23.2 percent said officials conducted negotiations without sufficient dialogue with the victims; and 21.6 percent said Japan is still denying the coerciveness in recruiting comfort women.
As the next urgent bilateral problems, the students cited sovereignty over Dokdo (20.6 percent) and history textbooks (20.2 percent), the survey said.
Citizens reenact the March 1 Independence Movement in 1919 at the Seodaemun Prison History Hall in Seoul, Tuesday.
/ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Kim Se-jeong
Civic groups called for the nullification of a Korea-Japan verbal agreement over victims of sexual slavery during World War II at various events nationwide to commemorate the March 1 Independence Movement Day, Tuesday.
In one event organized by the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, booths were set up near Cheonggye Stream to present arts and crafts, brochures, music and performances related to the issue.
"Commemorating the Independence Movement Day, a day of protest for independence and peace, we reaffirm our determination to fight Japan's history distortions and restore the sexual slavery victims' honor," the group said in a statement.
The participants denounced both the Korean and Japanese governments over the agreement made on Dec. 28, according to which the issue of sexual slavery would be resolved finally and irreversibly with Japan funding the care of the victims.
"What the victims have requested for decades was not the 1 billion yen funding but Japan's official apology and legal reparations," they said.
Activists and citizens also walked to Insa-dong near the Japanese Embassy. In Insa-dong and on streets in Jongno, activists invited citizen to a street performance as part of an awareness campaign.
In 24 places outside Seoul, similar events took place.
In Busan and Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, citizens celebrated the placing of new statues of a girl, the symbol of the victims of sexual slavery.
Meanwhile, civic groups and local governments organized activities in celebration of the Independence Movement.
In Seoul, 333 people reenacted the Independence Movement of 1919 at Deoksu Palace, reading out loud the Declaration of Independence. The palace is where the king of the Joseon Kingdom was forced to sign a treaty in 1905 through which Japan deprived Joseon of its diplomatic rights.
Citizens dressed in traditional outfits and Japanese police outfits also marched and reenacted the 1919 movement at Seodaemun Prison History Hall. The Gangbuk district office invited people to speak out loud for Korea's independence.
In Incheon, the subway operator introduced trains decorated with photos of independence fighters and the Taegeukgi.
A University of Bristol professor is one of three neuroscientists who today won the worlds most valuable prize for brain research, for their outstanding work on the mechanisms of memory.
Professor Graham Collingridge from the University of Bristol, Professor Tim Bliss of University College London, and Professor Richard Morris from the University of Edinburgh, are this years winners of The Brain Prize, which is regarded as the most prestigious award in neuroscience.
Worth one million Euros, The Brain Prize is awarded annually by the Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation in Denmark. It recognises one or more scientists who have distinguished themselves by an outstanding contribution to neuroscience.
The research by Professors Collingridge, Bliss and Morris focused on a brain mechanism known as Long-Term Potentiation (LTP), which underpins the life-long plasticity of the brain. Their discoveries have revolutionised our understanding of how memories are formed, retained and lost.
The three neuroscientists have independently and collectively shown how the connections the synapses between brain cells in the hippocampus (a structure vital for the formation of new memories) can be strengthened through repeated stimulation. LTP is so-called because it can persist indefinitely. Their work has revealed some of the basic mechanisms behind the phenomenon and has shown that LTP is the basis for our ability to learn and remember.
Sir Colin Blakemore, chairman of the selection committee said: Memory is at the heart of human experience. This years winners, through their ground-breaking research, have transformed our understanding of memory and learning, and the devastating effects of failing memory.
Without the capacity to store information in our brains, we could not remember our past and would be incapable of planning our future. Without memory, we could not recognise other people, find our way around in the world or make decisions based on past evidence. We could not learn language, ride a bicycle, drive a car, or use a smart phone. There could be no education, no literature or art.
Professor Collingridge, who works at the University of Bristol School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, said: I am delighted to share this award. Working on the cellular mechanisms of learning and memory has been both richly challenging and intensely rewarding for me. I am really excited about now translating discoveries about LTP into new treatments for dementia.
The strength of the connections between neurons in the brain the synapses can change in response to experience. LTP exemplifies this inherent plasticity, which underlies the brains remarkable capacity to reorganise itself, at least to some extent, after damage such as a stroke or after the loss of normal input, as in blindness.
Conversely, deficits and disorders in the capacity to alter synaptic strength appear to be involved in many brain-related conditions affecting millions of people around the world, including autism, schizophrenia, stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, epilepsy and addiction. New and emerging knowledge of the role of LTP will help guide the way to improving treatments.
Professor Collingridge developed and applied techniques to identify several of the key molecules responsible for LTP. He is particularly known for discovering the role of the so-called NMDA receptor in the induction of LTP. The NMDA receptor is a protein in the brain that is important for communication amongst nerve cells.
Professors Bliss, Collingridge and Morris will share the prize of one million Euros, which will be presented to them at a ceremony on July 1 in Copenhagen by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.
The award to three UK neuroscientists testifies to the strong and sustained support that the UK funding bodies, particularly the Medical Research Council, have given to their research over the past three decades.
President Park Geun-hye speaks about North Korea at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, Tuesday, during a ceremony marking the 97th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement. / Yonhap
President urges Japan to fulfill sex slavery agreement
By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that South Korea and the international community will continue to put greater pressure on North Korea unless it abandons its nuclear weapons program.
"As long as the North does not show its commitment to denuclearization and refuses to change, we and the international community will continue to put pressure on the country," stated Park during a speech marking the 97th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement.
She said her administration will aim to make North Korea have no choice but to abandon its nuclear program.
"Now, the ball is in the North's court," she said.
Park said that the North has concentrated all its efforts on developing nuclear weapons, but that this pursuit cannot help to maintain its regime and is, ultimately, meaningless.
"Unless we keep the North, which repeats reckless provocations, in check, it will continue to carry out a fifth and sixth nuclear test, which will threaten stability in Northeast Asia and world peace."
To punish the Kim Jong-un regime for its Jan. 6 nuclear test and Feb. 7 long-range rocket launch, the United Nations Security Council issued a draft resolution last week that will impose the harshest sanctions yet on the North, which is scheduled to be put to a vote at 5:00 a.m., Wednesday (KST).
Following the North's string of military provocations, the Park government has adopted a hard-line stance on the repressive state, apparently departing from her administration's trust-building process on the Korean Peninsula, based on inter-Korean dialogue.
However, the President raised the need for peaceful unification between the two Koreas in order to stop the North's nuclear development and defuse tensions on the peninsula.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Monday for the "faithful implementation" of a landmark agreement between South Korea and Japan on resolving the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.
Ban made the remark during a high-level panel discussion at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, referring to the December deal between Seoul and Tokyo that centers on Japan's admission of responsibility for the wartime crime and plans to pay reparations to the victims.
"The agreement last December between Japan and the Republic of Korea on the so-called 'comfort women' subjected to tremendous suffering during the Second World War highlights the need to address the pain of the victims, no matter how many years have passed," Ban said, according to a transcript of his speech posted on the U.N. website.
"I hope the faithful implementation of the agreement, guided by the recommendations of U.N. Human Rights mechanisms, will help such wounds to be healed," he said.
The deal removes the biggest thorn in relations between Seoul and Tokyo, and offers hope not only for greater cooperation between the two neighbors, but also for significant progress in U.S. efforts to forge stronger security cooperation with the two allies in a region marked by a rising China.
Ban also called for greater efforts to improve the human rights situation in North Korea.
"In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, systematic and widespread human rights violations have been vividly documented by the Commission of Inquiry and highlighted by the High Commissioner for Human Rights in a briefing to the Security Council last December," he said.
"The United Nations system must continue to work with the Governments of all States that routinely deny human rights, to address these challenges," he said. (Yonhap)
NEW YORK (Yonhap) -- The U.N. Security Council could adopt a resolution this week for sanctions on North Korea for its recent provocations, a South Korean official said Monday.
The council is set to vote on the resolution at 3 p.m. on Tuesday (5:00 a.m. Korean time on Wednesday), said an official at the South Korean mission to the U.N., adding that a draft resolution was circulated among council members.
The official also said Russia and 14 other members of the council endorse the text, a move that suggest that the council can unanimously adopt the resolution.
Russia had put a last-minute hold on it, saying it needs time to review the proposed resolution that was worked out between the United States and China.
Yun Byung-se
By Yi Whan-woo
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will address a U.N. conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday concerning North Korea's dire human rights record. Pyongyang's top diplomat Ri Su-yong will also attend.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that Yun left for Geneva on Tuesday, to deliver a keynote speech at the 31st session of the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The annual session began on Feb. 29 and will focus on the state of human rights worldwide, including North Korea, Syria and Iran. It will run through March 24.
Diplomatic sources said that Yun will call for stronger action to be taken against North Korea's state-perpetrated human rights violations in conjunction with the envisioned U.N. resolution.
Drafted by the United States and China, the U.N. resolution proposes expanding economic sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime for defying the U.N. and recently carrying out a nuclear test and launching a long-range rocket.
Ri is expected to join Yun's UNHRC speech after speaking before the council at a separate session scheduled for Tuesday.
North Korea has denied U.N. accusations that its leadership has been running political prison camps where up to 120,000 people are thought be detained, tortured and executed while those outside the camps are left in extreme poverty and starvation.
Instead, the repressive regime has argued that the U.S. is behind "malicious slandering" concerning its human rights record. It also claimed that it needs nuclear weapons for its self-defense against the U.S. and its allies.
Meanwhile, Yun is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the Conference on Disarmament early Wednesday before joining the UNHRC.
The conference, also a U.N. members meeting, is concurrently taking place besides the UNHRC session from Feb. 29 to March 4. Its primary concern is cessation of the nuclear arms race and prevention of nuclear war.
Yun is expected to address threats posed by North Korea's nukes and ballistic missiles and will urge the international community to bolster efforts for non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. Ri will not attend the disarmament meeting.
It is speculated Yun will not address issues related to Japan's sexual enslavement of the Korean women before and during World War II at the UNHRC.
Korea and Japan agreed not to bring up Tokyo's wartime sex slavery in the future as part of a controversial verbal agreement in December.
Canadian urban explorer Javin Lau's night photo features the Dongdaemun Design Plaza and the shopping mall area in Seoul. Courtesy of Javin Lau
By Jon Dunbar
Canadian Javin Lau recently made his fourth consecutive January visit to Korea. The urban explorer, 28, always brings lots of equipment to photograph his visits, from way up on the roofs down to the deepest, darkest recesses of the city.
"I find that Seoul has that grit to it, that most Asian cities either try to wash away or lack," he told The Korea Times. "Also, straight lines don't exist in this country. It's all mountainous terrain."
Known for his "... is Home" video series, the videographer released "Hong Kong is Home" and "Toronto is Home," with plans to produce "New York is Home" next. A Seoul video remains a work in progress.
"I have a very large body of content from Seoul, and I hate myself for not devoting the time to edit it into something coherent," he told The Korea Times.
Since his 2013 visit he's amassed an impressive collection of Korea images, from still photography and real-time video to time-lapse and drone footage. Seoul is his landing point in Asia before moving on to Hong Kong and mainland China.
"I want to showcase Seoul reflecting the city properly as the way I see it," he said. "And the way I see Seoul or Korea in general is as the underdog of Asia, which is unfortunate. Korea does a lot of things well, but it's still the underdog of Asia and nobody knows why.
"Hopefully I can create something that doesn't perpetuate the underdog narrative but still showcases that Korea has had to work from being one of the world's poorest countries following the Korean War to being one of the richest today."
He said his favorite sight in Seoul is the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. "I remember in 2013 when I came here that was a hole in the ground, and in 2014 it was almost finished but not open yet, and by 2015 it was open," he said.
This year, he took interest in the Seoul Station Overpass, currently being remodeled into a park. He contrasted it with Toronto's Gardiner Expressway, an aging overpass the Canadian city hasn't brought itself to redevelop.
This year, one of his goals is to finally finish a Seoul video.
"I definitely want to showcase Seoul in some way shape or form, regardless of what happens, whether it's called Seoul is Home or something else," he said. "It's gonna happen in 2016."
He also hopes to return in warmer months. "I only ever see Korea in the winter," he complained.
His work can be viewed at javinlau.com.
By John Redmond
The Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ICCK) and the Embassy of India in Seoul will host a breakfast meeting at the JW Marriot Seoul, March 8.
Under the theme of "Leadership in the 21st Century: Is the Task of Leadership Changing," the event will feature a keynote presentation by Egon Zehnder CEO Rajeev Vasudeva.
The morning session will also include welcoming remarks by ICCK Chairman Dilip Sundaram and Vikram Doraiswami, ambassador of India to Korea.
Vasudeva is based in London having joined the firm in 1995 where he successfully led the firm's growth in India and expansion across the Middle East and Africa. Before joining Egon Zehnder, he worked as a management consultant in the U.S. and India.
Founded in 1964, Egon Zehnder is a global executive search firm that operates in 41 countries with 68 offices.
India and South Korea have made efforts to boost bilateral ties, especially since the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries took effect in 2010.
"The ICCK was established the same year as the effectuation of CEPA to be the commercial vanguard of this important budding relationship," according to the ICCK homepage on its website.
"Over the past five years, the ICCK has supported India-Korea business development and helped upgrade Indian-Korean bilateral relations to higher levels. ICCK is also very active in exploring additional areas and sectors for economic cooperation between the two countries."
The breakfast will be from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and will cost 50,000 won for members and 60,000 won for nonmembers.
Payment can be made to ICCK bank account KEB 630 008 921 009.
For more information, visit www.indochamkorea or email events@indochamkorea.org.
By Javier Solana
MADRID Five years after the start of the so-called Arab Spring, the hope that initially characterized those revolutions has largely been dashed. In many cases, the revolutions have evolved into brutal and protracted internal conflicts, with no solution in sight. Amid all of this strife, the international community has paid little attention to countries like Algeria, where the revolutionary spirit was stifled while still incipient. But Algeria's fate is back on the world's radar and not a moment too soon.
On February 7, Algeria's parliament approved a new package of constitutional reforms , which, among other things, limit presidents to two terms (President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the last surviving leader of Algeria's war of independence against France, has been in office since 1999) and recognize some fundamental freedoms. These steps, in the making since 2011, aim to strengthen Algeria's democratic standing; but they have been widely criticized as insufficient.
What is not in doubt is that the reforms come at a sensitive time, when Algeria is plagued by political and economic uncertainty. The "consensus" that supposedly shapes Algerian politics has, in fact, paralyzed decision-making for many years now. With the ailing Bouteflika not seen in public for more than a year, important questions have emerged about how the 2019 presidential election will play out. Efforts over the last three years to curtail the power of the security and intelligence services in September, Mohamed Mediene, who had been chief of the intelligence services since 1990, was forced to retire are just one source and manifestation of domestic political tension.
Significant external challenges have exacerbated Algeria's situation. In particular, with the oil and gas industry accounting for fully 97% of Algeria's export income, the sharp decline in oil prices since June 2014 has underscored the unsustainability of the country's economic model.
Falling oil revenues mean that Algeria's government cannot maintain the broad array of subsidies that traditionally served as a social balm, helping prevent protest. The government has already had to increase some taxes, while raising prices for fuel, electricity, and gas. If the price of oil does not rise soon, and Algeria's leaders are forced to take more drastic measures, social stability could be jeopardized.
To be sure, some factors may help to stave off social unrest namely, the population's memories of the brutal civil war of the 1990s, in which more than 150,000 people were killed. But, memories fade as time passes, and a new generation of young people lack the same fear of social strife that their parents and grandparents have. In this social context, and if economic hardship persists, protests and even revolt may not be a distant prospect.
To avoid such an outcome, Algeria's government must work fast to diversify the economy. But such concerted action will be difficult in the current political environment, especially in view of the government's increased focus on security challenges in Algeria's neighborhood.
Given the revolution in Tunisia, the war in Libya, the rebellion of the Tuaregs in Mali, and, most important, the 2013 terrorist attack on Algeria's large In Amenas gas plant, the country's leaders are placing an increasingly high priority on regional security. Although the constitution explicitly prohibits military intervention in other countries, Algeria has a clear interest reflected in its foreign policy in ensuring that its neighbors are stable and capable of dissuading extremist groups. For example, in Libya, Algeria has defended a process of inclusive national reconciliation of all forces, in support of efforts by the United Nations to stabilize the country.
The United States and Europe have already recognized Algeria's leadership and cooperation in anti-terror efforts in its neighborhood. For the European Union, a further strengthening of ties with Algeria is particularly important, given both sides' interest in the stability of nearby North Africa and the Sahel, as well as Algeria's potential to help improve the EU's energy security.
One key way Algeria can help improve security cooperation in its region would be to restore diplomatic relations with Morocco. True, the countries have been at loggerheads for 40 years, owing to their sovereignty dispute over Western Sahara. But the economic, commercial, and security-related dividends that renewed cooperation would provide should be enough to persuade them to reconsider this position. If the two North African giants were to recognize their mutual interests and reestablish ties, they would disentangle relations in the Maghreb. Algeria's influence across Africa would also receive a boost.
Already, Algeria's Africa-wide influence may be set to grow. Some have suggested that an Algerian candidate could become Chair of the Commission of the African Union when the current term expires next July. Here, Algeria's consistent support for the AU and its commitment to regional security exemplified in its role in the Mali peace agreement and its hosting of the Libya talks would speak in its favor. If successful, Algeria would become the first North African country to lead the AU.
The severe challenge posed by falling oil prices and a jittery regional context attest to the urgent need for change in Algeria. But if the government acts to unblock the political system, diversify the economy, and ramp up diplomatic efforts, Algeria can emerge stronger and more influential than ever.
Javier Solana was EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary-General of NATO, and Foreign Minister of Spain. He is currently President of the ESADE Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics and Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Chey Min-jeong
By Yi Whan-woo
An heiress of South Korea's third-largest conglomerate SK Group is on a mission to protect the country's western maritime border from North Korea as a naval officer, according to military officials, Tuesday.
They said Chey Min-jeong, 24, the second daughter of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, is serving as a combat intelligence officer with a battle squadron under the Navy's Second Fleet Command, which is responsible for defending the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea. Refusing to acknowledge the U.N.-created NLL, North Korea has crossed the border several times for years and often conducted deadly attacks.
The officials added that Chey, a lieutenant junior grade, was assigned to her post in late January after carrying out anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and returning home Dec. 23.
Her routine duty is to assist her battle squadron commander, to convey the commander's instructions to subordinate units on time, to collect information concerning the squadron and to manage its communications system.
She also accompanies her commander on patrols in the waters near the NLL when the squadron conducts defense drills and related operations.
"Chey is unnoticeably yet sincerely carrying out her mission," an official said, asking not to be named. "She doesn't want to draw attention to herself just because she is the daughter of a conglomerate owner."
Chey is the first woman from a chaebol family to serve in the military, drawing public attention for "setting an example of noblesse oblige" for leaders and the elite in the society to follow.
In South Korea, women are exempted from mandatory military service while all able-bodied men are required to fulfill their duty, mainly in their 20s.
Some of those who are subject to conscription, including children of politicians and business tycoons, have been suspected of dodging the draft by exploiting loopholes in the conscription regulations.
Chey voluntarily joined the Naval Academy's midshipmen training in September 2014 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in November of the same year.
In April 2015, the SK heiress was assigned to the KDX-II destroyer Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin, a 4,500-ton warship, as a combat intelligence officer.
She was dispatched to the Gulf of Aden in June 2015 as a crew member of the destroyer to combat piracy off the coast between Yemen and Somalia.
Chey has an older sister and a younger brother.
Chey's father was released from jail in August 2014 under a presidential pardon while serving a four-year jail term for embezzlement.
Upon his release, the SK Group chairman abruptly confessed he had a mistress and has had a baby daughter with her.
Chey's mother, Roh Soh-yeong, is the daughter of former President Roh Tae-woo.
By Yi Whan-woo
China's top nuclear envoy Wu Dawei met with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in Seoul, Monday, as part of a series of consultations with South Korean officials over a draft U.N. resolution aimed at toughening sanctions against North Korea.
Wu earlier visited Cheong Wa Dae and met Cho Tae-yong, the deputy chief of the National Security Office (NSO).
They assessed the U.N. resolution that awaits approval from the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) after being drafted by the United States and China and then circulated to the 15-member council, including non-permanent members, according to government officials.
"We reckon China's support is essential to press North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions," a presidential official said on condition of anonymity.
It is believed Wu reaffirmed the Chinese government's stance, Sunday, that it will faithfully carry out the U.N. resolution once it is passed.
Upon his arrival in Seoul, Sunday, Wu held talks with his South Korean counterpart Hwang Joon-kook.
Wu then said Seoul and Beijing will cooperate for the UNSC's adoption of the resolution in response to North Korea's latest nuclear test on Jan. 6 and long-range rocket launch on Feb. 7, which was suspected to be a test of its ballistic missile technology.
Wu's visit came after Beijing, Pyongyang's largest benefactor, voluntarily agreed on a set of punitive measures outlined in the U.N. resolution.
The measures are aimed at the scope of sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime for continuing to develop weapons of mass destructions in defiance of a set of four UNSC sanctions.
They include banning exports of jet oil to North Korea, prohibiting imports of North Korea-produced iron ore and inspecting all cargo ships entering and leaving North Korean ports.
Wu did not mention the possible deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula.
China has protested that THAAD could be used to spy on its military activities.
It is believed Beijing asked Washington to reconsider its joint talks with Seoul on the deployment in return for its support of the U.N. resolution.
It is also speculated that Beijing will ask Seoul soon to consider peace talks to officially end the 1950-53 Korean War.
The talks have been repeatedly proposed by the Kim Jong-un regime, but both Seoul and Washington suspect that the North could use the talks as an excuse to demand that U.S. troops stationed in South Korea be removed, while maintaining its nuclear arsenal.
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will attend a series of U.N. meetings in Geneva this week to address North Korea's human rights situation, among other issues, his ministry said Monday.
Yun plans to leave for Switzerland on Tuesday to join the 31st session of the U.N. Human Rights Council and the Conference on Disarmament during his three-day stay, the ministry said in a press release.
On Wednesday, he is scheduled to deliver speeches at high-level panel meetings in both conferences and hold talks with senior officials from key participating nations.
His speech is expected to draw attention to North Korea's human rights abuses as the U.N. adopts a new resolution imposing sanctions on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile tests.
The resolution could be adopted as early as Tuesday under relevant U.N. procedures, according to diplomatic sources.
North Korea's foreign minister Ri Su-yong is also reportedly scheduled to join the human rights meeting to deliver a speech on Tuesday.
Ri participated in last year's session, during which he claimed that the U.N. Commission of Inquiry's 2014 report on the communist nation's human rights abuses was based on falsified testimony. (Yonhap)
By Bernard Rowan
Following North Korea's recent "nuclear missile test," status quo powers have decided to take notice and to provide a result. This week, the United States, South Korea, and China (perhaps, most hope) have signaled an agreement on sanctions against Pyongyang. These sanctions won't harm the North too much, let alone prompt changed behavior. South Korea can't allow provocative actions to go without a response. However, the context of forces and relations in the region will need continuing patience and vigilance, for there is no quick fix.
The basic story of politics in the North is the endless melodrama of stabilizing Kim's power base. It'd appear Kim Jong-un is prone to scapegoating, to using outliers (even loyal supporters) as displays of his power. Nonetheless, he never achieves enough consensus. His use of "sticks" and other forms of display occur to impress the masses ever further.
Kim does have a fondness for public displays of military and political grandeur. His police and security apparatus provide a backup against expressions of dissent. He's the unquestioned leader of his nation in all ways, and he uses redundant and excessive means to redisplay this status.
However, outside North Korea, regime maintenance buys Kim little else. I don't think the world can soothe his problem for him, since it's a self-fulfilling negative feedback loop of monstrous proportions.
I'm also not sure Kim cares. The North doesn't seek wider integration with the world. Japan, the United States, and to a lesser extent Russia and China don't fear these actions. Russia and China pretend to care. Their ambitions and pretensions compete with the interests of Japan and the United States.
The United States is committed to using the full range of its defense capabilities to safeguard South Korea in the event of war with North Korea, a defense ministry official here said Monday after attending a joint defense exercise in California.
The allies held their annual anti-nuclear joint exercise at Vandenberg Air Force Base last week where some 40 defense officials from the two countries discussed warfare strategies to counter North Korea's nuclear and weapons of mass destruction threats.
During the three-day exercise, the U.S. side demonstrated its contingency plan to deploy the U.S. Air Force's B-52 bomber to South Korea.
The South Korean side has also been briefed on the aircraft's capacity to carry nuclear bombs, the official told reporters, asking not to be named.
The global power also has a warfare strategy to intercept North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles with its Ground-Based Interceptor, known as GBI, if the communist country launches them at the mainland U.S., the official said, referring to a set of anti-North Korea combat strategies discussed in the exercise.
The South Korean officials also sat in for the U.S. Air Force's test launch of a Minuteman 3 missile, which took place in California during the exercise, the official noted. (Yonhap)
The State Department made all-out efforts in 2011 to break a hold that a senator had put on the confirmation of then-nuclear envoy Sung Kim as ambassador to South Korea, newly released emails of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton showed.
After serving as special envoy for the six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program, Kim was nominated by President Barack Obama in June 2011 to be his top envoy in Seoul.
The nomination, which had widely been expected to be confirmed easily by the Senate, encountered an unexpected hurdle as a Republican senator from Arizona, Jon Kyl, put a hold on Kim's confirmation over U.S. policy on North Korea.
As efforts to persuade the senator to lift the hold produced no breakthrough, then-Deputy Assistant Secretary for Senate Affairs Miguel Rodriguez sent an SOS email on Oct. 6, 2011, asking a series of top department officials for help, according to the Clinton emails.
"Apologies for casting the net so broadly, but we're stuck, and I could use some advice and help," Rodriguez said in the email sent to then-Deputy Secretary William Burns, Under Secretary Wendy Sherman, Clinton's Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills, Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell and others.
Rodriguez said that Kyl sent him a letter in mid-September regarding North Korea, and his team responded to the letter promptly. As the senator asked several follow-up questions, Rodriguez said he was trying to set up "a classified briefing to address all their questions."
What the senator was seeking through the questions included specificity regarding the required actions on the part of North Korea, including the standard by which the administration will judge the North's sincerity, the administration's definition of nuclear programs and the administration's plans regarding food aid, sanctions relief and energy assistance to the North, Rodriguez said.
Sherman sent a response, but it was unclear what her point was as some of the response was blacked out before being disclosed to the public. In subsequent emails, Rodriguez also said he asked Sens. John Kerry and John McCain to reach out to Kyl to "see what if anything they can work out."
After a week of such exchanges and efforts, the senator lifted the hold on Kim on Oct. 13. It was unclear in the Clinton emails what led the senator to do so, but the department is believed to have provided sufficient answers to his questions.
Kim served as ambassador to South Korea from November 2011 to October 2014. After returning to Washington, he has been serving as a special representative for North Korea policy, as well as a deputy assistant secretary for Korea and Japan. (Yonhap)
North Korea on Monday called for strengthening its economic self-sufficiency as the United Nations Security Council is poised to slap tougher sanctions on the country for its nuclear and missile programs.
"Imperialists stick to the scheme to choke liberal countries' economies and coerce them into submission by pushing for sanctions and containment," said the Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's main newspaper.
The U.N. Security Council looks set to adopt a fresh resolution for what's called "the strongest set of sanctions in more than two decades" on the North over its latest nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.
It would require U.N. member states to conduct mandatory inspections of all cargo going into and out of North Korea, and ban mineral resource exports, a main source of dollars for the cash-strapped North.
Ahead of the U.N. move, North Korea called for raising internal solidarity, stressing the need to make its moribund economy stand on its own.
"To strengthen our economy's self-sufficiency might be a daunting task, but it should be carried out for the future," the newspaper said.
North Korea showed that it won't back down against the United States, stressing the need to boost its defense capability.
"Imperialists rely on military power to crush liberal countries' sovereign rights," it said. "We need to strengthen our defense posture in the face of aggression and pressure." (Yonhap)
A U.S. college student detained in North Korea has confessed to his "severe" crime of stealing a political sign from a hotel there and has asked for forgiveness, the North's state media said Monday.
Otto Frederick Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, was questioned by North Korean officials after being caught committing, what the media there called, an anti-North Korea activity.
Warmbier said that on Jan. 1 he stole a political sign that had promoted "the Korean people's love for their system" from the hotel, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
"The aim of my task was to harm the motivation and work ethic of the Korean people. This was a very foolish aim," he said at a press conference in Pyongyang.
The state news agency earlier said that the student entered North Korea nominally for tourism, though his real intention was to undermine North Korea's unity.
Warmbier, 21, said he entered the North in late December via Beijing to commit the crime after being given such a task by the Friendship United Methodist Church, and with the U.S. government's approval.
He said a female church member asked him to bring back the sign as a "trophy" as doing so could "harm the unity and motivation of the North Korean people and show this country an insult from the West."
She promised to give him a used car worth US$10,000 if he succeeded and that her church would pay $200,000 to his mother if he were to be held captive by the North, the KCNA quoted him as saying.
Warmbier said his crime was "very severe and pre-planned."
"I apologize to the people and the government of the DPRK and beg for forgiveness," he said, referring to the acronym for the North's official name: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. (Yonhap)
/Screen capture from Twitter
Will some countries be able to deploy a killer robot within a decade?
An international agreement banning artificial Intelligence (AI) killer robots that selects a target and destroys it on its own is facing strong backlash from countries including the U.S. and the U.K.
Several countries, including South Korea, the U.S. and the U.K., have developed and deployed semi-autonomous robots.
However, no country has fully developed and deployed what are officially termed "lethal autonomous weapons systems" because of an international ban on developing and possessing autonomous killer robots.
The international agreement reflects an awareness that lethal autonomous weapons systems could go out of control.
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera met US Secretary of State John Kerry today (25) at the State Department before the first Sri Lanka US Partnership Dialogue which will commence tomorrow, Friday 26 February 2016.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
25 February 2016
Their remarks to the press are below:
SECRETARY KERRY: Im very happy to welcome my friend Mangala Samaraweera here, the foreign minister of Sri Lanka. I had wonderful occasion to visit with him in Sri Lanka, and I want to congratulate the Government of Sri Lanka for their very impressive continuing steps towards reconciliation. Their efforts to try to address the regional issues, and most importantly, to make peace in their own country are very, very significant. And we really welcome you here.
Weve had an ongoing dialogue. This is the eve of a Strategic Dialogue with Sri Lanka, which will be led by our Under Secretary Tom Shannon, and we very much look forward to defining the roadmap ahead for continued progress. So welcome, my friend.
FOREIGN MINISTER SAMARAWEERA: Thank you. I am also extremely happy to be back here at the State Department and also to meet Secretary of State John Kerry exactly one year after one year and one week, in fact, of visiting you here since the new administration took over last year. In fact, during the last 12 months you were able to come to Sri Lanka, the first visit by a Secretary of State of the United States of America in 43 years. We also had a cabinet-level visit of Samantha Power last May, and of course, many other visits by high-level officials of the State Department.
And this has elevated what has always been a very cordial relationship to what I would call a very special friendship between the United States of America and Sri Lanka. And that is why Im looking forward for the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-Sri Lanka Partnership Dialogue, which Im sure will go which will further strengthen and broaden the relationship between our two countries.
Thank you again for inviting me here. Thank you.
Rocket engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne and United Launch Alliance will join forces with the Air Force to develop an American-made rocket propulsion system to replace the Russian engine currently being used to blast many government satellites into orbit.
The public-private partnership, announced Monday, will fund development of Aerojets AR1 engine. The liquid oxygen and kerosene-fueled booster engine is slated for completion in 2019.
Under the agreement, the Air Force will invest two-thirds of the money needed to complete development by 2019. Initially, the Air Force will contribute $115.3 million, and Aerojet and ULA will fund $57.7 million.
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Aerojet is based in Sacramento and has a facility in Canoga Park. ULA is a joint venture of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. based in Centennial, Colo.
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The total potential investment from the government is $536 million. Aerojet and its partners total potential investment is $268 million, for a total agreement value of $804 million.
Aerojet Chief Executive Eileen Drake said in a statement that the company was drawing on its rich knowledge of rocket engines, along with new advances in modern manufacturing to make a state-of-the-art engine that will end our reliance on a foreign supplier to launch our nations national security assets.
Aerojets AR1 engine is intended to replace the Russian-built RD-180, which powers ULAs Atlas V rocket. Aerojet said the AR1 engine can also be used for ULAs Vulcan rocket, which will launch in 2019 with an American engine, and other launch vehicles currently being used.
ULA is fully committed to transitioning as quickly and affordably as possible to a domestic engine, ULA Chief Executive Tory Bruno said in a statement.
On Monday, ULA and the private space company owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos also announced a public-private partnership with the Air Force to develop an American engine for ULAs Vulcan rocket.
Development of the BE-4, which is a liquid oxygen and liquid natural gas rocket engine, has been fully funded by Bezos Blue Origin, with investment from ULA, the companies said in a statement.
The agreement with the Air Force also includes funding for ULAs Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage rocket propulsion system, which is an upper-stage engine for the Vulcan rocket.
A majority of the funding amount is intended for the BE-4s development.
Initial funding from the Air Force will total $26.3 million, with ULA contributing $40.8 million. The total potential investment for the government is $201.7 million, and the total potential investment for ULA is $134.2 million.
ULAs partnership with Blue Origin is separate from the one it has with Aerojet.
ULA continues to work with both Blue Origin and Aerojet Rocketdyne to pursue two options for a next-generation American engine and that is why were teaming with two of the worlds leading propulsion companies, Bruno said in a statement.
For more business news, follow @smasunaga on Twitter.
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Visiting from Missouri, Alexander Godbey concentrated on the shop window before him, trying again and again to make something happen.
After a fifth circular wave, the electronic wizardry in the 9-year-olds wand triggered a small chest of drawers in the window to open, rearrange its contents and close.
Excellent technique, intoned a Universal Studios Hollywood employee as another wand-waving visitor stepped up to try the incantation.
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On the way to an April 7 opening, the Los Angeles-area version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is going through dress rehearsals using random groups of park visitors. Already, the merchandising magic is grabbing center stage.
Displays in 11 shop windows throughout the Potter land are embedded with motors, lights and sensors so that guests who wave their wands in a prescribed motion can make the items in the displays to come to life. But the enchantment works only with the more expensive interactive wands ($47.95), not with the less expensive replica wands ($39.95).
As you see people doing this, you will say Ive got to get one of those wands, said Robert Niles, editor of Theme Park Insider.
When a similar Harry Potter land opened in Universals Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Fla., in 2010, attendance shot up 20% and revenue jumped 41% for the year, as visitors cleaned out the shelves of magic wands, Gryffindor robes, chocolate frogs and other Potter-themed souvenirs.
The Universal Studios Hollywood version of the boy wizards stomping grounds will be less than a third the size of Orlandos offerings, and will arrive six years later. Still, industry experts say Pottermania remains strong, and the theme park should conjure up big attendance numbers and a surge in food and merchandise sales.
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If the companys Harry Potter debut in Orlando is any indication, the Hollywood opening of the Wizarding World attraction should be massive, said Nick Petrillo, an analyst for Santa Monica-based research group IBISWorld.
Much is at stake for the theme parks parent company, Comcast Corp., which invested an estimated $500 million to build the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on the site of the Gibson Amphitheatre.
The Potter attraction is the latest in a $1.6-billion, 25-year makeover of the park and adjacent studio facilities. The overhaul includes the 2014 opening of the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem attraction, the 2015 opening of the ride Fast and Furious: Supercharged and the Simpsons"-themed Springfield land, which also opened in 2015.
More is in the works. Osaka, Japan-based Nintendo Co., the worlds largest video game company, announced a partnership last year with Universal Studios Parks & Resorts to develop attractions based on the companys popular video games and characters, such as Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong and Pokemon.
Combined, the new attractions are sure to boost the theme parks sales.
On average, U.S. theme parks generate about 30% of their revenue from food, beverages and merchandise, but that percentage surges with the opening of a new attraction. That was true when Disneyland opened a 12-acre expansion based on the popular movie Cars in 2012. For that fiscal year, Walt Disney Co. reported a 9% increase in park revenue, partly thanks to sales of Cars merchandise.
If you look at any theme park attraction, retail sales is a core element, said Martin Palicki, editor in chief of InPark Magazine, a trade publication based in Milwaukee.
The Harry Potter brand has a big advantage over other brands, he added, because the movies and books by J.K. Rowling have been popular with both boys and girls.
It has a cross-gender appeal, Palicki said. That means double the number of wands you can sell.
The 6-acre attraction is a much smaller version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that initially opened at Universals Islands of Adventure in 2010 and expanded to adjacent Universal Studios Orlando in 2014. Together, the two parks themed areas, connected by a Hogwarts Express train, take up about 20 acres.
Despite its compact size, Universal Studios Hollywood has packed the new land with eight retail shops, two street carts, a restaurant and a pub.
The layout of the new Wizarding World is designed to promote retail sales by funneling visitors past the shops and eatery before they can get to the two featured rides. Guests also exit the rides into stores.
Inside the shops, the park workers will be peddling more than 600 Harry Potter-themed items toys, hats and collectibles ranging in price from $10.95 for a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour jelly beans (watch out for booger, earwax and vomit varieties) to $300 for a replica of the Nimbus 2001 broom.
Kat Miller, a Harry Potter devotee who lives in Venice, said she has flown cross-country to visit the Orlando attraction but is looking forward to the Southern California Potter world, where she plans to guzzle a glass of butterbeer, a nonalcoholic drink inspired by the books and movies. A regular butterbeer (cream soda with a butterscotch top) sells for $5.50, and a frozen version for $6.50.
They could sell it for $20 and I would still have to get some, she said.
The park has added a money-making feature not found in Orlando: a replica of the train car in which Harry Potter rode when he traveled to the Hogwarts school. Guest can pose for a photo in the car, with a green-screen image imposed outside the train window, for $24.95.
The restaurant, dubbed the Three Broomsticks, features a menu of British-style foods such as bangers and mash, fish and chips and Guinness stew. The Hogs Head Pub inside the eatery will serve beer, wine and liquor.
They are going to move millions of dollars in merchandise and they are going to make tons of money, said Niles of Theme Park Insider, who has attended sneak previews of the attraction.
Twitter: @hugomartin
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Craig Miller is chief executive of a Los Angeles office-leasing firm. Hes also a landlord, with seven houses for rent around the region.
As Miller tells it, the tenants at one of his properties, a house in Calabasas that rents for $5,225 a month, stopped making payments last summer. Miller began eviction proceedings in August.
Six months later, he told me, theyre still in the house.
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There are plenty of unscrupulous landlords out there greedy, nasty types who try to squeeze more money out of tenants or ignore unsafe conditions. Im not overlooking what many honest renters are up against.
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But property owners and lawyers tell me that the other side of the coin are court-savvy tenants who know how to work the system and often get away with staying rent-free for months in other peoples homes.
There are even services that specialize in buying extra time for renters who know that eviction is inevitable but want to stay put for as long as possible.
An L.A. company called 866-Eviction markets itself online as the "#1 eviction delay service and says it can deliver for clients 2 to 7 months rent-free.
I dont want to evict anyone but I have my own mortgage payments to make. I have insurance payments. My son has a brain tumor and I have to care for him. Craig Miller, chief executive of a Los Angeles office-leasing firm
It happens a lot, said Artin Gholian, a Studio City real estate lawyer. There are a lot of things people can do to slow down the process.
Some renters, he said, will keep moving from home to home, running the same racket over and over to reside comfortably in the Southland without paying rent.
Miller said that when he rented his Calabasas house to a middle-aged couple last year, they said they were facing some financial pressure. In return for their signing a two-year lease, Miller agreed to lower the rent to $3,500 for the first six months, rising to $4,500 for the next six before reaching the full $5,225.
They frequently didnt pay on time, he said, but I allowed them to catch up.
Miller finally set the eviction wheels in motion after the tenants missed multiple payments.
I dont want to evict anyone, he said, but I have my own mortgage payments to make. I have insurance payments. My son has a brain tumor and I have to care for him.
Miller is typical of many property owners who arent full-time landlords but instead seek extra income through one or more rental homes. Theyre small-time players in a market dominated by larger investors who typically deal in apartment buildings.
California has clear rules when it comes to evicting a tenant. According to the state Department of Consumer Affairs the process begins with the property owner filing an unlawful-detainer lawsuit in Superior Court. In most cases, a tenant has just five days to file a written response after being served with a copy of the complaint.
The state says judges often will hear and decide eviction cases within 20 days after a trial has been requested. In reality, lawyers say, it can take a couple of months for a case to be heard.
Then the delaying tactics can begin.
Tenants can file a motion to quash the landlords unlawful-detainer lawsuit. This usually involves a claim that the tenant wasnt given sufficient notice. If approved by the judge, the landlord will have to serve the summons a second time.
Tenants can file a demurrer challenging the reason for the eviction. If accepted by the judge, this can require the landlord to restart the entire process from scratch.
Tenants also can file requests for additional information or raise special circumstances.
Once you get into this mode, months can go by, said David B. Epstein, a Pasadena real estate lawyer. For the property owner, youre just stuck.
Eviction-delay services such as 866-Eviction specialize in preparing stacks of go-slow court motions for clients. Typically, the client simply has to sign his or her name to the documents.
Julian Moutan, 866-Evictions office manager, told me the company is just helping the little guy. He said a few months of rent-free housing isnt much to ask of landlords, considering how high the rents are in California.
I asked how much his company gets paid in light of the fact that his clients are stiffing their landlords.
We handle that on a case-by-case basis, Moutan said. Then he observed that this is starting to sound like an interview and hung up.
Epstein said people using these services usually pay a flat fee upfront thats significantly less than the rent theyd have to pay their landlord over the course of several months.
The eviction process was designed with the best intentions to protect tenants rights, said Laine Wagenseller, a Los Angeles real estate lawyer. People in Millers situation have little choice but to keep jumping through each legal hoop that arises, he said.
Theres no magic wand, Wagenseller said. You just have to wade through the process.
Millers lawyer, Lisa Rosenthal, told me the tenants, identified in court documents as David and Paula Caplan, wasted no time in running the usual playbook a motion to quash, a demurrer, a bankruptcy filing.
Finally, Rosenthal said, a judge ruled in January that the tenants had to go. They challenged the ruling, thus allowing them to remain in the house.
The Caplans didnt return my call for comment. But Ken Carlson, an Idyllwild lawyer who said hes advising the couple, told me the pair arent just trying to postpone the inevitable.
He said the tenants are simply challenging technical defects in Millers paperwork, such as not including the days and hours that hed be available to receive payments.
This is an example of a landlord accusing tenants of using dilatory tactics to cover their own mistakes, Carlson said.
Miller sees it differently. Theyre gaming the system, he said. But its a system that allows itself to be gamed.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for next week.
David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
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President Obama unduly influenced federal regulators to adopt tough net neutrality regulations for online traffic last year, according to an investigation by a Republican senator.
Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and his staff were finishing work on a less heavy-handed approach in November 2014 when Obama publicly called for the agency to take a more aggressive and controversial direction, said a report released Tuesday from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.
Obama urged the independent FCC to put broadband providers in the same legal category as more highly regulated conventional telephone companies.
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Public interest groups and many top Democrats were urging such a move, which was strongly opposed by Internet service providers and Republicans.
After Obamas statement, an internal email from FCC staffer Paula Blizzard to other agency employees said not sure how this will affect the current draft and schedule -- but I suspect substantially.
Plans to finish work on the rules was delayed, and several weeks later, Wheeler released a proposal that mirrored Obamas suggestions, the report said.
This investigation has convinced me that the White House overrode the FCCs decision-making apparatus, Johnson said.
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It is concerning that an independent agency like the FCC could be so unduly influenced by the White House, particularly on an issue that touches the lives of so many Americans and has such a significant impact on a critical sector of the United States economy, he said.
Obama is allowed to publicly express his views to an independent agency but is not supposed to direct its actions.
Wheeler has said there were no secret instructions from the White House and that his views on net neutrality regulations evolved from his original proposal in early 2014.
Responding to the Senate report, FCC spokeswoman Kim Hart said the agency ran a transparent and robust rule-making process.
Its no secret that 4 million Americans, including the president, urged the FCC to protect a free and open Internet, she said, referring to a flood of public comments during the agencys rule-making process.
Obama appointed Wheeler, a Democrat, as FCC chairman. The agencys Democratic majority pushed through the net neutrality regulations by a 3-2 vote in February 2015.
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The rules prohibit Internet service providers from discriminating against legal content flowing through their wired or wireless networks, such as by charging websites for faster delivery of video and other data to consumers.
To enforce those rules, the FCC reclassified broadband as a more highly regulated telecommunications service under Title 2 of the Telecommunications Act.
Internet service providers opposed the reclassification and have a suit pending in federal court challenging it.
Republicans on the FCC and in Congress criticized the agencys action as unnecessary and warned that heavy-handed regulations could stifle investment in expanding broadband networks.
Ajit Pai, one of the FCCs two Republican commissioners, said Johnsons report showed that FCC Democrats succumbed to White House pressure and forfeited the agencys independence.
Whether you support or oppose Internet regulation, this has been a sad chapter in the history of the FCC, Pai said.
The report, titled Regulating the Internet: How the White House Bowled Over FCC Independence acknowledged that Obama and other White House officials were allowed to advocate for actions by the FCC.
But a 1991 Justice Department opinion said that White House staff members should avoid even the mere appearance of interest or influence -- and the easiest way to do so is to avoid discussing matters pending before the independent regulatory agencies, the report said.
Johnson said his investigation was triggered by a Wall Street Journal article last year that said two White House aides were involved in unusual, secretive efforts to build support for tougher net neutrality regulations.
Congressional Republicans have been pushing legislation to reverse the FCCs net neutrality rules.
jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com
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A federal judge sentenced the head of a defunct Southern California real estate investment firm to 14 years in prison for running a Ponzi scheme that lost as much as $169 million for hundreds of investors, the U.S. attorneys office said.
U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney on Monday also ordered Michael J. Stewart, a 68-year-old San Clemente resident, to pay 120 victims $9.2 million in restitution.
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Stewart and his partner John Packard founded Pacific Property Assets in 1999 and bought, renovated and sold apartments in Southern California and Arizona.
As property values soared in the early 2000s, the firm -- which had offices in Irvine and Long Beach -- refinanced mortgages and sold properties, using the proceeds to pay investors and business expenses, the U.S. attorneys office said. But by late 2007, the real estate market was faltering and the company was unable to refinance properties or sell buildings at a profit.
Prosecutors alleged Stewart misrepresented the companys financial condition to new investors and used their money to pay off previous investors, lenders and Stewart and Packards salaries.
The company filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2009.
While all investments carry some risks, victims who were lured into this scheme in 2008 and 2009 faced a guaranteed loss of their funds, U.S Atty. Eileen M. Decker said in a statement. Investors are entitled to know how their money is being spent and the true financial state of a company, but Mr. Stewart did everything in his power to conceal the truth.
A jury convicted Stewart last year of 11 counts of mail fraud. Packard has pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced in late March.
Reach me by email at andrew.khouri@latimes.com or on Twitter @khouriandrew
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Spanish-language media star Mario Kreutzberger -- better known to audiences as Don Francisco -- is returning to television.
Nearly six months after Kreutzbergers long-running variety show, Sabado Gigante, ended its popular run on Univision, Kreutzberger has struck a partnership with Univisions archrival, Telemundo.
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Telemundo, owned by media giant NBCUniversal, said late Monday that it has signed a multiyear deal with Kreutzberger to form a joint production company. The goal will be to produce original programming for Latino audiences in the U.S. and Latin America.
Unique talent is timeless, and Mario has incredible insight into this community and into creating innovative content that connects and engages audiences, Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, said in an interview with The Times.
More immediately, Kreutzberger will join Telemundos news division as a special correspondent. The Chilean-born entertainer will be tasked with conducting high-profile interviews with politicians, celebrities and other newsmakers.
Im starting a new era, Kreutzberger said in an interview with The Times. I will try to do the best interviews that I can and find the best personalities.
Asked whether he wanted to interview Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, Kreutzberger was non-committal.
It would depend on [Telemundo], whether they wanted me to do that and the conditions of any interview, Kreutzberger said. Im so new that I havent really talked to many people in the company. This deal was made in the last 48 hours.
Kreutzberger said hes more intrigued by human interest stories than conversations that delve into the nuts and bolts of politics.
I would look more for the human side, rather than the political side, he said. I would like interviews to be more about the life of the person.
Financial terms of the Telemundo arrangement were not disclosed. Negotiations have been ongoing for nearly two months, with other media companies expressing interest in landing the man behind the popular Don Francisco persona.
The move reunites Kreutzberger with Conde, who previously served as a top executive at Univision until Conde decamped for NBCUniversal a few years ago. Kreutzberger said hes known Conde for nearly 20 years.
The partnership comes as Telemundo continues to expand its programming ambitions by owning more content.
Owning shows rather than licensing them is part of a business strategy that enables Telemundo to aggressively sell its Spanish-language content to TV networks in other countries, increasing profitability.
Univision rolled the credits on Kreutzbergers zany Sabado Gigante in September, even though the Saturday night staple continued to deliver sizeable audiences. But the audience was graying, and Univision was looking to trim programming costs in advance of a corporate public offering that has since been postponed.
Kreutzberger, for his part, praised Univision. He said he learned much from his long association with Univision, the media company that boasts the nations most popular Spanish-language network.
Im very grateful to Univision for the 30 years, he said.
Kreutzberger launched his variety show in 1962 in his native Chile. The show, which was produced at Univisions facilities in Miami, became an enduring hit that lasted 53 years and appeared in more than 40 countries, including the United States and in Latin America and Europe.
I started in television when it was black and white, Kreutzberger said. Now, new content has to include Internet media and social media.... Ive seen so many changes but I am very excited to do something new.
Twitter: @MegJamesLAT
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As he walked briskly out of the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night, his screenwriting Oscar in hand, Spotlight filmmaker Tom McCarthy slowed down a moment as a reporter sidled up to talk about the season that had just ended.
Wouldnt it be a relief, after all these months of extolling journalism, to get a break from the ink-stained wretches?
I gave you guys a shout-out! he said playfully, referring to a comment he made about journalists during his screenplay acceptance speech. I mean, you gotta take care of everyone, he continued lightheartedly.
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McCarthy has been taking care of a lot over an improbable 20-year run thats included a mix of acting, writing and directing. It is, in many respects, a career as uncommon and unexpected as the idea of a slow-burn journalism procedural taking the top prize of the film year.
OSCARS 2016: List of nominees | Red carpet arrivals | Best and worst dressed
Starting out in the mid-90s as a character actor (at the comparatively late life-stage of 30-ish), McCarthy segued into writing-directing with the Peter Dinklage quirky-loner tale The Station Agent in 2003. What seemed like a promising if uncertain beginning he won the Spirit Award for first screenplay, as sure a sign of such uncertainty as there is would soon turn into a finely calibrated arc.
McCarthy would continue acting, often in studio pictures such as Meet the Parents and 2012. Those gigs (besides paying the bills) gave him an entree into Hollywood and writing; the writing jobs, which themselves sometimes include more for-hire-ish studio pieces like Up and Million Dollar Arm, would in turn pave the way for his passion projects.
He would follow his filmmaking debut with 2007s The Visitor, an immigration-themed story of solitude and otherness that hit a post-9/11 sweet spot and gained Richard Jenkins an Oscar nomination.
OSCARS 2016: Show highlights | Backstage | Winners room
In 2011, McCarthy returned with Win Win, a seemingly simple story set in a small New Jersey town that somehow managed to encompass parent-child relationships, the Great Recession, high-school wrestling, masculinity and the legal system. (McCarthy grew up in New Jersey and sets most of his movies on the East Coast.)
His trajectory is unusual. The actor-director or at least the actor-director who consistently finds work in both realms is a rare enough breed in moviedom. A person whos able to wear that label while also putting together a dossier of acclaimed movies like The Visitor, Win Win and Spotlight is even less common.
Throughout, McCarthys work has been known for a kind of humanist authenticity; characters are rarely all good or all bad, and they tend to talk and act as people do in real life. He also often mixes the comedic with the dramatic, a difficult skill and lost art.
Achieving this isnt easy. McCarthy has developed a reputation as an exacting on-set presence patient and friendly, but also intense with a hint of the obsessive. One day during production of Win Win witnessed by a reporter, a 15-second scene was shot and re-shot with the persistence of Steph Curry taking 300 practice jumpers.
If that attitude demands a lot from those around him, it has also attracted the right kind of talent: the likes of Jenkins, Paul Giamatti, Mark Ruffalo and a host of actors actors have sought to work with him. Speaking to The Times last spring about the musician-turned-actor Cliff Method Man Smith, McCarthy gave a glimpse into his own mind-set on the subject of going all out.
OSCARS 2016: Awkward Oscar moments | Awards season database
Cliffs work ethic is great, he said of Smith, whom he had worked with in the past. And whether youre a good rapper or not, you only become a famous rapper if you work hard.
Mary Jane Skalski, a producer who has often collaborated with McCarthy, said in an email Monday that Tom is endlessly curious, amazingly open and the smartest guy in the room who never has to be the smartest guy in the room. Im not surprised he made a great movie about investigative journalists he would have been a great investigative journalist.
The New York-based McCarthy became a favorite of journalists this season because he made a movie that flatters them. But it hasnt hurt that in his rapid-fire interview responses, he tends to avoid soundbites, frequently responding with some of the nuggets about human nature for which his movie are known. Asked about his unvarnished depiction of a slack-jawed teenager in Win Win at the time of that films release, for instance, he said, The thing about people that age is they know everything thats going on. They just dont let you know they know everything thats going on.
(He has also, it should be said, earned something of a good-guy image in the chatty film industry. On Sunday night, as executives at Open Road Films and Anonymous Media the distributor and producer of Spotlight, respectively waited for him to arrive at a post-Oscars party at a West Hollywood restaurant, they noted the role that McCarthys favorable reputation might have played in the tight race for best picture.)
Where his newfound awards cachet takes him remains to be seen.
Cautionary tales of the Oscar-anointed abound, such as the story of the European director Florian von Donnersmarck, who in 2007 hit it big with his foreign-language Oscar winner The Lives of Others " like Spotlight also about the perils of institutional secrecy and used the clout to make a star vehicle, the Angelina Jolie- and Johnny Depp-toplined The Tourist. It was a notorious misfire.
Though McCarthy and his representatives havent locked in a new project, most in the industry dont believe the director is likely to take a step to big studio movies. Partly thats because his unflashy directing style hasnt earned McCarthy the same kind of attention or director-category acclaim as, say, The Revenant helmer Alejandro G. Inarritu. But its also because McCarthy is the kind of filmmaker who would much rather write and direct his own stories; if the screenplay and best picture Oscars for Spotlight give him desired leverage in Hollywood, its simply to make more such tales.
1 / 40 Brie Larson and Alicia Vikander backstage (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 40 Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet backstage (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 40 Leonardo DiCaprio backstage (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 40 Leonardo DiCaprio with his Oscar for best actor (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 40 Brie Larson celebrates (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 40 Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu backstage (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 40 Brie Larson (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 40 The cast of Best Picture Spotlight take a selfie backstage. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 40 Lady Gaga (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 40 Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 40 Brie Larson (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 40 Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 40 Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 40 Sacha Baron Cohen (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 40 A Secret Service watches Vice President Joe Biden backstage (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 40 C3PO (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 40 Kevin Hart (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 40 R2D2 and C3PO (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 40 Kate Winslet (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 40 Mark Rylance (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 40 Cheryl Boone Issacs (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 40 Backstage at the 88th Academy Awards (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 40 Vice President Joe Biden (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 40 Andrew Whitehurst and Mark Ardington (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 40 Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy accept the award for Original Screenplay for Spotlight. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 40 Paul Norris and Sara Bennett (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 40 R2D2 and C3PO (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 40 Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 40 Oscar statuettes (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 40 Charlize Theron (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 40 Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 40 Sam Smith (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 40 Adam McKay (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 40 Alicia Vikander (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 40 Charlize Theron (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 40 Adam McKay and Charles Randolph (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 40 Alicia Vikander (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 40 Emmanuel Lubezki (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 40 Benicio Del Toro and Jennifer Garner (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 40 Liev Schreiber and Priyanka Chopra (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
(Questions about next films, incidentally, havent always permeated the best-picture category: Last years best picture director, Inarritu, was already well under way on The Revenant after his movie won the Oscar.)
Hard to avoid in the Spotlight victory story is the turnaround aspect, or, really, a recent failure. Much has been made of Inarritus prolific work pace. But McCarthy, too, had a movie at the fall festivals in 2014. It was The Cobbler, a fable-slash-high-concept action comedy starring Adam Sandler that marked a leap to a new genre. It didnt work. The film was dissed by many critics for its tonal jumble and given only a limited release.
McCarthy was open about how the backlash affected him.
The critical reaction was difficult, he said in an interview in the fall. Its like the athlete who had a bad moment or game...Youd be lying if you said you dont feel it. But in the end, it reinforced that all we could do is the work. The reviews for The Cobbler came out while we were working on Spotlight. And what they really did was just reinforce my desire to keep going.
steve.zeitchik@latimes.com
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Chris Rocks hot mess of an Oscars show: powerful, confounding, possibly revolutionary
The Rolling Stones have gigged in every major city on every continent, as well as any island with a nice beach that would have them. Come March 25, the band will be able to cross another major city off the bucket list after announcing its first-ever performance in Havana. Theyll play a free concert at the Ciudad Deportiva de la Habana.
The band will travel to Havana after concluding its America Latino Ole Tour, which features scheduled dates in countries including Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Mexico.
Said the Stones in a statement: We have performed in many special places during our long career but this show in Havana is going to be a landmark event for us, and, we hope, for all our friends in Cuba too.
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1 / 1 Mick Jagger and Keith Richards embrace in New York while announcing the bands 2005 tour. (AFP/Getty Images)
Billed as the Concert for Amity, the Stones event is being promoted by AEGs Concerts West and Musica Punto Zero, with support from the Institute of Cuban Music.
The Stones are also spearheading an initiative to bring desperately needed new musical instruments into a country bruised by decades of American sanctions. Among the companies donating are Gibson, Vic Firth, RS Berkeley, Pearl, Zildjian, Gretsch, Latin Percussion, Roland and BOSS.
Hopefully that means Cuban music featuring fresh tones -- Roland drum machines, bass generators, drums -- cant be too far behind.
For tips on playlists, Los Angeles music news and video clips, follow @liledit
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Reckless behavior could cost Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) his law license and derail the career of his attorney girlfriend, Kimberly Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), on Amarillo, Episode 203 of AMCs Better Call Saul.
Jimmys new job involves client outreach for a multi-million-dollar class action lawsuit targeting Sandpiper Crossing assisted-living facilities, which routinely cheat elderly residents out of their life savings.
See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >>
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After his letters to the seniors go unanswered (perhaps Sandpiper illegally destroys the correspondence), Jimmy launches an aggressive and unethical scheme that could get him disbarred.
By bribing a Sandpiper employee, Jimmy gains access to a busload of Texas seniors, including Alma May Urbano (Carolyn Wickwire). Soon the entire group listens attentively.
Maam, Im here to make sure you get your money back, Stetson-wearing Jimmy promises Alma May in his usual folksy manner.
And nothing makes me sadder than to see people of the Greatest Generation, people like my own Nana and Bobo, getting overcharged by some great big company, Jimmy adds, even if it was an accident.
When Jimmy reports the latest recruitment tally at a staff meeting he signed up more than 200 clients in three weeks his attorney brother Chuck McGill (Michael McKean) raises a red flag. Did Jimmy unscrupulously solicit new business?
Really astonishing results, Jimmy. Incredible, Chuck says. Im just wondering how you account for your success. Because, Chuck cautions, those remarkable numbers will definitely raise eyebrows at the opposing counsel.
What happened in Texas? Kim pointedly asks Jimmy after the meeting. I need you to understand something very important. I put myself on the line to get you this job!
In other words, everything sneaky Jimmy does reflects back on Kim.
Abruptly changing tactics, Jimmy proposes a highly targeted TV commercial that would air when Sandpiper residents faithfully watch reruns of Murder She Wrote in the dayroom.
And let me tell you, Jimmy informs his skeptical boss, Clifford Main (Ed Begley Jr.), when that thing comes on, it draws the blue hairs like moths to a bug zapper!
Unbeknownst to Cliff, Jimmy hires a couple of film students (Josh Fadem and Julian Bonfiglio) to shoot a commercial featuring elderly Mrs. Strauss (Carol Herman) as she clutches a tattered shawl and laments the loss of her nest egg. A phone number for the Davis & Main law firm follows.
Also unbeknownst to Cliff, Jimmy pays a Colorado TV station to broadcast the ad, which prompts calls from 103 concerned Sandpiper residents. When Cliff finds out, hes furious at Jimmys unauthorized actions.
Did you really think this would fly? Cliff yells at Jimmy, ordering him to report at 8 a.m. the following day for an emergency meeting with the partners.
Unfortunately for Kim, her golden boy Jimmy just jeopardized both their careers.
In other developments, former Philadelphia cop Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) decides to move his widowed daughter-in-law Stacey (Kerry Condon) and granddaughter Kaylee (Abigail Zoe Lewis) to a safer neighborhood.
This after paranoid Stacey supposedly hears gunfire on two consecutive nights in her Albuquerque suburb.
Because Mikes meager salary as a parking lot attendant wont purchase a new house, he contacts a shady veterinarian (Joe DeRosa) with underworld connections. Mike could receive $200 for a bodyguard job, but thats not nearly enough cash.
You want next-level pay? You gotta do next-level work, the vet insists.
Its not long before Mike gets an offer of serious money from drug dealer Ignacio Nacho Varga (Michael Mando).
Ive got a problem, Nacho tells Mike during a late-night rendezvous. I cant solve it myself. Theres a guy. I need him to go away.
Will Mike become a cold-blooded killer for hire? Hes considering it, at least.
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Was all the diversity talk at Sundays Academy Awards lacking in, well, diversity?
While Chris Rock earned high marks from many critics for his performance as host, some observers are unhappy with the comedian for focusing on Hollywood's black-white divide at the expense of other underrepresented minority groups, particularly Asians, Latinos and Native Americans.
As many predicted, Rock was fearless in addressing racism within Hollywood and American culture at large. He opened the ceremony with a 10-minute monologue that included references to rape and lynching in the Jim Crow era, police brutality against black people and the dearth of opportunities for top-tier African American actors like Jamie Foxx.
And he returned to the theme of black-white relations throughout the night, including a field piece where he interviewed African American patrons of a movie theater in Compton (or maybe not) and a send-off, in which he gave a shoutout to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Things Rock didnt mention? Hollywoods exclusion of other people of color, including Asians, Latinos and Native Americans. He also didn't really acknowledge the issue of industry sexism, except to dismiss objections to questions about red carpet fashion directed at actresses.
The comedian has also taken heat for a gag in which Asian children were introduced as accountants as from Pricewaterhoursecoopers, which some saw as evidence of his singular focus on the black versus white divide. And the only time Native Americans were referenced was in Leonardo DiCaprios acceptance graceful (and clearly well-rehearsed) speech.
It was very African American-centric, said Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, of Rocks performance. We understand that they deserve their place. So do Latinos, Asian Pacific Americans, Muslim Americans, Native Americans and women. If were going to talk about inclusion, lets talk about inclusion for all the groups that are not represented.
Similar sentiments reverberated across social media Sunday night. Disappointed that #theoscars missed the point on diversity. Didnt bring Latinos and Asians into the conversation, said writer-producer Nancy De Los Santos on Twitter.
Nogales and other advocates were particularly let down because in the past, Rock has been outspoken about the industrys problematic attitude toward Latinos.
Forget whether Hollywood is black enough. A better question is: Is Hollywood Mexican enough? he wrote in a widely circulated essay for the Hollywood Reporter in 2014. You're in L.A, you've got to try not to hire Mexicans.
Like Nogales, actress and filmmaker Fanny Veliz was frustrated by Rocks set. This fight is not just about black and white. When you only include African Americans, its a disservice to everybody, she said. Latinos are the most underrepresented group in the industry and its never talked about.
According to a study of 600 popular films by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Latinos make up 17% of the population but account for just 4.9% of speaking roles.
Thats one of the reasons actress Eva Longoria threw her support behind the Brown Ribbon Campaign, asking Oscar attendees to wear brown ribbons to the ceremony and encouraging supporters to tweet using the hashtags #HollywoodBrownout and #BrownRibbonCampaign.
Aside from the accountant joke, Asians were also left out of the conversation Sunday, a fact which exposed one of the failings of how we talk about race in America: race relations are not a black-white binary," said Mee Moua, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, in a statement Monday to the Associated Press.
"It is to all of our detriment to look at race narrowly. We need to work together to dismantle the systems that devalue the experiences of minority groups so we can see the tales of the diversity that have shaped our nation reflected accurately."
Inspired by the social conversation surrounding the telecast, writer and activist Jaya Sundaresh started a new hashtag #onlyonepercent, to draw attention to the Hollywoods exclusion of Asians, who constitute just 1% of Oscar acting nominations since 2000.
This is a problem of representation that affects our communities too, said Sundaresh, who like many others, was disappointed by Rocks Asian jokes. I dont think he has an obligation to give [Asian Americans] a shoutout, but he has the obligation to not resort to offensive stereotypes.
Still, it could be that viewers were expecting too much of Rock, who is, first and foremost, an entertainer and not a representative of any particular movement.
Chris Rock hosted the awards last night knowing full well the hornet's nest he was stepping into, said April Reign, activist and creator of #OscarsSoWhite. I think while we can critique his performance, he does not speak for #OscarsSoWhite. I am concerned that people are assuming that because he is black he is a spokesperson for #OscarsSoWhite and that our objectives are completely intertwined."
Follow @MeredithBlake on Twitter.
Times writer Tre'vell Anderson contributed to this report
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Read Chris Rock's 2016 Oscars opening monologue
Joe Biden wasn't as funny at the Oscars as Chris Rock, but at least he didn't make an Asian joke
Maybe youre looking for something different to do for date night. Or maybe youre a gourmand who likes to walk around food events wearing a wine glass attached to a lanyard. Either way, youll want to know about the following food and wine events.
Taste of Israel: The first Los Angeles Israeli food and wine festival is 5 to 8 p.m. March 20 at the Majestic Downtown. The event will include wine from 19 Israeli wineries, as well as food and cooking demos from both L.A.-based and Israeli chefs, including Alex Reznik from Ditmas food and cocktail, Alain Cohen from Got Kosher, Ofir Arbel from Hummus Bar and Grill, Kahn Chingis Byambasuren from Sushiko and Shaul Ben Aderet from Blue Rooster. General admission tickets are $125, and VIP tickets, which include access to the event an hour early, are $300. All proceeds benefit Meir Panim, a nonprofit that provides food and social services to Jews, Christians and Muslims in need, living in Israel. www.TasteofIsrael.net.
Bon Appetit is hosting its 10th annual Vegas Uncorkd food and wine event April 28 to May 1 in Las Vegas. Featured events will take place in downtown Las Vegas, as well as at a number of hotels and restaurants along the Strip. Participating chefs include Emeril Lagasse, Giada De Laurentiis, Michael Chow, Guy Savoy, Nobu Matsuhisa and Gordon Ramsay. Highlights will include a mystery dinner with Lagasse, a $1,000 omakase dinner with Matsuhisa, dinner and a show with Chow and a steakhouse redux at the Golden Steer with Michael Mina. Prices for event tickets vary and can be found at www.VegasUncorked.com.
The International Chardonnay Symposium, a gathering of winemakers, sommeliers and Chardonnay fans, is happening May 12 to 14 in Pismo Beach, Calif. There will be a French forum on May 13, featuring a presentation and discussion of Frances Chardonnay regions, and wine producers from more than 80 wineries will pour tastes of wine at the Grand Tasting on May 14. Other panel discussions during the symposium will cover pairing Chardonnay with cheese and how to hone your Chardonnay blind-tasting skills. Prices for event tickets vary and can be found at www.TheChardonnaySymposium.com.
How about we both bring the wine? Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Jenn_Harris_
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Doughnuts, beer and stuff-on-toast, at a new restaurant in downtown L.A.
What were into: Banh xeo, Glenfiddich Bourbon Barrel Reserve, Republiques roast chicken
Good morning. It is Tuesday, March 1. Googles self-driving cars arent perfect. An accident report finds one of the cars struck a bus in Mountain View as it attempted to change lanes. Heres what else is happening in the Golden State:
TOP STORIES
Inside foster care
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Several years ago, L.A. County officials opened two waiting rooms for young people placed into the foster care system. But rather than providing a safe and temporary space for children with no place to go, the rooms turned into makeshift shelters that made young people vulnerable to sex trafficking. Now, the waiting rooms will be shut down. The failure of the waiting rooms underscores how difficult it is for L.A. County to find homes for foster youth at a time when the number of vacant beds is declining. Los Angeles Times
Competency case
A trial over the mental competency of media mogul Sumner Redstone will be allowed to move forward. Judge David J. Cowan denied a motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the businessmans former companion Manuela Herzer. We are confident that when the court has evaluated the evidence it will determine that Mr. Redstone had capacity to change his healthcare directive and that Ms. Herzer should have no role in his life whatsoever, said Gabrielle Vidal, an attorney for Redstone. Los Angeles Times
The VAs land
The Department of Veterans Affairs wants to turn its West L.A. land back over to veterans and their needs. Doing so will require kicking out some nonveteran groups, such as the city of Los Angeles and the Brentwood School. Theyve all lobbied up and lawyered up. They saw the plan, they know the veterans want the land back, and theyre talking now, said Vincent Kane, special assistant to VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald. Los Angeles Times
DROUGHT AND CLIMATE
Hot, hot, hot: So much for El Ninos record rains. By one measure, it was the hottest February on record with an average high of 77.5 degrees. The atmosphere is chaotic and has a certain randomness to it, said Nicholas A. Bond, a research meteorologist at the University of Washington. Los Angeles Times
Little fish: Californias fishermen want locals to embrace herring, a tiny fish that often finds its way into overseas markets. This means customers will have to get used to fish with flavor and bones. We live in one of the most progressive, conservation-oriented cities in the country, and virtually no one is utilizing this healthy, sustainable resource thats right in their backyard, said Geoff Shester, California campaign director for the marine protection group Oceana. NPR
L.A. AT LARGE
Concerts in the park: The Greek Theatre has a new general manager in charge of bookings. Can you attract concertgoers without angering nearby residents? If they can make the venue more profitable, these funds can be pumped back into the parks system to bankroll additional park rangers, new shuttle services and other improvements. LA Weekly
A legend passes: Radio personality Charlie Tuna has died at the age of 71. During his career, he may have worked as a morning personality for more stations and formats than anyone else in L.A. radio history. His crystalline baritone introduced musicians and hit records to radio listeners across Southern California for nearly half a century. Los Angeles Times
Modern rail: Plans are in the works to modify classic Red Cars so they can run on light-rail tracks near the waterfront in San Pedro. Tentative plans have the line running from the Los Angeles Maritime Museum at 6th Street and Harbor Boulevard to the southern end of Ports O Call. Daily Breeze
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Standing trial: There has been a dramatic increase in mental competency cases in Los Angeles County, and no one attorneys, judges, doctors is quite sure why. From 2010 to 2015, the number of cases increased from 944 to 3,528. I think its a sign that we urgently need to embrace the mental health diversion program, said Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey. Los Angeles Times
CRIME AND COURTS
Police response: Criticism is mounting against the Anaheim police and the way the agency handled a weekend rally hosted by the Ku Klux Klan. There did not appear to be uniformed police at the start of the event, but video showed them arriving after klan members were swarmed by counter-protesters. Los Angeles Times
Targeted violence: Los Angeles County officials believe there has been an increase in hate crimes against Muslims and people mistaken for Muslims. Eleven such crimes were reported in November and December of last year. Los Angeles Times
K-9 units: Police agencies in Orange County are expanding the use of police dogs. A typical dog costs $10,000 and then requires five weeks and $4,000 in specialized training. Just like kids learn at a different rate, dogs learn at a different rate, said Anaheim Police Sgt. Ray Drabek. Orange County Register
BUSINESS
Let the air out: There are more signs that the bubble is about to burst in Silicon Valley. In the last month, Fidelity has written down more than a dozen investments in the tech space. Theres a funding slowdown, and in January, there were no IPOs of a tech company for the first time since September 2011. Vanity Fair
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Happy Birthday: Lorna Deshane was born in 1932 and just celebrated her 21st birthday. The Orange County native is a leapean. The leap year birthday has been the best thing in my life. Every four years is very special, she said. Orange County Register
Homegrown talent: Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is getting flak for saying he grew up in East Los Angeles, an area that represents culture, hardship and ethnic roots that are hard-earned. The Oscar winner grew up in Echo Park, East Hollywood and Los Feliz, none of which could be described as East L.A. LA Weekly
Art project: The Griffith Park Teahouse has found a second life in San Pedro. The art piece is on Knoll Hill with the consent of the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Department of Cultural Affairs. It will open to the public on Saturday. Los Angeles Times
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
San Francisco will have a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 65. Sacramento will have clouds before the sun comes out and temperatures reach 73 degrees. In Los Angeles, the morning will bring fog. Later in the day, the sun will come out and highs are expected to reach 81. Riverside will be mostly sunny and 86. San Diego will have sun and a high of 76.
AND FINALLY
Todays California Memory comes from Wendy Forsch:
My husband and I relocated to Westlake Village in the summer of 1997. We were totally unprepared for that winters El Nino rains. I remember seeing sand bags for the first time when I had to step over them to get into my ground-floor office in Ventura. It was a wet welcome to California, but it was far better than the snow and ice we left behind in New York.
If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)
Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.
Im Davan Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I dont want you to miss today.
TOP STORIES
Big Government Republicans and Super Tuesday
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Super Tuesday is upon us, with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump poised for big nights. Will it play out that way? You can follow all the action on our live blog. For now, heres something to chew on: the role of big government Republicans. Though theyd probably object to the term, pollsters say these voters are focused not on slashing government, but on getting programs such as Social Security and veterans aid working more for people who have earned it. Heres one guess as to whom they support.
Kids With Nowhere Else to Go
Last year, more than 5,000 children spent time at two county-run waiting rooms for foster youths. Many ended up there because they were the most difficult to place: newborns, older teenagers, the mentally ill and so on. As The Times reported last year, the rooms had evolved into makeshift shelters where some spent weeks at a time and some fell prey to sex trafficking by other youth. In a few days, the county plans to close both centers, acknowledging they didnt work as intended. And no one seems too happy with the alternatives in place.
Can an Oscar Stop the Honor Killings?
The documentary A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness tells the story of a teenage girl whose father shot her in the head and dumped her in a river for marrying a man her family didnt approve of. The film has drawn praise from human rights organizations and the Pakistani government. On Sunday, it won an Oscar. But can it stop the so-called honor killings?
Who Wants the Dogs Out?
Dogs may be mans best friend, but can they coexist with veterans? The Brentwood dog park has become a flashpoint in the debate about federal plans to build housing for thousands of homeless veterans. The idea is to finally develop the Veterans Affairs Departments West Los Angeles campus. But that means some current tenants, such as the city-operated dog park and a private school, are negotiating with the VA to protect their turf. See how theyve all lobbied up and lawyered up, as one official says.
Yes, It Was That Hot
It wasnt your imagination: By one measure, this February in Los Angeles was the hottest on record. The average high temperature: 77.5, almost two degrees above the previous record set in 1954, according to a Times analysis. As for the much-anticipated El Nino rains: The month was the 37th driest out of 137 years of National Weather Service records.
CALIFORNIA
-- All of Californias voters are now in one online database.
-- Everything you need to know about the healthcare plans tax the Legislature just passed.
-- L.A. County looks into an increase in hate crimes against Muslims and Sikhs.
-- The states system of seizing and spending unclaimed cash has survived a Supreme Court challenge.
NATION-WORLD
-- Apple wins a round in its fight over accessing locked iPhones in criminal investigations.
-- Hark! Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas asks questions in court for the first time in 10 years.
-- Refugees are buying one-way tickets home after becoming disenchanted with Germany: overcrowded housing, bureaucracy, even the food.
-- Will a trial in Japan reveal the hidden truths of the Fukushima nuclear meltdown?
-- A 14-year-old student opened fire in an Ohio school cafeteria, injuring four, police said.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- The Oscar producers explain how the show came together. They werent happy with the thank-you scroll, for one.
-- The Academy Awards had its smallest audience since 2008: 34.3 million viewers.
-- Chris Rocks joke about Asian American accountants stirred outrage.
-- Inside Vanity Fairs Oscar party (yes, Ben and Jen were there).
-- Spotlights Tom McCarthy took the unusual actor-writer-director path on his way to victory.
-- Charlie Tuna, one of the Boss Jocks of L.A. radio, has died at 71.
-- George Kennedy, who won a supporting actor Oscar in 1968 for Cool Hand Luke, has died at 91.
-- The Griffith Park Teahouse has been moved and is reopening in San Pedro.
BUSINESS
-- Many young adults are staying away from homeownership, and its a chicken-and-egg thing.
-- A judge allows the Sumner Redstone competency case to proceed.
-- David Lazarus: When court-savvy tenants play the eviction system and frustrate landlords.
-- Would eliminating the $100 bill cut down on crime? Join the conversation.
SPORTS
-- The L.A Galaxy is aiming for a fear factor as it fields a more physical team.
-- Horses just like to run for jockey Rafael Bejarano, the leading rider at Santa Anita.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- An analysis by the Atlantic finds students of color in U.S. cities are more likely to attend schools where most of their peers are poor or low-income.
-- Artist Anish Kapoor gets exclusive rights to the worlds darkest pigment. (Hyperallergic)
-- What makes con artists tick? (Slate)
ONLY IN CALIFORNIA
Would you like to buy some cookies? The Girl Scouts at the Oscars didnt have to make that pitch, with Chris Rock urging celebrities to pony up. And as it turns out, the proceeds arent going to his children and their pals, as he said on TV. Instead, the scouts were members of a troop based in Inglewood, and according to Rock, they collected $65,243. The money is going to the Inglewood troop, a spokesperson for the Girl Scouts L.A. branch said. Were working with the team on the final count. That would indeed be a lot of dough.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
The waiting rooms for foster youths with nowhere else to go opened with great fanfare several years ago.
Known as Youth Welcome Centers, they were hailed by Los Angeles County officials as an important way to address the chronic shortage of foster homes, especially for children hardest to place. They were the only facilities in the county system with a no-refusal policy and quickly became a place for youths who would otherwise be homeless.
But in the next few days, the county plans to close both of its centers, acknowledging they didnt work as intended.
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As The Times reported last year, the waiting rooms had become makeshift medium- and long-term shelters where some youths spent days or weeks at a time well beyond the 24 hours allowed under state law. In some cases, young residents were recruited into the sex-trafficking trade by other youths at the facility.
A county report commissioned in response to the article recommended that the centers in Boyle Heights on the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center campus be shut down. State regulators followed with a lawsuit alleging that the centers amounted to illegal foster care facilities because of the childrens and young adults long stays.
In place of the waiting rooms, county supervisors have decided to outsource the care of the youths to private 72-hour shelter contractors a plan estimated to cost $12 million annually.
County officials and experts said the failure of the waiting rooms underscores how difficult it is for L.A. County to find homes for foster youths at a time when the number of vacant beds is declining. Since 2000, the number of beds in homes of foster parents who are unrelated to the foster youths has dropped from 22,000 to 9,000.
The long-term solution, according to Department of Children and Family Services Director Philip Browning, is for state and federal officials to raise payment rates so that some foster parents can quit their jobs and provide additional attention that the highest-need children require.
A department spokesman said Browning expects state Department of Social Services and federal Medicaid officials to decide in about three months whether they will provide that money.
For now, thousands of foster youths who had relied on the welcome centers from day-old infants to 21-year-olds will move to five emergency shelters.
More than 5,000 children spent time at the two county-run waiting rooms last year. Many ended up there because they were the most difficult to place: newborns, older teenagers, mentally ill or medically fragile youths, as well as those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.
These young people also tend to be the most vulnerable to the sometimes negative influence of other residents that can occur in overcrowded, impermanent welcome centers.
In November 2014, Vonie Bonjour, a transgender woman who was then 19, arrived at the waiting room. After more than 100 calls, a social worker found a home to take Bonjour. But when the social worker disclosed that she was transgender, the foster parent changed his mind. Bonjour lived in the waiting center off and on for more than a year.
For transgenders, the system is very hard, it just destroys you, Bonjour said one night after her arrival, as she sat eating a hamburger at a welcome center dining table. You deal with a lot of negative people.
Dilcia, 15, another welcome center resident, listened as if the older woman were a career counselor.
My long-term plan? I dont have one, Bonjour told her. For transgenders, its hard to get jobs, so we go on escort sites.
Hook me up, Dilcia said.
Creating short-term emergency shelters and better-paid foster parents for longer-term housing would segregate youths such as Bonjour who are involved in sex trafficking from other youths, Browning contends. A separate facility would provide them with specialized services.
The new, emergency shelter approach also will separate the young people into four facilities according to age and how recently they entered the foster care system.
By law, each site will be allowed to keep a youth for no more than 72 hours, although officials acknowledge that they would probably be forced to exceed that deadline in some cases.
At least one architect of the existing welcome center system, Dr. Astrid Heger, warns that the new approach presents potentially disastrous risks, because the shelters will not be connected to healthcare clinics as is now the case.
Heger, director of the Violence Intervention Program at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, said the emergency shelters dont have sufficient medical personnel to treat the youths and determine whether they are victims of abuse meaning that some could wind up back with abusive parents.
She added that the new sites will discourage homeless youths from dropping by for showers and meals, which gives staff members opportunities to offer them additional help, she said.
Heger has advocated for keeping the welcome centers but moving the most difficult young people to a more suitable facility.
The approved plan calls for Hegers physicians to continue to screen youths before theyre sent to the emergency shelters. The time at the medical center will be much more limited, however. Heger said she worries that worn-out social workers will sometimes skip the medical visits as they transport the young people to far-flung shelters in Alhambra, Baldwin Hills and other locations.
Kids might die again, she said. Theyre going to be invisible again.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which has jurisdiction over child welfare, decided against taking a public vote on the plan.
Just two years ago, Supervisor Hilda Solis was so enthusiastic about the waiting rooms that she called one a symbol for her own pledge to be a champion for children.
By then, however, problems were developing.
Mike Ross, the centers chief, worked to establish a therapeutic environment with peer counselors and mental health professionals providing unconditional positive regard to the youths. But, he said, the waiting rooms crushing pressures undermined those efforts.
Last year, several teenagers rushed the armed guard stationed at the front door at the older youths welcome center and attempted to wrestle a gun away, Children and Family Services officials said.
Staff members staged a sickout after the incident to highlight concerns about their safety, and a sheriffs deputy was permanently assigned to the waiting room. Since then, disciplinary problems have been handled by law enforcement.
Some of the young people found the centers that were supposed to be their salvation worse than other bad alternatives.
After being convicted of domestic violence, Bonjour, for example, told a judge that she would rather serve time in jail than return to a life of sporadic stays at the welcome center.
Now 21 and back on the streets, she finds herself struggling, addicted to methamphetamine, and wondering what kind of life she might have had if the county had found her a foster home.
What can I do to possibly get back to the old Vonie, you know? It is really embarrassing because I didnt see my life ending up like this. I swear to you.
garrett.therolf@latimes.com
Twitter: @gtherolf
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About 100 school administrators across Los Angeles County gathered to learn about school safety on Monday. About the same time, authorities said a 14-year-old in Ohio opened fire on his cafeteria.
The location is telling.
School shootings are on the rise. There were 38 school shootings in 2013 compared with 64 last year. And the cafeteria is now considered one of the most dangerous places for a school shooting. Theyre noisy, crowded spaces that can be hard for kids to escape, and for teachers to control, said Dennis Lewis, the founder of Edu-Safe, a school safety consulting company.
Cafeterias the worst-case scenario, Lewis said in an interview after Mondays training in Downey, where he and co-consultant Judy Brunner taught the group how to prevent and react to bomb threats and active-shooter scenarios. Lewis previously directed school safety in Missouri.
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After Columbine, the 1999 massacre in which a pair of students killed 13 people and injured dozens more at Columbine High School in Colorado, schools began to take the threat of an assailant more seriously. Schools across the country now have intruder and lockdown plans in place, and some conduct active-shooter drills to prepare students and teachers.
Teachers and administrators around L.A. know to close classroom doors and keep children inside, with the blinds closed and lights off, when necessary.
But what if students are outside the classroom when a shooter pulls a gun?
Los Angeles Unified School Districts lockdown policy, for example, calls for students who are outside to be moved to the nearest room that can be locked, and for students in a cafeteria to be kept there. It doesnt mention what to do if a shooter is inside the cafeteria along with students.
Lewis didnt know about the Ohio shooting while the Downey training was in session, but he and Brunner spoke during an interview afterward about how schools can better prepare and react to a threat when students arent in the classroom:
1. Prepare ahead of time
The day an assailant appears on campus shouldnt be the first time a school implements its active-shooter plan, and both teachers and students should know what to do.
Lewis and Brunner suggest teaching the active-shooter and lockdown plan as part of the curriculum at the beginning of the year, with age-appropriate language.
For the younger kids, youre talking about running from danger, Lewis said.
If students are outside, schools can establish safe sites where children and teachers can meet; depending on the scenario, that could be the edge of campus or a nearby park. Schools should tell teachers that if theyre outside and unable to get into a locked classroom, they should run with the students to one of those sites. Its a good idea to walk the routes with students early in the year, Lewis said.
2. One-word commands
Even if these reunification sites are set up, it can be difficult to get students attention in playgrounds or outdoor areas. Teachers should tell their students to recognize one word to react to when they hear it. For example, a teacher should just have to scream, Run! on a playground to get students attention and lead the way to the nearest safe site.
If a shooting occurs on a school bus, for example, the bus driver should be trained to yell, Down! and the students should know that means to hide under their seats because theres a dangerous situation, Lewis said.
3. Give teachers and students options
Students near an exit when an active shooter enters the cafeteria should try to use it. If they cant do that, they should try to find a place to hide. In a cafeteria, that could include a crawl space under a stage, a storage room for tables or behind a wall or partition, if possible. Both Lewis and Brunner said they couldnt comment directly on the Ohio shooting.
There are too many variables to create a standard procedure for cafeteria shootings, said Timothy J. Anderson, a deputy chief with the Los Angeles School Police Department. Instead, school police try to train administrators and staff to think clearly as humanly possible and to be able to make sound decisions, he said. He echoed Lewis advice: Staff and students can escape the room if possible and find cover if its not possible to get out.
Lewis said schools should give students directions for survival at the beginning of the year when training them, so that they feel prepared.
The same goes for teachers and administrators: Depending on the situation, an adult close to the shooter might try to take the assailant down when he or she pauses to reload, or might try to get as many students outside as possible if farther away.
There are countless scenarios involving shooters, and are almost impossible to prevent; still, its statistically unlikely that any one school will face a shooter on campus, Lewis said.
He admits that not all schools should adopt his plan; parents might object to talking about shootings or school danger with young children. And even with a plan in place, it would be difficult to keep track of children who are running to a designated meeting spot off campus and for them to remember those meeting spots during an emergency situation.
But local schools are thinking about these possibilities more as the threats feel closer to their districts, L.A. County Supt. Arturo Delgado said. School administrators requested the training after the December shooting in San Bernardino, which prompted a districtwide school lockdown, and after L.A. Unifieds recent decision to close its schools following a potential bomb threat.
Reach Sonali Kohli on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli or by email at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com.
A surgeon described on Tuesday the life-saving efforts performed on a woman believed to be the lone survivor of the so-called Grim Sleeper serial killer, telling jurors that he removed a bullet from her chest when she arrived at a Los Angeles County hospital more than 27 years ago.
Dr. John Robertson testified that paramedics worked to keep the blood pressure of Enietra Washington from plummeting after she was shot on Nov. 7, 1988. Robertson said he was working at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center when Washington was rushed in for treatment.
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Under questioning from Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman, Robertson said Washingtons wound was consistent with her being shot as she sat in the passenger seat of a vehicle while her assailant was in the drivers seat.
The testimony echoed Washingtons recounting of her ordeal last week.
Washington testified she was attacked after accepting a ride from a man in an orange Ford Pinto. The man shot her as she sat in the passenger seat and forced himself on her, she recounted.
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In the downtown Los Angeles courtroom where the trial is taking place, Washington identified Lonnie Franklin, now 63, as her attacker.
Prosecutors allege that Franklin, a former LAPD garage attendant, is responsible for a series of 10 slayings and the attempted murder of Washington during a period that spanned more than 20 years. He has pleaded not guilty.
Jurors also heard testimony from Debra Gibson, a criminalist with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
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Gibson testified that she responded to the site where the body of 15-year-old Princess Berthomieux was found in 2002. Berthomieux, who had been strangled and beaten to death, had been left in an Inglewood alley.
For more on the Grim Sleeper trial, follow @sjceasar
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San Bernardino County sheriffs deputies are looking for as many as four people who are suspected of hanging county law enforcement personnel in effigy, authorities said.
On Feb. 18, sheriffs deputies in Twin Peaks, near Lake Arrowhead, received a call of a mannequin hanging by a rope near the road with the name of a deputy sheriff and a bulls-eye painted on it. Twin Peaks deputies responded and collected it when another mannequin was found near a school bus stop.
Shortly after that, the station received a call that about five other mannequins with deputies names on them were hanging at multiple locations. Authorities found seven mannequins in the Crestline and Cedarpines Park communities, six of which had the names of current and past Twin Peaks deputies. A probation officers name was scrawled on the other.
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Within a few hours, deputies identified Sarah Stewart, 36, as the person responsible, authorities said. Stewart is a known criminal in the community with ties to white supremacist gang members, according to Gil Flores, a spokesman for the Twin Peaks sheriffs office.
Witnesses reported seeing Stewart loading mannequins into a U-Haul van with another suspect, Erin Elder, on the night of the incident, authorities said.
Deputies arrested Stewart and Elder at a residence in the 300 block of Davos Drive in Crestline on Saturday.
Stewart was arrested on suspicion of threatening an officer in order to prevent duties, criminal threats against an officer and criminal activity to promote the reputation of a street gang, authorities said. She is also being held on suspicion of cruelty to a child.
Elder, 47, was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to a child. Deputies said they found methamphetamines in the home where the pair were arrested.
Authorities ask that anyone with information on the other suspects call the Twin Peaks station at (909) 336-0687 or call (800) 78-CRIME.
sarah.parvini@latimes.com
For more local and breaking news, follow me on Twitter: @sarahparvini
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U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx did not mince words.
The future of Los Angeles and the West looks crowded, he said, conjuring nightmarish images of gridlock in the minds of the hundreds of Angelenos.
But over the course of more than three hours Monday, transit experts, business executives and policymakers such as Foxx also presented hopeful visions of an exciting and high-tech transportation future. Later in the 21st century, they said, people will sit in self-driving cars, freight will move at 750 mph though vacuum tubes, and the Los Angeles International Airport will finally connect to rail.
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I think this is a decade of incredible re-imagining of our city, Mayor Eric Garcetti said. I think technology will fundamentally change how we get around.
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The local and federal leaders came together Monday at the Mark Taper Auditorium for the latest installment of The Times California Conversation series. The event, titled The Road Ahead, thrust the experts into discussions with Times reporters in front of an audience of more than 250 people.
The Road Ahead On Now California Conversation: Chris Urmson, Head of Google's Self Driving Project (Excerpt 1) On Now California Conversation: Chris Urmson, Head of Google's Self Driving Project (Excerpt 2) On Now California Conversation: Chris Urmson, Head of Google's Self Driving Project (Excerpt 3) On Now California Conversation: Chris Urmson, Head of Google's Self Driving Project (Excerpt 4) On Now California Conversation: Chris Urmson, Head of Google's Self Driving Project (Excerpt 5) On Now California Conversation: Chris Urmson, Head of Google's Self Driving Project (Excerpt 6) On Now California Conversation: U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (Excerpt 1) On Now California Conversation: U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (Excerpt 2) On Now California Conversation: U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (Excerpt 3) On Now California Conversation: U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (Excerpt 4)
Many of those in attendance were locals who said they worked directly in the transportation industry or in advocacy groups that seek funding or push for policy change. Of interest to the observers:
Garcetti said the citys new GoLA app, which tells smartphone users the fastest, cheapest or greenest way to get from one point to another, will soon include a system that allows users to pay for whatever transportation mode they choose to use.
He confirmed that the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to place a proposal on the November ballot that would seek to raise the countywide sales tax by a half-cent and extend an existing tax for almost two more decades.
He promised there would be parking at some of the new Expo Line stations opening in May.
Meanwhile, Metro is preparing to present a list of major highway and rail projects to its board that could be built with $100 billion to $120 billion in sales tax revenue. CEO Phil Washington said Monday that he would present the projects that represent the greatest benefit and let the politics fall where they may.
I think we are at a crossroads, not just here in L.A. County but [in] the country, in terms of what to do about congestion and what to do about decaying infrastructure, he said.
Do we just say were going to let congestion eat us alive? We want to try to mitigate this congestion thats out there. I say we build the infrastructure now.
But much of the conversation took on a more abstract quality that at one point invoked a reference to The Jetsons for the cartoons portrayal of a future filled with flying cars and jet packs.
Chris Urmson, head of Googles self driving car project, offered a presentation showing how its autonomous cars learned to avoid even the most anomalous hazards -- such as a duck in the road being chased by a person in a wheelchair.
Urmson said 94% of accidents are caused by human error and argued that self-driving cars would save lives.
If somebody T-bones a [self-driving] car while its going though a green light, thats probably not the cars fault, he said.
Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop Technologies, then took the stage to discuss his companys plans to create a high-speed transportation system that will shuttle compartments filled with people and goods through large tubes.
He said he expects the companys first project to begin next year, adding that he hoped the project would be in the L.A. region.
We will not accept that its going to take 10 years to make this happen, Lloyd said.
Indeed, Garcetti, Foxx and others agreed that technology will soon reshape how people get where theyre going in one of the nations most notoriously congested cities.
Since the wheel, weve just been improving the technology that we control, Foxx said. And now were at a stage where now the technology can take on more of the operating tasks that we always assumed wed be doing.
There are going to be close to 40 million people in the region in the years to come, Foxx said, so officials will need to keep investing in infrastructure.
These are urgent issues, he said. Sometimes I feel like Noah trying to argue for building the Ark.
Do we need more investment? Yes, we need much more investment.
Twitter: @ByMattStevens
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Would a stay at Yosemite National Parks Ahwahnee Hotel by any other name be just as sweet?
Park officials certainly hope so, as the iconic inn and several others inside the park were forced to change their names Tuesday after the National Park Service failed to reach a settlement with the hotels departing vendor.
Starting Tuesday, the Ahwahnee Hotel, established in the 1920s, is now The Majestic Yosemite Hotel. The Wawona Hotel is Big Trees Lodge and Curry Village a campsite leading to Half Dome is now Half Dome Village. Yosemite Lodge at the Falls has been renamed Yosemite Valley Lodge and Badger Pass Ski Area is now the Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area, the park announced.
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This action will not affect the historic status of the facilities, as they are still important cultural icons to the National Park Service and the public. Our stewardship of these properties is unwavering, Park Supt. Don Neubacher said in a statement announcing the changes in January. While it is unfortunate that we must take this action, changing the names of these facilities will help us provide seamless service to the American public during the transition to the new concessioner.
Ahead of Tuesdays change, someone stole the historic sign for the Ahwahnee Hotel over the weekend that greets park visitors heading into the village, said park spokesman Scott Gediman. The Ahwahnee name had been connected to the park since 1927.
I definitely feel like its a historical moment, he said. Theres always change but Half Dome and El Capitan are still thereYosemite is as beautiful as ever.
The name changes avoid potential trademark infringement issues with the parks previous concessioner, DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite Inc., the Park Service said. The company or its predecessor had trademarked the names of the famed Yosemite attractions without the Park Services approval and says they are worth $50 million, according to the Park Service.
Some signs, like Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, are simply covered with a piece of plywood with the new name printed on top of it, Gediman said. The brown metal direction signs are being covered with new ones, he said.
The Park Service is fighting a trademark of the name Yosemite National Park, it said. The company that claims to own the trademark told the Times on Monday that the dispute is only over the value of the name for merchandising purposes.
The new vendor, Yosemite Hospitality LLC, was selected through a bidding process that ended in June. The contract is for 15 years and gives the company management of the parks lodging, retail, recreational services and food for an estimated 4 million annual visitors, the Park Service said.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.
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He left office seven years ago, settling into a retirement of writing and painting, carefully maintaining a vow to leave politics and the conflicts of campaigning behind.
But family comes first, and George W. Bush emerged from his quiet life in Dallas on Monday and returned to the political stage in South Carolina, a state that resuscitated his White House aspirations in 2000.
This time he was on another rescue mission, for his younger brother, Jeb, and a once-promising candidacy now in grave peril.
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The older Bush made his return less than 48 hours after the front-runner for the Republican nomination had publicly labeled him a failure and said his administration had lied about the Iraq war.
Looking relaxed in slacks, an open-collar shirt and a sports coat with a Jeb Bush campaign sticker, the former president was met with roars of approval at the convention center here. He displayed the easy charm that had won him two terms, telling 3,000 supporters that his brother had the steady hand the country needed in a time of uncertainty at home and upheaval abroad.
The presidency is a serious job that requires sound judgment and good ideas, and theres no doubt in my mind that Jeb Bush has the experience and the character to be a great president, Bush told the cheering crowd. He was flanked onstage by his wife, Laura, brother and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
The appearance of Bush made for a striking, perhaps unprecedented moment in campaign history; another former two-term president, Bill Clinton, will be in the state Tuesday campaigning for his wife, Hillary, in the Democratic primary, which falls seven days after the Republicans vote on Saturday.
Ive seen in my brother a quiet conviction and a core conscience that cannot be shaken, and my hope is that the people of South Carolina will see this as well, he said with his trademark Texas twang. This is a serious election for a serious job, so please welcome a serious and thoughtful candidate, a good man, a man I am proud to call my big little brother Jeb Bush.
Jeb Bush entered the presidential campaign determined to demonstrate that he was his own man, separate from his brother and his father, former President George H.W. Bush. But as the onetime presumed front-runner failed to gain traction with voters, he has called in his family in recent weeks to revive his efforts to set himself up as the establishment alternative to Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz.
Its a recurring role for the older brother Bush tapped his fundraising base and advised Jeb Bush after his failed 1994 Florida gubernatorial bid, helping him win the seat four years later.
Buoyed by the passage of time, the deeply polarizing president is the most popular he has been since leaving office. More than three-quarters of GOP voters view the nations 43rd president favorably in a November Bloomberg poll.
But his legacy remains fiercely disputed. In Saturday nights GOP debate in Greenville, S.C., Trump called him a liar who failed to keep the nation safe, could have prevented the Sept. 11 attacks and destabilized the Middle East by invading Iraq charges he repeated during a news conference Monday in Hanahan, S.C.
The audience at the debate loudly booed Trump for disparaging Bush.
Bush did not address Trumps criticism, but he did recount the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when he learned of the attack while listening to a child read at a Florida elementary school. He did not directly denounce any of his brothers GOP rivals, or Democrats. But he appeared to allude to Trump as he addressed the qualities voters should look for as they elect a new president.
These are tough times. I understand 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. We need someone who can fix the problems that cause our anger and frustration, and thats Jeb Bush.
Barry Wynn, a trust company owner who attended the rally, said he is a longtime fan of the Bush family.
I love the family and I admire them a lot and I just think Jeb would be a great president. Hes got the background, said the 69-year-old Spartanburg, S.C., resident.
This marshy state, with a large military presence and veteran population, revived Bushs presidential campaign in 2000 amid false smears spread by Bush allies that rival John McCain had fathered a black child out of wedlock. (The Arizona senator and his wife adopted a daughter from Bangladesh.)
Southerners, especially South Carolinians, we like to take care of our own. We feel as though we have some ownership of George W.'s political success, said Hogan Gidley, a GOP strategist in Columbia, S.C., who is neutral in the campaign. We helped him resurrect his campaign to the nomination here in South Carolina, so hes one of ours.
Leigh Ann Gailes, 55, said Bushs speech resonated with her.
He stirs you and I really do appreciate that he was my president, said the veteran and travel nurse who lives in Charleston.
Bush met with veterans and Gov. Nikki Haley earlier in the day in Columbia.
He had cut radio ads and headlined closed-door fundraisers for Jeb Bush before making this public appearance. The former president has said previously he didnt believe it was appropriate for him to insert himself into affairs of state, and preferred spending his days in Dallas working for wounded veterans and taking up his new avocation of oil painting.
Ive been kind of quiet in the public square. Eight years in the limelight was plenty. Laura and I are really happy in what she has described as the afterlife, Bush said.
His disappearance also reflected the reality that voters viewed him as a pariah in the immediate aftermath of his two terms, when the nation was struggling through an economic recession.
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He has gone out of his way to avoid being in the limelight because he didnt think that was his place, but when your brother is running for the leader of the free world, you make an exception, said Reed Galen, a Republican strategist who worked on both of Bushs presidential campaigns and in his administration. If hes the biggest gun you have in your arsenal, theres no reason not to roll him out now.
Bush displayed the folksy charm he is known for and his brother is not recalling campaigning in South Carolina and making self-deprecating jokes about himself. He noted that he wrote two books since leaving office, surprising those who thought he couldnt read.
Ive been misunderestimated most of my life, Bush said, repeating a Bush-ism from a 2000 speech.
seema.mehta@latimes.com
Twitter: @LATSeema
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Interrupted by jeers from observers, one of Pope Francis top advisors on Tuesday denied an accusation that his testimony to an inquiry into child sex abuse was an attempt to deflect blame for the Catholic Church transferring Australias worst pedophile priest from parish to parish.
Australian Cardinal George Pell was a priest in the 1970s in the town of Ballarat where he advised Bishop Ronald Mulkearns about the placement of priests within the diocese.
Pell, now the popes top financial advisor, told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that he had no idea that priest Gerald Ridsdale was repeatedly transferred by the bishop for more than a decade because of pedophile accusations.
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Pell rejected an accusation made by the lead counsel assisting the commission, Gail Furness, that his answers were designed to remove his own responsibility for Ridsdales crimes.
My answers were designed to answer your questions accurately and completely, Pell told the Sydney inquiry via videolink from a Rome hotel.
Asked if he accepted any responsibility for Ridsdales repeated transfers within the Ballarat diocese, Pell replied: No, I dont.
The Royal Commission which is Australias highest form of investigation is looking into how Pell dealt with abuse allegations as a priest, educator and advisor to Mulkearns, as well as how the Melbourne archdiocese responded to allegations of abuse, including when Pell served as a Melbourne auxiliary bishop.
Tuesday was the second day of evidence for the 74-year-old cleric, who because of ill health could not travel to Australia to give evidence in person at the inquiry into decades of child abuse.
On Monday, Pell dubbed Mulkearns handling of Ridsdale a catastrophe for the church. He said Mulkearns was a prime candidate for the Vaticans proposed tribunal for negligent bishops, although there is no indication the elderly Mulkearns would stand trial by the time the tribunal is operational.
Commission chairman Peter McClellan asked Pell on Tuesday whether it was surprising that he hadnt heard rumors about the scandal Ridsdale had created in the diocese.
Not necessarily, given the work I was doing, Pell said. I wasnt working full-time in the diocese.
Furness said that as an advisor to the bishop one of a group of Ballarat priests known as the College of Consultors Pell should have questioned why Ridsdale was frequently transferred.
I was happy to take the bishops word that it was appropriate for him to be shifted, Pell said.
Gentle and euphemistic language was regularly used by Bishop Mulkearns on these occasions, so that some of us were kept in the dark, he said.
NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>
Pell accompanied Ridsdale to court in 1993 when the pedophile faced his first child molesting charges. He was convicted in 1993, 2006 and 2013 with sexually abusing more than 50 children.
Pell told the Royal Commission Mulkearns refusal to act on the allegations against Ridsdale was extraordinary.
Unfortunately, I would have to say that I cant nominate another bishop whose actions are so grave and inexplicable, Pell said.
Pell agreed with McClellan that even if a priest did not have a legal responsibility to stop Ridsdales crimes, a priest would have a moral responsibility to do whatever he could to prevent such abuses.
I think that is a reasonable proposition, Pell said.
The Royal Commission in December accepted medical advice that 85-year-old Mulkearns was dying and was unfit to testify. He was Ballarats bishop from 1971 until he retired in 1997.
The bishops former advisor, priest John McKinnon, told the Royal Commission in December that Mulkearns was profoundly sorry for relocating suspected pedophile priests, but could no longer remember details.
Ballarat, Pells hometown, has been devastated by disclosures about the huge number of abuse victims, scores of whom killed themselves in a cluster of abuse-related suicides.
Two dozen Australian abuse survivors and their companions traveled across the globe to witness Pells testimony in a hotel conference room, a significant show of accountability in the churchs long-running abuse saga.
Pell said priests didnt discuss with him the allegations against Ridsdale.
Pells testimony was interrupted by jeers from the public gallery as he explained the moral framework in which priests live.
We work within a framework of Christian moral teaching, or certainly we should, and discussion of the secret faults of others is not encouraged, Pell said.
Furness told Pell that Ridsdales crimes were not secret, since they were common knowledge in the towns of Apollo Bay and Inglewood where Ridsdale had been the parish priest and police had reported their suspicions to the church.
Pell said he had not known the sexual abuse was common knowledge in Inglewood.
I didnt know whether it was common knowledge or whether it wasnt. Its a sad story and it wasnt of much interest to me, Pell said, bringing audible gasps and jeers from the public gallery.
Andrew Collins, a clergy abuse victim from Ballarat, said outside the Rome hotel that he found Pells denials of any knowledge of pedophilia allegations against Ridsdale absolutely unbelievable.
Hes always been seen as an ambitious man and ambitious people have knowledge. They crave knowledge, Collins told reporters.
They know everything thats going on and he wouldnt be in the position he was today if he was the sort of person who sat back and didnt pay attention to what was going on, he added.
Before Pells testimony on Tuesday, he told reporters: Ive got the full backing of the pope.
The Vatican said a private audience Pell had with the pope on Monday was a long-scheduled appointment related to Pells duties as Holy See finance minister, and had nothing to do with the abuse hearings.
Pell will testify for a third four-hour session late on Tuesday Rome time.
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The heated dispute over the FBI effort to force Apple to help unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino killers moved Tuesday to Capitol Hill, where lawmakers appear deeply divided on the issue.
FBI Director James B. Comey and Apples general counsel, Bruce Sewell, both testified at a crowded House Judiciary Committee hearing on encryption and the balance between privacy and national security.
Comey warned that public safety may suffer if Apple and other Silicon Valley companies can defy court-ordered warrants to cooperate with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
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If there are warrant-proof spaces in American life, what does that mean? And what are the consequences of that? Comey asked.
Comey denied Sewells claim that the FBI is asking for a backdoor key to open Apple devices, insisting the California case is focused only on a single iPhone 5c.
There is already a door on the iPhone, he said, referred to the encrypted password. We are asking Apple to take the vicious guard dog away and let us pick the lock.
The FBI wants Apple to write software that would turn off a security feature designed to wipe out data if 10 incorrect attempts are made to enter the password. Once those settings are disabled, the FBI would then try passwords until the phone unlocks.
The hearing convened a day after Apple won a major federal court ruling in New York, a ruling that could affect the San Bernardino case, as well as potential legislation in Congress.
In Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein said he did not have the authority to order Apple to disable security on a iPhone used by a drug dealer who had pleaded guilty in a methamphetamine distribution case.
Across the country in Riverside, Apple is fighting U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pyms order to write software so FBI technicians can unlock a work phone used by Syed Rizwan Farook. He and his wife killed 14 people on Dec. 2 at the Inland Regional Center.
Its unclear if any useful evidence exists on Farooks phone. The FBI insists it might hold clues to the couples location, contacts and communications before the attack.
The debate has created unusual alliances in Congress, as libertarian Republicans have lined up with civil liberties Democrats to support Apple stand on privacy.
But it also has aligned national security hawks in both parties, who warn that law enforcement will be blocked from accessing evidence in terrorism and criminal cases unless high tech companies are forced to cooperate.
The divide was clear from the start of Tuesdays hearing when Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he once led efforts to prevent law enforcement from getting a backdoor key to commercial encryption, allowing U.S. companies to thrive and keep the market from heading overseas.
But now, he said, the use of stronger encryption and other new tech tools by those intending harm to the American people is outpacing law enforcements technological capability to access those communications in legitimate criminal and national security investigations.
We must find a way for physical security not to be at odds with information security, Goodlatte said. Law enforcement must be able to fight crime and keep us safe, and this countrys innovative companies must at the same time have the opportunity to offer secure services to keep our customers safe.
The question over how to balance privacy and security is too complex to be left to the courts and must be answered by Congress, Goodlatte said.
But the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), warned that the FBI may be using the San Bernardino case to win public sympathy and change the law.
I would be deeply disappointed if it turns out that the government is found to be exploiting a national tragedy to pursue a change in the law, he said.
This case appears to be little more than an end run around this committee, Conyers said.
In testimony submitted before Tuesdays hearing, Sewell argued that the FBI is asking for a back door into the iPhone specifically to build a software tool that can break the encryption system which protects personal information on every iPhone.
Weakening encryption, he said, will only hurt consumers and other well-meaning users who rely on companies like Apple to protect their personal information.
In court papers, Justice Department lawyers have argued that they are asking Apple to write software only for the one phone, not for all iPhones, and that the company would still control the software, not the government.
Manhattan Dist. Atty. Cyrus Vance Jr., who also will testify at the hearing, said in a statement submitted to the committee that his office has 175 Apple devices in its forensics lab that investigators cant open.
It is important to recognize that 95% of all criminal prosecutions in this country are handled at the state and local level, and that Apples switch to default encryption in the fall of 2014 severely harms many of these prosecutions, Vance wrote.
Vance has given lawmakers proposed legislation that would require companies to design their products so police and prosecutors can read locked data subject to a search warrant.
Lawmakers are split over whether the government should be able to force tech companies to weaken security features meant to protect customers private data.
A bill being drafted by Sen. Richard M. Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the panels top Democrat, would penalize companies that dont comply with court orders to help authorities crack encrypted devices.
No ones above the law in this country; no company, no individual, no organization, Feinstein said last week after Apple said it would fight the court order. All the FBI is asking them to do is cooperate and do their best to help.
Apple supports a competing proposal that would create a blue-ribbon commission to study encryption and privacy concerns, and then make recommendations to Congress.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, introduced a bill Monday to create the National Commission on Digital Security.
It would include tech executives, privacy advocates, law enforcement officials and academics.
Rep. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a privacy hawk who has repeatedly sought to push back on government surveillance, is backing Apple.
He says the FBI attempt to force the company to bypass encryption will allow hackers to break in as well. Encrypted devices made overseas would quickly replace smartphones made by Apple and other American companies, he warned.
The FBI request, he said in a statement, is wrong from a security standpoint, wrong from a liberty standpoint, and wrong from an economic standpoint.
Google, Facebook, Verizon and Yahoo are among the tech and telecom companies drafting briefs in support of Apple.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym has scheduled a hearing March 22 at the federal court in Riverside.
brian.bennett@latimes.com
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Growing up in Montgomery, Ala., Gregory Gunn was raised with a healthy respect for law enforcement. His father was one of the first black men to be sworn into the citys police force.
All of which makes his death fatally shot by a white police officer as he walked to his mothers home on a recent morning that much harder for those who knew him to accept.
His family and former neighbors in Mobile Heights, a tightknit African American neighborhood in Montgomery, said they were struggling to make sense of his death, and the case is being investigated by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
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On Monday, state Rep. Alvin Holmes, whose district is in Montgomery, said he and the Gunns attorney were drafting a letter to send to U.S. Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch, requesting that the Justice Department assign a special investigator to conduct a full inquiry.
We want police officers to maintain peace in the community, not shoot someone down simply because they are walking down the street, Holmes said. We dont think the state of Alabama is going to do anything other than whitewash.
Holmes said he thought the officer should be brought before a grand jury and indicted on a first-degree murder charge.
At about 11 p.m. Wednesday, Gunn walked to a friends house for a neighborhood game of cards after his shift at a grocery store, said Tyrone C. Means, the Gunn familys attorney. Sometime after 3 a.m. Thursday, he headed to his mothers home about 600 feet away, Means said.
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For the Record, March 3, 11:25 a.m.: In an earlier version of this story, an attorney speaking for Gunns family said the man worked at a Winn-Dixie grocery store. The grocer says he did not.
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A lone officer, A.C. Smith, who was conducting a routine patrol in the neighborhood, pursued him. Police officials said there had been an upsurge in burglaries 23 in just two monthsin the Mobile Heights neighborhood.
According to a Montgomery police statement, Smith approached a suspicious person and a struggle ensued.
Means said he had not been told the nature of the suspicious activity.
According to Means, witnesses reported that at the time of the shooting, Gunn was knocking on the window of a neighbors house, pleading for help.
His neighbor said he called out four or five times, Means said. He could hear the fear in his voice.
The neighbor instructed his wife to call police and then opened his front door, Means said. He saw the police, and he saw his friend on the ground.
Gunn was pronounced dead by 3:35 a.m.
Smith, who has worked for the Montgomery Police Department for four years, had no prior record of misconduct. He has been put on administrative leave, a routine procedure.
We dont believe that there was any justification for the police officer to even engage Mr. Gunn, let alone get out of his car and chase him and take his life, Means said.
Witnesses reported hearing five shots, Means said. Montgomery officials did not say how many shots had been fired, noting that the case and evidence had been turned over to the State Bureau of Investigation.
Some in the community, however, are suspicious of local and state officials.
In 1975, Montgomery police officers shot an African American man named Bernard Whitehurst, mistakenly believing he was the suspect in the robbery of a grocery store. Officers then reportedly planted a gun on him and claimed he had fired shots.
The shooting death ignited a scandal that roiled the city, ultimately causing the resignation of the mayor and police chief. Last year, Montgomery officials erected a marker in Whitehursts name on the street where he was gunned down, and formally apologized.
Gunn, 59, was recently divorced and living with his 87-year-old widowed mother, providing care and financial support. She is taking it very badly, Means said. Her son was suddenly snatched from her.
At a news conference Monday, Mayor Todd Strange urged the community to have patience.
We pledge to you that we will do our best, and that the full truth, and nothing but the truth, comes out, Strange said. Wherever that truth leads to, whatever factual situation it presents, we will in fact act as strongly and as judiciously as we can.
During the news conference, Gunns brother, Franklin Gunn, requested five minutes of silence for his brother before angrily calling on the mayor and police chief to resign.
Another speaker, who identified himself as one of Gunns friends, urged the Police Department to withdraw all white police officers from black neighborhoods.
We want all white police officers to be taken out of our community, he said. We dont trust them. We dont trust you all.
Strange, who is white, tried to convince the crowd that the city had changed, distinguishing between the Montgomery of yesterday and Montgomery of today.
This is our Montgomery, Strange said. Were better than erasing tapes. Were better than trying and convicting someone in their frontyard. Lets not tear down the bridges weve built. This is a defining moment for us.
Jarvie is a special correspondent
In a vast region of Texas that is larger than California, the Supreme Court was recently told, no doctors or health clinics would be licensed to perform abortions if the state is allowed to enforce stringent new medical regulations.
So, are these regulations a valid means to increase the health and safety of abortion patients, as the state maintains, or an unconstitutional scheme to deprive millions of Texas women access to legal abortion?
NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>
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That is the question before the Supreme Court on Wednesday in a case that may be reshaped by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
Scalia was the courts fiercest critic of the Roe vs. Wade ruling that established a right to abortion. He would have been a strong voice in favor of giving states more leeway to limit the procedure. Without him, however, it is highly doubtful the Texas case will yield a broad conservative ruling that gives states a green light to adopt ever-stricter restrictions on abortion.
The outcome still turns on Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who has been both a steady critic of abortion and a key defender of the principle that women have a right to decide for themselves whether to end an early pregnancy.
In June, Kennedy joined with the courts four liberals to bar Texas from fully enforcing the law while the justices considered an appeal from abortion-rights advocates. But in the courts last abortion ruling, Kennedy wrote the 5-4 opinion in 2007 that upheld a federal ban on so-called partial-birth abortions.
The two key regulations at issue now require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital and to work in clinics that meet the standards of an outpatient surgical center.
Prior to 2013, Texas carefully regulated and inspected abortion providers. Doctors needed transfer agreements with hospitals if a medical emergency arose, and clinics that performed abortions after 16 weeks of a pregnancy had to meet the standards of a surgical center.
The new state law, HB 2, extended both regulations so that, for example, a woman seeking an early abortion using medication must go to a surgical center to take the pills.
And for women in western Texas who seek an abortion, that could mean driving 300 miles to a clinic in Ft. Worth or Dallas, said Amy Hagstrom Miller, the president of Whole Womans Health who led the suit challenging the law.
We had a call from a working mother of three from the Lubbock area. And she asked, How can I make a 600-mile trip with three kids? Miller said.
And because the law includes mandatory waiting periods, the woman would have to spend several days in Ft. Worth. This is not about safety, Miller said.
Leading medical experts, including the American Medical Assn., the America College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Family Physicians, strongly urged the court to reject the Texas regulations as unneeded and potentially harmful.
Early abortions are one of the safest medical procedures performed in the United States, they told the court. Neither requirement [in the Texas law] is supported by accepted medical practice or scientific evidence.
No woman died in Texas from an abortion in the four years prior to the state adopting its new law, they said. Abortion-rights advocates, citing similar data, said a woman in Texas is currently 100 times more likely to die from carrying a pregnancy to term than from having an abortion in a licensed abortion facility.
They say many abortion providers in communities outside the major cities cannot afford the multimillion-dollar cost of expanding their facilities to meet the standards of an outpatient surgical center.
Texas had 40 abortion providers several years ago, but expects to have 10 or fewer, all in the major metro areas, if the new law is fully enforced.
For their part, Texas state lawyers say the justices should defer to the state Legislature.
Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller said lawmakers aim was to ensure patient safety and raise standards of care. Those challenging the law have nothing close to the clearest proof needed to show that the legislatures stated purpose is a sham, wrote Keller, who served as a law clerk for Kennedy six years ago.
He said Texas legislators were motivated to act after Dr. Kermit Gosnell was tried and convicted of criminal negligence and murder in Philadelphia for botched abortions in 2011.
If Kennedy votes with the three conservative justices to uphold the Texas law, the court would likely be split 4-4 and unable to issue an opinion.
If so, the court may issue a one-line order that affirms on a tie vote the ruling of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the Texas law. Such a move does not set a legal precedent, but it would allow Texas to enforce its law.
Twitter: @DavidGSavage
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A 14-year-old boy pulled out a gun in a school cafeteria Monday and opened fire, hitting two students, authorities said. He was apprehended nearby with the help of a police dog.
Two additional Madison Local Schools students were injured, possibly from shrapnel or from running away. None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, said Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones.
Jones said the 14-year-old was a student and there was a motive in the shooting, which he did not identify. The boy was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats, Jones said.
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Students were eating in the cafeteria when the shooting happened about 11:30 a.m., Jones said. Afterward, classmates described a chaotic scene where they werent sure what was happening.
Thirteen-year-old Shelby Kinnin said she heard a couple of bangs and realized she was near the shooter.
I didnt really know it was gunshots until I looked over and a kid was grabbing his leg and falling over, she said.
Many people ran and the shooter went out a door, she said. She recognized him as a boy who was in a class with her last year, though she wasnt sure of his name.
Her stepmother, Stephanie Kinnin, said it was unnerving to see emergency responders swarm the school.
There is no feeling like that in the world, she said. But my eyes found the children walking out looking for parents, and that was heartbreaking. Their eyes just told the story.
The students who were shot were 14 and 15 years old and were taken to a hospital, where they were in stable condition, investigators said. A 14-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl were also injured, though it was unclear how, Jones said.
We dont know if it was from the shooting or from exiting the school or because of the shrapnel from the bullets hitting into that small of an area, Jones said.
Students who were in the cafeteria at the time said they didnt immediately recognize the sounds as gunshots. Some students ran outside to a field before being brought back inside.
A sheriffs deputy stationed in the school had just been in the cafeteria, Jones said.
All other students were safe, according to the school website. The school, which had practiced for such an event, immediately went into lockdown, said district spokeswoman A.J. Huff.
The campus is near Middletown, roughly 30 miles north of Cincinnati. State records show enrollment of about 250 junior high and 500 high school students.
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For most folks, this is just another Tuesday. But in the world of politics, this is Super Tuesday, the biggest day of balloting in the 2016 presidential race.
Voters in a dozen states will turn out for primaries and caucuses, allotting a generous share of the delegates who will decide which candidates carry the Democratic and Republican banners into the fall campaign.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the Democratic and GOP front-runners, respectively, are poised for big nights. They start out with a considerable advantage, each having won three of the first four contests.
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The polls start closing at 4 p.m. Pacific time, and results will roll in East to West throughout the night and, depending on how the counting goes, into early Wednesday.
Here are five things to watch for:
Can Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont significantly cut Clintons delegate lead? The two candidates are not all that far apart in their share of pledged delegates. But Clinton opens up a huge advantage when adding in the super delegates, or party leaders, who have given the former secretary of State their support.
If Clinton leads by 100 or more delegates after Tuesday, it will be exceedingly difficult for Sanders to overtake her in the remaining contests, because Democrats award their delegates on a proportional, rather than winner-take-all, basis. He may stay in the race for some time. But his only hope of wresting the nomination from Clinton would be one blowout win after another, which seems unlikely.
Can Sanders break through among black voters? Seven of the Super Tuesday contests will take place in the South, in states with substantial African American populations. In her crushing South Carolina victory Saturday, Clinton won the votes of nearly 9 in 10 black voters. Some of the earliest returns Tuesday will come from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Virginia. The results in those states, and exit polls giving an insight into the black vote, will indicate what kind of night its going to be for Sanders and Clinton.
Beyond that, it could also signal the candidates respective strength heading into future contests, including primaries in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, where the African American vote will be significant.
Trump leads the polls in all the biggest contests save Texas, where Sen. Ted Cruz is favored to carry his home state. The question is whether two other rivals, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, can avoid a Super Tuesday shutout. Both their strategies are predicated on surviving Tuesday and winning once the race gets to their respective home states for winner-take-all contests on March 15. A big Trump win Tuesday would not only pad his already substantial delegate lead but also raise serious doubts about the viability of Rubio and Kasich, who have yet to win a state.
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If they lose to Trump, can his rivals at least keep it somewhat close? Several states, including Texas and Georgia, require candidates to win a minimum of 20% of the vote to qualify for delegates. My big question is, do other candidates add up to more or less delegates than Trump? said David Wasserman, a campaign analyst with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. If more, odds of a contested convention increase.
Whither Ted Cruz? If he fails to win Texas, his campaign is finished. But how does he fare among evangelical voters elsewhere across the South, the most religious part of the country? Christian conservatives powered Cruz to victory in the Iowa caucuses, Trumps only defeat. Since then, however, evangelical voters have favored the businessman over the senator, despite Cruzs explicit appeals and consistently conservative stance on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. Take away that base of support and Cruz is left with very little.
mark.barabak@latimes.com
Twitter: @markzbarabak
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Super Tuesday offers the opportunity for presidential candidates to leverage momentum from the early-nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada into a more valuable currency: delegates.
For Republicans, about a quarter of the 2,472 convention delegates will be decided on this single night. On the Democratic side, more than 1,000 delegates are at stake as Hillary Clinton looks to build an insurmountable advantage over Bernie Sanders.
How does it all work? Warning: Math lies ahead.
In general, both parties award delegates similarly. In each state, one chunk of delegates will be divided among the candidates based on the popular vote, and another based on the results in individual congressional districts.
Some state Republican parties have established minimum thresholds a candidate needs either statewide or in a congressional district to be awarded delegates. Some set a trigger point at which one candidate wins them all.
Democrats are simpler. They dont have minimum thresholds, though they also differ from Republicans by weighting congressional districts instead of awarding the same number to each.
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A breakdown of how Super Tuesdays delegates will be awarded and what to look for as polls close:
Alabama
Polls close: 5 p.m. PST
Republicans
Delegates at stake: 50
How it works: Twenty-six delegates will be awarded proportionally among candidates receiving more than 20% of the statewide vote. Should one candidate win more than half the vote, he would claim all 26 delegates. Three more delegates will be awarded in each of the states seven congressional districts with the same criteria typically two delegates for the winner and one for the second-place finisher.
2012 result: Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania won 35% of the vote, while ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich barely beat former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for second place.
Who has a 2016 advantage? There has been a dearth of reliable public polling. Donald Trump rolled out his first Senate endorsement here Sunday, appearing with Jeff Sessions of Alabama.
Democrats
Pledged delegates at stake: 53
2008 winner: Obama
Alaska caucuses (Republicans only)
Polls close: 9 p.m. PST
Delegates at stake: 28
How it works: Twenty-five delegates will be awarded proportionally to each candidate who receives at least 13% of the vote, based on the statewide preference poll results. The three other delegates are the elected state party leaders.
2012 result: Romney won a close three-way race with 33%, over Santorum at 29% and former Rep. Ron Paul at 24%.
2016 advantage: There has been no public polling and no candidates made the trek here. Trump already has the endorsement of former Gov. Sarah Palin.
Arkansas
Polls close: 5:30 p.m. PST
Republicans
Delegates at stake: 40
How it works: Any candidate receiving 15% of the vote will receive at least one at-large delegate. If any candidate wins 50% of the vote, he would receive all of the remaining at-large delegates. If no candidate reaches 50%, then the pool of at-large delegates is split proportionately among each candidate who surpassed 15% of the vote. In each of the state's four congressional districts, the winner receives two delegates and the runner-up one, unless the winner got more than half the vote, in which case he would win all three delegates. The three other delegates are the elected state party leaders.
2012 result: Romney won easily in the May 22 primary, at which point he had already become the presumptive nominee.
2016 advantage: There have been no public polls in the state. The daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee has signed on to Trumps campaign as an advisor. The sitting governor, Asa Hutchinson, endorsed Rubio.
Democrats
Pledged delegates at stake: 32
2008 winner: Clinton
Colorado (Democrats only)
Polls close: 6 p.m. PST
Pledged delegates at stake: 66
2008 winner: Obama
Georgia
Polls close: 4 p.m. PST
Republicans
Delegates at stake: 76
How it works: Thirty-one delegates will be awarded proportionally to any candidate receiving more than a fifth of the statewide vote. But if any candidate wins more than half the vote, he gets all 31.
The winner in each of the state's 14 congressional districts will earn two delegates, and the second-place finisher will win one, unless one candidate wins more than 50% in a district.
The remaining three delegates are the elected state party leaders the chairman, national committeeman and national committeewoman.
Live coverage from the campaign trail and Super Tuesday results >>
2012 result: Gingrich won 47% of the vote in his home state for his second state victory in the cycle, along with South Carolina. Eventual nominee Romney placed second with 26% of the vote, finishing ahead of Santorum, who was at nearly 20%.
2016 advantage: Trump. No public poll has showed another candidate leading here this year. An NBC News/Marist poll showed him at 30%, with Rubio and Cruz tied at 23%.
Democrats
Pledged delegates at stake: 102
2008 winner: Clinton
Massachusetts
Polls close: 5 p.m. PST
Republicans
Delegates at stake: 42
How it works: Twelve delegates will be awarded proportionally to any candidate receiving more than 5% of the statewide vote. The same applies to each of the nine congressional districts, which each award three delegates. The other three delegates are the elected state party leaders.
2012 result: Favorite son Romney romped here on a night that helped cement his hold on the nomination.
2016 advantage: Trump appears to be the clear leader here based on public polls. Ohio Gov. John Kasich had initially hoped to put in a strong showing, given the amount of time he had spent campaigning in nearby New Hampshire.
Democrats
Pledged delegates at stake: 91
2008 winner: Clinton
Minnesota caucuses
Polls close: 6 p.m. PST
Republicans
Delegates at stake: 38
How it works: Eleven at-large delegates will be awarded proportionally to any candidate receiving 10% of the statewide vote, and three more delegates from each of the eight congressional districts will be awarded on a similar basis. If any candidate receives more than 85% of the statewide vote, he would receive 35 delegates. The final three delegates are elected state party leaders.
2012 result: Santorum won the caucuses with 45% of the vote. Paul finished second with 27%, followed by Romney at 17%.
2016 advantage: Unclear. The last public poll conducted by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, in January, showed Rubio with a slight lead. Rubio will campaign here Tuesday and has endorsements from the states leading Republicans, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty and ex-Sen. Norm Coleman.
Democrats
Pledged delegates at stake: 77
2008 winner: Obama
Oklahoma
Polls close: 5 p.m. PST
Republicans
Delegates at stake: 43
How it works: Twenty-five delegates will be awarded proportionally to any candidate receiving more than 15% of the statewide vote, unless one candidate has more than 50%, in which case he wins all 25. In each of the state's five congressional districts, three delegates will be awarded proportionally to candidates with 15% of the vote, unless, again, one has more than 50% of the vote in that district. If three candidates get 15% of the vote in a congressional district, each receives one delegate. The three other delegates are the elected state party leaders.
2012 result: Santorum won with 34% of the vote; Romney edged Gingrich for second place by fewer than 2,000 votes.
2016 advantage: Oklahoma offers perhaps the best chance for Cruz outside of his home state of Texas. A Sooner poll, conducted in early February, had Trump leading Cruz by 5 points, and Rubio just behind.
Democrats
Pledged delegates at stake: 38
2008 winner: Clinton
Tennessee
Polls close: 5 p.m. PST
Republicans
Delegates at stake: 58
How it works: Twenty-eight delegates will be awarded proportionally to any candidate receiving more than 20% of the statewide vote. If one candidate has more than 66% of the vote, he wins all 28 at-large delegates. Three delegates will be awarded in each of the nine congressional districts as follows: a candidate wins all three delegates if he wins 66% of the vote; if the winner and runner-up both have 20% to 66% of the vote, the winner receives two delegates and the runner-up gets one. The three other delegates are the elected state party leaders.
2012 result: Santorum won with 37% of the vote, while Romney earned 28% and Gingrich 24%.
2016 advantage: Rubio scored an endorsement from two-term Gov. Bill Haslam last week, and Sen. Lamar Alexander this weekend. But an NBC News survey showed Trump leading with 40% and Cruz in second place at 19%.
Democrats
Pledged delegates at stake: 67
2008 winner: Clinton
Texas
Republicans
Polls close: 6 p.m. PST
Delegates at stake: 155
How it works: Forty-four delegates will be awarded proportionally to any candidate receiving more than 20% of the statewide vote. Should one candidate win more than half the vote, which is unlikely, he would claim all 44. Three other delegates will be awarded in each of the states 36 congressional districts with the same criteria typically two delegates for the first-place finisher and one for the second-place finisher.
2012 result: Mitt Romney trounced in the Lone Star State, because the primary came in late May after he had essentially clinched the nomination.
2016 advantage: Texas is one of the nights biggest question marks. Most polls have shown home-state Sen. Ted Cruz in the lead, but Donald Trump is within striking distance. Ironically, Rubio might be hoping for a Trump win here, because it would probably push Cruz out of the race and perhaps set up a one-on-one fight going forward.
Democrats
Pledged delegates at stake: 222
2008 winner: Clinton
Vermont
Polls close: 4 p.m. PST
Republicans
Delegates at stake: 16
How it works: Ten at-large delegates will be awarded proportionally to any candidate receiving more than 20% of the statewide vote, unless one candidate receives a majority. Three more congressional district delegates will be awarded on the same basis. The final three delegates are the elected state party leaders.
2012 result: Romney won nearly 40% of the vote as part of a clean sweep of New England. Paul edged Santorum for second.
2016 advantage: The only public poll conducted here showed Trump in the lead. Kasich campaigned here in hopes of a New Hampshire spillover effect.
Democrats
Pledged delegates at stake: 16
2008 winner: Obama
Virginia
Polls close: 4 p.m. PST
Republicans
Delegates at stake: 49
How it works: Thirteen at-large delegates and three delegates from each of the 11 congressional districts will be awarded to all candidates proportionally. A final three delegates are the elected state party leaders.
2012 result: Only two of the candidates qualified for the ballot that year: Romney and Paul. Romney won 59.5% to 40.5%.
2016 advantage: Northern Virginia is home to many members of what you might call the Washington establishment, who wont be happy with the result here. Trump again has lead in public polling a Monmouth survey showed him at 41%, followed by Rubio at 27% and Cruz at 14%.
Democrats
Pledged delegates at stake: 95
2008 winner: Obama
For more campaign coverage and delegate math, follow @mikememoli
With five Super Tuesday wins under his belt and more still possible, Donald Trump brushed off new concerns about a fractured Republican Party and said he was ready to take the fight to Hillary Clinton if she's even allowed to run.
"Believe me: I am a unifier," Trump told reporters. "We are going to be a much finer party. We're going to be a unified party. We're going to be a much bigger party. Our party is expanding."
Trump opted for a prime-time news conference in an opulent ballroom of the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., instead of a traditional election-night rally.
And over the course of more than 30 minutes, the billionaire GOP front-runner opined on rival Marco Rubio "He's nasty" and brushed off the controversy over David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan "I disavowed! How many times are you supposed to disavow?"
He reiterated his signature pledge to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border: "This is going to be a very serious wall," but insisted he still got along great with Latinos.
And as he has done for months, he railed against policies that he said have boosted foreign economies instead of this country's vowing to make Apple produce computers and iPhones here all while insisting he had the temperament to lead the country.
"I'm going to get along with the world," he said.
Trump was introduced by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie but there was not, as had been reported and speculated, an endorsement from Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
Even as Trump insisted he was growing, not fracturing, the party, he was hardly receptive to its leaders.
On House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, he said he was sure they would get along great. "And if I don't, hes going to have to pay a big price," he said.
Ultimately, though, Trump said Republicans would realize he stood the best chance of beating Clinton.
"'Make America great again' is going to be much better than making America whole again," he said, referring to the Democratic front-runner's remarks earlier in the night.
In 2007, my organization produced a documentary called Hillary: The Movie and tried to put it on TV. The name of our nonprofit? Citizens United.
Our name, of course, has become synonymous with the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that followed in 2010. And ever since it unfairly has become the boogeyman of liberal politicians, blamed for opening the floodgates to excesses of money in elections. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders say opposing Citizens United should be a litmus test for the next Supreme Court justice, and both support a constitutional amendment to overturn it.
To me, however, the decision represented then and now a sweeping victory against government censorship of free speech, especially political speech.
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Simply put, since the Citizens United decision there is more free speech in America -- and, importantly, no evidence that corporations have been able to buy an election.
People upset by the repercussions of Citizens United might blame me, or maybe Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion. But they should turn their gaze to filmmaker Michael Moore. In June 2004 a presidential election year he released Fahrenheit 9/11. That documentary produced and promoted with corporate money made a tremendous impact in the run-up to election day. TV was filled with ads for the film, which made President George W. Bush look ridiculous in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. That inspired me to produce conservative films.
But when I made Hillary: The Movie in 2008, the Federal Election Commission argued that, unlike Moores film, it was a form of electioneering and that I couldnt show it during an election season the very time that free speech matters most. Under the McCain-Feingold campaign finance laws, the government could actually have thrown me in jail for showing Hillary: The Movie or its promotional ads on television.
Our case focused narrowly on making Hillary: The Movie available as video-on-demand. But the justices rightly looked at the bigger picture.
If federal election laws could be used to prevent my nonprofit organization from advertising or distributing our movie, what was to prevent other forms of speech with corporate ties books from publishing houses, DVDs from film studios from being limited during an election cycle if they mentioned or favored a political candidate?
Its worth remembering that during the first round of oral arguments, Deputy U.S. Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart asserted that McCain-Feingolds limitations could have been applied to additional media as well. Under that kind of broad interpretation of the law, Michael Bays 13 Hours about the debacle in Benghazi, Libya, or Johnny Depps Funny or Die Presents Donald Trumps The Art of the Deal: The Movie also could have been challenged for violating corporate political spending during an election season.
Simply put, since the Citizens United decision there is more free speech in America and, importantly, no evidence that corporations have been able to buy an election. In fact, the candidates with the biggest super-PAC war chests have often lost. Jeb Bush, who spent more than $100 million before dropping out of the Republican primary on Feb. 20, is just the most recent example.
I dont mean to suggest that the Citizens United ruling has had no effect.
Prior to it, American political speech was stifled by excessive and burdensome rules aimed at protecting incumbents and the establishment class of both parties. As Justice Kennedy explained in his opinion, since the Federal Election Campaign Act was enacted in the 1970s, the Federal Election Commission had adopted 568 pages of regulations, drafted 1,278 pages of explanations and justifications for those regulations, and issued 1,771 advisory opinions interpreting the law. There were rules for 71 distinct types of entities, each of which was subject to separate rules for 33 different types of political speech.
This regulatory scheme was thwarting the ability of anti-establishment candidates to get their messages out. And our 2010 victory knocked a hole in it. It made it clear the 1st Amendment protects everyones speech during the process of choosing elected leaders and that their voices couldnt be stifled by spending caps or blackout periods.
Almost immediately, a shift began that has put the political establishment on its heels. Marco Rubio, Mike Lee and Rand Paul defeated GOP establishment candidates in Senate primaries in the 2010 election. Scores of tea party-backed candidates were elected to the House, returning that body to Republican control. Super-PAC spending in support of former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz helped him defeat a well-funded Washington-backed opponent on his way to the U.S. Senate.
While some critics of the Citizens United decision are driven by ideology, many just preferred the status quo. Most politicians surround themselves with high-priced election consultants and lawyers who are masters of Washingtons rule book and they want to retain the advantage theyre paying for.
For Clinton, its not really about ideology, corporations or money; its about her. After her lopsided loss in New Hampshire, she tried to out-Bern Bernie Sanders, reasserting that (despite her own super PAC backing) shes ready to reverse Citizens United. In her concession speech Clinton ranted, Citizens United, one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in our countrys history, was actually a case about a right-wing attack on me and my campaign. A right-wing organization took aim at me and ended up damaging our entire democracy.
Not surprisingly, I disagree. The right of anyone to criticize political leaders and political opponents is one of the founding principles of our democracy.
That said, I do believe we need common-sense campaign finance reform. We should raise the limits on direct contributions to candidates and traditional membership PACs which would help make super PACs unnecessary and obsolete. Increasing the disclosure threshold for individual contributions from $200 to $1,000 also would reduce the burden of election regulations and promote more participation in politics.
In the final analysis, I will always believe that more speech is better than less speech.
David N. Bossie is the President of Citizens United, which was the plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
To the editor: As with every fairy tale, the article ends with the inevitable fact that presidential popularity and power will fade with time once Donald Trump in this scenario newly elected as president is faced with reality: that he is not the anointed king or dictator and that the America he wants to make great again is a great democracy. (What a Donald Trump presidency might actually look like, Feb. 28)
Though he may want to believe that America is suffering and is in dire need of his unvarnished leadership, this country is not one of his corporations that he can ride roughshod over.
And sadly, if the American public and electoral college grant Trump his wish, then columnist George Skelton was correct in his Dec. 10 article when he stated, Too many Americans are susceptible to stupidity, shamelessness and scapegoating.
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Al Chin, Lake Forest
..
To the editor: This article could have specifically answered its own question in two words: It wont.
Instead of a real estate mogul, Trump is really a contemporary robber baron, in the fashion of Gordon Gekko, who apparently relishes quoting Mussolini. Hes a shallow, opportunistic showman, lacking a clear understanding of the serious issues confronting the country.
Perhaps like Mussolini he can get the trains running on time, and if he does he should take one out of town. The American public is angry. Lets hope that anger isnt driven by the stupidity of voting for Trump.
Stephan Desales, Rancho Mission Viejo
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Momentum builds in the Capitol for vote on stalled tobacco bills
Proponents of a slate of tobacco regulation measures are pushing for the bills to come up for a vote as early as Thursday, resurrecting a thorny legislative battle that ensnared the California Assembly last year.
The anti-tobacco package, which includes raising the smoking age from 18 to 21 and regulating electronic cigarettes, failed to come up for consideration on the Assembly floor last year in the face of discord within the Democratic caucus.
But the bills still remain viable as part of a special legislative session on healthcare, convened to tackle a revamp of a tax on healthcare plans. That tax package was approved earlier this week.
Now, legislators and anti-smoking advocates want the tobacco bills to be revived -- and quickly.
Our tobacco package has been on the [Assembly] floor since August. Its time for a vote, said Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), who authored a bill to raise the smoking age.
The question of whether to bring up the bills was the subject of the Assembly Democratic caucus weekly meeting on Tuesday. Both Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and incoming Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) voiced support for the measures, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussion who did not want to be identified discussing internal caucus matters.
But others in the caucus have reservations about the proposals as well as objections over process.
Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced), who chairs a committee that blocked some of the tobacco bills during last years regular session, said he was mostly supportive of the proposals but concerned about raising the smoking age and how the legislation would define an electronic cigarette.
Gray is also concerned about the bills being taken up in special session, allowing them to be fast-tracked without following regular procedure.
I think bills should go through the appropriate process, which includes committee votes and appropriation and should not necessarily be done in special session, he said, acknowledging that he felt the same way about the right-to-die legislation that he ended up ultimately supporting.
Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), who supports the tobacco regulation measures, said he believed the bills should be put up for a vote on Thursday.
The caucus should let the world see who wants reasonable control on tobacco, Levine said.
The bills up for consideration all require a simple majority vote to pass. Proponents had originally sought a tobacco tax measure -- which would have required a two-thirds vote -- but have since pursued a ballot initiative for the tax hike.
Hillary Clinton emerged from Super Tuesday having regained the mantle of prohibitive front-runner, decisively winning the biggest and most important states in an election that confirmed her overwhelming support from minority voters and left her rival with no clear opening to catch her.
Clinton appeared likely to rack up twice as many delegates from Tuesdays contests as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, as she swept through the South with crushing victories in delegate-rich states including Georgia, Virginia and Texas. She also won a narrow victory in Massachusetts.
Along the way, she won more than 8 in 10 African American voters taking part in Democratic primaries, as well as two-thirds of Democratic Latino voters in Texas and a majority of white voters in at least six of the 11 states holding Democratic nominating contests.
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Her double-digit margins of victory in state after state, including Tennessee, Alabama and her former home state of Arkansas, moved the race into a new phase in which she can focus on attacking Republican front-runner Donald Trump rather than tangling with Sanders, the 74-year-old democratic socialist whose earnest campaign has embarrassed her political machine at several turns.
As expected, Sanders won his home state of Vermont. He also prevailed in Oklahoma and in caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota, according to early returns and exit polls.
TRAIL GUIDE: All the latest news on the 2016 presidential campaign >>
Sanders vowed to keep fighting all the way to the Democratic convention this summer in Philadelphia.
Clinton, however, largely ignored Sanders as she spoke to supporters in Miami, where early voting already has begun ahead of Floridas March 15 primary. Instead, she aimed her verbal barbs at Trump.
The stakes of this election have never been higher. The rhetoric were hearing on the other side has never been lower, she said. Trying to divide America between us and them is wrong and we are not going to let it work. Whether we like it or not, we are all in this together.
The speech reflected the impact Sanders has had on the race, even as Clinton starts to build a lead over him that is looking increasingly insurmountable. When she remarked on the greed of some of the wealthiest corporations and individuals, the need to nominate an unabashed progressive to the Supreme Court, or the urgency of global warming, it was as if she were channeling the Vermonter, who has continued to outperform Clinton with some groups of voters, particularly those younger than 30.
Clinton also focused her remarks heavily on the rights of immigrants and on racial injustice, particularly as she sees it playing out in the polluted drinking water coming out of taps in homes of the largely African American community of Flint, Mich. Her speech reflected the identity politics she has mastered over decades of working with minority communities. Sanders has struggled to make such connections despite his early activism in the civil rights movement.
But Sanders, speaking to supporters in Vermont, said he was not going anywhere. He noted that even after Tuesday night, 35 states had yet to vote.
Let me assure you that we are going to take our fight for economic justice, for social justice, for environmental sanity, for a world of peace to every one of those states, he said.
This campaign is not just about electing a president, Sanders said. It is about transforming America. It is about making America the great nation that we know it has the potential to be.
Despite a determined effort, Sanders has been unable to expand his support much beyond the white, liberal voters who began flocking to him last fall. In a Democratic contest, thats an unsustainable position. More than 40% of the Democratic turnout Tuesday was projected to be nonwhite voters.
You cant win the nomination writing off the most diverse states, said Brian Fallon, Clintons press secretary. Thats the lesson from tonight.
Democrats who voted Tuesday also were not looking for an outsider, according to exit polling. While Sanders has relentlessly and derisively tagged Clinton as an establishment politician, more than 8 in 10 voters said they preferred a candidate with deep experience over an outsider.
Houston lawyer Keith Hampton, 61, voted for Clinton on Tuesday, as did his 25-year-old daughter in Dallas. He said his 30-year-old son, a chef, backed Bernie Sanders.
He says hes going to get better benefits, raise the minimum age and address student loans, Hampton said as he stood outside his polling place at a church in the heart of Houstons liberal Montrose neighborhood near two Sanders signs.
But Hamptons reasoning was simple: Hillary can win. I dont think Bernie can.
Jimmy Grossman, 39, works in corporate sales and said he, too, voted for Clinton.
I dont believe much of what Bernie says, said Grossman, who has always liked the Clintons. He listened to an interview with Sanders recently and thought, How are they going to accomplish this? Its funny young people are so influenced by this.
We need a woman, Grossman added.
Even without counting her support from super-delegates Democratic Party leaders and elected officials who can vote at the convention for whichever candidate they want Clinton has pulled so far ahead of Sanders that he would have to win more than 60% of the delegates still up for grabs to get the nomination. Because the Democrats award delegates proportionately to each candidates vote, Sanders would need huge victories in most of the remaining states to achieve that.
Once a candidate falls behind, catching up is extremely hard, because even in a landslide both candidates receive delegates. Clinton learned that lesson eight years ago when she was the trailing candidate, trying unsuccessfully to catch then-Sen. Barack Obama. Now, she seems likely to be on the winning side of the equation.
Even so, Clinton wont be in position to clinch the nomination for months. Those same proportional delegate rules mean that getting to a majority takes time.
Clintons path to dominating the Democratic race was set in place by a victory in South Carolina on Saturday, following the same pattern that Obama followed eight years ago. Similarly, in 1992, Bill Clinton used an impressive victory in South Carolina as a springboard that put him on the path to the nomination. In both cases, however, the candidates did not mathematically clinch the nomination until June. Hillary Clinton now seems poised to replicate their experience.
Sanders remains popular in some Northern and Western states, some of which voted Tuesday. He spent considerable time in the last week in Minnesota, whose mostly white electorate has a long tradition of backing progressives, including former Vice President Walter F. Mondale and the late Paul Wellstone, who both represented the state in the U.S. Senate.
1 / 19 Donald Trump, joined by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, speaks to the media on election night at his Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla. (John Moore / Getty Images) 2 / 19 Hillary Clinton greets supporters as she arrives at her Super Tuesday rally in Miami. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press) 3 / 19 Ted Cruz poses for a photo after speaking to supporters at his election night party at the Redneck Country Club in Stafford, Texas. (Thomas B. Shea / EPA) 4 / 19 Sen. Bernie Sanders, with his wife, Jane, speaks at an election night party in in Essex Junction, Vt. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) 5 / 19 Sen. Marco Rubio speaks at an election night rally at Tropical Park in Miami. (Brian Blanco / EPA) 6 / 19 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders arrives at a Super Tuesday rally in Essex Junction, Vt. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) 7 / 19 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders with supporters in Vermont after winning the states primary on Super Tuesday. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) 8 / 19 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the Port Columbus airport in Columbus, Ohio. (John Minchillo / Associated Press) 9 / 19 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville. (Aaron P. Bernstein / Getty Images) 10 / 19 Penny Novack shows her support for Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders in Buckland, Mass. (Matthew Cavanaugh / Getty Images) 11 / 19 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets patrons at Mapps Coffee in Minneapolis. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) 12 / 19 Voters line up to cast ballots at Flint Baptist Church in Flint, Texas. (Sarah A. Miller / Tyler Morning Telegraph) 13 / 19 Ohio Gov. John Kasich addresses a town hall-style meeting at George Mason University Law School in Fairfax, Va. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) 14 / 19 Sen. Bernie Sanders talks to reporters afer voting in Burlington, Vt. (Herb Swanson / EPA) 15 / 19 Sen. Ted Cruz talks to reporters before casting his vote in the Texas Republican primary. (Pat Sullivan / Associated Press) 16 / 19 A girl waits while her mother votes at a polling place in Edmond, Okla. (J Pat Carter / EPA) 17 / 19 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump signs autographs at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville. (Aaron P. Bernstein / Getty Images) 18 / 19 A student takes a selfie photo with Republican presidential candidate John Kasich at George Mason University Law School in Fairfax, Va. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) 19 / 19 Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio prepares to take the stage for a campaign appearance in Andover, Minn. (Craig Lassig / EPA)
The Vermonter has run a strong campaign so far, exceeding most expectations. But it was always built on the strategy of a big win in one of the early states that would propel him into contention in parts of the country where few voters had even heard of him until recently.
------------
FOR THE RECORD
March 1, 12:59 p.m.: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Bernie Sanders is the governor of Vermont. He is a senator from that state.
------------
Sanders got one early win in New Hampshire, where he tapped into disenchantment with what he calls the nations rigged economy and excitement about the plan for free public college that Clinton ridicules. Yet even the 22-percentage-point victory Sanders achieved in New Hampshire has proven insufficient to overcome the huge advantages Clinton has in organizing, name recognition and endorsements in key states.
Sanders poured extensive resources into the battle against Clinton in Nevada, but fell short. Since his loss in South Carolina on Saturday, he has in some ways been acting more like a candidate vying for a prominent speaking spot at the Democratic convention than one hoping to win the nomination. His spending on advertising over the last two weeks suggested he had all but given up in states such as Texas, Virginia and Georgia.
Yet Sanders still runs ahead of Clinton in recent fundraising, with his campaign bringing in an eye-popping $42 million in the month of February alone. Even if he trails far behind in the delegate count, that money would allow his campaign to continue through the end of the primary season, in June, when California votes.
Almost all of his money has come from small donors, who have made a record-setting 4 million contributions over the course of his campaign.
That is more contributions more contributions than any candidate in the history of this country, up until this point, Sanders said in Minnesota over the weekend. And do you know what that average contribution is?
The audience shouted back a number that is well-known to Sanders supporters: Twenty-seven dollars!
Said Sanders: With such a brilliant audience here, theres no way were going to lose Minnesota.
Staff Writers Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Houston and Chris Megerian in Miami contributed to this report.
Follow me: @evanhalper
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During a seven-month outbreak of Zika virus infection that ended in April 2014, health officials in French Polynesia noticed an uptick in the number of patients showing up at hospitals with a rare but dangerous constellation of symptoms known as Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Typically in the wake of a viral or bacterial infection, patients stricken with Guillain-Barre syndrome suffer a sudden onset of weakness, pain and paralysis in their legs and arms. Occasionally, paralysis progresses to the chest, impairing a patients ability to breathe. Even with access to a respirator and intensive care, some 5% of those stricken by Guillain-Barre die.
See the most-read stories in Science this hour >>
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The mini-outbreak in that Pacific paradise offered the first ominous hint that the Zika virus is a pathogen capable of causing something more than just red eyes and a brief bout of muscle aches and fever. Just a year later, as it began to circulate across Brazil, came evidence that Zika virus is also linked to microcephaly in newborns exposed while in utero to the virus.
In French Polynesia, the numbers of those affected by Guillain-Barre syndrome have remained a matter of debate, as has the role of Zika-virus infection in causing the rare autoimmune reaction.
Until now.
A study published Monday in the journal Lancet has found substantial evidence that Zika virus infection and Guillain-Barre syndrome are causally linked. The study has also put public health authorities on notice that, as the Zika virus tears across the Americas infecting millions with no immunity, it is likely to claim adult lives and strain hospitals caring for the unlucky few who develop this post-infection complication.
During the Zika outbreak in French Polynesia, scientists estimate that 24 additional cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome would occur for every 100,000 people newly infected with Zika virus.
Thats a substantial increase in the rate at which Guillain-Barre Syndrome is normally seen. A rare response to infection with campylobacter bacteria, influenza or dengue virus, the cluster of symptoms collectively identified as Guillain-Barre syndrome is seen across Europe and North America in one to two of 100,000 people per year.
During the seven-month outbreak in French Polynesia, physicians at a hospital in Papeete, Tahiti diagnosed Guillain-Barre syndrome in 42 patients. To glean what role the Zika virus played in their afflictions, researchers based in France, Scotland and French Polynesia returned to the blood samples of those patients and compared them to two groups of otherwise similar patients in Papeete at the time: a group that entered the hospital with no fever, and a second group of patients who were confirmed to have been infected with Zika virus but who did not develop Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Nearly 9 of 10 of the patients who suffered Guillain-Barre syndrome reported symptoms consistent with Zika virus infection on average six days before seeking treatment at the hospital for their worsening symptoms of weakness, pain and paralysis. Blood tests confirmed that all had been exposed to Zika virus.
By contrast, just 54% of those who came to the hospital without fever had signs of a recent Zika infection.
A large majority of all the patients in the three comparison groups also had had past exposure to the dengue virus. But the presence of antibodies to the Zika virus as well was far more common in those who had Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Among the 42 Guillain-Barre sufferers who arrived at the Centre Hospitalier de Polynesie Francaise, none died. But 38% had to be admitted to the intensive care unit, and 12% required breathing assistance.
Ominously, the scientists deconstructing the French Polynesian outbreak of Zika concluded that the mechanism by which Zika prompts Guillain-Barre syndrome may be different from any seen before. Polynesian patients with Guillain-Barre all had damage to the nerves ability to conduct electrical signals, which is typically seen when the immune system attacks the nervous system. But only a few carried certain biological markers that are the hallmark of Guillain-Barre.
That could mean, at least, that Zika prompts the immune system to attack nerves by some other means than have been seen in past cases of Guillain-Barre, the authors wrote. It could also mean that Zika has some more direct role in damaging the nerves, they added.
Study coauthor Arnaud Fontanet of Frances Institut Pasteur said its not clear that Zika will leave the same trail of post-infection misery in its wake as it spreads across South and Central America as it did in Polynesia. But he said high numbers of cases ... might be expected in the coming months in those countries where Zika is spreading explosively.
At-risk countries need to be prepared to have adequate intensive care beds capacity to manage patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome, the authors of the latest study wrote.
Infectious disease epidemiologist Michael Osterholm said the new research offers a stark warning that Zika will tax hospitals intensive care units as well as pediatric and maternity wards in the coming months.
If the estimates drawn from French Polynesia prove to apply to South and Central America, said Osterholm, the current Zika outbreak could claim lives on a par with the Ebola virus in Africa.
Osterholm, who directs the University of Minnesotas Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, said the new research also suggests that trouble may lie ahead in efforts to develop a Zika vaccine.
Because some vaccines can also prompt Guillain-Barre Syndrome, vaccine developers will need to be on the lookout for that complication as they test their candidates, he said. That will be complicated by the fact that Guillain-Barre is a very rare reaction to vaccines.
Youre going to have to vaccinate lots and lots of people to see the signal, Osterholm added.
Follow me on Twitter @LATMelissaHealy and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.
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A bottle of red, a bottle of white
Whatever kind of mood youre in tonight
Like life doesnt offer enough reasons why you feel left behind, now comes this. Wine is all the rage among baseball types, perhaps most with the Boys in Blue.
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Players, managers, former owners, advisors and now the organization itself, are all happily re-discovering the wonders of the ancient juice.
No doubt the expertise varies. Currently popular in the Dodgers spring clubhouse is a wine touted by Sandy Koufax, because you know, it was touted by Sandy Koufax. His find: Meiomi Pinot Noir 2013, which is currently available at your local Total Wine & More store for $16.99 a bottle. See, they are like you and me.
I tried it and gave it a very positive review, but being a few tastings shy of Robert Parker Jr., I consulted with The Times resident wine expert, ex-Dodgers beat writer Dylan Hernandez, who found it something less than 100 points and termed it over-oaked.
Like sucking on a tree, Hernandez said.
I have not run this review past Manager Dave Roberts, who is one of three owners of the Red Stitch winery in Napa. His Pinot Noir goes for $56 a bottle, though his sold-out signature Cabernet Sauvignon went for $90 a pop.
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Roberts, of course, is not the first Dodgers manager to go the vintner route. Tommy Lasorda still has his name across a series of wines imported from Italy, all priced under $30. That little ol winemaker, Tommy.
Adrian Gonzalez is an investor in a wine bar near San Diegos Petco Park. Right-hander Joe Blanton, when he thought he was retiring in 2014, actually bought a vineyard in Napa. Must be neighbors with ex-Dodgers owner Jamie McCourt, who bought one there the year before.
Feeling left out yet?
Hey, at least now you can own your very own bottle of Dodgers wine. Thats right, a bottle of blue.
Starting March 1, Santa Marias Qupe winery is offering a Dodgers Syrah and Chardonnay. It comes complete with a blue label and the cursive Dodgers logo splashed across the Qupe poppy emblem. This comes from a real, legitimate winery.
The wines will be available this season at Dodger Stadium, and at Vons and Gelsons. Both are sold on the company website for $24. Will update with the Hernandez review as soon as its available.
Follow Steve Dilbeck on Twitter @SteveDilbeck
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Angela Gui always heard from her father on her birthday, even as he was busy running a booming book publishing business in Hong Kong.
But when she turned 22 last week, there was only silence.
Her father, Gui Minhai, a naturalized Swedish citizen, had been missing for more than four months, along with his four business associates in Hong Kong. They had found a successful niche publishing books about political intrigue among Chinas Communist Party leaders; now they are in the custody of mainland Chinese authorities, apparently charged with selling illicit books.
In mid-January, Gui gave a morose confession on Chinese state-run TV, saying he had fled China while on parole for a 2003 vehicular homicide of a young woman in his hometown.
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This was too much to bear for Angela Gui, the lone voice protesting her fathers innocence in the drunk driving case. Much as she has missed seeing her fathers face, she still cant bring herself to watch the TV footage.
It was quite a shock, Angela Gui said in a recent interview in the small English town where she lives while commuting to university to finish her senior year. I do believe he was disappeared because of his work, and nothing else.
On Sunday night, Gui and his three missing colleagues were featured on a mainland Chinese TV newscast admitting to having shipped banned books to customers across China.
On Monday, Hong Kong police were allowed to meet with the fifth missing bookseller, British national Lee Po, who was believed to have been snatched from his Hong Kong office and taken to a mainland Chinese city just across the border. Police, however, said Lee insisted he traveled there of his own volition.
Born and raised in Sweden, Angela Gui spoke with a British accent and a demure demeanor, while putting forth a brave face. Her jet black curls shaded full, round cheeks that take after her fathers. Her voice was hoarse from months of fielding endless media queries, even as families and friends of the other detained booksellers have been cowed into acquiescence.
Her parents divorced when she was 5. She stayed with her mother in Sweden, while her father moved back to China and then settled in Germany, with frequent trips to Hong Kong to oversee his business.
In recent years, Angela Gui said shes grown closer to her father and sees him as a friend. Soon after the disappearance, she appealed for help from Swedish authorities. Her mother, despite her estrangement from Gui, has been keeping the pressure on from Stockholm, where she lives. They receive weekly updates from the Swedish government, but so far Swedish consuls in China havent been allowed to visit Gui.
In my opinion, said Angela Gui, they have been working quite hard on this case.
Sometime around mid-October, just a few days after father and daughter had their last biweekly Skype chat, Gui was apparently taken from Thailand to mainland China. Thai authorities confirmed Gui had entered on his Swedish passport on Oct. 6, but had no records of his departure, leading to speculation that he had been taken to China by extrajudicial means.
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His disappearance was followed by those of his two fellow co-owners and two employees of the business, Causeway Bay Books, which specializes in titles that irritate Chinas leadership and are banned on the mainland.
Hong Kong, a former British colony turned semiautonomous Chinese territory of 7.3 million people, has enshrined a range of civil liberties, including freedom of the press and publication, under its own constitution, which is to remain in force for 50 years after the 1997 transfer of sovereignty.
The territorys freedoms, coupled with tightening controls just across the border, have fueled a cottage publishing industry churning out explosive exposes on Chinas politics, past and present.
Since 2007, Gui has thrown himself into writing political tomes, putting behind an academic career in cultural history and literature. He first learned at the feet of more established publishers but soon struck out on his own. Causeway Bay Books is known for its prodigious output, with Gui completing as many as 10 titles a year on his own while commissioning authors to generate others.
I know the competition is very cut-throat, said his longtime friend Bei Ling, a Chinese poet who splits his time between Boston and Taiwan. Hes always very excited [that] he could publish titles that others couldnt. He hopes to become a prominent publisher and more successful than the longer-established ones.
By some measures, Gui had been doing well. Around 2010, he bought an apartment in suburban Hong Kong and two years ago a beachfront condo in Pattaya, Thailand. He found the peacefulness of the Thai coast conducive to writing, his daughter said. It was there that he was last sighted.
He also shared a home in Germany with his current wife, Jennifer.
Bei, as current executive director of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, an advocacy group for freedom of expression, has taken it upon himself to investigate Guis case. Last month, he inspected the Pattaya condo and found that both Guis laptop and the hard drive of his new desktop computer were missing. He said that a group of four Chinese and Thai men had gained access to the unit days after Gui vanished.
Angela Gui said she received a Skype text message from her fathers account a day or so after his TV confession on Jan. 18, when she was widely quoted in foreign media as saying she had never heard of the vehicular homicide case he cited. The message told her to please keep silence. Judging from the grammatical errors, Gui said she didnt believe her father was the author.
Even as she vowed not to be silenced until her father is released, she also didnt hold out hope that he will get to see her when she graduates from university in July.
There seems to be a lot about this story that is yet to unfold, she said.
Special correspondent Law recently reported from England.
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They have disrupted movie screenings, scuffled with fellow students and briefly held a liberal journalist hostage.
And in recent weeks, the political activism of the student organization Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has become even more controversial in India.
Activists with the ABVP which springs from the same Hindu nationalist organization as Prime Minister Narendra Modis governing Bharatiya Janata Party complained about a campus event at the University of New Delhi where students condemned the hanging of a convicted terrorist.
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Top government officials launched an investigation. Students who organized the Feb. 9 event were charged with sedition and the president of the student union was jailed.
That followed an episode at a university in the southern city of Hyderabad, where ABVP members complained to federal education officials about a student protest against the execution of a man convicted for his role in serial bombings in 1993. One student targeted in the complaint committed suicide.
The agitations have turned Indias university campuses into a battleground between liberal, secular voices and supporters of Modis conservative government of which ABVP has become among the most prominent. The groups leaders say they are fighting an ideological battle against professors and others they accuse of downplaying the traditions of Indias Hindu majority to appease minorities.
There is a myth called secularism, which believes in denying Indian culture and tradition, said Sunil Ambekar, national organizing secretary for the ABVP. And these so-called intellectuals propagated this myth for all these years. Instead of teaching patriotism, they encourage anti-national activities.
Secularism is enshrined in Indias constitution, and professors who have clashed with ABVP say that Indias right-wing establishment sees an opportunity to promote a pro-Hindu agenda at universities. Professors worry that the groups rising influence is shrinking the space for free debate.
The government is using ABVP as its foot soldiers because to bring about ideological change in society, it is better to start with students, said Milind Awad, assistant professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, where the February incident occurred.
ABVP maintains it is independent of the BJP, although many party leaders, including government ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad, were members.
The group claims to be Indias largest student organization, with 9,800 chapters nationwide. Its membership doubled from 1.1 million in 2003 to 2.2 million a decade later. In 2014, the year Modi took office, the group said it added more than 900,000 members.
The group traces its roots to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a hard-line Hindu nationalist organization that was temporarily banned after Mahatma Gandhis assassination in 1948 for spreading hatred against the independence leader. The organization, which also spawned the BJP, formed the student group to attract young followers.
Yadunath Deshpande, secretary of the ABVP in Mumbai, organized symposiums across universities last year with the aim of getting students to think pro-nation. One topic focused on Indianizing the subjects that students are taught.
There are many aspects of our rich history ignored in Indias education curriculum, Deshpande said.
Deshpande vigorously denied that the BJP had any say in its functioning.
Students are gravitating towards ABVP because we take up student issues, he said. We will not hesitate in standing up to this government either if the situation arises.
Tensions between the right and left wings have long roiled Indian university campuses. The difference now, many observers say, is that ABVPs links to the governing party are prompting top officials to become involved in the disputes.
That is what happened in January at Hyderabad Center University, where ABVP student members targeted a student group that opposed the execution of Yakub Memon, convicted for his role in serial bombings in 1993 that left 257 people dead across the city of Mumbai.
After the ABVP complained, a BJP official wrote to the federal education ministry, accusing the protesters of turning the university into a den of extremist and anti-national politics. Then, in an unusual move for a top official, Education Minister Smriti Irani wrote five letters to the university inquiring about the issue.
Rohith Vemula, a Ph.D. student from a poor background who was involved in the protests, was suspended from school, had his scholarship withdrawn and was kicked out of his dormitory. After his appeals to be reinstated went unheeded, he committed suicide.
Clashes between student organizations at universities are not new, said Suresh Gaikwad, a friend of Vemula. But today we have central and state ministers interfering with it.
Jawaharlal Nehru University, one of Indias most prominent educational institutions, has been a bastion of liberals, who have long controlled the student government. ABVP activists pushed to have an annual festival honoring the Hindu goddess Durga observed, over the objections of liberal students.
They denounced worship of God and are now denouncing love for the country, Ambekar said. When students shout anti-national slogans, it is time to question the kind of education they have been subjected to. There are limits to freedom of expression.
Gaikwad said ABVP members are quick to brand anyone who opposes their views as anti-national.
Nationalism is about fighting for equality, justice and democracy, he said. It is about staying true to the constitution of India.
Students say ABVP members have become more militant in the last two years, frequently disrupting campus events where liberal student groups raise issues of caste or capital punishment.
A university is a place where students should question conventional norms, debate, discuss and engage, said Kancha Illaiha, a prominent author and critic of ABVP. By compromising the autonomy of universities, we are playing with the future of potential thinkers in the country.
Parth M.N. is a special correspondent.
Three former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. were indicted Monday on charges of failing to take measures to prevent the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March 2011, the Tokyo prosecutors office announced.
The accident resulted in a triple meltdown that displaced more than 100,000 people and raised alarms about nuclear energy around the world. The indictment says it also caused deaths and injuries.
The trial will center on whether key Tokyo Electric Power Co. executives can be held criminally responsible for what the Japanese parliaments Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission called a man-made disaster.
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Tsunehisa Katsumata, 75, chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Co., or Tepco, at the time of the accident, and two former vice presidents Sakae Muto, 65, and Ichiro Takekuro, 69 were indicted on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury. A court-approved lawyer will act as the prosecutor in the trial.
The prosecutors offices announcement noted that the six-reactor plant, located on the Pacific coast, was disabled after tidal waves triggered by the massive earthquake on March 11, 2011, flooded power supply facilities, which were unprotected, and crippled reactor cooling systems.
The Nos. 1 to 3 reactors suffered fuel meltdowns, while hydrogen explosions damaged others.
The indictment blames the three former executives for injuries to more than 10 people from hydrogen explosions at the plant, as well as the deaths of 44 patients forced to evacuate from a nearby hospital.
The indictment does not hold Tepco executives responsible for the deaths of two workers who had rushed to the turbine room of the No. 4 reactor after the earthquake. Autopsies suggested they were killed by the impact of the tsunami.
All of the former executives will probably plead not guilty, Japanese media reported.
None were taken into custody after they were charged, although in Japan, suspects in criminal cases are typically arrested and held for up to 23 days. Last year, former Toyota Motor Corp. executive Julie Hamp was kept in custody for 20 days after she was arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of importing tablets of the painkiller oxycodone without permission. Prosecutors later dropped the case.
The Tepco prosecution has been a long time coming. Last July, the Tokyo Prosecutorial Review Board No. 5 decided to mandate that the three be charged with professional negligence for their handling of the disaster, overturning a 2013 decision by prosecutors not to indict them.
This trial will take quite a long time but I feel that ultimately they will be found guilty, lawyer Hiroyuki Kawai, who was instrumental in seeing that Tepco officials faced prosecution, said in an email. The hidden truths of what really caused the Fukushima nuclear accident keep coming to light, one after another.
Nuclear power plant operators in Japan have faced similar charges in the past and been found guilty. In April 2003, the Mito District Court found the company JCO and six of its employees guilty over a fatal nuclear accident. They ruled that the company had allowed workers to use buckets to pour uranium solution into a processing tank, causing a nuclear fission chain reaction that resulted in the deaths of workers. Those found guilty were given suspended sentences and served no time in jail.
Kawai said the Fukushima disaster was a clear demonstration that Japan, which is located in the so-called Ring of Fire, with frequent seismic activity, was unsafe for nuclear power.
Tepco has not returned calls asking for comment. According to Kyodo News service, the power companys public relations office offered a renewed apology over the accident but wouldnt comment on the indictment because it concerns a criminal case.
Last year, amid public protest, Japan restarted its long dormant nuclear reactors.
The Kansai Electric Power Co. announced Monday that a reactor at its recently restarted Takahama plant in Fukui prefecture had been shut down after a problem with a generator triggered an alarm. On Feb. 20, there was also a coolant water leak at a building attached to the reactor.
Adelstein is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Mari Yamamoto contributed to this report.
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Wael Alagha was curling up for the night on the cold ground outside a freeway rest stop. He had a black ski jacket and blanket to shield him from the nights cold, but still shivered slightly.
Around him, dozens of people sat around fires that filled the air with acrid smoke. In tents nearby, charities handed out tomato sandwiches and bottles of water. Young men crowded around picnic tables to charge their phones, intermittently shouting over access to the outlets.
For weeks, thousands of migrants, many from Syria and Iraq, have been stranded on this tense border between Greece and Macedonia. Fleeing war, or poverty, or grim prospects at home, they have been trying to get north, through the Balkans and on to Germany or Sweden but a closed border has left them sleeping here in the open.
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In January, Austria announced strict limits on the number of asylum claims it would accept, spurring a series of border closures in the Balkan countries north of Greece. Since then, Macedonia has been allowing only limited numbers through, and pressure has been mounting.
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On Monday, Macedonian police fired tear gas and stun grenades to subdue migrants who stormed the border and tried to tear down the barbed-wire fence. Greeces migration minister has warned that 70,000 migrants could end up trapped in Greece.
The flow of refugees heading this way is increasing by several hundred a day, and United Nations officials said Tuesday there are now an estimated 8,500 migrants waiting for passage in this quiet rural community.
Alagha, 21, left his hometown in Syria in early February and was hoping to make it to the German town of Marl, where his fiancee has been for three months. The two havent seen each other since November.
Instead, he is stuck at a camp for migrants and refugees here in Idomeni, a small farming village that is the settlement closest to the border.
Idomeni was a name unknown even to many Greeks until it became in recent months a focal point of Europes migration crisis. The town sits along a path that begins in Turkey, where migrants go by sea to one of Greeces islands, then by bus to Athens and north toward Macedonia.
The camp is a cluster of tents set amid farm fields. Occupants sprawl out on bunk beds in the tents or pick up food and bottled water at booths. In one corner, there are tables with paper and crayons for children to draw. The drawings, hung on a wall, show houses and smiling families.
Alagha sat on a wooden bench with several other young Syrian men, fighting off boredom and the stress of not knowing how long they will be in limbo. Maybe later today, maybe tomorrow, Alagha said of moving on. I just want to go. Theres nothing to do in Syria. Theres nothing to do here.
The young men ask every uniformed aid worker or volunteer who passes, Do you know when they will open the border? The answer is always no.
In late January, a strike by Greek ferries meant that arrivals from Turkey couldnt get from the islands to the mainland, and that slowed the flow north. But ferry traffic resumed after that and the camp has been filling fast. Bus after bus pulls in, and passengers disembark lugging backpacks and suitcases.
Alagha was fleeing his hometown of Aleppo, which has been split in two by Syrias civil war, one side controlled by the government, the other by a mishmash of rebel militias.
Over the past few years Alagha heard screeching bombs and rockets whenever he tried to sleep or study. His patience ran out a few weeks ago when a close friend was shot in the leg by a sniper.
I realized then that I could die at any time, he said.
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He paid a smuggler 1,200 euros (a little more than $1,300) to take him from Aleppo into Turkey. The smugglers, he said, abandoned him and the other refugees he was traveling with on a mountain near the Turkish border. He had to walk for an hour dodging border guards, then crawl through a hole in a barbed-wire border fence.
Alaghas plan is to join his fiancee in Germany, where he says first he will learn the language, then look for a school where he can work toward a degree in medicine. But with the border shut, those plans were on hold.
Alagha paced in the afternoon sun, looking for something to pass the time. He watched German language instruction videos on YouTube (the camp has free wi-fi) but said he misses movies simple, romantic ones are his favorite. I like romance and want to live a simple life, he said.
Alagha said he is sure that he and his fiancee will be reunited in the end. But for the moment, all he could do was wait.
Its like the governments are trying to make the situation so bad that we all give up and go home, he said. But he was determined to keep moving.
Borowiec is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Maria Petrakis in Athens and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A powerful setback for hard-liners in Irans parliamentary elections may present President Hassan Rouhani with a golden chance to speed up his countrys reopening to the world and remake an economy long weakened by Western sanctions.
The disparate political ideologies that came together under a pro-Rouhani banner to secure a large minority of parliamentary seats in last weeks vote marked a victory for centrist politics, analysts said.
It also vindicated the approach taken by the moderate president, who forged an agreement last year with the United States and five other world powers to roll back Irans disputed nuclear program.
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The test for Rouhani is whether he can work with the new parliament and overcome vested conservative interests to pass legislation that will help rejoin Irans financial sector to the world economy and pave the way for the foreign investment that has been pledged since most sanctions were eased under the nuclear deal.
Hard-liners have held Irans political system in a tight grip for more than a decade, starting with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his combative, anti-Western rhetoric. It continued after Rouhani took office in 2013 as staunch conservatives in parliament blocked much of his agenda.
By winning 95 seats in the 290-member parliament and with dozens still up for grabs in runoff elections or held by independents the pro-Rouhani side secured a more cooperative legislature on at least some of the governments policies. Conservatives have won 103 seats, 92 fewer than they had in the outgoing parliament. Runoffs will be held in late April.
I see this as a realignment toward the middle, bringing together those who think they can work together, said Rouzbeh Parsi, a professor at Lund University in Sweden and director of the European Iran Research Group.
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For the United States, the results of Fridays elections help show the popularity of the nuclear deal in Iran and signal broad support for the more conciliatory foreign policy adopted by Rouhani and his U.S.-educated foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Two of the most prominent hard-liners were also ousted in a parallel election for the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member council that helps select Irans supreme leader. Clerics backed by reformists and centrists won 59% of assembly seats, up from 23%, according to the interior ministry.
The resounding message from voters on Feb. 26 was a rejection of hard-liners and an endorsement of President Hassan Rouhani, wrote Garrett Nada and Katayoun Kishi, Iran researchers at the United States Institute of Peace, a Washington think tank.
Irans politicians are generally divided along a narrow political spectrum with hard-liners who resist change and support Islamic theocracy at one end and reformists who favor greater democracy and social freedoms at the other. In a hybrid political system in which theocrats have the final say, coalitions of lawmakers come together and break apart with each election, depending on the political winds of the moment.
Rouhanis efforts to repair relations with the West and strike a nuclear deal were opposed by hard-liners but won support among reformists, moderates and even some conservatives who said an agreement would end Irans isolation and improve the economy.
When Irans Guardian Council, a clerical panel that vets political candidates, disqualified thousands of mainly reformists and moderates from running in the elections, supporters of Rouhanis policies came together under a banner called the List of Hope that included a diverse array of ideologies that have not always meshed in the past.
NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>
Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the List of Hope in Tehran, is a moderate, like Rouhani, and has not supported many of the reformists most liberal positions. The pro-Rouhani candidates won all 30 seats from Tehran, the capital, whose lawmakers often determine the direction of the parliament. Among the winning candidates were Ali Motahari and Kazem Jalali, who support the nuclear deal but are outspoken conservatives on social issues.
Analysts say Rouhani who is up for reelection next year is unlikely to attempt more contentious social change such as expanding rights for women, but has a more stable mandate for pursuing economic reforms.
If Rouhani wants to become a two-term presidentthat will require that he show some tangible results where it affects people the most, Parsi said. For the overwhelming majority, the main issue is not social liberalization but the economy.
The conservative views of some members of the list could tamp down reformists priorities, observers say.
Mohammad Reza Aref might not follow the reformists, said Nader Karimi Juni, an analyst in the reformist camp. He could ask the radical reformists to stay silent about womens rights or something else, and in exchange hard-liners would help elect him speaker of the parliament.
Rouhanis efforts to loosen state control of the economy and make oil sector and other contracts more transparent are likely to face serious opposition from entrenched hard-line forces that remain ideologically opposed to foreign investment while enjoying extensive domestic economic holdings.
Among these groups is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps paramilitary organization, which remains subject to U.S. sanctions and reportedly earns billions of dollars a year in income from transportation, construction and other industries. Rouhani is unlikely to risk a direct confrontation with the powerful group, a major obstacle toward opening up the economy.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the countrys most powerful figure, has given tacit support to Rouhanis agenda. The economic stagnation in a country in which half the electorate is younger than 35 was a recipe for social upheaval, and Khamenei was said to have been frustrated by hardliners in the last years of Ahmadinejads government, who squabbled among themselves and left domestic problems to fester.
Khamenei was like the kindergarten teacher who had to keep peace between people who were all conservatives, Parsi said. My guess is he understands that on the economic front ... the government needs to legislate and reform certain things and you cant do that if you cant get people to vote in parliament.
Staff writer Bengali reported from Mumbai, India, and special correspondent Mostaghim from Tehran.
Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia.
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The Australian Shark Attack File listed a total of 33 incidents of shark-to-human interaction within the Australian waters in 2015 alone -- 23 were injured while two lives were lost.
The local governments in the country have ramped up their efforts amid a rising number of shark attacks and sightings. A new strategy involves the nouveau technology of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to spot these cold-blooded marine predators and save lives in the process.
The Use of New Technology to Aid Coastguards
The New South Wales government together with Westpac Bank launched the trial of a U.S.-built drone, which was dubbed as The Little Ripper, at Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter base at La Perouse on Feb. 28, 2016.
"This technology has the potential to improve the way our emergency services respond when people find themselves in trouble," New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said in a statement via Mashable.
The Little Ripper will be patrolling the skies above the coastlines of Newcastle, Hawkes Nest and Byron Bay in the northern portion of New South Wales. If the trials would prove to be successful, Baird hopes that "the future of rescue" could be made available for the different surf clubs in the entire state, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
About The Little Ripper
According to the news outlet, the use of these UAVs in search and rescue was the idea of Kevin Weldon, who is the founding president of the International Life Saving Federation. Back in 2009, Weldon, together with former Australian astronaut Paul Scully-Power, wanted to develop a drone that "has got to look like a helicopter, flies like a helicopter and save life like a helicopter."
The drone, which is a military-grade Vapor 55 drone, was developed to able to detect sharks using its high-tech camera. It could last for an hour of flight in one charge and is expected to be able to fight off the cross winds and maintain stability better than an ordinary drone.
The Drone Could Provide a More Practical Alternative to Helicopter Rescue
Mashable notes that The Little Ripper will be used to carry and deliver ULB Life Saving Pods, which could contain rescue items like floatation devices or inflatable life raft, EPIRB locator beacon, shark repellent and medical equipment.
"We'll be open to ideas once the trial has been completed," said Baird via the Sydney Morning Herald. "But I think every surf club in this state will see the potential in this new technology and will want to have access to it."
The Latino population plays a huge part in the U.S. economy as a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy revealed that the undocumented immigrants pay up to $11.6 billion in taxes annually.
Meg Wiehe, State Tax Policy Director of the ITEP, explained in a statement that the study is especially relevant nowadays amid the ongoing discussion on immigration and its economic implications. The executive pointed out that the recently collected data proves that the significance of the undocumented immigrants in the economy is not just limited to labor, but also in their tax contributions.
Wiehe added, "With immigration policy playing a key role in state and national debates and President Obama's 2014 executive action facing review by the Supreme Court, accurate information about the tax contributions of undocumented immigrants is needed now more than ever."
According to a report from teleSUR, undocumented immigrants make up less than 3 percent of the entire U.S. population. However, ITEP revealed that the average undocumented immigrant shells out about $1,050 in taxes annually or about 8 percent of their income. This is more than the 5.4 percent that's paid by the top 1 percent of the country
In the event that Obama's executive acts were upheld by the Supreme Court, the increase in tax revenues would reach around $805 million, the teleSUR report said. Furthermore, if the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States were legalized and granted citizenship through the comprehensive immigration reform, there would be an additional $2.1 billion in taxes yearly.
The states with the biggest immigrant populations would consequently benefit the most, specifically California, Texas, New York and Florida.
Apart from being a huge chunk of the tax revenue, Latino-owned businesses are also a big part of the demographic's contribution to the economy, according to a report from Nebraska TV.
The Center for Public Affairs Research in Omaha revealed that these businesses are paying over $17 million in taxes across the state. They are also credited with creating 5,149 jobs statewide and 387 jobs in central Nebraska as of 2012.
"Without this population, there would be fewer jobs or fewer jobs filled and would be harder for employers to find the workers they need," Ken Lemke, an economist with Nebraska Public Power District, said. "In some instances they would have to significantly raise wages, but that only goes so far."
It was a meeting of two Argentine leaders -- one that holds the most power in the South American country and the other, who is one of the most revered men in the world today.
Pope Francis received his fellow countryman President Mauricio Macri from his home country for a meeting that took place in the Roman Catholic Church's seat of power, the Vatican City, on Saturday, Feb. 27, Vatican Radio reports.
Macri also got the chance to meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States.
"This was a meeting of old acquaintances," said Macri in a press interview. The Argentine Head of State also shared that he and Pope Francis touched on the "problems like poverty and drugs trafficking," Yahoo! News reported
On the part of the Vatican, the meeting between the two world leaders turned out "cordial" and "demonstrated the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the Argentine Republic," the Holy See Press Office wrote in a statement.
The Vatican also seconded Macri's statement that they talked about the two aforementioned social issues and added that the pair also discussed other topics on human rights, assistance for integral development, peace, social reconciliation, and social justice.
During the meeting between the two, Pope Francis and President Macri also talked about the role of the Catholic Church and its contribution to the society of Argentina, particularly to the youth, Yahoo News added.
According to Radio Vatican, President Macri was formerly the Head of Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, where he served between 2007 and 2015, the Vatican Radio also cited. He only took the presidential office last December 2015. Prior to heading the Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, he was also elected to the country's lower house of Congress for Buenos Aires in 2005.
On the other hand, the Roman Catholic's top brass had been the Archbishop of Buenos Aires since 1998 until he emerged victorious after the Papal conclave of 2013. He succeeded Pope Benedict XVI after his resignation in the earlier part of 2013.
The two leaders also had some presents to give each other. The Argentine president bestowed the Pope some gifts, which include CDs with traditional Argentine music and tango, a poncho and a wooden Matara Cross. For his part, Pope Francis presented President Macri a peace medallion that bears the symbol of an olive tree.
A new immigrant rights report finds that, over a two year period beginning in 2010, at least eight people died from inadequate medical care while being held at Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) detention centers across the country.
Produced by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Detention Watch Network (DWN) and the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), the report, entitled "Fatal Neglect: How ICE Ignores Death in Detention," probed how ICE routinely failed to comply with its own medical standards, even after violations in fatal cases were found to be "contributing factors in these deaths."
Still, inspections conducted before and after the deadly instances failed to highlight serious flaws, with seven of the eight facilities receiving passing ratings even after the Office of Detention Oversight (ODO) noted various violations.
Detention Center Death Raises Questions
The death of Pablo Gracida-Conte, a detainee at Arizona's Eloy Detention Center, has particularly raised eyebrows. For four months, Gracida-Conte desperately pleaded for medical attention for a condition that caused him to vomit after every meal and persistently sparked upper abdominal pain.
The help never came, and four months later he succumbed to cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease that was medically treatable. Throughout his ordeal, Eloy staff were reportedly unable to effectively communicate with Gracida-Conte because he spoke Mixtec and no interpreter was ever called in to translate.
Still, after his death the facility not only passed inspection, but an ODO investigator decided not to cite the company for noncompliance stemming from its neglect in violating ICE policy by not seeking the assistance of an interpreter.
"Remarkably, the Office of Detention Oversight inspection claimed that Mr. Gracida's death was the first death to ever occur at Eloy when, in fact, it was the tenth death at the facility," said Jennifer Chan, associate director of policy with the National Immigrant Justice Center.
Arizona Center Known as "Deadliest Immigration Detention Center in America"
In all, Eloy has reported at least 14 deaths since 2004, when it earned the dubious distinction of being known as the "deadliest immigration detention center in America." Over at least part of that time, reports are the center operated without the benefit of a clinical director.
Salvadoran national Anibal Ramirez-Ramirez was another victim. He died seven days after being taken into custody by ICE and five days after being processed at the privately operated Immigration Centers of America-Farmville (ICAF) in Virginia.
Though he experienced various medical issues, such as constant vomiting, involuntary bowel movements and extreme disorientation, none of his symptoms were communicated between staffers at the different facilities, almost certainly slowing down any treatment he could have received.
Since the Obama administration came into power in 2008, there have been at least 56 other deaths involving individuals in ICE custody.
Just last year, at least ten men filed a complaint against the Theo Lacy facility in California, alleging physical abuse, medical neglect and retaliatory transfers. Over that same timeframe, numerous immigrants launched hunger strikes in detention centers around the country demanding better medical and dental care.
Hundreds of sea lions are turning up dead on Chile's shores.
According to marine researchers, more than 100 South American sea lions, or Otaria flavescens, have washed up on the shore of a small peninsula in northern Chile during the past three months, CNN reported. The location of the dead animals is in the area of the Mejillones Peninsula in the province of Antofagasta, where marine studies are commonly conducted by researchers.
"This is happening along the entire coast of northern Chile and we're getting reports that it's also happening in Peru, our neighbor to the north," researcher Carlos Guerra-Correa said in an interview with CNN. "We could be talking about hundreds of sea lions washing up ashore dead in the entire region."
Guerra-Correa, the director of the Regional Center for Environmental Studies and Education at Antofagasta University, noted that the majority of the dead sea lions are newborns, but adults and juveniles were also found. He told CNN that some of the young sea lions they found "still had their umbilical cords attached" and one "with a placenta."
The recent sea lion deaths is part of a more extensive die-off currently taking place on South America's Pacific coast, the news outlet wrote.
Cause of Death
Guerra-Correa blamed the sea lions' deaths on a number of factors, including lack of food sources, CNN noted. Over-fishing is an issue as well because it intensely lessens the sea lions and other marine animals' feeding options.
The weather is also the culprit. The El Nino phenomenon across the Pacific brings forth warm water to Chilean coasts. Unlike colder water, this warm water does not carry an abundance of phytoplankton, which is the food source of sardines and anchovies that sea lions consume. As a result, sea lions' food chain becomes unsettled and the animals end up starving to death, the news outlet added.
"Starvation is primarily affecting female sea lions in the latter stages of pregnancy. That's why their babies are dying at birth or being miscarried," said Guerra-Correa, as reported by CNN.
El Nino a Threat
According to a report from BBC, the El Nino phenomenon also affects Indonesia, Australasia, the Galapagos and even as far away as Europe. The weather pattern occurs every two to seven years, but the global climate change has been intensifying El Nino's effects.
With a year of intense El Nino, islands could receive 15 times as much rain as in a regular season, the news outlet added. This increased rainfall benefits terrestrial animal populations because plant growth increases, but the same cannot be said for marine creatures such as sea lions, penguins, marine iguanas and seabirds.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calls for the strongest warning for Essure's birth control device.
The FDA issued a new requirement for German drug maker, Bayer AG, to create a new clinical study for their permanent birth control implant Essure in order to determine its effects on women who use it. Furthermore, the government agency is requiring the company to include a black box warning and a "Patient Decision Checklist" on the product's label.
Essure has been around for 14 years since it was released in 2002. The postmarket study will include more than 2,000 women who will be followed for at least three years. The results of women who have used Essure's birth control implant will then be compared to those who have undergone tubal ligation.
"The actions we are taking today will encourage important conversations between women and their doctors to help patients make more informed decisions about whether or not Essure is right for them," said Dr. William Maisel, FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health director for science, in a press release. "They also reflect our recognition that more rigorous research is needed to better understand if certain women are at heightened risk of complications."
According to Reuters, Essure is marketed as an alternative to ligation in women. It is a small coil that is inserted into the fallopian tubes that will prevent sperm from reaching or fertilizing the eggs. It is considered to be a permanent form of birth control.
There have been numerous complaints against Essure. Some women have reported that the device has broken or moved, therefore resulting in unwanted pregnancies. Others have complained of chronic pain, lupus and psoriasis. The Washington Post reports that Bayer is being sued over the device failing, but they maintain that it is "effective at preventing pregnancies."
The outlet reports that a Facebook group of women called "Essure Problems" has criticized the FDA's decision to have Essure still be available on the market.
"These studies could take several years, and leaving the device on the market will only put more women's lives at risk," the group said. "We are disappointed but not surprised the FDA has once again chosen to side with industry rather than protect patients of a failed medical device."
In the agency's press release, the FDA believes that Essure is still a viable alternative for women who are looking for other forms of birth control. However, they added that women may experience some complications from using Essure, including "persistent pain, perforation of the uterus or fallopian tubes from device migration, abnormal bleeding and allergy or hypersensitivity reactions."
Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo has decided to resign from his post following the controversial corruption scandal he is handling.
Cardozo Resigned
On Monday, Brazil's presidential palace informed the public that Cardozo is leaving his position as justice minister. His resignation comes shortly after his political allies disapproved of his ways in handling corruption issues, The News & Observer reported.
Cardozo was assigned to the said position in 2011. Following his resignation, Wellington Cesar Lima e Silva, a Bahia prosecutor, will take over the position.
Cardozo Was Pressured
Per Reuters, the former justice minister was pressured by several factors. The investigation of bribery and corruption has already led some of the officials behind bars and recent speculation suggests that former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is also under investigation.
Silva, who lead the country from 2003 to 2010, was notified that the court is planning to examine his bank, telephone and finances. This move reportedly increased the pressure on Cardozo, which triggered him to leave his post.
Per the report, Worker's Party officials were not happy about Cardozo's refusal to limit the investigation of "Operation car Wash." The said corruption investigation involved several senior politicians and business executives. Moreover, they are also mad about the investigation towards Silva, who allegedly enjoys several benefits from the construction of companies that are implicated in the kickback scandal.
Silva is Innocent
On Saturday, Worker's Party celebrated its 36 years and during the said event, Silva expressed his dismay against the media and the opposition. He explained that all allegations against him are lies.
He also lashed out about the subpoenas he received, stressing his innocence. "If this is the price people must pay to prove their innocence, I'll do it," Silva said. "The only thing I want is that afterward they give me a good conduct certificate because I doubt there is anyone more honest than I am in the country."
The Guardian reported that Silva is willing to run for president in 2018 if necessary.
Cardozo's Resignation on the Corruption Case
ABC News reported that Cardozo's departure will not affect the investigation. However, Claudio Couto, a political science professor at Fundacao Getulio Vargas, believed that it will affect President Dilma Rousseff because the two were close allies.
Currently, Rousseff is battling her own impeachment trial for allegedly manipulating government accounts two years ago to have more of a budget during the run-up until the election. The opposition party is also investigating if her campaign in 2014 was funded with illegal money. If proven, her re-election might be at stake.
"It's a tragic situation," Couto said. "She has to try to please the party because she needs its support, but every time she does so she undermines what little credibility she has left."
Donald Trump's rally in southwest Virginia was filled with his supporters but there were also protesters and a bit of chaos during the whole event.
Donald Trump in Virginia
Thousands of individuals gathered in the Radford University gymnasium to hear the Republican front-runner's statement about his position concerning the race to the White House. The presidential aspirant is positive that he will be victorious in states that formerly supported Democrats, like Michigan and New York, The Washington Post reported.
Trump did not delay his announcement and started it by noting his huge lead based on the recent CNN poll.
"So you know CNN just released a poll an hour ago. And it even surprised me," Trump said according to ABC News. "I'll tell you. Just came out. Trump, 49 percent. Just came out. Oh, it's too bad. Gee, that's too bad. I'm looking at little Marco Rubio, 16 percent. Lying Ted Cruz, 15 percent. Carson, 10 and Kasich, 6 percent."
Trump and the Woman Protester
While Trump was discussing his plans for keeping jobs in the United States, there was a commotion at bay. Some of the crowd in the bleachers were mocking a woman protester.
When the billionaire politician noticed it, he addressed the woman and shouted at her as she stepped down from the bleachers, "Are you from Mexico?" He repeated it several times while the crowd booed the woman as she was escorted out.
Trump vs. Mexicans
Trump is very open about his plans concerning illegal immigrants. He has also called them rapists and killers in the past.
In a separate report from The Washington Post, Trump thinks Mexico is beating the country economically and that they are just making the Americans look stupid.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you," Trump said. "They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
Other Protesters and Commotions
Meanwhile, another group of protesters, mostly African-Americans made noise by shouting "No more hate." It took about 10 minutes to escort the young protesters out.
As they left the place, the GOP candidate shouted, "All lives matter," which resulted in louder cheers. He made the same statement in Alabama on Sunday.
After the young protesters left, another commotion happened. TIME magazine photographer, Christopher Morris was about to leave the press section to take a few shots of the Black Lives Matter protesters when he was attacked by a Secret Service agent.
Morris was thrown onto the ground and choked. He said he did not touch the agent, but a video showed him kicking and reaching the officer's neck. TIME reported that Morris was briefly detained.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has just received some of the best news any father could have: his supposedly dead son is alive.
Earlier this February, Morales had just acknowledged the fact that he fathered a son to his former lover, Gabriela Zapata, who is now imprisoned for allegations of corruption.
According to a New York Times report, the Bolivian leader's "love scandal" with Zapata, among other issues tied to him, had brought Morales to an uncertainty in his race for a fourth term as the president of the poorest country in South America.
Apparently, Morales and Zapata became "close" in 2005 and had a child in 2007. The child, however, had died shortly after he was born due to an unspecified illness.
"After 2007, I cut all ties," he said, referring to his short-lived relationship with Zapata.
But in an unexpected twist of fate, Morales found out from the child's aunt that he is alive and well.
"Sir, the child lives, I have held him in my arms; the child is eight or nine (years-old) and he is [in La Paz]," Buenos Aires Herald quoted Pilar Guzman telling PAT television on Saturday.
Now, the Bolivian leader is faced with a new challenge in his career in politics as well as his personal life: proving that he did not lie and seeking the audience of his own child.
According to Buenos Aires Herald, the revelation about his son with Zapata being alive did not help Morales' bid for another term in the presidency as critics saw his previous statement as a lie.
However, the Bolivian president is sticking to his statement, even claiming that he was the one who was lied to by his former girlfriend.
"It may be true, or it may be unfortunate but it is worrying that an alleged aunt claimed that the child is alive," he said in a statement cited by BBC News.
"Nevertheless, now that they say the child is alive, I want to tell you that if he is alive, well firstly it is a great joy for me, it is like a blessing in the end, if he is alive," he added.
Now, Morales is asking Zapata's family to give him the chance to see his son, pointing out that he has the "right to see him, to know him, to care for him," according to a report from Tico Times.
Meanwhile, his bid to amend the constitution to allow him to run for his fourth term via a referendum was rejected by 51.3 percent of Bolivian voters.
Santiago Uribe, the brother of ex-Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, has been arrested on murder allegations in the death squad case probe.
Santiago Uribe was arrested Monday in Medellin, Antioquia on charges of murder and conspiracy and for allegedly forming a death squad called the "12 Apostles" (Los Doce Apostoles). According to Colombia Reports, Uribe was arrested by officers from the Prosecutor General's Office and was detained there until the arrest was approved by a court judge.
According to the outlet, Senator Paloma Valencia of Uribe's Democratic Center party says that the arrest was politically-motivated.
"We received this news with great sorrow for what it means for the country that are being lost democratic freedoms and that this corrupt government, through a corrupt prosecutor, is dedicated to the persecution of honorable people with political coups, while seeking impunity for terrorists," Senator Valencia said.
Uribe has denied any involvement in the paramilitary group and the murders. The Guardian reports that the main witness against the former president's younger brother, ex-chief of police Juan Carlos Meneses, points to Uribe as one of the leaders of the death squad. The Twelve Apostles is allegedly responsible for numerous murders in Antioquia in the 1990s.
Meneses described The Twelve Apostles as "a group of people doing cleaning, or social cleansing, or disappeared people who identify themselves as guerrillas, as thieves, as kidnappers, extortionists or even if they only had a vice, or vices. The only thing you have to do is, when that group goes to do a job, you have to collaborate with them," TeleSur TV reports.
Meneses said that "collaboration" meant in the form of monthly cash payments. He also testified that Uribe had a base in a La Carolina ranch where he used radios to operate the death squad. He added that he saw 15 death squad members with AR-15 and AK-47 rifles at the ranch who were doing training, CBS News reports.
Ex-Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was also linked to the killings, especially in the El Aro massacre in 1997, the place where he was a governor during that time. An earlier report by The Guardian stated that the victims said that armed men killed at least 15 people, raped women and burned homes during two days of carnage. However, Ex-President Uribe said that he was only being "slandered" since elections were just around the corner at that time.
Former President Uribe accused his successor, Juan Manuel Santos, for his brother's plight in order to hinder the progress of the Democratic Center movement.
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has reached an unfathomable point in a person's life where success is in every corner but the question remains: what is his secret?
John Oliver may have revealed the answer to that during Sunday's episode of HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver."
In the 22-minute long video posted over YouTube, the Emmy Award-winning writer basically trashed the same reputation that Trump is waving in his presidential competitors' faces.
According to Oliver, those who supported Trump who won the primaries in three huge states in the United States should rethink who they're voting for, pointing out that he may not who they think he is.
One of the reasons why Americans like him is because "he tells it like it is."
This, says the host, is a grave and utter misconception, pointing out statistics posted by the website PolitiFact stating that "77 of his statements, and rated 76 percent of them as varying degrees of false."
Another thing Oliver straightened out in the clip is the idea that Trump is independent because of his reiteration that he funds his own campaign and is not beholden to anyone.
Aside from that, the host also pointed out how Trump is wildly inconsistent with his statements, saying: "He's been pro-choice and pro-life, for and against assault weapon bans, in favor of both bringing in Syrian refugees and deporting them out of the country."
But aside from discrediting the characteristics his supporters see as his advantage, Oliver also revealed that Trump had not been very honest with how he presented himself to be.
Talking about the businessman's success, Oliver made the big reveal: Donald Trump used a surname that was not his to begin with, just to build his "brand."
Apparently, one of Trump's ancestors changed their last name to "Trump" from "Drumpf."
A report from the September 2015 Boston Globe revealed that the Donald Trump that America looks up to today hailed from a German wine-growing family.
Citing Gwenda Blair's "The Trumps: Three Generations That Built An Empire," the outlet explained that the Drumpfs officially became the Trumps during the Thirty Years' War.
From there, Fred C. Trump, Donald's father, started using their new last name in every business he put up, including their supermarket chains and real estate company.
After that, the Republican frontrunner started throwing his last name in every business venture that he claims to be of high "quality."
While the name changing is not illegal, Oliver's main point in the video was to open the American people's eyes at who he really is and not be "blinded by the magic of his name."
Calling Trump a "litigious serial liar with a string of broken business ventures," he called for the Republican presidential candidate to become "Donald Drumpf again."
Check out the entire video of Sunday's episode "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Donald Trump."
Despite Donald Trumps controversial statements against the illegal immigrants and coming up with the concept of building a wall between the United States and Mexico, the presidential candidate is still getting a lot of support from the Latino community. Here are five Latinos who actually side with the billionaire.
Latino Supporters
1. Shawn Bambaro
The Daily Beast wrote that the 39-year-old is the son of Colombian immigrants and operates the Facebook group Latinos Support Trump. He agrees Trumps stance on immigration, saying that there needs to be a process where illegals have to be deported although the process will take a long time. He said that the media portrayed a negative image about the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
2. Lhessa Lyons
The 41-year-old has a Dominican background and works as a research analyst for a government contracting company. She also agrees with Trumps immigration plan and created the Facebook page Latinos for Donald Trump. She said that she does not consider herself either a Republican or Democrat, but would vote for Trump in a general election. She added that she was not offended by Trump calling undocumented immigrants rapists.
More Hispanic Supporters
3. Delilah Rodriguez
In an article from the Huffington Post, Rodriguez is described as a 59-year-old from Laconia and was a notable figure in the New Hampshire rally. She shared that she admires how Trump is fearless in speaking the truth. She believes that the U.S. government should fully close the U.S.-Mexico border for a while. She also said that potential immigrants should go through the proper procedures.
4. Alex Chapa
The 39-year-old son of Rodriguez from Manchester who joined the army 10 days after 9/11. He also shares the same views as Trump and his mother. He said that American Hispanics do not want undocumented immigrants to take their tax money. Chapa said that his paternal grandparents legally transferred to the United States from Mexico in the 1940s. As Mexicans, they are supporting Trump.
5. Alex Vargas
According to The Hill, the Republican Party activist in Massachusetts said that he likes Trumps brashness and how he is not afraid to say what is on his mind. He is the one who can speak what people can only think.
I think there was a better way to say why we need to control the border, and so I may actually flip a coin on Tuesday to see whether I vote for Trump or for Rubio," he said.
A 15-month investigation conducted by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office found one Long Island School District denied enrollment to unaccompanied immigrant students.
The initial inquiry began in October 2014 when Schneiderman launched an internal review of various school districts in Rockland, Nassau, Westchester and Suffolk counties. Blatant discrimination was found at Long Island's Westbury District, where undocumented children, primarily from Central and South America, were either delayed or outright denied admission.
"Education is the bedrock of our American democracy, and every child in our country - no matter where they were born -- deserve the chance to attend school and seek a diploma," Schneiderman said in a press statement. "I am pleased that the Westbury District has agreed to come into compliance with the law and that I will also provide additional services to any student who was, until now, unable to enroll."
Questionable practices -- those of requesting Social Security numbers, debating a student's country of birth, and excluding English language learners age 16 or older from attending high school -- lasted over three years. At least two dozen students eligible for the district's only high school were told they were too old, many forced to toggle between programs with limited academic offerings.
"We will continue to work tirelessly with school districts across New York State to ensure that every child is treated equally and has full access to the tools needed to become productive members of society," said Schneiderman.
Westbury joins 21 other school districts in reaching agreements with the attorney general. Among the new requirements are the need to develop new enrollment procedures, provide compensatory educational services to students affected between 2012 and 2015 and maintain records of district denials and reasons they were denied until March 2018.
Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, said the non-profit organization will work with Schneiderman to ensure education is provided for all students, regardless of their citizenship status.
"As recently arrived Central American children started settling on Long Island, we started to see them be deliberately shut out of basic educational opportunities -- being able to enroll in local schools, or accessing academic materials that would help them graduate on time," Choi said in a statement.
Choi added, "We commend Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for making sure school districts across New York are complying with state and federal laws that ensure recently arrived immigrant children are given the rightful opportunities to be their best selves in the country they now call home."
Argentine chef Francis Mallmann, who is widely esteemed among the culinary circle in South America, forays into the United States food industry as he opens his first restaurant at the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach named Los Fuegos.
According to NBC News, Mallmann is highly regarded for his dramatic open-fire cooking technique and contemporary Argentinian menu. His book "Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way" received the James Beard award while the chef himself gains more popularity from the Netflix series "Chef's Table."
When asked about the connection between his new restaurant and his work from both his travels and home in the Patagonia region along the boundaries of Argentina and Chile, he said, "Work is sort of a language of life that is very related with the outdoors and that's why we have this beautiful terrace at the Faena Hotel where Los Fuegos is and our fires, which are very important."
"When I talk about the language of life, it's not only about the cooking. It's about the experience which is very important," he added. "I have to feel very tuned to everything I do. It has to be related to the way I live. Inside the business, first there has to be this huge happiness and comfort and yeah -- feeling at home."
Miami.com listed Faena Hotel Miami Beach as one of the 10 best Miami hotels for foodies to visit during the recently held South Beach Wine & Food Festival last Feb. 24 to Feb. 28.
Mallmann's restaurant was also cited as one of the two main attractions for diners in the hotel. Together with fellow James Beard Award winner and Austin-based chef Paul Qui's pan-Asian restaurant called Pao, the outlet described Los Fuegos as two of the hottest new restaurants in town.
The website also mentioned the ribeye steak from Los Fuegos, which the reviewer said is just the best slab. The two restaurants from Mallmann and Qui were also cited by Conde Nast Taveler as part of the Faena District, which the site dubbed as one of the four new reasons to visit Miami.
Mallmann was also one of the vocal critics of the World's 50 Best Restaurants by the trade magazine Restaurant, the New York Times cited. While Mallmann was formerly a judge for the best restaurant list and admits that the list include some of the world's very best, he also said that having such a list somehow makes chef work for the recognition more than anything else. He also added that the process involves a lot of lobbying and politics.
The New York State Education Department's Board of Regents has approved a plan allowing certain Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, who came to U.S. as children, to apply for classroom teaching certificates and other forms of professional licenses.
"These are young people who came to the U.S. as children," said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, noting that the only hurdle now remaining is a public comment period.
"They are American in every way but immigration status," she added. "They've done everything right. They've worked hard in school, some have even served in the military, but when it's time to apply for a license, they're told 'Stop. That's far enough.' We shouldn't close the door on their dreams. Allowing these young people to get professional licenses will open up a new world of economic opportunity for them."
DACA Evolves From 2012 Implementation
Back in 2012, the Obama administration implemented the current DACA policy that allows individuals who came to the U.S. as children and meet established guidelines to request consideration for deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal. Typically, individuals falling under that umbrella are young people who derive their immigration status from their undocumented parents.
The situation has left many of these individuals with few options when it comes to gaining legal residency, even though many of them have spent their entire lives in the U.S.
DACA recipients are authorized to work in the U.S., but up until now, they have been prohibited from obtaining teaching certification and licenses in such professions as pharmacy, dentistry and engineering solely based on their immigration status. The action by the Board of Regents, when finalized after the public comment period, will open up the licensing process to DACA recipients.
"Today is a great day for a State which prides itself in being a national leader on issues of social justice," said New York Assembly Member and Chair of the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force Marcos Crespo. "The decision by the New York State Board of Regents to grant licensure in various professions to individuals who came to the United States as children and who are qualified under the Obama Administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is an example of government performing at its best."
Cesar Vargas Rises From Ranks of Undocumented
Recently, state officials celebrated the story of Cesar Vargas, a 31-year-old undocumented immigrant who rose to become an attorney. The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court recently ruled that Vargas, who has lived in the U.S. since the age of five, had a legal right to be permitted to the state bar after passing the New York bar exam on the first attempt.
He is now the first undocumented law school graduate to practice law in the state.
To date, more than 53,000 New Yorkers have registered for DACA, with an estimated 200,000 more who also fit the restrictions still living there under the radar. Across the country, some 787,000 have registered for DACA status.
The Vermont Senate approved on Thursday a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana use in the state. The bill will be submitted to the House of Representatives for a decision. Should the House approve the bill, Vermont will become the first state to legalize marijuana through legislation.
Forbes reported the bill was passed by a vote of 17 to 12 in the Senate. The bill paves way for the creation of a taxed and regulated system of selling marijuana. Starting 2018, only state-licensed growers and merchants can cultivate the plant and operate businesses.
The state of Vermont will collect 25 percent excise tax from the marijuana industry. The revenues will provide additional support for drug treatment, prevention and enforcement of laws and regulations.
Under the bill, only adults aged 21 years or older will permitted to possess a maximum of one ounce of marijuana. Non-residents can purchase only a quarter of an ounce of weed.
Additionally, the bill does not allow the sale of marijuana edibles and home cultivation. The bill also designates a research committee that will study the advantages and disadvantages of these activities in the future.
According to Vox, although Vermont is not the first state to legalize pot-Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska have gone ahead-other states approved legalization through a general election, unlike in Vermont where it was done by legislative initiative.
Once the House of Representatives for the legalization of recreational marijuana use, Democrat Governor Peter Shumlin will sign the bill to effectuate it. Shumlin is a known supporter of the bill.
"This bill will allow us to address those important issues by driving out illegal drug dealers, doing a better job than we currently do of keeping marijuana out of the hands of underage kids," Governor Shumlin said. "[The bill will help in] dealing with the drugged drivers who are already driving on our roads, addressing treatment, and educating Vermonters to the harmful effects of consuming marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes."
Reports, however, indicate that the bill would struggle in the House of Representatives where there is far lesser support for marijuana legalization.
The House's Judiciary Committee will review the bill on the second week of March, as noted by High Times. A full House vote on the bill will commence by the end of month.
A recent poll conducted by the Vermont Public Radio showed that 55 percent of residents support marijuana legalization.
The Council of Europe warned that reforms of Poland's constitutional court pose a danger to the rule of law in the European Union member state.
Legal experts advised the Council of Europe to strike out provisions of a law reforming the country's highest court.
The reform took place after Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party removed judges from the constitutional tribunal based on the sole ground that they were installed by the opposition Civic Platform party.
According to the draft opinion of the Venice Commission, obtained by the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, it stated that "constitutional crisis" meant "not only is the rule of law in danger, but so is democracy and human rights."
"As long as the situation of constitutional crisis related to the constitutional tribunal remains unsettled and as long as the constitutional tribunal cannot carry out its work in an efficient manner, not only is the rule of law in danger, but so is democracy and human rights," the expert body concluded.
It said PiS reasoning on the need for pluralism of judges was wrong because "such a claim misunderstands the role of pluralism in a constitutional tribunal, which is not to represent political interests and parties."
To prevent future crises, it "recommended that the constitution be amended in the long run" to guarantee an "effective anti-deadlock mechanism" for the Constitutional Court.
It also said such changes could "slow down" the tribunal's decisions and make it "less effective as a guardian of the constitution."
It added that judicial checks and balances were "especially important in times of strong political majorities," alluding to PiS' dominant position in parliament.
Polish PM Beata Szydlo told that the draft text was under deliberation and that the Venice body will file its final conclusion. She noted that the findings would have no binding effect.
"Poland is a sovereign country and Polish authorities take decisions relating to its internal affairs in a sovereign manner, directed by the national interest on the basis of the constitution," she said.
The Polish government has yet no response to a letter from the Council of Europe secretary-general, sent in early January, expressing concern about the law's effect on "the integrity and independence" of the media.
"We hope to pursue a dialogue on that with the Polish authorities," the spokesman said.
The Council of Europe is an international organization that seeks to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law, working closely with the EU.
A U.S. Appeals Court upheld on Monday the legality of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's action when it designated more than 187,000 square miles as a critical habitat for polar bears in Alaska's northern coast. The court ruling is a hallelujah for the protection of endangered species, but is seen as a blow to Alaska's waning petroleum industry.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco overturned a decision rendered by the lower court in 2013, which held that the designation was too arbitrary and extensive to be enforced.
ABC News reported that a three-judge panel in the appeals court ruled that the Fish and Wildlife Service did not violate any law for the designation. Moreover, the Endangered Species Act does not require for specificity when identifying critical habitats for threatened animals.
U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Beistline held that while the designation of sea ice as a critical habitat was valid, the Center of Biological Diversity did not make clear that the areas covered would be appropriate for polar bear dens. On this, the appeals court judges argued that the lower court only considered the denning aspect, but failed to appreciate the polar bears' need to unrestricted access to sea ice, as noted by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Court of Appeals ruling was hailed as a victory for the Center of Biological Diversity.
"The polar bear gets the full protection of critical habitat to which it's entitled, it deserves and it truly needs," Brendan Cummings said, who represents the petitioner.
The Alaska Oil and Gas Association did not welcome the decision, branding the land designation an overreach.
The American Petroleum Institute will also review the court's decision and look at its options.
"The U.S. can sustain and build on our nation's positive energy trajectory while protecting the polar bear and providing greater regulatory certainty not only to the oil and natural gas industry but also to all U.S. manufacturers," API said in a dispatch, via Bloomberg.
Former Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell argued that the designated critical habitat covers areas vital to nearly half of Alaska's oil and petroleum production and exploration.
Fish and Wildlife Service has imposed the critical habitat program to save the polar bear population, which has been on a decline in the last decade. As of 2010, the number of polar bears in the Alaskan region has fallen to 1,000.
Ahead of the Super Tuesday when voters choose their Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, the United States State Department released the final batch of emails from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton, who is running for president, has sent and received these emails from her private server located insider her home.
In a report by VOA News, the latest release of the last batch of emails results to a total of more than 52,000 emails including 2,000 censored information categorized as classified. The final batch contained 3,800 pages including one sensitive email about North Korea's nuclear program, which is said to be "top secret." It has been since changed to "secret" and State Department spokesman John Kirby said that the initial assessment was not correct.
Clinton has denied that the information she sent or received, which were deleted, was marked classified at the time she turned over other files and emails to the U.S. State Department, News 4 San Antonio reported. However, the released emails contained exchanges between Clinton and U.S. President Barack Obama and they are being withheld for "executive privilege" reasons. These emails with Obama are in top of those classified as top secret and sensitive.
Other messages also include memos from then-Senator John Kerry regarding his meeting with foreign generals, emails about an Associated Press story concerning drone strikes, and portions of messages from Sidney Blumenthal about Kyrgyzstan.
Politico reported that Clinton is facing an ongoing FBI investigation regarding her email arrangement and possible breaches regarding classified information.
Clinton's campaign has been plagued with this issue but she says she has used a personal email instead of a state.gov account for convenience. Critics, however, believe she was evading federal public records laws.
Her Republican opponents have been making the issue their main point against Clinton, but her co-Democrat presidential frontrunner, Bernie Sanders, has not commented on it. It is expected that if Clinton wins as the Democratic candidate, the emails will again be the point for argument for the Republican presidential bid.
On Tuesday, the names of the famous Yosemite landmarks' are set to change amidst the bitter legal battle of the Park Service against its former concessionaire, Delaware North. Work crews have put up new signages to some of the popular tourist destinations around Yosemite National Park as the park endorse a new vendor Aramark.
During the weekends, Delaware North, the locally based hospitality and tourism giant tried to offer a last-minute settlement to its competitor Aramark. Delaware North claimed that changing the names of the Yosemite landmarks are not needed. The company offered Aramark transferring names of Ahwahnee Hotel, Curry Village and other park venues while a compensation due to the former will be pending. However, Aramark dismissed the deal and instead pushed on Delaware to put down the case, Buffalo News reports.
"This dispute is like an ugly divorce, with the park-loving public as the children," San Francisco Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders wrote.
According to Yahoo, the legal battle between National Park Service and Delaware North started in June after the park chose Aramark as its concenssionaire. The $2-billion contract covers a period of 15 years where Aramark will operate restaurants, stores, hotels and other Yosemite landmarks. The park was sued by Delaware North in September over a breach of contract claiming rights to the trademarks, which they priced at $44 million. Delaware North also wants compensation from the damages and other assets.
"This is corporate greed," Eric Raymond, a Bay Area resident said on Twitter while urging support for a petition that seeks the release of the names to the citizens of the United States, Reuters claims.
In response to the suit over the Yosemite landmarks change of names, the Park Service said that Delaware put a high price on the price of the properties. As per the court filings, the Parl Service valued the Yosemite landmarks value at $3.5 million. In January, the Buffalo-based company was shaken up when the Park Service claimed that they are pursuing the change of names of the trademarked properties.
The National Park Service and the Aramark have remained quiet whether a last-minute talks are happening to resolve the Yosemite landmarks' issues. Yosemite is one of the popular tourist destinations in the U.S. with 4.3 million visitors in 2015. At present, preparations in setting up of temporary signages are ongoing in Yosemite. As far as the National Park Service and Aramark are concerned, they are pursuing with the smooth transition of the concession from the Buffalo-based comapany while the case is ongoing.
A Bethlehem man faces charges after being caught by officers stealing from unlocked vehicles throughout Bethlehem Township, police said.
(file photo)
James Joseph Johnson, 37, of the 900 block of Monacacy Drive, at 6:20 a.m. Monday was seen by a resident peering into vehicles and pulling door handles to check if doors were unlocked the area of Skyline Drive and Moravian Court in the township, according to police.
The resident told police, according to court records, that when Johnson realized she was watching him, he pretended to wave at a window. The woman knew the homeowners at that residence and told police Johnson didn't belong there, records say.
An officer dispatched to the scene found Johnson allegedly running through back yards in an attempt to flee from police. The officer radio-ed to another officer to be on the lookout for Johnson, who allegedly was then running behind the 3500 block of Timber Lane toward Easton Avenue.
Once Johnson spotted the second officer, police say, he walked over to a parked pickup truck and pretended to put something in the bed of the truck. A few items dropped to the ground, according to police.
Police then searched the pickup truck and seized a fire starter, cellphone, rubber glove and candy bar. In his possession were three rosaries, $7.68 in loose change, nail clippers and a leather wallet with a PBA gold family member card from a New Jersey police officer, court records say.
The New Jersey police officer confirmed his vehicle had been rummaged through and he was missing various items, records say. Officers arrested Johnson and the witness also confirmed Johnson as the alleged thief.
Johnson is charged with theft from a vehicle, criminal attempt, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and loitering. He was arraigned before District Judge Patricia Broscius, who sent him to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail.
The judge ordered Johnson have no contact with the victims, submit to random drug and alcohol testing, have no firearms and enroll in Northampton County Pretrial Services. The judge allowed 10 percent of $75,000 bail if approved by Pretrial Services.
Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
UPDATE: Missing man found safe and back at home, police say
Fountain Hill police are looking for a 24-year-old man who is in the higher functioning portion of the autism spectrum and has run away from his parents' home.
Emmanuel Alvarez Torres. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)
Emmanuel Alvarez Torres, of the 900 block of Cherokee Street, was last seen Sunday afternoon at New Bethany Ministries in Bethlehem, police said.
Torres, who only speaks Spanish, is 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 93 pounds, police said. He has brown hair and brown eyes and might have a goatee, police said.
He has run away before, but usually quickly returns, police said. He is not a threat to himself or others, police said.
If anyone sees Torres, they are asked to call Lehigh County communications at 610-437-5252.
Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Bethlehem police are searching for an attacker they say beat a woman, bound her with packaging tape and tried to force pills down her throat to stage a suicide.
Bethlehem police are looking for Jeffrey Salemo, 27. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)
The Bethlehem Police 911 Center at 2 a.m. Saturday received a call from a woman they heard in the background saying, "Don't hurt me" several times, said Bethlehem Police Chief Mark DiLuzio.
When officers arrived, they found the victim with injures to her face and body. The suspect, 27-year-old Jeffrey Salemo, allegedly beat the woman, choked her and later bound her with packaging tape. He fled before police got there.
Salemo had threatened to kill the victim and make it look like a suicide, DiLuzio said. He allegedly tried to force Xanax pills down her throat. Police say small children were at the home during the attack.
The victim was taken to St. Luke's Hospital in Fountain Hill for her injures.
Police said Salemo remains on the lam. Once arrested, he will be charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, making terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person and unlawful restraint, according to police.
Salemo has not been heard from since the incident and his whereabouts are unknown, police said. Those with information are urged to call 610-865-7187.
Salemo is described as a white man with blue eyes and brown hair. He's about 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, police said.
Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A Bethlehem woman is accused of attacking her ex-boyfriend's car with a metal pipe Tuesday morning, and then throwing the pipe at him, hitting him in the forehead.
Monica Garcia wasn't finished, city police said. When Garcia's ex sat in the driver's seat of the Nissan Maxima she just dented, police said Garcia got into another car and rammed the side of the Maxima.
The 37-year-old Garcia was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, two counts of simple assault, as well as single counts of reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, harassment, disorderly conduct and driving with a suspended license.
Garcia, of the 1200 block of Lebanon Street, was freed after posting 10 percent of $2,500 bail.
Bethlehem police said they were called about 6:30 a.m. to the 1200 block of Flower Drive. The girlfriend of Garcia's ex reported she saw Garcia hitting the Maxima with a metal pipe, police said.
Garcia and her ex-boyfriend have a child together and she knew the ex and his girlfriend drove the car, police said.
Garcia's ex went outside as Garcia was hitting the car, police said; the two began to argue, when Garcia threw the pipe and hit the man on the forehead.
The victim got into the driver's seat of the Maxima, and that's when Garcia got into her car and purposefully drove into the driver's side door, police said.
An officer saw multiple dents and scratches on the Maxima; its headlights, taillights and side mirrors smashed; and a metal pipe was on the ground.
Police said a Nissan Altima parked next to the ex-boyfriend's car was also damaged with a dent on the driver's side door. The damage was estimated at $5,000.
Surveillance video corroborated statements from the victims and witnesses, police said.
Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A psychological report has been requested on a Laois man convicted of repeatedly striking a Polish man in the face with the butt of a rifle.
A psychological report has been requested on a Laois man convicted of repeatedly striking a Polish man in the face with the butt of a rifle.
The incident arose out of a dispute between two sets of brothers, Anthony Bowe, Rathdowney, and Barry Bowe, Shanahoe; and Polish men David Marszelewski and Piotr Marszelewski.
On OMoore Street in Rathdowney on October 30, 2011, after Anthony Bowes front window was smashed with a rock, Barry Bowe hit David Marszelewski repeatedly in the face with a rifle, while Anthony Bowe hit Piotr Marszelewski with his fists. Before Portlaoise Circuit Court last October, Anthony Bowe pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, and Barry Bowe pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm.
The case was adjourned in October for probation and community service reports, and for medical reports on David Marszelewski. When the case returned to the recent Circuit Court on April 29, a letter from Dr Niall ODoherty said that Mr David Marszelewski, who underwent craniology surgery, had made a good recovery, but still has issues. He suffered a loss of vision and a loss of balance, experienced headaches, and had been referred to an eye clinic. His wife also claimed he was slow to respond.
State prosecutor, Mr Will Fennelly read out further reports in which it was said that Mr Marszelewski had been left with poor vision and a skull defect and would need help returning to work as a security guard.
However, defence for Barry Bowe, Mr Colm Hennessy said there were a number of contradictions in the victim impact report. Mr Hennessy said that Mr Marszelewski had claimed I had to learn to walk, think, and read again, but two consultant neurosurgeons had used the phrase a good recovery.
Remarked Judge Tony Hunt: People who suffer serious injuries are not the most objective observers, for obvious reasons, but that doesnt detract from the seriousness of the assault.
Mr Hennessy said that his client did not resile from the seriousness of the offence, but as the probation report on Barry Bowe said that a comprehensive psychological report could be of use, Mr Hennessy told Judge Hunt that a report of that nature would be of assistance.
I dont know what difference it will make, said Judge Hunt. Im not convinced its necessary, but I will defer to the probation officer.
Mr Piotr Marszelewski took the witness box to give his own victim impact evidence. Admitting that he didnt get much injuries, he said that he had suffered a broken lip and a few bruises and had to go to hospital a few times due to a big headache.
Defence for Anthony Bowe, Ms Geraldine Fitzpatrick said that her client accepted he had let himself and his family down.
Remarking that Barry Bowe was in very serious danger before the court, Judge Hunt put the matter back to July 30 and said the case would be disposed of one way or another on that date.
Background to the case was given at the October Circuit Court by retired Garda Sgt Luke Kavanagh, led by Mr Will Fennelly. The court heard that there was animosity between the two sets of brothers, concerning incidents around Peadars Inn in Rathdowney, of which Barry Bowe had been the licensee. It was alleged that both Polish men had been barred from the pub in August 2011 due to an altercation in which Anthony Bowe, who had been working the door, claimed he was punched and kicked by David Marszelewski, and the following day was threatened by him saying: You are a f*cking dead man.
Poplar Square one of the best known landmarks in Naas could be renamed with a 1916 theme.
Local councillor Seamie Moore wants the 1916 Rising to be remembered by renaming a location such as Poplar Square with a name linked to the event like Independence Square, Pearse Square or Patriot Square.
However not every Naas Municipal District councillor supported the move with Cllr Darren Scully pointing out the other well known people from Naas could be remembered in Naas and not just the past leaders of 1916.
Naas Mayor James Lawless said Poplar Square is a well established name and perhaps other streets or landmarks might be renamed.
Cllr Moore said its only fair and honourable that Naas give tribute to the events of 1916.
He said: Many streets, town squares, railway stations, bridges, schools and military barracks have been renamed around the 1916 leaders in other towns.
He described Naas as being one of the most anglicised towns which has never given any tribute to patriots or rebellious events or our national fight for freedom.
On the contrary he said addresses in the town like Jubilee Terrace and Victoria Terrace reflect the UK governance here, while townland names like Halverstown, Punchestown and Sherlockstown reflect Irelands Norman history.
He conceded that Naas Town Council has named Wolfe Tone Street and Devoy road and the Army names Devoy Barracks and Devoy Terrace.
Nevertheless there is nothing in Naas to recognise the 1916 Rising
Tomorrow is International Rare Diseases Day, and I shall be asking in the Lords what contribution the Government are providing for the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium.
The EU defines a rare disease as one that affects no more than 5 in every 10,000 persons. But since between 6,000 and 8,000 such diseases have been identified, about 3.5 million patients are affected in the UK. Three quarters of these diseases can affect children, and nearly a third of the youngest patients die before their fifth birthday.
The Department of Health launched a draft plan for rare diseases a year ago and undertook a consultation on it leading to the definitive plan, scheduled for the second half of this year.
Rare Disease UK, the National Alliance for people with rare diseases and their supporters, launched a report today on the value of care coordinators to both patients and the NHS, a win-win scheme that benefits patients and saves money for the NHS.
The UK participates in rare disease research at the European level, a programme costing 38 million over the next six years. The theme of tomorrow is Rare Disorders without Borders, highlighting the importance of sharing medical research and practice on diseases which may only affect a few people in the UK.
Yesterday in the European Parliament two Alliance of Liberals and Democrats MEPs were hosting a stakeholder meeting to discuss revision of the Transparency Directive on medicinal products, that would improve the pricing transparency of medicinal products and thus help to lower the cost of treatment of rare diseases.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the US Orphan Drugs Act, which gave special marketing protection to the developers of drugs for rare diseases. This side of the Atlantic, the European Medicines Agency provides incentives to SMEs for the development of orphan medicines. An article in the December issue of the magazine Health argued that the current orphan drugs regime led to higher prices and there seems to be a case for it to be reviewed at EU level.
Here, the Prime Minister launched the report Strategy for Life Sciences: One Year On in December, announcing a new focus on genomics, a field which is set to change the way disease is diagnosed, prevented and treated. The NHS is earmarking 100 million towards sequencing the genomes of 100,000 patients with cancers and rare diseases.
The UK is already a leading player in life sciences, with a pharmaceutical industry worth 30 billion a year; medical and biotechnology sectors turning over 20 billion a year, and a similar huge potential for innovation in our universities and the NHS. The combination has made this country an attractive destination for overseas investors, to the tune of 1 billion in 2012.
As an example of how the life sciences strategy will enhance our capability on rare diseases, the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund is putting 10 million into an 85 million partnership between University College London and the Great Ormond Street Hospital, for a Centre for Childrens Rare Diseas Research.
So in spite of the economic problems we face, there is a good story to tell on how we are tackling rare diseases with more resources and greater collaboration, both domestically and internationally.
* Eric Lubbock, Lord Avebury, is a working peer, and Vice-Chair, Parliamentary Human Rights Group. He blogs here.
G20 countries say Brexit would be bad news for the world economy, says George Osborne in the Independent (video).
A Cabinet Office report says it would take years, perhaps a decade, to replace trade agreements if the UK were to leave the EU.
Gibraltar has passed its legislation to take part in the referendum. Gibraltar is part of the UK for purposes of EU membership so we remain or leave together, although like Scotland it may be that a UK exit would lead Gibraltar to review its relationship with the UK.
Bank UBS are advising clients that the risk of IN losing the referendum is currently 40%. They go on the advise, as HSBC and Goldman Sachs have done, to expect a sharp fall in the pounds value if Brexit happens. Those two other banks have said to expect a 20% drop. UBS think the Euro pound will fall from 1.27 (already significantly lower than recent times) to 1. That would be a massive blow to pensioners, consumers of imported goods and anyone booking a holiday, among others.
Iain Duncan-Smith has accused the Prime Minister (and by implication IN campaigners generally) of having a low opinion of the British people.
This is a common attack by OUT speakers at public meetings who tend to suggest that any praise for Europe amounts to a diminuniton of Britain. Ways to tackle this include making the point I am British and European and proud to be both or we are a great country, but so are many of our neighbours in Europe and by working together we are greater still and can achieve more.
Be careful around free movement. If you say that European workers have filled gaps in our economy some people hear that as a criticism of British workers or that we do not care for the latter. It is worth pointing out that EU workers pay 33% more take than they draw on public services so there are more jobs and better public services for British workers because we have an open economy.
Chinese media outlet Xinhua reports that Tory MPs are threatening to call a leadership election against David Cameron.
Lib Dem Ceredigion is apparently the least Eurosceptic place in the country.
John Rentoul has a roundup of campaign cliches we are suffering so far.
* Antony Hook was #2 on the South East European list in 2014, is the English Party's representative on the Federal Executive and produces this sites EU Referendum Roundup.
In 1995 our immigration law was amended so that asylum applicants from countries that were designated as safe no longer had a right to appeal against refusal unless their case was certified by the Secretary of State. With a Border Agency prone to error, a risk arose that people with good cases might be unjustly be detained, speeded through a truncated process and deported.
Even the Home Office recognised that in some designated countries, there was endemic persecution of women. In 2005 an Order was made adding some countries to the list of those deemed safe, but for men only.
I asked for a similar exception be made for LGBT people, on the floor of the House and in correspondence with the Minister, Lord Bassam, pointing to the particular case of Jamaica, where, notoriously, homophobia was (and still is) rampant. The power to do so exists in law, but the Government refused to exercise it.
Over ten years later, after a good deal more unproductive correspondence and debates with both Labour and Tory Ministers, the Court of Appeal has come to the rescue!
In the case of JB (Jamaica), the court ruled that the claimant hqad been wrongly detained, and the designation of Jamaica as a safe country for LGBT people was unlawful.
The Government is spending public money on an appeal to the Supreme Court, but with luck, the genies out of the bottle. The whole subject of LGBT persecution, not just in Jamaica but also in a number of other Commonwealth countries where same sex relationships are outlawed, must surely be considered.
The Commonwealth Charter, agreed by member states last December, commits them to
equality and respect for the protection and promotion of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, for all without discrimination on any grounds as the foundations of peaceful, just and stable societies.
Yet in Uganda, American evangelical missionaries openly incite hatred of gays, leading to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and the murder of the brave gay rights activist David Kato a year ago. In Gambia, homosexuality is illegal and President Jammeh refers to gays as Satanic.
Surely, these grave breaches of the Charter should attract condemnation from the Commonwealth Heads of Government when they meet in Sri Lanka in November.
In the meanwhile, the Government must demonstrate their commitment to equality between people of all sexual orientations, as provided by our own Equality Act, by withdrawing their appeal to the Supreme Court, and amending the immigration law to restore the right of gay people from homophobic states to appeal against refusal of asylum applications.
* Eric Lubbock, Lord Avebury, is a working peer, and Vice-Chair, Parliamentary Human Rights Group. He blogs here.
Ive been worried for weeks about how the vote would go on our crucial Diversity motion at Scottish conference on Saturday. Ive spent the past 4 years as Convener of Scottish Women Liberal Democrats and Convener of Campaigns & Candidates (Scotland) driving forward all the measures we say as a party should ensure we get equal numbers of women elected to men: talent spotting, encouraging, running targeted training sessions, mentoring and supporting women across the party to get selected and elected.
Just like at Westminster now, we had an opportunity 5 years ago when we lost 11 of our Scottish Parliamentarians in the May 2011 election, to ensure the next set of candidates we presented to the electorate would be more gender balanced. But we have failed. I am the only woman who tops a regional list for the Scottish Parliament elections in 2016 (we get most of our seats from regional lists) and we have very little chance of increasing the gender balance of our MSP group. Why has this happened? Well a mixture of reasons but we do need to face the fact that there is a strong culture of deference in our party, maybe more so north than south of the border, where if a former parliamentarian or even a prominent local man wants to run for a winnable seat, women drop out of the running (or dont even put their names forward in the first place). There is also a tendency amongst some members to think that behaviour they approve of in a male candidate is not appropriate in an equally good female candidate, which doesnt help in selection contests.
We have spent years if not decades struggling with the fact we are a liberal party, instinctively against quotas, all women shortlists or any similar measures, but we must now accept that we have fallen so far behind Labour, the SNP and even the Tories, on gender balance that it is embarrassing. We cannot go through another election cycle thinking that fixing the women by training, mentoring etc is the answer. So our fabulously brave party leader in Scotland, Willie Rennie, decided this summer to take the bull by the horns. He set up a working group on gender balance containing prominent sceptics of positive discrimination and worked closely with them to get a workable set of proposals ready for spring conference.
The result was the doubled headed motion we debated in Edinburgh on Saturday. Alongside many measures to radically change the culture of the party, the key bones of contention were that for the next 5 year parliamentary cycle: our top MEP candidate must be a woman, the top 5 Westminster target seats must have all women shortlists and 5 of the top 10 Holyrood target seats must have all women shortlists (the specifics of the latter dependent on the results in this Mays Holyrood elections).
These 3 measures, for Europe, Westminster and Holyrood, were argued over fiercely during the debate. Jo Swinson proposed the motion in a very powerful speech. Alison McInnes MSPs speech was so moving it brought tears to my and many other eyes, while those arguing to retain the status quo brought audible gasps from some in the room as they asserted that any such measures were discriminating against men and would prevent the best candidate getting selected. New young female members seeking about feeling encouraged to stand for election due to the measures in the motion had a powerful effect, as did Willies rousing plea at the end of the debate, to al members to come with him on this journey.
It felt very tense in the room as the cards were counted and I only realised I was holding my breath when the result was announced: three quarters of conference had backed the proposals! I almost couldnt believe we had finally won. That we were at last taking gender balance seriously in the Scottish party and starting down a path that will radically alter the status quo. I think what really swung it was both Willies personal plea to members to come with him even if they feel uncomfortable about it plus the powerful arguments from so many who had previously been against AWS that nothing else has worked and the time had come to take the radical step.
I know it wont be comfortable for everyone, but, as I said in my speech in the debate, I dont care if some people think I am a token woman because I have the confidence to know Im not. What I do care about it creating a path for other less confident or experienced women in the party, to show them we are serious about diversity in deed as well as word, to inspire them to choose to become our next generation of parliamentarians.
For our party, Saturday was a truly glorious day for diversity. We may have bumps in the road, but we are at least on the right path at last. I hope we have shown our federal colleagues the way, as I know Tim Farron was as delighted with Saturdaysresult as we all were and as keen to see a more diverse set of parliamentarians as Willie is. So long as we dont become Willies babes (pace Tony Blair), Ill be happy.
As a big fan of Yes, Prime Minister, I find Sir Humphrey an endless source of funny quotes. But little did Humphrey know back in 1980, how topical his remarks would be in 2016:
Sir Humphrey: Minister, Britain has had the same foreign policy objective for at least the last five hundred years: to create a disunited Europe. In that cause we have fought with the Dutch against the Spanish, with the Germans against the French, with the French and Italians against the Germans, and with the French against the Germans and Italians. Divide and rule, you see. Why should we change now, when its worked so well?
So nothing new there, suffice to say the UK has always taken a slightly different view of the European ideal.
But as a Dutch liberal democrat, as a European, my message to the British people is clear: We want you IN, we need you IN.
Not because of some vague deal between a handful of government leaders, but because only with a strong, united Europe can we respond to the challenges of the 21st century. Inside or outside the EU, Britain will be confronted with cross-border challenges like refugees, terrorism, climate change or the energy crisis. Britain will be much better able to face those challenges as a member of the EU than alone.
As part of the EU, Britain will benefit more from the opportunities we are faced with in todays globalised and interconnected world. Only together can we make the lives of our citizens better, as a powerful player in the world economy. Britain is amongst the top beneficiaries of EU funds for research and innovation, essential for remaining competitive in the global economy. Dont throw it away.
The UK is an influential member of the EU. Brits have leading positions in the European Commission and the European Parliament. They have been very prominent in helping shape the European Union and its policies. As a Dutch liberal democrat I work closely together with my British friends, and more often than not, that alliance has been essential for achieving our goals in areas like free trade and competition, sustainability, innovation or civil liberties.
A Brexit would leave the UK out in the cold. There is nothing splendid about isolation. The UK will always rely heavily on its relations with the rest of Europe, whether it is in or out. Better to be part of those who are shaping the policies, than being on the outside. Sir Humphrey was wrong: divide and rule is not the best strategy. Being in the lead is.
Dear British friends, lets prove Sir Humphrey wrong on June 23rd!
* Sophie in 't Veld has been an MEP for the Dutch liberal D66 party since 2004. Since 2014 she is also the first Vice-President of the ALDE group. She works on civil and human rights, privacy and economic affairs.
THE president of the University of Limericks Students Union, Colin Clarke, has called on local off licences and alcohol vendors to refrain from selling glass bottles throughout Charity Week.
Mr Clarke said the request was a response to local residents who have, in the past, complained about broken glass in housing estates, which he said has resulted in health and safety risks and damaged car tyres.
Charity Week, formerly RAG Week, takes place this week and ends on Friday, March 4.
I dont think it is asking too much to ask local off licences to not sell glass bottles during Charity Week," he said.
But we must not lose sight of why we organise Charity Week. The hint is in the name. We are trying to fundraise a significant amount of money for worthwhile charities and ULSU will continue to take preventative measures to ensure student and resident safety and to ensure that Charity week will always happen in UL, he said.
He added that the students union is taking progressive, preventative measures to encourage increased community awareness amongst students.
There will be two drink driving checkpoints during the week and the presence of the Garda drug dog unit around the estates in order to discourage non-student gangs from entering the housing estates looking to sell drugs.
A GARRYOWEN man accused of burglary was refused bail after gardai expressed concerns he would not appear in court if released.
Paul Foran, aged 33, of North Claughan Road is accused of stealing a handbag from a private office at the Dooradoyle branch of Permanent TSB on October 12, last.
The defendant, who is to be tried on indictment, sought bail, after the book of evidence was served on him.
Opposing the application, Detective Garda Denise Moriarty said it will be alleged the defendant entered the bank and took the bag at around 3.30pm.
She alleged he concealed the bag, which contained 100 in cash, in a plastic shopping bag before leaving the bank.
Judge Marian OLeary was told the alleged injured party followed the culprit from the bank and confronted him at a nearby premises a short time later.
While the woman recovered her handbag at this point, the money was missing.
Foran was arrested in the city centre a short time after the alarm was raised having allegedly travelled there in a taxi.
Detective Garda Moriarty said 100 in cash was found on his person and that it is the State case that this is the money which was taken from the handbag.
She told Sergeant Donal Cronin, she was concerned the defendant, who has addiction issues, would engage in further criminality if released and she added she was concerned he would not stand trial if released.
The court was told the prosecution case centres on statements from witnesses, CCTV and admissions which were allegedly made by the defendant following his arrest.
However, Detective Garda Moriarty agreed with Laurence Goucher BL, that the presumption of innocence still applies.
Having heard details of the garda objection, Judge OLeary said she was refusing bail.
Noting that the Director of Public Prosecutions consented to the matter being sent forward to Limerick Circuit Court, the judge formally advised Foran that he must supply the details of any potential alibi witnesses to the State within two weeks.
Legal aid was extended to include a barrister and Foran was remanded in continuing custody to appear before the next sittings of the circuit court, later this month.
The DPP has directed summary disposal of a connected trespass prosecution.
A NUMBER of men with close links to Rathkeale have been found guilty of masterminding a plot to steal rhino horns and rare Chinese artefacts worth 76m from a number of museums across Britain.
Fourteen men with connections to the so-called Rathkeale Rovers gang have now been convicted following an operation involving more than 1,000 police officers across several jurisdictions.
This week, four of the ringleaders of the gang were found guilty following a two-month hearing at Birmingham Crown Court. They are John Kerry OBrien Jr, 26; Richard Kerry OBrien Jr, 31; Michael Hegarty, 43; and Daniel Turkey OBrien, 45.
All have addresses in Cambridgeshire but are well known in the Rathkeale area.
Two of the men are sons of Richard Kerry OBrien, a businessman from Rathkeale who has consistently denied any connection with the rhino horn trade. Another - Michael Hegarty - is his son-in-law.
Following a raid on his home by members of the Criminal Assets Bureau in September 2013, Mr Kerry OBrien Sr posted a blog claiming that he and his family were the victims of harassment by gardai.
He has never been charged with any offence.
The four men convicted this week all denied any involvement with the plot between September 2011 and August 2012.
However, the trial heard evidence that they were the ringleaders behind raids on museums in Cambridge, Norwich, Glasgow and Durham as well as an auction house in Sussex. Among the items stolen were a Ming Dynasty bowl worth up to 20m and a number of valuable jade pieces.
Raiders also attempted to remove a rhinos head from Norwich Castle but had to abandon it because it was too heavy.
Sentencing will take place in April.
It's been awhile since I posted an entry welcoming the new month. I feel inspired to write one now because I am in the mood for goal setting again. I remember I started to document my monthly goals in this blog last year but I quickly went back to just using my planner. This year, I have not bought a single planner (highly unlikely but I really didn't get one purposely). I plan to utilize my computer and my phone for all it's worth.February was quick. I spent most of the first 2 weeks preparing for Summer's 1st birthday. I'm glad that it's over and that it was a success. It wasn't grand but it was a day full of memories that we could all look back to. I'm not sure if Summer will curse me one day for letting her wear a pineapple costume.I ended February with a rather heavy heart because I was blocked by a person in Instagram who ordered several items from me. I bought all the items in Denmark and I especially took care of her items. She used to respond to my messages until late January when she just started to disregard and not mind me. When I checked her profile again a couple of days ago, I was already blocked, so was my online store and my daughter's Instagram account. So rude! She could have just told meBut she didn't! Her audacity is appalling. I was livid but I am feeling a little bit better now. I waited for more than 4 months for nothing. To get even, I posted her IG profile info in my feed so my followers can at least see how disrespectful she was for wasting my time and effort. The money I can always earn back but my time and effort are forever gone. She's ain my book already. If she ever gets to read this I want her to know that she may be rich but she can never buy integrity. That said, I really appreciate the empathy from some of my blog followers. Case closed!My main goal this month is to manage my time to avoid getting burned out or spreading myself too thin. Yes, I still spend all-nighters sometimes and most of the time I go to bed a little too late - 2AM or 3AM and wake up at 8AM. I'm not getting enough sleep and it's never a good practice to deprive one's self of rest. Organize my computer desktop. Arrange files and folders - alphabetical order. I created a wallpaper with spaces to categorize files/folders in different boxes (files/archive, personal, business, pending tasks/WIP, and miscellaneous). I like it and I am going to fine tune the document so I can share it as a freebie. Review the VFS website and take note of visa application process. We're scheduled to fly to Denmark again and a relative will be traveling with us so I have to prepare my own documents and help him organize his requirements as well. Create a pricing document for KT Paper Designs so I don't have to manually type in my answers when I get inquiries for my services. Revise the product and price list for Excellent Organics . We've recently launched new products (Grapefruit Shower Gel, Grapefruit Body Butter, Raw African Shea Butter Ultra Moisturizing Soap, Germ Buster Sanitizer Spray, Underarm Whitening Tonique and Healing Balm). I've tried using the soap and body butter and so far I am loving it. Let me know if you are interested in trying any of our products. We currently have more than 40 different kinds of organic products for bath and body. Attend the blogging workshop I signed up for. I'm glad the hubby will be home again this weekend so he can stay with Summer on the day of the workshop midmonth. Install all the plugins I need for the Wordpress blog that I am going to launch soon. I'm so excited about this project. I will share the blog link when the blog is ready to be shown. Drink at least 2 liters of water every day. I tried 4 liters but I didn't enjoy the several trips to the bathroom. It just takes so much of my time. Delete apps installed in my phone that I rarely use. Delete unnecessary files that I saved in my laptop. I need to free up some space in my life. Drink my collagen supplement as advised - once a day. Even if I don't like the taste so much and the only way I could drink it is when I mix it with coffee. I've noticed a very good change in my skin especially when I wake up in the morning. Allot more play time with Summer. Bring her to Gymboree at least once a week so she can develop her social skills.
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Scientists searching for signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life should put themselves in the aliens' shoes, a new study suggests.
Researchers have identified and characterized many potentially habitable alien planets via the "transit method," which notes how parent stars' light changes when orbiting worlds cross these stars' faces from Earth's perspective. (NASA's Kepler space telescope is the most famous and prolific instrument to use this technique.)
Intelligent aliens could theoretically use this same strategy to discover Earth, and to determine that it has the ability to support life, scientists said. [13 Ways to Contact Intelligent Aliens]
"It's impossible to predict whether extraterrestrials use the same observational techniques as we do," study lead author Rene Heller, of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany, said in a statement. "But they will have to deal with the same physical principles as we do, and Earth's solar transits are an obvious method to detect us."
Advanced aliens who have made such a detection might try to send Earth a message to get in touch, the reasoning goes.
But cosmic geometry dictates that Earth's solar transits are visible from a limited swath of the sky a sliver Heller and co-author Ralph Pudritz, a professor of physics and astronomy at McMaster University in Canada, dub the "transit zone."
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) including projects such as the recently launched Breakthrough Listen Initiative should therefore focus on the transit zone, Heller and Pudritz wrote in the new study, which will be published in the journal Astrobiology.
The transit zone contains about 100,000 stars, according to the researchers, so there's no shortage of potential targets for SETI scientists' radio telescopes. (Observations by Kepler and other instruments suggest that every Milky Way star hosts at least one planet on average, and many of these worlds orbit in the "habitable zone" the range of distances from a host star where water may exist in liquid form on a planet's surface.)
"If any of these planets host intelligent observers, they could have identified Earth as a habitable, even as a living world long ago, and we could be receiving their broadcasts today," Heller and Pudritz wrote in the new study.
To date, researchers have discovered about 2,000 confirmed exoplanets; Kepler is responsible for more than half of these finds.
Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
The sun turns this breaking wave a golden hue around Monterey Peninsula, near Monterey, California. Sean Gravem captured this shot with a GoPro and a KNEKTUSA trigger.
Chasing waves is a way of life for Sean Gravem. After his first scuba lesson, the Pacific Grove, California, photographer got hooked on shooting under the ocean. His images freeze shore-break waves in time, capturing water droplets right before or after they turn to foam. For other shots, Gravem dives below the waves to reveal sun-dappled sand. You can almost hear the watery silence.
"I enjoy this genre because every wave is different," Gravem says. "I am always learning from and always fascinated by them."
Live Science interviewed Gravem about how he captures these wave shots.
Live Science: What inspired you to start taking these wave photographs?
Gravem: I would be lying if I didnt say I was inspired by [Hawaiian wave photographer] Clark Little. Ocean photography had been a hobby for many years but the first time I saw one of his images I knew that wave photography was what I wanted to do. It has been a healthy addiction since. Now, the ocean provides all the inspiration anyone would need. [The Best Cameras of 2016, from Tom's Guide]
To snag this awesome shot of an offshore wave, Gravem used his Sony a6000 in a CMT Water Housing. (Image credit: Sean Gravem , @decompresean)
Live Science: What kind of equipment do you use?
Gravem: My go-to setup is a Sony a6000 in a CMT Water Housing with a KNEKTUSA bicep leash. The a6000 is capable of capturing up to 11 fps so it is an excellent camera for wave photography. For mini waves I use a Gopro Hero 3+ Black mounted in a KNEKTUSA trigger and usually shoot in burst mode at 30 fps. For over/unders I use the KNEKTUSA KSD6 dome.
Live Science: What is the process of capturing these waves? How much post-production is involved?
Gravem: To capture wave images, it is much like any other photography you just have to be in the right place at the right time. Being in that right place involves lots of practice and experience. The standard way to capture a lookout barrel image is to place yourself in front of an oncoming wave and try to duck under the lip as the wave crashes, all while pointing the camera in the right direction, and trying to keep it level. With my Sony/CMT setup I shoot in RAW and edit from there, tweaking contrast, saturation, etc. The same goes for my Gopro/KNEKTUSA setup, only the images are obviously in JPEG and there are a lot more to look through. [Which GoPro Is Right for You?]
To freeze this just-about-to-break wave in all its glory, Gravem used a KNEKTUSA dome for GoPro. (Image credit: Sean Gravem , @decompresean)
Live Science: What's the biggest challenge in getting these shots to work?
Gravem: The biggest challenge is that the ocean is so unpredictable. Current, tides, weather and swell are always changing and you have to be able to work with all of these together. Studying weather and swell charts helps me to prepare, but that is only part of it. Other issues you have to deal with are water spots on the housing port, crooked horizons, and choosing the right camera settings, all while trying not to get caught out of position.
The shaka sign can be seen over and under this peeling wave near Monterey, California. (Image credit: Sean Gravem , @decompresean)
Live Science: Have you had any particularly memorable moments or experiences capturing these images?
Gravem: Too many to count: sharing waves with pods of dolphins, being in perfect waves from sunrise to sundown, awesome days in clear water with family and friends and pushing the limits in XXL swell with a few buddies. Every day in the water is special and there are far too many memorable moments to share here I could go on forever. There was one particular week last year, at my home break, when the conditions were pristine and every day I shot with friends. [The Best Action Cameras of 2016, from Tom's Guide]
Sean Gravem took this shimmery shot below the waves near Monterey, California. (Image credit: Sean Gravem , @decompresean)
Live Science: Has this line of work inspired you to try anything different or new? What's the next project on the horizon?
Gravem: From the time I started attempting wave photography it has been an addiction. It has inspired me to travel to new places in the world, chasing down perfect waves. It has inspired me to study the ocean more than before. It has also led me to many new friendships. I am friends with a very talented group of ocean photographers who continually inspire me.
Live Science: What's your next project?
Gravem: I have a few shows in the coming months in Davis, California, with the subject "Waves of Monterey Bay."
Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook& Google+. Original article on Live Science.
Fossils of an ancient creature resembling a shrimp with an armored head contain the oldest and best-preserved nervous system ever found, which could help scientists decipher the evolution of nervous systems in animals alive today, according to a new study.
The remarkable remains belonged to Chengjiangocaris kunmingensis, a crustaceanlike creature that lived 520 million years ago in what is now South China. The fossils revealed a long "ropelike" central nerve cord that extended throughout the body, with visible clusters of nerve tissue arranged along the cord, like beads strung on a thread. Even individual nerve structures could be detected, the scientists discovered.
They noted that the nerve tissue masses, or ganglia, grew progressively smaller along the central nerve cord, with the smallest masses being the ones most distant from C. kunmingensis's head. The researchers also found that the ganglia were associated with pairs of legs, which also reduced in size as they progressed along the animal's body. [Fabulous Fossils: Gallery of Earliest Animal Organs]
Other structures in C. kunmingensis's nervous system dozens of nerves that emerged at regular intervals from the nerve cord near the underside of the body resembled those found in certain types of modern worms, but were absent in modern arthropods, offering clues to the scientists about how nervous systems adapted as different forms of life in these related lineages evolved.
Complete C. kunmingensis specimen with nerve cord a dark, ropelike strand visible on the left, near the head shield. (Image credit: Jie Yang (Yunnan University, China))
Arthropod ancestors
C. kunmingensis lived during the Cambrian, the geologic period on Earth when life was rapidly diversifying, and they belonged to a group of arthropod ancestors called fuxianhuiids. These predecessors of insects, arachnids and crustaceans had armored heads and long, segmented bodies atop numerous pairs of legs with three or four pairs per segment. These creatures likely scuttled across the sea bottom, scooping food into their mouths with a larger pair of limbs close to their heads, according to study co-author Javier Ortega-Hernandez, a biologist in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom.
"Some of the largest individuals can reach up to 15 centimeters (6 inches) long, and they had at least 80 legs!" Ortega-Hernandez told Live Science in an email.
But until now, little was known about what they looked like on the inside. Fossils typically provide scientists with records of bones, teeth, shells and other tough organic structures, while softer tissues generally disintegrate too quickly to be preserved, and are lost to time. But sometimes conditions prevail that protect the more delicate organs, allowing them to fossilize as well.
According to Ortega-Hernandez, the Xiashiba area in Kunming, South China, where the specimens were found, is "world famous" for preserving soft-bodied life. He explained that the animals were likely buried in fine sediment in an oxygen-poor environment, which would protect the carcass from both scavengers and microbes, slowing or even halting decay.
"Eventually the carcasses become preserved in the fossil record, and the limited decay allows for the preservation of amazing morphological detail," he said. [Photos: Ancient Sea Monster Was One of Largest Arthropods]
Magnification of C. kunmingensis nerve cord and ganglia (ga) linked by longitudinal connectives (cn). (Image credit: Yu Liu (Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Germany))
"Our jaws dropped"
Prior studies from this period described fossils providing evidence of these arthropod ancestors' brains, but this study is the first to describe a complete nervous system from this ancient time, and with a level of detail that has never been seen before, the researchers said.
When the scientists looked closely at the ganglia masses, they spied fibers that measured around five-thousandths of a millimeter in length "less than [the width of] a human hair," Ortega-Hernandez said.
"Our jaws dropped when we put the specimens under the microscope and observed the fine nerves on the sides," he told Live Science. "It was hard to believe that something so small would be preserved along with the main nerve cord, but even more so because they show a unique organization that is otherwise unknown in living arthropods."
This organization nerve cord, ganglia and dozens of nerves extending along each side is similar to the neural systems of modern arthropods, Ortega-Hernandez said. But, in arthropods alive today, the number of fine nerves is significantly lower, he added.
The number of these nerves is higher in velvet worms cousins to arthropods which suggests this feature dates back to the last shared ancestor for these two groups.
"It is possible that as arthropods became more specialized in their function, they managed to make their nervous system more efficient by reducing the number of nerves," Ortega-Hernandez said, adding that this is only a hypothesis. "But it will be an interesting topic to explore in future studies," he said.
The findings were published online today (Feb. 29) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Follow Mindy Weisberger on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
The harmless scarlet kingsnake is colored in repeating patterns of red, black, yellow and black rings the red rings are surrounded by black rings.
Kingsnakes are medium-size nonvenomous snakes that kill by constriction. They are one of the most common snakes in North America. They are called kingsnakes because they sometimes eat other snakes, as does the king cobra. Kingsnakes are popular among pet owners. Milk snakes are a type of kingsnake.
Kingsnakes are members of the family Colubridae and the subfamily Colubrinae. Colubrid snakes are a large family of nonvenomous snakes found around the world, including North America. Kingsnakes are members of the genus Lampropeltis. In Greek, this means "shiny shields," according to Anapsid.org. The name is appropriate for the genus, which is known for its well-defined, glossy scales.
In recent years, the classification of kingsnakes has been shaken up somewhat. Alan Savitzky, a professor of biological sciences at Utah State University and snake biology specialist, credits the upheaval to advances in molecular evolutionary studies. Whereas scientists used to determine species and subspecies classifications by examining whether snakes could interbreed and produce fertile offspring, they can now analyze DNA to determine how closely related snakes are. With that data, scientists can now classify snakes into groups by looking at if they share an evolutionary path.
Because of these new data collection methods, a team of researchers in argued in a 2009 paper published in the journal Zootaxa that several snakes that are classified as subspecies of the common kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula) black kingsnakes, eastern kingsnakes, speckled kingsnakes, Sonora kingsnakes and California kingsnakes should be considered separate species, said Savitzky. He also noted that a 2013 paper in the journal Systematic Biology posited that the scarlet kingsnake, previously considered a milk snake, is actually its own species. Some publications have adopted the proposal; others still refer to these snakes as subspecies of kingsnake.
Physical characteristics and distribution
Most species of kingsnake have vibrant patterns on their skins with vivid contrasting colors. The patterns, especially bands and speckles, break up the snake's body outline so it is less visible to predators like birds of prey, mammals like foxes and coyotes and other snakes, according to the San Diego Zoo.
Their coloring can be understood by their geographic location, according to Savitzky. For example, the farther west one goes in the eastern kingsnake's range, the more the snakes' coloring resembles the black kingsnake, which lives in Tennessee.
According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, they have smooth scales, a single anal plate, round pupils like most nonvenomous snakes, and a spoon-shaped head with a rounded jaw. They typically range from 2 to 6 feet (0.6 to 1.8 meters), depending on the species.
The following is a description of some common kingsnake species' appearances and ranges.
Eastern kingsnake, also called common kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula)
These creatures are sometimes called "chain snakes" or "chain kings" because their distinctive markings can resemble a chain linked across their bodies, said Savitzky. They have shiny black scales with white or yellowish chain-like bands that cross their backs and connect on the sides. According to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, eastern kingsnakes on the coast generally have wide bands while those in the eastern mountains have very thin bands. They may be nearly black.
Eastern kingsnakes are found from southern New Jersey to north Florida and west to the Appalachians and southeastern Alabama, according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.
Black kingsnake (Lampropeltis nigra or Lampropeltis getula nigra)
The nearly black eastern kingsnakes in the Appalachians give way to the black kingsnake species in mountains of Tennessee. These snakes average 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) in length and range from southern Ohio and western West Virginia to southeastern Illinois and south to northeastern Mississippi and northwestern Georgia, according to Outdoor Alabama, the website of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Black kingsnakes appear almost solidly jet black, but they have traces of white or yellow spots or bands and sometimes white throats, said Savitzky.
Speckled kingsnake (Lampropeltis holbrooki or Lampropeltis getula holbrooki)
Moving farther west, one sees the faint spots of the black kingsnake grow into the full, vibrant markings of the speckled kingsnake. This colorful snake has a yellow or white speckle on every single scale, said Savitzky. Scales are black or brownish in color. The size of the speckles can be evenly distributed, leading to the nickname "salt and pepper snake" or can be denser in certain areas, creating a banded look.
Speckled kingsnakes are found in the middle of the United States, ranging from Illinois to Iowa and south to Alabama and Texas, according to the Cincinnati Zoo.
California kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula californiae or Lampropeltis getula californiae)
This is a relatively small species of kingsnake, generally growing to between 2.5 and 4 feet (0.7 to 1.2 m), according to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. California kingsnakes have shiny black scales with bright white markings. Most California kingsnakes have white bands, but some populations have longitudinal stripes going from their heads to their tails. Those populations are usually in Southern California. Both color patterns can appear in the same clutch of eggs, said Savitzky.
California kingsnakes live everywhere in the Golden State except the rainy redwood forests. They're also found in dryer parts of Oregon, as far west as Colorado and south into Mexico, according to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo.
Scarlet kingsnake
"In recent years, it's been going back and forth between being its own species of kingsnake [Lampropeltis elapsoides] or a type of milk snake [Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides]," said Savitzky.
These are small snakes, averaging 1 to 2 feet (0.3 to 0.6 m), according to the Virginia Herpetological Society. They are found from central Virginia to Key West, Florida and west to the Mississippi River. This range overlaps with the dangerous coral snakes', which scarlet kingsnakes mimic, said Savitzky. Like venomous coral snakes, scarlet kingsnakes are red with yellow and black bands that encircle their bodies.
Nonvenomous scarlet kingsnakes evolved to look like venomous species in order to scare predators. "This type of mimicry, where a harmless species mimics a harmful species, is known as Batesian mimicry," said Bill Heyborne, a herpetologist and professor of biology at Southern Utah University.
Though the coloring is the same the pattern differs between coral snakes and scarlet kingsnakes. Coral snakes have red and yellow bands next to one another, while harmless scarlet kingsnakes have red and black bands next to each other.
"In areas of the world where both species exist, there are a variety of rhymes, which have been used to help people distinguish the two. For example, 'Red on yellow kills a fellow. Red on black, friend of Jack,'" said Heyborne. While Batesian mimicry may be helpful in keeping predators away, it can cause problems for scarlet kingsnakes. Humans often kill them thinking they are dangerous.
Habitat
Across their various ranges, kingsnakes find similar habitats to live in. They live in forests, grasslands, suburbia, and rocky areas in fields and deserts. Snakes in wetter areas, such as the eastern and southern United States spend more time around swamps and riverbanks. They are terrestrial, meaning they stay mostly on land rather than venturing into water or trees.
Kingsnakes are less conspicuous than many other snakes, such as rat snakes, Savitzky said. "This is because they are adapted to living undercover, such as under rocks, under logs, and in burrows in the ground."
Behavior
The habits of these wide-ranging snakes depend somewhat on their location. According to the San Diego Zoo, in most parts of the country, kingsnakes are primarily nocturnal. They are diurnal in places with more moderate climates, like Southern California. For kingsnakes, moderate climates include the southeast, at least in the winter; according to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, eastern kingsnakes in Georgia are likely to be spotted during the day. During the hot summers, they come out mostly in the morning.
If they are threatened, kingsnakes will emit an unpleasant musk and shake their tails. This is another example of Batesian mimicry, this time of a rattlesnake. They are also known to bite, though their bite is not poisonous to humans.
Savitzky said that some species of kingsnake are "bitier and snappier" than others, but that it mostly comes down to the individual temperament of the snake. In general, kingsnakes are well known for being docile once tamed. For this reason, they are popular pets.
Kingsnakes generally hibernate over the winter, according to the San Diego Zoo. They stay in caves, mammal burrows, rock crevices and hollow logs and stumps.
Hunting and feeding
Kingsnakes are constrictors, said Savitzky. This means that they squeeze their prey to death and swallow it whole.
There are some common misconceptions about how constricting works, Heyborne told Live Science. One is that constrictors crush or break the bones of their prey. Another is that they suffocate it, squeezing the prey's lungs too tightly to work.
"It turns out that the squeezing overwhelms the circulatory system," explained Heyborne. "Blood cannot get to the brain, and the animal dies within seconds due to ischemia."
Kingsnakes are active hunters, not ambush hunters, according to the San Diego Zoo. They actively seek out their prey through scent. Once they've found it, they grab it with their mouths and start squeezing. Kingsnakes may only eat a few times a month depending on the size of their meals.
Kingsnakes eat rodents, birds, bird eggs and lizards. Kingsnakes in wet climates also eat turtle eggs and frogs, according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Their most famous meal, however, is other snakes. Kingsnakes have a natural immunity to pit viper venom, meaning that they can eat venomous snakes like cottonmouths and rattlesnakes. They also eat nonvenomous snakes like rat snakes and garter snakes and their fellow kingsnakes.
Kingsnake reproduction and life span
Kingsnakes are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs that spend little to no time incubating inside the mother, said Savitzky. Their mating time depends on the climate, with snakes in warmer climates mating earlier in the spring and snakes in colder climates waiting until late spring or summer. In general, mating season lasts from March until August, and females often have more than one clutch of eggs per season.
Males seek out females through chemical scent. They will fight each other for a female, wrestling other males until their heads are flat on the ground. Males often bite the female's neck during mating, according to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.
Female kingsnakes lay clutches of three to 24 eggs in debris, rotting logs or other secluded places. Mothers then leave the eggs, which hatch on their own two to three months later, according to the San Diego Zoo. Hatchlings can be up to a foot long and are completely independent from the moment they enter the world.
Kingsnakes reach sexual maturity between 2 and 4 years of age. Their lifespan in the wild is unknown, though they can live up to 20 to 30 years in captivity, according to the San Diego Zoo.
Endangerment status
The kingsnakes found in North America are not considered endangered, though the populations of some are decreasing, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. The Todos Santos Island kingsnake is critically endangered, however. Scientists are also concerned that the population of eastern kingsnakes in the southeastern coastal plain and Florida is decreasing. While the cause of the decrease is uncertain, some suspect invasive fire ants that may swarm and eat kingsnake eggs or newly hatched young, according to Outdoor Alabama.
El Jefe
(Image credit: Conservation CATalyst & the Center for Biological Diversity)
El Jefe, the only known jaguar in the United States, has been in southern Arizona for at least three years. The male jaguar dispersed from the nearest jaguar breeding population in Mexico's Sonora state and has made his territory near Tucson.
He's the first known jaguar in the country since 2009. This is a still of a camera trap video released in February 2016 by Conservation CATalyst and the Center for Biological Diversity, conservation groups lobbying for strong protections to preserve U.S. jaguar range.
Jaguar in the shadows
(Image credit: Steve Winter, Panthera)
A jaguar in the Brazilian Pantanal, a region that extends into Paraguay and Bolivia. Jaguars range as far south as Argentina and as far north as Arizona, and connections between habitat are key to keeping this endangered species from going extinct, conservation experts say.
Sleepy cat
(Image credit: Steve Winter, Panthera)
A resting jaguar in the Brazilian Pantanal. There is currently one known jaguar in the United States, a male known as "El Jefe." Arizona is in the northern reaches of jaguar range; the next northernmost breeding population is in Mexico's Sonora state. According to Howard Quigley of the big cat conservation group Panthera, the two greatest threats facing jaguars throughout their range are habitat loss and retaliatory killings for the loss of livestock.
Pantanal Jaguar
(Image credit: Steve Winter, Panthera)
Jaguars are the third-largest cats in the world, after lions and tigers. They are elusive, solitary creatures. Males in the relatively dry habitat of Sonora and Arizona range upwards of 40 square miles (100 square kilometers), Quigley told Live Science. It wetter habitat in places like Belize and Colombia, cats require less space.
A peaceful spot
(Image credit: Steve Winter, Panthera)
A jaguar in Brazil. Jaguars have been listed as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act since 1973, but it was not until 1997 that the big cats were confirmed to exist in the United States. One Arizona male, Macho B, died after a botched trapping-and-collaring attempt in 2009. El Jefe is the first jaguar sighted in Arizona since Macho B's death.
A hiding hunter
(Image credit: Steve Winter, Panthera)
A Pantanal jaguar. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 88 percent of jaguar range sits within the Amazon basin, which is not ideal habitat for the animal. Brazil's Pantanal, the Paraguayan Chaco and Caatinga in northeastern Brazil are more suitable, according to the agency, but jaguars have been pushed out of much of this area.
What big teeth
(Image credit: Steve Winter, Panthera)
Jaguars occupy less than half of their historical range, according to the IUCN. Historically, jaguars ranged into the American Southwest through Arizona, as far west as California and as far east as Texas. Today, only one is known to exist in Arizona, a male named El Jefe. This jaguar was photographed in Brazil's Pantanal region.
On the move
(Image credit: Steve Winter, Panthera)
A jaguar moves through the Brazilian Pantanal. Jaguars are skilled hunters. In Arizona, El Jefe eats a lot of deer and the occasional skunk. In many portions of jaguar range, the preferred prey is javelina or peccary.
Ready to pounce
(Image credit: Steve Winter, Panthera)
A jaguar of the Brazilian Pantanal in motion. Space is important for these cats, which require a lot of range and connectivity between populations to keep up genetic diversity. Panthera's Jaguar Corridor Initiative aims to keep an open backbone of wilderness for jaguars from northern Colombia to northern Argentina.
Big cat
(Image credit: Steve Winter, Panthera)
GPS collars have shown that Pantanal jaguars like this one (shown here) hunt wild species more than cows, but that about one-third of their kills are cattle. This puts jaguars on a collision course with ranchers looking to protect their livelihood. Panthera is experimenting with various protective measures at several experimental ranches, including electric fences and even a guard donkey named Napoleon.
Spots and stripes
(Image credit: Steve Winter, Panthera)
Jaguars are a controversial topic in the United States, which includes only the northern portion of the animal's range. Arizona conservationists argue that this state could become more important for jaguars as the globe warms and prey moves northward, but the climate future for the Southwest remains murky. In 2009, a failed Arizona Game and Fish capture of Macho B, the last known male in the state at the time, led to two criminal convictions and a spate of firings; a later investigation suggests the department may have covered up its intentions to capture a jaguar without proper permits. The saga has left a cloud of bitterness in its wake, with "jaguar" becoming "almost like a four-letter dirty word in southern Arizona," said Aletris Neils of Conservation CATalyst, a Tucson-based conservation group.
Paul Polman has been CEO of Unilever since January 2009. Polman is chairman of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development; a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum, the B Team, and the Global Commission on Business and Sustainable Development; and serves on the board of the U.N. Global Compact. In 2016, the U.N. Secretary-General asked Polman to be a member of the Sustainable Development Goals Advocacy Group, tasked with promoting action on the 2030 Agenda. Polman contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
Our understanding of the global climate, economic system and world has changed dramatically over the past decade. And with it, the roles and responsibilities of businesses have also changed.
But even amid this rapid disruption, there are certainties. Businesses, in agreement with scientists and national leaders, know it's critical that we limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) or, better still, 1.5 C (2.7 F) to avoid the most dangerous consequences of climate change.
We also know that we have to change our mind-set and habits in an increasingly resource-constrained world, where there is pressure on resources, ranging from water to wood.
Irreversible change
2015 gave us the frameworks and momentum we need to address these problems. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals provide a global policy framework to eradicate poverty without putting natural resources at risk, and the Paris Agreement to combat climate change, agreed to by 195 nations, set a new direction and scale for global climate action.
But frameworks are only the starting point. It is up to everyone governments, businesses and communities included to take action to end extreme poverty and shift to a zero-carbon economy.
As the head of a company operating in more than 190 countries and whose products are used by 2 billion people every day, I'm convinced that businesses have both a responsibility and an interest in supporting sustainability.
There is overwhelming evidence that the transition to a thriving, clean economy is inevitable, irreversible and irresistible.
Last year, for the first time, the global economy grew without materially increasing carbon dioxide emissions. In many of the world's major economies, including China, India, France and the United States, renewable energy is now able to produce electricity for the same cost as traditional technologies. [The True Costs of Renewable Energy ]
Businesses around the world have started to change their mind-set. Whereas many used to see sustainability as an environmental or development issue, they now understand it's also a business and economic imperative.
Peter Bakker of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development recently noted that there were 13 business attendees at the first U.N. conference to address climate change in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. In Paris last year, there were more than 1,000 business representatives.
This new generation of business leaders has realized that supporting the sustainable development agenda will help them protect their long-term performance and grow their businesses.
Gravity has less pull at the equator. (Image credit: NASA/NOAA.)
Responsible businesses gain the advantage
Business can help speed up implementation, and unleash the investment, innovation and economic transformation required to achieve this ambitious agenda.
According to "Towards the Circular Economy" (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2014), if we shift to a circular economy model, it can generate more than $1 trillion each year and create 100,000 new jobs in the next five years, while reducing both waste and emissions.
Moreover, investments in energy efficiency could boost world economic output by up to $18 trillion by 2035, according to the report "Capturing the Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency" from the OECD/IEA, and also contribute to our goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees C.
If we create a more equitable workforce, in which women participate in the economy identically to men, the annual global GDP would increase by an estimated $28 trillion in 2025, according to the 2015 McKinsey Global Institute report "The Power of Parity."
And we know that $90 trillion will be spent on infrastructure in the world's cities, land use and energy systems over the next 15 years according to the 2014 New Climate Economy report "Better Growth, Better Climate."
If we make all the right choices now, it won't cost more to make those investment choices low-carbon, which will have major economic and climate benefits. The financial market is already showing interest in doing so, which is a sign that the transformation is happening.
To grasp these opportunities, business leaders have realized that they need to collaborate, not just compete. So, we've seen a groundswell of partnerships and coalitions to support business action for sustainable development.
Companies in the We Mean Business coalition with combined revenues of $6 trillion, as well as 144 investors with $20 billion in assets have made nearly 800 commitments to climate action.
If you're a topical expert researcher, business leader, author or innovator and would like to contribute an op-ed piece, email us here
Individual companies are also making ambitious commitments Unilever will become carbon positive in its operation by 2030, which means directly supporting the generation of more renewable energy than we consume and making the surplus available to the markets and communities in which we operate. To achieve this and other targets, businesses will need to source from renewable sources and work in partnership with their supply chains.
But there's a lot more businesses can do to grasp and promote the economic case for sustainability. That's why business and civil society leaders have formed the Global Commission on Business and Sustainable Development, launched recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. We will work over the next year to articulate and quantify the compelling economic case for businesses to support the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, mapping the ways that businesses can get involved, build competitive advantage and flourish even as the world shifts to a different trajectory.
Our message is a simple one: Business interests and the human imperatives at the heart of sustainable development both pull in the same direction. Business investments and actions are already underway, but we need to come together with governments and civil society in an unprecedented partnership if we want to achieve the scale and ambition of the change needed.
Done right, and done together, these actions will power our economies and sustain the world's people for generations to come.
The U.S. National Climate Assessment shows that summers are getting hotter, heat waves are lasting longer, and weather is getting more extreme. (Image credit: By Karl Tate, Infographics Artist)
Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates and become part of the discussion on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science.
In the first documented case of its kind, a man taking an effective antiviral medication still contracted a drug-resistant strain of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a new report finds.
The 43-year-old man in Canada was taking Truvada, the medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce HIV risk among HIV-negative people, according to the FDA.
The case suggests that people taking Truvada can still get HIV if they're exposed to a strain of the virus that is resistant to the two antiviral medications contained in the pills tenofovir and emtricitabine, the researchers said. [7 Devastating Infectious Diseases]
The man had been taking Truvada daily for the past two years. Normally, HIV-negative people who are at high risk of contracting HIV, including those who have sex with HIV-positive partners, take Truvada on a daily basis to lower their chances of getting the virus, according to the FDA.
The man, who reported that he has sex with men, got tested for HIV, according to the report. The test showed that he was HIV-positive, the researchers said, according to the February report, presented at the 2016 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston in February.
A genetic analysis of the viral strain the man was infected with showed that he had likely acquired it recently, and from a single source, the report found. Moreover, tests showed that it was multidrug-resistant.
The case is concerning, but likely rare, experts told Poz, a news outlet that covers HIV and AIDS.
"I certainly don't think that this is a situation which calls for panic," report co-researcher Richard Harrigan, the director of the lab program at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Vancouver, Canada, told Poz. "It is an example that demonstrates that [pre-exposure antiviral medication] can sometimes be ineffective in the face of drug-resistant virus, in the same way that treatment itself can sometimes be ineffective in the face of drug-resistant virus."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Truvada can reduce by 92 percent the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk of contracting the virus. The drug is more effective when it is taken consistently and used with other HIV-prevention methods, such as condoms.
Two large clinical trials of Truvada show that it lowered people's HIV risk substantially, according to the FDA. In one trial, of about 2,500 HIV-negative gay and bisexual men and transgender women, Truvada lowered HIV risk by 42 percent. In another study of 4,800 heterosexual couples in which only one was HIV-positive, it reduced the risk of HIV infection in the HIV-negative partner by 75 percent.
Although the man's HIV strain is resistant to multiple drugs, doctors have still found a way to treat him. The man is on a regimen of other drugs, including dolutegravir (brand name Tivicay), darunavir/cobicistat (Prezcobix) and rilpivirine (Edurant), and has "a fully suppressed viral load," according to Poz.
Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
Panalpina believes consolidation in the international freight forwarding and logistics sector will continue at a much faster pace than most people anticipated, but is more concerned about completing the implementation of its new IT platform, SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM), than any major acquisitions at present, outgoing CEO Peter Ulber has revealed.
Speaking yesterday following the presentation of the Switzerland-based international freight forwarding and logistics companys full-year 2015 results, he gave an update on the rollout of its SAP TM platform, which the company has described as its most comprehensive technology project to date, and the foundation for future sustainable growth. Last month, Panalpina announced that it had gone live with the new software in Switzerland and Singapore for ocean freight in mid-December 2015.
Just a few days ago in Singapore we went to 100% of the (ocean freight) volume. Normally when you test these systems you go with a small volume at the beginning to see whether all the other functionalities come up, and then you go into the stress test and put 100% of the volume through.
In Singapore we have done that already on the ocean freight side in the last few days and it worked out quite well obviously not without any issues, as is never the case but we can say it was a significant success.
He said Panalpina was still aiming to be close to running 50% of all transactions using the new platform by the end of 2016. In 2017, we plan to bring in the next 40%, with the remaining, smaller countries coming up a little bit later.
He claimed the company was in quite a unique position by being able able to run the new system in parallel with the old system. Very often when you roll these things out you come to the time when you flip the switch into the new environment and that brings significant risk with it, not just in our industry but in many other industries.
So, if we run into problems in certain areas we can actually bring it back to the existing one. We see a huge advantage in this over some of our competitors.
That is also why we have confidence to say that it is not a matter of whether we are going to make the change into this new environment, but rather how fast we can make it happen.
Ulber said that besides the investment of around 200 million Swiss francs, the significance of the new IT platform lay in where it would put the company in the coming years.
In a couple of years we will be one of the few companies in this business who has gone through such a transformation. When you look at the market, quite a few of our competitors have not started this investment cycle.
Logistics investment analyst Stifel has identified a uniform global IT platform as the clearest divide between the haves and the have nots and the strongest indicator in terms of international freight forwarding and logistics companies profitability. And the costly failure last year of DHL Global Forwardings new IT roll-out has further highlighted the importance of getting this right.
Asked about his forthcoming move from CEO to chairman, announced yesterday in Lloyds Loading List , Ulber said Panalpinas board had decided that what was best for the company was continuity and stability.
The management, but also the majority shareholders, are convinced we are on the right track to bring Panalpina back to a very sustainable development and growth pattern, and we wanted to make sure that there was continuity in these efforts and not a real management change with a chairman coming in with very different ideas.
In the last few months, what we have seen is that it is quite likely that consolidation in the industry is going to progress much faster than most people would have anticipated. And from that point of view, I think it is quite important that there is someone on the board of directors who is from the industry who understands what is going on in this market rather than maybe a candidate from outside the business. Those were the thoughts that went into this decision.
Asked how far Panalpina could participate in the industrys continuing consolidation, Ulber appeared to rule out significant acquisitions for the time being at least, it being more important to get our new technology environment in place rather than getting involved in a complex acquisition.
He continued: Having said that, even big companies like ourselves and some of the other players are all operating in lower single digit-market shares and the kind of consolidation that is going to happen within the other 80% of our market will be significant in the years to come.
However, Ulber did not rule more modest-scale acquisitions in 2016 and 2017 such as those in regions where Panalpina did not have a strong geographical presence or which concerned some specific know-how or niche market.
He said he expected to be a very active hands-on chairman, with responsibility for strategy, M&A, and new product development. As well as occupying the chairmanship from May, Ulber revealed he was likely to continue as CEO for the remainder of 2016 to allow his successor to settle in.
To the editor:
Today, as many of you are aware, is the day to vote in the Texas primary elections, assuming you have not already participated in early voting.
The Democratic primary offers the choice between a well-connected establishment politician and a man who stands with the majority of Americans against corporate interests.
Bernie Sanders campaign is attempting to end the 40-year decline of our middle class and the growing gap between the rich and the poor. He is fighting for a progressive agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and provides health care for all. Before you go out and vote, please feel free to visit his website at http://berniesanders.com.
Our Laredo for Sanders group was formed last year by us and fellow Laredoans who recognized that Bernie Sanders fights for all Americans, including minorities and the disadvantaged. This past weekend Senator Sanders took the time to meet with our group (before the Dallas, Texas rally on Saturday afternoon) and discuss the needs of Laredoans and all of us along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Despite his busy schedule, Bernie mentioned that he was aware of the unique problems faced in South Texas. Among other things, he vowed to do his best to support comprehensive immigration reform, whether accomplished through a congressional bill or through Presidential executive orders. Additionally, Sanders recognizes the struggles that our country faces with respect to health care accessibility, affordable college tuition and income inequality.
Bernie is the only candidate pushing for real change.
When Bernie says he will fight for women, minorities, young people and others facing disadvantages or anything else for that matter I believe him because of his consistent record and because he is financed by average people, not billionaires and special interests.
Bernies support has grown leaps and bounds since he first announced he was running for president. He faces an uphill battle, but he has a powerful message and growing support among Americans all over the country. Clearly he will need your support to build his political revolution and make this a reality.
This election represents a major decision for the American people do we want to continue electing traditional politicians who are funded by wealthy campaign donors, and therefore represent their interests? Or do we want to support someone who has an ambitious plan to improve the lives of all Americans and fight for their interests, rather than just the 1 percent?
Today is your opportunity to choose.
Sincerely,
Laredo for Sanders
School & Education, Press Releases
By Long Island News & PR Published: March 01 2016
On February 17, the Green Vale School participated in its first D.E.A.R. event Drop Everything And Read the latest endeavor in the series of Kids Connect events on campus.
Old Brookville, NY - March 1st, 2016 - On February 17, the Green Vale School participated in its first D.E.A.R. event Drop Everything And Read the latest endeavor in the series of Kids Connect events on campus.
This initiative celebrates reading and reminds children of all ages to make reading a priority in their lives. For 30 minutes, Big Buddies students in grades 4-8 spent time reading, playing and bonding with their Little Buddies students in grades Pre-Nursery to 3.
Aside from its seamless fit with academics, reading boosts brain power by improving memory; helps us relax; and encourages younger students to make it a habit of their own, said faculty member and Kids Connect Coordinator Ms. Valerie Field.
Our students enjoyed this first all-school D.E.A.R. event because it connected buddies more closely. They were able to share and discuss stories they knew and loved.
Green Vales dining services staff baked cookies, which made the event a little sweeter for both the Little and Big Buddies. Green Vales Kids Connect Coordinators Ms. Field and Ms. Cathy Iannotta were both thrilled with D.E.A.R.s positive reception and thanked everyone for their help and support in creating a very memorable day.
About The Green Vale School
The Green Vale School, located in Old Brookville, Long Island, is an independent school specializing in Early Childhood through Middle School situated on a 40-acre campus on the doorstep of New York City.
Green Vale has been providing students with an uncommon core of academic excellence and character development since 1923 inspiring students to excel, to lead and to care.
School & Education, Press Releases
By Long Island News & PR Published: March 01 2016
Five $3,000 scholarships are being offered to high school seniors.
Merrick, NY - February 26, 2016 - New York American Water is offering five $3,000 scholarships to high school seniors who plan to pursue a career in the water-utility industry or related fields. This is the sixth consecutive year New York American Water has offered scholarships to New York American Water is offering five $3,000 scholarships to high school seniors who plan to pursue a career in the water-utility industry or related fields. This is the sixth consecutive year New York American Water has offered scholarships to high school students within its service area as part of its commitment to fostering the future workforce and leaders of the states water supply. The scholarship program is part of an outreach effort by the New York Chapter of the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), of which New York American Water is a member. Students must submit their applications no later than April 1, 2016.
The water industry faces challenges in the near term and long term, such as aging infrastructure and managing a finite supply, said Brian Bruce, president of New York American Water, and chairman of the New York Chapter of NAWC. The brightest minds in our high schools today will be tasked with meeting those challenges and developing solutions. These scholarships will help them meet their educational goals and help nurture the future leaders of the water industry.
The scholarship is offered to all high school seniors in New York American Water's service area who meet the following criteria:
United States Citizen
A New York resident for 5 years
High school senior pursuing a degree at a New York college or university (two- or four-year) as an undergraduate student (part- or full-time)
Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 GPA grading scale
Enrolling in a curriculum related to the water utility industry or related fields such as,environmental sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, computer science, environmental law, etc.
Students interested in applying for a scholarship are encouraged to contact their guidance counselor or visit the New York American Water website , obtain a copy of the application. For more information contact Rose Simpson at 516-632-2208 or rose.simpson@amwater.com
Arts & Culture, Press Releases
By Long Island News & PR Published: March 01 2016
The Fugees's Pras Michel will be Tom Needham's special guest this Thursday at 6 P.M. on WUSB's The Sounds of Film.
Stony Brook, NY - March 1st, 2016 - The Fugees's Pras Michel will be Tom Needham's special guest this Thursday at 6 P.M. on WUSB's The Sounds of Film. The two-time Grammy-winning rapper will be discussing his film Sweet Micky For President, which is part of the Port Jefferson Documentary Series on March 14th.
The film follows Pras as he returned to his homeland of Haiti post-earthquake. After being unimpressed with the corrupt government, he decided to mobilize a presidential campaign featuring the unlikeliest of candidates: Michel Martelly, otherwise known as "Sweet Micky," one of Haiti's most popular pop stars.
Pras will also be talking about what happened when Pras' former band mate, superstar Wyclef Jean, surprised everyone and entered the presidential race too. Throughout the interview, Pras shares incredible stories about his adventures with Sean Penn, President Bill Clinton and Warren Beatty.
Pras states," The most important thing to come out of this whole experience is to realize how much power people really have. People just don't understand how much change they can make when they share a common cause."
Also on the show, is the best-selling author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, John Perkins. He is out with a new updated version of the book called New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. The book is an autobiographical tale about his role as an "economic hit man" who would convince leaders of underdeveloped countries to accept substantial loans for construction and engineering projects in exchange for U.S. influence in the region and access to their natural resources.
He explains that when countries ultimately couldn't pay back their debts, they would be forced to privatize their nation's assets or risk a military engagement.
In 2009, his documentary, also called Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, was shown at festivals all over the world. He also appeared in a number of other documentaries including Project Censored the Movie, American Empire, The End of Poverty? and Zeitgeist:Addendum. John Perkins will be doing a book signing on March 7th at 7 PM at the Rare Book Room at the Strand Bookstore in Manhattan.
Perkins warns,"We have to really change our ways. So many businesses are making huge amounts of money in the conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, and so much of why we go to war is because these corporations really want to increase their business portfolios."
In addition, Tom Needham will be joined by Hollywood film composer, Hanan Townshend. Originally from New Zealand, Hanan now lives in Austin, Texas. He got his big break when he became a music licensee on Terrence Malick's Palme D'Or award-winning film, The Tree of Life. Since then, he has worked with Malick again on To the Wonder and Knight of Cups.
About The Sounds of Film
The Sounds of Film is the nation's longest-running film and music radio show. For over 28 years, the program has delivered a popular mix of interviews and music to listeners all over Long Island, parts of Connecticut and streaming live on the internet. Recent guests include Dr. Cornel West, Spongebob's Tom Kenny, Jim Breuer, Big Daddy Kane, Congressman Steve Israel, Cicely Tyson and composer Carter Burwell.
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
Photo of Abu al Nour al Andalusi, who was reportedly killed near Timbuktu by French forces
According to jihadist social media accounts connected to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al Qaedas official branch in North Africa, French forces conducted two separate raids on al Qaeda figures in Mali in recent days. The attacks left one commander of AQIM and two fighters from AQIMs Katibat al Murabitoon dead. Both AQIM and the French Ministry of Defence have yet to release statements confirming or denying these reports. However, Al Jazeera has reported that sources close to the group have confirmed the operations to the Qatari news site.
The jihadists online said that the AQIM commander Abu al Nour al Andalusi, a Spanish national from the Melilla enclave in Morocco, was killed by French forces 180km north of Timbuktu. Additionally, an Egyptian fighter, identified as Marwan al Masri, was also killed alongside the Spanish commander.
Al Andalusi was prominently featured in a video released last September in which the jihadist group advertised an ambush on UN troops near the city of Timbuktu. Al Andalusi called on Muslims in Spain and the city of Melilla to join the jihad in his Spanish-language address in the video. He is also identified as a field commander of the Al Quds Brigade, which is another name for AQIMs Al Furqan Battalion. The Al Furqan Battalion is one of AQIM branches that make up its Sahara Emirate in Mali. [See LWJ report, AQIM highlights attack on UN troops in Mali.]
In addition to the raid near Timbuktu, the jihadists also allege French special forces targeted the spokesman of AQIMs Katibat al Murabitoon near the northern city of Gao. However, Abu Dujana al Qasimi, the Saudi spokesman, is said to have survived the attack and was able to flee the scene. The jihadist accounts say that two fighters accompanying al Qasimi were killed in the firefight.
French special forces conducted a similar raid near Gao, which has traditionally been within Al Murabitoons area of operations, last December. The French Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that its forces neutralized 10 terrorists in a four hour firefight with the jihadists. The MoD also said that two pickups and a dozen motorcycles were seized along with a significant amount of arms and explosives. (See LWJ report, French special forces target Al Murabitoon in northern Mali.)
Al Murabitoon was formed in 2013 from the merger between Ahmed al Tilemsis Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) and Mokhtar Belmokhtars Al Mulathameen Brigade and swore allegiance to Al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri. After being led by an Egyptian commander, Al Tilemsi took over as emir of Al Murabitoon until being killed by French forces. In July, the groups Shura Council confirmed it elected Mokhtar Belmokhtar as its overall emir. However, some members in the MUJAO side of the group defected to the Islamic State, but it is not known how many. (See LWJ report, Confusion surrounds West African jihadists loyalty to Islamic State.)
On Dec. 4, AQIMs Al Andalus Media released an audio statement from Abdelmalek Droukdel, the emir of AQIM, announcing the merger of Al Murabitoon into its ranks. That statement came after an audio recording released by Abu Dujana al Qasimi announced the pledging of allegiance to Droukdel, which also reaffirmed Al Murabitoons allegiance to al Qaeda.
Despite France killing several AQIM commanders and leaders in northern Mali since beginning its intervention in 2013, the jihadist group and its many affiliated groups in the country continue to maintain the ability to mount attacks in the north. Additionally, al Qaeda has been able to penetrate deep into the south of Mali and hit the capital Bamako several times. Al Qaeda has also increasingly spread the violence to neighboring countries, with several attacks occurring in Burkina Faso and in Niger in the last two years. (See this map of al Qaeda-linked attacks in Mali and neighboring countries since 2014 made by The Long War Journal here.)
Caleb Weiss is a research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa.
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.
Months prior to his death, Osama bin Laden ordered one of his chief lieutenants to evacuate the brothers from Pakistans tribal agencies of North and South Waziristan to Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to a letter seized by US forces in the al Qaeda masters Abbottabad, Pakistan compound.
The letter is addressed to Shaykh Mahmud, a known alias used by Atiyah Abd al Rahman, who served as al Qaedas general manager until he was killed in a US drone strike in August 2011.
The missive is among the 113 documents from bin Ladens cache that were released today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). While the author of the letter is not explicitly named, it is clearly written by Atiyahs superior. The tone and tenor is also consistent with other letters known to be written by bin Laden to his deputy.
The Dec. 3, 2010 memo was written at the peak of the US drone campaign in Pakistans tribal areas. The author describes the airstrikes as a major and long-standing issue, and insist(s) on taking precautions at peoples homes, and cutting off surveillance as soon as (anyone) leaves them.
I insist on the brothers quickly leaving Waziristan for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and they should enter Afghanistan in small groups, the author states. They also should be advised how vital it is they take security precautions in Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan, and remind them of the harm that could befall every mujahidin from the carelessness of a few.
A previously released letter showed that bin Laden had already advised key al Qaeda personnel to relocate to several provinces in Afghanistan. In an Oct. 3, 2010 missive to Rahman, bin Laden said that al Qaeda should relocate as many brothers as possible to the eastern Afghan provinces of Nuristan, Kunar, Ghazni and Zabul to avoid the US drone campaign in North and South Waziristan. [See LWJ report, Bin Laden advised relocation of some leaders to Afghanistan due to drone strikes in Waziristan.]
However, the Dec. 3, 2010 letter, which was released earlier today, confirms that al Qaedas emir also intended to move his followers into areas in Pakistan outside of the tribal areas. Al Qaeda is known to operate in all four of Pakistans provinces and in many of its major cities. These areas are off limits to the US drone campaign.
The relocation of al Qaeda members is one reason why the US drone campaign in Pakistan has slowed dramatically from its height of 117 in 2010 to just 11 in 2015. (There have been two strikes in Pakistan so far this year.)
The drone strikes have primarily focused on the small kill box in North and South Waziristan. The Long War Journal has tallied a total of 391 such bombings since the program began in 2004. Only 21 of these strikes have taken place in tribal areas outside of North and South Waziristan. 280 missiles have struck in North Waziristan and another 90 in South Waziristan.
Senior al Qaeda leaders have been killed in airstrikes in Afghanistan, but those based in Pakistan outside of the tribal areas are not in the drones crosshairs. The US has relied on cooperation from Pakistani security forces in some cases. In the raid that killed bin Laden, however, American forces snuck into Pakistan unannounced.
Al Qaeda maintains a significant foothold inside Afghanistan to this day. Another previously released bin Laden file discussed the groups operations in at least eight of Afghanistans provinces. [See LWJ report, Osama Bin Ladens Files: Very strong military activity in Afghanistan.]
Last month, the US Treasury Department designated Farouq al Qahtani, who is the head of al Qaedas eastern zone in Afghanistan. Qahtani plans operations against coalition forces and has also helped plot attacks against the West. Al Qaeda has relied on Qahtani to establish safe zones in Afghanistan for other members.
Despite bin Ladens order to relocate al Qaeda leaders from Waziristan, the group was never able to completely vacate the key jihadist stronghold. Some of al Qaedas top leaders were killed in North and South Waziristan after bin Laden ordered the move, including Rahman and Ilyas Kashmiri (2011); Abu Yahya al Libi (2012); Abu Ubaydah Abdullah al Adam (2013); and Adam Gadahn, Qari Imran, and Ustad Ahmad Farooq (2015).
For more information on the drone strikes targeting al Qaeda leaders and other high-value targets, see LWJ reports, Senior al Qaeda, Taliban, and allied jihadist leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 2016, and US Strikes in Pakistan, HVTs.
Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.
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Abdelmalek Droukdel (also known as Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud), the emir of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
A newly declassified memo recovered in Osama bin Ladens compound reveals that al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) considered a truce with the government of Mauritania. It is not clear what, if anything, came of the proposal. But al Qaedas senior leadership drafted the terms of a possible deal.
The authors of the undated file state that the matter was raised after AQIMs leader, Abdelmalek Droukdel (also known as Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud), sent a letter to al Qaedas management team.
The brothers discussed the matter, and Shaykh Mahmud [Atiyah Abd al Rahman] and Shaykh Abu Yahya [al Libi] were tasked to write a legal research on the truce matter with the apostates and as to whether it was permissible also to propose it to the leadership, after which we would send it to Abu Musab [Abdel Wadoud]and to correspond with the Mauritanian brothers to convince them, the US governments translation reads.
Atiyah Abd al Rahman and Abu Yahya al Libi served as al Qaedas general managers before being killed in US drone strikes. Rahman was killed in August 2011 and Libi was struck down in June 2012.
The proposed deal would have been very favorable to al Qaeda. In exchange for not carrying out any military activity in Mauritania, al Qaeda would have received a number of concessions.
The Mauritanian government would have been prohibited from intercepting the Mujahidin, including the seekers of knowledge. Therefore, al Qaeda could have proselytized inside the country without harassment from security forces. All of the prisoner brothers were to be released and the government should commit to not carry out any hostile attack against the brothers from its territories.
If Mauritania agreed to the proposal then it would have been effective for one year and subject to renewal with the government paying 10 to 20 million euros annually.to compensate for AQIMs loss of income from the kidnapping of tourists.
For obvious reasons, al Qaeda wanted the deal to remain a secret agreement between both parties. If the deal was struck, then AQIM could benefit from the truce and focus on Algeria, while also safely putting cadres in rear bases available in Mauritania.
There is no evidence in the files that Mauritania agreed to the proposition.
Although the memo does not indicate precisely when this potential agreement was discussed, there are clues in other bin Ladens files.
One of the al Qaeda leaders who deliberated the permissibility of a truce was Shaykh Haji Uthman, a nom de guerre used by Shaykh Saeed al Masri (also known as Mustafa Abu al Yazid), who perished in a May 2010 drone strike. Like Rahman and Libi, Masri served as al Qaedas general manager prior to his demise. This means the discussions took place sometime before May 2010.
Another clue can be found in a letter previously released from bin Ladens cache. On June 19, 2010, Rahman informed bin Laden that the brothers in Algeria are definitely waiting for an answer regarding the truce with the apostates and the ransom of their prisoners. This is almost certainly a reference to the same deal that AQIM wanted to enter into with Mauritania.
Rahman noted that Sheikh Saeed (al Masri) had previously sent bin Laden the letters [from] Algeria and others, but he wanted to double-check that bin Laden received them. We wrote to them before, and we told Sheikh Abu Yahya to look into this matter further and I hope that you will write to them and us, Rahman wrote in June 2010.
Again, this is consistent with the details in the newly released memo. Abu Yahya al Libi and Rahman are named as the jihadists responsible for researching the issue.
Rahman informed bin Laden that their opinion in that matter (that is, the proposed truce) was attached to his June 2010 letter.
Sought bin Ladens advice on expanding AQIMs shura council
The bin Laden files document other occasions when AQIM sought guidance from al Qaedas senior leadership. In another newly released letter, Abdelmalek Droukdel asks bin Laden for his advice concerning the expansion of AQIMs elite Shura (or advisory) council.
I decided that it was my duty to expand the Shura council of the Organization [AQIM] to include representatives from all the countries of the Islamic Maghreb, Droukdel informed bin Laden in the undated letter. Droukdel said it was a legal right for our Mujahidin brothers in these countries, and was also the only way for us to become aware of their situation and circumstances and to know about the condition of the people.
Droukdel thought that the inclusion of more jihadists on the Shura would help in establishing AQIMs plans and policies in their areas. Also, without knowing the real situation, we cannot advance and spread jihad in the best fashion to the countries of the Islamic Maghreb, which we are striving to cleanse from the filth of apostates and aspiring to liberate from the Western dominance, he wrote.
Droukdel decided to include representatives from Tunis, Morocco, Libya, Mauritania, and the Western Sahara. Still, there was a problem. The number of brothers who join jihad, such as the Libyans and Tunisians, can be significant, but most of them are young (may God extend their lives) and they lack jihadi experience.
AQIMs emir selected a jihadist known as Munir al-Tunisi to represent the Tunisians, because Tunisi is known to the brothers in Afghanistan after participating in the first Afghan jihad.
But Droukdel wanted to consult with bin Laden on this issue, given the al Qaeda masters rich and invaluable experience and expertise in the area of organization and management.
We await your guidance and counsel for completing this process, which without a doubt will increase the harmony, unity, and strength of al Mujahidin in the Islamic Maghreb, Droukdel wrote to bin Laden.
It is not surprising that AQIMs emir would seek guidance from bin Laden. Al Qaedas leaders refer to various districts in the files recovered in Abbottabad. Each one of these districts is a regional branch of al Qaedas international organization. The head of each branch swears an oath of loyalty (bayah) to al Qaedas overall leader. At the time of the aforementioned correspondence, Droukdel was bound by a bayah to bin Laden. After the May 2011 raid in Abbottabad, Droukdel reaffirmed his fealty to Ayman al Zawahiri.
Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.
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A federal judge has denied a government motion to force Apple to unlock an iPhonebut its not in the San Bernardino (California) case. Still, the ruling could have implications for Apples current battle with the FBI over San Bernardino shooter Syed Farooks iPhone 5c.
In the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Magistrate Judge James Orenstein ruled on Monday that the All Writs Act is being applied overly broadly by the government.
The New York case concerns an iPhone 5s used by a meth dealer (who later pled guilty), but its running iOS 7. Since that version of iOS isnt encrypted by default, Apple could extract the data without needing to break the phones passcode. In the California case, by contrast, Farooks iPhone 5c is running iOS 9, so the FBI wants Apple to write new software that would allow law enforcement to brute-force the passcode, since thats the only way of unencrypting the phones data.
But Apple is making a similar legal argument in both cases, that the government shouldnt be using the All Writs Act to issue these warrants. That law, first passed in 1789 and updated most recently in 1948, authorizes the government to issue warrants that arent covered by other existing statutes. Apple says that the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), which outlines specific guidelines, is more appropriate, or a new law yet to be passed.
Judge Orenstein wrote of the All Writs Act, [T]he established rules for interpreting a statutes text constrain me to reject the governments interpretation that the AWA empowers a court to grant any relief not outright prohibited by law. Later the ruling continues, The relief the government seeks is unavailable because Congress has considered legislation that would achieve the same result but has not adopted it.
To determine if the All Writs Act applies, the judge also considers the same three-pronged test mentioned by the Department of Justice in a February 19 filing in the San Bernardino case. But after reviewing both sides arguments, Orenstein writes, I conclude that none of those factors justifies imposing on Apple the obligation to assist the governments investigation against its will. I therefore deny the motion.
Why this matters: The judge in California, Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym, may not come to the same conclusion as Orenstein, who is considered by some to be an activist judge in matters of surveillance. Hes clearly a judge who is interested in opening topics to discussion in the judiciary, but he also thinks the larger public should know about the debate, said Brian Owsley, a former magistrate judge in Texas, to The Washington Post last year.
Apples Senior VP and Chief Legal Counsel Bruce Sewell will highlight the All Writs Act argument in his testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, as seen in his prepared opening remarks released Monday morning.
Incat Crowther has entered into a contract to design a 20m catamaran passenger ferry to ply the waters of Loch Ness in Scotland, taking tourists in search of Nessie, the lakes the famous monster.
Construction of the vessel for Cruise Loch Ness is underway at Exeter Fabrication Ltd in England. The vessel will be the first vessel to be fully designed in Incat Crowthers Europe office, providing a full service from preliminary design through to functional and production design.
In addition to regulatory guidance, the preliminary design phase included an analysis of the vessels platform, with a narrow-beam catamaran was proposed, giving good efficiency whilst allowing the vessel to access the loch via a canal and lock.
The main deck will is spacious with large windows for monster-spotting opportunities. Toilets and a bar are located aft.
The upper deck is effectively and interior space, being open at the side whilst being covered above. This allows the cruise to operate in various weather conditions, without forcing passengers inside.
As with a number of other Incat Crowther vessels, this design features an asymmetric wheelhouse. This incorporates an enclosed wing control station on the port side (which will see all docking movements), and an open access passage to starboard. The open starboard side passage allows direct access for crew between the wheelhouse and foredeck, whilst also giving the flexibility of passenger flow between foredeck and upper deck.
The vessel will be powered by a pair of Volvo D9 MH main engines. Producing 313kW per side, these efficient engines are capable of propelling the vessel to speeds over 20 knots.
The Cruise Loch Ness project confirms Incat Crowthers commitment to providing Europe with a level of service, experience and expertise consistent with the companys global network.
SPECIFICATIONS - 20m CATAMARAN PASSENGER FERRY
PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS
Length Overall 68 11 / 21.0m
Length Waterline 65' 8 / 20.0m
Beam Overall 23 / 7.0m
Draft (hull) 3' 4 / 1.0m
Construction Marine grade aluminium
CAPACITIES
Fuel Oil 2 x 264 gallons / 2 x 1 000 litres
Fresh Water 1 x 1321 gallons / 1 x 500 litres
Passengers 220
Crew 4
PROPULSION AND PERFORMANCE
Speed (Service) 19.9 knots
Speed (Max) 22 knots
Main Engines 2 x Volvo D9 MH
Power 2 x 313kW @ 2200rpm
Propulsion 2 x Fixed-pitched Propellers
Generators 2 x Kohler 11 EFKOZD 11kvA
REGULATORY
Flag UK
Class / Survey MCA
The Manufacturing Institute to honor Volvo Pentas Marcia Kull with STEP Ahead Award on April 21; award honors top women leaders in the manufacturing industry
Marcia Kull, vice president of marine sales for Volvo Penta of the Americas, has been selected by the Manufacturing Institute as one of the top women in U.S. manufacturing for 2016.
Kull and the other honorees will be recognized at the fourth annual Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award at a gala dinner April 21 in Washington, D.C. The STEP Ahead Awards celebrate those women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers in all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to the C-suite.
These 130 women are the faces of exciting careers in manufacturing, said Jennifer McNelly, executive director, The Manufacturing Institute. We chose to honor these women because they each made significant achievements in manufacturing through a positive impact on their company and the industry as a whole. The STEP Ahead Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative, launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research and leadership for attracting, advancing and retaining strong female talent.
As Volvo Pentas vice president of marine sales for the Americas, Kull has profit-and-loss responsibility for marine engine sales in a competitive territory that covers Canada to Panama and the Caribbean. Before joining the marine engine sales division in 2011, Kull served as the companys general counsel and prior to that role, acted as vice president of dealer and consumer relations.
Marcia Kull has leveraged all of the experience shes gained working across the industry to help her succeed as a commercial leader to promote Volvo Penta, said Ron Huibers, president of Volvo Penta of the Americas. She is highly respected by her peers, customers and even competitors for her depth of knowledge of Volvo Penta products and markets, and she has taken on great responsibility with her involvement in industry and governmental organizations that serve the national marine community.
At Volvo Penta, Kull has facilitated year-over-year diesel engine unit growth averaging 14 percent while increasing profitability; created a regionally-based dealer development team to generate pull-through sales of Volvo Penta-powered gasoline sterndrive boats; developed Volvo Pentas North American marine commercial segment; restructured the commercial distributor network; and mentored young employees through the Volvo Penta International Mentorship Program. She also developed a national program to promote recreational boating as a leisure activity for women. Called Women Making Waves, the turn-key program provided boating skills classes for women in over 1,600 marine dealerships nationwide.
Kull chairs the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Engine Manufacturers Division the first Volvo Penta employee and the first woman to serve in this role. Prior to this appointment, she served as chairwoman of the NMMA Boating Industry Risk Management Council for six years the first woman to chair that committee as well. She also serves on the six-member NMMA executive board of directors. She was appointed by the Secretary of Homeland Security to serve on the National Boating Safety Advisory Council in 2007. In that role, she chaired a team that drafted a compliance section for the U.S. Coast Guard Strategic Plan to reduce recreational boating casualties.
Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb will take the 550th anniversary of the Rotterdam philosopher Erasmuss birth as an occasion to visit Basel. During the Mayors visit Rotterdam will renew its existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Swiss city. The municipal representatives will be joined by a large delegation from the Rotterdam port.
Erasmus lived in Rotterdam and Basel and died in the latter city in 1536. Since both cities are situated on the Rhine, Rotterdam itself also has close logistics and commercial ties with Basel. This connection has led to the decision by Mayor Aboutaleb and his Swiss partners in dialogue to once again scrutinize the existing MOU. The inter-city dialogue will also deal with substantive matters like rail corridors and the second Gotthard Tunnel tube.
Aboutaleb will travel to Basel in the week of June 14, and the renewed version of the MOU will be signed later this year. On June 15, the Rotterdam Mayor will also attend the Port of Rotterdam Seminar and Business Event. In addition to offering opportunities to network with the Rotterdam port and logistics delegation, this event will also bring Swiss freight forwarders, shippers and logistics service providers up to date on the latest developments in the Port of Rotterdam, with special attention to the Rotterdam Port Connector website.
U.S. Marines and Royal Thai sailors have grown close during Exercise Cobra Gold 16. Theyve spent every day together, living, eating and training.
Marines with aircraft rescue and firefighting section, Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 teamed up with Royal Thai sailors during a unique training event, February 16, 2016, where they set an unserviceable aircraft on fire to practice their procedures together.
Were going to use our roof turrets and rain down to put out most of the fire when we come up to any aircraft that is fully engulfed, said Sgt. J. Diskin, an aviation rescue and firefighter with MWSS 172, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force. When we spray our roof turrets were putting out 90 percent of the fire in the first minute.
Using their roof turrets is the first step in the process of putting out an engulfed aircraft. Once they have the fire under control they send in the hand line operators.
Theres going to be fuel on the ground when you have an aircraft crash, said Diskin, from Uda, Texas. We simulated spraying the fuel away from them, they got to the aircraft, made entry and put out the cargo area.
During this event there were two teams, one being Royal Thai sailors, and the other being U.S. Marines. Together, they worked together to put out spot fires with hand line hoses.
Throughout this exercise the Marines and Thai Sailors have spent most of their time together.
Cobra Gold has been a really good experience, said Diskin. Ive learned a lot from the Thais, and weve had a pretty strong bond. A lot of the guys came last year so weve been able to share a lot of moments together during training, like the fire today.
Cobra Gold is a multi-national exercise designed to improve cooperation and interoperability with aims to preserve and promote peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
I hope my Marines got to do something they wont get to do anywhere else, said Diskin. It gives us a different perspective and is good for the Marines to learn new ideas and ways to do things. They can bring that knowledge back to grow themselves.
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In order to demonstrate the ability to transport, tactically insert, support, and conduct high-intensity, combined-arms operations with a battalion-sized infantry force, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing conducted a large-scale tactical exercise in conjunction with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia, during Exercise Eager Response, Feb. 24-29.
During the exercise, Marines trained in events including casualty evacuation, assault support missions and aerial refueling, proving the Marine Air-Ground Task Force a highly combat effective force.
3/6 Marines were transported from Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, in MV-22B Ospreys and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters to accomplish a long-range insert of a battalion-sized force into the remote training area of the U.S. Army base.
The exercise allowed cross-training between ground and air units. Where the air units practiced aerial deliveries from a KC-130J, the ground unit focused on receiving the delivery. In the same manner, the ground units focused on proper casualty evacuation procedures that called on Marines to treat a simulated casualty while the air assets worked to hastily transport them aboard a Super Stallion.
As a continuation of Wing Exercise 15, 2nd MAW continues to train its planners in all aspects of command and control honing its ability to provide outstanding support to the MAGTF.
This exercise was designed to test the squadron and battalion-level planners in their integration of combined efforts, said Maj. Gen. Gary L. Thomas, 2nd MAW commanding general. Our ability to transport, support and tactically insert ground troops in any environment is what makes us a highly effective force.
This training reiterates our dedication to supporting the 2nd Marine Division; our dedication to teaching our Marines and enhancing their knowledge; and ultimately, getting it right when it matters, with little to no notice, Thomas said.
In addition to being forced to defeat a simulated enemy, Exercise Eager Response prepared Marines for future training requirements, such as weapons and tactics instructors course, and future deployment operations.
I believe this exercise is a valuable opportunity for our Marines to train in a challenging and dynamic environment, while supporting the Marines with 2nd MARDIV, said Capt. Sarah K. Horn, a UH-1Y Huey pilot with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269. 2nd MAW brings a wide range of capabilities to the fight, and any evolution that allows us to hone our skills of supporting Marines on the ground is extremely worthwhile.
Horn explained that the ability to function as a MAGTF is a powerful capability, unique to the Marine Corps, and it is important that Marines train to employ their forces in such a fashion, and Eager Response allowed the Marines to do exactly that.
Throughout the exercise, an opposing force lurking in the surrounding tree line sporadically attacked the battalion day and night to put their ability to fortify and defend to the test.
We took some contact from our opposing force, said Cpl. Matthew J. Haines, a squad leader with India Company, 3rd Bn., 6th Marines. They acted as a platoon-sized element that tried to find a weak spot in our defenses and exploit it. We responded by sending security patrols from the various companies.
We fight and we train as a MAGTF, Mahar said. Our ability to work together with the wing and conduct inserts like we did with more than 400 Marines on multiple aircraft allows us to rapidly build up combat power in any zone and flood our forces in the area to conduct operations. Our ability to do that is what we do as Marines.
Small-unit leaders regarded the exercise as a valuable opportunity to mold junior Marines into skilled, upstanding members of "Teufelhunden.
This is what we do, Haines said. Its about brilliance in the basics, in both offensive and defensive operations. Everything from security to alertness and digging a proper fighting hole is what we want to instill in our Marines. Its on us as small unit leaders to spin them up on how [3rd Bn., 6th Marines] operates and our expectations of them.
At the conclusion of the exercise, the squadron returned to lift the battalion back to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, with their time occupying and defending the area as an entire battalion a success.
The MAGTF lives, breaths and reacts exceptionally well in moments of crisis, Thomas said. That is because the men and women that encompass it are some of the most dedicated group of Marines and Sailors I have ever seen. I am extremely proud of the work they accomplished here.
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Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 is among one of the squadrons aiding in the air-ground capabilities. HMLA 167 is currently supporting Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force in Thailand during Cobra Gold 16 as part of the unit deployment program.
Cobra Gold is a multi-national exercise designed to increase interoperability and cooperation through training events that are meant to advance solution solving skills between the participating nations. The goal of this exercise is to preserve and promote peace in the Asia-Pacific region.
Were proud to be part of this exercise as we participate with the Thais and other partner nations here, said Capt. Ryan R. Morrison. Were expanding our influence in the region, learning from them, hopefully showing them some ways we do things and building relationships.
Throughout this Cobra Gold, this years being the 35th iteration, HMLA has been able to exercise this trait in an atmosphere foreign than the traditional training areas in the United States.
Generally speaking, HMLA will be responsible for going in and conducting reconnaissance of landing sites and objective areas and ensuring any threats are attrite before (other aircraft) come, said Morrison.
HMLA is home to the UH-1Y Huey and the AH-1 Cobra. The two caveat off each other with the Huey providing highly capable sensors and a Gods eye view and the Cobra bringing longer distance weapon capabilities.
HMLA really does provide a lot of noncombatant opportunities, said Morrison. Weve already seen a lot of that in Nepal and in other humanitarian disaster relief situations where we are able to provide access to zones a lot of larger aircraft such as MV-22 Ospreys and CH-53E Super Stallions arent able to get into.
HMLA is capable of bringing in supplies, limited CASEVAC and troop transportation assets during these humanitarian type situations.
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From 1937-45, China became one of the main theatres of the Second World War. This entangling of China in World War II raised the country out of its subjugation on the world stage, such that at the Wars conclusion China was given a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Only 4 years later the immense Chinese revolution was finally completed, freeing China from imperialist domination. The war's violent dragging of China onto the world stage had effected a thoroughgoing internal transformation of China. In this article we examine the war and its effect on China, the role of the Chinese ruling class in the war, and the strategy and tactics of the Chinese Communist Party that led the revolution of 1949. [Editor's note: this was originally a 10 part serialised article, which has now been combined into a single article.]
All this time was required to produce the philosophy of our day; so tardily and slowly did the World-spirit work to reach this goal. What we pass in rapid review when we recall it, stretched itself out in reality to this great length of time. For in this lengthened period, the Notion of Spirit, invested with its entire concrete development, its external subsistence, its wealth, is striving to bring spirit to perfection, to make progress itself and to develop from spirit. It goes ever on and on, because spirit is progress alone. Spirit often seems to have forgotten and lost itself, but inwardly opposed to itself, it is inwardly working ever forward (as when Hamlet says of the ghost of his father, Well said, old mole! canst work i the ground so fast?) until grown strong in itself it bursts asunder the crust of earth which divided it from the sun, its Notion, so that the earth crumbles away. Hegel, Philosophy of History
In the dead of night on 8th July 1937, a unit of the Japanese Army opened machine gun fire on Chinese troops stationed around the Marco Polo or Lugou Bridge in Wanping, now a suburb of Beijing. The shots were fired in retaliation for the apparent (but not actual) kidnapping or killing of a Japanese soldier by the Chinese.
But by the end of the night, the bridge was back in Chinese hands and both sides swiftly came to a gentlemanly agreement to prevent anything like this happening again. However, the high-minded intentions of the peace-loving Japanese and Chinese Generals notwithstanding, by the very next day hostilities had not only recommenced but increased, beginning an unavoidable slide to all out war. How can an insignificant little skirmish quickly resolved have been allowed to start a war?
The Israeli occupation of Palestine has familiarised the contemporary reader with the principle that imperialist occupations have an insane logic of their own. The contradictions and injustice of the occupation are precisely the fuel for further encroachments and oppression; each act of resistance or even miscommunication a justification for defensive assaults on the occupied. The Japanese occupation of China after 1931 was no different, and it was just such a mistake which sparked the Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937-45, which was to be the Pacific theatre of World War II, claiming around 32m lives, the vast majority Chinese civilians.
With a similar unconscious necessity, this entangling of China in World War II would raise the country out of its passivity and subjugation on the world stage, such that at the Wars conclusion China was given a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. But this violent dragging of China into world relations could not be achieved without effecting a thoroughgoing internal transformation of China. China could only match the tasks of modernity by throwing off all its accumulated baggage and mess from the past, and thus its modernisation and active participation in world politics meant the long overdue Chinese social revolution.
The accidental spark known as the Marco Polo Bridge or Lugouqiao Incident is possibly the best example of necessity expressing itself through chance one could imagine. Crossed wires, mutual stubbornness and minor (or not so minor) outbreaks of verbal or actual hostilities are inherent in imperialist occupations, and of course they are always the responsibility of the imperialists. As the only point of connection between free China and the key city of Beijing (not then Chinas capital), the taking of the Marco Polo Bridge was naturally an immediate aim of the Japanese occupation of China, which was in reality a one-sided war ongoing since 1931 [see http://www.marxist.com/chinese-comminist-party-1927-37-part-8.htm].
Chiang Kai-shekFor that reason the Japanese had been patrolling the bridge every night with the kind permission of Chiang Kai Shek (the dictator of China), on the condition that the Japanese only inform the Chinese each night of their plans. For one reason or another, on the night of 8th July 1937 this communication failed to take place, leading the Chinese troops to interpret the maneuvers as an actual attack, who as a result fired their weapons (ineffectively). When a Japanese soldier failed to return with his squad, it was assumed he was killed or kidnapped, leading ultimately to the Japanese attack.
Japan had its own reasons for using this pretext, which was an inevitable outcome of six years of occupation and exploitation, to further invade and enslave the profitable regions of China. But in addition to its main motivation of greed, several authors contend [see Guillermaz 1968, p287 and Eastman, Nationalist China During the Sino-Japanese War 1937-35] that a major cause of the Japanese aggression after this incident was the appearance of growing Chinese resolve to resist Japan as realised in the Guomindang governments new alliance with the Chinese Communist Party [CCP]. They wanted to strike before the Chinese had time to mobilise.
The likelihood of this as a factor demonstrates the inseparability of the twins of the Sino-Japanese war and the Chinese revolution - as we have previously shown this resolve and unity came not from Chiang Kai Shek and his Guomindang. It was instead a product of the powerful impetus amongst the Chinese masses towards launching a revolutionary war against the Japanese invaders, an impetus that was fast propelling the CCP to the power it would finally take in 1949. Therefore, before we look at the eight years of war, we will examine this second unlikely alliance between the two nemeses of the Chinese revolution, the Guomindang and the CCP. This alliance to defend China was struck in the months before the Marco Polo Bridge Incident under revolutionary pressure. As Marxists we are naturally most interested in the perspectives and justification for the alliance that the CCP elaborated around 1937, in order that we can compare this with the actual history of the war and its aftermath.
The CCPs Opportunist and Nationalist Perspectives in 1937
As explained previously, the CCPs perspectives for the Chinese revolution and war with Japan had been changed under Moscows orders in late 1935 in the direction of opportunism. The first major fruit of this perspective was the alliance struck with Chiang Kai Shek at gunpoint in late 1936. Why a revolutionary party, finding itself in possession of the defenceless dictator responsible for killing thousands of its own members, would then sign a deal with him on terms favourable to his regime, is analysed in our above linked article. Such a choice of action should in itself be enough to condemn the new perspectives of the CCP.
What followed was a rapid degeneration of the partys programme along nationalist lines. National unity between the CCP and Guomindang was preached; talk of socialism was relegated, in its place the CCP promoted democratic reforms to be introduced by the Guomindang at its leisure; property, including of the landed kind, was not to be touched; rural soviets and the independent Red Army were to have their names changed and placed under Guomindang leadership.
Outlining to party members his new perspectives, Mao stated that
the democratic [i.e. not socialist] revolution (will) transform (itself) in the direction of socialism. There will be several stages of development in the democratic revolution, all under the slogan of the democratic republic, not under the slogan of the Soviet...We maintain that socialism will be reached through all the necessary stages of the democratic republic...To maintain that the bourgeoisie should be eliminated because of its transitional nature and to accuse the revolutionary groups of defeatism and collaboration with the bourgeoisie are Trotskyite words with which we cannot concur. The present alliance between the bourgeoisie and the revolutionary group is a necessary bridge to socialism. (Mao, speech to the National Conference of the CCP, 1937, our emphasis)
We have already explained at length why the perspective of a necessary bourgeois democratic stage to the Chinese revolution was utterly false, as was proven concretely in 1927. For now, it is sufficient to point out that the very man whose personal dictatorship of China proved in practice the falseness of this perspective, was the man whom the CCP was here allying with as the embodiment of the present alliance between the bourgeoisie and the revolutionary group. If Chiang Kai Shek obliterated his previous alliance with the CCP and all hopes for a democratic stage to the revolution in 1927 by staging a violent coup, why rekindle that alliance only ten years later, during which time he had done nothing but strive for the physical liquidation of the CCP?
Of course, what had changed since 1927 was the invasion by Japan. But it was elementary to anyone in the CCP that Chiang Kai Sheks dictatorship was the primary obstacle to fighting Japan, since he had pursued a policy of total capitulation to the stronger Japanese forces, concentrating instead on eliminating the CCP. Thus the Japanese invasion only further increased his criminality. Nevertheless, Mao argued that these policies must be carried out only with the consent of the Guomindang [i.e. of Chiang Kai Shek], because the Guomindang is at present still the largest party in power. (Mao, Urgent Tasks of the Chinese Revolution since the Formation of the KMT-CCP United Front, 1937). Well, it was the only party in power, because China was a one-party dictatorship! It is not an exaggeration to say that at this stage, the CCP was transforming itself into the chief prop of Chiangs dictatorship.
Such a perspective requires the substitution of the reactionary nationalist ideology of national unity at all costs for one of class struggle. It is no surprise then, that at the same time the CCP, in a public statement only one week earlier than Maos above remarks, claimed that the aggression of imperialist Japan can only be overcome by the internal unity of our nation...all our fellow-countrymen, every single zealous descendent of Huangdi [Chinas first emperor] must determinedly and relentlessly participate (CCP Public Statement on KMT-CCP Co-operation, 1937, our emphasis). To clear up what was meant by all countrymen, Mao stated it is a united front of the whole nation...of all parties, groups, classes (Mao, op cit., our emphasis).
The ideology of the CCP was at this time, under Maos leadership, drifting away from Marxism and internationalism and emphasising nationalism above all else. According to Brandt, Schwarz and Fairbank, Mao answered to the question whether the Communists are Chinese first or Communist first, with Without a Chinese nation there could be no CCP. The implication is clear - we are nationalists who use Marxism only insofar as it is useful to achieve national ends. This compares very unfavourably with Marx and Engels statement in the founding document of Marxism that the workers of the world have no country. Maos biographer Schram believes that for Mao himself, the alliance of all Chinese for the salvation of their country was not merely skilful tactics; it was a value in itself. (Schram, Mao Tse-Tung, our emphasis). The same author points out that the main content of political work [by the CCP at this point] both within the army and among the population was to preach national revival, to stimulate national consciousness (ibid).
Defenders of the Party will argue that this emphasis merely reflected the concrete reality of fighting a war of national liberation, and that tapping into the national feeling to fight Japan was a revolutionary act, the first step on the road to social revolution. But the task of Marxists in preparing the masses for socialist revolution would in these circumstances be to elevate the national consciousness of the workers to class consciousness. This should not be hard to do given that the bourgeois nationalist party with which they were now in alliance, which was the only serious bourgeois party in China, had been practising a complete national sellout to the Japanese by refusing to fight them.
This is further underlined by the fact that the Guomindangs new pledge to fight Japan was only won against their wishes and under revolutionary pressure from below. Contrary to Maos claims, the invasion did not make possible the alliance of all classes, instead it revealed the traitorous complicity of the ruling class in that invasion. To this should be added the general fact that, since the end of the Opium Wars, the Chinese bourgeoisie had always sacrificed the wider nations interests in favour of the imperialists for a share in the latters profits. The lesson for China was that, along with all other capitalist countries, it was not one nation to be united but a class divided nation.
The perspectives outlined for the party by Mao in 1937 cut across the very real tendency for the CCP to gain support at the Guomindangs expense (being rightly seen as the only force prepared to stand up for the oppressed Chinese). The new programme worked to lower the masses consciousness of the need for the overthrow of Chiangs dictatorship.
This is clear from the extraordinary historical revisionism in the Guomindangs favour which we find in Maos justifications for the alliance. He explained that as a result of the co-operation between the two parties on major policies, the Great Revolution of 1925-7 was successfully guided[!!] to the point where we were able to achieve, within two or three years, the revolution for nationalism, democracy, and peoples livelihood (Mao, op cit.). For those unclear on exactly what happened in the revolution of 1925-7, please see our series of articles here:http://www.marxist.com/90-years-of-the-chinese-communist-party-part-one.htm. For the aftermath of this successful revolution, please see our subsequent series of articles: http://www.marxist.com/chinese-comminist-party-1927-37-part-1.htm. Suffice it to say here that the revolution of 1925-7 was wrecked because of this alliance, and its product was twenty two years of dictatorship, the virtual breakup of the nation into warlords fiefdoms, and the continuing domination of the country by Japan and the West. One can hardly imagine a less successful revolution.
This revisionism was followed up with poetic praise for Chinas dictator and his apparent role in freeing China, If [the Guomindang] do not consent [to our offer of an alliance to fight Japan], then...Japanese imperialism will not be defeated[but] the more intelligent members and leader of the KMT will certainly not allow this to happen. (Ibid).
No wonder then that Roosevelts personal envoy to Chiang Kai Shek Patrick Hurley did not believe that Mao and his comrades were real Communists (Schram, op. cit.), and that Molotov had told him that the Chinese were radish Communists, red on the outside, white on the inside! (Harrison, The Long March to Power).
The alliance between the bourgeoisie and the revolutionary group in Practice
Mao in 1946Given that Chiang Kai Shek described the Communists as Chinas disease of the heart as opposed to the mere skin disease that were the Japanese, the second attempt at mixing the oil and water of the Guomindang and CCP would require a special recipe concocted to meet Chiangs tastes. This can already be seen in the above quoted historical revisionism of Mao in which he paints the Guomindangs history in bright colours. At this time Mao also predicted a brilliant future for the Guomindang, and praise[d] its great leader Chiang Kai Shek (Schram, op cit.), whom Mao also especially hope[d] would take up the task of reform (Mao, op cit.).
The concrete application in policy was of subordination to the Guomindangs political programme and leadership, under the one precondition that the Guomindang remain committed to fighting the Japanese - though that too was predictably violated, as Mao admitted in 1945 that 64% of the fighting against the Japanese and 95% of that against Japanese puppets was carried about by the much smaller CCP forces (Mao, Chinas Strategy for Victory).
This meant in practice that the CCP publicly pledged that it
abandons all its policy of overthrowing the KMT by force and the movement of sovietization, and discontinues its policy of forcible confiscation of land from landlords...abolishes the present Soviet government and practices democracy based on the peoples rights in order to unify the national political power...abolishes the designation of the Red Army, reorganises it into the [Guomindang controlled] National Revolutionary Army, places it under the control of the Military Affairs Commission of the National government, and awaits orders (CCP Public Statement on KMT-CCP Co-operation, 1937, our emphasis)
For any who still believe that in making such statements, the CCP was merely maneuvering to gain legality and breathing space for itself, or to tap into any feeling for national unity without actually surrendering independence from the Guomindang, it must be noted that these public pledges were accompanied by a drive from Mao and the CCP for a common political programme for both parties (Mao, op cit.). In the same document of 1937 Mao argues for the need for co-operation between officers and men in the army, without in any way putting forward concrete demands regarding the character of the army, the election of officers or any other social or progressive content whatsoever. Such a position, when coupled with the offer of abolishing the Red Army, the Soviet political bases and for a common political programme acceptable to the Guomindang dictatorship, could only mean supporting the domination of rank-and-file peasant soldiers by the corrupt Guomindang officers.
We have argued in our previous series on China that such a strategy of political alliance with the Guomindang may indeed have been cleverly engineered to gain the party greater organisational breathing space; but as we showed, this only reveals a complete degeneration for a Marxist organisation. In the Communist Manifesto Marx and Engels stress that The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. As we argued previously, the point is that they publicly declared they were [following the Guomindangs orders]. They publicly supported and propped up the Guomindang bourgeois dictatorship. They deflected popular anger away from Nanjing, and thus made themselves incapable of mobilising the masses for a political overthrow of the regime.
This is borne out by the fact that little was gained in the way of recruits or influence from within the Guomindang. CCP members doing entry work in the Guomindang were generally isolated and for the moment served mainly in intelligence work (Harrison, op cit, p350).
It must be understood that this inversion of priorities, of sacrificing the duty to raise the class consciousness of the masses for organisational gains, flows from its abandonment of its urban working class base for a strategy of using the countryside to win power militarily and independently of any mass class mobilisation. This thinking is revealed in a Party meeting in August 1937 in which a compromise was reached whereby the CCP accepted Guomindang military leadership and the "suspension of the political commissar system", but "would keep real control under the CCP". "Zhang Wentian proposed and won approval for, first, following nationalist orders in Shanxi and assigned areas in order to gain nationalist confidence... Then expanding into other areas." (Harrison, op cit.).
In September 1938 Mao reported to the CCP Central Committee that to subordinate the class struggle to the present national struggle to resist Japan - that is the fundamental principle of the united front (Ibid). [I]n September and November he sent pledges of support for Chiangs leadership (Ibid), as did Zhou Enlai according to Chiang himself. He even accepted in advance two limitations similar to those which Chiang had imposed in 1926 [and which aided his coup and subsequent slaughter of Communists] on the activity of Communists in the Guomindang: a complete list of Communist Party members who joined the Guomindang would be handed over to the latter, and Guomindang members would not be recruited into the Communist Party (Schram, op cit.).
Finally, we can add to this that the party publicly promoted in its Manifesto on the Current Situation that it was not only cooperating with the dictatorship under the special and dire circumstances of the war, but also that it is determined to cooperate [with the Guomindang] for national reconstruction after the successful conclusion of the war (Harrison, op cit., our emphasis). There can be no doubt that the CCP was in this time guilty of out and out opportunism and a complete abandonment of any Marxist, class based perspective for the war and Chinas future. All this was justified under the tag united front. Let us therefore compare Maos United Front with the classical United Front worked out by Lenin and Trotsky in the Third International.
Lenins United Front
The starting point for the united front tactic of Bolshevism is political independence. We mean by this not necessarily refusing to work with or in other parties and tendencies, but only steadfastly committing to a truthful Marxist analysis, irrespective of this or that trend or pressure. In fact, the Bolsheviks were always independent, in the sense that they never compromised in the defence of their revolutionary programme, policy and theory (Woods, Bolshevism). As Trotsky said on behalf of the leadership of the Communist International in 1922,
In order to summon the proletariat for the direct conquest of power and to achieve it the Communist Party must base itself on the overwhelming majority of the working class. So long as it does not hold this majority, the party must fight to win it. The party can achieve this only by remaining an absolutely independent organization with a clear programme and strict internal discipline.
The question of all questions for Marxist parties is how to help the working class become conscious of this programme and its necessity, in other words, how to unite the maximum possible number of proletarians around a revolutionary programme. It is the role of the united front tactic to bridge the gap between Marxists and their programme on the one side and the working masses on the other, many of whom will be involved in and loyal to non-revolutionary organisations.
Now, it is a rather difficult and clumsy discussion to compare the united front tactic as worked out in the Communist International under Lenins leadership, with Maos purported united front with Chiang Kai Sheks Guomindang, since none of the conditions for the former apply to the latter. In particular, the united front is not operable outside the context of working class organisations. It has no purpose other than to raise the need for unity amongst workers and to reveal that the chief obstacle to that is the erroneous reformist leadership of many workers organisations, such as the Social Democracy.
Only those who cannot think dialectically imagine that a united front of different political forces requires the denial or suppression of those differences. On the contrary, it opens up a broader and more equal platform for the fighting out of those forces, within the confines of and in relation to certain agreed common aims. A common campaign allows all forces of that campaign to debate with one another as to the best means to achieve the campaigns ends, and of course to debate the real causes of and solutions to the issue at hand.
Hence the fact that in the Communist Internationals formulations for the United Front tactic to be employed under different circumstances by different sections, it was expressly stated that
any sort of organizational agreement which restricts our freedom of criticism and agitation is absolutely unacceptable to us. We participate in a united front but do not for a single moment become dissolved in it. We function in the united front as an independent detachment. It is precisely in the course of struggle that broad masses must learn from experience that we fight better than the others, that we see more clearly than the others, that we are more audacious and resolute. (Trotsky, On the United Front, 1922)
It is self evident that the logic of these two united fronts is diametrically opposite. The united front of Marxists is a clear and carefully chosen political programme advanced to raise the revolutionary consciousness of the working class, and operates only in the context therefore of workers organisations. The demands and political content of the call for a united front must be framed in relation to the workers real problems and their solutions; thus the programme has an educational content. It is not so much about necessarily achieving unity in action, although that would be desirable, especially if under the instigation of the Marxists:
A policy aimed to secure the united front does not of course contain automatic guarantees that unity in action will actually be attained in all instances. On the contrary, in many cases and perhaps even the majority of cases, organizational agreements will be only half-attained or perhaps not at all. But it is necessary that the struggling masses should always be given the opportunity of convincing themselves that the non-achievement of unity in action was not due to our formalistic irreconcilability but to the lack of real will to struggle on the part of the reformists. (Ibid)
Maos United Front with Chiang Kai Shek, on the other hand, has a directly contrary logic. Mao was indeed correct to centre the CCPs programme around the need for a war to be waged against the Japanese occupation. Given that there were no mass organisations of the working class in China at this time, there was no basis for a united front proposal to fight Japan, since workers were not loyal to reformist leaders. However, if we allow ourselves the luxury of imagining the Guomindang was a mass workers organisation, then it would have been necessary for the CCP from 1931 onwards to place the demand on it for a united front to fight Japan. This call could then be filled with a Marxist content - in other words, its concrete points would be that such a war should be organised by the workers organisations involving such weapons as a general strike, occupations of Japanese owned factories and the formation of a workers militia responsible to the trade unions etc.
There can be no doubt that such a call, if energetically campaigned for in the cities amongst the working class, would have gained an enormous echo and helped the CCP to rebuild in urban centres. It would not matter from this point of view if the proposal were rejected by the other party; the CCP would have made its point and would have advanced class consciousness thereby.
Precisely because the Guomindang was not a democratic workers organisation with a real base, but was instead a bourgeois party under the direct control of the state apparatus, the CCPs offer of unity with it could have no such character. It would be useless and absurd to fill the proposal with a revolutionary class content, for the Guomindang represented a different class and was already detested by workers. That is why the proposal lacked any programmatic content. It served no educational value for workers and can only have alienated them from the CCP - which had up till 1936 regained a degree of respect from workers for being the only organisation willing to fight Japanese imperialism and for its unjust suppression by the Guomindang. At a stroke, the alliance with Chiang Kai Shek served to destroy much of this.
Maos sole justification for the alliance was that it rallied a greater number of people to fight Japanese imperialism because armed invasion by Japanese imperialists has brought about changes in class relations in China, thus making imperative and making possible the alliance of all classes (Mao, Urgent Tasks of the Chinese Revolution since the Formation of the KMT-CCP United Front, 1937, our emphasis). If that were the case, the Guomindang would have not spent the first six years of the occupation co-operating with the Japanese to fight the CCP. Why was the proposal for the alliance made before the intensification of the occupation after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, and why could the Guomindangs hand in this alliance only be won on the basis of literally holding a gun to Chiang Kai Sheks head, if the invasion had made possible and natural an alliance of all classes? As argued above, a far better way to rally greater numbers to fight would have been to consistently make an appeal to the working class for a general strike and the formation of urban workers militias like in Shanghai in 1927 to overthrow the Japanese and the capitulationist dictatorship of Chiang, and to organise militias in the cities to cripple the Japanese.
We will see in the course of these articles that there is no evidence that the unity of these two parties ensured a stronger resistance. Japan maintained its occupation and got what it wanted from China throughout the war until it was defeated by the US in 1945, and a class based mobilisation of strikes in the industries the Japanese were profiting from would have been far more effective. We will also see how, far from changing the class relations and somehow bringing the bourgeoisie into solidarity with the workers, the rotten Chinese bourgeoisie only intensified its plundering of the nation and used the oppression of the Japanese as an excuse to economically and politically crush the working class. Unfortunately, the CCPs alliance with the bourgeoisie only aided the latter in doing so.
The CCPs Direct Participation in the Regime
A Marxist organisation must be extremely flexible in its tactics. Any opportunity to reach a bigger audience with its ideas should be considered. That can even mean, in conditions of dictatorship or political repression, forging temporary alliances with liberals to gain political freedoms or changing the language of ones publications to get it past the censor - but always under the condition that the fundamental revolutionary ideas and programme are not thereby violated. Indeed, the more the party understands correctly the necessary political programme for building socialism, the more confident it will be of applying this flexibly without selling out.
After the CCPs mistaken alliance with Chiang was made, there were many more legal openings for the party to take. The question is, did they skilfully use these to advance a socialist programme to the working class?
One such political opening was the convening of the Peoples Political Council in 1938, which is comparable to the Dumas formed under the Tsar in Russia, but without even the slither of democracy the Dumas represented. In the workers elections to the Shidlovsky Commission in 1905, the Bolsheviks rightly participated in the early stages, despite the sham democracy the elections represented. This is because for the first time in Russian history it afforded the working class a limited opportunity to express itself politically and organisationally, and so by participating the Bolsheviks linked themselves and their programme with the masses, gained a larger audience for their ideas and in turn themselves learnt from the working class.
However, there was a strict political limit placed on this tactic which was that there could be no democratic liberal intrusions into the politics they put forward. Instead, they used the opportunity of the elections to denounce the Tsarist regime and the idea of a peaceful, liberal democratic reform of it. At no point did the Bolsheviks use the elections to seek careers for themselves nor did they entertain any illusions in reforming the regime from within. In some cases they ran in the first round of elections, to gain a hearing, only to boycott the second round. In genuine bourgeois democracies, Marxists would participate in Parliament under certain conditions, but again would in no way seek to sow illusions in its democratic nature as the true voice of the people, but would instead simply use it as a soap box for revolutionary ideas.
Given the CCPs perspectives of national unity with the Guomindang dictatorship, it is not surprising that when these legal openings for the CCP did arise after 1937 they did precisely the opposite of the Bolsheviks up to 1917. The Peoples Political Council was a mere consultative assembly formed by Chiang in 1938 to appease demands for democratic reform without threatening his own rule. Several leading Communists were invited (not elected) by Chiang to participate in this body. Given that this body had no democratic legitimacy or independence whatsoever, it is elementary that the CCP should have denounced this move and demanded instead a real Constitutional Assembly. Instead they participated in the council which they used chiefly not to address the masses with revolutionary ideas but to develop alliances with the liberals, both within and without the Guomindang, who also sat in this council. One can only imagine the spectacle this presented to the Chinese workers enduring the twin evils of occupation and Guomindang dictatorship as well as ruthless exploitation and poverty made constantly worse by hyper-inflation. The effect would not be dissimilar to that of the discrediting of social democracy in contemporary Western society in the eyes of the working class.
In total contradiction with this was Lenins method, which always warned most sharply against alliances and illusions in liberalism, the nice face of the regime of capitalist dictatorship, the most dangerous of advisers are those liberal friends of the workers who claim to be defending their interests, but are actually trying to destroy the class independence of the proletariat and its organisation. (Lenin, The Liberals Corruption of the Workers, 1914)
At the same time, Zhou Enlai was invited to attend the Guomindang National Executive Congress...he was even appointed Deputy Minister of Political Training in the army, maintaining the post until 1940, though its attributions were entirely honorific (Guillermaz, op cit., our emphasis). In other words, the leading Communist Zhou Enlai accepted political and moral responsibility for the bourgeois Guomindang dictatorship without even gaining the consolation of a little control of the army!
It is interesting to note that at exactly the same time as this, the Stalinists in Spain (along with the Anarchists) were participating in another bourgeois government to save the country from the threat of fascism. In both cases the tactic led to the negation of any effective working class based resistance to fascism, whether foreign or native.
Finally, the CCPs self-debasement in favour of liberalism was completed when it enthusiastically lent support to the US governments proposals for liberal reform in China in 1944, taking the opportunity to flatter the American imperialists at the same time by heap[ing] lavish praise on the American democratic tradition (Schram, op cit.) - despite the fact that at this time, as previously and as they would do in the civil war after Japans defeat, the US continued to arm and support the Guomindang against the CCP. Just before they agreed a project with US General Hurley for liberal democratic reform (on terms agreeable to US imperialism of course), the CCPs Liberation Daily wrote that: Democratic America has already found a companion, and the cause of Sun Yat Sen a successor, in the Chinese Communist Party and the other democratic forces (quoted in Schram, op cit.).
This reveals the full extent of the CCPs descent into opportunism in the late 1930s on the eve of the war that would decide Chinas fate and put all political and class forces to the test. With this understanding of the programme of the CCP and the alliance of political forces, we must now evaluate the playing out of the Second Sino-Japanese War not only so that we can better understand the background to the peculiar revolution of 1949, but also so that we can understand what could have happened had the party had a Marxist programme and leadership.
The Sino-Japanese War
If the Japanese leadership had not planned the Marco Polo Bridge Incident which sparked the full-scale war, they didnt let that show. By October, only three months after the war started, the Japanese had already reached the most westerly point of the entire war.
They succeeded in totally destroying Chinas air force in only a few weeks, which enabled them to mercilessly bomb civilians for the remainder of the war with no threat to themselves, like shooting fish in a barrel (Guillermaz, op cit. pp287). Between 1939 and 1941, the temporary capital of free China, Chongqing, was bombed 268 times, with 4,400 being killed in the first two raids (Eastman, op cit.). Within a year Japan had effectively taken control of all the lucrative areas of China it desired - that is the industrially developed and agriculturally productive North and East of the country. In a number of key battles that were all over by the end of 1938, the Japanese brutally crushed any hopes of an effective Guomindang led resistance.
Losing 15 of 18 Provinces
We have argued that a far more effective means of fighting the Japanese would have been to organise a revolutionary war of resistance by mobilising the hundreds of millions of Chinese workers and peasants on a socialist programme to make the occupation impossible. Given that the CCP sacrificed this perspective for one of collaboration with the militarily stronger but politically reactionary Guomindang, it is our duty to honestly assess the calibre of this fighting force with which the CCP had allied at such great political cost.
Evidently, the Guomindang did not match up well to the Japanese since it only took the latter twelve months to achieve all it wanted - the control of North and East China and the total destruction of the Chinese air force. The anti-Japanese united front for which Mao argued so vociferously failed spectacularly to defend China. But how and why?
Part of the reason for Japans rapid success was Chiang Kai Sheks cruel contempt for the Chinese people. Despite Chiangs nationalism, these hundreds of millions never entered his plans as Chinas greatest force for resistance. Anticipating the war he argued in 1935 that even if we lose 15...of the 18 provinces of China proper, with Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces in our control we will definitely beat any enemy (quoted in Eastman, op cit.). Instead of spending the period from 1935 onwards to prepare the masses in the 15 other provinces to make the Japanese occupation impossible, he sacrificed those millions to Japans tender mercies with barely a fight.
The key northern cities of Beijing and Tianjin were taken with ease by Japan in only a few days in late July 1937 thanks to Japans already existing military occupation of Manchuria. Immediately after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Japan was able to mobilise 160,000 troops in Northern China in only a few weeks. The vital southern city of Canton (now Guangzhou) fell without a fight in October 1938.
The most graphic application of Chiangs policy of sacrificing the majority of China to the Japanese was his scorched earth policy in which he took the trouble to kill and destroy Chinese people and industry on behalf of the Japanese in order to make their occupation less feasible. For example, in November 1938, as the Japanese were approaching Changsha, capital of Hunan province, it was decided to set fire to the entire city to make its occupation strategically pointless and costly. Tragically, in their haste they started the blaze before everyone had evacuated, so not only was this historic city destroyed but so were the lives of 2,000 of its inhabitants.
A much worse incident had already taken place in June of 1938 on the Yellow River at Kaifeng, Henan province. Retreating from encircling Japanese forces, the Guomindang commanders hit upon the idea of destroying the entire valley behind them by diverting the great river in order to halt the Japanese. It worked rather too well, flooding 4-5,000 whole villages and leaving over two million homeless, destitute and without crops and food (Eastman, op cit.). Guillermaz even claims that millions of Chinese peasants died from the loss of harvest. It was a funny kind of national united front against Japan when the nationalists were often responsible for more death and destruction of Chinese than were the Japanese.
The Invasion of Shanghai and the Nanjing Massacre
Despite the policy of retreat and self-sacrifice (or rather, the policy of sacrificing the Chinese masses on their behalf), there were some instances of determined Guomindang led-fight backs and even victories in the early days of the war, however these often only sparked off a more vicious Japanese assault for which the Chinese were not prepared.
Only one month after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the Japanese found a pretext for invading the lucrative city of Shanghai when a Japanese lieutenant was killed by a Chinese guard in August 1937. The Japanese lost no time in seizing the excuse for an invasion with a front line of troops formed outside the city in a couple of weeks. Feeling that to lose Shanghai without a fight would be too politically humiliating, Chiang moved in roughly 300,000 soldiers to the city to fight the 200,000 of Japan (Guillermaz, op cit. p291). However despite not only their numerical superiority but also their enormous home advantage, the Guomindang army lost the battle with around 270,000 killed and by November were retreating from Shanghai.
History shows that an occupying force, even one of tremendous technical superiority, can have enormous difficulties in winning a war in a large city if its inhabitants are united in fighting against the occupation. Every building becomes a war zone, a potential hiding place for snipers and bombs, every citizen a potential soldier. It is therefore testament to the Guomindangs fear of and hostility to their own people, as well as their general ineptness and corruption, that they failed to hold Shanghai or make the Japanese occupation of it particularly difficult despite the fact that the latter had not even made plans to invade this far south. As Guillermaz points out (referring to later battles), the Japanese action was helped at a political level by the unpopularity of the nationalist troops who, underfed and undisciplined, laid waste countryside already hit by severe famine.
Had the CCP spent the decade since 1927 rebuilding a base in cities like Shanghai, campaigning against the bourgeois dictatorship of Chiang Kai Shek and for the need to wage a revolutionary war with Japan, they could have mobilised the working class of Shanghai (their original stronghold along with Canton) for a general strike and urban guerrilla warfare against this Japanese invasion.
But worse was to come from this defeat, for Chinese forces retreated in such a way as to give the Japanese open access to Nanjing, the then capital of free China, failing even to use the deliberately constructed concrete fortifications outside the city, which the Japanese entered on 13th December 1937. This was when the defenceless population suffered the infamous rape of Nanjing in which up to 300,000 civilians were raped and massacred, for which one of the chief perpetrators Prince Asaka was never tried. The methods of killing included burying alive and burning alive with kerosene (Eastman, op cit.).
The Guomindang government fled Nanjing and set up a temporary command in Hankou (now part of Wuhan) before reestablishing the national government in Chongqing, which would remain the capital until the end of the war.
The Character of Chiang Kai Sheks Military
If war is a continuation of politics by other means, than it is no surprise to find the Guomindangs army was as corrupt, inefficient, inept and exploitative as was his political tutelage.
We have already explained the reasons for the corruption and degeneracy of Chiangs regime. In summary, despite being a so-called party of national unity and modernisation, because in coming to power it had to base itself on Chinas weak and corrupt bourgeoisie in order to defeat the working class-led revolution, the party sunk into the worst backwardness. It abandoned itself to the most reactionary forces, in particular landlordism and warlordism, since those were the ones who were allies against the CCP.
Thus Chiang maintained his power by balancing between, flattering and bribing the archaic local warlords and the most corrupt speculative capitalists. His regime had to be one of corruption because its power base was an inherently corrupt class. He had no independent power to unite the country, and so it actually became more divided into competing warlord fiefdoms than before. Frequently, when his power loomed too large above those of his lords, they would forge alliances against him, and he would have to bribe one or the other with promises of political influence. Chiang very much resembled a feudal king or chief thief sitting uneasily atop many lesser thieves.
Given that Chiangs power was based on that of local warlords, it is unsurprising that such corruption and disunity found its sharpest expression in the military and the war against Japan.
Many Chinese commanders were hesitant and cowardly. Most of them had enjoyed regional autonomy too long to risk their lives and power merely at Chiang Kai Sheks command. Governor Han Fuju, for example, ignominiously abandoned Shandong province to the Japanese, although he, in contrast to most, paid for his disregard of Chiangs orders with his life. He was executed in January 1938...It was not, however, a united, national army, but a coalition of armies which differed in degrees of loyalty to the central government as well as in training, equipment and military capabilities...Long Yun, governor of Yunnan, for example, resisted central government encroaches upon his provincial power...Governor Yan Xishan, commander of the Second War Zone in North China and vice chairman of the Military Council, ruled his native Shanxi as an autonomous satrapy. He prohibited units of the Central Army from entering his war zone...since 1941, Yan had even maintained close and amiable relations with the Japanese. (Ibid).
Eastman points out that from non-Central Chinese armies, 12 generals defected to the Japanese in 1941, 15 in 1942 and 42 in 1943, taking with them around 500,000 troops who were now used against the Guomindang and, in the main, the CCP! And of course we cannot leave out the most infamous of all desertions, that of Wang Jingwei, who in 1927 was trumpeted by the CCP as the leader of the Guomindangs left wing and a reliable ally for the Communists. In 1938 he deserted the Guomindang and by 1940 was installed as the leader of Japans puppet Reorganised National Government of China based in Nanjing.
As with all gangster politicians, Chiang demoted or minimised the influence of the few generals with actual talent since they posed a threat to his power with their independent ideas and incorruptibility. The others were promoted precisely because they were mediocre or came from powerful warlord backgrounds but typically with no idea how to fight a modern war - nor the desire to do so. The epitome of this was reached when in 1944 Roosevelt demanded that Chiang place the US general Stilwell in full command of the war effort since Chiang and his commanders could not be relied upon, and instead Chiang sent Stilwell back to America, understanding this as a mortal threat to his own power. Stilwell was replaced by General Wedemeyer, who quickly drew the same conclusions and hit the nail on the head when he described Chiangs commanders as incapable, inept, untrained, petty...altogether inefficient.
Class exploitation in the Military
What they lacked in talent, determination and unity, they made up for in the art of exploitation and cruelty for their own troops. All males between 18 and 45 were subject to military conscription, however
recruitment was left in the hands of the local gentry [again revealing Chiangs complete dependence on these anachronistic classes and lack of any real national state apparatus], which meant that al the relatively well-off families escaped conscription. Consequently the poorest and physically weakest sections of the population found themselves herded into primitive depots, and then had to cover several hundred or thousand kilometres on foot to join their units. Out of 1,670,000 men conscripted in 1943, 750,000 never reached their destination. (Guillermaz, op cit., p302, our emphasis)
In many cases peasants were simply rounded up without any formal conscription process taking place. Guillermaz quotes General Wedemeyer on the realities of conscription, Conscription comes to the Chinese peasant like famine or flood, only more regularly - every year twice - and claims more victims. Famine, flood, and drought compare with conscription like chicken pox with the plague.
Eastman adds more horrific details to the treatment of peasant conscripts,
Frequently the recruits were tied together with ropes around their necks. At night they might be stripped of their clothing to prevent them from sneaking away. For food, they received only small quantities of rice, since the conscripting officers customarily squeezed the rations for their own profit. For water, they might have to drink from puddles by the roadside - a common cause of diarrhoea. Soon, disease coursed through the conscripts bodies. Medical treatment was unavailable, however, because the recruits were not regarded as part of the army until they had joined their assigned units...Within a month [of General Wedemeyers appointment] he realised that the soldiers were too weak to march and were incapable of fighting effectively, largely because they were half starved...An American expert, who in 1944 examined 1,200 soldiers from widely different kinds of units, found that 57% of the men displayed nutritional deficiencies that significantly affected their ability to function as soldiers.
Unsurprisingly, not only did millions of soldiers die from starvation and disease - more than from fighting the Japanese - but in many cases over half the soldiers in a given unit would desert - sometimes to the CCP, others just fled in desperation. It is genuinely not an exaggeration to say that during the Sino-Japanese war, the most fearful and directly harmful enemy of the Chinese people was their own Guomindang government (and the class it represented).
This is the reality of the regime established by Chinas successful bourgeois revolution of 1927. It is undeniable proof that the Chinese bourgeoisie, to the extent it even existed, was incapable of taking society forwards or even holding it together. This was a rotten, bedraggled and crisis ridden regime ripe for the overthrow. We believe we have shown enough evidence of corruption, cruelty, ineptness and disunity to prove that the CCPs about-face and silencing of all anti-Guomindang propaganda was profoundly wrong. The united-front was clearly a farce because the Guomindang could not even hold together its own army to fight Japan, not to speak of the way it ran the economy and exploited the working class (more on that soon).
And yet despite finding itself unable to organise an army worthy of the name, it did manage to keep one generals forces well fed and trained - those of General Hu Zongnan, because it was his troops that in the early 40s - whilst the united front was still being practiced by the CCP - that were charged with containing the CCPs forces in the north. At times in the war Chiang committed as many as 500,000 of his best troops to blockading the CCPs bases, especially after the Guomindangs treacherous role in the New 4th Army Incident, which will be explained in part III. Throughout the war Chiang deliberately held back the anti-Japan war effort in order to save his forces for a future struggle to wipe out the CCP. This fact says everything about the sincerity of the Guomindangs alliance with the CCP to defeat Japan.
The united-front was always a fiction dreamt up in Moscow and imposed onto the Chinese reality, because for Stalin the CCP was not an agent of the Chinese revolution but a bargaining chip in his negotiations with Chiang Kai Shek. This is underlined by the fact that the USSR signed a treaty of nonaggression [with Chiang Kai Shek] on August 21, 1937, sent aid of about $300m to the Nationalists, and stationed as many as 500 military advisors and pilots with them, though none with the Communists, so far as is known. All this aid reportedly led Mao to query in December, 1937, If so much could be given to Chiang Kai Shek, why could we not get a small share? Why indeed.
The Literal Bankruptcy of Chiang Kai Sheks Regime
The same ossified, fractured approach to the war effort was the defining characteristic of Chinas economy in this period. Social and economic life was choked by an intolerably corrupt, short sighted and grasping bureaucracy taking advantage of the absence of a strong capitalist class able to control the state. This state of affairs, already firmly entrenched by the ten years of Chiangs rule before 1937 fed off itself in a vicious circle; the dead end of Chinese capitalism and all pervasive corruption it caused only further encouraged those with the ability to fleece the state, workers, peasants and anyone else to do so with abandon.
Faced with a Japanese blockade of what was already an extremely sickly economy, the government increased its issuance of currency over 700 fold from 1937 to 1945; as a result average prices rose over the same period by a multitude of 2,395! There are a number of reasons why price rises were around three times as high as the increase in currency; the main one was most likely the huge decline in industrial output after Japan took possession of the most productive cities, meaning that supply could not meet demand. Industrial production fell to below 12% of the prewar level. As well as the loss of factories to Japan, within Guomindang controlled China 82% of factories folded due to a particularly short-sighted boom in 1939-40 (Eastman, op cit.). Farmers in turn started to hoard grain as they had lost confidence in the currency, the resulting lack of grain naturally caused this staple commodity to rise in price, worsening the inflation.
Additionally, during the 1930s the rural economy suffered under the iron fist of Chiang, who imposed compulsory labour onto the peasantry that benefited the rich landowners, and the brutality of this experience forced them into striking (Bianco & Lloyd, Peasant Movements, Cambridge History of China volume 13, p290). Agricultural production worsened still thanks to the Japanese invasion, especially from 1942 onwards, further impoverishing both rural and urban workers (Myers, The Agrarian System, Cambridge History of China volume 13, pp267-9).
Indeed the effects of this on the working class were devastating, as wages failed to rise by anything like this amount, a fact which Eastman perversely celebrates as the one success of Chinas hyper-inflation, the consequences of inflation were not all negative. During the eight years of war, for example, real wages of workers rose only during 1938; thereafter, to the benefit of employers, they declined. The destitution of the working class is always a silver lining for the capitalists when enduring a crisis!
With rampant inflation came rampant speculation, which had always been the chief vice of Chinas capitalist class (see the above linked article), diverting investment from productive activity: investors made substantially larger profits simply by storing the cotton than by chancing long term investment in mills that processed cotton (Ibid). 86% of liquid capital went into speculation as opposed to real investment in 1944!
Thanks to all this, from 1937-45 industrial workers real wages fell by more than half! Roughly the same figure applies to rural workers, although farmers who owned their land only saw their incomes fall by around 20%. But extraordinarily, the real wages of civil servants, university workers and professors and soldiers all fell by around 90%! (Ibid). The poverty of soldiers, professors and civil servants is explicable by the governments austerity drive to counter the costs of inflation on war expenditure, and in the case of the civil servants also gives an insight into why corruption became so rampant.
We apologise for the lack of a discussion of the CCPs analysis, propaganda and political intervention regarding this dire economic situation and class exploitation, but thanks to its alliance with Chiang Kai Shek and its absorption in rural and military survival, the CCP said and did little or nothing about this state of affairs. Consequently it failed to make political headway amongst urban workers, students and professors.
Rapidly spiralling prices, which the government had failed to anticipate, forced a reaction. In 1941 it started to scratch around for tax revenue to pay for the war. Thus it fell back on the hated likin tax (again, please see above linked article), one of the most economically depressing taxes possible, as well as other ingenious taxes like the contribute-sandals-to-recruits tax, the comfort-recruits-families tax, the train-antiaircraft-cadres tax, and the provide-fuel-for-garrisoned-troops tax! (Fairbank & Goldman, China: A New History, p314).
For the same reasons the government also pursued a harsh austerity agenda. Through measures like holding down the wages of government employees during extreme inflation and cutting back on government support for industry, the government actually reduced its real expenditure during the war by more than three quarters, despite having to feed a huge army! Although, as we have seen, it barely fed the soldiers if it could help it.
Bureaucratic Capital
Far from uniting the working class with the bourgeoisie, the rigours of the war revealed the bourgeoisies rotten, self-serving and venal characteristics, preferring as it did to use the chaos of war to speculate and hoard, driving millions to starvation. Wartime, more than any other, demands the superiority of a collective plan and unified effort to overcome what are profoundly social questions. Such an effort and coordination was far beyond the capacities of a class raised on a diet of usury and easy money.
Whereas the planned economy of the USSR was able, despite all its bureaucracy, to move the key war industries in a short space of time from European Russia to behind the Urals, the anarchic Chinese capitalists failed in their equivalent task. Despite the governments bribery of guaranteed 5-10% profit rates for 7 years, plus low interest rate loans and free factory sites for capitalists who moved their factories into the interior far away from the Japanese, only 120,000 tons of equipment ever got moved, far less than both what was available to be moved and what needed to be moved. [M]ost industrialists and financiers felt little or no personal involvement in the cause of Chinese resistance...They did not allow patriotism to dull their business instincts. (Eastman, op cit.). And yet the CCP remained wedded to this patriot class right to the end of the war.
Indeed the failures of the capitalist class in the war forced the government to play the leading economic role long before the CCP nationalised the means of production after 1949. By 1942 the state controlled 17.5% of all factories, 70% of all capital, 32% of workers and 42% of horsepower (ibid). This tendency towards statisation of Chinese capitalism is important to note for the later discussion on exactly why - contrary to their stated aims and perspectives - the CCP proceeded to expropriate capitalism after taking power. It also forms important evidence in our argument that the alliance with the bourgeoisie was totally unjustified for it lacked the capacity to and interest in taking China forwards.
Of course, this had been obvious ever since the bourgeoisie backed Chiang Kai Shek to become the dictator of China. His autocracy was the political expression of the same inability of Chinese capitalism to develop the productive forces that forced the government to play an increasingly large economic role. The terms of the CCPs deal with Chiang was that his regime would gradually reform itself into a democratic one in which the CCP could legally participate, and yet in 1939 the Military Affairs Commission, chaired by Chiang, arrogated to itself all administrative functions of government, making Chiangs control direct for every aspect of Chinas life.
Chiang Alienates the Imperialists
Given the basket case of China under Chiang Kai Shek, the British and American imperialists were in 1939 giving serious thought to forging an alliance with Japan, which they correctly estimated as being so much stronger than China that it might be worth abandoning the latter. The British, perhaps understanding how rotten and unpopular Chiangs regime was, even wanted to wait to see if Wang Jingweis Japanese puppet regime in Nanjing might manage to be more popular than that of Chiangs before choosing whether to back China or Japan. However these designs were scuppered by Japanese intransigence with regard to British and American interests in China (Akira Iriye Japanese Aggression and Chinas International Position, Cambridge History of China volume 13, pp525-6). The imperialists had no concern for the plight of the Chinese masses under the heel of Japan and only sided with China to protect their narrow interests there, and in the hope that China could be used in an American dominated post-war setup to contain Russia and grind Japan and Germany into the ground.
With China apparently an important inclusion in the schemes of the imperialists, the egotistical Chiang began to fantasise that this had elevated China into one of the worlds great powers. In reality Chinas lying prostrate in the face of Japanese imperialism meant that it required the American and British imperialists, who were concerned about the Japanese threat to their interests only, to fight the battle on its behalf. We have already seen how the Chinese capitalists were not prepared to lead the fight themselves, economically or militarily. Chiangs foolish delusion that having the US fight on his behalf (whilst he concentrated on the CCP) would mean the future elevation of China at the hands of the US led to increasing frustration from the US, to the point where they refused Chiangs government a $1bn loan and considered supporting the CCP more (which they saw as the better fighters, and not really Communists anyway).
Chiang Kai Shek was a miserable, grasping and lazy leader only ever interested in the preservation of his own power. He staffed his army with incompetent generals simply because they were loyal, and concentrated his best troops not against Japan but the CCP. As disastrous as this was for the Chinese ruling class, they could have it no other way, for they had not the means to effectively resist Japan without arousing the masses to military activity, the last thing they wanted. Chiangs cowardice and preference for passivity in the war by banking on the US to fight on his behalf, and his determination to get the maximum for his regime from the US with the minimum disturbance to his kingdom, is the true political expression of a capitalist class born too late and with no role to play.
The CCP at war
For twenty two years after 1927 the comrades of the CCP knew of no state other than constant war. Physically liquidated from the cities in 1927-8, they fled to the countryside, where they suffered one extermination campaign after another by the Guomindang, forcing them to embark on the Long March in 1934. This exhausting state of affairs brought the party to near extinction (it certainly was enough to destroy its Marxist programme), a big factor in its forging an alliance with Chiang Kai Shek in 1936 to gain breathing space. And yet no sooner had this truce been signed when Japan launched an all out war with China, a war whose secondary motivation for the Japanese (after the exploitation of Chinese industry and raw materials) was the extermination of the communist threat.
Throughout this new and higher stage to the struggle, it must be noted that the CCPs successes and survival owed themselves to its politics and not its military. Despite its erroneous support for Chiangs dictatorship the party continued, at least to some extent, to be seen as the only genuinely anti-Japanese and anti-landlord force in China.
Beneath the surface of shoddy deals the CCP cadres continued to organise the peasants and dish out something resembling revolutionary ideas of a way out from endless poverty and exploitation. Of course, this was nothing as compared with what the party could have done had it retained political, revolutionary independence from the loathed Chiang regime. However it was something and that was enough to distinguish the CCP from the rest. In many cases the objective necessity for an independent left wing party was forced onto the CCP by events themselves.
The Expansion of the Red Bases through Political Work
Throughout this war the CCPs headquarters, as agreed with Chiang, remained where they ended up after the Long March, in Yenan (now known as Yanan; we will use Yenan as this is the form of the name most closely associated with the CCP), Shaanxi province, north west of Chinas population centres.
Our thesis is that the CCPs strength lay in its political role as apparent liberator of the peasant masses and leader of the anti-Japanese and anti-Guomindang movement and not in its armed struggle. This is backed up by the fact that when the CCP concentrated not on fighting the Japanese or Guomindang, but concentrated on consolidating its bases, implementing its (admittedly somewhat mild) land reforms and recruiting and training cadres, it significantly expanded its membership and areas under its control. The Red Army fought no major battles for more than two years after late 1937, and its most rapid growth came during this period of relative calm, with the recruitment of up to 400,000 men into the Eighth Route Army and 100,000 into the New Fourth Army by 1940 (Harrison, The Long March to Power, p294).
Although the CCP forces managed to expand massively during the war, they were always playing catch up with the much larger and better equipped Japanese and Guomindang forces - in 1937 the Guomindang had around 1.5m troops in total, and the Japanese roughly 600,000, whereas the CCP had at most 100,000 - all of whom were worse equipped. The CCP expanded significantly, as the above figures suggest, but never nearly enough to catch up with the also expanding forces of their enemies.
The CCPs one advantage would always be its independent political role and ability to inspire its own troops and the wider peasant population with its propaganda and land distribution. During the years 1937-9, when it fought no major battles, its military forces increased not through military victories but through political expansion and recruitment. Without any battles taking place, the [Guomindang] government watched its rivals steady military and territorial expansion far outreach the three divisions of the Eighth Army and the eighteen districts in the Pien chu laid down by the agreement of September 1937...The population under communist control was to increase almost a hundredfold in eight years (Guillermaz, A History of the Chinese Communist Party 1921-49, p345). Between 1937 and 1940, the party membership increased from 40,000 to 800,000!
Thanks to its political influence the CCP managed to expand into areas far away from its headquarters in Yenan, setting up new soviet bases without military invasion. For example, it managed to recruit the remnants of anti-Japanese militias formed in the western Shandong province so that by 1943 the CCP controlled an area with 15 million inhabitants with a 500,000 strong militia (Harrison, op cit. p302). According to Guillermaz, from 1937 onwards the CCP even managed to maintain a force of up to 50,000 behind Japanese lines (Guillermaz, op cit. p308). Their effectiveness is proof of the military advantages the Red Army enjoyed thanks to its political basis, The teams were organised on the three in one principle - they were to fight as troops, to do political work on behalf of the government but to act like the common people in ordinary times. Military and political struggles thus went hand in hand...The armed work teams would appear or disappear unexpectedly in the very heart of the enemy occupied areas. Their whereabouts were known to the people all the time, but the enemy could never find them.
Naturally such political successes were profoundly uncomfortable for the Japanese and Guomindang alike, and therefore each square mile and military division gained by the CCP was pregnant with military conflicts. It is in fact not quite true that the CCP fought no battles whatsoever between 1937 and 1939, for in September 1937 Lin Biaos 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army distinguished itself in a joint strike with the Guomindang on Japanese forces at the Battle of Pingxingguan in Shanxi province, capturing 1000 weapons and 100 vehicles and inflicting around 500 casualties on the Japanese (Ibid, p308). A similar, smaller scale success was achieved shortly after nearby. These were however ultimately insignificant and involved few CCP forces.
They did however allow the CCP to establish the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei military zone on the basis of these victories, since Guomindang officials had left the area with the Japanese defeat (Harrison, op cit. p299). Out of this zone the CCP managed to form the Chin-Cha-Chi Border Region government, which involved a great many local residents in its administration who were not in the CCP. This government was very successful in organising the peasant masses of this region into womens, youth and self-defence organisations, and in educating them and establishing medical facilities, and consolidated itself by recruiting disaffected Manchurian Guomindang troops and commanders who had disobeyed Chiangs orders (we mustnt forget that the Japanese had long established a colonial regime in Manchuria, to which Chiangs regime had completely acquiesced, causing Manchurians to be much more sympathetic to the CCP than most).
It was strong enough to resist the Japanese counter-attack which involved the burning to the ground of this governments capital in March 1938. Following the capture of another region further to the south by other CCP forces with the aid of local activists, the CCP was able in July 1941 to establish a much larger government linking these two and other bases in Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and Hunan provinces, despite intense Japanese attacks (Ibid, pp301-2). These successes caused not only frictions with the jealous Guomindang but were part of the cause of the complete breakdown of relations between the two parties, more of which later.
The Conditions Behind CCP Lines in the Sino-Japanese War
There were however severe economic and military difficulties implicit in this strategy of forming politically independent rural bases. We have analysed at length the economic and political realities of such rural submergence in our previous series of articles ( http://www.marxist.com/chinese-comminist-party-1927-37-part-4.htm) , (http://www.marxist.com/chinese-comminist-party-1927-37-part-5.htm), and later in this series we will look more closely at the limitations of the peasant movement and how this conditioned the opportunist programme on which the party rose to power.
Nevertheless it should be pointed out here that the new administrative systems [of the newly conquered areas] had great difficulty in gaining a foothold and their power was precarious right to the end. As the region was important both strategically and politically, the Japanese felt obliged to purge it from time to time. Cleaning up campaigns...acted as a deterrent to the inhabitants, who as far as possible avoided taking part in elections, with the risks they involved (Guillermaz, op cit. p311).
In a moment we will take a look at both these attacks and others from the Guomindang. Before we do so, we must note that the effect on the CCP of having to maintain a viable administration responsible for leading the economic life of millions of peasants and landlords etc. Generally, the rural areas most revolutionary were those most densely populated and fertile, for these had the highest, most exploitative rents. The logic of taking administrative and military responsibility for certain areas, against constant attacks from two militarily stronger powers, politically consumed a party which had already lost all trace of proletarian politics and obliged it to seek solace in non-revolutionary areas and layers of the population (see Bianco and Lloyd, Peasant Movements, in The Cambridge History of China Volume 13 p324)
The CCPs forces had therefore to be constantly replenished by new recruits. Its survival depended on the fine quality of its cadres and its strict discipline (Ibid, p328), and yet these cadres were regularly being killed or absorbed in the tasks of bare survival. True, its effective propaganda conducted by ordinary people among other ordinary people who were their fellow-countrymen, in the language of their region or even their profession, could not fail to succeed among the Chinese (Ibid, p335), and thus furnished a regular supply of new faces. However, this propaganda was limited in scope by the shackled political programme of the CCP we have discussed above.
The rapid turnover in membership and the influx of rural recruits lacking any political experience in organisations of their own (unlike the working class, who have experience in trade unions), led Mao in 1937 to decry the tendency towards warlordism in the Eighth Route Army, many of whose members have become unwilling to submit strictly to Communist Party leadership, [and] have developed individualistic heroism (quoted in Guillermaz, op cit. p329). Mao therefore stressed that the Red Army must oppose the danger in which the military does not obey the political and that the army must be one led by the proletariat (Ibid, p329). But that was exactly the problem - thanks to Moscows shortsighted strategy, to which Mao adapted so well, the party had long ceased to have any relation to the proletariat, and the army could in no way be led by anything other than the largely petty bourgeois individuals at the top of the CCP.
These very problems, inherent not only in submerging the party in a rural environment, but even more so in attempting to establish on that basis an alternative government under constant siege, were to lead in the early 1940s to the Zhengfeng or Rectification Campaign as the party leadership struggled to keep control of this band of roving-rebels. In this campaign around 10,000 were killed and was the precedent for the Cultural Revolution more than twenty years later.
The Hundred Regiments and Three Alls Campaigns
The CCPs enormous gains in northern central China described above were as mentioned causing serious concern amongst both Japanese and Guomindang leaders. Their fears were proved correct when the CCP launched its biggest and most successful (unless we count its consequences, as we shall see) military campaign of the entire war period, ending its period of peaceful advance. This is known as the Hundred Regiments Campaign, and it lasted from August to December 1940 and involved 400,000 CCP led troops against roughly 290,000 Japanese. The fighting spanned five provinces in northern central China.
It is difficult to assess the damage inflicted by the CCP onto the Japanese forces, as both sides claimed (and still claim) wildly divergent figures. There is no doubt however that the initial battles were an enormous success for the CCP, with tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers killed and much of the Japanese military infrastructure destroyed. The ability of the CCP armies to fight head on a far more well equipped and trained imperial army is testament to the incredible growth of CCP forces from their political work and organisation, as well as their tactical nous.
Nevertheless the true results of this military adventure once again underline the futility of the strategy of armed rural struggle and further justify our contention that the CCP should have stuck to clandestinely recruiting workers in the cities with socialist propaganda. For ultimately the CCP was and always would be powerless in the face of the Japanese army, which maintained complete freedom of action at a strategic level (Ibid, p332).
This harsh fact was proven by the Japanese counter-attack to the Hundred Regiments Campaign, which was aptly named the Three Alls Policy - standing for kill all, burn all, loot all. Since the Japanese imperialists managed to so succinctly sum up the character of their invasion of China, I think it is only reasonable to suggest that their entire invasion of China and other countries be known by this name.
There was a calculated purpose behind such an indiscriminate strategy of literally killing, burning and looting everything within areas associated with the CCP, which, as with all ultra-reactionary and counter-revolutionary campaigns, was to punish the masses for daring to pose a political challenge to the status quo and to traumatise them into never doing so again. In particular, the aim of this campaign was to drain the water from the Communist fish (Harrison, op cit. p301) - in other words, to so effectively massacre the rural poor that the CCP could have no social basis in this region. According to Mitsuyoshi Himeta the death toll of this vile campaign totalled more than 2.7m Chinese.
This campaign devastated the CCP in northern central China, and the CCP would not launch another campaign of any significance against Japan for the remainder of the war. Although the CCP did manage to recover their influence in the region around three years later, this was tellingly achieved through political action and propaganda, not military offensives. Not only would it have been possible, it would have been easier and far more effective to carry out this political propaganda had the CCP concentrated on work amongst the urban proletariat and, having won influence this way, among the rural poor. This would have freed the party up both politically and organisationally to campaign for the need to paralyse the Japanese occupation with strikes and for a government of the workers to carry out a revolutionary war against the Japanese.
Guomindang Betrayals
As if to underline the fact that the CCP had fallen into an opportunist trap by accepting the Guomindangs proposal for Zhou Enlai to be Deputy Minister of Political Training in early 1938 (as discussed in Part I), a few months later the very government in which leading Communist Zhou Enlai was now a minister dissolved a mass organisation [in Hankou] suspected of having strong communist sympathies. The Guomindang then rebuffed communist overtures towards forming a new inner block (Guillermaz, op cit. p348).
These (entirely inevitable and predictable) traitorous actions should have been taken as a sign that the Guomindang was planning an attack on the CCP. No quantity of overtures and second-rate ministerial portfolios could protect the CCP from the Guomindang, which only lulled the CCP into a false sense of security. In the spring of 1939, 300 CCP guerrillas were allegedly slaughtered in Shandong province by Guomindang forces (Brandt, Schwartz & Fairbank, A Documentary History of Chinese Communism, p240).
What the communists represented both to the poor and the rich was in itself enough to invite repression. CCP speeches were sufficient to whet the peasants appetite for land and freedom, but proved unable to put that genie back in its bottle when the CCP line changed. Nor for that reason could such acquiescence ever convince the Guomindang and the ruling class of the CCPs loyalty, especially when it had armed layers of the peasantry. Beneath the surface of the alliance the Guomindang was always maneuvering and strategizing to inflict mortal blows on the CCP. Different tendencies and factions within it proposed different ways to deal with the CCPs continuing popularity, including dissolving its bases in different provinces by dictat. Local armed clashes with the CCP began to increase and certain generals from Chongqing [the seat of governmental power since late 1938] were plotting with the Japanese to attack the CCP (Guillermaz, op cit. p315).
These tensions were caused by the very objective forces which the CCPs political allegiance with the Guomindang made it incapable of anticipating, explaining or consciously leading. Despite the formal alliance, these contradictory forces operated in and through these two parties because of their conflicting class bases. The political successes the CCP scored, particularly in Shanxi and around the western ends of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers as described above, by basing themselves on the peasant masses, made inevitable the Guomindangs betrayal of their alliance.
Rising tensions led to more numerous skirmishes until the barely suppressed conflict exploded in the New Fourth Army Incident in 1941 in precisely this geographical area. This was already presaged by the Pinzhiang and Zhukou Incidents in June 1939, in which the Guomindang raided the New Fourth Army and executed CCP members and their families (see Harrison, op cit. p305 & Kataoka, Resistance and Revolution in China: The Communists and the 2nd United Front, p233).
The New Fourth Army Incident
In June 1940 an agreement had been reached between the two parties that the CCP could keep its newly conquered bases in the northern part of central China, i.e. north of the Yellow River, so long as it abandoned the peasants of central China in between the two great rivers. Chiang could not tolerate the success of the CCP in this area and here attempted to exploit the CCPs opportunist policy. On the basis of this agreement, Chiangs representatives showed active hostility to CCP forces in the central China region they had now been ordered to evacuate (Schram, op cit. p218). Because of this, as they were leaving the area the CCP forces successfully attacked Guomindang troops encountered on the way.
This caused Chiang to hasten his demand that the CCPs New 4th Army evacuate the entirety of the area south of the Yellow River. For one reason or another, despite the vast majority of the army meeting the deadline, the 9,000 strong HQ force had failed to cross the river in time and in January 1941 it was ambushed and wiped out by the Guomindang. Following this, the Guomindang demanded the dissolution of the remainder of this strongest of CCP armies. This the CCP refused to do and the ensuing strengthening of the army ended the farce (though not officially) of CCP/Guomindang allegiance.
From a revolutionary point of view, we cannot help but conclude that the New Fourth Army Incidents taking place was a good thing precisely because it brought the infamous national united front to an ignominious conclusion. This is proven by the fact that following this incident the CCP continued its meteoric rise throughout China, so much so that arguably no single event in the entire Sino-Japanese war did more to enhance the Communists prestige vis- a-vis the Nationalists than the destruction of the New Fourth Army headquarters while it was loyally following orders (Johnson, Peasant Nationalism and Communist Power: The Emergence of Revolutionary China, 1937-1945, p140).
Once again we can see that the CCPs gains came not from military successes - indeed in this case its biggest success came from a defeat - but from its political role as the (perceived) opposition to a capitulationist government. In this case the objective forces, which required (and rewarded) such an opposition, were so strong that they were imposed onto the CCP against its will.
Interestingly, Mao, who was evidently under pressure from left wing critics inside the CCP, felt the need to explain that the New Fourth Army incident did not prove that the allegiance with the Guomindang was a mistake (see Mao, Conclusions on the Repulse of the Second Anti-Communist Onslaught, May 1941). He argued that the war with Japan meant that the primary contradiction of Chinese society was not a class one but a national one. In Maos article On Contradiction, he reveals his highly mechanical interpretation of dialectical materialism, whereby different contradictions supplant one another whilst remaining entirely unaffected and self-contained, like billiard balls knocking into each other. He uses this to justify the opportunism of allying with the Guomindang, for according to him the primary contradiction now being between China and Japan, the internal class contradictions of China are effectively negated. A real understanding of dialectics would teach the direct opposite - that Japans exploitation of China would happen through Chinas class system, making the two inseparable. The New Fourth Army Incident is merely one in a long list of examples where the Chinese ruling class proved that the dynamic of the Sino-Japanese war was the class struggle.
There is one final betrayal of their alliance by the Guomindang we ought to mention. In the remote province of Xinjiang the CCP struck a similar alliance with its warlord Sheng Shicai (who was not in the Guomindang) as its national alliance with Chiang. However, for the very same reasons as the New Fourth Army Incident, namely the CCPs gains in Xinjiang (along with Moscow ceasing to butter-up Sheng with arms), Sheng turned in 1942. He joined the Guomindang and arrested 600 Communists, many of which he then executed, including Maos brother.
And yet flying in the face of reality the CCP continued to articulate a thoroughly acquiescent and frankly liberal line with regards to the Guomindang. One would expect and hope it would use its repression at the hands of the Guomindang as the political justification for the need to overthrow the Guomindang to liberate China from both imperialism and its stooge the Chinese ruling class. Instead the leadership demanded in March 1942 only legal status for the CCP and the recognition by the government of its war efforts, including the request for more troops. Proving the utter failure of the attempt since 1936 to ally with the Guomindang, even these demands were rejected.
It is very interesting to note that the character of these demands is not only exclusively bourgeois-democratic, lacking a single social demand, but also in its demands for political liberty refers only to the CCP, not the Chinese working class and peasantry. There are no demands for political liberty or a constituent assembly. More than a decade of isolation in rural armed struggle found its expression in the CCPs inward looking demand for CCP, not Chinese, freedom.
When the Sino-Japanese war began in 1937, the CCP had already been an exclusively rural party for almost ten years. As we pointed out previously, this was an improvisation born out of the partys confusion at Chiangs power grab. By 1935, when Mao became the undisputed leader of the party, this improvisation and temporary retreat had been transformed into the partys raison detre.
The Peasants Sans CCP
According to Bianco and Lloyd, the revolutionary decade of 1922-31 saw no significant increase in all types of peasant disturbances - from theft of landlords property to local uprisings. The fluctuations that do occur seem only correlated to particular years in which there happened to be a good or bad harvest. Furthermore, the type of action taken remained in its traditional form - riots or petitions - and rarely if ever escaped a purely local horizon. Furthermore, they contend that in any case the total number of disturbances remain extremely small (Bianco and Lloyd, Peasant Movements, in The Cambridge History of China Volume 13, pp278-9).
The peasants, without the CCP would, quite simply, never have conceived the idea of a revolution thanks to their parochialism which overrode distinctions of class. The typical village, to which peasants narrow horizons and allegiances were restricted, was a socially heterogeneous community that villagers sought to protect against attacks from outside. This is attested by the frequent incidence of vertical movements resembling wars between different peoples rather than social warfare. As in a national war, the natural enemy is not the privileged member in ones community but the foreigner (Ibid, p302).
Bianco and Lloyd give many examples of movements in the early 1930s, around the time the CCP was embedding itself in this milieu, which were based exclusively on opposition to new taxes, not rent, and thereby could unite peasants and landlords, with the latter more often than not initiating and leading the movements. The character of such movements, more common than those aimed against rent and landlordism, are not progressive since they aimed to preserve local privileges in the tax system, chiefly to the benefit of the local landlords. Indeed, sometimes the wrongs against which the taxpayers rise up are purely imaginary. They suspect any project of fiscal reform...allow[ing] themselves to be incited into a revolt, which is harmful to their own interests, by a handful of large landowners practicing tax evasion on a large scale (Ibid, p284).
Throughout these movements, what is notable is the lack of a questioning of landlordism by its peasant victims: the principle of paying rent is almost never called into question (Ibid, p278). Along with hostility to new tax codes, most peasant disturbances were strictly local in the sense that they pitted one village or Xien against another. So one group of peasants, led by their landlord, would frequently fight those with the same conditions of poverty in a neighbouring village, because the latter had, say, dredged rivers to improve their crop, which threatened to flood the other village.
These conflicts, which Bianco and Lloyd argue should be known not as peasant but as rural disturbances due to their vertical social character, frequently had an extremely violent character. They were spontaneous, chaotic and unplanned explosions of rage with no political perspective attached to them. They were not prepared and the rebels do not appear to have had a strategy nor is there any discernable progression in the forms taken by the resistance. There was no fundamental questioning of the principle of tenancy, simply a protest against sudden changes in the status quo (Ibid, pp274-5). Instead of landlords or even local government leaders being attacked, it was usually their underlings, who were more visible to the peasants. Bianco and Lloyd insist that we cannot even speak of a rural movement (other than the CCPs army), only local flare-ups of fury.
The theory of Marxism has always explained that the peasantry can be an important ally of the revolutionary working class but can never politically lead. It must be led by a more organised and homogenous urban based class. This evidently applied to 1920s and 30s China, to the extent that Maos talk of the Sinification of Marxism due to Chinas special rural conditions and revolutionary peasantry must be rejected entirely. According to the evidence, the peasants themselves hardly ever take up arms offensively with a view to improving their lot.
The apparent peasant basis of the 1949 revolution is therefore an outcome not of peasant revolutionary initiative and elan, but of the CCPs dogged hiding out in its mountain fastness. The peasant revolts had nothing in common with the CCPs Red Army, which latter had a national political character that the former lacked entirely. They were generally conservative, more interested in rising up to maintain old privileges, against local rivals or the mysteries of the governments vicissitudes. They were not inspired by any overall vision of society nor questioned the bases of its organisation (Ibid, p303). It was precisely this parochialism and passivity that suited the CCP, because in the rural backwaters they were hard to find and suffered no danger of ambitious revolutionary demands from the politically passive peasants the Soviet bases administered. The rural submersion of the party was ideal for launching a military struggle but not a social and revolutionary one.
Wearing the Peasants Coarse Garb
As we shall see, the CCPs approach in the countryside resembled the discredited strategy of the Russian Narodniks of the 19th Century. It is a profound irony that the Chinese offshoot of the Communist International should repeat the mistakes of the Russian forefathers of the Bolsheviks, when it was precisely the learning and overcoming of these mistakes that produced the Russian Marxist organisation that in turn gave birth to the Communist International!
When Peng Pai, before he joined the CCP, experimented with a Chinese Narodnism in the early 1920s, he was initially, just like the Narodniks, rejected by the peasants as a strange outsider with grandiose and unrealisable goals. He found that he had to change his clothes and speech and enticed and entertained [the peasants] as a conjuror and magician, taught the children a song of his own composition, had them listen to a gramophone he had brought along, and put on a puppet show (Ibid, p308) in order to get them to take seriously his ideas of liberation.
Ten years later, the CCP found itself having to perform similar routines each time they settled in a new rural location. Because of the completely rural base of the party, the CCP was obliged to send any workers or intellectuals it recruited in the cities to the countryside. Whereas in the cities they would have been able to carry out political work quite naturally, Mao explained the requirements of their work in the countryside: they should enthusiastically go to the villages, exchange their students clothes for the coarse garb of the peasants, start willingly from the bottom...help awaken the peasants...and fight for the completion of the extremely important task in Chinas democratic revolution - the rural democratic revolution (Mao, < On Coalition Government<, April 1945).
Despite these efforts, the CCP leadership regularly found that the organisations of peasant liberation and awakening they had set up, when left on their own, frequently pursued policies quite different from the Party line and resented the directions of outsiders, whatever their politics (Harrison, < The Long March to Power<, p312). It is quite clear that the contradiction between the self-appointed leadership of the rural revolution in the CCP and the peasants themselves was never overcome. This relationship is in stark contrast to that of a Marxist organisation and the working class, since the aim of the former is always to win the confidence of the workers not by dressing up as them but by being part of and giving voice to the already existing class struggle. Marxists recruit, and themselves often are, workers. They do not parachute in members from elsewhere to occupy and administer workers districts!
Indeed the CCP sent vast swathes of its recruits away from the cities in which they were recruited, thus negating any potential they may have presented for building a permanent urban working class base for the party. They used the legal openings gained through the allegiance with the Guomindang not so much to begin building in the cities but to set up within them Communist Liaison Offices to facilitate the emigration of volunteers to Yenan (Guillermaz, A History of the Communist Party 1921-49 , p348). Peng Shuzi, an early leader of the CCP before being expelled for Trotskyism, stresses that the CCP did everything possible to encourage the most active elements of the working class to leave the struggle in the cities and join the peasants in the countryside. It was for precisely this reason that while the CCP considerably increased its armed peasant forces during the Resistance War, its influence remained extremely weak among the worker masses of the cities (Peng, The Causes of the Victory of the Chinese Communist Party over Chiang Kai-Shek, and the CCPs Perspectives).
The environment into which these workers and urban intellectuals were taken was one of extreme poverty and backwardness. As with the pre-Long March bases in Jiangxi and especially the Jinggangshan, Yenan made an effective base precisely because it was so barren and therefore hard to penetrate and considered strategically irrelevant by the Guomindang. Here CCP comrades, including leaders, were forced to live in caves carved into the cliffs. The area at the time had an estimated 60% infant mortality rate, 1% literacy rate, the death of up to 2.5m people (one-third of the provincial population), and the migration of another half-million in the catastrophic famine of 1927-30 (Harrison, op cit., p310).
Because the Guomindang suspended its subsidy of $100,000 per month (part of the united front agreement) in 1940 due to the above discussed breakdown in the alliance, the CCP was obliged to increase the tax burden on the Shaanxi population it was occupying, especially of the peasants (Ibid, p316). In other CCP bases inflation rose to even higher than in Guomindang controlled areas, but this failed to take place in Yenan as the economy was largely a barter one!
As described in more detail our previous series, the bare struggle to survive in these remote conditions absorbed the partys attention to the detriment of its political and theoretical development - although it must be said that the biggest obstacle in that respect was not the rural conditions but the non-revolutionary programme. As a result the number of leaders with
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The MassMutual headquarters in Springfield at night.
((DAVE ROBACK / THE REPUBLICAN).)
This story updates and expands upon: 'A milestone event in the 165-year history of MassMutual': Springfield insurance giant buys sales network from MetLife
SPRINGFIELD -- MassMutual Financial Group's purchase of MetLife's distribution network of sales representatives could make the Springfield-based financial services giant the largest writer of new life insurance policies in the country.
MassMutual sold $483 million in whole life insurance in 2015 while Metlife sold $290 million worth of all types of life insurance, including $90 million in whole life policies, MassMutual said Monday following the announcement of the deal.
The combination of the two agent networks will make MassMutual No. 1 for life insurance sales in the country and No. 2, behind Northwestern Mutual Life, when it comes to the whole life policies MassMutual considers its core business, said Michael R. Fanning, executive vice president of MassMutual's U.S. Insurance Group.
Whole life is an insurance policy that provides for insurance coverage of the contract holders for their entire lives. This is different from term life, which covers the contract holder up to a specific age limit. A whole life policy never runs out.
"It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said of the MetLife deal.
The purchase represents roughly 20 percent growth for MassMutual. "This is clearly a growth story for us," Fanning said. "It is a transition that reposition's our business for decades to come. It truly is a distribution powerhouse."
MetLife, a publicly traded company based in New York City, announced earlier this year that it would divest itself of part of its business in order to avoid being labeled as "too big to fail" by federal regulators, according to published reports.
If labeled too big to fail, MetLife would have to carry more capital to back up its business operations, something it did not want to do. The regulations grew from the 2008 financial crisis.
In the MetLife transaction announced Monday, MassMutual gets more than 40 local sales and advisory operations and approximately 4,000 advisers across the country.
They will add to MassMutual's network of 5,800 Career Agency System advisers. These are not MassMutual employees, but independent contractors with the ability to sell MassMutual products. The same will be true of the agents coming from MetLife.
Also under the deal, MassMutual will get MetLife's affiliated broker-dealer, MetLife Securities Inc., and certain assets associated with the MetLife Premier Client Group, including employee contracts.
Fanning said the combined sales network will be used to sell other MassMutal products, like retirement accounts and annuities.
"We believe we are the best company in terms of delivering holistic, insurance-based financial planning to customers," Fanning said.
The MetLife purchase is also MassMutual's way of preparing for new fiduciary rules the federal Department of Labor is expected to put out later in March. Those rules may change the way advice can be provided to retirement customers, Fanning said.
It's is a major issue for MassMutual, leading MassMutual chairman, president and CEO Roger Crandall to write an op-ed on the topic in late December.
On a combined basis, MSI and MassMutual's existing broker-dealer, MML Investors Services, LLC, will be among the nation's largest insurance company-owned broker-dealers. Additionally, as part of the agreement, approved MassMutual financial professionals will provide individual life insurance and annuity products through the MetLife PlanSmart Financial Education Series.
Some of the agencies share the same geographic market, but Fanning said it won't be a problem because no life insurer commands 10 percent of the market.
"There is plenty of opportunity in the local markets," he said.
Fanning didn't provide specifics when asked what impact this deal will have on MassMutual operations here in Springfield and in Enfield other than to say it will grow MassMutual as a whole.
"It is a transition that prepositions our business for decades to come," Fanning said. "It truly is a distribution powerhouse."
This MetLife deal is unrelated to news last week that MassMutual laid off approximately 5 percent of its 7,200-person workforce in Springfield and Enfield. The company said the cutbacks are part of a regular review of its business operations.
According to a news release, the MetLife transaction is expected to close by mid-2016 and is subject to certain closing conditions, including regulatory approval.
Founded in 1851, MassMutual is one of the region's largest private employers.
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The Grateful Hound, a boutique that specializes in retail for dogs, will open on Northampton's Main Street Thursday.
(Laura Newberry)
NORTHAMPTON -- Leash up Rover and prepare for a chew toy shopping spree, canine lovers. A husband-and-wife team are opening an environmentally conscious dog boutique in the space formerly occupied by Deals & Steals on Main.
The Grateful Hound at 114 Main St. will open Thursday, its owners say. Featured products include toys, treats, collars and grooming supplies for dogs and cats, as well as pet-oriented home decor.
John and Maggie Granquist, both in their mid-30s, launched their business in Savannah, Georgia in 2010. They built a loyal customer base at the store, as well as a wholesale operation for their bow-tie and flower dog collars. They started their own line of dog treats -- for example, their chicken jerky "Savannah Sticks" -- made from meat smoked in Georgia.
From left to right: Annette Granquist, Maggie Granquist, John Granquist and David Mundey inside The Grateful Hound on Northampton's Main Street, set to open Thursday.
"Customers just loved coming into the shop and finding something their dogs will love," said David Mundey, the company's sales and marketing manager. "Some people came by just to hang out."
But the coastal southern city was becoming too commercialized for their tastes, Maggie Granquist said.
"There used to be lot of mom-and pop-shops, and it was a really cool vibe," she said of Savannah. "But a major developer came in and bought up all these properties, put in a Victoria's Secret, H&M."
The Grateful Hound's lease was up in Savannah in 2016, so the Granquists decided to relocate last summer.
After careful research, they chose Northampton for a few reasons: the city's strong market for independent businesses, a good quality of life and schools for their two young children, and more retail space for less money. And Maggie Granquist grew up in nearby Newton, so she's familiar with the area.
There's also not much competition in the immediate area, John Granquist said, other than Dave's Soda and Pet City in Northampton and Hadley.
Maggie Granquist said their two rescue dogs test most of the products on their shelves.
"We really spend a lot of time and energy finding really unique and high quality products," shet said. "There's nothing that we carry that we aren't proud to sell."
The company's ethos has a heavy emphasis on environmentally friendly and healthy dog and cat toys. And all treats are made in the US, the owners said.
Pets are welcome in the store, they added, which has vinyl floors for easy cleanup. The Granquists said they're considering building a toy-testing area for pups.
The Grateful Hound will hold monthly "Yappy Hours" on weekend nights, for which people are encouraged to bring their pets, socialize and peruse discounted merchandise.
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Manny D. Rovithis, of Manny's TV and Appliance, is seen in one of the display kitchens in his Wilbraham store.
(Photo by Dave Roback / The Republican)
WILBRAHAM -- Manny's TV & Appliances is asking for the help of those in Western Mass to Feed 30,000 people in need this month.
For every appliance purchased at a Manny's store in March, Manny's will make a donation to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. The goal is to raise enough in donations to feed 30,000 people.
As the leader of the emergency food network in this region, The Food Bank provides healthy food to the pantries, meal sites, shelters, and other feeding programs that are on the front lines of emergency food assistance, playing a crucial role helping individuals, families, seniors and children.
The Food Bank of Western Mass provided meals to 211,000 individuals across four counties last year. They distributed nearly 10 million pounds of food to their member agencies in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties, providing approximately 8.25 million meals. This illustrates the urgent need for attention to hunger in our community.
Manny's is creating a conduit for the consumer to help fund this effort. Each purchase made at any Manny's store will generate a contribution to The Food Bank, providing more funds to gather food for those in need. You can contribute by making a purchase at any of Manny's stores in Wilbraham, Westfield, Hadley, Greenfield and Spofford, New Hampshire.
George Kennedy
In this April 10, 1968, file photo, George Kennedy poses with his Oscar in Santa Monica, Calif, after winning best supporting actor for "Cool Hand Luke."
(AP)
George Kennedy, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in "Cool Hand Luke" and co-starred in "The Dirty Dozen, died Sunday. He was 91.
Kennedy passed away at a care facility in Middleton, Idaho, a spokesman for the Canyon County, Idaho coroner's office told The Wrap on Monday.
Kennedy's grandson Cory Schenkel told TMZ that the Oscar-winner had been in failing health since the death of his wife Joan slightly more than a year ago, and had been in hospice care for a month.
Kennedy's more than 75 film credits included the four "Airport" films, "Naked Gun" comedies and the disaster film "Earthquake."
He starred in the TV series "Sarge" and "The Blue Knight." He also had a reoccurring role on the TV series "Dallas" as Carter McKay.
His final screen credit was in the 2014 movie "The Gambler" with Mark Wahlberg.
on the 20th century.jpg
The cast of Theatre Guild of Hampden's production of "On the Twentieth Century;" from left, Kevin Wherry, David Leslie, Ally Reardon, Gavin Mackie, Kathy Rayno and Brad Shepard.
WILBRAHAM Mark H. Giza first saw a production of "On the Twentieth Century" in Boston in 1978. It featured Madeline Kahn and the then-unknown Kevin Kline, and Giza thought the show would be a big hit; it moved to Broadway and won five Tony Awards that year.
Now the artistic director of Theatre Guild of Hampden is delighted to direct its production of "On the Twentieth Century," what he calls a "musical, rompy, madcap comedy."
The show follows struggling Broadway producer Oscar Jaffe and actress Lily Garland whom he helps become a great Broadway actress. But eventually she rebels and leaves for movie stardom in Hollywood.
When coincidentally they end up on the same Twentieth Century train back to New York, the bankrupt Jaffe tries to get her to work with him again.
Giza saw the revival of the show in New York in July; the 2015 Broadway production featured Kristin Chenoweth. "It was fabulous," Giza said. "And I'm a very picky person when it comes to theater."
He wants the local production to look like the "crazy, zany, screwball comedies of the Thirties," and he said the production features great dialogue and funny music. "It's going to be one of those evenings [for theatergoers] you can go with the whole family," he said.
Shifting from the dramas he has directed in the past, Giza said comedy is more difficult than drama. "You need actors with comic timing," he said.
Brad Shepard of East Longmeadow, a veteran Theatre Guild of Hampden actor, plays Owen O'Malley whom he described as a "half booze-soaked, long-suffering press agent for the outrageous impresario Oscar Jaffe."
He said he has loved the production since he first saw it on Broadway in 1978 and has since wanted to perform in a production of it. "I didn't think anybody would do it regionally," he said, because it's a challenging one to stage with music that is a "blend of traditional Broadway musical theater material that veers to operetta."
It's fun and a lot of work to be in the "1930s screwball comedy," he said, noting that his role is a comedy part that moves throughout the show.
Ally Reardon, 21, of Hampden, plays Lily Garland. "This is a role of a lifetime" for her, Giza said. "It's big."
Playing the same role as Chenoweth is "very intimidating" and daunting, Reardon said, noting that people have said Chenoweth was born to play the role. Though she did not see the Broadway production, she saw Chenoweth perform in a YouTube video and was "in awe."
Calling her a "bundle of talent and energy," she is absolutely suited to the role, Shepard said. "It's not easy material, but she is up to it."
This is Reardon's seventh role with Theatre Guild of Hampden; she also acted with the Drama Studio in Springfield from the time she was eight through high school, and she attended Marymount Manhattan College for a year to study musical theater.
Now pursuing a bachelor's degree in theater from American International College in Springfield, she hopes to be a performer. "I'm not sure what I want to do with my degree; I'll see where it takes me," she said, adding her appreciation for working with those involved in the Hampden acting company.
Giza praised Choreographer Kathleen Delaney for her work with "a lot of big tap numbers." This is the first time he has worked with Music Director Elisabeth Weber, whom he said is "excellent" in that role.
Giza founded the Theater Guild of Hampden in 2004; it is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality theater experiences to audiences of all ages.
"If you're going to pick a show, pick this one. It's not done to death around here" by numerous theater groups, Shepard said. "It's the first time it's being done around here. Think of it as off, off, off Broadway in Wilbraham."
"On the Twentieth Century" will be performed on March 4, 5, 11, 12 at 7:30 p.m. and March 6 and 13 at 2 p.m. at the Wilbraham Middle School in Wilbraham.
This is a change in venue from previous performances of the theatre guild. The new location seats about 300 and is handicap accessible.
Tickets are $20 and available online or at the door.
For tickets and more information, go to theatreguildofhampden.org.
RANDOLPH A Brockton man was killed after being thrown from a van involved in a rollover crash early Tuesday.
The fatal crash happened shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Route 24 south in Randolph, according to Massachusetts State Police officials, who continue to investigate.
Eduardo Semedo, 51, was one of two people in a Chevy van that struck a guardrail before rolling over and ejecting him from the vehicle. Semedo was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The other occupant, a 25-year-old man, sufferered serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, police said.
Authorities are still trying to determine who was driving at the time of the crash.
DUNSTABLE A teenager has been arrested in connection with a weekend stabbing at a house party in the Middlesex County town of Dunstable.
Aaron Fox, 18, of Pepperell, was arraigned Monday in Ayer District Court on charges of assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct. Fox is being held until a hearing later this week to determine if he's too dangerous to be released on bail.
The stabbing allegedly occurred at a Dunstable home early Saturday morning. "We do not believe this was a random act of violence. The victim and suspect appear to be known to each other," Dunstable Police Chief James G. Downes III said, calling the incident a "senseless act of violence."
Massachusetts State Police troopers assigned to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan's office are assisting with the investigation.
The teenage victim, who wasn't publicly identified by police, suffered serious injuries. Officers found him with multiple stab wounds when they responded to an Adams Street home around 3:45 a.m. Saturday.
Police rendered medical aid to the victim until he was taken by ambulance to Lowell General Hospital. He was later airlifted to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where he underwent emergency surgery. An update on his condition was unavailable.
Dunstable, Groton and Pepperell police searched the area and quickly located Fox near the intersection of Adams and Kemp streets, where he was taken into custody.
"Our officers responded swiftly and professionally to a violent crime in progress and were able to render aid to the victim while simultaneously securing the perimeter," Downes said.
It was rainy Saturday morning in 1874 when a massive stone-and-earth dam in the woods of Williamsburg gave way, sending 600 million gallons of water and a wall of debris plummeting into Haydenville and Leeds, killing 139 people and destroying factories and five villages along the Mill River.
The remains of that ill-fated dam still stand, but the site is hard for hikers to find because a private landowner has blocked access to the traditional trailhead at the end of Judd Lane in Williamsburg.
Now the city of Northampton, which owns the dam site as part of its drinking water protection land, may collaborate with Williamsburg to create a new trail to the site, and a contract between the two municipalities is up for a City Council vote on March 3.
Williamsburg selectman chairman David E. Mathers wrote to Northampton Mayor David J. Narkewicz on Dec. 10 to submit a formal proposal for a trail with parking off Ashfield Road that would follow the upper reaches of the Mill River through the woods to the dam site, skirting land owned by Christopher A. Joyner, who does not want people to cross his property.
Other private landowners have agreed to let the trail cross their property instead.
"The story of the flood is a formative story in our communities' history; unfortunately, access to the Williamsburg Reservoir Dam site, which tells so much of that story, has been off-limits to the general public due to private property concerns," Mathers wrote in his letter.
According to the proposed memorandum, Northampton will allow the construction and public use of the trail by the Williamsburg Woodland Trails Committee, which will monitor and maintain the path, including a wooden pedestrian bridge.
No motor vehicles will be allowed except by a separate agreement, dogs except service animals will be banned, and trail users will be prohibited from camping, entering streams, moving stones, or altering historic structures.
The agreement indemnifies both communities from claims arising from the use of the trail. Northampton has reserved the property for possible future water supply needs and sometimes conducts forestry operations there.
The Haydenville dam disaster was chronicled in an award-winning book by Elizabeth M. Sharpe in 2004 entitled "In the Shadow of the Dam: The Aftermath of the Mill River Flood of 1874."
The dam, completed in 1866, was 600 feet long and 43 feet high, holding back a 100-acre reservoir. It had been built by 11 manufacturers who formed the Williamsburg Reservoir Company.
An 1875 coroner's inquest blamed both the reservoir company and the Massachusetts Legislature. which chartered it, and further faulted the contractors who built the dam, the engineer who designed it, and the county commissioners who inspected and approved it, according to Sharpe's research.
The New England Historical Society has called the flood "a preventable tragedy." The event led to the adoption of dam safety regulations in Massachusetts and surrounding states.
"We hope you will look favorably upon this proposed project, and we invite you, your staff and your family to come experience the trail," wrote Mathers to Narkewicz.
The Northampton City Council will consider the petition at its Thursday, March 3 meeting, which starts at 7 p.m.
Andrew J. Wakewood sentenced in Hampshire Superior Court March 1, 2016
Andrew J. Wakewood, 32, of California, is sentenced in Hampshire Superior Court March 1, 2016. Also pictured is his attorney, Korrina Burnham, and a court officer.
(Rebecca Everett)
NORTHAMPTON -- A California man who swindled more than $15,000 from the Newman Catholic Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst confessed and will pay his penance, so to speak, in the form of restitution and four years probation.
Andrew J. Wakewood, 32, of Yucca Valley, California, pleaded guilty in Hampshire Superior Court Tuesday to a dozen counts of larceny over $250 by forgery, admitting that he forged checks from the center to pay off debts.
He has been jailed for 64 days since he was arrested in December in California and waived extradition.
Judge Richard J. Carey sentenced Wakewood to 64 days time already served and waived the rest of a 2 1/2-year house of correction sentence. Wakewood will also be on probation for four years, during which time he will have to pay $15,788 in restitution. The money will not go to the Newman Catholic Center, but to a bank and its creditors who made the center whole after the fraud was discovered.
The sentence was recommended as part of plea agreement worked out by Wakewood's attorney, Korrina Burnham of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, and First Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Steven E. Gagne.
In court Tuesday, both attorneys described Wakewood as a generally law-abiding man who made a bad decision when he found himself facing serious financial problems.
Gagne said the Newman Catholic Center in 2013 and 2014 purchased equipment online from Wakewood's company, JB Tool, and paid him each time by sending checks.
Wakewood apparently kept one of the checks, Gagne said. When he got into financial trouble, he recreated the checks and between February and March of 2015 used 12 of the forged documents to pay off his debts to credit card companies and suppliers of his business.
"He fell into some dire financial straights," Gagne said. "And unfortunately, he just dug the hole deeper."
Gagne said Wakewood has already been punished, in a way, in that he was arrested at his home in front of his family and has spent more than two months in jail.
Now, he said, Wakewood can "begin righting the ship."
Burnham said Wakewood is getting a $5,000 settlement payment, and will immediately sign the full amount over to the court for restitution. While on probation he agreed to pay at least $250 a month until he has made full restitution.
The Newman Catholic Center at 472 North Pleasant St., run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, offers masses, social events and other services to students and staff on the UMass campus. It also houses the Newman Center Cafe.
Gagne noted in court that staff from the Newman Catholic Center did not have an opinion on Wakewood's sentence.
Mark Dupont, a spokesman for the diocese, said in January that staff quickly noticed the funds coming out of the center's account last year and notified police.
A growing number of engineers and tech workers from the San Francisco Bay Area are looking to leave Silicon Valley for burgeoning tech hubs such as Austin, Texas, and Seattle, Washington, according to a job-search sites data.
Indeed.com found that the share of searches from within the Bay Area for tech jobs outside of it is on the rise. As of Feb. 1, 35% of tech job searches on Indeed.com from the region were for jobs elsewhere, data from the company shows. That share, which is based on 30-day averages and adjusted for seasonal factors, was up about 30% year-over-year.
Ashley Rodriguez
Full Story: http://qz.com/627414/tech-workers-are-increasingly-looking-to-leave-silicon-valley/
***
Montana Governors Office of Economic Development http://business.mt.gov/
Come Home Montana (Career Opportunities): http://www.matr.net/news.phtml?cat_id=39&catlabel=Come+Home+Montana
After more than a million miles of autonomous driving over the past six years, Googles self-driving car had never been at fault in the 17 accidents the company reported to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Until now.
According to a report to the DMV, on February 14 a self-driving Lexus SUV owned by parent company Alphabet was testing on the streets of Mountain View, Calif., when it struck a bus while traveling at 2 mph. The incident was the result of road conditions that were compromised by sand bags placed in a lane, which caused the Lexus to move into the left lane. The municipal bus was approaching in that lane at 15 mph.
Marco della Cava, USA TODAY
Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/02/29/google-car-hits-bus-first-time-fault/81115258/
Low prices and a less frenetic working environment are drawing tech employees to Portland, Oregon. Gentrification may loom, but along with it may come expanded economic opportunities for the city and state.
Some residents are also concerned that a massive inflow of tech could lead Portland down Seattles path.
Full Story: http://www.planetizen.com/node/84728/tech-sector-makes-inroads-portland
Gov. Steve Bullock http://governor.mt.gov/ says Montanas diversified economy will help the state weather difficult times for agriculture and energy. Both economic sectors have been suffering from low commodity prices.
Speaking to the Downtown Rotary in Billings on Monday, Bullock said he doesnt envy the challenges facing Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead and North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple.
Both neighboring states have seen state tax revenues plunge in the wake of steep declines in prices for oil, gas and coal. Taxes on resources account for about 70 percent of the money that goes into Wyomings general fund, Bullock said. Likewise, North Dakotas Dalrymple is facing significant budget cuts as the states oil production has declined.
TOM HOWARD For the Independent Record
Full Story: http://helenair.com/news/politics/state/diverse-economy-will-help-state-weather-downturns-in-agriculture-and/article_677c0254-a2dd-546b-951b-94ed69cb38e0.html
If your dream is to stay in Montana but you need to find some way to make a living, a great way to do it is to start your own business, says Mystery Ranch http://www.mysteryranch.com/ backpack maker Dana Gleason.
At the Bozeman factory he co-founded, Gleason gave a tour Monday for 18 teenagers visiting from rural Simms High School and urban Bozeman High. Mystery Ranch employs 110 people in Bozeman and makes high-quality backpacks sold all over the world, used by everyone from weekend hikers to wildland firefighters and special ops warriors.
"Kids your age are Montanas greatest export," Gleason told the students, because so many young people leave the state to seek careers. But today, thanks to technology, its easier than ever to be decentralized and, he said, "to get an idea and put something together, if you want to stay where you grew up."
By Gail Schontzler Chronicle Staff Writer
Full Story: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/education/teens-learn-business-lessons-at-mystery-ranch/article_5b18b82c-a1f5-5277-8ae5-4558e66ba444.html
One Montana http://www.onemontana.org/
One Montana brings rural and urban interests together to ensure a resilient and prosperous Montana.
VISION: One Montana envisions a state where good ideas are more important than partisan ideologies and where we have the highest percentage of collaborations amongst business, agencies and communities of any other state in the nation. Montana will be an example to the rest of the country on how to create success without declaring winners or losers and how to use rural-urban partnerships to develop long lasting solutions
You can find what unites us rather than what divides us. You can create One Montana.
Due to an increase in influenza throughout North Carolina, Mission Health is asking family and friends to limit their visits to patients at the hospital, including McDowell Hospital.
In particular, Mission Health is asking that children younger than 12 and people who do not feel well should call patients rather than visit them at the hospital. Mission Health is starting this precaution at Mission Hospital in Asheville and all Mission Health member hospitals and affiliates in western North Carolina including McDowell Hospital in Marion, CarePartners in Asheville, Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard, Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine, Angel Medical Center in Franklin and Highlands-Cashiers Hospital in Highlands, according to a news release.
In addition to limiting exposure, the spread of the flu can be controlled with frequent hand washing, reads the news release. All hospital visitors are urged to wash their hands before and after visiting. Hand sanitizing stations are available at hospital entrances and throughout the buildings.
The decision to limit patient visitations is based on recommendations from Mission Healths Infection Prevention Committee in a system-wide effort to minimize the spread of influenza among our patients, said Dr. William Hathaway, chief medical officer with Mission Hospital and Mission Medical Associates. Moreover, we dont want healthy visitors picking up the flu and then spreading it throughout the community. Our patients are our first priority and their health and safety is vital as we work toward our goal of achieving our BIG(GER) Aim: to get each patient to the desired outcome, first without harm, also without waste and with an exceptional experience for the patient and family.
Limiting visitations is a precaution often taken during flu season when flu activity reaches a certain level. Locally, health care workers are seeing a progressive increase in influenza A that generally coincides with the onset of the annual peak period.
Should the flu activity level increase, further restrictions may be recommended or implemented, reads the news release. As a reminder, Mission asks that those who do not feel well at any time, and not just during flu season, refrain from visiting loved ones in the hospital for infection prevention reasons. People who have not yet received the influenza vaccine are urged to do so immediately, and to ensure their children have been vaccinated.
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.
Hospitals and clinics rely on all sorts of refrigerators to keep vaccines, drugs, tissues, blood, and a variety of different products at the right temperature throughout each day. Open doors, loss of power, and malfunctions can spoil the contents inside that can be many times more valuable than the fridge itself. Emanate Wireless, a company out of Ijamsville, Maryland is releasing a special monitoring device that keeps an eye on a fridge to make sure it keeps its contents nice and cold.
The PowerPath Temp can be used alone in a small facility or in a group to monitor a large number of fridges at a hospital. Each fridge plugs into the PowerPath Temp, and the device itself plugs into the power outlet. A temperature probe attached to the device is then snaked into the interior of the fridge. The PowerPath Temp is then setup to raise an alarm if the fridge falls out of a predefined range, if power is lost, or unusual readings are detected.
It works over WiFi and Bluetooth Low Energy and doesnt require any batteries to maintain.
Heres Emanates promo video for the PowerPath Temp:
Product page: PowerPath Temp
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 29, 2016
The growing use of encryption, combined with consumers' increasing reliance on smartphones and tablets, has deprived Internet service providers of comprehensive information about their subscribers' Web use, privacy expert and former White House official Peter Swire argues in a new paper.
Swire, former Chief Counselor for Privacy in the Office of Management and Budget, says the 125-page report aims to address "a widely-held but mistaken view about Internet service providers and privacy."
His report comes as the Federal Communications Commission is preparing to propose new privacy rules for broadband providers. The report says it isn't making any specific policy recommendations, but broadly argues that "public policy should be consistent and based on an up-to-date and accurate understanding of the facts of this ecosystem."
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Dozens of consumer groups have urged the FCC to require broadband providers to obtain consumers' explicit consent before tracking them for ad-targeting purposes. One of those organizations, the Open Technology Institute at New America, which joined in the call for new regulations, recently published a report arguing that Internet service providers pose unique risks to consumers' privacy.
Swire's report aims to cast doubt on that assertions. The report was funded by Broadband for America -- a coalition that includes AT&T, CenturyLink, CTIA - The Wireless Association, Comcast, National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), Time Warner Cable, USTelecom Association, and Verizon -- and the Institute for Information Security and Privacy at Georgia Tech, and the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business. Swire says the report expresses his own views.
The report argues that consumers today access the Web through multiple devices, as well as multiple broadband providers. The result, he says, is that any one ISP has "far less of a comprehensive view of a users Internet activity."
"Roughly half of mobile traffic is offloaded to WiFi hotspots today, and that fraction will grow rapidly. The image of an ISP having 'comprehensive' visibility due to its provision of home broadband service is outdated" the report states.
He also argues that many popular Web sites use encryption technology that prevent ISPs from seeing detailed URLs and content. "There clearly can be no comprehensive ISP visibility into user activity when ISPs are blocked from a growing majority of user activity," Swire writes.
The report also argues that other companies -- namely social networks and search engines like Google -- are able to glean a great deal of information about people.
Swire says that Google and Bing are able to see search results and destination pages, but that ISPs can only see that a user has visited the root domain (like www.Google.com), when the results are encrypted. Google has encrypted all organic search results since 2013.
Swire writes that his comparison of search engines with ISPs "undermines the widely-held, but mistaken view that ISPs have comprehensive and unique knowledge about users online activity because they operate the last mile of the network."
He adds: "Non-ISP search engines are able to gain much unique insight into online user activity, often greater than that of an ISP."
But Harold Feld, senior vice president at consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge, says the report "dramatically overestimates the value of what encryption hides, and dramatically underestimates the value of information encryption cannot conceal."
He adds that even if ISPs don't know what Google searches people conduct, ISPs still are able to amass a great deal of information from people's activity at sites like Google and YouTube. "First, the ISP knows how long I'm there, which tells it whether or not this is search," he says in an email. "If I stay a long time, they know I am getting some other kind of information. .. If the ISP sees me regularly going to YouTube at around 1 a.m. and staying on the sight steadily downloading video until about 2:30-3 a.m., they deduce all kinds of things about me and my behavior."
Feld adds: "Modern information marketing is not a one-shot thing. It is all about identifying patterns of behavior."
Jason Kint, CEO of the publishers' group Digital Content Next, adds that consumers need more control over their data -- regardless of whether ISPs can collect more information than other companies.
"Much of the report hinges on this idea that Google, Facebook and ad tech companies are able to collect more consumer information than ISPs," he says in an email to MediaPost. "Regardless whether this is true, we need to build trust across the ecosystem rather than take a lowest-common denominator approach. Simply put, consumers need transparency and simple, persistent choice to not be tracked across the web."
Digital Content Next recently said in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission that ISPs should inform consumers about online tracking and give them a "meaningful choice" about whether their data will be used for behaviorally targeted ads. The industry group also asked the FCC to work with the Federal Trade Commission "to ensure that other entities with similar access to all or substantially all of a consumers online activity are held to a similarly high standard so that consumers are not confused by different standards across the same ecosystem."
by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 29, 2016
First it was that Boston Dynamics robot getting the sh*t kicked out of it by a lowly human. Now it's the whole of Turner Incite handing its sales operation over to IBM Watson technology. I mean, seriously. In 20 years or less all of advertising -- no, all of everything -- will be handled by Terminators...uh...computers. The poor human race will have nothing left to do.
So yes, Turner Incite -- the companys platform for advertising sales -- will now be powered by advertising sales technologies of the IBM Watson platform along with advanced predictive analytics from MarketShare. The partnership is said to be a first for broadcast advertising sales.
Of the move, Turner EVP of Client Strategy and Ad Innovation Michael Strober said: Turner is investing in innovation that allows our partners to have access to real-time intelligence leading to faster and smarter business decisions. By fueling Turner Incite with Watson Technology and MarketShare, and continuing to enhance our content and data solutions, we are further enabling clients to achieve their goals across an array of next generation portfolio capabilities.
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Turner Incite is an "advanced intelligence platform" built by Turner and now powered by IBM Watson and MarketShare to provide client insights and industry intelligence. The tool fuels a recommendation of best advertising solutions aimed at achieving the highest ROI for marketers.
Explaining the approach further, IBMCognitive Business Solutions VP Adam Steinberg added: This solution addresses one of the timeless objectives of marketing leaders -- infusing new levels of data and science into advertising decisions. Armed with deep, fact-based recommendations, Turner will hone the precision of every advertising recommendation, and in turn, lift the impact of the customers who place advertising on Turners award-winning programming.
What would Arnold Schwarzenegger say?
The new approach will be overseen by James Russo, who was recently appointed to the newly developed role of senior vice president, Client Strategy & Development. Reporting to Strober, Russo will work with Turners Client Insights group to make recommendations to clients based on the new insight-driven selling approach.
by Thom Forbes @tforbes, March 1, 2016
A January slowdown in signed contracts for the sale of existing homes is being pegged to low inventory rather than being any sign of a faltering economy.
The National Association of Realtors monthly measure of pending home sales was down 2.5% in January to 106.0 from an upwardly revised 108.7 in December. Thats still 1.4% above January 2015 and the index has now gained for 17 consecutive months, the NAR points out, although only September 2014 (1.2%) showed a slower gain during that time. Only the South saw sales gains over the previous month.
The drop surprised analysts. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal had predicted a 0.5% increase in Januarys sales, writes that papers Anna Louie Sussman. Pending sales offer insight into the housing markets direction because they measure purchases at the time a contract is signed, rather than at closing, she informs us.
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While Januarys blizzard possibly caused some of the pullback in the Northeast, the recent acceleration in home prices and minimal inventory throughout the country appears to be the primary obstacle holding back would-be buyers, according to NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun. Additionally, some buyers could be waiting for a hike in listings come springtime.
In a note to clients cited by the WSJs Sussman, Pantheon Macroeconomics economist Ian Shepherdson acknowledges the snow but pointed out that sales had also declined in the balmier West. Its possible that the drop in the stock market beginning at the start of the year persuaded would-be home buyers to wait a while, but we have no way of knowing for sure, he writes.
Jonathan Smoke, chief economist of Realtor.com (the official Web site of the NAR), is optimistic that the pace of homes going into contract will soon pick up again, Clare Trapasso writes on the site.
The mortgage rate decline will more than offset the declines in the stock market, says Smoke. We should see another year of growth, but not as much as last year because the [inadequate] supply of homes will limit that.
Indeed, coming on the heels of recent strong data on consumer spending, the labor market, industrial production and durable goods orders, Mondays reports did little to change the view that the economy was regaining momentum after slowing to a 1.0% annual rate in the first quarter, writes Reuters Lucia Mutikani.
The disappointing data tone points to ongoing weakness in the housing and manufacturing sectors, says Millan Mulraine, deputy chief economist at TD Securities. Nevertheless, with underlying domestic fundamentals remaining supportive to growth, the economic recovery should regain its footing in the first quarter.
First-time buyers in high demand areas continue to encounter instances where their offer is trumped by cash buyers and investors, the NARs Yun writes. Without a much-needed boost in new and existing-homes for sale in their price range, their path to homeownership will remain an uphill climb.
Existing-home sales, which are tabulated when a deal closes, make up about 90% of the market and unexpectedly climbed in January to the second-highest pace since early 2007, the NAR said last week, Michelle Jamrisko reports for Bloomberg. Prices climbed from January 2015 as the number of dwellings on the market fell.
The bottom line may be that in a year that is proving unpredictable in many ways, people dont know what to expect.
The latest Index of Consumer Sentiment from the University of Michigan's Survey of Consumers indicates that consumers' confidence continues to stagnate by increasing a little, then decreasing a little based on the latest news they see, read or hear, luxury market tracker Bob Shullman points out in his monthly Insight Briefs emailed yesterday.
And presidential follies aside, theres plenty of monkey business ahead to keep us guessing, as the annual Feng Shui Index issued by Kong Kong-based CLSA, the brokerage and investment group, informed us last month. It is, after all, the first Year of the Fire Monkey since 1956.
There are going to be a lot of ups and downs. The monkey is a creature who is tricky and cunning, Cherry Ma of the firm's feng shui team says in a piece by the AFP newswire published in the Daily Mail. There will be fluctuations but it also means opportunities for fast-movers, she said.
All is revealed: Get moving.
by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, March 1, 2016
Today, March 1, is the biggest day in the presidential primary cycle. The GOP will vote in 11 states and the Democrats in 12.
For former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, overwhelming success today will most likely sew up the Democratic nomination.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, however, wont go down easy. In the four Super Tuesday states where both Clinton and Sanders have bought TV ads -- Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Oklahoma -- the Vermont Senator is outspending Clinton and her Super PACs on the airwaves, according to Politico.
Sanders is also on the radio in Texas, but is not spending TV dollars.
In Colorado, as of Feb. 26, a state which carries 66 delegates, proportionally apportioned, Sanders is leading Clinton in TV and radio spending $739,000 to $401,000. FiveThirtyEight notes that Sanders must win Colorado, if he is to have any shot at the nomination.
In Minnesota, where Sanders will have a good chance to pick up a win, he outspends Clinton again by $883,000 to $470,000.
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Accordingly, the heavy spending by the Sanders campaign has been bolstered by an enormous swell of donations in February, totaling more than $40 million. Clinton still has her Super PAC and a strong donation game. However, the money advantage she expected to have at this point in the race looks to be disappearing.
The three Republicans who still have a legitimate chance to win the nomination are Donald Trump and Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Marco Rubio and his supporters, particularly his Conservative Solutions PAC, have been spending heavily in Super Tuesday states and are also looking forward to Florida, where the PAC has spent over $1 million.
Rubio is the only candidate whose supporting PACs are already spending in post-Super Tuesday states.
Conservative Solutions is spending in the Super Tuesday states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia, which garners the highest spend of about $492,000 (the Rubio campaign is also spending in these states, but significantly less).
The PAC is spending in Texas where it has dished out $1.2 million in support of Rubio just last week.
Ted Cruz is spending in many of the same states, but primarily using money his campaign has generated. He spends more heavily on cable television when compared to broadcast, a strategic difference from his rivals, according to Politico. Cruz is not spending much in Texas, a sign that his campaign is confident of a good outcome.
The GOP front-runner, Donald Trump, who could be many steps closer to the nomination come Wednesday morning, is spending more than $1.1 million across six states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Club for Growth, a PAC that opposes Trump, has spent $719,000 in Arkansas and Oklahoma, countering the real estate moguls buys in those states.
Regardless of tomorrows outcome, to paraphrase South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham on Showtimes The Circus, this point in history will be a soul-searching moment for the Republican party.
by Sara Guaglione , March 1, 2016
Conde Nasts Wmagazine today announced a partnership with luxury fashion company Hugo Boss for a fashion photography contest called The Shot.
The Shot is a talent search for the next big name in fashion photography, according to a statement. The winner will have the chance to shoot a feature for Ws September issue.
The partnership will include high impact advertising from Hugo Boss on wmagazine.com, as well as social-media integration. Conde Nast told Publishers Daily there will be Hugo Boss-sponsored posts on Ws social media accounts.
The winner of the contest will also be considered to shoot a brand campaign for Hugo Boss.
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Additionally, W and Hugo Boss will team up for an event celebrating The Shot during New York Fashion Week.
W has also teamed up with Tumblr to share the talent search with the social media platforms creative community.
Publishers are increasingly taking part in similar partnerships to extend their brand beyond print and reach their audiences in a more personal, connected digital space.
To enter the contest, photographers who have not worked for a major U.S. fashion magazine can visit W magazines Web site and upload up to three original images. Submissions will be showcased on Ws The Shot Web site, for public vote, and select images will be spotlighted on Ws social-media channels.
Entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges, including Stefano Tonchi, Jason Wu, photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, the International Center of Photographys curator in residence Charlotte Cotton, and W senior photo editor Esme Rene.
Last year, the magazine scouted for models instead of fashion photographers, launching the #WmagModelSearch on Instagram. The winner was signed by IMG Models and walked the runways of New York Fashion Week.
The contest is open until April 30. The winner will be announced in May and featured in Ws September issue.
The new name is inspired by the year The Economist was founded. 1843 plans to increase its global coverage by going beyond Europe to include America and Asia. For example, the launch issue will feature Sophie Roberts visiting the only hotel in Antarctica.
1843 will include profiles of headline-makers from The Economist, a fashion shoot in every issue and in-depth travel narratives. The magazine will also have sections devoted to tech, food and drink, art, design, and body and mind.
Nick Blunden, global managing director of client strategy for The Economist Group, explained the thinking behind the decision to relaunch the magazine as a global publication targeting well-educated, affluent readers around the world.
Although the print magazine Intelligent Life had only been in Europe, when we looked at the digital side of it, on the Web site, most of the traffic was coming from outside, from North America and Asia The opportunity seemed to be a truly global one," he says. "Thats what The Economist Group does really well, creating content that is relevant all around the world.
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The launch issue hits newsstands March 9 with an April/May cover, and will have 120 pages, including a profile of French politician Marine Le Pen. Like Intelligent Life, 1843 will publish six issues a year.
On the advertising side, Blunden noted that over 30 big luxury advertisers signed up for the launch issue, spanning product categories including watches, jewelry, fashion, automobiles, and the like, adding: From an advertising perspective, the launch issue of 1843 is four times bigger than the last issue of Intelligent Life.
Many clients are drawn specifically by the magazines global scope, according to Blunden. Luxury advertisers are really thinking in terms of global campaigns. Luxury is a truly global phenomenon, not just in Europe but now in North America, South America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa, he adds.
There will be apps for all devices and a redesigned Web site with new content posted daily. The site will go live -- without a paywall -- on March 7, the same day all social accounts and the app will switch from Intelligent Life to 1843.
Because there is no paywall, 1843 will rely more heavily on advertising for revenue. All display ads on 1843 will be in-stream formats that can be customized, breaking away from the model on Intelligent Lifes current site, according to reports.
Brand partners will have more commercial opportunities to create content in partnership with the editorial team, particularly video content.
Unlikewill be bundled in thepremium subscriber package, which includes the digital and print editions of the title, as well as the annual outlook report. The premium bundle has 460,000 subscribers.
The magazine will also be sold on newsstands in the U.K., Europe, North America and parts of Asia.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, March 1, 2016
Google searches may not decide a Democratic or a Republican candidate, but they do provide insight into the candidates drawing the most interest from those in the primary and the caucus states.
iQuanti released data analyzing Google searches related to Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses for the Democratic and Republican parties in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming.
The data might say more about Democratic and Republican voters then the candidates themselves. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders see the most popularity in searches for their respective parties across all states holding primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday, although Sanders sees the greatest popularity among Democrats in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. Trump is weakest in Tennessee.
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In January 2016, Trump peaked in Texas as the top-searched candidate with 725,270, up 2.13% compared with the prior month. Sanders followed with 474,380. Cruz took 343,490 searches on google.com, and Hillary Clinton rounded out the top four with 265,550.
For the Democratic candidates, Bernie Sanders saw a slight surge ahead of Hillary Clinton beginning in December, with January his strongest month, seeing 170% month-over-month growth. Sanders led in searches during January 2016 in Massachusetts and Vermont with 275,700 and 59,110, respectively.
Cruz, who is the second-most searched Republican, follows Sanders. Marco Rubio in third for his party, surpassing Ben Carson in January, who has been in a steady decline in searches since November. The least-searched candidate is John Kasich, who has been in last place for the duration of the campaigns.
In South Carolina, where Cruz and Marco Rubio nearly tied for the No. 2 spot in the Republican race, taking 22.5% and 22.3% of the votes, the data shows the strongest correlations. Trump took 32.5%.
The data also shows that searches in January 2016 on google.com show 101,220 for Trump, followed by 41,500 for Cruz and 40,170 for Rubio.
by Colleen G. Steinman , March 1, 2016
A newly developed joint international campaign, U.S.-China Tourism Year, gives tourists and travel industry providers new resources to increase travel between the two countries.
Along with increased tourism, the campaign seeks to boost cultural understanding and appreciation of natural resources. It extends reciprocal short-term tourist and business visas issued to each other's citizens from one to 10 years and reciprocal extension of student visa validity from one to five years.
We are setting the stage for great growth in Chinese visitation to all areas of the United States in 2016 and beyond," said Chris Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA, the company that manages the campaign.
The U.S. Department of Commerce and the China National Tourism Administration launched the project in Beijing on Feb. 29, bringing together about 350 U.S. and Chinese tourism industry professionals and national and provincial government leaders representing China and the United States, including U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews, U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus, and Kelly Craighead, National Travel and Tourism Office executive director.
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Key business partners for the launch event include Visa, Inc. and United Airlines. President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping first announced the bilateral initiative during President Xis fall visit to the United States.
To support the campaign, Brand USA has created a Web site to serve as an online resource center to the travel industry, including a calendar of events and additional marketing resources for travel industry businesses. Brand USA and the U.S. Department of Commerce will use the site to communicate best practices for each country.
China is the sixth-largest source market for inbound tourism to the United States, according to statistics tracked by the National Travel and Tourism Office of the Department of Commerce and Brand USA.
More than 2 million Chinese visited the United States during 2014, a jump of 20% over the previous year. China could become the largest source market for long-haul travel into the United States within three years, Thompson added.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, March 1, 2016
Clear Channel's new outdoor advertising initiative -- which involves tracking consumers to figure out whether they visit stores after viewing billboards -- raises privacy concerns, according to Sen. Al Franken.
"When done appropriately, targeted advertising may provide consumer benefits, but we must ensure that Americans' very sensitive information, including their location data, is protected," Franken (D-Minnesota) writes in a letter to Clear Channel Outdoor Americas CEO Scott Wells.
Clear Channel's new program reportedly draws on location and demographic data from three other companies: AT&T, PlaceIQ (which uses location data from apps) and Placed (which pays customers to track them). Clear Channel told The New York Times that the data, which is anonymous and aggregated, doesn't identify individual customers.
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"Given the sensitive nature of location data, all parties involved in Clear Channel's Radar service should provide clear and comprehensive privacy policies and should disclose detailed information about their data-sharing relationships with other companies," Franken adds. "Unfortunately, as currently written, Clear Channel's privacy policy, which appears to apply to all of its products and services, leaves consumers largely in the dark."
Franken is asking the company to answer a host of questions, including ones about the anonymization process.
"At what stage are the data aggregated and anonymized?" he asks. "Is the information Clear Channel receives from mobile services already anonymized and aggregated or is Clear Channel responsible for making the data anonymous?"
The lawmaker also is asking Clear Channel to elaborate on its privacy policy, which says it may share customers' personal information with third parties, and with affiliates for "business and operational purposes."
"How does Clear Channel define "business and operational purposes"? Can you provide a list of all outside parties with whom Clear Channel may share personal information collected for the operation of Radar?" he asks.
Franken is requesting answers by March 30.
Clear Channel did not respond to MediaPost's requests for comment.
by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, March 1, 2016
Tencent Online Media Group and Omnicom Media Group have forged a deal giving Omnicom Media clients access to the Chinese tech giants massive consumer database.
Under the agreement the two parties will explore and develop data models for eight different industries. Tencent will create target audience profiles for OMG clients including demographic attributes, interests and other characteristics that can be gleaned from online footprints.
The firms started cooperating last year when an OMG client became the first automotive brand to launch video ads on Tencent's social platform, WeChat. Analytics from the initial trial proved to be valuable for the client and led to more discussions and ultimately to the agreement announced today.
The deal follows similar agreements between Tencent and both GroupM and Dentsu Aegis Network that were forged late last year.
Tencents collection of consumer data is huge. The firm reported having some 860 million active monthly users in its third-quarter 2015 financial report. The company provides social networking, e-commerce, gaming, mobile phone and other services.
Out of every 100,000 people who get Zika virus, 24 could develop Guillain-Barre syndrome, suggests research published in The Lancet. Share on Pinterest A study in French Polynesia suggests that Zika increases the chance of developing GBS. Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a severe neurological disorder that affects the immune and nervous systems. Apart from trauma, it is the most common cause of paralysis. Symptoms develop rapidly and include pain and weakness in the muscles and limbs. About 5% of cases are fatal, and 20-30% of patients face respiratory failure. It is usually triggered by an infection such as herpes, influenza or dengue virus, and it affects about 1-2 people per 100,000 annually in Europe and North America. The symptoms of Zika virus infection include fever, rash, joint and muscle pain and conjunctivitis. The current outbreak in Central and South America, which the World Health Organization (WHO) have declared as a global emergency, has been accompanied by unusually high rates of microcephaly and GBS. Now, analyses of blood samples from 42 patients diagnosed with the syndrome in French Polynesia during the Zika virus outbreak have suggested there could be a link.
GBS seen with Zika in French Polynesian outbreak French Polynesia experienced a major Zika outbreak between October 2013 to April 2014, the largest outbreak globally at that time. Fast facts about GBS There are normally 3,000-6,000 cases of GBS per year in the US
It appears randomly rather than in clusters
Most people recover within weeks or months, but 1 in 20 cases are fatal Learn more about GBS Approximately 32,000 patients consulted a doctor about a suspected Zika virus infection, and from November 2013 to February 2014, 42 patients were diagnosed with GBS. Lead author Prof. Arnaud Fontanet, from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, and colleagues set out to examine the link between Zika virus infection and GBS. They also looked at dengue virus as a potential risk factor for GBS, because French Polynesia is also prone to outbreaks of dengue. At the Centre Hospitalier de Polynesie Francaise in Papeete, Tahiti, 42 patients were diagnosed with GBS, all of whom were included in the study. Two control groups were matched for age, gender and island of residence. In Control Group 1, there were 98 patients who attended the same hospital but did not have a fever. Control Group 2 consisted of 70 patients who were diagnosed with Zika virus infection, but the patients did not show any of the neurological symptoms associated with GBS.
Cannabis appears to have a significant impact on the recognition and processing of human emotions like happiness, sadness and anger, according to research published in the journal PLOS One.
Share on Pinterest Using marijuana may change how people process emotions.
Scientists are only just starting to understand how cannabis affects the brain.
Cannabis consumption is known to cause immediate, residual and long-term changes in brain activity that can affect appetite and food intake, sleep patterns, executive function and emotional behavior.
Conflicting evidence has suggested that it can intensify both positive and negative mood states.
Lucy Troup, assistant professor of psychology at Colorado State University, and her graduate students wanted to look at how, if at all, cannabis use impacts a persons ability to process emotions.
For nearly 2 years, the team has been conducting experiments using an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure the brain activities of about 70 volunteers.
All the participants identified themselves as chronic, moderate or non-users of cannabis. They were all confirmed to be legal users of marijuana under Colorado Amendment 64, either medical marijuana users aged 18 years and above, or as recreational users aged 21 years or older.
An EEG can record a wide variety of generalized brain activity. In this study, the researchers used it to measure the P3 event-related potential of the participants.
P3 refers to the electrical activity in the brain that is triggered by noticing something visually. P3 activity is known to be related to attention in emotional processing.
An international study of almost 120,000 women has newly identified five genetic variants affecting risk of breast cancer, all of which are believed to influence how breast cells respond to the female sex hormone oestrogen.
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. Around one in eight women in the general population is expected to develop the disease at some point in her life. The majority of cases occur in women aged 50 and over.
The female sex hormone oestrogen acts as a trigger, binding to a molecule known as an oestrogen receptor in most breast cells and triggering a cascade of signals that cause the cell to behave normally. However, the oestrogen receptor is switched off in some cells and these do not respond to the hormone.
An international collaboration, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, examined the DNA surrounding the gene for the oestrogen receptor - known as ESR1 - in women with different types of breast cancer against those of healthy controls to identify genetic variants responsible for an increased risk of breast cancer. The results are published today in the journal Nature Genetics.
Among their findings, the researchers discovered five cancer-risk variants based within or around the ESR1 gene. This gene has long been known to be related to the risk and progress of breast cancer, but little is understood of how it works and why it should affect breast cancer.
Of the five variants discovered by the team, four were more strongly associated with tumours where the ESR1 gene is switched off, so the tumour cells have no oestrogen receptors. These represent around one fifth of breast cancers.
One of these four variants was of particular interest as it was associated with a rarer type of breast tumour that contain active receptors for the protein known as 'human epidermal growth factor 2' (HER2). Such tumours can be treated by the drug trastuzumab (marketed as Herceptin). This is believed to be the first time a specific genetic risk factor for HER2 positive breast tumours has been found.
Dr Stacey Edwards' team from QIMR Berghofer, Brisbane, had been searching for gene regulatory elements around the ESR1 gene, which act like the volume controls on a radio or TV, turning the activity of the nearby genes up or down. There are two major types of gene regulators: 'enhancers', which increase activity of the genes express such that they make more protein, and 'silencers', which have the opposite effect.
When the Cambridge and Brisbane teams compared notes, they spotted that four of the breast cancer risk variants coincided with 'volume-up' enhancers. These particular regulators did not just affect the ESR1 gene but also other nearby genes. The variants that increased risk of breast cancer directly reduced the effectiveness of each enhancer, hence turning down the volume of ESR1 and the other nearby genes. This reduced the amount of oestrogen receptor produced by breast cells.
The researchers say that their results suggest the ESR1 gene works with other nearby genes to affect breast cancer development.
The fifth genetic variant was found to be more strongly associated with tumours where the oestrogen receptor is switched on. This variant coincides with and alters the effectiveness of 'volume-down' silencer, which means that it increases the amount of oestrogen receptor protein produced by breast cells.
"It's interesting that all five of the genetic variants that we have found affect levels of oestrogen receptors in breast cells," says Dr Alison Dunning from the Department of Oncology at the University of Cambridge, one of the lead authors on the study. "This suggests that there may be a 'Goldilocks' level of these receptors in breast cells: too few or too many and the breast cells are more likely to become cancerous."
"As our research looks at how tumours with and without the oestrogen receptor are regulated, it's possible it could help make sense of the enduring mystery of how tamoxifen works and why tumours develop in these two divergent ways," says Dr Edwards, one of the study's senior authors. "Our findings could open the way to developing new, more specific breast cancer preventions."
The genetic variants are all very common, each one carried by around one in three women. Each variant only increases the risk of developing breast cancer by a small amount.
Professor Doug Easton, another senior author from the University of Cambridge, adds: "breast cancer is a very complex disease, with many genes, and other factors, contributing to an overall increased risk of developing the disease. These five common variants that we have identified will contribute to an eventual predictive test for breast cancer risk, and for determining the risk of the particular subtype of breast cancer, that will include hundreds of similar variants."
Funding for the study came from organisations including the European Union, Cancer Research UK, the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Australian National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Dr Alan Worsley, Cancer Research UK's senior science information officer, said: "We know that hundreds of genes are likely to play a role in how cancers start. And this latest study adds more detail to our genetic map of breast cancer risk, potentially helping understand which type of breast cancer is likely to develop based on a woman's genetic makeup. Understanding more about each individual's risk of cancer could help us find ways to potentially prevent the disease or pick it up in its earliest stages."
A specific molecule involved in maintaining pain after a nerve injury has been identified and blocked in mice by Hiroshima University researchers. These results reveal a promising therapeutic strategy for treating neuropathic pain.
Mice with an injury to their sciatic nerve showed less pain after multiple injections of a drug that blocks the activity of a molecule called high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1). Researchers also discovered that a single dose of a drug to block the activity of a different molecule, called matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9), could also alleviate pain from the injury.
The chemical pathways that these drugs use to inhibit HMGB1 or MMP-9 are different from common pain relievers, like opioids (Morphine) or acetaminophen (Tylenol). Therefore, the potential for addiction or negative side-effects may be reduced.
The results reveal that the drug to block HMGB1, called anti-HMGB1, has the downstream effect of preventing the increase of MMP-9 that would normally be expected when HMGB1 increases. Therefore, an inhibitor of MMP-9 may be a more direct route to produce the same effect. This is the first study to link HMGB1 and MMP-9 together in the cellular process of maintaining pain.
A research team led by Professor Yoshihiro Nakata, PhD, at Hiroshima University's Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences began their investigation of sciatic nerve pain as part of their long term studies of the central nervous system.
Sciatic nerve pain, or sciatica, causes pain in the lower back, buttocks, or back of the leg and is often caused by a herniated disc in the spine or a pinched nerve. Similar pain can occur in different nerves in patients with cancer or diabetic neuropathy.
Previous studies by other research groups have injected anti-HMGB1 underneath the protective membranes surrounding the nerve. This method, called an intrathecal injection, is more complicated for doctors to perform and has more potential risks.
Prof. Nakata's team demonstrates a pain-relieving effect from injecting anti-HMGB1 into the hip in the slightly broader area around the nerve, called a perineural injection, avoiding the complications of other injection methods. A localized injection also avoids the potential side-effects of delivering the drug through larger body systems, like a pill into the digestive system or an injection into the blood.
Blocking HMGB1 lessened pain with no negative impact on healing. Selectively blocking MMP-9 also relieved pain with no obvious changes to the activity of other molecules responding to the injury.
The results of this Hiroshima University study show promise for relieving nerve pain with a chemically specific approach that is convenient for patients.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the availability of $2 million in research grants to fund natural history studies in rare diseases. The aim is to collect data on how specific rare diseases progress in individuals over time so that knowledge can inform and support product development and approval. This will be the first time the FDA will provide funding through its Orphan Products Grants to conduct these types of studies for rare diseases.
Natural history is the course a disease takes in affected individualsfrom the time immediately prior to its inception, progressing through a presymptomatic phase and different clinical stages, to a final outcome in the absence of treatment. This type of information is often not available, or incomplete, for many rare diseases.
"Rare diseases are often poorly understood," said Gayatri Rao, M.D., J.D., director of the FDA's Office of Orphan Products Development, within the Office of Special Medical Programs. "Not understanding how a rare disease progresses is often a major obstacle in the development of life-saving medical products. Information about a disease's natural history can aid in clinical trial design, identify study end points and lead to faster, better trials - hopefully leading to new and effective diagnostics and treatments."
The goal of the program is to help characterize the natural history of rare diseases, identify subpopulations, and develop and/or validate clinical outcome measures, biomarkers and companion diagnostics.
"Despite their importance, it is very difficult for groups, such as patient advocacy organizations, to find funding to conduct natural history studies," said Dr. Rao. "As we observe Rare Disease Day today, we are excited to announce a program that will bridge some of this funding gap and complement existing efforts to help bring new and important therapies to rare disease patients."
Congress appropriates funding for the study of rare diseases. FDA is using the funds for this new Orphan Products Natural History Grants Program as well as the existing Orphan Products Grants Program for clinical trials, which has provided more than $350 million to fund more than 570 new clinical studies and has supported the marketing approval of more than 55 products since its creation in 1983.
Grant applications will be due Oct. 14, 2016. All responsive applications will be reviewed and evaluated for scientific and technical merit by a panel of rare disease and natural history experts. The anticipated start date of funding for grantees is March 2017.
The funding levels and durations of these grants will include:
A maximum of $400,000 in total costs per year for up to five years for prospective (looking forward) natural history studies involving clinical examination of affected individuals.
A maximum of $150,000 in total costs per year for up to two years for retrospective (looking back) natural history studies (i.e., chart review) or survey studies (i.e., questionnaire).
Rare diseases, as defined in the Orphan Drug Act, are diseases or conditions with a prevalence of less than 200,000 persons in the United States. Though the diseases are individually rare, together, the 7,000 known rare diseases affect approximately 30 million Americans.
The post-translational addition of ubiquitin to proteins by enzymes of the E3 ubiquitin ligase family is largely recognized as a means to target misfolded or unwanted proteins for degradation by the proteasome. However, it is now understood that ubiquitination serves as a signal to modify a number of cellular functions such as protein trafficking, cell signaling, DNA repair, chromatin modifications, cell-cycle progression, and cell death. Though these functions are integral for all cells throughout the body, the physiologic role of specific E3 ligases must yet be defined in the context of various tissues. For example, very few studies exist that interrogate the function of specific E3 ubiquitin ligases in the reproductive system.
The physiologic roles of E3 ubiquitin ligases have been examined in knockout or mutant mouse models. In previous work with a mouse model that contained a loss of function mutation in the ITCH E3 ubiquitin ligase gene (mice termed itchy due to the chronic dermatitis phenotype) it was discovered that male mice displayed a number of alterations in testicular germ cells. Although there were phenotypic changes in the germ cells of the itchy male mice, fertility assays suggested that male reproduction remained functional. Itchy females, however, produced fewer offspring when bred to either itchy or wild type male mice. This led Richburg and colleagues from the University of Texas at Austin to evaluate the physiologic role of ITCH in the female reproductive system.
Their findings reported in the February 2016 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine reveal several alterations in reproductive function in itchy female mice when compared to wild type female mice. Itchy females had both fewer implantations and tended to have fewer corpora lutea. Additionally, the itchy females remained in estrus longer, resulting in extended estrous cycles. The loss of ITCH within the ovary was confirmed, yet alterations in the expression of prototypical ITCH targets in the ovaries were not indicated. These results suggest the existence of an ovary-specific ITCH substrate or non-degradation dependent signaling pathway responsible for these phenotypic alterations. Alternatively, because ITCH works in the immune system to polarize T-cells towards an autoimmune type 2 activation state, these results may be indicative of immune interactions within the female reproductive system. The results of this work illustrate the functional participation of E3 ubiquitin ligases, specifically ITCH, in physiologic female reproduction. The lead author further reflects, "The female reproductive tract has long been recognized as a specialized immune environment, from macrophages that aid in luteal progression to T-cell tolerance in the uterus during fetal implantation. The results reported in this manuscript suggest that the Itchy mice could provide a useful model to evaluate the repercussions of preferential T-cell differentiation towards the type 2 phenotype on ovulation, estrus, and implantation."
Dr. Steven R. Goodman, Editor-in-Chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine said "the results of this study indicate that female itchy mice have altered reproduction. Future studies are required to determine the mechanism by which altered ubiquitination leads to this physiological effect."
Neuro-Bio Limited, a biotech company founded by world-renowned neuroscientist Professor Susan Greenfield to explore novel therapeutics and diagnostics for neurodegenerative disorders, describes in the peer-reviewed journal, Neuropharmacology, a new model for the mechanism of neurodegeneration leading to Alzheimer's disease and its potential for new treatments.
Alzheimer's is characterised by, amongst other factors, the presence of amyloid, in its various forms, and hyperphosphorylated tau leading to cognitive impairment. The research published today suggests that a previously undiscovered mechanism in a key group of neurons affected in a neurodegenerating brain is the key driver of the continuing cycle of neuronal cell death. It could be possible to halt the progression of the disease by intercepting this mechanism. Over 46 million people live with dementia worldwide; this is predicted to reach 131.5 million by 2050 due to the ageing populations. There is an urgent need for a different type of therapy that actually stops the characteristic progressive cell loss.
Researchers at Neuro-Bio have now validated a novel theory for the continuing cycle of neuronal death that typifies Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Motor Neurone Disease. The key driver is a 14 amino acid peptide ('AChE peptide') that originates from acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme essential in breaking down a well-known chemical messenger between neurons, but increasingly recognised as a signalling molecule with non-enzymatic functions. Whilst the existence of the AChE peptide and its link to neurodegeneration have been previously proposed in Professor Greenfield's work, these are the first reports of its detection in both human and rat brain and its actions in driving an Alzheimer-like biochemical profile.
The two consecutive papers in Neuropharmacology report raised levels of the novel peptide in Alzheimer's midbrain and cerebrospinal fluid compared with controls, and demonstrate that, in vitro, the peptide drives production of both amyloid and hyperphosphorylated tau. In the first paper, the damaging effects of either the AChE peptide or amyloid are shown to be blocked by a novel prototype drug (NBP-14), a cyclised form of the AChE peptide. NBP-14 intercepts the action of the AChE peptide on the alpha-7 nicotinic receptor, which is found on the outer surface of neuronal cells. In the second paper, the effects of the AChE peptide and their blockade by NBP-14 are demonstrated in ex vivo rat basal forebrain, using real-time optical imaging of large-scale, transient 'neuronal assemblies'.
Professor Susan Greenfield, CEO of Neuro-Bio and senior author on both papers, commented: "These publications are the culmination of some 40 years research from our lab building up a picture indicating that the naturally occurring AChE peptide is a pivotal signalling molecule in a mechanism underlying Alzheimer's and related disorders. We are encouraged by the potential for the prototype compound NBP-14 to block the activity of this peptide and also by the possibility of monitoring the peptide as a biomarker for early, even pre-symptomatic diagnosis."
Professor Gary Small of the Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, and member of the Neuro-Bio Scientific Advisory Board added: "This recent work showing that a peptide derived from acetylcholinesterase is elevated in the Alzheimer brain and that a synthetic version of this peptide enhances calcium influx and eventual production of amyloid beta and tau phosphorylation via an allosteric site on the alpha-7 nicotinic receptor is extremely exciting. The fact that a synthetic cyclic version of this peptide is neuroprotective makes this innovative therapeutic approach highly promising."
Professor Margaret Esiri of the Neuropathology Dept at the John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford and member of the Neuro-Bio Scientific Advisory Board commented: "After quite a number of years of research this is an important staging-post at which Neuro-Bio can develop aspects of the work in new directions and with new confidence. This I can see is really exciting and gives new opportunities to increase the pace of the research."
Professor Terry Sejnowski, Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Francis Crick Professor at The Salk Institute said: "Any new approach to Alzheimer's disease, which is increasing in prevalence as we live longer, that shows as much promise as this new peptide should be quickly brought to the attention of the scientific community. The dominant focus on beta amyloid has side-tracked the scientific community and the potential new direction will be a surprise to Alzheimer's researchers."
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Charles Bernard
Canada
/CNW/ - The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of(Royal College), the College of Family Physicians of(CFPC) and the College des medecins du Quebec (CMQ) have jointly released a national standard for the development and delivery of accredited continuing professional development (CPD) activities for physicians inThedescribes a set of ethical standards and expectations relating to sponsorship support that physician learning activities must meet in order to be accredited.It is the result of many consultations with 47 organizations. These include private industry, universities, national and provincial medical organizations, and organizations that develop and deliver physician continuing professional development or CPD.It reflects the Canadian Medical Association's policy calledas well as theof the CQDPCM (Conseil quebecois de developpement professionnel continu des medecins)an ethical framework for CPD activities already in place inAccreditation is an "educational stamp-of-approval." It assures physicians that the learning they are about to undertake is based on the needs of the profession and meets certain standards of educational quality.In order to maintain a license to practice, Canadian physicians are required to participate in CPD activities designed to address their needs and enhance their practice every year. They must complete and report on a certain number of credits of continuing professional development. For example, many attend conferences to meet this need.Theaddresses previous concerns regarding private sector influence on accredited learning activities. Before now, the ethical standards for accredited learning activities varied significantly across"For the first time in, there is now a single unified standard of ethics across both family physician and specialist physician audiences," said CFPC Executive Director and CEO,, MD CM, CCFP, FCFP, CAE. "These standards will establish a clearly defined role for private-sector sponsors so that organizations can deliver high-quality learning activities to our current and future doctors."Thewill ensure that high standards of quality and accountability are respected, while keeping accredited learning activities as free as possible from bias and influence.For example, planning committee members and speakers at accredited learning events will be required to disclose all potential conflicts of interest over the previous two years to participants.As well, sponsor representatives will not be allowed to sit on the scientific planning committees that control the content of accredited learning events."As a self-regulated profession, we have an ongoing obligation to the public to put supports in place that encourage our doctors to remain competent, informed and unbiased," said Royal College CEO, MD, FRCPC, FACP. "In applying the same ethical standards of quality to the continuing education of family doctors and specialists, we're contributing to the quality of care received by Canadian patients across the board."Recognizing this is a big change for organizations, there will be a two-year transition phase to allow them to align to the new standard, which will officially launch onAccredited learning activities held inwill need to comply withown, however the limitations on industry involvement are the same for both."If an activity does not meet the educational and ethical standards of either the, theof the CQDPCM or theof, the event is not accredited" said, MD, President and CEO of the College des medecins du Quebec.In this way thewill ensure that professional development activities are always based on the real needs of doctors and their patients.Theis accessible on the Royal College's website at royalcollege.ca/nationalstandard.SOURCE Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of
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"Our group is specifically interested in understanding the mode of action of this toxin to gain information that can guide us in the design and optimization of novel pain therapeutics," said Henriques, senior research officer at the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience.How does ProTx-II work? "It binds to the pain receptor located within the membrane of neuronal cells, but the precise peptide-receptor binding site and the importance of the cell membrane in the inhibitory activity of ProTx-II is unknown," explained Henriques."So the group zeroed in on its structure-activity relationship by exploring the structure, the membrane-binding properties, and the inhibitory activity of ProTx-II and a series of analogues," she added.Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy enables 3-D characterization of the structure of this peptide, which allows the group to explore whether it's important for its ability to inhibit the pain receptor.They also use surface plasmon resonance and fluorescence methodologies, as well as molecular simulations, to further characterize the interactions between the peptide and the neuronal cell membrane and to identify the molecular properties of the peptide involved in the interaction and inhibition with the pain receptor."Our results show that the cell membrane plays an important role in the ability of ProTx-II to inhibit the pain receptor. In particular, the neuronal cell membranes attract the peptide to the neurons, increase its concentration close to the pain receptors, and lock the peptide in the right orientation to maximize its interaction with the target," said Henriques.The group's work is the first to describe the importance of the membrane-binding properties of ProTx-II for its potency as an inhibitor of Nav 1.7, an important pain receptor. "Until now, studies characterizing the inhibitory activity of venom toxins have ignored the potential role of the cell membrane in their potency and activity," she noted."Beyond Nav 1.7, other voltage-gated ion channels are located at the cell membrane and involved in a range of physiological processes such as muscle and nerve relaxation, regulation of blood pressure, and sensory transduction," Henriques pointed out. "Their 'faulty' activity is, however, associated with several disorders, so other ion channels are actively being pursued as drug targets for the treatment of neuromuscular disease, neurological disorders, and inflammatory and neuropathic pain."Based on the group's findings, they're now designing new toxins with greater affinity for the cell membrane and fewer side effects."Our work creates an opportunity to explore the importance of the cell membrane in the activity of peptide toxins that target other voltage-gated ion channels involved in important disorders," said Henriques.Source: Eurekalert
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"Both must contend with breaching the germline barrier," Adashi and Cohen wrote. "Both entail the manipulation of a human embryo. Both must address significant safety concerns. Both must engage a skeptical public. Both must face up to the first-in-human imponderable. Both must grapple with ethical concerns. Both must stamp out unease with technology running unchecked. And both must assuage fears of an altered natural order known to man for millennia.""It follows that key insights derived from the MR experience may well prove applicable and potentially helpful to deliberating the genome editing challenge."The essay appears amid rapid-fire bouts of news, some supportive and some discouraging, from the debates swirling around MR therapy and germline editing.Earlier this month, the U.S. National Academies issued a report advising the U.S. government to follow the UK's lead - for the most part - on MR therapy. A key difference, though, was approving only the transfer of male embryos, because men don't pass on mitochondrial DNA to their offspring.A few days before that, the UK approved editing the genomes of human embryos - those produced but not used for in vitro fertilization - for research purposes. In this case, however, the experimental embryos would be destroyed at the conclusion of the study, again preventing genetic changes from appearing in an individual or being handed down through generations.Adashi said, "If the U.S. government is going to consider therapeutic MR or germline editing like the U.K. It won't actually be able to approve any of the needed preclinical research, because of provisions tucked into to a spending law passed in December 2015. The act prohibits the Food and Drug Administration from using any appropriated monies to accept or approve any project in which a human embryo is intentionally created or modified to include a heritable genetic modification."That law passed within two weeks of a major summit on genome editing that brought numerous prominent scientists together in Washington DC to debate the future of the technology.In, Adashi and Cohen praise how the UK grappled with five prevailing concerns during the decade-long process that led to approving MR therapy: "The presence of a compelling medical rationale, the safety and efficacy of the preclinical science, the rigor of the ethical framework, the scope of the public engagement, and the soundness of the regulatory constructs."These same principles could guide assessments of germline editing, they wrote.The UK, through specially convened expert panels and studies; parliamentary debate; and public forums, meetings and interviews invested heavily in examining MR therapy's ethics, safety and public concerns, they wrote."Applying the principles relied upon on in the regulatory evaluation of MR will go a long way towards assuring that the prospect of therapeutic genome editing in the human is the subject of a thorough, inclusive, ethical, safety-minded and confidence-inspiring process," Adashi and Cohen wrote.Source: Eurekalert
On January 31, the Indian Islamist group All India Thowheed Jamaat (AITJ) held an "Anti-Shirk [i.e. polytheism] Conference" in the southern city of Tiruchy in Tamil Nadu state. The conference, calling for the abolition of all forms of shirk, was organized under the auspices of AITJ's local affiliate of Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaath (TNTJ), which is practically identical to the parent organization due to its predominant presence in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
The AITJ was founded by the Islamist leader P. Jainulabudeen, who wields political influence in the state. The organization's main leaders for the Tamil Nadu branch are: P.M. Althafi, the state president; Abdul Rahman, the state secretary; and Mohammed Yusuf, the state general secretary.[1] The state branch apparently has another secretary: M.S. Sulaiman.[2]
A report on the anti-shirk conference in Roznama Rashtriya Sahara
The Hindu, a leftist daily read mainly in southern India, published a three-paragraph report titled "Muslims Urged To Shun Superstitions," arguing that the conference was simply against superstition.[3] The New Indian Express, another leading newspaper published in more than two dozen cities in southern India, carried a report titled "'Anti-Shirk' Meet Stirs Dargah Worship Debate."[4] Given that the proceedings of the conference were carried out in the Tamil language, and that non-Muslim journalists are generally not intellectually equipped to grasp the ideological meanings of Islamic concepts such as shirk, most newspapers have dismissed the gathering as a conference against "superstition" and "dargah" worship. Dargah means shrine, usually one for a Sufi mystic.
However, the Urdu daily Roznama Rashtriya Sahara described the conference as a "revolution," publishing a report titled "The Tawheed Revolution Crushes Obstacles [Under Its Feet]." A subheading in the report noted: "Islam cuts the root of shirk and encourages [adoption of] the belief of Tawheed and righteous deeds; the Ulema [Islamic scholars] address hundreds of thousands of Muslims in shirk-termination conference in Tiruchy, Tamil Nadu..."[5] (see image above).
Journalists, politicians, and intellectuals in India do not realize that it is because of the theological principle of anti-shirk ideology, practiced in this case by the TNTJ, that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or Movement of the Pakistani Taliban) has bombed many Sufi shrines in Pakistan in recent years. The Daata Durbar shrine in Lahore - perhaps the second most important Sufi shrine in South Asia after the Khwaja Gharib Nawaz shrine in the Indian town of Ajmer - was targeted by jihadi suicide bombers on July 1, 2010, in an attack that killed some three dozen and wounded 175 others.[6] While the TNTJ cannot bomb Sufi shrines in India as of yet, it is necessarily an organization that is ideologically indistinguishable from the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State (ISIS).
At the very least, the TNTJ, or its parent organization the AITJ, is a precursor organization to ISIS. Theologically, the TNTJ stands for demolishing all idols - much like the Taliban demolished the Buddhas or ISIS demolishes human figures in Iraq and Syria. However, the TNTJ is at this time targeting only Barelvi-Sufi groups.
The concept of shirk is an important principle for all Islamic groups, especially the Deobandi groups. The anti-shirk conference in Tamil Nadu should be a cause of concern, because a 29-year-old man from this state, Mohammed Naser Packeer, was recently deported by Sudan after trying to enter Libya to join the Islamic State (ISIS).[7] There were also previous incidents in which young Singapore-based men from Tamil Nadu state joined ISIS in Syria. This should also cause concern because it was in the coastal town of Thondi in Ramanathapuram district of this same state that, in 2014, a group of 26 young Muslim men posed for a group photograph sporting black T-shirts with the ISIS logo in front of a mosque.[8]
26 Muslims pose in ISIS t-shirts at a mosque in Tamil Nadu state
The Concept Of Shirk And Sufi Shrines
The Arabic word shirk means partnership. In Islamic theology, shirk means associating a person with or attributes to Allah. Since India is home to millions of idols worshipped by Hindus, and thousands of Sufi shrines visited by large number of Muslims as well as Hindus, the TNTJ's theological principle of anti-shirk means opposing all forms of idolatry. Under this theological principle, even if a Hindu or non-Muslim believes that there is only one god, it does not automatically follow that he is not committing shirk. Such a person must accept that there is only one god, Allah, as explained by Indian Islamic televangelist Zakir Naik in a video speech.[9] Naik's view is no different from that of other Indian clerics, whether Deobandi or Barelvi.
It follows that a true believer in Islam must oppose all forms of shirk, and, when possible, remove all signs of it forcibly - a key reason that the Taliban bombed dargahs (Sufi shrines) in Pakistan. Under this theological principle, the TNTJ is no different from ISIS, albeit sans the practice. A January 31 post on the TNTJ's Facebook wall included a picture of crowds present at its Tiruchy conference and notes: "Lakhs [hundreds of thousands] of people proclaiming 'There is no God but Allah.'"[10] The phrase "There is no God but Allah" is the basic tenet of Islam. Nevertheless, it makes it clear that no deity other than Allah is acceptable. These words also appear on the flags of Saudi Arabia, ISIS, and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Islamist conception, monotheism only means "Islamic monotheism" - i.e. Tawheed.
Across India and Pakistan, Deobandi clerics vehemently oppose dargahs. As per a February 2 post on the Facebook page of the AITJ's Hyderabad branch, an exhibition was held at the Tiruchy conference that showed models of dargahs (Sufi shrines) visited by a large number of Muslims and Hindus across India, presenting them as a form of shirk, i.e. idolatry or polytheism [11] Below are some of the photos from the Facebook post:
Models of dargahs at the Tiruchy conference
Models of dargahs X'ed out
The model on the left, with fire at the door, shows that entering a dargah means entering Hell; the model on the right with green plants is the place of One God (Tawheed)
The following images were posted by the TNTJ on its Facebook page on January 31.[12] In these images actors explain how dargahs function to promote shirk across South Asia:
Photos Of The Audiences At The Anti-Shirk Conference
The anti-shirk conference's focus was on theological issues, but it is clear that the organization is also seeking to impact political issues in India. According to a newspaper report, "the focus of the debate was on the concept of Dargah worship, this being against Islam[ic] ideology, as [the] Koran does not encourage such worship, claimed debaters. Nineteen resolutions were passed on various religious and political aspects, with an emphasis on certain decisions such as 'worship only Allah,' 'do not believe in black magic,' and 'do not believe anyone as equal to the Almighty.' Urging the Centre [i.e. the federal Indian government] and the State governments to implement Muslim reservation [i.e. reserving places for Muslims in jobs and educational institutions] was also discussed."[13]
The Indian media has ignored the anti-shirk conference in Tiruchy as if it were a minor event. However, photos and videos available on websites and social media platforms associated with the TNTJ indicate that it was a sizeable conference. Following are photos shedding light on the thinking behind the Tiruchy conference and its influence on the masses:
A man who, along with his family, converted to Islam at the Tiruchy conference
A view of the crowds at the Tiruchy conference
A poster on the Tiruchy conference issued by ATTJ emphasizes Islamic monotheism
A family converted to Islam by AITJ
A large number of women attended the conference
TNTJ volunteers distributing water at the conference
A view of the crowd at the anti-shirk conference
* Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project
Endnotes:
A screen shot of the Roznama Ummat editorial
Following the November 13, 2015 coordinated terror attacks in Paris, the leading Pakistani Urdu daily Roznama Ummat published, on November 20, an editorial titled "Daesh [the Islamic State, i.e. ISIS] Can Never Be An Organization Of Muslims" accusing the U.S. and its allies of creating ISIS, to be an excuse for attacking Muslim countries. It states that Osama bin Laden's creation of Al-Qaeda was the result of American expansionism and of the American presence in Muslim holy lands.
The widely circulated Roznama Ummat is a staunch supporter of Islamist political parties such as the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan and the jihadi groups that work to the benefit of Pakistan, e.g. the Taliban in Afghanistan, and Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad which have an anti-India agenda.
Following is the text of the editorial, as translated from Urdu:
"Recent History Attests To The Fact That Al-Qaeda Was Formed In Reaction To American Expansionism, Enmity Against Islam, And Killings Of Muslims"
"With regard to terrorism all over the world, Daesh [ISIS] is No. 1. America and its allied countries call Daesh a more savage and brutal terrorist organization than Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, though in the recent past they considered Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda the most dangerous, with false and true stories about its members being concocted and spread. Recent history attests to the fact that Al-Qaeda was formed in reaction to American expansionism, enmity against Islam, and killings of Muslims. At first, this organization's [Al-Qaeda's] only demand was that America should close its bases on Saudi Arabia, the spiritual center of Muslims, and withdraw its troops. But [these troops'] presence will continue posing threats to the Haramain Sharifain [the Holy Mosques in Medina and Mecca] and it is feared that anti-Islam and Western culture will flourish in Saudi society.
"It may be clarified that in every country, including Saudi Arabia, embassies not only are the representative of their own countries, but their facilities are not subject to local laws and follow rules and regulations of their own countries. The embassies' limits are considered the boundaries of their own countries. Similarly, Western countries' embassies in Saudi Arabia are totally free from any restriction. In the countries in which their embassies are located, they get opportunities, through interaction with local people, to promote their conspiracies and cultures. Irrespective of whether Al-Qaeda as an organization was right or wrong, its vision about Western countries was not wrong. In response, it was obligatory for the Western world to make the Muslim world believe, through their words and deeds, that they were not the enemies of Islam and Muslims, and that they believed in interfaith solidarity and harmony.
"Similarly, Afghanistan's Taliban movement sought to establish a peaceful society based on Islamic teachings. The Taliban, in their five-and-a-half-year rule [1996-2001], after purging the country of crime and drugs, had set on such a humanistic path that even the Western women who went there to find fault [with the Taliban government] acknowledged this. On returning to their own countries, they [the Western women] reported that they saw peace and respect for humanity in Afghanistan that they had not seen anywhere else in the world. Even a British journalist, Mariam Ridley [aka Yvonne Ridley], was so impressed with the Taliban's etiquette that she embraced Islam."
"[On The Pretext Of 9/11 Attacks] America Committed The Worst Kind Of State Terrorism In Afghanistan, And After That, Extremism Was Born Among The Muslims"
"In the eyes of America and its allies, the Taliban committed two crimes: one, giving protection to Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on their land, and two, creating an Islamic society in which people enjoyed their basic rights, and which could become an example for other societies to follow.
"The rise of Islam has bothered the non-Muslims for the last 1,400 years. So, on the pretext of attacks on its two cities by unknown terrorists [i.e. 9/11], America committed the worst kind of state terrorism in Afghanistan, and after that, extremism was born among the Muslims, and the terrorism of a few groups was depicted as Islam and all the Muslims were accused of terrorism.
"The Muslim scholars and public worldwide... condemned the activities of these extremist and terrorist organizations, which emerged in response to America's and its allies' killing of Muslims. They [i.e. the Muslim scholars] proved, with the Koran and the Hadiths [traditions of Prophet Muhammad], that there is no room for terrorism in Islam. In fact, our religion declares that the murder of an innocent person, even a non-Muslim, is as heinous a crime as murdering all of humanity.
"The Western governments and their media, however, continued conducting the worst propaganda campaign against the Muslims. It is possible that a terrorist organization called Daesh may be also a reaction to this.
"From the beginning, its [i.e. ISIS's] acts of mass murder, slitting people's throats and burning them cruelly, were disliked by the Muslims, and the Muslims did not support them. In contrast, all the muftis [who deliver fatwas] and religious scholars issued edicts against Daesh. Though it has not yet been ascertained who was responsible for attacks in France, Daesh is being implicated in them. [The Friday after the attacks], Muslims of France in 2,500 mosques condemn[ed] the acts of November 13 in sermons."
ISIS "Is The Creation Of America And Europe" - It "Threatens The Muslims More Than The Infidels"; With ISIS's "Barbaric Actions As A Pretext [America And Europe] Can Justify Their Attacks And Terrorism Against Muslims"
"Many scholars believe that Daesh is the creation of America and Europe. [But] it threatens the Muslims more than the infidels. Such organizations have no association with Islam. The reality is that Daesh leaders often pardon non-Muslims [and tell them] that they can live in Islamic State by paying jizya [poll tax on non-Muslims under Muslim rule], but the Muslims who do not conform to their views could be murdered after they are declared as idolatrous and apostate. They [Daesh] take pleasure in killing them in a barbaric way, or chopping their heads off, and also issue videos of their brutal actions. It may be remembered that the Muslim Council of Britain, the coalition of hundreds of Muslim organizations of Britain, also condemned the Paris attacks, in the strongest terms.
"And then in India, there have been protests against Daesh at 75 places in various cities, including Delhi, under the auspices of [the leading religious organization] Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind. Western countries' launching of anti-Muslim actions following the suicide attacks in France strengthens the feeling among Muslim scholars and religious leaders that this can be an anti-Muslim act like [after] 9/11. Whether Daesh or [any other] group takes responsibility, in reality this looks like part of a deep and broad conspiracy against Muslims. On this basis, a majority of Muslims believe that this organization [ISIS] is a creation of America and Europe, who, using its barbaric activities as a pretext, can justify their attacks and terrorism against Muslims.
"It is the responsibility of the rulers of the Muslim world, and of Muslim religious leaders, intellectuals, and common people, to comprehend the incessant conspiracies against them and to prepare for combat on intellectual and real grounds. By declaring the Paris attacks to be part of the world war, Pope Francis dropped a hint of war against Muslims - just as former president George Bush did at the time of the invasion of Afghanistan by calling it a a Crusade."
Source:(Pakistan), November 20, 2015.
In recent articles, Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, an internationally renowned Islamic cleric from India, has argued that the Islamic State (ISIS) was created by Jews, Christians, Western powers, and Islam's enemies.
A lengthy piece titled "ISIS: You Are such [A Friend] Who Even Leaves Behind The Foe" was published in two parts on two successive Fridays, January 1 and January 8, 2016, in the prominent Urdu-language daily Roznama Inquilab. In it, he argued that ISIS is an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, and adds: "It is clear as day that the U.S. is the power that strengthened Osama bin Laden and created Al-Qaeda."
The following are excerpts from the article:
"Israel And The Western Powers Are Conspiracy Experts... [But] After A While They Expose Their Own Conspiracies"
"...It is difficult to establish the date of [ISIS's] formation because no movement comes into being and reaches a position where it can be noticed by all with the stroke of a pen. This is true for ISIS, but it is also well-accepted that it is rooted in Al-Qaeda, which was founded by Osama bin Laden in 1990 [sic; Al-Qaeda was founded in 1988 in Peshawar]. With the help of the U.S and the Western powers, Osama launched jihad in Afghanistan, taking it to the point where a superpower like Russia had no option but to leave..."
"Three things are important and noteworthy about ISIS. Firstly, who brought this blood-shedding movement into being? Secondly, what are its ideologies and activities? Thirdly, what is the position of its views and deeds in light of the Koran and Hadith [traditions of the Prophet Muhammad]?
"The answer to the first question is evident - this movement was brought into being by Jews, Christians, Western powers, and Islam's enemies... It is clear as day that the U.S. is the power which strengthened Osama bin Laden and created Al-Qaeda, and it also did not keep its help a secret. Instead, it helped [Al-Qaeda] openly because it wanted to disgrace its opponent power, Russia. Therefore, after a secret Pentagon report was published, it was established that the U.S., Britain, France, Israel and other Western governments not only endorsed Al-Qaeda's type of methodology but also oversaw it. From the belly of that organization, ISIS was gradually born...
"Only a few days ago, a U.S. commander's statement that they trained ISIS [was reported] in newspapers. IN 2013, Edward Snowden, leaking NSA reports, said that the U.S., Israel, and Britain created ISIS... Snowden further said that Israel trained [ISIS leader] Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi... [It was also reported] in newspapers that some of ISIS's wounded were treated in Israel. Besides, only the U.S and Israel could provide the modern technology that ISIS is using. The Muslims are so backward in such resources that it cannot be expected from them that they would create such things. Israel and the Western powers are conspiracy experts... but after a while they expose their own conspiracies, and it is not too much to attribute to such cunning people...
"The real work of creating, strengthening, and promoting this fitna [mischief of ISIS] is being carried out by the Western powers, especially Israel. Also, it is Israel and Syria that are benefiting the most from the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Apparently, its end result would be this: that Iraq and Syria will be divided into small pieces so that there could be no Arab neighbor to even raise its eyes towards Israel."
"Khwarij [Like ISIS] Will Spring Up In Every Era - Therefore, Therefore, Allah's Messenger [Muhammad] Said That These Faithless [Apostates, i.e. ISIS] Will Be Born In Every Age"
"The second question is: What is the source of ISIS's actions and ideology? In one sentence, we can say that they are the Khawarij [Kharijites] of this age. Kharuj means to split off [from the Islamic regime] and rebel. A group from Iraq, were living in Harua and Nahrawan areas, rebelled against Hazrat Ali [the fourth caliph of Islam], and were called Khawarij... Gradually, Khwarij became a sect, and many sects emerged from it, the most violent of which were the followers of Nafe bin Arzaq, called Azareqas...
"Azeraqas held the view that those who are not with them are all infidels and polytheists. In their view, it is obligatory to rebel against the tyrant Muslim rulers even though they say Kalima [expressing belief in the oneness of Allah and in the Prophet as His messenger], because in their view they are polytheists and infidels and killing them, or even killing and imprisoning their children, is allowed - to the point where indiscriminate genocide of their opponents is right and their women are Halal [allowed by Islam] as slaves. The property taken from them, and their Amanat [items in safe keeping] are also Halal; neither Nikah [marriage] with them nor Zabiha [animals slaughtered by them] are allowed; and if someone cannot come out against the tyrant ruler because of some [valid] excuse, even he is criminal and it is obligatory to leave a place where such people rule...
"Looking at it, ISIS ideology and practice are the same of the Azeraqas, and the whole ummah [Muslim nation] is unanimous and united in [the view that] it has astray and become perverted. It is very important [to note] that Khawarij will spring up in every era - therefore, Allah's Messenger said that these faithless [apostates, i.e. ISIS] will be born in every age. He [Prophet Muhammad]... said, three times, that they are the worst people in creation (Musnad Ahmad 4/621)... The Khawarij would be slain at Jabal al-Lebanon [Hills of Lebanon] or some other hilly areas (Fatahul Bari: 4/334)OC
"Therefore, the rise of the Khawarij in the Middle East, and their fight with the Muslims, and their gaining strength in a hilly area like the hills near Lebanon - all of this is included in the prediction of Allah's Prophet... It is in the narration of Sahal Bin Haneef; asked whether Allah's Prophet... had said anything about Khawarij... he [Muhammad] pointed towards Iraq with one hand and towards Syria with another and said that there would emerge from there those who would shave their heads, who would have the Koran on their tongues but that it would not go down their throats, and that they will be out of Islam like arrows from bows... There is a clear sign in this Hadith that Iraq and Syria will become the special center of Khawarij and that this fitna would rise from Iraq.
"The third question is about the Islamic teachings regarding ISIS's activities. This needs to be clearly explained. The first and basic ideology of ISIS, according to them, is: Anyone who abandons any practice of Islam or commits a sin is no longer a Muslim and becomes an infidel. This is totally wrong...
"ISIS's second basic concept is that the killing of those who are deprived of faith and are infidel is allowed, and that their property is Halal, and that even enslaving their women is allowed. This is a very wrong concept; it is a conspiracy to defame and disgrace Muslims. The Koran calls for jihad only against those who are fighting with Muslims; there too there are limits that should not be crossed.
"Therefore, Allah says: Fight in the path of Allah with them who fight against you, and do not transgress, because Allah does not like the transgressors (Chapter Al-Baqrah, Verse 190)..."
Source: Roznama Inquilab (India), January 1 and 8, 2016.
There are some who love listening to stories and then there are some who love telling them. They slip easily into this magical world of theirs and they want to take others to this world as well. And there's no one better to take you into this mystical land other than children.
Five of these little storytellers got a chance to share their stories on a scale never seen before. They co-wrote an extraordinary story with author Amish Tripathi. And if you think that is exemplary, this next bit will just blow your mind. The true magic happened when these kids, without meeting Amish, shared their stories with everyone in a book titled 'Udaan' at the Jaipur Literature Festival. Watch this video by Airtel to see these children's dreams come true.
While the country was obsessed with Priyanka Chopra on the Oscar red carpet, another Indian made a noteworthy mark at the Oscars. Sajan Skaria, who works for Pixar Animation Studios, was the character supervisor in the American 3D computer-animated comedy drama-adventure film, Inside Out, which was named the best animated feature film at the Oscars on Monday. He is the second Malayali after Resul Pookutty to be on the Oscar stage. Earlier, Pookutty won the Academy award for best sound mixing for Slumdog Millionaire.
Skaria graduated from regional engineering college and joined Siemens, but was actually obsessed with cartoons since childhood. Skaria was encouraged by his boss, who saw his inclination toward the creative field and pushed him to pursue his dream.
We couldnt be more proud!
Georgia interested in increasing purchase of Azerbaijani gas - expert
There is no alternative to Azerbaijani gas for Georgia, considering its affordable price and the fact that Azerbaijan is the countrys strategic partner, Lasha Dzebisashvili, a professor at the University of Georgia, told Trend.Gas purchases from Azerbaijan are more favorable [than purchase from other suppliers] for Georgia, he said. If SOCAR [Azerbaijans State Oil Company] is able to supply additional gas to Georgia, then I do not see a sensible alternative to Azerbaijani gas.However, if Azerbaijan refuses to increase the supply to meet Georgias growing needs in gas during the winter season, the current deficit will be reimbursed by supplies from other sources, such as Iran, said Dzebisashvili.Earlier, the 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 countrys southern regions, while supplies to Georgia would have to be delivered from the north.
In his remarks at an event on The Destruction of Cultural Heritage, held by the Cypriot Permanent Mission to the UN, in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of Greece, Brazil, Ethiopia, Iraq, Ireland, Poland, Serbia and Switzerland, as well as the Geneva Academy, Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis noted the need to protect cultural heritage.
In his statements, Mr. Amanatidis underscored, among other things, that the principle of free access to and enjoyment of cultural heritage is an essential aspect of this right and, as such, has a firm basis in international law of human rights. It is closely linked to the cultural identity of persons and communities, as well as with the enjoyment and exercising of a number of other human rights, including freedom of expression, religious freedom and the right to education. Thus, the destruction of cultural heritage can lead only to serious violations of human rights. In this context, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) has rightly stressed that all contracting parties are obligated to respect and protect cultural heritage in all its forms, in times of war and peace and during natural disasters.
Mr. Amanatidis also noted that it is of particular importance that we understand that we all have a common responsibility to protect cultural heritage in times of peace and war. While human life is more important that material objects, it is nevertheless important for there to be rules for protecting cultural goods that constitute the collective memory of humanity. It is obvious that the preservation of cultural heritage is vital in rebuilding damaged communities and restoring their identities and the connection between the their past, present and future. The Human Rights Council can play an important role in defending respect for cultural rights, as an intrinsic aspect of its tireless efforts to protect and promote human rights for all, in accordance with the founding principles.
The event was addressed by distinguished politicians and academics, as well as by representatives of international organizations. Among the speakers were Alexandros Zenon, the Permanent Secretary of the Cypriot Foreign Ministry; Yuri Fedotov, Executive director of the UNODC; Karima Bennoune, UN special envoy for Cultural Rights; and Kristin Hausler, the Dorset Senior Research Fellow in Public International Law at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law.
HURON COUNTY Local leaders have made clear they oppose the governors plan to privatize public mental health services, claiming a $300 million cut to behavioral health services would be the largest in the states history.
Concerns lingered last week.
In a dispute that started in the mid-2000s, the state notified Huron Behavioral Health it can no longer pay the county to rent its former 1108 S. Van Dyke Road facility. The then-Michigan Department of Community Health took HBH to court in efforts to recoup money that had been paid to the county in rent. A ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals in August 2011 favored HBH. However, HBH was put on notice from the state that it could no longer pay the county to rent the facility, so it had to seek a new location. The agency moved into a new building in 2014.
County Commissioner David Peruski called it a paradox the state saying it doesnt need the HBH agency anymore after requiring the move.
Peruski and commissioners Rich Swartzendruber and Clark Elftman say they met with Rep. Ed Canfield recently in Pigeon.
I think he got the message, Swartzendruber said.
The section of the governors proposed 2017 $54.9 billion budget that has irked local officials would move state funds to Medicaid HMOs. Crains Detroit Business reported Snyders budget doesnt cite savings for the switch, but the Michigan Association of Health Plans says it could save millions of dollars through improved efficiency.
Canfield, 60, a Sebewaing Republican and physician, says his concern is the move will push people out of primary care physicians and into a health care program where theyll lose their doctors. He says there needs to be better coordination between primary care and mental health providers.
But rather than make a statewide change, he said, a pilot program should be used to pick some of the lower performing mental health districts to show if changes actually improve access and are a long-term solution for people with mental illness.
This is a starting point, Canfield said.
He said hes not sure privatize is the right term.
Its trying to move it into the Medicaid/HMO system, which is paid by state agencies to do their work, he said. The goal is to move it into managed care systems.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Monday that he would seek to revive his "Force of the Future" plan for overhauling the military personnel system, which appeared to be dead on arrival in Congress last week.
At a Pentagon news conference, he said he would continue to defend the plan at future congressional hearings to make sure that "we attract the very best and also that we retain the very best" for the military.
Carter said he would be appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the coming weeks and "I look forward to telling them more about it. And I hope that everyone understands the logic of what we're doing."
Last week, Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and the chairman of the panel, called Carter's plan "an outrageous waste of official time and resources during a period of severe fiscal constraints. It illustrates the worst aspects of a bloated and inefficient defense organization."
In unveiling the plan last year, Carter said he was looking to make the military more business-like and family-friendly through a series of reforms. He proposed 12 weeks service-wide for maternity leave for active-duty female service members. The Navy currently provides 18 weeks of maternity leave; the Air Force and the Army provide six weeks.
The proposals initially included major changes to military pay, benefits and promotion schedules, with suggestions of midcareer sabbaticals and the elimination of the up-or-out rank advancement rules.
The secretary has also pushed for reforms to the personnel management systems to match troops with desired job assignments and the creation of a new office to oversee efforts to attract top talent to the ranks.
On Monday, Carter insisted that he was not trying to take the business model to the extreme in crafting the proposals.
"We're not a company. We're not Walmart," he said. As a military organization, "we're not like anybody else." He added, "Our objective here simply is force effectiveness. We're not trying to be futuristic. We're not trying to be progressive. We're trying to make sure that we continue to attract and retain the very best."
At a SASC hearing last week, Brad Carson, the nominee for undersecretary of Defense for personnel and one of the architects of the "Force of the Future" plan, came under withering criticism from Senate Republicans.
"I find it deeply disturbing that you are proposing to add expensive fringe benefits allegedly aimed at retention during a time when we are asking 3,000 excellent Army captains to leave the service who would have otherwise chosen to remain on active duty," McCain said, referring to the downsizing of the Army to 450,000 soldiers by fiscal 2018.
Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, said the plan was too "progressive" for his tastes, and Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, questioned whether business models were suited for an organization involved in national security.
Carter's plan disclosed last year raised eyebrows with the suggestion that military pay should be influenced by "the principles of talent management."
The Pentagon was going ahead with "a comprehensive study for the purposes of better aligning basic and special pays with the principles of talent management," according to a Pentagon fact sheet on the plan.
The fact sheet did not define what was meant by "talent management" or provide other details but stated, "This study will build upon the recent findings of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission (MCRMC) by focusing exclusively on possible reforms associated with basic and special pays."
When asked for an explanation, a senior Defense official, speaking on background said that Carter's intent was to reform the way the military pays its troops to be more in line with the way major corporations handle compensation to attract talent.
"Right now everyone is paid the same based on your rank and time in grade," the official said, but "that isn't necessarily how America's leading companies do that. You might be on the same team and you make different amounts," because the wages for particular skills were different, the official said.
-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Almost 100 people mostly from Haiti who were rescued from an overcrowded boat off the Florida coast had no food or water for...
The U.S. Army will hold off until Friday an order requiring a Sikh Army officer to undergo three days of gas-mask and helmet testing it claims are necessary to determine whether he may continue wearing the long hair and beard required of his religion.
Capt. Simratpal Singh, a 10-year Army officer, was granted a temporary waiver from the Army's beard, hair and uniform regulations in December. Though he passed a critical gas-mask test to ensure the beard would not interfere with a tight seal, the Army ordered him to take additional special tests designed to show he can effectively wear a helmet.
But in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Monday, the Army had "to retreat on the order," Singh's lawyer said.
"Under vigorous questioning from Judge Beryl A. Howell, Army lawyers conceded that they did not need to subject Captain Singh to immediate testing that no soldiers permitted to wear beards for medical reasons have ever had to endure," Eric Baxter of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said in a statement following the proceeding.
The Army has not responded to Military.com's request for comment.
Both sides are scheduled to be back in court on Tuesday, when the Army is expected to make its case to the judge, Baxter said.
The Army will hold off on the order until Friday, by which time the court hopes to make a final decision, a spokesman for The Becket Fund said. The non-profit fund takes up cases involving the free expression of religious traditions.
Singh is a West Point graduate who, until getting the temporary waiver from the Army, served without the hair, turban and beard that are considered articles of faith by devout Sikhs.
He is only the fourth Sikh to be granted permission by the Army to wear the facial hair and turban since the all-out ban on them was imposed by Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger during the Reagan administration.
In December, 27 retired Army and Air Force generals wrote to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, asking him to lift the ban on Sikh beards, hair and turbans. The Pentagon has declined to act, instead continuing its policy of permitting each service to determine its policy.
-- Bryant Jordan can be reached at bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bryantjordan.
NATO's commander warned Tuesday that ISIS fighters hiding in the massive refugee flows from Syria and other areas posed an increasing terrorist threat to the U.S. and Europe.
"I think that they (ISIS) are doing that today," Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's Supreme commander and also head of U.S. European Command, said in testimony to the Senate Armed Services committee.
"I think every refugee flow needs to be looked at with an eye towards it could be taken advantage of by those who seek to do us harm," Breedlove said when asked by several committee members to comment on the hot-button political issue of asylum for refugees.
Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and the panel's chairman, said that based on Breedlove's remarks, "Logic then compels us to assume the risk of attacks on the United States of America or European countries is significantly increased."
Breedlove said, "I would take Daesh at their word -- they have stated they intend to attack the West to include the U.S. and I believe they will take the opportunities" to infiltrate the refugee flows. He was using another word used to describe the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.
-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
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The secretary of the Navy will retire within the next year after nearly eight years in office, he confirmed Tuesday to a congressional panel.
Addressing the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense for an annual hearing on the sea service budget, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the hearing would be his eighth and last before the committee.
Mabus, 67, has held the office since May 19, 2009 -- serving 2,478 days in office under four different defense secretaries. He did not say during the hearing when exactly he planned to step down.
The last Navy secretary to serve as long as Mabus was Josephus Daniels, who served 2,922 days under President Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1921.
"For me, leading the Department of the Navy is the greatest honor of my life," Mabus said.
"I couldn't be more proud of our sailors, our Marines and our civilians. I'm also proud of the many steps we've taken and the changes we've made to try to ensure ... the Navy and the Marine Corps in the future remains the greatest expeditionary fighting force the world has ever known."
The former Democratic governor of Mississippi, Mabus forged a reputation in the Navy as a maverick who prioritized social changes and environmental issues and did not shy away from unilateral actions, controversial decisions and conflict with service counterparts.
Soon after assuming his current post, Mabus announced the creation of a "Great Green Fleet" as part of a series of ambitious energy-saving initiatives for the Marine Corps and the Navy that included the goal to get the department to source half of its energy from alternative sources by 2020.
A 2012 debut of the concept at the Rim of the Pacific exercise stoked furor in Congress when it was discovered that the Navy had spent $12 million for biofuels that cost around $26 per gallon. The exercise resulted in new legislation requiring that bulk purchases of alternative fuels be competitively priced. This year, the Great Green Fleet finally launched on a beef-fat fuel blend that cost $2.05 per gallon.
Mabus also made waves with a series of moves aimed at tearing down gender barriers within the Navy and Marine Corps.
He spearheaded a number of controversial uniform changes aimed at making male and female sailors look at similar as possible. Last October, the Navy rolled out a sweeping list of phased uniform updates that included unisex dress covers, female "crackerjack" dress blues, and a new women's version of the dress whites uniform. This year, the Naval Academy will do away with women's skirts for graduation in favor of pants uniforms.
The Marine Corps is also adopting a gender-neutral version of its dress blues uniform.
"In the Navy and in the Marine Corps, we are moving towards uniforms that don't divide us as male or female, but rather unite us as sailors or Marines," Mabus said, according to Navy Times reports from the time.
In recent months, the issue of women serving in combat has highlighted a widening rift between Mabus and Marine Corps leadership. The Marines were the only service to request an exception to a Pentagon-wide mandate opening previously closed combat jobs to women, citing a Marine Corps study that showed teams and squads with women were more injury-prone and performed slower and less accurately than all-male teams.
Mabus publicly disparaged the study, accusing the Marine Corps of presupposing a negative outcome for women and of failing to recruit physically capable women to participate in the research.
Later, he ordered the Marine Corps to make job titles gender-neutral and train genders together in boot camp, sounding a warning note to Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller not to "unreasonably delay or prevent the execution of a policy imperative."
The memo reportedly stoked a heated conflict between the two men. Ultimately, Neller presented Mabus with a brief on how the Marines were currently training recruits, rather than a plan to further gender-integrate training, according to congressional testimony and sources with knowledge of the briefing.
The drawbacks of Mabus' tendency to effect unilateral change without coordinating with other military leaders can best be seen, perhaps, in the series of evolutions that have taken place regarding maternity leave for Marines and sailors.
Last July, Mabus announced he was tripling maternity leave for the department of the Navy from six weeks to 18, citing a desire to retain more female service members and acknowledge the needs of military families.
But at the end of January, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced he was implementing a 12-week maternity leave policy for all the services -- a six-week increase for the Army and the Air Force, but a six-week cut for the Navy and Marine Corps, except for currently pregnant sailors and Marines, who will be honored under the old policy.
In testimony Tuesday, Mabus declined to criticize the Pentagon and its rebuff to his policy change, but maintained his support for an 18-week maternity leave offering.
"We lose twice as many women as men between about the six-year mark to the 12-year mark in both services. In a dual-military couple, almost always, it's the women that leave," he said. "If we keep that nine-year sailor, we don't have to replace that sailor with a brand-new recruit."
Amid controversy and conflict, Mabus has many supporters in Congress who approve of his progressive policies and ability to affect change.
At the hearing, Defense Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, a Republican from New Jersey, saluted Mabus for his years at the helm of the Navy.
"There's a cake in your future...celebrating your eight years of service and dedication to our nation," he said.
-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky -- A new program from the USO focuses on connecting transitioning troops and their spouses with resources that can help them tackle life in the civilian world.
The USO's RP/6, known in the past as Rally Point 6, is a series of one-stop-shop transition centers at major military bases in the U.S. that focuses on helping veterans and their families move out of the military world and into the civilian one.
Part of the USO's Transition 360 Alliance, the program seeks to connect with military families during the 18 months before transition and through the 18 months after, a time that many veterans fall through the cracks as they hit the reality of life outside the military.
"Our mission is to do what the USO has always done, which is to make you feel like you're cared for, that you've done your service and that you deserve to be treated well," said Tonya Wacker, the site manager for RP/6 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. "I think people forget that military service is a gift to us, that we are protected. What the USO does is say 'thank you' for that, and what this program does is we continue to stay involved in your life."
Military transition help for veterans
Although military officials put a strong emphasis on troops going through intense group-based transition classes, many attend just to check off the requirement, and the amount of information presented can be overwhelming.
"This is the last thing you should be checking the box on -- but isn't that the thing you've been learning to do your whole career?" Wacker said. "We do things differently here at RP/6 -- everything is one-on-one."
Veterans looking to find work, get help with housing, guidance on financing, medical assistance or really anything related to moving into the civilian world can get that assistance at RP/6, Wacker said.
For many troops, real transition doesn't begin until the day they no longer put on the uniform. Through resources within the USO and partnerships with the community, RP/6 can assist veterans with pretty much anything they need, she said.
The program is also working to bring resources from the community into the USO facility.
At Fort Campbell, for example, the Department of Veterans Affairs' closest major facility is in Nashville, Tenn. -- about an hour's drive away. For many veterans, getting to the VA from Fort Campbell is a major burden, and those dealing with post-traumatic stress issues often find the traffic in Nashville to be a huge extra stress.
RP/6 is working to have the VA bring its resources to the USO facility on a monthly basis to make it easier for veterans to get the help they need without having to travel.
'People have problems'
RP/6 officials also don't care why you left the military or what problems you have had since, Wacker said. They are simply there to help veterans, regardless of their circumstances.
"People have problems -- that's none of my business. My business is to help you," she said. "People make mistakes in their life and they have consequences ... but who is going to give you a second chance?"
Military transition help for spouses
Leaving the military community is a major change for former military spouses, as well, Wacker said, and any resources RP/6 has for veterans, they also share with transitioning spouses.
"You want to go to school, we help you get into school. You want to find a job, we help you find a job. You want to get involved, we help you get involved," she said.
One of the major problems with transition classes hosted by the military is that spouses are permitted to attend only on a space-available basis. That means a spouse could very well find childcare or take off work, only to arrive and be turned away because the class is full.
Wacker said spouses can come to RP/6 and get the same help and information on an individualized, one-on-one basis, without worrying that there won't be space for them.
"I know there are problems with the system. We're not here to fix them, we're not that," she said. "We're the USO. What do we want for you? We want you to be happy, we want you to feel connected to your community. We want you to have a home, and we want you to feel like you're being taken care of."
A full list of RP/6 centers can be found here. USO officials said they plan to open as many as eight more locations in the next year.
-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
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Its the single day in history that will never be repeated in our lifetimes. February 29th, Leap Day in the year of our Lord 2016, is also Season 20s Fantasy Suite episode, when boy-bachelor and Christian centerfold Ben precedes his evidently chaste visits to the rose petal-strewn boudoir by telling two of the girls he loves them. Hes either genuinely confused about his feelings, or the scriptwriter was deeply moved after listening to Torn Between Two Lovers. Meanwhile, bachelorette number three is left out in the cold, most likely having to spend the night sleeping on the balcony wrapped in a Snuggie.
The gaggle of prospective Neil Lane ring receivers will be with Ben in Jamaica, where trusted media outlets with Hollywood in their titles report that JoJo, Lauren B., and Caila will each tell the doodled stick figure that they love him. Agonizing drama ensues, mostly in the numerous commercials for diabetes medications.
Whats more, that paragon of discreet Edwardian conduct, Chris Harrison, believes Ben wasnt gentlemanly enough during the Fantasy Suite encounters. Well find out exactly what he means by that later in the episode. Does Ben manfully stride forward and tear JoJos negligee from her ivory shoulders, like a darkly brooding English duke in a novel with Fabio pictured on the paperback edition? Will he ask Caila to play Naked Twister? Does his sex-maddened drooling cause Lauren to consider a lawsuit against ABC?
For the answers to these and other important questions, such as why its called Super Tuesday when it really kind of sucks, and how my dog manages to shed so much fur and not have massive bald patches, fill a plate with Little Debbies and tune in with me at 8/7 central.
You never know whats going to happen, Ben marvels in the shows opening clips, indicating that he hasnt seen the previous 19 seasons of the show. He doesnt know what hes going to do, and fears making a mistake, as if a televised engagement is as sacred and unbreakable a pact as the Second Amendment is to the NRA. Nevertheless, he excitedly anticipates doing romantic things in the most romantic place in the world with the most romantic boom mics hanging overhead.
First he discusses Caila, one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen outside of a spread in Penthouse magazine. But the problem with Caila is that shes afraid she cant love somebody, and also of spiders.
Then theres Lauren, who is the closest thing hes ever experienced to love at first sight, unless you count Pamela Anderson in the opening credits of Baywatch. But questions remain about her, such as who on earth would willingly choose that shade of blond. Mostly Ben wants to know why no other dude has snatched her up. Apparently its a red flag that someone in their early 20s to hasnt been married long enough to receive gifts made of crystal on their next anniversary.
Finally, there is JoJo, the girl who was wearing a rubber horse head when they first met. Being around her makes him feel more confident than ever, especially about his boyhood attraction to Flicka. However, her brutish brothers are a plot point that needs to be addressed.
Still, Ben is excited to see all of them in bikinis in Jamaica. For Cailas part, she hopes she can stop holding back, since being in the Fantasy Suite means putting out. JoJo is also worried about her brothers being such intrusive, controlling troglodytes, although that seems less of an issue for her than for the EEO officers at their workplaces. Meanwhile, I have two brothers, and neither of them would give a damn if I brought Ted Bundy home for dinner.
In Jamaica, amid the dew-dazzled leaves and soaring ocean vistas that the tourism board provided free footage of, Ben meets Caila first. Since it might end up being an overnight date, Ben reflects, it will be big for them, especially if he brings the ExtenZe. They ride a log raft along a gently flowing river as a Rustic Water Vehicle Cam documents the trip, which resembles a kiddie ride at Six Flags Over New Jersey.
Caila cant stop worrying about her two rivals, who may wisely choose to wear briefer bathing suits than she did. Ben notices that she is unusually quiet and not herself. Is she nervous? Does she have regrets? Or is she just not fond of jerk chicken? I dont want you stressing out, he soothes, applying the psychological techniques he learned from the radio show call-in segments on Frasier. Meanwhile, Caila tells the camera guy that she doesnt want to ruin the day with her preoccupations. At least she can open up to someone.
Disappointed by her emotional distance, Ben worries about the evenings prospects for sex thats more fulfilling than he experiences watching YouPorn. They sit before a raging fire pit, where he questions her about why today she wasnt the joyful, bubbly girl hes known for half-hour periods over the course of a few weeks. I was off today, she acknowledges, explaining that until the last Rose Ceremony, she didnt think about all the other girls whose bios are on the ABC site with hers. It doesnt help that shes had doubts in all her other relationships, even when only three or four other girls were dating the guy.
Finally, shes able to reveal to Ben that she loves him. Soaring romantic music plays as they kiss, before she joyously reveals to the camera that no other man has ever made her feel this way. She feels in his breath that he feels the same, and also that he likes wintergreen Tic Tacs. Everything just feels right, Ben enthuses after he manages to get his hand under her dress. Together they read the Fantasy Suite invite from Chris, which is a really tacky way to suggest someone boff you. Caila thinks they should take advantage of the offer. Was there anything preventing them from having done it this afternoon? They head into the surf, embracing as fireworks explode overhead. Nice way to set them up for serious disappointment later.
Next morning, the two greet each other with satisfied glee. Last night was amazing, Caila sighs. She can see herself waking up next to Ben for the rest of her life, or at least until he develops sleep apnea. It will keep blooming, even after that final rose, she reports confidently of their relationship. Only if they didnt buy the roses at the deli around the corner from me.
Now its Laurens turn to anticipate her night with Ben while simultaneously expressing her fears of telling him she loves him. She wears short shorts to increase the chances hell want to go to the Fantasy Suite. Ben notes that its weird to spend a romantic day with Lauren after he shtupped Caila not 24 hours ago. He quickly dismisses that concern, however, since surely the housekeeping service will have changed the sheets.
Lauren has an authenticity about her, he explains, as do all the actors on a reality show. For their date, theyre going to release baby sea turtles into the sea. Its one of Laurens dreams to be part of this experience, along with expanding her hamsters Habitrail and teaching a parrot to curse. She hopes her relationship with Ben lasts as long as a turtles life. I hope not the turtles I had as a child. They always died after about three months. They tip over the bucket of tiny squirmy creatures, and watch delightedly as they flee frenetically from the couple to plunge into the waves, as much of the viewing audience would like to do.
Recalling her sisters suspicions about his motives, Ben tells Lauren he thinks she may be too good for him. But Lauren has the same fear of being unworthy of Ben. They also both resent her sister. Despite this progress in their understanding of each others pathetic emotional limitations, which seem based on okcupid.com algorithms, Lauren remains anxious about telling Ben she loves him. Once again, the spectre of the two other girls gives her pause, much as the presence of mold makes me hesitate before eating leftover General Tsos.
That night Ben and Lauren remind each other how much fun they had, in case they dont get a chance to see the footage edited to suggest that. Im, like, very invested in you, Lauren confesses. But I dont know where you stand with the other people. He may have lain down with one already.
Together, they read the card that offers them the chance to forgo their individual suites, which is the most formal language ever used to propose a one-night stand. He eagerly agrees to this opportunity to have alone-time with Lauren, and break in her new Rotating Rabbit. Its all or nothing for me, Lauren reveals, which really puts the pressure on Ben to successfully locate her G-spot.
Finally, she tells him she loves him. He does not respond immediately, seeming uncertain exactly how to reply, or maybe just appalled at her vocal fry. Then he tells her hes known hes been in love with her for awhile, ever since the producers first showed him her 8 x 10 glossy. Theyll just have to avoid her sister at family reunions. He closes the curtains and the lights go off as Lauren giggles inside the bedroom. Maybe she found his blankie.
Next morning, Lauren feels its like a dream waking up next to him. Sometimes things just feel right, Ben announces, probably referring to her thighs. She hopes that in a few days, shell be waking up next to her fiance, and more importantly, with a $25,000 rock on her finger.
All this mutual satisfaction only complicates things, since now Ben must go on his date with JoJo, about whom he also has strong feelings. But he knows that if he doesnt think he loves her today, or more likely if shes too loud in the Fantasy Suite, he must send her home. One issue is that shes so short, hell get a crick in his neck kissing her for any length of time.
They fly off in a helicopter. JoJo loves Ben and sees a future with Ben, especially after she called the psychic hotline. But she doesnt know if his feelings are as strong as hers. Cant they come up with a single variation on the stated problem for one of these girls? Like shes got a colostomy, or gambling debts, or is considering selling Amway? To explore their relationship more deeply, the two strip to their swimsuits. They leap into a pool under a waterfall, then wrap themselves around each other on a rock, similar to how a pair of bearded dragons might spend their day.
At this point, JoJo gets to repeat the dialogue about how hard it is for her to reveal her feelings, that shes scared, and how big last week was for her. But she, too, admits she loves him. He smiles patiently at her before saying, JoJo, I love you, too in the same way one might comment, JoJo, I love Nutella, too. She is rhapsodic with joy. It all makes sense to him now. I dont know how you can be in love with two women, but I am, he muses. Henry VIII managed to do it with six women.
That evening, they meet up again. Its really incredible that I get to spend the night with the woman I love, he says,which shouldnt seem so impressive since he did it last night, too. But hes not going to think about that conflict right now, and especially not how his eventual fiance will feel after seeing tonights show. Meanwhile, JoJo has zero doubts that Ben will be her husband one day. And well he might, if Lauren runs off with the cable guy while Bens on a business trip.
However, Ben is still worried about those meddling brothers. JoJo asks him to tell her more about what happened with them. It was a weird day, Ben explains with his usual nuanced insight. She assures him that her brothers are merely protective of her, and also about the directors insistence on them creating dramatic dissension in that scene. Ben is pleased that theyve sorted it all out, but still plans to get a security system installed in his apartment.
JoJo wants nothing more than to spend the night with Ben, the ideal conclusion to a day that was her most incredible life moment. Other people catch those on video and send them into AFV. She feels safe enough to give her heart to someone again, an event which calls for donning another bikini, getting into the hot tub and making out.
In the morning, JoJo feels a hundred times more confident about their relationship, especially since he brought the ribbed-for-her-pleasure brand. Theres no doubt in her mind, as there was none in Laurens and Cailas, that Ben will be hers forever.
Indeed, Ben loves Lauren, too, but Caila has become that pair of underpants that are comfortable and still hold their shape, but the waistband is unraveling and youre tired of cutting off all those loose threads. He walks pensively among the lush foliage and sparkling pools that are prominent in the resort brochure, preparing himself to tell Caila that he doesnt feel the same about her. He does not look forward to saying goodbye to her, although he plans to keep her number in case she wants to get drunk and hook up sometime. Meanwhile, the poor creature is giddy, prattling about being in love with Ben and knowing he feels the same. They cant possibly pay these women enough to alleviate the public humiliation.
Naturally, Caila decides to go and see him. His baggy shorts would be enough for me to kick him to the curb. As he sits brooding in an Adirondack chair, she sneaks up on him, getting it right after four takes, and plants a happy kiss on his forehead. Then we fade to black, like the last scene in Schindlers List, only this time Ben wont say he couldve saved more.
When we return, following an ad for bran flakes that look more exciting than being married to Ben, he seems surprised to see Caila. They must have rehearsed it that he would go visit her. He acts as shocked as Fox Mulder would be if his alien-abducted sister knocked on the door. They sit to talk. This has been a crazy week, Ben begins. He realizes how real this all is, how crazy-great, and how they can gain so much from it, like mentions in The Inquisitr and spokesperson bookings. But he cant tell her he loves her, even though her cover letter convinced him that her skills and experience are well-suited to the job of Mrs. Higgins. Somber music plays as he escorts her to the limo, which still has its motor running.
Caila sobs into his arms before getting into the car. A moment passes before she gets out again. Did you know this week? she pleads. Probably not until they rewrote the scene last night. Nobody shared feelings like you did this week, Ben says, like its a performance evaluation for a management position. That makes her feel better. As a result, shell share her feelings freely in the future with strangers on TV. Also, the merit increase will help pay off her MasterCard.
Caila remembers to belt in before the limo rides away, since shes a role model for all heartbroken women who just got rejected on national TV. I was ready to be his wife. I was ready for our future, she sobs. She even had her china pattern selected and got bids from caterers.
Now Ben must address the issue of which of his two true loves he will marry, if converting to Mormonism is not an option. Meanwhile, in advance of the Rose Ceremony, JoJo updates Chris on the situation, after which Lauren tells basically the same story, only without a push-up bra. The two stand there waiting for Ben before acknowledging there are only two roses, but not three woman present. Maybe they think Caila had to run out for Tampax.
Ben arrives, and helpfully points out that Caila is not present. Despite their having a good thing, he explains, he had to downsize her after he had a chance to explore his feelings and review the videos from the Fantasy Suite on his laptop. He lifts the first of the two roses. The suspense is less than that on an average episode of The Gumby Show. He gives it to JoJo, and of course, the other one to Lauren.
The two girls both feel confident, but still concerned that he may have whispered the same sweet nothings to the other. Im more concerned about having to sit through the reunion show next week.
Honda Civic Hatchback Prototype
Honda Civic Hatchback Prototype
(Honda)
DETROIT, MI - Honda showed off the Civic Hatchback Prototype Tuesday at the Geneva International Motor Show, and the sporty 5-door will make its North American debut later this month in New York.
The Japanese automaker is calling it a prototype, but judging on what's been revealed so far, a production version of the Civic Hatchback should look pretty similar.
Honda is saying the car will be slightly wider, lower and longer than the current generation Civic. The company said it will be a key volume pillar in Europe. It arrives there in 2017.
More plans on the car for the North American market, where it should arrive later this year, will be revealed when it debuts at the New York International Auto Show March 22.
A Civic sedan was unveiled in September, followed by a shorter Civic Coupe in November. The company still plans to also introduce a high-performance Si model and the first-ever Civic Type-R model for the U.S. market.
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.
DEARBORN, MI-- Seventy-five years ago today, Ford Motor Co. began producing jeeps for the U.S. Military for use in WWII.
The vehicles were nicknamed "GP," for their "general purpose designation," according to Ford Motor Co. The term "jeep" became synonymous with the small 1/4-ton 4-wheel-drive vehicle.
Related: See historical photos of how Detroit automakers retooled to build tanks, weapons for WWII
"They were modified for many different uses, including garbage trucks, artillery platforms, messenger service and heavily armed rapid strike assault vehicles," according to a text by Detroit Historical Society on the Detroit's efforts in the war.
In March of 1941, Ford began the planning process to build the GPA, an amphibious version of the Jeep, which was better known as the "Sea Jeep" or "Seep."
See the photo gallery above for some spectacular images of these vehicles "swimming" in the Rouge River.
Unlike the modern Jeep, its amphibious brother was "not popular or successful with the U.S. military. It was judged too small, too difficult to maneuver and subject to swamping in significant waves," according to Detroit Historical Society.
Most of the Sea Jeeps produced were used by the Soviet Union, which liked the vehicle so much they began producing their own version, the GAZ 011.
During WWII, Ford produced 12,400 armored cars, over 12,000 Sea Jeeps, 93,000 trucks and 12,500 automotive vehicles for the U.S. Military.
A 1943 Willys-Overland Jeep on display at The Henry Ford in Dearborn. (Tanya Moutzalias | MLive Detroit)
Ford Motor Co., Willys-Overland and American Bantam all produced their own versions of Jeep for the U.S. Military.
A 1943 Willys-Overland Jeep can be seen on display at The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn.
Willys-Overland, which was the only manufacturer to continually produce Jeeps after the war, won the Jeep trademark in 1950, according to Steve Statham's book "Jeep Color History."
The Jeep brand would change hands many times before Chrysler acquired Jeep in 1987.
Good things tend to happen to RoosRoast coffee owner John Roos.
"Opportunities land on his lap," laughed Katherine Weider-Roos, John's wife and co-owner of RoosRoast. "People will give him things. Things just kind of happen."
The latest opportunity to land on Roos's lap? A prime downtown location for his Ann Arbor coffee shop.
Roos was approached earlier this month by Ed Renollet, owner of two Elixir Vitae coffee shops in Ann Arbor, about taking over the lease at 117 E. Liberty Street. Renollet was feeling stretched thin between that location, which opened in 2012, and the original shop on Maynard, and wanted to hand-pick his successor for this highly sought-after piece of downtown real estate.
"For us, we always had it in the back of our mind that it would be really nice if we could find a location downtown," said Weider-Roos. "But to take that on, and find a new place, and turn it over, and it felt a little overwhelming. But here's this cafe, and it's already set up as a cafe, it's not a complete remodel or any kind of craziness. It feels like a gift, in a way."
The windows at 117 E. Liberty have been papered over, and signs advertising "now even deeper local Ann Arbor" have appeared. John and Katherine have plans to renovate the interior during the month of March, and are shooting for an April 2016 grand opening for their new downtown RoosRoast.
Other than planning some minor fixes to the floor and a redesigned coffee bar, the couple is hard at work coming up with ways to translate their popular coffee shop's south side aesthetic to the Main Street area. Where the original RoosRoast is spacious and comfortable, inviting customers to spend time and hang out, the much smaller downtown location will have some physical limitations.
"We can do it, though, believe me." said Roos.
"It's about small interactions and moments," said Weider-Roos. "Moments that include art and conversation and humor and a great cup of coffee."
But how will RoosRoast succeed where another cafe did not? Roos and Weider-Roos say that that retail sales of their coffee beans gives them an additional revenue stream that Renollet has not had at Elixir Vitae. They're also planning to introduce a light food menu.
Once the new downtown RoosRoast is ready to open, the couple wants to throw a community party to celebrate the grand opening.
"The community has supported us, and we want to do thank them with a big party," said Roos. "I feel like our luck, our passion about coffee, and just the fact that we try to be really nice to people - our sense of community, I guess - has gotten us where we are, and we just want to celebrate it."
Jessica Webster covers food and dining for MLive and The Ann Arbor News. Reach her at JessicaWebster@mlive.com. You also can follow her on Twitter and on Google+.
Editor's note: This story has been updated in regards to who owns the building Elmo's operates in.
ANN ARBOR - After 28 years of operating in the heart of downtown, Elmo's Main Street T-Shirts is leaving its storefront at 220 S Main St.
"It's kind of a phased closing. It's not an abrupt closing. We've come to the end of our lease after 28 years at this location, and we're no longer able to sustain paying rent," said owner Elmo Morales.
Elmo's Main Street T-Shirts, shown here during construction in 2014, will be leaving its Main Street location. Owner Elmo Morales said rising rent costs are part of the reason why he is leaving the space after 28 years.
Elmo's has been in business for 39 years, Morales said, but won't be closing its doors once the lease runs out this spring. The store will be moving to a smaller location a few blocks away on East Liberty Street.
"Our challenge now is to fit 2,000 square feet of inventory into 400 square feet," Morales said.
The store will still carry its line of licensed University of Michigan apparel along with its Ann Arbor-centric clothing. Screen printing will be handled in a warehouse Morales has rented in the city, however orders will be placed and picked up at the East Liberty store.
Morales said it's hard to think that he won't be running his business on Main Street anymore.
"When I first made the decision, it was hard emotionally," Morales said, adding that he is also dealing with a family medical issue. "That made the decision a whole lot easier because it frees my time to be with (the family member)."
Morales made it clear however that he doesn't look at the move as a bad thing, and he doesn't want people to feel sorry for him. Instead he is looking at the relocation as a positive next step.
"All this is a step for the better. I'm still going to be in business, I still get to play around, I still get to make some money," Morales said. "Who knows? Maybe the whole thing will be better for me."
Over the last 15 years business has leveled, Morales said, and in the last five years particularly, business has started declining. Even though he says his pricing is often lower and faster than online custom t-shirt services, the convenience factor of ordering from home has hurt his bottom line.
"The internet has hurt us tremendously," Morales said. "The only way we've been able to survive is to have less workers and that I work all the time, seven days a week."
The declining sales, combined with higher rent prices on Main Street made it a tough but economically sensible decision. In the past three decades of being on Main Street, Morales says he can clearly see a change going on with downtown Ann Arbor's shopping options.
"What I think is happening just most recently with the Rahmani deal, so many buildings being bought and bringing in national types, I'm thinking the other landlords are saying 'he's doing it, why can't I?'" Morales said. "And they're business people and they have the right to do that. But the whole clientele and the demographics around here is changing."
Morales was referencing several downtown properties that have been bought in recent years by developer Dr. Reza Rahmani. In updating those properties, Rahmani has drawn tenants with nationally recognized name brands that can also pay higher rents.
Stores that have moved into Rahmani-owned properties include Shinola Detroit and Fjall Raven.
The building Elmo's operates out of currently is owned by an limited liability company operated by John Curtis.
The space is being listed by Colliers International agents Jim Chaconas and Brendan Cavender.
The listing for the 4,130-square-foot space markets the property as a potential restaurant, but also says it can be divided in half. Leasing rates are listed between $15-37.50 per square foot. The space will be available in the spring, according to the listing.
Matt Durr is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at mattdurr@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.
Bids are due Friday, March 4, for an outdated municipal office building on the edge of a sizzling hot redevelopment zone of Detroit.
The building at 640 Temple is located midway between the new $627 million Red Wings arena and Motor City Casino, with freeway access a few blocks west and the Masonic Temple one bock to the east.
"The area is obviously a hot spot in the city of Detroit," said Khalil Rahal, executive director of Wayne County's Economic Development Corp. "... In a lot of ways, it's a gateway to Midtown."
The eight-story Albert Kahn-designed building is owned by Wayne County, which is shedding its excess real estate as it deals with a multi-million dollar structural deficit and operates under a consent agreement with the state.
The 167,000-square-foot building is marketed as a mixed-use redevelopment opportunity. An additional 23,000 square feet of space is in the basement, and 200 parking spaces are included.
"With the pending development of the new Arena District surrounding this building a buyer for this site would not be difficult or time consuming to find," listing agent Mike Deighan wrote to the county in March 2015.
"It's an amazing location, considering what it looked like 2 years ago compared to today," said commercial broker AJ Weiner of Jones Lang Lasalle in Royal Oak.
The nearby Red Wings arena is part of the $1.2 billion The District Detroit, which also includes private development - retail, residential and office - on 50 city blocks bordered by Woodward, Cass, Sproat and I-375. It's under development by Olympia Development of Michigan, an entity of Ilitch Holdings Inc.
That leaves 640 Temple in a unique position: "It's a building that found a whole new neighborhood without having to move," Weiner said.
Based data for office building sales in the area, the price for 640 Temple could range from $4.75 million to $19 million, Deighan told county officials a year ago.
More current figures peg sold buildings in the area to $24-$50 per square foot, said Rahal.
"We don't have a range" for an expected offer, Rahal said. "We're letting the market determine that."
Weiner, who works in the downtown market, said a building that size with parking is a rare combination, and "investors are excited about it."
However, it's more difficult to predict an eventual sale price, given multiple variables for how a purchaser would use the property.
A better question, Weiner said, centers on what Wayne County would accept for the property to sell it in this round of offers.
The immediate sale of the building was recommended in a study completed in March 2015 by O'Keefe and Associates of Bloomfield Hills.
In that study, Deighan examined the 257 properties owned by Wayne County in 25 of its 43 municipalities.
According to the report on Wayne County, "Optimizing its oversized real estate portfolio will yield lasting savings in annual operating costs."
At the time, annual rent across its portfolio cost the county $8 million, while other buildings - like the Guardian Building in downtown - were about 50 percent utilized.
640 Temple came onto the market in early November. Most county staff, including Child & Family Services, was moved to The Guardian Building.
Rahal said that, due to location, the building "definitely is one we want to list ... and hear offers."
The building was built in 1920 for the Standard Accident Company and it has experienced some mechanical upgrades in the last 25 years. It has two courtyards and high ceilings, and covered parking on the first level.
The county will evaluate all bids, Rahal said, not just on price but also the next use and how it will impact that nearby area.
Increasing commercial uses may be a priority, Rahal said. The new stadium may make that more likely, he added.
Possibilities for the redeveloped building could include residential or hotel uses, with first-floor retail space.
The property on Temple is one among 16 Wayne County properties that O'Keefe recommended the county sell immediately in its 2015 real estate review. Among other buildings listed with Deighan is the former Eloise complex in Westland and a former drain commission industrial yard also in Westland.
Once the call for bids concludes on Friday, the county will evaluate the response, Rahal said. When the administration is ready to make a selection, a sale will have to be authorized by the Board of Commissioners.
The building's strategic location made it attractive to unsolicited offers in years before County Executive Warren Evans' administration, Rahal said.
Unclear is whether investors and developers will continue to come to his conclusion on the property: "There's a lot of opportunity."
JACKSON, MI - With 11 savory and 11 sweet crepes on the menu, City Crepes in downtown Jackson has something for everyone's tastes.
The mother-daughter team of Janice and Nikki Lane opened the creperie in 2012.
"We were looking for a business and we both liked crepes," Nikki Lane said. "We thought it would be fun and unique for Jackson."
Following are five things you probably didn't know about City Crepes:
* The crepe griddles were imported from France and special outlets had to be installed in the building to accommodate them.
* Most people think of sweet and fruity when they think of crepes. While many sweet crepes are offered at City Crepes, there are just as many other options with ingredients like meats, cheeses, and veggies.
Business Info
Address:
137 N. Jackson St., Jackson
Type of Business:
Creperie
Owners:
Janice and Nikki Lane
Number of Employees:
4
Serving Community:
Since 2012
Business Hours:
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday
Contact Info:
Phone: 517-789-8090; Facebook:
Email:
* A gluten free batter is available.
* The business offers many specialty drinks including a hot Nutella drink, Italian sodas and French press coffee.
* The business attracts just as many men as women, partially due to the large portion size offered, said Nikki Lane said.
If you'd like to suggest a Jackson-area business for this feature, please contact reporter Leanne Smith at lsmith12@mlive.com or 517-262-0720.
KALAMAZOO, Mi
-- Global pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. will use a small Kalamazoo company's chemistry and compounds to develop new medicines for infectious diseases.
Kalamazoo-based AureoGen Biosciences Inc. says it has a licensing agreement with Merck for the use of AureoGen's proprietary chemistry and compounds.
The science has helped produce derivatives that show promise in fighting diseases that impact organ transplant recipients, AIDS patients and others.
The company did not disclose how much Merck is paying as part of the agreement.
According to a press release from AureoGen, Merck receives exclusive rights to new derivatives of the antifungal compound Aureobasidin A made by AureoGen, as well as additional derivatives generated using AureoGen's chemistry. AureoGen is also eligible to receive royalties from commercial sales of approved products derived from the agreement.
AureoGen will receive an upfront payment and is eligible to receive milestone payments based on progress and regulatory approvals related to Merck's development of drug candidates that use AureoGen's chemistry and/or compounds.
The company did not say how much those future payments may be worth.
Kenilworth, N.J.-based Merck & Co. Inc. produces and sells a wide range of pharmaceuticals including treatments for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, nasal allergy symptoms, HIV-1 infection, fungal infections, arthritis, osteoporosis, male pattern hair loss, and fertility diseases.Its many consumer brnads include Afrin, Claritin, Coppertone, Coricidin, Dr. Scholl's, Gyne-Lotrimin, and Miralax. It reported $39.5 billion in sales last year.
"AureoGen is very pleased with the agreement with Merck," AureoGen Biosciences Chief Executive Officer Ake Elhammer stated in a press release. "It will allow for efficient and rapid development of novel drugs for a market with a very immediate unmet medical need. And it will allow for a broadening of AureoGen's continued research and development efforts in the anti-infectives area."
Elhammer said Merck has demonstrated leadership in antifungal rsearch and development and in the marketing of antifungal drugs. That makes it "an ideal partner for the development of novel drugs based on AureoGen's Aureobasidin A chemistry."
Todd A. Black, executive director of infectious diseases at Merck Research Laboratories, said "Merck is committed to advancing meaningful therapeutic options to address serious infectious diseases. We are pleased to enter into this agreement with AureoGen and look forward to applying its novel chemistry platform towards the potential development of important new medicines."
Founded in August of 2003 by former Pfizer Inc. scientists, AureoGen uses state-of-the-art chemistry and genetic engineering methods to find and isolate new drugs from natural product compounds called "existing cyclic peptide templates."
Many drugs are built on synthetic compounds, which are generated by complicated and often expensive chemical synthesis. In contrast, natural products are isolated from microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. Drugs such as penicillin, vancomycin and cyclosporin are the result of such work.
The company started at the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center, a life-sciences incubator/accelerator, and is now located at 6475 Technology Ave., Suite C, in
Texas Township.
AureoGen received support through the Michigan Economic Development Corp.'s Entrepreneur and Innovation initiative, and the Western Michigan University Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center.
Planned Central Bank reforms could end state-owned banks reluctance to participate in the interbank foreign exchange market, which bankers at private lenders say is causing distortions in the kyat-dollar exchange rate.
The [currency] flow between private banks and state banks has not been smooth, U Mya Than, chair of the Yangon Foreign Exchange Market Committee, said.
The Central Bank has to urge [the state banks] to participate and follow the same rules. But Central Bank intervention has not been strong enough.
A Central Bank official said there were plans to put both groups of banks on an equal footing.
U Mya Than was speaking at a Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) seminar last week. Other private bank officials at the same event said that the lack of state-owned bank participation in the interbank market is the biggest driver behind exchange rate distortions.
Distortions arise because the state-owned banks reluctance to sell dollars to private banks artificially reduces supply. This in turn pushes up demand for dollars across the financial sector and affects the kyat-dollar exchange rate.
A majority of formal foreign exchange transactions are made through state-owned Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank.
Until 2011, these two banks were the only entities licensed to deal in foreign currency. As a result, all government departments and state enterprises keep foreign currency accounts with MFTB, as do several private companies.
MFTB and MICB both require customers to deposit 100pc of the value of the trade to be viable for a foreign currency letter of credit.
But state-owned banks are reluctant to trade their foreign currency with private lenders, said U Mya Than.
Years of following strict rules set by the Ministry of Finance has made them unwilling to be flexible, he said. The state banks are also concerned that trading foreign currency with private banks could deplete their own reserves, leaving them unable to provide payment and settlements services to foreign banks, he added.
Both state-owned and private lenders are required to sell foreign currency to the Central Bank or the official market if the banks net open foreign exchange position exceeds 30 percent of paid-up capital.
Private banks on average have net open foreign exchange positions of up to 20pc of paid-up capital, and never more than 30pc according to U Mya Than.
One reason is that historically exporters and importers have used state banks to conduct foreign trade transactions.
Another is that until recently exporters and importers traded foreign currency between themselves, bypassing the banking system altogether, said Asia Green Development Banks deputy managing director U Soe Thein.
State-owned banks, on the other hand, frequently have net open foreign exchange positions of over 30pc, but the Central Bank does not enforce the rule, said bankers at the GIZ event. This leaves the state banks exposed to significant exchange rate risk, and drains the interbank market of dollars, they said.
But a Central Bank official said there are long-term plans to ensure all lenders participate in the interbank foreign exchange market and follow the same rules.
Following the enactment of the Financial Institutions Law on January 25, state and private lenders have to return their banking licences within six months.
Once they [the state banks] have renewed their licences, they will have to follow the same policies as private banks, the Central Bank official said. This policy of equality is enshrined in the Financial Institutions Law, although specific details will be laid out in accompanying regulations that are now being drawn up.
The Central Bank is also planning to allow private banks to offer a wider range of foreign banking services and better compete with state-owned lenders, with the specific aim of improving the interbank foreign exchange market, the official said, although he did not comment on what these services would be.
Commercial banks have been able to offer some foreign banking services for several years, but have yet to catch up with their state-owned peers in terms of market share.
The Central Bank believes that if private banks offer the same services often at a higher standard more firms will move their accounts from state-owned to private lenders, the official said.
As more foreign currency and US dollars in particular flows to the private banks, the state-owned lenders should have a larger incentive to take part in the interbank foreign exchange market.
As private banks trade more and more dollars on behalf of clients and for their own balance sheets state banks will inevitably have to participate in the interbank market, the Central Bank official said.
As speculation mounts over whether the new government will back Myanmars divisive special economic zones, a National League for Democracy spokesperson says in theory such projects are good for the economy and will continue to receive support.
However, the party will need to scrutinise details before deciding whether or not individual projects have a future, said U Han Thar Myint, a member of the NLD economic committee.
Of the three SEZs conceived by Myanmars outgoing administration, two have stalled amid much controversy. Managed well, special economic zones can benefit an economy, allowing innovative policies to be tested in a controlled area and boosting investment.
Over the past few years, despite the hype surrounding all three projects, only Japanese-backed Thilawa SEZ near to Yangon has made any real progress. The other two zones Thai-funded Dawei SEZ in Tanintharyi Region and Chinese-backed Kyaukphyu SEZ in Rakhine State have been delayed for a number of reasons including local opposition and a lack of funding.
U Han Thar Myint of the NLDs economic committee said it is too early to take a stance on their future.
It is clear that the project in Thilawa has been a success, he said, but the NLD does not yet have detailed information about the zones in Dawei and Kyaukphyu, as the relevant ministries have not handed over project documents.
Until we have the details and figures about the SEZs under development we cannot form a plan, he told The Myanmar Times. But there are many examples of successful special economic zones in other countries that prove they can be very useful for Myanmar.
The NLD will need to study commitments made by the former government to investors, and speak with the relevant state and regional governments and local residents, before deciding whether the projects in Dawei and Kyaukphyu should continue, he said, adding that a balanced and informed choice will be made.
Ko Zaw Aung, a freelance social researcher, said that civil society groups have opposed the projects because of their negative effect on local residents, adding that local people should be treated fairly and supported by the government. More equitable policies and laws could improve public sentiment about the zones, he added. The new government has been highly recommended by the people, so its policies and laws will be better than those set by the old government. I am optimistic, and hoping to see many good things.
Ichiro Maruyama, minister-counsellor at the Japanese embassy, said Thilawa could be used as an example for developing the other two zones. Thilawas proximity to Yangon meant it was a priority, he said, adding that Japan is now in discussions to help fund the project in Dawei.
Dawei SEZ was originally designed to be one-quarter the size of Singapore, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and generating up to 5 percent of Myanmars GDP. However, approvals and funding have proved challenging, as has winning local support.
Work began on the initial phase last year, almost a decade after the original MoU was signed. U Han Sein, the chair of Dawei SEZ Management Committee, said he hoped the new government would allow the project to continue. This is our first experience of a new government, but we believe it will support projects started by the old government. SEZs help countries to develop, and should be built regardless of who is in power, he said.
The zone in Kyaukphyu will be developed by Chinas CITIC. U Aung Kyaw Than, joint secretary of the Kyaukphyu SEZ tender evaluation committee, said he believes the project will continue, as new parliamentarians have a responsibility to uphold commitments made by the former government.
However, a report published by BMI Research last week said its development will be disrupted by security risks. Looming ... risks stemming from ongoing ethno-religious tensions, environmental concerns and opposition to Chinese investment, will plague the construction of the SEZ and threaten its future success, the report said.
While CITIC has made promises about how the SEZ will benefit the local community past Chinese investment projects have shown that Chinese companies prefer to bring their own workers and their projects may not bring significant benefits for local communities.
Lacking modern technology and competing with industrial zones in neighbouring countries that churn out ever-cheaper products, many factories in Mandalay have been forced to close their doors.
Over the past year, around 20 percent of factories in Mandalay Industrial Zone 1 and 2 have shut up shop, according to a spokesperson for the Mandalay Industrial Zone Management Committee (MIZMC).
Products made in neighbouring countries across ASEAN are cheaper than ours. Their quality is lower, but people tend to choose the more affordable option, U Maung Maung Oo told The Myanmar Times.
Meanwhile we are facing challenges such as low-quality technology, a dearth of skilled workers and old machinery, while state support and investment into industries is weak. As a result, one in five factory owners had to close their businesses last year.
The two industrial zones, located in Mandalays Pyigyitagun township, had a total of 392 large factories, 312 medium factories and 576 small factories in operation by the end of last year.
In particular, small and medium sized factories and iron melting factories have closed, said U Maung Maung Oo.
Those who have managed to remain in business face volatile conditions and are badly in need of support, which they hope the new government will be able to provide, said one factory owner who asked not to be named.
MIZMC offers monthly training sessions to help factories increase their competitiveness, and is also negotiating with officials from the Japan Myanmar Association to secure support for small- and medium-sized companies, said U Maung Maung Oo.
This is not the time for individuals to strive in their own interests. Success can be achieved only through collaboration, he said.
We are trying to raise the spirits of businesspeople by offering to link them up with international companies and facilitate loans. We are also providing training, which could help them to run their factories better.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun
A hoped-for election dividend has not paid off, at least not so far, for Myanmars tourism industry.
Despite the mostly smooth and peaceful elections last November and the subsequent progress made toward handing over power to a new government, tourism experts say the sector has not seen the fillip they had expected.
High prices, poor infrastructure and inadequate human resources remain the same old problems. Ongoing tensions in Thailand are also seen to have had a negative impact on the industry.
U Aung Myat Kyaw, former chair of the Union of Myanmar Travel Association and central committee member of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, said hopes of a democracy boost to the industry were beginning to flag.
Tour numbers are down even at popular resorts like Bagan, while hotels along Ngapalis sandy beaches are reporting a sharp downturn in foreign visitors, with occupancy rates down by about 10 percent from a year ago.
Domestic tourism is up and offsetting the lull to some extent. But where foreign tourists tend to come fairly steadily during the peak season from October to April, local travel is more concentrated around public holidays.
Myanmar is among the most expensive of all ASEAN countries, U Aung Myat Kyaw told The Myanmar Times. It is not easy to book online, room charges are high and services do not offer value for money.
Foreign travel companies are directing tourists to cheaper and more convenient countries like Thailand and Vietnam. We need to do better marketing, he said.
According to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, the country had 1279 hotels and 49,946 rooms available as of the end of December. But many remain almost empty.
Thanks to the election, our image is good. Were just too expensive, said U Zaw Win Cho, chair of the Bagan Guide Association.
He said the rate for a four-star hotel is US$50 in Thailand or Cambodia, but $100 or more in Myanmar. An air ticket from Yangon to Bagan costs the same as Yangon-Bangkok, he said.
We should also extend the visa-on-arrival system to more countries, he said, suggesting the new National League for Democracy MPs should make tourism a priority.
They can ask advice from private travel experts. We believe the NLD has a plan, and now is the time to implement it, he said.
Koji Morio, deputy team leader of community-based tourism for the Japan International Cooperation Agency, said more Japanese visitors would come if they were exempted from visas for a 14-day trip.
He added that priority should be given to developing human resources, infrastructure and tourism management.
In my opinion, human resources are not sufficient in Myanmar at this moment, he said.
Daw Hlaing Hlaing Win, general manager of the Amazing Hotels & Resorts group, said occupancy had fallen despite the availability of wider choice and price discounts.
We cut room prices by at least 10pc. But in Ngapali, Inle and Bagan tourist numbers are down despite an increase in domestic visitors in Ngapali, she said.
One Ngapali hotel manager said she believed many tour groups had decided well in advance to give Myanmar a miss during the election and transition period, but said hopes still remain that bookings will recover after the 2016 monsoon season.
A community tourism initiative near Inle Lake could potentially provide an alternative income to opium farmers, relieving them of persecution for growing illegal crops.
The Parami Development Network, an NGO heavily funded by the Pa-O National Organisation, and Golden Island Cottages are developing community-based tourism in and around the Pa-O Self-administered Zone.
Nine villages have been identified as suitable for the project by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, and four have been selected for the first phase. All are inside what was previously known as Shan State Special Region 6 an area controlled by the PNO after it signed a ceasefire with the military government in 1991.
None of the initial villages are in the self-administered zone or have been linked to opium cultivation. But if the project is successful, the PNO hopes to see it expand into the Mae Taung area of east Hopong township, which is known for growing poppies.
We will expand to poppy villages if the initial projects are a success, said Khun Saw Kyaw Win, an administrative officer for the Pa-O National Organisation, the main authority in the area.
The four villages, in Nyaungshwe and Taunggyi townships in southern Shan State, are already open to tourists, who visit the area on treks organised through local guides.
These are significantly cheaper than the community-based tourism initiative, which costs US$100 for a day trip and $150-200 for overnight stays.
But Khun Saw Kyaw Win said he hoped that visitors would be attracted to the more immersive experience offered by the project, which he argued would have stronger benefits for the community than standard treks.
Those who visit under the project can undertake a range of activities, including cooking classes, agriculture and bird watching. They will also be treated to cultural performances that regular trekkers will not likely have the chance to experience.
We believe community-based tourism will develop education, healthcare and business in the villages. Now they depend on agriculture, which provides them only with a small income, said Khun Saw Kyaw Win.
Locals traditional culture will be maintained and regional products can continue to be produced if tourism is conducted in this way, he added.
We dont only focus on improving the villagers income but also to reduce heroin production. That is why we provided the necessary training and investment, he said.
Khun Tun Oo, project and marketing manager for the community-based tourism project, said more work needed to be done to attract visitors.
We should organise more activities to attract tourists when they are touring in villages and make it financially more attractive as well, he said.
A website is being developed so that tourists can easily book their trip online but, for now, bookings go through the Golden Islands Cottage Hotel Group. For now, visitors can make a booking on 09-785215573.
Arakan Army officers have strongly denied a government accusation that they fund their military activities and weapons purchases through the sale of illegal drugs. The United League for Arakan, the groups political wing, has lashed out at a story in state-owned media yesterday that stated the movement funded its activities with illegal narcotics sales.
The spokesperson insisted the AA had no connection with drugs.
The Global New Light of Myanmar reported yesterday, in a front-page story entitled How to Fund a War, that the seizure of 330,800 stimulant pills and weapons by Yangon police last month was connected to the Rakhine State-based ethnic armed group.
On February 6, police arrested a man named as Aung Myat Kyaw after finding a suspicious vehicle in Tarmwe township. Police said a search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 42 pieces of military equipment, including plastic explosives, at a house in North Dagon township. The other resident of the house, named as Wai Tha Tun, was also arrested.
A search of his house in North Okkalapa township discovered the stimulants. Further searches of properties linked to Wai Tha Tun in Hlaing Tharyar township and Rambre township, Rakhine State, last month discovered thousands of rounds of heavy machine gun ammunition, dynamite, smoke bombs and detonators, and other weapons and explosives.
Police said Aung Myat Kyaw was a lieutenant colonel in the Arakan Army and, according to the state-owned media story yesterday, said he had admitted that the AA engaged in illegal drug dealing to finance their weapons purchases. He also reportedly admitted making 14 arms deliveries to Sittwe, Rakhine State, over the past two years.
U Khaing Thu Kha, of the groups information department, told The Myanmar Times yesterday that the weapons belonged to the AA, but that it had no connection with illegal drugs.
The government always accuses ethnic armed groups of drug dealing. We deny this false accusation, he said.
The ULA/AA released a statement yesterday condemning the state-run media for damaging their dignity in the eyes of the international community.
We dont support, sell, produce or distribute drugs, said the statement, adding that the confession had been forced.
U Khine Thu Kha said the government had no desire to eradicate drugs and opium fields, which they blamed on ethnic armed groups.
Weve already seen how the government acted when Pat Ja San asked them for help in destroying the poppy fields in Kachin State, he said, referring to the attempts of a Kachin Christian voluntary organisation to destroy poppy fields in Waingmaw township.
The group abandoned its attempt to destroy the fields after a violent clash with the poppy growers after local police and military said they could not protect the activists.
The AA clashed with Tatmadaw forces on February 27 in Buthidaung township, Rakhine State, killing two government soldiers, the group said. We expect more fighting as the military are reinforcing their troops near the township, said U Khine Thu Kha.
In yet another capricious policy shift with repercussions for millions of workers, Thailand has announced that migrant labourers must re-register for temporary documents known as pink cards.
The announcement follows back-and-forth negotiations between Myanmar and Thailand over how to transition the largely irregular and undocumented workforce to a more permanent status.
Pink cards were introduced by Thailands military government during a post-coup amnesty window, which closed in October 2014. Over 660,000 Myanmar workers and their dependants signed up for the interim measure, which was meant to give workers time to apply for regular documents including a passport, work permit and visa. The initial deadline elapsed so the validity of the pink cards was extended until April this year, allegedly giving origin countries more time to confirm nationality and provide passports.
But after being mired in delays and administrative flip-flops, the process is getting another reboot. After meeting with Myanmar officials on February 22 and 23, Thailand requested workers again come forward and register for pink cards, which will now be valid for two years. According to the agreement, all newly issued pink cards will also be eligible for a two-year extension.
Thailand has said the decision will grant foreign labourers with temporary cards extra time to get regular, legal documents from their origin country. However, migrant rights groups, which criticised past regularisation programs as money-making schemes for corrupt officials, said the latest announcement is no less problematic.
According to the Thai Cabinets statement, holders of temporary passports will no longer be able to renew the document for another four- or six-year period. Instead, the holders must revert to registering for a pink card when the window opens on April 1. This shift will force already regularised workers into the undocumented category.
This is a backward policy, said U Sein Htay, chair of the Thai-based Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN). The requirements for migrant workers identity documents have drifted so far they returned to the starting point.
U Sein Htay added that unlike a temporary passport, the pink card is not a legal ID and does not grant regularised working status. Pink cards are intended to allow short-term stays in Thailand for people who entered the country undocumented. The pink-card holders can be deported at any time, and are vulnerable to arrest or extortion by police.
Unlike those with temporary passports and work permits, pink-card holders are not eligible for benefits like social security, leave, workers compensation or a drivers licence.
Workers informed of the latest announcement are said to be outraged that they must re-register for pink cards or, in the case of those with a passport, turn over legal documents in exchange for the temporary cards.
Ko Zaw Tun, a migrant worker from a steel factory in Mae Sot, said he has registered during every pink-card window, but does not want to jump through the same hoops again.
Even though I have a pink card, I have been cheated quite often, he said. So what I want is for an ID that is something other than a pink card. The pink card plan has only cheated migrant workers, nothing more.
The costly system has already penny-pinched workers. Registering for the pink cards the first time around typically cost 300 baht (K10,000). Many were told they needed to renew the pink cards before a Thai-imposed deadline at the end of June for 500 baht (about K17,000), plus as much as 10,000 baht (K320,000) for brokers.
Myanmars Ministry of Labour has already agreed to the re-registration plan, according to permanent secretary U Myo Aung. The ministry has also agreed to verify the Myanmar workers who complete the registration and provide certificates of identity the same arrangement made in 2014.
U Myo Aung added that it is up to Thailand to set the policy for expired visa and work-permit holders, but that Myanmar pressed for re-registering pink cards rather than deportation.
We have agreed that the verification program for the certificates of identity will restart in May or June, he said. But first, we have to wait first for the pink card re-registration to finish.
The student union of the University of Medicine in Magwe has joined the campaign against the construction of a US$70 million private hospital on public land near Yangon General Hospital.
Malaysian firm IHH Healthcare, which is working with Myanmar partners on the 250-bed Parkway Yangon Hospital through a Singaporean subsidiary, said it will help efforts to train local Myanmar health professionals.
But medical professionals have campaigned hard against the project, urging the regional and Union governments to scrap the plan. They say the site should instead be used for a training hospital built to international standards.
The Magwe students said in a statement yesterday said that the plot of land on the corner of Bogyoke Aung San and Pyay roads was originally intended for the extension of Yangon General Hospital but had now been rented out to Parkway Group. They have sent a petition to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Speakers of the Union parliament, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Thura U Shwe Mann and others.
Ko Swe Thet Zaw, a member of the Magwe University of Medicine, said that even though the government claimed the project was in the public interest, few people could afford treatment at private hospitals.
Now we are waiting to see the results of our campaign, he said.
A spokesperson for Parkway Yangon Hospital refused repeated requests for comment.
The National League for Democracy has also taken aim against the hospital, describing it as one of several projects initiated in the final days of the current administration that requires greater scrutiny.
On February 25, NLD MP Daw Khin San Hlaing called for the scrutiny of an apparent fire-sale of government assets and listed a number of cases that had arisen since the November election, which her party won in a landslide.
She said government assets were being disposed of through fast-track procedures that appeared to bypass the necessary arrangements and negotiations.
The government has rejected these accusations but refused to send officials to parliament to explain the projects in question.
On February 26, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar carried an article titled Parkway plot not sold in response to rumours that the government had sold the 4.4-acre site to a foreign consortium. The article said the land had been leased under a 50-year contract after which the hospital would revert to government ownership.
It quoted Myanmar Investment Commission secretary U Aung Naing Oo as saying that the project would support the development of the health sector through training and knowledge transfer.
When the country updates the health sector, we need medical care that is up to international standards, he said, adding that Myanmar people who formerly travelled overseas for treatment would no longer need to.
A spokesperson for Ahlinkar Oo, an organisation that facilitated the black ribbon campaign against the militarisation of the Ministry of Health last year, said the group has also written to the government urging it to cancel the project.
The letter was accompanied by a petition with 979 signatures.
They are renting it out for 50 years for a project that is unsuitable for the public, who are in need of medical care now, a representative of the organisation said.
Members of the Union Election Commission, political parties and civil society groups yesterday reflected on the successes and shortcomings of the countrys unprecedented election last November.
We cannot say the election was perfect, because there were weak points due to a lack of experience and knowledge, UEC chair U Tin Aye said in opening remarks at the national post-election conference.
Despite the flaws, the 2015 vote accomplished a historic feat, with millions lining up at polling stations nationwide to cast their ballots. Figures revealed at yesterdays conference put the total number of voters at more than 23.9 million, yielding a turnout of almost 70 percent. The turnout is just below the 72pc Asia average, according to data collected by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance from to 1990 to 2001.
Though many speculated in months prior to the election the extent to which the nationwide races would be free, fair and inclusive, peaceful proceedings as well as largely positive reviews from foreign observers impressed on the local and global stage.
However, issues with the countrys legal framework remain, and Myanmar has more to do to educate its politicians and people, according to the UEC and civil society groups.
U Tin Aye told The Myanmar Times that the UEC, political parties and the media have little practice with elections, as there have only been a handful in the 67 years since Myanmar gained independence.
They dont understand the election framework because of their inexperience, which causes conflicts, he said.
UEC member U Myint Naing said that training and voter education were weak before the November 8 election. Civil society representatives went on to recommend that voter education should be conducted more effectively throughout the country, and that election information should be worked into the school curriculum for children.
Voters misunderstood the advance voting process and also the UEC staff made some mistakes, giving the wrong voting papers to people, said U Myint Naing. Serious mistakes did not happen, but we need to take care they dont happen again.
On the side of candidates running for office, procedural rules were not always followed, leading to problems. U Myint Naing said that some candidates tried to enter the race despite being too young.
Meanwhile, U Myint Naing reported some candidates had faced trouble over campaign finance reporting. Forty people facing disqualification from future political activities have appeared before the UEC to explain their budget bills. In 23 cases, justifications were accepted, but those that pled with unacceptable excuses such as familial illness could be disqualified from running for office again.
He also alluded to a candidate who was disqualified from running as his parents were not citizens when he was born. The UEC rejected 124 candidates, the majority Muslim contestants barred due to citizenship complaints. Under pressure from international observers and diplomats, the UEC reinstated 11 Muslim candidates.
There were also concerns about voter disenfranchisement, especially in conflict areas or due to voter list errors. U Myint Naing said yesterday the UEC overcame problems to create the digital voter list, which counted more than 34 million names and would be recorded in the annals of Myanmars election history. However, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled at the beginning of last year that holders of white cards, temporary IDs, would not be able to vote. These issues were not addressed in depth at the conference.
Carter Center field office director Frederick Rawski pinned many weaknesses in the electoral process to its underlying framework, saying some of the blame lies with the constitution and issues related to electoral and other laws.
Many of these changes have to do with taking powers within the discretion of electoral bodies and writing them into the law, he said. Things like a timeline for elections and campaigning, supervision and auditing of campaign expenses, the appointment mechanism itself for sub-commissions and election commissions, and the guarantees of access to observers, civil society and others that have been practiced by this election commission.
The Peoples Alliance for Credible Elections director Ko Sai Ye Kyaw Swar Myint echoed concerns around a proper election calendar.
We can imagine the next election will be held in 2020, but we dont know the exact date, he said.
Since 2009, Thailands successive governments have had a general countrywide migration policy to meet strong national economic, demographic and lifestyle demands. This policy enabled, but didnt necessarily ensure or effectively promote, the regularisation of irregular, lower-skilled migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, and recently also Vietnam.
This short-term and generally schizophrenic, poorly planned and implemented migration policy has always prioritised national and economic security over human security concerns.
Almost all low-skilled migrant labourers prior to 2009 entered Thailand irregularly through well-established and lucrative smuggling and trafficking routes and networks. A formal memorandum of understanding (MoU) worker import system for migrant labourers only became functional from 2010.
Since 2009, temporary or permanent passports and certificate of identity (CI) documents have been issued within Thailand by a migrant workers origin country through the nationality verification (NV) process at One Stop Service Centers (OSS). These documents have been issued to millions of irregular workers.
With these documents, workers then applied for Thai visas and work permits valid for two years at a time. Eventually, after much policy confusion, the documents enabled a stay in Thailand of up to a maximum of six years.
Passports and CI issued through this very non-transparent NV process were of three, five, six or ten years validity. Thai visas allowed two, four or six-year stays in the kingdom. Corruption and confusion was always rampant in these bureaucratically designed processes which were never fully clear or well-organised.
Albeit with some cost improvements on the Thai side post the 2014 coup, brokers, agents and Thai/origin-country officials, as well as corrupt employer HR staff, profited handsomely from these regularisation systems.
Fully regularised NV workers and new MoU workers coming into Thailand benefited from regularisation processes however as follows: freedom of movement in Thailand and to/from home countries was possible (temporary Thai-issued migrant ID cards restricted movement to the province of registration only); access to social security systems was opened (although not always with clear benefits and access); and eligibility for bank accounts and driving licences appeared. Workers were more strongly protected by their regular or fully legal status; however, in practice, difficultly accessing these protected rights remained.
Workers with passports or CI too often have simply ended up by the hundred-thousands just throwing away valid or expired (four/five/six year) passports or CI when visa, passport or CI renewal processes became unclear, impractical or exorbitantly expensive. This was because of poorly planned Thai and country-of-origin migration policies often quietly and confusingly announced only once expiry dates had passed.
Many of these workers then applied for semi-regular temporary IDs or pink cards instead when the Thai government allowed this during post-coup regularisation. In addition, others returned home and entered Thailand anew with fresh names or identity documents at great expense.
The Thai government dishonestly trumpeted high regularisation statistics in the fisheries sector and across the country when in fact many newly registered workers were formally registered with passports anyway.
In addition, as a result of this confusion and migration policy chaos, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers often lost all accrued worker and social security benefits by starting again with new names and changed ID numbers. Bonuses and work incentives started fresh. Social security pensions and health benefits just disappeared with the wind.
But now, in another important migration policy development or u-turn, a vague February 23 Thai Cabinet decision suggests all migrants in Thailand can or will have to move back to a temporary pink semi-legal migrant ID card system like was the case pre-2009. This blanket decision was declared applicable whatever their current regular or irregular documentation status.
So after seven years are we now seeing a de-regularisation process for migrant workers? Will migrant workers once again lose their identity status and nationality to a short-term, irregular or semi-legal registration status that will primarily short-term benefit Thailands economic security and business needs for a flexible easily expendable lower-skilled migrant workforce?
Its not clear yet whether the new policy move back to a semi-regular pink card status will be compulsory, or if existing or expired migrant worker passports can still be renewed or extended with workers coming in and out of Thailand on a four-year limited formal or regular MoU entry scheme, as exists already.
Also, importantly, it is not yet clear what origin countries think of this migration policy u-turn which could make more of their workers irregular with less rights protections and formality of status. In particular, Migrant Worker Rights Network will be working closely with Myanmars new National League for Democracy government that is expected by many to champion stronger migrant worker rights during its first term in office.
Whatever the case with this policy, which will surely become clearer in the coming weeks, MWRN is deeply concerned at potential negative implications of the vague Thai government announcement for the future of millions of migrant workers in the country and is closely monitoring policy development announcements.
MWRN cannot accept a return to the pre-2009, semi-legal or irregular status for millions of migrant workers in Thailand.
MWRN also cannot accept once again a migration policy if it will be implemented in a way that leads to the eroding of basic migrant worker rights and past worker benefits like pensions, healthcare and employee welfare benefits.
If the drafted policy is as poorly thought out as we fear, it should not see the light of day, nor should the international community and buyers of exported goods manufactured in migrant labour-intensive industries accept these concerning developments. The policy cannot fail once again to prioritise the human security of millions of migrant workers in the country.
Andy Hall is an international affairs adviser to the Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN) and State Enterprise Workers Relations Confederation (SERC).
The Raspberry Pi Foundation was created by several talented people who believed that families should be able to have affordable, programmable computers. The company wanted to break the paradigm of having to spend hundreds of dollars in order to own a PC to have access to the Internet.
It is with this goal in mind that Raspberry Pi created a low cost, credit card sized computer designed to plug into a computer monitor or TV using a standard keyboard and mouse. Normally, when a company makes changes to its products, no matter how slight, they take the opportunity to change the version number and increase the price, yet another concept that the company does not follow.
In February 2015, the company released the Raspberry Pi 2, which included a 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU and 1 GB LPDDR2 SDRAM (2x memory), for a selling price of $35. Earlier this week marked the fourth anniversary of Raspberry Pi, and with it came the release of the Raspberry Pi 3 with the same $35 price tag.
The small, yet powerful Pi 3 is now powered by a 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, which runs at 1.2GHz, making it about 60 percent faster than the Pi 2. Similar to the previous version, the Pi 3 has an HDMI port, Ethernet, MicroSD and four USB ports, running a Broadcom VideoCore IV 3D graphics processor that can play 1080p video at 60 frames per second.
What separates the Pi 3 from the Pi 2 is the inclusion of several wireless options that include 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4. The previous versions tied the unit to a physical Ethernet connection, which as mentioned above is still available, but users wanted the freedom of wireless connections and they were heard.
While the initial goal of the company was to provide small, affordable computer options, the credit card sized unit now goes beyond that concept. Over the course of the past four years, Raspberry Pi has generated the development of robots and electronics. The latest version will allow users to build simple smart homes by connecting Raspberry Pi 3 to Bluetooth-based devices. According to Eben Upton, CEO of Raspberry Pi, the new features in Raspberry Pi 3 align well with Microsofts Azure cloud service, which will provide remote automation, security, and analytics, as well as other services.
At this time, about 200,000 units are ready to be used, with an expectation of having about 100,000 units manufactured every week. At some point in the near future, Raspberry Pi plans to have a modular version of the Pi 3. This unit will have similar capabilities but be packaged in a board that could be installed inside computers.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Management and staff of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) have organised a thanksgiving service to thank God for His faithfulness to the bank in the past year.
The service, held under the theme, God's Faithfulness, was attended by staff from their headquarters and other branches within the Greater Accra Region.
It was laced with intermittent prayer sessions and musical interludes that kept the place alive from the beginning to the end.
In a sermon, Reverend Fr Joseph Henry Mensah of Corpus Christi Parish, Sakumono, urged the workers to remain faithful to their creator.
I can tell you all here that God is always faithful no matter how long it takes. But it is we human beings that easily loose our faith, he said.
He advised that in spite of the difficulties they found themselves in, it was incumbent on them to eschew negative practices such as laziness and total inertia that had the potential of lowering productivity.
Rev Fr Mensah added that ADB belonged to Ghana and Ghanaians and as custodians of the bank, there was the need for the workers to continuously change their attitude towards work to step up productivity.
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He said:We need to change our attitude; we need to change our mindset towards what we do today for a living, for you are the trustees of the bank and Ghanaians are watching your performance.
Mr James Agbedor, Acting Managing Director of the bank, called for unity that would empower them to work assiduously and uplift them from the hardships they encountered in the past years.
Never again shall we experience the things of the pastWe need to work together as a united force to generate more wealth at ADB.
Mr Agbedor commended the staff for giving him the maximum support during what he described as my short tenure of office.
He indicated the readiness of staff to support in-coming MD, Mr Daniel Asiedu, in his quest to quickly put the bank on track after a difficult year.
01.03.2016 LISTEN
One of Ghana's highlife musicians, Rex Omar, has called on Akosua Agyapong to desist from making baseless allegations of misappropriation of funds against the executives of the Ghana Music Right Organisation (GHAMRO).
According to the Abiba hitmaker, who is an executive member of GHAMRO, Akosua Agyapongs accusations are far from right and should not be given listening ears, adding that the female highlife musician is a liar.
Akosua Agyapong a few weeks ago accused the leadership of GHAMRO of embezzling funds belonging to the right owners and also enriching themselves as a result of poor monitoring and accountability.
Rex Omar in an interview with Atinka FM stated that Akosua is only telling lies from one radio to the other, and also tarnishing the image of GHAMRO board.
Rex Omar stressed that the GHAMRO board can sue Akosua Agyapong if she does not stop peddling false allegation against GHAMRO executives.
President of Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Bice Osei Kuffour, popularly known as Obour, who is a member of GHAMRO board, dared Akosua Agyapong to take Ghana Music Right Organisation (GHAMRO) to court over her alleged embezzlement of musicians' royalties.
Speaking on Pluzz FM, Obour disclosed that there is a system in place you can use if you feel the executives of GHAMRO are not doing things right as to how to run the association, I will suggest to Akosua to rather go to court to point out her complaints than moving from one radio station to the other.
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Celebrated international sound engineer and beat maker, Maxwell Asante Ansong, known on the international music scene as Mo Beatz, has been tipped by some industry players to win the Producer Of The Year Awards at the forthcoming Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) slated for the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) in May.
The sound engineer and beat maker, according to some industry players, deserves the award because of his track records and recognition on the international scene.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Scratch Studio & Music Publishing, Kofi Amoakohene, who is currently working with Mo Beatz, told BEATWAVES in a chat that Mo Beatz deserves the awards because he has done a lot for local artistes and he is still producing a lot of them. Because of his track record, most of the local artistes visit his studio every day for assistance.
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Whether he will win as he is competing in the same category with Bisa K'dei, Akwaboah Jnr, Beatz Dakay, Chapter Beatrs, E.L, Dr Ray and Kin Dee, Kofi Amoakohene mentioned that he believes Mo Beatz has a great chance of grabbing the award, adding, Let's see how it goes.
Mo Beatz is credited with a number of hit songs on the international music scene. He has also produced a number of songs for local artistes such as VVIP, Stonebwoy, M.anifest, SSUE and a host of others.
By George Clifford Owusu
President John Mahama has hailed young Ghanaian actor Abraham Attah for making Ghana proud.
In a tweet on Monday, the President said, Congrats @AttahNii. Such a positive positioning of the Ghana Brand. We can do with many more Abraham Attah's.
Attah, who won Best Actor at the Film Independent Spirit Awards last week, also made international headlines when he presented an award at the Oscars on Sunday.
The actor, 15, beat fellow actors Ben Mendelsohn (Mississippi Grind), Christopher Abbott (James White), Jason Segel (The End of the Tour) and Koudous Seihon (Mediterranea) for the honour.
Attah won the best actor prize for his portrayal of a child soldier in the Netflix drama Beasts of No Nation his first acting role.
President John Mahama has eulogised young Ghanaian actor Abraham Attah, 15, for raising high the flag of Ghana to the world.
President Mahama believes the actors exploits has positioned Ghana positively to the world.
The President in a tweet congratulated the young actor and said Ghana needs more of his kind.
Congrats @AttahNii. Such a positive positioning of the Ghana Brand. We can do with many more Abraham Attah's. #BeastsOfNoNation, President Mahama said.
The Beasts of No Nation star was among the numerous award presenters at the 88th Academy Awards (Oscars) at the Dolby Theatre, Sunday.
Attahs acting prowess has grabbed worldwide attention following his impressive debut role in the Netflix movie starring alongside Idris Elba.
Prior to presenting at the Oscars, Attah had won the Best Male Lead award at the 2016 Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday night.
On the Oscars red carpet, it came to light that 10,000 pairs of the shoes he wore will be donated to charity in Ghana.
The Independent Spirit award is Attahs third major award after starring in the Netflix movie. He had won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor at Venice Film Festival 2015.
Abraham Attah also bagged the award for Rising Star Award at the Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC).
Abraham Attah is already preparing to star in his second major movie The Modern Ocean, an adventure drama, alongside some Hollywood actors including Anne Hathaway, Keanu Reeves and Daniel Radcliffe.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @delaXdela / Instagram: citizendela
Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / Instagram: citizendela)
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The Bureau of the Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment met today at the African Union Commission Headquarters to review and adopt the draft ministerial report from the inaugural session that was held on October 5-9, 2015. `
The inaugural meeting of the STC on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment, was organized under the theme, Advancing concerted action for improved livelihoods in Africa, and reviewed the relevant strategic goals and linkages in agriculture, rural development, water and environment related initiatives and their implications on the achievement of the overarching goals set out in the Malabo Declaration on the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the Africa Agenda 2063 to transform Africa.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Bureau meeting, H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture assured the Bureau that the, Commission stands ready to provide the necessary support and guidance as we all work together to achieve the desired outcomes, which includes, reviewing the draft Ministerial report, with a view to concluding the pending discussions on the working arrangements of the STCs, as well as come up with a framework of integrating the existing Ministerial bodies within the STC on Agriculture Rural Development, Water and Environment.
Officially opening the meeting, Chair of the Bureau of the STC, and Minister of Forest Economy and Sustainable Development of Congo, Hon. Henri Djombo, commended the AUC for preparations towards the meeting. He noted that the inaugural STC held in October 2015 was a success and that the Bureau looked forward to concluding all matters and adopting the draft report.
The African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the United States Mission to the African Union (USAU) held a discussion on Civic Engagement and Women's Political Participation in honor of U.S Black history month and AU Project 2016.
The objective of the discussion was to provide a platform to share experiences between the continents.
To ensure a lively discussion, five panellists were selected from both the AUC and the US. The AUC panellists included, Ms. Victoria Maloka, Head of Coordination and Outreach Division, AUC Women and Gender Directorate, Amb. Salah Hammad, Project 2016, Human Rights Expert, AUC Political Affairs Department, and Ms. Kesaobaka Pharatlhatlhe, AUC Economic Affairs Department, Youth representative.
The US panellists included Ms. Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement and Ms. Monica Dennis is the New York City Regional Coordinator for the Black Lives Matter movement.
The discussion which took place both on Skype and twitter through the hashtag AUProject2016 was an opportunity to draw connections on civic engagement and social issues between Black American's and Africans.
It was also an opportunity to revive old bonds. As many may recall the relationship of the AU and black Americans is anything but new. In the summit of 1964, in Cairo, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) issued a resolution on racial discrimination in the USA. African Members states expressed sympathy and concern for the situation in the US and urged the USA to eliminate all forms of discrimination.
In 1964 Africa's main human rights concern was abolishing the apartheid and gaining independence. Yesterday's conversation was proof that Africa has since evolved. The dialogue on Human rights and Civic participation was pegged to the AU's theme of 2016 The year of human rights with a particular focus on the rights of women with conversations centred on the promotion and protections of human rights, the necessity of engaging and mainstreaming women and youth -who are the demographic dividend of the continent, the challenges faced, and the way forward.
As the discussions grew it was easy to draw common good practices from across the continents, i.e. Creating spaces where women and youth are key and central, spaces which can uplift and centralize those voices and where conversations are driven by people's lives instead of policies. Policies need to reflect the realities on the ground and once this is established the focus needs to be more action.
The event enlisted the support of various departments in the AUC. This includes the Directorate of Information and Communication (DIC), Directorate of Women and Gender (WGD), The Human resources, Science and Technology Department (HRST), Department of Political Affairs (DPA) and was coordinated by the Directorate of Citizens and Diaspora Organization (CIDO).
This morning, Pope Francis welcomed His Holiness Abune Mathias, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. During the meeting the Bishop of Rome emphasized that the patriarch's visit strengthens the fraternal bonds that already unite both churches. He mentioned as milestones of the common path towards unity His Holiness Abune Paulos' encounters with St. John Paul II in 1993 and with Benedict XVI in 2009, who invited him to participate in the Synod of Bishops for Africa as was common practice in the early Church for representatives to be sent to the synods of other Churches. Likewise, a delegation from the Holy See was present at the 2012 funeral of Patriarch Abune Paulos.
Moreover, as Francis explained, since 2004 the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches have deepened their communion through theological dialogue in the International Joint Commission, which over the years has analysed the fundamental concept of the Churches' communion understood as participation in the communion between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Many things have been found in common: one faith, one baptism, one Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and many elements of the monastic traditions and the liturgy. "What unites us," the Pope said, "is greater than what divides us."
He continued, "We truly feel that the words of the Apostle Paul apply to us: 'If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together.' Shared sufferings have enabled Christians, otherwise divided in so many ways, to grow closer to one another. Just as in the early Church the shedding of the blood of martyrs became the seed of new Christians, so today the blood of the many martyrs of all the Churches has become the seed of Christian unity. The martyrs and saints of all the ecclesial traditions are already one in Christ. Their names are inscribed in the one martyrologium of the Church of God. The ecumenism of the martyrs is a summons to us, here and now, to advance on the path to ever greater unity."
The Pope recalled that the Orthodox Tewahedo Church has been, from the beginning, a Church of martyrs and that still today "you are witnessing a devastating outbreak of violence against Christians and other minorities in the Middle East and in some parts of Africa. We cannot fail, yet again, to implore those who govern the world's political and economic life to promote a peaceful coexistence based on reciprocal respect and reconciliation, mutual forgiveness and solidarity." He also acknowledged the great strides being made in Ethiopia "to improve the living conditions of its people and to build an ever more just society, based on the rule of law and respect for the role of women". In particular, he noted the problem of access to water, with its grave social and economic repercussions. "There is great room for cooperation between the Churches in the service of the common good and the protection of creation," he stated, certain of "the readiness of the Catholic Church in Ethiopia to work together with the Orthodox Tewahedo Church".
"it is my fervent hope that this meeting will mark a new chapter of fraternal friendship between our Churches. We are conscious that history has left us with a burden of painful misunderstandings and mistrust, and for this we seek God's pardon and healing. Let us pray for one another," the pontiff concluded, "invoking the protection of the martyrs and saints upon all the faithful entrusted to our pastoral care. May the Holy Spirit continue to enlighten us and guide our steps towards harmony and peace. May he nourish in us the hope that one day, with God's help, we will be united around the altar of Christ's sacrifice in the fullness of Eucharistic communion.
01.03.2016 LISTEN
A crowd of migrants has broken down a barbed-wire fence on the Macedonia-Greece border using a steel pole as a battering ram.
TV footage showed migrants pushing against the fence at Idomeni, ripping away barbed wire, as Macedonian police let off tear gas to force them away.
A section of fence was smashed open with the battering ram. It is not clear whether any migrants got through.
Many of those trying to reach northern Europe are Syrian and Iraqi refugees.
About 6,500 people are stuck on the Greek side of the border, as Macedonia is letting very few in. Many have been camping in squalid conditions for a week or more, with little food or medical help.
The chaos on Monday erupted at a gate festooned with barbed wire, keeping migrants away from a railway line.
The protesters shouted Open the border! and threw stones at Macedonian police, who responded by firing rounds of tear gas to prevent them from getting through.
Macedonia and some other Balkan countries have erected fences in an attempt to reduce the influx of migrants, after more than a million reached Germany last year.
Greece is angry with Austria for having imposed a cap on migrant numbers. The crisis has left Greece shouldering much of the burden of housing migrants arriving in the EU from Turkey.
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Many are refugees fleeing war in the Middle East, while others are escaping human rights abuses in Afghanistan, Eritrea and other conflict zones. Merkel defends welcome
On Sunday German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Europe to help Greece in the current migrant crisis.
In a TV interview she said: Do you seriously believe that all the euro states that last year fought all the way to keep Greece in the eurozone, and we were the strictest, can one year later allow Greece to, in a way, plunge into chaos?
She defended her decision last year to allow migrants in without a cap on numbers, saying she had no Plan B.
She has insisted that Germany can cope with the influx and has a humanitarian duty to look after war refugees.
But her stance has been strongly criticised by some EU neighbours and some politicians in her ruling conservative CDU-CSU bloc.
Greece, under intense pressure from anxious EU partners, has erected extra reception centres on the Greek islands near Turkey, where thousands of migrants have been arriving daily.
Austria and Hungary have adopted a tougher stance than Germany. Hungary has fenced off its southern border and refuses to take in any non-EU migrants.
-bbc
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Pakistan has hanged the former police bodyguard who shot dead Punjabs governor over his opposition to blasphemy laws, officials say.
Mumtaz Qadri killed Salman Taseer in Islamabad in 2011, in a murder that shocked the country.
Qadri was hailed as a hero by some Islamist groups, and thousands of hard-line activists protested to show their support for him at the time.
After news of his execution, crowds again took to the streets in protest.
Security forces have been put on high alert and a heavy police presence, including riot police, are in place in the area around Qadris home in Islamabad, AFP news agency reports.
His funeral will be held on Tuesday at Liaquat Bagh park in nearby Rawalpindi, where large numbers of mourners are expected.
Prison officials said Qadri was executed at 04:30 local time (23:30 GMT) at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, near the capital, Islamabad. Religious duty
Qadri, who had trained as an elite police commando and was assigned to Taseer as his bodyguard, shot the politician at an Islamabad market in January 2011. He was sentenced to death later that year.
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He claimed it was his religious duty to kill the minister, who was an outspoken critic of Pakistans harsh blasphemy laws and supported liberal reforms.
Pakistan has seen Islamist groups grow in influence in recent years and several high profile blasphemy cases.
Qadri was lauded by religious conservatives, and in his first court appearance was showered with rose petals by supporters. He never expressed any regret for the killing. His brother appeared to reassert that when he told the AFP news agency about his final meeting with Qadri.
I have no regrets, Malik Abid told AFP. We started crying, but he hugged us and chanted God is great,' he added.
In May, just months after Taseer was gunned down, Pakistans Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the cabinets only Christian, was shot dead by gunmen who ambushed his car.
That August, Salman Taseers son, Shahbaz Taseer, was abducted in Lahore. His whereabouts are still unclear.
Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan and critics argue that blasphemy laws are often misused to settle personal scores and unfairly target minorities.
-bbc
01.03.2016 LISTEN
From Naabenyin Joojo Amissah, Cape Coast
The government's decision to convert some of the country's polytechnics into technical universities in the 2016/2017 academic year, minus the Cape Coast Polytechnic, could be a recipe for its collapse.
The National Council for Tertiary Education has raised the entry requirements into polytechnics across the country to meet the standards set for technical universities. This means that prospective applicants are supposed to present grades that would be accepted by any of the universities across the country to enable them gain admission to any of the ten public polytechnics in Ghana.
The NCTE has, however, decided to undertake the conversion exercise in phases, following thorough assessment of the ten public polytechnics and recommended that five out of the ten must be converted in phase one. They include Accra, Koforidua, Kumasi, Takoradi and Sunyani polytechnics.
According to their assessments, these polytechnics met the key critical indicators as prescribed by the Afeti report (2015).
Following the assessment, Cape Coast, Ho and the Tamale polytechnics were to be converted in phase two, subject to their attainment of some specific requirements and rectification. In the case of the Cape Coast Polytechnic, the assessment team reported that it had weak Governance and Academic leadership and was tasked to retool critical laboratories and workshops.
The Ho Poly, according to the assessment, had a lot of instructors listed as Lecturers who needed to upgrade. According to the report, most of the academic staff with masters' degrees, did not have the degrees in the specialized areas.
But to the surprise of the Alumni of the Cape Coast Polytechnic, Ho Polytechnic which was earmarked for the second phase by the assessment team had been added to the first five to raise the number to six.
The inclusion of Ho Polytechnic, according to the Alumni of the Cape Coast Polytechnic, Central Region Youth for Development, Fante Students Association and the Central Regional Women Association, was facilitated by the education ministry.
At a press conference, the above named associations claimed that Cape Coast Polytechnic has effected all the necessary recommendations by the assessment team and, therefore, can't fathom why it should be left out.
They stated that NCTE refusal to include C Poly in the phase one of the conversion exercise, and would lead to decline in enrolment which would eventually lead to the collapse of the polytechnic. They explained that the school is located in between two pioneers of distance education The University of Cape Coast and the University of Education, Winneba, and they have been competing for students over the years.
They added that the NCTE's decision to raise the entry requirement into the Polytechnics would mean that many applicants would prefer going to those polytechnics that have been converted at the expense of C Poly and the rest. The group averred that many applicants would also want to pursue distance education at either the UEW or UCC where there it is much flexibility for them to work and school at the same time.
They are, therefore, demanding answers regarding how the Ho Polytechnic found its way into the first phase.
They are also threatening to sue the NCTE and the Ministry of Education if they go ahead to implement the conversion without C Poly. Cape Coast Polytechnic was established in 1984 as a second cycle institution. In 1986, it operated under the administration of Ghana Education Service to offer intermediate courses leading to the award of non-tertiary certificates. In 1992, the Polytechnic was upgraded to tertiary level by PNDCL 321 to run programmes for the award of the Higher National Diplomas.
01.03.2016 LISTEN
The Paramount Chief of Buipe Traditional Area, Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor II has charged the National Security and the Inspector General of Police to re-strategise by digging into the frequent fire outbreaks being recorded in the country to discover the root cause of the fires.
The Buipewura, who is a Former Security Boss, is of high suspicion that the fires were not just natural occurrences but rather orchestrated gambit by certain faceless and devious individuals to desperately satisfy their selfish interest.
Speaking to a section of the media at his palace in Buipe, after visiting the Buipe Central market to assess the extent of damage caused by fire outbreak at the weekend, Buipewura Jinapor said that the trend of the various fire outbreaks being recorded in Ghana in the last few years were not only mysterious but had political undertones.
He suspected that there were some mischievous people out there who were probably setting state properties ablaze to make the ruling government unpopular and also create the fear of insecurity among the citizenry and investors.
The Buipewura therefore charged the Inspector General of Police and National Security to begin to go beyond the Ghana National Fire Service's routine fire investigative reports and rather dive deeper into the incidence and fish out the perpetrators for prosecution to serve as deterrent to others.
The fire outbreak is getting rampant and alarming. So there is the need for thorough investigation into these fire outbreaks, and the investigation should go beyond ordinary investigation. Because I highly suspect there is something wrong and as a traditional ruler and a former security boss, I suspect underground work towards these fire outbreaks. The motive is not known!
But those who are behind it must stop because Ghanaians don't have anywhere to go. This is our country! So any person or group of persons who are behind these fires should stop. Buipewura Jinapor said that the fire outbreaks were probably calculated plan to tarnish the image of the government so that it (government) would be blamed for lack of security.
The people may feel that once the government is not on top of security then we are not safe. So there is political undertone in these fire outbreaks. I am talking from experience. I know National Security is doing well but they should do more. They should not rely on Fire Service but rather look beyond to find the remote cause of the fires, because it is getting alarming.
Ghana has for the past few years lost huge sums of monies and properties as a result of devastating fire outbreaks. Ghana's Central Medical Stores were ravaged by fire destroying large quantity of medical equipment worth over GH237 million,,, as well as several other prominent markets and buildings across the regions of Ghana.
From Edmond Gyebi, Buipe
01.03.2016 LISTEN
The Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Tobacco Control (CNTC) has described Parliament's inability to pass the Legislative Instruments (Lis) governing the implementation of the Tobacco Control measures as unacceptable, four years since it was brought before it.
This state of affairs is unfortunate, declared Oscar Bruce, Vice President of CNTC, adding that without these LIs being passed into law, it was almost impossible to ensure public compliance to the provisions of the Tobacco Control Measures.
Citing the WHO, he said without dramatic efforts to reverse the current trend, tobacco usage would kill one billion people worldwide this century. Also, some 6million individuals, globally, are losing their lives on an annual basis, most of who are from developing countries like Ghana he added.
It was against this backdrop that the CNTC was calling on the relevant authorities to immediately pass the LIs to protect the present and future generations for the devastating consequences of tobacco usage and exposure to tobacco smoke.
He said at a National Stakeholders' Forum Thursday on Ghana's Tobacco Control Legislation, that: On behalf of Civil Society Organizations in tobacco control, in particular, and the public, in general, call for the immediate passing of the legislative Instruments for the Tobacco Control Measures of the Public Health Act to save present and succeeding generations of Ghanaians from the scourge of Tobacco use.
Ghana, after signing unto and ratifying the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco (FCTC) developed a Public Health Act of 2012 or Act 851, which included the Tobacco Control Measures.
The Act was passed, assented to and Gazetted the same year. Immediately after the passage of the Act, LIs accompanying it were drafted, which were yet to be passed.
The Head of Tobacco and Substances Abuse of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Olivia Boateng, said that the assertions that FDA cannot implement some portions of the Tobacco Control Measures, until the passage of the LIs were not entirely accurate. She explained that the reason why the LIs are still not passed because it was fraught with some issues and that Parliament cannot be faulted for that.
According to her, the LIs are currently not with the Ghanaian Legislative house, noting that it was rather with the Ministry of Health undergoing the needed restructuring. Olivia Boateng assured that immediately the restructuring exercise was complete, the LIs shall be brought back to Parliament for passage. The passage of the LIs would not go beyond 2016, she assured.
Also, Bright Amisah, Vice Chairman of the Coalition of NGO's in Health called for the rapid passage of the LIs. Habiba S. Suleimana from the Mothers' Club said the tobacco usage should be banned in the country. It is killing us why can't we ban it, she queried.
Not all of us are smoking but a lot of us are dying from the exposure to the tobacco smoke, bemoaned a participant at the forum. Another participant described the situation as damn appalling, hence appealing to the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the LIs are immediately passed to prevent the carnage from the scourge from tobacco usage.
Mohammed Awal( [email protected] )
01.03.2016 LISTEN
An aid convoy has reached one of several besieged towns in Syria, as the UN takes advantage of a partial truce brokered by the US and Russia.
The UN and its partners are stepping up deliveries of food, water and medicine, and plan to reach more than 150,000 people over the next five days.
They hope to help 1.7 million in hard-to-reach areas by the end of March.
Earlier, the UNs secretary general said the cessation of hostilities had held by and large since Saturday.
Ban Ki-moon also said a taskforce monitoring compliance, co-chaired by the US and Russia, would meet for the first time to evaluate alleged violations.
France has expressed concern about reports of air strikes by Syrian government and Russian aircraft on areas controlled by mainstream rebel forces.
Russia has said that it is only targeting UN-designated jihadist terrorist organisations including the so-called Islamic State (IS) and the al-Nusra Front, which is part of a major rebel alliance in line with the terms of the cessation of hostilities. Sealed off
The relative calm on the ground around the capital Damascus allowed 10 aid lorries carrying blankets and hygiene supplies to entered the suburb of Muadhamiya on Monday afternoon, Syrian Arab Red Crescent officials said.
On Wednesday, the UN and its partners plan to deliver aid to the rebel-held towns of Madaya and Zabadani, in the mountains north-west of Damascus, and the government-controlled towns of Foah and Kefraya, in the northern province of Idlib.
They are also expected to attempt another air-drop over the eastern city of Deir al-Zour, where 200,000 people in government-held areas are under siege by IS.
High winds and parachute failures meant that pallets carrying 21 tonnes of food dropped last week either missed their target, went missing or were damaged.
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The UN says more than 450,000 Syrians are trapped in 15 besieged towns and villages under siege, while 4.1 million others are living in hard-to-reach areas.
Some of these people have not been receiving assistance for months or even up to a year in some cases, so its really, really important that we get food in and other kinds of assistance, Greg Barrow of the World Food Programme told the BBC.
Were very concerned about the nutritional status of people living in those areas that have really been sealed off from the outside world, he added. Some incidents
The UNs secretary general meanwhile told reporters in Geneva that by and large the cessation of hostilities is holding even though we have experienced some incidents.
The taskforce monitoring the truce is now trying to make sure that this does not spread any further and that this cessation of hostilities can continue, he added.
Mr Ban also confirmed receiving a letter from the main opposition umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee, in which it urged the UN to help specify the territory covered by the truce to prevent hostilities in the designated inclusion zones.
The HNCs general co-ordinator, Riad Hijab, wrote that since Saturday there had been seven barrel-bomb attacks, 24 cases of artillery shelling and five cases of ground attacks by government forces, resulting in a large number of civilian deaths. Russian warplanes had meanwhile carried out 26 air strikes on territory held by rebel forces abiding by the truce on Sunday alone, he added.
Mr Hijab warned that continued violations would jeopardise the resumption of UN-brokered talks aimed at finding a political solution to the five-year conflict.
State media said armed groups had fired dozens of mortar rounds at government forces in Latakia province on Sunday, though rebels in the area denied the reports.
-bbc
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Police in the Russian capital Moscow have arrested a woman on suspicion of murdering a child after she was found apparently carrying a severed head.
The woman, believed to be the victims nanny, is suspected of killing the child before setting fire to its parents apartment.
CCTV appears to show the woman, dressed in a hijab, walking near a metro station with a head in her hands.
A police officer then intercepts her and wrestles her to the ground.
The suspect has been placed in psychiatric care to determine whether she is capable of understanding her actions, the Moscow Investigative Committee said in a statement (in Russian).
A criminal investigation was launched after the discovery of the remains of a child aged three to four, whose body bore traces of a violent death, in a charred flat on Narodnoye Opolcheniye Street in north-western Moscow, it added.
According to preliminary information, the childs nanny, a citizen of one of the Central Asian states born in 1977, waited for the parents and elder child to leave the flat and then, for reasons not established, murdered the infant, set fire to the flat and left the scene, it added in the statement.
Police sources told Russian news agencies that the victim had been decapitated and the head removed from the scene by the nanny. I am your death
The suspect has been named by Russian media as Gyulchekhra Bobokulova, from the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan.
Russias tabloid news website Life News, which specialises in crime coverage, reports that the victim was a little girl.
According to Life News, a policeman asked to see her identity documents outside Oktyabrskoye Polye metro station, at which point she pulled the head of the child out of a bag and began screaming that she would blow herself up.
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No traces of explosives were found on the suspect after her arrest, the site adds.
Amateur video posted online shows a black-clad woman, apparently the suspect, outside a metro station shouting the Islamic phrase Allahu Akbar (God is Great).
I am a terrorist, she cries. I am your death.
Russian journalist Polina Nikolskaya witnessed the incident. She told Reuters: I was on my way to the metro station from home. She was standing near the metro entrance and caught my attention because she was screaming Allahu Akbar.
I saw that she had a bloodied head in her arms but I thought it was not real. People in the crowd said it was real.
Other witnesses says the woman walked up and down outside the metro station for some 20 minutes, shouting and brandishing the head.
The phrase Allahu Akbar has been trending on Russian social media, in a country with a recent history of violent Islamist militancy.
In 2010, a twin bombing by women suicide attackers on the Moscow metro killed at least 38 people while in 2011, a bomb at Domodedovo airport killed 37 people .
Islamist groups from restive parts of Russias North Caucasus region such as Dagestan and Chechnya have been behind most of the attacks.
Uzbekistan, which like other Central Asian states has a Muslim majority, has long supplied migrant labour for the Russian capital.
-bbc
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Four of the five missing Hong Kong booksellers have appeared on Chinese TV, saying they have been detained for illegal book trading on the mainland.
The men said they had sold 4,000 unauthorised books to 380 customers in mainland China, Phoenix TV reported.
The five men, who disappeared late last year, worked at a publishing house that sold books critical of Chinas leaders.
Some people in Hong Kong believe they were detained by China because of a book about President Xi Jinping.
Four of the men from Mighty Current publishing house, Gui Minhai, Lui Bo, Lam Wingkei and Cheung Jiping, gave details of their alleged offences during their appearance on Phoenix TV (in Chinese) on Sunday.
Public confessions have long been a part of Chinas criminal law, but experts say many confessions are forced. Good attitude
Mr Gui, a Swedish national, said he had concealed the books in bags to evade customs and was identified by the other detainees as having been in charge of the operation.
Mr Lui said: I have deeply reflected on what I have done and very much regret the illegal book trading I have carried out with Gui Minhai.
Meanwhile, Mr Lam said the books content had been fabricated.
They were downloaded from the Internet, and were pieced together from magazines. They have generated lots of rumours in society and brought a bad influence.
Mr Lam, Mr Lui and Mr Cheung had shown a good attitude by confessing and might be allowed to return to Hong Kong this week while they await trial, Phoenix TV said, citing police sources.
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However, Mr Gui was expected to remain in China. He had appeared on Chinese TV in January saying he voluntarily handed himself over to the authorities over a fatal drink-driving incident more than a decade ago.
The Swedish foreign ministry said an envoy had visited Mr Gui and said his condition was very good. Lee Bo not shown
The fifth detainee, British national Lee Bo, who disappeared from Hong Kong in December, was not shown.
The Phoenix TV report said Mr Bo had voluntarily handed himself over to the mainland authorities to assist in the investigation.
However, his travel document was found in Hong Kong after his disappearance and the Hong Kong authorities said they had no record of his having crossed into the mainland.
The UK has said Mr Bo was probably involuntarily removed to China, calling it a serious breach of the handover treaty that undermined the principle of One Country, Two Systems.
Under Hong Kong law, Chinese police do not have jurisdiction in the territory.
The case has sparked international concern that China could be attempting to rein in freedom of expression in Hong Kong.
However, Chinas foreign ministry has said its officials would not behave illegally, and urged other countries not to meddle in its affairs.
-bbc
01.03.2016 LISTEN
At least 18 people have been killed by a suicide bomb at a Shia funeral north-east of Iraqs capital, officials say.
About 50 people were injured in the blast in Muqdadiya, Diyala province, some 80km (50 miles) from Baghdad.
Local media say some leading figures in the Shia-dominated Popular Mobilisation Forces were among the victims.
No group has so far admitted carrying out the attack a day after at least 70 were killed by so-called Islamic State (IS) militants in Baghdad.
IS said its militants had organised Sundays blasts in the Shia district of Sadr City and more attacks would follow.
The mainly Sunni group, which controls large swathes of northern and western Iraq, has attacked numerous Shia targets in the country recently.
-bbc
01.03.2016 LISTEN
From Richard Owusu-Akyaw, Agogo
Two farmers have reportedly been gunned down by Fulani herdsmen in Agogo in the Asante Akyem North District of the Ashanti Region. An eyewitness has narrated that last Friday afternoon at about 4:30pm, gunfire erupted in a farming community of Abrewanko, near Nyamebekyere.
Unfamiliar with the gunfire, some members of the community went to the area to have a look of what has transpired in respect of the gunfire. The eyewitness noted that to their surprise, a farmer was seen gunned down in a pool of blood, while blood oozed from his eyes and nose.
They further combed the farms and saw another farmer shot dead. The rumour mill has it that Fulani herdsmen came and killed these farmers for revenge. The deceased farmers were identified as Mustapha Ibrahim 32 and Haruna who is 20 years old.
For the past one week, some Fulani herdsmen are reportedly combing Abrewanko with their animals, claiming that they are looking for their missing cattle. A Few weeks ago some residents in the area killed some cattle which encroached on their farms.
Mr. Paul Kinsley Aruweh Averu, the District Chief Executive for Agogo said REGSEC has driven away all the cattle and this unfortunate issue is an isolated one and that there were no cattle around when the recent killing occurred.
He revealed that Fulani herdsmen who were driven away have changed their modus operandi and are robbing residents at gunpoint, a situation he said the security is dealing with. Reached on phone about the incident, the public relations officer of Ashanti Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mohammed Russia Tanko confirmed that two people have been killed at Agogo.
According to him, the Police saw gunshot wounds on the corpses, which had been deposited at Agogo Government Hospital. ASP Tanko stressed that no one had been arrested and that the case is under investigation to unravel those behind the crime. Mr. Tanko stated that security at Agogo is intact and that the Fulani herdsmen have been put at bay by the security apparatus.
01.03.2016 LISTEN
It has emerged that the Chief Executive Officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Mr. Kojo Bonsu gave leadership of the Muslim Community at Tafo in the Ashanti Region the go ahead to construct the controversial fence wall around a piece of land at the Tafo cemetery. The order resulted in clashes between the Muslim group and loyalists of the Tafo Traditional Council. According to reports, the clashes were ignited by an order from the Tafo chief for the cemetery fence wall to be demolished because he was not aware of the construction.
When the chief instructed his men to pull down the wall, they were met with a fierce protest from the Muslim community. Two people died in the process. Following the clash, the next day, scores of young people in the area gathered in front of the Chief's palace, in anticipation of possible attacks from the Muslim youth in the area.
That was after the police had confirmed the arrest of one person who was firing gunshots indiscriminately in the company of a gang. The altercation on the part of the Muslim youth was perhaps informed by a letter their leadership wrote to the KMA, headed: Permission to Fence the Tafo Public Cemetery, which was duly responded to and approved by Mr. Kojo Bonsu.
In the said reply, which was addressed to the Secretary of the Concerned Muslim Youth Movement and copied to the Regional Chief Imam, Abdul Mumin Harun, the KMA boss wrote: I refer to your letters to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly on the above subject in which letters you requested permission from the Assembly to construct a fence wall around the Tafo Cemetery as your contribution to the development of the Region, expressing his sincere gratitude to the Muslim group for the initiative.
He remarked:Your effort is laudable. According to him, I note from the title of your letters that you recognise not only the fact that the cemetery, the subject matter of your interest is a public one, but also your commitment and indeed undertaking that you will carry out the construction of the fence wall in accordance with the technical advice of the Assembly.
Having said that, I think it is necessary to emphasize your recognition of the public nature of the facility within the territorial jurisdiction of the Assembly, the Assembly retains total responsibility for it, for which reason your construction of the fence wall should not in any way be understood as suggesting even remotely that the Assemblys authority and superintendence over it is shared with you, the letter stated in part.
Mr. Kojo Bonsu added that: the Assembly is by law the sole and exclusive political and administrative authority in the metropolis, all use of the cemetery is subject to the exclusive direction and supervision of the Assembly, stressing that the Assembly consented to their request to construct the fence wall around the Tafo cemetery.
That notwithstanding, the agreement would be subject not only to the technical advice of the cemetery, but also that, the construction would be undertaken under the auspices of the Assembly with the effect that the construction would be carried out under the supervision and control of the Assembly.
The Assembly, however, indicated that the Muslim group could support the construction of the project with labour and building materials, including cement, blocks etc. It would be recalled that a clash in Tafo over a piece of cemetery land led to the death of 25 year old Aminu Sulemana, leaving several others injured and properties destroyed after the Muslim youth attacked the chief's palace.
A mosque and some churches were reportedly destroyed in the clashes, prompting the Ashanti Regional Security Council to impose a dusk to dawn curfew so as to protect lives and property. Led by the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Kofi Boakye, the police arrived in the town with support from the military.
Meanwhile, the Assembly member for Ridge Nhyiaeso in Kumasi, Abraham Boadi, accused the Kumasi mayor for the violent clashes. His reason was that he permitted the Muslim group to fence the said cemetery in 2014, without due diligence, even after the assembly had approved about GHC1.5 Billion for the project.
By Pascal Kafu Abotsi
([email protected])
In accordance with Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the President, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, delivered to Parliament a message on the state of the nation on Thursday 25 February, 2016. Following the release of the President's State of the Nation Address, we have critically examined the paper and highlighted six major issues we think the President could potentially have been misinformed. In each case, we have quoted the President and juxtaposed that with a critical appraisal of available policy documents, the NDC 2012 manifesto, and empirical evidence, and drawn implications on policy and practice. We do not think this is exhaustive of all the issues inherent in the address, but we believe this could be a starting point to engaging in a critical discussion of the President's speech with the view of enriching the discourse on the state of Ghana's education.
Issue 1
Ghana has been commended by the United Nations for meeting the target of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on achieving universal primary education with gender parity. Despite that achievement, there are still a significant number of school-age children that are not enrolled. These children are now being targeted under the Compulsory Basic Education (CBE) programme of the Ministry of Education. In the last year, a total of 54,800 out of school children in four regions have been enrolled into schools. These are 54,800 children who would not have received an education. These are 54,800 children whose lives will now have much different outcomes as a result of this programme. (SONA 2016, p 3).
At present, there is no such government programme known as Compulsory Basic Education (CBE) of the Ministry of Education. It would appear that the President was referring to the Complimentary Basic Education (CBE) programme, which seeks to provide learning opportunity to disadvantaged Out-Of-School-Children on how to read and write within a nine-month period so that they could enter primary school at class three or four. The CBE programme has since 1995 been a flagship programme of School for Life (SFL), a non-governmental organisation in the Northern Region. Having recognised its success, demonstrated by significant impacts at the individual, family, and community level, the government decided to replicate the programme nationwide through the Complementary Basic Education Policy with funding from the DFID over a 4-year period (2012-2016) at the cost of some GBP 18 million. One would have thought that the President would cease the occasion to commend SFL for the initiative rather than surreptitiously taking credit for its introduction, especially when SFL appears to hold copyright over some of the CBE teaching and learning materials.
Issue 2
Secondary education was plagued with a number of challenges, notably lack of access, leading to a poor transition rate from JHS to SHS. We are vigorously confronting these challenges. Under our programme to establish 200 Senior High Schools, I can report that 123 are currently being constructed. (SONA 26, p. 4)
Firstly, the President was quite vague when he touched on progress being made to establish the promised 200 Community Day Senior High Schools. In a speech delivered in August 2015 at the Agbleza Festival in the Volta Region, the President indicated that work was ongoing on the 123 out of the 200 Senior High Schools.[1] Six months later, he only repeats the same line without providing specific rates of completion and specific locations for these schools unlike his report for other sectors. This does not only leave room for his sincerity to the people to be questioned but also makes his address potentially unreliable. We do know of the availability of funding for only 23 SHS under the World Bank's $156 million grant facility for the Secondary Education Improvement Programme, but cannot ascertain the source of funding for the remaining 100 SHS. That notwithstanding, we contend that the Government cannot meet its campaign promise of establishing 200 Community Day Senior High Schools before January, 2017. Given that a broken manifesto pledge massively undermines people's trust in a political party, we urge government to be transparent on the progress of work on the Community Day Senior High Schools.
Secondly, the President appears to narrowly conceptualise access to secondary education as mere provision of infrastructure, without taking account of the broader issues of policy imperatives. In the training colleges for instance, the repeal of the quota system policy extended access from 9,000 to 15,000 according to official figures, a demonstration of expanding access to education through removal of a draconian policy. Agreeably, existing secondary schools have a capacity to absorb only 60% of the students who qualify from Junior High Schools; therefore expanding infrastructure could potentially increase access to secondary education. However, given that the pass rate of BECE is roughly around 60%, only this proportion of students can gain access into secondary education even if there are adequate facilities. That is, the present policy regime imposes barrier on 40% of JHS graduates to proceed to SHS. The government can expand access to secondary education, or increase the transition rate from JHS to SHS by scraping BECE, and establish a six year continuous secondary education system. Although, transition to the secondary school should be automatic, students must write a lower secondary school examination to enable schools place them into different upper secondary school programmes (e.g. academic or technical) at either the same institution, or they may transfer to another institution of their choice. The implication is that, we must redefine basic education to include secondary education in order for us to remain relevant to the present highly competitive global economy.
Issue 3
In our determination to improve quality education, we have also introduced two new programmes - the Teacher Professional Development Initiative and the Provision of Teaching and Learning Materials programme. The Teacher Professional Development initiative aims to achieve a target of 95% trained teachers at the basic level by 2020 as set out in the Education Strategic Plan (ESP) (SONA 2016, p5).
The ESP stipulates a target of achieving 95% trained teacher by 2015 as illustrated in page 7 of the document. At the end of the 2015 academic year, the government had missed this target and it would appear that the President wanted to extend the timeline to five more years, or he, probably, might have been misinformed.
Issue 4
To fulfil the policy of providing Colleges of Education in under-served areas and to expand access to teacher training, Government is absorbing into the public stream the following colleges - Saint Ambrose College of Education, Dormaa District, Al-Farak College of Education, Wenchi District - this will become our first ever Islamic College of Education, Gambaga College of Education, East Mamprusi District, St. Vincent College of Education, Yendi Municipality, Bia Lamplighter College of Education, Bia District (SONA 2016,p.3) .
At Present, training of teachers in the 38 public Colleges of Education (CoEs) has been tied to the GBP 17 million DFID funded project, dubbed Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL), at least until 2018. The President acknowledged this in the last paragraph of page 6 of his speech. Therefore attempting to absorb 5 private CoEs into the public stream has wide implications for the T-TEL project especially in relation to funding for the additional COEs, a position the project's quarterly report of August 2015 tends to support. Regrettably, the 2016 budget highlights this policy but appears to ignore the funding issue, casting doubt on the government's intentions.
Issues 5
It should be recalled that the government had in its 2012 Manifesto a promise of establishing at least 10 new Colleges of Education in the medium term to be located in areas not well served currently in anticipation of the increase in student numbers on account of our increased access to education programme (2012 NDC Manifesto, p. 19). During the last budget statement to Parliament, the Finance Minister stated that as part of the pledge to establish 10 new Colleges of Education in areas that are not well served, government absorbed five existing private (pg 127, para 671), a quotation repeated in the President's speech (Pg 6, para 3). The question is; how does the absorption of existing private CoEs becomes part of an agenda to establish new Colleges?
Issues 6
Beyond absorbing the five CoEs, the President and his Finance Minister appear uncertain of the number of new CoEs to be constructed in 2016, and have contradicted themselves. Whilst the Finance Minister mentioned that the government in 2016 will commence the construction of two new Colleges of Education in the Central and the Greater Accra Regions to improve access (pg 127, para 671), the President also said in his speech that work will begin on three new Colleges in the Greater Accra, Central and Northern Regions (SONA 2016, p.6). There is every reason to believe that the government will miss its election promise of constructing 10 new colleges of education.
Conclusion
We have demonstrated several inconsistencies, misinformation and lack of sincerity in many areas of the President's speech specific to the education sector and urge the government to exercise circumspection and transparency in reporting such matters to the people.
Dr. Prince Armah
Executive Director, VIAM Africa
[1] 123 out of 200 SHSs under construction - Mahama. Starrfmonline.com
29.02.2016 LISTEN
Waren, Germany, ACCRA, FEB.29 - (dpa/GNA) - The trial of a former Nazi official over his suspected involvement in the deaths of 3,681 people at the Auschwitz concentration camp has been postponed because the defendant is unwell, a court in northern Germany said on Monday.
The trial had been scheduled to begin the same day with expert assessments on whether the 95-year-old is fit to stand trial.
But the regional court in Neubrandenburg said that he was suffering from high blood pressure and suicidal thoughts. It has not yet given a new date for the hearing.
The man, identified only as Hubert Z under German privacy laws, is thought to have worked as a medic at the Auschwitz death camp in Poland from August 15 to September 14, 1944, during which time he supervised the work of other Nazi officials.
State prosecutors said that 3,681 people were murdered in the gas chambers there during that period. The indictment is based on the passenger records of 14 trains to the camp, one of which is thought to have been carrying Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family.
The indictment is to be read out in full on March 14.
The news comes after an appeal court last year overturned a verdict that the former SS medic was too unwell to stand trial.
In April 2015, the so-called bookkeeper of Auschwitz, Oskar Groening, was sentenced to four years in prison for being an accessory to the murder of 300,000 people in what was widely thought would be the last Holocaust trial in Germany.
However, German prosecutors have been under pressure to bring Third Reich war criminals to justice before time runs out.
GNA
Tax Policy Advisor at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Edward Larbi-Siaw, has urged Ghanaian business community to embrace the ECOWAS Common External Tariffs to expand their business.
He said Common External Tariffs allow industries to expand to take over from other businesses and urged the business community not to be afraid to take such opportunities.
Dr Larbi-Siaw was speaking at the Ghana Revenue Authoritys (GRA) 2015 Stakeholder Awards organised in Accra to recognise excellence in revenue mobilization and motivate all who participated to achieve the Authoritys objectives.
The Common External Tariff is one of the instruments of harmonising ECOWAS Member States and strengthening its Common Market.
The ceremony awarded 21 companies, including the Ghana News Agency and individuals who contributed immensely to the growth and sustainability of the economy and celebrated them for their efforts.
It also created a platform for GRA to familiarise, acknowledge and appreciate stakeholders as well as other organisations that helped the Authority carry out its mandated obligations.
Dr Larbi-Siaw therefore urged the public to embrace the policy instead of trying to fight it from a position that was unattainable.
Dialogue with GRA and develop spirit of corporation to resolve issues, he added.
Mr George Blankson, the Commissioner General of GRA, said the occasion was to recognise tax payers who have gone extra miles to honour their obligation and other stakeholders who assisted the GRA in its activities.
He said the year 2015 saw consistent challenges but it was also a year that a lot have been achieved as they exceeded their revenue target.
Mr Blankson said in spite of the challenges in the economy last year, the Authority collected GHa22.17 billion, given a positive deviation of GHa620 million.
He said the 2015 revenue mobilisation performance showed a growth of GHa5.014 billion, representing 29.3 per cent over the previous year.
He said the main reasons accounting for the achievement of the target were the strategies adopted by the Management to ensure that the taxpayers encountered less difficulties as well as encouraging them to comply voluntarily.
Mr Blankson said in 2016, the Authority would stay the course of the measures taken in 2015 that gave them the positive results,we will continue to make tax payment easier to customers to voluntarily comply, he assured.
Mr Frank Gamadey, a Board Member of GRA, said the Authority will continue to ensure improved customer service and urged the public to keep them on their toes by demanding best customer service delivery from the GRA.
He said voluntary tax compliance would be achieved if customers saw improvement in customer service delivery, and on behalf of the authority I want to assure you that we will continue to improve customer service to enhance voluntary tax compliance among our customers.
Mr Gamadey therefore urged customers to ensure that other colleagues who flout tax payment were brought to book as pertains in developed countries.
I entreat you to assist GRA to bring those people to book, because it is unfair for those people to partake in benefits that they do not contribute to, he added.
He congratulated the awardees for their achievements and expressed the hope that the awards scheme would be expanded in future to cover more customers.
Mr Samuel Sarpong, acting Managing Director of GCB Bank Limited, one of the Awardees, on behalf of other awardees said it was worth to be recognised as a citizenry and thanked GRA for the awards.
He urged GRA to continue the efforts to widen the tax net to ensure that everybody honoured their tax obligation to build the country.
BFT
NANA ADDO PROMISES TAX REFORMS
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, leader of the countrys largest opposition party, NPP, has pledged to introduce a raft of tax reforms to lessen the burden on consumers and businesses should he win the November 7 polls.
7,000 FOREIGN STUDENTS FLOOD VARSITIES
There are about 7,000 foreign students from 16 countries, currently attending a university in Ghana, Deputy Minister of Education Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has revealed.
BOOST FOR CONTAINERISED CARGO GRADE
Effective July 1 this year, packed cargo to be shipped from the country will have to be weighed to meet a specified verified gross mass before they could be loaded onto vessels for export.
Daily Guide
NANA FLAYS MAHAMA OVER HALF-TRUTHS
Presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, yesterday took his turn to deliver what he called the Real State of the Nation Address.
MAD MANTHREATENS PRESIDENT
A 33-year-old man arrested and handed over to the BNI for allegedly making a threatening comment that President John Mahama will collapse during this years Independence Day parade appears to be mentally challenged.
TRADERS CLOSE SHOPS
Traders under the aegis of Joint Private Sector Business Consultative Forum, led by the Ghana Union of Traders (GUTA), yesterday locked up their shops in Accra, signaling a three-day strike action to protest against the introduction of some new taxes by government.
Finder
MAHAMA OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY - NANA ADDO DECLARES
Flagbearer of the opposition NPP has described the current state of the Ghanaian economy as one that is in crisis and at complete variance with what the President sought to portray in his State of the Nation Address.
OIL AND GAS: HFC BANK AFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO LOCAL CONTENT
Leading Ghanaian bank, HFC Bank Ghana has expressed its commitment to promoting local content in Ghanas oil and gas sector.
FPSO ATTA MILLS TO ARRIVE THIS WEEK
Ghanas second Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading vessel, named FPSO Prof John Evans Atta Mills, would arrive in the country by the close of this week, the CEO of the Petroleum Commission, has confirmed.
ATTAH MAKES GHANA PROUD
The youngest Ghanaian sensation to take the world by storm, 15-year-old actor Abraham Attah, has secured a deal that will provide 10,000 free designer pair of shoes to Ghanaian children in need.
Today
MAHANA HAS BORROWED 37BN DOLLARS SAYS AKUFO-ADDO
2016 presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has accused the Mahama-led government of embarking on reckless borrowing, contracting a total of 37 billion dollars within a period of seven years.
01.03.2016 LISTEN
As the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute drags on, the double agents who for their parochial interests used to courier information from one camp to the other have been exposed. They became human conduits, eavesdropping on conversations at one camp and delivering them to the other and vice versa.
I decided to name them but at a second thought, I have decided not to. However, they all know themselves. They have lost the respect I had for them. They had been double agents, same believing to benefit financially from both camps or simply for the joy of being two-faced.
One thing about them is they will interact with you, seeming to be pleasant and feeding you with information but all in attempts to knowing or gathering your secret plans to convey to the other camp. Nonetheless, they have all been caught in the nick of time and done away with.
Many people who have come to know these double agents have shunned them. Some of them are now biting their fingers in regret. Had they known, they would have remained faithful to only one camp of their choosing but not to have sought to enrich themselves being cunningly part of both camps.
As I speak, one woman has gone far and wide to cast aspersions on Kumawuhene Barimah Tweneboah Koduah V, the real royal from the matrilineal lineage of Barimah Tweneboah Koduah I, the originator of the Kumawu Koduah Stool.
She has been spreading false information intended to tarnish his integrity. She had been informing people that Barimah Tweneboah Koduah V can never come to the United Kingdom because he had duped someone hence he is a declared wanted person. His passport has been retrieved from him; he has no place of his own in Kumasi but lives in the house of his Jamaican friend in Ghana, she misinforms her listeners.
All her assertions are complete balderdash. I will advise the public or all those people she tells such stories to, to take her claims with a pinch of salt.
As we speak, Barimah has been to the UK; gone twice to Belgium to see his dead sisters body that will be flown back to Ghana on Tuesday, 1st March 2016 for burial. Can a person who cannot travel to the UK because his passport has been confiscated or expired without the possibility of ever having it back or renewed do this?
He went to Belgium accompanied by his best Jamaican friend who has a house in Kumasi and is presumed to be looking for Barimah to arrest because he had duped him. Can this be possible? Both are more of brothers than friends, if anyone cares to know.
This same double agent woman has infiltrated into Barimahs family, instigating some family members to mutiny against him. Yes, they did as admonished by her but they have FAILED very miserably.
Ever since she became aware of Barimah Tweneboah Koduah Vs arrival in London with his two trips to Belgium accompanied by his best Jamaican friend alias Kwasi Robinson, this double agent woman is awash in shame like her predecessor male double agents.
My advice to these double agents and would-be such agents is, please be it known to you that the chiefship of Barimah Tweneboah Koduah V is from God Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and everything therein. Therefore, anyone who tries to lie about him or attempts to obstruct the materialisation of Gods purpose for him will fall flat on their face before him.
He who doubts me can inquire from Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II about how easily people who had criminally sought to rob Barimah Tweneboah Koduah V of his God-ordained chiefship have been exposed and disgraced.
If you are such an evil double agent, you can pray and fast until thy Kingdom come, your prayers will never reach God but will be like the smoke from the burnt offering to God by Cain. The smoke did not go straight to heaven like that of Abel but was all over the place on the ground. This goes to tell that his offering was not accepted by God. Shame on these double agents!
Finally, may I advise people to always try to tell the truth for if you tell lies and the truth comes out, you will be awash in perpetual shame?
I extend my heartfelt condolences to Barimah Tweneboah Koduah V; his entire bereaved family and his Elders on this occasion of the demise of his 47-year old youngest sister.
Barimah, damifra due,
Due, due ne amanehunu.
Rockson Adofo
Joy 99.7 FM will Tuesday present a major public forum on the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunication Messages Bill, 2016'.
The object of the bill, initiated by the Ministry of Interior, is to enact legislation for the lawful interception of postal pickets and telecommunication messages.
The Interior Ministry hopes to fight crime and suppress organized crime, including money laundering, terrorism, narcotic trafficking, identity theft and generally for the protection of national security.
However, there are concerns about the implications of the bill for the rights, freedoms and liberties of Ghanaians, especially the right to privacy as guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution.
The forum on expected to start at 8am on Tuesday March 1, 2016 at the Alisa Hotel, Ridge in Accra will examine the pros and cons of this contentious bill which could have enduring implications for privacy in Ghana.
We want to ventilate the issues and subject the bill to some thorough scrutiny, said Coordinator of Joy FM Thought Leadership, Nicholas Opoku.
Deputy Interior Minister, James Agalga, IMANI Vice President, Kofi Bentil and MP and Member of Parliaments Defence and Interior Committee, Major Derick Oduro are among six distinguished speakers at the event.
The event is opened to the general public.
The Chief Executive Officer of West Blue Consulting, Ms. Valentina Mintah, has said that girls are the future of every developing nation that is hoping to develop.
She said supporting female head-porters, popularly known as kayayei is an important step towards developing the economy of the country by integrating them into mainstream activities. She called on corporate organisations to extend their support to head-porters.
She said this when she supported a vocational center for kayayei near the Kayayei House at Mamobi, a suburb of Accra. The center is to equip disadvantaged girls in dress making and other vocational skills to make them economically independent.
Giving the youth vocational training is important towards harnessing their potential for the socio-economic development of the nation she said. She added that the nation cannot discard the challenges faced by the girls such as peer pressure and it is therefore important to support the underprivileged girls to make life comfortable for them.
She said West Blue Consulting would be glad to work with the Mamobi Kayayei Vocational Center, which is not far from her office, to ensure that the girls benefit from IT training to be offered by her organisation.
She would be happy to extend the support of West Blue Consulting, a world class IT consulting and technology firm, towards helping disadvantaged girls in the country to realize their dreams and ambitions in life
The Communication Director of the Pamela Bridgewater Project, Bruce Misbahu Bulmuo, thanked Ms. Mintah for supporting what he called the disadvantaged segment of our populace and he appealed to government to appoint more women to public positions and also consider qualified women in awarding contracts. More opportunities for women means less kayayei he opined.
The project presented an artwork painted by a beneficiary kayayei in appreciation of her support to the Pamela Bridgewater Project, which provides future and welfare to kayayei and their children through education, advocacy, protection and research.
Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Education Minister
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Tension is brewing among teachers at Chemu Senior High School in Tema over unpaid salaries for the month of February 2016.
According to some teachers who spoke to News Ghana Monday morning said most public sector workers across the country received messages from the Controller and Accountant Generals Department (CAGD) and their various banks of their salaries.
Our source further hinted that not a single of the over one hundred (100) teachers and the non-teaching staff of the school had received any notification from the CAGD and their banks.
This situation has generated anger among the teaching staff who most of them have decided to abstain from the various classes.
Most teachers who spoke on anonymity said they will be absenting themselves from school from March 1, 2016 till they were paid.
Attempts to contact the headmistress proved futile as she was seen to be discussing the issue with some section of the teaching body.
News Ghana has gathered that the welfare association of the school was about convening an emergency meeting to discuss the matter and report the case to the relevant authorities for prompt action.
More soon.
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Following a simmering tension at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) as a result of workers' agitations against the Director General, the National Media Commission (NMC) has called for calm between management and the staff.
In a press statement signed by its Chairman, Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, the NMC said that workers of GBC had been agitating, citing various grievances.
The Commission indicated in the statement that it has met with the Board of the Corporation and concluded that the issues at GBC can be resolved amicably to the satisfaction of all parties thus, appealing to both parties to remain calm.
Controversy
The NMC argued that as far as the Commission is concerned, there is no controversy about the tenure of the Director General (of GBC) as it's been speculated that he is seeking an extension.
According to the NMC, The Director-General, Major Albert Don-Chebe, has not sought an extension of his contract and the Commission is therefore not considering any such extension.
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The Commission wishes to explain that the Director General's contract expires in May 2016. Until then, he remains the substantive Director General of the Corporation. As part of his contract, Major Albert Don-Chebe is entitled to 30 working days' leave for each year served. He has therefore taken his outstanding leave for the past two years. In the meantime, the Deputy Director General, Mrs. Francisca Ashietey-Odunton, acts as the Director General.
It continued, The Commission enjoins any person or group who has any grievance at GBC to use laid-down procedures to make their complaints to the relevant authority for redress.
The Commission directs the Acting Director General to take steps to ensure that there is harmony at the Corporation.
The workers have erected red flags, some at the main entrance of the Corporation, to protest what they termed the poor running of the place.
Some inscriptions read: No Director of TV License, BOD Chairman dont collapse GBC and BOD Chairman, GO!
BY Melvin Tarlue
01.03.2016 LISTEN
The Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Alhassan Nunu Putiaya, in a bid to prevent the pupils of the Kperisi Primary School from benefiting from Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's promised furniture, has rushed a consignment of desks and tables for use by the kids.
The belated gesture of the assembly has ironically failed to win them the public applause it appears to need at this time as people ask why it took a promise by Dr. Bawumia before it thought it wise to rescue the children from a prolonged writing on bare floor and its attendant complications.
When Dr. Bawumia, running mate of the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), visited the Kperisi Primary School in Wa, he found the kids lying on the bare floor and writing. He decided there and then to order some furniture for the kids.
DAILY GUIDE has gathered that when the truck conveying the furniture to the school got there, the excited kids started shouting Bawumia, Bawumia to acknowledge the gesture of the politician whose promise they had heard earlier. Whoever is behind this particular consignment truly is immaterial, but the one which triggered it all and none other than Dr. Bawumia and the headmistress of the school, Rosina Diedong.
One of the politicians present not finding the kids' compliments unpalatable retorted, It is not Bawumia. Whether that erased what had already been implanted in the kids' memory is yet to be seen.
Another effect of the Bawumia visit to the Kperisi Primary School has been the taking of inventory of furniture of schools in the municipalities by the local authorities.
Perhaps more than ever before the authorities have felt the need to supply furniture to all schools in the Wa municipality.
A prank making the rounds in Wa and its environs is that whenever one's school is deprived, Dr. Bawumia should be invited to visit such schools for effect.
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The headmistress, who was accused of inviting the media to the school when the sorry state of learning went viral, stood her grounds that she spoke about the plight of the kids so benevolent organizations could come to their rescue. She has achieved her aim and should be smiling for a job well done.
Threats
Speaking to the media yesterday after the Municipal Assembly, led by the Upper West Regional Minister, Alhaji Aminu, the MCE and heads of the District Education Directorate had presented some desks to the school, Ms Diedong said although she was happy upon receipt of the furniture, she was concerned for her life.
I am happy and sad at the same time, she expressed. According to her, some youth of the incumbent National Democratic Congress (NDC) had been assaulting her verbally. She also said she had received threatening phone calls and messages, saying she might be forced to seek transfer from the school if her safety could not be guaranteed.
I am happy but with challenges; without the furniture the children were suffering but now it will improve a whole lot of things. I have collected the things and I am happy but because of the manner in which the things came, I am feeling sad and happy at the same time because people are talking all over. There is even a youth group here who are threatening my life and saying I should wait and see; so all that cannot make me happy, Ms Diedong disclosed.
A DAILY GUIDE Report
Antwi Boasiko Sekyere in a photograph with some MMDCEs
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Antwi-Boasiako Sekyere, the outgoing Eastern Regional Minister who was fired by President John Mahama in the recent reshuffle, has officially handed over the administration of the region to his deputy, Mavis Ama Frimpong.
The ceremony took place in the presence of the 26 MMDCEs in the region at the Regional Coordinating Council in Koforidua, the regional capital, yesterday.
Antwi-Boasiako Sekyere, who was the Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, was appointed as the Regional Minister to replace the current Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, then Regional Minister.
His removal from office was instigated by the Regional Secretariat of the NDC with the aim of achieving the agenda 50-50 project. It appears the president thinks that Mr Antwi-Boasiako Sekyere cant execute this project but his deputy, now the substantive minister, can achieve it in the upcoming November polls to secure more votes for the party in the region.
Also, Mr Antwi-Boasiako Sekyere's dismissal, as gathered, might have been due to the demand of the 33 constituency chairmen of the NDC in the region that he be fired after he attacked with pepper spray, some party executives who stormed the Mpraeso District Chief Executive, Joseph Omaris office.
Meanwhile, there is division in the regional branch of the party ahead of the president's appointment of someone to fill the Deputy Minister position.
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The regional executives are lobbying for one candidate of their choice while another group, made up of the partys grassroot members and sympathisers, are rooting for another candidate.
Appau Haruna Wiredu, the Eastern Regional Youth Organiser, who doubles as the New Juaben North parliamentary candidate, Ransford Owusu Boakye, the Regional NADMO Coordinator, who also doubles as the Regional Organiser of the NDC, and the Regional Secretary, Mark Oliver Kevor, according to a reliable source within the NDC, have been shortlisted for the position.
Information gathered within the regional party caucus indicates that Mr Owusu Boakye stands tall among the three and is likely to become the next deputy regional minister.
President Mahama last week swore in Mavis Ama Frimpong as the Eastern Regional Minister.
FROM Daniel Bampoe, Koforidua
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Defence lawyers in the case involving the four Yemenis standing trial for possessing fake passports, have hinted of filing for no case in respect of the charges.
The accused persons are Esmail Yahya Zeyad aka Evra Allerson; Waleed Ahmed Yahya aka Debuchya Allard; Eissa Yahya Amer all students and Gaafar Eissa Yahya Amer aka Ciro Carlos, businessman.
Dominic Owusu Sekeyre believes his clients have no case to answer.
This was after the prosecution, led by ASP Stephen Adjei, had presented Detective Chief Superintendent Abalu-Ba Baba, a colleague of the substantive investigator in the case, on behalf of Chief Inspector Paul Mahama who was indisposed.
D/Chief Supt. Baba, who tendered the investigation caution statements of the accused persons, said he got to know them when a case of fake visa was brought to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) for investigation by the Immigration Service.
He told the court presided over by Aboagye Tandoh, that the accused persons were said to have entered the country with fake visas.
The police chief indicated that it was revealed during investigation that three of the accused persons had French passports.
He said a security outfit wrote to the French embassy in respect of the passports and the accused were subsequently charged.
The prosecution witness said Eissa Yahya Amer and the three others were charged for possessing emergency visas.
D/Chief Supt. Baba, responding to a cross-examination by Mr Owusu Sekeyre, said he was not aware that Yahya Amer arrived in Ghana without an entry visa.
Mr Owusu Sekeyre insisted that the accused persons were not a security threat to the country.
Hearing continues on March 9, 2016.
According to the prosecution, the four, on November 24, 2015 forged official document being the Republic of France Passport Number 04417928.
They are facing an additional charge of possessing fake Emergency Entry Visa.
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The accused persons were arrested by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra last year with different names in their French passports onboard Ethiopian Airline Flight ET 920.
Whiles undergoing immigration arrival procedures, Evra Allerson, Ciro Carlos and Debuchya were found with French passports with different names.
A further search on them revealed that all the accused persons had Yemen passports. When the French passports with different names were examined they were found to be fake.
When they were quizzed they mentioned one Abdulai Mohammed in Yemen as the one who secured them the French passports and gave them a phone number to call a certain Mohammed in Ghana on arrival.
Accused persons were to transit in Ghana and continue to France and to Istanbul in Turkey.
A further examination of their Yemen passports indicated that Allerson and Carlos had travelled several times to Djibouti before their trip to Ghana.
The accused persons have all denied the offence.
[email protected]
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
01.03.2016 LISTEN
The 33-year-old man arrested and handed over to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) for allegedly making a threatening comment that President John Dramani Mahama will collapse during this year's Independence Day parade appears to be mentally challenged.
Kwame Gyebi, who allegedly made a comment at a beer bar at Dzorwulu in Accra, is said to have boasted that he knew what he was referring to and dared anyone to mark his words that the president would swoon when delivering his speech on 6th March.
But according to his brother who spoke on an Accra-based radio station yesterday, Kwame was suffering from a mental disease occasioned by typhoid which he had some time back.
The suspect, who was arrested by the police and later handed over to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) upon a tip-off, is reportedly receiving treatment at the Valley View Hospital, Dzorwulu.
Kwame Gyebi, who lives with his elder brother at the Dzorwulu neighbourhood, according to the brother, has his medical records at the hospital and said any doubting Thomases could check at the health facility.
The supposed mentally challenged man referred to the president as John when making the comment.
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BNI sources say it is investigating the matter to ascertain if there are collaborators.
It will be recalled that on July 26, 2015 a 36-year-old man, Charles Antwi, was arrested during Sunday church service at the Ringway Estate Gospel Centre of the Assemblies of God Church with a gun allegedly targeting the president, who worships with his family at that church, to kill him.
It took a curious observer to cause the arrest of Charles Antwi as President Mahama was not in church that day.
Charles Antwi was later convicted and sentenced to a 10-year prison term by an Accra circuit court before he was freed by the Human Rights Division of the Accra high court.
He was later examined and found not to be mentally sound and was receiving treatment at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
A DAILY GUIDE Report
The suspected prostitutes in police custody
01.03.2016 LISTEN
The Cantonments Divisional Police Command has apprehended 18 women and a male for allegedly engaging in prostitution.
The suspects, between the ages of 20 and 35, were arrested near the Togo and Italian Embassies, Danquah Circle and some parts of Cantonments in Accra.
Superintendent Gladys Mpere, Acting Cantonments Divisional Police Commander, told the media that the suspects had paraded themselves soliciting for men when the police grabbed them between 1:00 am and 3:00 am on Saturday and Sunday.
The male prostitute was also apprehended at the Danquah Circle soliciting for clients.
Superintendent Mpere said the police embarked on the operation following a report they received from some residents of the areas that the activities of the prostitutes were causing a lot of nuisance to them.
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The supposed prostitutes, according to the police commander, always made excessive noise and fought in those areas.
Some residents also complained to the police that some of the purported prostitutes usually blocked the roads when people did not pay attention to them.
They have provisionally been charged with soliciting for immoral purposes and have since been fined GH300 each by an Accra circuit court.
In default, the suspects will spend two months in prison in hard labour.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey
( [email protected] )
The Minister in a handshake with the Mayor of Accra
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Alhaji Collins Dauda, has disclosed that the high incidence of cholera cases and resultant deaths which occurred in 2014 within the Accra Metropolis has dropped significantly in 2015.
Comparing figures for cholera cases and its resultant deaths, the minister mentioned that 28,975 cholera cases and 243 deaths were recorded at various communities within Accra in 2014.
He was, however, happy that in 2015 cholera cases and deaths dropped sharply to 692 cases and 15 deaths.
Alhaji Dauda attributed the significant drop in cholera and its attendant death cases as a success story for the institution of the National Sanitation Day campaign among other key related interventions by government and other stakeholders.
Alhaji Collins Dauda made the disclosure during a meeting he held with metropolitan and municipal chief executives (MMCEs) in Accra last Thursday.
The meeting which took place at the ministry's conference room in Accra provided a platform for the minister and the MMCEs to share best practices and strategies for planning for the National Sanitation Day (NSD) event for 2016.
He further instructed them to submit within a fortnight proposals on how each municipality hopes to sustain the National Sanitation Day campaign in 2016.
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Background
The National Sanitation Day campaign was instituted by government at the peak of the cholera outbreak in Accra and other parts of the country in 2014.
The country at the same period had been ranked among the world's dirtiest destinations, and for which drastic measure needed to be put in place to arrest the situation.
The National Sanitation Day campaign is a government intervention to sensitise Ghanaians on the need to adopt proper sanitary and hygienic practices, including proper waste management practices.
Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Arthur performed the launching of the National Sanitation Day (NSD) campaign which was held at the Ghana Trade Fair Auditorium, La, Accra.
The campaign is under the theme: 'Environmental Sanitation, A Shared Responsibility'.
The NSD is held every first Saturday of each month throughout the country.
By Solomon Ofori
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Alex Segbefia with other dignitaries cutting the tape to officially open the unit
The Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) as part of plans to scale up the institutional practice of herbal medicine alongside orthodox have opened a new herbal medicine unit at the Tema Polyclinic.
The unit which brings to 18 the number of pilot centres for herbal medicine centres to be opened by the GHS and MoH is expected to help in the mainstreaming of herbal medicine in Ghana.
Minister of Health Alex Segbefia, inaugurating the unit, said nearly 25 percent of Ghanaians rely on natural and herbal medicines to deal with their illnesses.
He said the situation has placed a responsibility on the health ministry to ensure safety and effectiveness of the traditional medicines.
The establishment of herbal medicine units in our health facilities has always remained relevant in our effort to mainstream traditional medicine in Ghana. I am happy to note that patient's safety is a key principal on which the practice will be based, he mentioned.
Mr Segbefia said the potential of herbal medicine cannot be overlooked as estimates show that 35 and 50 percent of prescription drugs have been derived from natural products, including herbs.
We expect to harness both Western medicines research products as well as herbalists-reviewed products that have passed the FDA evaluations, he indicated.
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Dr Linda Van-Otoo, Greater Accra regional health director, said the new unit would help the two institutions in a number of ways, including minimising quacks as well as encourage genuine producers of herbal medicine.
She further mentioned that the unit would help orthodox practitioners to know what kind of herbal preparations are available and what they can do so they can better support the herbal sector to improve.
Explaining how the unit would work, Dr Van-Otoo said patients would be given the option of choosing between orthodox or herbal treatment when they come to the polyclinic.
She said when a patient opts for the herbal unit; he or she would be sent to the unit for examination by a physician assistant who has been trained in herbal medicine to see if the unit can treat the ailment.
If they have the medication for the sickness they will treat the patient, if not they will be asked to go for the orthodox treatment, she added.
Dr Van-Otoo further called on hospital staff to take advantage of the unit and learn about herbal medicine practice.
My call is for them to show interest in what happens at the unit and add the information gathered to their reports; how many people went to the herbal unit what treatment they were given, how the outcomes were like and if there is anything that will be an adverse effect it should be well documented, she indicated.
The Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (GHAFTRAM) also donated herbal medicines to support the operations of the herbal centre.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Unibank has constructed a new 20-seater KVIP toilet facility for students of Mampong Presbyterian Senior High School (PRESEC) in the Eastern Region as part of its corporate social responsibility.
As part of uniBanks contribution towards the promotion of good and quality education in Ghana of which Mampong is inclusive, we see this as an honour by providing the school with a 20-seater KVIP, the Eastern Regional Branch Manager of Unibank, Isaac Omari-Koranteng, speaking at the inauguration of the facility mentioned.
He believes that the facility would help the school in a very long term if it is kept in good shape and condition at all times, adding that the gesture would mark the beginning of a cordial and fruitful relationship between the bank and the school.
Headmaster of Mampong PRESEC, Rev E. T Akusaki, expressed his appreciation to the bank for their support, calling on other organisations to partner with the school to advance the cause of the institution.
By Daniel Bampoe
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Former President JA Kufuor chatting with Nana Akufo-Addo before the flagbearer presented his real state of the nation address
Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, yesterday took his turn to deliver what he called the Real State of the Nation Address.
The flagbearer, in his two-and-a-half hour statement, virtually made mincemeat of the several achievements President John Dramani Mahama claimed to have chalked during his recent State of the Nation Address.
Last Thursday, the president delivered a State of the Nation Address in fulfilment of a constitutional provision with a message full of grandiose achievements said to have been executed under his leadership.
But most of those projects and programmes he trumpeted with 'evidence-based' testimonials have either been questioned or turned out to be 'half truths.'
But addressing an enthusiastic audience of a packed conference room at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra yesterday, Nana Akufo-Addo could not fathom why the president went to Parliament and gave no indication whatsoever of the enormity of the youth unemployment problem facing the country, and instead dabbled in what could suffice for a propaganda piece full of lies.
Nana Addo noted that what President Mahama sought to do was to explain the theatrical show he staged in Parliament with the claim he was providing us with evidence for the claims he was making about the state of the nation, noting that Ghana is in crisis.
That, he said, did not work since in his opinion It turned out to be an embarrassing exercise in mediocrity, an expression he associated with the president.
Concerns
Why ignore the clear evidence of this canker that characterises the true state of the economy? he asked rhetorically and articulated, We heard nothing of the bold and radical measures that would encourage enterprises to expand, or that would help build new businesses in agriculture or industry to generate the hundreds of thousands of jobs that our youth need.
Instead, Nana Addo said, The president mentioned the prospects of a few jobs here and there and went on to make an embarrassing display of a few vulnerable Ghanaians. There was a thunderous applause and cheers from the charged audience made up of key party people, including former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Members of Parliament and former Ministers of State.
That, he described as a sad spectacle in propaganda, one that did a disservice to the image of our Parliament and that it appears we have a president who is out of touch with the country he is governing.
A befuddled Akufo-Addo related, As I listened in disbelief to some of the things the president said, it soon became clear that he was taking liberties with the Ghanaian people that should not be accepted.
Doubts
Chief among them was Mahama's claim that work was progressing on the 60-bed district hospital in Salaga, which he (Nana) said those who live in that community had described as a site fenced, locked and abandoned.
In the case of a road at Hohoe in the Volta Region that President Mahama said had been completed, Nana noted: The residents of Hohoe have said their town roads were done during the Kufuor administration. It is disrespectful to the people of Ghana and to our republican institutions for the president to exhibit such a cavalier attitude to facts in a formal address to the nation.
He also talked about stories about the water shortages in different parts of the country which had been lingering on for the past month or so, with places like Nsawam-Adoagyiri and Winneba making the headlines.
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Less than 24 hours after the president stood in Parliament displaying Madam Naomi Appiah Korang, a teacher and known NDC activist from Kyebi, the Member of Parliament for Keta from his own party was in the House telling the country about the desperate water situation in his constituency, he noted.
Interestingly, he recalled that On that Friday, his Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing was in the House to give an account of the water situation in the country very much at variance with the complacent picture painted by the president. There had been no mention of water problems by the president in his address.
Mockery
Nana Akufo-Addo made a mockery of President Mahama's decision to parade 16 supposed beneficiaries of his various programmes and projects he claimed his administration had initiated which he prided himself with. But according to Nana, Their stories do not constitute the reality that is present day Ghana.
He wondered why the president omitted an important group of persons who had also benefitted from his government over the past eight years, including Alfred Woyome and other beneficiaries of the 'create, loot and share' judgement debt brigade; the beneficiaries of the looting of the SADA guinea fowl and tree planting schemes; the beneficiaries of the looting of the GYEEDA schemes and the beneficiaries of the looting of the Smarttys bus rebranding scheme.
On a Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) beneficiary that allegedly now has 10 pigs, Nana Akufo-Addo said, I can point to ten hardworking individuals whose businesses have collapsed due to the unfavourable economic conditions.
What about the teacher and nursing trainees whose allowances have been cancelled? What about teachers who have worked for two years and are only paid three months' salary arrears? What about the children of Kperisi Primary, Wa in the Upper West Region who have no desks or chairs and so lie on the floor for their lessons to the detriment of their health? What about people who cannot afford hospital fees because of the virtual return of the cash-and-carry system? What about our Black Queens who, after winning the gold medal at the All Africa Games, were treated so shabbily by this government which has refused to honour its promises to them? Is the president saying that he has no evidence of these? Why did he not bring them to Parliament?
The reason, Nana Addo said, was because running a nation and reporting on its state is serious business which should not be reduced to a public relations activity.
Instead, the NPP leader said It should be a comprehensive illustration to our people of what the big picture is.
Bloated Contracts
The NPP standard bearer observed that his party in government constructed eight times more roads than the NDC, even though the NDC had had 10 times more money.
This, according to him, was because the NDC had inflated the costs of road contracts, unlike the NPP's value-for-money attitude.
Nana Akufo-Addo said under the eight years of the NPP the average cost of a kilometre of asphalted road was $480,000, while the average cost of the same stretch of asphalt under the current NDC administration was $1.5 million.
His Excellency spends over 40 minutes recounting his achievements in the road sector; the story is unfortunately not corroborated by the facts on the ground, Nana Akufo-Addo underscored.
For instance, he mentioned works on the Drobo-Sampa road as he did last year. At the time President Kufuor was leaving (office) the 40km stretch from Drobo to Soma had been done, leaving seven kilometres from Soma through Sampa to the border.
For over seven years, the seven-kilometre stretch has not been completed. The Atebubu-Kwame Danso road, which the president said was on course, has long been abandoned by the contractor GN Ganin.
The Tarkwa-Bogoso-Ayanfuri road the president mentioned as part of the Takoradi-Kumasi road, President Kufuor had secured funding and works had been executed from Takoradi to Apepeyem.
President Kufuor secured another $73 million to do the road to Ayanfuri. The Apepeyem to Ayanfuri version has taken more than seven years to complete.
Notwithstanding, it is an indisputable fact that the NPP investment between 2001 and 2009 far exceeds that of the NDC since 2009. The road network in President Kufuor's time increased from 37,320 km to 67, 291 km. The NDC has moved it from 67, 391 to 71, 063km.
The NPP leader averred, The president himself admitted that his government's contribution to the road network is a mere 3,700km over the eight years of stewardship.
There is a very good reason why the NPP managed to construct a lot more roads with less money than the NDC has done in these last seven years.
In conclusion, the NPP flagbearer said, This, fellow Ghanaians, is the real state of governance in Ghana today where government throws so much money at fewer projects. The more inflated the costs of projects are, the less our country develops and the less we are able to spend on the needy.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Nana Kobina Nketsia V
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Omanhene of Essikado Traditional Area in the Western Region, has called on government to decentralize the award of contracts in the various sectors of the economy to local enterprises in order to promote their growth.
According to the chief, the practice whereby some government projects in the various regions and districts of the country were executed by contractors from the country's capital, Accra was not proper since there were equally competent contractors in the regions.
Decentralizing the award of contracts will not only promote the progress of local industries, but will help improve the living standards of the people since the profits will be invested in the local economy, he added.
He stated that I learnt most of the people contracted to work on the expansion project at the Takoradi Habour were from Accra, meanwhile we have people in Sekondi-Takoradi who are capable of executing the said jobs.
Omanhene of Essikado stated this at the official opening of an office complex for the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce in Takoradi.
Nana Nketsia indicated that even though businesses were currently facing many difficulties, the Chamber should be tough and lead in the fight to create the needed environment for local businesses to thrive.
Nana Dr. Appiagyei Dankawoso I, National President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce, explained that the association consisted of business operators, firms and industries with interests spanning every sector of private enterprise in Ghana.
He indicated that as an advocacy organization, the Chamber was established with the prime objective of promoting industrial and commercial interests in the country.
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Stephane Miezan, Western Regional Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, mentioned that his outfit was poised to build the capacity of members of the business association to enable them expand their businesses.
He indicated that the expansion of the private sector would invariably led to the creation of thousands of jobs for many jobless youth, adding but without strong capacity building, many of our members will remain where they are and the potential of job creation would be affected.
He noted that available statistics indicated that between 2013 and 2015, about 5,000 businesses were registered.
If we are able to build the capacity of these establishments they will stand the chance of creating many jobs, he added.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi
File Photo
01.03.2016 LISTEN
DKT international Inc. the NGO behind the No Yawa Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health Education movement kick started the 2016 inter regional schools debate from the Volta region with eight selected second cycle school across the region as part of its closing activities.
With over 300 students gathered at the regional house of chiefs Hall on Friday, 19/02/2016 in Ho where the event took place. The participating schools were Sogakofe senior high, Ziope Senior High, Hohoe EP Senior High,Fodome Senior High, Vakpo Senior High and Akatsi Senior High Technical School.
The Motion for the first round Exposing Ghanaian youth to sexual and reproductive health education has cause more harm than good saw Sogakofe SHS(against the motion) come up against Ziope SHS(for the Motion), whiles Vakpo SHS (for the motion) came up against Fodome SHS(against the Motion), Akatsi SHTS(for the motion)against Hohoe SHS(against the motion) and the first round ended with Ziope SHS obtaining 29 points, Sogakofe 52 points, Fodome 30 points, Vakpo 46 points, Akatsi 37 points and Heps 45 points respectively making Sogakofe, Heps,Vasec,and Akatsi emerging the winners and qualifying for the second round of debate.
Round two started with theMotionSexual and reproductive health education must be incorporated into the schools curriculum which saw Sogakofe SHS (against the motion) coming up against Hohoe EP SHS (for the motion) whiles Vakpo SHS(for the motion) came up against Akatsi SHTS (against the motion) and at the end of the second round Sogakofe secured 48 points,Hohoe 44 points, Vakpo 44 points and Akatsi 42 points respectively taking Sogakofe SHS and Vakpo SHS into the finals.
The finals Motion was The media in Ghana has promoted sexuality among the youth than discourage it which saw Vakpo speaking against the motion and Sogakofe for the motion. It all ended with Sogakofe emerging overall winners of the completion to represent the Volta region in Kumasi with 50 points whiles the runner ups vakpo senior high came up with 44 points.
Miss Irene Addai from Hohoe EP SHS was adjudge the best debater for the day while Sogakofe took away a certificate,100 exercises books, school bags, pens, stickers, T-shirts from the organizers and a cash amount of Gh500.00. All the other schools benefited from exercises books, school bags, pens, stickers, and T-shirts.
Madam Doris Abayavor from the regional inspectorate unit of Ghana Education Services was the chair person for the event and advised the winners to work hard for the bigger task ahead of them since they will becoming against the other nine regions in Kumasi in June for the national competition.
Meanwhile Mr. Frank Alornyo, a regional community rep of DKT in the Ho-central zone thanked the school heads that allowed their students to take part in the competition and that they had really done well and encouraged them to form debating clubs on various school campuses
The southern fieldsoperation manager of DKT international Ms. Rosie Gbegnedji was full of praise for the schoolsthat took part in the competition encouraging the other schools to emulate them since this type of competition brings out the best in the students and grooms them into good public speakers in future.
she advised the winners not to give up or think because they have won the regional completion it will make then the eventual winners in June in Kumasi but rather study hard and to focus not only on debating skills but the content they will be presenting.
The No Yawa youth platform started in 2012 and has since educated in excess of 400,000 on their sexual and reproductive health rights with the focus on staying in school and making smart choices. The service educates students in schools, online, through youth friendly clinics, SMS services, in the field across the 10 regions of Ghana with 40 regional community reps, and uses a mix of interesting and educative media. For more information visit www.noyawagh.com or search for noyawagh on facebook.
Barclays plans to sell down its 62.3 per cent stake in Barclays Africa over the next two-three years, CEO Jes Staley told CNBC this morning.
Barclays is withdrawing from Africa after almost a century there.
The news first emerged in December and then again on Friday, sending shares in its business Barclays Africa Group tumbling.
The British bank said on Sunday its board was evaluating strategic options for its 62.3 percent stake in the African business, a holding worth about $8.3 billion.
On Tuesday in a Sens statement it said: Barclays PLC is reducing its shareholding in BAGL due to recently introduced regulatory burdens specific and particular to Barclays PLC as a UK headquartered and globally significant financial institution. These regulations significantly decrease BAGLs standalone returns for Barclays PLC.
Shares in Barclays Africai, which is based in South Africa and also operates in nine other countries (see map), dropped 6.8 percent on Monday before recouping some losses to trade down 5.5 percent at 1440 GMT. This morning they were down 5.5 per cent.
iiThe review comes within months of Jes Staley taking over as chief executive of the British lender, at a time when it is required by regulators at home to hold more liquid assets to shore up defences against any future financial crises.
Once at the heart of executives' expansion plans, Africa's growth prospects were dealt a blow in mid-2014 when prices of oil and other commodities - export mainstays of many economies - dived, partly due to a slowdown in leading consumer China.
Staley's review also came after South African President Jacob Zuma decided to change his finance minister twice in less than a week in December, at a time when the economy is under severe stress, raising questions about Pretoria's commitment to prudent fiscal policy.
While the African company accounted for 13 per cent of Barclays' core profit in the first nine months of 2015, its earnings growth was the slowest among the British lender's main businesses in that period.
Analysts and bankers said the share price drop was mainly driven by investor expectations that any sale of such a large stake in Barclays Africa would be conducted at below market prices.i
"Barclays could not have picked the worse time to sell. Apart from the standard discount the sale of major stakes, they will struggle to find buyers," said a Johannesburg-based banker, who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak publicly.
'YOUR MONEY IS SAFE'
Fund manager Korner Perspective director Graeme Korner said there was little appetite in the market for a major banking transaction also said finding a buyer for such a large stake would be challenging.
"Unless there is a really powerful player that has a deep balance sheet and can add strategic value to Barclays Africa its not in the interest of minority shareholders to see it passed on to somebody else," he said.
But another banker, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said Chinese banks might be best placed to do a deal because they had stronger balance sheets than their European or U.S. counterparts.
"But $8 billion is not a small change for anyone so there's stronger likelihood that Barclays will sell down rather a complete exit," he said.
Barclays Africa said any announcement by its parent would not affect its operations, while its Kenyan division assured customers it would not be shutting down.
"I assure you that your money is safe with us and you should not be concerned about the operation of your account," said Kenyan Managing Director Jeremy Awori.i
Barclays has had a presence in Africa since 1925. Barclays Africa was created three years ago under a deal in which the British bank handed over ownership of its businesses in eight African countries to its South African subsidiary in exchange for a 62.3 percent stake in the new entity.
The company makes most of its profit and revenue in South Africa and also operates in Kenya, Botswana, Ghana, Zambia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Uganda and Tanzania.
It had 36 billion pounds ($54 billion) of assets on a risk-adjusted basis and made a profit of 791 million pounds ($1.1 billion) in the first nine months of 2015
Barclays also has small businesses in Egypt and Zimbabwe which are not part of Barclays Africa; it tried to sell them to Barclays Africa after the 2013 deal, but talks fell through due to disagreements about the price.ii
01.03.2016 LISTEN
The Initial Public Offer (IPO) extension of Agricultural Development Bank Limited (ADB) has been hailed as an opportunity for Ghanaians to own shares in the wholly national bank. This follows the resumption of high flying Mr Daniel Asiedu as Managing Director to spark the restoration of the bank
Market watchers say the extension would also ensure that moves to make the bank a financial institution owned by the Ghanaian public and other investors become a successful reality.
This observation agrees with reports that Solomon Adu Atefoe, Marketing and Communications Manager of ADB has disclosed that foreign investors have shown the biggest interest in acquiring the bank's shares, therefore local investors also need to show more interest in the shares.
The extension of the closing of the offer period from Friday, February 26, 2016 to 24 March, 2016, was granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission possibly as a gesture to allow for more local mobilization of share purchases.
The bank issued a public offer in the latter part of December 2015 for the sale of 74,888,369 Existing ADB Shares, an offer for subscription of 75,471,698 New ADB Shares, and the primary listing of all the 155,451,524 Existing ADB Shares and 75,471,698 New Shares on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE).
The share was priced at GH 2.65 per share and can be purchased at a minimum of 100 shares. The total shares being offered represents 75 percent stake in the bank that is intended to mobilise about GH300 million.
So far indications are that the Initial Public Offering has received positive response, however, more was needed to make the ordinary Ghanaian the owner of this cherished national asset that has been dedicated to the countrys agriculture sector.
Reports said that last year, some farmers stated their intention to buy shares in the Agricultural Development Bank (adb) when the bank floated its shares on the market. The Secretary of the Ghana National Tomato Farmers Federation, Patrick Ahiabu was reported to have said that they propose buying a minimum of 20 percent of the banks shares when the IPO commences.
According to the reports the farmers indicated that ADB had served their interests and as such they should be allowed to purchase shares in order to feel part of the financial institution. The farmers say the decision to make the ownership of the bank public is a good one and should go ahead.
The ADB channeled about GH381 million in 2014 into the agriculture sector, representing over 400 per cent on the 2010 figure of GH72 million. This brings total investments in the agricultural sector in the past five years to GH500 million, the highest investment by a bank over a period of five years.
The breakdown of the GH381 million amount was as follows: Fishing and Aquaculture GH125.366m; Industrial Crops GH60.085m; Food Crops GH38.622m; Livestock and Poultry GH22.067m; Agro Marketing GH3.919m; and Agro Processing GH130.860m.
In 2015, not only did it sponsor the farmers forum as part of the National Farmers Day celebrations, but also as commitment to farmers and fishermen in the country, sponsored a fully furnished three bedroom house to the ultimate winner of the 31st National Farmers Day Award.
The Bank has presented 13 three-bedroom houses to winners of the national farmers day award celebration since 2001 and has been the main sponsor of other activities of the National Farmers Day Celebration such as the National Farmers Forum and the Welcome Cocktail for the award nominees over the last five years.
Persons familiar with the banking industry have said that the ability of ADB to generate extra funds for expansion of its operations would be a resounding financial maneuver of the bank that would enable it to chalk the greater accomplishments it seeks to attain in the countrys banking industry.
The bank won the Best Agricultural Financing Bank as well as also came first runner up in Product Innovation at the recent 14th Ghana Banking Awards held in 2015.
The ADB was further named the bank with the best customer service in the latest survey by the research wing of consulting firm, Nest of Ideas. The survey, dubbed Customer First, sampled the experiences of 2000 customers of various banks in a period of one year (October 1, 2014- October 9, 2015) involving 27 banks and 22 savings and loans companies. It centered on timeliness of transactions, customer service activities and whether employees were smart, courteous and knowledgeable.
These awards and mark ups are more than indicative of ADBs capability, persons familiar with the banking sector observed, adding that these attributes should leave no one surprised when the second phase of the IPO witnesses over-subscription.
According to the lead advisors, IC Securities (Ghana) Limited Further details on the IPO are contained in the offer prospectus which can be obtained from any ADB branch, any SCB branch, IC Securities (Ghana) Limited, and any Licensed Dealing Member of the GSE or go to www.adbipo.com .
The successful listing upon the closing of its IPO would make ADB the second public bank to trade on the GSE following in the steps of GCB Bank. ###
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Accra, March 1, 2016 Busy Ghana, a leading 4G Internet and mobile data service provider in Ghana has opened its new ultra-modern sales and service experience centre at the Ring Road Central, Accra; to offer customers access to Busys range of innovative products and services.
The new experience centre, located within the refurbished Busy Building, is equipped with the latest technology to give customers superior 4G experience, excellent customer support and sale of Busys innovative and affordable devices. With special area for customers to browse and explore Busys range of 4G data devices; customers can touch and feel any of these devices and get the full 4G experience.
Opening the facility, the President of the Association of Ghana Industries, Mr. James Asare Adjei commended Busy Ghana for maintaining a very high standard in the provision of Internet services in the country as he acknowledged the pioneering role of Busy.
Busy is a household name in Ghanas Internet and mobile data services sector; having played a pioneering role in the fledgling phase of the industry, he said.
Mr Praveen Sadalage, Managing Director of Busy expressed excitement about the new developments and said the renovated experience centre represents Busys commitment to continue building on the foundation laid in 2001; which was re-enforced in January this year when Busy launched its 4G services with affordable devices starting from as low as Ghs99.00, unlimited freebies, superior network quality and widest 4G coverage in Accra and Tema; spanning from Kasoa to Prampram and to the foot of the Aburi mountains.
Mr Sadalage said: While our main goal is to ensure that our existing clients and customers get the timely service and support they need, we also wish to extend a warm welcome to all seeking quality and reliable Internet services.
He assured customers of Busys continuous effort at improving its services with innovative products to make mobile data services affordable to all.
Mr Sadalage, also encouraged Busys customers to share their feedback with the business via the toll free line, Busys website and on the various interactive media platforms.
He commended the management and staff of Busy for their support to the business commitment to continuously improve and enrich lives for national development.
The official opening of the Experience Centre is part of the launch of Busys extensive retail network across Accra and Tema aimed at reaching all consumers within the region; with thirteen (13) point-of-sale outlets spread across Accra Mall, Westhills Mall, Achimota Mall and partner outlets like Electroland, Palace, Techno, Starlite, Melcom & Hisense. Customers can also visit any of Busys one hundred and twenty (120) dealers to connect with Busy or over six hundred (600) indirect retailers to purchase physical recharge vouchers.
The event was attended by captains of industry, corporate bodies, the media and other relevant stakeholders in the ICT industry.
The largest gathering of Ghanas Christian Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders has been scheduled for Saturday April 2, 2016 at the World Trade Centre Accra. Time is 8:30am.
The event dubbed, Spiritpreneurship Summit will provide leading entrepreneurs and business leaders the rare opportunity to network and learn emerging business opportunities as well as how to position their brands to maximize these opportunities. Previous editions of the Spiritpreneurship have been held with phenomenal success, attracting overflowing numbers of business executives and entrepreneurs who went home with life-transforming experiences. This years edition promises a greater experience according to the event organizers, Kharis Group LLC.
Themed, Divine Strategies for Wealth Creation, the 2016 edition will examine some of the time-tested Biblical strategies for creating wealth. "Spiritpreneurship embodies synthesizing spirituality with the art of creating wealth. If you are Christian, every aspect of your life including your business should be rendered as worship to God, says Dr. Randy Osae Bediako, summit host. Today, it is very disheartening that billions of dollars are currently in the hands of godless entrepreneurs, business leaders and other corrupt organizations whose hidden agenda is to shut down the preaching of the Gospel.
That is why God is anointing men and women to go into business, plunder the wealth of the sinners and use the spoils for the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Business and entrepreneurship can be an effective vehicle not only to meet our own needs and that of shareholders but also as a means of underwriting world evangelization, he emphasizes.
The event organizers believe that in these last days, God is raising a new breed of entrepreneurs and corporate executives and empowering them to create substantial wealth. This new breed of business people see wealth, not as an end to be sought after, but as a tool to do the work of God and promote kingdom agenda in the marketplace.
The event targets CEO's and high-ranking government executives, civil society leaders, top-level strategists and groundbreaking entrepreneurs. Board Chairmen, Management Consultants, Managing Directors, Chief Executive Officers, Chief Operating Officers, Chief Information Officers, Chief Strategy Officers, Chief Marketing Officers, Finance Managers just to name a few, have all made Spiritpreneurship their must-attend event. Leading professionals from key sectors of the economy, such as Banking, Real Estate, Aviation and Transport, Retail, Media and Marketing, Energy and Tourism, Utilities, Healthcare, IT and Technology, Oil and Gas etc., have all attended the event within the past two years.
Confirmed speakers for this years event include: Bishop Charles Agyinasare, Founder, Perez Chapel International, Mr. Richard Dugan, Group President & CEO, McOttley Holdings, Mrs. Linda Larbi, Former Head, Marketing, Coca-Cola Equitorial and Mrs. Dzigbordi Dosoo, Founder & CEO, Allure Africa Group Ltd. There will also be a symposium session on Courting Business Success in Tough Economic Times, with four industry chieftains. They include: Mr. George Kojo Addison, MD StarLife Assurance Company, Mr. Samuel Sakyi-Hyde, CEO, unicredit Ghana, Dr. Daniel Ogbarmey Tetteh, Executive Director, Databank Group and Dr. Joyce R. Aryee, CEO, Salt & Light Ministries.
Spiritpreneurship 2016 has McOttley Holdings as Title Sponsor. Other sponsors include: Databank, StarLife, uniBank, McOttley Capital, Centrifuj, McOttley Money Lending and uniCredit Ghana Ltd. Media Partners include: Business Day, Business and Financial Times, DDP, Joy FM, Sunny FM, Starr FM, Sweet Melodies FM, Live FM, Faith TV, Precious TV, TV Africa and Viasat 1. Strategic partners include: 4 Heem Apparel, Eqonsept, Throne Gaits, Nick Solomon, Pretty Cutty and Divine Media Ltd.
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Former presidential aspirant and former Minister of Trade, Industry and Presidential Special Initiatives, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen has assured the people of the Brong-Ahafo region of a revival of the oil palm industry, which has collapsed under the John Mahama led-National Democratic Congress government.
Addressing a meeting of Moslem clerics and chiefs of settler communities at Derma, in the Tano South constituency, whilst accompanying Nana Akufo-Addo on a visit to the constituency, Alan Kyerematen noted that the NPP, under President John Agyekum Kufuor, had a vision of making oil palm a cash crop and a major foreign exchange earner for the country.
To this end 11,000 acres of oil palm were cultivated in four communities in the Tano South constituency Derma, Ankaase, Ada and Sesekpo. This was an unprecedented feat by the NPP. If this government, as usual, had not played politics with it and continued with this initiative, all of you here, as oil palm farmers, would have been rich by now, he said.
Again, with the people of Derma also engaged in the cultivation of tomatoes, Alan Kyerematen explained that, under the NPP government, the Pwalugu Tomato Factory was rehabilitated and equipped with modern state-of-the-art equipment for the processing of tomatoes.
This factory, located in the North, has collapsed under John Mahama. His government did not pay attention to this factory, which has the capacity of processing 25 truckloads of tomatoes every day. If the NPP had continued in office, the processing of tomatoes alone would have also made tomato farmers rich, he added.
He, therefore, assured the gathering that the oil palm industry and the Pwalugu tomato factory will be revived under the next NPP government, led by Nana Akufo-Addo.
When the NPP came into office in 2001, we brought so many job opportunities for which the population of Derma and Tano South were major beneficiaries. We will do it again under Nana Akufo-Addo, he said, drawing a rousing round of applause from the packed Assemblies of God Church Hall in Derma.
He continued, It is because of the change he wants to bring to the people of Ghana which is why he is contesting for the Presidency of this country. When he comes into office, he will revive all these businesses so that prosperity for all is achieved.
Measure of performance not in projects
On the NDC's touting of their so-called projects as an election winner, Alan Kyerematen stressed that: in spite of their so-called unprecedented projects, the people of Ghana are suffering. There is suffering everywhere because they have mismanaged the Ghanaian economy. According to the NPP leading figure, every government, from independence till now, has projects to its name and, therefore, the only measure of performance of any government should be the condition of living of its people.
Have you come across any government which has not built a school or hospital before? The management of the economy, however, is what is important because it will bring relief to all. When Nana Akufo-Addo comes into office, the good works of President Kufuor will be replicated and even surpassed, he added.
Nana Akufo-Addo's message for the 2016 election, according to Alan Kyerematen, is that: he is coming into office with a team, to solve the problems of Ghana and, thereby, bring relief and prosperity for all Ghanaians.
That is his message. With Ghana's GDP growth rate for 2015 hovering at some 4%, as opposed to a growth rate of 8.4% at the time the NPP left office, Alan Kyerematen explained that: this means we are retrogressing as a nation.
He continued, If someone who is giving you a growth rate of 4% tells you to vote for him again, then it means you are voting to retrogress. I am pleading with you, in 2016, let us vote for Nana Akufo-Addo and we will all be witnesses to the change that will come to our country.
Email: [email protected]
The United Cadres Front of Ghana (UCF-GHANA) Tema Regional Branch wish to react to Mensa Otabils attempt at inciting the Ghanaian citizenry against the ruling government. We are particularly at pains to understand the logic behind: We cant just be happy because a road has been done. We cant just be happy because we didnt have electricity and now we have electricity.
This is a purely partisan political talk and the UCF-GHANA will not acknowledge him speaking as a minister of the Good Gospel of God. To us he has become a seasoned politician and we are addressing him as such. If the NPP has unleashed some clergymen to hide in their clerical cloaks and dabble in the dirty politics that has infected this other-wise well cultured and peaceful country and wish to soil their reverend apparels in it, we shall respond to them in like-manner.
What sense does it make when vehicle owners who complain of bad roads that affect them badly not be happy when a road is done? Why should citizens not be grateful to government when a damning energy crisis that nearly stopped the heart-beat of a whole countrys economy when it is finally FIXED? And why should an individual who crowns himself as the super depository of knowledge think that because he is not satisfied, the entire citizenry must flow with him?
Mensa Otabil sank himself in Partisan politics when he posited that those who constitute the current ruling government are not citizens of this country thus, the need for citizens to take back their country. What else could we make of this?: 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. YOU HAVE TO DARE TO DREAM TO TAKE OUR NATION BACK.
I HOPE THAT AS WE CELEBRATE THIS STORY, AND I LIKE HOW IT WAS PUT EARLIER (referring to a book he was launching) 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 ARE DETERMINED TO RUN US TO THE GROUND (all emphasis, ours).
Politician Mensa Otabil ought to be told in plain language that he and his ilk are not more Ghanaian than the current political leadership and if he wants to incite a revolution he should bring it on, we are more than ready for him and his fellow self-glorified demi-gods. We, however, caution him that he be mindful of the cost involved in his proposal.
Meanwhile we wish to elicit an answer from Mensah Otabi whether his latest foul-mouthing is to atone for his commission of sin against the NPP in his famous BAD COMPANY and ALL-DIE-BE-DIE sermon in 2012? He suffered a trashing from the NPP that forced him to organize a press conference, calling radio stations who kept playing the recording as evil. In that media interaction he had not the guts to state that indeed, I said what is being played. He confirmed the voice was his but that the recording was doctored. That is the attitude of a FEARLESS and TRUTHFUL man of a god who cannot own up to his own careless utterances.
He advocated government weaning itself off the management of the health and educational sectors to private business because it had no business meddling in those sectors. Hear him: The state is doing everythingrunning our hospitals, running our schools, employing all the people and messing it up big time. How else could majority of Ghanaians understand him than a purely business cleric? This is a man who does not believe in Free Education because education to him must necessarily be expensive and exclusive of the wealthy.
His BAD COMPANY message in which he mentioned education cannot be free was not really against the Nana Akufo Addo message per se, but his own commercial conviction in that belief. Long before the Nana Akufo Addo campaign message, Mensa Otabil had advocated in one of his sermons to the congregation that if Ghanaians wanted good education they must expensively pay for it.
Mensa Otabil, will fight any Ghanaian who advocates Free Education, because he has become an Educational Entrepreneur whose business interest will be crushed if any government succeeds in fully implementing it. We can cite his Central University as one of the most expensive private universities in the country currently. A semester fees of his university is over twice that of public universities.
He has become a rich elite personality in society and, therefore, it is only the rich elite who can cough out such fees to have their wards educated. So, for the poor in society who are being catered-for by subsidized public universities, Mensa Otabil wants government to take her hands off that sector and hand it over to business men like him? And this is somebody who is inciting a revolution? In whose interest is he launching it the elite?
This is the man who claims to have this country at heart and wished the government shirks its civic responsibilities of providing health and education to especially the poor because of his selfish business ambitions. That is the Revolutionary Advocate!
Mensa Otabil then veered into the purely NPP political jargon of our time labeling the leadership of government INCOMPETENT. How else could he have satisfied his political masters and getting their pat without belching it out.
Mr. Otabil bring your revolution on! But remember that over 51 per cent of the Ghanaian citizenship voted for President John Dramani Mahama in the 2012 elections. If you see we, those who voted the NDC into government as non-citizens we leave you to your conscience for this wicked insult. Discernible Ghanaians are watching you, including some of your church members.
Signed
Edward Aganaboya Mba (Chairman) 0244284795
Camillus Maalneriba-Tia Sakzeesi (Media/communications Dept.) 0266223333
IMANI Vice-President Kofi Bentil says the 1992 constitution stands in direct opposition to a bill introduced by government seeking to listen in to private conversations.
Kofi Bentil says passing the Postal Packet and Telecommunications Message bill into law will still be an illegal law.
Although, security agencies under the 2008 Terrorism Law can obtain a warrant to intercept communications, the new bill branded the 'Spy bill' removes the need for a warrant from court.
It however demands that government operatives come to court after 48 hours to justify why they intercepted the communication of a private citizen they suspect of engaging in crime.
But the bill has sparked opposition from the Minority in Parliament and further opposition from sections of the Ghanaian public.
At a Joy FMs Thought Leadership series dedicated to the discussion on the propriety of the bill, Kofi Bentil, a leading voice against the bill restated his position that the law can bring no good it can only bring bad.
He is convinced that government wants to bypass the need to obtain permission from judges but it can never dodge the enshrined provisions of the 1992 constitution protecting privacy.
He says the right to privacy as detailed in Article 18 can never be taken away by any new law because it is a fundamental human right. The referred article states:
18. (2) No person shall be subjected to interference with the privacy of his home, property, correspondence or communication except in accordance with law and as may be necessary in a free and democratic society for public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the protection of the rights or freedoms of others
Although the article contains a caveat giving conditions under which this right can be suspended, the lawyer said the phrase in accordance with law should not be misinterpreted to mean that if there is a law that permits the interception of communication then the action is lawful.
Kofi Bentil explained, the phrase in accordance with law means the new law must be compatible with the rule of law. The rule of law protects a citizen from being abused based on the discretion of the government.
But Kofi Bentil believes this abuse is exactly what the Postal Packet and Telecommunications bill is about and exactly what the rule of law is against.
The policy expert who has already signalled he will go to the Supreme Court to strike out the law if it is passed, said every citizens right to liberty stands endangered.
For him critical journalists, opposition politicians will be hunted down through the law and the private life including marital and extra-marital relationships will be laid bare before listening ears and watching eyes of security operatives.
He finds these possibilities revolting.
The Deputy Interior minister James Agalga has however rationalised the law. He explained that the novel aim of the law is to help prevent crime instead of responding to crime already committed. Instead of a reactionary response to crime from security agencies, the law will allow them to be much more proactive.
This could signal a break-through in fighting terrorism, money-laundering, drug, human and arms trafficking, armed robbery, corruption, he highlighted.
Think about the benefits James Agalga dismissed pessimist pour downs on the laws noble objective.
More soon...
Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected]
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Some ex-soldiers who have sued the Ghana Armed Forces over alleged deductions of their gratuity are asking government to set up a committee of inquiry to investigate what they say is recurring fraud in the system.
More than 650 soldiers who retired last year are in court demanding the payment of up to a25,000 each, which they say was fraudulently deducted from their gratuity.
The Accra High Court has however adjourned the case to next two weeks.
Joseph Opoku Gakpo was in court and reported the ex-soldiers believe there is some corrupt activity going on at the military high command.
They want those involved in the misappropriations punished.
They deducted my money and I need the money immediately, my children are crying, one told Joseph.
Another said government should make sure that those who took our money should return it so that we dont cause any mayhem in the country. We need our money. It is a very bitter pill to swallow for someone to work for over 20 years and to be treated this way".
Although the Finance Ministry has released the full amount, it is the Ghana Armed Froces they are blaming for sitting ont he remaining cash.
Chief of Defence Staff, Rear Admiral Mathew Quashie
Lawyer for the aggrieved ex-soldiers John Kwame Quayson said it is incomprehensible that the GAF will refuse to release monies meant for the ex-soldiers.
This matter is straight forward, each WO1 was supposed to receive 85,000 cedis and government released the monies. Now the monies have gotten to the leadership of the GAF and they gave each person 60,000. The question is where id the remaining 25,000 cedis?"
This is not the first time, that has been the culture. The committee should find out where those monies are and if it went into the wrong hands the government should make them pay, he added.
The deductions in his view are unlawful and everything must be done to apprehend the perpetrators.
Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa | [email protected]
Government has lauded Mechanical Lloyd for having the confidence and continually investing in the Ghanaian economy.
Vice President Kwesi Amissah Arthur who was speaking at the commissioning of Mechanical Lloyds Takoradi Branch on Tuesday said such investments prove to rest of the world that investing in the Ghanaian economy is good.
He was confident that the company with its history in the automobile industry will not disappoint the people of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and the Western Region.
The Government of Ghana is very happy that a company like Mechanical Lloyd is voting to support the Ghanaian economy. A company like Mechanical Lloyd is showing to the rest of the country that it is good to invest in our economy which is something we applaud Mechanical Lloyd for. Mr Amissah Arthur noted
He stressed that such a facility should help prolong the lives of vehicles.
When we spend monies on these ford fusions and so on its really a poor country spending money to improve the economy of a rich country so we must use the vehicle to the maximum possible extent so this facility will help us to extend the lives of the vehicles so that we extract as much value as possible from it and I know that Mechanical Lloyd with its history is able to help the consumers to benefit from the technology that is applied.
He also made the call for the company to transfer knowledge and expertise to artisans who operate in the western region
Regional Manager, sales and marketing for Sub Saharan Africa for ford motor company Rob Johnson described Africa is one of the youngest economies in the world.
Its growing and the projections are unbelievable in the next 10 years and we want to be a part of it in Ghana and this facility is just the next step. With this new dealership, ford together with the team at mechanical Lloyd will be able to have some great plans together and grow together.
We aim to improve customer satisfaction, Tailor our global vehicles to the needs of the local market, offer parts and services accessible and available to where the customers are and we will be able to do that through a service that is second to none, he emphasized.
Mechanical Lloyd is a fully owned Ghanaian company with its headquarters in Accra-South Industrial Area. The company also has branches in Adenta, Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and now Takoradi and holds franchises for BMW and Ford vehicles as well as Massey Ferguson agricultural tractors and implements.
Authorities of the E.P Church Mawuko Girls Senior High School in Ho in the Volta region are having tough time in providing quality education to students due to myriad of challenges confronting the school.
The school with students population of about 1,780 is battling with inadequate classrooms and dormitories, among others.
A recent visit by this reporter to the school revealed that some Getfund projects began in the school are at a standstill with classes being conducted in some of the uncompleted structures and part of the dinning hall.
There is congestion in the dormitories as students pack their trunks and chop boxes on the corridors.
Assistant headmistress of the school in charge of welfare, Rose Nyawuto said, the situation has become a headache to management.
She said in anticipation of the completion of some of the projects, first year students that were posted to the school for the 2015/16 academic far exceeded the vacancies declared during the computerized selection process.
We were assured that, the projects especially the dormitory will completed by September/October [2015], that is why we absorb all the girls that were given to us. But as of now the contractor has not come back to site. If these projects were completed, it will alleviate our challenges.
She also lamented about the difficulty in maintaining discipline among students, especially those in the boarding house as only two teachers are staying in the school premises due to lack of staff accommodation.
We need bungalows for our staff, currently the headmistress doesn't stay on campus. Only two female teachers are here taking care of the over 1000 girls. The rest of the teachers have to come from town every evening to supervise preps and ensure discipline on campus, Madam Nyawuto said.
Meanwhile, the school's estate officer has revealed that two of the contractors have return to site after several follow ups and they are due to complete work on some of the stalled projects which consist of a science laboratory, Home economics department.
Mr. Samuel Kwame, however noted that the dormitory project which was abandoned since 2012, will be repackage and re-awarded to a new contractor.
He is therefore optimistic that, two of the projects will be completed by the end of the year.
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Introduction
Under Article 32 of the Schengen Visa Code, the consulate shall refuse your Schengen visa application if any of the following factors are present.
Presentation of a travel document which is false, counterfeit or forged.
The consulate shall refuse your visa application if you present a passport or other travel document which is found to be false, counterfeit or forged. The consulate will verify your travel document to ascertain whether it was properly issued by the competent authority or has been tampered in any way. The verification will also include the verification of visa stickers affixed into your passport or other travel document. If the consulate finds that the stickers in your passport are forged, your visa will be refused.
How does the consulate check your travel document?
There are so many ways the consulate can check whether your travel document is forged. They may compare your travel document with a genuine specimen of the document. They may also examine the travel document by checking the numbering, the printing and stitching of pages, inserted seals and stamps, and use of equipment such as UV lamps, magnifying glasses, retrieval lamps, microscopes and, where necessary, more advanced equipment such as video spectral analysers.
When the consulate detects that your travel document is forged, they will retain it and refer the document to the appropriate issuing authority in your country for onward action. You may end up being prosecuted for possessing a false, forged or counterfeit document should your passport or visa stickers in them be found to be so.
Failure to provide justification and purpose and conditions of your intended stay.
Your application will also be refused if you are unable to justify the purpose and conditions of your intended stay. In fact, a greater number of Schengen visa refusals are based on applicants inability to sufficiently justify the purpose of their visit. Often times, applicants are bewildered by the import of this ground.
The purpose of the intended stay
In determining the purpose of your intended stay, the consulate will verify the purpose and the legality of your intended stay and its justification. In making this determination, the consulate will obtain ample information from you at the time of submitting your application in addition to the supporting documents to verify the purpose of your journey.
If the consulate finds that the person or company inviting you has previously sent a large number of invitations to other persons they may conclude that the purpose of your travel is geared towards illegal immigration and/or employment and will refuse your visa.
If the consulate finds that your travel document contains a stamp indicating that you have made a previous application in another consulate but no visa was issued, it may raise concerns about your intentions, but not an automatic refusal. The consulate may wish to contact the other consulate for them to clarify the reasons for their refusal to issue you a visa.
In further examining the purpose of your stay, the consulate will assess whether your declared purpose is coherent and credible and the supporting documents correspond to the stated purpose: Examples of incoherence between declared purpose of stay and factual information provided include situations where you claim to travel for purposes of tourism but your documents show that you intend to stay in an industrial area or in a cheap hotel.
This may also be the case where you claim to visit a professional event at dates that do not correspond to the actual dates of the event, or where the purpose of your trip is to visit a friend, but it turns out that your friend is absent during that period; or you claim to be a trader in jewellery but have been invited to attend a medical conference.
Other examples include situations where the purpose of your trip is to participate in a congress for which you hold an invitation confirming your participation. However, you fail to provide any documentation showing that you hold a profession or a qualification related to the subject of the congress.
To be continued
Emmanuel Opoku Acheampong
Disclaimer: This article only provides general information and guidance on Schengen immigration law. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. The writer will not accept any liability for any claims or inconvenience as a result of the use of this information. The writer is an immigration law advisor and a practicing law attorney in Ghana. He advises on U.S., UK, and Schengen immigration law. He works part-time for Acheampong & Associates Ltd, an immigration law firm in Accra. He may be contacted on [email protected] .
Head of Research and Deputy Director of the Center for Democratic Development (CDD), Dr. Franklin Oduro, has expressed surprise in the way the government is determined to ensure the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunication Messages Bill is passed by Parliament.
He said a bill that seeks to interfere with the privacy of individuals must be passed in a participatory atmosphere devoid of any hidden agenda.
Dr. Oduro said the executive must not seek to rush the bill through parliament but rather ensure it addresses all other outstanding ambiguities.
Speaking at the Joy FMs Thought Leadership program at the Alisa Hotel on the bill, he said the reference to "national security in the Bill is nebulous and this must be clarified".
What is the nature of the threat that this country seeks to defend against? he questioned.
He advised Parliament to refer the bill back to the executive to address some of the deficiencies identified in the document.
Executive Director of Media Foundation of West Africa (MFWA), Sulley Braimah, said the passage of the bill before Parliament will paint a negative picture of the country.
According to him, if the executive wants to have a good law, it has to ensure the process leading to its passage has to be participatory, and transparent for all.
Mr. Braimah said what the civil societies in the country seek to achieve was to ensure the process is engaging and open for the citizens to contribute.
However, Deputy Minister of Interior, James Agaga, rebutted claims that the bill seeks to encourage arbitrariness saying the law will cure the inherent inefficiencies of all the other laws such as the Anti-terrorism Act.
Anti-terrorism act is specific to act of terrorism and this is very limited in its scope, he said.
Mr. Agaga said the bill seeks to expand the scope of existing laws on terrorism, suppress organized crime and narcotic trafficking in the country.
According to him, for the country to avoid abuse of the law in terms of interpretation, the current bill before the House has detailed the circumstances and conditions for an interception warrant.
He advised Ghanaians to be positive about the bill and support the government to address the issues of terrorism.
Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com|Austin Brako-Powers|[email protected]
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 577thmeeting held on 23 February 2016, received from the Commission a briefing on early warning, including an update on the state of operationalization of the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) and horizon scanning, as a follow-up to its communique PSC/PR/COMM.(CCCLX)on the Full Use of All Available Tools in Preventive Diplomacy, adopted at its 360thmeeting held on 22 March 2013, as well as communique PSC/PR/COMM.(CDLXIII) on structural conflict prevention, adopted by Council at its 463rdmeeting held on 27 October 2014.
Council took noteof the briefing on early warning, including the update on the state of operationalization of the CEWS and horizon scanning provided by the Commission. Council also took note of the statements made by the representatives of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA).
Council recalled theSolemn Declaration on the 50thAnniversary of the Organization of African Unity (OAU)/AU, adopted by the Assembly of the Union, in Addis Ababa, on 25 May 2013, on the occasion of the Union's Golden Jubilee [Assembly/AU/Decl.3(XXI)], in which the Heads of State and Government pledged not to bequeath the burden of conflict to the next generation of Africans, setting as an objective the elimination of all conflicts by 2020; expressed their determination to anchor African societies, Governments and institutions on respect for the rule of law, human rights and dignity, popular participation and the management of diversity, as well as inclusion and democracy and committed themselves to place the African people at the centre of the Union's endeavours and to eradicate poverty.
Council acknowledged that the CEWS is the most important tool to achieve conflict prevention in Africa and reaffirmed its commitment to ensure the effective implementation of its decisions on conflict prevention, including the strengthening of the linkage between early warning and early response.
Stressing that the primary responsibility for ensuring effective conflict prevention lies with the Member States, Council reiterated its appeal to those Member States, that have not yet done so to speedily sign, ratify and domesticate the relevant AU instruments, particularly the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, as well as the African Union Convention on Cross-Border Cooperation (Niamey Convention).
Council stressed the need for effective collaboration with respect to information sharing on early warning between the Commission, the Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) and the CISSA, which should provide to the PSC such information to enable it take the required decisions in a timely manner. In the same vein, Council called for strengthening coordination and synergy between all AU Commission Departments involved in early warning, with a view to providing timeous and comprehensive early warning information to the PSC.
Council encouraged the Commission and the RECs/RMs to accelerate their efforts towards the full operationalization and strengthening of their early warning systems,and urged AU Member States to provide the necessary financial support to enhance the human resource and technical capacity to this effect.
Council reiterated the need for the Panel of the Wise and AU Special Envoys/Representatives to regularly brief the PSC on potential threats and crises to enable Council to take timeously appropriate decisions.
Council agreed that the AU Commission, working with the RECs/RMs and CISSA, should provide to it, briefings on early warning, on a quarterly basis.
Council agreed to remain seized on the matter.
File Photo
01.03.2016 LISTEN
The school feeding programme was never a brainchild of the President kuffour administration. Ghana was part of the 189 countries that adopted the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals ( MDGs ) in 2000 under president Rawlings.
The first two goals are
1. To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. To achieve universal primary education
According to the United Nations World Food Programme, 66 million primary school age children go hungry every day, with 23 million hungry children in Africa alone.
In order to eradicate hunger and increase enrolment, in 2003, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, established the UN Hunger Taskforce (UNHTF) together with AUs NEPAD (New Partnership for Africas Development) designed the Home-grown School Feeding as part of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development.
Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and other African countries were chosen to pilot the programme.
The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) started in earnest in 2005 as a pilot programme in at least one school in every of her ten regions.
Hans Eenhoorn, a former Dutch top executive of the Unilever multinational was a member of the Hunger Taskforce and played a crucial role to convince the Dutch Government to Support Ghana to implement the expanded first phase between 2007 and 2010 with a little over 400,000 school children across the country.
The Netherlands government agreed to give Ghana 40 million that will cover 2007 to 2010.
Government of Ghana under president Mills assumed full responsibility and expanded it to rural areas. The school feeding programme can now boast of over 1.7 million children across the country without any external support.
Looking at the history behind the school feeding I think the first credit should be given to president Rawlings for signing up with the millennium development goals.
Whichever political party was in power between 2001 and 2008 will only implement what the UN was rolling out.
So I find it incongruous that Mr Akufo-Addo who was a cabinet minister then fully acquainted with these facts, will lie through his teeth and tell Ghanaians that the Kuffour administration initiated and introduced school feeding programme.
In fact, they rather denied Ghana the funding for the second phase 2010 and 2016 because of the malfeasance that took place under Dr Amoako Tuffour. It came to light from the audit conducted by Pricewater House Coopers, at the instance of the Royal Dutch Embassy.
The Ndc government believes in continuity that is why we chose to continue with the policy under the same name Ghana school feeding programme even after the donor country withheld the funding in 2010.
We could have changed the name and paint the picture that we have initiated a new policy just like when president kuffuor collapsed Omnibus Service Authority (OSA) and introduced metro mass transit ( I'll tackle this in my next epistle)
The truth must be told.
We are watching
Awal Mohammed
Dep National com. Officer Ndc Zongo Caucus
The Headmistress of the Kperisi Basic School in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region, Rosina Die, says her life has been threatened after she allowed the plight of her school to be publicized.
Earlier, unconfirmed reports said the District Assembly had demanded an apology from her.
Harrowing pictures of children lying on the bare floor but showing determination to learn were awash on social media and some news portals last week, not long after President John Mahama boasted about major achievements in the educational sector at his state of the nation address.
Dr. Bawumia interacts with the pupils before Mondays donation.
The Headmistress was quoted as saying that several efforts to get desks for the children had proven futile.
According to her, some authorities of the Municipal Assembly even asked her to instruct the pupils to carry their own stools to school.
Speaking to the media today [Monday] after the Municipal Assembly led by the Upper West Regional Minister, the MCE and heads of the District Education Directorate presented some desks to the school, Madam Die said although she was happy upon receipt of the furniture, she was concerned for her life.
I am happy and sad at the same time
According to her, some youth of the incumbent National Democratic Congress (NDC) have been assaulting her verbally. She also said she has received threatening phone calls and messages, saying she might be forced to seek transfer from the school if her safety cannot be guaranteed.
I am happy but with challenges; without the furniture the children were suffering but now it will improve a whole lot of things. I have collected the things and I am happy but because of the manner in which the things came, I am feeling sad and happy at the same time because people are talking all over. There is even a youth group here who are threatening my life and saying I should wait and see; so all that cannot make me happy.
The pupils excited about the desks.
Bawumias wakeup call
The Assemblys intervention comes few days after the Vice Presidential Candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamoud Bawumia, ordered 500 desks to be made for them.
Dr. Bawumia, who was on a visit to the region visited the school to interact with the kids where he made the promise.
Watering down Bawumias intervention?
Although the Assembly appears to have hurriedly constructed the desks to save their face, they claim they were being done before Dr. Bawumia gave the pledge.
Citi News Latif Mahama said he counted fifty-two desks in classes one and two, but the Assembly claims about 200 desks are being made.
According to Latif, there were also a few new desks together with some old ones in class three, but could not confirm whether those ones were also provided by the Assembly.
He said the Headmistress of the school, Madam Rosina Die, who was full of praise upon receiving the furniture, said she was unaware about the exact number of desks provided by the Assembly.
She however says what has been provided is enough to solve the problem. Latif says the pupils showed great excitement, as they sat on the desks after learning on the bare floor with waist pains for nearly a year.
Public sector victimization common in Ghana
In Ghana, the practice where public sector workers are victimized for merely doing their work by exposing wrongs is common.
This is because in most cases, the government always feel that only positives must be highlighted since the negatives go against them, particularly in an election year such as this.
By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The African Womens Development Fund in partnership with Alliance Francaise Accra presents International Womens Day 2016 with exciting panel discussions and a film screening on Tuesday 8th and Friday 11th March.
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. For us, its a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to honour acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.
This International Women's Day 2016, the African Womens Development Fund (AWDF) in partnership with Alliance Francaise will host two lively panel discussions to talk about women in the Arts and the state of women-men relationships on campus.
The first event will feature renowned Ghanaian Photographer Nana Kofi Acquah whose exhibition "Dont Call Me Beautiful" celebrating African womens resilience is currently underway at Alliance Francaise.
This panel is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 8th March at the Exhibition hall, Alliance Francaise Accra at 6pm.
This informal and interactive discussion will look at Nana Acquahs exhibit and other pertinent topics such as the stereotypical depiction of women in current social media trends, womens rights, gender, arts and culture and feminism.
On the panel would be Nana Acquah himself, Nigerian/South African writer Yewande Omotoso and representation from AWDF. The moderator would be Kinna Likimani. There will also be readings by participants of the 2016 Writivism workshop which is to be held in Accra.
For the second event, AWDF in partnership with the Center for Gender Studies and Advocacy (CEGENSA) and the African Studies Department of the University Of Ghana Legon, will host another interactive panel discussion on Campus Relationships on Friday, 11th March at the Institute Of African Studies Auditorium, University of Ghana, Legon.
Dont miss the opportunity to be a part of the discussion dubbed About Last Night which will have a mixed gender panel to get "real" and "deep" about issues like date rape, sexuality and violence against women. The event will be preceded by the screening of a film: The Hunting Ground, which is a ground-breaking documentary on rape on campuses in the US. The film will show at 4.00pm- 5.30 pm, followed by the Panel Discussion at 6.00pm.
The predominantly female panel would include student representation, writer and activist Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Creative Storm CEO, Kofi Owusu, journalist Akua Blakofe, Nana Hanson, AWDF representation and will have Professor Audrey Gadzekpo as moderator. Students and the general public are warmly invited to attend and participate in both events.
Join us to celebrate women in Africa and help build support for womens rights and participation in the political and economic arenas. Step It Up for Gender Equality!
The African Womens Development Fund (AWDF) is a grant-making foundation that supports local, national and regional womens organizations working towards the empowerment of African women and the promotion and realization of their rights.
Its mission is to mobilise financial, human and material resources to support African women and the work of the African womens movement to advance womens rights and gender equality in Africa.
The Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) has called on journalists to avoid the usage of words that have the potential of setting the country on the path of conflict during this electoral period.
Ghana is at an electoral cross road as scores of the public claiming to be overnight electoral experts are propounding several mandatory electoral reforms to the Electoral Commission (EC), the stage is therefore ripe for aggressive antagonistic campaign.
The media as constitutionally mandated watchdogs must protect the national communication gate to ensure that information disseminated to the public are pure, devoid of hate speech with insightful words, Mr Francis Ameyibor, General Coordinator of CDA Consult stated at Ho.
Mr Ameyibor who was speaking at a workshop organised by the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) and sponsored by the British High Commission for Journalists from Western, Central, Eastern, Volta, and Greater Accra Regions at Ho, noted that the basis of either conflict or peace emanated from the usage of One word.
The capacity training sought to provide guidance and practical knowledge for effective, non-violent, positive citizen participation in election.
It was also aimed at equipping journalists with the requisite skills in election reportage to ensure violent free, transparent and credible general elections.
The media as traditional gatekeepers must desist from using or offering a platform for politicians to use that one word which could create confusion, setting the stage for conflict.
Journalists and politicians must use that one word which will lead to building national cohesion and holding us all together as one people with a common destiny, Mr Ameyibor noted.
The CDA Consult General Coordinator appealed to journalists, politicians, and the general public to resist the temptation of using that one word to ignite conflict; think about the impact on your family, the image of this country among the community of nations.
Speaking on General guidelines for coverage of elections, Mr Ameyibor urged media practitioners to be fair to all political parties and independent candidates so as to enhance free and peaceful 2016 elections.
He told Journalists to promote and disseminate truthful unbiased political and electoral news to feed the general public You must reduce conflict and contribute to peace-building efforts through the application of ethical and professional standards.
Journalists should be guided by the medias role in conflict prevention, peace-building and reconciliation instead of fanning political violence; foster responsible and accurate reporting in conflict situations, based on facts and fair treatment of all parties involved, giving as many view points as necessary in their proper content, context and unbiased way, avoiding inflammatory language, taking sides and giving opinions.
Mr Ameyibor also urged journalists to avoid writing one-sided stories and allegationsCheck and crosscheck information and figures and treat statements on opinion polls with great circumspection.
He reminded media practitioners that the duty of every journalist is to write and report the truth, bearing in mind his/her duty to serve the public as the public have the right to unbiased, accurate, balanced and comprehensive information as well as the opportunity to express themselves freely through the media.
Ms Daphne Lariba Nabila, LRC Executive Director, underscored the need for journalists to protect the rights of electorates and be mindful of legal principles bordering on elections.
She stressed on the need for journalists to play their watchdog role in exposing rots and human right violations during elections.
Ms. Nabila who is a legal practitioner charged the media to highlight and address such activities to the appropriate quarters for redress.
She said the laws of the country places high premium on issues of human right violation and also laws relating to elections, and that the media as key stakeholder, has a major role to play in protecting the rights of persons, hence the need for the training workshop.
Participants were taken through various topics such as basic media ethics, role of the media in conflict management and peace building, ethical guidelines in elections reportage as well as general guidelines for credible election coverage.
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Thousands of Pakistanis have turned out for the funeral of a former bodyguard executed for killing Punjabs governor over his opposition to blasphemy laws.
Security was tight as a crowd of about 30,000 gathered to pay their last respects to Mumtaz Qadri in Rawalpindi.
Qadri was hailed as a hero by Islamists for the 2011 killing of Salman Taseer, who wanted to reform the strict laws.
Thousands of police were deployed along the route of the funeral procession and in the nearby capital, Islamabad.
Qadri supporters threw rose petals on his coffin, Reuters reports from Liaquat Bagh park where the funeral was held.
He lives! Qadri lives! mourners chanted, the news agency reported. From your blood, the revolution will come!
Security forces kept their distance and stick-wielding activists of the hardline Sunni Tehreek movement, which organised the funeral prayers, controlled the crowd.
The coffin was then taken in its flower-strewn ambulance some 20km (12.5 miles) north to Qadris ancestral village on the eastern outskirts of Islamabad.
.
His execution on Monday prompted protesters to take to the streets in cities in Pakistan.
But the rallies in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad were mostly peaceful. Demonstrators burned tyres and chanted slogans, as well as blocking some roads into Islamabad.
Qadri was executed at 04:30 local time (23:30 GMT) at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi on Monday.
He had trained as an elite police commando and was assigned to Salman Taseer as his bodyguard. Qadri shot the politician 28 times at an Islamabad market in January 2011 and was sentenced to death later that year.
He claimed it was his religious duty to kill the minister, who was an outspoken critic of Pakistans harsh blasphemy laws and supported liberal reforms.
Pakistan has seen Islamist groups grow in influence in recent years and several high-profile blasphemy cases.
Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan and critics argue that blasphemy laws are often misused to settle personal scores and unfairly target minorities.
-bbc
01.03.2016 LISTEN
A man who snatched a Honda CRV saloon car from a woman and her son at gunpoint has been given 32 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.
The convict, Godson Martey, who after robbing the woman with his other accomplices currently at large, later dumped her in a bush near Mitchell Camp, is expected to serve his 32-year jail term in hard labour. He has already spent close to four years behind bars on remand since 2012 when he was arrested.
Martey was charged with conspiracy to commit crime, to wit robbery and robbery. He was, however, discharged of the conspiracy and convicted for the robbery, after the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that he committed the crime. The Presiding Judge, Aboagye Tandoh, when reading the verdict said, he took into consideration the three years and 10 months the convict had spent in custody.
Nonetheless, the convict found himself in very dangerous company and was daring as much as his desire to make money was concerned. Something he described as an attitude which should not be tolerated in society. He added that his 32 years in prison would be a deterrent to others who are of the same intentions.
Meanwhile, his other accomplice, Daniel Fiator, who was charged with dishonestly receiving property, contrary to sections 146 of the Criminal Offences of Act 1960 Act 29, was convicted to a fine of 600 (Six Hundred) penalty units, which is equivalent to GH7,200. In default, Fiator would face two years imprisonment.
Facts
The complainant lives at Community 22, Tema. On March 29, 2012, at about 10:45p.m., the complainant, Regina Adjoa Osei, and her son were driving in her Honda CRV vehicle with registration No GT 2822-12. They got to her front gate, and the son, who was driving the vehicle, got down to open the gate.
When he entered the vehicle to drive into the house, four men came from behind a shop in front of the house, pulled out guns, and pointed at them. The son was pulled out of the vehicle and ordered to lie down on the floor with a gun pointed at him, while another ordered the complainant, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, to remain seated.
All four men got on board the vehicle and drove off with the complainant towards the Community 22, Mitchell Camp road, where the complainant was thrown out of the vehicle into the bush. They also took away the complainant's handbag, one Samsung mobile phone, and cash in the sum of GH180. The complainant was able to identify the first accused when he was arrested in connection with another robbery, in which a police officer was killed.
The first accused person (A1) denied the robbery, but investigations led to the arrest of the second accused, who told the police that it was A1 and some other people who sold the said vehicle to him in Togo for GH7,000, and when he bought the vehicle he changed the colour from ash to black, and gave it to the third accused person to offset a debt of GH12,800 he owed him.
A3 then changed the chassis number, forged the papers of the vehicle, and also sold it to someone for GH37,000, after telling the buyer that he was a military officer. A3 also registered the vehicle for the new buyer, after claiming that he had sources at the Licensing Office who will expedite the registration.
By Maame Agyeiwaa Agyei
([email protected])
Turkey President, Erdogan
01.03.2016 LISTEN
In view of President Erdogans visit to Ghana this week, this paper seeks to highlight five reasons why Turkey could well be one of the best partners Africa could count on to support the continent in its efforts to provide sustainable peace to its populace.
The world is currently reeling from the wake of global terrorist attacks and regional conflicts. From Asia to Europe, the Middle East to the Americas, countries and regional blocs are under enormous pressure to find sustainable ways to deal with the menace of terrorism and regional conflicts which have left citizens all over the world in a state of agitation as their security and by extension economic conditions continue to worsen.
The result of such security fears has had massive impact on the political thinking and choices of people the world over. The 2015 Nigerian presidential election for instance, found many Nigerians who once backed former President Goodluck Jonathan, widely reject him as a result of what was considered a weak approach to dealing with the Boko Haram threat, among other things. The current President, Mr. Muhammadu Buhari was largely favoured to deal with the threat more decisively as a result of his military background and no-nonsense approach. Only time will tell how well he lives up to this billing.
Even in the USA, GOP Presidential frontrunner Donald Trumps very radical approach to tackling the threat of terrorism from ISIS is gaining widespread support from the rank and file of the American society.
To deal with this threat of terrorism and resolve conflicts, African countries have historically relied on old colonial powers and other imperial powers for support. However, changing global dynamics and the perennial failure to find lasting solutions has necessitated a rethink of our entire peace-building approach. In doing so it is also important to reconsider the possibility of engaging new partners with demonstrated interest, ability and influence to support Africas quest in finding lasting solutions to its security and conflict challenges. Here are five reasons why an African-Turkish alliance should be considered.
1. Turkeys neutral political interest on the African continent
Neutrality in a mediators role is pivotal because it pre-empts a guarantee of fairness. In conflict resolution, concessions, sometimes very difficult ones, need to be made to achieve the required peace. For the parties to wholeheartedly agree to such concessions, they have to be convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the key parties involved in brokering the peace have no other ulterior motives as this will undermine the process ab initio.
Unfortunately, this challenge has often plagued our peace-building efforts on the continent. As earlier indicated the key peace brokers have usually been former colonial powers and other imperial powers, many of whom have shown or at least are perceived to have vested interest, beyond the peace they seek to broker. A classic example is the peace-building efforts in Francophone African countries, where France, often perceived as the instigator-in-chief of conflicts as a result of its continuous political meddling, also doubles as the primary peacemaker. It is little wonder then that such peace-building activities are usually fleeting at best.
Turkeys neutral political interest on the continent, built on a culture of moral diplomacy coupled with the countrys locational proximity to continental Africa places it in a very good position to host peace talks between feuding parties as well as offer crucial diplomatic support to conflict-ridden countries across the continent.
2. Turkeys historical and cultural connections to the African continent
Many people particularly on the African continent are oblivious to the strong historical ties that existed between several African countries and the once powerful Ottoman Empire (now Turkey). In fact, the Ottoman Empire is credited by some historians to have provided military support to a number of African countries thereby delaying colonization for significant periods as imperial powers shied away from countries with such arrangements. Turkeys more recent political and economic struggles which include military coups and stints with the IMF is very akin to what still prevails in many African countries today..
Furthermore, Turkeys strong Islamic roots and culture resonates with more African countries than many other western powers. This strong historical and cultural connection puts Turkey in good stead to act as a crucial ally in Africas search for regional peace and security. Clearly, the Turks are in a superior position to deeply appreciate the political and socio-cultural nuances that usually fuels these conflicts in the first place.
3. Turkeys growing geo-political influence in world affairs
Neutrality and historical/cultural ties notwithstanding, a mediator in any conflict requires a certain level of gravitas or influence to gain the attention and cooperation of the feuding parties. This is fundamental to any peace-building effort. Over the past decade or so Turkey has leveraged its strategic location in the Eurasia region, its massive tourism appeal, its incredibly entrepreneurial and educated human resources backed by strong and able leadership to the extent that the country is now Europes 6thlargest economy and the fastest growing one at that. Still only a developing economy, with a population close to 80 million, Turkey clearly has the potential to surpass the major economic powers in Europe in the not-too-distant future if it continues on its current trajectory.
The massive economic growth has brought the country widespread political influence as well. Currently a member of NATO and the G20 as well as a crucial ally to the United States in its war against the Deash(ISIS) and the Assad regime in Syria, Turkeys geopolitical influence continues to soar. Such influence makes Turkey a very credible partner in supporting the efforts of African governments in their quest for lasting peace and security on the continent.
4. Turkeys history of dealing with internal terrorist activities
Many may be tempted to point to Turkeys own internal struggles to deal with terrorists and insurgent activities as a major flaw in the argument that Turkey is a credible peace-building partner to the African continent. Indeed, Turkey is no stranger to political fanaticism and insurgency.
In fact, as I write, the country is battling on three fronts, first the local terrorist group PKK, ISIS and the Assad regime in Syria. This notwithstanding, the Turkish government has displayed remarkable resolve and military savviness in dealing with these challenges to the extent that despite isolated cases of terrorist acts, the general populace are largely secure.
Recent developments in Europe, Asia and even the USA has brought the world to the realization that no country is completely immune to the global wave of terror. The real challenge is when the terror syndicate is local and seek to wave a long term battle as we have seen with Boko Haram and Al Shabab in West and East Africa respectively and of course the PKK in Turkey. Turkey has so far proved to the world that a combination of strong, decisive military activity backed by a strategic plan can be very effective in significantly curtailing the disastrous effects of terrorists.
The Turkish Prime Minister, Professor Ahmet Davutoglu, recently launched a master plan which details how the Government plans to combat the terror activities in the areas affected as well as develop these regions. Such a combination of tough yet strategic actions doesnt only help to combat the actions of insurgents but also builds the confidence of the citizenry who then support the Governments efforts.
What the Turkish government has been able to achieve in the face of arguably its biggest challenge is clearly an example to African governments facing similar challenges. Better still, close collaboration with Turkey could prove useful in helping governments facing similar perils to learn from Turkeys example.
5. The Turkish Governments interest in Africa as an partner
All the above points will count for nothing if the Turkish leadership has no interest in partnering the continent in this important venture. Gladly this is far from the case. The Turkish government has over the years displayed remarkable interest in the affairs of the continent and invested heavily in building diplomatic and economic ties to the continent, particular since 2005, a year the Turkish leadership christened the year of Africa.
Currently, Turkey has diplomatic missions spread all over the continent. Turkish businesses are investing heavily in key areas like energy and infrastructure in Africa. Turkish Airlines plies more routes in Africa than any other carrier.. TIKA, Turkeys official aid agency already works in about 15 countries in Africa whiles Turkey is at the moment the 4th largest provider of official development assistance to the continent. Furthermore, there are over 6000 African students and academics on various scholarships in Turkey sponsored by the Turkish government.
Turkeys remarkable interest in the continent was perhaps most evident in its support of Somalia. After years of civil unrest, the country was neglected by the world. Its Airports had not seen a plane in about two decades as it was deemed a no-go zone. And yet, at the height of such hopeless isolation, the Turkish President (then Prime Minister) Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family, senior members of his government, businessmen etc flew in to offer a helping hand. For many young kids who were born in wartime, this was their first opportunity to see an aircraft. What followed was a huge bilateral nation-building effort. Indeed, President Erdogan in a few years is credited to have resuscitated Somalia from near death. These actions earned the President the nickname the hero of Somalia.
In the just ended High Level Partnership meeting held on the 23rd of February, 2016 to discuss Somalias security and political future ahead of the countrys 2016 elections, President Erdogan, was adamant that Turkey will not leave Somalia and Africa alone. He cited the fact that Turkey is currently building its largest ever embassy in Somalia as evidence of Turkeys commitment to Somalia and Africa as a whole.
Thus the framework for strong collaboration between Turkey and Africa has already been laid. Indeed, Turkey is playing a mediating role in the conflicts in Chad and Mali, while the negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan were hosted by Turkey. All thats required is for such collaborations to be scaled up through broad collaborations and partnerships.
In conclusion, it is important to point out that Africa needs all the help it can get in order to overcome its security challenges. As the geopolitical scene of the world changes its imperative that we change too. Crucially, Africa requires new partners who will not merely seek to milk the continent of its raw materials or to keep it subdued. What we need is to seek partners, emerging powers whose own interest align with ours, and who will seek to work with us on the basis of friendship and mutual interest. I am convinced that Turkey is precisely that type of partner.
Aboagye Mintah is Head of Business and Associate Director of International Affairs at IMANI Center for Policy and Education, Africas second most influential think tank.
Washington, DC, Feb, 28, GNA - The White House has shelved the petition on its website calling for the US government to end its sanctions against Sudan, which petitioners had said were 'oppressing the poor and innocent'.
When the deadline of February 15 ended, the petition had recorded 117,150 signatures - thus meeting the threshold of 100,000.
But a statement on the White House website said: 'This petition has been archived because it did not meet the signature requirements.'
Nothing more was said, but there had been earlier discrepancies regarding the signatures.
By February 10 the site recorded 93,752, only to come up with a figure of just over 75,000 signatures three days before the February 15 deadline.
The petition, which was first posted on January 16, read: 'The poor and helpless in Sudan are bearing the brunt of the economic sanctions imposed on the country by the United States 23 years ago.
'The intended goal of the sanctions might have been to weaken the oppressive government of Sudan, but they are producing exactly the opposite result.
'They are weakening and impoverishing the people of Sudan and strengthening the grip of the regime on the country.
'We plead with president Obama to do the right and humane thing by ordering an immediate end to the Sudan sanctions.'
The petitioners were emboldened by an opinion piece published on January 14 on the website of the US magazine, Foreign Policy, which highlighted the dire plight of ordinary Sudanese people in the face of crippling US sanctions against their country.
The petitioners' argument is that the unintended consequence of US sanctions on the living standards of ordinary Sudanese has been exceptionally severe.
They note that in key sectors such as finance, transportation, agriculture, health, and information technology there has been serious 'damage to the lives and opportunities of ordinary people in Sudan to free themselves from poverty, wreaked by the US sanctions regime - including the State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) listing'.
Their argument goes: 'Even though it sees them as unjustified, arbitrary, and unfair, the government of Sudan has a moral obligation to never give up actively trying to get US economic sanctions removed.
'Sanctions invariably tend to have a direct proportional relationship with the bottom of the pyramid.
'They hurt the poor hardest. Sudan has been no exception to this rule.'
We the People on the White House website is an initiative to give greater access to citizens to petition the US president to take action on issues close to their hearts.
When it was launched in September 2011, the threshold for signatures that would warrant a response from the administration was just 5,000.
But as the website began receiving strange requests, such as secession by some states from the Union, the signature threshold was gradually ramped up until it reached the current 100,000.
The Atlantic Monthly, in an article on its website reported that the administration of President Barack Obama had come in for criticism 'for selective answering and long response times'. The publication quoted a 2011 argument by J.H. Snider, a former fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Centre for Ethics at Harvard University: "We the People will likely have a short shelf life for the same reason so many political initiatives have short shelf lives: because the interests of the public and elected officials are misaligned.
"The public is inclined to ask politicians to take controversial stands that politicians have no rational self-interest in taking."
GNA
01.03.2016 LISTEN
By Maureen Chigbo *
Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria and Chairperson of the Tana Forum Board, scored a crucial point when he said that 'Africa has become too important to be discarded from the global security agenda and debate'.
Africa is the second largest and second most populous continent on earth with an estimated population of 1.166 billion people in 2015, with 54 sovereign countries. The figures also show the continent has a major role to play in bringing about a peaceful and secure world. It has enormous human and natural resources which could be tapped to ensure the economic security of its people and the world at large. This means that if the region is destabilised by either externally or internally induced conflict, the humanitarian crisis that would erupt would have huge implications for the world as a whole. With the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and the current refugee crisis reverberating in Europe, Africa must be saved from such occurrences and its forces positively harnessed to ensure a peaceful world order.
Despite the potentials of Africa with its robust youthful population to contribute to a peaceful and secure world, the continent's ability to play a forceful role in determining the course of global security is weak. This is because the continent is afflicted with weak institutions, corruption and lacks capacity and the technological knowhow to effectively tackle its internal security crises without reaching out for help from the global community. Across Africa, there are growing cases of internal discontent and pockets of ethnic militias which threaten the main fabric of society. Governments have been unable to nip such cases in the bud, thereby allowing them to fester and materialise into cankerworms.
For instance, the containment of the Boko Haram insurgency, which started in Nigeria in 2009, has been a herculean task for the country to tackle alone. Hence, the Nigerian government has been reaching out to both neighbouring countries and Western powers to help contain the scourge of Boko Haram that has greatly wrecked north eastern Nigeria. Suffice it to state that Nigeria's inability to sort out the insurgency within its domain has also limited the most populous nation in sub Saharan Africa from forcefully pushing for an African perspective in setting the global security agenda. This is because of its reliance on external help from United States and from European nations in solving its security problems. This reliance ranges from seeking arms and technology to gathering intelligence and deploying combat missions to help the country address the threat posed by Boko Haram. Because of Nigeria's inability to manufacture its own arms to wage this battle, the country is reduced to taking crumbs from the master's table to engage the insurgents. And if the country fails to do the master's bidding even the crumbs thrown its way in terms of rickety ammunition will be denied it and such governments could be forced out by a regime change by Western Powers.
Seeking foreign help to tackle internal security crises in some African countries like Nigeria was extensively chronicled in a recent report prepared for the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), which is responsible for advancing U.S. national interests and promoting regional security and stability in Africa. According to the report, as of today, violent extremist organisations (VEOs) are among the greatest threats to the future of Africa and to U.S. interests on the continent. In the past six years, Boko Haram has emerged as the most aggressive and virulent of all the African VEOs. In April 2014, Boko Haram became a global household name after it kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls from the northern town of Chibok, Nigeria. To date, the girls have not been found. Since the insurgency started, about 20,000 people have been killed with 2.3 million persons displaced from their homes. The cries of infants still rend the air on a weekly basis as child suicide bombers who have been indoctrinated and brainwashed by the insurgents have a field's day bombing hapless displaced persons in camps.
According to the report, Nigeria is among the United States' top partners in Africa, and its continuing stability is critical to the future of U.S. interests on the continent and other countries in Europe. In recent years, through a variety of diplomatic, development, and security assistance efforts, the U.S. government has worked with the government of Nigeria in a supporting role to dismantle the insurgents. Recently, the US donated 25 faulty armoured vehicles to support the fight in north eastern Nigeria. It is not only the United States that has supported Nigeria. Countries such as Britain, France and Germany among others have also given their support, which have so far not doused the threat posed by Boko Haram.
The threat of Boko Haram incursions across Nigerian borders into Cameroon, Chad and Niger is increasingly affected by the mounting humanitarian crisis caused by the violence in northern Nigeria. This is why President Muhammadu Buhari, upon assuming office, immediately reached out to these countries to streamline a coordinated response against Boko Haram. The precise effect of this regional attempt in tackling the insurgency will become more obvious in the future.
Suffice it to state that containing the spread of Boko Haram in the region is important given the report that Islamic State (ISIS) militants are teaming up with Boko Haram to spread their tentacles in the region. There have been reports of ISIS representatives coming to recruit fighters from universities in Nigeria.
On the contrary, the AFRICOM report invalidated the notion that Boko Haram is a Nigerian branch of another international terrorist organisation, such as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and argued that Boko Haram is an insurgent group sustained by localised grievances and conflict dynamics.
The AFRICOM report recommended that the starting point for devising an effective response should follow the tenets of a counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy. 'To determine whether the government of Nigeria and the United States government have been following such an approach, we identified eight 'best COIN practices' and compared all their efforts to those best practices. The results of our analysis revealed that the Nigerian and the United States have been taking divergent approaches to the conflict: The GoN (Government of Nigeria) has followed a narrow counterterrorism approach that relies heavily on the military to crush the group with intermittent attempts to negotiate an end to the conflict. The USG (United States Government), in contrast, has pursued a whole-of-government approach that overlaps with many of the best practices for COIN. To implement a comprehensive COIN strategy, the GoN would need to significantly alter its current approach. But, given current political, social, and economic conditions in Nigeria, to include endemic corruption, the GoN is unlikely to shift its approach. In an effort to convince Abuja to undertake a whole-of-government (or COIN) approach to the conflict in northeast Nigeria, the USG has used various levers to apply pressure on Abuja. This has not yielded significant results.''.
Judging from above, it is obvious that African governments and the global community need to be on the same page in tackling internal security crisis in the interest of all concerned. This should among the main topics to be discussed at the Tana Forum on peace and security whose main focus would be this year about Africa's role in the global security agenda. The Forum will be held on April 16 and 17 in Ethiopia with Kofi Anan, former United Nations Secretary-General as keynote speaker...
* A Nigerian Journalist and Publisher Realnews Online Magazine, Maureen Chigbo is a Regional Fellow of the Tana Forum
GNA
Accra, March 1, GNA - Mr Mark Woyongo, the Outgone Minister of the Interior on Monday handed over his ministerial responsibilities to Mr Prosper Bani, who replaced him in a recent ministerial reshuffle by President Mahama in Accra.
He commended all the Agencies under the Ministry for their collaboration which resulted in the Ministry achieving so much despite the financial challenges.
Mr Woyongo noted that under his authority 11 bills had been sent to Parliament, one of which is the Immigration Service Bill that was passed by Parliament.
He said the Immigration Service Bill would enhance security operations of immigration officials especially at the country's borders.
He said the passage of the bill has empowered Immigration officers to carry arms and ammunitions in the discharge of their duties. He therefore appealed to the Immigration Service to make maximum use of the weapons.
Mr Woyongo said a draft Bill on Non-Custodial Law has been sent to the Attorney General's Department to be fined tuned and submitted to cabinet.
He said that Bill would help decongest the country's prisons so that people who committed minor offences and have found themselves in the prisons would be released and made to do community work.
He also praised the coming into force of the Justice for All programme, noting that through it, a High Court has now been established in Nsawam which looks into remand cases.
The former Minister said the Efiase project has yielded encouraging results and appealed to Ghanaians to assist to contribute to it.
He said President Mahama also promised 50 million Ghana cedis for infrastructural development for remand prisoners, adding that 'we want to separate remand from convicts.
He also called on the security agencies to ensure free, fair and transparent elections to proof to the world that Ghana was still a beacon of hope and a peaceful country as far as democracy was concerned.
He said logistics would be provided to the security agencies to ensure peaceful elections.
Mr Prosper Bani on his part said his responsibility was to build on what Mr Woyongo has left off, because his predecessor has achieved a lot.
He said there were challenges on conflict, over-crowding, logistics for the Police, and capacity building on issues bordering the Agencies.
The New Minister tasked the Agencies to have a preventive orientation on issues, especially the way the rains cause a lot of havoc to lives and property, so that such disasters would be curbed.
GNA
Istanbul, ACCRA, MARCH 1 - (dpa/GNA) - Turkey has partially lifted a curfew on Cizre, in the mostly Kurdish south-east of the country, after 79 days of strict, round-the-clock restrictions, the governor's office said Tuesday.
A nighttime curfew will still be in effect from 7:30 pm until 5 am in Cizre, a district in Sirnak province, near the borders with Syria and Iraq.
Tens of thousands of people have fled intense battles in the district, which intensified when the military launched a major operation in December.
At least 152 people have been confirmed killed in Cizre, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said, noting that these are people who were not identified as fighters.
The military says 666 fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed, though this number cannot be verified and the armed group has only admitted to losing a smaller number of militants.
There is still a strict, round-the-clock curfew in Sur, in the Diyarbakir province, where clashes are ongoing. Other districts, including in Sirnak, are facing partial curfews.
Violence between the state and the PKK, which the government deems a terrorist group, erupted last year, after a two-year ceasefire collapsed as peace talks stalled.
The civil war in Turkey has been ongoing for more than 30 years, with many Kurds complaining of systemic discrimination.
The PKK has modified its original quest for independence and is now demanding greater autonomy and rights for the minority group, which makes up at least 15 per cent of the population. GNA
Washington, ACCRA, MARCH 1 - (dpa/GNA) - Voters are heading to the polls in a dozen US states on so-called Super Tuesday, the biggest prize yet of the US primary election season to determine the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates.
The stakes were high for Republicans as Donald Trump hopes to gather the necessary momentum to become the party's candidate in November elections and his four challengers led by Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz hoping to stop the political outsider they say would tear apart the party.
Trump leads in all opinion polls except in Cruz's home state of Texas.
Among Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton hopes to take firm control of a race that was once considered smooth sailing for her before Bernie Sanders nearly tied with her in Iowa and then defeated her by a large margin in New Hampshire before she steamrolled him in Saturday's South Carolina primary.
Clinton is favoured over Sanders in most of the 11 states holding votes for the centre-left party. Opinion surveys showed Sanders leading in his home state of Vermont and narrowly behind Clinton in neighbouring Massachusetts.
Some 600 delegates, or about a quarter of those needed to secure the Republican nomination, are at stake, while about 1,000 are up for grabs among Democrats, some 20 per cent of the total.
Among Republicans, Texas is the biggest prize with some 155 delegates, followed by southern states Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. On the Democratic side, the largest state is also Texas with 252 delegates, followed by Georgia and Massachusetts, with 116 each and Virginia with 110.
The first polls opened in the north-eastern state of Vermont at 5 am (1000 GMT) and the final polls were not due to close until 0500 GMT Wednesday in Alaska.
Voting will take place for both parties in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. Republicans also vote in Alaska. GNA
Accra, March 1, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced Ameyonye Tsoeke Selah, an unemployed man to 90 days imprisonment for the use of narcotic drug (marijuana) without lawful authority.
Selah is to pay 500 penalty units and in default serve three years imprisonment in hard labour.
The Court, presided over by Mr Agboagye Tandoh, sentenced the convict on his own plea of guilt.
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector K. Adu, told the Court that the complainants in the case were Police Officers stationed at the Achimota Mile 7 Police Station.
He said on January 29, the Police had a tip-off that, the convict was peddling dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
The Police, therefore, proceeded to the accused person's house and arrested him, as a search conducted in his presence revealed compressed dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
'The convict claimed ownership of the exhibits and stated that he sold some of the stuff and kept some for personal use,' the prosecution said. GNA
Sydney, ACCRA, MARCH 1 - (dpa/GNA) - Allegations of sexual abuse against a Melbourne priest were not a top priority when they surfaced in the 1980s, Australian cardinal and senior Vatican official George Pell told an inquiry on Tuesday.
Pell, who was working as a church official in the area at the time, was appearing by video link for the second day before the Royal Commission investigating widespread abuse in Australia's institutions over past decades.
"It's a sad story and it wasn't of much interest to me," Pell said regarding the paedophile crimes of former priest Gerald Ridsdale, jailed since 1993 on more than 100 counts of assault and abuse of children.
"The suffering, of course, was real and I very much regret that, but I had no reason to turn my mind to the extent of the evil that Ridsdale had perpetrated."
"I knew nothing about his paedophilia, I knew he was a somewhat difficult person and I knew, obviously, that he had been shifted around quite a bit," Pell said.
He blamed his senior bishop at the time, Ronald Mulkearns, who knew about Ridsdale's crimes but moved him from one parish to another for more than a decade.
Pell said Mulkearns' silence was "a gross deception," and his actions "reprehensible" and "inexplicable."
Mulkearns, 85, is now in a nursing home with terminal cancer. In February, he told the same commission of his "profound sorrow" at his mishandling of Ridsdale's case.
Ridsdale's nephew and one of his victims, David Ridsdale, said Pell had thrown "a whole bunch of people under a bus" by shifting the blame to Mulkearns, local media reported.
"It beggars belief," he was quoted as saying by broadcaster ABC. "We are speaking of moral leaders ... and for them to have no interest in such behaviour seems remarkable."
David and other survivors from the Ballarat diocese in Melbourne, where the majority of the abuse took place, travelled to attend the testimony in Rome.
Pell, 74, is the pope's troubleshooter for financial matters.
His questioning is set to continue for two more days. His doctors have said he is too unwell to travel. GNA
Accra, March 1, GNA - Jonas Quaye, a building Contractor, has been put before an Accra Circuit Court over the double sale of a piece of land at Aplaku, in the Greater Accra Region.
Quaye, who originally owned the land, allegedly sold it to one Hajia Mamuna, 15 years ago, and later resold it to one Amegashie Kafui Emmanuel Yao.
Charged with defrauding by false pretences, Quaye has pleaded not guilty.
The Court, presided over by Ms Patricia Quansah, has admitted Quaye to bail in the sum of GHa50,000.00 with two sureties, one to be a public servant.
Quaye is expected to reappear on April 4.
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Francis Tarsan said on October 7, 2014, Mr Yao, the complainant needed a plot of land to buy, so he met Quaye, who offered to sell to him his parcel of land at Aplaku, near Accra.
Chief Inspector Tarsan said Mr Yao, after inspecting the land, expressed interest in buying it, and, therefore, paid GHa24,000.00 to Quaye.
The Prosecution said when Mr Yao went to develop the land, Hajia Mamuna went to the site and told Mr Yao that she was the owner of the said land.
According to Hajia Mamuna she bought the same land from Quaye 15 years ago.
Based on that, the prosecution said, Mr Yao asked Quaye to refund the money to him, but he failed and went into hiding.
Luck, however eluded Quaye, when he met Mr Yao at a restaurant on February 19, this year and he caused his arrest, the prosecutor said. GNA
New Delhi, ACCRA, MARCH 1 - (dpa/GNA) - At least eight Maoist rebels including five women were killed in a gunbattle with police in southern India Tuesday, police said.
Acting on intelligence information, police attacked the group of militants who had gathered for a meeting in a forested area on the borders of Chhattisgarh and Telangana states.
"Bodies of the insurgents were recovered following the gunbattle," Shrawan Davuluri, police chief of Chhattisgarh's Sukma district where the clash took place, said over the phone.
The police reported no casualties. Local news reports said a Maoist commander was among those killed.
Sukma is located in the Bastar region, a known Maoist stronghold. The left-wing militants, who reject parliamentary democracy, say their rebellion is to secure rights for the poor and marginalized.
According to the South Asian Terrorism Portal, nearly 7,000 people including civilians, militants and security personnel have been killed in Maoist-related violence in India since 2005. GNA
H.E Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) led the commission in celebrating the Black History Month. In commemorating the annual event, H.E Mr. Mwencha called on Africans and the Africans- Americans to reflect and recognize their common heritage, shared values and philosophies that have served them well in addressing challenges such as colonialism, instability and other realities.
The Deputy Chairperson also called on Africans to define themselves and to have the courage to identify progressive authentic principles and norms that forms the foundation of the Black race.
While appreciating the struggle for equality, democracy, justice, and human rights, H.E Mr. Mwencha called on the Africans and the Africans- Americans to emulate the non-violence nature demonstrated by icons such as Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement in America in the mid-1950s. He challenged victims of injustice to seek recourse through peaceful protests and non-violent or extremist means.
H.E Mr. Mwencha joined in watching a movie organized by the Embassy of Democratic Republic of Congo in collaboration with US Mission to African Union to mark the Black History Month, at the Nelson Mandela Plenary Hall, African Union Commission Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Women and Environment Forum opened today with a strong call for improvement of women's economic and social rights to enable them attain their full potential. `
The forum which is a prelude to the commemoration of the Africa Environment and Wangari Maathai Day which will take place on March 3, with the theme, 'Strengthening Women's Right over Natural Resources.'
The forum, organized by the African Union, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), will; raise awareness on sustainable environmental management; draw attention to the increasing environmental problems faced by Africa which are being exacerbated by climate change, desertification and demographic changes and encourage the development of appropriate policies and strategies at national and regional levels and to enhance environmental sustainability.
Opening the forum, H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, reiterated that inclusive growth could not be achieved without deliberate and serious attempts at continental, regional and national levels to address the challenges of improving women's economic and social rights, especially in areas of tenure security to land and other natural resources.
It holds the key to the advancement of the women and by extension, the entire African continent. To attain the laudable goals of the Agenda 2063, it is indispensable that women's rights are strengthened and consolidated in all domains, she said.
The opening of the forum had a high level panel comprising AUC's Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture acting Director, Dr. Janet Edeme, Ms. Thokozile Ruzuido, Coordinator for the African Centre for Gender (UNECA), Ms. Letty Chiwara UN WOMEN Representative to AU and ECA and Mr. Edward Kilawe Forestry Officer representing Mr. Bukar Tijani the FAO Regional Representative for Africa. Also present was Kenyan Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU), H.E Catherine Mwangi, who commended the forum for honoring Prof. Maathai and for working to promote the rights of women.
The two-day meeting is expected to come up with policy recommendations for strengthening the rights of women over natural resources and to encourage the development of appropriate policies and strategies at national and regional levels to enhance environmental sustainability.
Africa Environment Day was designated in 2002, by the AU Council of Ministers at their meeting in Durban, South Africa based on the recognition of the numerous environmental challenges confronting the African continent. Over the years these challenges have been further aggravated by loss of biological diversity, climate change, desertification and increased pollution and unsafe disposal of wastes and chemicals.
In January 2012, the African Union adopted a decision calling for joint celebrations of the African Environment Day and Wangari Maathai Day. The celebration of the Wangari Maathai Day is in recognition of the work and life of the late Prof. Wangari Maathai who dedicated her life to promoting environmental conservation and sustainable development in Africa.
Its Monday, the last day of February 2016; a leap month in which Ghanaians have waited in vain for the first downpour in the year.
Since birth, seven month-old Kwaku cries to the piercing ears and frustrating heart of his parents.
Little Kwaku is neither hungry nor thirsty. He is also not sick. Staying indoors, even with all windows opened, is torture as the family wonders why the winds have stayed still from morning till night.
Kwaku momentarily stays calm and stops crying whilst feeling the warmth of mums hand fan or when placed in the home-made bucket pool of water.
But filling up the bucket is also turning luxurious because water bodies are drying up. Some communities have already been hit by acute water scarcity.
The gravest concern, perhaps, is the looming food crisis to hit Kwakus family if the drought situation persists.
Farmers in Ghana are eagerly awaiting the downpour to bless their lands in order to grow their crops. But the rains have failed.
Edward Naabanj, a farmer in the offinso north district of Ashanti region says vegetables, maize, cassava, yam and other tuber crops planted earlier in the year are drying up, due to the uncompromising drought.
He and his colleagues are running out of food stock whilst prices of commodities shoot up with no signs of the rains anytime soon.
Ghanaian farmers, mainly subsistent, are vulnerable and less-resilient to the dry spells because they are over 90 percent dependent on the rains to till their lands for food production.
According to David Alfred Mensah, a Management Information Systems Officer at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the country could be hit by a drop in food supply due to the failure of rain in both the major and minor planting seasons last year.
The entire population depends on productivity on the farms to feed. But variability in the rainfall pattern is affecting crop and livestock production as well as fisheries.
Other plantations and species also have to contend with the incessant widespread bushfires which sweep through farms uncontrollably.
Agriculture is really suffering, observed Kingsley Offei-Nkansah of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU). You have a drought disaster not because of dry spells but because we failed to put in place the measures that enable us to live normal lives when we have dry spells.
The weather is indeed hotter than usual and the heat wave is becoming unbearable.
Ghanaians cannot wait for the heavens to open up to mitigate the long dry spell.
The northern sector of the country will be dry and slightly hazy with few clouds during the forecast period. The day will be sunny and warm, said a 24-hour forecast by the Ghana Meteorological Agency for February 29. The middle and coastal sectors will be cloudy over the entire period with sunny intervals during the day. Isolated cases of thunderstorms and rain showers will occur this evening and tomorrow afternoon especially over the forest and mountainous areas of the middle sector as well as the coast.
Alas, on the first day of March 2016, some parts of the country had the soothing relief of momentary showers of blessing.
Yet sooner in the days and months ahead, the joy of the rains will ease and in its wake the pain of torrential rains.
The excessive downpour will lead to sea rise and overflow of other water bodies, causing the havoc of flooding; displacing communities, washing away top soils for crop production and destroying other infrastructure like roads.
A lot of changes are happening in the weather pattern as a result of climate change. Both natural and human factors have been identified as being responsible for the harsh changes in weather conditions.
Interestingly, the first universal agreement to combat climate change was adopted in 2015, a year recorded as the hottest in the history of mankind.
The Paris climate change pact spells out global and local mechanisms required for climate change mitigation and adaptation, including financing climate activities and technology transfer.
The signing of the agreement by world leaders should bring hope to the vulnerable farmer, but these local communities would want interventions to be in the immediate.
Ghanas Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is already worried at the prevailing uncertainties and variability in the weather.
The country has documented flood and land degradation as the most climate-impacted. But drought is also emerging as a major concern.
The sustainable land and water management programme, already being implemented in the northern part of Ghana, is helping to address the drought situation within the zone.
We have to be able to work hard so that within the transition zone of Ghana, we can also implement such a programme where a lot of tree growing exercises are undertaken, bush fire control, soil conservation, water conservation to make sure that our resources are sustainably used, stated Kyekyeku Oppong-Boadi, head of the Climate Unit at the EPA.
Strategies to address climate change concerns in the country are contained in the nationally determined contribution submitted to the UNFCCC ahead of the climate change talks in Paris in December 2015.
According to a World Bank report released ahead of COP21, there could be more than 100 million additional people in poverty by 2030, without rapid, inclusive and climate-smart development, together with emissions-reductions efforts that protect the poor.
The report finds that poor people are already at high risk from climate-related shocks, including crop failures from reduced rainfall, spikes in food prices after extreme weather events, and increased incidence of diseases after heat waves and floods.
Already, increased heat stress and drought-related deaths in both humans and livestock are occurring in the extreme north of Ghana, according to the World Bank. Further risks are related to the higher incidence of malaria and parasitic infections that are linked to flooding.
As weather patterns increasingly become erratic, scientists suggest adoption of drought and flood resistant crops and diversification of income sources as protection for smallholder farmers from effects of climate change.
The task ahead is to domesticate the Paris Climate Agreement for efficient implementation at local level.
Ghana should therefore be seen to be taking action to reduce the negative effects of drought, flood, high temperature and other extreme weather events.
The negative effects of extreme weather events impact on agriculture, roads, rivers, even the management of our health centres and the wellbeing of people and communities are visible, said Kingsley Offei-Nkansah.
Better management of water resources, increase in areas under irrigation, security in land tenure as well as innovative farming system and investments in agriculture are among critical areas to combat climate impacts, he noted.
Hopefully, Little Kwaku should be able to feed and slept in comfort when the climate uncertainties, variability and impacts are arrested in local actions to tackle the global threat of climate change.
Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh
Gifty Twum Ampofo
01.03.2016 LISTEN
A science teacher Gifty Twum Ampofo has won the parliamentary primaries to represent the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in a bye-election following the murder of the incumbent, Joseph Boakye Danquah.
Gifty who is the Eastern Regional president of the Ghana Science Teachers Association (GAST) garnered 207 of the votes to beat her closest challenger Isaac Osei who got 104 votes.
The third aspirant Kyei Brobby obtained 27 votes. Two other contestants dropped out on voting day in a move believed to favour Gifty Ampofo.
Soon after the results were declared, supporters of the winner poured powder on Gifty who was dressed in mourning clothes.
The election was held at the Tafo District office of the Electoral Commission began Tuesday 8am and ended at 1pm for counting.
The Abuakwa North constituency is a traditional NPP seat located in an NPP stronghold in the Eastern region. The seat became vacant after the MP Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu was stabbed to death in his bedroom at dawn on February 9, 2016.
The Electoral Commission has set April 9 for the bye-election.
-myjoyonline
File Photo
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Ghana Home Loans Limited the leading home finance institution has announced its acquisition of the first commercial plot at Appolonia, City of Light, the mixed-use urban development near Accra. The company intends to place a branch at the site to provide financial services and support to individuals who wish to build or buy homes within the project.
Commenting on the acquisition, Mr. Dominic Adu, CEO of Ghana Home Loans said, Appolonia is a bedrock of opportunity for the Accra real estate sector, and Ghana as a whole. Their vision is well thought out and being a part of it will enable us continue do what we do best providing a suite of appropriate home finance products to Ghanaians. Our residential housing products fit perfectly into Appolonias goal, be it home or land acquisition, home completion or construction, we will be there to provide financial support and education every step of the way.
Construction of the branch will begin by the third quarter of 2016 with an initial staff strength of five. This will increase in line with the speed of development at Appolonia. Financing will be available to purchase either plots within the Buy and Build development of Nova Ridge or a home within the new housing development; The Oxford. Appolonia is planned to be a self-sustaining satellite city with the requisite infrastructure and all the benefits of urban living. At full capacity, Appolonia will have approximately 80,000 residents with 22,000 housing units.
"Ghana Home Loans is now a household name, and has become synonymous with housing finance. said Anthony Okyere, Chief Executive Officer of Appolonia City of Light. "Their presence at Appolonia will give individuals the opportunity to buy, build or complete their dream house within our residential enclaves and be part of the Appolonia vision
About Ghana Home Loans Limited
Ghana Home Loans ("GHL") is a home finance institution which operates under Bank of Ghana supervision as a non-bank financial institution. At present, the Company remains the only such institution that focuses exclusively on the provision of mortgage product. Since its inception, Ghana Home Loans has disbursed loans in excess of $150 million through their housing products including;
Home Purchase Mortgage
Home Equity Mortgage
Home Completion Mortgage
Home Construction Mortgage
Land Purchase Mortgage
Quick Cash
About Appolonia City of Light
Appolonia City of Light, a partnership between Rendeavour, Africas leading urban land developer and local communities, is a fully master planned, mixed-use and mixed-income urban development in the Greater Accra Metropolitan area. The project will be developed for residential properties, retail and other commercial centres, as well as schools, healthcare and other social infrastructure. All local and national regulatory approvals have been met and a full land title certificate has been granted. In April 2015, sales of the first residential phase, Nova Ridge, were launched, offering Ghanaians an opportunity to live in a master-planned environment with close access to Accra.
Tayyip Erdogan
01.03.2016 LISTEN
President of Turkey, H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has appealed to Ghana to give a befitting commemoration to its first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah for his tremendous contributions to Ghana.
He said Nkrumah did marvelously well for Ghana by way of leading the country into attaining independence and it would be prudent to give him a respectful commemoration.
"...Ghana holds a specific position within the history of the continent and in exclusive position. The Independence struggle in Ghana is a shinning beckon and an outstanding example for the rest of the countries within the African continent.
"The First President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana deserves a respectful commemoration", he said.
Talking about unity amongst African countries, H.E. Recep continued that Ghana is part of the countries that championed the unity of Africa people and that makes Ghana stand out in the pursuits of unity amongst African countries.
He said the ideologies of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah for the African United Nation is very much relative which can be realized even decades after his death.
"....Ghana is one of the pioneering countries to pursue the idea of unity of Africa people. The African United Nations ideology of president of Ghana is still a very much relative dream to be realized", he said and added that "I would like to salute this memorable ideology of the former president of Ghana as the current president of Turkey".
He furthered that Turkey condemns the terrorist attacks on Burkina Faso and Mali and noted that his country will use its "experience" to help combat terrorist attacks on African countries.
President Erdogan stated that combating terrorism attacks should be an effort based on principles to be able to know all strategies to use in combating terrorist.
Addressing the MPs, he said other countries should make efforts to provide security for its nation so that they would not have to depend on the five member security council alone.
According to the Turkish President the five member security council does not do much of what they are expected to do.
"......if the UN security council say yes it is yes, if they say no it is no....the world is bigger than the UN security council......they do the talk, they don't do the work.....", he opined.
He urged Ghanaians to be confident to invest in Turkey because Turkish investors would be investing in Ghana and that, he noted would promote business partnerships in these countries.
He said Ghana and Turkey would have a very good relations which will go a long way to benefit both countries.
"...I see a bright future for the relation between Ghana and Turkey.....Ghanaians should give a constructive support to the relation between Ghana and Turkey", he urged.
The president of Turkey, H. E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan was on a two day visit in Ghana on the invitation of President John Mahama.
Alumni of the Tamale Polytechnic have expressed displeasure with their exclusion by the government in the first list of Polytechnics to be converted into Universities.
Also, the Alumni reiterated the significance the conversion would serve to the Northern region should they gain university status.
They, therefore, urged the government to hasten the necessary procedures to turn all the selected Polytechnics into Universities.
In a press release, they charged the government to ensure logistics are in place for the smooth running of all converted polytechnics.
Below is the press release:
PRESS RELEASE
The Alumni of the Tamale Polytechnic has been following with keen interest, the government plans to convert the Polytechnics into Technical Universities. We note particularly the Presidents mention of the matter in the State of the Nations Address (SONA), which demonstrates a further commitment of the government to follow through the policy as a matter of priority.
The Alumni of the Polytechnic, however, notes that the President cited only six (6) out of the ten (10) existing Polytechnics and this could have given the impression that, the other four (4) Polytechnics are not qualified or ready, as per the stated conversion criteria. We do understand that the statement by the President and other documents relevant to the subject matter are only for purposes of illustration and urge the government to proceed with the necessary steps and processes that would lead to the conversion sooner than later.
While we share the forgoing notion, we are both glad and proud to assure our alumni and current students that we have been in constant touch with the Polytechnic authorities and have a settled conviction that the Polytechnic is more than ready to become Technical University anytime soon. Our conviction is based on an assessment of the programme menu and the faculties available in the Polytechnic. These, coupled with the available infrastructure, human resource and the strategic need to cite many more Universities in the northern sector, more so considering the deprived nature of the area, our belief coincides with the governments agenda to make tertiary technical education not only affordable but also accessible.
We further wish to draw the attention of Government through the Ministry of Education that when converted into a technical University, the then Tamale Technical University (TTU) could serve as a key resource and catalyst for the implementation and realization of the lofty development goals enshrined in the SADA project. The point is that, the implementation of the SADA project cannot be without high level of research and technical expertise, which the TTU would readily supply to the labour market.
But we the Alumni of Tamale Polytechnic are not happy with the exclusion of Tamale Polytechnic among the first list of polytechnics to be considered and therefore call on the Government to reconsider its decision by adding the Tamale Polytechnic among the first list of Polytechnics to be considered considering the deprived nature of the area and regional balance as well.
In conclusion, we like to urge the government to, in this incubation period take accelerated steps to engage thoroughly, all relevant stakeholders, share information and provide assurance in order to clear doubts around knotty or grey areas, as well as galvanize support and momentum for takeoff.
In all of the foregoing, we believe that government still retains a greater responsibility to provide the required logistics, scholarship opportunities for faculty development, and general policy or legislative support, for the polytechnics in their emerging stages, all geared towards serving as the midwives of this major policy initiative.
We believe this is long overdue and nothing should stand in the way to start even if it is for a few courses in each of the ten (10) Technical Universities.
We welcome the Technical Universities Initiative and call on all to support the implementation effort of the Government.
Thank you.
PRINCE MASH-HUD ABDULAI
PRESIDENT, TAMALE POLYTECHNIC ALUMNI
Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Abubakar Ibrahim | Email: [email protected]
Introduction
Many political analysts had projected that if Muhammadu Buhari, a Fulani Muslim won the March 2015 Nigerian presidential election, it could lead to the deceleration of the Boko Haram conflict because the local grievances into which those terrorists tap would be removed. Unfortunately, despite President Buharis victory at the polls, the Boko Haram conflict has failed to abate. In fact, it has been estimated that between the time Buhari was sworn in as president on May 29, 2015 and the end of October 2015, more than 2,000 Nigerians have lost their lives to Boko Haram . These tragedies have occurred despite the fact that fighting the terrorists has clearly been one of the Buhari regimes top priorities .
In September 2015 Buhari gave the army a three-month deadline to defeat Boko Haram. That deadline clearly has come and gone, but Boko Haram has not. Though the Buhari government continues to argue that technically it has defeated Boko Haram, ostensibly because the group can no longer mount conventional attacks against security forces or population centres, several Nigeriansincluding myself have scoffed at the government's triumphalism as rather premature . Indeed, while the government claims that the terrorists no longer control any territory in Borno Statethe epicenter of Boko Harams activitiesSenator Baba Kaka Garbai, who represents Borno Central in Nigerias Senate, claims that the terrorist group still controls about 50 percent of his state.
Boko Haram is well-known as a plague on the security of the Nigerian state since the group became radicalized in 2010. Officially it is estimated that between 2010 and July 2015, over 15,000 people lost their lives to the Boko Haram conflictthough some estimate the actual death toll between 2010 and 2014 could be anywhere between 100,000 and one million . In addition, the 2014 report of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre and Norwegian Refugee Council have estimated that over 3.3 million people have been displaced in the northeast part of Nigeriaor 10 percent of the 33 million internally displaced persons worldwide.
Over this time Boko Haram has evolved from being a small-time terrorist organization, hidden in the civilian population and using guerrilla strategies to a sophisticated, well-motivated group that overpowers the police and military for weapons, seizes territory, and engages the Nigerian military in conventional battle. Indeed, by January 2015, the sect had succeeded in establishing a mini Islamic state the size of Belgium . The continued resilience of Boko Haram under the Buhari government calls for a second look and re-evaluation of some of the earlier rumors and notions about the sect.
Death of conspiracy theories
The continued resilience of Boko Haram under Buharis administration is debunking some conspiracy theories about the sect.
Indeed, before Buhari came to power a conspiracy theory popular in the southern part of the country was that the group was being sponsored by eminent northern politicians to make the country ungovernable for former President Goodluck Jonathan because he is a Christian and from a minority ethnic group in the south. If this theory were true, Buharis victory over Jonathan would have mellowed the group. But it hasnt.
Another conspiracy theory was that Boko Haram was being sponsored or ignored by former President Jonathan either to depopulate the north ahead of the 2015 general elections or to make Islam look bad in order to enable the former president to use religion as a tool of mobilization for his candidacy. Boko Harams continued mayhem long after Jonathans loss of power negates any suggestion that he was sponsoring the groupor the similar claim that he deliberately did not do enough to stop them because it was a northern problem. In fact, recently the army accused some influential indigenes of the northern state known as Borno of deliberately undermining their efforts to defeat Boko Haram because they were profiting from the situation.
These theories undermined any attempt at collective action against the sect. For instance, when Jonathan first declared a state of emergency in the northeastern states of Adamawa, Yobe, and Borno in May 2013 in a determined bid to fight the terrorists, some eminent northern elders declared that the measure, which included the imposition of curfews, the mounting of several roadblocks, and the shutting down of the states communication infrastructures, amounted to a declaration of war against the north. In the same vein, when the Chibok girls were kidnapped, some key Jonathan supporters openly doubted the story, and believed it was part of a grand design by the north to bring down the Jonathan government .
With the election of a Muslim ruler and the death of such conspiracy theories as the above, the expectation is that Buhari has the social capital for a united action against the sectso why is Boko Haram still posing a threat?
Underestimation of the strength and resources of Boko Haram
The resilience of Boko Haram under the Buhari administration suggests that there has been a gross underestimation by the government of the numerical strength, organizational efficiency, and motivation of the sect members. For instance, in October 2015, government leaders were shocked when a failed suicide bomber claimed that the sect was planning to attack Maiduguri with as many as 8,000 fighters far more than what many people estimated the entire numerical strength of the sect to be. At one point, Theophilus Danjuma, a retired lieutenant-general and former defense minister, claimed that Boko Haram's ability to gather intelligence was 100 percent better than that of the Nigerian military . In fact in 2014, when Governor of Borno State Kashim Shettima claimed that Boko Haram fighters were better armed and more motivated than the Nigerian army fighting them, he was criticized by many Nigerians, including President Jonathan . These portraitures of Boko Haram contrast heavily with the former image of the sect in the popular imagination as a group of rag tag snipers, and poor and uneducated youth that probably did not number more than a few hundred.
Indeed, the underestimation of Boko Haram helped fuel the narrative that the Nigerian army fighting the terrorists was under-equipped, ill-motivated, cowardly, or heavily compromised. This underestimation also probably explained why the army, which Buhari vowed to better motivate and equip with more sophisticated weapons than Jonathan did, was given only three months in September 2015 to defeat the terrorists. In retrospect, that deadline was counterproductive because it unduly raised public expectations and put enormous pressure on both the military and the government. As Boko Harams attacks have continued long after the expiration of the deadline, the government continues to try and save its face with the rhetoric that the sect had been technically defeated. The truth is that terrorism is rarely easily defeated in any country.
What is clear is that what Nigeria needs first is a realistic estimation of the numerical strength of Boko Haram, its organizational forms, and intelligence-gathering methods to enable the government to devise realistic strategies for confronting and containing the sect. The idea that Boko Haram could be defeated within any specified time frame should be abandoned.
The continued resilience of Boko Haram
Like a phoenix, Boko Haram has shown incredible capacity for regrouping after suffering setbacks. There have been at least three occasions when a successful anti-Boko Haram strategy led to a lull in the groups murderous activities that was erroneously interpreted as a sign of the groups imminent annihilation.
The first time a lull in the groups activities was misinterpreted was in 2013 during the war against some al Qaida-linked insurgents in northern Mali, which was also thought to be a training base for Boko Haram and other terrorist groups. It was believed that many Boko Haram fighters relocated to northern Mali to fight with the insurgents against the combined troops from Benin, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, and Niger . When the French later intervened and routed the insurgents, the general belief was that Boko Haram had been dealt a deadly blow because of the suspected high number of causalities of its members and the destruction of their training bases. But Boko Haram lived on.
The second occasion a lull in Boko Harams activities was mistaken for imminent victory against the sect was when a state of emergency was declared in 2013 in the three northern states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe believed to be the three foci of Boko Harams activities. With the emergency rule, there was an increase in the number of troops deployed to the affected states; more road blocks were set up to search people and vehicles; and telecom networks were shut down to prevent the terrorists from using mobile telephones to communicate with one another and their informants. The general consensus was that the emergency rule was initially very successful in that it led to a sharp drop in the sects murderous activities. However, like the previous occasion, Boko Haram quickly regrouped and hopes that the solution lay in a state of emergency quickly faded.
The third occasion Nigerians thought that Boko Haram was a minute away from complete destruction was after the joint military operations with Chad and Cameroon in February 2015. The initial successes of the joint operation goaded a euphoric Jonathan, who had then already conceded defeat in the March 2015 presidential election to boast in April 2015 that the ongoing military operations in the northeast had already recorded huge successes, with two states completely free from the control of terrorists while operations in the third state had reached a concluding stage. However, long after Jonathan made this statement, many people, such as Senator Baba Kaka Garbai of Borno State, insist that Boko Haram still controls half of his state .
Conclusion
One of the main lessons in the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria is that the sect has shown an incredible capacity for regrouping after major setbacks. It is not clear if the Buhari government, which has shown a single-minded determination to militarily defeat the terrorists, appreciates this fact. The truth is that terrorists, because of their methods, are not easily defeated. They can be contained in the short to medium termsnot completely routed as Buhari seems to believe. It is important that the government does not mistake a lull in the groups murderous activities as a sign of imminent defeat.
In the same vein, in its single-minded desire to be seen as defeating Boko Haram on record timesomething the preceding government was unable to do for yearsthis government seems unmindful of the many potential Boko Harams that are breeding across the country. Elsewhere I argued that a major explanation for the emergence of Boko Haram is the crisis in the Nigerias nation-building, which has led to several alienated groups de-linking from the state into primordial identities, often with the Nigerian state as the enemy. Rather than deliberately engaging other alienated groups such as the new agitation for a Republic of Biafra or the regrouping of ex-Niger Delta militants , Buhari appears to regard such groups as deliberate plans to undermine his government. It was essentially the same mistake former President Jonathan made with Boko Haram.
Overall, while the Buhari government must be lauded for its determined fight against Boko Haram, it needs to be encouraged to expand the tools of such fight beyond securing quick military victory to putting the servicing of Nigerias nation-building process in the front burner. It is in fact by re-energizing the countrys nation-building process that it can win over several de-Nigerianized Nigerians (i.e., Nigerians that have de-linked from the Nigerian state into other primordial identities). This will ensure that other Boko Harams do not emerge across the country if, and when the present Boko Haram is defeated.
Jideofor Adibe
Associate Professor of Political Science at Nasarawa State University Keffi
01.03.2016 LISTEN
The opposition NPP has said it is double standards for the governing NDC to tag some critical think-tanks as NPP appendages when only eight years ago, it hailed reports from these institutions.
Deputy NPP Communications Director Anthony Karbo who made the criticism said the NDC while in opposition referred to reports by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and IMANI Ghana, a policy think-tank to demonize the NPP which was then in power.
He was questioning the cause for the u-turn by the NDC which is now in government.
The governing party at a press conference Tuesday , the General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia said the NPP had manufactured their own NGOs here who create reports favourable to the narrative of the opposition party that the government was corrupt.
Asiedu Nketia said the NPP had adopted this strategy because internationally acclaimed think-tank, Transparency International has been scoring the NDC government higher and higher marks in its fight against corruption.
NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia
We are not surprised that they will be engaging in this type of thing Asiedu Nketia said.
The NPP, he said found Transparency International report inappropriate fodder to feed the public about the so-called corruption by government.
But Anthony Karbo finds this argument a naked display of double standards and hypocrisy.
He said in the bitter debate over free education policy of the NPP in the 2012 elections, the NDC conveniently used IMANIs opposition against the idea as basis to criticise the NPP programme. IMANI doubted the feasibility of the grand education project.
The NDC also highlighted a study conducted by the CDD in 2004 that pointed to several instances of the abuse of incumbency during the 2004 electioneering year.
The NDC accusations are however not new. Relationship between the NDC and groups like the CDD, IEA, IMANI have been strained for years now.
NDC boycotted an IEA debate on the voter's register in October last year.
As far back as August 2005, the NDC announced that it was formally severing any relations with the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana).
Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected]
President John Dramani Mahama has pledged Ghanas support to help Turkey fight terrorism.
He made the statement while having discussions with Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdorgan.
We stand in solidarity with Turkey on the issue of terrorism and the situation in Syria...we also condemn all the terrorist attacks that have taken place against Syria, President Mahama indicated.
President Tayyip Erdorgan is on a two-day working visit to Ghana.
He was accompanied by his wife, Mrs Emine Erdogan and more than 150 business and government officials.
Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur received him and his delegation at the Jubilee Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport, early Tuesday.
President Tayyip Erdorgans visit is expected to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance economic cooperation between Ghana and Turkey.
The Turkish President welcomed President Mahamas pledge and stated that all countries across the globe must rise against terrorism because terrorism does not recognise religion or ethnicity.
Addressing the Members of Parliament as part of his visit, President Tayyip Erdorgan also applauded Ghanas democratic credentials.
Speaking about trade, the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Ajaho said Ghana is proud to be the fourth largest trading partner of Turkey in Sub Saharan Africa.
President Erdogans visit follows a 2013 visit to Ankara and Istanbul by President Mahama and an earlier 2011 visit by former Turkish President, Abdullah Gul.
The Turkish First lady, Emine Erdogan, is also expected to hold discussions with Mrs Lordina Mahama and visit the Osu Childrens Home.
Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com| Akosua Asiedua Akuffo| [email protected]
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Accra, March 01, GNA - The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, arrived in Accra last night, to begin a two-day official visit.
While in Ghana, President Erdogan is expected to address the Parliament of Ghana and attend a State Luncheon to be held in his honor by President John Dramani Mahama.
President Erdogan would also join President Mahama to cut the sod for the official commencement of work on a new terminal building at the Kotoka International Airport.
The visit follows a 2013 visit to Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey by President Mahama.
President Erdogan was met on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport by Vice President Amissah Arthur and a large number of state dignitaries.
Mr Erdogan, born in February 1954, assumed office as the 12th President of his country on 28th August 2014.
A British Broadcasting Corporation profile described him as: 'The country's first elected president who has been at the forefront of Turkish politics for more than a decade.'
President Erdogan is said to be exceptionally charismatic' and is recognised for advancing the economic and political progress of Turkey.
The Middle-East country is located between South Eastern Europe and South Western Asia.
Turkey's more than 79 million people consist mainly of Turks; with Kurds being in the minority; and other nationals. The population is predominantly of the Muslims faith.
The country operates a largely-free market economy driven by its industry, service and agricultural sectors.
Turkey has booming automotive, petrochemical, electronics and textile businesses, though traditional agriculture employs about 25 per cent of the population.
The World Fact Book of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) put Turkey's 2015 GDP purchasing parity at $9.576 trillion.
Turkey opened its Embassy in Accra in February 2010, following the commitment on both sides to deepen bilateral links.
Since then, according to an official report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, several agreements have been signed.
These include: a Framework Agreement on Military Cooperation, an Agreement on Cooperation in the Fields of Health and Medical Sciences, an Agreement on Bilateral Air Services, an Agreement on the Mutual Abolition of Visas for Holders of Diplomatic Passports, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a Political Consultation Mechanism between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries have been signed.
The Ghana-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Association was formed on 21 March 2011 within the Ghanaian Parliament.
The Ministry has said the commercial relations between Turkey and Ghana were progressing on a path.
The bilateral trade volume, which amounted to 175 million USD in 2009, reached 290 million USD in 2010.
Thus, Ghana has become Turkey's third largest trade partner in Sub-Saharan Africa (after the Republic of South Africa and Nigeria), the Ministry's report has said.
GNA
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Accra, March 1, GNA - Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, has advised Ghanaians to make environmental cleanliness a daily routine to prevent outbreak of diseases.
'What I will like to say is that we should not wait till the National Sanitation Day before we clean our surroundings; it must be on daily basis from our homes, communities and beyond,' he said.
Dr Vanderpuije gave the advice at a forum organised by the College of Basic and Allied Sciences of the University of Ghana.
He said environmental sanitation was a shared responsibility and people should contribute their quota towards educating others 'because those who create the filth could be our friends, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers and what have you.'
He called on the media to support the assemblies with information by filming or taking pictures of wrong doers to assist the appropriate authorities to take action.
Some of the issues participants touched on were noise-making, open defecation, pan-latrine usage, behaviour of AMA Taskforce, and fighting over ownership of public toilets.
Dr Vanderpuije said the AMA, in an effort to eradicate open defecation, had built a number of public places of convenience in the metropolis, while landlords who had no toilet facilities in their houses were being summoned.
The Mayor said noise-making by some religious groups was a challenge in the metropolis which the assembly needed to curtail.
'As for our Taskforce we hold them in high esteem that is why we have given them numbers and anybody who misbehaves must have his number or photograph taken including the misdemeanor and send it to our offices and action would be taken.
'As I was going round the Ministries today I saw two of our guards in some shady action. I just took their numbers and called their leader and as I speak now those guys have been sacked,' he said.
Dr Vanderpuije said the fight over ownership of public toilet had been a political phenomenon for the past years adding; 'anytime there is new political administration people lay claim to those things.'
He suggested that those in control of the toilets must be allowed to continue to take charge whether there was a change in government or not.
Dr Vanderpuije said the assembly needed financial assistance to carry out its activities because it could only rely on the District Assemblies Common Fund and, therefore, called on landlords to pay their property rates.
He appealed to institutions to assist, saying; 'we have achieved a lot but there are more to be done especially on waste management.'
'Let us all hold our hands and work together to make Accra and indeed Ghana a safe place to live,' he said.
GNA
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Accra, March 1, GNA - Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has received Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Jubilee Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Accra for a two-day official visit.
He was accompanied by his wife, Mrs Emine Erdogan and more than 150 business and government officials.
President Erdogan is expected to hold talks with President John Dramani Mahama at the Flagstaff House after which the two leaders would hold a joint news conference and also address a business forum.
President Erdogan would also join President Mahama to cut the sod for the commencement of work on a new terminal building at the Kotoka International Airport.
President Mahama and his wife, Lordina, would host a state luncheon in honour of President Erdogan and his wife at the Banquet Hall.
The Turkish leader would hold discussions with the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, and address the house before visiting the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.
President Erdogan's visit follows a 2013 visit to Ankara and Istanbul by President Mahama and an earlier 2011 visit by former Turkish President, Abdullah Gul.
Besides, the Turkish First lady, Emine Erdogan, would hold discussions with Mrs Lordina Mahama and visit the Osu Children's Home.
GNA
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Accra, March 1, GNA - The Registrar General's Department has begun inspecting all businesses and companies operating in the country.
The Department has, therefore, directed Sole Proprietors, Partners, Company Secretaries, Directors, Shareholders, Local Managers and Auditors of companies, to provide copies of their Company's certificate of incorporation, commencement of business, annual returns, and evidence of current renewal of business registration to the team for inspection.
A statement signed by Ms Constance Adomaa Takyi, the Public Relations Officer, also urged companies to provide their current Audited Accounts or Nil returns whichever, is applicable, depending on the date of incorporation.
'The Filing of annual returns is mandatory as stated in Section 122 (1&2) of the Companies Act, 1963, (Act 179), that a company shall file its annual returns eighteen (18) months after Incorporation and at least in once every year thereafter'.
The statement urged companies to take notice because failure to file their annual returns after the deadline would automatically attract a fine of 12 penalty units for each day in default whilst that of business names would elapse completely.
"Businesses and companies who do not update their records after the deadline would automatically be considered as being inactive," it said.
The statement said inspectors from the Registrar-General's Department would have their staff identification tags on.
The first phase of the exercise, which started in the last quarter of 2015, resulted in many companies adhering to the earlier press release by updating their records with the Department.
However, it noted that, a lot more companies had not complied with the directive of updating their records as well as filing their annual returns.
GNA
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Tamale, March 01, GNA - Mr. Abdallah Abubakari, the Northern Regional Minister, has appealed to the people, particularly the youth to join in efforts at bringing conclusion to the many conflicts, plaguing the region.
They should accept work together in good faith to build bridges - to promote enduring peace.
Speaking during a ceremony held in Tamale to mark his official assumption of duty, he said the situation where the region tended to be associated with violence was completely unacceptable and blot on the image of the region.
He said he would do everything to re-brand the area's image and that would require strong support of everybody.
Mr. Abubakari takes over the administration of the region from Alhaji Limuna Mohammed-Muniru, who now heads for the Food and Agriculture Ministry as the substantive Minister.
He pledged to work with the chiefs, technocrats and all the people to bring socio-economic development.
He underlined the need to tackle with urgency the continued migration of its young people to the south, where they are engaged as head porters.
This, he noted, was denying many of them education, something he said gave cause for concern.
Alhaji Mohammed-Muniru advised his successor to be more careful and tactful, telling him that, the region 'is the most difficult place to work as a Minister'.
He thanked the people for the support and cooperation during his watch and invited them to do same for Mr. Abubakari.
He used the occasion to remind them to conduct themselves peacefully and warned that the government would not tolerate acts of violence.
GNA
01.03.2016 LISTEN
Oboadeka (E/R), March 1, GNA - Kwabena Adjei, a 40 year old farmer from Oboadeka, a farming community in the Eastern Region, suspected to have murdered his wife in cold blood on the morning of Tuesday,(March 01), is being hunted for by the police.
A source at the Nsawam Police told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the body of Awo Okyerewa, the 35 year old trader, has been conveyed to the police Hospital in Accra pending postmortem examination.
Giving the facts, the police source said the couple on Monday (yesterday) engaged in hot exchanges over a misunderstanding on some issues.
Early this morning at about 7.30 Hours, the deceased left home to collect monies from her debtors and on reaching a spot close to Uombofo, a nearby village, the husband who had ambushed her, suddenly emerged from the bush attacked and slashed her with the sharp cutlass he wielded.
The Police said Adjei cut the back of his wife's neck and her hands after which she fell and died on the spot in a pool of blood.
He fled the scene immediately, the police source said.
GNA
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BHP Billiton was in a spot of trouble yesterday when news broke about their struggling Mount Arthur coal mine. The trouble? Mount Arthur is struggling to turn a profit.
BHP Billiton was in a spot of trouble yesterday when news broke about their struggling Mount Arthur coal mine. The trouble? Mount Arthur is struggling to turn a profit.
The recent decline in thermal coal prices has squeezed already tight margins. There are even talks of closing down the mine altogether if things dont start to pick up.
BHP has already performed two rounds of job cuts, eliminating 300 positions last year. CEO Andrew Mackenzie has described the Mount Arthur project as touch and go. The average coal futures contract was about US$56 per tonne for 1H FY16. This price gave BHP earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of around US$7 per tonne.
The problem is that prices are now down to around US$50 per tonne, making margins extremely tight. Costs have already been cut, and it doesnt seem to have had any effect on the Mount Arthur operations. However, cutting dividends has positively affect BHP so far, even if shareholders dont want to admit it.
Ratings agency Standard & Poors confirmed its A rating on BHPs debt situation. The extra capital seemed to have done the trick in combating the companys debt levels. Shares climbed 2.9% today on the news, with BHPs London shares moving up 1.3% last night.
Source: Google Finance
Whats more important, dividends or financial stability?
Im sure many shareholders were angry at BHPs decision to cut dividends. Not only were shares already in the negative, but investors must put up with reduced dividend payouts. And not by a small amount either. Dividend payments went from 62 cents to 16 cents per share.
But, with the dividend cut, BHP was able to free up US$1.2 billion-worth of cash flow. It could use this capital to reinvest in the future interests of the company. I know many investors dont really think long term; were only human. We want things nowwaiting for rewards is the worst.
Yet shareholders should span their investing time horizon in years, not months. Warren Buffett likes to claim he buys a stock forever. That means he has no intention of selling investments once he identifies a good one.
Now of course Warren Buffett has sold out of positions before. Not every stock he picks will be a winner, as he cannot tell the future better than anyone else. But Buffetts mindset, I believe, could help many retail investors succeed in the market.
Imagine if you could only invest in 10 stocks for the rest of your life. You arent allowed to have any more than 10. My guess is that you would be more cautious with your stock picks. Youd want to know everything about the company. This is exactly how Buffett approaches his investments too.
But lets go back to BHPs conundrum: paying dividends or reinvesting in the business.
Surely its preferable that a company would elect to reinvest its earnings to create a better business for the future.
Dont get me wrong, dividends are nice. They are a great way to earn a small, passive income. Many investors form entire strategies around this. Yet when it comes down to it, I believe reinvesting earnings is preferable than paying out dividends.
If theres a problem it should be addressed immediately. If not, the problem will fester for years. And, after all, you want to stay away from the companies with inherent problems, right?
Harje Ronngard,
Junior Analyst, Money Morning
PS: From a long term perspective, BHP is cheap. Looking at cyclical charts, its easy to see that you might never see BHPs share price this low again.
Jason Stevenson is Money Mornings chief resource analyst. Jason has named his Top 10 mining stocks in a free report, The Top 10 Australian Mining Stocks for 2016.
The market has played havoc on Australian mining stocks, seeing them fall to drastically cheap prices. And it could be one of the best times in history to pick up a cheap mining stock that could catapult your portfolio into six figures.
Jason will show you why now is the perfect time to start buying cheap mining stocks. To get your free copy, click here.
March 01, 2016
Syria: A Turkish-Saudi Countermove In Lebanon Threatens Latakia (Updated)
Updated below
Fabrice Balanche is a French professor and a specialist on Syria's political geography. He is currently a visiting fellow at the Washington Institute (formerly WINEP) which is part by the U.S. Zionist lobby. So far the writings of Balanche for WINEP have been rather sane, neutral analyses.
In a piece published on February 5 he looked at the situation after the Syrian campaign cut the northern insurgency supply line to Turkey. At the end Balanche muses about possible countermoves by the Turkish and Saudi supporters of the insurgency:
Yet Turkey and Saudi Arabia may not remain passive in the face of major Russian-Iranian progress in Syria. For example, they could set up a new rebel umbrella group similar to Jaish al-Fatah, and/or send antiaircraft missiles to certain brigades. Another option is to open a new front in northern Lebanon, where local Salafist groups and thousands of desperate Syrian refugees could be engaged in the fight. Such a move would directly threaten Assad's Alawite heartland in Tartus and Homs, as well as the main road to Damascus. Regime forces would be outflanked, and Hezbollah's lines of communication, reinforcement, and supply between Lebanon and Syria could be cut off. The question is, do Riyadh and Ankara have the means and willingness to conduct such a bold, dangerous action?
Some Turkish, Saudi or CIA strategist may have had the same thought, or may have taken up Balanche's idea:
Cargo ship from Turkey full of weapons seized by Greek authorities According to Greek and Turkish sources, a cargo ship containing thousands of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was seized by Greek authorities on February 28th. The ship sporting a Togo flag had reportedly left a Turkish port in Izmir and was traveling to Lebanon as well as the southeastern African coast.
The above source is not always reliable, but Elijah J. Magnier, reporting from Syria for the Kuwaiti paper AL RAI, just confirmed the news:
Elijah J. Magnier @EjmAlrai
#BreakingNews: Fuelling Lebanon?
#Greece arrest crew of a ship 6 #Syria/n, 4 #India/n 1 #Lebanese carrying weapons from #Turkey to #Lebanon. The ship was carrying 6 containers of which 2 full of weapons designated to a harbour in #Lebanon, intercepted at #Greece Crete #Island. Very alarming indeed & shows a possible escalation planned n #Lebanon when the #SaudiArabia / #Hezbollah/#Iran relationship is at its worse. This indicates that #Lebanon is no longer outside the circle of the war in #Syria and is supposed to be dragged in
It is unlikely that this is a purely Turkish operation. The Saudis do have enormous influence in Lebanon due to their frequent bribes paid to the various actors there. The general Saudi influence is now somewhat diminished. None of the major Lebanese followed the Saudi's demand to take its side and to seek conflict with Syria or Hizbullah, the Lebanese Shia party that supports the Syrian government. But there are still groups in Lebanon, especially Salafis, which the Saudis essentially command.
A few weeks ago a Saudi prince was imprisoned in Lebanon after being caught loading two tons of amphetamine Captagon pills onto his private plane. There are also rumors that the Saudis recently found a video which showed Hizbullah operators training Yemeni Houthis in intelligence matters. This was seen as a direct attack on Saudi interests. The Saudis cut $4 billion of Saudi paid French weapon aid they had promised to the Lebanese military. A week ago they warned all their citizens to leave Lebanon.
The now caught ship is likely the result of Saudi and Turkish cooperation. The idea is reckless as it could throw Lebanon back into the terrible years of the Lebanese civil war. But the idea is also very bold which lets me believe that its origin is neither Saudi nor Turkish.
The weapon ship may not have been the only or the first one. It is quite possible that some weapons have already reached the Sunni quarters of Tripoli in north Lebanon. In 2012 some fierce fighting erupted between the Alawite enclave in Tripoli and some Sunni neighborhoods. Then the Lebanese army intervened to calm the fighting down.
With weapons for some 10,000 men and lots of dollars to pay them, a serious threat to the soft underbelly of Syria could be implemented within a few weeks. An attack from the Tripoli area northward into Latakia would open a new dangerous front against the Syrian government. Hopefully the Syrian government and Hizbullah are prepared to squelch such a campaign in its infancy.
Update:
Stratfor, a private U.S. intelligence service, distributed this claim today:
A Sunni politician in Lebanon tells Stratfor that the Saudi government wants to build a Sunni anti-Hizbullah militia by providing for Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon.
bigger
The sourcing is fishy - "According to a Sunni politician ... Saudi Arabia is reportedly ...". Why does Startfor need a politician to tell them that something is "reported" somewhere. Why not source to the original report?
Is this all a "Plan B" head fake to gain some leverage for negotiations? Or is this a real program?
Posted by b on March 1, 2016 at 15:06 UTC | Permalink
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HILDEBRAN - Former Rose Hill town administrator Tom Drum was unanimously appointed as town manager and administrator for both Catawba and Hildebran during the special joint meeting with the Western Piedmont Council of Governments (WPCOG) and the two towns Monday night.
WPCOG Executive Director Anthony Starr presented the appointment of Drum before the two town councils. Starr said that Drums 28 years of total experience with town administration, most recently with Rose Hill for 22 years, as well as his strong command of town issues should serve as major benefits for both Catawba and Hildebran.
His longevity speaks for itself, Starr said. For these two towns, theyll get a chance to have Tom lend his expertise.
Both towns approved their respective contracts with WPCOG in appointing Drum, which includes a minimum service of two years. Starr said contracts are the same for both towns and Drum will be serving both towns on a shared-duty basis. Although his first day in the office is set for March 16, the two towns have yet to officially determine which days of the week he would be working for them.
Drum says he is looking most forward to serving the needs of both towns. He also said the idea of being able to serve a town that his father was born in gives him a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.
This opening just seemed like a great fit and it ended up being exactly what I wanted, Drum said. Its a blessing for me to be here, hoping that we have a great relationship for a long time.
Drum, a Newton native, is a graduate of Appalachian State University and prior to being a town administrator at Rose Hill, he was also the manager for the Sugar Mountain resort.
WPCOG is a voluntary association of local governments organized in 1968 as a nonprofit group to provide long-range planning and technical assistance, according to the organizations website. The council serves four counties - Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba - as well as 24 municipalities.
Along with several other non-government organizations and advocacy groups, a lawyer is set to submit collective petitions on housing rights to a United Nations committee in Geneva, Switzerland.
Attorney DJ Larkin of the Pivot Legal Society is just one of dozens of concerned individuals and organizations who are calling on the United Nations to hear about Vancouvers homelessness and Canadas housing obligations.
The petitioners expect the U.N. to finalize and announce its recommendations before the end of March.
Canada previously committed to the U.N.s Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which covers the right to housing. The U.N. last reviewed the countrys progress on this front around 10 years agoa decade that, according to Larkin and her compatriots, has yielded little fruit despite the recently-elected Liberal governments promise to invest in affordable housing.
Citing figures from think-tanks and other independent observers, Larkin said that the affordability crisis leaves as much as 250,000 people to experience homelessness every year in Canada, with another 50,000 individuals qualifying as hidden homeless (i.e., those who couch surf or squat in vacant structures).
We thought that participating in this review was particularly important because the housing and homelessness crisis in Canada is growing and it really is at the point where it really is a national emergency, Larkin told Metro News.
Larkin noted that during the previous review, the U.N. has already urged Canada to take steps to the address the problem. She added, however, that the increasing number of people dying on the streets in British Columbia and recent rise of tent cities in locales such as Victoria and Abbotsford have placed doubts on the governments commitment to rectify the problem head-on.
Instead, what were seeing is the increase in use of bylaws and law enforcement to displace people who are found in the streets because of the increase of visible homelessness in Canada, Larkin said, emphasizing that real estate affordability is spiraling out of control.
The percentage of people who are paying more than 30% of their income on rent is increasing. We have a disturbing percentage of people who are paying more than 50% of their income on rent, and even people who are paying more than 80%. This puts us in the situation where we have a lot of people at risk of being homeless, Larkin stated.
Another Price Report Shows Significant January Increases
January is shaping up to have been a good month for house prices - or a bad one if you are in the market for a home. CoreLogic today said that its Home Price Index (HPI) indicates that prices were up from January 2015 to January 2016 by 6.9 percent. This was substantially above the December annual price change estimate of 6.3 percent. Prices rose month over month by 1.3 percent compared to 0.8 percent in December. Last month CoreLogic predicted a 0.2 percent December to January increase.
The CoreLogic figure makes the annual price gain for existing homes released last week by The National Association of Realtors (NAR) a little less of an outlier. They had put the January year-over-year gain at 8.2 percent, the largest since last April.
Washington led all states with an annual price increase of 11.6 percent followed Colorado at 10.9 percent and Oregon at 10.0 percent. The rest of the top five didn't quite hit double digits, Florida was fourth at 9.0 percent and California posted a 8.9 percent annual change.
Mississippi lost the greatest amount of ground; prices fell 1.3 percent and Louisiana was also in negative territory at 1.1 percent. Maine, eked out a 0.1 percent gain and Maryland and Delaware increased by 0.4 and 0.7 percent respectively.
The CoreLogic HPI Forecast predicts prices will rise 5.5 percent from January 2016 to January 2017, and on a month-over-month basis are expected to be up 0.5 percent from January 2016 to February 2016. The CoreLogic HPI Forecast is a projection of home prices using the CoreLogic HPI and other economic variables. Values are derived from state-level forecasts by weighting indices according to the number of owner-occupied households for each state.
"While the national market continues to steadily improve, the contours of the home price recovery are shifting," said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic. "The northwest and Rocky Mountain states have experienced greater appreciation and account for four of the top five states for home price growth."
"Heading into the spring buying season, home prices continue to rise across much of the country," said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic. "With rates staying low for now and continued solid job and income growth, the spring buying season is shaping up to be a good one."
A Canadian island is seeing increased popularity among would-be buyers from the U.S., especially since a website that promotes the islands real estate has seen nearly half a million visits from American users by mid-February.
The Cape Breton if Donald Trump Wins campaign, which offers Cape Breton home listings for buyers who are apprehensive about a possible Trump victory in the U.S. presidential elections this year, has been cited by industry observers as a main driver in the islands flourishing status.
We noticed that after the web site went live, that they jumped to over 20,000 visits daily, and that trend is still holding. The majority of those visits are coming from the U.S.," real-estate portal Point2Homes customer relations director Jacquelyn Bauer told CBC News.
Bauer noted that several Cape Breton agents have already received emails from interested buyers, adding that the generous exchange rates afforded by the low Canadian dollar is proving attractive to those in the market for new homes.
Point2Homes said that interest in the Trump page might wane over time, which is why local agents should take advantage of this level of attention.
Orchestra
Abby Barto
School: Midland High School
Year: Senior
Instrument: Trumpet
All-state ensemble: 6A All-State Philharmonic Orchestra
Extracurricular activities: Concert Band, Jazz Band, Marching Band, Orchestra, Handbells, Choir, NHS, German NHS
Other honors you have received: All-region for four years, all-area for four years, all-state for two years, State Solo and Ensemble, and academic awards
What does it mean to you to be an all-state performer: Being an all-state performer means pushing yourself to go the extra mile in order to accomplish one of the highest honors available to high school musicians. People who make all-state demonstrate the responsibility and dedication that is required to make such great performing ensembles. I am very blessed to have gained the experience of playing with both the all-state band (last year) and the all-state philharmonic orchestra (this year). Both ensembles were incredible, and I will remember playing with them for the rest of my life.
Why are the fine arts important to education: The fine arts are important to education because they not only teach students what it means to hold responsibility within a group but also allow them to dedicate their time towards the creation of something beautiful.
Favorite moment in your fine arts discipline: My favorite moments in band definitely have been both of the times I have made all-state. Reaching that level of competition only enhanced my love for music.
Choir
Crystal Jaquez
School: Midland High School
Year: Senior
Voice part: Alto
All-State ensemble: Girls Choir
Extracurricular Activities: Church
Other honors you have received: For three years I have been in all-region. Then, two years of state ensemble and three straight years of state solo. Last year I was the Choirs historian but this year I got the honor to be the president.
What does it mean to you to be an all-state performer: To be an all-state performer means that all of my hard work finally paid off. It was such a honor to have been able to sing with such amazing and talented young women like me.
Why are the fine arts important to education: Fine arts education is very important. Music is connected to many things and many people. It can make people happy or sad. But none of this would happen if it wasnt for the education we receive from our elementary to even our college days.
Favorite moment in your fine arts discipline: My favorite moment would have to be when we sing a song and time just comes to a hold. Its like all of my worries go away and the music fills my heart with more joy then I could ask for.
Parents can apply for pre-kindergarten
Application packets for Midland ISDs Early Childhood Program -- pre-kindergarten -- will be available at the administration building, 615 W. Missouri Ave., beginning March 14. When parents or guardians pick up a packet, they will schedule an appointment to discuss eligibility.
The program is for children from low-income or homeless families; children who are limited in English; children who currently are in or previously have been in foster care; children in active military or reserves family. They must turn 4 on or before Sept. 1.
For more information, call 240-1530.
SRSU honors Midlander
Midlander Brad Carter was among individuals honored Feb. 20 at Sul Ross State Universitys annual Hall of Honor/Distinguished Alumni banquet. Carter, a 1976, graduate, received the first Outstanding Alumni Association Advisory Board member award.
The award has been established to recognize exemplary volunteer service and dedication to the university, according to a press release from SRSU.
Bill Nye is MC lecture series speaker
Bill Nye, the Science Guy is coming to Midland College on March 17 as part of the Davidson Distinguished Lecture Series.
Nye is a scientist, engineer, comedian, author and inventor. His mission is to help foster a scientifically literate society and to make science entertaining and accessible, according to MCs website.
The free lecture is 7:30 p.m. at Chaparral Center.
Albuquerque schools face enrollment decline
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Enrollment at New Mexicos largest school district is projected to drop more than 10,000 students within this decade.
The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://goo.gl/nFPlX2) the most precipitous declines are in kindergarten, making the outlook even bleaker as fewer students enter the pipeline for Albuquerque Public Schools. cq
Officials say the slide began shortly after the economic downturn, with enrollment dropping at the beginning of this decade.
Rose-Ann McKernan, executive director of the districts Office of Accountability and Reporting, said Albuquerque Public Schools administrators are looking at options should the decline continue.
McKernan says lower birth rates and movement of students to charter schools, other districts within New Mexico and other states are to blame for the decline.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Without Texas, Tuesday wouldn't be so super.
The state is the largest of 12 holding "Super Tuesday" presidential primary elections in one or both parties, and its 155 Republican and 252 Democratic delegates could reshape both parties' nomination battles. It takes 1,237 Republican National Convention delegates to win the GOP's nomination and 2,382 delegates to secure the Democratic one.
All 36 of Texas' U.S. House seats also are up, but only a few races appear competitive in the primary. And GOP control of both the Texas Senate and House won't change, but some establishment Republicans could be tested by tea party-backed challengers, while other tea party legislators may be put to the test themselves.
Here are some key questions that could be answered:
___
HOME STATE ADVANTAGE?
Ted Cruz is Texas' junior senator, claims 27,000 volunteers statewide and was endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, former Gov. Rick Perry and many top state Republicans in Congress and the Legislature.
Amid expectations he'll lock up his home state, however, Cruz still appears to face a dogfight with New York billionaire Donald Trump and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. That means Cruz supporters could face a scary proposition should their candidate lose in his must-win home state.
Even the Texas winner may not take all, though. Garnering 50-plus percent of the statewide vote guarantees just 47 Republican delegates, while taking the remaining 108 will require capturing a majority of the votes cast in each congressional district.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is not from Texas but has decades-long ties to its Democratic base and is favored over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The Texas Democratic primary winner statewide locks up 77 delegates, while 145 will be allocated based on the results in each of the 31 state Senate districts. The final 30 are super delegates who can back any candidate in July, at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
___
CONGRESSIONAL DRAMA?
Powerful House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady is among 13 Texas Republican congressional incumbents facing primary opponents. Brady has challengers from the right in a four-way primary, and may be forced into a runoff May 24 if no one wins a majority Tuesday. That's when things could get really dangerous for him.
On the Democratic side, 12-term U.S. Rep. Gene Green has drawn his first serious primary challenger in years from former Harris County Sherriff Adrian Garcia. The Houston-centric district is about 60 percent Hispanic.
Fellow Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa is retiring. Among six Democrats vying for the party nomination for his South Texas seat is Dolly Elizondo, who is trying to become the first Hispanic woman to represent Texas in Congress. A runoff may be necessary.
That's also the case in the West Texas district where U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer is retiring and hasn't endorsed any of the nine Republicans running to replace him.
___
TEA PARTY TAKEDOWNS?
In the Texas House, some conservative insurgents are aiming to topple establishment Republicans even as other tea party-backed legislators could find themselves ousted by more-moderate challengers.
House Speaker Joe Straus is facing a pair of challengers from the right in his San Antonio district, while tea party-backed candidates are hoping to upset Straus lieutenants Rep. Byron Cook of Corsicana and Fort Worth Rep. Charlie Geren.
Meanwhile, Reps. Jonathan Stickland of Bedford and Molly White of Belton, leading tea party voices in the chamber, are facing primary challenges. Irving Rep. Matt Rinaldi is competing with former state lawmaker Bennett Ratliff, who lost to Rinaldi by fewer than 100 votes during 2014's Republican primary.
___
EARLY WINNER?
During the governor's race two years ago, 53 percent of Texas voters cast ballots before Election Day, and early voting topped 63 percent of all ballots cast during the November 2012 presidential election. That means Texas' primary could be decided long before the polls even open Tuesday.
More than 1.7 million votes representing 12 percent of registered statewide voters were cast through the end of early voting on Friday. Of those, about 450,000 were in the Democratic primary and nearly 660,000 in the Republican one. It won't be clear until after Tuesday, though, what percentage of the overall number of votes cast those tallies represent.
___
TURNOUT TURNAROUND?
During the 2012 presidential race, Texas held its primary in May, after the Republican nomination had been locked up by Mitt Romney, and with no one challenging the sitting Democratic president for his party's nomination. This cycle, Texas deliberately moved up to Super Tuesday, seeking outsized influence on still-competitive nomination races.
Turnout this time could be closer to March 2008, when the much-watched race between Clinton and Barack Obama saw more than 2.8 million Texans, or nearly 23 percent of statewide registered voters, participate in the Democratic primary. More than 1.3 million Republicans, or nearly 11 percent of the state's registered voters, cast ballots in that year's Republican primary, featuring John McCain and Mike Huckabee.
Polls indicate U.S. S
en. Ted Cruz is the front-runner to win in the Republican primary for president in Texas. As we head into Tuesday's balloting, the question is: Will billionaire Donald Trump take Midland County?
Cruz -- who leads by nearly 10 points, according to the Real Clear Politics average of Texas polls -- should have a lock on Midland County based on past elections. But voters here have been known to throw a curve ball or two. Specifically, Midland County voters have been known to support that anti-establishment and certainly that anti-Washington candidate.
Cruz carried 62 percent of Midland County voters in the Republican Party primary runoff for Senate in 2012. Dewhurst, the lieutenant governor of Texas, was branded establishment, while Cruz ran on a platform to change how business would be done.
An even greater of example of Midland County voters turning their backs on the establishment candidate occurred in the GOP primary for governor in 2010 when insurgent candidate Debra Medina finished with more votes in Midland County than U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Medinas second-place showing in Midland County was one of many around the Permian Basin, as she also placed second to Gov. Rick Perry in Andrews, Ector, Pecos, Ward and Martin counties. Medina actually beat Perry and Hutchison in Crane County.
So for anyone looking for an interesting story line tonight, check out which presidential candidate actually wins Midland County and other counties in the Permian Basin. Voters in the region have been known to buck conventional wisdom before.
-- Turnout: Many expected voter turnout to be higher this year compared to four years ago, and the results so far are living up to expectations. The Midland County Elections Office reported 10,352 (9,458 Republican and 894 Democrat) ballots cast in Midland County. That is more than the 6,000-plus in 2012. Historically, the number of voters on Election Day in Midland County is comparable to the number who voted during the early voting period. If that trend holds up this year, the 19,000 or so voters would be a significant increase to the 11,620 who voted in the Republican and Democratic party primaries in 2012.
Dave McDermand/The Eagle
NAVASOTA, Texas (AP) A man training to become a pilot was flying with his instructor and his girlfriend's two children when their single-engine plane crashed over the weekend in Southeast Texas, killing all four.
Grimes County Sheriff Don Sowell told The Eagle newspaper (http://bit.ly/1nbu3nE ) that Amjad Sultan owned the plane and was working to earn his pilot's license.
David Starfire, an electronic music producer from Los Angeles, returns with his fifth album Karuna, out for release TODAY, March 1, on Bandcamp, iTunes, Beatport, Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music and all digital music stores.
The album is Kickstarter funded, which is a collaboration between Starfire and Burmese musicians. Its unique cover art is created by esteemed digital painter Android Jones.
"Karuna" means "Compassion" in Sanskrit, perfectly describing the album, which was created during his visit to the refugee border zones in Northern Thailand back in 2015. Proceeds of the album will go to the Thai Freedom House in Chiang Mai, which is devoted to educating Burmese refugees through language, arts and academic programs, a press release stated.
The music of Karuna integrates Eastern and Western scales from native and modern instruments. It also incorporates glitched violins, delayed xylophone, gamelan, homemade harps, buffalo horn flutes, and Burmese vocals. The versatility and complexity of Burmese musicianship are reflected in the album.
The track The One includes the voice of legendary visionary artist and philosopher Alex Grey, reciting an excerpt from his book Art Psalms, along with the shamanic flute of Joaqopelli.
Harp player and social activist Doo Plout is featured on the track Tenaku which is compose by William Close and The Earth Harp Collective. Meanwhile, the song Ywa features the voice of Chi Suwichan, a prominent Karen social activist and harp player who travels the globe promoting the cause of his people through music, LA Weekly reported.
The album also features Burmese stroh violinist Len Pong, vocalist Gonlao, and temple drummers from Wat Pa Pao and Wat Tung Salee in addition to electronic artist/violinist Govinda, violinist HAANA, hammer dulcimer player Jamie Janover, vocalist Oriel Poole, and more.
Starfire will have an album release party in Toronto on Friday, March 5. He will also be performing at the festival circuit, beginning with Tree Fort Festival and Lightning in a Bottle.
Karuna Tracklisting
01. Qilin (feat. Len Pong)
02. Osi (feat. HAANA)
03. The One (feat. Alex Grey and Joaqopelli)
04. Khong (feat. Govinda and Jamie Janover)
05. Na Hearn (feat. Gonlao)
06. Tenaku (feat. William Close & Doo Plout)
07. Taphon (feat. Oriel Poole and Len Pong)
08. Y'wa (feat. Chi Suwichan & Len Pong)
09. The One (Instrumental)
10. Na Hearn (Instrumental)
2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
M83 has unveiled some long-awaited details on their upcoming album now titled Junk. Led by frontman French synth master Anthony Gonzalez, the LP will be released on April 8. No further details are known about the follow-up to their breakout 2011 LP Hurry Up, We're Dreaming that netted the hit "Midnight City." To support the album, M83 will tour extensively this spring and summer.
The news was first announced by Pitchfork.
Speaking to EW when the album was first announced in December, Gonzalez described the LP as "very epic" and "very different from previous albums." This would make sense with a five year period in between LPs. He cites 1970s and 1980s television as a main influence on his new music and says "we really tried to be very modern but also very old-school at the same time."
For their tour, M83 posted an open call for a female keyboardist. The tour kicks off on April 6 in New Orleans, which means they have to complete the auditions very soon to learn and drill the music in the next few weeks before hitting the road for the next several months. They will be supported by the likes of YACHT, Tame Impala, Bob Moses, Borns and Okay Kaya on select dates throughout their various tour dates in North America.
The group will tour the world from April to August, hitting North America, Asia and Europe, hitting concert halls and festivals like Sziget, Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Sasquatch, Melt, NOS Festival, Solidays Festival and so many more. Get all of the details on their tour here and stay tuned for a complete tracklist in the next few weeks.
2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Sarkodie should have been bigger than ...
Microphone and US Flag View Photos
Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski delivered this weeks Republican address and talked about President Obamas plan to close Guantanamo Bay.
Walorski was Tuesdays KVMLs Newsmaker of the Day. Here are her words:
The President says Guantanamo Bay makes us less safe because terrorists use it as a propaganda tool. But terrorists use just about any type of military response as a propaganda tool. Thats no reason to unilaterally disarm. And, I can tell you that when were talking about Gitmo, were talking about the worst of the worst terrorists in the entire world.
The President isnt talking about trying to move people to the United States prison system that are low level criminals or terrorists. These are the worst of the worst, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was the mastermind behind 9/11.
Not only that, but 30 percent of former Guantanamo prisoners are either confirmed or suspected of re-engaging in terrorism. In fact, just this week, a former Guantanamo prisoner was arrested in Spain after trying to recruit for ISIS. Theres a reason these terrorists are in Guantanamo. And we should keep them there.
Thats why the peoples representatives have repeatedly voted to forbid the transfer of Guantanamo prisoners to American soil. This goes all the way back to when the presidents party controlled Congress. And just last year, we affirmed this decision by a big, bipartisan vote370 votes in the House and 91 votes in the Senate.
Finally, the biggest problem with the presidents plan is that its not much of a plan at all. It lacks crucial details required by law. For instance, he doesnt say exactly how much money a new facility would cost taxpayers. He doesnt even say where it would be. The President has had seven years to come up with this alternative plan. The burden is not on the American people to hand him one more legacy trophy. The burden is on him.
This whole debate is just a distraction from the Presidents failure to defeat ISIS. But it does speak to a larger point. The President seems to think as if a more timid America would keep us safe. We, in the House, could not disagree more. We think a confident America is what keeps the peace. A confident America is what will make us secure. So we will continue to do all we can in the House to hold the President accountable, to keep terrorists off our soil, and to keep the American people safe. Thank you.
The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM
Ahwanhee Hotel...or Majestic Yosemite Hotel View Photos
Yosemite, CA A highly-anticipated March 1 transition only hours away today is reportedly full of last-minute wrangling with the passing of the reins between Yosemite National Parks outgoing and incoming concessionaires.
There is a lot of transition going on a lot of folks from Aramark herea lot of issues with the signs that folks are familiar with, but also this is a huge undertaking, explains Yosemite National Park spokesperson Scott Gediman. They are coming in and changing out everything from computer systemsreservations systemsuniforms, to getting folks oriented, so operationally, this is a huge undertaking, but Aramark is doing a great job preparing for it Delaware North has been very gracious about the transition, and we are just moving forward.
Visitors are scarfing up certain park souvenirs at half-price today, due to a multi-million-dollar trademark lawsuit (previously reported here) brought by departing concessioner Delaware North Companies, as it currently has legal control of the words Yosemite National Park for commercial uses, as well as the iconic names of several park attractions, which were recently renamed and are still physically being re-signed at the park. Among these are Yosemite Lodge at the Falls; The Ahwahnee; Curry Village; Wawona Hotel; and Badger Pass Ski Area. Unless the concessioners otherwise arrange terms, these attractions will become respectively known as Yosemite Valley Lodge; The Majestic Yosemite Hotel; Half Dome Village; Big Trees Lodge; and Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area. Delaware North, as reported here, maintains that it hopes that a fair and just agreement may be reached that would allow the use of the historic names to continue.
Yosemite No Matter What
As far as sportswear and other gift shop sales, Gediman notes, In the final hours of Delaware Norths contract, Yosemite National Park [branded merchandise] is being sold, and what will be sold tomorrow or how it will be sold is something that is being worked out by Aramark and Delaware North today.
For their part, Aramark spokesperson David Freireich shares, Due to the outgoing concessioners claim that it owns the trademark for Yosemite National Park, we are unable to sell certain items, including apparel, pens, mugs and stickers, branded with Yosemite National Park. To avoid trademark infringement, we will be introducing a Yosemite branded line of souvenirs.
In what she plans to be the last week of an email petition requesting intervention from the U.S. Congress over Delaware Norths trademark lawsuit (reported here) Columbia College Professor Laurie Sylwester reports that, internationally, there have been 36,400 views of the petition, and 7,474 signatures from all 50 states and 48 countries around the world, to date.
Sylwester hopes that federal lawmakers, and ahead of them, Congressional staffers making note of all the comments provided with the signatures will send up a red flag for protective legislation. I would really hope for action on federal law to keep from having [similar lawsuits] happen because other parks are in the same position, really, she states. Last week, in response to the ensuing issues from the Delaware North trademark lawsuit, the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors approved sending a letter to the National Park Service and Delaware North Company, urging that the two sides find a solution. It was also last week that Mother Lode lawmaker Assemblymember Frank Bigelow helped introduce AB 2249, which aims to prevent concessionaires from claiming ownership of any names associated with state parks, as reported here.
Moving Forward As Smoothly As Possible
Any disputes aside, Freireich reports that his company remains extremely honored to have won the 15-year, estimated $2 billion Yosemite concessions contract and looks forward to working with the National Park Service to deliver great experiences for visitors as stewards of the iconic park that is special place for so many. As he states, Our top priority is to ensure as smooth a transition as possible for guests and we have been working closely with the NPS to develop a comprehensive transition plan in advance of commencing operations March 1. Aramark, as Yosemite Hospitality LLC, will annually provide lodging, retail, recreational services, and food to over four million park visitors.
The new concessionaire has, since the new contract was announced last June, maintained that specific details of its plans for the park would be announced over the coming months, also sharing a goal to elevate the guest and visitor experience by introducing new offerings, upgrading amenities and enhancing existing programs. However, still clearly dealing with the complexities of transitioning with Delaware North, which has held the concessions contract for the past 20 years, no specific details of Aramarks move forward plans have yet been publicly made available.
For now and over the short-term, as Gediman states, Yosemite National Park never closes and it has to be a seamless transition from tonight to tomorrow. Aramark has hired a significant number of folks from Delaware North I do not have the exact number so I know that a lot of the folks who had worked for Delaware North will continue to work for Aramark. Above all, and even with some apparent wrangling in the final hours between the two concessionaires, Gediman says, I do want visitors [to know] that, if someone has a reservation and they are coming tomorrow, the stores, restaurants, shops will all be open, and the seamless transition has been a huge priority for us and we feel really good about Aramark taking the reins.
Aramark currently provides concessions for numerous public attractions through contracts with the National Parks Service and other entities. Among these are: Denali National Park & Preserve; Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve; Mesa Verde National Park; Olympic National Park; Glen Canyon National Recreation Area; Lake Mead National Recreation Area; Lake Tahoe Basin National Forest; Grand Canyon National Park; Olympic National Forest; Hearst Castle; The Field Museum; Pikes Peak; National Museum of the Marine Corps; US Mint; and Gettysburg National Military Park.
Sacramento, CA California lawmakers are looking at ways to beef-up cyber security among state agencies.
A recent report from the states Auditors office pointed out several recent state breaches, partially due to ineffective training among individual agencies. The Associated Press reports that 73 of 77 agencies that were reviewed last year had holes in its cyber security systems. These agencies have access to the personal information of several Californians, such as addresses and social security numbers.
At an information hearing in Sacramento, Assembly member Jacqui Irwin, Chair of the states Assembly Cybersecurity Committee, stated, The place we start is with the Auditors report and looking at what the departments are doing, and if they have the proper security in place. We just need to stay on this. There is going to be another hearing in August, and we will see how the departments are moving forward.
Other lawmakers at the hearing referred to the auditors report as horrible and unacceptable.
The Department of Information Technology has requested an additional $1.5 million this year to hire 11 additional employees to focus on auditing the efforts of state agencies to protect personal information.
Yosemite, CA In its dwindling hours as concessionaire at Yosemite National Park, Delaware North Companies moved to clarify the legal case over its retention of iconic Yosemite trademarks with the CFO of the National Park Service.
In a letter shared with Clarke Broadcasting, dated Monday, February 29, Delaware North Companies Executive Vice President/CEO Rick Abramson claimed to National Park Service CFO Lena McDowall that his company was unable to fulfill a final clause in their contract when incoming concessioner Aramark declined to purchase certain assets at fair value and when the National Parks Service (NPS) did not subsequently mandate Aramark to do so. Among these assets are the disputed Yosemite-related trademarks and related inventory. Delaware North noted that Aramark furthermore rejected its offer to transfer to them the trademarks for use, pending the outcome of Delaware Norths related lawsuit.
In the letter, Delaware North further posed its willingness to transfer the marks to the National Park Service, either directly or through an escrow. The company also made it clear that, as it makes its formal exit, it is not abandoning other unresolved assets that remain at the park. In a subsequent media release, Delaware North stated that, with that offer, the fate of the historic names is now fully within the control of the National Park Service.
The full text of the emailed letter is provided below:
National Park Service
February 29, 2016
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service 1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20240
Attn: Ms. Lena McDowall, Chief Financial Officer
Re: Concession Contract No. YOSE004-93
Dear Lena:
As you know, today is the final day that DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc. (DNCY) will perform concession services at Yosemite National Park under its contract with the National Park Service (NPS), i.e., Concession Contract No. YOSE004-93 (the Contract). I thus write to inform you of the status of the parties performance of their obligations under Section 13 of the Contract.
Section 13 of the Contract requires DNCY to sell and transfer to a successor concessioner all of the Possessory Interest and other property DNCY uses or holds for use in connection with its Yosemite operations, and obligates NPS to require the successor concessioner to purchase and pay fair value for that property. As of this writing, DNCY has sold and transferred to the successor concessioner (Aramark) all of the property subject to Section 13 except for four categories of property that DNCY has offered to sell and transfer to Aramark but which Aramark to date has declined to purchase for fair value. DNCY maintains that NPS has breached Section 13 of the Contract by failing to require Aramark to purchase at fair value these four remaining categories of assets. These four categories of assets therefore remain subject to the lawsuit pending before the United States Court of Federal Claims, DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc. v. United States, No. 1:15-cv-91934-PEC (Fed. Cl.) (the Litigation).
The four categories of property remaining to be purchased by Aramark and subject to the Litigation are (1) DNCYs Yosemite-related trade names, trademarks, and service marks (the Marks), (2) all inventory and items such as plates at The Ahwahnee displaying the Marks (the Branded Inventory and Assets), (3) capital improvements to real property at Yosemite (the Real Property Capital Improvements), and (4) trade fixtures at Yosemite, including without limitation range hoods and the structural components of tents and tent cabins (Personal Property Capital Improvements, and together with the Real Property Capital Improvements, the Capital Improvements). Aramark has refused to purchase the Marks because DNCY and NPS dispute their fair value. Further, Aramark has refused to purchase the Branded Inventory and Assets until the dispute regarding the Marks is resolved. Aramark and NPS contend Aramark is not required to purchase the Capital Improvements.
To comply with its contractual obligation to NPS to sell and transfer this property to Aramark, DNCY has offered to transfer the Marks, Branded Inventory and Assets and Capital Improvements to Aramark, with the amount of compensation to which DNCY is entitled for the property to be determined either by subsequent negotiation or in the Litigation. This would fulfill the intent of the Contract that the new concessioner has all of the property needed to run the Yosemite operations with the same excellence with which DNCY has done so for the past 23 years, and that DNCY receive fair value for its property. DNCY has forwarded a trademark assignment to Aramark, and Aramark has not accepted this offer.
As you know, DNCY has been attempting since 2014 to ensure that these transition issues were fully resolved if and when a new contractor took over concession operations in Yosemite. Unfortunately, NPS did not reciprocate and it is now apparent that Aramark will begin operations without having acquired all of the necessary property. Most importantly, by refusing to acquire or take assignment of the Marks, Aramark will begin operations without ownership of the famous, iconic names associated with the concessions at Yosemite. This is obviously contrary not only to the plain language and intent of Section 13 of the Contract, but also to the interest of the public and its deep affection for the Marks.
In light of Aramarks refusal to accept the Marks, DNCY is willing to transfer the Marks directly to NPS, so long as DNCYs right to continue to seek fair value for its property is not diminished. We do not perceive any reason for NPS to decline this offer, especially in light of the fact that NPS intends to become the owner of these Marks eventually pursuant to the provision in Aramarks contract requiring the transfer of any Yosemite-related trademarks to NPS. Nonetheless, if NPS is for some reason unwilling to take ownership of the Marks in a direct transfer from DNCY, DNCY would be willing to place the Marks in escrow under the control of NPS until the respective rights and obligations of DNCY, NPS and Aramark are resolved through the Litigation or otherwise.
In any event, because NPS is expected to be the ultimate owner of the Marks, it is important for NPS to be aware that important rights with respect to the Marks could be affected by action or inaction of NPS, Aramark, or an escrow agent with respect to protecting the Marks after today, including maintaining their registrations at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Furthermore, DNCY is seeking damages and other relief in the Litigation for NPSs failure to require Aramark to purchase for fair value the Capital Improvements. To remove all doubt, DNCY is not abandoning this property, but instead is leaving it in the Park for Aramarks use pursuant to DNCYs obligations under Section 13 of the Contract, and is pursuing in the Litigation the compensation NPS should have made Aramark pay for this property under Section 13. We hereby provide notice to NPS that it is obligated to preserve and maintain the Capital Improvements after the Contract expires and refrain from taking any action, directly or indirectly, to waste or diminish their value until the Litigation is resolved.
Please contact me if you would like to discuss this matter or have any questions.
Sincerely,
Rick Abramson
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Delaware North Companies, Inc.
Sonora, CA Tuolumne County leaders learned more about the federal National Resilience Competition money that will be coming to fund post Rim Fire projects.
The Rim Fire application requested around $117-million from the HUD grant program, but only $70-million was approved by federal officials.
The funding is being broken down into three major categories. At todays board of supervisors meeting, County Administrator Craig Pedro stated that $40-million was requested for Forest and Watershed Health, but only $28.6-million will be allocated. The lead agency in charge of overseeing the use of the money will be the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, and partners will include CAL Fire, the US Forest Service and the California Conservation Corp.
$55-million was requested to build Community Resilience Centers in both Groveland and Tuolumne. However, $19.8-million was approved, so only one of the facilities will be constructed. Tuolumne County is the lead agency to oversee the planning, and must decide which is the more beneficial project. Additional agency partners include Columbia College, the California Conservation Corp., Tuolumne County Economic Development Authority and the US Forest Service.
$22-million was requested to build a Biomass Facility and Wood Products Campus, and the full allocation was approved by HUD. The Sierra Nevada Conservancy and CalEPA will be in charge of the planning, and the agency partners include Tuolumne County and the US Forest Service.
More information should be known later this month as launch events are being organized in both Sacramento and Tuolumne County.
The federal grant funding is designed to help communities bounce back from national disasters, and become more resilient against future disasters.
SpaceX will try again Tuesday evening to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from the Space Coast.
SpaceX scrubbed the launch three times in the past few days., including an attempt on Sunday.
The new target window is Tuesday from 6:35 p.m. to 8:05 p.m. SpaceX said it shifted the window slightly to avoid upper-level wind issues.
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The SES-9 satellite will provide service to Southeast Asia with high-speed internet and high-definition television.
The launch was to be the first by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral since Dec. 21, when the company landed the first stage of its rocket on the ground.
Coverage from the Space Coast: Headlines, Launch Schedule, Resources
The SES launch was delayed for several months after a Falcon 9 rocket with NASA cargo on board exploded in June 2015.
The Falcon 9 rocket has been upgraded since the explosion.
SpaceX has agreed to burn the upper-stage rocket for a few extra seconds to help get the SES satellite into its proper orbit sooner.
While the second stage is helping the satellite get into orbit, the first stage of the rocket will return to Earth.
SES said it plans to be back out on the Cape this fall to launch two more satellites, SES 10 and SES 11.
An investigation is underway after a man was shot and killed by a Palm Bay police officer following a standoff Tuesday morning.
Neighbors say things escalated after a noise complaint. It all started with a 911 call that led to a police standoff and ended with the death of one man on Mariposa Drive in Palm Bay.
It was a typical morning involving construction work on this block, until things got out of hand.
I just heard that the gentleman that lived there was upset with the people next door cause they were making too much noise during their construction remodeling or whatever they were doing, said Freen Manning who lives across the street.
A 911 call was made about a man making threats to shoot three people doing construction at the home next door. According to investigators, the suspect, later identified 39-year-old Dimitri Corcino, was armed with a loaded semi-automatic handgun.
When Palm Bay Police Department got to the scene, there was a one and a half hour stand off between Corcino and officers.
Its tough for everybody including the family, the officers involved," said Palm Bay Police Department Chief Mark Renkens. "Its just something that we dread but sometimes were forced to do.
Officials say Corcino kept coming in and out of the home holding the weapon while making threatening gestures. That is when Corporal Jason McCoy fired a single shot that killed him.
Some neighbors believe the police couldve held off longer.
Hes never been an individual to be aggressive like that so I was very surprised, said one neighbor.
Others believe, police were just doing their job.
I hope the officer gets through it and I feel bad for the suspect but you shouldnt come out with a firearm, said William Worth who lives close by.
The Palm Bay Police Department said this is the first time McCoy has ever been involved in a situation like this under their agency. Due to standard protocol, the officer has been placed on administrative leave.
Veterans injured in war zones will be traveling to Cocoa Beach on Tuesday for a one-of-a-kind experience on the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Operation Surf returns this week to the Space Coast.
Amazing Surf Adventures, a nonprofit organization, started Operation Surf in California. This will be the second year the event is in Brevard County.
Volunteers teach disabled veterans how to surf as a form of therapy.
Organizers said surfing helps veterans many of the participants served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan heal physically, mentally and spiritually.
Six veterans from different parts of Florida will participate in this year's event.
"It just opened my eyes that everything is possible," said Joel Ramos, a retired U.S. Army soldier. "That not because I'm missing a leg, I can't do anything. It's amazing what the water does and what these people do for us. It's just amazing."
The veterans will arrive at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront on Tuesday afternoon, and surfing classes begin Wednesday on the beach. Classes continue through the weekend.
Go here for volunteer information.
The University of Central Florida is $3 million closer to getting a new downtown Orlando campus. On Tuesday, UCF announced Dr. Phillips Charities is pledging $3 million to the UCF Downtown project.
Raquel Toro will likely graduate from UCF before the new downtown campus is even built. But shes happy other students will have the chance to learn there.
I think its going to be an awesome opportunity for anyone thats going to be over there, said Toro, a UCF Senior.
Since Governor Rick Scott rejected a plan to spend millions of dollars of state money for the UCF Downtown project in 2015, the university has collected $16 million in public and private donations from the community, including the $3 million announced Tuesday the largest donation to date.
It just shows some people see our vision and want to contribute and be a part of it, said Toro.
UCF needs $60 million total for the UCF Downtown campus. They have $20 million ready to go in university funds. This latest donation gives them $16 million of the $20 million they need from the community. UCF is hoping the funding already in place will now convince state leaders to approve contributing the remaining $20 million of state money.
On Wednesday, UCF will present their plans for the project to the Florida Board of Governors in hopes the board will approve the project. That approval would pave the way for Governor Scott to approve state spending for the project.
Rachel Toro says she plans on doing graduate work at UCF, and she loves the idea of studying in the heart of downtown Orlando.
I like the idea of taking SunRail into downtown. You know, you can go to class and then be around network and go to your internships because its right over there. I think its going to be awesome, said Toro.
DONATIONS
Dr. Phillips Charities $3 million Orange County Government $3 million Valencia College $2 million Orlando Magic $1.5 million CFE Federal Credit Union $1.5 million Florida Hospital $1.5 million UCF Leadership and Boards $1 million Creative Village Development, LLC $1 million Alan Ginsburg, Orlando Philanthropist $500,000 Orlando City Soccer Club $300,000 CNL Financial Group $250,000 Universal Orlando Foundation and Universal Orlando Resort $250,000 Dr. Bruce Douglas of Winter Park $100,000 Coca-Cola $100,000 Total
$16 million
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Although St. Patricks Day 2016 is two weeks ago, the Plainview High Powerhouse of the Plains Marching Band already is looking ahead to 2017 when it travel to Dublin, Ireland, to be a part of the St. Patricks Day Parade.
To help band members begin preparing for the trip, Adrian Farrell, consul general of Ireland, and Eddie Lopez, representative of TMF Tours & Travel visited PHS on Friday.
After spending time with band members, Farrell, who has been at the Irish Consulate in Austin since it opened seven months ago, visited several classrooms at the school.
We are excited to have this outstanding group, which is so large, to represent Texas at Irelands biggest celebration each year, said Farrell. The band has an outstanding reputation and will be one of the largest groups marching in the parade.
The PHS band is one of a handful of college and high school bands from across the United States invited to participate in the parade through downtown Dublin. The trip is scheduled for March 14-20, 2017, and will include visits to various destinations throughout the Emerald Isle as well as taking part in Irelands largest annual celebration.
Anthony Gonzales, head band director at PHS, previously said that the Powerhouse of the Plains was also chosen to perform at the 2017 Fiesta Bowl in Arizona, but opted to visit Ireland after getting that invitation out of the blue. It came not long after the band received its 78th consecutive Division I rating in UIL marching competition, and competed in the state marching contest in San Antonio.
Lopez of Austin, representing TMF Tours, said his company has been selected to handling travel arrangements for the band.
They will be traveling in eight chartered buses to DFW Airport, Lopez said Friday, and flying from there to Dublin, after first changing planes at New Yorks JFK Airport. Its about 14 hours of flying time to Ireland.
Being invited to perform at Dublin on St. Patricks Day is a high honor, he adds. Its really based on past performances, and the Plainview band is the only one from Texas that will be marching in the parade.
The band will have five days on the ground in Ireland, and will have time to see numerous attractions and cultural locations, including Blarney Castle where they can kiss the Blarney Stone.
We anticipate about 320 band members, Lopez said. With sponsors and parents, that means about 400 on the tour.
TMF, he said, is helping set up all aspects of the trip. That includes helping participants apply for passports as advising on fundraising efforts.
This years celebration is the 100th, so the Plainview Band will be going over for the 101st St. Patricks Day Parade, Lopez. At least for this years parade, the route will be longer than in past years.
TMF already has made arrangements for eight groups with a total of 2,000 students to visit Hawaii in 2017, along with several groups going overseas including the Jackson State University from Kentucky and the University of Kentucky.
Farrell said Texas has strong ties to Ireland and Irish heritage from immigration in the 1800s and early 1900s. Engagements such as these, and my visit to the high school today, can only help to build stronger ties and better understanding between our two nations, Farrell said. This is a wonderful opportunity for all concerned.
Not only is it inhumane and cruel, but it's illegal. And one rural resident who lives outside Plainview says she's fed up with people abandoning unwanted pets in the country.
"As animal lovers, it just kills us to see this," said a woman, who asked her name not be published.
Living about 16 miles outside of Plainview, the woman has expressed her frustration at individuals who choose to drive out to rural parts of the country and abandon pets.
"It happens all the time," said the woman, who explained her family has already taken in six cats which have been left to die in the country.
The woman said she can't afford to take in any more, but the family still places a bowl of food and water outside their property so newly abandoned animals can eat and drink.
The woman says she can hear people dropping off the dogs in the middle of the night, and has even seen the act in the middle of the day.
The woman said she is keeping an eye out for any individuals attempting to drop off animals.
"I will resort soon to taking pictures of these animals and will be posting the pictures throughout Plainview and Lockney. If you can't take care of your own animals, you should not have them. Take them to animal control, don't throw them out to be coyote bait," the woman stated.
According to the Texas Humane Legislation Network, it is a Class A misdemeanor to "abandon unreasonably an animal in the person's custody." The crime is punishable by one year in jail and up to $4,000 in fines.
But this particular rural family are not the only ones being bombarded with abandoned animals.
"Many other people who live out in the country have said that people just come out and drop them off," said Cynthia Davidson, co-director of Paws Pet Adoption of Plainview.
Davidson agreed that the act was a cruel way to get rid of unwanted pets, especially puppies.
"Not only are coyotes going to get them, but they don't have food and water. They don't have hunting abilities. Maybe a cat can learn to chase mice or something like that, but these are domesticated animals, and they're not taught to fight, forage or find food on their own. And if you're talking about this area, where are they going to find water?" Davidson continued.
Davidson said recently people have even found boxes of puppies inside the city limits next to trash Dumpsters.
To help curb this trend of abandonment, Davidson pushed the spay and neuter effort driven by Paws.
If you have a Plainview address, Davidson said individuals can apply to get financial assistance to get their pets spayed or neutered.
"This can certainly cut down on them having unwanted puppies or kittens."
Pets of citizens inside of the Plainview city limits can drop off their pets at the animal shelter, but there is a fee. Though it's not what is desired, Davidson said abandonment in the country is a way harsher death than euthanasia.
"It's a little more humane but it's certainly not the result we want," Davidson said.
Davidson says the organization is still doing all they can to facilitate the adoption of strays through their program.
Animals are frequently featured as pets of the week in the Herald and on social media.
To see animals or donate to the spay and neutering fund, stop by the 500 SW Third Street, location Monday through Friday or call 806-292-8440.
Image source: Qualcomm.
Ahead of the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 flagship Android smartphone, word leaked that Qualcomm's then-flagship Snapdragon 810 processor would not make it inside the Samsung Galaxy S6 flagship phone. Shortly thereafter, Qualcomm admitted this in its Jan. 2015 earnings release.
This loss, coupled with "heightened competition in China" as well as broader share loss on the part of Qualcomm's applications processor customers to Apple , led the wireless giant to bring its revenue guidance down by about $800 million.
That said, a year later, Qualcomm looks as though it's back inside Samsung's flagship Galaxy S7 device, at least in the models that will be sold in North America and in China.
Qualcomm could use the revenue and margin boost
The Snapdragon 820 chip that powers some versions of the Galaxy S7 is the wireless giant's highest-performance mobile processor. I would expect that this means that it's also Qualcomm's most expensive and its highest margin.
Qualcomm's chip group has seen operating margin compress significantly over the last several quarters, with the company having projected operating margin in this business to be in the "low to mid-single digits" in the current quarter. Increased premium chip sales should certainly help bring in more higher-margin revenue, which should boost operating margin in the coming quarters.
This is probably more of a "sentiment" boost, though
Losing the Galaxy S6/Note 5 certainly served to negatively impact sentiment around Qualcomm stock, perhaps more so than the (very real) revenue impact. Investors have a habit of extrapolating trends (both positive and negative) from relatively limited data, and the loss of the Galaxy S6/Note 5 might have had (potential) investors thinking the following:
Samsung kicked Qualcomm out of these phones, which could mean that Samsung isn't interested in using Qualcomm-designed chips for its flagships from here on out; Since Samsung has been able to replace Qualcomm with its own in-house applications processor, all other high-end smartphone vendors will do the same.
Seeing Qualcomm win a spot inside of the Galaxy S7 (and likely the upcoming Note 6) should quell investor fears around the first point. Additionally, with Qualcomm having won practically every premium Android smartphone of note at the recent Mobile World Congress, it's likely that the fears expressed in the second point above will fade into the background for now.
Things are looking up for Qualcomm
After a year of a seemingly endless stream of bad news, things are starting to look up for Qualcomm. Its chip business should benefit from both operating expense cuts as well as a potentially better sales performance of its Snapdragon processors in the marketplace.
Indeed, although revenue growth in the current fiscal year will be difficult to achieve (analyst consensus calls for an 11% drop), a return to revenue growth in the coming fiscal year seems like a good bet (analyst consensus calls for 6% growth).
Additionally, though not the main focus of this article, Qualcomm's licensing business seems to be turning a corner as well, with the company having signed licensing agreements with major Chinese smartphone vendors such as Xiaomi and Lenovo over the last couple of months.
Although I was certainly early in buying Qualcomm stock, I think that over the long term the company, and the stock, should do well. With business fundamentals seemingly bottoming out, and with a very nice dividend yield of 3.72%, I believe that there's significantly more upside potential than downside risk for investors buying Qualcomm stock at current levels.
3 companies poised to explode when cable dies
Cable is dying. And there are 3 stocks that are poised to explode when this faltering $2.2 trillion industry finally bites the dust. Just like newspaper publishers, telephone utilities, stockbrokers, record companies, bookstores, travel agencies, and big box retailers did when the Internet swept away their business models. And when cable falters, you don't want to miss out on these 3 companies that are positioned to benefit. Click here for their names. Hint: They're not the ones you'd think!
The article Qualcomm, Inc. Wins the Samsung Galaxy S7 originally appeared on Fool.com.
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LOS ANGELES George Kennedy, the hulking, tough-guy character actor who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a savage chain-gang convict in the 1960s classic "Cool Hand Luke," has died.
His grandson Cory Schenkel says Kennedy died on Sunday morning of old age in Boise, Idaho. He was 91.
He had undergone emergency triple bypass surgery in 2002. That same year, he and his late wife moved to Idaho to be closer to their daughter and her family, though he still was involved in occasional film projects.
His biggest acting achievement came in "Cool Hand Luke," a 1967 film about a rebellious war hero played by Paul Newman who is bent on bucking the system as a prisoner on a Southern chain gang. Its theme of rebelling against authority and the establishment helped make it one of the most important films of the tumultuous 1960s.
Kennedy played the role of Dragline, the chain-gang boss who goes from Luke's No. 1 nemesis to his biggest disciple as Newman's character takes on folk hero status among fellow inmates. The movie garnered four Academy Award nominations, and Kennedy was named best supporting actor.
Newman and Kennedy provided a spectacular one-two punch Luke as the reticent anti-hero, Dragline as an illiterate brute. They shared several memorable scenes, including one in which Kennedy's character wins a bet by getting Luke to eat 50 eggs in an hour.
After the critical and commercial success of "Cool Hand Luke," Kennedy carved out a niche as one of Hollywood's most recognizable supporting actors. He had parts in several action flicks in the 1970s, played Leslie Nielsen's sidekick in the "Naked Gun" spoofs and was J.R. Ewing's business rival in the final seasons of "Dallas."
One of his strongest supporting roles was in the hit 1970 film "Airport," which spurred the run of 1970s disaster pictures. Kennedy played Joe Patroni, a no-nonsense, cigar-chomping troubleshooter who stubbornly guides a jetliner stuck on a snow-clogged runway out of harm's way.
The film spawned several sequels (Kennedy was in all of them) and landed Kennedy a Golden Globe nomination.
Kennedy said his acting ambitions were cemented when he was a young child.
"I remember listening to a radio program when I was young and it made me feel good and I remember telling my mom that I wanted to make people feel the way this radio program made me feel," Kennedy said in 1995.
"I got some great breaks, and I wound up being an actor."
His film career began to take flight in the early 1960s. He starred in 1963's "Charade," a whodunit that features Kennedy, Cary Grant, James Coburn and Walter Matthau seeking out the $250,000 they suspect was left behind by Audrey Hepburn's dead husband. His other acting credits in the 1960s included "The Dirty Dozen" and "Guns of the Magnificent Seven."
Kennedy once called "Charade" the favorite movie in which he appeared.
"It had Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, music by Henry Mancini; it was shot entirely in Paris," he said in 1995. "I have nothing but wonderful memories."
Kennedy became regular face in action movies in the 1970s after the success of "Airport," including "Earthquake" and "Death on the Nile." He made several film and television appearances in the early and mid-1980s, but few were successful.
He turned to comedic roles in the 1980s and 1990s, the most memorable being the three "Naked Gun" films.
Among his later credits was a small role in Wim Wenders' 2005 film, "Don't Come Knocking." Kennedy's last on-screen role was in the 2014 remake of "The Gambler," which starred Mark Wahlberg.
Kennedy was born in New York in 1925. He started acting at the age of 2 when he joined a touring company production of "Bringing up Father." Five years later, he became a disc jockey with a kids radio show.
He enlisted in the Army at 17 and served in World War II, opening the first Army Information Office that provided technical assistance to films and TV shows. Kennedy spent 16 years in the Army and left as a captain.
After his Army stint, Kennedy made his television debut in "The Phil Silvers Show" in 1955 and had a variety of guest appearances in the Westerns "Have Gun, Will Travel," ''Cheyenne" and "Gunsmoke."
Kennedy, an avid reader, also dabbled in writing and published a couple of murder mysteries.
Schenkel remembered sitting in on an autograph session in London with his grandfather.
"I sat behind him for hours that day watching the hundreds of fans in line waiting to meet my grandpa," Schenkel recalled. "At the end of the day we sat in our hotel room eating room service and he said to me, 'Seeing all those people I was able to bring a little enjoyment and happiness into their life That is why I did it.'"
In later years, Kennedy became an advocate for adopted children. He had four adopted children, including his granddaughter Taylor, whose mother, also adopted by Kennedy, had become addicted to drugs and alcohol.
"Don't let the fact that you're 77 or 70 get in your way. Don't let the fact that you're a single parent and you want to adopt get in your way," Kennedy said in a Fox interview in 2002. "That kid, some place right now, cold and wet, needs somebody to say, "I love you, kid, good night.'"
Associated Press writer Josh Hoffner contributed to this report.
Click through the gallery above to see Kennedy through the years.
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We hate to be the bearer of bad Boerne news, but Katy Perry is not planning to ride her dark horse into Texas to become the one that got away. She will most likely remain a "California gurl," or maybe wake up in Vegas, but not in the antique-loving Hill Country.
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The McKenzie Post, a website which has made its purpose of being a premiere fantasy news site evident, published an article claiming the songstress was packing her bags and fleeing the insincere Los Angeles lifestyle for Texas Hill Country comforts.
I want a ranch, I want cows, I want chickens! Perry supposedly told People Magazine, according to the satirical site. Im not giving up my career, I just want to move to a place that feels so different than what Ive been used to all my life. For me, that place is Boerne, Texas.
RELATED: Miranda Lambert hangs in New Braunfels with Buc-ee's, chicken fried steak, Texas' oldest dancehall
Without further investigation into the story or the publication which hosted it, fans frenziedly shared the link more than a thousand times on Facebook, gave it 6,313 thumbs ups and opened a forum of nearly 3,000 comments as of Tuesday, according to SharedCount.
Would the A-lister peruse H-E-B aisles like a true Texas native, make appearances at hometown festivals or become a Spurs fan? The ideas snowballed while The McKenzie Post published additional articles tacking places like Wetumpka, Ala. and Rock Hill, S. C. on the stars map of big moves.
RELATED: Serena Williams takes Texas: floats San Marcos River, watches Drake at Austin City Limits
The world's richest female celeb could very well afford to make three contributions to the American housing market, but it's not happening. Not in those places, at least. But, for a brief moment, Smalltown, USA had glimmering hopes and excitement.
Now that you're wide awake, you can scoff at the poor, gullible souls sharing the link on your Facebook and Twitter feeds. You're welcome.
mmendoza@mysa.com
Twittter: @MaddySkye
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A day after Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump hosted a rally at the Fort Worth Convention Center, proponents of marijuana legalization rolled into the venue for the Southwest Cannabis Conference and Expo.
The two-day event welcomed more than 300 exhibitors as well as a line-up of speakers pushing for marijuana legalization including: Montel Williams, Ricky Williams and Alexis Bortell, the young Rowlett native whose family relocated to Colorado in order to legally treat her severe seizures with cannabis oil.
RELATED: Texas is prepping to license people to grow, sell marijuana. Here are 10 things you need to know
Montel Williams, former talk show host and long-time advocate of medical marijuana, was the featured keynote speaker of the event. He has previously discussed his reasoning for self-medication, using cannabis to treat his once debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis.
I sat in a closet in my own home in Greenwich, Conn., supposedly with the world in my palm, with a gun in my mouth for hours on end because I wanted to end my pain, the 59-year-old divulged into his illness and how medical marijuana soothed the pain, while arguing in defense of it at Harrisburg, Penn. last June, PennLive.com reported.
RELATED: These things probably won't be legal in Texas anytime soon
What has been labeled as a pot party was hosted in the same venue where Trump appeared at a rally ahead of the Texas primary elections. While Trump has weighed heavy on topics such as immigration, his views on pot have been a little fuzzy.
In a conversation with Bill OReilly, Trump discussed his flip-flop stance on marijuana.
[] in some ways, I think its good and in other ways, its bad, he said during the Feb. 10 interview. I have to see what the medical effects are and by the way, medical marijuanamedical, I am in favor 100 percent. I know people that have serious problems and they did that and it really did help them.
While 23 states have approved medicinal use of marijuana and four have legalized it across the board, possession, even for medical use, remains a crime in the Lone Star State.
However, the Texas Legislature signaled a shift in marijuana policy last year by passing a full legalization bill out of committee (it never reached the House floor for debate) and passing the Compassionate Use Program.
According to a previous report, the state will soon license dispensaries to create cannabis-derived oil products with low levels of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, for people diagnosed with intractable epilepsy.
At least a year remains until the law will be completely implemented.
RELATED: You can 'feel the Bern' by buying a Bernie Sanders weed pipe for $60 from an Oregon woman
Expo tickets sold for as much as $100 are a testament to the views of those in attendance at the expo. From men in pot plant-festooned outfits to business women in pantsuits, a wide array of cannabis supporters mingled with keynote speakers and perused the bong-selling tables, snapping photos for Instagram along the way.
Click through the gallery above for your free peek into the convention.
mmendoza@mysa.com
Twitter: @MaddySkye
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An Instagram account is binding together pages of an illustrious, online storybook of Big Bend National Park giving some insight to why new numbers released by the National Park Service show the state gem has seen the 6th largest visitor increase nationally.
RELATED: Landowners under siege in the Big Bend
El_Rangerr, a self-proclaimed desert dweller, shared photos posted to his profile showing the caverns, formations, creeks and the creatures who roam them, throughout every season with mySA.com. NPS data proves the 801,163-acre park was top-ranked for an uptick in creatures of the human kind throughout 2015.
El Ranger virtually leads those who are unable to make it to 8th largest park in the United States this year and his more than 7,000 followers throughout his massive nature walk by horseback.
RELATED: A part of Texas pop culture in Big Bend Ranch State Park could be demolished soon
Along the way, he captions his photos to describe the history of spots which would otherwise fade into the landscape. One of the tales is that of Gilberto Luna and is rock pile jacal, which might have also housed his 11 wives and approximately 58 children. Luna lived his entire 109 years of life in the small home, El Ranger said.
RELATED: A part of Texas pop culture in Big Bend Ranch State Park could be demolished soon
Click through the gallery above to for a tour of Big Bend through the Instagram lens of a man who has made it his backyard.
mmendoza@mysa.com
Twitter: @MaddySkye
SAN ANTONIO Sarah Barton cast her vote at Huebner Elementary School just before 10 p.m. Tuesday.
"I just voted. I've been in line for over three hours," Barton said after walking out of the polling location. "I was close to the end of the line. There's several people that left. But there's still people there voting right now."
As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, there were lines at dozens of Bexar County polling locations, said Jacquelyn Callanen, the county's top election administrator.
Callanen said she expected at some locations on the county's north and northwest sides it will take until after 9 p.m. for all voters cast their ballots. Anyone who was in line at 7 p.m. can vote, according to state law.
Jeanna Leslie said two of the four voting machines at Carl Wanke Elementary School were malfunctioning.
"When I left there at 7:10, we were in line for an hour and a half and there were still over 100 people behind," she said.
Leslie said just about everyone ahead of her stayed in line to vote.
"I havent heard of any machines malfunctioning," Callanen said. "What were seeing is people vote after they come home from work. We have lines where people are already going to be voting for another hour at some of our really robust sites."
Early in the day, Callanen predicted that 65,000 to 75,000 people would vote on Super Tuesday. With two hours until the polls closed, she had pushed that prediction to more than 100,000.
"We havent seen this in so long. Its wonderful," Callanen said. "I know the people standing outside dont feel that way, but what a cry for democracy."
RELATED: Bexar County early vote up from last presidential race
The enthusiasm for the primary contests brought some people not registered to vote out to polling locations, which was causing problems, Callanen said.
Recent arrivals to San Antonio, among others who aren't registered to vote, demanded that workers at polling locations call the elections office to verify their registration, Callanen said.
"All the time that takes is its causing a line," she said. "I dont know how we can get ahead of that. Were trying to figure it out."
After a surge of early voters cast ballots last week in heated primary races, Bexar County election officials were bracing for a busy Election Day.
RELATED: Express-News 2016 Texas Primary endorsements
Callanen and local party leaders say they're pleased with the numbers so far, given the lackluster voter turnout of past elections.
Nearly 106,000 people cast ballots during early voting this year, the highest number since Democrats came out in force during the 2008 primaries. When Barack Obama first ran for president, nearly 139,000 people participated in early voting.
Competitive races at both the national and local levels are driving more voters to the polls, said Manuel Medina, chairman of the Bexar County Democratic Party.
"It's being driven by young people," Medina said of Democratic voters. "It's also being driven by women."
Democrats dominated the 2008 primaries. But this year, Republicans are also flocking to the polls. More than 57,000 cast ballots during early voting a possible record for the GOP in Bexar County. More than 48,000 Democrats voted during that same period.
"It's just an exciting time for the Republican party," said Robert Stovall, chairman of the Republican Party of Bexar County. "We've got more energy on our side. The turnout is very vibrant for Republicans."
At voting Precinct 3088 on the North Side, which attracted the highest number of voters in the 2008 primaries, a dozen people sipped coffee early Tuesday and waited outside Bulverde Creek Elementary School to cast their ballots.
RELATED: Express-News 2016 Texas Primary endorsements
Stephen and Laurie Ersch said they had tried to vote Friday during early voting but encountered a long line that barely budged.
"I think there's such a huge turnout because people are concerned for the future," Stephen Ersch said. "That's the great thing about the U.S. Everyone has an opinion."
Laurie Ersch said the rise of front runner Donald Trump in the Republican presidential race was her main motivation to vote.
"I'm fearful of Donald Trump being our candidate," she said. "And it's not going to be my fault if that happens."
At Precinct 1055 on the far Northwest Side, where more Democrats voted in the 2008 primary than any other precinct, many voters who arrived at the polling site at Virginia Myers Elementary avidly supported Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.
"I don't want Hillary to automatically take the nomination," said voter Dustin Lyssy, who explained he was there to "show support for Bernie."
Jennifer Martinez said she liked what Sanders has to say about education. "However, I'm going to tell ya, I voted for Hillary," she added.
At 10 a.m., Callanen wrote on Twitter that more than 13,600 people had voted at half the polling sites in Bexar County. By noon that total had grown to more than 24,200.
"Great turnout," she wrote.
jtedesco@express-news.net
Former President Bill Clinton touched down in San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth on the eve of Super Tuesday to tout his wifes presidential campaign.
Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, was the best candidate to help American families and underserved communities, the former president said.
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If you're a member of the U.S. Armed Forces stationed in Texas, going to these places could land you in trouble.
RELATED: These San Antonio spots are deemed off-limits for military members
Directives from base officials at Joint Base San Antonio, Laughlin Air Force Base, Sheppard Air Force Base, Fort Bliss and Fort Hood have barred personnel stationed there from frequenting certain establishments.
The businesses include stores that sell drug paraphernalia, strip clubs, bars and places that provide financial services.
RELATED: Marine promised date to military ball by Ronda Rousey apparently hasn't heard from her
And, the directives don't apply solely to Texas establishments.
Several Mexican cities and states are off-limits to service members at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio.
Members at Sheppard Air Force Base can't cross the border to Oklahoma to frequent some businesses there, per that base's directive.
And, for members at Fort Bliss in El Paso, at least one establishment in New Mexico has been deemed off-limits.
RELATED: Photos: Camp Bullis military training through the years
Service members are forbidden from attending these establishments under punishment of court martial, according to the directives.
Scroll through the slideshow to see where members of the U.S. military stationed in Texas are forbidden from going.
jfechter@mySA.com
Twitter: @JFreports
The 26th annual San Antonio International Womans Day March & Rally to unite communities and lift the voices of all women and girls, will begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 5, at Plaza del Zacate, 501 W. Commerce.
A rally with music, dance, childrens activities, free STD testing, community resource information, free snacks and more will follow the march. Speakers and performers will address issues such as reproductive rights, police brutality, migrant rights and domestic violence.
Alamo Plaza snow cone vendors lottery coming
Vendors interested in selling snow cones at Alamo Plaza can participate in an annual lottery beginning at 2 p.m. March 30 in the Central Library auditorium, 600 Soledad.
For the lottery, vendors must submit a complete application as well as meet all other necessary requirements.
Applications are available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (except holidays) at Center City Development & Operations offices, 400 N. St. Marys St., Suite 100, or they can be accessed at www.sanantonio.gov/ccdo/vending.aspx.
Applications will only be accepted until 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 15. For more information, call 210-207-3677.
San Antonio
Pre-K 4 SA still taking applications for 2016-17
The application period for Pre-K 4 SA, a full-day prekindergarten program for San Antonio 4-year-olds continues through April 10 for the 2016-17 school year. The program is free for qualifying students and accepts tuition-paying students.
The four Education Centers are at 3635 Medical Drive, 7031 S. New Braunfels Ave., 5230 Eisenhauer Road and 1235 W. Old Highway 90.
To apply, visit www.sanantonio.gov/prek4sa or call 210-206-7735.
Free tax help available
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program will offer free tax-assistance services at San Antonio Public Library locations in the upcoming weeks. VITA services are available for families and individuals earning $60,000 or less annually.
Those using VITA must bring the following items to prepare a tax return: valid photo identification; Social Security card or Individual Tax Identification Number for the person filing, spouse and any dependents; and W2 forms from all employers. If filing jointly, both spouses must be present.
For details, check out the event calendar at mysapl.org or call 210-207-2500.
40 Cans for Lent ongoing
Catholic Charities is organizing the 40 Cans for Lent drive to help feed needy families in the archdiocese, regardless of religion. People are asked to collect one canned good each day during Lent and drop off donations at the Guadalupe Community Center, 1801 W. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd., or at Catholic Charities, 202 W. French Place. Call Lizzy Nemeth at 210-226-6178 or email nemeth@ccaosa.org for more information.
South Side
Mayfield Park Church
offers support groups
The Out of Darkness depression support group meets 7-8 p.m. Wednesdays at Mayfield Park Church, 700 W. Hutchins Place. The church also holds Celebrate Recovery meetings starting with a meal at 6:30 p.m. every Friday for people struggling with hurts, hang-ups and habits. The large group meets at 7:15 p.m.; men and women meet in smaller groups at 8:15 p.m. Child care is available. Call 210-923-2241 for information.
Harlandale ISD hosts special-needs event
The Harlandale Independent School District Special Education Department will host its fourth annual Whats Next? free symposium from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at the McCollum High School cafeteria, 500 W. Formosa.
More than 40 local agencies will be on site with information for those with lifelong disabilities. There will be food, performances, giveaways, games and activities for all ages.
For information, visit the Harlandale special education website at www.harlandale.net
Free parenting classes offered at academy
Blessed Sacrament Academy is offering free parenting classes for families with young children beginning March 15 at the campus at 1135 Mission Road. Classes meet 6-8 p.m. for nine weeks, and meet requirements for Child Protective Services.
There is a free dinner and child care for parents attending.
Call Kathy Lozano at 210-532-0894 to register.
Compiled by Melissa Renteria
Sheriffs deputies in West Texas' Brewster County busted a couple with a load of drugs, scales and a pink gun during a routine traffic stop last week.
According to the Sheriffs Office, Deputy Michael Jurado pulled over Krista N. Lujan, 36, and John Danile Hernandez, 22, for a traffic violation on Feb. 25 in the large county that includes part of Big Bend National Park and an international border with Mexico.
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A former officer for a South Texas police department allegedly assaulted a man and put a gun to the man's head, according to court documents.
RELATED: South Texas police chief, officer indicted for allegedly stealing marijuana from evidence locker
Mauricio Ramos, a 50-year-old former officer for the Alton Police Department, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony punishable by a maximum life sentence upon conviction.
Ramos turned himself into the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office on Monday, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.
RELATED: Report: South Texas deputy arrested for DWI while driving sheriff-owned vehicle
The 50-year-old allegedly assaulted a man as the man was taking out the trash at around 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 at his business in Alton, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by mySA.com.
The affidavit says Ramos followed the man onto the porch, grabbed him by both arms and asked, "You know who I am?"
Ramos then pushed the man "into the door of the business and produced a black semi-automatic handgun," according to the affidavit.
Ramos placed the gun against the man's chest and then his head, police said in the affidavit.
The former officer slapped the man and grabbed him during the incident, according to the affidavit.
The man believed that Ramos planned to shoot him, the affidavit said.
RELATED: North Texas police officer arrested on animal cruelty charge involving 5 dogs
Investigators interviewed witnesses whose accounts were consistent with the man's telling of events.
The man also had bruises and marks consistent with his account, the affidavit said.
Ramos is in Hidalgo County Jail on a $250,000 bond as of Tuesday morning, according to online jail records.
jfechter@mySA.com
Twitter: @JFreports
SAN ANTONIO A man suspected of walking out of a CVS Pharmacy with nearly $900 worth of womens hair care products stuffed in his pants has been arrested.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Nathan Allen Finley, 59, faces a charge of theft for his alleged role in the incident.
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A lieutenant for the Barrio Azteca gang has been sentenced to a 25-year stint in federal prison for his connection to a racketeering conspiracy involving a murder in March 2012, according to media reports.
RELATED: 21 alleged members of drug cartel-affiliated Barrio Azteca gang arrested in West Texas
The El Paso Times reported that Manuel "Manny" Minjares was sentenced before senior U.S. District Judge David Briones on Monday.
Minjares pleaded guilty on August 20 to a federal charge of racketeering conspiracy, according to court records.
The 55-year-old, allegedly a gang lieutenant who headed the organization's El Paso branch, was arrested in 2014 along with 17 other alleged Barrio Azteca members following a joint investigation by the El Paso Police Department and FBI into the 2012 killing of Raymond Puga.
Minjares is the 16th suspect in the investigation to receive a prison term.
The court dismissed a a count of racketeering conspiracy against 56-year-old Jose Paz Minjares in December, according to court records.
RELATED: West Texas woman indicted in husband's strangulation by 'hair wad' death
Jose Angel "Chamuco" Barrios, an alleged gang member, pleaded guilty to killing Puga in October 2015, court records show.
According to an indictment, Barrios killed Puga with a "hotshot" or by injecting Puga with a lethal dose of heroin.
Puga had apparently reneged on a payment deal designed to allow him to gain entrance to the gang, the indictment reads.
Barrios was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February on charges of murder in aid of racketeering activity and racketeering conspiracy.
RELATED: Police: North Texas woman, boyfriend waterboarded mentally disabled boy, tied up his genitals
The Barrio Azteca gang was initially formed in El Paso jails in 1986, but later morphed into a transnational criminal organization.
An ally of the the Juarez Cartel, the gang is primarily headquartered in El Paso and Juarez but members have also been located in Midland, Odessa and San Angelo, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety's annual Gang Threat Assessment.
However, the agency downgraded the threat posed by the Barrio Azteca gang in 2015 after considering it among the state's most violent Texas-based gangs since 2010.
The gang's relationship with the Juarez Cartel had long driven that status, according to DPS, but the 2014 arrest of cartel leader Vicente Carrillo Fuentes and the occupation of Juarez by the Sinaloa Cartel diminished the gang's influence there and in El Paso.
DPS also cited the 2014 indictment of 55 Barrio Azteca members and associates as handicapping the gang's effectiveness.
jfechter@mySA.com
Twitter: @JFreports
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SAN ANTONIO A former licensed vocational nurse who was charged with murder last year in the shooting death of her common-law husband has pleaded no contest to manslaughter in a deal with prosecutors reached this week.
Maraliz Medina, 28, who shot and killed Rodolfo Espinosa, 31, could get seven years of deferred adjudication probation and community supervision under the deal. She also faces a fine of $1,000, according to court records.
Medina described herself as Espinosa's common-law wife and had been in a relationship with him for several years, court records show. They had a son, who was under age 10 when the shooting occurred last year.
READ MORE: San Antonio woman charged with murder of lover at West Side home is a licensed nurse
According to police, Espinosa and Medina were arguing July 20, 2015, and things turned physical just before the shooting.
Around 12:45 p.m., Medina ran out of the West Side home she shared with the victim and their child in the 10500 block of Dugas Drive and screamed that she had killed the man inside. Officers found Espinosa dead in a bedroom and arrested Medina. She was charged with murder the next day.
Police reports and court records say their child was at home but not in the room where the shooting occurred.
SEE ALSO: Shocking San Antonio crimes by women
Medina told authorities that shortly before she and Espinosa argued that she saw Espinosa with his hand inside the back of their son's pants, and she believed he was molesting him, court records show.
She told police that at some point during the argument, Espinosa began to choke her, and she grabbed a 9mm handgun and shot him. Espinosa was hit nine times, according to court records. A police report said Medina had marks on her neck when authorities arrived.
At the time of her arrest, Medina's Facebook page indicated she was employed as a nurse at VistaCare Hospice. An official with Gentiva Hospice had said then that the company had no records showing she was employed at the time of the shooting.
RELATED: Woman shoots, kills man in West Side home with child inside
Public records indicate Medina's licensed vocational nursing license was revoked at a hearing Feb. 9 because of the criminal charge against her, as recommended under the Texas Board of Nursing's Disciplinary Guidelines for Criminal Conduct, according to a spokesman with the agency.
"Crimes of that sort are looked at very seriously by the board," said Bruce Holter, information specialist for the Texas Board of Nursing.
Medina could get 2 to 20 years in prison for the manslaughter charge, but the state is recommending deferred adjudication and community service. State District Judge Melisa Skinner is scheduled to sentence her on March 23.
ezavala@express-news.net
Twitter: @elizabeth2863
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Whether they get caught or not, thieves suspected of stealing a $1,500 portable toilet in Lytle are in some deep doo-doo.
Lytle Police Department Capt. Frank Reyes said the john disappeared from the Union Pacific Railroad along Adams Street tracks sometime in early February.
UP workers initially noticed that the toilet had gone missing on Feb. 10 and reported it to its owners, Cortez Liquid Waste Services.
RELATED: Police: Teen arrested in $200 turkey heist tried to steal 'Thanksgiving dinner in a grocery cart'
At first I thought it was misplaced, said CLWS office manager Elisa Medellin.
After some digging, Medellin managed to determine that it had, in fact, been swiped. She reported the theft to LPD on Feb. 22.
LPD Chief Richey Priest used his weekly newsletter released on Monday to urge residents of Lytle to keep their eyes peeled for any suspicious toilets that spring up in the area.
So Im asking every law abiding citizen that reads this to take a look around and see if any of their neighbors have a new portable toilet in their backyard (You can remain anonymous). To the person responsible I want you to ponder the thought that every time you use that toilet there may be a Lytle Police Officer waiting for you when you open the door, Priest said.
Reyes said the size and weight of the toilet likely point to more than one suspect.
Its a pretty good sized porta-potty, Reyes said. Weve never really had anything like that.
Anyone who has information of the theft is asked to call LPD at 830-709-0277.
mdwilson@express-news.net
Twitter: @MDWilsonSA
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SAN ANTONIO A man who had already been arrested for allegedly using the credit cards of an elderly woman found dead in her home last year was re-arrested and charged with capital murder on Tuesday.
R.C. Curtis is suspected of robbing and killing Paula Boyd, 75, on Oct. 21, 2015. He was arrested without incident by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Lone Star Fugitive Task Force around 10:45 a.m. in the 5600 of Evers Road.
San Antonio Police Department spokesman Douglas Greene said that credit cards belonging to Boyd led them to arrest Curtis, believed to be her grandson-in-law, on credit or debit card abuse charges on Nov. 6.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled shortly after Boyds death that she died as a result of blunt force trauma and strangulation.
After Curtis initial arrest, Greene said investigators collected DNA evidence that connected him to the scene of the slaying.
RELATED: Police arrest person of interest in killing of 75-year-old H-E-B employee, search for two more
Detectives have enough probable cause to charge him with capital murder. The reason why it is capital murder is because Ms. Boyds purse was missing, Greene said. That indicates that he was in the act of another crime, and during the act of that crime committed the murder another human being.
Boyd, a deli specialist at the H-E-B on DeZavala and I-10, was a 75-year-old with the spirit and energy of a 25-year-old, according to her daughter Brenda Boyd Perez.
She was found dead in her apartment after not showing up for work.
RELATED: Longtime H-E-B deli specialist leaves mark on community
While many described her as motherly, or loved, all agreed that Boyd could talk for hours, finding new tangents at the drop of a hat. Her manager, Jaime Lozano, said this is what made Paulita such a hit among customers and co-workers since he met her in 1995.
This is a case thats caught the hearts of a lot of people here in San Antonio. To learn about the heart of this woman, she touched everybody that she knew, Greene said. We are just pleased that we were able to find the person that was allegedly responsible for her death.
mdwilson@express-news.net
Twitter: @MDWilsonSA
A teacher at Southside Independent School District arrested last week on federal child porn charges waived a bail hearing Tuesday because he didnt have anyone who could sign a surety bond for him.
Michael Javier Ottogalli, 36, a teacher at Pearce Primary School, was indicted Feb. 17 as part of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations.
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Bexar County election officials are bracing for a busy Super Tuesday as Texas holds its 11th primary election.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the states first primary. Only one candidate, Republican or Democrat, has lost in the Texas primary and gone on to be president.
RELATED: 2016 San Antonio-area Primary Election voter guide: Where to vote in Bexar County
The year was 2008, when then-U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton beat then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama by three percent of the Democratic votes in Texas, according to the Office of the Secretary of State.
Four years later, Obama won 88 percent of the Democratic vote in the Texas primary.
Click through the slideshow to view past Texas presidential primary winners since 1976.
News researcher Julie Domel contributed to this report.
rsalinas@mysa.com
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Ahead of Super Tuesday, Republican candidate Ted Cruz and former president Bill Clinton, on behalf of his wife and Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, trailed through San Antonio during their vote-seeking Texas trek.
RELATED: Former President Bill Clinton stops by The Pearl during San Antonio campaign stop
While his wife was busy campaigning against Bernie Sanders in places like Boston, the 42nd president made his local push for her. Before speaking to crowds at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center on the citys West Side, he made a pit stop for Bakery Lorraine pastries at The Pearl Brewery.
Jeremy Mandrell, the shops co-owner, confirmed to mySA.com in a previous report that the former president paid the spot a visit and mingled with patrons. Presidential selfies, which has replaced the kissing babies approach to garnering public admiration in political campaigns, flooded Twitter and Instagram as unexpecting locals spotted Bill Clinton sauntering around the popular shopping and dining area.
RELATED: Bill Clinton stumps for Hillary in San Antonio
Further north, Cruz spoke to a full house at the Alzafar Shrine Auditorium around 2 p.m. Time for senator selfies and sightings was limited as the Republican nominee made headway in Texas with appearances in Dallas and Houston scheduled throughout Monday. It was the Texans first San Antonio drop-in as he works to battle win the state from Donald Trump and Marco Rubio in the Republican battle.
RELATED: These teen sisters have managed to get nearly every 2016 presidential candidate to take a selfie
Click through the gallery above for snippets of the footprints made by the Clinton and Cruz campaigns on San Antonio as part of the 2016 Presidential Election.
mmendoza@mysa.com
Twitter: @MaddySkye
Comedian Katt Williams was arrested and charged with battery following an altercation in Gainesville, Georgia on Monday.
MORE CELEBRITY TROUBLE: Shia LaBeouf arrested on 6th Street while Austin City Limits kicks off 2nd weekend
Williams was booked just after noon Monday by the Gainesville Police Department and is being held on $5,000 bond for the misdemeanor charge, according to online jail records.
Gainesville police officers responded to an assault call at a pool supply store around 11:30 a.m. and found Williams outside "lying on the ground with his hands behind his back as though he was ready to go to jail," Sgt. Kevin Holbrook told the Associated Press.
SEE ALSO: Model Blac Chyna arrested for alleged public intoxication, drug possession in Austin, Texas airport
A store employee told officers Williams, who was in the store with two women, began arguing with the employee and threw a pair of goggles at him, Holbrook said. Williams then went behind the counter and punched the employee at least once, Holbrook said.
The cause of the argument wasn't immediately clear. When officers tried to question Williams, he told them to ask the store employee what happened, Holbrook said.
RELATED: 'Glee' actor Mark Salling arrested for allegedly possessing child pornography
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
kparker@mysa.com
Twitter: @KoltenParker
Posted on 03/01/2016, 1:05 pm, by mySteinbach
Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-Canada), representing seven provincial Agriculture in the Classroom organizations are participating in the fifth annual Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week (CALW) in schools through March 5, 2016.
Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week is a hands-on program that encourages children to learn about and celebrate agriculture in various ways, including reading books about farming, watching videos and meeting with farmers and other agricultural representatives. An important element to the success of Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week is the connection between students and local farmers and/or agriculture industry representatives.
This year, Agriculture in the Classroom-Canada organizations will deliver Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week programming to over 20,000 students in over 500 classrooms across Canada.
We are thrilled to participate in the fifth annual Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week, said Sara Shymko, AITC-Canada Director. In Canada, most families are two or three generations away from the farm. CALW provides an opportunity to help all young Canadians understand the importance and value of agriculture. As consumers, our personal connection with agriculture can affect our food product selection. Knowledge of local farm communities positively impacts public support for a viable agricultural sector in our country.
The Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week initiative is made possible through generous core funding from Farm Credit Canada.
As the agriculture industry grows, so does the need for additional talented, energetic and welleducated young people, said Michael Hoffort, FCC president and CEO. Given that one in eight jobs in Canada are tied to the agri-food industry, there are a lot of opportunities for young people. Ag Literacy Week can stimulate some ag passion at an early age.
In Manitoba, a new educational partnership with Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers (MPSG) will heighten awareness of the provinces $600-million/year pulse and soybean industry. Education is key during the 2016 International Year of Pulses, says MPSG executive director Francois Labelle, and our collaboration with AITC-Manitoba is a wonderful way to deliver the message that pulses are good for people and good for the planet.
Manitoba pulse farmers will take part in classroom activities in several communities, joined by the MPSG Kid Bean mascot and community engagement team.
GlobeIn Artisan Box
4.1 overall rating
271 Ratings | 81 Reviews
The theme for the upcoming GlobeIn March 2016 Box is Memory! More from GlobeIn:
Memory goes backward and forward in time. As in, Remember that time we... and Dont forget to... Memory encapsulates our nostalgia for the past, our plans and dreams moving forward, and those pesky little to-dos that will get us there.
Each Artisan box will include:
Wooden Photo Frame from Turkey (Retail Value $15).
Wooden frame production is Celebi Erturks family business, and theyve been at it for over 100 years, ever since his great-grandfather migrated to Istanbul from the poor, eastern city of Bagistas. Surely his great-grandfather would be happy to know that after all this time, Celebis generation has recently opened a showroom and begun exporting to neighboring countries. Although Celebis business does not offer any formal training programs, he and his family make a point of giving a helping hand to individuals who wish to learn the craft. Currently, 50 craftsmen work in Celebis atelier. Soon, his sons will open their own ateliers, carrying their family lineage both forward in time and outward into the community as a resource for those seeking to learn a trade. Materials: fir tree wood
Fits 4x6-inch photo Suggested use: Fill with a happy photo. Station at your desk or work area. Take momentary wanders.
And in case you missed the first spoiler:
Weekly Planner by Marie Mae Co. (Retail Value $18).
A stationery company, Marie Mae outsources design work as a way of supporting African artisan-entrepreneurs. Your planner was designed by Ewurama in Ghana. As a child, Ewurama made pictures from the terrazzo patterns in the floors of her home. Today, she is starting her own textile design company. Meanwhile, in Rwanda, the Marie Mae Business school offers its students one hour of training per each product sold. One student, Xavera, dreams of becoming an independent businesswoman able to fund a complete education for her three children and see them, in turn, thrive professionally. In the school, Xavera has developed the elusive and yet vital visionary qualities of the entrepreneur, such as the ability to identify hidden markets right under her nose. She and her coworkers soon plan to pitch local school leaders with the idea of their producing all local school uniforms for the next year. Pretty clever! Made in the US. Designed in Ghana. Each planner provides an hour of Business School training for students in Rwanda.
What do you think of the latest spoiler? Also, if youre thinking of signing up, use coupon code WELCOME to save 25% off the first month of a 3-month subscription.
Flaviar
3.5 overall rating
11 Ratings | 0 Reviews
Flaviar introduces subscribers to premium liquors from around the world.
They curate and send sample packs that allow subscribers to sample various spirits before committing to the purchase of a full-sized bottle.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Flaviar
The Cost: $60 per quarter
The Products: Quarterly curated tasting packs that contain 3 x 1.5 oz. vials of premium spirits from around the world.
Ships to: EU and US (All states EXCEPT: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah)
Check out all of our Flaviar box reviews and the Drinks Subscription Box Directory!
A Note about Shipping: Tasting packs ship from Slovenia. Shipping is free for the tasting packs, but they typically take 10-21 business days to reach US destinations.
Flaviar has recently changed their subscription model and pricing. Their new subscription program is called the Flaviar Speakeasy and costs $60 per quarter.
Every quarter, subscribers receive a themed tasting pack that features 3 x 1.5 oz. vials of spirits.
Flaviar Speakeasy members will also receive personalized bottle recommendations, access to exclusive bottlings, and free shipping.
If you sign up for a new Flaviar subscription, you will be enrolled in the Flaviar Speakeasy program.
This review is of the Best of 2015 Tasting Pack. This pack is no longer available for sale, and this box is not representative of what you will receive if you sign up for a new Flaviar Subscription.
If you would like to purchase a one-time tasting pack, prices start at $40.99 and packs can be found here.
My tasting pack included tasting instructions and notes on each spirit included in the box.
Gin Mare
The bottles included in the Best of 2015 Tasting Pack are Flaviars best drams of the year. The Flaviar community sipped and rated lots of bottles in 2015, and these are some of their top picks.
I first sampled Gin Mare in the Ori-gins tasting pack, and I really enjoyed it. Its distilled in Spain, just outside the small fishing village of Vilanova. In addition to the traditional botanicals used to flavor gin, its also flavored with basil, rosemary, thyme, orange, and olive.
Prichard's Rye Whiskey
Prichards Rye Whiskey is made in Tennessee and offers both the sweet and sour side of Rye. Its very sweet with silky flavors of dark chocolate, toffee, [and] vanilla.
Kavalan Whisky Single Malt
Im a little surprised to see that the winner in the whisky category is from Taiwan, but the reviews speak for themselves. Words like wonderful, perfect, and incredible pop up in nearly every one, and the critics seem to agree with the Flaviar community. This bottle was named Best in Class at the 2011 International Wine & Spirit Competition and also won a gold medal at the 2013 Beverage Tasting Institute. The flavor is described as spicy, creamy, woody, and fruity.
Zafra 21 Year Old Master Reserve Rum
Flaviars winner in the rum category is Zafra 21 Year Old Master Reserve Rum. Its made in Panama and matures for at least 21 years in ex-bourbon barrels. Its a smooth rum with flavors of toffee, molasses, cherries, vanilla, and oak.
Lecat XO Memoire Cognac
Last up in this tasting pack is Lecat XO Memoire Cognac, which I sampled in the Le Cognac tasting pack I reviewed last month. Its rich and deep with flavors of wood, orange zest, vanilla, and dark chocolate. Its full-bodied and the best cognac I think Ive ever had.
Verdict: Im always impressed with Flaviars packaging, and I think they do a wonderful job curating their tasting packs. I have some concerns about the shift in price and value in the new Flaviar Speakeasy program (when I first started reviewing Flaviar, the price was $39.99 per month for a 5 vial tasting pack, whereas the new model is $60 per quarter for a 3 vial tasting pack), but Im going to reserve judgement until Ive sampled the new subscription firsthand.
Do you like trying spirits from around the world? Have you tried Flaviar?
Customers enter with their smartphones, which they also use to scan items.
VIKEN, Sweden A late-night rush to find baby food for his crying toddler spurred Robert Ilijason to build Swedens first unstaffed convenience store, The Daily Journal reports. The shop, naturally accessible 24/7, does not have a cashier. Customers sign up for the service and download an app, which they then use to unlock the door and scan their purchases. Payment is collected monthly via an invoice.
The store stocks c-store basics, such as bread, canned food, diapers, milk, snacks and sugar, but it doesnt have tobacco or other high-theft items. My ambition is to spread this idea to other villages and small towns, Ilijason said.
He stocks the shelves and ensures everythings neat and tidy. Six surveillance cameras record activityand discourage shopliftingin the 480-square-foot store. A text message alerts him if the door is open for longer than eight seconds or if a break-in is attempted.
His biggest challenge has been convincing some of the towns older residents to conquer the technology involved in shopping at his store. But overall, customers have embraced the no-service convenience store, especially with its speedy checkout and lack of register lines.
Ilijason might install a credit-card reader as an alternative to the app to open the door, and perhaps hire a clerk to work for a few hours a day to assist customers having trouble with the technology, but for now, hes content to allow his customers the freedom to shop on their own.
SEATTLE Its been many years in the making, but Starbucks will return to its Italian roots with its first Italian outlet opening in Milan next year, Marketing Daily reports. There are very few markets and stores that Im as intimately involved in as this, said Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks. Everything weve done to date sits on the foundation of wonderful experiences that many of us have had in Italy.
Starbucks has partnered with the Italian company Percassi, which will operate and own the stores through a licensing agreement. We know that we are going to face a unique challenge with the opening of the first Starbucks store in Italy, the country of coffee, and we are confident that Italian people are ready to live the Starbucks experience, as already occurs in many other markets, said Antonio Percassi, president of the company.
Thirty-three years ago, Schultz took his first business trip to Milan and Verona, a journey that changed his life forever. Inspired by the craftsmanship of the Milanese barista, the spirit of the Italian people, their passion for community, their friendliness and taste for quality, Schultzs vision for Starbucks began to take root.
Starbucks history is directly linked to the way the Italians created and executed the perfect shot of espresso, Schultz said in a press release. Everything that weve done sits on the foundation of those wonderful experiences that many of us have had in Italy, and weve aspired to be a respectful steward of that legacy for 45 years.
Now were going to try, with great humility and respect, to share what weve been doing and what weve learned through our first retail presence in Italy, Schultz continued. Our first store will be designed with painstaking detail and great respect for the Italian people and coffee culture. And, my hope is that we will create a sense of pride for our partnersso much so that every partner who sees our store or walks through the doors will say: We got it right.
Yves here. This article may seem a bit wide of this sites usual terrain, but its a vignette of corruption and how far corporations are willing to go in their pursuit of profit. And its not as if the proponents can justify this plan by arguing that the nuclear plant is in a remote location.
What makes the logic of the defense of the close to co-location of two potentially hazardous activities is that a local event could damage and/or make it difficult for personnel to get to both at the same time.
By Katie Herzog. Originally published at Grist
Whats scarier than an aging nuclear power plant? An aging nuclear power plant next to a natural gas pipeline.
That could be the new reality for the Indian Point Energy Center, a nuclear power station located in Westchester County, just 45 miles north of Manhattan. A proposed expansion of a natural gas pipeline across the power stations property has environmentalists and other groups concerned that an accident could turn the power plant into an unrivaled disaster. Its a bit like smoking next to a gas tank a gas tank filed with nuclear fuel near one of the densest population centers on the planet.
Despite how ill-advised this sounds, the pipeline has already been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Why would they allow such a thing? Well, as the New York Times notes, approval was partly based on reviews carried out by the Entergy Corporation which happens to be the same company that owns the plant.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a resident of Westchester County, is not having any of it. Cuomo recently directed his administration to conduct an independent safety analysis of the pipeline project after hearing that radioactive water had leaked from the aging plant and into the groundwater. This is just the latest strike against Indian Point by the Cuomo administration, which called for the plants closure last year. The safety of New Yorkers is the first responsibility of state government when making any decision, said the governor in a statement.
Cuomo isnt alone. In Nov. 2015, a group of climate activists known as the Montrose 9 blocked construction of the pipeline, which would transport natural gas from Texas to Massachusetts. In addition to the activists concerns about the affects of burning natural gas on the climate, they targeted the Spectra-owned pipeline for its proximity to Indian Point, which the federal government previously listed among the nations worst power plants.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, however, seems unconcerned. Our expert confirmed that both units could safely shut down, even if the pipeline were to rupture and a blast of flame were to come from that line, said Neil Sheehan, spokesperson for the commission.
Cuomo and activists like the Montrose 9 have the support of many locals, who oppose the project not just for the potential nuclear bomb in their midst, but because of the ill health affects of the pipeline itself: People who live near gas infrastructure have reported chronic fatigue and respiratory ailments. As Westchester resident Courtney Williams told Grists Ben Adler, There is a sensationalism about potential rupture because its catastrophic, but it will [also] be a catastrophe for folks having to breathe this stuff.
We dont know yet what will happen with the pipeline or with Indian Point, for that matter but we know that when it comes to natural gas and nuclear power, the mix will surely be explosive.
The Animals That Sniff Out Tuberculosis, Cancer, and Landmines Pacific Standard (Chuck L)
Mysterious Chimpanzee Behavior May Be Evidence of Sacred Rituals The Conversation via Scientific American (Chuck L)
Yosemite landmarks set to lose famous names in ugly divorce Reuters (Chuck L)
China?
Fighting Deflation: ECB Needs Support in Lonely Battle Wall Street Journal
Refugee Crisis
Brexit?
Syraqistan
American Jewish Millennials Arent Disengaged From Israel, Were Angry Haaretz. Paywalled, but Googling the headline should work..
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
NY judge backs Apple in iPhone case Financial Times
2016
The Graveyard of the Elites Chris Hedges, TruthDig (RR, Glenn F)
Clarence Thomas Breaks 10 Years of Silence at Supreme Court New York Times
U.S. top court rejects union challenge to New Jersey pension reforms Reuters. EM: NJ immunized from violating a black-letter legal obligation. Legalized fraud upon the taxpayers in the form of permanent underfunding its whats for breakfast.
U.S. court test on abortion reflects success of strategy shift Reuters (EM)
Police State Watch
Oil
The End of Big Banks Simon Johnson, Project Syndicate
The Worlds Reluctant Central Banker Project Syndicate (David L)
Feds Dudley sounds warning on US economy Financial Times
Class Warfare
Antidote du jour (Kittie Wilson, via Lawrence R):
See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
By Jomo Kwame Sundaram, an Assistant Secretary General working on Economic Development in the United Nations system during 2005-15, and was awarded the 2007 Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. Originally published as a Global Development and Environment Institute Policy Brief
The Trans-Pacifc Partnership (TPP) Agreement, recently agreed to by twelve Pacifc Rim countries led by the United States,1 promises to ease many restrictions on cross-border transactions and harmonize regulations. Proponents of the agreement have claimed significant economic benefits, citing modest overall net GDP gains, ranging from half of one percent in the United States to 13 percent in Vietnam after fifteen years. Their claims, however, rely on many unjustified assumptions, including full employment in every country and no resulting impacts on working peoples incomes, with more than 90 percent of overall growth gains due to non-trade measures with varying impacts.
A recent GDAE Working Paper finds that with more realistic methodological assumptions, critics of the TPP indeed have reason to be concerned. Using the trade projections for the most optimistic growth forecasts, we find that the TPP is more likely to lead to net employment losses in many countries (771,000 jobs lost overall, with 448,000 in the United States alone) and higher inequality in all country groupings. Declining worker purchasing power would weaken aggregate demand, slowing economic growth. The United States (-0.5 percent) and Japan (-0.1 percent) are projected to suffer small net income losses, not gains, from the TPP.
This GDAE Policy Brief is intended to help clarify the differences with other modeling studies and to present our findings in a less technical manner.
Flaws in TPP Economic Projections
Optimistic claims about the TPPs economic impacts are largely based on economic modeling projections published by the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics.2 Its researchers used a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to project net GDP gains for all countries involved. These figures have been widely cited in many countries to justify TPP approval and ratification. Updated estimates, released in early 2016 and incorporated into the World Banks latest report on the global economy,3 now stress income gains for the United States of $131 billion, or 0.5 percent of GDP, and a 9.1 percent increase in exports by 2030.4
The projections methodology assumes away critical economic problems and boosts economic growth estimates with unfounded assumptions. The assumption of full employment is particularly problematic. Workers will inevitably be displaced due to the TPP, but CGE modelers assume that all dismissed workers will be promptly rehired elsewhere in the national economy as if part of labor churning. The full-employment assumption thus inflates projected GDP gains by assuming away job losses and adjustment costs.
The modelers also dismiss increases in inequality by assuming no changes to wage and profit shares of national income. Again, this is not supported by empirical evidence, as past trade agreements have tended to reduce labors share.
Finally, foreign direct investment (FDI) is assumed to increase dramatically, which contributes a significant boost to economic growth in the Peterson Institute projections, accounting for more than 25 percent of projected U.S. economic gains in the recent update. This assumes that: 1) income to capital owners will be invested; and 2) this will result in broad-based growth. Neither is supported by the evidence. A U.S. Department of Agriculture study,5 which did not assume such FDI-related investment gains, found zero growth for the United States and very modest growth elsewhere at best.
The methodology of the Peterson study is flawed; consequently, growth and income gains are overstated, and the costs to working people, consumers and governments are understated, ignored or even presented as benefits. Job losses and declining or stagnant labor incomes are excluded from consideration, even though they lower economic growth by reducing aggregate demand.
Some economists have pointed out6 additional misleading findings in the most recent Peterson Institute update:
U.S. income gains of 0.5 percent from TPP in 2030 This is raised from the institutes previous 0.4 percent, mainly by extending the implementation period from ten to fifteen years. In any case, added growth of 0.5 percent is very small, about 0.03 percent per year over fifteen years. Exports rise by 9.1 percent, but so do imports, because the model assumes fixed trade balances. This excludes, by assumption, the problems associated with rising trade deficits, which have been common after previous trade agreements. All displaced workers are absorbed immediately and costlessly in other sectors again, by assumption. The paper does acknowledge that manufacturing employment will increase more slowly because of the TPP, and that some 53,700 more U.S. jobs per year will be displaced annually. But they view this as a small addition to normal labor market churn.
More Realistic Economic Projections
We employed the UN Global Policy Model (GPM) to generate more realistic projections of likely TPP impacts. Unlike most CGE models, the GPM incorporates more realistic assumptions about economic adjustment and income distribution, assessing the TPP impact on each of them as well as on economic growth over a ten-year period. Importantly, it does not assume large unexplained FDI surges or investment, growth and income gains due to nontrade measures. The modeling results are summarized in the table.
To facilitate comparison, we used the Peterson Institutes projected estimates of the TPPs impact on exports, applying the macroeconomic model to assess the efects of projected TPP trade increases.7 The GPM analyzes macroeconomic sectors primary commodities, energy, manufacturing and services but does not contain data on single markets (such as car parts or poultry).
The main fndings include:
The TPP will generate net GDP losses in the USA and Japan. Ten years after the treaty comes into force, US GDP is projected to be 0.54 percent lower than it would be without the TPP. Similarly, the TPP is projected to reduce Japans growth by 0.12 percent. For other TPP countries, economic gains will be negligible less than one percent over ten years for developed countries, and less than three percent over the decade for developing countries. Chile and Perus combined gain of 2.84 percent comes to only about a quarter of one percent per year. The TPP is projected to lead to employment losses overall, with a total of 771,000 jobs lost. The United States will be hardest hit, losing 448,000 jobs. The TPP will also likely lead to higher inequality due to declining labor shares of national incomes. In the United States, labor shares are projected to fall by 1.31 percent over ten years, continuing an ongoing multi-decade downward trend.
Conclusions
In sum, the TPP will increase pressures on labor incomes, weakening domestic demand in all participating countries, in turn leading to lower employment and higher inequality. Even though countries with lower labor costs may gain greater market shares and small GDP increases, employment is still likely to fall and inequality to increase.
In fact, most goods trade among TPP countries has already been liberalized by earlier agreements. Instead of promoting growth and employment, the TPP is mainly about imposing new rules favored by large multinational corporations. The TPP greatly strengthens investor and intellectual property rights (IPRs), while weakening national regulation, e.g. over financial services.
The TPP will strengthen IPRs for big pharmaceutical, information technology, media, and other firms, e.g. by allowing pharmaceutical companies longer monopolies on patented medicines, keeping cheaper generics of the market, and blocking the development and availability of similar new medicines.
The TPP would also strengthen foreign investor rights at the expense of local businesses and the public interest. The TPPs investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system will oblige governments to compensate foreign investors for losses of expected profits in binding private arbitration.
These pro-investor measures impose significant costs, especially on developing countries. They will exert a chilling efect on important government responsibilities to promote national development and protect the public interest.
Our modeling suggests that TPP skeptics, concerned about the agreements impacts on growth, labor incomes, employment and inequality, have good reason to doubt optimistic projections. Our results show negative impacts in all these areas, particularly in the United States. Legislatures in TPP countries should carefully consider these findings and their implications before approving the agreement.
Endnotes
1 The participating countries Canada, United States, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Australia and New Zealand have finalized and signed the text of the agreement, but the treaty must be ratified in all of them before it can come into force.
2 Peter Petri, Michael Plummer and Fan Zhai (2012). The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Asia-Pacific Integration: A Quantitative Assessment. Policy Analyses in International Economics 98, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington, DC. The Peterson Institute study has also been criticized by others, e.g. http://www.sustainabilitynz.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/EconomicGainsandCostsfromtheTPP_2014.pdf.
3 See Global Economic Prospects, Spillovers Amid Weak Recovery, January 2016, The World Bank Group, Washington, DC.
4 Peter Petri and Michael Plummer, The Economic Efects of the Trans-Pacifc Partnership: New Estimates, January 2016, Working Paper 16-2, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington, DC.
5 See http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1692509/err176.pdf
6 See, for example, Dean Baker, Peterson Institute Study Shows TPP Will Lead to $357 Billion Increase in Annual Imports, January 26, 2016.
7 A robust debate over such modeling followed the release of the GDAE paper, with a critique from Robert Lawrence for the Peterson Institute (Studies of TPP: Which is Credible?) and two responses from GDAE: Are the Peterson Institute Studies Reliable Guides to Likely TPP Effects? and Modeling TPP: A response to Robert Z. Lawrence. GDAE clarifed that the GPM is fully documented in the UNCTAD publication, The UN Global Policy Model: Technical Description.
Spencer Fischl helps Deb Krech with her furniture questions at Expressions in Design in Naples on Friday, January 22, 2016. (Scott McIntyre/Staff)
SHARE Diane Oldfin sits for a portrait at Expressions in Design in Naples on Friday, January 22, 2016. (Scott McIntyre/Staff) Expressions in Design owners and operators Diane Oldfin, bottom left, her husband Jack Oldfin, right, and her sons Jason, left, and Spencer Fischl at their store in Naples on Friday, January 22, 2016. (Scott McIntyre/Staff) Expressions in Design in Naples on Friday, January 22, 2016. (Scott McIntyre/Staff) Expressions in Design owners and operators Diane Oldfin, bottom left, her husband Jack Oldfin, right, and her sons Jason, left, and Spencer Fischl at their store in Naples on Friday, January 22, 2016. (Scott McIntyre/Staff)
By John Osborne, Daily News Correspondent
If there's anything Jack Oldfin has learned in life, it's that a house divided against itself cannot stand.
A former banker who along with his wife, Diane, 25 years ago opened an interior design business that a few years later would spin off a home furnishings store run by the couple's two sons, Oldfin isn't the sort of man to tolerate sibling rivalries.
"The way it works in our family is that I do the financial end of the business and Diane does the design end, while one of our sons, Jason, runs the retail space and our other son, Spencer, is in charge of the warehouse and shipping," said Oldfin, whose family owns Expressions in Model Furniture Outlet and Expressions in Design at 3905 Radio Road in East Naples.
A Vancouver native and grandfather of seven, Oldfin said compartmentalization is a key component to running a friction-free family business.
"The boys have roles in which they don't conflict with each other, and the secret to a family operation is no competition," he said. "That will destroy more family business than anything else. They both get the same salaries and same perks, and it works out well that way."
And if trouble ever should rear its head, Oldfin said it is addressed promptly.
"If it's not working on some level, there's no hesitation about pointing it out," he said. "We have regular family meetings around the conference table, and we put everything on the table."
Still, Diane Oldfin said, the joys of working so closely with family far outweigh the challenges.
"It's great, obviously, anytime that someone can say they work with their family," said the award-winning interior designer with a full shelf of hardware that includes five straight SWFL Choice Awards. "As great as it is, though, we're all emotionally connected to it. So we always have to separate the two."
As a bonus, Diane Oldfin said her sons, both Army veterans, share their parents' all-hands-on-deck philosophy about running the businesses.
"Nobody is an absentee owner," she said. "We're all here six days a week running things, with 13 employees and three trucks that make deliveries five days a week."
Older brother Jason Fischl, 45, who served in the Army for 15 years, echoed his mother's sentiments about the joys outweighing the challenges of running a family business.
"We always count on each other because it's in all of our best interests to work hard and get the job done," he said, praising his father's "separate but equal" business philosophy. "Having assigned roles is critical for our success. We have jobs that overlap, but we help each other out rather than stepping on each other's toes."
Spencer Fischl, a 41-year-old father of two, said much the same.
"Working together as a family, we don't really have many challenges because every one of us do different jobs and we're proficient at them," he said. "We're happy with the team we've put together, and since we're all family, we know we can count on each other. Employees may come and go, but we know we're all here for the company and to accomplish our goals."
With a laugh, Jack Oldfin said he had a clear goal in mind for the near future.
"When Dianne and I decide to pack it in which I hope is soon we feel confident about the boys taking over and supporting the store," he said.
Both business are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information call 239-434-2227 or see www.emfo.us.
Where to give, get supplies, help in Collier County after Hurricane Ian
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WASHINGTON The inimitable Will Rogers once said that when Congress (make that any legislature) was in session it was sort of like when the baby gets hold of the hammer. But what if the baby got hold of the gun?
If anyone needs more evidence of the accuracy of Rogers' troubling analysis of democracy, they only need to look at what the Iowa House of Representatives did the other day. They passed and sent a bill to the state Senate that makes it legal for children younger than the age of 14 to handle a pistol and ammunition as long as they were being supervised by a parent or another person. Hopefully that precludes one of the many homicidal maniacs shooting up the American landscape under the watchful eyes of constitutionalists. But I wouldn't bet on it.
The justification for this insanity is right out of the gun lobby's guide to bringing up baby in the sacred gun culture. It's based somehow on the belief that the younger a person learns to handle a gun, the less likely he is to abuse it. Talk about tortured reasoning. I think John Dillinger's father must have had the same thought. Perhaps the mother of the kid who shot up the elementary school in Connecticut was thinking that way when she kept buying him guns, one of which he used on her before fulfilling his destiny.
Are they nuts? Or are they utterly ignorant or insensitive to the mayhem that has occurred on a regular basis from the "accidental" slaying of adults and other children by youngsters who handle firearms?
Oh, well. The law minimizes the possibility of that type tragedy by providing that children must be strictly supervised by parents or legal guardians who maintain verbal and visual contact with them at all times. Right! That will do the trick. Bully.
Tell that to the family of the Arizona shooting range instructor accidentally blown away by the 9-year-old girl he was trying to teach how to fire a Uzi not so long ago. Or the 4-year-old boy who put one into a playmate when he got ahold of his father's handgun. The horror just keeps on keeping on.
Iowa already allows children to possess rifles and shotguns. So it seems reasonable to cover all firearms, doesn't it?
I mean without including the pistols, the lack of uniformity is jarring to the legislative sense of balance.
It doesn't matter that children have no real understanding of death at the ages included in this monstrosity of a bill, no matter how much supervision they receive. There is bound to be less of that than is responsible; there will be accidents, weapons pointed the wrong way and triggers pulled inadvertently. Oops, sorry, Daddy, it just went boom!
Every three hours a child dies from gun violence in this country, an opponent of the bill charged to no avail.
But to be fair to the legislative geniuses who committed this offense to civilized behavior at the expense of the Lord knows how many pre- and barely post-adolescent atrocities, the bill prohibits the children from walking into a gun store and purchasing a Glock or even a Saturday night special. Who says they're irresponsible? Does that turn their parents into straw purchasers? I'm not certain, but an argument could be made.
All this was taking place in the shadow of more mass shootings in Michigan, where an Uber driver randomly gunned down pedestrians in between hauling passengers, and in Kansas where a former felon took out anger in a small town near Wichita by killing three and wounding 14 before being killed by a police officer.
"We do not need a militia of toddlers," Iowa state Rep. Kirsten Running-Marquardt, was quoted as saying. She is absolutely correct. African rebel armies are often made up of AK-47 carrying children as young as 9 or 10 who will shoot you without question. As we sit in this world of increasing turmoil, we can only hope that Iowa's example doesn't spread. The civilized world already thinks of us as a violent land full of those who worship instruments of death over nearly everything else.
Will Rogers was kidding, probably on the square, but somehow I don't think even that Oklahoma cowboy, as used to guns as he was, would think this was funny under the circumstances.
SHARE Estero Historical Society member Ken Wisen built this water pump cabinet where students would wash after recess at the 1904 Estero Creek School. He and his wife, Diane, will be honored at a grand opening March 5 for their work in furnishing the school. Laura Gates/Banner Correspondent Furnished with period-appropriate desks and other historic decor. Laura Gates/Banner Correspondent Estero Historical Society members Beverly MacNellis and Marlene Fernandez sit in the restored 1904 Estero Creek Schoolhouse and discuss details for the March 5 Grand Opening and ribbon cutting festivities. Laura Gates/Banner Correspondent Period-appropriate books and furnishings for the 1904 Estero Creek Schoolhouse were acquired through donations to the Estero Historical Society. Laura Gates/Banner Correspondent
By Laura Gates, Banner Correspondent
What was school like 100 years ago? With the restoration of the 1904 Estero Creek Schoolhouse, students throughout Southwest Florida will now be able to answer that question through hands-on experience as they write on slates, browse McGuffey readers and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to a United States flag with just 46 stars.
The Estero Historical Society is celebrating the grand opening of this historic schoolhouse on March 5, inviting the community to come and imagine living and learning in a time before electronic devices.
The one-room schoolhouse is where the great-grandparents of today's children may have gone for lessons -- with no air conditioning, no electricity or running water and no security procedures. Norma Chappell remembers those days. She will be providing a musical prelude to the grand opening festivities, playing songs of yesteryear on the schoolhouses' period-appropriate Monarch Baldwin upright piano.
The piano is among dozens of furnishings donated or acquired by the historical society. Other authentic items include a wooden teacher's desk, several student desks, a blackboard, many books and a pot-bellied, wood-burning stove. Diane Wisen researched the period and coordinated donations as the Schoolhouse Chair. She and her husband, Ken, who put his carpentry skills to work on the schoolhouse, will be among those recognized for their contributions at the grand opening.
"The Wisens have been very dedicated to the school," said historical society archivist Marlene Fernandez.
For the grand opening, Fernandez will present a brief history of the 1904 schoolhouse. It was actually Estero's second school, and it was mandated to teach no Koreshan doctrines, according to research by local historian Georgia Nelson.
By 1904, the Koreshan Unity's influence was growing, much to the distaste of local farmers and citrus growers. F.M. and Elinor Hendry, who owned Estero's oldest citrus grove, deeded land to the Lee County Board of Public Instruction, "clearly stating it was to exclude the teaching of Koreshan doctrine and the hiring of Koreshan sympathizers," according to Nelson's research.
A one-room schoolhouse was built along the Estero River on Highland Avenue in 1904, but was severely damaged by a hurricane on Oct. 27, 1910. It took almost a year before the school reopened, with a coat of white paint and the addition of a front porch, along with a small room at the back for younger children. The building also served as the first meeting house for what would become Estero United Methodist Church.
Grove owner Frank Hall, who lived next door to the school, served as a trustee for many years. His historic home and the Estero Creek Schoolhouse were both relocated to their current location in Estero Community Park in 2009.
Charles Dauray, who recently was elected president of the Estero Historical Society, is the man behind this move. He serves as chairman and CEO of the College of Life Foundation, which purchased the Hall House and the Estero Creek School properties in 2003. He believed these historic buildings belonged to the public, so when Maryann Weenen, then-president of the historical society, approached him for a fundraiser, she got much more than expected.
"She went to College of Life to sell Charles Dauray chutney, and she left with these two buildings," said Beverly MacNellis, the historical society's vice president and chair of Saturday's grand opening festivities.
It is fitting Dauray is now at the helm of the historical society, MacNellis added, because his donations came at a time when "the society didn't have a window or a pot, to use an old Polish saying."
After years of fundraising -- through mango chutney production, personalized bricks, historical book sales and fundraising galas -- the society now uses the renovated Hall House as its headquarters and holds numerous events there throughout the year. Now, the first groups of schoolchildren are starting to tour the restored schoolhouse.
"So many people have given so much," MacNellis said of the efforts undertaken to get to this point. "Everyone who bought a jar of chutney added to the schoolhouse here."
The keynote speaker for Saturday's event will be Jeff McCullers, director of grants and program development for the School District of Lee County. He's also a member of one of Estero's pioneer families.
The program ends with a formal ribbon cutting as Chappell pounds out "God Bless America" on the old Baldwin. Then it will be time to celebrate with a custom-made cake donated by Publix which bears a photo of the 1904 Estero Creek School and this message: "Welcome Back."
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IF YOU GO
What: Grand Opening of the 1904 Estero Creek Schoolhouse
When: Saturday, March 5, at 11 a.m.
Where: Estero Historical Society headquarters at Estero Community Park (9200 Corkscrew Palms Bvd.)
More Info: www.esterohistoricalsociety.com
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SHARE Attendee peruse though artwork during the Bonita Springs National Art Festival in January. The festival will host it's final 2016 showing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6, at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs. Patrice Shields/Banner Correspondent An attendee gazes at some artwork during the Bonita Springs National Art Festival in January. The festival will host it's final 2016 showing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6, at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs. Patrice Shields/Banner Correspondent The Bonita Springs National Art Festival will hold it's final 2016 showing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6, at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs. Patrice Shields/Banner Correspondent
By Patrice Shields, Special to The Banner
The Bonita Springs National Art Festival, one of the nation's most highly rated art festivals in the country, returns to the exciting redeveloping Riverside Park on Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6.
Two hundred fine artists from the US, Canada and Europe will fill the old Florida style park with fine art paintings, glass, jewelry, clay works, photography, sculpture and more.
Rated one of the top Fine Art Festivals in America and the top ranked show in Bonita Spring/Naples Metropolis by The Harris List and ranked 11th nationally by Sunshine Artist Magazine, the festival attracts tens of thousands of residents and visitors each year who attend to view and purchase fine art.
According to Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs staff, artists are chosen by a highly selective jury to ensure the highest quality craftsmanship in paintings, glass, jewelry, clay works, photography, sculpture, wood and more.
"Our festivals introduce hundreds of artists to residents and visitors of Bonita Springs," said Susan Bridges, president of Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs. "Part of what makes our festival so unique is the mix of top notch well-known artists who return to our festivals each year to display their art side by side with new award-winning artists chosen through our highly selective jury process. We are thrilled that our festival brings thousands of attendees to Riverside Park from Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero Marco Island, Ft. Myersmany, for the first time."
Guests can expect to be introduced to returning award winning artists including Edward Loedding of Brandon Vermont and his stunning digital florals, Steve Palmer of Minnetonka, Minnesota and his stunning blown glass pieces and Fabricated, hand-engraved, 14k gold, sterling silver, and semi-precious stone jewelry by Jayne DeMarcay to name a few. Those who enjoy Contemporary Ceramics will enjoy the unique collaborative work of Ed and Katel Coleman and guests who appreciate masterful oil paintings will want to stop and see the work of Laurent Dareau of Alva, Florida.
The Bonita Springs National Art Festivals are an integral part of the Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs and their programming, said Centers for the Arts staff.
As part of their mission of "Arts for All," the Centers for the Arts provide programming to over 12,000 at-risk youth annually. Last year they awarded over $100,000 in scholarships.
The Riverside Park location offer ample free parking on site with wine, beer, food and beverages available for purchase and live music to enjoy while you view and purchase fine art. While there is no admission fee for this event, the Centers for the Arts of Bonita Springs volunteers will be asking for an optional $5 donation, directly supporting the Centers for the Arts programming.
If You Go
37th Bonita Springs National Art Festival
When: 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. March 5 and March 6
Where: Riverside Park, 10451 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs
Cost: Free ($5 optional donation for admission to support the Center for the Arts Bonita Springs)
Information: 239-495-8989 or visit artcenterbonita.org/artfest
Collier County Commissioner Donna Fiala greets Marco Island resident Dolores Siegel prior to holding a town hall meeting in this file photo.
SHARE Collier County Commissioner Donna Fiala answers questions in this file photo during one of her previous Town Hall meetings. Swimming manatee.
1. Fiala town hall gathering is Wednesday
Collier County Commissioner Donna Fiala will hold a town hall gathering 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, at the Marco Island Historical Museum, Rose Hall Auditorium, 180 S. Heathwood Drive.
Key members of the county administrative team, including county manager Leo Ochs, growth management division administrator Nick Casalanguida, chief hearing examiner Mark Strain, emergency medical services chief Walter Kopka, library division director Val Kocin and Collier County Museums division director Ron Jamro, will give presentations.
Fiala says the town hall meetings an annual tradition for the past 16 years provide residents with the opportunity to get answers to some of their most pressing questions.
"I encourage everyone interested to attend this town hall gathering regarding issues affecting Marco Island and the surrounding communities," she said. "This gathering provides me the opportunity to bring staff to (participants') own backyard, where they will share information and meet with residents directly to discuss their issues."
For more information, call 239-252-8601 or email michaelbrownlee@colliergov.net.
2. Florida budget talks begin with $5.5 million in the mix for Collier County projects
The fate of some of the $5.5 million in requests for Collier County groups was uncertain Saturday as the Legislature spent the weekend negotiating the details of next year's $80 billion state budget.
Not all of the 10 requests written into the proposed House budget by Reps. Matt Hudson and Kathleen Passidomo, both of Naples, were accepted by the Senate. The differences in the spending plans between the two sides of the Legislature will be settled during a series of joint-chamber budget conferences, which should continue throughout the week.
Legislative leaders began conferences Friday night by agreeing to cut two priorities of Gov. Rick Scott, wiping out $250 million he requested in incentive money for Enterprise Florida and slashing his $1 billion tax-cut plan. There was no talk Saturday of bringing back the incentive money, and both chambers remained set on providing only $400 million in tax cuts.
The most expensive Collier request $2 million was for the Southwest Florida Collier County Business Accelerator. The money would go toward business development projects in Naples and Immokalee. Gov. Scott vetoed the request last year.
3. City seeks volunteer for appointment to Local Rule Review Committee
The City of Marco Island is seeking a volunteer to serve as the city's representative on the Collier County Local Rule Review Committee (LRRC).
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has directed Collier County to create the LRRC to review proposed changes to FWC manatee protection zones and provide recommendations and comments on the proposed changes. The committee will consist of 10 voting members and four four nonvoting members who will represent the interest of the entire county.
Currently the county is advertising for the 10 voting members. Each municipality, along with the county, will appoint a nonvoting member. Due to the accelerated deadline established by Collier County, the City of Marco Island must convey the name of its appointee no later than March 8.
Interested individuals are urged to submit a resume and/or letter of interest to the City Clerk Laura Litzan at llitzan@cityofmarcoisland.com or by calling Laura Litzan at 389-5010.
Merchandise available runs the gamut. The San Marco Columbiettes hosted Treasures in the Trunk Saturday morning, a massive used merchandise sale in the church parking lot. Lance Shearer/Eagle Correspondent
SHARE Brandi Tramazzo displays the shotgun shell jewelry her group sells. The Brandi Tramazzo Hero House Foundation for Recovering Warriors held a fundraiser outside Centennial Bank on Friday. Lance Shearer/Eagle Correspondent Linda Flores looks over the shotgun shell jewelry her group sells. The Brandi Tramazzo Hero House Foundation for Recovering Warriors held a fundraiser outside Centennial Bank on Friday. Lance Shearer/Eagle Correspondent Visitors and foundation representatives mingle outside the bank. The Brandi Tramazzo Hero House Foundation for Recovering Warriors held a fundraiser outside Centennial Bank on Friday. Lance Shearer/Eagle Correspondent The shotgun shell jewelry her group sells comes with a Bible quote from Ephesians. The Brandi Tramazzo Hero House Foundation for Recovering Warriors held a fundraiser outside Centennial Bank on Friday. Lance Shearer/Eagle Correspondent
By Lance Shearer
Someday, the Brandi Tramazzo Hero House Foundation for Recovering Warriors might be a charitable powerhouse. Right now, they are working to get off the ground.
Created with the goal of providing a vacation getaway for servicemen and women returning from overseas deployments, to help them and their families readjust to life Stateside, Hero House organizers are trying to raise money to purchase "a retreat for our country's recovering warriors."
"They put their boots on the ground, let's put their toes in the sand," says a handout from the group. The Brandi Tramazzo Hero House Foundation held an event Friday over lunchtime at Centennial Bank on Elkcam Circle, telling people about their quest and offering hot dogs and snacks near a canopy set up in the bank's parking lot.
"Warriors come home, thinking it's going to be home sweet home, but it's more like home horrible home," said Tramazzo, standing by a display of the shell-casing jewelry the group sells to support its mission. "They've missed out on birthdays, their kids are three inches taller. They need the chance to reconnect with their families.
"Our warriors have been fighting for our freedoms. We need to fight for them. Our goal is for them to have a smooth transition."
Hero House hopes to provide a one-week getaway for service people "deployers," Tramazzo called them away from the stresses and pressure of their regular home life. The group's first returning deployer is set up with a vacation condo in North Carolina, when he returns to the U.S. in April from service in a combat zone overseas in Afghanistan.
Tramazzo pointed out that on Marco Island, many beautiful dwelling units sit empty for long stretches, and she is hopeful that some of the owners of those homes will donate time to her organization to provide the vacations for veterans.
"If someone has a condo that sits fallow here, maybe they will let us use that time" to help out a member of the military, she said. "Our local community is filled with so many snowbirds, and some people here have two or three homes."
But long-term, the group wants to purchase a residential unit which can be dedicated to the project full time. "It's like making a dress you need to have a pattern," Tramazzo said to explain why the foundation wants to acquire a parcel of real estate instead of taking advantage of existing furnished homes that donors would offer when available.
Asked why the group's name includes her own name, Brandi Tramazzo said that wasn't her idea.
"My executive board decided to have my name. I was very hesitant," she said. The group includes an Air Force colonel, and "he says you always need to have a name attached."
Brandi and her husband John Tramazzo have lived on Marco Island for 13 years, she said. She is owner and president of Fussy Fraulein, Inc., a janitorial and construction cleaning business. The foundation has applied for 501(c) 3 nonprofit status, and all proceeds go to support their work, she said. "No one takes a salary."
Each piece of jewelry, made from the brass casings of shotgun shells, fired not by the military but primarily on the gun range at Port of the Islands, comes with a Bible verse, Ephesians 6:11. They call the bracelets and pendants "Arm Armor," and have a variety of designs available.
For more information, or to support the Brandi Tramazzo Hero House Foundation, email btramazzo@gmail.com or go online to btherohouse.org.
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By Associated Press
DEERFIELD BEACH Deputies are searching for a man who broke into a courthouse in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
The Broward Sheriff's Office said in a news release that a one-handed burglar used a bat to gain entry through a glass door of the North Regional Courthouse on Sunday morning. Deputies say the man tried to open several doors once he was inside. He then entered one room and remained there for a few minutes before exiting.
Courthouse security staff arrived to work Monday morning and noticed that the doors had been smashed. No items were reported missing.
Surveillance video captured the man on tape. The suspect is missing his left hand, has a beard and short hair. He was seen driving a silver Nissan Pathfinder.
Anyone with information is asked to contact deputies.
FILE - Russ Ayers in 2011. Photo by Gordon Campbell/Special to the Daily News.
By Ryan Mills of the Naples Daily News
Naples police fired longtime officer Russ Ayers on Monday after finding he was deceptive during two separate internal investigations, including the disappearance of a gun belonging to the ex-husband of wounded former officer Amy Young.
Ayers, an 18-year veteran of the force, was uncooperative during an investigation into the theft of Sgt. Robert Young's pistol in November 2014. While taking a polygraph, he attempted to use countermeasures to defeat the test, according to investigators.
Investigators also believe Ayers lied when confronted with accusations he'd made to a local security guard during which he accused Robert Young of being a criminal and having something to do with the July 2014 domestic shooting that injured his ex-wife and killed officer Dave Monroig.
The guard told investigators that Ayers was convinced Robert Young was in the home when his ex-wife was shot in the face and her boyfriend, Monroig, died of a gunshot wound to the head. A Lee County Sheriff's Office probe found that Monroig shot Amy Young before shooting and killing himself.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigators interviewed 30 Naples Police Department employees, including Ayers, as part of their investigation into the theft of Robert Young's Glock pistol. Most were "consistent, strong and believable," FDLE special agent Carl Shedlock told Naples investigators.
"Officer Russell Ayers, however, was the sole exception to that characterization," Shedlock said.
Entrance and exit records show Ayers was alone inside the police department building on a Saturday morning in November 2014, the weekend Robert Young's gun vanished. He was seen on security footage exiting the office where Young stored his gun.
"Ayers was carrying (something) in his right hand in what appeared to be an awkward manner in a position relative to his right leg that shielded his hand from the camera," Shedlock told Naples investigators.
Ayers told investigators he was in the building to get his sunglasses and to buy a soda.
During his polygraph exam, Ayers tensed his muscles and attempted to control his breathing in an attempt to manipulate the results. He grew "visibly upset" when questioned "as to why he had such a hatred for Sgt. Amy Young," the report said. When questioned about his relationship with Young "Ayers stood up in the interview room and clenched his fists," the report said.
Ayers was also questioned about a string of anonymous letters sent to Naples City Council, residents and media in 2010, 2011 and 2014 detailing dozens of allegations of police misconduct, including charges against Amy Young.
When asked if he had anything to do with them, Ayers response was "All the letters?"
Shedlock told Naples investigators he believes without a doubt that Ayers was involved in stealing the gun, however there isn't enough evidence to arrest him and charge him with a crime.
Ayers denied the allegations against him, and said he was insulted when questioned about his relationship with Amy Young. Attempts to reach Ayers on Monday were unsuccessful.
"I did not have anything to do with (Robert Young's) gun, nothing, zero. I did not conceal anything," Ayers told investigators. "I never touched his gun, never, never."
In the second investigation, Ayers was questioned about statements he made about Robert Young to a local security guard last May relating to the shooting of Amy Young and Monroig.
"Bobby is a criminal and had something to do with the shooting," the security guard recalled Ayers telling him. "All of a sudden his gun comes up missing when he is about to get investigated."
Ayers admitted to talking with the guard, mostly about religion. He denied making any accusations against Robert Young.
Young told investigators Ayers has an apparent obsession with him and the shooting.
Ayers has long been a controversial figure inside the police department. During an interview with the FDLE agent, he acknowledged he has had problems in the past with co-workers and superiors.
Over the course of his career, he has been involved in 18 internal affairs investigations and has 12 sustained policy violations, 11 of which resulted in disciplinary action, according to the department.
SHARE Donald W. Wortham.
By Kristine Gill of the Naples Daily News
Hodges University has hired a new president after more than a year without a permanent person in the job.
Donald W. Wortham's first day on the job will be April 1.
He replaces Interim President David Borofsky who served since December 2014. Borofsky, who was formerly president of Dakota State University, took up the post replacing Jeanette Brock, who served for just one year before leaving the position, citing personal reasons. Brock was the university's Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs before taking on the role of president.
Keith Arnold, vice chairman of the Hodges University Board of Trustees, described Wortham as a visionary with the skills to lead the university for many years to come.
"It's a great opportunity for us and a great opportunity for Hodges," Arnold said.
The nine-month interview process solicited 115 applications. The pool was whittled down to 12 and the board interviewed all 12 in person in public interviews.
"He is someone who worked at a small college in Duluth, Minnesota. He has tremendous experience in adult education and online education," Arnold said. "Don comes to us as someone who has been well prepared to lead a university but this is his first opportunity to do so."
Arnold said there were no internal applicants. Collectively, the staff and trustees seemed to agree, he said, that an outside view would help the university.
Wortham earned his doctorate and master's degrees in educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before attending graduate school he graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in history and the literature of religions. He most recently served as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth.
Wortham also served as the Executive Director of Extended Studies at CSS from 2009 to 2012. Before that, he worked at American Higher Development Corp., where he held senior roles. He began his career in higher education when he served as executive director of Unext/Cardean Learning Group in Illinois.
"Hodges University is poised to become a national leader in higher education," Wortham said in a statement. "I am honored to have been selected to lead Hodges into its next phase, and build on its legacy of excellence. I am very pleased to be joining the communities of Fort Myers and Naples, and the greater southwestern Florida area."
An 'Idle Speed, No Wake' sign for boats in Moorings Bay is pictured in Naples on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015. (Dorothy Edwards/Staff)
By Eric Staats of the Naples Daily News
Moorings Bay remains without boat speed signs after state regulators rejected an emergency petition Tuesday and a judge put off a ruling on a similar petition.
The order by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came on the eve of a Collier County circuit court hearing Tuesday in which Moorings Bay boater Michael Crofton asked a judge to order the city and the FWC to put the signs back up for the sake of public safety.
After a three-hour hearing, Circuit Judge James Shenko asked the lawyers involved to send him proposed orders within 10 days. He said he would be "diligent" in then issuing his ruling.
The hearing drew about 10 Moorings Bay residents, Councilman Sam Saad, city attorneys Bob Pritt and Jim Fox, City Manager Bill Moss, harbor manager Roger Jacobsen and Naples charter captain and speed zone opponent Allen Walburn.
The Moorings Bay issue has its roots in a case, spearheaded by Walburn on Naples Bay, in which a judge eventually tossed out the city's boat speed zone laws, including on Moorings Bay.
Without the law in place, the FWC ordered the city in November to remove the unenforceable boat speed zone signs. Crews complied last week.
In its order on the city's petition, the FWC found that no emergency exists in Moorings Bay and that state law does not allow speed zone signs to be posted without a valid city law backing them up.
FWC attorneys argued the same points during Tuesday's hearing, which drew on long-standing feuds between the city and the state over boat speed zones on Naples waterways.
Crofton's attorney Damian Taylor urged Shenko to not be drawn into the debate over whether the city or state should have authority to allow boat speed zones and to err on the side of public safety.
"I don't know that there could be a better example of bureaucracy run amok without the court's assistance here," Taylor said.
FWC attorney Ryan Osborn said the request to have boat speed zone signs erected, even on an emergency basis, was akin to putting school zone signs on a road without a school.
"It confuses us why opposing counsel is pressing on erecting signs we can't enforce," Osborn said.
Besides the emergency petitions, the city of Naples also has asked the FWC for permits to post speed zone signs near Moorings Bay bridges and a marina and has petitioned for a more comprehensive boat speed zone to protect manatees in Moorings Bay. That could take more than a year to win approval, if at all.
Crofton said he was disappointed with the "legalistic rather than common sense, public safety stance" taken by the FWC.
"I have confidence that the judge will rule in our favor and restore the status quo that has served our community so well for decades," he said.
FILE PHOTO -- Boaters gather on the southern end of Keewaydin Island on Dec. 30, 2013, in Naples.A DAVID ALBERS/STAFF
SHARE Curt Clawson
By Bartholomew Sullivan, bartholomew.sullivan@jmg.com
WASHINGTON President Barack Obama on Monday signed into law a bill that revised the boundaries of the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System, giving 17,044 acres of pristine Collier County shoreline federal protections.
The legislation, authored by U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Bonita Springs, was introduced and passed the House over a period of a few hours on February 9. The Senate passed the same bill by unanimous consent on February 22, sending it to the president for his signature.
The bill was one of six the president signed without fanfare or a public ceremony Monday.
"I want to thank the president and both of Florida's U.S. Senators for acting so quickly and promptly for the residents of Collier County, following the bill's passage in the House," Clawson said after the signing. "The 15 miles of coastal barrier protected by this new law is sound economics, as it will grow Southwest Florida's real estate values and tourism industries, which attract over five million visitors each year, generating $4.6 billion in annual revenues."
The new law is expected to protect the ecological integrity of certain barrier islands against winds and tidal forces during major tropical storms and will discourage development of the area south of Naples including parts of Macro Island, Keewaydin Island and Cape Romano that are part of the Ten Thousand Islands chain.
Clawson has said the measure will have a "profound, permanent and positive impact" on the region, including the tourism industry. He said he was originally driven to seek his seat in Congress by concerns about the local environment. The size of the area protected is believed to be the largest since legislation authorizing such protections was enacted in 1982.
Clawson's bill also corrected some outdated maps of lands in the area making some private property available for flood insurance.
Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society, said the area is a "virtual nursery" for avian and aquatic species that thrive in an estuary environment mixing fresh and salt waters. He mentioned blue herons, spoonbills, snapper and other species that thrive along the mangrove islands.
operating oil and gas well profiled on sunset sky
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By Arek Sarkissian of the Naples Daily News
TALLAHASSEE - A bill that would regulate fracking and do away with local bans is likely dead after it was withdrawn from consideration Tuesday during its second chance before the same committee that had rejected it.
The bill sponsored by Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, had already failed to pass the Senate Appropriations Committee with a vote of 10-9, but it was given a chance for reconsideration and placed on Tuesday's committee agenda. Richter spent the weekend trying to change two of the 10 opposing committee votes, but he was unsuccessful.
"I didn't have the votes," Richter said after the Tuesday meeting. "I worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday trying to convince my colleagues and I didn't have the votes."
Richter was unable to sway Sens. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, and Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, in favor of the bill. Negron said he heard plenty of opposition from constituents around the Treasure Coast. He was also not convinced the bill would protect the environment.
"I've got some concerns about how we're balancing the regulation with the way that we're protecting the environment," Negron said.
Opponents of the bill, from local elected leaders to environmental groups, quietly rejoiced after Richter withdrew it. Kim Ross, president of ReThink Energy Florida, said overwhelming opposition from cities and counties influenced the vote.
"They got what they wanted," Ross said of the cities and counties. "They did not want fracking in their backyards."
Richter's bill called on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to carry out a yearlong, $1 million study of the environmental impact of fracking. DEP would have used the results from the study to create regulations that required ratification from the Legislature. The bill would also override more than 70 bans passed by cities and counties across the state over the past year.
Lee County communities Bonita Springs and Estero were among the first to pass bans. Bonita Springs City Manager Carl Schwing said he appreciated the study included in the bill, but regulation should be left up to local governments.
"We're very pleased that a bill that ignored what cities really wanted did not pass the Legislature," Schwing said.
Richter's withdrawal of the bill left little chance for its House companion to survive. HB 191, by Rep. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, cleared the House in January with a vote of 73-45.
Rodrigues said the likely death of Richter's bill left the state without any specific regulation of the oil drilling method.
"I'm proud to have worked with (Richter) on these important issues and disappointed in the results," Rodrigues said.
The most common form of the drilling process blasts rock with water to release oil and gas below ground. Another process - perhaps the most controversial - uses an acid mixture to eat into the rock. The issue surfaced in Collier County in December 2013 when the Dan H. Hughes Co. fracked about 1,000 feet from homes on the edge of the Everglades. The company refused to heed DEP's requests to stop. Hughes eventually ceased drilling, and the company was fined $20,000 for a work order violation. It was also ordered to install groundwater monitors around the site.
The majority of the Collier County Commission were in support of Richter's bill. Commissioner Tim Nance said the bill was not perfect, but it provided DEP with some groundwork to stop companies such as Hughes from ignoring state orders.
"It was by no means perfect but it was a start to lay out some ground rules," Nance said. "I definitely, like a lot of other people, had problems with the loss of home rule, but it was clear we had to do something."
Contact Daily News reporter arek.sarkissian@naplesnews.com or 850-559-7620
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By Joseph Cranney of the Naples Daily News
The three candidates for Naples mayor faced questions Monday night regarding development, the airport and ways they would improve local government during the final debate before their March 15 election.
From the start, the debate hosted by the Old Naples Association featured a different style from previous forums. Council members Bill Barnett and Teresa Heitmann, and Mayor John Sorey were frequently asked to give one-word responses and the debate ended with tough questions directed at individual candidates.
The result was an hourlong discussion before a crowd of more than 180 at the Norris Center that yielded some of the campaign's most revealing moments.
The candidates clarified their positions on how much power they think the City Council holds over the Naples Municipal Airport. They also gave opinions on the degree to which city codes should restrict downtown building plans.
A notable exchange gave the impression Barnett, a longtime City Councilman, thinks the council's control of the airport is more limited than what his opponents believe. When asked if the council has a "substantial influence over the direction and policies at the airport," Barnett, who answered first, said, "False."
Heitmann, a City Councilwoman for eight years, and Sorey both answered, "True."
Airport issues are particularly important to Old Naples residents who live under flight paths and complain about noise.
Heitmann and Sorey said they would work with the Naples Airport Authority to complete an up-to-date noise study, if elected. Barnett said his position depends on the will of the Naples Airport Authority, whose Board of Commissioners is appointed by the council.
In defense of his record in his opening statement, Barnett said the airport's 75,000 pound weight limit, which restricts the size of jets, "must stay without any doubt."
Barnett struck a different tone in his closing remarks than the most recent debate, when he described Sorey as self-serving and said Heitmann is an "expert at saying no to everything others propose." This time, Barnett sought to reaffirm his role as a consensus builder.
"If I am elected your mayor again, I will find solutions we can all support," said Barnett, who previously served as mayor from 1996 to 2000, and 2004 to 2012.
Sorey continued to promote his ideas of executive leadership, in which the mayor plays an active role in major projects. Speaking about how the city should get involved in a nearby county project, Sorey referred to his time as a combat infantryman in Vietnam, when, "If you do nothing, you get killed."
"Doing nothing is not an alternative," Sorey said.
Heitmann pointed to her record on recent redevelopment projects, in which she voted against some controversial projects that Barnett and Sorey voted to approve. Promising to protect neighborhoods, Heitmann said she would redirect the city's attention from commercial development to residential development.
"It's time to refocus," Heitmann said. "It's time to have new leadership. It's time to have leadership that's responsible to the community and says what they mean, and means what they say."
Sorey was asked toward the end of the debate about a trip to China he took last year, which the Naples Daily News reported Monday cost the city taxpayers $4,228. Sorey submitted a one-page invoice without supporting detailed receipts that would show specifically how the taxpayer money was spent, except for his air fare.
Questioned about the purpose of the trip, Sorey said overseas investments can benefit the city. He cited a previous example of an Asian investor, who bought the Robb & Stucky furniture store out of bankruptcy.
"We are a world economy," Sorey said. "Most Chinese wealthy individuals are looking to put resources overseas."
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The election year leaps in earnest now with Super Tuesday, local races heating up and a political landscape for the fall election that's beginning to come into focus.
Tuesday's primaries and caucuses will help shape the decision that will come before Floridians in two weeks, as more than a dozen states and territories go through a presidential selection process.
On Super Tuesday, more than 650 Republican delegates will be allocated to candidates, or about half of those needed to capture the nomination at the 2016 Republican National Convention in July in Cleveland. For Democrats, more than 850 delegates are up for grabs, or about 35 percent needed to secure the nomination at the Democratic National Convention, a week later in July in Philadelphia.
Democrats and Republicans will then compete in several more states in the coming days. Together, those state primaries or caucuses may change the field viably left by the time Floridians hold their presidential preference primary March 15.
So it's time for partisan Floridians who have dutifully registered to vote to begin sorting through the sound bites, demagoguery, dishonesty and absence of presidential decorum to weigh the remaining field on issues. Even if it comes down to a choice of the lesser of the evils, that's no excuse to stay away from the polls.
City elections
Party politics are on the sidelines in nonpartisan municipal elections in Naples and Bonita Springs, where mayor and council seats are up March 15. Unlike on the national stage, an excellent slate of candidates in each municipality leaves voters with multiple fine choices, not a lesser of the evils.
Early voting in each city starts Saturday and goes through March 12.
In Collier, it's from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. An early voting site in the city is Norris Center at Cambier Park, 755 8th Ave. S.; among other sites are Library Headquarters at 2385 Orange Blossom Drive and the Supervisor of Elections Office, 3295 U.S. 41 East.
In Bonita Springs, early voting is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; one site is the Bonita Springs office of the elections supervisor, Bonita Commons, 25987 U.S. 41.
Politically charged
No matter who speaks up first when the Naples City Council meets at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, political undertones will accompany any discussion of Mayor John Sorey's poorly documented trip to China at city expense in January 2015.
The Daily News reported Monday that Sorey went on the eight-day trip that cost city taxpayers $4,228 in hopes of interesting an investor in Naples.
Among seven members, Sorey and two council members are running for mayor on the March 15 ballot. The other four members have publicly stated their support for one candidate or another.
So, no matter who brings up Sorey's trip, it will appear political because the trip was more than a year ago and is just now coming up after council member allegiances have been openly cast. Yet it needs to be aired. We suggest a council directive that any member taking an out-of-town trip at taxpayer expense be required to report back to council on the cost and benefit at the next meeting after the member returns, or face a financial penalty.
Fall elections
Last week's announcement by Collier Commissioner Georgia Hiller that she is running against adversary Dwight Brock for the Clerk of Courts position he holds will have side-effects. Candidates will begin lining up later for Hiller's district.
Two other commissioners are leaving Tim Nance and Tom Henning, who is listed as a fire board candidate. Each of their commission districts already have several candidates running. Ditto for two Collier School Board seats with a total of five candidates so far. Those votes are months away, but it's time to start tuning in because a new majority could take control and send the County Commission and School Board in new directions.
Coming Wednesday: We begin our endorsements in local March 15 contests.
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Guy Turcotte, Naples
A demurrer
I'm torn, undecided as to which target to launch my 275 or so slings and arrows at: that proto-Fascist, Donald Trump? The benighted fools who support him? Gun insanity? Republican Supreme Court obstruction? Naples traffic? So many deliciously tempting subjects, each deserving of ridicule and contumely, but none as tempting as the Rev. Les Wicker's recent screed.
But first, a caveat: I am a non-believer in supernatural beings, unwilling to surrender reason for the dubious comforts religions promise. However, I have zero interest in wasting my time trying to convince you that I'm right.
Still, Wicker pushed my "whoa!" button when he wrote that societies where Godness is suppressed he mentions the Soviet Union as an example are societies where "such moral traits as goodness, love, hope, and kindness" (I'll give him a pass on love and hope as moral traits) are absent, causing people to become "hard and even sinister."
So focused is Rev. Wicker on his message, so zealous in his appeal to the choir that he fails to realize what a monumental insult he has heaped upon billions of human beings who live/have lived in countries where religious sects are suppressed.
Atheism, in other words, means that all citizens of, say, China, Russia, Cuba, etc. are, ipso facto, devoid of morality of love, hope, and kindness, which is, of course, complete and utter rubbish.
Wicker has repeated the long-discredited canard that morality is solely the province of religion. It is not; civilization rests securely and depends on the Golden Rule with its emphasis on reciprocity and empathy. Gods, in other words, are unnecessary.
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William H. Poteet Jr., Naples
Best for Florida
There is only one candidate in the Republican presidency race who will be good for Florida.
Sen. Marco Rubio is the only one who has his allegiance to our great state. As for experience, as Speaker of the Florida House he crafted balanced budgets in the tune of $66 billion annually, a budget larger than 135 different countries.
He is by far the most knowledgeable and the strongest on foreign policy, believes in limited government, lower taxes, family values, and free enterprise.
Most importantly, Rubio embodies the qualities you want in a president respect, honor, loyalty, determination and fairness. He brings hope for our future.
Marco Rubio will unite our party, win the presidency, and lead us to greatness in the 21st century.
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Mary Storto, North Naples
Finally a decision
I've been almost distraught about our upcoming election this year. Mostly I've been terrified that possibly Donald Trump could win.
I am a registered "Independent" and have been paying close attention to what and who is available that would do the most good for our country in these trying times.
After the Iowa debates, I was relieved that Sen. Ted Cruz beat Trump.
I was hoping for either Sen. Marco Rubio or Cruz to win and was elated that Trump at least was not first. However, I still didn't feel that great about either Cruz or Rubio. In the back of my mind, I always thought that Gov. John Kasich from Ohio seemed the best in all areas but discounted him because of reading that he didn't have a chance.
At the beginning, I thought Dr. Ben Carson had a chance. I still love him and his humor but don't think he'd be good or strong enough for politics. All I felt for Jeb Bush was pity and was sure he'd leave.
At one time, I could have voted for Hillary Clinton but now see her for the phony she's proven to be. Carly Fiorina sounded so competent, intelligent and so well-informed but there was something about her that I couldn't pinpoint and I just didn't like her. If it's so important to have a woman president (not to me), she could well have been the one to beat Hillary Clinton.
I'd probably personally like Sen. Bernie Sanders but he's a little too far left for me and I do believe it's been proven that socialism just doesn't work.
Now, after studying the New Hampshire debates, I believe I've made my choice (not that anyone else really cares).
Hands down, I think and predict John Kasich to be our next president and I hope that Jeb Bush is available as vice president.
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JoAnn Smallwood, Naples
Where the buck stops
I would like to clarify some misinformation about Gulf Shore Boulevard's landscaping debacle. I can do so because I was involved from the beginning.
In June, a contract was approved by the mayor and a majority of City Council, and 400-plus mature palms and 85 mature canopy trees were chain-sawed.
Immediately a group of citizens contacted Mayor John Sorey's office, demanding a meeting and an explanation.
On Aug. 11, more than 100 very angry residents attended a special meeting some even flew in from up North. The mayor and city staff tried to justify the chain sawing. After much heated discussion the mayor stated that if he knew in June what he knew now, he would have made the same decision. Residents were told they would have to accept the situation.
That meeting further energized residents who continued their networking. By late August considerable progress had been made in gaining a sympathetic ear to the plight of Gulf Shore Boulevard.
Among the first to step up was Councilman Bill Barnett who declared: "We made a big mistake we need to fix it." From that moment, the determination to fix Gulf Shore Boulevard North snowballed.
The ongoing effort to restore Gulf Shore Boulevard is a result of citizens who were aghast at what occurred, disillusioned about the mayor's initial response, and then quickly acted to right the wrong.
Mayor Sorey should not take credit for what the residents achieved.
When Gulf Shore Boulevard North's 4,000 registered voters go to the polls on March 15, please remember who occupied the mayor's office when the trees were killed.
The buck stops at the mayor's office.
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By Sen. Garrett Richter, Naples District 23
In 2013, the Florida Legislature updated the expert evidence standard used in our courts. I was honored to be the Senate sponsor for this important change to our laws.
Now, the Florida Supreme Court is considering whether to acknowledge the Legislature's directive, or ignore it in favor of its own opinion.
First, let me explain how we got here.
In a legal proceeding, both sides may present "expert" witnesses. Since an expert's opinion is just that an opinion the courts allow either side to question whether the opinion meets certain thresholds for scientific evidence, and as a result, whether the opinion should be allowed and admitted for consideration.
Expert opinions have a powerful influence on juries and often determine case outcome. That is why justice can best be served if people masquerading as experts are not allowed to speak to the jury.
Prior to 2013, Florida's courts used a 90-year-old standard to determine whether a proposed expert opinion could be scientifically justified and admitted. This standard grew out of step with modern world advances in medicine, science and engineering. Even worse, several Florida Supreme Court decisions over the years allowed people to claim to be an expert based solely on their personal opinion, and no science at all.
This situation contributed to an unpredictable and uncertain legal environment that undermined trust in the legal system as a fair process.
As the Legislature studied the issue, we learned that Florida was lagging behind, as all federal courts and nearly all state courts had moved to a better, more stringent standard based on a 1993 Supreme Court case, Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Under this modern scientific standard, judges act as "gatekeepers" and are responsible for ensuring that expert opinions presented in court are based on sound science, relevant and reliable.
Finally in 2013, after years of dedicated study and countless hours of testimony and discussion, we changed Florida's expert evidence standard to Daubert.
Since then, in a disturbing turn of events, The Florida Bar is continuing a fight the trial lawyers lost, and they are asking the Supreme Court to ignore the law and the Legislature and keep the outdated standard. According to the Bar, the expert evidence standard falls under the court's right to determine its own procedures.
Let's face it the trial lawyers who control The Florida Bar have an interest in preserving an outdated standard that encourages bogus claims and jackpot litigation.
All the arguments raised by The Florida Bar now were also raised when the Legislature considered this issue, but ultimately we decided to make the change. Who exactly is The Florida Bar to substitute their perspective for the will of the people?
I am confident that all three branches of government want to ensure that Floridians' substantive right to a fair trial isn't lost in a courtroom where self-proclaimed "experts" can drive out the proper consideration of modern scientific concepts and processes.
The Supreme Court should respect the Legislature's decision and implement the Daubert expert evidence standard.
Bob Edwards, Managing Director Investments, Senior PIM Portfolio Manager of Moran Edwards Asset Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors (www.MoranEdwards.com), will host a seminar titled, Florida Domicile, on Tuesday, March 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Advisors Building located at 5801 Pelican Bay Boulevard in Naples. Attorney Adam Kerlek of Bond, Schoeneck and King will discuss the benefits of Florida domicile; what to do when you move to Florida; and planning your estate under Florida law. Seating is limited. Make a reservation by calling 239-513-2511.
The opinions expressed by the guest attorney at this seminar reflect the judgment of the author as of the date of the event and are subject to change without notice and are not necessarily those of Wells Fargo Advisors or its affiliates.
Tom Moran and Bob Edwards, Managing Directors - Investments Senior PIM Portfolio Managers of Moran Edwards Asset Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors (www.MoranEdwards.com), will host a seminar series titled, Whats Ahead for Investors in 2016 on March 1 and March 2 at the following locations and times.
Tuesday, March 1, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Moran Edwards office at the Wells Fargo Building, 5801 Pelican Bay Boulevard, Naples
Wednesday, March 2, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Trianon Bonita Bay, 3401 Bay Commons Drive, Bonita Springs
The seminar series will include information about the following topics:
A focus on performance: how is your investment portfolio performing in the market?
How we plan to navigate risk in a year of change: what it may mean for investors.
What rising rates could mean for investment portfolios.
Building better portfolios: the role of stocks, bonds and non-traditional asset classes.
Seating is limited, so please make a reservation by calling 239-513-2511.
February conjures visions of hearts and passion. For ten families and their young adults with developmental disabilities, the month illuminated a dream for the future that was built on their passions with heartfelt input from parents, friends and professionals from local nonprofit Adonis Autism and Picasso Einstein, an educational consulting firm in South Florida that envisions a future of self-employed individuals with disabilities as a societal norm.
Picasso Einstein assists both individuals with disabilities as well as their families to explore, establish and initiate small business ventures with the main purpose of providing meaningful employment for the person with a disability, explains co-founder Boaz, It is what we call Person-Ventured Entrepreneurship.
Picasso Einstein was founded by Boaz & his wife, Minerva Vazquez Santiago, an entrepreneur with expertise in the areas of business law and special needs law. The couple is raising two teenage sons with autism, making the mission of Picasso Einstein that much more meaningful.
The three-day workshop last week, hosted at the United Way's conference center in North Naples, focused on options and opportunities that are outside of the traditional thought process when imagining employment for people with disabilities. Teaching alongside Boaz was Picasso Einstein team member, Jennie Trocchio-Kirkland, an autism expert and Special Education Professor at Lynn University.
This is Picasso Einstein's third and most comprehensive workshop in Collier County. Ten families attended the pilot program from February 15 17 that required attendees to tackle difficult questions and brainstorm together on everything from establishing a strong peer support network to favorite motivational music.
Entrepreneurship is a buzzword we usually see associated with high tech innovations or Shark Tank product inventions, but it comprises a wide spectrum of ventures, ranging from the most complex to the simple.
For young adults with developmental disabilities like cerebral palsy and autism, self employment offers another door to post-secondary education. "More than 150,000 students with disabilities age out of the U.S. school system each spring, and graduates greatly outnumber the jobs that currently exist in today's market," says Debby Kays, executive director of Adonis Autism. "This is one of the top needs we have identified in our community, along with housing, respite care and transportation. It fits together as we prepare for the future, and Picasso Einstein teaches families and individuals to develop strategies to meet these challenges."
Road-mapping options for everyone, even those with limited communication skills, behavioral and physical challenges, is Picasso Einstein's focus. The individuals and their families, along with an extended support network, move the plan forward based on their unique business plans. Or, they may opt to pursue more traditional employment if they determine that is their desired path. Developing a person-centered plan is key for both outcomes.
Parents and their young adults were excited about their prospects at the end of the three-day session. I am self-employed but never considered it for my daughter living with autism. said Darlene Lanza. This has helped me look at my daughters circumstance in a different way. I am very grateful and excited to think differently and get started.
Thinking differently is the first step in solving challenges, and establishing a strong support network is vital. Adonis Autism received support and sponsorship for the seminar from the Joseph J. Schott Foundation, Lance McKinney PA, Terry Kays and the Marco Island Hilton.
Picasso Einstein believes that entrepreneurship involves both art and intelligence into the sustainable independence equation. Were looking forward to the amazing and varied opportunities that lie ahead for our students and their families, says Boaz.
For more information about Adonis Autism, check out adonisautism.org, contact Debby Kays at debby.adonisautism@gmail.com or follow Adonis Autism on Facebook. To read more about self-employment for people with disabilities, go to www.picassoeinstein.com and sign up for their newsletter.
Welcome to the Narco News Archives
Narco News published original investigative journalism & analysis for 19 years (2000 - 2019) on the "war on drugs" from Latin America, and on social movements, community organizing, nonviolent resistance and election campaigns throughout the world.
In 2001, Narco News won the landmark New York Supreme Court case, Banco Nacional de Mexico vs. Al Giordano, Mario Menendez and Narco News; this case extended First Amendment rights to the Internet and journalists who publish on it.
The independent online newspaper did not accept advertising but cut a wide swath (Boston Globe), with "hard-hitting reporting" (Fairness & Accuracy in Media), that "broke a string of scoops" (The Guardian), that were "on the mark and well documented" (Washington Post).
"The new, independent journalists of the Internet, as personified by Al Giordano" (Electronic Frontier Foundation), who "actually makes things happen" (Gary Webb, 1955 - 2004), invented "the platinum standard in Authentic Journalism" (Barry Crimmins, 1953-2018).
You can read more of what the critics have said at www.narconews.com/mediacritics1.html.
Here, free to the public, you will find two decades of reports in seven languages, including major drug war scoops by Bill Conroy, the censored San Jose Mercury-News "Dark Alliance" series by Gary Webb, early viral videos from Narco News TV, translations to English of Latin American and other international news stories otherwise unreported in the United States, in-depth reporting on the Obama presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008 by Al Giordano, "the prophet of the Obama paradigm shift" (Vanity Fair), and original reporting by hundreds of journalists from almost every corner of the planet.
The nonprofit Fund for Authentic Journalism is currently rebuilding the Narco News site to fix broken links and graphics that too often on the Internet get disappeared forever as the technology of web platforms becomes regularly replaced and must be updated to preserve the history of early online journalism.
We beg your patience as we complete this kind of archeological dig and repair of these vital reports and stories.
Please consider supporting the preservation of real reporting through the nonprofit Fund for Authentic Journalism, via the donate links at our website: authenticjournalism.org.
If you have tech skills and can volunteer to help repair and update this important historical record, please contact Al Giordano at al@organizeandwin.com.
Thank you for your readership and participation in 19 years of journalism history and for your support as we continue to support authentic journalism in the present and future.
The Fund for Authentic Journalism
Ocwen Financial in West Palm Beach, Fla., is the target of a second Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into its mortgage servicing practices.
The company, formerly based in Atlanta, made the disclosure in its 10-K filing on Monday. That news, along with the announcement of a full-year loss of $247 million and a fourth-quarter loss of $224 million, has caused Ocwen's stock price when adjusted for splits to plunge to levels not seen since the spring of 2008, according to data from Yahoo Finance.
Ocwen shares fell nearly 45% Tuesday, to $2.10 apiece, with a low point during the day of $2.05. Almost 34 million shares changed hands.
On Monday the low during the day was $3.73, and the trading volume was almost 12.7 million shares.
On Friday, Ocwen closed at $6.15 per share, with a trading volume of 2.6 million shares.
According to the 10-K, on Feb. 11 of this year the SEC sent a letter informing Ocwen that the agency was conducting an investigation of fees and expenses charged regarding liquidated loans and real-estate-owned properties held in nonagency residential mortgage-backed securities trusts.
As previously disclosed, nearly a year earlier the SEC sent a letter to Ocwen stating it was conducting an investigation into the use of collection agents by mortgage servicers. Ocwen said it believes that letter "was also sent to other companies in the industry."
An SEC spokesman, Ryan White, declined to comment on either investigation.
During Ocwen's conference call Monday, when asked about the fees and expenses investigation, President and Chief Executive Ronald Faris said that he could not comment but that Ocwen feels confident that the fees that are part of the servicing business that are either assessed to borrowers or passed on to RMBS investors are monitored closely by master servicers and trustees.
"We've had various third parties look at them," Faris said. "We have a good sense as to what others servicers have done since we've acquired a lot of servicing portfolios and have been able to see what industry practice has been, and we feel comfortable that our process is within industry practice."
Ocwen has had its share of legal and regulatory battles over its servicing practices. The company's portfolio activities are monitored as part of the $25 million national mortgage settlement. It also paid $2.5 million to settle a case with California regulators in January 2015 and $150 million to New York in a December 2014 deal that forced its founder, William Erbey, to resign as chairman.
"We must continue to work with California and New York to both lift our restrictions on servicing rights acquisitions and to allow us to operate in a more normalized business environment which includes winding down the monitorships and associated costs," Faris said on the call Monday.
In January Ocwen paid $2 million to the SEC to settle charges it misstated its financial results.
A press release from Zacks Investment Research said "the magnitude of the [fourth-quarter] loss took the market by surprise."
As for the two latest probes, Zacks commented, "We remain concerned about the impact of mounting compliance and monitoring expenses, apart from the endless regulatory probes into the company's near-term financials."
Attorneys Title Agency in Farmington Hills, Mich., has acquired the direct operations of Stewart Title in Michigan.
The companies did not disclose financial terms of the deal, which was announced on Monday.
Attorneys Title will add Stewart's three locations in Michigan and keep the majority of Stewart's employees attached to those locations.
Attorneys Title established a new division as a result of the acquisition. Its National Relocation Services division will provide employee-relocation title and settlement services.
The contributions women have made throughout the years are apparent in all walks of life, and the Air Force is no exception. With the observation of Womens History Month in March, visitors to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force can view exhibits that pay tribute to the accomplishments and achievements of women who served in the Air Force.
In the World War II Gallery, visitors can learn about U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) flight nurses and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). A tribute to flight nurse Capt. Lillian Kinkela Keil can be found in the Korean War Gallery.
The global scope of World War II (WWII) forced the USAAF to revolutionize military medical care through the development of air evacuation and the use of flight nurses. On Feb. 18, 1943, the U.S. Army Nurse Corps first class of flight nurses formally graduated at Bowman Field, near Louisville, Ky. Eventually, about 500 Army nurses served as members of 31 medical air evacuation transport squadrons operating worldwide. It is a tribute to their skill that of the 1,176,048 patients air evacuated throughout the war, only 46 died en route. Seventeen flight nurses lost their lives during the war. Their story is told in the museums Winged Angels: USAAF Flight Nurses in WWII exhibit.
Facing the need for male combat pilots, the situation by mid-1942 favored the use of experienced women pilots to fly USAAF aircraft within the United States. Two womens aviator units were formed to ease this need and more than 1,000 women participated in these programs as civilians attached to the USAAF. These were merged into a single group the WASP program in August 1943 and broke ground for U.S. Air Force female pilots who would follow in their footsteps. The WASP exhibit displays uniforms and features a mannequin standing near the cockpit of an AT-10.
Capt. Lillian Kinkela Keil was one of the most accomplished women in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, and one of the most decorated women in American military history. She served as a flight nurse during WWII and returned to active duty when the Korean War broke out. Her extraordinary experiences inspired the 1953 Hollywood movie Flight Nurse, and she remained active in veterans affairs until her death in 2005. Keils service dress uniform is displayed in the Aeromedical Evacuation exhibit in the Korean War Gallery.
Details about museum exhibits and online resources related to Womens History Month are available at www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Collections/Research/WomensHistory.aspx.
Finally, the Air Force Museum Theatre will continue its Living History Film Series on March 12 with an event commemorating Womens History Month. Beginning at 4 p.m., the theatre will screen Beyond the Powder: The Legacy of The First Womens Cross-Country Air Race. Dr. Terry Von Thaden, granddaughter of Louise Thaden who won the first race in 1929, will join filmmakers Kara Martinelli and Adam White to share personal insight on the film. Tickets are available at the theatres ticket counter for $10 ($8 for museum Friends Members) or by calling (937) 253-4629. The theatre is operated by the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc., a Section 501(c)(3) private, non-profit organization that assists the Air Force in the development and expansion of museum facilities. The Living History Film Series is sponsored by Texas Road House, the Boeing Co. and Holiday Inn Dayton-Fairborn. (No federal endorsement implied.)
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the worlds largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year about one million visitors from around the world come to the museum. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.
NOTE TO PUBLIC: For more information, please contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at (937) 255-3286.
NOTE TO MEDIA: For more information, please contact Sarah Swan at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Division at (937) 255-1283.
The NATO Secretary General Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will visit the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, 2 March 2016.
During his visit, Mr. Stoltenberg will have meetings with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, His Highness Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, His Highness Sheikh Abullah bin Zayed al-Nayan, with the Minister of State for Defence Affairs, His Excellency Mohammed Ahmed Al Bawardi Al Falasi, with the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi.
Mr. Stoltenberg will also visit the Joint Operation Centre to the French Naval base in the UAE and will be welcomed by the Commander of the Maritime Area of the Indian Ocean, RADM Antoine Beaussant.
Still and video imagery will be available from the NATO website after the event.
Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg).
The programme of the visit is subject to change. For further information, please contact the NATO Press and Media Service at tel: + 32 2 707 50 41.
The people were told to drink the poisoned water
State employees in Michigan heard a different story
Will anyone be held responsible?
(NaturalNews) In 2014, by the order of the state, the city of Flint, Michigan, switched its water source from Detroit's Lake Huron, to the notoriously murky Flint River . The excuse? The city was too poor to afford clean water.The result? For almost two years, residents of Flint and their children were consistently poisoned with lead . Lower IQs, developmental delays and learning difficulties, are only some of the permanent effects of lead in these children, while the recent spike in the numbers of Legionnaire's disease in the affected area has also been linked to the poor treatment of the water. Once the situation was properly acknowledged and a state of emergency was declared in 2016, residents were given bottled water to drink.But the story was not the same for state employees in Michigan , who knew beforehand that the water systems were in a state of collapse It seems like yesterday that Former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling went on local TV and drank the lead-poisoned water in order to make a point about its safety. At the time, people were already receiving notices stating that Flint was in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act. This is just how the residents of Flint, Michigan, were bullied into drinking unsafe tap water for almost two years.Although they immediately reported the poor quality of the water as soon as the switch to the Flint River took place, no one paid attention until a group of researchers from Virginia Tech took matters into their own hands. When testing the tap water in Flint they discovered high levels of lead. Still, state officials ignored these results and fronted their own, more "accurate" research.Finally, in October 2015, the issue was publicly acknowledged and the water source was switched back to Lake Huron. In January 2016, the National Guard was mobilized to distribute bottled water to all the residents in Flint, Michigan.But here's the thing: If state officials were so convinced of the water's safety, then why did the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget decide to bring water coolers into the Flint state building in January 2015, a full year before the water crisis was publicly acknowledged? On each occupied floor, a cooler was placed next to the water fountain so as to give state employees a choice to drink clean, purified water According to the DTMB, the coolers were to remain in the building for as long as "the public water does not meet treatment requirements."The big picture doesn't get any clearer than this. In 2015, everyone knew that the tap water in Flint was unsafe, but in the media , the story was a different one. State officials quietly received clean water through the course of the entire year, while other residents had to struggle to obtain the same treatment one year later in 2016 As outrageous as this may seem, it is perhaps even more disturbing that up to this day no one has been held responsible for this man-made water disaster. In 2012, the emergency manager for Flint, Michigan, rejected the idea of using the city's river for water. Only 16 months later, the Snyder administration decided otherwise , and claimed that the Flint River was a safe water source.What's worse, it seems that even if Flint had maintained its original water source, it would have saved the same amount of money . Why, then, was the water source switched? And when will someone take official responsibility for the life-long consequences of this act for the residents of Flint?
The DARK Act's Survival Depends on Keeping People in the Dark
Accounting for the Confusion: The Decisive Role of Deception
The Delusions Cannot Last Much Longer
(NaturalNews) An ardent attempt is afoot on Capitol Hill to prevent states from requiring the labeling of genetically engineered foods made especially urgent by the fact that Vermont's labeling bill is set to take effect July 1st.Although proponents of these foods scored a major victory in July when they induced the House of Representatives to pass a bill (HR 1599) that would ban such state-enacted legislation, a version of that bill has not yet been introduced in the Senate; and because of the intense focus on crafting and passing crucial legislation that will provide necessary funding to keep the federal government functioning, none is likely to be during this session. Accordingly, biotech advocates are endeavoring to get key provisions of HR 1599 attached as a rider to the must-pass appropriations bill and sneak them into law without meaningful scrutiny and debate. But this attempt could be quickly foiled by one simple occurrence: the dissemination of a few essential facts. Moreover, if these facts had been widely known in July, HR 1599 could not have even made it through the House. That's because the bill has always relied on disinformation and could not survive an open airing of the truth. (Story by Steven M. Druker, republished from IndependentScienceNews.org .)HR 1599 was artfully titled the "Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015."But because it would actually restrict the labeling of GE foods, public interest groups dubbed ittheon keep consumers in the dark, the legislators were significantly operating in the dark themselves. Indeed, it's safe to say that virtually every member of the House who voted on that bill whether for or against was mistaken about at least one of the key relevant facts.Some of the greatest confusion involves food safety. For instance, the bill's sponsor, Congressman Pompeo, declared that consumer demands for labeling of GE foods have nothing to do with health or safety, and its other supporters have backed that assertion and proclaimed that no legitimate food safety concerns exist. Even the main witness who testified against the bill before a congressional committee in 2014 declared that there aren't any. But this is flat-out false. For example, science-based concerns about the dangers to human health were repeatedly raised in memos written by the technical experts at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) when they analyzed the risks of genetic engineering in 1991. The pervasiveness of the concerns within the scientific staff is attested by a memo from an FDA official who asserted: "The processes of genetic engineering and traditional breeding are different, and according to the technical experts in the agency, they lead to different risks."Such concerns have been expressed in subsequent years by numerous other scientists and scientific institutions as well, including the British Medical Association, the Public Health Association of Australia, and the respected medical journal The Lancet. One of the strongest set of cautions appeared within an extensive report issued by the Royal Society of Canada, which declared (a) that it is "scientifically unjustifiable" to presume that GE foods are safe and (b) that the "default presumption" for every one of them should be that the genetic alteration has induced unintended and potentially harmful side effects.Laboratory testing has confirmed the legitimacy of the concerns, and a number of well-conducted research studies on GE foods published in peer-reviewed scientific journals have detected statistically significant instances of harm to the laboratory animals that were consigned to consume them. Moreover, a review of the scientific literature on GE foods (itself published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2009) concluded that "most" of the safety assessments have not only indicated problems, but indicated that "many GM [genetically modified] foods have some common toxic effects."Confusion also reigns regarding the adequacy of federal regulation, and it's widely believed that the FDA is assiduously following the law and subjecting GE foods to rigorous scientific review. But in reality (and as will be seen), that agency has not conducted a genuinely scientific review for any GE food on the market, and far from following the law, it's been deliberately violating the law's express mandates in order to enable these products to be marketed without the kinds of testing that the law requires.The widespread misconceptions about GE foods have been created and sustained through the systematic spreading of disinformation by a large number of their proponents. Deplorably, one of the chief spreaders has been the FDA; and if that agency had not routinely distorted the facts and instead told the truth the GE food venture would almost surely have collapsed.For instance, when the FDA issued its policy statement on GE foods in 1992, it claimed it was "not aware of any information showing that foods derived by these new methods differ from other foods in any meaningful or uniform way,"despite the fact its files contained multiple memos from its own scientists explaining how GE foods do indeed differ, why they pose greater risks, and why none should be presumed safe unless its safety has been demonstrated through rigorous testing.Moreover, the FDA compounded the fraud by claiming that GE foods were "Generally Recognized as Safe" among experts and could be marketed without the requirement of any safety testing at all, even though its files reveal that it knew there was no expert consensus and even though the law mandates that foods containing novel substances must be established safe through solid technical evidence.Furthermore, to create the illusion that responsible regulation was being exercised, the agency set up a voluntary consultation process that it claims affords "rigorous" review. But the process is not a genuine scientific review, and the FDA's Biotechnology Strategic Manager has acknowledged that fact while admitting that the agency does not even request or receive any original test data.The agency's shameful behavior continues, and although by now it is well aware of much more information showing that GE foods significantly differ from others, it persists in its bogus claim that it is "not aware" of any; and this blatant falsehood was repeated by an FDA official on October 21st at a hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee. She also asserted that the consultation process is so rigorous that it resolves "all safety issues," which is not only misleading but ridiculous, because the process is far too superficial to achieve such certitude.Because the facts weigh so heavily against the GE food venture, and because it has relied on distorting them in order to survive, it cannot long endure. When enough people in general, or even a small number on Capitol Hill, finally learn the truth and realize the extent to which the truth has been consistently twisted there will be dramatic change. And if a sufficient dose of enlightenment were to soon suffuse The Hill, the Dark Act would be dead.The author is Executive Director of theRead more at IndependentScienceNews.org [1] Document 1 atThe FDA covered up the memos from its scientists, and they only came to light because a lawsuit initiated by the Alliance for Bio-Integrity compelled the agency to release its files on GE foods.[2]prepared by The Royal Society of Canada at the request of Health Canada Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Environment Canada" The Royal Society of Canada, January 2001[3] Dona, A., and I. S. Arvanitouannis (2009) Health Risks of Genetically Modified Foods. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 49: 164-75.[4][5] The legal requirements are delineated at 21 CFR Sec. 170.30 (a-b). For a fuller explanation of what the law requires for GRAS status and how the FDA has been violating the requirements, see Chapter 5 of my book, Altered Genes, Twisted Truth, or my article, "Why the FDA's Policy on Genetically Engineered Foods is Unscientific, Irresponsible, and Illegal." [6] Maryanski, J., "Safety Assurance of Foods Derived by Modern Biotechnology in the United States," July 1996.[7] Statement of Susan Mayne, PhD, Director, FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, before the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, U.S. Senate, October 21, 2015.
More pills to more people equals more ODs
They're known to be highly addictive and, in 2013, nearly a third of the 23,000 people who died from prescription drug overdoses were taking them.
Bachhuber's team looked at large health surveys to find trends in their use and abuse.
This ought to be criminal
(NaturalNews) Big Pharma is claiming more and more victims every year, but "the system" appears to be on autopilot, and there is little to no political will in Washington, D.C., to reverse course.As reported by, new research shows that more Americans than ever before are overdosing on anxiety drugs, but scientists say they aren't sure why (we have an idea more on that here ).According to the new study, not only are more Americansthose drugs, which include brand names like Xanax and Valium, but they taking themResearchers also found that the quantity of prescriptions tripled between 1996 and 2013, but the number of overdoses quadrupled during the same period. The research was published in the"We found that the death rate from overdoses involving benzodiazepines, also known as 'benzos,' has increased more than four-fold since 1996 a public health problem that has gone under the radar," said Dr. Marcus Bachhuber of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, a co-leader of the study."Overdoses from benzodiazepines have increased at a much faster rate than prescriptions for the drugs, indicating that people have been taking them in a riskier way over time," Bachhuber added.Big Pharma, with the assistance of the "traditional" medical establishment, has made benzodiazepines extremely popular in the United States. Then again, patients have a responsibility here, too: Too many have allowed themselves to be talked into thinking that for every anxiety or concern they have, no matter how infrequent or minuscule, theysomething they can use to. In steps Big Pharma. And Big Medicine.In the last century, when drugs like this were not available, Americansbuck up and "deal with" things not small things, either. Such society-changing events like the Great Depression and World War II transformed the Americans who lived in that era into "the Greatest Generation," many believe. And it was a generation that didn't get its feelings hurt, its psyche damaged or its "safe space" violated. And it was a generation that a) didn't kill itself; and b) didn't need drugging to deal with everyday life.How things have changed. Today, more than 5 percent of U.S. adults will fill a prescription for benzodiazepine every year, for all sorts of conditions including anxiety, (supposed) mood disorders and an inability to sleep well.Asnoted further:"The rate of overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines increased more than four-fold from 0.58 per 100,000 adults to 3.07 per 100 000 adults," the researchers wrote. "However, this rate appeared to plateau after 2010.""Between 1996 and 2013, the number of adults filling a benzodiazepine prescription increased 67 percent, from 8.1 million to 13.5 million," the team continued.Researchers discovered a similarly large increase in the number of pills that adults were being prescribed, though to the research team it wasn't clear why overdoses went up so much (it is to click here .)"It could be people are taking the drugs for longer times, raising the odds that they'll eventually overdose,"reported. "Or it could be the pills are getting to people who don't have prescriptions, the researchers wrote."These mind- and mood-altering drugs are not safe, as has repeatedly been demonstrated at PsychDrugShooters.com . But for some reason profits? the medical industry and Big Pharma keep cranking them out, in higher doses and in greater numbers to more people.That the mainstream medical community refuses to acknowledge the direct link between these increases and the increases in overdoses and deaths ought to be criminal.
Rosemary from ancient times to the present
The potential health benefits of rosemary oil
Growing your own rosemary at home
(NaturalNews) Rosemary is an evergreen herb native to the Mediterranean, and a member of the mint family, alongside oregano, thyme, basil and lavender. Although some of us are most familiar with the culinary uses of rosemary, this beautifully scented herb is also commonly used in cosmetics, perfumes and traditional medicine.As a rich source of iron, calcium and vitamin B6, rosemary displays numerous health benefits and has been hailed by medics since ancient times for alleviating muscle pain, improving memory and boosting the circulatory system. Rosemary oil shares some of these uses, and makes an absolutely delightful addition to any aromatherapy kit In Ancient Greece, rosemary was considered to be one of the most important plants. Its name was derived from the Latin "rosmarinus," which translates into "dew of the sea." Although our ancestors were also impressed with this herb's wonderful fragrance and its tasty condiment qualities, in ancient times it was primarily used to improve memory. Students in Ancient Greece would braid it into their hair because they believed it would help them pass their exams. As it later turned out, they were right to do so.Shakespeare was also familiar with the beneficial link between rosemary and memory, which is why he mentioned the aromatic herb in Hamlet ("There's rosemary, that's for remembrance"). Famous herbalists throughout the ages recommended it for improving a patient's failing memory , while in Europe and Asia, it became a symbol for remembrance. As such, it would often be placed on graves by loved ones or offered by women to traveling men.As many of our ancestors rightly observed, rosemary was indeed linked to increased blood circulation and improved cognitive performance A study from 2013 showed that even sniffing rosemary can improve memory by as much as 75 percent. In addition, the herb is a rich source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, including carnosic acid, which is able to prevent free radical damage in the brain and significantly slow down brain aging.Rosemary essential oil also shows promising health benefits. It is known to help detoxify the liver and regulate the bile as a part of the digestive process, while relieving flatulence, stomach cramps and constipation. Rosemary oil can also be used for stress relief and reducing the levels of cortisol, as well as for pain relief, especially with rheumatism, sprains or joint aches. Last but not least, inhaling the scent of the oil can help with throat congestion, respiratory allergies, bronchial asthma, colds and the flu, due to its antiseptic action and antispasmodic effect.Got a spare pot at home? Planting and growing your own rosemary is as easy as it gets, especially if you live in a warm climate. Otherwise, you can always bring the rosemary plant inside throughout the cold season, and you'll still be able to keep it green all year long. Once you've harvested your first rosemary herbs, you'll be able to dry them and use them as condiments, or transform them into a homemade essential oil All you need are a few sterilized jars, a cup of rosemary and two cups of oil. If you'd like to use the homemade rosemary oil for cosmetic purposes, then you'll need some baby or almond oil to work with. For general purposes, you can utilize canola or safflower oil. At first, put your rosemary in the jar and cover it with the oil. Then, cap the jar tightly and place it in a warm spot (a sunny place, a windowsill or a warm cupboard). About one week later, when you notice the rosemary turning brown, take the cap off and smell the oil. If the smell is strong enough, strain it thoroughly and pour it in a clean jar. And voila! Your rosemary oil is ready to use.
(NaturalNews) German beer as in, beer is almost a food group in and of itself. For beer connoisseurs, German brands are generally at the top of their lists.But that may be about to change, after new scientific analyses of several German brews found them to contain varying levels of the primary ingredient in Monsanto's main herbicide, Roundup As reported by, the Munich Environmental Institute has recently released the shocking laboratory evidence: 14 of the most widely sold beers in Germany contain glyphosate, the world's most common and most widely used herbicide, which was labeled a potential carcinogen by the World Health Organization last year.Here are the results of the testing:Hasseroder Pils 29,74 g/l (ppb)Jever Pils 23,04 g/lWarsteiner Pils 20,73 g/lRadeberger Pilsner 12,01 g/lVeltins Pilsener 5,78 g/lOettinger Pils 3,86 g/lKonig Pilsener 3,35 g/lKrombacher Pils 2,99 g/lErdinger Weisbier 2,92 g/lPaulaner Weisbier 0,66 g/lBitburger Pils 0,55 g/lBeck's Pils 0,50 g/lFranziskaner Weisbier 0,49 g/lAugustiner Helles 0,46 g/lPerhaps predictably, the German Brewers' Association reacted by calling the study "not credible," but went on to admit that low residues of the likely human carcinogen could not be completely prevented from winding up in beers because, "the herbicide is now found virtually everywhere after decades of use in agriculture."Of the findings,Director Henry Rowlands said, "Stone-Age industry funded science suggested that the higher the dose of a chemical the more dangerous it was, however modern independent science has discovered that many toxic chemicals have as much or more of an influence on our health at low dosesthese chemicals are known as hormone hackers (endocrine disruptors)."A study from March 2015 stated that the health costs to the European Union of hormone hacking chemicals is over $ 150 billion per year," he continued. "The study stated that lower IQ, adult obesity and 5% or more of autism cases are all linked to exposure to endocrine disruptors. Glyphosate is likely to be one of these hormone hacking chemicals according to independent science."European law bans substances that disrupt hormones, but a number of EU governments don't believe that glyphosate qualifies as one such substance.One of them is the German government, as theIn fact, the endocrine-disrupting effect of glyphosate and its commercial variations is one of its most dangerous qualities. Also, it's not uncommon that when industry studies are done on the effects of glyphosate, they are conducted "for regulatory purposes" and "use relatively high doses," but are not able to detect such effects.Among the peer-reviewed findings regarding the ill-effects of glyphosate:-- It has altered hormone levels in female catfish while decreasing egg viability; this study concluded that herbicide is harmful to catfish reproduction.-- Roundup has disrupted production of progesterone, a steroid hormone, in the cells of mice.-- Glyphosate was a potent endocrine disruptor in rats, causing disturbances in their reproductive capabilities after exposure during puberty."In an in vitro experiment in human cells, glyphosate herbicides prevented the action of androgens, the masculinizing hormones, at levels up to 800 times lower than glyphosate residue levels allowed in some GM crops used for animal feed in the USA," thenoted. "DNA damage was found in human cells treated with glyphosate herbicides at these levels."And now, it seems, legendary German beers have become tainted by glyphosate as well.[1] Soso AB, Barcellos LJG, Ranzani-Paiva MJ, et al.Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2007;23:308-313.[2] Walsh LP, McCormick C, Martin C, Stocco DM.Env Health Perspect. 2000;108:769-776.[3] Romano RM, Romano MA, Bernardi MM, Furtado PV, Oliveira CA.Arch Toxicol. 2010;84:309-317.
(NaturalNews) Apress release reported, "Children and adolescents have a doubled risk of aggression and suicide when taking one of the five most commonly prescribed antidepressants," according to a study published inon January 28, 2016. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotoninnorepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants , the release notes.Researchers from the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Denmark carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of 68 clinical study reports of 70 trials involving 18,526 patients to examine use of antidepressants and associated serious harms, including "deaths, suicidal thoughts and attempts as well as aggression and akathisia, a form of restlessness that may increase suicide and violence."But "because of the poor design of clinical trials that assess these antidepressants, and the misreporting of findings in published articles," the experts report, "the true risk for all associated serious harmssuch as deaths, aggression, akathisia and suicidal thoughts and attemptsremains unknown for children, adolescents and adults."The researchers examined "trials that contained patient narratives or individual patient listings of associated harms," the authors explained, that "are often not included in published trial reports." They also "analysed clinical study reports, prepared by pharmaceutical companies for market authorisation, and summary trial reports, both of which usually include more information."Clinical study reports for duloxetine (Cymbalta), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft) and venlafaxine (Effexor) were from regulatory agencies in the UK and Europe. Reports for duloxetine and fluoxetine were also taken from Eli Lilly's website."However, clinical study reports could not be obtained for all trials and all antidepressants , and individual listings of adverse outcomes for all patients were available for only 32 trials," the release noted."The true risk for serious harms is still unknown [because] the low incidence of these rare events, and the poor design and reporting of the trials, makes it difficult to get accurate effect estimates," the study's authors explained.The researcher's found limitations in trial designs and reporting that may have lead to "serious under-estimation of the harms," the authors wrote.They compared the results from the study reports with individual patient listings or narratives of adverse effects. "This revealed misclassification of deaths and suicidal events in people taking antidepressants. For example, four deaths were misreported by a pharmaceutical company, in all cases favouring the antidepressant, and more than half of the suicide attempts and suicidal ideation, for example, were coded as 'emotional lability' [] or 'worsening of depression,'" the press release reported."In the summary trial reports on Eli Lilly's website, almost all deaths were noted, but all suicidal ideation events were missing, and the information on the remaining outcomes was incomplete," the authors wrote in the BJM study."Because of the shortcomings identified and having only partial access to appendices with no access to case report forms, the harms could not be estimated accurately," they concluded."Many cases of aggressive behaviour have been reported," they wrote, "but, unlike with suicidality, little systematic research has been undertaken." Perpetrators of school shootings and similar events have often been reported to be users of antidepressants and the courts have in many cases found them not guilty as a result of drug induced insanity, they point out in the study."We believe our study shows that, despite using clinical study reports, the true risk for serious harms is still uncertain," they wrote. "The low incidence of these rare events and the poor design and reporting of the trials makes it difficult to get accurate effect estimates."Therefore, the authors "suggest minimal use of antidepressants in children, adolescents, and young adults, as the serious harms seem to be greater, and as their effect seems to be below what is clinically relevant," they advised in the study.
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Lt. Governor of California and vociferous Donald Trump critic Gavin Newsom challenged the Republican Presidential candidate to a debate about immigration in a Facebook video Monday.
Let me talk in a way that Donald J. Trump will understand: his immigration plan is a loser. A big loser, Newsom says in the video. I made this animated video to illustrate why its impossible to do the stuff he says he's going to do. So putting aside the fact that it's racist it's also ineffective and stupid....make sense Donald?
In the video titled Donald Trumps Immigration Plan is a Loser, Newsom starts off by attacking Trumps border wall between the U.S. and Mexican border, calling it ineffective and a waste of money. A wall wont secure our border or keep us safe, Newsom says. As for Trumps idea of deporting 11 million men, women and children, Newsom cites a think tank that says the cost would amount to over $400 billion.
So what would the Mr. Make America Great Again scheme do to our countrys economy? Newsom asks, replying that it would force America to lose half of its farmworkers and six percent of its workforce, sending the economy on a downturn worse than the great recession.
Trumps plan would be a disaster, and Donald, Ill debate that plan anytime, anywhere, Newsom says.
Theres been no response from Trump yet. NBC Bay Area has reached out to the Trump campaign for a response.
Newsom hasnt been afraid of lashing out at Trump in the past, attacking his proposals and comments on social media. On Feb 27, Newsom posted a montage of Trumps various campaign speeches, urging his followers to watch it: I hope you'll share this video as it illustrates exactly who Donald J. Trumpis: a racist, insane man who uses threats and intimidation to get his way. We are better than this. We are so much better than this.
Yosemite National Park is set to start showing the new names for some of park's most iconic attractions after no settlement was reached to a bitter legal dispute.
As of Tuesday, the historic Ahwahnee Hotel will become the Majestic Yosemite Hotel and Curry Village campground will be named Half Dome Village. Badger Pass Ski Resort will now be Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area.
The park service announced last year that it would change the names of Curry Village, the Ahwahnee Hotel, Badger Pass Ski Resort and many other attractions after failing to reach agreement with the company that says it owns the trademarks to those attractions.
Amy Trainer, executive director of the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin, who keeps close tabs on the national park system, said in an earlier interview that the move to trademark such high-profile park institutions is likely unprecedented.
"I don't know that this has ever happened before," Trainer told NBC Bay Area in a 2014 interview. "It will be a real travesty if this company is allowed to hijack the name of one of America's most beloved places and hold it for ransom. It won't change the majesty of the Ahwahnee Hotel, but certainly something will be lost."
The trademark issue was first reported by the alternative weekly in Oakland, the East Bay Express, and it appeared to have caught the National Park Service off guard.
The company, Delaware North, has served as the park's concessionaire since 1993, running numerous park operations until losing the contract to Aramark, which is scheduled to take over at midnight. Delaware North and the Park Service have been unable to agree on the value of the trademarks and the Buffalo, New York-based company filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit.
The dispute prompted the Park Service to announce the name changes. Starting at midnight, Park Service employees began placing temporary signs over road signs directing visitors to the attractions while Aramark will be responsible for changing the names of the attractions.
Park Service spokesman Scott Gediman said temporary signs are being used in the hope that a settlement will be reached with Delaware North.
An historic sign welcoming visitors to the park's Ahwahnee Hotel was stolen sometime Saturday night or Sunday morning, Gediman said.
"It's part of the park's historic fabric," Gediman said. "And we are taking this seriously."
The Ahwahnee Hotel is to be renamed the Majestic Yosemite Hotel.
Delaware North spokesman Glen White said Park Service officials turned down the company's offer to let the park continue using the trademark names until the legal dispute was resolved.
In a lengthy email to NBC Bay Area two years ago, Delaware North at Yosemite Director of Marketing Jim Stellmack explained what he called a "complex" issue. He said that the National Park Service required his company to buy the stock from the previous concessionaire, the Yosemite Park and Curry Co., which it turn made Delaware North the owners of those assets, which are both "tangible and intangible."
Stellmack compared the issue to when the National Park Service gave intellectual property rights over to "The Ansel Adams Gallery" in Yosemite, "Verkamp's," a shop previously operated in the Grand Canyon and the logo for the Red Bus Tours in Glacier National Park, which the previous concessionaire would not sell to the successor.
In a follow-up phone interview at the time, Stellmark said the naming rights have been trademarked "all along," since before Delaware North took over the hotel and restaurant operations, and it's likely coming to light now as his company's contract is up for renewal.
Gediman said the Park Service turned down the offer made Friday because that would "acknowledge they own the names.''
Mark Bartholomew, a University at Buffalo law professor who teaches trademark law, says Delaware North may also want to preserve the value of the names at issue. The iconic names will lose value if they are no longer used, he said.
"I think all sides will ultimately come to an agreement after some more posturing,'' Bartholomew said.
Court filing show the Park Service valuing the trademarks at $3.5 million and Delaware North puts their worth at $51 million.
Cook County states attorney candidate Kim Foxx was fined nearly $20,000 Monday by the Illinois State Board of Elections after missing a variety of deadlines for filing campaign disclosure forms and failing to report a substantial donation from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
In February, the Illinois State Board of Elections ruled unanimously that Foxx violated campaign finance law by not disclosing a $25,000 donation from Preckwinkle. The donation was used to pay for a campaign poll.
Foxx previously served as Preckwinkle's chief of staff.
Foxx is also being fined for filing a quarterly campaign report 73 days late and for reporting 10 individual contributions of $1,000 or more one day late.
The Board of Elections ruling assessed fines of $40,250 against Foxxs campaign for 13 seperate violations of campaign finance laws and regulations. The election board provides relief for first and second time campaign finance offenses, so the Foxx campaign will instead be tasked with paying $19,450 in fines.
During a speech at the City Club in February, Foxx made it clear that she and her campaign disagreed with the election board's ruling.
The state board of elections has made their ruling, Foxx said. We disagree with it and were moving on.
The Foxx campaign intends to appeal the fines.
This is one of the largest fines, if not the largest fine ever, to be imposed by the state board of elections against a candidate running for countywide office, said Alvarez's election attorney Burt Odelson.
Incumbent States Attorney Anita Alvarez filed the complaint against Foxx after she failed to report the poll paid for by Preckwinkle.
How can we trust Kim Foxx to enforce the law as states attorney when shes repeatedly proved herself unwilling or unable to follow the laws as a candidate, Alvarez campaign spokesman Mike Carson said in a statement.
Alvarez's campaign donations have also come under scrutiny amid reports that she has received campaign donations from 59 workers in her office.
In the third quarter of 2015, Alvarez received 69 donations from 42 states attorneys office employees totaling more than $14,000.
Alvarez came under fire in the wake of the Laquan McDonald shooting in October of 2014. McDonald, a Chicago teen, was shot and killed by Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke.
Van Dyke was not charged with McDonalds murder until November of 2015 when dash-cam footage of the incident was being made public as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request.
Foxx was recently endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.
Foxx, Alvarez and former state and federal prosecutor Donna More will face off in the March 15 Democratic primary for Cook County State's Attorney.
Christopher Pfannkuche will run uncontested on the Republican ballot.
Hillary Clinton's campaign will host an event Tuesday in Chicago to track results from the day's 11 decisive primary elections.
The Super Tuesday event will be held at 6 p.m. on the second floor of Old Crow Smokehouse, located at 149 W. Kinzie St. It is free and open to the public.
City Clerk Susan Mendoza will address the crowd to dicscuss "why Hillary Clinton is the right choice for Chicago."
"The watch party comes as enthusiasm and support for Hillary Clinton grows throughout Illinois and follows Clinton's decisive win in South Carolina on Saturday," a statement from the Clinton campaign said.
Clinton defeated her Democratic opponent, Bernie Sanders, by a margin of 74 percent to 26 percent in South Carolina's Saturday primary. Clinton previously won the Iowa and Nevada caucuses, while Sanders won the New Hampshire primary.
The Democratic primaries for Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia as well as the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses will all be held on Super Tuesday. It has historically been considered a pivotal day in the presidential election cycle.
Clinton has won 90 pledged delegates to Sanders 65. She has 543 projected delegates to Sanders 85. In total, 2,383 delegates are needed for the party's nomination.
Earlier this month, Clinton held a get-out-the-vote rally at the Parkway Ballroom in Bronzeville in an effort to gain the support of African-American voters. At the event, Clinton slammed Gov. Bruce Rauner and his Turnaround Agenda.
The governor has refused to start budget negotiations unless his so-called turnaround agenda gets passed, first, Clinton said during her speech. Now, his plan will turn Illinois around, all tight. All the way back to the time of the robber barons of the 19th century.
During the same trip, she attended a private host reception for donors who have raised more than $27,000 for her campaign.
In addition to this, Clinton opened two Chicago offices last Tuesday. They are located at 5401 S. Wentworth Ave. and 1543 N. Wells St.
Clinton will not be in attendance. She will instead host a Super Tuesday event in Miami.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright praised Rep. Tammy Duckworths plan to welcome Syrian refugees to America in a campaign ad released Monday before slamming Sen. Mark Kirk for his foreign policy record.
I think Tammy Duckworth has a very good plan for how we deal with the greatest humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II, Albright said in the ad.
Albright, the first female secretary of state, served in that office from 1997 to 2001. She also served as the 20th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 1993 to 1997.
In the ad, Albright claims the refugees are not a threat to American security and the country has a thorough screening process to filter out potential enemies.
Following last years terrorist attacks in Paris, Kirk pushed for a temporary cessation to the program bringing Syrian refugees to the U.S.
As long as the screening process is weak, Senator Kirk is calling for a pause in the program to ensure those seeking to take advantage of our nation are stopped, Kirk spokesperson Eleni Demertzis told Ward Room.
Kirk released an ad in December of last year titled Big Differences claiming Duckworth wants to bring 200,000 Syrian refugees to America.
Duckworth had signed a letter asking the Obama administration to resettle 200,000 refugees by the end of 2016. Only 100,000 of those refugees were to come from Syria.
Kirks ad also warned of a potential ISIS attack on American soil and asked, for your familys safety, who do you trust?
Albright slammed Kirks ad for appealing to Americans fears of another terrorist attack.
Senator Kirks commercial is pure demagoguery operating on the basis of the fear factor and I think that is a very, very dangerous approach because we got into the war in Iraq as a result of the fear factor and it was based on the wrong information, Albright said.
The Duckworth ad also includes a news clip from an October 2008 edition of the Daily Herald that reads, Kirk was wrong to have voted to authorize the Iraq war.
Albright echoed these sentiments in the ad.
I think the war in Iraq was one of the biggest mistakes that this country made, Albright said. It was based on the wrong information and as people worked in order to get us into that war, the claims became more and more exaggerated and Mark Kirk was one of those who helped to exaggerate.
Albright also lauded Duckworths military experience. Duckworth joined the United States Army Reserve in 1990 and lost her leg in 2004 while co-piloting a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in Iraq.
Duckworth subsequently served as Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and later as Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the US Department of Veterans Affairs from 2009 to 2011.
Kirk is also a combat veteran. The senator was commissioned for duty as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve in 1989. He was later recalled to active duty in 1999 when he participated in Operation Allied Force during the Kosovo War.
Duckworth and Kirk have previously sparred over the issue of radicalized refugees.
During a Chicago Tribune endorsement session, Duckworth insinuated that Kirks policies encouraged radicalized Iraqi refugees in Texas.
They came as teenagers and they were radicalized because they were on those talk lines with ISIS because they see people like Mark Kirk demonizing Muslim and Islam and wanting to shut down our borders, Duckworth said. Thats how we turn people against us, is when we play right into ISIS hands.
Kirk responded to Duckworths claims on the John Howell Show, calling Duckworth a naive fool not fit for office in the Senate.
The incumbent Kirk will face James Marter in the March 15 Republican primary while Duckworth will face Andrea Zopp and Napoleon Harris in the March 15 Democratic primary.
The idea that appears to be gaining the most traction in the state capitol as a way to reduce wait times at troubled DMV branches across Connecticut would allow drivers to register a car even if they have an outstanding car tax bill.
Current law prohibits someone from registering a car if they owe local car taxes to their town or municipality.
Cities and towns depend on about $33 million in revenues as a result of back taxes each year.
It seems to be rewarding those who are not paying their taxes and penalizing those that are the right citizens every single year" said First Selectman Leo Paul from Litchfield.
The money would still be owed, but it wouldn't be a barrier to registering a new car. In many cases, people are aware that they owe back taxes.
Dennis Murphy, the Interim Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles told the General Assembly's Transportation Committee that in 2015 DMV branches worked with about 50,000 customers who had delinquent tax bills.
Look, if you want to reduce the wait times at DMV this is a step that will do that" Murphy, who's been on the job less than two weeks told lawmakers.
He says he's confident cities and towns can still get their money, but they won't have to depend on DMV to collect taxes for them.
"Towns can be creative and collect taxes in all sorts of ways for businesses there that have computers in their business. They collect property taxes on those in a number of different ways."
The other issue discussed during the hearing is the prospect of allowing the Automobile Association of America offices in Connecticut to handle more DMV functions.
Theres a breaking point here. I think we all realize that" said, Rep. Tony Guerrera, (D - Rocky Hill), who chairs the Transportation Committee. "So if were going to shift some of that then lets do it the right way. Lets take some of that off and lets maybe give AAA some of that responsibility.
AAA already handles license renewals, reprinting of licenses and permits, and offers driving school.
Amy Parmenter, a spokesperson for AAA said the organization would welcome expanding its existing partnership with the DMV.
Guerrera also shot down the notion of full privatization of the DMV to a group like AAA or a different one.
In no way are we going to privatize DMV. Im not for that. I dont want that.
Three Waterbury elementary school principals could face disciplinary action because of what they posted online.
District officials first received a complaint from the local teacher's union regarding Kingsbury Elementary Principal Eric Brown.
During the investigation, officials say they found inappropriate public posts on Brown's Facebook page.
One was a video showing elderly women smoking marijuana which had offensive language. Another was a picture saying "Tomorrow is National Slap Your Irritating CoWorker [sic] Day." The one that was considered the most offensive by officials was described as "sexual in nature where children are involved."
"It depicts an animated character in front of what appears to be a school with a soundtrack of children playing in a playground behind it, and at best, it's disgusting," said Waterbury Public Schools Director of Personnel for Education Robert Brenker.
Following the investigation into Brown, district officials began investigating the Facebook pages of other school administrators and found two others with what they deemed to be inappropriate content.
One picture of "Toy Story" characters had the captioning "Drunk teachers. Drunk teachers everywhere." Officials say that was posted by Wendell Cross Elementary Principal Joseph Amato.
Officials say one of the inappropriate posts Generali Elementary Principal Kathy Stamp shared was a picture of Morgan Freeman with the caption "Respect is taught at home. If your kid is a disrespectful [expletive] , it's your fault. Not society's or a video games [sic] fault. Yours."
Brown was placed on paid administrative leave. The other two principals are still working. Officials say they're working to determine what "corrective action" needs to be taken.
During the investigation, Brown told officials he thought the posts were private. He added that they're "jokes" and said "I don't see anything wrong with them" when asked if the posts were compliant with the Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility for School Administrators.
This isnt the first time Brown has been investigated by the district. Officials say while Brown was principal at Walsh Elementary School, the local teachers union raised concerns about the way Brown treated teachers. He was demoted to Assistant Principal at Kingsbury. Brown successfully appealed through arbitration and became principal of Kingsbury, just a short time before he was placed on paid leave for the social media postings.
For the social media investigation, it was determined Brown violated that code as well as the Waterbury Board of Education's policy regarding drug, tobacco, and alcohol, its policy for a drug-free workplace, as well as its guidelines for social media.
The investigation determined Amato violated the Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility for School Administrators as well as the Waterbury BOE's social media and drug and alcohol policies.
The investigation determined Stamp violated the Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility for School Administrators as well as the Waterbury BOE's social media guidelines.
"These people represent the school system in Waterbury. Their posts were public information. That's not how Waterbury intends its schools to be portrayed. We have an excellent school system. We have many good things in the school system. We don't need this as the face of our school system," said Brenker.
Brenker says at the beginning of the year, there is social media training. In response to the violations the school district says it's found, there are plans for another social media training class for principals and teachers soon.
Twelve states cast votes for presidential nominees on March 1, also known asSuper Tuesday, the biggest single-day delegate haul of the nomination contests. Republicans are voting in 11 states, with 595 delegates at stake. Democrats are casting ballots in 11 states, too, plus American Samoa, with 865 delegates up for grabs.
Here's a look at what some voters had to say as they went to the polls:
Donald Trump:
Tyler Murphy, a 26-year-old Boston resident who works as a project manager for a construction company, voted for Donald Trump on Tuesday even though he thinks the billionaire businessman is "undeniably wrong on a lot of things." For better or worse, he said, the controversial candidate is the "wake-up call" the country needs. "Ultimately, if we have to elect someone who is borderline crazy to get people to understand what's going on, then that's what we have to do," Murphy said.
"I like Trump and we need some change," said Trump merchandise seller Tim Engelskirchen, according to an NBC News video on voting in Southern states.
My feeling is, we need someone who can make definitive decisions and has no ties to the infrastructure in Washington, Ben Alred, a 52-year-old middle school history teacher in Virginia said. Hes definitely someone whos not aligned with any party too deeply.
"He's got a different way of looking at things, and he's an independent thinking guy," Troy Wakller of Virginia said. "He's not going to be influenced by anyone else."
Ted Cruz:
"These were the more hot-button issues with me. He's been pretty consistent with what he was elected here in the state to do," said Owen Worley, a 26-year-old Houston resident who likes that Cruz is focusing on economic issues, like reducing the size of government and controlling the national debt.
Bill Weise, an 86-year-old retired Marine Corps general, voted for Cruz, with seven months of deliberating coming down to the final 10 seconds before he filled in the bubble next to Cruz's name at at a Fairfax County, Virginia, precinct He picked Cruz over Trump, even though Ben Carson was actually his favorite candidate. But he concluded Carson wasn't viable, and picked Cruz because he ultimately decided he "would make better decisions as chief executive than Trump."
John Kasich:
"I wanted to vote for somebody who wasn't Donald Trump so that maybe he wouldn't win Tennessee," said Julia Price, an attorney in Knoxville, who cast her vote for the Ohio governor. "Normally, I'm a Democrat."
Bill Snipes of Oklahoma said he voted for Kasich. Snipes, who is employed in the insurance business, said that of all the GOP hopefuls he felt Kasich was most in line with his political views.
Michael Kernyat of Chesterfield County, Virginia, said he voted for Kasich "even though I think I threw my vote away." The 60-year-old retired computer consultant said Kasich is "the most reasonable person running," but probably has no chance of beating Donald Trump. Kernyat says "nobody is going to stop that freight train."
Twin sisters Vivien and Gillian Gattie, both retired, 72 years old and originally from England, were less than thrilled at their options as they showed up to cast ballots at Boston City Hall. "I'm so appalled at the choices," said Gillian, an independent who voted for President Barack Obama twice, but chose Kasich, as a "protest vote" because she didn't care for any Republican or Democrat this time around. She said she would only vote for Hillary Clinton in November if it came down to a contest between her and Donald Trump.
Vivien, a registered Democrat who also voted for Obama in the last two presidential elections, cast her ballot for Clinton, though reluctantly. "I voted for her because I think she can win," she said. "I can't get excited for Bernie Sanders." Like her sister, Vivien said she has concerns about Clinton. "I really don't care for her much. I don't trust her," Vivien said. "But I think she's qualified the most qualified of the candidates."
Marco Rubio:
Out of the options, hes the better one, but I wish he had more experience, 54-year-old Nick Bryant of Arlington, Virginia, told the Washington Post. If both parties dig in their heels and stick to their guns, how do we govern? I really like Kasich, I like his calm and even tone, his demeanor. But you have to get ratings now, and he hasnt.
After the first couple of debates I was impressed by Kasichs experience and Trump on the issues, 19-year-old Massachusetts voter Michael Reed told the Washington Post. I know the media hates Trump, and the media likes Rubio. But Rubio doesnt have a track record on anything hes talking about."
John Cook, a retired investment adviser in Houston, said he chose Rubio because Jeb Bush has dropped out of the race. Cook said it's likely too late to stop Trump because he has too much momentum. He said Trump is "narcissistic" but that if he wins the nomination then Cook would likely support him, "but it would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic."
Sandi Garrett, who voted in Dallas, says she wanted to support Ohio Gov. John Kasich but his low poll numbers prompted her to vote for Rubio instead. She backed Rubio because she vehemently opposes Trump.
Nicole Freed of Virginia, crossed over and voted for Rubio. The moderate Democrat said her vote was intended to knock Trump off the ballot in November's general election. Freed is a disabled 32-year-old Army veteran who served in Iraq. She said she doesn't like what she called Trump's broad generalizations about Muslim Americans. She added, "I don't think we can fight the entire Muslim world." In November, she said she'll probably vote for Clinton.
Hillary Clinton:
Its tragic. I would love to see a woman president, but I just dont trust her, Claudia Mackintosh, a 61-year-old real estate agent voting in Norfolk, Virginia, told the Washington Post. My perception is that shes controlled by the corporate donors."
David Taylor said he voted for Clinton because of her background in international matters. Taylor, an attorney, said he believes Clinton has the right kind of experience in international politics that the nation needs.
"I love Bernie, but I'm too old to vote for Bernie," said Ellyn Sonik, 66, who works as a courier for a medical lab and was interviewed outside a suburban Dallas, Texas, polling station. "I feel like he's on the right track, and it's never going to happen. He can't do what he says he's going to do." She said she voted for Hillary. "She thinks the way I do pretty much on social issues and business."
Sara Mosher, a doctoral student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said she voted for Clinton because the former secretary of state and U.S. senator has "the most knowledge of what it's like to be president." She said Sanders presidency would not be effective, but she wants the Vermont senator to remain in politics because he has an important message.
Karen Lahrman, a 57-year-old paralegal in Dallas, said she voted for Clinton and said it's time for a woman president. She said Clinton is the one with the most experience and "knows what she's doing."
Army veteran, 80-year-old Clarence Wall, was firm in his support of Clinton. He called her a fighter after voting in Virginia.
Karen Williams, a lifelong Democrat from Duluth, Georgia, said she voted for Hillary Clinton. But the 55-year-old voter mostly has her eyes on Donald Trump, whom she wants to stop from gaining the White House. "I can't see him talking to dignitaries from other countries, insulting people," she said. "A lot of countries don't take kindly to insults."
Bernie Sanders:
I will tell you: After a lot of thought, I voted for me for president, said Sen. Bernie Sanders.
"He's targeting the common people," Farrukh Jangda, a 21-year-old senior in computer science at the University of Texas at Dallas, said after voting for Sanders. Jangda said Clinton has been in politics so long that he thought she could be swayed by special interests, such as Wall Street, and he considers Sanders an outsider. Referring to Donald Trump, he said, "I just am afraid that if the people here a lot of them aren't taking him seriously how will other countries take our country seriously? That's what scares me." Jangda said he is a Muslim-American and has concerns with how Trump portrays Muslims. "He doesn't have the personality to be president."
Mary Rodriguez said she is a longtime fan of Clinton, but she voted for Sanders. After voting at a heavily Republican precinct in Chesterfield County, Virginia, the 38-year-old insurance agent said much of what Sanders talks about is what she believes in and "what I want for my children."
Police are looking for the people who opened fire inside a Dallas nightclub Monday morning.
It happened at about 1:30 a.m. at the Taqueria Linares Club on Haskell Avenue behind Cotton Bowl Stadium.
Officers say one person was shot several times. Their identity and condition are not known.
A security guard fired several shots at the shooters as they drove away from the scene.
Their empty car was found a few miles away outside an apartment complex.
No other injuries were reported.
Police said a man was fatally shot after a possible road rage incident in Everman Monday night. [[370613691,C]]
Everman police said they responded to a shooting call in the 500 block of Georgetown Drive at 7:23 p.m. Responders found a victim with multiple gunshot wounds, who was pronounced deceased on scene by paramedics.
Police said the victim later identified as Dannie Glan Neal Jr. was driving from Arlington to Everman when he noticed he was being followed. Neal then stopped near the intersection of Georgetown Drive and Peppermill Lane to confront the other driver.
When Neal exited his vehicle, police said the other driver fired at him several times. After neal fell, the man walked toward him and fired one more shot at him.
Police said they don't have anyone in custody, but are looking for a person of interest.
Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton swept through the South on Super Tuesday, claiming victory in their parties' primaries in delegate-rich Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Virginia. The front-runners appeared ever more likely to end up in a general election showdown.
On the Republican side, Ted Cruz won his home state of Texas, the night's single biggest prize, as well as neighboring Oklahoma to keep his campaign alive. And early on Tuesday morning, Cruz won in Alaska, NBC News projected.
Democrat Bernie Sanders picked up his home state of Vermont, as well as Oklahoma, Colorado and Minnesota, but failed to broaden his appeal with minority voters who are crucial to the party in presidential elections.
The night belonged to Trump and Clinton, who turned the busiest day of the 2016 primaries into a showcase of their strength with a wide swath of American voters. Each candidate won seven states most in the South but also in New England.
Signaling her confidence, Clinton set her sights on Trump as she addressed supporters during a victory rally.
"It's clear tonight that the stakes in this election have never been higher and the rhetoric we're hearing on the other side has never been lower," she said.
Trump, too, had his eye on a general election match-up with the former secretary of state, casting her as part of a political establishment that has failed Americans.
"She's been there for so long," Trump said at his swanky Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. "If she hasn't straightened it out by now, she's not going to straighten it out in the next four years."
Clinton also picked up wins in Texas, Arkansas and Massachusetts, nabbing her first victory in New England, while Trump carried GOP contests in Arkansas, Massachusetts and Vermont.
Trump's dominance has rattled Republican leaders, who fear he's unelectable against Clinton in November. Even as Trump professed to have good relationships with his party's elite, he issued a warning to House Speaker Paul Ryan, who declared earlier in the day that "this party does not prey on people's prejudices." Trump said that if the two don't get along, "he's going to have to pay a big price."
But all efforts to stop Trump have failed, including an aggressive campaign by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to discredit the billionaire businessman.
For Rubio, Super Tuesday turned into a bitter disappointment. He emerged with his first victory in Minnesota but failed to live up to the wider hopes of the numerous Republican officeholders who have promoted him as the party's best alternative to Trump.
With an eye on Florida's March 15 primary, Rubio vowed to keep up efforts to "unmask the true nature of the front-runner in this race."
Cruz desperately needed his win in Texas in order to stay in the race. He beat Trump in four contests this primary season, more than any other Republican, a fact he wielded as he called on Rubio and other candidates to step aside.
"I ask you to prayerfully consider our coming together, united," Cruz said.
Trump won at least 203 Super Tuesday delegates, while Cruz picked up at least 144 and Rubio at least 71. Overall, Trump leads the Republican field with 285, Cruz has 161, Rubio has 87, Kasich has 25 and Carson has eight. It takes 1,237 delegates to win the GOP nomination.
Sanders' wins did little to help him make up ground in his delegate race with Clinton.
She was assured of winning at least 457 of the 865 delegates at stake Tuesday. Sanders gained at least 286. When including party leaders, Clinton has at least 1,005 delegates and Sanders has at least 373.
Trump's wins in the South were a major blow to Cruz, who once saw the region as his opportunity to stake a claim to the nomination. Instead, he's watched Trump, a brash New York real estate mogul, display surprising strength with evangelical Christians and social conservatives.
Republicans spent months largely letting Trump go unchallenged, wrongly assuming his populist appeal would fizzle. Instead, he's appeared to grow stronger, drawing broad support for some of his most controversial proposals.
In six of the states on Tuesday, large majorities of Republican voters said they supported a proposal to temporarily ban all non-citizen Muslims from entering the United States, an idea championed by Trump. Nine in 10 of Trump's voters were looking for an outsider, and half were angry with the government, according to exit polls conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.
In the Democratic race, Clinton has steadied herself after an unexpectedly strong early challenge from Sanders. The Vermont senator did carry his home state decisively, and told the crowd at a raucous victory party that he was "so proud to bring Vermont values all across this country."
Sanders, who has energized supporters with his calls for a "political revolution," has struggled to expand his base beyond young people and liberals. His weakness with black voters, a core part of the Democratic constituency, was underscored anew.
Clinton was supported by at least 80 percent of black voters in the Deep South and Texas. She was also bolstered by women and older voters.
Out front and looking ahead, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton hope to begin charting a final path toward the general election on Super Tuesday, a delegate-rich day of primary contests likely to reveal candidates' strengths -- and weaknesses -- with a broad swath of American voters.
Elections were being held in a dozen states, from Vermont to Colorado, Alaska to American Samoa, and a host of locations in between.
Trump and Clinton entered Super Tuesday having each won three of four early voting contests. Strong showings for both on Tuesday could start putting the nominations out of reach for other contenders.
Even before the results started flowing in, Trump was calling for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, one of his chief rivals, to give up if he didn't win anywhere on Tuesday.
"He has to get out," he told Fox News. "He hasn't won anything."
Rubio, along with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, is scrambling to block Trump's path to the nomination. Both senators have launched furious verbal attacks on the billionaire businessman in recent days, but some in the party establishment fear the anti-Trump campaign has come too late.
Cruz once saw the Southern states that vote Tuesday as his opportunity to stake his claim to the nomination. Now his campaign's future hinges on a victory in his home state of Texas, the biggest prize up for grabs.
Rubio's goal is even more modest. He's seeking to stay competitive in the delegate count and hoping to pull off a win in his home state of Florida on March 15.
Republicans spent months largely letting Trump go unchallenged, wrongly assuming that his populist appeal with voters would fizzle. Now GOPO leaders are divided between those who pledge to fall in line behind him if he wins their party's nomination and others who insist they can never back him.
An Associated Press survey of GOP senators and governors across the country showed just under half of respondents would not commit to backing Trump if he's the nominee. Their reluctance could foreshadow an extraordinary split in the party this fall.
The worries among Republicans appeared to grow after Trump briefly refused to disavow former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke during a television interview. Trump later said he had not understood the interviewer who first raised the question about Duke, and he did repudiate him.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday that anyone who wants to be the Republican presidential nominee must reject any racist group or individual.
"When I see something that runs counter to who we are as a party and a country I will speak up. So today I want to be very clear about something: If a person wants to be the nominee of the Republican Party, there can be no evasion and no games. They must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry," Ryan said.
The disarray among Republicans comes as Clinton appears to be tightening her grip on the Democratic field. She scored a blowout victory over Bernie Sanders in Saturday's South Carolina primary, a contest that underscored her strength with black voters.
Clinton's campaign is hoping that support will continue in Tuesday's contests in several Southern states with large African-American electorates.
She has increasingly turned her attention to Trump in recent days, casting herself as a civil alternative to the insults and bullying that have consumed the Republican race.
"What we can't let happen is the scapegoating, the flaming, the finger pointing that is going on the Republican side," she told voters in Springfield, Massachusetts. "It really undermines our fabric as a nation."
Sanders, who has energized young voters with his call for a political revolution, was seeking to stay close to Clinton in the South and pick up victories in other states including Minnesota and his home state of Vermont. But Sanders faces tough questions about whether he can rally minorities who are core Democratic voters.
After he voted Tuesday in his hometown of Burlington, Sanders told reporters that if voter turnout is high "we are going to do well. If not, we're probably going to be struggling."
Democrats will vote in 11 states and American Samoa on Tuesday, with 865 delegates up for grabs. Republicans will vote in 11 states, with 595 delegates at stake.
States holding voting contests in both parties are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. Republicans also vote in Alaska and Democrats in Colorado. Democrats also have a contest in American Samoa and for Democrats Abroad.
Families are flocking to get a look at brand new model homes in a beautiful canyon west of Los Angeles. What some buyers might not realize is that the development, called Arroyo Vista at the Woodlands, is right next to one of the most contaminated sites in California -- the former Santa Susana Field Lab.
Previous Reports: LA's Nuclear Secret
State regulators and the lead developer for the project, KB Home, say the land is "safe for residential development." But the NBC4 I-Team found evidence, and experts, who raise questions about whether families should be living so close to the former nuclear and rocket test site.
"I'm not comfortable with homes being built there," says Robert Alvarez, who studied the Santa Susana Field Lab as a senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Energy in the 90s.
The Woodlands, located in Runkle Canyon in Simi Valley, will eventually include more than 450 homes, right next to Santa Susana. As the NBC4 I-Team has documented in its LA's Nuclear Secret series, nuclear accidents and years of rocket tests have left the Field Lab stained with radioactive and toxic chemical waste. Studies have shown that some of that waste has migrated to nearby neighborhoods.
And, a 2007 federally funded study found rates of certain cancers are 60 percent higher in neighborhoods within two miles of the Field Lab, though it didn't identify the cause of those illnesses.
"Initially I thought I was going to die," says 24 year old Dante Ferrari, who battled lymphoma at 21.
Ferrari grew up three houses from the Runkle Canyon property.
"We always hiked up there," Ferrari told NBC4. "We were always just playing in the dirt, like kids do," he added.
There have been at least seven different studies done on the dirt at Runkle Canyon, around where homes are being built. Soil tests done in 2007 and 2010--some paid for by the developer, some done by the state, say the potential impact of radiation found is "less than significant," according to an Environmental Impact Report by the City of Simi Valley.
But the NBC4 I-Team obtained five earlier studies done on Runkle Canyon starting in 1998, paid for by a different developer. The consultant's conclusions in those earlier reports varied, from saying "there might have been some impact of radionuclides (radiation) to the site" to "the site was non-contaminated."
But four experts, asked by the I-Team to take a closer look at actual data, say the tests all found elevated levels of Strontium-90, a potentially cancer causing radioactive material, in numerous samples of Runkle Canyon soil.
"You're running the risk of putting people in harm's way" by building homes there, said Peter Strauss after looking at summaries of the test data for the I-Team. Strauss is an environmental consultant who has received EPA funding to examine toxic sites.
One study, done by Foster Wheeler Environmental consultants, took 58 soil samples from different areas in Runkle Canyon. All 58 samples showed elevated levels of radiation, between two and 165 times higher than what the United States EPA says is normal for that area.
"You can't just throw out those samples and pick the lowest ones," said former Energy Department advisor Robert Alvarez, who also looked at the data.
But the city of Simi Valley approved the Woodlands project, based mainly on the later tests from 2007 and 2010.
"The site is safe for development," says Simi Valley city spokesperson Samantha Argabrite.
When asked by the I-Team to explain the earlier tests which found elevated levels of radiation at Runkle Canyon, Argabite responded, "I can't speak to how there were earlier levels and then later that was not what was found."
She added that the city gave approval in large part because the California Department of Toxic Substances Control concluded that radiation found at Runkle Canyon "did not pose a significant health risk." "We deferred to the experts, the DTSC," Argabrite said.
But the I-Team found the DTSC has been wrong before, when green lighting housing developments. In 2014, it gave approval to development on the site of a former sewage plant in Riverside called Ag Park, after saying the site was "not contaminated with toxic PCBs."
Construction began shortly after.
But later tests overseen by the U.S. EPA found elevated levels of PCBs, and construction was halted, because the DTSC had been wrong.
"What they (the DTSC) declared to be clean, was not clean," says community advocate Penny Newman, who helped get construction on the toxic land halted. "It alarms me because this is an agency that is supposed to protect the public, not the developer."
The developer of the Woodlands project in Simi Valley, KB Home, said in a statement to NBC4, "Under no circumstances would we have ever built on land if it posed potential health issues...before starting construction we followed rigorous testing protocols and received approval from the DTSC."
But the experts who looked at the Runkle Canyon soil tests for the I-Team disagree, and say more testing should be done before home construction continues.
"I don't think there's enough evidence to convince me that it's safe enough to live there," says former Energy Department Advisor Alvarez.
"They shouldn't build houses with so many unanswered questions. Err on the side of caution," says former US EPA Senior Science Advisor and radiation specialist Gregg Dempsey.
Dempsey examined Runkle Canyon soil tests when he oversaw an EPA radiation survey of the Santa Susana Field Lab.
"I would have not have developed the property. They (the developer) never settled the risk," Dempsey told the I-Team.
The DTSC said it wasn't able to verify the accuracy of the earlier tests done that found elevated levels of radiation. A statement by the DTSC says the "results might have been an artifact of sampling methodology, laboratory analysis or lack of string quality assurance and quality control measures."
But the experts interviewed by the I-Team believe the earlier are sound, having been done using methods approved by the US EPA.
In a disclosure to buyers at the Woodlands, KB Home suggests they "conduct their own review of potential health risks" and says it will provide them with records and documents upon request.
Neighbors who live near Runkle Canyon, like Dante Ferrari who battled lymphoma, thinks buyers should be aware of all the tests done on the land.
"It definitely seems like there's a lot more cancers in our neighborhood," Ferrari told NBC4. "I don't want somebody to go through what I went through," he added.
Full statement from Runkle Canyon LLC: "Under no circumstances would we have ever built on this land if it posed potential health issues for our homeowners and neighbors. That is why, before starting construction at Runkle Canyon, we followed rigorous testing protocols and received approval from the California DTSC. Furthermore, testing by the U.S. EPA has shown that Runkle Canyon soil is no different than soil tested at other areas throughout Greater Los Angeles. It is irresponsible for KNBC to frighten viewers by relying on old research using outdated methodologies while ignoring verifiable scientific findings which show that Runkle Canyon is safe for residential development."
Nearly a dozen anti-Muslim/Middle Easterner hate crimes were reported in Los Angeles County in November and December, compared with one such crime during the comparable period in 2014.
The analysis was conducted by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations in the wake of the terror attacks that occurred in Paris in November and San Bernardino in December.
"We expected there to be an uptick," said Robin Toma, the executive director of the Los Angeles County Commission of Human Relations. "We always hope and wish that we progress as a society [and] that people are less prone to acting out without thinking and not generalizing an entire group or religion based on the acts of a few, but we know that not everyone is there yet."
On the same day of the San Bernardino shootings, someone allegedly called and threatened to kill everyone inside of the Islamic Center in North Hollywood, the report said.
"Unfortunately, it's not like those things have never happened," Toma said.
Last December, a Hawthorne mosque was vandalized -- "Jesus is the way" was spray-painted on the walls. Crosses on the windows and a plastic grenade was placed on the driveway. The case was being investigated as a hate crime.
Among the 11 incidents recorded in November and December:
-- on Dec. 1 at a restaurant in Los Angeles, a man asked the victim, "Where are you from?" When the victim said he was from Saudi Arabia, the suspect yelled at him and punched and kicked him;
-- on Dec. 2, which was the day a married couple when on a shooting rampage in San Bernardino, an Islamic organization in North Hollywood received phone calls from a suspect who used profanity, ridiculed Islam, and "stated that he hoped that Israel would eliminate Palestine, Turkey and Syria";
-- on Dec. 3, an Islamic school in Hawthorne received a threat that everyone on the premises would be shot;
-- on Dec. 14, a suspect defaced the exterior of a middle school in Lake Balboa with graffiti that included expletives and anti-Islamic rhetoric;
-- on Dec. 17 at a park in South Los Angeles, a homeless person who is Muslim and from Iraq was punched by a man who used profane language and told the victim, "Go back to your country"; and
on Dec. 19 in Chatsworth, a man found his motorcycle scratched and spray-painted with anti-Arab language.
On Dec. 15, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion to condemn the Dec. 2 attack that killed 14 people at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, to recognize that "no religion or race or ethnicity is responsible for these acts," and that "fear-based stereotyping and scapegoating creates an atmosphere conducive to Islamophobia, xenophobia, discrimination, hate and bigotry."
The motion directed county agencies to increase outreach and assistance to the targeted vulnerable communities.
Last month, the Los Angeles Countywide Criminal Justice Coordination Committee established a task force to promote stronger relations and cooperation among police agencies and affected communities, and to more effectively prepare for any future incident that could result in a spike in hate crimes.
The Los Angeles chapter of CAIR, Council on American-Islamic Relations, did not return NBC4's messages seeking comment.
City News Service contributed to this report.
A week after police shot and killed a man and woman in a car in Inglewood, family members were demanding answers Monday at a protest.
Relatives of the woman, identified as Kisha Michael, were asking for clarity on specifically what happened in the 45 minutes between when police responded and when the shooting happened.
Michael, 31, a single mother of three sons, and Marquintan Sandlin, 32, a single father of four daughters, were both killed in the confrontation.
Police responded to a call at 3:11 a.m. Sunday of an occupied car stopped facing westbound traffic in lanes. Police said that Michael had a firearm, and officers took cover before ordering Michael and Sandlin out of the car. It wasn't clear what occurred that led police to open fire.
On Tuesday, Inglewood Mayor James Butts spoke to the community about the fact that police said the two were unconscious when officers first arrived at the car in lanes at Manchester Boulevard and Inglewood Avenue.
Officers tried to "rouse" the two for 45 minutes, Butts said.
A week after the shooting, family members say it's troubling that they still don't know what happened to result in the shooting death of the two.
"Why call SWAT for backup?" Lola Sewell, Michael's cousin, said. "Why not call the paramedics to see if they are breathing, if they are OK?"
Family said both Michael and Sandlin have had their troubles with the law but add they were hardworking single parents trying to overcome their pasts.
Michael's twin said the family hired attorneys from the well-known Cochran Firm. Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. famously lead the defense team in O.J. Simpson's acquittal during his 1994-95 trial.
The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office said it will review this case as is done for all officer-involved shooting cases.
"For her life to be taken like this...we don't know why," Virginia Sewell, Michael's aunt, said.
A Ku Klux Klan leader who was injured when his small group of demonstrators got into a bloody melee with counter-protesters in a Southern California park this weekend said Monday that he called police beforehand asking for security and was told, "We don't do that."
Will Quigg said in an interview with The Associated Press that he contacted the Anaheim Police Department but that the agency denied his requests for a police presence. The KKK then told officers that the group would hire an outside security company.
"They said, 'No, you can't do that either,'" Quigg said.
The confrontation escalated to a brawl in the street. Three people were stabbed by a KKK member, who told officers he was acting in self-defense Saturday when his group was attacked by counter-protesters during an afternoon rally near Anaheim's Pearson Park.
Five KKK members who were arrested after the brawl were released from police custody, and seven counter-protesters were facing charges. Police were searching Monday for a protester who they say was caught on video attacking a KKK member and celebrating.
"We were jumped by a mob," Quigg told NBC4, describing injuries to his wrist from being shoved to the ground. "I'm black and blue all over from getting kicked, hit with fists, lead pipes, two-by-fours."
Quigg says his group was targeted for their beliefs.
"Why is everybody against people who say, 'Hey, I'm white and proud to be white,'" Quigg said. "You're called a racist if you're proud to be white, and that is not right."
A peacefel protest was held Monday night to counter the violence that erupted on Saturday. Several protestors shouted, demanding the release of demonstrators who were still in jail after they were arrested in last weekend's brawl.
Three of the stabbing victims from last weekend's violent confrontation were expected to recover.
The Anaheim Police Department is facing scrutiny for its response. The department notified the public that the KKK planned to hold an anti-immigration protest at a park about 3 miles from Disneyland, but at least one witness said he saw no uniformed officers when the attack began.
Police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said officers were present, but he has declined to say how many. He acknowledged that Quigg had contacted the department but believed that the group leader was asking for police to act as personal security guards.
According to Quigg, Today's Loyal White Knights are a charted church, not a lynch mob. But members of Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development see it differently. They say the klan's message underscores a growing anti-immigrant sentiment.
On Monday night, they expect hundreds to gather at Pearson Park to deliver another message.
"Hatred should not be tolerated," said Ada Briceno of the OCCORD. "Anaheim is a city of kindness and we don't think that that type of hatred and decisiveness and racism not belongs in the city."
Quigg claims his group is not against any one race, but believe that all races should exist separately.
"When you put a bunch of different cultures and heritages together there are going to be problems," he said.
A coalition of community and faith leaders planned to gather Monday night to draw attention to what they call racist rhetoric.
Gadi Schwartz contributed to this report.
The Miami Dolphins placed the transition tag on Olivier Vernon on Tuesday which will give the team a contract matching opportunity.
The tag used by Miami is the same one it used last year on Charles Clay. In the end, the Dolphins opted not to match Clay's offer from Buffalo and he was lost. Vernon is a key part of Miami's defense and the team is likely to try and match an offer if at all possible.
The move by Miami is risky, because other teams with more cap space could opt to overpay for Vernon's services. This would leave the Dolphins with little recourse and could result in being financially unable to match an offer. Miami could have avoided this scenario if it franchise tagged Vernon instead. That tag however comes at an extra cost of roughly $3 million.
If Miami does not match an offer sheet on Vernon, it would receive no compensation. The Dolphins would essentially lose one of their biggest defenders for nothing which is a scenario that is frowned upon. With a franchise tag on Vernon, the team could have opened trade discussions if it was unable to work out a long-term deal.
Since being drafted out of the University of Miami in 2012, Vernon has been heavily involved in Miami's plays. The 25-year old has already been AFC Special Teams Player of the Week and AFC Defensive Player of the Week in his young career. Losing Vernon would have an adverse and immediate effect on a team that showed progress at times in 2015.
Vernon's career totals include 29 sacks, 194 tackles and four forced fumbles. Part of the problem with losing an impact player such as Vernon is the adverse effect it has on those around him. Other players will get more focus from the opposition and the overall production of Miami's defense could decrease significantly.
Miami will have five days to match an offer that Vernon receives on the open market. It remains to be seen which teams may have an interest in Vernon now that he has been made available.
After thousands of women complained of pain, allergic reactions and even punctured tissue while using a contraceptive device brand Essure, the federal government wants to force its manufacturers to print a so-called black box warning on the product's packaging.
Black box warnings are the strictest labeling requirements the FDA imposes, generally notifying doctors and patients about significant risks or life-threatening adverse events.
Health regulators will also require Bayer, the maker of Essure, to conduct new safety research.
The regulatory orders come more than two years after the I-Team first revealed inconsistencies in the safety studies that led the original FDA approval of Essure
"The actions we are taking today will encourage important conversations between women and their doctors," said Dr. William Maisel, chief scientist at the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "They also reflect our recognition that more rigorous research is needed to better understand if certain women are at heightened risk of complications."
Representatives of Bayer were not immediately available for comment, though in the past the company has said it stands behind the clinical trial research that supported the safety of the contraceptive.
Beginning in 2013, the I-Team began revealing clinical trial participants who say they reported severe and sometimes debilitating pain after being implanted with Essure. Despite the reports of pain and discomfort, researches marked their comfort level as "excellent" or "very good."
Although the FDA wants more research, the agency stopped short of criticizing the original clinical trials.
As part of its review, the agency conducted a re-analysis of clinical trial responses.
In the end our analysis did not find evidence of systematic or intentional modifications of study subject responses. The agency believes the original clinical data relied upon represents valid scientific evidence, Maisel said.
The agency did not explain how a clinical trial participant could be marked down as having excellent comfort while at the same time reporting severe and continuing pain after implanatation.
Shortly after the FDA announced its orders for new research and warnings, a social media group called Essure Problems erupted with discontent.
An administrator of the group wrote we are outraged that it appears as if the FDA is going to leave Essure on the market.
A member of the group wrote, Epic fail again, FDA.
Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA), who has sponsored a bill to circumvent FDA governance and pull Essure off the market, issued a statement saying its unbelievable that it took the FDA since September to make just two recommendations with no enforcement measures and ask the manufacturer to perform another study while leaving Essure on the market.
Before the FDA orders for new research and a black box warning go into effect, there will be a 60-day public comment period.
An LSD arrest at Villanova University first had the NBC10 Investigators asking questions about how the university handles on-campus drug busts. In mid-February 2016, police arrested a Villanova freshman for selling drugs. But as NBC10 Investigators dug deeper, we found local police reports with little information supplied by Villanova, when it comes to drugs on campus.
Radnor Township Manager Bob Zienkowski told the NBC10 Investigators he believes there is an illegal drug problem at Villanova.
I think theres been ongoing problems for years there, Zienkowski said.
Radnor Police Lieutenant Andy Block said his department needs more information from the school, so it can investigate.
There's a fair amount of drugs that are being located on the campus. Where? That's the question," Block said.
Police reports obtained by the NBC10 Investigators show multiple occasions where Radnor officers picked up drugs and paraphernalia from Villanova. In the space meant for a narrative or explanation for the contraband, little or sometimes no information is written. Township officials consider this underreporting.
Theres no names attached to them, so you have to be underreporting. I dont see any other way around it. You have to be under reporting, according to Zienkowski.
The Radnor Police Dept. says it needs more information so its officers can investigate and determine if police action is needed.
"The concerning part for law enforcement is that, yes, it might seem minor at the time, when you're dealing with a small amount of marijuana, but it could be considered broken windows theory if it leads to more illicit and more dangerous drugs being brought onto the campus," Block said.
Students we spoke with expressed concerns with underreporting.
Just that level of honesty the administration has with us, freshman Michael Dacanay said.
The NBC10 Investigators kept digging and found Villanova drug incidents reported to the government as part of a mandated program. In 2013 and 2014, Villanova reported 16 drug arrests. Over those same two years, there were 92 drug law referrals, or incidents resolved through disciplinary actions at the university, that may not involve police.
Villanova's Director of Public Safety agreed to speak with NBC10 Investigative Reporter Harry Hairston about how it deals with illegal drugs on campus, and its relationship with Radnor Police. Less than an hour before that interview was scheduled to take place, the university backed out.
Villanova University told the NBC10 Investigators in a statement:
Villanova University is committed to a community free of substance abuse. We have a strong, unwavering drug policy, and students found in violation of that policy are held accountable. There are a range of sanctions for violations of the Universitys drug policy, up to and including suspension or expulsion. The process Villanova follows is a standard practice in higher education. As is required for all universities and colleges, these incidents are reportedunder both federal and state reporting guidelinesand made publically available on the Universitys website. These statistics are also proactively distributed to the campus community.
We work closely with Radnor Police through a long-standing and mutually-agreed process to handle incidents involving drugs. In fact, the University conducted the recent LSD investigation with their full knowledge, consent and cooperation. Given the collaborative and productive relationship weve established, the comments from Radnor Police are a surprise and frankly disappointing.
A French-inspired restaurant on the Delaware River Waterfront will be transitioning into an American bar and restaurant less than two years since its debut. Chef Peter Woolsey's La Peg, named after wife Peggy Baud-Woolsey, debuted two years ago, with a grand opening celebration held in September to coincide with the start of the Fringe Festival.
Housed in the former 111-year-old Philadelphia Fire Department pumping station, the restaurant will be transitioning from a French brasserie into an American bar and restaurant, with Woolsey debuting a new menu to match the concept. While the menu will focus on American fare, the chef who also opened Bistrot La Minette on 6th and Bainbridge streets will be integrating his French techniques into the dishes.
Read the full story here.
For more business related news, check out PBJ.com.
Two men and a woman caught on camera flagging down a cab in South Philadelphia earlier this month before police say they robbed and shot the driver are now facing charges in the incident.
Syheed Wilson, Kierston Carroll and Michael Jones, all 19, are each charged with aggravated assault, robbery, conspiracy, illegal gun possession, attempted theft and related offenses. Wilson and Carroll, who both live on Marston Street near Tasker -- around the corner from where the shooting and robbery took place -- were identified and arrested last week after detectives received a tip about them. Jones, of Windsor Street near 59th in Southwest Philadelphia, was captured on Saturday on Torresdale Avenue near Levick Street in Tacony.
Police say the trio flagged down a cab driver by Alex Destin, 38, about 3:15 a.m. Feb. 6 after leaving the Broad Street Line subway at Tasker-Morris. They asked Destin to drive them to 28th and Tasker, and when they arrived there, police said, Wilson and Jones both pulled out guns and demanded, "Give me all the money you got." Police said both men then fired shots at Destin, wounding him in the shoulder, before Destin crashed the cab and all three escaped.
They wound up not stealing anything from the driver, police said.
Destin, who spent a few days hospitalized for his injuries, recounted the harrowing moments he looked down the barrels of two guns in an interview with NBC10 earlier this month.
"The guy pointed a gun in my face, told me, 'Don't move,' and he shot me," Destin said.
"I have a lot of pain, but I say thank you, God, I still survived," he added.
Surveillance video from a deli near 24th and Morris streets, where the cab crashed after the shooting, shows a man waiting on two others at the corner five minutes after the crash and two minutes before police arrived at the scene. The trio captured on that video is believed to be the suspects.
Destin, who has a wife and four children, still had blood on his shoes, stitches above his eye and a bullet lodged in his arm at the time of his release from the hospital, when he spoke with NBC10.
"Thanks to God he's still alive," said Destin's sister-in-law Ginia at the time. "He's in pain but he's alive."
Wilson and Carroll both faced arraignment last week, and a judge held Wilson on $350,000 bail and Carroll on $150,000, court records show. Jones was arraigned Sunday and held on $750,000 bail. Wilson and Carroll are set to appear for preliminary hearings March 10, and Jones is scheduled to appear March 15. All three remain in custody at city jails, according to court documents.
More than three years after Hurricane Sandy devastated New Jersey, thousands of homeowners are still feeling its effects. According to data obtained and analyzed by the NBC10 Investigators, just more than one out of every three homes has been fully rebuilt in the states largest recovery initiative.
NBC10 Investigative Reporter George Spencer spoke with three residents who -- a full 40 months after Sandy -- are still waiting for their homes to be completed.
Penny Ryan of Little Egg Harbor Township showed Spencer her front door, which sits well above her head but has no stairs. The backyard where her six children played remains a mud pit.
We continue to come back every single day and its a reminder, every day, that this occurred. And were still living in it. Were still living this devastation, Ryan said.
On Pelican Island, adjacent to Seaside Heights, Sue Kosakowskis retirement dream is also still not rebuilt.
Neither is Lori Tyskas home across the street.
I just feel almost hopeless. Almost hopeless, Tyska told Spencer.
Each of the three women is frustrated by the pace of the recovery, and by public claims seeming to indicate the recovery is complete. At his last presidential debate, Governor Chris Christie exclaimed that the state had recovered.
And when the worst natural disaster in your states history hits you, they expect you to rebuild their state, which is what Ive done, Christie said.
The NBC10 Investigators dug into the data for New Jerseys largest recovery initiative: The Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation, and Mitigation (RREM) Program. The program either reimburses homeowners for repairs or pays contractors directly for the work.
We found 7,774 RREM grant agreements have been signed since the October 2012 storm. Yet, only 2,774 RREM homes have actually been re-built, which is about one out of every three approved projects.
The NBC10 Investigators also confirmed that more than 600 of those projects were just finished in the last quarter of 2015.
Ryan says her case was slowed because RREM was unprepared for the contractor fraud she suffered.
The first crews at Tyskas house didnt correctly repair her foundation. Tyska says RREM wasnt able to quickly find a new contractor to do the follow-up work, which left her home with township code violations in the meantime.
Kosakowski blames her delays on inconsistency in re-building standards between RREM, her insurance, and the township.
The RREM program is intended to help residents re-build, even despite such complications. Yet these homeowners say, inefficient and inadequate communication from RREM has often slowed repairs down further, and has occasionally added new hurdles.
They are not equipped to handle the scope of what Sandy brought to New Jersey, Sue Kosakowski.
After RREM representatives declined our on-camera interview request, we caught up with Governor Christie on the campaign trail in New Hampshire in February.
Christie told Spencer: Im never satisfied until everybody gets back in their home. But going from 365,000 homes destroyed to four or five thousand
Spencer then asked about the RREM program, but Christie walked onto his campaign bus instead of answering. The governors office never responded to our requests for a more complete interview.
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs points to other numbers, saying nearly all RREM grant agreements have been signed, and about 6,700 of RREMs 7,700 participants have received a notice to proceed with construction.
However, those numbers dont reflect whether or not construction has begun.
For the many in the still-unfinished group, frustration continues to grow.
Its hard to explain what it does to you, but it actually gets to the fiber of your soul, Kosakowski said.
Kosakowski, Ryan, and Tyska are part of a group called the New Jersey Organizing Project. State officials say theyve 'personally met and frequently communicate' with the group to address concerns.
By May 1, 2016, New Jerseys Housing Recovery Centers will be closed and consolidated into just two offices.
Officials say that will allow them to focus more of their resources on rebuilding and project completion, which they say are now the predominant needs of RREM homeowners.
A recent gathering of American Reform rabbis in Jerusalem was meant to celebrate the small gains the liberal Jewish movement has made in Israel in recent years. But a series of comments by Israeli officials denigrating the group marred the event, reflecting an awkward relationship that many fear is alienating the world's second-largest Jewish community from Israel.
The Reform Movement is the largest stream of Judaism in the United States, claiming to represent 1.5 million people, and its members provide a key source of financial support and political advocacy for Israel.
But the movement is marginal in Israel, where religious affairs are dominated by the Orthodox rabbinical establishment. Israeli lawmakers, both secular and ultra-Orthodox, have repeatedly disparaged the group, questioning their Judaism and accusing them of promoting Jewish assimilation.
"How do you ask Jews around the world to support Israel politically, economically, socially ... and at the same time you have these ministers who say to our people 'you're not really Jewish' or 'you don't have a place here in Israel?' That incongruity is a real problem for us," said Rabbi Steven Fox, the chief executive of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, which held its septennial convention in Israel last week. The group represents 2,000 rabbis.
In the U.S., Reform synagogues are commonplace, characterized by practices such as mixed-gender prayers, services led by female rabbis and members who drive to synagogue on the Sabbath customs that violate Orthodox norms.
In Israel, Reform Judaism is at best seen as a curiosity and at worst, a threat. This in turn has placed obstacles in the way of the movement's effort to make inroads in Israel, beaten back by an Orthodox monopoly over Jewish rituals such as marriage, burials and conversions.
Reform rabbis have made small gains in Israel, and in January, the movement was jubilant over perhaps its greatest victory Israel's announcement that it would create a special mixed-gender prayer area at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
The wall, managed by an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who opposes having Reform customs at the site, is the holiest place where Jews can pray. The new area will also permit women to wear prayer shawls and skullcaps, a rite reserved for men under Orthodox custom.
The announcement came after three years of painstaking negotiations between Israeli officials and the liberal streams of Judaism and appeared to mark a historic turning point in relations between Israel and diaspora Jews.
But right after the plan was approved, Israel's secular Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said the Reform movement was a "waning world." He accused it of tolerating intermarriage, encouraging assimilation and predicted the mixed-prayer area would become unnecessary within two or three generations. Under religious law, Jews cannot marry non-Jews.
Even after Reform rabbis criticized him, Levin expressed no remorse. "It's very important that we'll be aware of the problem of assimilation and do our best efforts in order to solve it," he told The Associated Press.
A chorus of other lawmakers, most of them Orthodox, have publicly lashed out at the Reform movement. As the rabbis' convention was kicking off, a legislator from an ultra-Orthodox party compared the movement to the "mentally ill."
The rhetoric has put Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a tough spot. He met the visiting rabbis but, wary of antagonizing religious factions in his coalition, his office made no announcement of the meeting, as it typically does with nearly all visitors.
Fox, the rabbi group's chief executive, said the encounter was "more positive" than past meetings with Netanyahu, though they were surprised by the absence of the public announcement.
When asked by the AP, Netanyahu's office declined to comment on the meeting.
"The ministers here paint us as if we're not really Jewish. And the ignorance they display makes my congregants ... think 'is Israel really that backward of a nation?' It reflects poorly on the state of Israel," said Rabbi Denise Eger, another leader of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
For decades, American Jewry the second largest Jewish community in the world after Israel has served as a bedrock of support for Israel. But there are signs of that support eroding, particularly among younger and more liberal Jews.
Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, a Boston-based group that teaches Israeli leaders about the American Jewish community, said that at a time when Israel faces so many challenges, it makes no "strategic sense" for Israeli leaders to alienate American Jews.
"A smart politician would say, 'These Jews are different than us, but they play a very important strategic role,'" he said.
Beyond the Western Wall compromise, the Reform rabbis say they do see progress elsewhere as well.
Israel's Supreme Court ruled last month that the country's ritual baths must accept all converts to Judaism, even those who have undergone non-Orthodox conversions outside the country.
The rabbis also point to the movement's small but growing base in Israel and their invitation to a parliamentary committee during their convention last week, where lawmakers, mainly from centrist parties, showered them with gratitude and praise.
"When I read statements by the Israeli tourism minister about Reform Judaism in the United States, it comes from a denial and a misunderstanding and an ignorance about the importance of the powerful contribution that you make to relations between the two countries," Nachman Shai, a lawmaker from the centrist Zionist Union, told the packed auditorium, where women and men wore rainbow-colored skullcaps and sang Hatikva, Israel's national anthem.
Reform leaders told the meeting that the harsh reactions from some lawmakers were an unfortunate but expected response to the gains the movement has made.
"These are clearly changes that are long overdue," said Rabbi Richard Jacobs, the President of the Union for Reform Judaism. "The change signals to the ultra-Orthodox that there will no longer be a monopoly."
When a 52-year-old construction worker from Guadalajara faced a federal court judge last March for illegal entry, he was no stranger to the court room. Since 1998, the man had been arrested nine times for illegally entering the country.
Through a plea deal system called Fast Track, the man faced a two-year prison sentence for the latest offense. It was less time than he received in 2011 when the same federal court judge sentenced him to 30 months for the same crime.
Court documents show the federal court judge objected, saying seems to me that if a guy keeps doing the same thing one would think the penalties would go up, not down.
Federal Court Judge Larry A. Burns overturned the defendant's plea deal, sentencing the Guadalajara worker to 45 months behind bars, according to court documents. He added, This isnt Starbucks where you get your eighth coffee for free.
The defendants court appointed lawyer declined to comment.
The Southern District of California is the fifth busiest U.S. court district. Immigration cases make up 60% of the caseload. According to 2014 data released by the U.S. Justice Department, 41.7 percent of the federal criminal cases U.S. attorneys filed in all U.S. district courts across the nation were in the five U.S. attorneys' districts that sit along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Those numbers are just tracking the more serious illegal re-entry cases, federal data shows. On average, a person is caught for illegal entry and deported 3.2 times before they ever see the inside of a federal court room, according to the data. The federal prosecutions are reserved for criminals who illegally enter the country in addition to committing some other offense, such as drug offenses, theft or domestic violence, according to legal experts and federal court records.
The Southern District of California uses a system called Fast Track to handle the huge volume of immigration cases, but court documents show two federal court judges are raising concerns about the process.
Fast Track offers a quick resolution to illegal entry cases, in return for lighter sentences. In 2015, about 27 percent of all cases were handled by the Fast Track Sentencing Unit in the Southern District of California, according to a U.S. Attorney spokeswoman.
Essentially, you show up, heres your Fast Track offer, its on the table, take it or leave it. If you dont take it, your sentence is going to be way jacked up, said Criminal Defense Attorney Patrick Griffin.
Both the U.S. Attorneys office and Griffin said Fast Track preserves court resources, saving time and money.
Theres a balancing act between do we give these people lighter sentences for not using resources, or do we expend a ton of resources, time, energy to incarcerate people who are eventually going to get deported anyway? Griffin said.
One federal court judge, Larry A. Burns, has said recently in open court that preserving court resources is no longer a concern because few cases go to trial anymore.
Both Burns and U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy declined an on-camera interview.
According to the U.S. Attorneys office, prosecutors are granted full discretion in deciding who is offered a Fast-Track disposition, a break in the previous policy that required the defendant to not have already gone through the Fast-Track system before and not have any serious violent felonies on his or her record.
Griffin said theres really no simple solution to the complicated problem.
What the statistics have found is these people simply are not deterred by federal incarceration, and theyre not, Griffin said. The numbers back it up. They just dont sit there and think Oh, I better not do this, because for a lot of these people, three square meals a day and having a bed to sleep in is not that much worse than what theyre dealing with when they decide to cross.
For children who lack a home or a secure place to live, having their own book and a set of crayons can mean a world of difference.
This week, preschool teacher Sasha Sharpe donated 40 copies of her self-published book, "Counting With Friends Outside," to the Monarch School for Homeless Children in downtown San Diego.
On Tuesday at 4 p.m., Sharpe will present preschool and first grade students at Monarch School with their very own hardcover copies of her book, along with a set of crayons. She will also sit and read with students.
Sharpe says that she created the book because she understands the crucial impact reading skills have on a child's development. As a preschool teacher with over 10 years of experience, she is well aware of how important it is for kids to have access to books.
"Counting With Friends Outside" is an interactive children's book which teaches essential skills such as counting, identifying numbers, colors and words. Sharpe says that its message encourages children to embrace and celebrate cultural differences.
Her goal was to find an organization that specifically serves underprivileged children with limited access to learning resources. Kristen Paruginog, Executive Director of Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence, helped to point Sharpe in the direction of the Monarch School, which serves homeless youth.
The school has served San Diego for more than 25 years. It began as a one-room education center before expanding into a K-12 school.
Wrike, considered one of North Americas fastest growing companies, announced the opening of an office in La Jolla.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer celebrated the opening Monday touting it as proof of a trend in the city's ability to create good, quality jobs and great careers in our innovation economy.
This is about creativity, this is about ingenuity and this is about talent, Faulconer said noting that universities like Cal State San Marcos, UC San Diego and San Diego State University are turning out graduates prepared for high-tech companies like Wrike.
Sean Barr, Senior VP of Economic Development, San Diego Regional EDC said San Diego won out over other comparable cities when Wrike chose its newest location.
We are the fastest growing place for millennials, Barr said.
He added that Wrike will bring the types of jobs San Diego wants to have including engineering and computer science positions.
We look forward to adding another 120 jobs to the local economy in the next few years, said Seth Shaw, CRO at Wrike.
Wrike was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California. The company offers a work management platform that allows clients to integrate multiple business tools in one place.
Police have created a memorial fund for the Prince William County officer who was fatally shot on her first day on the job.
The Prince William County Police Association has created the fund for the family of Officer Ashley Guindon. The association will collect all donations and send them directly to Guindon's mother.
If possible, checks should be made out to "PWCPA in memory of OFC Ashley Guindon," authorities said.
Anyone who wishes to donate can leave their donation at any county police station or mail it directly to the police association at: Prince William County Police Association, Officer Guindon Memorial Fund, P. O. Box 1845, Manassas, VA 20108.
Police are warning people not to donate to GoFundMe pages that purport to be raising money for Guindon's family. Police determined that at least one fraudulent page was set up in the officer's name.
Guindon's funeral is scheduled for Tuesday. She was fatally shot Saturday night after responding to a domestic call in Woodbridge, Virginia. It was her first shift on the job; she had been sworn in Friday.
An Army staff sergeant, 32-year-old Ronald Hamilton, has been charged in the deaths of his wife, Crystal Hamilton and Guidon. Two other officers were also injured and will have a long road to recovery, the police chief said.
The man charged in the deaths of Virginia college students Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington is expected to enter a plea agreement this week.
Jesse L. Matthew Jr. will enter the pleas in Albemarle County Circuit Court on Wednesday, Commonwealth's Attorney Robert N. Tracci announced Monday afternoon.
Graham, an 18-year-old student at the University of Virginia, vanished in September 2014 after a night out with friends.
She was seen on surveillance video on Charlottesville's downtown mall, both alone and with a man prosecutors have said is Matthew. Her remains were found five weeks later.
Harrington, 20, was a student at Virginia Tech when she disappeared in fall 2009 after attending a concert on the University of Virginia campus. Her remains were found in early 2010.
"...(It) is anticipated that Jesse Leroy Matthew, Jr., will be entering a plea agreement to resolve both the Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington abduction and murder cases," Tracci said in a release Monday. An earlier version of the media release said Matthew would be entering guilty pleas in the cases. A second version simply called it a plea agreement.
Matthew had been charged with capital murder in Graham's death and first-degree murder in Harrington's death. His trials in those cases had been scheduled to be held in July and October, respectively.
During a pretrial hearing in January, Matthew's defense attorneys argued that crucial evidence should be thrown out, but after 10 hours of testimony, a judge sided with the prosecution.
Matthew is already serving three life sentences in another case, the attempted murder and assault of a 26-year-old woman in Fairfax in 2005. The victim had been walking home from a grocery store when she was grabbed and grabbed into the woods, where she was assaulted and choked.
Matthew took an Alford plea in that case in June 2015. An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence to convict.
Prosecutors have said all three cases were linked by DNA evidence.
Investigators had first linked the Harrington and Fairfax cases, but didn't have a suspect. After Matthew was arrested weeks after Graham's disappearance, Virginia State Police said the arrest "provided a significant break" in the Harrington case.
Family, friends and law enforcement officers gathered Tuesday to remember a Virginia police officer who was shot and killed on her first day on the job.
Thousands of people, including officers from around the region, attended funeral services for Prince William County Officer Ashley Guindon on Tuesday at Hylton Memorial Chapel in Woodbridge, News4's Julie Carey reports.
Guindon's mother was held in the embrace of two Prince William County officers as she entered the chapel, followed by other family members.
During the service, Guindon, 28, was remembered as a loving daughter and a highly intelligent young woman driven to pursue a career of service.
"She had accomplished more in 28 years than I think I could in a hundred. That was her desire to serve, to be involved in things that mattered, to give her life to something worth giving it to," Prince William County Police Chief Steve Hudson said during the service.
Guindon was one of three officers shot Saturday while responding to a domestic violence call. The other two officers are expected to survive.
The suspect, Ronald Hamilton, is jailed facing a capital murder charge and other counts.
Hamilton's wife, 29-year-old Crystal Hamilton, was shot and killed Saturday before police arrived.
The suspect's 11-year-old son escaped the gunfire, police said.
"[Ashley Guindon] had a willingness for the 11-year-old boy in that home, a willingness to give her life for that child," Prince William County Police Chaplain Danny Glusko said.
Police services in Prince William County were not disrupted Tuesday while officers attended Guindon's funeral. Members of the Manassas City Police Department, Prince William County Sheriff's Office and Virginia State Police assisted.
The two officers injured after being shot, Jesse Hempen and David McKeown, were not able to attend the services, police said.
Guindon went through training with the department last year before leaving for personal reasons. She rejoined the department this year and had been sworn in as an officer on Friday. She was on her first shift Saturday when she was shot.
"We were struck by her passion to do this job," Hudson said. "She did share with us when we rehired her that she felt like she wanted to do this job. She couldn't get it out of her blood."
Guindon, a Woodbridge resident who previously lived in Merrimack, New Hampshire, enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She relocated to Virginia to pursue a graduate degree and sought to become a crime scene investigator, Prince William County police said in an online biography.
She was the only daughter of Sharon Nowack Guindon and the late David Guindon, police said.
Guindon's body will be flown to Massachusetts where she will be buried with military honors.
Police in Arlington, Virginia are investigating whether a man arrested last week on charges he sexually assaulted a woman this summer is linked to a string of other assaults on women.
Santos Efrain Vasquez-Lopez, 19, was arrested Wednesday after Arlington County Police say his DNA matched a sample recovered from an attack on Aug. 1.
A 25-year-old woman was walking home about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 1 when a man grabbed her from behind on the 4300 block of N. Pershing Drive and pushed her to the ground, police said. The attacker held her down, covered her mouth and tried to take off her shorts. The victim bit the attacker's hand and he ran away, police said.
Investigators identified Vasquez-Lopez as a suspect based on the physical description the victim provided. His DNA then matched a sample analyzed by a state lab, police said.
Vasquez-Lopez, of Arlington, was arrested at his home late Wednesday night and charged with abduction with the intent to defile.
Police are investigating whether he may be connected to several assaults in Arlington last summer. In one instance, on July 31, a woman was thrown to the ground as she ran on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail in the Glencarlyn Park area.
Vasquez-Lopez is being held without bond at the Arlington County jail.
Anyone with information on the attack Aug. 1 or on Vasquez-Lopez is asked to contact Det. Bercovicz at 703-228-4235 or email kbercovicz@arlingtonva.us. To report information anonymously, call 1-866-411-TIPS.
A man known to be violent escaped from a mental health facility in Falls Church, Virginia, on Monday and is being sought by Virginia State Police and Fairfax County police.
Michael Marshall, 33, escaped from the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute in the 3300 block of Gallows Road, Fairfax County police said. It was noticed about 6 p.m. Monday that he was gone.
He is known to "exhibit violent behavior," police said.
Marshall was described by police as black, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 235 pounds, with black hair and glasses. Police said he may be on foot in Falls Church or Annandale.
He has ties to Sequoia Farms Drive and Woodfield Drive in Centreville, and the Sterling area, authorities said.
Anyone who sees Marshall or has information on his location is asked to call police immediately at 703-691-2131. Anyone who sees him is advised to use caution and not approach him.
Tuesday marks a tragic milestone in the case of Relisha Rudd, the missing D.C. girl who vanished from a city homeless shelter: It has been two years since she was last seen.
On March 1, 2014, the eight-year-old girl was seen at a Northeast D.C. motel with 51-year-old Kahlil Tatum. He was a janitor at D.C. General, the homeless shelter where Relisha lived with her mother and three brothers.
Relisha has not been seen since, and no one has been charged in her disappearance. Police believe Tatum committed suicide.
Today marks 2 yrs since Relisha Rudd was seen. We thank the community, as we continue our search for the missing. pic.twitter.com/MbryZon21n DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) March 1, 2016
Relisha's family had allowed her to spend time with Tatum before her disappearance, and she appeared to have been missing for weeks before officials realized she was gone. Relisha, a second-grader, hadn't been seen at Payne Elementary School since the month before her disappearance.
Investigators said on March 10, 2014, Tatum posed as a doctor, telling city officials who were concerned for the girl's safety that she was sick with a neurological disorder and was undergoing treatment. When they asked for documents, "Dr. Tatum" said he would leave them at the shelter where Relisha and her family lived.
When officials went to the shelter March 19, 2014, to pick up the paperwork, they couldn't find "Dr. Tatum" or Relisha. Shortly after, a missing persons report was filed with D.C. police.
The next day, Tatum's wife, Andrea Denise Tatum, was found dead in a motel in Oxon Hill, Maryland. On March 31, 2014, Tatum was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Kenilworth Park.
There has been no sign of Relisha, who now would be 10 years old.
In the two years since then, investigators and K-9 teams have searched multiple sites, including at Kenilworth Park, a construction site and the Anacostia River.
Police have said Tatum purchased a shovel, lime and contractor-sized trash bags, and spent a significant amount of time at Kenilworth Park around the time Relisha was last seen. Investigators have looked into the possibility that Tatum killed Relisha and buried her in the park, but her body was never found.
In December, police conducted a new round of searches, and Police Chief Cathy Lanier renewed her call for community members to come forward with any information about the girl's disappearance.
The FBI's Washington Field Office is assisting D.C. police with the ongoing investigation.
"One of the FBI's top priorities is protecting children from violent crimes and we remain committed to finding Relisha or any child that goes missing," the FBI said in a statement in December.
After Relisha's disappearance, D.C. officials took a second look at how they handled her case, but their report found the District couldn't have prevented her disappearance, citing, in part, misleading information provided by Relisha's family.
However, the report did suggest more than two dozen recommended policy changes on issues including how schools deal with unexcused absences, background checks for homeless shelter employees, and fraternization between families and shelter staff.
Editor's Note: This story is no longer being updated. For the latest on Virginia results, click here.
Polls closed at 7 p.m. in Virginia, where primary voters cast their ballots for the Republican and Democratic nominees for president.
Virginia -- a battleground state with scores of delegates up for grabs -- is one of nearly a dozen states holding primaries on Super Tuesday. The outcomes could go a long way in determining both parties' eventual winners.
Republicans are voting in 11 states, with 595 delegates at stake; 49 of those are in Virginia. Democrats are casting ballots in 11 states as well as American Samoa, with 865 delegates up for grabs; 95 of those are in Virginia.
In Fairfax County, election officials say more than 700,000 people have registered to vote, an increase of nearly 100,000 voters from 2008.
Many voters say this election is too important to stay home. Voters had lined up in many polling places early Tuesday, before polls had even opened.
"This is an important election," one voter said. "I'm a little concerned about getting two really good candidates.... It's been a pretty wild election season. It's been entertaining up 'til now, but I'm thinking it's not funny anymore."
"A lot is at stake in this country at the moment," another voter said.
And a lot of Virginia delegates are at stake for the candidates, which is why many of the presidential hopefuls have visited in recent weeks, hoping to sway voters.
"I was definitely leaning one way, and kind of changed my mind over the course of the campaign," said another voter.
John Whitbeck, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, said GOP voters were fired up to get to the polls.
"The evidence is clear that we're looking at a record turnout in Virginia,'' he said.
Susan Swecker, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, said she expected turnout on the Democratic side to be "robust," but wasn't sure whether it would be record setting. She noted that there are only two candidates running for the Democratic side, Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, compared with five GOP candidates.
Even before polls opened Tuesday, voters were weighing in.
"Our absentee voting has been very robust," said Lisa Connors, a spokeswoman for Fairfax County. "We have several t hrousand voters more than we did back in 2008."
Whoever wins Virginia is also likely to bolster their case that they can do well in the general election, as the Old Dominion has a diverse electorate and is expected to be a pivotal swing state.
"Virginia is America in miniature," said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. "A win here means more than a win in a lot of other states."
Delegates for both parties will be awarded proportionally.
What You Need to Know
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Virginia. Voters in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast ballots after that time, but they must be in line by then.
Registered voters can find their polling places online here.
A current photo ID will be required to vote (see acceptable forms of ID here). Registered voters who forget their IDs may cast provisional ballots. If your ID is expired, go to your nearest Voter Registration Office (see a PDF of locations here) and apply for a free Virginia Voter Photo ID Card, which you can get the same day.
The primaries are open, which means each registered voter can choose to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary.
Voters will not have to sign a loyalty pledge to vote in a party's primary. Although the Republican Party of Virginia initially wanted voters in its primary to sign a form stating they were Republicans, the party backed off the pledge after a public outcry, as well as criticism from GOP front-runner Donald Trump and his supporters.
Voters should be aware that the ballots for Virginia's primary were printed weeks ago and actually list several candidates on them who are no longer running.
Candidates Visit Virginia
Virtually every candidate in both parties made at least one stop in Virginia in the run-up to the primary.
Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) will hold a primary day rally at George Mason University Law School from noon to 1 p.m. Doors will open at 11 a.m. Those who wish to attend may RSVP online.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) held a four-stop tour around the commonwealth Sunday, and has recently consolidated a large amount of the state GOP establishment's support. Rubio and a super PAC supporting him recently purchased more than $400,000 of airtime in Virginia's four biggest TV markets, according to the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project. Clinton's campaign has bought more than $360,000.
Donald Trump (R) was at Virginia Beach's Regent University last week and was set to hold a rally Monday evening at Radford University in southwest Virginia, home to a large number of blue-collar voters more likely to support him. Trump has made small TV ad buys around the state. A super PAC devoted to attacking Trump announced Friday that it was running radio ads attacking him in parts of central Virginia.
Sec. Hillary Clinton (D) spoke Monday in Northern Virginia, home to wealthier, more liberal voters, and in Hampton Roads, which has a high concentration of African-American voters. The Clinton campaign has focused on courting black voters in Virginia, lining up support from most African-American state lawmakers. And Gov. Terry McAuliffe is a longtime family friend and confidante.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt. ) has shown momentum in Virginia. A rally he held in Norfolk drew thousands.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Dr. Ben Carson (R) recently appeared at Regent University's presidential candidate series in Virginia Beach.
A man in Ohio who fatally shot his roommate almost 40 years ago and ate part of his brain is under review for parole.
David Allen Chapin, 60, is currently serving a life sentence at the Allen Correction Institution in Lima, Ohio, according to state records. He has been denied parole at least six times, a spokesperson from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction told NBC Chicago.
Chapin shot his roommate Donald Liming in Milford, Ohio, on Oct. 3, 1978, The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. The pair, who had been friends since childhood, had been arguing about religion; Chapin was a Baptist and Liming said he was a Catholic, a Buddhist, as well as a pagan, according to the publication.
Chapin put Limings body into the trunk of his Buick Skylark and drove to a community college he was attending, the Enquirer reported, citing archives. While in biology class, Chapin asked the professor if he needed a corpse to dissect.
During the course of his murder trial in Clermont County, Chapin explained to a court-ordered psychiatrist that he devoured part of Limings brain as part of a "mutual agreement" between the roommates, according to the Enquirer.
The Ohio Parole Board conducted a closed release consideration hearing on Feb. 1, and the case was referred to the Central Office Board Review, according to JoEllen Smith of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. A decision is pending.
The case has now been moved to the Central Office Board Review for consideration, which will review his case history and the publics opinion before they make a recommendation, according to Smith.
Additionally, a public hearing could be scheduled where Limings family and the Clermont County Prosecutor would oppose Limings release, according to the Enquirer.
On the eve of Super Tuesday's crucial primaries, a sharp new divide erupted between Republicans who pledge to fall in line behind Donald Trump if he wins their party's nomination and others who insist they can never back the bombastic billionaire.
The fissure could have major implications beyond the primaries, exposing the looming challenges in uniting the party after the election, no matter who wins.
Nebraska's Ben Sasse, a rising star among conservatives, became the first current senator to publicly raise the prospect of backing a third party option if Trump clinches the nomination. In a letter posted on Facebook late Sunday, Sasse urged Republicans to consider whether a party led by Trump would still represent their interests.
"If our party is no longer working for the things we believe in like defending the sanctity of life, stopping Obamacare, protecting the Second Amendment, etc. then people of good conscience should stop supporting that party until it is reformed," he wrote.
The Associated Press asked Republican senators and governors across the country if they would support Trump if he secured the nomination. Just under half of those who responded would not commit to backing him, foreshadowing a potentially extraordinary break this fall.
"I am increasingly concerned by Donald Trump's statements and behavior, and I have serious concerns about his ability to win the general election and provide presidential leadership," Indiana Sen. Dan Coats said in a statement to AP.
The concern among Republican leaders appeared to grow in light of Trump's refusal to immediately disavow former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke's support.
Mitt Romney, the party's 2012 nominee, called that "disqualifying." And South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, campaigning in Atlanta alongside Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, said she would "not stop fighting a man who refuses to disavow the KKK."
Trump said he had not understood the interviewer who first raised the question about Duke, and he did later repudiate him. "How many times do I have to continue to disavow people?" he said.
Several high-profile Republicans and conservative writers have embraced an anti-Trump social media campaign, using the Twitter hashtag "NeverTrump."
Trump has won three of four early primary contests, roiling a party that had assumed his populist appeal with voters would fizzle. Instead, he's only grown stronger and appears to be in commanding position heading into Super Tuesday, the biggest single-day delegate haul of the year.
Tensions boiled over during Trump's rally Monday in Radford, Virginia, where he was repeatedly disrupted by demonstrators, including 20 or more chanting "Black lives matter." At another point, he asked a protester, "Are you from Mexico?" after he was interrupted during remarks about immigration. He ordered several people to be removed, then cast himself as a unifying political force.
"Believe it or not, we're going to unify this country," he said.
If Trump sweeps most of the states up for grabs Tuesday, he could amass a delegate lead that would be difficult for any rival to overcome. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is banking on a win in his home state to keep him in the race, while Rubio wants to stay close in the delegate count until the primary hits his home state of Florida on March 15.
Meanwhile, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is solidifying her lead. Like Trump, Clinton could begin putting her party's nomination out of reach for rival Bernie Sanders with a strong showing on Super Tuesday.
Sanders hopes to score victories in Minnesota and Massachusetts, where he was traveling to later Monday, and in Oklahoma and Colorado. He was ending his day in his home state of Vermont, which stands as the only sure thing in his Super Tuesday calculus, underscoring Clinton's sky-high expectations of padding her delegate lead this week.
Clinton, powered by strong support among black voters, was in firm control in several Southern states holding contests on Tuesday, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. The former secretary of state campaigned in Massachusetts on Monday and was holding events later in the day in Virginia, another general election battleground holding its primary on Super Tuesday.
As Trump has rolled through the early voting states, he's received enthusiastic endorsements from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and from Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, one of the most vocal opponents of immigration -law changes on Capitol Hill. Several other party officials have said they would back the real estate mogul if he does become the nominee, though some say their support would be reluctant.
"I'm a Republican and I will support the nominee," Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said Monday. "I do not think he is our best nominee, but I will support the nominee."
Party leaders are particularly worried about the ripple effect of a Trump nomination on other races. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson urged Republicans to remember that their White House pick also impacts "the Senate and whether we're going to continue to elect Republican governors across the country."
A new commercial released Monday by Arizona Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who is challenging John McCain for his Senate seat, served as a likely preview of how Democrats would seek to link GOP candidates to Trump. The 60-second spot highlighted several of Trump's more incendiary statements and questioned how McCain could say he would support him in the general election.
Some Republicans said Senate candidates and others would have to forgo party unity in order to save themselves.
"It's not going to be a team effort. It's going to be every man for himself," said Matt Mackowiak, a GOP strategist who is unaffiliated in the 2016 race.
Calls to 911 reveal the frantic scene after a bizarre attack involving a machete sent one man to the hospital in Connecticut over the weekend.
Terror in the callers' voices is evident in the recordings from Saturday night, when 30-year-old Zchacorey Pouncey, of Broad Brook, allegedly attacked another man with a machete outside the victims home on Abbe Road. The victims girlfriend called 911.
"I have a head injury. We got somebody running theres (expletive) blood all over the place. We just need somebody here right now," the woman told the dispatcher.
She then handed the phone to her boyfriend, who had been cut with the machete.
"She went out. Came home with her cousins boyfriend. Ive got the machete right now that this dude tried to chop me up with," the victim said in the call.
"OK, is the person with the machete still there?" the dispatcher asked.
"I took the machete from him. He (expletive) tried to kill me," the victim replied.
Police said the man fought back against the suspect but wont be charged because he was acting in self-defense.
"I dont even know if hes all right. You guys may have to look for him," he told the dispatcher.
Neighbors found Pouncey lying on their porch, bleeding heavily from a head wound. Pouncey was taken to the hospital and later arrested and charged with assault, breach of peace and carrying a dangerous weapon.
"The house is a mess. Theres pure blood in here. Nobody died or nothing like that, but yeah, he came home and tried to kill me," the victim repeated on the 911 call.
Police still dont have a motive but said Pouncey was intoxicated.
Pouncey also faces charges for allegedly starting a fight and breaking the window of the German Club in Broad Brook.
Employees said they kicked Pouncey out after he appeared to become intoxicated and start a fight. Upon being locked out of the club, police said Pouncey used the machete to break a window.
East Windsor police said they plan to charge him with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.
Information on an attorney for Pouncey was not immediately available.
It was a huge and surprising win for a movie that has its foundation at the Boston Globe.
"Spotlight" won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and for the real people behind the movie characters, the win means much more than a gold statue.
Winning best picture at the Academy Awards, the film Spotlight shined a bright light on an issue sex abuse victim Alexa MacPherson knows intimately. She faced abuse from her priest, but as exciting as this moment was, it didn't offer her something she longs for more than anything.
"Not a sense of closure, at least not for me," said MacPherson, "It's a sense of being understood. And not being called a liar."
The movie is about the Boston Globe's Spotlight investigation into the child sex abuse scandal in the Boston Catholic Church.
NECN spoke with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Walter Robinson, who was part of the Spotlight team that exposed the sex abuse scandal involving clergy. In spotlight, Robinson is played by actor Michael Keaton.
Robinson hopes with "Spotlight's" now global fame, swift action will be taken in the Catholic Church.
"Perhaps it will move the church to move more quickly to Institute the reforms to make sure that this kind of Wholesale abuse of children doesn't happen again," said Robinson.
But as journalists, attorneys, and now movies fight for the justice of victims, victims themselves live a reality none of us can understand.
MacPherson no longer goes to the Catholic Church and doesn't believe in its doctrine regardless of court wins and now Academy Awards. At its core, she will never be able to understand what happened and why it was allowed for so long.
"How can you follow a doctrine that allows abuse of children and then covers it up and doesn't hold the perpetrators liable in any way shape or form?" said MacPherson.
NECN also spoke with Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney for more than a dozen victims and portrayed in the movie Spotlight. He says with this kind of international attention on the scandal, the Vatican has to do something about it.
Donald Trump has won the Massachusetts and Vermont Republican primaries, according to NBC News projections.
Republican voters gave Trump the win over fellow Republican candidates Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, John Kasich and Ben Carson, who were hoping for strong second place finishes.
For Republicans, Massachusetts has 42 delegates awarded on a proportional basis. That means multiple candidates will likely receive delegates. All GOP delegates are awarded based on the primary tally.
Trump was projected as the Vermont Republican primary winner overnight.
Heading into Super Tuesday, Trump was leading the pack with 82 delegates after winning New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
Cruz won Iowa and was in second with 17 delegates. Rubio was in a close third with 16 delegates.
The Republican candidates spent Monday making a final push for voters.
Trump ended his campaigning in Georgia, where he was joined on stage by some big names in NASCAR.
Kasich spent the day campaigning in New England, while Cruz focused his attention on Texas.
Rubio's stops included Georgia and Oklahoma.
In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker headed to the polls in Swampscott early Tuesday morning.
Baker had endorsed former Republican candidate Chris Christie, who is no longer in the running and has not backed another candidate publicly. He didn't say who he voted for, but did say it wasn't Trump or Cruz.
The presidential candidate is spending Super Tuesday in his home state of Vermont
Bernie Sanders arrived at his polling place in Burlington, Vermont on Super Tuesday to super encouragement from neighbors.
"I would love to see democratic socialism spread throughout the country," beamed Tom Barber, a voter in Sanders' home ward in Burlington.
Several voters cheered, one shouting, "keep fighting, Bernie," as the Secret Service motorcade pulled into the polling location.
Sanders and his wife, Jane, cast their ballots around 7:30 Tuesday morning, contributing two votes toward what's universally expected will be a landslide win for the Vermont senator on his home turf.
Elsewhere, polls show significant challenges in states favorable to Hillary Clinton's more established name.
Still, Sanders has a goal of ending Super Tuesday with as many proportionally-awarded delegates as possible, he said.
"We're very proud of what we are doing, and we're proud of what we're going to continue to do," Sanders told reporters gathered outside the polling place. "This is a campaign that's going to the Philadelphia convention in July and I want to thank the millions of supporters throughout this country."
But not everyone in Sanders' backyard is on board with their hometown senator.
"I call him 'Bernie Santa Claus' because he thinks everything should be free, but there's no connection between paying for it," said Karen Rowell, a Burlington voter.
Hillary Clinton supporters planned an afternoon of phone calls to get out the vote for the former Secretary of State across Vermont.
Polls in Vermont close at 7 p.m.
Sanders is holding an evening rally on Super Tuesday at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction. Stay with necn and www.necn.com for coverage of that event.
Many people say you cant know where youre going without knowing where youve been. For some this quote may not mean much, but for the women of the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing who provide the Air Forces largest remotely piloted aircraft enterprise with support this statement rings true.
Womens History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as Womens History Week.
In 1987, Congress designated the month of March 1987 as Womens History Month. Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as Womens History Month.
On a daily basis these women provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, maintain both the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper; safeguard control centers, administer medications, file records, maintain secured communications capability, command squadrons, fly aircraft and tell the Air Force story.
As we enter March, we celebrate women and their contribution to the defense of our nation. We honor them regardless of backgrounds, nation or creed.
Sgt. Esther Blake was the first female to enlist in the newly formed Air Force on July 8, 1948 on the first hour of the first day it was authorized for women to join. Since that faithful day women all over the world have followed in her footsteps.
Airmen like Lt Col. Mackenzie who serves as the only female commander at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. She commands 320 men and women of the 432nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, to include two aircraft maintenance units that provide aircraft maintenance needed to sustain global RPA operations. Additionally, she serves as a mother raising two children with Lt Col Ted who is also an Air Force commander.
Women of the 432nd Wing, serving in command positions, both past and present have achieved historic milestones while serving their country.
Women like Lt Col Shawna, who broke racial barriers when she became the first black female fighter pilot. She joined the Civil Air Patrol, worked at air shows and earned her private pilot's license. Eventually, she was accepted into the Air Force Academy. She did all of this despite people telling her there was no such thing as a female fighter pilot. She earned her pilot wings in August 1999.
These women represent the caliber of women serving in todays officer corps. According to the DOD, there are a total of 60 female military flag officers with 21 of those belonging to the Department of the Air Force, the most from any military branch.
Female Airmen also serve in key enlisted positions to include command chiefs, first sergeants, and Chaplain Assistants to name a few. They continuously improve the quality of life both on and off duty here at the 432nd Wing.
Senior Master Sgt. Christin serves as the only female squadron superintendent as Creech. She is the chief enlisted advisor for nearly 290 aviation and intelligence Airmen, aviation resource management personnel while integrating Air Force Reserve Command members. Together they provide 24/7/365 combat support to combatant commanders in multiple Areas of Responsibility. She also served as Creechs Top III President and Vice President and currently teaches Unmanned Aircraft System courses at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Despite the many misconceptions about women serving in todays military, in a recent statistics release from the Defense Department, women make up 29 percent of all USAF military personnel, 30.5 percent of all civilian personnel, with nearly equal representation in both the officer (20.3 percent) and enlisted (18.9 percent) corps.
Of the officers, 55 percent of the female officers are line officers, and 45 percent are non-line. Of the 307,001 active duty personnel, 58,785 are women, with 676 female pilots, 288 navigators and 223 air battle managers.
President Barack Obama during a 2015 presidential proclamation said, "We honor the many patriots who have shaped not only the destinies of other women, but also the direction of our history, let us resolve to build on their efforts in our own time."
Ecumenical prayer walk in E Norfolk village
2016: On Sunday February 21 a cross-section of members from the church of England, Roman Catholic and Methodist fellowships in the East Norfolk village of Acle joined for their annual prayer walk.
Led by Rector Rev Martin Greenland, Deacon, Rev Peter Glanville and lay preacher Vernon Cumpstey the group met for prayers outside St Edmunds Church, processing around various spots in the village, including the police station, banks, veterinary hospital, high school, cemetery, recreation centre, medical centre and library with appropriate prayers being recited at each location.
The walk concluded at the Methodist church where refreshments were grateful consumed.
The photo shows, from left to right, Martin Greenland, Peter Glanville, Vernon Cumpstey and the prayer team outside the police station.
This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitters approach.
Cloud storage revenue is forecast to grow more than 28% annually to reach $65 billion in 2020. The driving force is the substantial economies of scale that enable cloud-based solutions to deliver more cost-effective primary and backup storage than on-premises systems can ever hope to achieve.
Most IT departments quickly discover, however, that there are significant challenges involved in migrating and synchronizing many thousands or even millions of files from on-premise storage systems to what Gartner characterizes as Enterprise File Synchronization and Sharing (EFSS) services in the cloud. According to Gartner, by 2019 75% of enterprises will have deployed multiple EFSS capabilities, and over 50% will struggle with problems of data migration, up from 10% today.
In a newly-published report titled, How to Migrate File Shares, SaaS and ECM to EFSS
Gartner identifies four ways organizations can manage migration to and/or synchronization with EFSS servicescustom integration; rudimentary copy; EFSS import services; and specialized third-party toolswhich well explore more here:
Custom integration
Custom solutions can be handled internally by IT or outsourced to consultants with expertise in content management. Either way, the question remains: Is an integration army required? The answer depends on how similar or different the storage systems are, and in most situations, the troops find the system differences to be both broader and deeper than initially anticipated.
Every file has a unique set of properties associated with it, and most file systems treat at least some of these file properties differently. The properties include the basics, such as file name, format and metadata, along with the more advanced, such as versioning, ownership preservation, and permissions.
In a hybrid storage environment, file names might need to be normalized. Versions might need to be tracked manually. Different security models might be needed for each file system, potentially creating problems for usersand placing a significant burden on the Help Desk. In any complex custom integration, there are bound to be mistakes. And the biggest problem in a hybrid storage environment is often an inability to detect file transfer corruption or version problems before they cause problems for the organization.
Even seemingly simple scenarios can grow enormously complex. Consider the experience of Shawmut Design and Construction, a construction management firm with offices throughout the U.S. The company uses BIM 360 software from Autodesk for construction management, and the ShareFile platform from Citrix for collaboration with the team in the field.
Change orders are common in construction projects, and using out-of-date information can cause costly mistakes. So the superintendent in charge of the project took great care to ensure that all of the files were accurately synchronized daily. Using the file management capabilities built into BIM 360 and ShareFile, the effort required three project managerstwo full-time and one part-time. Every day, the staff compared the versions of the many files in both systems, copying the latest from one to the other as needed to keep everything in sync. If three people are needed to handle synchronization between just two file systems, it is not surprising that complexity can increase exponentially in an organization with a dozen or more.
Shawmut did not attempt to have IT resources automate the file synchronization task, but other companies havenormally with unsatisfactory results. Getting bi- or multi-directional file synchronization to work well is not a trivial endeavor. Indeed, successfully navigating the different file logistics of multiple incompatible storage systems can become a Tower of Babel that is fraught with potential peril. Making a mistake when comparing just one of the files properties involving the last accessed/modified date, user/group access permissions or locking can result in a file becoming corrupt or over-written by an older version. And if the custom integration application lacks robust error detection and reporting (something that is deceptively difficult), the mistake will remain undetecteduntil a user complains.
For a one-time migration or a one-way backup, a custom integration effort, consisting of a combination of manual and automated procedures, may work well enough. This is especially true if the differences among the storage systems involved are relatively minor and manageable.
But in most cases, the answer to the question asked in the title is: Yes, it will take an army to successfully and securely synchronize files in a hybrid storage environment. Fortunately, there are three alternatives to custom integration.
Rudimentary copy
Using familiar, proven and low-tech brute force bulk copy commands, such as xcopy in Windows/DOS and rsync in Linux, is certainly simple and, therefore, might seem to be fairly foolproof. Applications like the File Explorer in Windows and the file management applications offered with most EFSS services also provide bulk file and folder copying capabilities.
For brute force bulk copy to work well, though, the storage systems involved either need to be compatible or must be made interoperable at their lowest common denominator. For example, more lenient file naming conventions and more generous file size capabilities might need to be abandoned in order to accommodate the most restrictive storage system, but doing so will minimize the complexity involved. Unless all systems can be made fully interoperable, however, challenges are certain to remain, especially involving file locking and security context via properties like user and group permissions for read/write/delete access.
As with custom integration, rudimentary copy can work well for a one-time migration or as a one-way backup solution. But because basic bulk copy commands and utilities lack robust file comparison capabilities, this approach is risky as a file synchronization solution in a hybrid storage environment.
Import services
Various forms of import services are available with virtually all EFSS platforms. Each has its own file management application with an online file import function, and some providers recommend using a physical disk drive when importing more than 100GB of data.
While these online applications and services shift responsibility to the EFSS provider, they can suffer from the same potential complexities and/or limitations such as lost permission models and structures, user-defined metadata, file ownership, and versions as encountered in custom integrations and rudimentary copy mechanisms. So if the import service fails to adequately accommodate the underlying file property differences between or among the different storage systems, the results are destined to be less than satisfactory. And it is for this reason that EFSS providersjust like a growing number of enterprise IT departmentsare starting to use purpose-built third-party file migration and synchronization tools.
Third-party tools
The growing popularity and inherent complexities of hybrid storage architectures have created a demand for specialized middleware software designed specifically to manage storage system migration and synchronization. While designs vary, the more advanced of these file logistics systems use a custom connector for each storage system supported. The connectors provide a common set of functionality that enables every storage system to interoperate with all others, without sacrificing the advanced capabilities of any. The result is a hybrid content management system capable of serving as an intelligent intermediary between or among many different storage systems.
To provide the agility desired in a hybrid storage environment, the connectors normally support a wide range of both on-premises storage systems (e.g. NFS/SAN/NAS, SharePoint, and various Enterprise Content Management solutions) and EFSS platforms (e.g. Box, Dropbox for Business, Google Drive Office 365, OneDrive ShareFile, and Syncplicity). The depth and breadth of support makes these tools suitable for supporting most enterprise applications, as well as the shadow IT Bring Your Own Storage (BYOS) environment being created as users increasingly migrate their own data to the cloud.
Increasing frustration with its manual synchronization motivated Shawmut to pilot a third-party hybrid content management tool, and the improvement was immediate. With connectors for both Shawmuts on-premises storage system and Citrix ShareFile, the tool automatically synchronizes files every night based on just a few point-and-click instructions, which has eliminated the need for painstaking manual comparisons. Now the project superintendent spends only a few minutes at the end of each workday to set up the synchronization. After confirming the tool worked as desired, the three project managers previously responsible for synchronizing the files were reassigned to more productive tasks.
While security was not a major concern at Shawmut, it is at most organizations. To accommodate this important requirement, the connectors usually include support for each file systems security provisions, and the tool itself is normally installed behind the enterprise firewall and other perimeter defenses.
The journey to deciding which of these four alternatives might be the best and most cost-effective in any particular situation begins with taking an inventory of all the storage systems being used enterprise-wide both on-premises and in the cloud. Gartner recommends using a file analysis tool capable of scanning each file system to index its contents and file attributes. With more powerful tools now becoming available to automate the migration and synchronization of on-premises and cloud-based storage services, IT departments no longer need to assign an integration army to the task.
Brazeau is CEO of SkySync, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company with more than 30 years of collective IT and Enterprise Content Management experience. Prior to co-founding SkySync, Brazeau was CEO and founder of BlueThread Technologies, which was named by Microsoft as a Managed Partner in the High-Potential Independent Software Vendor group and Most Innovative SharePoint 2010 ISV.
Ciscos reseller event, Partner Summit, kicked off this week in San Diego. The event is normally a big one for Cisco as thousands of its resellers gather to be updated on the latest, greatest plans for Cisco. All eyes are on Chuck Robbins as this is the first Partner Summit held under his watch as the companys CEO. The event kicks off today and has already seen Cisco make a couple of significant announcements in the data center.
This morning Cisco announced its intention to acquired Silicon Valley based, CliQr Technologies for $260 million. The 105-person company provides application centric cloud orchestration that enables customers to model, deploy and manage across bare metal, virtual and container environments regardless of whether the infrastructure is on premise or in a private or public cloud. The technology will be used to help Cisco customers move to a seamless hybrid cloud model where the information can be moved between clouds, and resources can be provisioned across clouds. CliQrs technology is already tightly integrated into a number of Cisco data center products including ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure) and Unified Computing System (UCS).
CliQr complements Ciscos current data center portfolio nicely. ACI enables customers to automate the provisioning of data center infrastructure through policies driven from the infrastructure up. CliQr uses a model-based approach and is more top down and uses application or business policies to provision. Cisco ACI has broad appeal with traditional network and data center operations personnel, where CliQr is DevOps and application focused.
The acquisition of CliQr will certainly fuel the Cisco-VMware fire, as CliQrs primary competitor is VMwares vRealize cloud management suite. While the talk track from the two vendors is similar, the approach is quite different. VRealize presumes the world is all VMware centric where CliQr was designed to work across multiple clouds and multiple cloud types. CliQr works with a wide range of public and private clouds including VMware, Azure Pack, OpenStack, Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, RackSpace, Dimension Data as well as some specialty clouds like Microsoft Azure Government.
For Ciscos channel partners, the acquisition provides some interesting opportunities. First and most obviously, CliQr can be used to help customers move to a scalable hybrid cloud model comprised of on premise, private and public clouds. Because CliQr is an up the stack solution, Cisco partners can now start dialoging with line of business managers, application developers or DevOps. Also, CliQr can be used to facilitate the customer moving to managed service where the partner can work with the customer to set up the policies and manage it for them.
One of the more intriguing elements of the acquisition is what the combination of ACI and CliQr could offer. Currently, CliQr is an as a service offering with the software being deployed on premises or in the cloud. ACI, however is deployed in the customer data center so the model would be run CliQr as a service on top of ACI. In the future, a partner could offer ACI as a service using CliQr to manage infrastructure that was partner or service provider hosted. The multi-cloud capabilities of CliQr creates a number of options for Cisco and its partners.
The second interesting piece of data center related Partner Summit news is that Cisco is jumping into the hyperconverged market through an OEM agreement with Springpath. There has been wide speculation that Cisco would be moving into hyperconverged and even some rumors that it would acquire either SimpliVity or Nutanix.
While Springpath doesnt have the brand name of the hyperconverged market leaders, its a better fit for Cisco as it has made investments in the company and has likely heavily influenced the direction of the product. Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco has the option of acquiring Springpath if it meets certain financial goals. In many ways, this is similar to the model that Cisco used to bring and Andiamo into the company.
The new Cisco HyperFlex hyperconverged systems are part of a larger converged strategy that includes Nexus and UCS. Ciscos unique differentiator is that it can move hyperconverged from being a standalone technology to being part of a larger converged architecture where converged and hyperconverged systems can be managed through a single, policy driven console offered via Cisco Enterprise Cloud Suite.
Because HyperFlex is a complement to UCS, the obvious low hanging fruit for Ciscos partner community is to take the hyperconverged solution into the massive base of UCS customers first. While Cisco is late to the hyperconverged party, I certainly dont think theyve missed the opportunity. The first wave of hyperconverged was sold into smaller businesses that wanted the ease of deployment. Now hyperconverged is moving up the market and is an important part of having an agile infrastructure than can meet the needs of DevOps. This is the wave that Cisco is trying to catch and appears to have the right strategy in place.
Lastly, no Cisco event would be complete without a networking announcement. At the event the company announced its next generation of Nexus Switches and Software. These new products are built on Ciscos latest ASICs (Tahoe) and are the first switching products specifically built for cloud scale. Cisco is bringing 25/50/100 Gig capabilities to the data center at the same costs and density of current 10/40 Gig products. This is an increase in up to 10x the bandwidth at the same costs.
The new version of its flagship switch, the Nexus 9000, includes three modular and two fixed form factor units. The products offer 100 Gig performance with 25% more non-blocking performance over the merchant silicon solutions. The new Nexus also includes real time network telemetry with pervasive NetFlow at 100 Gig speeds for better network security and network wide troubleshooting.
Cisco also added a number of other features designed for supporting cloud deployments including the ability to scale up to 10x in IP addresses, support over 1 million containers in a rack and has adaptive capacity and congestion control. The last feature is important for running IP storage, converged and hyperconverged infrastructure on a single unified fabric.
Last week Jim Duffy wrote this post that cites research from Synergy that highlights that despite the onslaught of new competitors, SDN and white box, Cisco has maintained its dominant position. I contend that Ciscos homegrown ASICs are one of the key reasons for this. I did some research last year that indicate that Cisco consistently maintains an 18 to 24 month advantage over merchant because its ASICs allow it to get more features to market faster.
In addition to the 9000, Cisco also announced it was finally had ACI support for Cisco Nexus 7000 switches, something customers and channel partners have been asking for. For customers that have purchased the 7000, this news offers a degree of investment protection.
Lastly, for customers that want a merchant silicon product, Cisco announced new Nexus 3000 data center switches built on Broadcoms Tomahawk silicon to deliver 25/50/100 Gig.
This may be Chuck Robbins first Partner Summit as CEO but theres certainly as much or more news coming out of this one as Ive seen in a long time.
The Federal Trade Commission found few surprises in its annual summary of consumer complaints offensive debt collection activities, identity theft, and imposter scams were the main offenders in 2015.
Imposter scams have been in the news of late because the Internal Revenue Service issued a report in January that said that aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents continues to plague taxpayers. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration in January said it has received reports of roughly 896,000 contacts since October 2013 and have become aware of over 5,000 victims who have collectively paid over $26.5 million as a result of the scam. The IRS also noted recently that there has been a 400% surge in phishing and malware incidents in this tax season alone.
+More on Network World: IRS Scam: 5,000 victims cheated out of $26.5 million since 2013
The IRS has also been involved on one of the identity theft issues, saying recently that 700,000 taxpayers may have had their personal information stolen in a security breach last year.
The complaint categories making up the FTC top 10 are:
1. Debt Collection
2. Identity Theft
3. Imposter Scams
4. Telephone and Mobile Services
5. Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries
6. Banks and Lenders
7. Shop-At-Home and Catalog Sales
8. Auto-Related Complaints
9. Television and Electronic Media
10. Credit Bureaus, Information Furnishers and Report Users
+More on Network World: +
Here a some details about the FTC complaint list:
Abusive debt collection was 29% of overall complaints. The FTC brought a record number of new cases, banned bad debt collectors, talked with industry, and found new ways to do outreach. While debt collection complaints rose to the top spot among complaint categories, the report notes that this was due in large part to a surge in complaints contributed by a data contributor who collects complaints via a mobile app. This change caused a spike in complaints related to unwanted debt collection mobile phone calls.
Throughout 2015, the FTC said it ramped up enforcement against companies violating laws protecting consumers from illegal debt collection practices. The agency coordinated the first federal-state-local initiative (Operation Collection Protection) to combat the problem, leading 70 partners to bring more than 130 actions. In 2015, the FTC also directly filed 12 actions against 52 defendants for illegal debt collection practices, permanently banned 30 companies and individuals from the industry and obtained nearly $94 million in judgments against debt collectors.
Identity Theft: Identity theft complaints were the second most reported, increasing more than 47 percent from 2014 on the back of a massive jump in complaints about tax identity theft from consumers. Identity theft complaints had been the top category for the previous 15 years. Tax- or wage-related fraud (45%) was the most common form of reported identity theft, followed by credit card fraud (16%), phone or utilities fraud (10%), and bank fraud (6%). Other significant categories of identity theft reported by victims were loan fraud (4%) and employment-related fraud(3%).
Thirty-seven percent of identity theft complainants reported they contacted law enforcement. Of those victims, 89% indicated a report was taken. Missouri is the state with the highest per capita rate of reported identity theft complaints, followed by Connecticut and Florida, the FTC stated
During 2015, the FTC launched a major advance to help identity theft victims: When you use IdentityTheft.gov, you'll get a personal recovery plan that walks you through each recovery step, tracks your progress and adapts to your changing situation, and pre-fills letters and forms for you.
Imposter scams: These are scams where con artists impersonate government officials or others remained the third-most common complaint in 2015. The FTC brought cases, shut down an operation that claimed to work for Medicare, issued dozens of blog posts, and partnered with consumer groups and other federal agencies to host webinars, town halls, and twitter chats, the FTC said.
States of confusion: The report includes some interesting state-by-state data. For example, Florida took the top spot, with Georgia and Michigan ranking second and third highest per capita rate of fraud and other types of complaints. The highest per capita rate of reported identity theft came from Missouri giving a whole new meaning to The Show Me State. Next on the list were Connecticut and Florida. But heres an important caveat: Were talking about reported complaints, which means theres no way to accurately differentiate between states with a high incidence of fraud and identity theft vs. states with savvy consumers who are more likely to file a complaint if theyve been victimized, the FTC stated
Complaint Central: The FTC received more than 3 million complaints in 2015 -- up from 2.5 million in 2014. The Consumer Sentinel Network (CSN) which is the secure complaint database of the FTC contains almost 12 million complaints dating from calendar year 2011 through calendar year 2015. (In addition, the CSN contains over 16 million do-not-call complaints from this same time period.
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IRS warns: 400% flood in phishing and malware this tax year alone